Indie-List_V2_N12
the INDIE-LIST DIGEST /
/ volume 2, number 12 (August 17, 1993)
"A Trial Makes A Customer... Established in 1992 And Still Growing!"
This week in Indie-List:
Giveaway #3
Boo!
Indie List contribution
Message from the Moderator:
akjef;jaife;ajfj
Concert Review (for Indie List)
CURSE v. KCMU Update
indie-list stuff
tsunami, sebadoh, tiger traps, and sold out shows...
Re: Reviews- Dog Faced Herm
oops, maybe late indie list submission
**********************
From: Mark <cornick@delphi.com>
Subject: Giveaway #3
I have here a copy of Poole's "Tangle Up" 45 on SpinArt. (This is the
same 45 that was part of the Pop Licks boxed set, but it's on black
vinyl instead of red, and has a picture sleeve.) This 45 will be
given free of charge to the first person who can tell me the name of
Steve Albini's cat. (Hint: this was in a recent Indie-List mailing.)
Management and staff of Indie-List, prior giveaway winners, and
anyone who works for a major label are not eligible to win. Good
luck!
**********************
From: Mark <cornick@delphi.com>
Subject: Boo!
First: Apologies are in order to Rob Vaughn. I did not intend to imply
(in the FAQ) that he is either (a) a net.elitist, or (b) the Army
Intelligence Agency. Rob's not the AIA, I am. (Well, my dad is an
AIA agent, so they undoubtedly have a file a yard long on me. :-)
Uh, the Friendly debutante party originally scheduled for this Sunday
(the 22nd) has been pushed back to September 5th. Same Bat-time, same
Bat-station.
The Eeyore tour wound up on Saturday night at Richmond's Club Colours
with Sockeye opening. Sockeye were their usual bowel-rocking selves,
there's not a lot that can be said about them. Their live show is
just as demented as their records. Ah well. Eeyore pulverized the
audience with three hours of the most brutal techno ever loaded on a
Richmond audience... well, anyway, imagine a fifth-grade version of
Caroliner with an Oedipus complex and you've got the basic gist of
Eeyore. Nice costumes, interesting things were thrown from/to the
stage, and I guess the music was pretty good too. (I live with some
of Eeyore, so I can't really say anything bad about them or they'll
throw me out. By the way, they apologize to anyone injured during the
show. And thanks to everyone who cleaned up the styrofoam pellets.)
Recommendation: Enjoy a glass of limeade this week. There are several
down sides to Richmond being the former capital of the Confederacy
and thus a definite "old South" city -- actual bumper sticker seen
here: "I'm the CSA... And I Vote" -- but one of the good things is
that you can still get good old soda-fountain limeade (or lemonade,
or what have you) at several places here. I'd forgotten how much I
liked the stuff, living in Charlottesville (which is more or less a
suburb of Washington these days, and thus a Yankee city more than a
Dixie city.)
Only one new record this week, but oh what a record it is...
- THE BOO RADLEYS, "At The Sound of Speed" (Creation/SpinArt, PO Box
1798, NY NY 10156-1798): The Boo!sters manage to shake free of the
MBV comparisons on this 45; the Krautrock influences are more evident
here, but this definitely rocks harder than most of the _Everything's
All Right Forever_ LP. You still get those wonderful
three-martini-afternoon swooning vocals, too. (And trumpet!) This is
the perfect soundtrack to sitting out on your back porch, just
watching clouds roll by, with the one you love. (Or whatever form of
slacking off you most enjoy.) Typically nice faux-Aztec sleeve, too,
and beautiful streaked-magenta vinyl. Easily one of the best things
SpinArt has put out (since Sony won't touch non-Pearl Jam 7" vinyl
with a ten foot pole, I guess Creation worked some deal with SpinArt
for this 45 -- all the better for us), and one of Boo!'s finest
singles. ***. (BTW, SpinArt's new "top" logo looks a lot nicer than
their old logo. :-)
I happen to think this is a very good issue; thanks to everyone who
contributed...
**********************
From: Matt Kelly <MATTKELLY@antioc.antioch.edu>
Subject: Indie List contribution
Well, I'm all moved into my new place and I'm starting to get back
into the hobby aspects of life. ie: working on my zine, my BBS and
going to shows. This week was an amazing series of events from being
told that my place of work will be on the internet soon and that I
can get a UUCP feed for my BBS, to being put in my friend's will, and
seeing 3 great shows 3 nights in a row!
