==== ISSUE 71 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [March 19, 1996] Editor: Bob Gajarsky Internet: gajarsky@pilot.njin.net Sr. Correspondents: Jeremy Ashcroft, Martin Bate, Dan Enright, Tim Kennedy, Reto Koradi, David Landgren, Sean Eric McGill, Tim Mohr, Jamie Roberts, Joe Silva, John Walker Correspondents: Dan Birchall, Lee Graham Bridges, Scott Byron, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Stephen Jackson, Daniel Kane, Mario Lia, P. Nina Ramos, Linda Scott, Ali Sinclair, Jon Steltenpohl, Courtney Muir Wallner Also Contributing: Michele Morabito, Oleg Pshenichny Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann, Damir Tiljak, Jason Williams Address all comments, subscriptions, etc. to gajarsky@pilot.njin.net ================================================================== All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s). Permission for re-publication in any form other than within this document must be obtained from the editor. ================================================================== .------------. | Contents | `------------' CONCERT REVIEW: Sting, Moscow - Oleg Pshenichny REVIEW: Queensryche, _Promised Land_ CD-Rom - Dan Birchall REVIEW: Love and Rockets, _Sweet F.A._ - Stephen Lin REVIEW: Lou Reed, _Set The Twilight Reeling_ - Reto Koradi REVIEW: Frank Black, _The Cult of Ray_ - Eric Hsu REVIEW: The Pharcyde, _Labcabincalifornia_ - Martin Bate CONCERT REVIEW: The Wrens, New York City - Bob Gajarsky REVIEW: Michael Shrieve, _Two Doors_ - Ali Sinclair REVIEW: John Taylor, _Feelings Are Good and Other Lies_ - Michele Morabito REVIEW: Mike Pinder, _A Planet With One Mind..._ - Linda Scott CONTEST: Consumable/World Domination giveaway! NEWS: Sex Pistols 20th Anniversary, Performing Songwriter TOUR DATES: AC/DC, Barenaked Ladies / Bogmen, Frank Black / Jonny Polonsky, Jackson Browne, Brother Cane, Combine, Cravin' Melon, Deftones, Diamond Rio, Arlo & Abe Guthrie, Hum / Mercury Rev, Love and Rockets, Ziggy Marley & Melody Makers, Menthol, Mystery Machine, Mysteries of Life, Ken Nordine, O-Matic, Poi Dog Pondering, Professor & Maryann, Rake's Progress, Sister Machine Gun / Gravity Kills, Sting, Swales, They Might Be Giants / Swales, Tina & The B Side Movement, Tiny Lights, Urchins, Uzjsmedoma, Weston ADDITION: Killing Joke _Democracy_ Back Issues of Consumable --- CONCERT REVIEW: Sting, Moscow, March 13-14 - Oleg Pshenichny The red stars on the towers of the Moscow Kremlin don't often meet the big western stars, so two of Sting's gigs in the Great Kremlin Palace (March 13 and 14) were a great sensation for Russia. The media went crazy and sometimes we felt nearly into Sting-mania. The tickets (from 15 to 100 US dollars) blew out in under 2 days and on the days of the concerts tickets were selling for around $400 on the black market. The special black "ZIL" limousine (a type of Russian goverment special car) with the license number STING 77 took Mr. Sumner around Moscow. The shows were not commercial in the truest sense because the local Alfa bank paid for everything to promote the concert, and the ticket money went to a local charity. It was standing room only in this former Palace for the Communist Congress - and the "New Russians", in fur, gold and diamonds occupied most of the first fifty rows. It was obvious they didn't bother themselves what kind of artist they want to see - he's *The Big Star*. But the rest of the audience was warm and excited to listen to Sting. The March 13th concert was the first in his current world tour. Russians call it "wet" - the program was not perfectly cooked yet, and the band was a little afraid of the new audience, new programm and bad acoustics of this monstrous official Palace. Sting's band is the same that recorded the _Mercury Falling_ album, which is now firmly on the top of the Russian charts - with no spare copies in the shops - and in the Top 5 in U.K., with the exception of the Memphis horns. If you already have listened to _Mercury Falling_ and have the old live double (non United States) album _Bring On The Night_, you can mix the impression to generate a picture of his sound. Sting shows himself as a grown-up, tired, obsessed with what-is-the-meaning-of-it-all problems, but still powerful musician. The improvisation and personal instrument-playing possibilities of, say Mr. Kenny Kirkland, are bound very tightly to the pop-format of the concert. Everything was well rehearsed and prepared long before the concert including every little gesture and musical "improvisation". Sting moved rarely and slowly; it's the father of six children on the stage, not the rock-rebel or jazz-pop-classic genius in free flight of the fantasy. In this critic's estimation, the show was performed not to expand on any of Sting's horizons, but to bring music from his