Throw your landlord out the window: how long till he hits the ground?
#############################
Indie List Digest!
February 14, 1995
Volume 4 Number 17
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Administrivia...
New Bomb Turks, Rocket 455
Hotel X, MM&W
Versus
smoking crack and calling it art
360's, Townies, Kustomized, Downy Mildew
Harriet Rcords Party
pop zine dream
AD: Stumble
AD: Frantzine
hey ho, it's the newest indie list, with snow tires! don't
want to make this any longer than it has to be, but here's a few
things that have brightened the dreary winter days for me:
-Magnetic Fields, the Wayward Bus: Combines Wayward Bus and Distant
Plastic Trees albums for one lengthy outing of MF fun, featuring Susan
Anway singing Stephen Merritt's songs. Sounds bittersweet and faintly
wheezy the same way carnival music sounds from far away towards the
end of summer. (Merge Records)
-Eleanor Roosevelt, Head in a Hummingbird's Nest 7"- Four songs from
this folksy Missouri combo who are a little loose but not quite
sloppy, a little down-home but not as ostentatious about it as, say, the
Palace guys. Fairly conventional instrumentation, but not at all
saccharine. (Faye Records, PO Box 7332, Columbia, MO 65205)
-Ivy, Realistic: Long awaited, but well worth the wait--very pleasant,
melodic, somewhat jangly (notice how that word has to have a qualifier
these days?) tunes. Music to wander round the house to in yr
slippers.(Seed Records)
-Polara: Former 27 Various guy Ed Ackerson spent a few months in
Bloomington as part of Antenna, which I thought contributed to them
being a better band. Ackerson has pretty much the same songwriting
sensibility as John Strohm, which makes for basic indie-rock
sensitive-guy strumming, but he's always had an ear for the shoegazing
stuff, which adds layers of feedback, delay, weird loops, etc, to the
music. OK, so this sort of thing isn't exactly new; there's some nice
tunes here. (Clean Records, 2217 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis, 55404)
Oh yeah, and we mingled with ILIJ (and all-round music) maven Liz
Clayton and friends on a snowy, wretched night to see Guided By Voices
here. A good time was had by all, as far as I could see.
onward.
az
A couple informational requests came in for this issue. Leigh
Fullmer (LFULLMER@mercury-alexandria.lib.utah.edu) wanted to
enquire if anyone knew much about the label "Collective Fruit" -
like a contact address, a roster, their reputation and so forth.
And Patrick (poetrick@eworld.com) wants to know how he can get
information or recordings from a group called "the revolutionary
army of the infant jesus." It seems someone absconded with his copy
of the LP, and he wants to recall all the glory.
If you can help either of these folks out, drop them a line.
-es
------------------------------
From: Sean Murphy <grumpy@access.digex.net>
Administrivia...
Howdy. Nothing of musical consequence to report this time (radio
still sucks, i still can't buy new records, etc.). But I'll take the
opportunity to remind people about a few basic I-L rules (since the
legendary FAQ hasn't surfaced in quite some time...).
1. For the net-hopping migrant types: please switch your I-L mailing
address when you change net-sites. Otherwise, I get lots of deadwood
addresses, stuff I can't find when people try to unsubscribe, etc.
Makes me grumpier than usual.
2. Indie-List Advertisement/Announcement Policy (abridged).
Although this is a non-commercial enterprise, we don't generally have
problems with people announcing upcoming shows they've set up, the
occasional tour-date-listing, or ads detailing a venture that someone
has put together (record label, zine, T-shirts, whatever).
There are some limitations, however. You may have noticed that all
ads and announcements appear at the end of each digest. This is done
out of courtesy to I-L readers who don't want to deal with such
material. Additionally, there are space limits, as well.
ADVERTISEMENTS for a label, zine, etc. should be no more than 10
lines in length. By ILIJ edict, you should only submit ads for a
project in which you directly are involved. (There's a lot of labels
I like, but I'm not gonna post ads for all their upcoming releases
here - there are other ways to get that info.) You can always throw in
the "mail me privately for more info" tag if you can't fit everything
in 10 lines. Word economy is good.
