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Consumable Online Issue 200
== ISSUE 200 ==== CONSUMABLE ONLINE ======== [Feburary 15, 2000]
Editor: Bob Gajarsky
E-mail: editor@consumableonline.com
Managing Editor: Lang Whitaker
Sr. Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Joann Ball, Chris Hill, Bill
Holmes, Tim Kennedy, Jon Steltenpohl
Correspondents: Michelle Aguilar, Paul Andersen, Christina
Apeles, Niles J. Baranowski, Jason Cahill,
Matthew Carlin, John Davidson, Andrew Duncan,
Krisjanis Gale, Jade Hughes, Paul Hanson, Eric
Hsu, Scott Hudson, Steve Kandell, Reto Koradi,
Robin Lapid, Wes Long, I.K. MacLeod, Wilson
Neate, Mike Pfeiffer, Linda Scott, Don Share,
Scott Slonaker, Kerwin So, Chelsea Spear,
Michael Van Gorden, Simon West
Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, David Landgren, Dave Pirmann
Also Contributing: Chris Butler
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.
==================================================================
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| Contents |
`------------'
REVIEW: The Cure, _Bloodflowers_ - Don Share
REVIEW: The Who, _The BBC Sessions_ - Chris Butler
BOOK REVIEW: _Inside The Music Business: The Power Players...
Conversations With Eric Kline_ - Joann D. Ball
REVIEW: Mudhoney, _March to Fuzz_ - Scott Hudson
REVIEW: Poster Children, _DDD_ / Salaryman, _Karoshi_ - Chelsea Spear
INTERVIEW: Blue Man Group, _Audio_ - Chris Hill
REVIEW: Adrian Belew, _Coming Attractions_ - Joann D. Ball
REVIEW: Sarah Cracknell, _Lipslide _ - Wilson Neate
REVIEW: Kid Dynamite, _Shorter Faster Louder_ - Andrew Duncan
REVIEW: Various Artists, _Men In Plaid_ - Bill Holmes
REVIEW: The Posies, _Live Before the Iceberg_ - John Davidson
REVIEW: L.A. Guns, _Shrinking Violet_ - Paul Hanson
REVIEW: The Lovin' Spoonful, _Greatest Hits_ - Bill Holmes
REVIEW: Union, _The Blue Room_ - Linda Scott
CONTEST: Deep Elm
NEWS: Cypress Hill, Alanis Morissette, Red Hot Chili Peppers,
State Song Project
TOUR DATES: Beck, Frank Black and the Catholics, Chris Cornell,
Dismemberment Plan, Fastbacks, Gomez, Guster, Ben Harper &
Innocent Criminals, Richie Hawtin, Miles Hunt, Korn, Machine Head
Morrissey / Sheila Divine, Other 99, Powerman 5000, Pretenders,
Stroke 9, 22 Jacks
ERRATA
Back Issues of Consumable
---
REVIEW: The Cure, _Bloodflowers_ (Fiction)
- Don Share
"When we look back at it all, as I know we will," Robert Smith
sings on the first song of his latest album, "we always have to say
goodbye." Twenty years and twenty Cure albums may have culminated with
_Bloodflowers_, rumored (as has nearly every album for the last decade)
to be the band's last gasp. Intended as the final disc in a trilogy
which began with 1982's _Pornography_ and continued with 1989's
_Disintegration_, _Bloodflowers_ has finality literally written all
over it.
No wild mood swings here... it's all down; fortunately, down
is up for Smith, whose writing - diverse in other atmospheres - is
effably sad and indelibly wise when he plays in a minor key. The
production is full, dense, and atmospheric, and the songs don't rush
themselves, but take their own bittersweet time. "I've been watching me
fall for it seems like years," he sings accurately. And what singing:
Smith's voice flies high over the chasm, echoing and quavering, even
when the lyrics direly insist that "if it can't be like before I've got
to let it end."
While endings are the theme, Smith is subtle enough to let in
tiny but illuminating rays of possibility: "the world is neither fair
nor unfair," he sings in "Where the Birds Always Sing" -- fair enough.
"Maybe Someday" even (ambiguously) allows that "maybe someday is when
it all stops -- or maybe someday always comes again." "There Is No
If" -- one of Smith's best ever -- admits that "there is no if -- just
and," and "and" just may be enough.
Recognizing that "just enough" is all that life allows is what
each moment of the album gets at. "The Loudest Sound" is the evil twin
of the Beatles' "Things We Said Today," because its lovers "in silence..
pass away the day." But they have more than silence; they have each other.
Yet "39" is about how when one's "fire's almost cold," then
"there's nothing left to burn," and the epic title track, "Bloodflowers,"
is the eerie, grim culmination of everything The Cure have ever done:
"never die, these flowers will never die" slowly grows into its lyrical
counterpart, "always die, these flowers will always die." The song is
Smith's epic, and ends with our hero's pricking himself audibly, letting
flowers of blood fall.
When it's all said and done, I can't quite believe that we've
heard the last from Smith, though there's always that risk; after all,
epics live in the retelling, and while flowers fade and die, there are
always more flowers to come.
---
REVIEW: The Who, _The BBC Sessions_ (MCA)
- Chris Butler
The Who were - quite simply - the greatest band of the '60's
British Beat era. On any given night, they could out-play, out-sing,
out-noise, out-fight, out-fuck, out-think and out-drink any one of
their contemporaries...yet they remained perpetual third-stringers
behind the Beatles and the Stones...a frustrating position that
despite all their brilliant efforts could only have been remedied
by two successful plane crashes. And sadly, for evangelists like
me, _The BBC Sessions_ is probably the last chance the unconverted
will get to 'get it'. Surely with the arrival of this disc the vault
is finally empty of unreleased Who material?
The already-convinced will already have this stuff. The
available _Maximum BBC_ (Hiwatt) bootleg offers more tracks,
un-tweaked audio, and is sequenced more or less chronologically
which better documents The Who's evolution from a pretty good bar
band playing James Brown and Motown covers to a thundering force of
nature. MCA's official version scrambles this timeline, but is much
more sonically exciting thanks to producer Jon Astley's audio
reconstructions. As with all his other MCA/Who catalog rethinks,
hard-core fans might again sniff at Astley's tidied-up vocals, guitars
to the front/drums to the rear mixes (sacrilege!) and his proven knack
for gelding the raw energy of the original masters (for example, A/B
his polite remix of "So Sad About Us" with the spectacular original).