most recent album directly to the people. The second show was much more relaxed because of even better sound. The set list was copied from the night before with Russian "How are you?"'s for the audience, one-time Sting jumping, one-time moving from left corner to the right corner (the most visible gesture during the whole show) and an improvisation of "When The World Is Running Down". The problem is, despite any lack of Sting doing anything surprising during his show, the audience - as well as myself - visibly and audibly liked the show. When the music is this good, even a less than perfect stage presence can't dampen the overall concert. The concert was filmed by the main Russian TV and they were allowed to shoot first three song to 15 television companies from all around the world. For more information on Sting's world tour, check out the Fields of Gold homepage at http://www.rrz.uni-koeln.de/wiso-fak/wisostatsem/autoren/sting/index.html SET LIST: "If I Ever Lose My Faith", "If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free", "King Of Pain", "Hounds Of Winter", "I Hung My Head", "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot", "You Still Touch Me", "Seven Days", "Fields Of Gold", "25 To Midnight", "4 Seasons", "It's Probably Me/Sister Moon", "Shape Of My Heart", "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", "Roxanne", "Englishman In New York", "This Cowboy Song/When The World Is Running Down", "Every Breath You Take", "She's Too Good", "Nothing 'Bout Me", "Lithium Sunset" While not contributing articles to Consumable or doing publicity for concerts in Russia, Oleg Pshenichny reports and writes on rock and roll in Russia for several of the country's top newspapers. --- REVIEW: Queensryche, _Promised Land_ CD-Rom (EMI) - Dan Birchall Like its namesake album, Queensryche's new _Promised Land_ CD-ROM has been a long time coming. Fans first heard that a CD-ROM was in the works in May of 1994, a full five months before the album was released. At that time, the CD-ROM was expected along with the album. Things didn't go as expected - release dates told to fans slipped at least ten times! Meanwhile, the _Promised Land_ album went platinum, and Queensryche toured extensively, so fans weren't left completely disappointed. Despite the delays, the fruit of their labors should redeem Queensryche in the eyes of their fans. The two-disc CD-ROM set pushes the envelope in every way. Expectations will be high after the wait, but even the most jaded fans should be in for a few surprises. Old and new fans alike should enjoy the Big Log disc, a virtual copy of Big Log Studio - the cabin in the San Juan Islands where Queensryche recorded the _Promised Land_ album. Dozens of audio and video clips are scattered throughout the cabin, and may be found by looking closely at everyday items. The clips can also be viewed together in the form of a short video documentary. Also hidden in the cabin are three full-length videos for songs from the album. Big Log pales in comparison to the Promised Land disc, which is truly in a league of its own - a hundred minutes of digital audio and video, 70 computer-generated digital environments, and two thousand high-color ray traced images, all packed onto one disc! In a Consumable interview several months ago, Michael Wilton said that the game would take 30 hours to win, but he may have underestimated. The sheer volume of visual and aural information is overwhelming. The graphics are vivid, ranging from realistic to absurd. There are rich sounds and hundreds, if not thousands, of items which interact with the user in various ways, and puzzles galore. Even the members of Queensryche make appearances in unexpected places. When members of the band appear, they invariably offer ethical morsels, in the form of encouragement, scolding or advice. Despite Queensryche's success in the world of music, its members have retained a strong sense of values which are the basis of the puzzles within the game. The ecology of each world on the disc can be endangered in some way, and once endangered, each world can be saved. The game is by no means a "shoot-em-up"; the ultimate goal of reassembling a five-part Native American totem pole can be reached without violence. The victor's reward, of course, is a performance of a never-before-heard Queensryche song entitled "Two Miles High." This CD-ROM set is certainly not for the faint of heart, or the faint of hardware - it requires at least a 486 PC or '040 Mac, 8 megabytes of RAM, 16-bit color and a dual-speed CD-ROM drive, and a recommended system is at least one notch better in each department. Each musician's world is a game unto itself, and with short-cuts and connections between the worlds, it is very easy to lose one's sense of direction. Once users get past the initial