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Show Thursday, March 15, 1997 twitch T "Sad Peter Pan,' from Vic tener or reader into having emotional responses. I love that" ; fourth Chesnutt's almost-perfethe Actor Is (Texas album Happyl Hotel) contained this prophetic it lyric, But a transformation I swear Chesnutt's use of literary ct - ',: wiUoCCUr. devices condenses the South and human experience into a flow of colloquial phrases, astute observations and cracked witticisms. The results are magic, like miniature, . " That transformation has come sIowlyT Following the recording and release of Actor, Chesnutt received belated, yet spider-spu-n m m critical much-deserve- d, praise. Chesnutt's devastatingly n lyrics stunned music plain-spoke- . insiders and Actor made several "Best of '95.lists. Even so, Actor sold marginally. Chesnutt saw himself fried" as his friend Michael Stipe (of ' R.E.M) was 'canonized in rock music's pantheon. A long-tim- e proponent of Chestnutt's music, Stipe believed in the songwriter from the start' "He made "me go in the studio the Erst two tones' said Chesnutt Stipe produced Chesnutt's first two.albums, little and West of Rome (both on Texas Hotel). Stipe's endorsement also won Chesnutt a score of musician fans in Athens, Ga. Mainstream attention, however, remained elusive. - Ironically, it took an album of covers for a significant change to occur. answered with characteristic casual-nes"The lyrics always end up how they do. They are how they are; I guess that's my vision, my style, .". my schtidt" Chesnutt's "schtick" carries more genius than he admits. Even the most farcical songs on Cltcke contain '" hidden wit- Satisfaction a "(It's No Secret) minute-lon- g instrumental, takes on a form outside of Chesnutt's repers, ' t toire of 'skiffle band' and solo acoustic songs. "I just recorded that in my little room. I had a sampler, an 1980 model sampler a really one and a little keysuper-ol-d board. I just sampled my wife ing drums for a second and looped it and made up a little bass line on old-tim- o & The release of Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation, the Songs of Vic 6 (3 my keyboard and sampled some decent, if slickened,' homes for Benefit for Victoria Williams, Sweet Relief II popularized a couple of Chesnutt's songs and raised funds for the wheelchair-boun- d artist When asked about his reaction to the tribute, Chesnutt claimed to have little involvement with the compilation. He simply said, loved it" Currently touring in support of the 1996 album Choke, life seems lush for Chesnutt Chesnutt owns one of the few solid and original musical "careers" today. The respect of fellow artists, a recent record deal with Capitol, an and a guest spot on Widespread Panic's Bombs and Butterflies bodes fan-bas- e, ever-wideni- ng for Chesnutt's future. Fans Chesnutt also appears with well members of Widespread on the Brute album Nine High a Pallet D P tilt & last month's release of Bombs Butterflies, WP will have plenty new material to augment its strong repertoire of originals and covers, .when the band returns this Friday and Saturday night for a pair fith of sold-o- ut "Little Vacation," complete with ultra-chees- Danny Clinch shows at the Wolf Mountain Arena. this kind. Chesnutt's paraplegic tus was the tragic result of youthful misadventure. 1 was 18. 1 was driving drunk and I ran into a ditch and broke my neck and flipped my car over. I was alone in the car, and I was driving. 1 didn't hit another car. There were no other a victims, besides myselP-may- be rabbit here or there, squished in the melee," said Chesnutt with guarded reflection and winking candor. Did the accident cause major men- tal changes, aside from the new physical challenges it posedi "It's hard to say. I was 18, so moments everything was changing then anyway. This was just an added pimple on my adolescence one big added pimple I haH & deal with." said $ T O R Y D Y for the last three years in anticipation of a live release. "The last album was going to be live," Nance song-writin- g influences, Chesnutt said, "I listened to country music and I HA HE S show and during the break what well play, but the crowd has more to do with song selection then they Nance said. may realize," show at Wolf; Mountain that Of the South and general keyboard beats and the chintzy feel of a cocktail umbrella. "All the accompaniment is built into this little keyboard I have. I just pushed the notes down to play the chords, like a little karaoke thing," ' said Chesnutt Choke was to be Chesnutt's "Pink Floyd" album, his "big pompous pop rock' psychedelic monstrosity,"- but that concept "didn't really work out for this record," said Chesnutt t - ' Instead, the majority of Chesnutt's current repertoire remains within range of his material to date loose, honest and endearing folk rock. Fans of intelligent folk and rock alike owe Chesnutt and themselves the favor of attending Thursday, March. 