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Consumable Online Issue 035
==== ISSUE 35 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [April 5, 1995]
Editor: Bob Gajarsky
Internet: gajarsky@pilot.njin.net
Sr. Contributors: Jeremy Ashcroft, Martin Bate, Al Crawford,
Dan Enright, Tim Kennedy, Reto Koradi,
David Landgren, Tim Mohr, Joe Silva, John Walker
Other Contributors: Kelley Crowley, Tim Hulsizer, Melissa Pellegrin,
P. Nina Ramos, Michelle Richmond, Jamie Roberts,
Linda Scott, Ali Sinclair, Jon Steltenpohl,
Jorge Velez, Scott Williams
Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann, Damir Tiljak,
Jason Williams
Address all comments, subscriptions, etc. to gajarsky@pilot.njin.net
==================================================================
All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s).
Permission for re-publication in any form other than within this
document must be obtained from the editor.
==================================================================
.------------.
| Contents |-.
`------------' |
`------------'
REVIEW: Siouxie and the Banshees, _The Rapture_ - Joe Silva
REVIEW: Smiths, _Singles_ - Bob Gajarsky
HYPOTHETICAL REVIEW: Beatles, _Sgt. Pepper's_ - Tim Kennedy
INTERVIEW: God Street Wine - Dan Enright
REVIEW: KMFDM, _Nihil_ - Jamie Roberts
REVIEW: Drywall, _Work The Dumb Oracle_ - Dan Enright
REVIEW: Die Warzau - _Engine_ - Jamie Roberts
REVIEW: Bruce Springsteen, _Greatest Hits_ - Bob Gajarsky
REVIEW : Redman, _Dare iz a Darkside_ - Martin Bate
REVIEW: Man...or ASTRO-man?, _Your Weight on the Moon_ - Tim Mohr
NEWS: Morrissey, Smiths, Intersection '95, Plastikman
TOUR DATES: Bettie Serveert, Black Velvet Flag, Jeff Buckley/Soul Coughing,
Dave Matthews Band, Diamanda Galas, God Street Wine
Juliana Hatfield/Jeff Buckley, Joe Jackson, Melvins/White Zombie,
Siouxie & The Banshees/Spiritualized, Tragically Hip
THE READERS WRITE BACK!
Back Issues of Consumable
---
REVIEW: Siouxie and the Banshees, _The Rapture_ (Geffen)
- Joe Silva
If you thumb through a few of the texts that document the UK side
of the punk era, you're likely to come across Siouxsie Sioux with her pal
Chrissie Hynde all dolled up with the rest of the the Bromley Contingent
(the first batch of hardcore Pistols fans) in zipped rubber suits and shredded
leathers doing propaganda shots for Malcolm McClaren's gob empire circa
1976. It wasn't long after that that Siouxsie and the first set of Banshees
(with no less than Sid Vicious himself on drums), did their first gig - the
set consisting entirely of an extended version of the Lord's Prayer. By '78
they'd released long player number one; _The Scream_. And though the
airbrushes might be working over the album portraits a bit harder now, the
band is still enjoying the second wind that began with their release of
_Superstition_ some three or four years back. Partially produced by
Velvet's man John Cale, _The Rapture_ is something of an poignant
amalgamation of all that's been the Banshees up until now. "O Baby" starts
the disc off with virtually the same (and it might very well be the same)
backward snare shuffle that set off "Peekaboo" a few singles ago,
"Stargazer" and "Love Out of Me" have Budgie thumping away in the
classic style of 1980's "Christine", and "Not Forgotten" has Steve Severin's
bass dipped in enough of its trademark chorus to make it sound about a
hundred feet tall again. And in the middle of all this and some epic
atmospheres from guitarist Jon Klein and keyboardist/cellist Martin
McCarrick is Siouxsie's voice still veering between being perfectly icy and
endearing all at once. Bands steeped in as much production as the
Banshees are have generally show a loss of restraint as they edge closer to
the double decade mark and usually drown in their own excesses. But this
lot has always known when to offset the dense, weighted moments with
enough space to allow the listener some breathing room. Between Cale and
their own knob twiddling they manage to make the somewhat dicey
transitions between moments like the pleasant, lightheartedness of "Fall
>From Grace" to some of their more touchstone gothic fare like "Not
Forgotten" and back again. But what's more telling of their matured grace
is something like "Sick Child, " where they do all of the above in the space
of one track and still have the liberty to toss in some off kilter psychedelia
as well. Page and Plant may have had a nine year head start, but the overall
strength of _The Rapture_ makes it appears that the Banshees might have a
better idea about how to keep the majority of their primary colours bright
and lively should they wind up commiting themselves to decade number
three.
