By Sarah Knight

Klipsch offers several high-performance personal audio products that bring out the absolute best in your digital music, regardless of whether you own an iPod® or other MP3 player. From our sleek and compact RoomGroove and iGroove™ SXT iPod speaker systems to our extremely comfortable and superior sounding Image and Custom headphones, we’ve got you covered.

However, it’s important to know that when it comes to the superior delivery of digital music, the compression format you choose to import songs makes a huge difference. The more compressed a song is the more sound quality is lost. So, if you’re listening through our headphones or one of our iPod speakers and find that the sound is thin and inaccurate, the top end sounds harsh or the dynamics aren’t great, then it’s a compression issue, rather than a product issue.

Recommended Compression Formats
In iTunes, you can select between five different compression encoders when ripping music files from your CD collection: AAC, AIFF, Apple Lossless, MP3 and WAV. But which is best?

If you’re into serious listening and want to get the full impact of our performance prowess, you’ll need to select a WAV, AIFF or Apple Lossless format for your music. While WAV and AIFF are raw audio files from CDs in computer-readable formats, Apple Lossless preserves a CD’s original quality while cutting its size in half. You might compare this lossless encoding to a zip file: smaller than the original, but with no data loss. Keep in mind that these three formats take up a lot more file space than the standard AAC and MP3 encodings; you’ll get fewer songs on your iPod, but they’ll be delivered at a much higher quality.

Another thing to consider when choosing these compression formats is that only iTunes and the iPod can support Apple Lossless files and just about every other piece of music playing software will be able to play WAV files. AIFF files are specific to Macs, so if you are planning to listen to music on a PC, WAV is better.

Because they sound pretty good and achieve the best compression out of all five formats, most iPod users choose between AAC and MP3. AAC or advanced audio coding is the standard default on iTunes. When compared to an MP3 format, AAC gives better sound at the same bit rate. However, only iTunes and the iPod can support AAC; MP3s can be played on just about every digital music player.

PC users can make their compression selection in iTunes by going to the edit drop-down box, selecting preferences and then clicking on the importing tab. For Mac users, it’s going to the iTunes drop-down box, selecting preferences and then clicking on the importing tab.

Recommended Bit Rates
The second variable to consider when trying to get the best sound performance out of your digital music files deals with the “bit rate.” Bit rate refers to the rate that data is flowing in bits per second. The greater the bit rate, the more data is played back every second.

Most often, files are compressed to 128 kbps, 160 kbps or 192 kbps. The standard bit rate default in iTunes is 128 kbps, but you can customize your rate to go as high as 320 kbps (you make your bit rate selection when choosing your compression format). Kbps means kilobits per second; the higher the number, the better the sound and the more space a music file will consume on your computer or iPod. The lower the number, the lower quality of audio and the less file space you’ll take up.

To give you an example of how bit rates works, a 4-minute song requires about 3.7 MB of iPod/hard disk space at 128 kbps and about 4.7 MB at 160 kbps. If you go to 192 kbps, you’d have a 5.6 MB file, and file sizes increase accordingly each time you move to a higher bit rate.

You may find that your music sounds fine at the 128 kbps rate, but if you want true audiophile-quality sound from your Klipsch products, you should go with either a 192 kbps or 256 kbps rate. Bit rate and file size doesn’t usually pose a problem unless you have tons of music and want to fit it all on your iPod. That’s when you have to make a choice: better sound quality and fewer songs or lower sound quality and more songs.

Free Music for Your iPod
If you’re interested in free, legal music for your iPod, there are a lot of great sources you can turn to, including klipsch.com.

In 2004, Klipsch reached an agreement with garageband.com, the largest legal source of free music on the Internet, that lets klipsch.com visitors download up to 75 free songs every week in “The Garage” section of the site.

If you want full access to all of Garageband’s great independent music from over 140,000 artists of various genres, just visit www.garageband.com. You can even participate in their review process and rank new music.

Other sites offering free music:

3hive.com – A blog-style listing of free iPod compatible MP3 songs offered by record artists and labels in an attempt to entice full-album purchases.

Amazon.com – In the free music download section, find a surprising mix of music from mainstream and independent artists, available for free iPod-compatible MP3 format.

iPodlounge.com – Features daily updated links to great indie and major artist releases that are available for immediate download.

Late, as usual, I drive south on Indianapolis' Meridian Street running through questions scribbled on business cards and the corner of a Jazz Kitchen place mat. "I will stay away from questions about age," I promise myself. "Just focus on the music and for God's sake don't call him a 17-year old whiz-kid."

Aaron opens the door barefoot, wearing jeans with the long, tattered leg bottoms sweeping the floor as he walks. Belt in hand, he introduces himself. "I'm Aaron," he says. "I'm not quite ready, but please come on in." The home belongs to a supporter of the American Pianists Association, Aaron's host for two concerts in the "Circle City." From just inside the door, I'm able to see several grand pianos in the adjoining room before I notice what Aaron's wearing and start to laugh. Belt now buckled, he holds out the navy T-shirt and reads "Federal Witness Protection Program, You Don't Know Me." He flashes a subtle smile that tells me he gets the irony, too. Anonymity won't belong to Aaron Parks much longer.

"I haven't played them all, no," says Aaron, referring to the pianos. "But the ones I've played are great. I play piano, but I don't have this burning desire to test-drive every single one I see." This statement was the first of many by Aaron that illustrated how normal and down-to-earth he really is. I start the "official" interview with a softball pitch, asking Aaron to list his top five musicians. He doesn't pause. He simply responds by naming Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Kenny Barron, an eclectic mix of new and seasoned jazz pianists. Before I have a chance to clarify that I don't expect him to limit his scope to the world of jazz, Aaron continues with Bjork, The Beatles and Radiohead.

"I used to really lock myself into only listening to Jazz," says Aaron. "More recently I've been getting myself away from that because I realize that there's a lot of really great music out there and there's no reason to deny myself exposure to it just because it's not necessarily the music that I play all the time."

I ask if the benefits of listening to music genres outside of jazz was a tip from Mr. Barron or something he discovered on his own.

"That's something that I pretty much figured out on my own," responds Aaron. "I figured that out by talking to people about it and everybody was talking about how great these bands were and I would think 'yeah but they're not jazz.' But then I heard some of them and I was just blown away. But there's a lot of music out there that I haven't been too interested in, like a lot of pop music today. I just haven't gotten that into it."

"You don't really care if Brittany and Justin stay together?" I ask.

"Exactly," answers Aaron. "But you know there is some music which is just so great it doesn't' need to fit into any category. I listen to a lot of classical music as well and I love Debussy and Ravel and Stravinsky, and I just started getting back into Bach."

I almost let it go. But it seems so out of place that I break my promise and ask him anyway. "Do you think it's unusual for a 17 year old in 2001 to say I just started getting back into Bach?"

"It's sort of natural, I mean it's natural to me," says Aaron. "I go through changes so much in what I listen to that I'll be listening to something completely different almost every week. I may get into one thing and then revisit it like a year later. And then I'll try to get it from a new perspective. I've listened to Bach, but I've never spent a lot of time really checking it out. I heard a Bach piece recently, I don't even know what piece it was, but it was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever heard."

I ask Aaron if he gets pressure from people who expect him to love anything and everything jazz.

