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Consumable Online Issue 154
==== ISSUE 154 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [September 11, 1998]
Editor: Bob Gajarsky
E-mail: editor@consumableonline.com
Sr. Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Joann Ball, Bill Holmes, Tim
Kennedy, Reto Koradi, David Landgren, Sean
Eric McGill, Tim Mohr, Al Muzer, Joe Silva,
Lang Whitaker
Correspondents: Tracey Bleile, Lee Graham Bridges, Scott
Byron, Jason Cahill, Patrick Carmosino,
Krisjanis Gale, Emma Green, Paul Hanson,
Chris Hill, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Franklin
Johnson, Robin Lapid, Linda Scott, Scott
Slonaker, Chelsea Spear, Simon Speichert,
Jon Steltenpohl, Simon West
Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann
Address all comments to staff@consumableonline.com ; subscription
information is given at the end of this issue.
==================================================================
All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s).
Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the
editor.
==================================================================
.------------.
| Contents |
`------------'
INTERVIEW: Nick Heyward (in London) - Joe Silva
REVIEW: Shudder To Think, _First Love, Last Rites_ - Chelsea Spear
REVIEW: Embrace, _The Good Will Out_ - Sean Eric McGill
REVIEW: Saint Etienne _Good Humor_ - Patrick Carmosino
CONCERT REVIEW: Pulp, Finsbury Park, London, England - Robin Lapid
REVIEW: 1000 Clowns, _Freelance Bubblehead_- Bob Gajarsky
REVIEW: Beach Boys, _Endless Harmony_ - Tim Kennedy
REVIEW: Gearwhore, _Drive_ - Simon West
REVIEW: Varnaline, _Sweet Life_ - Chris Hill
REVIEW: Various Artists, _Funk on Film_ - Joann D. Ball
REVIEW: Buddy Guy, _Heavy Love_ - Daniel Aloi
REVIEW: Symposium, _On The Outside_ - Reto Koradi
REVIEW: Icos, _At The Speed of Life_ - Linda Scott
REVIEW: Skinny, _The Weekend_ - Chris Hill
REVIEW: Brenda Weiler, _Trickle Down_ - Paul Hanson
NEWS: Manic Street Preachers, London Suede
TOUR DATES: Tori Amos / Devlins, Anthrax / Grinspoon, Beastie Boys,
Better Than Ezra, Broadside Electric, Candlebox, Chemical Brothers,
The Church, Creed / Fuel / Finger Eleven, Fear Factory, Nanci
Griffith, Irving Plaza, Jesus & Mary Chain / Mercury Rev, Korn,
Lenny Kravitz, Ziggy Marley & Melody Makers, Massive Attack /
Lewis Parker, Metallica / Jerry Cantrell / Days of the New, Bob
Mould / Varnaline, Reel Big Fish / Spring Heeled Jack, Sheila Divine,
Tripping Daisy / Flick, Unity Fest (Agnostic Front, Dropkick
Murphys, U.S. Bombs), Vast, Mike Watt, Wilco, X
Back Issues of Consumable
---
INTERVIEW: Nick Heyward (in London)
- Joe Silva
It's one of the few truly pleasant days the heavens have
chosen to bestow upon me during my hurried summer trip to the U.K.
The temperatures are somewhere in the upper 70's, the cold drizzle
has gone off to bother Scotland and the world is actually beginning
to resemble something of the July day it actually is. Tucked away
down an odd London side street - that's a mix of car repair shops
and warehouses is BJG studios. Without even a hint of pop fanfare,
you could pass its doors all day and not take too much notice of
what might be going on behind its threshold. But it's bigtime stuff
to be sure. Dozen of CD sleeves hang in the hallways as testaments
to the work that's gone on here. The last Orb record was done here,
and from the talk inside the studio, I've just missed Jarvis Cocker
by some 24 hours.
But as I arrive at the doors, a muscular, bespectacled
fellow is right at my heels as I tap the entry buzzer. It turns out
not to be security, but somewhat unrecognizably the person I'd come
to see. The last time I saw Nick Heyward close-up he was when he was
just turning 21 and was the buzz of the pop realm. It was the heyday
of Haircut 100's 1982 _Pelican West_ tour, and Nick had just emerged
from a limo to sign what autographs he could through the fence that
stood between him and a crush of young girls. But the fellow pushing
little slips of paper through the chainlink is slighter and seemingly
more inhibited than the man before me now who's cheery and packs an
ultra-firm handshake.
Once we are led to the studio kitchen by Nick's
frighteningly amiable manager, we settle down for a chat. Nick,
who used the same stylist as Pulp for the publicity shots for his
latest LP, _The Apple Bed_ , still bears some of the Cocker
demeanor in terms of clothes and squared glasses. Oddly enough the
spectre of Jarvis' visit here yesterday lingers on the table by way
of a magazine cover he happens to be gracing that month.
Consumable: Did you record the new record here?
Nick Heyward: NO, no...I wish. I will be doing the next one
(here) definitely. But that was Creation really. They wouldn't be in
a place like this. It's more like Do it in your mum's house."
C.O.: Really?! Aren't they one of the biggest indie labels in
the country?
N.H.: Precisely. (pauses) Ha ha ha ha!! But that's the indie
mentality, innit it? In Britain. Not in America though. In America
"alternative" doesn't really mean cheap. And it's actually quite
professional. (Shirley Manson-led) Garbage are alternative, aren't
they? and I don't see them going in a garage and recording.
C.O.: The first time I saw you, you were touring this record
(holding up _Pelican West_ ) and playing on a big pier in New York City.
N.H.: Oh yes! The pier. I remember. With this enormous
battleship. That was a really good night. It was a lot slower than
we'd normally done because we couldn't find Blair (Cunningham,
drummer) for some reason. We'd found him last minute and he was very
relaxed. Whatever he'd been doing, he was very very chilled out.
C.O.: That would have been what year?
N.H.: 82.
C.O.: I think you guys had just done American Bandstand. What
did you think of Dick Clark?
N.H.: Yeah, American Bandstand and Solid Gold. I thought we
were literally the Beatles and this was Ed Sullivan. All those tiny
aspects were being lived around that time. You'd stand at the fence
and there'd be barbed wire and lots of girls on the other side. Or
you're in a limousine with people banging on the windows and you'd
think Yep, I've seen this in Help!' It was just a great experience.
I'm surprised we'd lived through that.
C.O.: Now you were raised in Beckenham, weren't you? Is that
a London suburb?
N.H.: Yeah, South London really.
C.O.: In your videos though, you've always looked the English
country gent?
N.H.: That's just me wanting to look like that really. My
upbringing was really more Get Carter.' I lived in pubs in London with
my Mum and Dad.
C.O.: Can you tell me about the songwriting process that went
into this record? Seems like there's a lot more up front guitar on
this one?
N.H.: It took me two weeks to record this album. And those two
weeks were quite a long time ago. There was loud guitar music
everywhere and one thing wrong with being a songwriter is that at
any particular time, you're influenced by anything that's going on.
I recorded it and I did it that way, and a lot of songs I regretted
quite soon after. It was like a photograph of the two weeks during
that time. And I've never had to do an album in two weeks before, but
that's the Creation thing. When I did it, I said to them that I sort
of have to fiddle with it, but they said 'No, that's it. It's finished.
