The Los Angeles Loyolan, Volume 53, Issue 12 - November 24, 1975

LOYOLAN— 8 Monday, Nov. 24, 1975 A way to break into the recording industry by Jim Hillson This month, Time and Newsweek magazines both ran Bruce Springsteen cov¬ er stories, generously illustrated and ex¬ tensively written. Springsteen is a child, or a victim, whichever you prefer, of the pop music hype-terribly expensive, op¬ portunistic and cynical. However, for every industry prodigy, coming off the east coast to play packed au¬ diences * at the Troubador, ^ there are thousands of frustrated artists without hope of an important audition or break into the business. Campus songwriters, who have been strumming in stairwells and scarecely at¬ tended Birds Nest functions, may be in¬ terested in the Alternative Chorus Songwriters Showcase, a non-profit group which gets fledgling songwriters in front of music scouts in a nightclub-type at¬ mosphere. The chorus will hold a seminar today, November 24 in Pereira 31. Speakers will lecture on the music in¬ dustry, and how to break into it once you’ve written a song. Barbara Adargo, of the Student Activities special projects, arranged for the seminar. She said songwriters will not be asked to audition at the Pereira meeting. It is merely § to inform and interest songwriters in the Alternative Chorus Showcase. The Alternative Chorus auditions over 100 writers each month and presents the best of their songs in a weekly showcase to industry producers There is no charge to the writer, no exclusivity requirements, no first refusal rights and the atmosphere is informal. The showcases, held each Thursday night at Art Laboes, on Sunset Blvd., attract 200-300 industry scouts. Seven songwriters perform a total of 22 original songs, at each showcase, in a tight, two-hour format. The writer does not necessarily have to sing his own song, he may use an outside vocalist, but he must be involved in all of his songs presented. The Alternative Chorus is sponsored by BMI and other industry patrons/ including Beech wood Music, Screen Gems Columbia Music, Warner Brothers Music and United Artists Music. The Showcase began in 1971, the brainchild of “veteran coffeehouse folkies” Len Chandler and John Braheny. The idea of a songwriter showcase was a direct outgrowth of their own experiences. Braheny said, “It was our intent to present high-quality original material to the record¬ ing industry, without the writers having to go through all the usual changes, like going into a publisher’s office and trying to play him a song while he’s on the phone. “That’s assuming you can even get in to begin with ! He’ll probably only want to hear two or three songs, we work completely dif¬ ferently. We’ll listen to as many of a writer ’s songs as he thinks are good. “Our purpose is to connect the writers with the people of the industry and showcase those songs which we feel will create industry interest . ’ ’ The procedure for participating in the Songwriters’ Showcase is relatively simple. In-person auditions may be secured by call¬ ing the Showcase, 655-7780, from 10-6 weekdays. For each Thursday night , seven writers are chosen. Among songs that were originally pre¬ sented during the showcase are “Rock n Roll Heaven’’, by Johnny Stevenson and Alan O’Day, “Jesse” and “Stars”, by Janis Ian, and “Heartbeat, It’s a Love Beat”, by Greg Williams. Artists that have appeared include Janis Ian, Harriet Schock, Wendy Waldman, Judi Pul ver, Ron Fraser Cooker, Mitch Johnson and Daniel Moore. To date, over 300 songs that were present¬ Live Bands Tuesday thru Sunday! Wednesday Students Free & Half-Price Beer till 11 P.M. Thursday: Ladies Free Admission Girls 18 Guys 21 4080 Lincoln Blvd. Marina Del Rey (Formerly The Attic) 821 -6969 ed at the showcase have been contracted by various publishing firms. Chandler and Braheny originally rented Lincoln Center West, which, despite its grandiose name had all of 40 seats. The spillover necessitated a move to larger quarters. Capitol Records provided use of a studio with mikes, technicians, refresh¬ ments, mailing services, promotion and $50 a week each to Braheny and Chandler, no strings attached. The turn-out every Thursday night averaged 250 people, the Fire Dept, oc¬ cupancy rate for the studio was 36, and they had to look for still another location. The showcase moved, and is currently at Art Laboe’s, 8433 Sunset Blvd. Chandler has a B.S. degree in musical education from the University of Akron and an M.S. from Columbia Teachers College. He has played oboe and English horn with several symphony orchestras and taught music at high school. He was