Girlyman unleashes beautiful folk sound

Girlyman's debut disc, "Remember Who I Am," is a gift that should be unwrapped with fragile fingers and devoured by thirsting ears. The band, comprised of Doris Muramatsu, Nate Borofsky and Ty Greenstein, blends delicate harmonies, soothing vocals and sensitive percussion to give listeners the feeling of daydreaming a ride above the clouds. And the trio has apparently caught the wave of wonder audiences have tacked to them - they won the 2004 Independent Music Award in the folk/singer-songwriter category and were voted "Most Wanted to Return" at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. On their eclectic album, Girlyman experiments with overlapping vocals, slide guitar that shimmers through the dimmest moments and folky percussion from the numerous djembes they use to produce their unique, unifying sound. The opening, and emotionally strongest, track on "Remember Who I Am" is "Viola" - a heart-warming tale sang at first by Borofsky, who is later joined during the chorus by Greenstein and Muramatsu. The steel pedal, along with acoustic guitar on this song is reminiscent of a warm summer night where lovers might meet to watch shooting stars and fall asleep under a calming canopy of darkness. They sing, "I drowned myself tonight in sangria/Made with sliced up fruit and cheap marsala/Viola, Viola/... Viola, I swear I miss you." These are the kind of truthful lyrics we all wish we could sing, and "Viola" fuses them with melodies that speak to an unreachable feeling deep inside of us all. Although their sound appears to be categorically folkish, the three-piece group effectively uses their sublime voices and range of guitar skills to change tones and attitudes throughout the album. On "Say Goodbye" Muramatsu, Greenstein and Borofsky tell an all-too familiar tale. "Can't you see how I miss you so?/Can't believe your wanting to go/'Cause I just don't know how to make myself/ Let you go/And I still can't seem to find/A simple way to say goodbye/I'm not the kind for regret/Was there something I wanted to forget?/Either way, you'd already made up your mind." The way the trio flawlessly harmonizes on the last note of "made up your mind" sends chills down my musical backbone. Another song notably impressive for the strength of lyric is "The Shape I Found You In." The opening stanza, sang by Greenstein, climbs into the nook of your heart and builds camp there for the remainder of the song. "You were spoken for/I spent 20 lifetimes at your door/But your heart was busy within/Building bomb shelters under your skin/That's the shape I found you in." Girlyman's CD is brilliant, but they're probably even better live.

Dead body identified as Colorado woman

The body of a 22-year-old woman found in an East Village apartment Sunday morning has been identified as Lindsay Burkhead of Colorado, East Lansing police Capt.

Profanity at games gives 'U' bad image

As a season-ticket holder at MSU, I was appalled by what I heard from the student section. It seems every year, the students add new chants to be more spirited and make a hostile environment for the other team.

Group members pull strings for leisure and learning

With a ball of ivory-colored yarn and two knitting needles, Julia Rabe connects a pattern of tight loops together, by pulling one through another with needles. The physical science junior is knitting an afghan as a wedding present for a friend.

Ex-Spartan to play in Europe for hockey

Former MSU forward Adam Hall signed with KalPa, a Finnish hockey team, for the duration of the hockey lockout. A Kalamazoo native, Hall recorded 126 points from 1998-2002 as a Spartan, where he also served as team captain. He spent last season with Nashville, collecting 13 goals and 14 assists in 79 games for the Predators.

Pupil & prizes

Four students from the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management took first-place honors at the National Black MBA Case Competition held in Houston, Texas. The business administration graduate students were given a case written by Chrysler managers that dealt with Chrysler financial services.

MIDDAY UPDATE: Weather factor in lack of pumpkin crops this season, farmers say

St. Johns - Rows of orange pumpkins lined the edges of each section of Andy Todosciuk's field, waiting to be boxed up and transported to his farm market. What's missing is the usual third cluster of pumpkins right down the middle of each section.

Man power

The dull hum of florescent lights and whir of metal fans filled the gymnastics room in Jenison Field House last week where the 32 members of MSU's cheerleading team stretched their arms and legs in preparation for one of their weekly practices. Sporting loose-fitting gym clothes, tennis shoes and white sports tape on their wrists for extra grip, the men on the team joked with one another and rehearsed stunts with the women, lifting them onto their shoulders and tossing them high into the air.

E.L. council to discuss new air-quality rules, housing

Because of a poor environmental rating, East Lansing City Council will discuss options to fund new air-quality regulations at their 7 p.m.

MIDDAY UPDATE: 2 former 'U' students try to increase voter turnout

Now that a record number of Michigan residents have registered for the November election, Genevieve Humenay wants to change the way people think about voting. She's not concerned with party politics, nor is she fretful about whether people prescribe to her political beliefs. Instead, the 2004 MSU graduate wants to make sure people actually get to the polls to cast their ballots on Nov.

Bush failed during town-hall meeting

Regardless of which side of the aisle you sit on, Friday evening's debate made it clear that this country can not handle four more years of the Bush administration.

Health & fitness

The quality and effectiveness of health care for rural residents will be studied by a local health research center with funding obtained from a federal contract. Michigan Public Health Institute, a nonprofit firm based in Okemos, was given a two-year, $600,000 contract to perform a nationwide assessment of two rural health programs.

Assault info kept from Holden hall residents

A day after the reported sexual assault outside Holden Hall, residents and other students had not been notified of the incident by university officials, hall residents said. Paul Goldblatt, director of Department of Residence Life, said information could be sent out by this afternoon. MSU police are looking for further information on the alleged sexual assault of a woman walking outside East Holden Hall, said MSU police Sgt.

ASMSU looks to quiet cell phones in class

Sometimes it's a Nelly tone, and others it's a classic melody. Either way, it's an annoyance that ASMSU might look to change. At its Academic Assembly meeting Tuesday, MSU's undergraduate student government briefly discussed cell-phone use in the classroom and might draft a bill to address those students who let their phones ring. "It's like when you listen to a CD and it skips - it's an awkward moment in class and ruins the flow," said Kyle Martin, a representative for the College of Communication Arts and Sciences.

Police: Woman found dead in E.L. was Colorado visitor

The 22-year-old woman found dead in an East Village-area apartment is believed to be a visitor from Colorado, East Lansing police officers confirmed Monday. One of the students who lived in the apartment where the girl was visiting called police Sunday at 9 a.m.

Momentum gains on $1B accelerator project

MSU hopes to move one step closer to bringing the nearly $1 billion Rare Isotope Accelerator project to campus after university officials respond to the U.S.

Pong patrol

The price MSU officials paid for a safer tailgating was to, in effect, destroy tailgating as it once was.

Police briefs 10/12/04

RHA talks with student group

The Residence Halls Association, or RHA, considered expanding its agenda to include the Student Greenhouse Project at an internal affairs meeting Friday. The new section of the agenda would allow for RHA-sponsored groups to give reports to the association during meetings. "If groups we support have complaints, this is also where we could talk about them," Committee Chairman Thomas Edwards said.

Historic greek housing sought for preservation

Throughout years of fall recruitment, parties and greek living, fraternity and sorority houses have been a part of the East Lansing community, and Richard Wright wants it to remain that way. Wright, a member of the East Lansing Historic District Commission, is trying to gather a study group to determine which greek houses should be included in a historic preservation district.