shock and sensory overload, though, both discs are full of challenges, fun, and opportunities for mind-opening experiences - things that Queensryche's fans have come to expect from "The Thinking Mind's Metal Band." --- REVIEW: Love and Rockets, _Sweet F.A._ (American) - Stephen Lin I'll admit that I was a little disappointed when Love and Rockets released _Hot Trip to Heaven_ in 1994; not because it wasn't a good album, but because it didn't sound like the Love and Rockets I expected. A similar fear for Love and Rockets new release, _Sweet F.A._, disappeared less than ten seconds into the album. I was immediately greeted by a classic, pristine Love and Rockets sound reminiscent of _Earth Sun Moon_. Skipping ahead, I discovered that the fuzz distortion sound from _Love and Rockets_ was also present. Some of the acoustic songs sounded as if they belonged on _Express_. Essentially, _Sweet F.A._ is the perfect conglomeration of most styles that Love and Rockets has employed over the past decade and beyond. But even that statement doesn't fully do this album justice. In addition to quite possibly being the best Love and Rockets album ever, _Sweet F.A._ also represents the most painstaking work the band has completed to date. After working in San Francisco and London, Love and Rockets went to Los Angeles to begin the final recording phase. Unfortunately, they nearly lost their lives to a catastrophic fire in a house owned by superproducer Rick Rubin. Luckily the trio survived; many of the demos and all of their equipment did not. Undaunted, they entered a second studio prepared to use more minimalistic approach than they had in the past six years. They eliminated a great deal of the overdubbing and effects which allows the songs to speak more for themselves. In addition, they recorded while all three performed in the same room. The culmination of these factors and Rubin's brilliance helped create this masterpiece. "Judgement Day" has the same kind of darkness that could be found in their works as members of Bauhaus. The title track has the same sort of angelic feel similar to songs from Love and Rockets' earlier days. "Use Me" seems to contain an angry atmosphere not unlike "Motorcycle" from their self-titled album from 1988. The whole album displays a wide variety of emotions while maintaining the continuity of one focused piece of art. Before the April release of _Sweet F.A._, Love and Rockets will release an EP titled _The Glittering Darkness_. The EP will contain a number of previously unreleased tracks as well as "Sweet F.A." Whether you're an avid fan or if you're a hardcore Goth still lamenting about the disbanding of Bauhaus or even if you're completely new to Love and Rockets, this album is well worth your time. Love and Rockets has officially returned with an album that should satisfy a fan from any point in the history of Ash, J, and Haskins. --- REVIEW: Lou Reed, _Set The Twilight Reeling_ (Warner) - Reto Koradi Since the Grammys for this year have already been given away, the race for next year is already finished in one category: Lou Reed will win hands down for ugliest album packaging. But as long as an album has his name on it, not even this blue mess will stop us from listening. It's been 4 years since his last real album, the intimate and sad _Magic And Loss_, and six years since the fabulous _New York_. But Lou Reed hasn't been lazy; there was a Velvet Underground reunion (showing that all other band members look twice as old as him), a book, soundtracks, and contributions to other people's albums and samplers. Lou Reed was always a master of simplicity, of creating a maximal effect with minimal means. This hasn't changed on this new album; there's just Reed's voice and guitars, plus bass and drums and the production is slim and clean. There are a few tracks in the classic Lou Reed style, like the catchy first single "Hooky Wooky" or "NYC Man". Laurie Anderson contributes some background vocals on the slow, simple, but beautiful "Hang On To Your Emotions". Highlights are "The Proposition", where Reed's great guitar takes over the melody line, and the vocals define the rhythm, or the epic "Riptide", which starts out with noisy, Hendrix style, guitars. One track that you will most certainly not hear on US radio is the controversial "Sex With Your Parents (Motherfucker)". It's a sarcastic song about Republican politicians ("something more disgusting than Robert Dole"). Talking about Lou Reed's music without mentioning his lyrics is impossible, as he is a poet as much as a musician. Many of the songs deal with emotions. "Trade In" talks about realizing that your life is messed up, and wanting to be another person ("how could I think that it was true, a child that is raised by an idiot, and that idiot then becomes you"). There