JACKY BRAMMER

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Exhibit blends historic styles

By JACKY BRAMMER | April 20

After being on display in the Carolina Union's art gallery for the better part of a month, original works by Kwang Suk Park will be exhibited during a public reception at 5:30 p.m. today. Originally from South Korea, Park, now living in Hillsborough, is a respected artist in the Triangle. "She's really one of the most professional and prolific artists in the area," said Susie Thompson, chairwoman of the art gallery committee for the Carolina Union Activities Board.

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Built to Spill returns to form

By JACKY BRAMMER | April 20

MUSICREVIEW Built to Spill You in Reverse 4 Stars During his career, singer/songwriter/guitarist Dave Martsch of Built to Spill has made a name for himself as a musical craftsman of the highest order. Whether it was the meticulous arrangements on 1999's Keep It Like a Secret or the way he effortlessly worked through the various Built to Spill lineups throughout the years, Martsch always has seemed sure of himself and his place in indie rock.

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Ghost with the most rocks show

By JACKY BRAMMER | April 13

CONCERTREVIEW Ghostface & M1 Cat's Cradle Friday 4 Stars Generally, rap concerts are places to go to forget your problems and to unite with the other patrons in giving a giant middle finger to the establishment. The performers are the conductors of this melee, leading a medley of passion and defiance directed against anyone not down with their message or music. A prime example was this past Friday at Cat's Cradle as M1 - half of the seminal political rap group Dead Prez - and Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan rocked the crowd into a frenzy of hip-hop heads.

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Ghostface still strong on latest LP

By JACKY BRAMMER | April 13

MUSICREVIEW Ghostface Killah Fishscale 4.5 stars The common wisdom is that rappers are kind of like boxers - by 30, their careers are over and, if not, it should be. Sometimes, they die prematurely and tragically. Other times, they run out of creative energy. Either way, it's a rare exception when a lyricist remains potent and relevant past his late 20s. Yet that is just what has happened with Ghostface Killah, 35, and his latest release, Fishscale.

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Steely Dan member releases mediocre disc

By JACKY BRAMMER | March 30

MUSICREVIEW Donald Fagen Morph the Cat 3 Stars It has been 13 years since Donald Fagen's last release and three years since the last Steely Dan album (although it's been 30 years since the band's best material). But even with all that down time, the material on Fagen's Morph the Cat sounds tired. As one half of the seminal jazz-rock band Steely Dan, Fagen has a wealth of experience in song crafting and arrangements. But it's hard to shake the notion that he sounds like an artist who needs a break.

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Student turns table for self

By JACKY BRAMMER | March 22

"All this is so new. It feels like I'm jumping in the deep end, but I'm ready," says Taylor Johnson as he sits in the Student Union, excitedly recounting his story. Johnson, a part-time R&B and hip-hop producer, is shy and calm but almost bursting at the seams with anticipation for what is about to happen. He's on the verge of signing a contract with Akeeda Entertainment, a small New York record label. "It's nerve-racking, but at the same time it's exciting."

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Schoolkids still fills independent niche

By JACKY BRAMMER | September 21

About a year after adding new floor space directly next door to its original Franklin Street address, Schoolkids Records is thriving. Store owner Michael Phillips said the addition has drawn more customers. "It has definitely increased business," he said. The newer store, known as The Annex, contains all the DVDs and used merchandise, such as CDs and LPs, that are for sale in the older store, only with more selection. "Used CDs are a much better bargain for your money," Phillips said. "It's hard for most college kids to buy new CDs."

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Show examines the poetry of war

By JACKY BRAMMER | November 24

"Not About Heroes," a highly acclaimed play about how war inspires poetry, opens today as the latest production put on by PlayMakers Repertory Company. The story concerns Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, two of England's greatest contemporary wartime poets, who met at Craiglockhart Hospital. Both Sassoon and Owen were decorated World War I heroes who struggled with the brutal trauma of trench warfare.

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Cryptic comeback album inconsistent

By JACKY BRAMMER | November 18

More than anything else, Eminem is inconsistent. Perhaps the most telling evidence of this fact was demonstrated after a gratifying and progressive duet with Elton John at the 2001 Grammys. Eminem showed up to appease homophobic critics - and promptly saluted those in attendance with two middle fingers. Is he trying to piss everyone off? Is he trying to be himself? Those looking for answers in his latest release, Encore, won't find many.

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Eclectic collective enlivens crowd

By JACKY BRAMMER | November 11

Behind some vintage Groucho Marx shades, Billy Sugarfix took the stage as host to kick off WXYC's 10th anniversary show Saturday night at the Local 506. The University's student-run radio station organized the talents of local acts eNtet, The Moaners, Spectac and Jett Rink to commemorate its 10 years of Internet radio broadcasting. While Sugarfix's disguise motif was mildly amusing at first, it soon became tired as he took on personas ranging from Santa Claus to one of his surviving relatives from the Hatfield-McCoy rivalry.