50 million bulldogs
20 mountain goats
They all gathered round at sundown
Just to see my yellow coat
#############################
Indie List Digest!
April 17, 1995
Volume 4 Number 25
#############################
more old shit that we shouldn't waste our time on...
Ex-Action Figures and other Wisconsin bands.
bob dole
ANNOUNCE: Rex tour!
ANNOUNCE: Burlingtonitus 2
ANOUNCE: TOUR-Zip Code Rapists/ US Saucer
ANNOUNCE: Benefit concert in Norman OK
<------------------------------>
Well it was a brief week of shows for me last week, but a immensely
satisfying one at that. I managed, through hook, sweat and dirty
clothes, to attend three nights of a truly inspired four-day stretch at
the Lounge Ax in Chicago.
Some of the acts are all too discussed in these (and closely allied)
parts. Guided by Voices captured my attention for two of the
nights, with Bob Pollard providing his usual witty banter and stage
antics to the gathered crowd. They played most of the newest album,
previewed a set of songs from their upcoming release (entitled "The
Flying Party," or some such), and threw in a smattering of older
stuff for the box set collectors in the audience.
For reasons too complex to go into here (suffice to say that
management is NOT where it's at...) I missed the set of Mary
Lou Lord, who opened the first night. The second night Polara
opened with their post-MBV dreampop soundscapes. They're
entertaining enough, but the songs tended to blur slightly, as
though they were written in a brief space of time. Quality, but not
rapturous enough to last beyond a short set. Some of this may have
been the pacing from their set-list, which sort of lurched at the
6th song.
That Saturday, Lounge Ax was again turned toward the Avant mixed with
No Wave, as the disarming bill of Altered States, Ground Zero, James
Chance & the Contortions and Gastr del Sol managed to wedge themselves
into common breathing area. Again, my time sense detracted from my
catching more then 10 minutes of the prog-psych of Altered States, but
I was in full awe of the Ground Zero set. The ensemble's leader,
Otomo Yoshide, is a player in the japanoise scene, and he and the
ensemble did this title justice in their sojurn to our shores.
Turntables, feedback, screaming, samples and the disruptive rhythms
made the night more than worth my drive.
I wish I could have felt as good about James Chance & the
Contortions. While their gutter R&B is reasonably well executed,
the lack of presence I felt from the band, combined with the
cookie-cutter structure of the set, detracted strongly. The vinyl
releases are crucial to understanding some musical history - but the
minstrel show was not.
Gastr del Sol have yet to fail me, and their performance that night
was on par. Opening as a six-piece ensemble (the largest grouping I've
seen them in), for two new works, Gastr stripped down to the usual duo
of Grubbs and O'Rourke to saunter through new and older stuff for the
remainder of their set, breaking stride only slightly to change
instrumentation. Quiet, contemplative and wry music as can be
expected from them.
-es
<------------------------------>
From: Sean Murphy <grumpy@access.digex.net>
more old shit that we shouldn't waste our time on...
So, I found my way into the new-ish branch of Phantasmagoria Records
in Dupont Circle tonight and promptly was freaked out by the
hyper-organization of their records (plastic dividers for nearly every
band in the stacks). I was also pleased that they file EVERYTHING
together - no "jazz" section, no "rap" section - Coltrane sits right
next to Sam Cooke, and that's next to Alice Cooper, just like my
record collection. And, I found a few items that I had essentially
given up on finding...
Laurie Anderson, "O Superman" 12" (Warner Bros., 1981)
Fits in with my Meredith Monk records and that bizarrely wonderful
"Regional Zeal" spoken word compilation. This was one of her first
"major" releases (in terms of being noticed by the rest of the world).
"O Superman" is minimal, sparse, with eerie vocoder effects, and some
simple-sounding lyrics that leave you scratching your head for a good
10 minutes after the piece ends. The B-side, "Walking The Dog," isn't
quite as good but still pretty interesting. Certainly worth picking
up if you can find it for the a-side... *1/2
Coil, Scatology (Force & Form, 1983?)
First LP for Coil, and light years away from their recent material or
their intensely depressing version of "Tainted Love." This one shows
their Throbbing Gristle origins rather strongly and also makes me want
to go check out some early Foetus material, as Mr. Thirwell's mitts
are all over the record. Dark. Minimal. Pounding. Oppressive.
Nine Inch Nails aspires to create the mood that this album induces in
a listener, but fails miserably when confronted with the real thing.
**
Some records that weren't incredibly hard to find, but also worth
purchasing when you see them:
Antietam, _Comes Alive_ (XXX, 1992) and Rope-A-Dope (Homestead, 1994)
What the hell am I supposed to say? Simply wonderful. Tim's bass is
strong and melodic just the way I like it, Tara's guitar is just doing
everything right (solos that emerge without sounding forced, rhythms
that slide around and propel you effortlessly across songs), and the
drumming is clear and convincing without calling attention to itself.
