North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 75, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 22, 2007 Page: 4 of 12
twelve pages : ill.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Page 4 Thursday, February 22, 2007
Arts
ntdailv.com
NORTH TEXAS DAILY
Band brings real country music to Denton
By Christi Hang
Staff Writer
Jason Boland and The
Stragglers might live in
different cities, but they spend
plenty of time on the road
touring the United States for
more than 200 days a year.
"We're doing a national tour
on our own, with no national
radio support," Boland said.
The band will be playing
in Denton at 8 p.m. tonight at
the Rockin Rodeo in support
of their third album, The
Bourbon Legend, recorded with
Grammy-winning producer,
Pete Anderson.
"It was a blessing," said
Cory McDaniels, the band's
manager. "Pete Anderson is
the man,"
McDaniels said Anderson has
worked with known country
acts such as Dwight Yoakam
and Lucinda Williams. He also
said Boland and Anderson got
along well because of their
similar musical philosophy
of what real country music
should sound like.
"A miracle happened to us,"
Boland said. "One of the life-
lines of the country sound
said he would produce our
album."
Although their own press
release describes the band's
sound as "outlaw," Boland said
he believes record companies
come up with descriptions that
are not true to the music. He
describes his music as "free-
thinking" and "honest."
"It's music that requires
a little getting into," Boland
said.
McDaniels said what sets
Boland and The Stragglers
apart from the rest of today's
country scene is the authen-
ticity of its music, which comes
from Boland's heart, ideas,
emotions and feelings.
Boland has ties to Denton,
having already toured here and
recorded the band's second
album, Truck Stop Diaries, at
Denton's Reeltime Audio.
When it comes to recording
versus playing live, Boland said
both have their advantages.
Playing live provides instant
gratification while recording
leads to a bigger payoff after
a much longer period of time,
Boland said.
"Playing live shows for fans
is more fun than banging your
head in the studio," Boland
said.
Officially formed in 1998,
the band consists of musi-
cians from the Stillwater,
Okla., music scene and one of
\^1
' ' -
*"Vk
:
i
¥*¡m
Courtesy Of Jay Jones Music
Jason Boland and the Stragglers
his former fraternity brothers,
Boland said.
"I was just trying to put a
band together just to have
some fun and play some
shows," Boland said.
McDaniels said everyone
who works for the band is dedi-
cated because they believe in
Boland and The Stragglers'
music.
"Everyone from the bus
driver to the tour manager to
the booking agent to the sound
tech is loyal to the band,"
McDaniels said.
After working for musi-
cians such as Cross Canadian
Ragweed, Kevin Fowler and Pat
Green, and starting as Boland's
book agent, McDaniels decided
to become his manager three
years ago.
"I was really into what
[Boland] was doing,"
McDaniels said.
McDaniels also said the
band's strong point is that
there is nothing fake or
rehearsed about its sound
and that Boland is a strong
songwriter.
"He is one of the best song-
writers I have ever heard,"
McDaniels said. "Seeing the
band live is an experience you
won't soon forget."
Musicals return to pop culture
Reality TV,
movies set new
stage for theater
ByAdrienne Borrego
Contributing Writer
Musicals seem to have
returned to pop culture thanks
to new movies and reality TV
shows.
"Dreamgirls" is nominated
for eight Academy Awards,
including best actress and best
actor in a supporting role, and
the reality TV show "Grease:
You're the One That I Want,"
which allows viewers to vote
on who will be the next Danny
and Sandy, the leading roles in
the production.
During the 1930s through
the 1960s, many musicals were
made with famous stars such
as Judy Garland, Fred Astaire
and Julie Andrews. But musi-
cals went on the decline after-
ward, said Ted Chapin, presi-
dent and executive director of
the Rodgers and Hammerstein
Organization in New York
m
t
UNDER 17 REQUIRES ACCOMPANYING
■PARENT OR ADULT GUARDIANHI
tm
SEXUAL CONTENT, NUDITY, CRUDE HUMOR,
LANGUAGE, AND DRUG USE.
DICIEDIY
«Kg-
' www.reno911movie.com
FEBRUARY 23 ONLY IN THEATRES
CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATRES AND SHOWTIMES
MOBILE USERS: For Showtimes - Text RENO With Your ZIP CODE To 43KIX (43549)!
City.
When "Chicago" was
released in 2002 with a more
hard-edged plotline, which
audiences loved, it replaced
the typical "old-fashioned"
musical, Chapin said.
"'Chicago' hit everyone like a
lightening bolt — very new and
very brash," Chapin said.
According to a Jan. 25 ABC
article, "Dreamgirls," even
though it was the most nomi-
nated film this year, was
snubbed from main awards
such as best picture and
director.
Chapin was unsure of the
reason for the snub, but he
said that maybe the story-
line was not as interesting as
"Chicago," especially after
Jennifer Hudson's character,
Effie, leaves the group.
Whether musicals will make
a comeback to the movie
theaters all depends on the
quality of the films and if audi-
ences will accept them, Chapin
said.
With movies such as "The
Sound of Music," Chapin said
they will never truly go out
of fashion because there will
always be a new generation to
discover them.
In the older Hollywood
musicals, the cast consisted of
5 minutes from camous
Area's Largest
election of Fine
Spirits,
L*li_
- fViL
mmm
'iSHl
. . UNIVERSITY OF
Union Programs presents (j^~ jr_
UNT Campas
Songwriters Competition
Top 10 Finalists will perform their songs
Wednesday, April 4, 7pm
in the Lyceum, Union, Level 3
Submit your 2 original songs on cassette tape
or CD by Friday, March 2 to the
Union Programs Office,
Student Life Suite, Union, Level 2
II
most of the original Broadway
performers with a sprinkling
of famous actors and actresses,
said Andrew Harris of the
theater department. Today, he
said, some producers decide to
use actors with bigger names
to bring in more interest.
For example, this summer
John Travolta and Queen
Latifah will star in "Hairspray,"
according to www.imdb.com.
Later this year, Johnny Depp
and Helena Bonham Carter will
star in Tim Burton's version of
"Sweeney Todd," while Meryl
Streep was just announced for
a role in "Mamma Mia!"
However, through reality
shows, audiences choose
unknown people to star in
theater productions.
"They are taking people
without any names at all and
catapulting them into the
limelight," Harris said.
Theater companies are
trying to create publicity for
their shows. One way is to
create buzz using reality TV,
like the United Kingdom's
"How Do You Solve a Problem
Like Maria?" and the United
States' "Grease: You're the One
That I Want."
With the British version, the
Saturday night show was very
popular, running on the BBC
for eight weeks.
"Sink or swim, [the show]
was going to be the focus on
Saturday nights," Chapin
said.
The show was indeed a hit,
Chapin said, with phenom-
enal advanced ticket sales. The
show traveled to London to see
Connie Fisher audition, who it
chose as its Maria.
Chapin, however, said he
has concerns that in the U.S.
version, casting the next
Broadway stars might not
translate to American audi-
ences. Ratings have dropped
since the initial airing, though
more people might tune in
to watch the finalists or see
the final product in New York
City.
"The reality shows have
proven to be very popular as
it is the ultimate interactive
television experience," Chapin
said. "Your vote can help their
career."
To see more about the musi-
cals watch the 79th Annual
Academy Awards at 7 p.m.
Sunday and "Grease: You're
the One That I Want" at 7 p.m.
Sundays on NBC.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 91, No. 75, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 22, 2007, newspaper, February 22, 2007; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth145430/m1/4/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.