Tuesday 8-10-93 Thurston Moore/Free Kitten/Truman's Water/Tiger Trap
at Slims in San Francisco.
I don't like Slims much, I don't like the whole feeling of the place,
but they occasionally get a good show and this was a good example.
Tiger Trap really impressed me. The songs I already knew from the
album were executed so much better live, and the band really has a
strange, but enchanting stage presence.
Truman's Water were incredibly energetic and noisy. They won my
heart with a song that I swear steals some licks from and Early
Sonic Youth song. If I could just remember the title. The TW song
is about Gina Arnold (an annoying local columnist in the East Bay
Express who just wrote a book about Nirvana) (Hi Gina! Call my BBS!
415/648-PUNK) and man, they just rocked. I'd never heard them before
but i ran out the next day and picked up the L-O-N-G and groovy CD on
Homestead.
Free Kitten didn't do much for me at all. A couple songs that kinda
sounded a little like Sonic Youth were ok, but this combo of people
isn't the kind of thing I'd spend much time listening to. But what
am I complaining about? The show only cost $5 and I did get in.
Unlike the 30 or so people who had to stand outside the window next
to the stage.
Instead of Free Kitten doing an encore, Thurston Moore (who just
happened to be tagging along for the Lollapalooza Etc. tour) came on
stage and played 3 songs solo with just his guitar. The three songs
(I believe) were called Self-Obsessed and Sexy, Pat Smear (about
someone from The Germs and SST records), and a short maybe unfinished
tune called Star Fuel Road. I was very happy to have stuck out FK
even though they sucked.
Punk Rock Celebrity Spottings at Slims that night: Dale from the
Melvins, Blag from the Dwarves, Lisa Carver, and an ex-girlfriend of
mine.
Wednesday 8-11-93 Tsunami/Tiger Trap/Pineapple Princess at Brave New
World in San Francisco.
Pineapple Princess were a silly two-some who played Eukalales with
distortion and covered such great songs as "I wanna be your Boyfriend
by the Ramones" (I think they sang Girlfriend, but I'm not sure) and
Roll out the Barrel. Ha Ha. I guess I don't find this kind of thing
funny. But their friends did.
Tiger Trap were in even better form tonite. They were probably more
comfortable with this crowd which by all accounts was friendlier and
more fun than the one the night before. They played a couple songs
they said they'd never played in front of people before, and did a
3 song encore. Go see Tiger Trap when you can. They'll charm your
new Breeders Promo socks off.
Tsunami were just great! My friend Michele said they didn't sound
anything like they did when she saw them years back before they'd
released any records. But they were worth all the hype. Dreamy,
Droney, the kind of music that makes me feel like I'm having a really
emotional dream and that I'm going to wake up crying. I was
surprised how much the album sounds like they sound live.
I talked to Jenny a little bit after the show to buy a t-shirt and
tell her that the eco-packaging on my Tsunami CD has been scratching
it each time I take it in or pull it out and that now it skips. She
said "There are only 2000 of them like that" and I said "Oh, I guess
I should sell it to a collector then". I don't think I made a very
good first impression.
8-12-93 Sebadoh/Smog/Ford at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco.
I dissed Ford pretty bad in my last review of them. And I'm gonna do
it again. I don't like them one bit. (Sorry Kath) They played an ok
(I guess) short set and started to leave the stage. I was kind of
surprised, but glad because I wanted to see the other bands much
more. But they played an encore for some reason, and about 1/2 way
through the first song in the encore the guitar player/singer grabbed
her face and I thought she might be crying. Then she puked all over
herself. It was truly strange. The club was really hot, and they
were playing pretty hard, so I guess I understand what happened, but
it sure was weird. Then suddenly the club erupted in people telling
stories about other people in bands who had puked on stage. Weird.
I've never seen Smog play before, but they did a really nice slow set
of catchy songs. I couldn't tell if there were 3 or 4 people in the
band, but they had some keyboards, (sometimes) violin, guitar, bass,
guitar, drums and vocals. I taped their set, and I'm looking forward
to listening to it again. Great lyrics to the songs.
