One too many beers preaching a prophecy of doom
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Indie List Digest!
July 20, 1995
Volume 4 Number 35
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Juicy Tripods, Ultra Bilders, and more...
pop music and drama from Malathion Risk
Dann's edible attitudes
ANNOUNCE: TFUL#282 tour
ANNOUNCE: Malathion Risk
ANNOUNCE: Stumble #7
Howdy friends and family, it's another belated yet hurried Indie-List
to inspire your mailbox to overaction. We're sorry for those of you
who may have wondered what happened to us (or your submissions...).
And for those of you whose work seems missing, don't fret - our next
issue should be out in fewer days than since the last!
In our mailbox this week:
Dina DeRowe <dina@radmail.rad.co.il> writes to enquire if any of
our readers can fill her in on the American band "Spit." Drop her
a line if you can - it's not in our collection of boxes here...
Nation of Lies, a metal band from out West there dropped us a line
to tell the world about their web page at
http://coyote.csusm.edu:80/~thoma003/index.html.
and in another odd WebSite announcement, we are told of a
Northwest Blues site at
http://www.teleport.com/~boydroid/blues/cba.htm.
Go figure.
Keep those cards, letters and packing tips coming!
-es
<------------------------------>
From: Sean Murphy <grumpy@access.digex.net>
Juicy Tripods, Ultra Bilders, and more...
Happily, I've got access to a radio station again... thus allowing me
to see some new-ish records instead of just the old stuff I
occasionally buy.
But to start with the "why hadn't i heard this before?" category:
Bill Direen, _Max Quitz - Bilders Vol. 1_ (Flying Nun, 1993)
This is a CD I bought a few months back because I found it cheap, and
I knew that Direen was a fairly cool kiwi-musician type. I promptly
filed it away at home, and then never got around to listening to it.
Then I saw Direen play up in New York, was fairly blown away, and
remembered to pull out the CD when I got home.
Now I'm kicking myself, because I should have been listening to this a
lot. It's superb stuff, short little fragmentary songs (cf. Guided
By Voices in theory, not execution), guitar, organ, vocals, all
hitting me where it counts. Why did half of New Zealand decide that
the early '80s were really the mid to late '60s when deciding to write
songs? This CD is the earliest Direen stuff - 1979 to 1984, with a
variety of band names and side players (Die Bilder, Builders, Bilders,
Bilder Berger, Gone Aiwa). There's 3 more volumes (I think - I've
seen #2 and remember FN talking about doing 4) and I'd have to bet
that they're all fucking great, even if the cover art is pretty dull.
**
Now on to the newer stuff...
Juicy - For The Ladies (Slow River, 1995) (P.O. Box 487, Durham, NH 03824)
In February 1994, I saw this band play, and they were atrocious. At
best, Juicy was capable of playing low-rent Bratmobile songs, and it
seemed like they didn't care and almost intentionally played poorly.
So I was fishing through piles of CDs in the music office and found
this and nearly shit my pants. I couldn't believe that someone would
put out such an inept band on CD.
The CD surprised me - it's not bad. Pleasant, but not particularly
memorable. It's still low-rent Bratmobile in the song-writing
department, but the playing is more competent now. And it's way short
- 10 songs, 24 minutes - blink and it's gone. You could do far worse
trying to find a bouncy jangly incoherent pop song. **3/4
Ultracindy - The Mermaid's Parade (Earthling, 1995) (distributed by
Caroline)
...wow, there's this cool new band, they're called the lilys, and they
have this record, in the presence of nothing, it's so rad, i wish i
could make a record like that...
Sorry. This isn't really that bad. If you're looking for a third
generation Loveless sound-alike from Norfolk, Virginia, this is it.
