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yonder Mountain String Band
UUild DucK Friday 10/27
all events are FREE
fri | oct 20
9pm-midnight
eclectic open mic
music ► performance art ► theatre
Sign-up to perform at The Break (located next to The Buzz)
For more info call Jessica at 346-3725
Don't have a ticket to the hottest game in
town? No prob.
Join you; friends at the Buzz Coffeehouse.
Well have two TV's. Kick-off is at 7:15pm.
Saturday | October 21
the buzz | emu ground floor
vwwv.emu.uoregon.edu
Please recycle
this paper.
Courtesy of Interscope Records
Peas pick up last album's slack
■The hip-hop group makes a
comeback with a novel sound
and a handful of guest artists
Black Eyed Peas ‘Bridging the Gap’
Interscope Records
By Josh Ryneal
Oregon Daily Emerald
When A Tribe Called Quest broke
up after their 1998 “The Love Move
ment” album, the hip-hop world
scrambled to find a new standard
bearer for that group’s enormously
successful blend of jazzy beats and
positive lyrics. At the time, Master P
ruled the rap charts and it seemed
that perhaps A Tribe Called Quest’s
unique hip-hop blend wasn’t about
to be resurrected.
Enter the Black Eyed Peas’ first
album, 1998’s “Behind the Front,”
which blended live instruments
with funky samples and upbeat
lyrics. However, the album suffered
from too-slick production and
some generic songs that caused the
group’s debut to fall under the
radar.
With their new release, “Bridg
ing the Gap,” the Peas have used
their two-year hiatus to make an al
bum that picks up A Tribe Called
Quest’s slack. Rappers Will-I-Am,
Taboo and Apl-de-AP have toned
down the positivity of their lyrics
and amped up their battle-MC cre
dentials. They brought along a
slew of guests to make their second
album a more serious and funky af
fair.
The Peas still continue their habit
of using live instruments and sam
ples, but have stripped them down
for a more minimalist feel. There are
still little flourishes that bring back
echoes of “Behind the Front”:
Check the big, bad brass section of
“Tell Your Momma Come.” As a
whole, “Bridging the Gap” is a
whole lot more funky and sweaty
than the Peas’ debut.
Different elements come together
in “Bridging the Gap” to create a
richly textured sound that is differ
ent than anything else out there.
The Peas don’t rap about cars or
money, but instead focus on feats of
rap athleticism. When they chant
“we’re bringing it back,” they’re ob
viously serious.
Several big-name guests show
up to contribute their skills to
“Bridging the Gap.” Wyclef, whose
excellent production and guitar
licks on “Rap Song” proves he
should stick to the mixing boards
instead of the mic and he also
shows that he can still kick it. Mos
Def, who is in line for the “most
guest spots of the year” award, con
tributes a skillful yet somewhat un
intelligible verse to “On My Own,”
and Macy Gray enlivens “Request
+ Line,” an ode to radio DJs every
where, with her suede-scratchy vo
cals.
A Tribe Called Quest’s partners in
crime, De La Soul, come off the run
away success of their new album to
give a great cameo on “Cali to New
York” and cement their old-school
mic skills.
Despite their reputation as being
“soft,” the Peas bring out a vision
of what rap could be. It may not
make a lot of money, but it sure is
bangin’.
‘Helpless’ fails to be top notch
■The student production
deals with unchangeable
destinies and will hit the
Pocket Playhouse today
THEATER REVIEW
‘Helpless’
Starring: Tasha Cyr and Travis
MacRitchie
By Mason West
Oregon Daily Emerald
The idea that everything we do is
pre-determined and we have no
way to change our destinies can be
scary. Some people wouldn’t even
let such a thought enter their heads.
These are the themes the latest
Pocket Playhouse show, “Help
less,” tackles head on.
Written and directed by sopho
more theater major Phillip Meyer,
"Helpless” revolves around two
people, Joseph and Allison, fated to
fall in love, but not to stay together.
During the play, which is more of a
character study, the audience
watches what the characters do in
response to this realization.
The role of a young woman just
falling in love is played refreshing
ly well by senior theater major
Tasha Cyr. Her portrayal of Allison
gives a personable window into
how everyone behaves in that haze
brought on by new emotions.
Joseph, played by freshman the
ater major Travis MacRitchie, does
n’t allow himself to get swept up in
these emotions, having an unnatu
ral distrust of what is happening
between himself and Allison. The
audience watches Joseph struggle
with his suspicions and emotions.
MacRitchie falls victim to some
cliche acting devices with his por
trayal of Joseph’s depression, but in
his better moments, he forgets that
he is depressed, and the audience
gives a sympathetic sigh of relief for
him.
Sympathy is about all the charac
ters in the play can hope for as far
as emotional attachment from the
audience. The play, about 40 min
utes long, suffers because of its
length. The audience isn’t given
enough time, or background, to em
pathize with the characters. Meyer
admits that the reason for the play’s
brevity is the difficulty of having
two people carry a whole show, a
valid reason, but perhaps a justifi
cation to expand the script.
To their credit, Cyr and
MacRitchie do carry the show, but
not as far as it could go. There isn’t
a real chemistry in their relation
ship. This and other shortcomings
of the play can be attributed to the
short time in which it was put to
gether. The entire show was cast
and produced in less than three
weeks. For students unable to work
during the summer, this is the
biggest problem the Pocket Play
house can pose. It was especially
difficult for first-time director Mey
er, who could likely do better under
the right circumstances.
The show is in good enough con
dition to be presented, but it isn’t
top notch. What the play really of
fers is a spark that might take audi
ence members somewhere in their
own thinking about fate and time,
independent of the action that un
folded on stage.
The play will be performed in
the Pocket Playhouse today
through Saturday at 5 p.m.