We'll put it out next year.' That album reminds me of a Polaroid taken
at that particular time. So some of them got the overdubbed guitars
and some of them didn't. And I think the ones that benefit definitely
are the ones that didn't.
C.O.: That's interesting, because I think you're one of the
first musicians of your generation that I've talked to in a long time
who keeps up with what's current.
N.H.: Yeah, I do. I don't watch telly, I listen to music. I
listen to everything from the past through to the now and on to the
demos of the future.
C.O.: A lot of musicians tend to isolate themselves.
N.H.: They do and then they get stuck in a year and champion
it. Then they end up being that year. It's a shame. Then you have to
wait for your time to come around (again) like Echo and the Bunnymen,
and wait fifteen years. Simple Minds will have to wait a long time
(laughs)!!
C.O.: So how have the singles and the album done over here?
N.H.: Commercially...terribly. They didn't get played by any
radio stations at all. And I'm not just saying one or two, I mean
(absolutely) none. It was just amazingly ignored...completely. Which
I found slightly, ironically warming. I thought 'Well if it had come
out and not done very well, it would have been okay.' But this
came out and didn't do anything. And that had a lot to do with being
on Creation. It was such a wrong place for me, that it became very
apparent when it was put out because nobody knew, or would listen
to the record for its own merit. It's almost like Creation is bigger
than the acts on (the label). Everybody has a pre-conceived notion
about Creation acts. If not, why are bands like Teenage Fanclub, who
I think should be bigger than...uh..
C.O.: Oasis?
N.H.: No, than R.E.M. It's like _Grand Prix_ is a really
gifted album. And for it to be kind of a cute indie record here is
a crying shame. It's just a lovely, beautiful record. And there's
lots of things like that on Creation. They can spot things, like
Super Furry Animals, but there is this preconceived idea. An the
indie market here is really narrow. They've got these kind of Punk
ethics. And that was what, twenty years ago. It's like walking
around, dressed like a Mod. It's just very odd. And so, I had to be
sold through that. And I'm never ever going to go through that
(again). The way I look at, I like the word popular as in Pop music,
but where the credibility is when it comes to me is when
your enormously successful like ABBA. They are credible for me. A
band that just sells 20,000 records and then disappears or does some
gig at Glastonbury, and is alright one minute and then crap the
next, that's not credibility to me. That's shit. Boring. And I was
in that market. I'm never going to feel comfortable in that.
C.O.: So this was your last record with them?
N.H.: Yeah, we're on good terms, but it wasn't probably
worth doing again. There does come a time when you think Yeah, is
there a point to this?'
C.O.: Considering what you said about this being sort of
like a snapshot, have you been doing a lot of work since?
N.H.: Yeah, I've just started. I don't want to pigeon-hole
myself into a singer, songwriter, solo artist in that way. I've
started to write and produce with people. I really do find that
nurturing. It's a pleasurable experience. Not just with anyone,
but I've been working with Mark Owen who used to be in Take That.
And he did an album last year called _Green Man_ with (producer)
John Leckie. Really good album and I've been working with him. A
real juxtaposition of people, and I've been learning from everyone.
And I'd like to start up my own record company and really start
off from the basics that everybody seems to forget, which is
songwriting. I'd like to gather just some really naturally gifted
songwriters.
C.O.: Isn't that tricky in this day and age?
N.H.: What I mean is I'd rather be a Burt Bacharach figure,
where if I did gigs there'd be other people there singing the songs.
I just don't want to promote myself as an artist if you like. I've
been writing loads and loads of songs and I want to feed them out
and produce artists. But I have to do that from a center. There has
to be a structure. It has to be from a company that has an image,
that has a name.
C.O.: When do you envision this getting in motion?
N.H.: Oh, it's in motion now.
C.O.: Now you've been married and have children. Just out
of curiosity, do you see anything else that's been an influence on
these earlier records that doesn't necessarily hang with you now in
terms of the new album?
N.H.: Well, I just see those records and they are just
snapshots of what you're going through at that time lyrically. Now
I've just started the second period of my life. The glorious second
half!
C.O.: Did you do the arrangements for this record?
N.H.: Yeah, I just get the musicians in and sing it to them.
I'm not musically trained and I never want to know. I know enough to
get by and not get intimidated in the studio. I've always thought
that when people get too musically trained, they don't experiment
enough. So I'm very wary of that. I want to stay enthusiastic about
music the whole time. It's almost like shutting your eyes and
letting it travel through you. You're doing something that's creative.
You're not doing something that's been done before. I really don't
think all the best has gone before. I do see stunning stuff, but I
want to be inspired by the past. Up until now I hadn't really seen
that and I'd just taken from the past.
C.O.: Well what inspirations do you see in the Haircut
stuff? At the time it seemed to come very much out of nowhere.
N.H.: Well that's good because that's a band. So naturally
you have six different influences in that.
C.O.: But as far as the songwriting, the influences aren't
really obvious.
N.H.: I did take in this sort of Beatles/Talking Heads kind
of thing. All of us were into what was going on at the time. There
was this Brit-funk thing going on. That and Earth, Wind, and Fire.
They were the Gods at the moment. More so with Les (Nemes, bass).
And he's still really into dance and R&B. And then you had Mark
(Fox, percussion), who was into Kraftwerk and Brazilian percussion.
Phil (Smith, horns) was into Tower of Power. And Graham (Jones,
guitar) was into the Clash. And Blair was into Kool and the Gang
and Al Green. So bring it all together...and that's what I do like
about bands. I've suddenly realized that left to my own devices
I'll try to re-make _Revolver_ every time. But I want to push
myself next time. I sort of use _Revolver_ now as a template for
songs and not for the sounds. I like many different things and I
want to use many different things. You've just got to write the
best songs you can possibly write and later think about how you're
going to record them.
---
REVIEW: Shudder To Think, _First Love, Last Rites_ (Epic)
- Chelsea Spear
1998 has been the year of the soundtrack for Shudder to Think.
While their dramatic sound might not seem conducive to laying back and
helping to develop a scene, their music has provided an eloquent sonic
backdrop for some of the most effective and moving scenes in Lisa
Cholodenko's examination of the art scene and the role drugs play within it
in her moving debut film _High Art_. Another first-time director, former
Lemonhead and video mastermind Jesse Peretz, tapped the Think to provide
the music for his adaptation of Ian McEwen's _First Love, Last Rites_.
Soundtracks requires a normally dramatic band such as Shudder to
Think to pull back their grandest flourishes and most drama-queen-ish
tendencies to help someone else with their vision. While StT's main stock
is found in the high drama of their theatrical live shows and dynamic,
crescending power ballads, the band once again puts forth an admirable
subtlety.
Unlike their work on _High Art_, the concept of the _First Love_
soundtrack allows the Think to use some of the more winsome and effective
tricks in their bag. According to the press release, the band and director
Peretz conceived of the soundtrack as an all-night oldies radio station
playing in the arid apartments and back kitchens that comprise the movie's
locations. The soundtrack reveals a host of new tunes by the StT
braintrust, their mournful melodies inflenced by the songcraft of 1960s
tunes found on old Stax sides or within the walls of the Brill Building.
The band's heightened senses mesh well within such styles.