But here these techniques work - heavy compression boosts the ambient
room noise on the older cuts giving them a thrilling presence, and
skillful eq'ing on the later songs brings out instrumental parts that
were buried in the bootleg's analog muck.
Note that _The BBC Sessions_ is not being plugged as strictly
a "live" album. The older cuts ("Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere", "Leaving
Here") are definitely "live" live, versus the later material's
obviously reconstructed backing tracks complete with overdubs. Some
of this sweetening sounds clunky (like the handclaps on "My
Generation"), while the Hammond organ added to "Pictures of Lily" (!)
is glorious. Other revelations are redone versions of album tracks
rarely performed in concert - when stripped of their studio tricks,
"Disguises", "Run Run Run" and "See My Way" are just sensational.
Even the normally dumb "Happy Jack" is played with a fun earnestness
that sounds more Who-ish than the original single ever did.
And because this is The Who...nothing comes easy. Rumor has
it that a legal challenge had been mounted over the release rights to
any BBC master to prohibit this disc from seeing the light of day.
I'm glad the release has happened; I'd like the legions of the
uninitiated to hear what a brilliant band with a giant chip on its
collective shoulder sounds like.
---
BOOK REVIEW: _Inside The Music Business: The Power Players...
Conversations With Eric Kline_ (E. Kline Publications)
- Joann D. Ball
When you need to know the real deal, you've got to go straight
to the source. And that's just what Eric Kline has done in _Inside The
Music Business: The Power Players... Conversations With Eric Kline_.
Kline is the former Senior Producer for The Box Music Network, and is
now the head of E. Kline Productions, a South Florida-based video
production company which has delivered videos for such superstars as
Mariah Carey, Alanis Morissette, Aerosmith and Gloria Estefan, and has
also produced television programming for comedians Eddie Murphy, Chris
Rock and Denis Leary.
The innovative _Inside The Music Business: The Power Players...
Conversations With Eric Kline_ is the first offering from E. Kline
Publications, which was launched in late 1999. A unique blend of audio
and text, it covers a range of critical issues such as getting a record
deal, working in and using radio and video, and the future of the
record industry. In the lengthy book and 2-CD set which he calls
"Infotainment," Kline has insightful conversations with over 40 power
players from various sectors of the music industry. His interviews
with recording artists, record and video company executives, media
specialists, managers, producers, and others include brief biographical
sketches and select portions from phone and in-person conversations.
Kline's interview approach is straightforward, clear and direct, and
he manages to get industry movers and shakers to share their
experiences, knowledge, and expertise. And Kline also gets them to
reveal just how they became power players, while also given them an
opportunity to offer valuable advice for those breaking into the music
business.
After a brief introduction of _Inside The Music Business: The
Power Players... Conversations With Eric Kline_, Disc 1 starts with an
in-depth conversation with pioneering rap and hip-hop power player
Russell Simmons, conducted in 1998. "We had to create our own through
the street," Simmons reminds listeners of the history of the format
which reshaped popular music. Simmons' critical overview the development
of this innovative sound and style sheds much light on issues and
difficulties which are now taken for granted some 20 years after rap
and hip-hop's emergence. Not surprisingly, Simmons offers the
do-it-yourself approach as the best route to success for emerging
hip-hop artists. And in so doing, his advice has more to do with the
grass roots, up from the streets approach that has always been hip
hop's foundation than with current trends in the developing
Internet-based music business. In fact, when Kline asks him about
the impact of the Internet on the music industry, Simmons responds
matter-of-factly that "it will take a little longer than people think."
Also included on Disc 1 are conversations with Les Garland and
recording artists Boyz II Men and Michael Bivins. Kline's 14-minute
conversation with Garland, who moved from MTV after its first six
years to international music channel The Box Music Network and now
runs his own music entertainment company, provides a crucial historical
context for the development of music video. And Kline's free flowing
conversation with Boyz II Men generates this advice to new and
developing artists: "surround yourself with positive people, surround
yourself with people that truly care about you and have your best
interest at heart and know what they're doing."
A conversation with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, the only non-urban
music artists included on the audio portion of the release, begins
Disc #2. The band provides a brief overview of its history before
explaining their sound as "definitely music made popular in the '30s
and '40s which people know as swing." Big Bad Voodoo Daddy also reveals
that fashion is so important to what they do because "that's the roots
that this music was formed on." But the most important contribution of
Kline's conversation with the ground breaking band is the
acknowledgement of the level of dedication, perseverance and vision
required to expose and advance a genre of music largely considered
the antithesis of contemporary popular music.
"Keepin' it real" is the message DJ Kid Capri delivers in his
conversation with Kline. The 13-minute interview with one of the
industry's hottest DJs, follows interviews with BET's "Rap City"
host Joe Clair, Bay Area hip-hop entrepreneur E-40 and Houston, Texas
hip-hop entrepreneur J. Prince. DJ Kid Capri is honest and straight to
the point as he urges wanna-be DJs to avoid payola and polish their
skills in order to make it. "In order for a DJ to get known, to be out
there, he has to do a lot of parties, he has to do tapes, he has to
promote himself, get some pictures,and just make yourself known like
anybody else."
The conversations featured in the book, which include artists
Ice Cube and Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony and powerbrokers from across the
music industry, are presented in an easy to read question/answer
format. The conversations are also organized thematically, beginning
with artist-related issues and covering management, public relations,
DJ-related issues, music video, and general music business matters.
And the interviews for each section are followed by an informative
substantive list of essentials for that area of the industry,
including "Essentials of Artist and Producer Royalty Computation"
and "Essentials of Internships."
_Inside The Music Business: The Power Players... Conversations
With Eric Kline_ is a fresh approach to providing much needed
information, context and advice for breaking into one of the most
difficult but much sought after industries. Rather than focusing on
the major companies and their internal structures, or offering a list
of names, numbers and contacts, Eric Kline provides the real 411 that
can make or break a music business career.
To criticize Kline's conversations from being too focused on
power players involved in rap and hip-hop, however, underscores just
how rock music centered the music industry has been and how rock, pop
and rock/alternative music has often been considered the only genres
warranting serious examination and attention. On the contrary, Kline
should be praised for channeling his insider knowledge of rap and
hip-hop, hard earned from his many years at The Box Music Network and
his more recent ventures in his own video production, into a tool that
can benefit those seeking a career in the music industry. And the fact
that he focuses on breaking into the most difficult and still woefully
undervalued part of the music business in _Inside The Music Business:
The Power Players...Conversations With Eric Kline_ proves that these
particular hard knock lessons are really the ones containing universal
value.
