Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 2005)
Oregon Daily Emerald Thursday, November 17, 2005 In the mood for some good Italian food? Check out the review for Oregano's Grill & Wine Bar on page 9 BY AMY LICHTY PULSE EDITOR While many consider Los Angeles the "entertainment capi tal of the world," the city of angels is bursting at the seams with musi cians just trying to make a name forthemselves. Indie singer/song writers can find difficulties in such a task, as more and more processed "musicians" are creat ed by image consultants and busi nessmen. For those unwilling to compromise themselves, getting out of Los Angeles might just be the best solution. It most definitely was for Cynthia Catania and Ann marie Cullen, who make up, forthe most part, the creative and fun-lov ing band Saucy Monky. The band will be playing tonight at Cozmic Pizza, located at 199 W. Eighth Ave. in downtown Eugene. Saucy Monky initially formed in Los Angeles. But when Cullen went home to her native Ireland for a visit with an early release of their debut album "Celebrity Trash," it wasn't long before the DJs were spinning the record and Saucy Monky was becoming a household name. "We started in Los Angeles, but the first success with radio and press happened for us in the major cities (in Ireland) like Dublin and Cork and West Cork, Galway and Limerick," said Catania in a phone interview. "We had an early copy of the record and when Annmarie was home on holiday, she dropped a CD off to one of the premier DJs out there and he really responded to the music. So we started to get some love out in that part of the world and we played there half a dozen times over the next few years." Many Americans are just now getting their first taste of Saucy Monky afterthe release of the group's second album "Turbu lence," which is now available in stores as well as on iTunes and their Web site, www.saucy monky.com. While these two rocking gals already have a great relationship with the Irish, they're trying to develop the same kind of love back here in the United States, where record companies are trying to get the attention of Saucy Monky. "I think it's just basically thatthe fact that we were so well received in Ireland, it made companies out here more interested in what we were doing because we have a good Web presence and we have a lot of good press. We were sorta like 'critics' darlings' outthere (in Ireland)," Catania said. But it isn't as if finding success in the United States has come easy forthis duo. In 1999, Catania creat ed her own indie record label, oliveoiL records, to help independ ent artists keep their music alive. But oliveoiL records was also a MONKY, page 12 ■ In my opinion ANDREW MCCOLLUM ADROIT Sexist portrayal of women mars games On Tuesday an alliance of campus organiza tions protested AXE's "Mojo Master," a game in which players try to score dates with scads of scantily clad virtual women. It's about time someone criticized a part of gaming that is often overshadowed by the violence debate. Many have said that media objectify women, but in video games this objectification is most apparent. Most games focus on male protago nists, while women have played a second-class role since gaming's earliest days. When gamers beat 1986's "Metroid," an inter stellar shooterforthe Nintendo Entertainment System, they found a twist ending that nobody ex pected: Samus Aran, the game's masked hero, wasn't a man. Samus was one of the earliest ex amples of a strong female protagonist, but this achievement was marred by the infamous "Justin MCCOLLUM, page 6 Franz Ferdinand, "You Could Have It So Much Better": "When I woke up tonight I said, 'I'm going to make somebody love me/" declares Franz Ferdinand front man Alex Kapranos on the band's new album, "You Could Have It So Much Better." If the pop hooks and catchy "doot-do-doots" found on the first single, "Do You Want To," are any indication, Kapranos and company will have no problem with the love factor. The Scottish quartet gives a second-dose of its '80s post-punk style that left lis teners yearning for more after its self-titled album was released in 2004. Once again, the band's dance-rock beat inspires listeners to shake it up on the dance floor or bounce to the music through headphones. With two more tracks than the debut album, the record lets the band expand beyond its usual dance-rock tendencies, with songs like "Eleanor Put Your Boots On," a piano ballad about Eleanor Friedberger, singer for Fiery Furnaces and the girlfriend of Kapranos. The song, clearly inspired by a band that Kapranos listened to as a young teen _ tha Beatles — demonstrates that Franz Ferdinand is capable of producing more than a pop-heavy song. Kapranos isn't a lyrical genius, but his words tend to explore dark themes with upbeat music. The best example is Kapranos singing, "I'm a heathen and evil, like you," with a buoyant beat behind him. The lyrics often seem to be proving he's better than someone else ("I am complete, invincible"). The Killers, maybe? Nah. After all, Franz Ferdinand opened the door for such bands, leading the so-called New Wave Revival. And if Franz Ferdinand keeps putting out albums with new wrinkles of innovation that leave listeners with the inclination that it couldn't get much better, the door could be open a long time. —Trevor Davis • 4 l... INSIDE PULSE Aerodrone Comics The Matrix: Path of Neo Juliette & The Licks John Henry's 8 p.m., $12.50 advance tickets through TicketsWest Friday Gus Russell LaVelle Wine Bar and Bistro at 5th Street Maket. 5:30 p.m., free Saturday Laura Kemp Trio, Americanna at Sam Bond's Garage 9 p.m., $7 TOP 5 GROSSING MOVIES 1: "Chicken Little" $32M 2: "Zathura" $14M 3: "Derailed" $12.8M 4: "Get Rich or Die Tryin"'$12.5M 5: "Jarhead"$12.3M TOP 5 FICTION AT UO BOOKSTORE 1:"The Kite Runner" -Khaled Hosseini 2: "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" -Gregory Maguire 3: "The Plot Against America" -Phillip Roth 4: "The Shadow of the Wind" -Carlos RuizZafon 5: "The Curious Inci dent of the Dog in the Night-Time" -Mark Haddon TOP 5ITUNES DOWNLOADS 1: "My Humps" -Black Eyed Peas 2: "Run It!" -Chris Brown, remix featuring Juelz Santana 3: "Hung Up" (Radio Edit) -Madonna 4: "Gold Digger" -Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx 5: "Jesus Walks" -Kanye West