The band also bonds well with their guest vocalists, and the
vocalists are likewise well matched with their material. In his last
recorded performance, Jeff Buckley's voice soars and induces goosebumps on
the doo-wop opening track "I Want Someone Badly", and Liz Phair's limited
range and lived-in voice works well within the glammy "Erecting A Movie
Star". Acharacteristic punk raveup "When I Was Born, I Was Bored" is aided
by Billy Corgan's pouting delivery, and even a hype-ruined singer like Nina
Persson of the Cardigans, whose previous output suggested a cross between
Andrea True Connection and the worst possible traits of Astrud Gilberto,
acquits herself hauntingly on "Appalaichan Lullabye". The only missteps
occur when regular Shudder to Think vocalist Craig Wedren steps up to the
microphone; within the stylistic limitations of the songs on the album, his
unflappable air comes filtered through a dreadful accent and arid
white-trash personality that suggests what Cheez Wiz-era mid-period Elvis
Presley might have sounded like had he been born in the body of Satanic
Church high priest and part-time musician Anton Szandor LaVey. One wishes
that Wedren would have chosen a better vocal role model for these tracks,
like, say, _All This Useless Beauty_-era Elvis Costello, though his mocking
treatment of his vocals on "Just Really Wanna See You" makes for a
delicious coda to his previous musical torture.
All in all, the soundtrack is a worthwhile soundtrack, especially
to fans of the band and the individual vocalist. After hearing a band
that's so resolutely itself on their other albums hide under others' manses
for these two soundtracks, I'm very curious to hear the Think's
contributions to the forthcoming soundtrack for _Velvet Goldmine_,
Todd (_Safe_) Haynes' tribute to the glam rock of David Bowie, Iggy Pop,
and the like. Since the dramatic approach of such bands is much closer
to StT's music than much of their present work, I can only imagine that
this experiment in glitter rock will find the trio sounding like
themselves in spades.
---
REVIEW: Embrace, _The Good Will Out_ (Geffen)
- Sean Eric McGill
It's easy to draw comparisons between Embrace and Oasis.
They're both British, and have a very similar sound in a lot of
ways. But to make that comparison would be a mistake, not to
mention an incredible disservice, to Embrace.
If you have to make a comparison to Embrace, might I
suggest Queen. That's right, Queen. Which isn't to say that
Embrace's vocalist Danny McNamara has the same sort of soaring
voice that Freddy Mercury had, or that Embrace even writes the
same types of songs that Queen does. But there is a comparison
to be made between the two, and it's this: like Queen, Embrace
writes finely crafted rock/pop songs that can only be described
as "huge".
Like their frontman, Queen seemed to write songs that were
larger than life. Songs like "Hammer to Fall" and "Who Wants to
Live Forever" didn't seem like they could be contained by a mere
album, or a mere arena show. And many of the songs from Embrace's
debut album _The Good Will Out- have the same epic quality about
them.
And while Embrace does write great toe-tapping, get-off-your-ass
and-dance rock songs like "All Your Good Good People" and "One Big
Family", their true strength seems to be when they turn down the dial
on the guitar a notch and let their horns and strings take a vital
role in the song. Tracks like "Higher Sights" and "My Weakness Is
None of Your Business" do what so few slower pop songs have the
ability to do - actually lift the soul of the listener and stir
something inside of them.
And that, in essence is the key to the brilliance of _The
Good Will Out_ - it's such a beautiful sounding album that you
don't want to turn it off. With a bevy of different producers,
including the band themselves, Youth, and first-time producer Dave
Creffield, _The Good Will Out_ maintains a uniform sound, at its
core, but isn't afraid to make changes around the edges.
Other highlights include "Retread", which opens with the
great line of "My girl is just a retread/I lost her when I hit the
brakes" and proceeds to tell the story of a relationship slowly
approaching collapse. And to make the Queen comparison even more
logical, the album closer is the seven-minute title track, which
takes every element of the album and brings them all together for
one last time.
It is rare in this line of work to actually find an album
that you instantly fall in love with. The sheer volume of music that
comes across your desk doesn't really afford you the luxury of
spending hours with a single album and simply enjoying it. For
Embrace, I'll gladly make that time. _The Good Will Out_ is quite
simply the most incredibly debut I've heard in the past five years,
and if their shot at success is hampered by quick comparisons to
other current British pop bands, then we should all be ashamed.
---
REVIEW: Saint Etienne _Good Humor_ (Sub Pop/Creation)
- Patrick Carmosino
Jon Savage's inspiring liner notes of Saint Etienne's 1991
debut _Fox Base Alpha_ ended with the coda "Stay busy, out of phase,
in love." The threesome have been just that since. _Good Humor_ may
be their first proper full-length since 1994, but between Bob Stanley
and Pete Wiggs introducing the likes of Denim and Kenickie to the
world via their Emidisc label and Sarah Cracknell putting the Kylie
Minogue's of the world to shame with the shameless import-only solo
effort _Lipslide_ plus repackages, remixes yada yada, it's been a non
stop chaotic cabaret!
_Good Humor_ shows Saint Etienne in a darker humor, actually.
Well not that dark, but compared to the 60's pop meets Euro-disco
sounds that graced _Fox Base Alpha_ and 1993's _So Tough_ , _Good Humor_
moves towards soul pop sleekness (hinted by their last, "Tiger Bay")
and dry production that comes across as an impossibly refreshing wake-up
call. Sounding more like a band than ever (with the help of Swedish
musicians led by Cardigans producer Tore Johansson), the album has a
definite 'in-the-studio' feel to it rather than a
'Bob-and-Pete-in-the-bedsit' one. It is a quality foreign to the Saint
Etienne catalog up 'til now. The band though, pull it off in fine
fashion with great melodies, smart arrangements (electric piano
galore! horn sections! wah wah guitar!), their usual northern kitchen
sink drama feel without the kitchen sink soundbites. All this and
Johansson's dry, slightly compressed techniques that have given the
Cardie's records that cozy, winter morning feel, add up to essentially
the Saint's version of _Rubber Soul_ .
Out of phase...yes indeed...Saint Etienne's take on soul, club
and pop music does not herald back to an era long gone as much as it
hits heights that very few top 40 records of the day hit. A string of
tracks here, "Split Screen", "Lose That Girl" and "Erica America"
virtually...um...*rock* in their "Drive My Car" and "You Won't See
Me"-esque groove (ah! the _Rubber Soul_ references!). To see the
difference (with no apparent drop in quality mind you) between the
'old' Etienne and 'new' Etienne, compare these tracks to "You're In
A Bad Way" ("So Tough") and you'll see an extreme variation on a theme.
"Erica America" is an absolute highlight, unravelling out of a slinky
beat into a gorgeous, world-is-all-yours type reverie... something to
get you out of bed and into the club! Also note the galloping on "The
Bad Photographer" for further new, interesting things in St.E's sound.
On "Goodnight Jack", the Saints reach back for some of their
unpredictability; with spacious horns, Shaft-style flutes and a chorus
sporting a heavy, slow breakbeat and synth wash that lurks back to a
rave anthem about to take off into dawn. Alas, Wiggs', Stanley's and
Cracknell's disco passions are still very much alive too in the LP's
first single "Sylvie", which like "Lose That Girl", focuses on
relationship forebodings and the like. DRAMA QUEENS ALIVE!
