A&E
The Clackamas Print
Wednesday, April 10,1996 /
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This is the puzzle written by Matt Jones that appeared in the
Nov. 4 1994 New York Times.
ACROSS
PoorOld Lu to branch off
in new musical directions
Joel P. Shempert
Staff Writer
Poor Old Lu, a Christian
modern rock band based in Se
attle, is branching off in a new
musical direction, and fans and
critics alike are invited along for
the ride.
The band played Saturday,
Feb. 24 at The Push, a small
Portland club that caters to the
Christian rock crowd. The show,
which also included opening
bands Yum Yum Children and
Losers Club, was played to a
packed house. The band, com
posed of guitarist Aaron
Sprinkle, vocalist Scott Hunter,
bassist Nick Barber and drum
mer Jesse Sprinkle put on a good
show. ■
The band played one song
from their new album, scheduled
tentatively to be released in late
April. Hunter says that the re
lease will involve a redefinition
of their sound. According to
Hunter, the cuts are more down
to earth, easier to sing - which
also makes them more challeng
ing for Hunter.
The new sound “took us out of
our element to where God
wanted us to be,” affirms Hunter.
The more melodic style is more
difficult that the usual POL mo
tif of screaming out the lyrics,
and so will challenge the band
to greater musical excellence
which both their status as musi
cians and their faith as Chris
tians demand.
The album’s theme is a dif
ferent direction too. “It’s a dif
ferent thing for us - definitely a
bit more melancholy,” claims
Hunter. The more melodic style
of the songs will complement
this thematic shift. The overall
style is described as being a mix
between Mindsize, an older re
lease with a more subdued, in
tricate sound, and Straight Six,
their last release which was more
pop based. It is probably some
thing of a step away from Sin,
their second major label release
which featured their more ag
gressive, “shout into the micro -
phone” concert style.
Hunter claims a variety of
influences, both Christian and
secular. On the non-Christian
side, Hunter cites the Cure, Tears
for Fears, and Echo and the
Bunnymen. As far as Christian
music goes, Hunter admires such
figures as pop icon Phil Keaggy,
Christian rock pioneer Larry
Norman, alternative rock inno
vator Steve Taylor, and stylisti
cally eccentric band Daniel
Amos.
Hunter clarifies that most of
the aforementioned Christian
musicians are “more spiritual
influences than musical,
whereas Daniel Amos is one
that is both.” Daniel Amos’
singer and songwriter Terry
Taylor’s remarkable proficiency
for bizarre lyrics and catchy
tunes have doubtless influenced
POL’s unique sound.
Hunter also attests that the
previously mentioned Steve
Taylor was an instrumental fig
ure in Christian music, having
laid the foundation for what is
now Christian alternative. “His
stuff doesn’t seem very alterna
tive now/’ relates Hunter, “but
back then, when Christian mu
sic was all bright and cheerful,
here was Steve Taylor singing,
*. . .meltdown at Madame
Tussaud’s.. .’ and people were
saying, ‘What is that? Is that
Christian?’” (The song “Melt
down” was a 1984 Taylor satire
which compared melting wax
figures to damned souls.)
The band members’ spiri
tual backgrounds are diverse.
While most of them became
Christians at early ages, it was
different in Hunter’s case. He
was raised in a non-Christian
home and had no religious con
tact until he met Aaron and
Jesse Sprinkle and started at
tending church despite his par
ents’ disapproval. In the ninth
or tenth grade, he became a
Christian, and his family was
skeptical.
“Things got better when my
parents accepted that it wasn’t
a cult; that it was something
positive in my life,” Hunter at
tests.
Hunter is excited about the
upcoming release and most fans
will be too. Not content to crank
out more of the same and ride
their wave of success, POL is
unafraid to push the boundaries
and offer quality music and sin
cere spirituality as well as en
tertainment. As Hunter claims,
“We like to challenge our listen
ers.” The CD, called ¿4 Picture
of the Eighth Wonder, should
satisfy fans with the familiar
POL edge and give them some
thing new to assimilate as well.
