Anderson Independent-Mail from Anderson, South Carolina • 19

Anderson Independent-Mail Aug 23 1984 3C Cars Finally In Seat By Mary Campbell APNcwiteaturM Writer The Cars have hit the road again out on a two-month tour that started in mid-July Their Elektra album their first in two years was No 5 on the best-selling chart for three weeks in May It is still In the top ten the third single from the album was No 39 and climbing on the chart entered the bestselling chart only the week before should be four or five singles off this record which is quite a says Ric Ocasek singer and guitarist who also writes The songs most had off a single was three off our first Most of the records had two" already is a platinum album which means it has sold more than a million copies which was the first album in 1978 and it also sold platinum There were rumors during the last two years that The Cars were on the scrapheap just laughed at Ocasek says also like to put a little tension into the band when there any I don't care what they say definitely as far as getting along with each other pretty good has got to be someone at the helm of the thing I guess I would be that person since the material emanates from me There is a certain amount of control It is not like a dictatorial thing The money is split even Bruce Springsteen can hire siaemen This is The Cars a It has been two years between records by The Cars Ocasek says I did a solo record and produced three other albums by other people Alan Vega the Bad Brains and Iggy Pop I was very busy and didn't write a Cars record records I produced were definitely on the art side all pretty esoteric not commercial pop My solo record as accessible as Cars music on purpose It helps me spread out a bit critics want The Cars to be less accessible When we first started the critics were pretty much on our side We were new music for the time quite different than most of the pop music that was on the radio They would like us to go further to the left We did in fact on a couple of albums our records 50 percent is sort of pop and 50 percent is experimental Ocasek was born in Baltimore at 16 moved to the Midwest with his parents left home at about 17 to sort of live on the he says He went to college a year and a half knew I was going to write songs and be in music I never studied music I just learned by doing I His last name is of Czech origin It's pronounced Oh cass-ek He changed the spelling from Otcasek taking out the silent so he wouldn't have to keep spelling and explaining it He lived in New York where he jammed with singer-bassist Ben Orr "On a whim I went to Ocasek says see if I could get bookings There were a lot of schools so there was a young populace and it was economic to live" The Cars formed there with Ocasek Orr lead guitarist Elliot Easton keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson They all live there now Robinson picked the name which they thought "sort of symbolized American pop culture It was disposable It was easy to spell and remember There are endless puns" Ocasek says the puns are getting stale I thought would be a title for a greatest hits record It probably will be if we ever db Ocasek says write a lot more songs than we need We usually record more than we need as well and select after they re finished Greg Hawkes programs the band's computers Ocasek says our live show is done in computers We have eight keyboards up there At any one time four or five could be playing themselves to free up your hands for other things It is something Greg would have to program every part of At a certain command it would play Pretty odd it? In another way it is fun too You can play your whole record if nothing is messed up" David Robinson plays drums and also uses electronic drums programming his small computer MTV Photo Alighting the work on bum Ci- Ric Ocasek center is surrounded by tour The tour is hi members of his band The Cars for a the latest photograph to promote their current US Abbeville Artist To Hold Exhibit This Weekend Corduroy Jeans on sale ABBEVILLE Oscar Velasquez will hold his sixth annual art exhibition Saturday and Sunday at his Route 1 Abbeville home The show opens Saturday for an invitation-only preview from 8 to 11 pm The Sunday exhibit from to 5 pm is open to the public The show annually attracts art patrons from throughout South Carolina and northeast Georgia Velasquez a member of the prestigious American Watercolor Society in New York has received awards in the society's New York shows and in the National Academy of Design Exhibits For his weekend show 50 paintings in oil and watercolor will be on display The exhibit will feature South Carolina subject matter such as landscapes and figures Velasquez said of the paintings have been done in the past year so everything is In addition to his work as an artist Velasquez spends his time judging art shows and presenting workshops throughout the country On Sept 8 he will be sole judge for the North Carolina Watercolor Exhibition