March 3, 2000

Filter is one of those bands that you seem to hear everywhere. They are played on radio stations ranging from modern rock of 96X to the smooth sounds of 2WD. It's time you get to know a little about the band you hear everywhere. Richard Patrick started Filter after leaving as the guitarist of Nine Inch Nails. Many thought it was career suicide and no one should want to leave one of the hottest rock bands in America. Patrick became tremendously successful with Filter by combining dark, moody, industrial sounds with electronic flourishes and emotional vocals.

In 1995 Filter put out Short Bus and the single "Hey Man Nice Shot." It was well received and many fans thought it was a tribute to Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, but Patrick disagrees. Contributions to The Crow, City of Angels, and Spawn soundtracks strengthened the group's image as being ahead of the musical industrial movement. Last year's Title of Record album is the product of Patrick recruiting Geno Lenardo to play guitar, Frank Cavanaugh for bass and Steve Gillis on drums. Two hits came from this album on two different sides of the spectrum. The heavy sounding, "Welcome to the Fold" and the acoustic ballad, "Take a Picture." The latter seems to be played everywhere you turn. Title of Record is in stores now. If you haven't gotten enough of hearing them on the radio, you can always buy the CD.

If you tune your radio to 640AM you can listen to the soft, relaxing hum of static. That is because Virginia Wesleyan's radio station is still off the air. However, change is in the air and with the advisement of communications professor Glenn Corey, the radio station has a bright future. If you have attended Virginia Wesleyan for any length of time it is unlikely that you have heard the radio station. The transmitter used by the station failed to broadcast a strong signal and has hampered what could be an intricate part of campus life. "It's difficult to recruit people to work at the radio station when the radio is not on the air," said Corey, the faculty advisor to the station. "I think Matt would agree with me when i say it's frustrating."

Matt Cobis, the General Manager of the Marlin radio station, has been working hard to attract new students to get involved with the radio station. A broadcasting radio station on campus could have a unifying effect on a small student body that consists of a lot of commuters. Recently VWC has employed an engineer consulting firm to fix the ailing transmitter and bring an on air signal to students. "The antennae has three problems," said Corey. "The transmitter needs to be returned, and the equipment needs to be updated so that the station puts out a stronger signal." Everyone remembers the snow that blanketed the campus during the third week of the semester. We all got to play in the snow and escape the confinements of a classroom for two days. The same snow storm slowed the progress made toward giving Virginia Wesleyan back a radio station. "The weather has put us behind schedule," said Corey. "With the snow and the wind the consulting engineers couldn't work on the transmitter." However, the work required is in the process of being implemented and Virginia Wesleyan is one step closer to offering its students a valuable educational tool and a viable took to stir interest in the college for future students.

If you're looking for something different to do on the weekend, the Bienville Grille, located on 21st St. in Ghent, could be your answer. As the name implies we are discussing a restaurant. However, going out to eat would hardly be different or all that creative. The weekend attraction at Bienville is multi-faceted. Bienville offers free live jazz performances every Fri. and Sat. night. And of course the jazz experience would not be complete without an eclectic and well stocked bar. In addition, several Wesleyan students wait tables and bartend at Bienville, so you might see some familiar faces. The Mardi Gras celebration in March will be huge," explained Bienville employee, Andrew Yanovich.

From the seasoned jazz lover to those not so familiar with the genre, the Grille is sure to delight. Senior Nick McLennan explains that, "the atmosphere makes the place." This sentiment is no surprise. As you might expect the decor is decidedly festive. The influence of New Orleans is, well, pronounced, to say the least. The acts that frequent Bienville bring the audience along with them as they work through jazz standards peppered with a healthy dose of original compositions. And just like the music, the musicians are always full of surprises. One of my favorite visits to Bienville proved to be nothing short of amazing.

As the band rolled through their first tune I could hear two more instruments than I saw band members who could be playing them. After the first song, the front-man offered an explanation. I could see that the band leader was playing the trombone the middle man sat behind a keyboard, the third member was working the tenor sax, and the quartet was rounded out by a drummer. Now it is common for the piano player to play the bass lines on foot pedals, so when this was explained I was not particularly surprised. But this only accounted for one extra instrument. Amazingly enough, the keyboard player was responsible for yet another sound. Not only was one individual playing the bass and the piano, but the trumpet as well. With all explanations offered the band tore through another set of quick jazz tunes.

At this point I was convinced that these guys were at the very top of their game and there would be no more surprises for one evening. I've been wrong before and this was no exception. As the players began to open their second set they felt it necessary to call up a new drummer. This may not seem so unusual. Changing musicians mid-show is not easy, but can be done. The thing that made this switch so surprising was that the new drummer was also the youngest guy at the club. At ten years old weighing in at 90 lbs., this tiny little kid got up behind the drums and sets the heartbeat for another hour of great music. It's tough to explain how odd it is to be chatting with friends, listening to some music and then glance up at the band only to be greeted by the smiling face of a ten year old drummer. I mean it was midnight, wasn't he supposed to be in bed?! I can't promise that every show will be this interesting, but the music is always good, and even better, always free. So if you are after a change of pace to your hum drum weekend, the Bienville Grille might be the place for you.