---
REVIEW: Smiths, _Singles_ (Warner U.K.)
- Bob Gajarsky
"Re-issue! Re-package! Re-evaluate the songs." Morrissey sneered
these words at record executives on "Paint A Vulgar Picture", a track
from the Smiths _Strangeways, Here We Come_. But, just like a boomerang,
these very words can be applied to Morrissey on the latest Smiths
European release, _Singles_.
Greatest hits albums can serve several purposes - introducing
an established band to a potentially unfamiliar audience, the release
of several new "hit" songs to bridge the gap before a new album's
issuance, or the unearthing of hard to find versions of well-known songs.
Unfortunately, _Singles_ offers none of these reasons.
The 18 songs which comprise _Singles_ have no reworked versions;
the "How Soon Is Now" single mix is curiously omitted from an album
geared to the Smiths singles, in favor of the now-classic album mix.
It has been less than one year since the Smiths _Best_ and
_Best 2_, both "greatest hits" compilations, were released; people who
did not wish to acquire the entire collection surely bought these
two discs.
Why would anyone buy such a repetitive compilation? Smiths and
Morrissey fans have more of a compulsive nature about owning anything
and everything of their idol, and a recent U.K. top 10 placing for
this collection only drives the point home further.
The only redeeming feature for these loyalists is the pictures of
all the single sleeves. The associated 13 pounds ($20) price hardly seems
justified. American loyalists can purchase the collection with slightly
different artwork on May 23.
So, although the Smiths are arguably the greatest British export
this side of the Beatles, there is no reason for this travesty to ever
see the light of day. Let me get what I want - and please, please, please
purchase the *rest* of the Smiths collection, even the two _Best_
compilations, instead of this one.
---
As you may be aware, the tradition here in the good ol' UK is to
build a band up to the skies then shoot them down in flames.
This has only really been the case since the seventies but I
got to wondering what it would have been like if this had been
done to some of our greatest groups and their most iconic works.
So here is a review of the Sergeant Pepper album that might have
been done by some imaginary fiendish NME hack back in 1967.
Imagine that said hack has always been in the vanguard of Beatles
fawners and lickspittles since the release of _Love Me Do_, then
read on...
REVIEW: _Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band_
- Tim Kennedy
Just when you were wondering where they'd gone, it seems the
Beatles have reappeared with their shiny new lp. The cover is a
highly colourful collage of our heroes and (presumably) their
heroes. Unfortunately they seem to have dispensed with their
familiar suits - and this is an indication of the changes to
be found here - they are clad in multicoloured 'military' band
uniforms. Help, someone call the style police!
The album opens with the sound of an orchestra tuning up, no doubt
making clear that we are in for some "serious music". Can it be
the group have spurned their pure pop roots?
However, "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is anything but
orchestral with its plodding beat and rather strained rock
guitar. The lyrics seem distinctly underwhelming - "we'd like
to take you home with us" - Lennon and McCartney have fallen
back on the most lame of showbiz cliches. The title song smacks
of desperation - clearly the group haven't a clue what direction
to take. Other midtempo, plodding half-tunes we are presented with
here - "Getting Better", "Fixing Hole", are also a far cry from
the sparkling pop soul gems we found on _Rubber Soul_.
The ensuing track "With A Little Help From My Friends"
cruelly showcases drummer Ringo's feeble singing voice.
The maudlin tune unveils what may be uppermost in the minds of the
writers - a desperate realisation of the paucity of this material.
"Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" and "A Day In the Life" are examples
of two overtly childlike songs which display the band's by-now familiar
irritating trick of camouflaging a song with babyish psychobabble.
The lack of hooklines or indeed any proper song structure is woeful.
The orchestra again pops up in the latter, but very amateurishly
attempts a wobbly crescendo of sorts to emphasise some kind of
mini drama concerning a car crash.
The unbearably saccharine "She's Leaving Home" is a futile exercise
- a dull story about leaving Mumsy and Daddy and isn't it sad? No!
Likewise, the lightweight kiddies-trip-to-the-circus theme of "Mr Kite" is
similarly unsatisfying.
We have to look back to the band's decision to cease
touring to find the source of the band's malaise. Without the
discipline of performing live they have lost touch with their
audience and have fallen prey to the ideas of bizarre oriental
charlatans and human flotsam from the US West Coast. The album is
so adrift artistically it's hard to see whence they will go
from here. Songs about walruses or maybe more appropriately village
idiots ??? What was refreshing and unusual in _Revolver_ has become
simply tiresomely fey and indulgent in _Sergeant Pepper_. Clearly,
whatever happened to Brian Wilson has also struck down our own proud
(former) premier entertainers.