ANNOUNCEMENTS for upcoming shows, tour dates, and the like should be
kept suitably short as well. We can't set a 10-line limit when a band
is playing 38 shows, but please remember that not everyone is getting
accounts for free at work or school - a lot of us pay for net access.
If it's gonna be a 1000-line I-L, I want it to be a true digest -
quick hits and cogent thoughts on things that I may or may not care
about.
I'm not trying to harsh on anyone - things haven't been too bad
recently. From time to time, however, it's worth mentioning these
sorts of concepts to keep everyone apprised of the situation.
Thanks...
Sean Murphy
Subscriptions Manager
grumpy@access.digex.net
------------------------------
From: "Peter D. Nolan" <34RSZWK@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU>
New Bomb Turks/Rocket 455
I saw New Bomb Turks with Rocket 455 at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor
last Saturday, and it was an all-around high energy event.
I got there way to early and as a result was inundated with an hour
and a half of Pantera, but the wait was worth it.
Rocket 455 took the stage, properly liquored up and ready to ROCK!
(Blatant and excessive intoxication is a big part of their act.)
They kicked it off with the obscure MC5 tune "Power Trip," capturing
the full sound and fury of the long-extinct Detroit rock band. They
then went on to play their hit single "Bum Ticker," rocking the horde
of pretentious U of M undergrads and dirty Detroit old-school punk
wannabes harder than any Green Day number ever could (which is what
most of the crowd was hoping for). Rocket proved that they had
overcome the loss of guitarist Dan Kroha (ex-Gories) and have become
a tighter unit, delivering a unique blend of '60s Detroit-style noise
and trashy garage rock. Although their singles don't live up to their
live perforamances, they're stil definitely worth checking out.
The New Bomb Turks were loud and good, but they played for too long.
The singer also really got on my nerves after a while. It seems like
someone with a voice that cool would at least be a little mean, but
he just sort of acts like a dork. Being thrown around by shirtless
weightlifter types wasn't exactly that cool either. Beating people up
is hardly dancing. That's it.
-Pete Nolan
------------------------------
From: Mark S Cornick <MSCORNIC@VAX1.ACS.JMU.EDU>
Hotel X, MM&W, etc.
Ah yes, hello again Indie-friends. I was off the list for a while
during break (JMU sys admins don't like mail piling up) but I've
returned with a few reviews:
- Hotel X, _Engendered Species_ (SST): Third CD in about a year and a
half from Richmond's jazzcore sooperstars. Album numero tres finds J.
Ghaphery someplace else (a new guy named Woody has taken over on
alto), but otherwise the scene is the same as before: two basses (one
with frets, one without), a little guitar here and there, a tight drum
groove, and some skronky sax & horns. The first two CDs had a lot of
covers, but the new one has only two (Ornette Coleman and Wayne
Shorter - sorry, don't have the box handy right now to give you the
titles.) The original tunes have really come along - things have
jelled into a sound so tight you could bounce a quarter off it. Check
out "Sophisticuffs" and "2 Street" (perhaps a sequel to the last
album's "Funky Broad Street.") Note for obscure trivia buffs: Drummer
Jim Thompson used to be in the Alter-Natives, which explains the
connection to... [SST, PO Box 1, Lawndale CA 90260, corporate Greg
Ginn still sucks]
- Medeski Martin & Wood, _Friday Afternoon In The Universe_
(Gramavision/ Rykodisc): The NYC trio's third (?) CD lacks the horns
and Marc Ribot guitar of their last release (_It's A Jungle In Here_)
but is just as intensely funky. John Medeski plays the most
fantastic organ this side of Booker T., Chris Wood gets sounds out of
an upright bass I've never heard before, and Billy Martin rides
underneath it all with drums & bells and god knows what else he taps
on (check out "Billy's Tool Box" for an example.) "The Lover," "Chubb
Sub" and Duke Ellington's "Chinoiserie" are all prime examples of why
MM&W fills the Hole In The Wall every time they come through town.
[Rykodisc just moved, I don't have their new address, but heck, you
can find Rykostuff anywhere. Or try rykodisc@aol.com.]