_Comes Alive_ was recorded in '91 at CBGB's, Rope-A-Dope is the
latest studio effort. Both are great, though Rope-A-Dope might be
better for the unfamiliar listener - the mix and the vocals are more
consistent, and if you don't grab a hold of "Silver Solace" and just
drop everything you're doing while it's playing and simultaneously
forget that it's 10 minutes long, then I can't help you too much.
Definitely independent, hardly "indie." ** each.
Spacemen 3, _Sound Of Confusion_ (Fire, 1986) and _Taking Drugs to
Make Music to Take Drugs to_ (Father Yod/Forced Exposure, 1992)
I lump these partly because I just found vinyl copies of both of these
up in New Jersey, and partly because they are the closest-sounding of
all the Spacemen LPs. _Taking Drugs..._ is a recording of an early
demo session, where the Spacemen run through most of what becomes the
Sound of Confusion LP, plus a wired version of "Walking with Jesus."
The title of the record really might capture the true essence of the
band, but even for those of us who don't challenge federal and state
narcotics laws, the songs are strong and convincing in their drone and
buzz. _Sound of Confusion_ is a little more polished, their first
true LP, and it features a cover of the 13th Floor Elevators'
"Rollercoaster" which captures all the intensity of the original,
while stamping it with the Spacemen sound, too.
They were never the most original band in the universe (slews of cover
songs, often unattributed, and much of what they were doing musically
had been done already), but they did their thing better than anyone
who's come since (Loop, Spectrum, Spiritualized, Stereolab, Ride, to
name a few mining some of this territory). ** each.
And just so I don't feel like a totally retro piece of shit...
Lois, _Bet The Sky_ (K, 1995)
It's another Lois LP, and that means it's a) wonderfully funny and
uplifting and sad at the same time; and b) too damn short. Buy it on
vinyl, folks - this can't possibly clock more than 30 minutes, and the
cover photo of Lois' mom on a backyard swing is really cool (and
therefore looks better on the larger packaging). Heather Dunn
(ex-Tiger Trap) handles the drumming duties admirably - a different
style than Molly Neuman or Pat Maley, but hitting just the right spots
in the songs. A little happier on the whole than Strumpet - maybe
moving back in Olympia has been a good thing (though DC still misses
her very much). **, and see her live at your earliest opportunity -
the stage banter is the key, as is Lois' new "rap" section in
"Strumpet," in the tradition of James Brown and Isaac Hayes.
Dis- / Panel Donor split 7" (Lombardi, p.o. box 2564, Madison, WI 53701)
Yay... more recorded material from Dis-... Milwaukee's kings of
bizarro song titles throw another one at the crowd - "Suddenly
Everyone's A Smoker" - wrapped around a song which fits nicely into
the context of their most recent LP (the one with the Library of
Congress call number - M386.057). Ends VERY COLD! Could have been 2
minutes longer, and I probably wouldn't have noticed. (That's a good
sign.) Oh yeah, the sound? A little more acoustic/clean guitar than
usual, some of that soft-loud-soft-loud thing, has some definite
bob-and-weave (as opposed to head-nodding) sections. I realize that
makes it sound pretty dull - it's NOT. (A little muddy-sounding,
though... not characteristic of the fuckin' derd niffer's basement
recordings.)
On the b-side is Panel Donor, a band from Lawrence, KS. Edgy but
groovin, interesting mid-song shifts, but NOT "math rock" per se. I'm
worn out by the end of the song, but need to listen to it again
immediately, if you understand that feeling. (wow. inarticulate
much?) Anyway, I don't have their record on Lotuspool, so I can't
really compare it to that, but if you like creative rock music (no
mistaking this for pop or lounge or anything remotely wimpy), this
should fit the bill.
Combined effort: *3/4. Slightly better SQ on the Dis- side would
have helped, though it doesn't hide the song or anything... just
reminds me that they're a great live band.
I was gonna talk about Boogie Down Productions, too (been listening to
"By All Means Necessary" and "Ghetto Music" a lot recently), but that
fits better into my thought patterns for Finley Breeze #4... the
suggested theme is soul, and submissions are due in my mailbox by
the end of April.
Grumpy Sean
grumpy@access.digex.net
<------------------------------>
From: rob@skool.ssec.wisc.edu (Robert Jacob)
Ex-Action Figures and other Wisconsin bands.
There's a couple of Madison bands with new releases I've been meaning
to rave about. Here they are:
The Ex-Action Figures: "Autobeauty/Famous for a Second" (Pinkslider,
125 Craig Av, Madison, WI, 53705) and "The Great Divide/Lightbulb" (
Mafia Money Records, PO Box 8562, Madison, WI, 53708-8562)
Two almost simultaneous releases by a local trio that really surprised
me with their increadible hookiness. I'd seen them live several times
but those shows only hinted at the quirk-pop sensibilities of these
two singles. The standout is easily "The Great Divide" which won me
over in the first 30 seconds. These guys have been listening to their
Guided By Voices records. Cheap Trick too!
