News
Timbuk 3 performs for drug awareness
City,
State
(release
date)...Drug abuse. Everyone
talks about how menacing.a pro-
blem it’s become, ? but not
everyone does something about
it.
College Satellite Network
(CSN) is. On Wednesday, Feb.
18 Clackamas Community Col
lege will participate in a nation
wide outreach effort against drug
abuse when CSN presents
“Drugs: Why Not?” and the Na
tional Association for Campus
Activities (NACA) Campus
Entertainment Awards Show via
satellite at Clackamas Communi
ty College and at more than 400
college campuses around the
country.
The “Drugs: Why Not?” por
tion of the broadcast will be
uplinked from WETA studios in
Washington, D.C., Los Angeles
and Oklahoma City, and will
feature show business stars,
sports figures and politicians
discussing the drug problem and
ways to fight it. College students
won’t just be talked to about
drugs, they’ll be doing some of
the talking through CSN’s in
teractive transmission.
The program begins at 11:00
with the first part focusing on
entertainers who will address the
issue of drug use in their industry.
Some of the stars scheduled to
appear are John Phillips, of the
Mamas and the Papas group who
has been anti-drug activist; Dr.
Andrew Weil, the Palmer Drug
Abuse Program; actress Sarah
Jessica Parker and Dr. Timothy
Leary, the famous Harvard
professor-turned drug advocate.
In the program’s second por
tion, beginning at 12:30 p.m.
athletes will discuss the tempta
tions of drugs in their professions
and the controversy over drug
testing guidelines imposed by
various sports leagues. Some of
those expected to appear are
Brian Bosworth, star defensive
player of the University of
Oklahoma football team; Barry
Word, a top NFL draft choice
last year now in prison for drug
violations who will be released
just for this appearance; former
Dallas Cowboy Bob Hayes; Dr.
Charles Schuster, director of the
National Institute of Drug
Abuse, who has worked with
athletes; Spud Webb, shortest
player in the NBA who is used to
surmounting obstacles; Steve
Courson, a former NFL player
who is writing a book on steroid
use.
At 1:30 p.m., several of the
nation’s legislators will speak
on what Congress has ac
complished on the issue, and
how much still remains to be
done. Those scheduled to ap
pear include Sen. William Roth
(R-DE), a member of the Senate
Subcommittee on Health; Rep.
Charles Rangel (D-NY), rank
ing minority member of the
House Task Force on Interna
tional Narcotics Control; and
Rep. Lynn Martin (R-IL) , a
member the House of Subcom
mittee on Human Resources.
At 12:00 in the CC Mall on
February 19, the network will
present the entertainment
special
“LIVE
FROM
NASHVILLE” and the NACA
Campus Entertainment Awards
show, which will be beamed to
Clackamas Community College
and more than 400 campuses
and select video nightclubs
across the United States,
Canada and Puerto Rico. One
of the nation’s hottest groups,
Timbuk 3, has re-scheduled
their European tour to appear
on the show as well as attend the
Grammy Awards as a nominee
for Best New Artists. Also
scheduled to appear are The
Rainmakers and a surprise
guest. Pepsi-Cola U.S.A is the
official presenting sponsor of
the entertainment programs
broadcasst by CSN as well as a
participating sponsor of the
educational programs.
Viewable over cable channel
31 LIVE 7:00 2/18. This Feb. 18
presentation is the third of Col
lege Satellite Network’s five big
event broadcast dates for the
1986-87 academic year. Re
maining programs are “The
Future:
Science
and
Technology” and “LIVE
FROM AUSTRALIA” on
March 11 and “Success: The
Idol of the Eighties” and
“UVE FROM NEW YORK”
on April 29.
CSN is the exclusive satellite
programming project company
for the National Association for
Campus Activities.
Rainmakers
to appear
Somewhere in its short history,
rock ’n’ roll either became too
serious for its own good, or too
much fun to be taken seriously.
Welcome then, The Rainmakers
from Kansas City, MO.
“We’re making music that will
make you smile, wince, think,
and move at the same time,” ex
plains lead singer and rhythm
guitarist Bob Walkenhorst. “It’s
all about rock ’n’ roll that stirs up
a little dust on its way to the
dance.”
The group’s blend of realism
and rock makes a riveting, major
label debut with their self-tided
album on Mercury/Polygram.
The all-digital recording is pro
duced by Terry Manning, himself
a master of modern and tradi
tional rock ’n’ roll sounds, with
Jason and the Scorchers, George
Thorogood, ZZ Top and Joe
Cocker. Band members along
with Bob are Steve Phillips, who
plays lead quitar and is the
album’s co-writer; Rich Ruth, the
bassist; and Pat Tomek on
Drums. Backing their gritty,
guitar sound are the Memphis
Homs, who are especially evident
on the pumping single ‘Let My
People Go-Go’ and ‘Rocking At
The T-Dance.’
The Rainmakers’ original
ipngs present challenges with col
February 11, 1087
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Timbuk 3 to
offer array
Timbuk 3 is a duo accom
panied by rock’n’roll’s prover
bial “plus one.” Pat Mac
Donald and Barbara K, two
human beings, account for the
eclectic array of vocal and in
strumental textures heard on the
band’s debut album “Greetings
From Timbuk 3.” And the
limitations that a mere four
hands poses, is compensated for
by T3, an immense “ghetto
blaster,” electronically pro
viding bass and drum which Pat
and Barbara actually pre
recorded. It makes for light
traveling, a practice that is ger
mane to their being.