After hearing the title of Leonardo DiCaprio's latest movie, The Beach, I was under the impression that it would be a somewhat easy-to-follow movie. How can something supposedly so simple about a beach be complicated to understand? Well, this title is definitely deceiving. The Beach is anything but an easy-to-follow movie. It has a rather complex, next to impossible to understand type of plot. From the beginning, we're not given any clues as to where Richard (Leonardo DiCaprio) comes from. All we know is that he is a young American boy who is on a mission of some sort and has carried with him just one back-pack to the Orient, where he lands in Bangkok, Thailand. All settled in his not so luxurious hotel, Richard is surrounded by annoyances. Between the young french couple next door going at it and the lunatic on the other side of his room, Richard finds it difficult to settle down peacefully in his temporary quarters. Smash!! A bottle breaks on the side where Daffy, the lunatic lay buried in what appears to be dozens of gallons of fresh blood. Richard dives over the wall to discover the body. Better yet, prior to Daffy's (Robert Carlyle) death, he had handed Richard what could very well be the key to his future. A map. Not just any old map. A map that would eventually lead to a hidden, forbidden island. An island in which the perfect beach would be located. A true paradise.

Richard was hesitant to take the trip solo, suggesting to the french couple to come along for fun. Like him, Francoise (Virginie Ledoyen) and Etienne (Guillaume Canet) have no ties to employment, and merely no responsibilities to attend to. On their first stop on the map, the three travelers encounter two young men, similar in age. Richard spends more than a moment with them, as he chose to leave them behind a copy of the map. Did I mention that their biggest hobby was smoking weed? Next thing you know, they are swimming across a large body of water in which Richard is convinced was free of sharks. He's proven wrong, but is there really a shark in there?

Following their arrival at the island, the three are very discreet, as they don't want to be discovered. Too late. They are taken in by a secret community of lost men and women, led by Sal (Tilda Swinton). Richard fits in right off the bat with his new "tribe." It's as if he's capable of doing anything, killing fish with spears, fighting off sharks, and getting along with just about everyone there, with the exception of Sal's boyfriend. Richard even gets possession of the one thing in which he wanted most, Francoise. He'd had strong feelings for her all along, as did she for him, but Etienne was always an issue. He finally realized that he wanted Francoise to be happy, and that if happy meant being with Richard, then that's the way it had to be. That is the romantic part of the film. There is a little bit of each genre in this film, including adventure, comedy, and a small bit of horror, as Richard battles various ominous visions toward the end of the film.

What could go wrong? They are on this deserted island, that is full of fields and more fields of weed. That was all that those people did. When they weren't smoking, they would be involved in volleyball, and cricket games on the beach right along the water. Sounds perfect, eh? It didn't take long for Richard to lose his fellow people's respect. When he goes back to the mainland with Sal to collect supplies, the unexpected happens. Regardless that everyone insisted Sal had a thing for him, Richard refused to believe it. Minutes later, he is in a heavy sex-scene with Sal. Funny how things work out! When the two show up back at "the beach," everything falls apart, including his relationship with Francoise. Being such a small community, word travels quickly. Sal takes advantage of Richard once again, secluding him out in the woods to keep an eye on the guys who had retrieved the map Richard left earlier in the excursion. Sal was primarily protecting herself, so that she wouldn't get in trouble for having let more people onto the island.

It was being all alone, in the woods, when Richard had a mental breakdown. Literally. He imagines himself as the action hero of a video game. We even get the action and the sound effects of a real-live video game. Personally, I never did figure out the point to the movie. I think that several of the scenes, especially the whole video game episode was just taped to fill in space to lengthen the movie. That particular scene was irrelevant to the movie, as were several other scenes.

Moll Flanders, Virginia Wesleyan College's first musical in six years, is running a little behind schedule due to the late arrival of guest director, Richard Cheshire. The musical was originally slated to open in mid March, but that date has been pushed back to the week of April 13. The problem arose after Bentley Anderson, professor of theater and communications, started wondering how Cheshire, who is traveling over from the UK, would be compensated for his directing in the United States. Anderson found out that Cheshire needed a temporary J-1 Visa to acquire a temporary social security number, so he could be paid. "I was on hold forty minutes at a time with the immigration department," explained Anderson. "They were not very congenial." This whole process took place in the middle of Jan. during the snow days, so no one was worried yet, until another problem arose.

Because the process of obtaining a J-1 Visa took a while, Cheshire had to change his departure date. So, then, because the departure date was changed, the American Embassy did not fulfill Chesire's request for the Visa. Finally, the departure date became finalized as well as the Visa, and now Chesire is slated to arrive in Norfolk on Tuesday, February 29. The cast of Moll Flanders has been rehearsing for two months now, and they have only suffered a couple of losses. Anderson explained that one person had to leave the show because of the delay and change of schedule, another left because his job interfered with rehearsal time, and one person left the show because of other school-related commitments.