Danger Prone Daphne: "Drunk/Wintergreen" (Dental Records, 742 Baltzell
St., Madison, WI, 53711)
DPD is almost a Madison institution. They make no bones about their
Superchunk influence but theres a lot of of mid-'80s Minneapolis sound
in them as well. "Drunk" is fire-em-up run through about the
aftermath of a drunken spree: "I've been sleeping on the floor/ I've
been spinnin' on the carousel. . .". "Wintergreen" is almost a
power ballad and the band seems a bit sheepish over the very Smashing
Pumpkins-like sound. (Especially the vocals.) But don't let that
discourage you. There's a very cool picture of some '50s-era
wrestlers on the cover -- a motif that Mike Watt will probably get all
the credit for starting.
And from Green Bay...
Boris the Sprinkler "Male Model/Superball Eyes" and "(do you wanna)
Grilled Cheese/Bad Guy Reaction" (Bulge Records, POB 1173, Green Bay)
These two singles aren't so new but I haven't seen them mentioned
here. BtS plays punk rock with a straightforwardness and
unselfconciousness (and sense of humor) that I haven't seen anywhere
else. Live, the band is tight, fast, and melodic. The impossibly
thin Rev. Norb handles the vocals and usually performs wearing a
football helmet with antlers glued to the top. The Undertones cover
is true to the source (although about two times faster). The very
poppy "Grilled Cheese" would be a huge number one hit if this was a
better world. (They also have a CD out called "Eight Testacled Pogo
Machine.")
I maintain an email list for madison club shows. To subscribe, send
the message: subscribe madmusic Your Name in the body of a letter to
listproc@scrap.ssec.wisc.edu The subject line can be anything.
Or you can see it on the WWW:
http://scrap.ssec.wisc.edu/music/madison.clubs
Rob Jacob
rob@ssec.wisc.edu
<------------------------------>
From: dann medin <DLM94001@UConnVM.UConn.Edu>
bob dole. eep eep eep eep eep eep.
hubba///
loud music fest, northampton mass. part deux.
04.01
th final blowout day, w/continuous live music from 10 am to 1 am.
josh & i took th groggy route, sleeping in a bit and drinking much
coffee. we stayed w/a very nice grandmother named mary peters, a last
second random shelter that ended up working out perfectly. after a
couple of hours of travel stories and old photographs, we lighted up a
couple of cloves (that is, josh & i. duh.) and walked th 1/4 mile
into town. it all started out w/an informal acoustic performance by
andrew eggs @ main street records (highly recommended indie/vinyl
shopping place)...
andrew eggs
he sat down on a chair w/a composition book & a cup of juice in th
back of th store. people would walk by him to check out th
jazz/classical section while he was playing, a very casual atmosphere.
most of th material that he played will be featured on an upcoming
solo album, although he added in a beautiful cover song by a band
called moodus (?) & did a version of "pit of spikes," from th last
eggs cd, disco part and all. i really got into this; andrew was tres
emotional and shy (in an appealing, humble, mary lou lord type of
way), and th acoustic guitar allowed his lyrics to stand out and be
appreciated fr what it actually is... good songwriting. excellent.
jen & cynthia (ruby falls)
jen sang some solo songs, and cynthia read some poetry. seana syrup's
other band, called something like "frankeneater," had not shown up.
really pretty stuff; ruby falls is an awesome band. unfortunately, we
didn't get to see them again (although they played) cuz i had to hand
out alias stuff @ th small show. ruby falls is on tour in th central
u.s./east coast for th next few weeks, i would really recommend seeing
them live. they are not only great musicians, but very sweet people
as well. and sweet people are always a plus.
small
ran up to th north star to finally see them live. i've always had a
weird sort of affection fr this band... if my favorite songs off of
each album were released @ once, i would probably love them. but
they're not. so i use them fr mix tapes. but anyways, a nice little
jam in a tiny stageless club called th north star. bad acoustics, but
an awesome friendly crowd of beautiful people, and great renditions of
"eb" and "true zero hook" made th set worthwhile.
tizzy
yikes. i'm running out of order here. tizzy was after jen & cynthia.
anyways, one of th most improved up & coming bands outta th east coast
right now. (my favorite non-lp/kinda new bands in this area also
include vitapup, syrup, and karate if you were wondering.) great poppy
punky punk pop. jen's voice sounds a little bit like jenny toomey's,
but a bit better. she also plays neat bass lines, and lotsa energy
from both th drummer & guitarist as well make them a band most
definitely worth seeing. they have a 7" out now that was reviewed
last digest, which i'm sure is fantastic. they will be playing a risd
coffeehouse (i think that it's free) in providence on may 5th. email
me for details.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
got to run to class. to be continued...