Perhaps the only good song on the lp, "When I'm Sixty Four"
is indicative of a direction their music could have taken,
with its humourous music-hall tune and lyric, this is a song
which could have come from the pen of Noel Coward.
On the other hand George Harrison's sitar n' tabla "Within You
Without You" meanders interminably. "Good Morning Good Morning"
has the worst chorus of any pop song I have heard, interspersed
with humdrum observations which are no doubt a revelation when (if)
you take the requisite chemicals. And if "Lovely Rita" the traffic
warden had had any sense she'd have impounded the car and arrested
the driver for another terribly weak chorus, albeit allied to a fair
music hall tune.
The Beatles are going nowhere and will quickly lose even their
most diehard fans if they persist with this half-baked, oddball
and frankly annoying mish-mash of non-themes. To echo the sentiment
in "Getting Better" - well they "can't get much worse". With the
Kinks in razor sharp form these days, yesterday may well belong
to the Beatles.
Oh - there are some pretty cardboard inserts which lined the
budgie's cage very nicely.
---
INTERVIEW: God Street Wine
- Dan Enright
The publicist from Geffen, was right on time. When I answered
the phone she pleasantly informed me I'd be talking with Tomo, the drummer
from God Street Wine. It took a moment to make the three-way connection
to a hotel room in Columbia, Missouri - where the band was scheduled to
perform another of the 200+ shows they do every year, and have since 1989
when the band was formed.
With two self released albums and hundreds of performances behind
them, the group seems poised to receive the recognition they deserve. The
quintet - a collaboration between Jon Bevo (piano, organ, vocals), Lo Faber
(guitar, lead vocals), Aaron Maxwell (guitar, lead vocals), Dan Pifer
(bass, vocals) and Tomo (drums, vocals) - have just recently released their
major label debut, _$1.99 Romances_, on Geffen.
Once we were connected, I learned Tomo was suffering from the flu and
the mistaken belief I was in Gettysburg. He confided he'd asked to do the
interview because he's a big Civil War buff and seemed a little disappointed
to learn I was nowhere near the famous battleground. But neither the flu, nor
my lack of proximity to Gettysburg, kept us from having an enjoyable
conversation.
Consumable: When did you decide to be a musician?
Tomo: "It really wasn't a conscious decision, it's just something I
always did. I was hitting things [chuckle] as far back as I can remember. I
built my first drum kit with tinker toy sticks and plastic sherbert
containers, and threw some tinfoil over them to make 'em sound like sound
like a snare drum. I begged my parents for drum lessons and they finally, at
age eight, said ok. The formal lessons didn't last very long, but I always
knew, eventually music would be what I'd do for a living. It's a very
natural thing, like there's no doubt I was supposed to be a drummer.
C: Did you play in school bands?
T: "Yeah, I did the concert band and started playing with other
people at a pretty young age. High school is actually when I met Lo. He
and I ended up at a school together in Princeton. He was a bass player
then and we played - on and off - in different bands in high school. He
eventually moved to playing guitar and then went off to school in New York.
I went off to do a number of bizarre things - everything from car salesman
to running around following some band around the country [chuckle]... Then,
I guess it was the summer of '88, Lo was going to school in New York, called
me up, and said, "We have to start another band, move to New York." and at
that point I was ready to start hitting things again."
C: Was that when you started singing?
T: "Actually, I sung before I ever played the drums. My parents tell
ridiculous stories about me entertaining guests at our house, doing the entire
score of Yankee Doodle Dandy and the Music Man and things like that. I grew up
on Broadway shows. That was what I remember hearing early on. My mother was a
jazz buff and I remember stealing her Chet Baker 78s and taking them upstairs
to play on my Fisher Price stereo. As far as with God Street, Lo and Aaron
were doing all the singing for the first three years. I don't know why we
hadn't thought of getting another microphone. Probably financial
[chuckle]. Eventually we began spending time when we were off the road,
working on four part vocals. Every day before the entire band got together
to rehearse, we'd spend a lot of time on vocal exercises."
C: Tell me about the songwriting...
T: Lo, he's the chief songwriter, divides his tunes up between himself
and Aaron as far as singing lead. He'll write to accommodate Aaron's voice
and his own."
C: How about the arranging?
T: "There was a time when Lo would record a tune with a drum machine,
play all the instruments on his eight track, and we would very strictly
follow what had been recorded. Sometimes he says, "This is the drum groove
I want. This is how I want it." Other times it's a lot looser. He'll have a
riff or melody in his head and he'll say, "Give me some kind of shuffle
groove that will match this..." then he'll do something on guitar."
C: Do you do a lot of improvising?