are very deep and beautiful sentences, like "first came fire, then came light, then came feeling, then came sight" from the dark and intense "Finish Line". Others just capture real life and make you think, such as "you're so civilized it hurts". Tracks like "Adventurer" can be viewed as poems with music just as well as songs with lyrics. If this album has one problem, it's that there are hardly songs that will make great singles and could ignite huge sales. These songs take time and attention. But Lou Reed just has more class than most others, and _Set The Twilight Reeling_ is a clear proof of that. You can't miss it at your record store: just remember, it's the ugly blue one that you need. --- REVIEW: Frank Black, _The Cult of Ray_ (American) - Eric Hsu Somewhere between _Bleach_ and _Nevermind_, Kurt Cobain dropped the heavy-metal mask and Nirvana embraced popdom with a whole heart. He later said he was inspired by Black Francis of the Pixies, who was writing very poppy stuff and yet retaining some kind of alternative credibility. The Pixies produced pop with surface abrasions (mainly Black Francis's screaming) and a certain self-consciousness. The video for "Here Comes Your Man" had the band "lip-syncing" by opening their mouths as wide as they could, an attempt to trade in pop currency while critiquing the process. When the Pixies split up, Kim Deal went on to write a clutch of hit songs with the Breeders, but Frank Black (as he is now known) has pretty much dropped out of sight on his (now) three solo albums. This is not a big surprise in the sense that the Breeders play with pop in structurally obvious ways, like making funny sounds and using distortion in nonstandard ways, but the result remains super-catchy pop. On _The Cult of Ray_ we find Frank Black playing against pop in ways that are not so easy on the public ear. _The Cult of Ray_ sounds like the product of a man who's lost faith in rock and listening to this tape may undermine your own faith in punk/pop. The band has a spontaneous feel to it, but the songs are arranged oddly. Frank sings and there is a straightahead bass and drum rhythm section, but the guitar solos nonstop through the whole record. That's right, it's just a duet between Frank and a wanking Steve Vai-ish guitar hero (Lyle Workman) with drums and bass indicating chords. The idea sounds cooler than the reality, but Frank Black seems to want to get away from the alternative-standard arrangement of distorted guitar blasting out song chords. Many other aspects of the record reflect an exhaustion with pop; I'm desperately trying to avoid any words prefixed with post-. There is a questionable but thought-provoking theory that a creative form in decline becomes self-referential and we have that in spades here. There's a song about "Punk Rock City"; "Jesus Was Right" claims "I/ play guitar for elevation.../ I like distortion when I barre chord", the next song has Frank saying "But the chorus was pretty much the same/ every time I wrote this song". Throw in "Dance War" and "Mosh, Don't Pass the Guy" and most of the record is about rock. The songs also draw on real oddball/novelty concerns and material, another sign of an exhausted form. "The Marsist" is about a guy obsessed with reaching the face mountain on Mars, the title track is about Ray Bradbury, the last track uses the name "Shazeb Andleeb" (rhymed with "glebe"!). This is reminiscent of Wire's material when they were at their creative nadir (song titles like "ZEGK HOQP" and "Eels Sang Lino"), hoping weirdo wordplay would add inspiration to the same old forms. Musically, the feeling is similar: "The Marsist" takes a "Pretty Woman"-style lick and sets it against a wailing one-note guitar yell. The chord progressions are close to standard pop with one or two weird chords thrown in, or with an extra measure here or there to keep the rhythm less ordinary. It's great to see Frank Black pushing at the boundaries of his musical world, but this tape has a real transitional feel to it. The songs that work best are the straightest like "The Men in Black" and this is not a great sign on an experimental record. In some sense, the experiments are as obvious as the Breeders' experiments. If you look at the later John Lennon Beatles songs, he tries the same kinds of experiments: odd lyrics, throwing in extra measures or using odd rhythms, and there are numerous other similar examples. It's not terrible to be found repeating the same kind of experiments as John Lennon, especially since Frank Black has already worked out a number of pop formulas on the Pixies records and done more than his share of influencing. But ultimately you are judged by the quality of your music and the music that you inspire, and _The Cult of Ray_ is interesting, but lacking on both counts. --- REVIEW: The Pharcyde, _Labcabincalifornia_ (Delicious Vinyl/Capitol) - Martin Bate If the cartoon rollercoaster-ride cover of The Pharcyde's 1992 debut _Bizarre Ride II..._ was a good indication of what was in store, then you can be sure that The Pharcyde knew what they were doing here; the band, subdued, under a starry night-sky in smooth white tuxes. Before they were characterised by a manic (sometimes verging on *sick*) sense of humour interlaced with a human frailty rarely heard in hip-hop circles - how many rappers do you hear talking about getting dumped or not even being able to get a girlfriend in the first place? - and a sound incorporating everything from sleek, soulful jazz to a resolutely old-skool flava. 