<------------------------------>
From: Cecemtrix@AOL.COM
ANNOUNCE: Rex tour!
Rex will be doing a week of shows with the Laughing Hyenas, then a
handful with the Grifters, so y'know, GO CHECK 'EM OUT! Guitar, bass,
CELLO, and drums (courtesy of Codeine's Doug Scharin) intermingle
beautifully in the territory occupied by Tortoise, the Palace Bros,
Idaho, and, well, Codeine. I'm sure some of you will be going to see
the Hyenas or the Grifters anyway, so please do your best to get their
early.
And the dates are....
Tu 4/18 Club Midnite, Baltimore, w/Hyenas
Th 4/20 9:30 Club, DC, w/Hyenas
Sa 4/22 Twisters, Richmond, w/Fireworks
Su 4/23 Lizard & Snake, Chapel Hill, w/Fireworks & Coral
Tu 5/02 Cicero's, St Louis, w/Love 666
We 5/03 Gabe's, Iowa City, w/Grifters
Th 5/04 First Ave, Minneapolis, w/Grifters & Bottle Rockets
Fr 5/05 Empty Bottle, Chicago, w/Grifters
Sa 5/06 tba, Madison or Milwaukee
Su 5/07 Blind Pig, Champaign, w/Grifters
M0 5/08 Euclid Tavern, Cleveland, w/Tortoise & Sea & Cake
Tu 5/09 tba Pittsburgh
We 5/10 Blind Pig, Ann Arbor
Th 5/11 tba Toronto
Sa 5/13 tba Portland, Maine
the end
<------------------------------>
From: BradFub@aol.com
ANNOUNCE: Burlingtonitus 2
You're Invited To...
BURLINGTONITUS 2
The Second Indie-Invitational in Vermont
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,
April 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, 1995
at Toast, Club 242, and Metronome
in Burlington, Vermont, USA
Last year, we invited over a dozen of our favorite bands from around
the country (and Canada) to take part in a three show indie-festival
here in beautiful Burlington, Vermont. The fest was called
Burlingtonitus and it was tons of fun. We're doin' it again, and this
year promises to be even better than last. We've made some changes,
asked some bands back, and invited a whole bunch of new bands to make
the trip.
Friday, April 21st Saturday, April 22nd Sunday,April 23rd
Toast, 165 Church Club 242, 242 Main St. Metronome,188 Main
Doors Open at 8 p.m. Doors Open at 8 p.m. Doors Open at 7 p.m.
the Stand GT Tulips Chisel
Tuscadero Yum Yum Tree the Van Pelt
Pest 5000 Blast Off Country Style Radio to Saturn
Eef huffy Madelines
Tizzy Tugboat Annie Buddy Sevaris
the Smiles
All three shows are all ages events, and admission is $5 each night.
Three-day passes are available in advance for $10 at Tones Music, 150A
Church St., Burlington. Burlingtonitus is a non-profit event, with
all money being divided equally among the bands. Like last year, the
fest is being recorded for posterity, and this year a video
documentary is being filmed, too.
Burlingtonitus 2 is brought to you by Vermont's Sudden Shame Records
and Club Fub Records, with the generous help of the folks at:
WRUV-FM 90.1 Burlington CKUT-FM 90.3 Montreal Eclipse Recording
Low Tech Studios Stamen Studios Tones Music
Duckworth T-Shirts
For more info and other questions, call (802) 865-9282 or email:
BradFub@aol.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<------------------------------>
From: Amarillo2@aol.com
ANOUNCE: TOUR-Zip Code Rapists/ US Saucer
These fine Amarillo bands are heading east for a handful of shows.
Please stop by if you are close.
April 20--Blacksburg, VA-The Cellar
April 21--Duke University, NC-Duke Coffeehouse
April 22--Swarthmore, PA-Swarthmore College
April 23--NYC-Under Acme
April 24--Boston, MA-Green St. Cafe/Grill? (US Saucer 1st)
NC's Pine State are opening all shows.
Also, the ZCR's reunion CD ep "94124" will be out next week. Look for
it at the usual sources.
amarillo2@aol.com
<------------------------------>
From: Robert S. Boss <limbocaf@ionet.net>
ANNOUNCE: Benefit concert in Norman OK
Vital Information:
On April 22nd at the Sooner Theatre in Norman, Oklahoma,
LIMBO CAFE
will perform a benefit concert in memory of their friend Dale
Smithson.
Proceeds go to the Triangle Association, for the care and comfort of
AIDS victims in the Oklahoma City area.
rsb
<------------------------------------------------------------>
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