For further information on the book - available online for $36,
which covers shipping/handling - check out the website
http://www.musicbizbook.com
---
REVIEW: Mudhoney, _March to Fuzz_ (SubPop)
- Scott Hudson
Prior to the breakout success of Nirvana's 1991 debut album
_Nevermind_, mainstream music was dominated by '80s hair bands and
guitar gods. Music fans, by-and-large, were oblivious to the
"underground" grunge movement emanating from Seattle that was about
to turn the music industry upside down.
At the forefront of the fledgling grunge movement was Mother
Love Bone and Mudhoney, bands made up of former members of Green
River. Ironically, neither would be represented when grunge went
mainstream. Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden would be the torch
bearers of the new genre.
To those who may not know, grunge's geneological roots can be
traced back to Mudhoney. Mudhoney not only defined grunge, but it was
the success of their first single, "Touch Me I'm Sick" and the
subsequent release of their EP, _Superfuzz Bigmuff_ that generated
the early interest in the so-called "Seattle Sound."
Even though mainstream success eluded them, they still
garnered a strong underground fan base. It was that loyal following
that kept the band afloat during the '90s.
The band's split from their label, Reprise, and bassist Matt
Lukin's retirement makes this the perfect opportunity for the release
of their compilation album, _March To Fuzz_.
March To Fuzz is a 2-disc, 52 song compilation that damn near
covers about everything they've released in the past 11 years.
The first disc covers the band's early hits ("Suck You Dry,"
"Hate The Police," "Touch Me I'm Sick," "Here Comes Sickness" and "You
Got It"). It also includes Mark Arm's response to Simon & Garfunkel's
"Scarborough Fair," with "Judgement, Rage, Retribution and Thyme."
While the second disc carts its share great originals ("Run
Shithead Run," Overblown" and "Ounce Of Deception"), its true value is
the inclusion of classic B-sides, rare outtakes, compilation tracks and
priceless covers such as Elvis Costello ("Pump It Up"), Motorhead
("Over The Top"), The Damned ("Stab Your Back") and Spaceman 3
("Revolution").
If it's a sonic blitzkreig you're after, then look no further
than _March To Fuzz_, because no one serves up Armageddon quite like
the "grandfathers of grunge," Mudhoney.
---
REVIEW: Poster Children, _DDD_ (Spin Art) / Salaryman,
_Karoshi_ (12 Inch/Parasol)
- Chelsea Spear
Listening to the music of Salaryman is not unlike experiencing
the industrial world of Fritz Lang's _Metropolis_ first-hand. This
Champaign, Illinois foursome makes driving, melodic instrumental pieces
that not only portray the feeling work-related miasma, but bring the
audience into it through their ingratiating use of repetition, the slow,
ascending structure of their songs, and through a deep, full-sounding
rhythm.
While many have been quick to label Salaryman's music as techno,
there's much more to it than that. The band have a depth of sound and a
cinematic approach that many electronica acts lack. The music has a
nicely kalidescopic effect, and can be appreciated on many levels --
dance fiends will thoroughly enjoy dancing to the rubbery, inventive
rhythm section, while headphone freaks will appreciate the multilayered
production and pointed use of samples. Others, like me, who prefer a
fusion of techno's greatest sounds with a more melodic, song-based
approach, will doubtlessly love the album for supporting its monumental
sound with a passel of sly, warped and utterly perfect melodies.
Salaryman may have a hand in helping the "post-rock" trend come of
age by synthesizing forms and ideas that once seemed disparate, and
blending them into something unique and captivating in their own right.
Meanwhile, the latest album by the Poster Children ("Salaryman
with guitars" according to their website), _DDD_, is probably _Lola
Rennt_ to _Karoshi_'s _Metropolis_. While _DDD_ might not change the
fibre of pop music, or anything else, it's perfectly charming for what
it is. This new album at times recasts the poppy approach the 'Kids
favoured on _Junior Citizen_ and _RTFM_ as a direct descendant of the
NYC punk scene, circa 1977. A lazy, easy comparison, to be sure, and
one that would suggest the reviewer only listened to the
loud-fast-and-hard Ramones tribute "Rock 'N' Roll". Some nicely
Blondie-like moments float to the surface on the dreamy, twirling
"Strange Attractors" and "Daisy Changed" (a reggae rewrite of "Chain
Reaction" from their album _Daisychain Reaction_); the production and
melodic force of other tunes, such as the ear-catching opener "This
Town Needs a Fire," suggest the plight of young people who want to get
out and grab some thrilling life for themselves. Other tracks, like the
percussive "The Old School And the New" and "Elf," find the band
expanding upon musical ideas from their previous album, _New World
Record_, with a greater sense of optimism in the lyrical department.
Will _DDD_ change your life? Nope, but smart people looking for a good
time should look no further.
---
INTERVIEW: Blue Man Group, _Audio_ (Virgin)
- Chris Hill
With a limited amount of space for a record review and
an interview, a shortened introduction: "THX 1138", Yves Klein's
"Blue Sponge Relief (1958)", PVC tubes, satirical art commentary,
cacophonous drumming, intelligent humor, stunning visual effects.
All this and more describe the Blue Man Group, three New York men
who've combined their talents and backgrounds to create the alien
entity known as the Blue Man.
Even as their "Tubes" production continues its long run
in three U.S. cities (New York, Boston, and Chicago), the Blue
Man Group invades a fourth city in March, landing at the Luxor in
Las Vegas for an extended run.
A sense of the unique BMG show is communicated by the 14
track cd, _Audio_. Graphics inside the cd booklet display the
BMG's unusual instrumentation: the Backpack Tubulum (an assembly
of PVC tubes resembling a Bond jet-pack), Air Poles (thin tubes
whipped while gripped in various positions for different sounds,
not unlike plastic lightsabers), the Big Drum (self-explanatory),
and the Drum Wall (a multi-tiered structure with multiple drum
stations). The raw percussive power of the tubular instruments,
combined with traditional guitar, bass, and drums, manages to
resonate in the ears and the body; tribal rock which creates a
primal response.
This isn't a New Age cd, meant to lull and tranquilize.
On "Opening Mandelbrot", drums burst forth in a primordial rhythm
and a rock guitar enters with passion and verve. "Mandelgroove"
begins with a zither sawing away, then splits into simultaneous,
thunderous drums. "Tension 2" plays frantic drum rhythms against
chopping and echoing guitars, like a modern "Perils of Pauline"
interlude.