"I don't know how much of that pressure I get," responds Aaron. "I do know that I don't love everything jazz. A lot of times I'll hear jazz and I'll be like, wow, this is sort of boring. I don't have a problem with smooth jazz per se. The only thing I have a problem with is the label 'jazz' being put on it because it's completely different from jazz. It does have improvisation, but it's much simpler in nature, very simple harmonic movement. It's valid music because it moves people, but I just feel a little bit strange calling it jazz. A lot of times I'd rather listen to somebody like Sting, who people have also tried to call jazz. But that's not jazz either. It's really great, but it's not jazz.

As we continue to chat about music that's labeled jazz vs. music that really is jazz, Aaron stands to stretch, walks around the room running his fingers through his hair, and finally repositions himself cross-legged on the floor. The conversation turns to Bjork and Radiohead and the dilemma of misunderstood artists. Hoping that my trick knee and knotted back muscles keep pace with the youthful prodigy across from me, I join Aaron on the floor and ask if he, as an artist, ever feels misunderstood.

"Sometimes," replies Aaron. "I'm really interested in playing music that's very rhythmic with very interesting harmonics, but I'm always labeled a 17-year-old whiz kid who's supposed to, you know, be able to play the standards and cover all the jazz bases. There are plenty of other people who are doing that and I don't really care to. I don't know if that necessarily means me being misunderstood. I just think I haven't had enough time to really decide on exactly what I want to do yet."

"Are you going to be a jazz musician?" I ask.

"Yeah, I am going to be a jazz musician. But I am going to be a jazz musician with influences by lots of different music," explains Aaron. "I am interested in pursuing stuff outside of jazz as well, but I am always going to be a jazz musician. That's my base; that's where I am coming from, not from classical music or anything else."

Turning back to my written questions, I steal from yet another Cusack film, High Fidelity, and quote Jack Black's two part question: "Can you list the top five musical crimes of Stevie Wonder during the 80s, and is it fair to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter day sins?" Clarifying, I ask: "Now that you are yourself a formidable artist, do you find former idols dull and wonder what it was that made them special to you at the time?"

"Not in the case of many of the greats," answers Aaron. "I don't think I have any right to criticize them because it's their music, not mine. But when it comes to players, I used to really be blown away by the sheer technique, the amount of chops that somebody had. Now, after listening to so many people, I've realized that anybody can get chops, but not everybody has something to say. When I hear somebody just like going on and on and frothing at the mouth, I just want to turn it off because it's boring. Yeah, it's technically impressive but that doesn't say anything to me. That's the only thing that's really changed in my viewpoint. In fact, one of the artists that I mentioned as one of my favorite piano players, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, has matured as I've matured. His earlier recordings were full of all this technique, just unbelievable, but they didn't really say anything to me. It was just all this technique all the time. Recently, he's developed a really amazing tone on the piano and is playing hardly anything most the time, very, very minimalist, and then every once in a while there's like a bolt of lightning coming out of it. I really respect his most recent music. That's sort of the opposite of the question, but I just find it hard to slam another musician."

Pointing out the profundity of this response, I paraphrase it and throw it back at him. "If people can scream at the top of their lungs while actually saying absolutely nothing, what it is it you're saying with your music?" I ask.

"I'm not sure what I'm saying. I'm just beginning to really develop my voice, you know?" says Aaron. "I'm just trying to make it. For a while I had the same problem with technique that I described others as having. I had tons of it and I used it all the time. I'm trying to change that and I think I am doing pretty well. I'm trying to build my solos more so they have more cohesiveness rather than a whole bunch of little things that don't have much to do with each other. I like to take an idea and milk it for all that it's worth. That's why I love playing with a group so much. I can hear something that somebody else does and it can give me an idea to go with for half a chorus. I'll turn it around, turn it inside and out, upside down and everything."

"What do you want out of all of this? What do you want to get out of it either for yourself or for your family or for jazz?" I ask.

"Well, it's not for money," responds Aaron, without remorse or sarcasm. "I don't make any money playing jazz. If I wanted to make money I would be a computer programmer, which I was thinking about doing for a while. And it's not to get famous, although being famous, if it happens; I don't have a problem with it. But I'm not going to change my music in order to make myself famous. I'm not going to sacrifice my music. So really the only reason that I play the music is because it makes me feel good. I know it's very selfish but that's the reason that I do it, it just feels so good."

I ask Aaron if he feels like he transfers some of that good feeling to people watching and listening.

"I hope I do. If I do then I've succeeded," says Aaron. "But I'd rather be playing in an empty room, just a musician having a great time than performing what's expected of me in a concert hall with people going crazy and me not enjoying it at all."

"Does fame frighten you at all?" I ask.

"I just don't deal with it really. Maybe I have to, I don't know," answers Aaron, half stating and half thinking. "I just think I'm gonna play my music and if people like it then they'll like it. I'm not going to try to get famous and then have somebody tell me what I should do to stay famous. Back in Seattle, fame never seemed anything strange to me. There was this Seattle Times article and I was on the front page and people started recognizing me. I thought it was amusing that people recognized me but it didn't frighten me, no."

For my final question I return to my broken promise and ask Aaron if he gets tired of people calling him a 17-year-old whiz kid.

"Yeah. I sort of wish it would just all go away. I mean, I don't feel seventeen at all. I don't think I've ever really felt like a teenager and I don't see any point in making a big deal because I'm seventeen. That doesn't make my music any better. If they like me it should be because of what I have to say not because of how young I am."

Bruce himself sums up his Hollywood career as having, "Small parts in big movies or big parts in small movies." Some of his smaller parts include his brief but electrifying role as the Surgeon General of Beverly Hills in Escape From L.A., or his "first person to die" role in Congo. Starring roles include Evil Dead I and II, Army of Darkness, Running Time and Maniac Cop. Whichever it may be, he packs a stunning presence, exploding with charm and wit and enough corny one-liners to make Arnold Schwarzenegger blush.

So what's all of this hoopla over the Evil Dead trilogy? For starters, the first movie was done on a shoestring budget and acted as a trial for a group of young friends testing their filmmaking talents. Bruce portrayed Ash, a shoot first and think later tragic hero who battles evil summoned from passages out of the Book of the Dead. All three films display imaginative camera work, over the top acting and a slapstick approach to horror. The evil may be dead, but the films sure aren't.

The trilogy has enjoyed a recent resurgence in popularity; it did not make much money at the box office, but video and DVD sales have been rampant. The fans, known as "Deadites," have a variety of DVD versions to choose from, many loaded with extra features such as the Evil Dead II limited edition, which features widescreen presentation, THX mastered Dolby 5.1 surround sound*, commentary by Bruce, director Sam Raimi and effects artists, a production featurette, video game preview, still photos, a poster replica and collector's booklet, all in a molded metal picture box.

If beefed up versions of the movies weren't enough, there is a video game, Evil Dead: Hail to the King** which plays similar to Resident Evil with Bruce voicing for Ash as he battles the evil forces with his sawed off shotgun and chainsaw. And if that weren't enough, Ash has been made into an Action Figure series by McFarlane toys. Currently, three versions of the plastic Ash are available including Army of Darkness' Evil Ash, complete with accessories.

Campbell's movies may not be A-list, but his first book, If chins could kill: Confessions of a B-movie Actor has been topping bestseller lists nationwide. The book is a detailed autobiographical look at his career, covering his humble 8mm beginnings, through his struggle in Hollywood and ending with his directorial work with Hercules: the Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. It chronicles Bruce's voyage into film with great detail and plenty of trivia accompanied by photos on almost every page. The newfound author feels that books are a way of establishing a direct connection with an audience while movies are interpreted by the writer, director and countless others. Bruce explained how he first started acting with his high school pals, most of which are still involved in the biz today. He omits no detail in revealing secrets behind the first Evil Dead installment, and spins tales of movie budgets, egos, the emergence of the Coen brothers and humorous run-ins with Charlton Heston. The tone of the book retains the charm and humor felt in many of Campbell's roles with a blood bath of memoirs and interviews.