Whereas Lorelei have risen above their beginnings as a
creation-wanna-be and the Lilys have shifted directions and lineups
more times than anyone can count since their first LP, Ultracindy is
still working through those awkward stages where they still simply
sound like their favorite band, instead of being subtly influenced by
that favorite band. **3/4
_Creation Rebel - Historic Moments, Volume Two_ (On-U Sound/Restless,
1995)
This has been my space-groove for the past week. This CD compiles
parts of 2 On-U Sound LPs, "Starship Africa" and "Threat to Creation,"
originally released in 1979-80. The closest "genre" to describing
this is dub-style reggae, but this is dub from another universe.
Sparse, heavy echoes and reverbs, not much in the way of vocals, and
while the CD is an hour long, you can listen without realizing that 13
distinct songs went by (and it feels like 20 minutes). This CD more
than makes up for the fact that some of these people (notably Adrian
Sherwood) went on to create the atrocity sometimes known as Tackhead.
**
Tripod Jimmie, _Unclaimed Freight_ (Lennie Line, 1995) (P.O. Box 151,
San Carlos, CA 94070)
Yikes... never did I imagine this one coming down the pike. Tripod
Jimmie were formed in 1980-81 by Tom Herman (ex-Pere Ubu) and Lennie
Bove in Erie, PA. The comp. track "Serenade" and their first LP,
_Long Walk Off A Short Pier_, rank right up with all the early Ubu
stuff, but a little more subdued. The second LP, _A Warning To All
Strangers_, is dull, and gets too funked up for my liking (not that I
don't like funk, but they did it badly). Anyway, this CD is a
collection of material which was supposed to be a third LP, an outtake
from the second LP (which smokes everything on that record), and some
tracks from their first time in a recording studio. It's not a
perfect CD (still too much of that funky stuff going on) but there's a
bunch of great songs in there. *1/4 as a whole, though selected
parts get up to **.
My Dad Is Dead, _For Richer, For Poorer_ (Emperor Jones/Touch & Go,
1995)
An improvement from 1993's _Out of Sight, Out of Mind_ album - it's
not the same damn overdriven guitar sound for 40 minutes. This LP,
MDID's 8th, heads back toward the territory mined on the Homestead
releases in 1988-89 - sparser, cleaner guitar arrangements, an
emphasis on the songs and lyrics. Now, while I hold up the "Shine" EP
as the pinnacle of Mark Edwards' recording career, I will say that I'm
glad he backed off the "rock" track for a bit. If you've never liked
MDID, this won't change your mind. If you only like "Shine" and
_Chopping Down The Family Tree_, you probably won't dig this. *
Side note: For an experiment, try listening to his version of "Water's
Edge" sometime - it's much different from Tsunami's version, and while
I like both, I think of them as two different songs. Ditto for the LP
and "Shine" versions of "Nothing Special" and "Babe in the Woods" -
the former are spartan, while the latter are gritty and high-powered
and charming and scary all at once.
That's it for now. And probably it for a while, as I worry about
moving back to scenic central New Jersey and finishing _Finley Breeze_
#5. Announcement to follow when it's done...
[consider this an announcement - Finley #5 hit the wires a couple
days ago, and has fine thoughts on our indie world from the usual
ecelectic cast. Drop Sean a line to get a copy, if you haven't
gotten one already -es]
Grumpy Sean
grumpy@access.digex.net
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From: Malathrsk@aol.com
pop music and drama
land of the loops-multi-family garage/rotate :here's a couple of
casio-pop songs that actually challenge you to sit still.
multi-family garage is quirky as hell while rotate can only be
described as "arabesque" Both songs originally appeared on a slabco
cassette that is simply a blast. there is always room for fun records
in your collection; time to add this!! Up Records PO 21328 Seattle Wa
98111
sukpatch: this 4-song ep is the sorta cool pop stuff you've come to
expect from slabco. always lots of cool casio, but this one has a lot
of guitar and more of a band feel. still contains the requisite cool
samples that make this a fun record also. slabco PO 85510 Seattle Wa
98145-1510
chris knox-songs of you & me; simply the most exciting record to come
along in a long time. there should be reviews of this record posted
here soon as it begins to trickle out. if I don't see one soon, I'll
write e real one, but why not beat me to it? Run out and get this
record. Write a really great review and get the word out on what a
wonderful record this is! Caroline 114 west 26th St. New York (but
it's still licenced from Flying Nun. If you have the money, order
from them.)