I “Even Cowgirls Get the
Blues” star
II “Star Wars” sage
15 Modern-day 20-Across
16 Common first floor apt.no.
17 Riding around town, maybe
18 Former Pistons coach
Chuck
19 Cartouches
20 Radio Message
21 “Lord of the Rings” tree
people
22 “Mmmmm!”
25 Back Biters
261993 Peace Prize winner
30 Word part: Abbr.
32 Hank Aaron stat
33 Assign too high a rating to
35 Best in a race
37 Jeans maker Strauss
38 Smart
40 Mata—
41 Smart Alex?
43 Singer from Ottawa
45 Hammer’s location
46 Kind of order
48 Walked on
49 First name in mysteries
51 Queen of the Misty Isles, in
the comics
53 Drumsticks, basically
54 Spot in the mer
55 Leonardo’s ladies
60 Latin lover’s word
61 Tabula rasa
64 Colorado resort
65 Photo retoucher
66 Last of the Stuarts
67 Get penalized, in some
games
DOWN
1 Golden rule word
2 Nuclear missle
3 Celebes ox
4 Apple targeter
5 Hip hugger?
6 One, to Antoine
7 Fernando, por ejemplo
8 Humidified
9 Miffs
10 Darkroom items for short
11 Novelty song
12 Out grocery shopping,
maybe
13 C qitmg _TV_actress. _ •.
14 Brindled cat
23 Yukon neighbor
24 Film director GusVan—
25 Winter woe
26 Kilauea flow
Mr.
27 John Doe
28 Start of many resolutions
31 Modern breakfast
34 Laotian money
36 Senator Cochran
39 Basketball’s Archibald
42 Freudian study
44 Fills with cargo
47 Roman proconsul in a
biblical dispute
50 Weaver’s fiber
52 Unwelcomed looks
54 Suffic with myth or
monarch
56 To boot,
57 When doubled, a fish
58 Heliolater’s deity
59 Spanish painter
62 Presidential nickname
63 Inits. of 1933
exposed
Jon Roberts
Feature Editor/Assistant Sports
Editor
Over the last two terms The
Print has been running a regular
feature called The Mindbender.
The Mindbender is the brain
child of an honor roll student here
at CCC named Matt Jones. Jones
is a 20 year old, third-year stu
dent here at CCC.
Anyone who has ever done
The Mindbender knows that
these puzzles created by Matt
Jones are well thought out and are
very complex. Why would any
one spend his free time making
puzzles? Because he loves it. It
is his favorite hobby and he is very
good at it. Jones is good enough
at making puzzles that he caught
the eye of the New York Times
and was able to get one of his
crossword puzzles published by
them on Nov. 4, 1994.
“My favorite type of puzzle
is the crossword puzzle,” said
Jones. “My favorite of all my
crosswords was the one that ap
peared in the New York Times.”
The New York Times is not
the only place Jones has been pub
lished. He is also published regu
larly in a monthly puzzle maga
zine called The Enigma. He was
also a finalist in a national puzzle
contest held by Random House.
photo by Chad Patteson
Third-year sudent Matt Jones enjoys music and making
puzzles for the Print and the Enigma.
Jones lives in Milwaukie
with his parents, his younger
brother and an exchange student.
“I hope to major in music,”
added Jones. “I am also really in
volved in vocal music.” He is a
member of the Chamber Choir
and the straight ahead vocal jazz
ensemble here at CCC.
Jonessays he gets many of his
ideas from Games Magazine and
Crossw rd Magazine. He also gets
some of his ideas from being a
member of the National Puzzlers ’
League.
Despite his love for puzzles
Jones explains that “..not a lot of
people I know are into it
(puzzles).”
He says that sometimes the
subject matter for his puzzles just
“pops” into his head. He uses his
large collection of books to re
search his subject matter for his
puzzles.
Jones enjoys being able to en
tertain people with his puzzles.
“Some day I would like to see the
reaction of people when they solve
one of my puzzles,” added Jones.
He may just get his wish with The
Mindbender.