Self-promo department: It looks like my band, Gospel Midgets, is going
to be releasing an LP. The recording sort of fuses industrial noises
with ambient texture, with a steadily droning undercurrent. Plus
there's plenty of cut-up DJ sampling too. We're jokingly describing
it as "the missing link between Negativland and Gate." If this
interests you, check out
http://www.cs.jmu.edu/user_fun/cornicms/public_html/pers/klang.html
for more info as it becomes available (got no web access? write me.)
While you're waiting on the LP, check out the recent 45 from Midget
guitarist Jack Rose's other band, Ugly Head, called "A Bowl Of Fever"
(Transparanoia/Klang Industries, 238 S. Cherry St, Richmond VA 23220)
for two sides of pure angst overdrive.
bye now
--mark
------------------------------
From: "John M. Renfroe 823-5045" <RENFROJ@mail.firn.edu>
Versus show
Versus, Pohgoh, and Edison Shine @ the Stone Lounge, Tampa 1/16/95
It was my first show of the year and therefore the best. However,
topping this show will be no easy task. Since it was a day trip for
the concert we showed up late and missed most of Edison Shine. What
we saw turned out to be a strong pop-oriented trio. I hate to use
comparisons, but they weren't dissimilar to Teenage Fanclub.
Afterwards I heard this was the last show with that lineup. Guess
I'll have to check them out again.
Next up was Pohgoh, who have only been around since last May. They
were fantastic! They were a younger band, but still rocked with
intensity. Hell, the bass player broke the E-string during one of the
songs. Their female singer had a strong and diverse voice which she
used to the fullest extent. I'd love to check out this band again
sometime.
Finally Versus came on. From the first riff of "Silver Vein" to the
encore of "Tin Foil Star" and "Another Face," they rocked the place.
They mostly played songs off the new album, but did a fair share from
Let's Electrify! and the singles. The band was quiet for the most
part and was overwhelmed by the audience's excitement. Richard did
say that he heard Tampa was the death metal capital of the world, to
which the audience did their best Deicide impersonations. Florida's
gotta lose that image. --matt renfroj@mail.firn.edu
------------------------------
From: dann medin <DLM94001@UConnVM.UConn.Edu>
smoking crack and calling it art
thanks very much to th people that helped make th trip to dc not only
a reality but a very good time indeed. in both baltimore and
washington my lil' heart was warmed to th core by indie hospitality,
which is what is going to keep this scene thriving longafter rancid
has been made famous and mtv finds another genre to exploit and
abandon.
finally got to go to th black cat, where i got to measure up
th tuscadero cd (which i enjoy a great deal) to their live performance,
and more importantly see th ever-astounding versus again put
on a magnificent and intense set. (complimented by th 1st ever
appearance of yet another musical balyut brother on 2nd guitar fr th
last 2 songs)
th following night in baltimore, it was th loud
amrep-meets-spore-meets-hardcore drumming of minnesota's micky finn,
complemented by another one of my favorite live bands, th unstable
intensity of candy machine. plus exposure to a great fun pop band
from th silver spring area called "paint" via band practice and very
kind hospitality. they are playing @ brownie's this wknd in nyc
(2/3), and i highly recommend them fr spinart and velocity girl field
fun music.
th nu trenchmouth is delicious, and th team dresch cd is
w/out a doubt one of my favorite releases of th last 12 months...
ingenious & beautiful. th nu medeski martin & wood and th kind-of nu
blues explosion cds are getting th 2nd most play time, short of t.d.
and t-mouth. yeah. anyway, kicking giant is going back on tour
w/spoken wurd frantic sue p. fox this month. if yr planning on
seeing them in yr town and can possibly put them up fr th night, pleze
let me know yr names and what you'll be wearing to th show. they're
total sweethearts and don't light upholstery on fire. wishing all a
healthy and fun semester (fr those of us still in school...) and just
th general best to all... xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxox
dann medin. dlm94001@uconnvm.uconn.edu. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
------------------------------
From: Aaron Schatz <ST000414@BROWNVM.brown.edu>
Some records that are somewhat recent - 360's, Townies, Kustomized, Downy Mildew
I was going to do a "best records of 1994" kind of thing but that
would take a bit long, so quickly here's a list of records that you
should listen to if you get a chance and buy if you see them cheap,
all 1994 releases, I think.