1996 sees The Pharcyde concentrating on following the smoother path of past glories like "Passing Me By" and "Otha Fish" without sacrificing any of their skills. "Bullshit" glides in on a scattering of swingbeat stardust before "Pharcyde" kicks in proper with *the* definitive Pharcyde rap which should be blasting out of every vehicle's stereo from coast to coast. "Groupie Therapy" demonstrates The Pharcyde approach to the war of the sexes. While casual onlookers will spot the 'Bitches' and 'Hoes' and point the finger those that look closer will discover the sting in the tale :- Fat Lip phones his girlfriend to tell her he loves her before disappearing with a groupie on tour, only to get back and find his girlfriend has been doing the same thing. And "Now I seek counselling from a therapist twice a week". Not yer average every-day type rappers. The Pharcyde once admitted that hip-hop still hadn't produced a song that could make you cry (a journalist's slightly suspect pre-requisite for 'real' music) but didn't preclude the possibility. Well, "Moment in Time" is a slow soul-full about absent friends that's "Life is just a moment in time" hook puts a lump in the throat. Congratulations gentlemen! And it goes on. Pianos tinkle gently, the double bass ebbs and flows, the snare shuffles, and guitars pimp like it's 1976 and The Pharcyde have just meatmorphosised into a hip-hop Isley Brothers. Special mentions to "Hey You" which is smooth like Haagen-Daas, floating like a butterfly and stingling like a bee and "The Hustle" which is Saturday Night Fever dragged into 90's Brooklyn. "Devil Music" steals in with lyric of the year in its bite-the- hand-that-feeds chorus of "Every time I step to the microphone/I put my soul on 2 inch reels that I don't even own" over the album's roughest beat, before the uplifting "The E.N.D." rides off into the sunset and rounds off the impression that the last hour has been a genuine bona-fide *journey*. This'll be a disappointment to those who are looking for more of the same after the debut - this is a different kind of genius altogether to _Bizarre Ride II..._. But to those of us who are always looking for hip-hop artists never frightened to surprise and grow, this is a revelation. --- CONCERT REVIEW: The Wrens, March 7, 1996, New York City - Bob Gajarsky Sam Goody (New York) and Request Magazine have started a free concert series in an intimate setting in one of the upper floors of the chain store's housing. New Jersey's latest export, The Wrens, were the featured attraction to a crowd of curious on-lookers and loyal fans who ventured out in unsafe conditions to see their heroes. The four piece band didn't disappoint these fans. Although this show was billed as a tuneup for their upcoming tour in support of their most recent Grass Records release, _Secaucus_ (named after their town of residence), brothers Kevin and Greg Whelan, Charles Bissell and Jerry MacDonnell were in synch during the furious and fast pace of their set. The Wrens, who alternately sound like Weezer meets Nirvana while trying to encompass the entire history of music, part one, showed off their pop/metal/rock (NOT glam) side on such tracks as "Surprise, Honeycomb" and the current single "Rest Your Head". They also interspersed slower tracks such as "Won't Get Too Far", where drummer MacDonnell dropped the sticks for the melodica (nee: hooter) and the entire group played in an almost acoustic manner. The Wrens truly flourished under the live setting, as the brothers Whelan were jumping, kicking, and actually *enjoying* themselves. In an ever playful moment, Kevin noticed that some of the audience were seated, Indian-style, while enjoying the show. "We've never played to an audience where anyone was sitting on the floor", Whelan announced, and the band proceeded to play the next track on their collective backs. Those in the back couldn't quite see the guitarists, but that soon changed as everyone was back on their feet and rocking again. It's always refreshing to see a band that can not only play in a live setting, but take that environment and