There are many other nice little surprises in here for both
long time followers of Saint Etienne and people looking for
alternatives to the alternatives. Certainly Creation snapping them
off of sister label (Heavenly in the UK) hints at the slightly
crestfallen 'indie' giant looking to expand its music palette further
(in the perfect form of old friends). Sub Pop merely continue presenting
a sound that, like its compadres Up! and K, looks forever forward, far
away from the Northwest grunge ethic.
In love?...Well, after four years _Good Humor_ sounds like
the work of people in such a state!
---
CONCERT REVIEW: Pulp, Finsbury Park, London, England
- Robin Lapid
It seems as though Pulp might have finally been catching the
whole backlash virus that's been wiping out so many of those one-word
"Britpop" bands. Everyone pretty much knew that Pulp stayed around
because they transcended that media tag, but it felt as though the
band's Finsbury Park gig was a sort of welcome-back and "we still
love you" performance. The audience's cheers declared that they
weren't really there for Catatonia or Bernard Butler, but for Pulp
alone.
Frontman Jarvis Cocker filled up the mammoth video screens on
either side of the stage. He is charismatic and lithe, and his
consummate finger-pointing poses and punctuated dance moves serve him
well even in his mid-thirties. Beginning with "The Fear," from their
latest release, _This Is Hardcore_, the band filled the set with
properly dramatic renderings of new album tracks, mixed in with
long-loved favorites. Cocker introduced a song which he said was
about a woman on the outside pretending to be someone else. The
crowd cheered wildly, to which Jarvis quickly added, "No, well, it's
not the song you're thinking of..." as he began strumming "Sylvia."
But he played "Common People" later, anyway, the pop anthem from
_Different Class_.
The Hardcore tracks were certainly well-received, but the
older tracks sounded more triumphant, including a bristlingly refreshing
"Do You Remember the First Time?" that did justice to Jarvis's emotive
stage presence. The rained-on festivals this summer were more like
endurance tests, but who couldn't resist a warm London evening with
the stars in the sky and onstage, bungee jumpers in the back, and the
song "Sorted for E's and Whizz" as music festival commentary?
Then Jarvis, seemingly enchanted with the warm reception, came
back out and played an encore to the encore, leaving crowd members who
were heading out for the tube going "d'oh!" and scurrying back to hear
"Something Changed." It was a modest capper to an enjoyable evening,
but at least it proves Pulp always leave you coming back for more.
---
REVIEW: 1000 Clowns, _Freelance Bubblehead_ (Capitol)
- Bob Gajarsky
The four members of 1000 Clowns - Los Angeles club DJ Mr.
Pao, backup singers and California collegiates Anita and Michelle,
and lead freestyle vocalist Kevi - prove to be the antithesis of
gangsta rap with their debut happy-go-lucky, De La Soul daisy-era
album, _Freelance Bubblehead_.
The first single "Kitty Kat Max" might initially sound like a
nonsensical novelty track about a lost cat ("Looking around all over the
town / looking round for my kitty kat max"), but try and get the hook
out of your head on a second or third listen. It's impossible...
There's another side to 1000 Clowns, and that one deals with a
harsher reality. "Pretty Liar" details Kevi's father's bout with AIDS
in a folk-meets-freestyle rap world that's both hauntingly beautiful
and painfully emotional.
Possibly the standout track - and one which ought to be played
to anyone filled with their own ego - is "(Not The) Greatest Rapper".
A plea to Kevi's girlfriend to be his steady without the
self-absorbed braggadicio too often present in rap songs, "Rapper"
succeeds in showing the kinder, gentler side of 1000 Clowns.
Raised in Philadelphia and honed on rap from Run-D.M.C. to
Schooly D, Kevi decided to spurn the trendy gangsta elements in
recording _Freestyle Bubblehead_ and stick with what he believed.
"I wanted the album to be an amalgamation of all the music that
influenced me growing up," he recalls "and rap and hip-hop were
definitely in my world." But others tried discouraging him,
by saying that "they either found the music too fun or they found
me too happy-go-lucky. I was always told, 'If you're gonna use
elements of rap, you have to be tough.' Basically, everyone was
telling me to not be myself. And all I wanted to do was be myself."
Kevi already has a connection to greater success, albeit
indirectly; that's his voice rapping on the Forest for the Trees
single, "Dream". And, the man behind Forest for the Trees (Carl
Stephenson) is the person who co-wrote Beck's first record and the
hit single "Loser".
Let's see if, in 1998, radio can open its arms to a rapper
who doesn't promote killing and violence with a softer message.
Listeners' ears will be graced with the sounds of 1000 Clowns if
they can.
---
REVIEW: Beach Boys, _Endless Harmony_ (Capitol)
- Tim Kennedy
The Beach Boys 'latest' release is a soundtrack album,
according to the notes, to accompany a documentary about the band.
However it is really an appendix to the stunning _Good Vibrations_
box set of 1993. The liner notes give a potted history of the band
but evidently this is not a set for the uninitiated. It is a
veritable curate's egg, good in parts, with some great moments
and also some disappointments.
The first disappointment is what is missing. There are huge
gaps amongst the released works of the Beach Boys where material of
superb quality has been suppressed, either because it would upset
Brian's supposedly fragile state of mind or more likely because it
doesn't fit in with the image of the band desired by other
surviving members.
The _Smile_ (1966) album was virtually completed and
anyone who has heard the bootlegs will testify to the masterpiece
that it is. The item relating to _Smile_ on this CD is a demo
"Heroes And Villains" (to me) unheard, and slyly hints that
_Smile_ is mere bits and pieces - untrue. (Brian himself has even
been quoted as saying that Smile is merely fragments which is
bizarre as his cohort Mark Linett compiled all the _Smile_ material
ready for release a few years back - which never came.)
Drummer Dennis Wilson's death left a large body of still
unreleased work- fascinating relics of sessions and finished work
of the finest quality. Indeed Dennis' solo album _Pacific Ocean
Blue_ (1977) remains deleted which is a shame as it is superb.
The two songs here by Dennis- "All Alone" and Barbara" are some
of the best on offer. Dennis was master of the ballad in the
manner of Harry Nilsson but he sang with greater sensitivity. For
now, bootlegs keep his memory alive, despite his erstwhile
colleagues' disinterest in his musical legacy.
What we get instead is a scattering of items from through
the years, with plenty of live versions (naturally most without
Brian as he shunned the stage after 1965). Some are good, such as
Carl's great _Surf's Up_ (1971) song "Long Promised Road".
The opener, "Soulful Old Man Sunshine" from 1969 features
in demo and 'finished' state (though it was never released). The
demo is delightful and light in feel - pure mid 60s Brian. The
final cut is in total contrast, it is terrible, with jazz
musicians and over the top harmonies. The song was completed
largely without Brian, by a friend -Rick Henn. It has an
arrangement which has you visualising dancing girls coming on
stage left doing high kicks - which makes no wonder we never
heard from Henn as a collaborator again.
A pointless live medley of their surf hits dating from
1966 points the way to the cabaret Beach Boys of the future which
the fans have had to suffer for the past twenty-odd years.
Better from the early period is an alternate mix of "Help
Me Rhonda", a much loved song but also highly innovative in its
time. Also of note is a live "God Only Knows" (1967) which
showcases Carl's gorgeous voice. Not so great is the lacklustre
live "Good Vibrations", but then it was foolhardy to attempt that
studio classic with stage sound technology as it was then.