It's difficult not to think in cinematic terms when
hearing these instrumentals. "Synaesthetic" sees a "Walkabout"
aborigine wandering through "The Arabian Nights". "Utne Wire
Man" crosses "Ran" with "The Road Warrior": preceded by a guitar
howling like a coyote in the desert, the Sword Air Poles enter as
martial instruments, whipping and dancing through the air in
unison. "Drumbone", urgent and speeding, could fit easily on the
"Run Lola Run" soundtrack. Regardless of whatever visuals spring
to mind, _Audio_ manages to stand as a work unto itself, aside
from the BMG stage show.
Taking a break from the pre-production chaos in Vegas,
the three founders (Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton, and Chris Wink)
sat down for a phone interview with Consumable. Like the
merging of their individual selves into the character of the
Blue Man, the interview was conducted seemingly with a singular
entity, as three different voices spoke for the whole.
CO: So you haven't had your first performance yet?
BMG: Nope, March. Our first preview is February 24th
and not even half the show is cued yet, so we're going to get
cued and ready to go about the day before the audience gets here.
CO: So it isn't the "Tubes" performance that you've been
doing for a decade plus?
BMG: No, it's about half and half. We've got the
signature bits from that show, the stuff that we feel like we
almost have to do, because we still like it so much. But we've
got a lot of new stuff, inspired by the work we did on the album,
plus some new character stuff.
CO: Do you ever see a travelling road show?
BMG: We're really determined to figure that out next,
after this. We're thinking that a lot of the experiments we're
doing in this show will help us understand how we could possibly
take it to a tour situation. There's still a lot of things that
we'd have to solve. It takes a lot to get it all in place, which
is why we can't just go out and go on tour, and set up in one
day. It takes us two weeks just to be able to get to the point
where we can actually run through the bits. Until we can figure
out how to tour, we're hoping that some of our fans will find
their way here.
CO: What's the stage show like, for people who are just
hearing the album? I read that there really isn't a plot, per
se. Is it improvisation? What's a typical show?
BMG: There's isn't a plot, but it does have sort of a
shape to it. Maybe one way to describe it, is that the Blue Men
come out, and there's an element of improvisation in that they
actually look at the audience. There isn't a fourth wall. They
come out and they LOOK at the audience. They don't play with
them the whole time, but they lead them through what we might
describe as a post-modern, freaked-out ritual. And it combines
all different kinds of mediums and crafts and images. It's a
cultural stew of influences.
Then there's another side that we didn't even hint at on
the album, and that's the comedic element. We don't think of
ourselves first and foremost as comedians. We try to establish
an element of seriousness to the show, before anything funny
happens, but that actually helps make it a better kind of humor.
It's not trying really hard to be gaggy, but it does happen, and
that's another element for people who haven't seen us. It's a
very deadpan, Buster Keaton, not trying too hard, kind of humor.
There's also a collision between the ancient and the
modern. We play big drums, not just with big sticks, like a
world beat band would do, or kodo drummers, but we play them with
electronic signs, where the Blue Man rips an L.E.D. sign off the
wall, and starts smacking at a 6' drum with it. And that kind of
sums up the aesthetic...futuristic and ancient at the same time.
CO: There really is a sexless, modern, futuristic look
to the character.
BMG: Yep. Perfect. Thank you. And we try to extract
the ego out of it, so that he can look at the world with fresh
eyes, in either a naive way or a very knowing way, depending on
what the situation is.
CO: So it really frees you three up, if it's a distinct
identity, aside from the three of you?
BMG: Absolutely. And also, it not just frees us up, but
I think it makes the work more profound, too.
CO: So, for the show, is it going to be you three guys
doing all the shows, or are you bringing along understudies?
How does it work?
BMG: We have a troupe of Blue Men. We're not the only
ones. And it's important, especially in a show like this. Like
on a day like today, we had to be out in the audience directing,
we had Blue guys on stage, and then after we got the lights set,
WE got on stage, so we were sure to be able to do it.
Typically, we'll open the show. But we'll also start
rotating one at a time out, so we can watch it. The new Blue Men
are great, and they have the luxury of being able to practice and
rehearse nothing but the show all day, whereas we have to direct
and think about lights and sound and all the other elements that
go into making it happen. So we've actually really enjoyed having
a larger troupe. And it's not about us. It's not about us, it's
not about our personalities, it's about the Blue Men.
There have always been multiple Blue Men. And that's what
the project's always been about. The very first public event had
eleven people who were blue - men and women - and the project has
just gone from there. So we've been joking around recently, like
on our EPK (Electronic Press Kit) that we're the founders of
the Blue Men, meaning we FOUND the Blue Man, but the Blue Man is
everywhere.
Part 2 of this interview will appear in next week's issue of Consumable.
---
REVIEW: Adrian Belew, _Coming Attractions_ (Thirsty Ear)
- Joann D. Ball
Adrian Belew has been an extremely busy man in the months since
his last release, _Salad Days_. Among the varied projects Belew is
currently constructing are a new studio record, a collection of
unreleased tracks, and the second volume of an experimental guitar
series. And, and all of this is in addition to his contributions to a
new King Crimson CD. Rather than keep all of this musical productivity
to himself, Belew has chosen to give the listening public a sneak
preview of the songs and sounds that flow from his brilliantly
overactive mind.
On _Coming Attractions_, Belew reveals the energy, enthusiasm,
and the range of instrumental innovations that drive his creative
process. _Coming Attractions_ opens with "Inner Man" and "Predator
Feast," two tracks from his soon to be released studio effort. On
"Inner Man," guitar wizard Belew leads his aggressive power trio on
a sonic assault that expresses the anger and rage within that is usually
hidden from the world. And the song is propelled by drum samples taken
from his most commercial solo record to date, _Mr. Music Head_.
"Predator Feast" is another industrial strength aggro number, but
here Belew transforms his guitar into a flame thrower over machine
sounds-turned-drum loops by Ken Latchney. Both of these killer cuts
suggest that Belew's year 2000 offering is bound to expand Belew's fan
base and should reap great commercial rewards.
For those who are intoxicated by Belew's brand of classic power
pop, though, Belew offers "117 Valley Drive" which features his sometime
band mates the Bears. Switching gears yet again, this Beatlesque number
is followed by "Inner Revolution" and "Time Waits" which were recorded
in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1997. These two live cuts will appear on
the upcoming live record _This Is A Pencil_.