the rooks/twenty cent crush-a double dose of pop: this label puts the
emphasis on "power pop." the bands on this split cd may come from
opposite coasts but their influences are definitely the same even if
they distill them a bit differently. Lots of Hollies, Byrds,
Raspberries stuff here. All lovingly done from a 90'2s standpoint.
Not Lame PO 9828 Aspen.Co 81612
symPOPhony #1-a collection of american power pop: 5 more bands in the true power pop
vein here. these bands come from all over the country and turn in 4
songs each. All are swell. Perhaps the rooks/twenty cent crush stuff
is better, but it's all very good. lots of ringing guitars and
great harmonies but none of the sloppiness that plagues the
"indie-stuff" sometimes. notlame@aol.com
the silly pillows-up in the air: if you never got any of the silly pillows
cassettes or neglected to buy the all too scarce vinyl releases, now is your
chance to snap up this cd. the silly pillows were doing bedroom rock before
there was ever a term for it. this is a compilaton of some of their more
recent stuff. From the true pop underground. You=92rre gonna love this one, I
promise. Perfect Pop-somewhere in Sweden but you can get 'em by writing to
RR1 box1942 Friendsville Pa 18818
tullycraft: a new 3-song ep by the guys from Crayon and Wimp Factor
XIV on harriet. That same sloppiness that I said plagues
"indie-stuff" is this record's supreme moment. There are certain
things you just don't want to clean up for fear of losing the intimacy
of the songs. This record is perfect in every way. tullycraft also
contribute a very fine song to a 4 band 7" put out by the guys from
For Paper Airplane Pilots zine. it also includes wonderful songs by
cub, raggedy ann, & weakling. For an extra 2 bucks you can get a
copy of the zine. The new one has interviews with a bunch of cool
bands and a great Chickfactor spoof. (You've seen the annoucement
here. You really should get them.) You can get a copy of a cool zine
from sean in tullycraft. it's called Thrill and if you order the
record from him I think he throws one in for free. Harriet PO 649
Cambridge, Ma 02238, FPAP PO 12011 Gainesville FL 32604 sean 722 11th
E. Seattle Wa 98102
For more info on my own cool zine about pop music see the announcement
at the end.
<------------------------------>
From: dann medin <DLM94001@UConnVM.UConn.Edu>
edible attitudes
greetings... been caught up in the grind of praying fr a job (yes, i
did get interviewed first) & listening to bad cds. fr advice on new &
interesting ways to do away w/funky glam metal cds, please drop me a
line. yr advice will be appreciated & most likely taken. interesting
concepts i've been informed of so far include giant mirrors &
microwave light shows. i dunno. i've been sticking to the good ole
bull's eye target toss, although it does make fr a messy floor. blah
blah blah blah. so my zine's finally done, i'm just waiting fr a
couple ads & it goes to ye photocopier. i like the photos ok, but i'm
incredibly self- critical, so i'm not that happy w/it. i dunno, when
it's all ready to go i'll put in an objective ad listing all of the
shit in it.
i'm just in a crabby mood right now, so if this sounds particularly
whiny, feel free to pick up the computer & hurl it @ target painted on
the wall. it's entirely self-gratifying, i promise. lesse, stuff
that i've put into the push file recently; huevos ranchos (or somethin
like that), new bad things, versus singles... h.r. do a great surfy
rockabilly instrumental thang. n.b.t. are just creative as phuck.
versus deserves to be in there solely on the two tracks "merry go
round" & "forest fires" alone. hmm. been listening to the last two
releases by girls against boys lots lately (pre-dgc), it seems like a
fair excuse to look like a sloppy greaseball. not that i do. i don't
think.
