ENTERTAINMENTpage 21 Technique • Friday, January 26, 2001 • 21 Fly away home Take a bite of Crowe ENTERTAINMENT The Two Bits Man takes you on a Just when you thought the Gladiator truly one-of-a-kind tour of Atlanta’s craze was fading, here comes the own Hartsfield Airport. Page 24 stunningly well-crafted DVD. Page 25 Technique • Friday, January 26, 2001 ‘Useful Music’ 2.0: More of a good thing Recent Green Day By Alan Back vein and establishes their respec- show rocks Athens Only rents his soul out tive credentials when it comes to rocking out. By Jonathan Purvis Artist: Josh Joplin Group Two versions of “I’ve Awaiting February 27 in Athens Title: Useful Music Changed” are included; decid- Label: Artemis ing which is better is a real toss- Green Day made their way back through Genre: Folk/Pop/Rock up. Longtime fans will probably Georgia last Friday night; unfortunately, Tracks: 13 go for the spare, open feel of the they passed over Atlanta in favor of Athens Rating: yyyyy original, with basssist Geoff (as Weezer is doing) and played at the Clas- Melkonian adding a very pretty sic Center. Despite slightly bad acoustics, Two years ago, music writers Irish touch on viola. The alter- the Classic Center was a decent venue. This around Atlanta tripped over nate take has more of a straight- reviewer is pumped about seeing Weezer’s themselves in a race to praise the ahead pop vibe to it and mre Outloud tour come through town. Josh Joplin Band’s Useful Music jangle from Davis. Either track, The Get Up Kids, a quintet hailing from album. The storm of publicity though, will spook anybody who Kansas City, opened the show. Their set led to a deal with Artemis Records, doesn’t pay enough attention. ran about 45 minutes, which turned out to and the disc got a bit of a facelift (Use your brain when you listen be 15 songs in their short style. They played to prepare it for its national re- to today’s music? Heaven for- well, but it did not seem like the right kind lease. Applying a little more juice bid.) of venue for a band like the Get Up Kids. in the right places, the new ver- Down at the other end of the Last time they came through Atlanta, they sion mixes elements of folk sto- voltmeter, highlighting Joplin’s played at the Echo Lounge, and their style rytelling and modern rock into narrative skills, are cuts such as By John Bentham / ARTEMIS RECORDS of play is better seen in a more intimate something that should impress “Trailways” and “Dutch Won- New to the Artemis family, Josh Joplin improves on the quality of environment. The music was excellent just about anyone who hasn’t derland.” The first of these al- 1999’s Useful Music by cranking up the amps in the right places. though. Their songs would sound like Weezer heard it before. most sounds like the story he’s if you added a bit heavier music to it and left The renamed and revamped telling, that of a long trip from Useful Music is a good exam- steps up to the microphone in a out some of the guitar talent. Josh Joplin Group wastes no time one stage of life to another, with ple of something you don’t run button-down shirt, tie, and Bud- One of the highlights of their set was in getting down to business. Lead- the occasional sudden flurry of into very often these days—a dy Holly glasses!). Joplin and ing off is an excellent retooling activity to break up the same- batch of well-crafted songs from his bandmates have put the pieces of “Matter,” which takes on a ness. His acoustic guitar nicely a group of talented musicians together to form something that new urgency from Joplin’s vo- frames the second, a look back who are also ordinary people. Atlanta critics were right to ap- cals (including a new spoken sec- (with mixed emotions) at grow- Nobody here is trying to hog plaud when they first heard it. tion) and Deb Davis’ jarring ing up in a small town and hav- the spotlight or perfect the rock- Here’s hoping the rest of the guitar figures. “Camera One,” ing little to do to keep himself star pose (which is hard to do country follows their example the first single, continues in this entertained. when your frontman sometimes in short order. Cornbread serves up new platter of treats By Alan Back Ga.