James Madison University - Bluestone Schoolmaam Yearbook (Harrisonburg, VA)

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Takin g j O) Joanna brennei Happy to be provided with d Steinway piano. Folds finishes up a song in the middle of his set. Later in the show, his band left the stage and Folds played alone with his synthesizer and Steinway onlv. Photo by Revee TenHuisen Smiling as he plays, Ben Folds sings to excited fans at the Convocation Center. Folds played a two-hour set along with his drummer. Sam Smith, and his bassist, lared Re nolds. Photo by Revee TenHuisen C eatured

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and sophomoic Andrew Morris show oil their talent. The band was unsigned but participating in competitions like the Rock Otf helped build its fan base. Photo by Sammy Elchenko Since it cost about S800 per week to fund the organiza- tion, Safe Rides had a difficult time getting off the ground. As it turned out, insuring SafeRides vehicles and drivers consumed the highest cost for the organization. Enterprise Rent- A-Car stepped up to cover the insurance needs of both the corporation as well as the 200 volunteers that worked for SafeRides. It also provided the rental vehicles used every weekend for the student-run organization. With the help trom Enterprise and sponsors like Domino ' s Pizza and SafeRides Before SafeRides I insurance, it had many cr Last year we got ; people who thought that ] Cornwell. People thou service to them that we ca SafeRides also hit i March 23 when one of the program ' s logo and ] food to the students on the |ie a huge success. be an organization and received Is. |)t of negative feedback from I were already operational, said we were falsely advertising a In ' t provide. leed bump on the weekend of le magnetic door signs with Ine number was stolen. A IMU [Notice was sent to all students informing them of the theft and potential impersonator. Even though the driver actually gave rides home to students, it was unknown if he or she was acting maliciously or just attempting to provide a ser ' ice to the students outside of the confines of the organization. Although Cornwell did not see this incident as a real threat, SafeRides released a notice to all students that they should not accept rides from ' ehicles bearing the SafeRides magnetic logo unless the drivers were wearing the official SafeRides T-shirts. For Cornwell, all of the positive responses SafeRides received from the university and the Harrisonburg area were encouraging, and allowed the organization to relay its ultimate message to the community. We want to make people aware of the consequences of drinking and driving, but we aren ' t here to either persuade or dissuade people to drink, she said. So what did the future hold for SafeRides? Kristin Gardner, Associate Director for the University Health Center ' s Office of Health Promotion, who worked to support SafeRides, was optimistic. I see the organization continuing to hold a strong presence and continuing to grow, she said. We believe in the organization, the mission and most especially the persistent and professional students who run the organization. S4e ' Ride6 90eek 27

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Ben Folds shared his distinct sound. r usician Ben Folds rocked the ' burg April 10 at the 2007 spring Convocation Center concert, entertaining over 1,500 spectators. Out of all the bands that have come to IMU since my freshman year, I was most excited for Ben Folds, said senior Emma Dozier. His music is so unique. Folds came on just after 9 p.m., direcdy following an opening perfor- mance by guitarist Eef Barzelay. It ' s damn good to be here, Folds said, greeting the packed audience. Folds, who split from his band Ben Folds Five in 2000, was known for his piano skills and original music and lyrics, inspired by artists such as Elton John and Billy Joel. He was happy to take the stage when he saw he was provided with a Steinway piano. Finally, a piano with a low end, Folds said. With help from drummer Sam Smith and bass pla)er Jared Re Tiolds, Folds entertained the crowd with his older rock songs such as Army, from his album, The Unauthorized Diary of Reinhold Messner, as well as newer, mellow songs, titled Landed, and You To Thank, both from his most recent album Songs For Silverman. His lyrics are funny and quirky, but then he also does those sappy love songs that everyone knows, said Dozier. Among Folds ' quirk) ' lyrics were Now I ' m big and important, one angry dwarf, from the song One Angry Dwarf and his many refer- ences to God-like ideas in his song Jesusland. In addition to the Steinway, Folds used a s Tithesiz- er to make sound wave ibrations throughout the show. He said in pre ' ious shows he had claimed that raising the frequency high enough would result in a brown note, causing the audience to defecate. He revealed to the audience, however, that there was no such thing as a brown note during the concert. It was shocking kind of, but I still thought it was freaking great, said sophomore Katie Soulen. He ' s really funny and has a good stage presence. Because of his popularity among college-aged smdents, the Universit) ' Program Board (UPB) had been trying to bring Folds to the university ' for quite some time, according to graduate Amie Kesler, public relations coordinator of UPB. We were very excited and fortunate to have Ben this year, he is such a legend, said Kesler. For each concert we plan, you must ' bid ' on an artist in order to try to get them to come to our venue and this vear we were very luck) ' to be able have him perform. Concert tickets went on sale March 19. Although sales did not start until 8 a.m., students started camping out at Warren Hall hours ahead of time. The cJt wad awedome — loen tJ oldd wad totallt} worth it. senior Rynn Hickman 13en (J-oUd Concert 29