oh, & i just booked a couple of shows @ studio 158 fr august. one's
got bob evans w/(hopefully) the third sex, cheesecake, & tizzy. the
other's got bracket headlining. so call or whatever fr info (203 486
2960 @ the station; 203 423 3995 @ home). both will be cheap.
recent unplanned road trip entertainment:
23.07
arrive in boston & watch this guy named "mattie" fr the evening @ my
friend julie's apartment. he walks in w/out a tshirt w/a case of bud
& jock itch, and heard the latest scoop on baseball (sucks now), work
(smoked two blunts w/my boss today & downed a six-pack), music (hootie
and the blowfish fucking rocked. did you hear the new neil young?
it's got pearl jam on it. how cool is that?), oj trial (that kato guy
is so stupid), and life in general (pass me a beer). lotsa fun.
24.07
run back and forth between two pretty good shows. seemed like a lot
of people were doing the same thing. so never mind which was @ the
middle east & which was @ tts. bands in the order that i saw them-mo
elliot: solo shit from ex- spore guitarist/vocalist. very intense,
her songs are deep & occasionally noisy, but cathartic to the nth
degree. (what a stupid expression that is.) she's in a new band w/all
of the spore members but the other guitarist. they called "pinto," i
aim to see.-truman's water: moved from san diego to portland. totally
crazy shit, two noisy guitars & a drummer. lotsa improv shit &
jumping around. good times.-syrup usa: by now, i assume that you've
read enough reviews of mine & know how much i luv them. fun per
usual. got to hear a track offa the upcoming 7" @ matt's & was very
happy. looking forward to that & they're open- ing slot w/built to
spill later on this month.-lida husik: very beautiful psychedelifolky
songwriting. i wish that i saw more than two songs.-chris knox:
everyone turned out fr this one, the room was packed. boston stars
were abound & drinking. and knox put on a great, entertaining, & @
times deeply moving (a bunch of songs recently written regarding his
sexuality) set. very mem- orable. oh, & enjoyed hanging out fr the
rest of the week w/my friend jeremy (he writes pumpkinseed) from
toronto, whom i ran into in the street. nice, eh?
25.07
spent the day hanging out in the commons and being particularly
obnoxious to strangers & tourists. spent the night seeing-tipili:
homemade songs taken on to the stage. kinda lou barlowish, but i'm
only saying that because i'm still being obnoxious to strangers. and
maybe tourists. a strong last two songs that made it all work.
allisa was a cool drummer to watch. -prickly: pretty slow pop songs.
and boring too. they all sounded the same. but not tremendously bad.
i wouldn't have picked them up and thrown them @ a wall. that would
be the next band, but i didn't bother w/their name. i just ate
falafel. all i remember is that they were extremely frightening. i
don't think that i'd throw them into the wall @ all now. i wouldn't
even want to touch them. just run away, really fast, & maybe cover my
ears.-secret stars: geoff from karate is now one of my favorite
songwriters in the country. this is his other project, w/ms. jodi
b., who writes equally fantastic lyrics. they do a minimalistic
guitar-based thing, gavin from karate helped out on drums. i don't
really know where to start. you should probably email
"evitt@acs.bu.edu" fr info on picking up the single or tape. stuff on
simple machines, shrimper, & a demo. simply amazing. anyone that can
write a song called "dating is stupid" & get away w/it perfectly wins
my respect.
i think that was pretty much it fr entertainment. besides drawing
hundreds of little stick figures and hiding them all over my friend's
room while she was @ work. i bet that she still hasn't found them
all, too. heh. i got back ok (w/the exception of being stuck in
-blech- providence fr two hours), & did not go hungry this time. ok.
next time i guess i'll review the last small factory show & talk about
something relatively interesting. or try. tape trades still welcome.
xoxo.