Sebadoh played a 85% great 15% so-so show. A couple of songs were
messed up by Lou when he either forgot the lyrics or was really
distracted by the strings on his 12 string guitar breaking. They
played a bunch of songs that I love including "Really Insane" and
"Homemade" (two guys behind me were arguing about whether or not the
song was about a bong! :) ). Seb. cut back and forth between the
more sensitive-Barlow-love-type songs and Jason's more in-your-face
songs like "Sister". Lots of people heckled and called out for their
favorite songs (which were often played..except "Freed Pig" and
"Whitey Peach" heh heh) and argued amongst each other because it was
so damn hot in this way-way oversold club. I wouldn't have missed
this show for the world. Sebadoh are such an amazing band. I taped
it and I'm looking for more live Sebadoh, so drop me a line if you
have anything to trade! :)
Look for a Sebadoh Discography and Questionaire in Cool Beans! #2
which will be out sometime in the next month.
In case you had the misconception that San Francisco indie-rock
audiences were really sophisticated or something, I'd like to let
everyone know that at all 3 of these shows people were almost
constantly yelling "Freebird". Man, I don't get it.
SF news: I dunno, I heard the Quake might close, that the Dwarves
weren't really kicked off Subpop, and that they might break up.
Cool Beans! BBS has a new number... 415/648-PUNK (7865) and I've got
all the Indie Lists online available for downloading. UUCP feed soon
as well as PUNK-NET.
Write me eh? I love to trade tapes and talk music. - Matt
mattkelly@antioch.edu (not matt_kelly@antioch.edu as was previously
printed) (gosh this was long)
**********************
From: "K. Lena Bennett" <keb@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Message from the Moderator:
Sorry the indie list is a little late; completely my fault.
ObSebadoh: The show last night at the Off Ramp was a bit mixed. I
only see about 5 or 6 shows a year, because I work 8-5 and am old and
greying and hate smoke, so usually I hope they are worth it. It was
great to see Lou, anyway (not only is he a great songwriter, he's
every guy I had a crush on in college). The first 20 minutes or so
were Eric's songs and a couple of Jason's, with Eric playing Lead
guitar and Lou on bass (great playing!). These songs really rocked
and I was jumping up and down and even dancing a little (who says you
can't dance to this kinda stuff?). The playing was fun but not very
tight, and they did a really sloppy version of "Elixir is Zog" that
was barely recognizable except that it's such a weird song anyway.
There were all these large testosterone cases front and center and
when Lou switched to lead they started heckling him for a sensitive
wimp. I think they are just jealous because their girlfriends
probably think Lou is a lot cooler than these guys. Lou was really
pissed and slammed on them, saying that Seattle was full of it and as
bad as the East. I felt bad for him, coz I know there were a lot of
people who supported him, but just couldn't overpower the gorrillas.
He only played a few songs, promising to play acoustic out in the
parking lot for people who felt cheated. I don't know if this ever
happened. And he didn't play anything sweet and sensitive (no
wonder). He finished up with "Soul Mate" (can anyone tell me where
this song can be found?) and "Gimme Indie Rock" (which I've never
heard before -- he did a great imitation of Mascis-style guitar-wank
in the middle) -- the latter song I wondered whether it was intended
astatement on the mentality of the neanderthals who obviously came to
the show full of preconceived notions. Anyway, I was disappointed
and frustrated in general, but it wasn't a total washout. And I have
my Sebadoh discs :)
[ "Soul Mate" is on _The Freed Weed_. Which, I guess, means it's on
_The Freed Man_ as well. - Mark ]
Lena keb@u.washington.edu
doors don't close behind me
they fall off their hinges -- Tsunami
**********************
From: Steve Silverstein <ST201268@BROWNVM.brown.edu>
Subject: akjef;jaife;ajfj
OK. Where to start? 2 Fugazi shows in 3 days may just be too much.