Versus - The Stars Are Insane (Teen Beat)
Scarce - Red EP (Rockamundo)
Ivy - Lately EP (Seed)
Downy Mildew - Slow Sky (High Street)
Sneetches - Blow Out The Sun (Spin Art)
Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary (Sub Pop)
Pooka (Elektra)
Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (Matador)
Sugar - File Under: Easy Listening (Rykodisc)
For You Country Rock Fans and bluegrass:
Blood Oranges - The Crying Tree (ESD)
Beacon Hillbillies - More Songs of Love and Murder (ESD)
Grumpy Sean gave his "guilty pleasures" in his last article, including
Big Audio, Bush "Everything Zen" and Weezer. Well, as someone who
works for one of the nations top commercial "alternative" stations,
I'd like to stand up for some of these bands, although personally I
think Bush is cliched garbage and I think as far as Big Audio is
concerned, Mick Jones has just lost it. But you have to hand it to
Weezer for bringing back the art of the pop song, and as a big
Buzzcocks fan I think it's about time we had a Buzzcocks tribute band
(which Green Day are, in effect, down to the affected British accents)
make it to the top ten. And I love Veruca Salt and I don't care who
knows it. Look, let's be honest, every band is derivative of someone
else. Look at Velvet Crush, for godssakes. What Veruca Salt is to
the Breeders/Belly, Velvet Crush is to the Byrds. Completely, totally,
unabashedly derivative. SO???? If the music is good, who cares? If
"Minty Fresh" was really an indie label and not a DGC set-up, and if
Veruca sold as many albums as, say, Team Dresch, we'd all be talking
about how cool they were. Just because indie rock had its big year to
hit the mainstream in '94 (Offspring, for instance) doesn't mean the
music is any less good. And if Veruca or Green Day want to publicize
themselves on MTV rather than starve forever, why should we deny them
the opportunity? Seriously go back and give "Buddy Holly," "Basket
Case," and "Seether" another listen. These are good songs.
I think the most disappointing album of the year was by the Dambuilders.
I thought it concentrated too much on noisier material instead of
poppier stuff and didn't live up to their awesome live rep. Also the
new Dinosaur Jr. album was awful. And it seemed to be a terrible
year for rap. There wasn't that much creative new stuff, and I'm
still waiting for the second Pharcyde album.
Well, I'm probably getting too mersh here, so let's get back to the
indie stuff. I got an album called "The Red Carpet Parlay of the
Decade" by Townies, on Little Voice. There is very little info here;
they appear to be a three-piece from Arlington, Virginia, which is the
cradle of indie-rock, so I wonder why I haven't heard of them. Anyway,
this is a great 3-in-the-morning album, lots of arpeggios (Peter
Buck-influenced) but the singer sounds really laid back, the songs
are tuneful, and the lyrics are great. I usually don't like songs for
the lyrics but "Just because we've broken up does not mean that we're
through" from "Orbits Delores" is a great line. This is a must-buy.
** 1/2
360's - Strawberry Stone (RCA/Link) I have the 360's first album on
Link. The songs are short, they are loud, they have interesting chord
changes, and they show how psychedelia can be good. Two albums later,
the 360's are on a major. There's a 10:45 song here, from pictures
they appear to be trying to join the Black Crowes, and the chord
changes are boring. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. **1/2
Kustomized - The Mystery of... (Matador) Would it be obnoxious to say
Mission of Burma-influenced? This is the new band from Peter Prescott,
ex-drummer of MOB and many versions of the Volcano Suns. He's playing
the guitar now but its the same formula -- loud, crunchy guitars,
heavy drumming with emphasis on the bass tom, and screamed vocals.
It's like the new Volcano Suns album. The Best song is "Nothing. Not
No One." I always found Peter not as pop-sensed as Roger Miller,
though. *, but it's growing on me.