T: "It varies. We have some 15 minute, completely orchestrated,
instrumental pieces where every part is exact and it's the same every time.
Then there are tunes... like from the new album, "Imogene" live usually runs
seven/eight minutes because the end section is wide open and changes every
night. We really tried to not make a slick, polished album and the producer
(Jim Dickinson) helped a lot in trying to narrow down tunes that worked well
together. There's tunes I like better than others on it, but I think it all
fits together. Certainly the theme of romance is prevalent through thirteen of
fourteen tunes on the album."
C: When I was listening to the album, I thought some sections
sounded like other bands. Are you just quoting, or are you under the
shadow of these bands?
T: "All five band members grew up listening to different things. A
bunch of us grew up listening to jazz, some classical, others funksters. Lo's
mother was in a bluegrass band, so that was the first stuff he heard. Some of
us have similar interests, some of us have musical taste that others
can't stand. I think we've been lumped in with the Spin Doctors and Blues
Traveler. There was kind of a "New HippyBand" theme that was going on and we
got left behind [chuckle] because they both shot off, signed deals early on
and BOOM were out of our little picture. We've taken the slower path and are
getting nearer to where those bands are, as far as level of popularity."
C: What is the band doing to forge it's own sound?
T: "The way Lo writes is, he's got a great ability to cop a sound. If
he has been listening to a Bob Dylan album he'll write a tune and - especially
if you know he's been listening to Dylan - you'll say, "Wow, that's very
Dylanesque." There was a period where Steely Dan was one of the main
things that we all listened to and... I mean a song like "Imogene"... When
you talk about direct quotes, we'll freely admit [chuckle] there's a certain
"Black Cow" thing going on. He also has a whole bunch of songs I think are
truly his kind of thing. On the album there are tunes people identify with
another band. It's frustrating to a band any time they get tagged a copycat or
something like that. I think, our strong fans don't compare us - and they get
upset when people compare us - to other bands. My aim, and I believe the aim
of the rest of the guys is to be a commercial success and break away from the
"H.O.R.D.E./new HippyBand" kind of thing. We always want to make a fresh album,
depending on how we feel at that time. The music we're capable of playing and
writing can certainly go beyond the "HippyBand" sound. I think the album shows
that."
To find out more about God Street Wine, check out their home page
on the World Wide Web at http://www.netspace.org/gsw - or their electronic
mailing list. To subscribe, send a message containing the words
subscribe finewine John Doe
to listproc@netspace.org and you will receive the God Street Wine
mailing list.
---
REVIEW: KMFDM - _Nihil_ (TVT)
- Jamie Roberts
The latest effort by KMFDM, _Nihil_, packs quite a musical whallop.
In your face, hard hitting, breathlessly paced tracks will keep KMFDM fans
begging for more product. This reinforces my opinion that they are the
true definition of industrial music.
The thread that holds _Nihil_ together is its unadulterated
agression. With titles such as "Beast", "Search and Destroy" and "Terror",
you are dragged in (albeit not kicking & screaming) to Sacha Konietzko's
warped, self-produced world.
"Juke Joint Jezebel" is the first single off this CD. This one is
user-friendly by KMFDM standards. Even your "normal" friends might catch on
to its dancefloor appeal and breakneck pace; this would owe, in great part,
to the diva-esque backing vocals. The rest of the tracks are your garden
variety scream-and-sample-fests, the most notable of which is "Terror".
Maybe the album with the most interesting cover wins the trophy - and
maybe it is the album that gets you off your ass, and screaming. In any
event, KMFDM's _Nihil_ takes the prize, hands down.
---
REVIEW: Drywall, _Work The Dumb Oracle_ (I.R.S.)
- Dan Enright
This is the latest project from Stan Ridgeway, formerly with Wall
of Voodoo. Joined in the studio by Pietra Wexstun and Ivan Knight, it has
everything that a good album should contain; chaos/noise, pop melodies,
strange storytelling, and atmosphere. It opens with twisted blues, "Back
Towards Diamond Bar" about driving with "a trunk of sin..." and ends with
the Brian Eno/David Byrne inspired groove about a "Big American Problem".
In between is a noir soundtrack about the bottom of society. Stan's
mix of nursery rhymes gone bad in "Bel Air Blues", his twisted tale about
criminal losers in "New Blue Mercedes" and his take on sing-a-song-of-
six-pence in "My Exclusive Sex Club" - whose lyrics include "will bake a dog
and put it in a pie/ when the pie was open/ the dog began to bark..." all
add up to an amazing album. By the time "Mr. Smith" hit the laser it seemed
like it was about 3 am and the party was still rolling strong> Play this
one back-to-back with 900 Ft. Jesus' _Welcome To My Dream_.