<------------------------------>
From: CTAPsnoops@aol.com
ANNOUNCE: TFUL#282 tour
I've assumed that a lot of you out there may appreciate being apprised
of the upcoming Thinking Fellers Union Local #282 dates coming up
later this month and for the first half of August. The Fellers will
be doing an extended set in the neighborhood of 70 to 90 minutes this
time around as opposed to the two set stretch they did last go round
(and sorry, no film this time). In addition there are going to be a
host of other support acts out there with them that may or may not
pique your interest as well. Hope you all find this useful:
Sat 22-Jul Los Angeles, CA The Palace supporting The Boredoms
Mon 24-Jul Salt Lake City, UT Cinemabar one local opener
Tue 25-Jul Denver, CO Lions Lair one local opener
Wed 26-Jul Lawrence, KS The Bottleneck one local opener
Thu 27-Jul Minneapolis, MN Uptown Bar two local supports
Fri 28-Jul Madison, WI O'Cayz Corral Sabalon Glitz
Sat 29-Jul Chicago, IL Lounge Ax Sabalon Glitz
Sun 30-Jul Columbus, OH Stache's Strapping/Sabalon/Spiny
Tue 01-Aug Burlington, VT Club Toast Strapping Fieldhands/Sabalon
Wed 02-Aug Boston, MA Music Hall Strapping Fieldhands/Sabalon
Thu 03-Aug Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's Strapping Fieldhands/Sabalon
Fri 04-Aug New York, NY The Cooler Strapping Fieldhands/Sabalon
Sat 05-Aug Philadelphia, PA Upstairs @ Nicks Strapping Fieldhands/Sabalon Glitz
Sun 06-Aug Washington, DC Black Cat Strap/Sabalon/Fuck
Mon 07-Aug Morgantown, WV Nyabinghi Dance Hall Polvo/Sabalon Glitz
Tue 08-Aug Louisville, KY Butchertown Pub Geraldine/Babe/Sabalon
Wed 09-Aug Memphis, TN Barrister's local only
Fri 11-Aug Atlanta, GA Midtown Music Hall Geraldine/Babe
Sat 12-Aug Carborro, NC Cat's Cradle Geraldine Fibbers/Babe the Blue Ox
Mon 14-Aug Orlando, FL Saphire Supper Club Babe the Blue Ox
Tue 15-Aug Tampa, FL Stone Lounge Babe the Blue Ox
Wed 16-Aug Gainesville, FL Covered Dish Babe the Blue Ox
Fri 18-Aug Austin, TX Emo's Babe the Blue Ox
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From: Malathrsk@aol.com
ANNOUNCE: Malathion Risk
Just in time for summer, another concoction from the engineers at MRHQ.
Dave's packed up the record collection and gotten the hell out of
Packerland and this is the first issue of new and improved MR. For
just $2 a POP, you get a cool zine with doxens of record, zine, and
live show reviews; stories about wearing Roy Orbison's sunglasses,
quitting your job and giving your boss the proverbial slap in the
face; an electronic conversation with Franklin Bruno; and answers to
the age-old question What Makes a Pop Song? from Richard Baluyut,
Leslie Gaffney, Sharky from Creeper Lagoon, and more...
Contributions from the usual gang of idiots and a few surprises and
cool prizes. It's here, it's now, so, for the love of pop, get it! 2
bucks from Dave 16 Wythe #4 Fairfield Oh 45014 or e-mail for more info
if you don't get this!!!!
<------------------------------>
From: Renee Bessette <RBES3493@URIACC.URI.EDU>
ANNOUNCE: Stumble #7
STUMBLE #7 IS NOW OUT!! Hi hello....This 36 full-sized pages issue
features interviews with Lois, L7, Purple Ivy Shadows, Fuzzy, Ivy,
small factory (rip), Lotion, Biscuit, and Borgia Popes. Plus, tons of
reviews and fun pages!! What more could you ask for? Send $2 to
Stumble, 59 Brentwood Lane, Fairport, NY 14450-2225. Later!
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Austin Rawk
Canadian Rock
Your Rock?
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