Also I'm getting into this band from LA called Downey Mildew. I have
recently purchased some of their back albums. If you like the musical
ideas behind 10,000 Maniacs but found Natalie Merchant too whiny, try
this. You can probably find it cheap like I did, and they have a
male who sings some songs and makes it more interesting. On High
Street Records, albums are called Broomtree (1986), An Oncoming
Train (1991) and Slow Sky (1994).
Finally, can anyone who has info on the new Hazel, Ivy, and Versus
records please send me personal email? I think the new Versus is
called "Dead Leaves" and its a singles compilation or something.
***********************************************************************
Aaron Schatz "There are only two races:
Zeta Delta Xi the decent and the indecent."
Brown University
st000414@brownvm.brown.edu - Victor Frankel
(401) 863-5580 "Man's Search for Meaning"
P.O. Box 3994, Providence, RI 02912
***********************************************************************
------------------------------
From: "LePageL/MF" <LePageL/MF@hermes.bc.edu>
Harriet Rcords Party featuring Mag Fields
Went to one of the big scene gigs this weekend, the Harriet Records
5-year anniversary party at the Middle East, to see Stephin Merritt
and his Magnetic Fields live. What a weird night! Too many people,
many of them seriously geeky looking! (Someone should write an essay
on the semiotics of scene fashion.) Also, not one but two women
succumbed to something and had to be hauled out the back door in
semi-stupors. But I digress.
Prickly is two women up front and two men on lead guitar and drums,
with a strummy, folky guitar sound that gives way to occasional forays
into the noisier side of things. They had one noticeably nice song
that might have been a cover, but overall, the women trading vocals
were not strong enough singers to pull it off. The more soprano of
the two was especially shaky, and for me anyway, that kind of
uncertain delivery makes me very nervous.
After Prickly, we got Vehicle Flips, a Pittsburgh band billed as
having Karl Hendricks Trio and ex-Wimp Factor 14 members. Well,
here's my review: "Strum Strum Strum Strum Strum Strum Strum Strum
Strum Strum Strum Strum Strum Strum Strum Strum Strum Strum Strum
Strum Strum Strum Strum Strum Strum Strum Strum ..." Sorry, they
sounded to me like the indie Irish Rovers. Smooth, inoffensive, and
boring!
I expected Pest 5000 to dish out screaming hard-edged feminist rage,
judging from the baleful looks and righteously contemptuous attitudes
of the front women, who sat in front of me and smoked cigarettes for
most of the night. Imagine my surprise when they mounted the stage,
strapped on their axes, and unleashed a torrent of mid-tempo pop
harmonies. At times, they even approached cute! Their violin beefed
up the sound but posed no competition for Joan Wasser (probably wasn't
trying to be). And their songs were not bad, but I kept wanting them
to crank up the tempos a little bit -- they dragged. Of the three
opening bands, they got my vote as most listenable, but lost points
big time when they giggled loudly and yakked through the Magnetic
Fields entire set.
That leaves the Magnetic Fields, a big cut above from the very first
note, and this despite a restless half-attentive crowd creating too
much ambient noise of their own to allow Merritt the dynamic latitude
he needs. Say what? The slower, quieter songs were hard to hear, and
Merritt seemed impatient with the scene in general. All the same, it
was a treat to hear songs like "Born on a Train" and "Paris in the
Spring" and even "Take Ecstasy" done live. And without keyboards! I
never would have believed it. Next time, if there is one, I'd like to
see this band in a larger venue where the room/atmosphere would be
less of a liability.
--Lise
------------------------------
From: Malathrsk@aol.com
pop zine dream
emily's sassy lime-summer vacation ep (christmas): ok, so it may sound
dumb, but i got this record as a xmas present, thanks to brent, but
because of all that was going on at the time, this record just sort of
sat around for awhile. that's too bad, because this quickly became one
of my favorite records once i got around to playing it. a six-song 7"
that's full of sticky sweet vocals and big fuzzy guitar and sloppy
enthusiasm. simply a blast! one of the gals who sings has a voice
reminiscent of the girl from heavenly but not as 'pretty' and when the
drums and guitar kick in, with that big, play-it-loud-like-it's-in-your-basement
-live sort of way, well you can't help but smile. had
this record come a week later, it would be one of my favorite records
of this short new year. slop pop of the finest quality.