make it their own. On this icy cold night, the Wrens warmed up an audience with their special brand of music. --- REVIEW: Michael Shrieve, _Two Doors_ (CMP Records) - Ali Sinclair Michael Shrieve, drummer for Santana for seven years, and who has also played with Pete Townshend, John McLaughlin, Stevie Winwood, The Rolling Stones and others, has released _Two Doors_: 19 tracks of hard jazz/rock fusion and driving, exploratory jazz. _Two Doors_, two styles, two sessions: "Deep Umbra", the first eight pieces, recorded in 1995 with Shawn Lane on guitar and Jonas Hellborg on bass: the remaining pieces, entitled "Flying Polly", with the excellent Bill Frisell on guitar and Wayne Horvitz on organ. Shrieve recorded an album, _Fascination_, with Frisell and Horvitz in 1993, and these are unreleased tracks from these sessions. The music is not just about drums: if the drums are the fire and energy behind the music, then the guitars and keyboards are the electricity and spark. Both "sides" of the recording are ensemble works: each musician, each instrument woven into a searching adventure of sound. The recording is powerful, pulsing, pushing: raw, strong, stylish--and complete. It's like the musical, liquid essence of all that is metal: yet it's delicate and pure. Take the track "Locomotion", an unstoppable engine with silver wings. The only question I have: how come Shawn Lane on "Caress of Lillith" (my favorite track) sounds more like Bill Frisell than Bill Frisell? If you like rock, if you like jazz, either, or both, I think you'll enjoy _Two Doors_ - very much; I know I do! --- REVIEW: John Taylor, _Feelings Are Good and Other Lies_ (B5 Records) - Michele Morabito John Taylor's latest release, _Feelings Are Good and Other Lies, wasn't quite what I expected - a solid, unique, independent album. First, it is available only on mail order and it is released on a small indie label (instead of Capitol where his main band, Duran Duran are housed). It is a good freshman effort, and as expected, a couple names got pulled in to work on it; David Palmer (who's worked with Rod Stewart) and the Sex Pistols' Steve Jones plays guitar on all tracks to add that punky groove thing. The lyrics are elemental and naked, full of personal angst of what he sees, knows, understands, and feels. If you like this type of lyrical writing, you'll love this album. It sounds along the lines of the Nirvana / Green Day / Foo Fighters, without being slickly produced. Phone instruments are also used to add flair to the style of the songs. Taylor's vocal's aren't bad either, but he still needs a bit of refining. John is also part of a showcase group called the Neurotic Outsiders, which had a semi-residency in Los Angeles' hip Viper Room. Taylor's album is available from B5 Records for $15; the label is located on the web at http://www.b5records.com/ or via e-mail at jtsmedia@aol.com --- REVIEW: Mike Pinder, _A Planet With One Mind: Stories From Around The World For The Child Within Us All_ (One Step Records) - Linda Scott The album title says it all . _A Planet With One Mind_ is a collection of seven children's stories. Background music is suited to the mood and origin of each tale. An unlikely candidate for the local cd store? True enough. This one will be found in the children's section of the bookstore, but what makes it interesting to music buffs is the artist behind its production. That person is Mike Pinder, one of the original Moody Blues. In fact, Pinder helped form that legendary rock band in 1964 in Birmingham, England. They started out on the fast track opening for the Beatles on The Fab Four's last tour. Later that year they released the hit "Go Now" followed by the megahit "Nights In White Satin" in 1967. Mike Pinder's Mellotron keyboard gave the band its unique symphonic pop sound. For 14 years he produced the sound that took the Moodies from _Days of Future Passed_ through _Octave_, and his was the voice reading most of the poetry on their albums in the 70s. By 1978, the Moody Blues had sold 50 million albums worldwide, and Pinder had met his future wife, walked away from the rock world, and never looked back. He now says that he felt he had raised a band, and now he wanted to raise a family. With his youngest now 16, Mike is taking a cautious step back toward the recording industry with the founding of One Step Records. Last year he released _Among The Stars_ which has the old Moody Blues' sound with a classical jazz flavor. _A Planet With One Mind_ is the label's second offering. This is a terrific children's collection focusing on legends and myths around the world. The stories are exceptional, by high-quality authors. Award-winning children's author Tomie dePaola is represented with _The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush_ which Pinder reads