. ■ ■ <«* ’ À <- - y J ‘- 4.- '. '3 I \ . • » / '- • ; •» “ ’ •»••• • .• » • .J - - ' k * »■ -* » — -. . i t . ' P age B2 e ■ ' M ay 24, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver rXzZi- K - ®l|e ÿïortiaixh ©bseruer ENTERTAINMENT skiploader bassist Craig Koozer, and drummer Jeff Turner - economically com­ bines intensity with melodic sophis­ tication to produce songs that grab your attention and hold into it. Skiploader goes a step further. Rather than surrender to formula, the band courts risk by turning against rock convention. They avoid power chords, guitar solos, and other trap­ pings o f pop songwriting, in favor o f cropped songs that pack intensity and communicate emotion without pandering to the listener. It’s terse, it’d edgy, but is it punk? “ I always thought punk’ meant freedom o f expression,” Ackerman explains. “ Now it’s come to be a marketing tool — some body pierc­ ing, some Manic panic, and power chords cranked out in 4/4 time make you a punk band. Punk rock has become the heavy metal o f the 90’s: a bunch o f stupid people dressing funny.” Ackerman’s principles are a throwback to the bands that have inspired him for years. S k ip lo a d e r: K evin H iggins (guitar, Vocals), C ra ig K o o z e r (bass), J e ff T urn e r (drum s), Tom A cke rm a n (vocals, guiter) I ve always liked the idea o f ta king risks ly ric a lly ,” explains S k ip lo a d e r fro n t man T om Ackerman. “ Although at first I was pretty guarded - showing only the side I wanted people to see * I ’ m now trying to get at what’s really there.” Steven Beals Exhibit To Open Skiploader'sdebut EP, anxious, rest­ less (G effen Records) presents A c k e rm a n ’ s s o u lb a rin g ly ric s couched in d riv in g rhythms and m inim alist guitar womp. The Port­ land, Oregon, quartet - Ackerman, g uita rist-voca list Kevin H iggins, Leg en da ry p ro to -ra p p e rs The L a s t Poets, touring the e ast a n d the m id w e st b e h in d the release o f th eir new album , H o ly T error (re lea sed b y R ykod isc on A p ril 18), p la y e d in h om eto w n N e w York C ity on A p ril 13. The m u sica l lum inaries who cam e o u t in force to p a y th e ir respects in c lu d e d P ublic E nem y's C huck D, m em bers o f Onyx, a n d Vernon Reid. In the p ho to (beginning from the left) a re : ja z z p ro d u ce r O naje A llan G um bs, the L a st P o ets's D on B abatunde Eaton, O n yx's Sonnee, that L ast P oets's A b iod un O yew ole, O nyx's S ticky Fingaz, (unknow n), C huck D, a n d O nyx's F redro S ta rr K neeling ,n fron t is the L a st P o ets's U m a r B in H assan. The L a s t Poets a lso p e rfo rm the title track o f P a n th e r," M elvin a n d M ano Van P eebles's n e w m ovie a bo ut the B la ck Panthers, w hich ope ne d natio na lly on M a y 3. pho(o credif: Sue Kwon One o fth e N o rth w e st’ s most successful and talented p ho tog ­ ra p h e rs , S te v e n B e a ls o f Caelestis Productions, 807 N. Russell, w ill e x h ib it a private c o lle c tio n o f black and w hite images e n title d Facets o f H u­ m anity. The show opens June 1, be­ tween 6 p.m. and 9:30 p m. at the Acanthus G a lle ry , 120 N .W . N in th Ave. A p re vie w show ing w ill be held on M ay 31 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. C ontact M ark W ooley at 224-6722 fo r details and p riva te showings. A native o f the N orthw est, Beals w orks w ith the re g io n ’ s largest co rp oratio ns, in c lu d in g N ike , II.S . West, the U S. D e­ partm ent o f Defense, as w e ll as The Hearst C orp, and th e ir many p u b lica tio n s. Beals p e rio d ic a l- A pho tog rap h b y renow ned a rtist S teven Beals whose w orks w ill go on e xhibit in Portland. ly w orks out o f N ew Y o rk and d irects both film and te levision . The personal c o lle c tio n re- fle cts his non-com m ercial in te r­ est and conunitm ent to p hotog­ raphy. Korn is on to ur a n d y o u sh o u ld care. 2 ,500+ records are b eing s o ld p e r week. Korn is pla ying to audiences o f 3 ,00 0 a n d m ore a n d b ringing everyone to th e ir feet. K orn rece ntly p la y e d a so ld o u t sh ow in N Y C in spite o f the fa ct that n e a rb y a triple w ham m y b ill (featuring m em be rs o f N irvana a n d P e arl Jam ) was taking place. Infact, m a n y Korn fans were left on the stree t with now here to go. The sh o w was brilliant. Korn sa le s in N Y C w ent up 50% a fte r that s h o w a n d I d id n 't buy'em . No n e e d to keep y o u r ears to the ground, K orn is shucking a ll hopes fo r a p e rs o n a l life a n d w ill be touring ‘til th ey drop. C all m e for fu rthe r b a d puns, review tickets a n d intervie w requests. H eather D avis (310) 449-2873. Photo credit Stephen Stickler W © O BEAT AT CHAÄP0E6 AMIPIHIBTMiATilR 28 M IL E S FROM SALEM OR P O R T L A N D » 1 -5 N O R T H OR SO UTH Music Millennium 32nd & E. Burnside 231-8926 23rd & NW Johnson 248-0163 WOWILMS ■z o P L P 0 R • 9 5 TO featuring DENNIS BROWN * BUJU BANTON WORL-A-GIRL , JUNIOR TUCKER E CHRISTAFARI . J WAILING SOULS SISTER CAROL TO E X IT 2 7 8 » F O L L O W S IG N S 5 M IL E S W E S T TO C H A M P O E G PARK FEM I KUTI BAABA MAAL BOUKMAN EKSPERYANS OUMO SANGARE TOMUJI COWAN N.C. SKOOLBAND INTERNATIONAL ARTS A CRAFTS PAIR BOOTH INFO (21 J l 255-8J46 H«mni PRESENTS JUNE V GATES AT BFM • SNOW AT 6PM • »17.60 ADVANCE ■ (••■ st m««AB nsnvAL iw t n i world PRODUCED BY SHOWMAN INC. SUNDAY JUNE 25 GATES O PEN 1 PM • S H O W A T 2 P M • $ 1 4 .5 0 A D V A N C E A T A L L T IC K E T M A S T E R O U T L E T S O R C H A R G E - B Y -P H O N E ( 5 0 3 ) 2 2 4 - 4 4 0 0 • S T A T E O F O R E G O N P A R K S D E P A R T M E N T R E Q U I R E S A $ 3 P E R V E H I C L E D A Y U S E F E E » A M P L F e n d k i UN­ L I M I T E D C A M P I N G S P A C E S A V A IL A B L E • F O R I N F O R M A T I O N C A L 6 7 8 - 1 2 5 1 • W H E E L C H A I R A C C E S S I B L E