But it was quite swell nonetheless. Saturday's was at the Sylvan
Theater, and was a Positive Force deal. Lots of speakers (Kelly and
the folk at Riot Grrrl, some guy whose last name is Farina about
communism from a group I missed the name of, and another guy from DC
SCAR--Student Coalition Against Racism, plus some other speakers--oh
and a Positive Force person who is trying to start a local
listener-supported station, WDIY--We Dig it Yeah!). Anyhow, on to
the music. The first band, Isalda, couldn't make it, as they had to
return to Chile (I believe). I missed their replacement, a Peruvian
band from in the mountains. The second was an all-woman gogo band
called Pleasure. Decent, but not too spectacular. They brought all
sorts of people up from the crowd to sing, dance and participate,
which was a lot of fun though. Finally, Fugazi, who played an
amazing show, from the opening "Brendan #1" to the encores from the
first EP. Highlights included "Nice New Outfit", "Turnover", "And
the Same", and "Cassavettes", plus many many more. An hour and a half
of great music. The crowd was generally pleasant, as Ian requested,
except during "Waiting Room", the first encore. Ian was unusually
humorous and not at people's expense. He made jokes about the line
at the Washington Monument (how no one ever gets to the top anymore,
they just wait in line), and other such things. Plus a nice story
about growing up during the riots after King was assassinated (it was
the MLK Concert for Justice) around St. Stephen's Church (where his
family belongs , now site of Positive Force shows).
Tonight's show, while excellent, did not measure up. The opener was
anew band whose sole identifiable member (to me) was Dug E. Bird on
bass. He was in usual form, but the music still has a bit to go. No
clue if they had a name. The show was at Fort Reno Park, with a
gigantic crowd. Ian asked everyone to give to Fort Reno to keep up
the great shows, which they've been doing 25 years but may soon lose
funding. Guy asked everyone to support AIDSWalk, whom Lollapalooza
this year wanted to pay for a table (after providing one for free the
past 2 years). "Beware of things even if they are labelled
alternative", he cautioned. Ian and Guy both seemed quite upset with
the absurd violence in the crowd (at the front). It was a nuisance
to them and most in attendance, and they really picked on a ton of
people. Ian also whined about the cold he got Saturday night in
great detail. On to the music, since I'm sure this crap is quite
boring. I just left the show and am sorting it out. Anyhow, the
highlight was obviously "Suggestion", even though I did not recognize
the woman who sang it with Ian (as Guy flailed his arms and danced
about the stage). It was great. The music was good, but not up to
par with Saturday's show. About an hour set.
Little other news. small factory/Heavenly/Lois may stop in Baltimore
on the 6th, Bowdoin or Providence on the 9th, Boston on the 8th. No
other news on that. And small factory are back out on the road,
possibly with Versus, in October. No dates yet.
An interesting tidbit. Has anyone else ever heard the compilation
FR-5? It has the weirdest old Shudder to Think song from 1987. The
title is "Too Little Too Late", and it sounds little like the great
band they would become. Chris has short hair in the picture on the
back. A useless comment.
-Steve
**********************
From: Tom Meyer <tmeyer@il.us.swissbank.com>
Subject: Concert Review (for Indie List)
(I've lurked for a while, but now I have something to post about)
Jean Paul Sartre Experience/Straitjacket Fits/The Bats - Lounge Ax,
Chicago 6Aug
A friend of mine (fellow Indie-List'er Mike Trogni) talked me into
going to this "NoiseyLand" show, although I was tempted to blow him
off because he blew me off the last time I was supposed to meet him
at Lounge Ax to see Eleventh Dream Day. I'm glad I went, though. The
JPS Exp. led off. I admit I didn't even know who the hell was
playing until I went to get a beer and looked at a poster on the
window. They were impressive. LOTS of reverb and whah-whah going
on, but these great songs just kept kinda rising out of the
incredibly loud PA (I swear, every time I go to Lounge Ax my ears
ring for at least 2 days). They were kinda a cross between Husker Du
(one guy did play a Flying - V gittar) , Sonic Youth and The
Beatles. I'm sure they've worn out their vinyl copies of EVOL and New
Day Rising.
Straitjacket Fits was next. It was wierd they were on second. The
clerk at the store where I subsequently bought their latest, Blow,
told me that was because in other cities people were leaving after
the Bats. By this time, the place was pretty crowded. We had edged
our way up to about 15 feet away from the stage, thereby abusing our
ears even more. The singer's voice didn't really appeal to me at
first. He seemed to try to "sing" a little too much (can you say
Pearl Jam?). The songs and musicianship were pretty solid, though.
Much more straightforward than the JPS Experience. They seemed to
get louder (several people around us were clutching their ears in
pain) and noisier as the went on, which is I guess why I ended up
liking them.