folk-singing soloist six times with the New Jersey Sym¬ phony, He’s done background music for documentaries on ABC, CBS, NBC and KCET. Braheny has a B.A. degree from Morn- ingside College. He studied classical violin under Stefan Szemler. From 1962-68 he worked as a folk singer throughout the U.S. and Canada. He composed and produced music for two documentaries — “They Never Took the Time” and “Take a Giant Step” and for a children’s film, “Trains.” He’s written music for commercials includ¬ ing Arco, Bbrax, Sprite and Toyota. Dear Father frame and Loyolan re¬ aders, Since Richard Trame’s “singularly twisted mentality and warped sense of morality” prevents him from com¬ prehending the symbolism involved in pur wearing of Ku Klux Klan costumes at the Davis engagement, we feel it’s our Christian duty to clarify his con¬ fused thoughts. Ibe KKK organization represents oppression in the fullest sense of the word. Therefore, since Davis has shown himself to be an op¬ pressor of women, blacks, gays, chicanos, and young adults, we believed it only fitting that our cos¬ tumes (complete with signs on our backs stating; “ED DAVIS FAN CLUB — THE KKK” in case you mis¬ sed them Father) be representative of Davis’s outlook on minorities. We agree entirely with Truman’s view of the KKK. The KKK is a dis¬ gusting, contemptuous, racist, and overtly violent group. Similarly, we find the beliefs of Chief Davis to be equally disgusting, contemptuous, racist, sexist, and unjustly homophobic. When we protested, we felt our message was more than adequately expressed. Sincerely Yours , Steve C. Dontanville Annmarie Pidzarko . Diana Y. Yoon Dear Editor: The SAGA Food Service Investiga¬ tion Committee would like to take this opportunity to thank the Loyolan for the coverage we have received throughout the course of our work. We feel that the Loyolan is responsible for our gaining much recognition among the students, and that this has aided us in what has so far been a very suc¬ cessful and beneficial undertaking. We shall continue, with the help of the Loyolan and the student body of LMU, to do our best to serve the stu¬ dents in our designated capacity, and to be responsive to student needs with respect to the campus food service. Sincerely, the student membership of the SAGA Food Service Investigation Committee. Mike Bacich Wilson Mar Lisa Beverly Ed Quevedo Ann-Marie Boyle Linda Schlakat Cathy Cannon Mark Strukelj HughDevaney Dear Editor : I am deeply grateful for the Masses and prayers offered for my successful surgery and recovery by the many members of the faculty, administration and students of the Loyola Mary mount Community. Their get well cards I have received are also appreciated. God — the ultimate Source and Giver of life — reward each and everyone of my benefactors. Fr. JacekPrzygoda Khuri-Majoii work at Venice gallery by Mike Street Pauline Khuri-Majoii, Associate Professor of Art at LMU, is currently ex¬ hibiting her paintings and drawings at the Helen Drue Gallery in Venice. Her show is a refreshing experience for all art admirers, especially those who are unable to sympathize with some of the more peculiar trends in modern art. Her work is figurative and she considers herself “primarily a colorist. ” 4 And a colorist she is. Even though her jthemes are very ordinary and post- impressionist by nature, Khuri’s expert use of color and pattern animates even the dullest imaginable subjects. Her themes in¬ clude such things as the human figure, still lifes and interiors, which are by no means new subjects. But when Khuri sets her color in motion, it’s her personal vision and love for painting that embodies her merit. A fine example is her painting entitled amply “The Bathroom” (which incidental¬ ly was sold during the first week of the showing. Her carefully calculated colors turn the interior of a “john” into a “salle du bain.” Another very striking painting is her “Interior With Rocking Chair.” In this particular piece Khuri captures a wonderful mood without becoming dark and morose. The highlight of the show is probably “Eleanor in Kimono” which is basically a coloristicaily sensual reclining woman draped with an Oriental jacket. It’s. just ter¬ rific. | Pauline Khuri-Majoii ’s education has taken her from the local area to Europe with many impressive distinctions. Khuri -Majoli's show at the Helen Drue Gallery runs through December 19. It is a rare opportunity to see an LMU faculty member active outside the confines of the University. The Helen Drue Gallery is locat¬ ed at 1023 West Washington Blvd. in Venice. 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