-based outfit Cornbread. If the words “patriotic” and Forehand, Kelli Franklin, and Editors are obsessed with him Released last month, it trades “God Bless the U.S.A.” are glued Andrea Martin) provide addi- the diversity of their 1998 album together in your head, “Hero” tional vocals throughout, assist- Artist: Cornbread Headspace and Timing for a more will pull them apart in short or- ed by Mullins at times. Their Title: No Place Like Home focused approach and boils itself der. Thomas’ salute to the peo- efforts lend an element of gospel Label: RBM Records down to a potent little brew. ple he served with in the Army to the songs and produce some Genre: Rock/Pop Lead singer Keni Thomas never even comes close to sappi- nice harmonies; the title cut is Tracks: 6 knows where he’s most at home, ness, thanks to Dee Rosario’s the standout in this respect, bring- Rating: yyyy somewhere in between acoustic cooking guitar lines and Mul- ing in a Hammond organ to pop and Southern rock and blues. lins’ production work. further solidify the mood. Good things still come in small He wastes no time in getting There’s a reason that most of Anybody who’s lived down By Kristi Odom / STUDENT PUBLICATIONS packages sometimes. Case in there with a little help from Shawn these tracks sound as if a small here a while knows that the red- Billie Joe Armstrong pauses long enough point: No Place Like Home, the Mullins, who handled produc- choir is in the studio. Cornbread’s neck stereotype is still alive and to take a breath during Green Day’s recent new offering from the Columbus, tion on the first two tracks. three backup singers (Jeanne well in places. “Gun racks and high-energy show in Athens. Rebel flags and refrigerators on the lawn,” Thomas ruminates when Tre Cool, Green Day’s drummer, in “The South Will Never Let came out and sang a song with them. He You Down,” a twangy, light- sang an old classic, something about beer hearted poke at Bubba Central. for breakfast. I have heard it once, but can’t About the only things missing remember who originally sang it or when. are a car up on blocks and a Tre Cool had an excellent presence with sixpack of Pabst Blue Ribbon! the crowd just for that one song he sang— The only weakness of No Place something that the Get Up Kids seemed to Like Home is that it wraps up so be lacking throughout the show. quickly (the six tracks total just Stage presence is a huge part of this style over 20 minutes). Thomas’ writ- of music, because you know that people ing and the group’s chops prove aren’t coming for the amazing power solos. that there’s still plenty of fresh As catchy and entertaining as their songs turf to explore below the Ma- are, the Get Up Kids admit that they lack in son-Dixon Line. Think of these the guitar talent department. On their songs as a taste of what Corn- webpage, they plainly state that “we never bread can pull out of the oven, did it (transcribed our music) because we with or without a crowd present. didn’t want to be reminded what poor gui- tar players we are.” Either way, it was an By Alan Back / STUDENT PUBLICATIONS To order No Place Like Home, With guest guitarist Alex Jacobs (far left), Cornbread’s Keni Thomas, Eddie Whalen, and Dee Rosario visit the Cornbread home page: See Green Day, page 22 celebrate the release of No Place Like Home during their pre-Christmas visit to Smith’s Olde Bar. www.cornbreadmusic.com. DramaTech holds auditions for spring musical Opening this week at your local theater DramaTech is holding auditions for the mu- Auditions for musicians (keyboards, drums, • Shadow of the Vampire, starring John cine McDougall. Cheerleaders moon- sical comedy A Funny Thing Happened on the woodwinds, brass, and upright bass) will be held Malkovich and Willem Dafoe, direct- light as bank robbers in this comedy. Way to the Forum January 29 and 30 at 7:30 January 28 at 7:30 p.m. Bring your own musical ed by E. Elias Merhige. For review, see • The Wedding Planner, starring Jenni- p.m. in the DramaTech Theatre. Auditions will instrument and be prepared to sight-read from last week’s Technique. fer Lopez and Matthew McConaugh- include singing, dancing and acting; dressing the score. For more information, call the The- • Sugar & Spice, starring Mena Suvari ey, directed by Adam Shankman. For comfortably is advised. atre at 404-894-3481. and James Marsden, directed by Fran- review, see page 27 of this section. 22 • Friday, January 26, 2001 • Technique ENTERTAINMENT Green Day from page 21 Poe’s album anything but ‘Haunted’ excellent set, although a bit large of In a related story, Green Day’s a venue for them. latest single, “Warning”, has been By Jon Kaye many of which captured from the thought-provoking metaphors.