This appears to be strictly a studio project, so I doubt if it'll be
performed live. This is too bad as Ridgway's Drywall project is
definitely the best work he's done to date, including his days with
Wall of Voodoo). Stan has skillfully created a bleak, bitter,
hopeless, dangerous world; a world I wouldn't want to live in, but one I
really enjoy listening to.
---
REVIEW: Die Warzau - _Engine_ (Wax Trax/TVT)
- Jamie Roberts
The Chicago-based duo Die Warzau constructs some of the funkiest,
cutting edge tracks around! Despite their busy schedules (producing and
mixing for acts like KMFDM and Machines of Loving Grace) Jim Marcus and
Van Christie manage to assemble a complex, real work of art in _Engine_.
The layering of atmospherics, sample, odd sounds, and grinding beats
produces track after track of pure sonic ecstasy. Jim Marcus adapts his
haunting vocals to the varied tempos. From the slower funk of "Grounded"
to the quasi-eerie lilt on "All Good Girls" (also found on the soundtrack
to the film _Hideaway_), to the manic rap-style of "Material", Marcus serves
up one winner after another.
_Engine_ is a thorough listening experience, molded by talented song
craftsmen. It is people like those that comprise Die Warzau that put the
"art" back in the term recording artist.
---
REVIEW: Bruce Springsteen, _Greatest Hits_ (Columbia)
- Bob Gajarsky
It seems like an eternity since Bruce Springsteen was the
undisputed king of rock and roll. An argument could be made for Michael
Jackson or Prince, back in 1984 - but neither of those artists could
possibly have sold 12 million copies - of a 4 cassette LIVE effort.
And Bruce's tours weren't cancelled because of lack of fans. He
was, in every way, the star who would be worshipped - and later
feel the backlash of such overexposure.
There was a departure from the E-Street band and Bruce went out on
his own for a while. Sales for his last two albums reached the lowest level
since 1982's _Nebraska_, and Springsteen's career was wobbling around
like a punch-drunk boxer. But, the "Streets of Philadelphia" track righted
his career, and was his last released song before this compilation.
Now, the E-Street band has returned - a little older, a little
wiser, but still the same rockers that Bruce left nearly 5 years ago.
The ironic part of the new tracks is that they don't necessarily sound
in the period of when they were written. "Secret Garden" and "Blood
Brothers" were both written in 1995, yet sound as if they were written
around the time of _Nebraska_. The other tracks, "Murder Incorporated"
and "This Hard Land" were written back in 1982 yet rock harder than any
of the material from that time period.
The big drawback to this compilation is that Bruce's career
is so extensive and varied (there are three periods to it) that every
fan will find something missing from it. The early fans, who loved
watching Springsteen sweat through a four hour show, will lament
the exclusion of anything from his first two albums including "Rosalita".
The middle period fans, from _Nebraska_, only get the track "Atlantic
City" - but get similar tracks from the new songs. The pop fans of
Springsteen could pick nearly 10 tracks from his last 4 albums that
could have been included here.
A double disc might have served better for this compilation.
Maybe _Greatest Hits, Volume 2_ can be issued after this revitalization
of Bruce's career. There's no surprises here for Bruce's fans - and,
after 20 years of his New Jersey rock and roll, that's probably for
the best.
Track Listing: Born To Run, Thunder Road, Badlands, The River,
Hungry Heart, Atlantic City, Dancing In The Dark, Born In The U.S.A.,
My Hometown, Glory Days, Brilliant Disguise, Human Touch, Better Days,
Streets of Philadelphia, Secret Garden, Murder Incorporated, Blood
Brothers, This Hard Land
---
REVIEW : Redman, _Dare iz a Darkside_ (Rush Associated Labels)
- Martin Bate
This is Redman's critically acclaimed follow-up to his _Whut ?
Thee Album_ debut and I really don't see what the fuss is about.
Redman's rhyme skills are not in doubt - he may be lacking in
variety but he has a mean, distinctive voice and a witty, laid-back
malevolence exemplified in "When I cock lyrics women give me more
love than Wimbledon". Add to that the
madman/schizophrenic shtick that lies at the core of a lot of his raps,
which may be overdone sometimes but just as often gives a novel twist
(witness the first album's "Redman Vs Reggie Noble" tracks for proof).
So what's wrong ? Simply put, the beats. If anyone can listen to
this whole album, stoned or otherwise, without getting a headache, then
they deserve some sort of prize. The first album made up in energy what
it lacked in originality (basing your sound around samples of Parliament,
Funkadelic, James Brown, Cypress Hill and Ice Cube is neither imaginative
nor state-of-the-art) but here it is just one long succession of mid-paced
thumps divorced from bass so thick and muddy that it starts to make you
feel nauseous. There's the barest sprinkling of samples over the top but
nothing which holds the attention or gives the listener something to
focus on. Track titles are almost arbitrary as one song judders into the
next with barely a change in pace or atmosphere.