Want to dig deeper into Bruce's head? Just hit one of the dates on his book tour. Aside from a few wisecracks, you will find that Bruce is just as charismatic in person as he is on film. He's quick witted and sarcastic but personable and attentive to the questions asked by those attending the event:

Attendee: "How long did the writing process take and do you have any rituals you use to prepare yourself to write?"

Bruce: "It took 4 years to write, because I was working all of the time. By rituals I'm not sure what you mean, I just fire up the computer… Word processing is the coolest thing, you just spew it out… then you chip away all of the crap."

Attendee: "What was the most uncomfortable situation you have been in with a female co-star?"

Bruce: "I know that there was an uncomfortable situation for the actress Kelly Rutherford from Brisco. There was one episode where we had to be in a manhole in the street and a wagon has to ride over the top of the manhole and then we would pop out of it. We were in there very tightly together. It was sort of like being in an airless box. You could just hear a rumbling in the ground and she thought we would not be able to go through so she punched me a little bit, but she was alright."

Attendee: "How did you get the role of Brisco County Jr.?"

Bruce: "I just auditioned, you know, just like anybody else, in front of a whole mass of people. I flipped myself in this guy's office because we had to do this sort of a fight scene. So I did not know what else to do so I hurled myself in his office and he like freaked out. Then they had me come back in front of the nationals and the guy said 'you gotta do that flip - we need that flip.' I had a total of six auditions where I had to do that flip… I had to sign a five year contract before I knew that I would get the role."

Attendee: "Were you kind of disappointed when you found out that Jack of all Trades did not last that long?"

Bruce: "No, it's the same thing being disappointed when Brisco got cancelled. You're screaming the whole time and physically it's not bad when it gets cancelled. That's what a TV show is, you have to sort of give it your best shot every day of the week. It is like working in a factory, though you guys might not believe that, it really does. Sometimes you have the feeling like you're shoveling coal."

Attendee: "I was wondering if there were any fond memories of Escape from L.A. you would like to share?"

Bruce: "Fond memories from Escape from L.A.? Do you have any fond memories from Escape from L.A.?"

Attendee: "Which movie did you like acting in the most?"

Bruce: "Since you forked out the cash, you tell me. You tell me what movie I should give you money back for. And what you owe me more money for."

Attendee: "Do you have any interest in directing a feature length film?"

Bruce: "Do you have any interest in financing a feature length film?"

The particular book signing I attended was at Net Heads in Indianapolis, which erupted into a marathon 24-hour event including an Evil Dead film fest, pig roast, arcade deathmatch and give-aways of the highly coveted THX®-Certified Klipsch 5.1 ProMedia system. Bruce even brought a couple of films with him, one that he produced about over-zealous festival attendees appropriately titled Fanalysis, and a film produced by his wife documenting the behind the scenes work of extras on the Xena series.

There were some intriguing facts about Bruce disclosed at the Q&A session that did not make it into his book. Bruce told how he was one of three finalists that auditioned for the role of Agent Doggett on the X-Files. The other candidates were Lou Diamond Phillips and Robert Patrick (who got the part). One attendee asked Bruce what his favorite Evil Dead one-liner was. Bruce proceeded to tell us about a fan at a bar in China who translated Bruce's phrase, "Gimme some sugar baby" and used it as a pick-up line. Needless to say, he got lucky that night.

The phrase, "Hail to the king" is already associated with Bruce, but it will have a whole new meaning upon the release of his new film where he portrays the King of Rock n Roll. Fans are anxiously awaiting the release of Bubba Ho-Tep, a sci-fi comedy where Bruce plays an elderly Elvis battling a Mummy alongside an African-American who thinks he is JFK. Sound outrageous? The screenplay is based on an award winning short story and is sure to shock and delight. Bruce remarked that the film might not make it to theatres, instead it may be a direct to video/DVD release. He does not mind skipping the big screen extravaganza, especially since most of his films make much more money on video than at the box office. In fact, Bruce exclaimed that the home movie experience may be better than at the multiplex; people have some really fantastic DVD and sound systems while actual theatres may have the film "run out of frame by a projectionist that doesn't give a rats ass."

What can we expect from the B-movie king in the future? Although not in a starring role, Bruce has a pivotal role in the upcoming Spider-Man movie. Long time friend and director Sam Raimi often puts Bruce in his films and this is no exception. Campbell plays the ring announcer in the soon to be blockbuster, the character that bestows the name "The Amazing Spider-Man" upon the fledgling web slinger. Although some scenes will be re-shot due to the recent change in the New York skyline, the comic-to-big-screen adaptation is scheduled to hit theatres in May 2002.

*Klipsch 5.1 surround sound speakers complete the theatrical experience when viewing THX approved DVDs like the Evil Dead II collectors edition.

**The Evil Dead: Hail to the King video game really comes to life with the highly acclaimed THX®-Certified Klipsch 5.1 ProMedia speakers.

Links:

www.bruce-campbell.com

www.bubbahotep.com

http://us.imdb.com/Name?Campbell,+Bruce+(I)

http://www.McFarlane.com/toyfair2001/catalog.mm18inch.page2.html

Rich Barker is a freelance graphic artist and accomplished musician. He has written for NUVO Newsweekly, Pond & Garden magazine and MP3 for Dummies Volume 2. He currently resides in Indianapolis.

Blink-182's Mark Hoppus finds me attractive. I know because I asked him and I've got the answer on tape. Of course, Mark revealed much more than a penchant for chubby, corn-fed Midwestern types during our impromptu pre-show interview. But it was this affirmative reaction to my very first question that taught me two indisputable truths: a lot can happen backstage at a blink-182concert and I have the coolest freakin' job in the world.

Money, fame, gnarly lights and gnarlier pyrotechnics have all befallen blink-182 since Enema of the State made them international pop-punk superstars. But Mark, Tom and Travis still deliver the same incendiary brand of aural pleasure laced with potty humor and anatomy jokes that first brought them hordes of angst-filled and well-adjusted fans alike.

Fellow Klipsch employees Don, Scotty, Eric and I traded "brush with fame" stories while impatiently waiting atop a bright green picnic table backstage at the Verizon Wireless Music Center in Indianapolis. (By the way, Don, I still say I won this contest. I don't care how sincere you act when you claim to have met Bono, I really did meet Cher. And Cher is the infinite trump card.) After being greeted and treated to a tour of one of the blink-182 busses by Mark's wife, Skye, it was time to meet the band.

Discography and History
Information gathered from CDnow.com and blink182.com

Originally known for a very short time as El Cuatro and the Cajones and then simply as Blink, Mark Hoppus (bassist), Tom Delonge (guitarist/vocalist), and original drummer Scott Raynor (replaced by Travis Barker in 1999) formed blink-182 near San Diego, Califonia, debuting with the self-released EP, Fly Swatter. After releasing the album Buddha in 1994, the trio signed to Grilled Cheese/Cargo Records and released Cheshire Cat in 1995. A similarly named Irish band threatened a lawsuit, so the guys added "182" to their moniker. Despite rumors that the "182" in blink-182 stands for the number of times Al Paccino says "fuck" in the movie Scarface, the "182" is actually just a random number. The third blink-182 LP, Dude Ranch, was released in 1997. Dude Ranch expanded the group's audience and won the attention of major labels. blink-182 wound up signing with MCA, who released the band's fourth album, Enema of the State, in the summer of 1999. Travis Barker, formerly with the Aquabats, later replaced Raynor who left the band amicably. After selling over four million copies of Enema of the State, the trio offered the limited edition release titled The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back) in fall 2000. The album featured the band's radio hits on a live setting intertwined with their quirky sense of humor as well as the new song "Man Overboard". Take Off Your Pants & Jacket, issued in spring 2001, is the band's newest album featuring The Rock Show, Happy Holidays You Bastard, Stay Together For The Kids, and the new single, First Date.