in Asheville and will give a two-day workshop there Then in January he will be the juror for the Georgia Watercolor Society Show Major purchases of his works that are on public display are the Joslyn Museum of Art Omaha Neb the Henry Ward Ranger Fund National Academy New York Erskine College Due West the Opera House Abbeville Park Seed Co Greenwood and South Carolina National Bank Abbeville paintings have been exhibited in many major museums and art centers throughout the country and his works are in many public and private collections per pair AC Plans Church Music Classes Buy Two Pair of Cords and receive a WALLET FREE ($795 value) The entire program can be completed in two semesters although an individual can spread the courses over a longer period of time The 15-week classes will meet on Monday and Thursdays from 7 to 9:30 pm Fifteen and one-half continuing units can be earned The nine courses offered include music theory 1 and 2 survey of hymnology song leading graded choir materials 1 and 2 choral conducting church music administration and gospel hymnology Cost for the entire program for one semester is $300 A fee of $120 will be charged for music theory alone $60 for graded choirs or hymnology alone and $30 for conducting or song leading alone To receive more information about the program or to receive registration materials contact the AC Registrar's Office at (803) 2264181 extension 205 From Staff Reports A training program designed for church musicians will begin at Anderson College Aug 27 James Clark chairman of the music department at Anderson College said the program is designed to offer practichl help in all areas of church music for a minimum cost It is intended for choir members pianists organists and adult youth and children's choir directors clergymen ministers of music and others who have an interest in church music is a tremendous need for training of part- time church musicians" said Clark program gives one the opportunity to learn the skills necessary to function in a designated area feel there are many adults who have the ambition to pursue a study in music but do not have the time "he added USC Cultural Series Announced Cords For comfort that comes in all the colors of the rainbow get yourself anew pair of Cords They look as right with a blazer as they do with a sweatshirt And each pair is made with the same famous quality and fit as blue jeans Get yourself a new pair in a new color today! COLUMBIA The University of South Carolina Cultural Series for 1984-85 will entertain Columbia with a mixture of Broadway comedy jazz and dance This year's program includes the Vienna Choir Boys Oct 26 Neil Beach Feb 14 the North Carolina Dance Theater Feb 25 the Newport Jazz Festival All-Stars April 2 and the Chinese Magic Revue of Taiwan April 30 All events will be held at Township Auditorium Special savings are available for those purchasing a season subscription which is a ticket to all five shows A season subscription will cost the public $27 non-USC students and Carolina Concerts subscribers $22 and senior citizens and USC students $15 Season tickets must be ordered in September For more information or for a season brochure call the Cultural Series at 777-7130 Mountain Craft Show Planned those craftsmen displaying traditional skills used during the 19th century will be given priority Exhibitors will be expected to maintain their booths from 10 am to 5 pm both days Four photographs or slides representative of the artist's or craftsman's work should be sent with the application which must be received by Sept 14 Each application must be accompanied by a $12 check or money order made payable to the SC Department of Parks Recreation and Tourism For an application or more information contact the Programs Section Division of State Parks 1315 Pendleton St Columbia SC 293)1 1 telephone 103-758-3622 1 From Staff Reports Artists and craftsmen are being sought for the Pioneer Days celebration to be held at Kings Mountain State Park in September The event scheduled for Sept 29 to 30 has become a special annual gathering at the park 12 miles northwest of York on SC 161 Activities will center around a mid-lSOOs theme and will include continuous musical entertainment games and demonstrations of skills found in early American lifestyles along with the arts and crafts The setting will be the Living Farm a replica of an I SKls frontier farm with a two-story farmhouse barn and other structures All works must be original and ANDERSON MALL 60 Minutes Team bored by four men as soon as her assignment at the Republican National Convention In Dallas ends said CBS News spokesman Art Maravel She will not return to the morung news show he said The Swday night new sram begms Sept IS Diane Sawyer To Join NEW YORK (API Diane Sawyer co-anchor of Morning who once worked President lion's press office and later helped write bis memoirs has been named the ftm female correspondent on CBS said Tuesday Ms Sawyer will begin working with HI wild now an-.