MichiganDaily.com

Arts Stories for 10-20-2000

Kick out the Jams

Near the end of "Almost Famous," Cameron Crowe's newly-released paean to rock 'n roll fandom, a young and slightly obsessed groupie notes wistfully that very few people have any idea what it's like to love, cherish and dote upon a "little piece of music" so much that it hurts.

ekoostik hookah

7:30 p.m. tonight at the Michigan Theater; Smokestack opens; tickets are $15.

String Cheese Incident

7 p.m. tomorrow night at the Michigan Theater;

Forget the karate action: Van Dam a master of bass-baritone

Internationally acclaimed bass-baritone Jose Van Dam makes his debut under UMS auspices at the Lydia Mendelssohn theatre Friday night. Performing some of the works of Schumann, Faure, Duparc and Poulenc, Van Dam is known for taking on diverse roles and performing them with immaculate artistry.

ART's 'Stag' a fairy tale for all ages

If you're tired of your midterms, take a break in the land of Serendippo where, according to actress Kristine Goto, "bad things don't happen." Set in the Oriental kingdom of Serendippo, "The King Stag" is a fairy tale for all ages.

Okayplayer Tour ready to rock the mic at State

The basis for the tour is the website www. okayplayer.com, which started in 1999 as the Roots' homepage. Since its inception, however, it has grown to include other artists and groups considered on the cutting edge of urban music. Present occupants of the site include Common, D'Angelo, the Jazzyfatnastees, Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek and Dilated Peoples in addition to the Roots.

TV gets 'Bamboozled' by Lee

"We Brothers." "U Pick a Negro." When writer-director Spike Lee visited the University last February to speak about filmmaking and his latest yet-to-be released feature, he bitingly joked about the acronyms for the television networks WB and UPN.

Johnson brings soul to Borders

Singer/songwriter Vann Johnson made a short appearance at Borders Wednesday night as a part of her radio promotional tour. She performed two songs, answered questions from the audience, had a table selling CDs and signed autographs. Johnson has performed with Michael Bolton, Yanni and Kenny G, and has an upcoming performance with Ronnie Laws in Los Angeles.

10-20-2000