In the recent past, blink-182 won a Teen Choice Award, a Blockbuster Music Award, and appeared on the MTV Awards '00 where they performed "All The Small Things" and won Best Group Video. In Europe they received an MTV Europe Award for Best New Act. They performed on Saturday Night Live and the Tonight Show (twice), appeared in the movie American Pie and opened the Billboard Music Awards. The band also graced the covers of Rolling Stone, Alternative Press (twice), Teen People, Teen and CosmoGirl, just to name a few.

The Interview Begins

Lame and stumbling over every other word, I make small talk with a casually clad Mark as we wind our way through narrow halls to the Green Room. In addition to the flip-flops, Mark is sporting a pair of long black shorts and a black T-shirt that shows a stick figure tossing a Swastika into a trash can and the words, "KEEP YOUR COUNTRY NICE AND CLEAN." Chad Gilbert and Jordan Pundik from opening act A New Found Glory are with us and they chime in as the interview unfolds.

After the ice-breaker question about whether or not he finds me attractive, I ask Mark what his pre-show routine is usually like and if there's anything special he does to prepare for facing thousands of screaming fans.

"I complain a lot right before we go on stage," answers Mark. "I say everything sucks and I whine about having to play another show, and then I walk out on stage and have the time of my life. Mostly, I just hang around back stage or walk around looking for something to do. Bored, really. I'm here. I'm ready to go, but I have another three or four hours before we go on. I just want to get out there and do it. Headlining sucks because you're the last band to play. Chad, Jordan, how 'bout you guys?"

"Before we go on, don't you always feel you gotta pee?" Says Chad. "I gotta pee real bad then. What happens is I feel like I have to pee, then I go to the bathroom and nothing will come out. Then I go back on stage and five seconds later I feel like I have to pee again. So I just stay out there and hope I don't pee my pants. No matter what I do I always feel like I have to pee before I go on stage."

Sensing that the conversation is getting a bit more personal than necessary, Mark says, "I'm sure this is exactly the concept Klipsch is looking for in a story on their web site. There's nothing quite like a story about urination habits to help sell speakers."

"With the explosion of pop-punk and your love of new music, is there a blink-182 record label on the horizon?" I ask.

"No," Mark replies. "We've actually been offered labels before, but it's just too much work. We want to help out new bands, though. We feel it's our duty and responsibility and obligation to help up-and-coming punk rock bands. It's not like we invented punk rock. We're just following in the tradition of bands like Green Day and Rancid and Bad Religion and NOFX and Pennywise, all these other great punk rock bands that have blazed a trail. They helped us out when we were first starting. We wouldn't be where we are without the help of those bands. That's what I love so much about the punk rock community. All the bands help each other out and support one another. So rather than start a label. I'd just rather bring bands on tour and show them to the kids; show their stuff to people that come to see us and show them how cool the new guys are."

I ask about the ups and downs of being on tour for long stretches of time and what it is that Mark finds most challenging.

"The travel and the repetition suck. Everything about touring sucks except playing shows. But it's stupid to complain because, to be honest with you, we get to travel so comfortably. We have, how many personnel on this tour?"

Guitarist and vocalist Tom Delonge, who has entered and joined the interview answers. "About 38."

"Thirty-eight, almost 40 people on the road that do nothing but work for us," continues Mark. I don't have to do anything. The only thing I have to do is walk out on stage and do exactly what I love, and that's playing my own show. I don't even have to tune my own instruments. I don't have to lift anything. I don't have to drive anything. I don't even have to talk to anybody. All I do is walk out on stage and play a show. So, yes. The repetition sucks. But to complain would be like having someone hand you a thousand dollar bill and then getting pissed off because it's not crisp enough."

As a pop-culture fanatic, I watch enough MTV to know that blink-182 didn't always travel in the lap of luxury and I ask about the differences between touring now and touring 10 years ago.

"When we first started, we played shows and while on stage we'd ask the audience if we could stay at somebody's house," says Mark. "We toured in a van. We lifted all our own gear. We stored all our own merchandise. We tuned everything ourselves. We played little clubs, too. When we first started, Tom used to call clubs every single night in San Diego and ask if we could play? He'd call up high schools and tell them we were a motivational band with a strong anti-drug message. They'd let us on the campus and we'd go and play songs until they kicked us out. And we used to sleep on the side of the road or sleep in the van or whatever. We'd have to drive overnight taking turns at the wheel. And now we just get catered to."

Mark's mention of touring in a van reminded me of The Rock Show video and I asked if the van in the video is the original tour van. Further illustrating how much things have changed for blink-182, Mark was telling me that the van in the video was a rental when Skye came back into the room with pictures of the band's newest tour bus. Complete with a leather bed, DVD player and a Tivo, Mark told Skye that if she liked it, he was fine with it.

Because the boys of blink-182 have a reputation for the unexpected, fans at their live shows sometimes give "the unexpected" right back. I ask Mark to describe the craziest thing a fan in the audience has done that he's witnessed.

"Last night, there was a guy in the audience that was completely naked. He was 100 percent naked, not even socks or shoes or anything," answers Mark. "He was totally naked jumping up and down in his seat. That was kind of weird. The other day, in Seattle, a girl ran up to Travis and tried to handcuff herself to him. People are funny."

"What is it about nakedness and little people that you guys love so much?" I ask.

"I don't know, I just think it's funny," explains Mark. "I don't think there's anything more disgustingly funny and laughable than a naked man. It's so funny because a naked woman is beautiful, voluptuous and tender. But a naked man is funny, laughable, disgusting and hairy."

In addition to winning Best Group Video at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, blink-182 performed "All The Small Things" accompanied by an unruly band of little people, some were even suspended by fly rods above and behind the band. I ask Mark what it was like performing with little people flying and gyrating nearby.

"Dude those the little people that joined us on stage for the MTV thing were out of control," remembers Mark. "They actually had a dressing room in a basement of Radio City Music Hall that was all theirs. We went downstairs right before the show to say thanks for coming out, have a good time, we really appreciate it. We walk in there and every single one of them is completely shit-faced drunk. There's fuckin' pizza smeared across the walls. There are pizza boxes everywhere, beer bottles, and broken glass everywhere. They're all completely drunk. They all had to fly over on the same plane and they got super drunk on the plane. They're just way gnarlier than anything I've ever seen in my life."

"What is it that you like most about live shows?" I ask.

"The energy that I get from watching people watch us is so amazing," says Mark. "And when a show goes really well, there's no other feeling like it in the world. When you're just up there playing music. There's so much energy and it's just, I can't even describe it. It's indescribable, so I'll shut up."

Chiming in, Chad from A New Found Glory says: "I might not know you or any of the other 18,000 people that are watching us, but those kids go home and they'll remember us and they'll remember our music and it's like we're part of their lives. It's just so crazy to know that you're gonna be a part of some person's life because of your music."