"We are still moving along and eager with anticipation for the director's arrival," said Anderson. "We got a good response from people in the community." People who are unaffiliated with the school have stepped up and filled in the empty spaces so that the show can go on. The musical has also employed a new musical director for the show, Kevin Long. Long is a freelance director who has worked with the Virginia Beach Little Theater and The Governor's Magnet School for the Performing Arts. Moll Flanders, then, means business. This hard working cast will deliver to its audience a musical much awaited for. The cast will not have a night off during the week of the show because of the time constraint. They will do eight consecutive performances under guest director, Chesire.

Nothing says hibachi cooking quite like giant sombreros and Korn bumper stickers. And that is exactly what is served up at Jillian's, the self-proclaimed food & entertainment universe, currently serving Waterside. The atmosphere at Jillian's is sort of hard to explain because it is more than just a restaurant. If Jillian's was a guest on Jerry Springer it would be the 7-foot blonde, bedazzled transvestite from Taiwan who can't stop screaming at the audience because they "don't know what it's like and they ain't got no reason to be disrespecting." Jillian's, complete with a bar, dance club, restaurant, arcade, pool room, and hibachi grill; truly is the mutant of the restaurant world.

Always a fan of making friends with the chef, I decided to visit the hibachi grill one Friday night. There is no line to get into Jillian's but you have to walk past a big bouncer guy who has a Mr. Blackell/Joan Rivers type attitude. This guy's job is to check out the way you are dressed. And there seems to be no rhyme or reason to who gets in and who doesn't. I was only wearing jeans and a neon orange South of the Border T-shirt, but I got right in. (Maybe he has a thing for crappy Mexican-themed tourist traps along I-95, I don't know.) My boyfriend, who was wearing khakis and a polo shirt, got stopped because they wanted his shirt tucked in. I've also heard rumors of other people getting ejected, and not let back in, because they didn't have their shirts tucked in. I've never been a big fan of places what have dress codes. They never seem to work or be evenly enforced. Besides let's face it, it's really just an issue of whether you would like to see a bunch of Navy squids dressed in black jogging pants and a tight white T-shirt or leather pants and a shiny silver shirt. Pick your own poison. Well, once me and my date pleased the fashion kamikaze then we made our way to the hibachi grill. This is where the fun and confusion began. We had to go up to three different hostesses before we finally found one who knew to seat us. We were seated at the end of a grill that already seated six other people, ranging in various levels of anger. Three of the guests had already eaten their soup, salads, and had since been waiting 45 minutes for more guests to arrive so the hibachi grill action could begin. Of the remaining three, who had gotten drinks, only one guy was really angry about having to wait. And by the looks of him, I would guess that he was angrier that open silk shirts and hairy chests were no longer in style, than the service at Jillian's.

The service at Jillian's was pretty bad, mostly on the part of the hostess who weren't skilled in the art of handing out menus and bringing out Diet Cokes. When I ordered iced tea, the hostess massaged my shoulders and whispered in my ear "ooooh no, we don't have ice tea." The gesture was nice and all, but I don't want to feel like I am being diagnosed with cancer while my first beverage choice was rejected. I like ice tea and all, but don't worry; I'll just take Hawaiian Punch instead. I am taking into account that Jillian's has only been open for a few weeks and good service comes with practice, which I'm sure it will. While inexperienced on service, Jillian's does offer up a fun carefree atmosphere. All of the hibachi chefs wear big and unusual hats like sombreros, Afro puffs, and top hats. Our waiter, Travis, was wearing a plastic Viking horn helmet which was sort of similar to the hat that Bugs Bunny wears when he plays a girl bunny and sings in the opera. Travis looked pretty good in the helmet, but it would have been better if he would have spread the entire ensemble complete with gold chest plate and pointy breasts. The decor is pretty low key. There are band stickers all over the grills, which give the place a zesty look. I didn't see any Ricky Martin or Menudo stickers anywhere though, so they loose a few cool points in my book for that. The food at Jillian's is what you can only classify as being okay. It's not something that you write home about, but it won't make you puke either. A full 5-course meal runs from $12 to $17 depending on what your meat of choice is. Everything was pretty tasty, except they float something weird in your soup that looks like a chicken gizzard or something. The couple next to me cracked theirs open and swore that they saw bacon inside, but I chose to let it remain a mystery. Even though it's a restaurant, I don't feel that the food is the important thing. The cool part is that they cook it all in front of you, while spitting out jokes and flipping little shrimp at your face. How can you not like a restaurant that encourages you to be as loud, obnoxious and play with your food? So forget about that fourth grade lunch lady that busted you for playing with your mashed potatoes. Jillian's is you answer for silly food fun.