The Bats played last. They didn't do much for me. They seemed very
folksy, kinda Pogues-ish. I left after like 4 songs, my ears felt
really abused and I was tired.
Overall, a really good deal for just 10 bucks. I didn't know there
were so many New Zealand-ers in Chicago. Go see this tour if you get
the chance. Any Chicago Indie-Listers see the show (our esteemed Mail
Manager in particular :- ) ??
What's been gracing my ears at home, you ask??
(out of ***)
Bettie Serveert - Palomine **
Superchunk - On the Mouth *
JPS Experience - Bleeding Star *
Straitjacket Fits - Blow *
Sebadoh - Bubble and Scrape ** / The Freed Weed **
Liz Phair - Exile In Guyville **
(ok, so I'm kinda generous with the ratings and it ain't very Indie,
so sue me!)
[ whaddaya mean, not "very indie"? it's not like you reviewed Kenny G
or something... go on man! - Mark ]
later,
Tom
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Lou Barlow Says: "senTRIdoh, SEBadoh, poLEdo, FUKKIN' SEAT!!"
---------------------------------------------------------------------
**********************
From: Julie Carter <a-julic@microsoft.com>
Subject: CURSE v. KCMU Update
CURSE= Censorship Undermines Radio Station Ethics, a nonprofit
organization formed to return democracy and increase community
control at KCMU.
*The latest info. from KCMU: Tom Mara, the formerly full-time
development director, is now working half-time at KCMU (and half-time
at KUOW). Chris Knab, station manager, has voluntarily taken
half-time status (his health is bad). Rumor has it that Don Yates,
program director, may also be half-time at this point, or will be
soon. All the paid DJs have been laid off. Reportedly, the UW is
currently keeping the station afloat (which it has not done in recent
years).
*Negotiations continue between representatives of CURSE and the UW
about the future of KCMU. Progress has been impeded/slowed by the
ongoing Husky football situation and by the slow progress of the
'KCMU Task Force,' which was created by UW management and which has
reportedly not been meeting very regularly.
*Depositions for the lawsuit were postponed because of an emergency
situation involving the representative of the attorney general's
office, but by the end of August, Chris Knab, Wayne Roth, and all the
plaintiffs on the other side of the lawsuit will have been deposed.
*KCMU (as well as KUOW and KING-FM, apparently) has recently been
plugging 'The Public Radio Music Source,' a mail-order service that
offers to provide virtually any music you hear on the air on the
given station--another way in which these stations are veering away
from being community oriented (by, in effect, discouraging listeners
from doing business with local merchants).
*An article in the new issue of CURSEword (hot off the presses;
should be available around town and/or arriving at your home soon, if
you're on the mailing list) discloses the former salaries of KCMU
employees. Chris Knab was earning > $28,000/yr, Tom > $24,000, and
Don > $20,000. Dennis and Kevin (paid drive-time DJs who were
hired/fired in the past several months) were earning $9.00 and 8.50
per hour, respectively--more than either Debbie Letterman or Riz
Rollins (previous paid drive-time DJs). To be added to the CURSE
mailing list, send your name and address to Kathleen Thompson @
Microsoft.
*Donations to the CURSE escrow account can be sent to P.O. Box 85839,
Seattle, WA 98145.
*Letters of protest about the current situation at KCMU can also be
sent to P.O. Box 85839, Seattle, 98145. CURSE will photocopy your
letter and give copies to the appropriate people at the UW, if you
like.
*The next CURSE benefit will be held August 24 @ the Re-Bar. Bands
include Meddaphysical, the Lemons, and Kitchen Radio.
*CURSE softball games continue. Games have been played against the
Seattle Art Museum, The Rocket, The Stranger.... To be added to the
softball phone-calling list, call Neil Sussman at 367-3276.
Remember, CURSE condemns all threats, harassment, violence, and other
illegal acts.
Thanks for your support!
For more information, as always, call 206/298-CURS.