"Yeah," agrees Mark. "It's just strange when people react to your music so strongly. Music is the one thing that people define themselves by. Songs bring back memories. There's a certain song that makes you remember the day you graduated from high school. And there's a song that makes you think of when you broke up with a girlfriend. It's just amazing how people are so passionate about music and songs. They define themselves with it and it's the story. The story of their lives. Just think, something that you write becomes something that helps somebody through a hard time. It's just a really amazing thing."

"What are you thinking about right now? Music-related or non-music-related, what's on your mind these days?" I ask.

"It's depressing, the state of music out there today," says Mark in a tone that is altogether serious and matter-of-fact. "There's so much manufactured music out there that music isn't even about music anymore. It's so much about celebrity and style and beauty. I've been saying for a long time that there needs to be another Kurt Cobain. Someone needs to come along and make it less about theatrics and more about the actual music. There's so much fluff and bullshit in the music scene. I want more bands out there. I want people to write their own music and play their own instruments and let the chips fall where they may. That's something that's been bothering me."

The "what's on your mind" question really got Mark going and he continued sharing his personal take of the state of the industry.

"Another thing that's bothering me is how people always go after the entertainment industry and rock bands and movies when somebody does something idiotic," says Mark. "Like people come after Eminem because he sings about killing somebody, so we gotta keep that away from our kids. But a kid can walk into a Borders and buy the writings of the Marquis de Sade, where it says how to have sex with dead people. But he can't walk in and buy an Eminem CD. It's so ridiculous. What I want to know is if a kid gets bit up by an alligator, are they gonna turn on the Crocodile Hunter? Parents aren't raising their kids responsibly anymore. Nobody wants to take responsibility for their own actions. It's always somebody else's fault. It's just a very litigious country right now It's not a place that conducive to creativity or expression."

"So you've thought about becoming a parent?" I ask.

"Yeah, totally," replies Mark, looking at Skye. "I want to be a parent soon. Ready? Let's go." Turning his attention back to me, Mark continues. "I just think that people need to be responsible for themselves. There was a shooting recently and the kid was listening to Linkin Park, so people are saying not to listen to Linkin Park. If your kid is going to get pushed over the edge by a song then you've really failed in your job as a parent."

I ask Mark how he feels about reviewers talking about him and the band as cartoonish and how he reacts to it.

"It doesn't piss me off. I try and not let stuff you know?" says Mark. "Everybody's gonna have their own vision of blink-182. I mean, the kid that's been following us for the last 10 years is gonna know what we're really all about. Somebody that's only seen a couple of our videos is gonna have a completely different idea of what we're all about. And people are going to have their takes and their own perceptions of our band. If I worried what everybody thought, I'd drive myself crazy. We are what we are, and I think we are cartoon-like in a lot of ways. We're silly and we're very animated and we have a bright colorful presence. We're always very upfront about everything. So I guess we are cartoonish in that way."

"For somebody who knows you and knows and listens to albums from the past, what are they going to like or what are they going to notice that's different or new in the new album?" I ask.

"I think all of our albums are really personal. I think that this one is just as personal as any other ones," answers Mark. "I just think that we've gotten a lot better as lyricists on this record. I think that the songwriting has improved and I think the lyrics have improved. I mean, the lyrics have always been simple and honest, but I think on this one they're very honest and they're a little more complex and little more well thought out.

"But still irreverent," I interject. "Like with Happy Holidays, You Bastard."

"Actually I wrote that song to Skye on Christmas Eve," confesses Mark. "She was wrapping presents and she wanted help. But instead of helping her, I picked up a guitar and started mocking her because she hadn't wrapped any of her presents in time. And I just started writing disgusting lyrics."

Turning back to my written questions, I ask Mark to describe blink-182 as he would to a new fan or to someone who had never heard his music before. "What would you say you're all about?" I ask.

"Blink-182 is about honest music," states Mark. "I think our lyrics are very genuine. I think our music is very genuine. It's all direct from the heart and it's all exactly what we are and the scene that we came out of and our experiences through life. I think that people can easily relate to the genuine nature of our music. I have a lot of respect for bands like Rage Against The Machine or Pennywise, which have answered a really strong political message. I think that there's definitely a place for that, but I think that people relate more easily to music that's personal in nature. One of the biggest compliments we get is when people say that our music helped them through a hard time, or they felt like we wrote that song about their life. That's a huge honor to think that something you write affects somebody on the other side of the world like that."

Beyond the excitement of his latest project, Jonny has been opening for the legendary Rolling Stones and his very first album Smokin' by Jonny Lang and The Big Bang was re-released last October through Eagle Records.

Anyone who has followed Lang's career knows he was a child prodigy who landed a major record deal by age 15. When kids his age were playing high school sports and anticipating the prom, this blues phenomenon was touring with legends such as Aerosmith and B.B. King - not to mention headlining all over the world.

We shouldn't fuss about Jonny's age anymore because he's all grown up. His successful adolescent years are gone, but his transition into adulthood seems just as promising.

In addition to adopting a new sound, Lang has also experienced some other life changes. After five years of courtship, he recently married Haylie Johnson, and now takes a stronger stance on his albums.

If you visit www.jonnylang.com he explains that on previous albums he sang, played guitar and did some writing but on his new album he is more involved by writing, co-producing and performing all the songs. He mentions he is glad to have taken this step because for the first time he feels true to himself. A release date has not been determined but Jonny assures his fans it won't be too much longer.

During a visit to Indianapolis for a Klipsch photo shoot, Klipsch employee Joshua Hall had the opportunity to chat with Lang. He gave Joshua some cool insight into his life, new album and musical shift. Joshua discovered despite his fame and notoriety as a blues genius, Jonny elicits a shy, humble, down-to-earth personality.

History
Information gathered from www.jonnylang.com

Jonny's extraordinary singing and guitar playing made him an esteemed musician at a very early age. He was nominated for a Grammy Award at age 19 - an achievement some of us can only dream about.

His independent release Smokin' sold over 25,000 copies, grabbing the attention of major labels including A&M. This newfound fame led to the success of his 1997 album, Lie to Me. This album debuted at #1 on Billboard's New Artist chart and critics raved about his poise and maturity.

His next album Wander this World expanded his blues foundation and incorporated R&B, rock and ballads.

He has received praise from acclaimed artists such as B.B. King. The two toured together and King told the Los Angeles Times, "Jonny Lang's 16, so he's got youth and talent with it. When I was young, I didn't play like I do today. So these kids are starting at the height that I've reached. Think what they might do over time."

Jonny's good looks have been featured on the cover of popular magazines such as Rolling Stone, US Magazine, Guitar World and Vanity Fair. He has also made cameo appearances on the Drew Carey Show and in the movie Blues Brother's 2000.

Currently, Jonny has three album releases under his belt and guest appearances on at least 22 other albums.

There is a lot more to Jonny's story and if you're curious visit the Internet, type in Jonny Lang and choose between the 71,300 hits.

The Interview with Jonny Lang

Nearly everything I have read about Jonny Lang emphasizes his child prodigy persona so I felt it was my duty to ask him how the age issue plays into his music.

"You know you grow out of being young and pretty soon your music starts speaking for itself so its never been a big deal," he said.

Jonny mentioned that while growing up in North Dakota his Dad introduced him to live music by taking him to see one of the only bands in town, which happened to play the blues. He recalled watching the guitarist in amazement and thinking, "I wanna be like that guy." He said at that moment he was inspired to play guitar.