But for now let’s not get bog
ged down in Timbuk 3’s tech
nology or overall infrastructure,
because the big news here is the
music itself. Pat and Barbara
write songs that put forth an
unblunted portrayal of mortali
ty. Like some of the most
powerful tribunals pop music
has produced, the MacDonalds
come with understated sagacity
that manifests itself with
graphic depiction, a rapier wit
and a healthy playfulness.
The musical chromatic range
is equally impressive. Call it
‘three-way crossover’ as Pat
Macdonald does. In Timbuk 3’s
hands, which translates to a pa
tent graft of techno-folk, driv
ing guitars, hip-hop (“Don’t
put it past us- we know a lot
about that sound” they
caution), reggae, blues and
rock’n’roll. “Everyone heard
all the genres.” says Pat,
“Despite those who pretend
they’ve been living on a farm or
something. We want to cross
the barriers. We refuse to drink
from one well.”
Timbuk 3 live in Austin,
Texas, a perennial hot bed of all
styles of music and nightclub
haven. They are not native Tex
ans, however, both hailing
origionally from central
Wisconsin where they met in a
city very similar in its consti
tuency to Austin—Madison.
There, they led a band called the?
Essentials, who made an album
for the small, folk-based Moun
tain Railroad label and
pioneered an early folk/new
wave graft.
When the band broke up, Pat
and Barbara MacDonald decid
ed that if all else failed, they
could become street singers.
Since that was the plan, Austin
seemed to boast more favorable
climatic conditons, than
Madison, as well as a lion’s
share of off-street nighteries.
But first they hit New York
where they actually found
respect and spare change, if no
press. “A lot of our songs were
written with the street in mind,”
says Pat. “It has to come across
in places where you can’t be too
subtle.” Unfortunately, their
Fall ’84 welcome to the Austin
street scene was comparably
shattering. “Play some Texas
music,” someone shouted.
But Texas has proven large
enough to contain a myriad of
styles. And in practically no time,
T3 and TX warmed one another.
Home base became the Hole In
The Wall, a club in which they
cut their teeth and claim they’ll
always come back to.
Word spread on this eclectic
husband-and-wife dueo. And in
time, ‘The Cutting Edge,’ MTV’s
monthly new music documentary
program, was made award of the
fabled Austin music scene. I.R.S.
Records, producers of the ‘The
Cutting Edge,’ listened repeated
ly to Timbuk 3’s demo. In time,
the label inked Pat and Barbara,
and the two drove their station
wagon to Los Angeles to make
their record with producer Dennis
Herring. The two played all the
instruments, sang and wrote all
the songs.
Songs range from the blues
boppin’ ‘The Future’s So Bright
I’ve Gotta Wear Shades’ (a Top
20 single in America during the
latter half of ’86) to the poignant
observations of ‘Shame On You,’
to the folk canticle ‘I Love You
In The Strangest Way.’ Indeed,
‘Greetings From Timbuk 3’ has
gone down as one of the most
rare, compelling debut albums of
1986. Stereo Review cited it as
“Best Of The Month,” adding
that it’s ‘not to be missed.’ Roll
ing Stone called it ‘barbed and
literate, whimsical and unflin
chingly emotional.’ Added the
L.A Weekly, “One night I saw
Timbuk 3 and they honestly,
sincerely blew this jaded heard-it-
all-rock cynic away.”
Pat and Barbara have packed
up their set lists, guitars, har
monicas, violins, T3, their son
Devin and his nanny, and not
much else, and have driven across
America several times now.
Watch for them in your area
soon.
After all, the road-like the
street—tells no lie.
LIVE-VIA-SATELLITE
DRUGS & ALCOHOL:
WHY NOT?
Wednesday, February 18th
Community Center Mall
DRUGS: WHY NOT?
Talk to notable ex-users and relatives of drug casualties.
11:00 am
DRUGS & ATHLETICS
Discuss the effects of drugs with athletes, officials and medical experts.
12:30 pm
THE POLITICS OF DRUGS
Leading politicians discuss your questions.
1:30pm
National Student Poll — Conducted at all three sessions.
A NEW GENERARON
Rag«8
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lective conviction raising issues
that speak straight to the heart of
the nation: Job responsibility
(‘T-Dance’ and ‘Drinkin’ On The
Job’), bureaucratic waste
(‘Government Cheese’), religion
(‘Go-Go’), suicide ethics
(‘Doomsville’), and male pride
(‘Big Fat Blonde’), among others.
“We like to shake things up with
a bit of humor,” says
Walkenhorst, “to get people to
brighten up and listen. We’re bet
ter at busting out than ‘oooh-la-
la’.”
With the spirit of salvation,
simplicity and social awareness,
the Rainmakers have been
attention-getters since their incep
tion in 1983. At that time, the
most fertile Kansas City musi
cians had been hibernating under
the remnants of a splintering ‘Ur
ban
Cowboy’
scene.
Walkenhorst, then playing stand
up drums, got together with Steve
and Rich to perform originals
that hit them as hard as the ’60s
greats they loved-Stones, Procol
Harum, even the Monkees.
First known throughout the
area as Steve, Bob and Rich
(Pat joined later), the band
carved quite a live reputation.
In 1984, they recorded a self
produced, ten-song LP called
‘Balls.’ It sold extremely well
for a regional release and receiv
ed national press. Their
credibility zoomed, and with
Bob moving himself and the
songs out front, Pat Tomek was
added to the lineup. The Rain
makers were born.
“We have to let the songs go
where our feelings are,” says
Bob of the band’s strong
beliefs. “If you can dance to it,
fine. The themes are there, you
know. We’re just tryig to give
you a better way of dealing with
it.”
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