Also included on _Coming Attractions_, are several tracks from
an upcoming box set of rarities called _Dust_. An overview of songs
Belew has written or co-written in the past twenty years, it includes
a demo version of King Crimson's "People" and a reconstructed version
of an alternate version of "Bird in a Box" from _Mr. Music Head_. And
rounding out this 12-track sneak preview is "Animal Kingdom," an
experimental track of African percussion preformed on guitar to the
accompaniment of an acoustic drum kit. Unlike other projects, however,
there is no projected completion or release date for the second volume
of the experimental guitar series of which "Animal Kingdom" is a central
part.
Yet again, Adrian Belew is generating some of the most intriguing
and interesting popular music available today. Always blurring categories
and genres by freely experimenting and developing new approaches to
song and sound, Adrian Belew is a prolific musical genius whose work
is always fresh and progressive. So enjoy the sneak previews on _Coming
Attractions_ and be sure not to miss any of the full length feature
releases!
---
REVIEW: Sarah Cracknell, _Lipslide _ (Instinct)
- Wilson Neate
Since joining Saint Etienne in 1991 and adding a crucial
ingredient to the sound of a band who surely rank among the more
influential British acts of the last decade, Sarah Cracknell has
emerged as one of the most enduring and classy female vocalists in
UK pop today.
While too much of the mid-90s was taken up with Brit-Pop
hype and while Blur and Oasis fought it out in the not entirely
dissimilar English tabloid and music presses, Cracknell's full-time
outfit quietly went about their business crafting their own, more
sophisticated, more intelligently referential and infinitely more
danceable soundtrack to a post-house, nascent Cool Britannia. Indeed,
Saint Etienne not only pre-dated Brit-Pop - enjoying the dubious honor
of having Oasis open for them on one tour - but they will undoubtedly
outlive it.
When bandmates Pete Wiggs and Bob Stanley took time out in
1996 to set up their own label, Cracknell took the opportunity to
record her solo debut _Lipslide_ (which came out in Britain in 1997,
albeit with slightly different tracks). As Cracknell commented in an
interview in the English press, this project was in part motivated by
being tired of "people assuming that I was just a frontperson for Bob
and Pete, that I was a puppet, that I didn't do any of the real work."
Bearing in mind her songwriting abilities as evidenced on
Saint Etienne's 1994 _Tiger Bay_ ("Hug My Soul" and "Marble Lions"),
even by the time of its original release _Lipslide_ was already
long-overdue. Given the quality of her work thus far with Wiggs and
Stanley, it's not surprising that Cracknell's solo release should be
such a successful outing.
_Lipslide_ covers both well-trodden and uncharted territory.
On the one hand Cracknell offers solid and smooth, polished pop in
the Saint Etienne vein, albeit without the ironic, sometimes rough-edged,
off-beat or experimental dimension of the trio at their best - there
are no Rush samples here, no occasional dub dabblings and no sampled
movie and television snippets. On the other hand, she makes a
convincing case for her own, autonomous musical identity both as a
co-writer of all the songs and as the producer on two of the most
impressive tracks on the album.
Sarah Cracknell achieves a finely tuned musical collage that
effortlessly straddles the dance floor and the cold light of day with
its attendant ups and downs, usually on the barometer of romance.
_Lipslide_'s cocktail of dance grooves and melodic, playful pop blends
clubby exuberance and morning-after melancholy.
The more upbeat side of the equation is well represented by
tracks such as "Desert Baby," "If You Leave Me," "Anymore," and
"Coastal Town," with their driving Euro-disco beats. At the same
time, songs like "4 Months 2 Weeks," "Home" and "Goldie" attest to
the more introspective, comfortably mournful side of Cracknell's vision.
The melancholy melodies are complemented by Cracknell's wistful vocals
which, in turn, foreground the mood of lyrics that frame eloquent
snapshots of unremarkable, everyday emotional states.
While her songs often comprise familiarly banal and mundane
dramas of expectation, remorse, loss and longing, Cracknell renders
them with an uncommonly evocative touch. Like Morrissey without the
irony or the whingeing, or like a less beat-laden version of recent
Everything But the Girl, Cracknell shows that there is life beyond the
dance floor - it may not provide fun or even particularly colorful raw
material but, in the right hands and given the right vocal treatment,
it can still make for great songs.
The defining aspect of this record is perhaps Cracknell's
ability to craft music that manages to be simultaneously retro and now,
moving in and out of styles and bridging epochs without missing a beat.
Like her work with Saint Etienne, _Lipslide_ reflects an updated 60s
pop-art sensibility that recycles and recontextualizes forms,
cheerfully constructs clever pastiches and nods to a past generation
of musical coordinates at the same time as it taps into the current
dance sounds that have permeated the best pop music of the last few
years.
Where Cracknell differs is that her musical collage is shorn
of pop art's camp and irony that Saint Etienne left largely intact on
albums like _Foxbase Alpha_ and _So Tough_ (on which you could
occasionally almost hear Wiggs and Stanley winking at you as they
slipped in another clever reference).
On _Lipslide_ Cracknell takes the opportunity to declare her
musical influences more openly and sincerely than before, not simply
by reference but by carefully fashioning songs that turn citation into
a sustained stylistic recreation of the feel of the originals. Not
surprisingly, her coordinates are well-rooted in the 60s - Françoise
Hardy, Burt Bacharach, Joao Gilberto, and Dusty Springfield.
Particularly outstanding are the songs that invoke the music of the
latter two.
"Oh Boy, the Feeling When You Held My Hand," on which Cracknell
is accompanied only by guitar, recreates the understated and yet
melodically memorable bossa nova stylings of Gilberto. "Ready or
Not" and "Can't Stop Now" - both of which Cracknell produced - are
standout affairs that rediscover a particularly 60s British pop sound
and pay loving homage to Dame Dusty, all the while managing, as the
cliche goes, to be . . . well . . . timeless. The second of the two,
a lilting, waltzy minor masterpiece with strings, harmonies and piano,
is the real winner here.
While "Ready or Not" and "Can't Stop Now" in particular attest
to a finely honed retro sensibility, Cracknell's variations on 60s pop
go beyond imitation or faddish interest to reinvent her sources in a
contemporary context. But then Sarah Cracknell has a peculiar link
to that period with which she continues such a productive flirtation.
In 1967 - owing to the fact that her father was a first assistant
director to Stanley Kubrick - a newly born Cracknell was screen
tested for the part of the Star Child in _2001: A Space Odyssey_.