"Do you feel you were predisposed to be a guitar player and blues singer?" I ask. Before he answers I throw in, "Do you think if you had first been exposed to piano and jazz or violin and classical, I would now be talking to the first chair violinist for the Philharmonic?"

"I do love classical music," says Jonny. "Actually, I played the viola in school and I really liked it. Then I moved to the saxophone. I just think the singer part of me has always empowered everything else so that has shaped what kind of music I have done. I think I am pretty much growing out of playing blues music as a style or genre but I am glad that I have it as my foundation because it comes in handy when going out and jamming with people. The second part of me has shaped my song writing and I'm just starting to musically find myself."

Being a musician is the only profession Lang has ever known and it's what he does everyday so I ask him where exactly it fits into his life - is it an obsession or a career?

"No, it is something I do," explains Jonny. "We all have our things that are given to us to kind of go out in the world and make it a better place. I try to effect people's lives in a good way. I just look at it as another aspect of my personality. I mean to me there is no point in being two separate people on and off the stage. It would be like going to a business office and putting on a whole different persona for your fellow employees. It doesn't make sense for people to act differently in various situations. I just try to be me as much as I can while doing what I do. Music is definitely the only thing I am good at (laughing) so I really don't have a choice. So yeah I'm just stuck doing it but I'm glad because I really love it."

From a fan standpoint, I have always thought fame and the whole rocker lifestyle was so cool. However, the thought of people knowing my name, recognizing me and asking for my autograph is quite terrifying. I was curious to hear Jonny's point of view so we began discussing where fame falls into his life.

The price of fame encompasses different levels. Some celebrities are stalked or constantly mobbed by fans while others crave the spotlight. I ask Jonny if fans constantly recognize him and ask for his autograph.

"Not so much," says Jonny. He explained when his albums were doing really well and he was doing a lot of touring and television performances people would say things once in a while. He said his fame is more prevalent in Minneapolis, where he moved after leaving his hometown of Fargo, North Dakota.

I then ask Jonny, "Is fame something you like or hate?"

"In general, I'm not good at being social around people I just meet," he says. "Whether it is a fan or a relative I am meeting for the first time I'm just not that good at being social. But once I get to know them I kind of warm up. It is just flattering to know that people recognize and enjoy your music enough to come up and say 'hey,' shake your hand and want an autograph. I mean I'm really shy; but at the same time it's kind of nice to know that people appreciate what you are doing."

I certainly got the impression fame has not magnified Jonny's ego. After all, he did fly into Indianapolis International Airport on a commercial flight.

Jonny has not released a new album in a few years so we got on the subject of current projects.

"Well I'm making my next record with a guy named Marti Fredricksen, who just produced the last Aerosmith record and wrote most of the tunes on there," replies Jonny. "He and I just really hit it off and I'm finally getting to do what I want to do musically and it's complete freedom. It's going to be quite different than the last couple records. I'm having the most fun I've ever had recording - just getting to be really, really creative."

Subsequently, I ask, "When you mention freedom, what were your previous obstacles?"

"It was me basically," Jonny confesses. "I just wasn't ready to take a step out of whatever the kind of blues/rock thing I had put myself into. Wander this World was a little bit of a journey from Lie to Me but not completely different. I am taking a fresh approach on this new album and switching it up. It's evidence that I am actually moving ahead on my own."

I probe even further with, "Will this new album fit into the blues/rock genre?"

"No it won't…it really won't," says Jonny. "I feel it's more song oriented. There has been a musical shift in my life and I recently got married so it all plays into who I am now. I am a lot more even-keeled now and I think it will show on this new record."

He explained his new album will be singer/songwriter focused and heavier than his last couple of records. "It rocks more," he exclaims. "But it also has better songs and more of the stuff I'm really comfortable singing. It does not showcase a lot of guitar because I never really was about guitar. I mean I don't really care if I'm a good guitar player or not. If the whole thing works I'd rather have a really good song than be a really good singer, or a really good guitar player."

"So you're more about the whole package than individual talent?" I ask.

"Yeah, like when I listen to a Stevie Wonder record, he is a virtuoso - obviously a singer and musician - but when you listen to his records it's kind of more," he explained. "If it were just him singing it wouldn't be as great of a masterpiece. It is about the record as a whole. I just want to be more of a listener's musician than a musician's musician."

While we are on the subject of other artists, "Who are the top five artists in your life today?" I ask.

"Stevie Wonder is number one and a very close second is James Taylor," Jonny explains. "Those are the two people I listen to all the time. Donnie Hathaway is three and Albert Collins, my favorite blues guitar player, makes four and with their new record, U2 would have to be number five."

Speaking of U2 they have been around since the 70's so I asked Jonny, "Do you still want to be making records 20 years from now?"

"I don't' know," he admits. "I find that I change my mind a lot. I do know I will always love music, playing, writing and recording. I grew up on a farm and I realize this sounds cheesy but I have been longing to get back on a farm. I have also been working in my garage lately. I like being a blue-collar guy too."

I ask if he still hangs out with his friends.

"Yeah, for sure," says Jonny.

I interrupt and say, "You just said 'for sure,' its obvious you live in California now." I allowed Jonny to finish and he said, "I still have best friends in North Dakota who I visit and go four-wheeling."

Jonny's friends and fans around the world can't wait to hear his new album. Rumor has it that it will be released very soon, either late spring or early summer of this year. Jonny's newfound musical freedom and life changes are sure to add fresh enthusiasm to his work and a new genre of music to his repertoire. After all, passion and raw emotion creates the most memorable sound.

The legendary Tanya Tucker began singing at age six and by the time she was 13, Tucker hit stardom with her rendition of "Delta Dawn." After hearing her unique delivery of this complex and mature song, country music fans embraced Tucker as their own, elevating her to the honorable place she still holds as one of country music's "grande dames."

Today, Tucker has over 30 albums, 40 top 10 hits, including 10 number one singles. Last September, after a five-year hiatus, she released Tanya, which has received plenty of critical acclaim to date. This new record marks a major milestone in Tucker's career, not only because it is her 31st album, (released on her own label Tuckertime Records and distributed by Capitol Nashville Records) but because she was involved in every single aspect of making this record and it's "the best album that I have ever made in my life," she said.

Klipsch employee, Joshua Ryan Hall, had the opportunity to meet Tucker at her Southern-style mansion just outside of Nashville. He gained some insight on the new album and much more about this down-home, country gal.

History
Information gathered from www.tanyatucker.com and www.allmusic.com

Over the last 30 years, Tanya Tucker has built one of the most successful careers in country music history. Her determination and undeniable talent made her a star when she was just entering her teen years. Her singing flair placed her among the all-time, best-selling female vocalists in country music. In fact, she was one of the first singers to bring a rock 'n' roll bravado to country music.

Born in Seminole, Texas on Oct. 10, 1958, Tucker is one of the few child performers to mature into adulthood without losing her audience. Her part in starting a singing career meant wandering through Nashville with her father, trying to get someone to listen to her. She received harsh judgment from industry big shots, but she did not let the naysayers stand in her way. She kept on singing, and in 1972 her persistence paid off when she achieved critical and popular success with "Delta Dawn."

At the tender age of 15, Tucker released her first greatest hits collection and earned a Grammy nomination to boot. This teen sensation dedicated her life to singing and grew up to become a beloved country music legend. Some of her recent career highlights include becoming the first country artist to be featured in the Lifetime Television Network series, An Intimate Portrait; hosting the 30th annual Academy of Country Music Awards; being the youngest female in pop or country history to release a boxed set of career recordings; and being the first country artist to be inducted into Hard Rock Cafe's Walk of Fame.