Stereo "Kiss Me Baby" and "California Girls" mixes are fine
here, though not so different from the mono version.
The Mike Love composition "Brian Is Back" from 1975 is
equally faithful to the cabaret band image. It is a very poor
song that cannot be rescued by Carl's backing vocal. Mike of
course is on record as being infuriated by the widespread view
of the band as "Brian and the four assholes".
Bruce Johnston (who took Brian's place in the band when
they were touring) contributes the title track which is a lovely
tune. It survives a typical saccharine 1990s production with its
soul intact.
There are various versions of _Smile_ songs done live which
are of interest to the fans. "Heroes and Villains" and "Wonderful"
are good versions. "Darlin" and "Break Away" are here too, two of
the best of the late sixties material in live and demo form.
One track of real interest is an unusual mix of Brian's
classic "Til I Die" from _Surf's Up_ which features a heavy bass,
instrumental intro and lush harmonies. This version actually
appeared on the re-released "Stack O Tracks" CD not so long ago but
it is still a fine version. Fans will love the oddments of radio
promos including one featuring Dennis.
Another treat is "Sail Plane Song" which has all the feel
of _Smile_ about it, despite being written in 1968 long after the
big come-down. The notes bizarrely claim this to be Brian's only
attempt at 'acid rock'. Clearly the writer never heard "Mrs O'
Leary's Cow" (aka "Fire"), or even "Good Vibrations"!
The remix of "Sail Plane Song" from 1969 renamed "Loop De
Loop" adds more silly noises and apparently Al Jardine laid down
a lead vocal for this track in 1998. It is more busy but still
retains the charm of the original.
I can not imagine a casual observer getting excited about
this CD, but fans will find much of value despite the omissions
and disappointments, along with a handful of real treats that
even the most avid bootleg collectors may not have heard.
---
REVIEW: Gearwhore, _Drive_ (Astralwerks)
- Simon West
Leading electronic label Astralwerks has maintained consistent
quality of late, and the debut album from Gearwhore, while not of the
Chemical Brothers/Photek/Fluke caliber, is nonetheless a promising
first release.
This one-man band is one Brian Natonski, who started out in
Chicago's Trax Studio and earned his current moniker due to his
relentless collection of equipment. He's apparently not using all of
it, or you'd assume he would have come up with a little more variety
in his guitar samples, but nevertheless has delivered a set of
rocking, metallic dance, heavy on the guitars, analog synths and
industrial samples along with the breakbeats and loops.
The excellent debut single "Passion" appears twice here,
opening the album with the Harley Mix - a sampled motorbike and an
insistent, driving beat, and closing with the dub version, a rather
more minimal affair, mixing the rhythm with analog bleeps and loops.
The nine tracks in-between are pretty strong too. "M'Lion" features a
distorted vocal partially buried behind a fuzzbox guitar riff and and
a brisk beat. The scratching, squeaking introduction of "Love" fades
into a slow, atmospheric piano melody. "Ghost By Day" has a rather
derivative but effective moaning vocal over a rapid beat. The
straightforward beat of "Brain Fusion" has strands weaving in and out
that sound variously like a John Carpenter film soundtrack and some of
Depeche Mode's earlier instrumental b-sides.
Much of _Drive_ shows excellent promise - the organic style
sets it above many of its peers. Brian Clark Ebert's funky bass guitar
is particularly effective on a number of tracks, some acoustic
percussion is a weclome break from the usual electronic loops, and the
mechanical samples lend the album an aggressive, industrial edge. A
touch generic and somewhat repetitive in places, but Natonski will
hopefully continue to develop his own style as he progresses.
As usual with Astralwerks, you can try before you buy - several
tracks from the album and the "Passion" single are available in Real
Audio format at the label's superb web site:
http://www.astralwerks.com/gearwhore/default.html
---
REVIEW: Varnaline, _Sweet Life_ (Zero Hour)
- Chris Hill
The varied richness of alt-country continually amazes
this newbie: the '60s-tinged Pernice Brothers, the rootsy Waco
Brothers, the No Depression mainstays Wilco, Son Volt, and the
Jayhawks, to name the few artists I've heard. Now added to the
list - Varnaline, whose _Sweet Life_ has haunted me since its
arrival.
Before I heard a note, from hearsay and conversations,
I'd formed a lo-fi four-piece band expectation of bad booze/
women/truck songs. Instead, I was inundated with Pink Floyd/
Moody Blues lushness, contemplative lyrics, and a melding of
styles that pay an homage to the past with feet planted firmly in
the now. All this from a trio, to boot.
Varnaline's Anders Parker is a creative tsunami, writing
all twelve of _Sweet Life_'s songs. He's also solely responsible
for two of Varnaline's three previous efforts, '96's _Man of
Sin_ and '97's _A Shot and a Beer_ EP. The rest of the band -
brother John Parker (bass/etc.) and Jud Ehrbar (drums/vocals/
etc.), plus guest musicians - are indispensable here, however.
They flesh out Anders' vision, whether on the transcendent album
opener, "Gulf of Mexico" (Anders must love "Dark Side of the
Moon"), The Band-esque romp-and-stomp of "Saviours", or the gutsy
rocker "Underneath the Mountain".
Parker's paganistic lyrics celebrate the wonder
("Northern Lights", "Mare Imbrium") and healing quality ("Gulf
of Mexico", "This is the River") of nature, using subtle
metaphors to link man and his environment in a holistic
relationship. Not to say it's all touchy-feely. "Now You're
Dirt" is a grimly humorous adieu to an estranged parent and a vow
not to continue the cycle his dad begun: "I want you to know/
I'm not the same man/that put you in the ground/without a word/
You were the father/Well, now you're dirt."
Parker also shines with love themes. "All about Love" is
a song Justin Hayward would envy, where eerily echoing layered
singing honors the Catskills church where _Sweet Life_ was
recorded. "While You Were Sleeping" - "I wandered around the
house/What were you dreaming?...The whole world shut down/I
watched you breathing" - is a tender observation of lovers
temporarily separated by Morpheus.
Be wary when "Fuck and Fight", a playful XTC song wrapped
in country swaddling, finishes. "Mare Imbrium", the next song,
is so achingly beautiful that the psyche opened by the toe-
tapping previous tune is caught unprepared & vulnerable to an
uppercut of a love ballad (to the moon's Sea of Rains). "I've
watched your face so many times/You give off so much light/When
I'm walking home/Can see if I look straight/Shining under you/No
time for this earth/No time at all". Why doesn't every band
incorporate the glockenspiel's transitory notes of beauty? Ah,
bliss.
But it's the title opus that turns _Sweet Life_ into
mead. Viola steps into a pulsing cello, an upright bass runs a
simple riff, then a violin plaintively sets its own melody.
Cross-fade to drums and electric guitars. Three and a half
minutes in, Parker starts to sing of finding satisfaction where
the day takes him. "I travel to far shores/To scrounge for
change/But count your luck/Watch it all light up/It's a sweet
life...You had your chance/And all you got was this sweet life."
The gift is more than sufficient.