Kubrick decided he wanted a stranger image and she didn't get the
part. But that close-call perhaps suggests how, from the outset,
Cracknell has always had one foot squarely in the middle of 60s pop
culture, the other stepping toward the future.
Although some have criticized _Lipslide_'s lack of depth,
bemoaned its saccharine quality and even faulted it for being as
weightless as the backing music for 60s/70s British shampoo commercials,
they really seemed to have completely missed the point - this is pop
after all, and beautifully done at that.
---
REVIEW: Kid Dynamite, _Shorter Faster Louder_ (Jade Tree)
- Andrew Duncan
Back with Philadelphia's finest, _Shorter Faster Louder_ is
Kid Dynamite's latest that offers yet another solid collection of songs
with little transformation.
Ascending from the now-defunct East Coast hardcore populous
Lifetime, Dan Yemin and Dave Wagenschutz continue their ideology with
Kid Dynamite. While in Lifetime, the band believed in keeping the songs
short and to-the-point, catering to the short attention-spanned
generation of today.
Kid Dynamite is no different. Clocking in at a hair over 22
minutes, Shorter Faster Louder feels more like one epic song than 18
bursts of hardcore.
Ranking in popularity with other aspiring hardcore bands,
including Snapcase or Boy Sets Fire (they recorded a split EP with Kid
Dynamite for the Sub City label), the band takes pieces from mid-'80s
influences like Youth of Today and Gorilla Biscuits with their anthemic,
social hardcore and adds to the structure elements of pop-core attitude.
The band has the chops and dexterity to remain consistent in
such a fast-tempo environment. However, the downfall is that there is
little diversity between each song, keeping the album dry and later
lacking the intensity that began the album.
Their first full-length on Jade Tree was a great re-introduction
into the hardcore scene, but as time goes by, the band needs to dig
deeper into their style, which comes across more clearly and intensely
in their short live sets.
---
REVIEW: Various Artists, _Men In Plaid_ (Bullseye)
- Bill Holmes
Bullseye follows up last year's excellent Klaatu tribute with
another winner, once again featuring a Who's Who of Contemporary Pop
Bands. Rollermaniacs, having seen their heroes suffer the torture of
VH-1's _Behind The Music_, can now revel in a newly issued Greatest
Hits collection and this enthusiastic homage. But even if you hated
the Rollers -- and I just KNOW many of you did -- you'll be surprised
at how many great songs are buried beneath the plaid exterior. Maybe
"S-S-S-Saturday Night" doesn't carry the same cultural weight as
"My G-G-G-Generation" to you, but for millions of fans across the
world, The Bay City Rollers were their Beatles.
To say that The Flashcubes launch this record like a rocket
would be an understatement; Paul Armstrong and Arty Lenin rip into
"Wouldn't You Like It" like Keith Richards and Mick Taylor circa "Brown
Sugar". Although no one else blows the roof off quite like that opening
track, there are several other solid contributions. Gary "Pig" Gold
sounds like he's been a closet Gripweed for years; this "Rock And Roll
Love Letter" can stand proudly alongside The Records' version. There
are TWO versions of "Saturday Night"; Anton Barbeau adds his trademark
left-of-the-dial approach while The Dipsomaniacs attack the song with
a fever pitch. Tom Davis and Jeremy handle the mellower cuts equally
well, while the appropriately named Squires Of The Subterrain dial in
from the basement.
Other standouts include Ed James' one-man-band take on "You
Make Me Believe In Magic"; this performance will have people running
to the store for HIS record. And both Reptopia and Fudge chose to take
some liberties with the bubblegum pop songs, and their arrangements
result in two of the standout cuts. Of course, not every cut bears
repeated listening -- for me, The Bobbies' version of "Let's Go" was
devoid of energy -- but beauty is in the ear of the beholder.
_Men In Plaid_ features a solid collection of bands who treat
the songs with some reverence, but also have a lot of fun with them.
That's the way music used to be in the Rollers days. Some of these
bands are old enough to remember, but the others probably had to be
told. And the little girls still understand.
( http://www.bullseyecanada.com )
---
REVIEW: The Posies, _Live Before the Iceberg_ (Badman Recording)
- John Davidson
Despite putting out some of the most admirable power pop of
the '90s, one of the many Seattle-area bands that never made it to sales
nirvana was The Posies. Then again, most bands signed during that grunge
gold rush never amounted to much more than a '90s equivalent of Donna
Summer: acts so tied to a fad that when the fad dies, so does the
artist. Things are never quite that simple, yet sadly, many talented
musicians from the grunge era are never going to get a big label shot
again. As a more recent example, the relative sales failure of
Soundgarden's Chris Cornell solidifies the pessimism that lurks at
the executive level in the music business.
However, some artists never waited for success to happen, and
that wisdom has paid off in great dividends (i.e. income stability and
more of a "career" in rock music.) Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, the
creative duo behind the Posies throughout their ten-year existence,
never sat still when it came to exploring their musicianship. Widely
known for their participation in the relapse tours of pop heroes Big
Star, they also have an extensive track record of collaboration with
many other upstart West Coast bands. They've played tribute albums,
toured extensively, and this past year, Stringfellow even hit the road
as part of the backing band for R.E.M. Their lasting career is not a
tribute to odd luck; rather, it's an example of how talent can carry a
load that fickle fandom simply can't.
Still, their years as Posies are their stock trade and lasting
legacy. As a legacy, the band probably won't be remembered as much for
their style as for their ability to re-work the promise of Big Star
within the guise of more aggressive, 90s rock. Often intimately baroque
at their roots, by the end the Posies were leaving that precocious sound
for a more punk-inspired, emotional fireworks. This transformation most
surely alienated some of the earlier fans, but the band seemed intent on
turning up the volume both in the studio and in the live setting. So, it
comes as no surprise that _Alive Before the Iceberg_ is a relic of the
Posies cranking it up at the expense of delicate, flowery showmanship.
_Alive_ captures the band in Spain on their last tour supporting
their swan song _Success_, and the twelve songs are representative of
that album more than their career. Both Auer and Stringfellow sound
weary throughout (elaborated to great extent on Stringfellow?s engaging
liner notes), and the effect comes off as somewhat sloppy but full of
passionate energy - in a sense, a live show that's not canned or
reworked to sound like the studio version. The insecurity of "Please
Return It" burns with the howled line "There has to be an upside!" and
the bitter "Everybody Is a Fucking Liar" encapsulates the gutter of
any failed relationship. However, _Alive_ also serves to exacerbate
the weaker songs in their catalog (most notably "Start a Life" and
"Broken Record"), and you have to wonder why they got included on a
forty-seven minute disc. There are better songs to choose from, although
give Badman credit for adding the boozy Cheap Trick cover "Surrender."