27 (venue to be announced). Missing would be die equivalent of passing up a chance to hear Bob Dylan, Ernest Hemingway and Flannery O'Conner distilled into a musical evening. J rv - "We generally discuss before the led to this year's two-nigrun. "We'll play as many nights as the fans will come," Nance said. "And we'd love to make a whole week like "Hot Seat and "Threads" from Choke. - learned a lot from my granddaddy. I learned a lot in hand. My band director was a cool dude and could play crazy guitar and crazy beautiful saxophone; he listened to cool music I listened to the Beatles and Bob Dylan as a teenager, and King Crimson." In addition to these influences, obscure literary allusions populate Chesnutt's songs like "Myrtle," from Choice. Chesnutt's lyrics also carry a poetic musicality and observant clarity lacking in most contemporary songwriting. His literary background isn't professional though. "I read books, that's about it. I went to college, but I didn't do much in the way of studying. I dropped out But ... I like to read and I like what it does. I like what you can do with literary devices to trick the lis y Wo of it if possible." Showcasing new material as often, as possible, Nance said WP never ureally knows what they'll play. ht ht more, but mat's about it I just rock 'n' rolled, whatever I did." Chesnutt doesn't beg sympathy or milk his status as 'the cripple singer He said, "It's been so long npw that I can't remember what it was like before. I mean of course people look at you and go 'uhhh' and little kids go 'AhhhT Even so, the accident and its ripple effect continually infect Chesnutt's lyrics. Along with the South, references to his "granny'! and references to friendspop figures, the accident fits into many of Chesnutt's finest sta- Drummer Todd Nance said the band is looking forward to returning "Sometimes 111 tune off of one guy to the mountains above Park Gty. dancing in the audience and he "Our fan base has always been , won't even know it Whether the Wolf strong out West and we try to make it to Utah and Colorado at least once Mountain shows will a year," Nance said.' have any surprises WP played a run at the remains to be seen. Zephyr Club in February of '95 and "There are some used the time to get a little skiing in. songs we may break ' The "Sit & Ski" tour, as it was called, out early on the made a good impression on Nance. xtour , Nance said. "It's nice to have the time to check "We just go with the out a town and not just hussle in 'mood of the venue." ' ' and out," Nance said. WP is recording Last June WP played one sold-ou- t, this tour as they have ' two-nig- Chesnutt "I can't jump rope any- The fates haven't always been Sire lis Acton O T O S H ey scat singinV said Chesnutt 5 "Satisfaction" is immediately followed by the hilariously canned Chesnutt (Columbia) in 1996, found Chesnutt's songs. The album enlisted RJLM, Sparklehorse, Joe Henry with Madonna. Smashing Pumpkins, Live and even Hootie. The second in a series of benefit albums, including Sweet Relief: A quilts. When asked about the perfectly awkward flow of his lyrics, Chesnutt ' BE R C said. "We just ended up with too much studio material in the end." In the interim, WP fans can get their fill of live material with audi- ence recordings of live shows. Taping is encouraged and a section behind the mixing board is reserved for taper's to set up their equipment Widespread Panic plays Wolf Mountain, Friday and Saturday, Mar. ihand 1$. See scalpers for tickets, f . Composer Morris Rosenzweip. founder and director ol inlands . J New Music tnsemble, likes performing new music in In New York. where Kosenzweig is from, new music ensembles find their niche ana nan lr that is conhne themselves to new from a particular school and excell in it fft, " . i fj vwn Inowever, T-ine ianyoruancu in II.A tnble can perform New the full spetrum of twentieth century art music,' Arnold Schoenberg to Terry Re3y. "We're really the onlv imm irfmMs to putting on oual- icy concerts of contemporary music,' direct the ensemble this year, while 1 he tnsemble s concerts usu to the U. music department This year, p: Imbrie takes a turn. An upcomine concert as well as pieces by Aurthur Krieger, James P Imbrie studied with Roger Babbit, who - jhine pedigrees are taught the Broadway great StepKertdheim. S cuiiunun in uic neia or mure. Tftis type of teacher to teacher progression is one way iriuences, which leads to an understanding of Mor her rriuiic. Another to hear the composer lecture. The U. has1 lecture visits from such composition department arranged greats as Milton Babbit and CaU Sarrahu and in tneHiture, will host Steve ' Reich and Harrison BirtwhisdcA?) j ( New music thij challengin is not generally for the masses. Rosenzweig feels comfortable With this situation. The history of Western Art music can be summed up as the victory' of the elite," said Rosens weig. "Most of what we now regard as classical music was corrunissionedby royalty and wealthy, ' educated patrons." . "It's elitist, and matVgcoa Comc and bcpart of the elite. You don't need anything but your ears to joirf, said Rosfhsweig. The Canyonlands New AS, sic Ensemble performs at St. Mark's Cathedral, Wednesday, Apr. 2 at 7:S0 f.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door, ft. fc k m -l 'A Seixh0 ttuhfc?6n -- zuuit tosf5periWis : f |