---
REVIEW: Various Artists, _Funk on Film_ (PolyGram)
- Joann D. Ball
_Funk on Film_ (PolyGram) is a right-on collection of some
of the best cuts featured in that genre of 1970s films often
labelled Blaxploitation. Aimed primarily at African-Americans who
longed to see themselves and their experiences represented on the
movie screen, Blackploitation films were shown at inner-city movie
houses across the country during the first half of that decade. As
Black Power on film, these movies featured Black celluloid heroes
and heroines who didn't take no mess and went up against The System
to the sounds of a soulful and funky soundtrack. With twelve
baaaadassss cuts, _Funk on Film_ is indeed "Super Bad '70s Cinematic
Soul The Hard Way!"
_Funk on Film_ gets on the case with Isaac Hayes' "Theme
From 'Shaft,'" the title track from the 1971 tour de force starring
Richard Roundtree. Decades before becoming the voice of the soul
singing Chef on the animated hit show "South Park," Hayes secured
his position as a soul institution with this signature song. Without
a doubt, Pam Grier was the toughest sistah on the urban big screen in
the early 1970s. As Foxy Brown Grier didn't play around, a trait
plain for all to see in the 1974 movie bearing that character's name
and celebrated in "Theme of Foxy Brown/Overture of Foxy Brown"
performed by Willie Hutch. And over 20 years later as Jackie Brown,
Grier rides off into the sunset singing along with Bobby Womack and
Peace to "Across 110th Street." Originally the theme for the 1972
hit movie of the same name, "Across 110th Street" is included here
along with another gritty big city tale, James Brown's "Down and Out
in New York City" from the flick "Black Caesar."
Long before she brought some color and class to television's
"Dynasty," Diahann Carroll gave a memorable performance as Claudine,
a working class mom trying to keep her family intact in the movie of
the same name. The Curtis Mayfield-penned "On and On" featured in
"Claudine" was a hit for Gladys Knight & the Pips. Although it is
included here, the music social commentaries sung by Mayfield on the
soundtrack for "Super Fly" are notably absent. Any one of the three
hits from this movie, the title song, "Pusherman," or "Freddie's Dead,"
would have made _Funk on Film_ a much more complete collection.
The Staple Singers' slow-burner "Let's Do It Again" from the
movie of the same name which starred Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier is
featured here along with the Four Tops' soulful "Are You Man Enough"
from "Shaft in Africa," the 1973 sequal to the genre blockbuster
"Shaft." Of the twelve tracks on this CD, "Car Wash" by Rose Royce
has probably enjoyed the most mainstream success given its disco-friendly
beat. But oddly enough, the instrumental track "Theme From Together
Brothers" by the Love Unlimited Orchestra has provided the basis for
a 1990s dance hit, "C'mon Ride It (The Train)" by the Quad City DJ's.
The twelve tracks on _Funk on Film_ capture an important
phase in both musical and cinematic history. The combination of
music and film represented here was built on the essence of soul, and
which was a central part of Seventies' popular culture. _Funk on
Film_ has hit record stores at the perfect time, given the renewed
interest in all things from that decade. So, groove to these
soundtrack cuts and be sure to keep an eye open for the films in
which they appear the next time you visit the video store.
TRACK LISTING [artist in brackets]: Theme From 'Shaft'
[Isaac Hayes], Across 110th Street [Bobby Womack and Peace], Down
and Out in New York City [James Brown], Theme From Together Brothers
[Love Unlimited Orchestra], Car Wash [Rose Royce], Theme From Foxy
Brown/Overture of Foxy Brown [Willie Hutch], Let's Do It Again
[Staple Singers], Little Ghetto Boy [Donny Hathaway], Are You Man
Enough [Four Tops], On and On [Gladys Knight & The Pips], No Way
Back [The Dells], It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday [G.C. Cameron]
---
REVIEW: Buddy Guy, _Heavy Love_ (Silvertone)
- Daniel Aloi
Buddy Guy does not fake it. It's not all show. The moves are
not down pat, ready to be repeated night after night, album after album.
He knows he was there first, playing the blues licks picked
up on by Hendrix and Clapton; he once even thought he was learning a
thing or two from Stevie Ray until he realized they were his, and
Stevie had learned 'em from Jimi...the blues comes full circle in
Guy's meaty hands, whenever they're wrapped around one of his
polka-dot Fenders. So another great album from Buddy Guy is no great
shakes, if you've been following him over the past 10 years or more.
It's the sheer newness of _Heavy Love_ that grabs me.
It wouldn't sound dated next to Jonny Lang or Kenny Wayne
Shepherd, nor would it scare the Blues Traveler crowd out of a club if
it came on the jukebox. But it's also heavy with love for blues
tradition, without belaboring any of its cliches. Chicago blues is
such a tired, shopworn and bar-bland-massacred style by now that it's
fantastic to see one of its pioneers and seminal stars still on top
as an innovator, 40 years after he started as a hot side- and session
man.
The funky title track establishes the album's badass promise
flat out at the beginning, and introduces the band -- Reese Wynans'
organ swirls; Richie Hayward, in control as he flails at his sprawling
drum kit; Steve Cropper's precise guitar counterpoint to Guy's massive
wah-wah.
There. Wait. Dig this lineup, and where they've been -- the
axeman for all of Stax/Volt land, Booker T. and the Blues Brothers,
with the key player for Joe Ely, Lee Roy Parnell, and Double Trouble,
and the timekeeper for Little Feat. If Guy took this band on the road
he could knock B.B. King off the top of the blues festival circuit. Or
at least have a damn good time trying.
On the second track, Lang duets on a powerful "Midnight Train,"
answering Guy on every chorus of the lost-gone-can't-get-her-back song.
Lang's voice is strong, not as seasoned or flexible, obviously, as
Guy's -- but the Kid and the Guy work very well together, even if it's
in a Jerry Lewis Telethon matchup sort of way. (It's one of those
blues traditions, teaming old and young -- witness B.B. King's "Deuces
Wild" or, some years ago, Johnny Winter with Muddy Waters.)
The middle section of the album is all Chicago, with some
deep memories of the South thrown in (like "Saturday Night Fish Fry"),
working up to a cover of "I Just Want to Make Love to You," on which
Guy changes the tempo to put some polish on the well-known tune, one
almost synonymous with Chicago blues. So far, aside from that funky
opener, it's been pretty standard, enjoyable stuff, on a par with
Guy's previous, always carefully laid out productions. But as in his
live shows, surprise awaits at every tune.
"Did Someone Make a Fool Out of You" is emotional, no shock
there, and...acoustic! This is honest, pained restraint; it's nice to
hear Guy's always-underrated vocal talent given a moment to shine, as
it does on this song; with all the effusive praise given his guitar
playing, not enough can be said about his voice. There is as much
heartbreak and sorrow and joy and wisdom there, in one chorus, as in
a thousand guitar solos.
At the end, we're let down easy, and warmly -- "Let Me Show
You" is a nice New Orleans love song, accented with piano trills and
loping bass. It's like a graceful last dance at the end of a heady
evening, when you make all the right moves fully aware that the woman
you're holding in your arms is THE ONE. Man, this is heavy love.
---
REVIEW: Symposium, _On The Outside_ (Red Ant)
- Reto Koradi
Tired of the smooth and perfectly crafted sounds that
radio stations try to sell you? Looking for some noisy, fresh
and fun music to turn up loud and scare your neighbors?