Too many in hip-hop seem to be forgetting that what has made rap's
classic albums of the last decade has been not just the lyrics and
delivery but the way this has been meshed with fresh, exciting sounds.
A great rapper does not necessarily a great rap album make.
Things improve slightly for the first half of the second side
with more variety and focus to the beats but by this time Redman's
insistence on approaching every rap in the same style is starting to
grate and when the beats start to become indistinguishable from those of
the first side again, the last quarter of the album becomes painful to
listen to.
Eric B & Rakim's_Paid in Full_ was a classic rap album;
so were Public Enemy's _Fear of a Black Planet_ and Cypress Hill's
self titled album. Despite what
some people may tell you, _Dare iz a Darkside_ is just a skillful but
stoned guy rapping over some very tired beats.
---
REVIEW: Man...or ASTRO-man?, _Your Weight on the Moon_ (One Louder,
Europe)
- Tim Mohr
For Man...or ASTROman?, music begins and ends a long time ago in a
galaxy far, far away...Redondo Beach, California, in the early 60s. It is as
if the last 30 years have completely passed them by, which, although an
overtly cultivated and artificial foundation, makes for a rather entertaining
album.
In their fantasy world, cheap science fiction movies occupy the hours
after dark - but only because they can't see the waves well enough to catch
one. One day it occurs to them that blasting off in a tail-finned rocketship
might feel like surfing and they decide to make an aural description of the
sensation, double-picked staccato guitars careening through instrumental
depictions of the fiberglass jungle, or, alternatively, space travel.
Such wanderings of the mind are taken entirely seriously by Man...or
ASTROman?, or at least seriously enough to have spurred them to make a record
based on the concept. It is as if the heyday of surf instrumentals is upon
us, and Dick Dale or the Surfaris have yet to be discovered by the world
outside the LA region. Recording in the 90s rather the 60s means that they
can even more explicitly lay out a few of their favorite things by sampling
dialogue from old b-movies or newsreels.
_Your Weight on the Moon_ opens with a countdown sequence for a
rocket launch as "Rocketship XL-3" hurdles back in time, galloping and
lurching along like all the great (real) surf bands. Other songs bring to
mind highlights of the era, "Tasor Guns Mean Big Fun" sounds like the often-
covered "Rawhide" and "F=GmM(moon)/r-squared" veers towards the Bangalores
"Penetration" or the Chantays "Pipeline." And just as the Surfaris had their
vocal song, "Surfer Joe," Man...or ASTROman? serves up "Destination Venus,"
though the garbled lyrics make it difficult to tell whether they have taken
full advantage of the purile rhyme possibilities.
There were only two notable surf bands from outside the LA area, and
the continuing presence of the Trashmen's "Surfing Bird" has garnered the
midwestern band a place in the rock canon. Recorded in Elmore, Alabama, the
space references on _Your Weight_ may be a tip of the hat to Colorado's
original 60s surf band, the Astronauts. But as the surf craze began to fade,
other bands also took to this imagery; the Chantays, for instance, issued an
album in 1965 (_Another Side of the Chantays_) with titles like "Space Probe"
and "Beyond."
In any event, few surf albums from the 60s managed to sustain the
intensity and originality of the hit single over the space of an entire
album. Originality may be questioned on _Your Weight_, but intensity and
consistency will not be. Every song is basically formulaic, with a ridiculous
sample - a Martian voice saying "we interrupt this supersonic program to
bring you this message," for instance - spliced into or before a hearty,
bouncy instrumental. If you can't get enough of the Rhino records reissue
catalogue of instrumental rock, add this to your shopping list.
---
NEWS:
MORRISSEY is at work on his new album to follow up his makeshift
compilation, _World of Morrissey_. The targeted release date is July 11,
although recording is still ongoing.
The SMITHS _Singles_ album (reviewed elsewhere in this issue)
is slated to be issued States-side on May 23. The disc itself will contain
identical tracks (and nearly identical artwork) to the U.K. version. However,
the real draw will be on May 9, when the maxi-single for "Sweet and Tender
Hooligan", one of Morrissey's favorite singles, will be issued. B-sides for
the single include the rare "I Keep Mine Hidden", "Work Is A Four
Letter Word", and the never before on (legitimate) CD cover of James'
"What's The World".