The Interview

Klipsch employees Trey Cannon, Matt Whatley and I drove from Indianapolis to Tanya's place outside of Nashville. We arrived just after 12-noon and got right to work upgrading the crossover networks of Tanya's vintage Klipschorns®.

After a long day of radio interviews and album promotion, Tanya and her fiancé Jerry Lassiter arrived home. Jerry, an acclaimed singer/songwriter and producer of Tanya, greeted us first and he couldn't wait to crank up the upgraded Klipschorns® with his new favorite song - "Old Weakness Comin' On Strong."

Almost on cue, Tanya rode into the office/music room on a fire-engine red scooter (yes, a scooter INSIDE the house) with a smile that told us she approved of our work on the Klipschorns®. Listening to music on Klipschorns® is always an experience, but listening to music on Klipschorns® with the artist in the room is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. As we listened to parts of several tracks on a first-pressed copy of the new CD, I gained my composure and started asking my questions.

"What can you tell me about your new album?" I ask.

"We cut two of the songs right here in this office," says Tanya. "One of the songs was Oh What a Love. We made a vocal for it in the closet. I sat in there with the microphone, Jelly Roll brought his keyboards in and I sang in the closet like it was a vocal booth. We did it in two takes. I also put some strings on the song. I worked with an arranger who wrote down the notes as I hummed and then he brought it to life with a string quartet. It was rewarding to hear the sound I had been driving in my head for so long come out of the speakers. It was definitely something new."

Next, I asked Tanya if there was any type of overarching theme to the new album.

"We just wanted to cut the best album that I have ever made in my life," she says. "With Tanya we had a real clear perspective of what we wanted and that was to sing songs I felt comfortable singing. I have felt more comfortable with this album than I have with any others. I'm proud of all my records - there are a few things I would change, but not much. This new album, in particular, is different because from start to finish I was involved with every little part. Basically, I've got my fingers completely stuck in it. That is one thing I had never done before."

Switching gears, I point across the room to a framed copy of the 1974 Rolling Stone with Tanya on the cover and ask her if she remembers the special HI-FI issue insert on Klipsch and our late founder Paul W. Klipsch.

"That's right," she exclaims. "I also learned a lot about Paul Klipsch from my lawyer. I know a lot about Klipsch speakers because I own Klipschorns, Fortes, KG-1.5s, KG-.5s and Heresys. I would dig coming to your showroom to see and hear your newer speakers. It would be best for me to listen to my songs because I could really judge the quality - I know how I should sound."

I invite her to visit the Klipsch headquarters anytime and then ask her what she looks for in speakers.

"You know, I'm really not a technical person," says Tanya, "so just give me an on and off button. I want to be able to turn them on and jam it up a little now and then. I also want have the ability to turn the speakers up really loud and still have them sound great without distorting. I like listening to songs that I just cut so it is important and a real luxury to hear them with great clarity."

Over the last few years, country songs have made their way over to pop radio stations with artists such as Shania Twain, LeAnn Rimes and the Dixie Chicks. This has left many country music fans feeling like country isn't country anymore. In addition, some fans believe country music has fallen into a woeful state because country radio stations are focusing mainly on Top 40 hits and leaving out the more traditional varieties of country music. Since Tanya is a longtime pro in the genre, I ask, "What is your opinion on the state of country music today?"

"The state of country music? That's a hard one for me to answer because I don't know how to best explain it," she admits. "From what I understand, there are a lot of people that are disgruntled over today's 'country.' But you can either sit around and bitch about it or choose to do something about it. I prefer to be one of the ones that can hopefully do something about it. Music, people and times are constantly changing, and what people want to hear and see in performance today is much different than it was yesterday."

Wanting to know firsthand what life was like as a teenage superstar, I ask her about the part music played in her childhood and some of her early music memories.

"I was influenced mostly by male artists," says Tanya. "My big influences were Hank Williams Sr. and, of course, Elvis. My dad acted as my singing coach and made me practice a lot of Hank Williams' songs. These served as great examples for me because Hank sang them with such feeling, and I really needed to capture that concept. My dad would tell me when you perform you need to make people believe you've lived through whatever it is you're singing about. He said there's more to winning over an audience than smiles and laughs. Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette were also big icons for me, and now they are two of my best friends."

As is customary for my interviews, I ask Tanya to list her top five artists of all time.

"Number one would have to be Elvis. I like Julio Iglesias a lot. When I first heard him it was way before he hit the charts in America. I didn't know what he was singing because it was in Spanish, but I loved the way he was saying it. I figure it's a safe assumption it was something about love. Hank Williams Sr. would also make my list. Mozart would have to be another. Since I listened to Sinatra growing up, he would have to be five, but I think I should also throw Willy Nelson in somewhere."

I pointed out to the quintessential queen of country music that she just named ONLY men on her top five.

"Isn't that funny," she says. "I think Barbara Streisand should probably be in there, and Linda Ronstadt, too.

When many of us were growing up, including myself, we fantasized about being a famous movie star or musician. But Tanya was able to make that dream a reality while she was growing up. "Could you ever conceive a career that didn't include music?" I ask.

"I never really considered anything else," she says. "When I was little I knew I was going to grow up and be a singer. I guess if I had to pick something else it would have to be a veterinarian because I enjoy animals and I like to nurture them."

In showbiz today, there are a lot of fly-by-night performers so I ask Tanya, if she was talking to a new artist right now, what kind of advice would she give.

"I would say something about being true to yourself," she replies. "You see a lot of the artists kind of lose their footing, you know, and start thinking they are better than everyone else. It's unfortunate because, to me, having the ability to sing is a God given talent and I don't think you should be cocky about that. You should be appreciative, but with fame you lose all your privacy, which is automatic. Overall, I think the best advice is to be true to yourself, true to your family, and remember where you came from. Always remember what your goals were and continue resetting them. Also, when you think about others I think that you'll be thought of well."

Tanya definitely practices what she preaches because she is an advocate for the March of Dimes, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis, The Doris Kupferle Breast Center and many more worthy organizations. She's also one of the most accessible country music stars around, making sure she shows her appreciation to her fans for their longtime and continued support.

Considered Arizona's largest traditional movie house, the new cine Capri, named after the last of the Valley's movie palaces, features all of the latest technology, including Klipsch professional cinema loudspeakers. The original cine Capri charmed Biltmore area audiences for more than 30 years prior to its untimely demise in 1998.

Ironically, the new theater - part of a 14-screen multiplex in northeast Phoenix - represents the very industry-wide innovation that doomed the original, but Harkins hopes to revive its memory with this new $14 million theater-inside-a-theater concept.

The new cine Capri features a large 29-foot by 70-foot screen and can accommodate up to 600 guests. In order to fill this auditorium with dynamic and lifelike sound, Harkins chose five stage channels consisting of dual Klipsch KPT-415 bass cabinets and a KPT-402 and Grand-HF horn, eight KPT-684 subwoofers and 28 KPT-250 surround speakers.

According to Kirk Griffin, director of engineering for Harkins Theatres, he prefers the performance of Klipsch loudspeakers because they provide superior coverage from the first row to the back of the house, and their quality control and power handling are excellent.

"We have yet to lose a driver in the 83 screens we have installed using Klipsch," said Griffin. "Customer service is great and Harkins worked personally with Klipsch engineers to create the custom stage speaker system used in the new cine Capri."

With 40,900 watts of RMS amplifier power, this large auditorium currently presents films in 6.1 Dolby Digital EX but has the speakers and amplifiers in place to convert to 10-channel Digital Cinema sound when it debuts.

