The lead and how to swing it

Six stories, six leads, one easy way to clear the decks of a bunch of stories in one sitting! All of these were published in The York Dispatch between May 2003 and June 2004. Here we go:

Recording studios: The '80s were a breeding ground for novelty songs. Rising above the techno-pop pack were such hits as "Pac-Man Fever," Buckner & Garcia’s spellbinding tale of a nation addicted to a dot-eating three-dimensional yellow sphere’s valiant struggle against a pack of unruly ghosts, and "Rock Me Amadeus," Falco's defiant taunt aimed a defenseless, long-dead Austrian composer. For better and for worse, it was an anything-goes era.

Around that same time, boxer Larry Holmes was turning around a few questions in that battered head of his. Questions like 'Can I be the World Heavyweight Champion and make a name for myself in the music industry at the same time?' and 'Should I get a record producer from York to help me establish this second career?' Holmes decided 'yes' on both counts, and hooked up with Jerry Duncan to form their own record label, Knockout Records. (1/11/04)

Tea: They take their name from their favorite beverage, "green tea," a drink of Chinese heritage. Their debut record is called Anfang, which means 'beginning' in German. Bassist Dane Jensen is credited in Anfang’s liner notes with "rhythmic chanting," while drummer Alex Smith is credited in their latest press release with playing everyone's favorite West African drum, the djembe.

So it might come as a surprise that these cultural overtones apply not to a group of worldly adults, but to four York Suburban Senior High students who go by the name of Tea. Though none of them are seniors, and guitarist Joe Giuffrida is only a sophomore, the quartet has already won two different 'Battle of the Bands' competitions, appeared live on WRVV (97.3 FM), and helped usher in the New Year as part of York’s annual First Night tradition.

And on September 5, the group will celebrate the release of their first CD with a 6:30 p.m. show at the Yorktowne Hotel in York. Proceeds from the event will benefit Olivia's House, a non-profit organization that specializes in helping children ages 5-18 deal with the loss of a parent, sibling, or close friend. Tea's first involvement with Olivia's House came this past April, when they won free studio time at York’s Bullet Records in a 'Battle of the Bands' fundraiser sponsored by the organization. (9/4/03)

Amilia K. Spicer: She’s been called a "fearless performer" by the San Antonio Express-News. Mysterious forces have compelled music writers to rhyme with one another when describing her voice, judging from previous articles that have labeled her singing as "husky" (Monterey Coast Weekly), "dusky" (Vic’s Music Corner), and yes, "musky" (Sing Out!). And if reviewer Vic Heyman is to be believed, she has the "wit of an elf," though probably not that of a Keebler Elf, because no one could be that funny.

The performer in question is Adams County native (and current Los Angeles resident) Amilia K. Spicer, who has also been referred to in the press as sounding not only "erotic," but like a "seductive lover" and a "French chanteuse." Not that she has a problem with those descriptions, mind you.

"Reviewers often mention the sexiness of my music, and if that's so, I'm pleased," she says. "To me all great music is sensual, and that can be heard in both a whisper and a wail." (8/14/03)

Book Blast: Let us ponder the fate of unwanted books. Some are donated to libraries. Others wait out the years in a musty old attic or a dark, cobweb-filled basement. A few lucky ones are put to practical use---propping up uneven table legs, for instance, or swatting down insects when a traditional flyswatter is not readily available. And sometimes, an unloved book meets its maker when the family pet chances upon it, ignores whatever literary qualities it possesses, and uses it as a chew-toy.

By contrast, the York County Heritage Trust deals with their discards in a much more capitalistic manner. Every year, they sort through piles and piles of books, filter the extraneous titles out of their library, and offer them up for sale at their annual 'Book Blast' event, lifting off from the Agricultural & Industrial Museum in York on August 8. (8/7/03)

Quarry art: Core samples. They are our friends. Every day, these cylindrical pieces of subsurface material offer us great insight into the world. We learn much about geology, and it retroactively justifies all that cash we spent on the insanely expensive drilling equipment that was purchased to remove the darn thing in the first place.

And sometimes, they are our enemies. I, for one, am reminded of my high school marching band days in the trombone section, where we'd steal the mouthpieces from each other's instruments and take "core samples" of our own by jamming them into the soft earth of the football field. Good pranks to be sure, but man were those things difficult to clean out afterwards!

To York artist Bill Thompson, core samples are raw materials for art, like everything else in nature. As he sees it, nothing is too mundane that it can't be transformed into something aesthetically pleasing. (6/1/03)

Barry Glenn Davis: On the road of life, there are passengers and there are drivers. And then there’s Barry Glenn Davis, the ticket-taker at the Exit 9 tollbooth. He nods hello, accepts your fare, and waves you through to your destination.

It's a place where adultery is king, the Cadillac is queen, and every joker in town is doing the wrong things right. A land where cerebral wordplay is in, mindless pretentiousness is out, and entertaining yarns are spun by the minute.

And the best part? It only takes 48 minutes to soak up every hazy memory, ill-considered romance, and convoluted caper to be found within its borders.

That's the running time of Barry Glenn Davis' self-titled debut CD, released this past March on Lanark Records. A big fan of hyphenation (and of toll road-themed cover art), Davis describes himself as an "alt-countrabilly, honky-tonk songwriter," perhaps suggesting that he is not tied to any one specific genre, but to roots music in general. No matter how you label it, the 31-year-old Felton native seems preternaturally at ease in his first major project, the culmination of almost two years of work. (5/22/03)

-Dave O'Connell