Symposium, a young band hailing from the UK, may be just what
the doctor ordered.
"Punk-pop" is probably the best one word description of
Symposium's style, but it is far from the commercially polished
output of Green Day. This band does not take any prisoners and
stretches of sweet melody are quickly drowned by blasts of rough
guitar riffs. If you can imagine the Buzzcocks transformed to
the 90s, or the Toy Dolls getting somewhat more serious, you may
get a good idea of how Symposium sound. Names of producers can
also give interesting clues: Killing Joke bassist Youth was
playing with the knobs, as well as Alan Winstanley and Clive
Langer, known for their work with Madness. Some ska influence is
clearly recognizable on a few tracks (like "Puddles"), but these
sound like Madness on steroids.
The press information highly praises Symposium's live
qualities. While you should generally read press releases with
more than just a bit of skepticism, this claim sounds credible.
Even though the music is preserved on a silver disc, _On The
Outside_ makes you want to crank up the stereo and jump around
in your living room.
---
REVIEW: Icos, _At The Speed of Life_ (Slipdisc/Mercury)
- Linda Scott
Icos is a four man, Chicago based band that can rock
hard yet still has the versatility to play blues and pop. Depending
on which track you listen to, you can hear a band that sounds
like Metallica or has a Beatles soft-rock style. Singer/songwriter
Danny McGuinness readily admits to influences that are all over
the musical map. Tom Waits is cited along with U2, The Beatles,
Springsteen, The Clash, and Stevie Wonder. The well-read
songwriter has eye-opening literary influences; his doom-laden but
thoughtful lyrics explore McGuinness' own obsessions while his
literary tastes for Jung, Huxley, Camuc, Leary, Clarke, and others
have helped him express these thoughts. McGuinness sounds like he
is not going to fit well in the brainless rocker mold.
An unusual man, McGuinness also plays rhythm and acoustic
guitars in Icos. He and drummer Kyle Woodring founded the band
about four years ago, while lead guitarist Scott Bond and bassist
Gordon Patrarca round out the group. Together they make some
beautiful melodies.
_At The Speed Of Light_ is a good rocking album. From
the first couple of notes on the self titled first track, you know
someone out there besides you is rocking hard. The whole album is
put together well. The pop sounds are in the middle with rockers
around them. The album's track arrangement has a focus and
purpose, and this shows Icos' maturity. These guys know how to
play raw power rock, but they also have very good musicianship
with strong rhythms and melodic hooks.
For more information on Icos, check out their label's
site at http://www.slipdisk.com .
---
REVIEW: Skinny, _The Weekend_ (Cheeky/Phase 4 Records)
- Chris Hill
A trip-hop concept album, Skinny's _The Weekend_ works
gloriously. The theme isn't overbearing - the songs stand on
their own, but sprinkled liberally throughout the record are time
references to relate the song's position within the cycle, or
reemphasize the title.
Bookended by "Intro" and "Outro", pastiches of the
album's musical themes, the concept follows a character through
his bus ride home ("The Bus Song"), a night on the town ("London
Tonight", "Friday Part 2"), an early-morning walk home ("Come
Down"), a coupling (the dreamy "Getting In", "Sex"), to a sated
resolution ("In God's Hands").
"Failure", the single which kicked it off for the duo
of Paul Herman (guitars/vocals) and Matt Benbrook (programming/
keyboards/drums) is the most independent of the set. Cousin to
Beck's "Loser", a crooning "Why have I always been a failure?"
lounge-lizard vocal blends with lost love lyrics - "lying in my
bed for hours/rolling up and feeling down". It's an addictive
tune, justifiably a dance floor filler, the vocals perkily
counterpointing the heartache.
Paul Herman's voice is a chameleon. There's a lazy
sensuality to his drifting vocals that recalls Michael Hutchence
in his prime ("Come Down", "Mr. Goodstuff"). On others, his
voice is a hand tracing the contours of a cheek, a tongue
licking a neck, or a nudge in the ribs with a sly wink.
"Getting In" - "I hardly know you/but you look good/go on/
give in/it's early morning/we can sleep in/I like it when you
laugh/& pretend to look surprised...I can't keep from wondering/
how you'd look in my bed" - is sung with a randy charisma that
is pure bliss.
And who can't identify with night-after lyrics like
"Every step I'm taking/is taking me a lifetime/The darkness is
disturbing, but I'm finding it peaceful/It's 6 a.m./ All the
ghosts are on the street now" ("Come Down")? A familiar
experience, when morning arrives and one is making his or her
way home with the rising sun.
The meticulous production is a joy - songs blend using
ambient street noise, footsteps, people laughing, rain, and so
on, to tie the journey together. Listen closely and you'll hear
fireworks (shades of _To Catch a Thief_'s metaphor) during
"Sex". The sly touch is appreciated. At 7:40, figure out your
own Bo Derek accompaniment - the shifting, rise and fall rhythms
had me recalculating my bookmark several times.
Think of it as a snapshot for the spirit of the 90s -
a soundtrack for those who wring enjoyment out of the working
week respite. There's pleasure in following every stage from
the mundane observations on "The Bus Song" to the stunning
closer "In God's Hands", with its gospel singer chorus. It's
a jubilation-inducing journey.
---
REVIEW: Brenda Weiler, _Trickle Down_ (Barking Dog)
- Paul Hanson
In this pitiful era of dime a dozen female solo acts,
Natalie Imbruglia being the latest with chart success for her
single/video "Torn," it's refreshing to these ears to finally
hear a soul-driven vocalist strumming an acoustic guitar that
demands you listen. Brenda Weiler is the breath of fresh air
pop music needs to inhale again and again.
Her release _Trickle Down_ is brilliant. Many of the
songs here are just Weiler strumming her acoustic guitar and
providing soulful and soul-searching vocals. In "Drag," for
example, Weiler sings, "You can play the fool/ You can try to
keep score/ But if you wrestle with the devil, you can fight
your own war." Her lyrics also search the plains of the human
psyche, questioning religion. In "Tight," she sings, 'Jesus,
can you come?' or will you make me do/ all those things that I
shouldn't do." Later, she sings, "Who ever got the idea that
beauty is right?/ That my butt and belly are meant to be tight/
cause I think what we have here is fucking insane/ and I don't
care what my hair looks like after the rain."
Confrontational with powerful lyrics and an even stronger
acoustic guitar strum, Weiler deserves, like few other female
solo artists, wide-spread success and national prominence.
Madonna is 40; Weiler looks and sounds like she has 40 more years
of wisdom and maturity to flow through her compelling voice.
For more information on Brenda Weiler, check out the label's
website at http://www.barkingdogrecords.com
---
NEWS: > The Manic Street Preachers were recently threatened with
legal action by the Stranglers' publishing company the other day for
alleged similarities between the new single "If You Tolerate This
Your Children Will Be Next" and "Duchess" from the Meninblack's
1980 album _The Raven_ . However, the Stranglers have said they
won't allow the company to sue and even invited the Manics to
their release party for the upcoming Stranglers album.
> The London Suede are in the studio working on their
next studio album with producer Steve Osborne at various
studios in London. The yet untitled album is planned for
a Spring '99 release.