Julie
**********************
From: Richard J Puerzer <rjpst3+@pitt.edu>
Subject: indie-list stuff
This is my first submission to the indie-list. I've been lurking for
a few months but have been so moved by the quality and quantity of
the Pittsburgh music of late that I had to let the world know. Well,
that and I guess I have some time. Anyways, here are some reviews
and such:
Wimp Factor 14:_Ankle Deep_ (Harriet Records)
=This marks the first full length effort by WF14 as well as the first
CD release on Harriet (I dunno if there is vinyl but I would assume
so). This is happy indie pop: ukelele, justification for working for
Rockwell International, the packaging, everything. Produced by Rob
Eggs and featuring the drumwork of Tom Hoffman of The Karl Hendrick's
Trio, this will just make you happy all the time. Two standout
tracks are "I Is For Incomplete" which details the trials and
tribulations of the college all-nighter/ grades/ changing of
priorities with the nicest of guitar strums and "Steam Rolling, But
It Wasn't Steam Rolling" with beautiful female backing vocals and a
slow pace. Cool manila envelope envelope packaging and some info on
their legal tussles with the National Band Name Regulation Act
included. You can snap your fingers to it and I give it *1/2.
The Karl Hendricks Trio: _Misery And Women_ (Fiasco)
I forgot to write down the address for fiasco but you can get the
KHT's other stuff and probably this for Peas Kor, 813 Romine, Port
Vue PA, 15133. Ok, I have seen these guys play probably a dozen
times and loved their earlier stuff, especially the 10", but I think
that this is their greatest achievement to date. The title clues you
into the content of 99% of the lp/cd (YES on CD!!). "Do You Like To
Watch Me Sob" starts the record off in a hurry, "Get Out Your Hankies
For This One" follows and shows a big Wedding Present influence, both
musically and lyrically, which I don't think is too dominant or bad.
A couple of ballad-like tracks, namely "Romantic Stories From The
War", make this record less predictable than the aforementioned
Weddos or Superchunk. My fave is "You Must Be A Bigger Jerk Than Me"
mainly because from the opening riff to the beautiful end my heart
just wants to stop beating and end all this sadness. Great stuff.
Excellent cover art too. This should be pretty widely distributed
and is very highly recommended. I saw Steve Shelley digging them at
the second stage at Lollapamosquito too. Up there for me with the
American Music Club for album of my year and thus it gets **1/2.
Hurl: "Radishes" b/w "Positronic Wave" (DeSoto)
They have added a 2nd guitar since their first single "Turnip" and
have gotten a little louder. Although this is very very close to
Seam et al in many ways, it is still pretty good. I think there is
an EP or album on the way soon too. I like it: *
The Don Caballero has been covered sufficiently, awaiting the new
Touch&Go album. We are getting Peter Jefferies and Alastair
Galbraith 8/18 at the BBT and Polvo sometime in Spetember. Things
are so much better indie wise than a year or two ago.
Some more records:
Sammy: "Babe Come Down" b/w "Roach Girl" (Smells Like Records)
Restrained Pavement noise-wise with all the catchiness intact on the
Aside. I like the record a lot but know nothing of the band. Lots
of dogs on the cover art. Pretty cool: *
I am also listening to Eleventh Dream Day:_El Moodio_ (doing for me
this summer what Yo La Tengo's _May I Sing With Me_ did last),
Teenage Fanclub "Radio" cd EP, Moonshake _Eva Luna_(c86 meets PIL
meets Th' Faith Healers), Cakekitchen and The Bats and The Dead C and
John Paul Sarte Experience and This Kind Of Punishment from the New
Zealand front, Paul Westerberg (yes, it is hard to get my favorite
band out of my system, there are still pieces of the greatness left),
and ... (so many records so little time).
Hope this tunes everyone into the Pittsburgh music scene. This
wasn't so bad, perhaps my days of lurking are done. I am a changed
man.
rich
rjpst3@unixd.cis.pitt.edu
**********************
From: Tim Wicinski <wicinski@polyp.barn.com>
Subject: tsunami, sebadoh, tiger traps, and sold out shows...
tsunami/tiger trap/pineapple princess brave new world, 8/11/93
i had to blow off pell mell the night before, as well as the free
kittens (haven't seen julia since real old pussy galore)/truman's
water (can't stand them)/tiger trap show, in order to rest up and be
ready for this show and the next night. pineapple princess is a
lovely female duo who play ukeleles and sing songs like "tiny
bubbles" and "take me back to old virginny". sort of fun, and silly.