What may be the best part of the disc is the fact that it has
appeared at all. Tiny upstart Badman finagled a way to release this live
document, and if the big labels in the industry had any clue, they would
realize that there is a huge demand for live music. Take one look at the
bootleg industry, and you'll see that there is plenty of money to be
made. It's well-known that most artists are in favor of releasing their
concerts as opposed to letting bootleggers make all the money. With the
cost of manufacturing going down and a cheap form of distribution (the
Internet) becoming more and more viable, it's hopefully only a matter
of time before acts in new millennium will be churning out approved
live material and other studio scraps. _Alive Before the Iceberg_ is
proof that the future is here, serving as a raucous farewell letter to
Posies fans everywhere. Check out http://www.badmanrecordingco.com
for more information.
---
REVIEW: L.A. Guns, _Shrinking Violet_ (Perris)
- Paul Hanson
Who asked for this? Who the hell called up Perris Records and
said, "Please Mr. Record Exec, give one of my favorite 80s band that
never had much of a commercial success ONE MORE CHANCE."
Why do I want to find this person? Simple. I want to say thank
you. Yes, thank you for giving yet another reason to the music industry
to respect the bands of the '80s. There were talented acts and none less
so than L.A. Guns. Yes, they initially rode the Guns-n-Roses ticket to
recognition (Tracii Guns was in Guns-n-Roses at one time, before
_Appetite for Destruction_) but they promptly drove that stigma away.
By the time they hit their radio success with "The Ballad of
Jane," the band was loaded with success of their own making. It becomes
evident quickly that this is a band that wants to stake a claim in the
music industry, not as a has-been '80s band, but as a legit band in
2000. The songwriting here is structured around writing a "song" in
the traditional sense. There's an intro followed by a verse followed
by a chorus followed by a verse. These are songs, not 4 minute ear
candy for radio.
This time around, sex is, once again, at the forefront of this
band's collective mind, evident with the first track, "Girl You Turn Me
On" and later with "Big Lil' Thing." It's immediately evident that Guns
and company are out with a vengeance. Gilby Clarke's production is
crisp and clean, yet not so much that this sounds slick. Vocalist
Jizzy Pearl proves he is talented, toggling between a distorted vocal
style and a more 80s style screech. "Shrinking Violet" continues the
momentum with a tight musical interplay between drummer Steve Riley
and bassist Stefan Adika. Some nice harmonies add to this track.
The stellar tracks, though, are the Led Zeppelin "Kashmir"-ish
"Decide" and all-out rocker "Big Lil' Thing." At a mid-tempo plod,
"Decide" showcases the magic of this band. Drummer Steven Riley
provides a solid backbeat. "Big Lil' Thing" is an up-tempo rocker
with yet another chops workout for Riley as he provides slick fills
throughout the song. Could it have been recorded and released in the
'80s? Possibly, but I doubt the band of then could have pulled it off
as well as the 2000 version of this band.
This record easily re-captures the band's groove from their
debut release of long ago. _Shrinking Violet_, is a return to form for
this band.
---
REVIEW: The Lovin' Spoonful, _Greatest Hits_ (Buddha)
- Bill Holmes
With their induction to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame just
around the corner, what better time than now to celebrate the artistry
of The Lovin' Spoonful? They weren't icons like The Beatles, tough like
The Animals or cute like Herman's Hermits. But they were one of America's
best answers to the British Invasion, and like their West Coast cousins
The Byrds, had their roots firmly planted in traditional folk music.
Though Dylan and Hendrix and McGuinn and Sebastian prowled the
same small Greenwich Village neighborhood, each took different steps
towards the future. For Sebastian and mates Zal Yanovsky, Joe Butler
and Steve Boone, the music was as much of a melting pot as the
neighborhood. Mixing swamp blues, country, rock and R&B together, the
Spoonful were staples of AM radio from 1965 through 1967. With hits
like "Daydream," "Do You Believe In Magic," "Did You Ever Have To Make
Up Your Mind," "Rain On The Roof" and "Summer In The City," the band
created an influential form of American music that was as commercially
successful (their first seven singles were top ten hits!) as it was
unique. That success helped open the doors for bands from...well, The
Band and Credence Clearwater Revival to The Jayhawks and Wilco, thirty
years down the road.
Buddha continues to mine its catalogue and treat listeners to
pristine, digitally remastered versions of classic records. This
collection clocks in at over an hour and features twenty-six tracks,
and the sound is fabulous. Sebastian is validated as a great vocalist,
and the guitars, Zal's in particular, shimmer and bite in a way car
radios could never have appreciated. Overall, the colorful
instrumentation, unconventional harmony arrangements and pure joy of
the music jumps out of the speakers with a freshness and vitality that
confirms the timelessness of the material.
John Sebastian, of course, went on to enjoy solo success with
his easygoing material, and later got his career (and wallet) recharged
with the popular theme from "Welcome Back Kotter". Even now, while he is
touring with NRBQ or playing solo acoustic dates, the crowd will
invariably ask to hear the classic Spoonful material more frequently
than his later, lesser known work. And unlike many rock and roll
survivors who downplay their past successes, Sebastian will thank the
crowd for asking, and then light up the room with some of those
chestnuts. And he'll smile along with them, because he knows all too
well that even a newer song like "Tar Beach" speaks of the same days
in New York as "Summer In The City," all those years ago...
---
REVIEW: Union, _The Blue Room_ (Spitfire)
- Linda Scott
Union won the best new band award from "Metal Edge" in 1998.
With _The Blue Room_, Union releases its sophomore effort (not counting
a live album). When you hear this traditional rock and roll band, you
wonder how can these guys be so good so fast? Check out the band members
for the answer: Bruce Kulick, ex-Kiss lead guitarist, on guitars and
vocals, plus John Corabi, ex-Motley Crue on vocals and guitar. Between
them there is twenty years of experience. Kulick performed with Kiss
for 12 years and was let go when the original Kiss reformed for a makeup
covered reunion. Corabi was with the Crue till the original band
re-formed there. It must be some consolation that Union sounds better
than either of the two reunion bands.
_The Blue Room_ is first and foremost a classic rock album but
with a touch of metal, a touch of blues, and some terrific lyrics. The
band claims as its influences the giants of rock: The Beatles, Led
Zeppelin, and Aerosmith. Some songs are distinctly Beatle-esque, both
in the music and the lyrics. Most are just the heart of the great rock
bands pounding behind Union's backbeat.