Intersection '95, a unique two day indoor mega-event, will debut
this fall in a seven city U.S. road tour. Resembling a cross between a
computer trade show and the Lollapalooza festival, INTERSECTION 95 will
transform local sports arenas into a wonderland of the newest and most
exciting in CD-ROMS, video games and equipment, on-line services, 3-D
animation, virtual reality and interactivity in a hands-on, "plug and play"
atmosphere. Live concert performances from top alternative music artists
will help highlight the event.
Cities on this year's itinerary include Minneapolis, Chicago,
Detroit, Toronto, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Intersection
95 is geared towards the consumer, rather than the industry insiders.
Lollapalooza's co-producer, Marc Geiger, is one of the organizers
for Intersection 95. "For last year's Lollapalooza," said Geiger, "we
worked with Paul Allen to present the Electric Carnival exhibit, which
allowed the concert-goers a chance to explore scores of hands-on exhibits
in virtual reality, cyber-space, and morphing. It was more successful
than we had ever anticipated. Where last year's Lollapalooza was 80%
music, 20% high-tech, Intersection '95 will be 80% high-tech, 20% music."
The price for Intersection 95 will be $15.
Richie Hawtin/Plastikman has sold out 5,000 tickets via flyers and
word-of-mouth for the April 22 Voyager 2 party at the Brooklyn Bridge
Anchorage in New York City. A second date has been added at the same
site, for Friday April 21, for "Voyager 1.5 Brooklyn vs. Detroit".
Some of New York and Detroit's best disc jockeys are expected
to be there and an ambient room will be produced by Plastikprodkts from
Detroit, to "insure a Detroit style experience".
For further information or to purchase tickets, call 212-465-3299.
---
TOUR DATES:
Bettie Serveert
April 5 New York, NY Tramps
April 6 Boston, MA Avalon
April 7 Washington, DC Black Cat
April 8 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
Black Velvet Flag
April 12 New York, NY ABC No Rio
April 15 Cambridge, MA Middle East
Jeff Buckley; the opening act is Soul Coughing
April 20 Washington, DC WUST Hall
April 21 Chapel Hill, NC Cats Cradle
April 22 Atlanta, GA Stone Mountain (99X Show)
April 23 Nashville, TN Exit Inn
April 26 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
April 28 Houston, TX Urban Art Bar
April 29 Austin, TX Liberty Lunch
May 1 San Diego, CA SOMA
May 2 Los Angeles, CA American Legion Hall
May 4 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
May 5 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
May 7 Seattle, WA King Theater
May 8 Portland, OR Aladdin
May 10 Denver, CO Blue Bird Theater
May 12 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
May 13 Chicago, IL Metro
May 17 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
Dave Matthews Band
April 7 Durham, NC Cameron Indoor Stadium
April 8 Charleston, SC McAllister Field House
April 10 Orlando, FL The Edge
April 11 Miami, FL Sunrise Musical Theatre
April 13 Gainesville, FL University of Florida
April 14 Greenville, SC Memorial Auditorium
April 15 Wilmington, NC Wilmington Fair Grounds
April 17 Nashville, TN Memorial Gym/Vanderbilt
April 18 Memphis, TN Mud Island
April 19 New Orleans, LA State Palace Theatre
April 21 Springfield, MO Shrine Mosque
April 22 Oklahoma City, OK Bricktown Amphitheatre
April 25 Dallas, TX Bomb Factory
April 26 Austin, TX The Backyard
April 27 Houston, TX International Ballroom
May 1 Salt Lake City, UT Salt Air
Mute recording artist Diamanda Galas will be performing her
new piece, _Schrei X_, at the Wexner Center for Performing Arts in
Columbus, OH on April 5th and 7th. She will also be performing
at The Knitting Factory in New York, NY on June 14th, 15th, 17th, and
18th - An Evening of Solo Voice & Piano.