finished up with black flag's "wasted again" which was the perfect
ending (they should of done all old punk covers, but...). tiger trap
were truly truly excellent. from where i was, the sound was squashed,
but near the pa's you could hear the vocals quite well...all the
stuff from their K lp, and then some. nice sound, better harmonies on
the vinyl, but then again brave new world does not have a good sound
system. they played a long time, switched instruments, and played
some more. whew! tsunami looked tired when they came on, and after
playing in los angeles the night before and having to be in tuscon in
two nights, i could see why. their set was not as punchy as the last
time they came thru san fran, but i was also getting pretty beat and
liked the way they slowed down. lots of new stuff, plus gold digger
(kristin doesn't sing as much as she should if you ask me), and the
my dad is dead cover (water's edge) no encore, it was almost 1, but
it felt later...the collectors gathered around the singles table, as
i caught a ride back thru town...
thursday was the sebadoh san fran appearance, but it was sold out and
i am really really really bummed. people hawkign $20 tickets out
front to a stupid fuckin' bar. gimme a break. went home and listened
to tunes. thought about getting high-powered weaponry and taking out
some lawyers to help cool my jets, but i tossed the coin and listen
to my lois record instead...
not too many new records this week, more should be on their way.
lamer,
tim
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[Jens originally posted this on a.m.a. but I thought it was indie-list
kinda stuff so I asked him to submit - K.]
From: Jens Alfke <jens_alfke@quickmail.apple.com>
Subject: Re: Reviews- Dog Faced Herm
This is Great Music we got here, so listen up -- dig we must:
** Dog Faced Hermans "Mental Blocks For All Ages" LP (De Konkurrent)
/ "Hum of Life" LP (Project A-Bomb)
After hearing a lot about them, I finally got to hear two of their
albums courtesy of my friend M@. This is absolutely terrific stuff;
experimental, catchy, noisy, rhythmic, intense, witty, and above all
relentlessly intelligent. The obvious influences include (but are not
limited to) the Fall, (early) Sonic Youth, Savage Republic, (early)
Hunters & Collectors, and probably other Usual Suspects I'm not so
familiar with, e.g. Can and Ornette Coleman. This is a group that
will, on "Jan 9", careen along through a grinding bass-driven riff,
sing about the humanization of science (footnotes crediting
Buckminster Fuller) and at the end swerve into a Romanian gypsy tune
before wrapping a bow around the whole thing.
Picking apart the sound, we have a female singer/trumpet player who
writes lyrics the caliber of: "The first thing / we can hope for /
after the next / great catalypsis / Is that the sun / Will come up /
Over the bridge / Like it did / Yesterday / And the day before. / But
by then / We'll all be indians anyway. / White indians / Dark
indians/ White indians / Dark indians..." Or how about "This sound
has no waves / It moves, cuts swathes / Through fog and other grey
things". Her vocal delivery owes a lot to Mark E Smith and sometimes
also reminds me of Polly Harvey or of Bleach's Salli. The guitar
sound ranges from ringing noise a la early Sonic Youth [viz.
"Astronaut", a take on "Society Is a Hole"] through fuzztone surf and
occasionally more usual sounds. The bass is heavy and grinding, just
the way I like it, and the drumming fairly complex with some good
tribal-type beats. In fact, they somehow remind me a lot of Moonshake
even though the sound itself is different. I think it's that both
groups write terrific lyrics and like to experiment with sound,
ending up sounding like nothing much else I can think of.
** Moonshake "Big Good Angel" EP (Too Pure)
Speaking of Moonshake ... their newish EP is great. The sound is
basically the same as on "Eva Luna" -- the oozing dub bass, scratchy
guitar, bizarre burbling samples, Margaret cooing / David yowling --
if perhaps a bit more up-front, less ornate. You get three Margaret
songs and three Dave songs in strict alternation. Dave has toned down
his Lydonisms a bit, and I find his song structures more interesting
than most of his stuff on "Eva Luna". Margaret's songs as always are
stunning. For a guitarist, she writes the most interesting rhythm
sections ... "Girly Loop" in particular is one of the most
irresistibly funky appropriations of the Funky-Drummer beat I've
heard since "Soon". "Where do I pick up a wild woman? `In the woods
where the wild women grow -- not like you waiting by the gate
expecting things to happen'..."
