Pase 10
^pnrtlanh (Obseruer
June 2-20,0
M iC H A E l H O lt O N
• Basketball skills
• Etiquette
• Physical fitness
• Health and nutrition
Session 1 : June 21 - June 24
Session 2: June 28 - July 1
For more information call 503 517-9090
Or visit us at
ENTERTAINMENT
‘Distant Relatives’ Unite Cultures
Marley gets Nas out of comfort zone
(AP) — Nas and Damian Marley
had one goal in mind when they
announced their collaborative al
bum two years ago — finishing it.
So they stopped work on their
own solo projects, and built a chart
to assess the progress o f their work
while discussing topics like pov
erty, ancestry and leadership.
sue with this alb u m ... and nobody's
excluded when we say 'Distant Rela
tives.' We're talking about every
body— white, black, Asian, Indian,
whatever you are, you're our family
with this one," Nas said.
Recording artists Nas (left) and Damian Marley pose for a
photograph in New York. (AP photo)
We invite you to join us in ou r wooded setting,
13 miles west o f Eugene near Veneta, O regon
fo r an unforgettable adventure.
Tickets on sale now:
Friday $20
Saturday $23
Sunday $20
SAVE! Buy a 3-Day
Ticket for only $51
/
/ /
Day o f event:
Friday $23
Saturday $28
Sunday $23
There wtH be a $1.25 TicketsWest service
charge on all single day tickets sold.
There will be a $3 TicketsWest service
charge on all 3-day tickets sold.
Tickets are on sale at all TicketsWest
locations mefudmg most Safeway Stores.
Charge by phone:
1-800-992-8499
O rder online at:
www.ticketswest.com
For more info: www.oregoncountryfair.org
Please get y o tr tickets m advance. Absolutely N o Tickets will be sold on-site. Purchase advance parking $7/day.
Purchase parking c m ite $8/day. The Fair provides a FREE shuttle from two Eugene locations.
You must have an admission ticket to ride the bus or enter the parking lot.
"It just meant so much to me,"
Nas said o f the CD.
The result is "Distant Relatives,"
released this week. It's a socially
conscious, African-themed record
that was produced entirely by
Damian and Stephen Marley. Nas,
36, said working on an album with
out his usual suspects got him out
o f his comfort zone.
"To change it up so kind o f dras
tically from when you talk about
hip-hop producers who only do hip-
hop, and then go to work with D, it's
like a whole new experience and I
was just excited for the challenge."
Marley, 31, said the process
taught him "how to do production
for an artist other than myself."
Nas, who's released nine o f his
own CDs, said he trusted Marley's
vision for the project.
"I'd be done with my work for the
day and then come back the next
day and then hear something else
added and be like, 'Wow, that's per
fect right there,"' he recalled.
The performers hope the disc —
which features Lil Wayne, Joss Stone
and Somali-born rapper K'naan —
will unite cultures and inform listen
ers o f their African roots.
"We're dealing with a family is-
"If you can accept the truth, once
and for all, that can help to kind o f
cure you o f your sickness, you know,
with your racism and your corrupt
politics, and your greed. You think
about people for a change, and you
think o f those people as your family.
And it's a good time right now to talk
about that," he continued.
Marley and Nas, who will begin
an international tour this month to
support "Distant Relatives," are also
interested in creating a sophomore
album as a duo.
Nas, who debuted in 1994 and is
known as one o f hip-hop's top lyri
cists, says he's sometimes unsure
about his future in music.
"When we think that we're just
starting to get a name in the game,
they're artists that have been around
a lot longer than us who are in their
60s and 70s, who have huge tours
and do great humanitarian work. I
look at them and (ask), 'What will I
do?’" he wondered.
"I remember thinking, 'Oh man, I
won't be rapping forever.' But the
reality o f it is ..."
Marley interjects with a laugh
and said: "You just might be."
Added Nas: "There's a good
chance."
Natural Gardening Workshops
The third in a series o f no-cost
gardening workshops sponsored
by SnowCap Community Charities
will feature tips on natural garden
ing, soil amendments and fertilizing.
The session will be Thursday,
June 3 from 3:30 p.m. to4:30p.m . at
the SnowCap community garden
located behind the Rockw ood
United Methodist Church at 17805
S.E. Stark St.
“The garden classes are de
signed to help families and indi
viduals offset high food prices and
improve their diets with nutritious
food,” says Kari James, SnowCap
special projects coordinator.
Several other workshops have
been scheduled through the sum
mer months.
For more information and work
shop signups, call Kari James at
SnowCap at 503-674-8785, extension
37 or email kari@snowcap.org.