---
TOUR DATES:
Tori Amos / Devlins
Sep. 11 Seattle, WA Key Arena
Sep. 12 Portland, OR Rose Garden Arena
Sep. 13 Eugene, OR Cuthbert Amphitheater
Sep. 15 Oakland, CA Oakland Coliseum
Sep. 16 Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena
Sep. 18 Anaheim, CA Arrowhead Pond
Sep. 19 San Jose, CA Event Center Arena
Sep. 20 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl
Sep. 22-23 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
Anthrax / Grinspoon
Sep. 11 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
Sep. 13 Grand Rapids, MI Orbit Room
Sep. 15 Scranton, PA Tink's
Sep. 16 Providence, RI Lupo's
Sep. 17 Port Chester, NY 7 Willow Street
Sep. 18 Old Bridge, NJ Birch Hill
Beastie Boys
Sep. 11 Los Angeles, CA The Forum
Sep. 13 Oakland, CA Oakland Coliseum
Better Than Ezra
Sep. 18 Stillwater, OK Tumbleweed Arena
Sep. 19 Kirksville, MO Truman State Univ.
Broadside Electric
Sep. 19 New Britain Township, PA Our Lady of Czestochowa
Candlebox
Sep. 11 Milwaukee, WI Modjeska
Sep. 12 Chicago, IL World Music Theatre
Sep. 13 Dayton, OH UD Arena
Sep. 15 Pittsburgh, PA Metropol
Sep. 17 Scranton, PA Tinks
Sep. 19 Hampton Beach, NH Casino
Sep. 20 Worcester, MA Green Hill Park
Sep. 22 Wilmington, DE Big Kahuna
Chemical Brothers
Sep. 12 Seattle, WA Showbox
Sep. 13 San Francisco, CA Spundae
Sep. 15 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Athletic Club
Sep. 18-19 New York, NY Bowery
The Church
Sept. 18 San Diego, CA Belly Up Tavern
Sept. 19 Dana Point, CA Doheny Days Festival
Sept. 20 West Hollywood, CA House Of Blues
Sept. 21 Palo Alto, CA The Edge
Sept. 22 Sacramento, CA 815 L Street
Sept. 23 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
Creed / Fuel / Finger Eleven
Sep. 13 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
Fear Factory
Sep. 11 New York, NY Roseland
Sep. 12 Norfolk, VA Boathouse
Sep. 13 Charlotte, NC Grady Cole Center
Sep. 15 Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues
Sep. 16 Tampa, FL Fairgrounds
Sep. 17 Miami, FL Cameo Theatre
Sep. 19 New Orleans, LA Tripatina's
Nanci Griffith (Newport Folk Festival)
Sep. 19 San Francisco, CA Concord
Sep. 20 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theater
Irving Plaza (http://www.irvingplaza.com - New York concert hall)
Sep. 11 Crystal Method
Sep. 12 Gov't Mule
Sep. 18 From Good Homes
Sep. 22 Nick Cave
Sep. 23 Keb Mo'
Jesus & Mary Chain / Mercury Rev
Sep. 17 Austin, TX Stubb's Bar-B-Q
Sep. 18 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
Sep. 19 Houston, TX Fitzgeralds
Sep. 20 Ft. Worth, TX Caravan of Dreams
Sep. 22 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
Korn
Sep. 22 Rochester, NY Blue Cross Arena
Sep. 23 Boston, MA Centrum
Lenny Kravitz
Sep. 13 Seattle, WA Paramount
Sep. 15 Berkeley, CA Community
Sep. 16 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
Sep. 18 San Diego, CA Remack
Sep. 19 Phoenix, AZ Sports Complex
Sep. 20 Las Vegas, NV The Joint
Sep. 23 Dallas, TX Bronco Bowl
Ziggy Marley & Melody Makers
Sep. 11 Orono, ME Univ. of Maine
Sep. 12 Oneonta, NY SUNY Univ. - Chase Gym
Sep. 13 Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
Sep. 14 Winooski, VT Higher Ground
Sep. 16 Ft. Wayne, IN Piere's
Sep. 17 Urbana, IL Univ. of IL - Foellinger Aud.
Sep. 18 Bloomington, IN Univ. of IN - Jordan Field Theater
Sep. 19 Chicago, IL Outdoor Tent
Sep. 20 Minneapolis, MN The Quest
Sep. 22 Ann Arbor, MI Michigan Theater
Sep. 23 Grand Rapids, MI Calvin College Fine Arts Aud.
Massive Attack / Lewis Parker
Sep. 11 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
Sep. 12 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom
Sep. 14 Boston, MA Avalon Ballroom
Sep. 15 Montreal, QC Metropolis
Sep. 16 Toronto, ON Warehouse
Sep. 18 Detroit, MI Clutch Cargo's
Sep. 19 Chicago, IL Vic Theater
Sep. 22 Denver, CO Ogden Theater
Metallica / Jerry Cantrell / Days of the New
Sep. 11 Phoenix, AZ Desert Sky Pavilion
Sep. 12 Las Vegas, NV Cashman Field Baseball Stadium
Sep. 13 Chula Vista, CA Chula Vista Amph.
Bob Mould / Varnaline
Sep. 11 Sioux Falls, SD Jeschke Theatre
Sep. 13-14 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
Sep. 20 Toronto, CAN Phoenix
Reel Big Fish / Spring Heeled Jack
Sep. 15 Athens, GA Georgia Theatre
Sep. 16 Jacksonville , FL Milk Bar
Sep. 17 Ft. Lauderdale , FL Fu Bar
Sep. 18 Tampa, FL State Theater
Sep. 19 Orlando, FL House of Blues
Sep. 20 Atlanta, GA The Point
Sep. 22 Chapel Hill, NC Cat's Cradle
Sep. 23 Charlottesville, VA Trax
Sheila Divine
Sep. 11 Boston, MA The Middle East
Sep. 15 Chicago, IL Fireside Bowl
Sep. 16 Madison, WI O'Cayz Corral
Sep. 17 Lansing, MI Mac's Bar
Sep. 18 Athens, OH The Dugout
Sep. 19 Ames, IA Maintenance Shop
Sep. 22 Huntington, WV Stoned Monkey
Tripping Daisy / Flick
Sep. 11 Charlotte, NC Tremont Music Hall
Sep. 12 Washington DC Black Cat
Sep. 13 Baltimore, MD Fletcher's
Sep. 15 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
Sep. 17 New York, NY Westbeth Theatre
Sep. 18 Boston, MA Karma
Sep. 22 Detroit, MI Shelter
Sep. 23 Chicago, IL Cabaret Metro
Unity Fest (Agnostic Front, Dropkick Murphys, U.S. Bombs)
Sep. 18 New York, NY Wetlands
Sep. 19 Moosic, PA Sea-Seas
Vast
Sep. 11 San Francisco, CA Maritime Hall
Sep. 12 Roseville, CA Big Shots
Sep. 14 W. Hollywood, CA Troubadour
Mike Watt
Sep. 21 Tucson, AZ Club Congress
Sep. 22 Flagstaff, AZ Monte Vista
Sep. 23 Albuquerque, NM The Launch Pad
Wilco
Sep. 12 Lawrence, KS Jayhawk Music Festival
Sep. 19 San Francisco, CA Concord
Sep. 20 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theater
X
Sep. 12 San Diego, CA Southern Comfort/HOB Fest. Stg.
---
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