jon spencer blues explosion-orange (matador): by the time this gets to
you, you will have heard all the hype, maybe. this is the most
rockin, tumblin', twistin', rollin' record i have heard in some time.
plus strings and other things. i once said that jsbx did to the blues
what my old hound dog did to that knotted-up sock i gave it to chew
on. now imagine that dog with distemper. now imagine that dog bites
you in the ass and just hangs on for the ride. there you have it.
royal trux-shockwave rider/mercury (drag city):another 7" that's
guaranteed to please. shockwave rider moves a little farther off the
blues path while still staying within sight of the stones. mercury is
so slow and growly that just before it ends you think you may have to
take it out and shoot it. it's a drag city thing, but you should
understand by now. just make sure you have your rabies shots first.
lois-bet the sky (K):this is the kind of record that's perfect in the
early evening, after a rough day at work. it just sort of washes over
you, and leaves you feeling relaxed. not a bad way for a record to
make you feel. i'll bet lois maffeo is a really nice person to hang
out with. and this is a really nice pop record.
NEWS FROM THE LO-FI KINGDOM
The Folk Implosion-Take A Look Inside (communion)
John Davis-Pure Night (shrimper)
Sebadoh-Local Band Feel (X-mas)
take off your shoes, sit back and listen. the folk implosion are lou
barlow and john davis. the setting is john's room. it says this was
done 50/50. the recordings vary between acoustic duets to full-
fledged (?) songs. as the fog rolls over you, you might realize that
some of these songs come from a tape only release from europe. if you
don't have that, you need this. or if you just dig vinyl, try to
guide yourself to the turntable and put on the john davis lp. john
actually travelled to other people's rooms to record this. mostly
acoustic guitar and found sounds and bare bones recording, this still
has all the hiss you require from your shrimper recordings. spacy
and haunting. is it getting cloudy in here? is this sebadoh record a
bootleg? it's packaged that way and has all the super lo-fi feel
like all those cool old bootlegs we used to buy. mucho fuzzy sebadoh
runs through a batch of mostly from bubble and scrape with some odd
covers. the big finish though is some real nice lou barlow solo stuff
tucked on the end of side two. real clean, maybe from a radio show.
it's real quiet now. and the air is thick as soup. anybody got a light?
Christmas Records,1310 1/2 N. Vista,LA,CA 90046
Shrimper, po box 1837, upland, CA 91785
Communion, 290-C Napolean St., SF, CA 94124
Brought to you by Malathion Risk.
------------------------------
From: Renee Bessette <RBES3493@URIACC.URI.EDU>
AD: Stumble
Out Now: "Stumble" fanzine #6, featuring interviews with Edsel, the
Dead Milkmen, Hot Rod, Sarah Dyer of Action Girl/Mad Plant zines,
Unrest (before they broke up), and more. #7 should be out by the end
of February, with interviews with Lois, small factory, L7, Lotion,
Purple Ivy Shadows, Ivy, Fuzzy, and more. Reviews
zines/music/shows/whatever else. Send $2 to: Stumble, 59 Brentwood
Lane/Fairport, NY 14450 or e-mail Renee for more information at
rbes3493@uriacc.uri.edu. See you later!
------------------------------
From: Cindy Frantz <cfrantz@globalone.net>
AD: Frantzine
We're back again with issue #5 of FRANTZINE. This issue is 92 pages huge
with interviews with:
Smog, Butterglory, Simon Joyner, Pavement's Bob N. (complete with
naked baby picture), TFUL282, and the first ever Folk Implosion
interview (and a funny one too). We also have the Refrigerator tour
diary from their week on the road with Smog. (plus the usual show
reviews, record reviews, blah, blah, blah)
You can send $3 ppd (concealed cash or check to Cindy Frantz) to:
FRANTZINE
HCR1 Box 185K
Leeds, NY 12451
<------------------------------------------------------------>
The Indie-List Digest is published a few times each week or month
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What Who Where
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Anne Zender azender@indiana.edu
Mailings Sean Murphy grumpy@access.digex.net
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Indie-List is not copyrighted. It may be freely reproduced for any
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