The album leads off with "Do Your Own Thing," the first single.
It's so catchy, it'll play in your head all day. Jamie Hunting on bass
and Brent Fritz on drums are standouts on this number. "Everything's
Alright" is one of those with The Beatles' influence. Great harmonies
and backing vocals on this one. Kulick shows his guitar wizardry, and
Corabi sounds great. A standout cut! "Dear Friend" is Kulick's lyrical
and vocal tribute to Eric Carr, friend and Kiss drummer, who succumbed
to cancer in 1991. Kulick says goodbye to his bandmate, and the song
moves on with him to a rocking finish. In yet another style, "No More"
is an angry song from Corabi on social issues such as school homicides,
the environment, etc. Corabi has a young son and is disgusted with the
state the world is in. This kind of social indictment isn't often seen
anymore on rock or other albums. Corabi snaps out the lyrics, drums and
bass emphasize and Kulick pounds it all home. An exceptional end to the
album.
There haven't been many true rock albums lately, but _The Blue
Room_ is in the classic rock style. If you have been missing rock, it
will be coming around on February 22 with _The Blue Room_'s release.
When Union tours in support of their album, why not check them out?
They are playing clubs, so you get an inexpensive rock evening, and
you get to meet and greet the band after the show. Just seeing the
legendary Bruce Kulick would make it all worth while. Stand by for
that single, "Do Your Own Thing," and visit the band at:
http:\\UnionAsylum.com
---
CONTEST:
> Deep Elm Records will be giving away a sampler CD
to three randomly chosen people who answer several music
questions on the label. Check out our main page, at
http://www.consumableonline.com for a link to the contest.
Members of Consumable Online and their related family are not
eligible to enter.
---
NEWS: > Cypress Hill will be releasing two different versions
of the first single to come from their _Skull & Bones_ album,
each boasting special guest appearances by different artists.
The song is called "Superstar" and is a cautionary tale aimed
at starry-eyed youngsters getting into the music business.
"(Rap) Superstar" contains excerpts from interviews with
Noreaga and Eninem while "(Rock) Superstar" contains excerpts
from interviews with Everlast and Chino Moreno (Deftones)
discussing the problems they've countered in the course of
their respective careers and their advice to naive beginners
just getting started.
> Alanis Morissette will be making her theatrical stage
debut, between March 24 and April 2, performing pieces of the
critically hailed The Vagina Monologues at the Westside
Theatre in New York City.
> The Red Hot Chili Peppers will be releasing their latest
long form home video, _Funky Monks_, on DVD on February 22.
Originally released on home video in 1991, _Funky Monks_ captures
the creation of _Blood Sugar Sex Magik_.
> The State Song Project is gathering together modern
renditions of the official songs of the fifty states, with the
final result being a Volume 1 compilation album. Cash prizes
will be offered up to $25,000 along with continuing royalties
to winners. For further information, check out
http://www.statesongproject.com .
---
TOUR DATES:
Beck
Feb. 18 Philadelphia, PA Tower Theatre
Feb. 19 Washington, D.C. Patriot Center
Frank Black and the Catholics
Feb. 19-20 Madison,WI The Annex
Feb. 21 Milwaukee, WI Shank Hall
Feb. 22 Minneapolis, MN Quest Club
Feb. 23 Sioux Falls, SD KC Hall
Chris Cornell
Feb. 16 Columbia, MO Blue Note
Feb. 18 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
Feb. 19 Rochester, NY Harro Ballroom
Feb. 22 Providence, RI Lupo's
Feb. 23 Long Island, NY Vanderbilt
Dismemberment Plan
Feb. 18 Los Angeles, CA Fais Do Do (w/ Juno)
Feb. 19 Las Vegas, NV Expresso Roma (w/ Juno)
Feb. 22 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill (w/ Juno)
Fastbacks
Feb. 19 Seattle, WA Sit-n-Spin
Gomez
Feb. 18-19 San Francisco, CA Fillmore
Feb. 21 Portland, OR Aladdin
Feb. 22 Seattle, WA Kink Kat/Showbox
Feb. 23 Vancouver, CANADA Richards
Guster
Feb. 18 Austin, TX La Zona Rosa
Feb. 19 Dallas, TX Gypsy Tea Room
Feb. 22 Vail, CO 8150 Club
Feb. 23 Fort Collins, CO Aggie Theater
Ben Harper & Innocent Criminals
Feb. 18 Columbia, IL Blue Note
Feb. 19 Kansas City, KS Uptown Theater
Richie Hawtin
Feb. 18 San Francisco 1015 Folsom
Feb. 19 Iowa City, IA University of Iowa
Miles Hunt
Feb. 18 Long Branch, NJ Gemini Lounge
Feb. 19 New Brunswick, NJ Melody Bar
Korn
Feb. 18 Lakeland, FL Lakeland Civic Center
Feb. 19 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena
Feb. 21 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena
Feb. 23 Dallas, TX Reunion Arena
Machine Head
Feb. 18 Columbus, OH Al Rosa Villa
Feb. 19 Detroit, MI Harpo's
Feb. 20 Chicago, IL Metro
Feb. 22 Suaget, IL Pop's Annex
Feb. 23 Madison, WI Barrymore Theater
Morrissey / Sheila Divine
Feb. 17 Pittsburgh, PA Metropol
Feb. 19-20 Boston Avalon
Feb. 21 Portland, ME State Theater
Other 99
Feb. 23 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
Powerman 5000
Feb. 15 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
Feb. 16 Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
Feb. 18 New York, NY Roseland
Feb. 19 Worcester, MS Palladium
Feb. 20 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
Feb. 22 Pittsburgh, PA Metropol
Feb. 23 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's
Pretenders
Feb. 19 Vancouver, Canada Orpheum Theatre
Feb. 23 Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theatre
Stroke 9
Feb. 18 Towson, MD Recher Theater
Feb. 19 Philadelphia, PA TLA
22 Jacks
Feb. 16 Austin, TX Austin Music Hall
Feb. 18 St. Louis, MO Gargoyle
Feb. 19 Columbia, MO Expo Center
Feb. 20 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
Feb. 21 Madison, WI Dane County Hall
---
ERRATA: Last week's issue mistakenly included a reference in the
Lambchop review to San Francisco Music Club; it should have read
American Music Club. Thanks to Jim F., who first pointed this out.
---
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