In an effort to capture the essence of the original cine Capri, the new theater features similar luxurious pleated gold drapes and a gold curtain that opens and closes for each show. The new cine Capri, however, includes stadium seating that meets the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers guidelines for optimum viewing.

The multiplex's other 13 auditoriums also feature Klipsch loudspeakers for the highest level of performance for the space and an ideal rotation of blockbuster films. These screens utilize KPT-535-T stage speakers, KPT-684 subwoofers and KPT-8001 and KPT-1201 surrounds.

This multiplex offers moviegoers with an award-winning snack bar, a full-size, in-lobby movie preview screen, rocking high-backed stadium seating and Internet accessible ticketing.

Griffin said Harkins prides itself in presenting the finest movie-going experience to its patrons by using the latest technology, maintaining well-stocked snack bars and providing exceptional management and customer service.

"Every last detail is taken care of, whether it's the imported German projection systems or state-of-the-art Klipsch speaker systems, nothing is left to chance," said Griffin. "You will not find a better 35mm film presentation anywhere."

The relationship between Klipsch and Harkins can be traced back to the 1960s when Harkins' founder, Dwight "Red" Harkins installed a Klipschorn in the mono sound system at his Tower Plaza theater. However, it wasn't until November 2000 that Harkins' began using Klipsch exclusively in all its new and retrofit theater installations. The first contemporary Klipsch professional cinema system was installed during Harkins' $1 million refurbishment of the Valley Art, a single-screen theater built by "Red" in 1940. Since then, Klipsch loudspeakers have been installed in six complexes, totaling 83 screens.

This exclusive partnership began after Harkins and Klipsch officials got together for a comprehensive shootout conducted at Malco's Majestic theater in Memphis. This opportunity allowed Harkins to compare its current loudspeaker brand and others with Klipsch.

"The differences between Klipsch and our former loudspeaker provider were quite startling," said Griffin. "The Klipsch speakers reproduced nuances in the soundtrack that were not even audible in the other speaker systems. The coverage of the Klipsch speakers were clearly superior, especially off-axis, in the front row and at extreme cross-auditorium angles."

Harkins has been entertaining audiences since 1933, making it the oldest theater chain in Arizona. The company currently operates 259 screens in 22 locations throughout the Phoenix metro area and Northern Arizona, but will soon expand into Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where a new 16-screen theater is scheduled to open July 2004.

By Sarah Knight

Three years ago if you had asked me the difference between a tweeter and a woofer I would have probably answered a bird tweets and a dog woofs. Ok, maybe that's a little exaggerated but at that time I was as audio illiterate as they come. In my defense, there are a lot of other women out there who could not answer that same question. And the irony behind it all is that today I am working for a leading loudspeaker manufacturer and writing about things like titanium compression drivers and square Tractrix® Horns.

Prior to being hired by Klipsch as a public relations specialist, I would have laughed if someone had told me I'd land a job writing about audio products. After all, my communications degree was designed for the technically challenged. Plus, I never found myself the least bit comfortable with technology and the industry seemed to have a male-dominated ring to it, which to me just screamed the word intimidation. But here I am loving what I do and enjoying the fact that I now know more about loudspeakers than my boyfriend. Not to mention, the industry employs more females than you think. The gist of it all is that had I let my fear take over, I would have overlooked one very cool opportunity.

In terms of actually experiencing high-performance audio, I think a lot of women are missing out and depriving themselves of the way music and movies should sound. This probably happens for a number of reasons. 

First of all, a woman might recognize and appreciate good sound but feel intimidated and overwhelmed by all the choices at electronic stores. Secondly, a woman who has not heard truly good audio might think sound is sound and be perfectly content purchasing a low performance stereo system simply because she doesn't know any better. Or a woman flat out typecasts audio as a man thing and avoids the thought of realistic sound reproduction all together, which is a shame.

Before coming to Klipsch, the thought of me walking into an audio retailer was unheard of and I was perfectly happy with my small boom box. However, after hearing Klipsch loudspeakers for the first time, I could have smacked myself for not holding more of an appreciation for sound. Up until then, I loved listening to music and watching movies but never gave any thought to the audio source. And to my dismay, I found that I had been listening to the low performance versions of my favorite songs and movies for years. But now that I have a taste of the good life, I listen to everything with a more discerning ear.

Whether you're a single woman or the primary shopper for your household, you should do yourself a favor and get the most out of your favorite music and movies by bringing high-end audio into your home. To clarify, high-end refers to a product's performance, not its price. High-end means getting all the power, detail and emotion out of an entertainment experience. The better a loudspeaker sounds, the deeper your connection with the music or movie. For instance, imagine watching classic love stories like Casablanca or Gone with the Wind and being completely drawn into the intense passion between Humphrey and Ingrid or Vivien and Clark just because the movie sounded good. 

Now, if you're convinced you need high performance sound in your home but have no clue where to start, I hope to arm you with enough basic information that will leave you feeling confident when purchasing audio gear. Before you get nervous and think I am going to start dropping words like high frequency response, bandwidth and power handling, don't worry because I plan to avoid all the technical mumbo jumbo. After all, if you are like me, you probably care more about what the speaker system will do, rather than how it works.

Starting off, you need to know your environment and survey the room where you plan to hook up these bad boys. In order to get a speaker system that meets your lifestyle and performance expectations, you need to know the size of the room and consider how you want things to look and where everything will be positioned. Believe it or not, how well your system performs also depends on your room's setup. For example, too many bare surfaces can cause reflections that add harshness to the sound or muddy the dialog. It is also a good rule of thumb to avoid rooms that are perfectly square or have one dimension exactly twice the other. Furniture placement also plays a major role in your room's acoustics.

Make the pledge to bring high-performance  audio into your home.	Women can handle anything so buying  speakers should be no sweat.

Next, it's important to determine everything you want this system to do. Will it be used to listen to music, watch movies and TV, play video games or all of the above? For instance, if all you want to do is listen to music, a 2.1 system (two speakers and a subwoofer) should suffice. But by adding movies and TV into the mix, you might consider a home theater system that includes 5.1-channel surround sound, which means three speakers positioned in front, two for surround speakers at the sides and a subwoofer placed in the front corner to capture those deep-driving sound effects you feel and hear. 

As a side note, you can even go as far as a 6.1 or 7.1-channel setup, but when building any surround sound system make sure you don't skimp on the center channel. This speaker, positioned front and center, is the most important and most often overlooked, component of a surround system. More than 60 percent of all the soundtrack material is reproduced through the center channel. Plus, with today's multi-channel digital soundtracks it is also necessary to get surrounds that can carry their weight. No longer relegated to ambient noise reproduction, surround channel speakers must act as high-performance, full-range speakers delivering both superb envelopment and excellent localization of specific effects. 

After evaluating your room and deciding what you want from a system, it's important to determine your price range. To get an idea of what speakers cost, I suggest reading audio publications such as Sound and Vision and Home Theater. These magazines will also familiarize you with the speaker brands on the market and give reviews of the latest products, which could be very helpful to you.

Always evaluate the room that  will contain your speakers.	Have a budget in mind before entering  a consumer electronics store.

When you're ready to buy, you need to decide where to purchase your speakers. There are several options, which include purchasing from a mass consumer electronics retailer, specialty audio/video retailer or a custom installer.

At a mass retailer, you will find good products that target the average consumer. Because these stores operate on a very large scale, you typically receive limited consultation services and have to go home and set the system up yoursel