Summary: Four-star listening experiences all. They'll be rotating
through my CD player for some time, thanks to M@'s two-week vacation
to England... :)
--Jens Alfke Please do not feed peanuts to my deity.
jens_alfke@quickmail
.apple.com
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From: The Stupidity Patrol <lim7@midway.uchicago.edu>
Subject: oops, maybe late indie list submission
Well, Washington DC has been hopping just a bit more than usual this
last week (10-17). First, there was another free Fugazi show at Fort
Reno Park... They played about half a set of old stuff and half from
the new one (if that much). Ian went off on some nasty skinhead
boys- Guy called them "ice cream eating motherfuckers." Enjoyment for
the whole family. Oh and the music wasn't bad either, although the
sound wasn't so hot. The bad boys in Fugazi were joined onstage for
guest vocals by (I think) the lead singer from Slant 6, with possible
Autoclave connections (the Dischord scene brings naught but confusion
for me).
[ uh, yup, Christina Slant-6 used to be in Autoclave. Slant-6 might
be the band that gets me listening to HC again. Maybe, maybe not.
-Mark ]
Thursday night was Velocity Girl with Tree Fort Angst. Fool that
I am, I didn't bother buying tickets before hand (never had, never
will), and it sold out even before the day of the show (although they
let in another 20 when the doors opened). Friday night was Edsel
with Eggs at the 9:30, but my friends wanted to stick around the
house....
I haven't picked up many records, but I did get my hands on the prize
of a lifetime: the Miaow "When It All Comes Down" 12" (courtesy of
Hagen from Germany). Truly an excellent song, although not as
exciting, since the Unrest cover is virtually note for note.
Includes 2 versions of the smash hit, as well as a b-side which is
rather good as well. Now only a 12", 7" and a comp track from being
a Miaow completist.
The big news, of course, is the release of Unrest's "Perfect Teeth"
box set of 7" singles. About 2000 were made and are now ready for
consumption by YOU, the hip indie person. It's more in line with
Imperial than anything else, but the mood is kind of somber for the
most part. Phil puts in a song, and Bridget does a few as well.
Pretty good from first listen, I really like the pop smashes Makeout
Club and Cath Carroll. Packaging? Kinda cheap box, spiffy colored
wax a la the Cath Carroll single and nice, thick paged lyric booklet
(actually the import CD booklet with a nice Mapplethorpe photo of
Mrs. Durango.
[Possible corporate advertisement:]
Other TeenBeat news: Mark E is mixing/remixing a Superchunk 7"
called "Precision Auto," which features both Mark and Mac on backing
vocals (rather interesting ones at that). The new Blast Off! 7" will
be out towards the end of the month. The 3rd one is due early
winter, with a CD compilation of all three singles soon after. The
new Eggs double LP/CD has been delayed until November and possibly
January if they don't get their artwork in soon....
PS- the line about the Unrest box set having bonus tracks is a
shameless appeal to collector scum. In fact, if you have the Isabel
single or ep and the Cath Carroll single, you'll get one extra track
if you buy the box set versus the album, and some of the versions
will be shorter. But if you must, pick up the swanky black boxed
sets, which are pretty and more durable than the regular cardboard
(the first 2/3 of the 2000). Basically if you want low numbers, ask
for it, but if you want the better boxes, you'll get the high
numbers.
The Stupidity Patrol o o "...although the ratio of news to
lim7@midway.uchicago.edu > drivel in many newsgroups compares
12XU! o unfavorably with the back of a
(Temporarily residing in DC) cereal box..." -Cecil Adams
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THE INDIE-LIST DIGEST is published every Tuesday by Indie-List
Infotainment Junta, Unltd. (A Non-Entity.)
Editor: Mark Cornick <cornick@delphi.com>
Moderator: K. Lena Bennett <keb@u.washington.edu>
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Articles for next week's issue should be sent to Lena. Questions,
comments, complaints, and review material should be sent to Mark at
the address above, or by US mail to 324 S Cherry St, Richmond VA
23220. Write for phone number.
Explanation of this week's Indie-List Buzz Phrase: Bill's Barbecue is
a Richmond-based fast-food BBQ chain. Their slogan, for years, has
been "A Trial Makes A Customer." Personally, I think it makes more
sense the other way around, but that's just because I've had
hospitality-industry training. Another phrase that pops up from time
to time on Bill's stuff is "Established In 1930... 'And Still
Growing!'" So there you go. Is Bill's food of sufficient quality to
merit this (ahem) honor? Well, no, not in my opin