God Street Wine
April 5 Peoria, IL Madison Theatre
April 7 Burlington, VT University of Vermont
April 8 Portland, ME Granny Killams
April 9 Kingston, RI University of Rhode Island
April 13 Cohoes, NY Saratoga Winners
April 14 Amenia, NY Tickets
April 15 Rochester, NY Auditorium Theatre
April 21 Niagara, NY Niagara University
April 22 Gettysburg, PA Gettysburg College
April 23 Albany, NY Lincoln Park
April 25 Toad's Place, New Haven, CT Toad's Place
April 26 State College, PA Crowbar
April 28 College Park, MD University of Maryland
April 29 Smithfield, RI Bryant College
April 30 New London, NH Colby Sawyer College
May 1 New Brunswick, NJ State Theatre
May 3 St. Bonaventure, NY St. Bonaventure University
May 4 York, PA York College
Juliana Hatfield; the opening act is Jeff Buckley
May 19 Providence, RI Lupo's
May 20 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
May 21 Pittsburgh, PA TBA
May 22 Cleveland, OH Odeon Theater
May 24 Cincinnati, OH Bogarts
May 25 Detroit, MI St. Andrews
May 26 Toronto, ONT Music Hall
May 27 Montreal, QUE TBA
May 29 Boston, MA Avalon Ballroom
May 31 Boston, MA Avalon Ballroom
June 1 New York, NY TBA
Joe Jackson
April 26 Portland, OR Schnitzer Auditorium
April 27 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre
Melvins / White Zombie
May 10 Phoenix, AZ Civic Plaza
May 11 El Paso, TX El Paso Coliseum
May 13 Dallas, TX Fair Park Coliseum
May 14 Corpus Christi, TX Johnnyland
May 15 Houston, TX Astro Arena
May 16 San Antonio, TX Sunken Gardens
May 18 New Orleans, LA State Theater
May 20 Tampa, FL Expo Hall
May 21 Orlando, FL The Edge
May 22 West Palm Beach, FL West Palm Beach Auditorium
May 24 Atlanta, GA International Ballroom
May 25 Winston-Salem, NC Tba
May 26 Hampton, VA Hampton Coliseum
May 27 Philadelphia, PA Tower Theater
May 30 Boston, MA Wallace Civic Center
May 31 New York, NY Roseland Ballroom
June 1 New York, NY Roseland Ballroom
June 3 Montreal, QC Tba
June 4 Toronto, ON Varsity Arena
June 5 Cleveland, OH Clev. State U. Conv Center
June 7 Dayton, OH Hans Arena
June 8 Kalamazoo, MI Wings Stadium
June 9 Detroit, MI Tba
June 10 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
June 12 Indianapolis, IN Coliseum
June 13 Louisville, KY Louisville Gardens
June 14 Nashville, TN National Municipal Aud.
June 17 Davenport, IA Palmer Auditorium
June 18 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theater
June 19 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
June 21 Omaha, NE Tba
June 22 Kansas City, KS Memorial Auditorium
June 25 Albuquerque, NM Convention Center
June 26 Denver, CO Tba
June 28 Salt Lake City, UT Salt Air Pavilion
June 30 Spokane, WA Convention Center
July 2 Salem, OR Salem Armory
July 3 Seattle, WA Seattle Arena
July 5 Sacramento, CA Exhibit Hall
July 6 San Francisco, CA Events Ctr. In San Jose
July 8 Santa Monica, CA Civic Center
July 9 Santa Monica, CA Civic Center
Siouxie & The Banshees; the opening act is Spiritualized
April 6 Seattle, WA The Moore
April 8 Portland, OR La Luna
April 10-11 San Francisco, CA The Warfield Theatre
April 13-14 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern Theatre
April 17 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre
April 19 Minneapolis, MN The Gunthrie Theatre
April 21-22 Chicago, IL The Riviera Theatre
April 24 Detroit, MI State Theatre
April 26 Toronto, ON The Warehouse
April 27 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
April 28 New York, NY Roseland
April 30 Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre
May 1 Washington, DC Lisner Auditorium
May 3 Atlanta, GA International Ballroom
May 5 Dallas, TX The Bomb Factory
May 6 Austin, TX Music Hall
Tragically Hip
April 6 Detroit, MI Royal Oak
April 7 Toledo, OH The Asylum
April 8 Cleveland, OH Odeon
April 19 Harrisburg, PA Club Met
April 20 Philadelphia, PA Theater Of Living Arts
April 21 Boston, MA Somerville Theater
April 22 Burlington, VT Memorial Auditorium
April 29 Buffalo, NY Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
---
THE READERS WRITE BACK!
John Walker's concert review of Oasis generated replies
from both sides of the spectrum. Here is an indication of some
of the responses received by Consumable:
Hear! Hear! This is one of the best written, well-thought posts
I've seen in a while. All I have to say is ditto. I thought this show was
one damn, live-loud-and-be-proud shows I have had the fortune of seeing.
The music on CD converted to greatness on stage!
- Joyce H.
Someone who drove 100 miles to see Oasis was highly disappointed,
however...
Sad is the absolute disrespect the current crop of Anglo
exports shows for their audience. At the Oasis show in Indianapolis,
they left the stage after playing for a mere 20 minutes. Hardly
enough to make much of a determination about what kind of live act
they are.
It is short-sighted to turn a deaf ear to the new music being
made today. I could almost have agreed with your preimse if not for
the contempt Oasis showed for those of us who drove 100 miles and paid
hard-earned money to see them - and if you hadn't felt the need to be
insulting to other bands. - James G.
---
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===