to the accompaniment of Peyote ceremonial music. An Indian tale has sitar and tambour sound while a Chinese selection includes Chinese temple flute and a koto harp. One of Mike's goals was to have his story collection be a multicultural musical education that would enhance the positive story messages, and he has succeeded. The stories make the album appropriate for children of all ages, but grade school children will best appreciate the music, message and story. Pinder plans a trilogy of these albums with the others expected to be released in late spring and summer and a box set by the end of the year. So if you were expecting the Moody Blues or (from the title) some New Age sounds, this isn't it. This is something better. Moody Blues completists need a copy as does anyone with a child; you won't go wrong with this as a gift for someone else's child, either. And, if you like to sit and listen to a storyteller with some very special music, pick up _A Planet With One Mind_, a gentle album which should make Mike Pinder very proud. --- CONTEST:The contest for this issue of Consumable is sponsored in conjunction with World Domination Recordings/Independent Project Records. A free compilation CD will be given away to five lucky winners; the only other place to get this CD was at the industry event, South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. The sampler includes tracks from Dave Allen and the Elastic Purejoy (see interview in March 9 issue of Consumable), Loop Guru (UK techno/ambient/jungle/world beat/trance), instrumental rock and roll from Scenic (including founding member of Savage Republic, Bruce Licher), Gigantaur (Australian pop), and more. To enter? Just drop an e-mail to nina@blarg.net; the e-mail should have a subject header of "WORLD CONTEST" and the content of the message should include your name, address and e-mail address. The contest ends on March 25, 1996. --- NEWS: > The March/April issue of Performing Songwriter, with interviews containing feature interviews with Rickie Lee Jones and the October Project and numerous other mini-interviews, is available in stores for $4.95. For further information, they can be contacted on the WWW at http://songs.com/noma/tps or via e-mail at perfsong@aol.com > The surviving members of the Sex Pistols - Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glem Matlock - held a press conference on Monday, March 18 to announce plans to celebrate their 20th anniversary. The WWW site containing pictures and further information, which will reportedly be taken down sometime March 19 or 20, is http://www.hob.com/sexpistols --- TOUR DATES AC/DC Mar. 21 Montreal, QC Forum Mar. 23 Toronto, ON Skydome Mar. 25 Pittsburgh, PA Civic Arena Mar. 27-28 Detroit, MI Palafce Mar. 29 Dayton, OH Nutter Center Mar. 30 Cleveland, OH Gund Arena Barenaked Ladies / Bogmen Mar. 23 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre Mar. 24 Portland, OR La Luna Mar. 26 San Francisco, CA Palace of Fine Arts Mar. 27 San Luis Obispo, CA Cal Poly Events Center Mar. 29 Anaheim, CA Freedman Theatre Mar. 30 West Hollywood, CA Legion Mar. 31 San Diego, CA4th and B Frank Black / Jonny Polonsky Mar. 21 Boston, MA Paradise Mar. 22 Portland, ME Granny Killiams Mar. 23 Montreal, QC Cafe Campus Mar. 25 Toronto, ON Opera House Mar. 26 London, ON Call The Office Mar. 28 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Mar. 29 Buffalo, NY Network Mar. 30 Cleveland, OH Odeon Mar. 31 Pittsburgh, PA Graffiti Jackson Browne Mar. 21 Indianapolis, IN Orpheum Mar. 22 Des Moines, IA Des Moines Civic Center Mar. 23 St. Louis, MO Fox Theatre Mar. 25 Milwaukee, WI Milwaukee Riverside Mar. 26 Toledo, OH Stranahan Theatre Mar. 27 Pittsburgh, PA Palumbi Center Mar. 29 State College, PA Bryce Jordan Center Mar. 30 Buffalo, NY Shea's Buffalo Theatre Mar. 31 Hartford, CT Meadow's Music Theatre Brother Cane Mar. 21 Toledo, OH Asylum Mar. 22 Toronto, ON Lee's Palace Mar. 23 Ottawa Barrymore's Mar. 24 Montreal, QC Club Soda Mar. 28 Grand Rapids, MI Orbit Room Mar. 29 Detroit, MI State Theatre Combine Mar. 21 Philadelphia, PA Nick's Mar. 22 New York, NY Coney Island High Mar. 23 Boston, MA Rathskellar Mar. 24 Providence, RI Club Babyhead Mar. 26 Asbury Park, NJ Saint Cravin' Melon Mar. 21 Little Rock, AR Juanita's Mar. 22 Fayetteville, AR JR's Mar. 23 Oxford, MS Old Miss U Mar. 26 Starksville, MS Ricks Mar. 27 Auburn, AL War Eagel Supper Club Mar. 29 Clemson, SC Clemson U (Campus sweep) Mar. 30 Atlanta, GA Chameleon Deftones Mar. 20 Chicago, IL The Metro Mar. 21 Indianapolis, IN Emmerson Theatre Mar. 22 Detroit, MI Shelter Mar. 23 Toronto, ONT Opera House Mar. 24 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop Mar. 26 New York, NY Coney Island High Mar. 27 Washington, D.C. Black Cat Mar. 29 Asbury Park, NJ The Saint Mar. 30 Boston, MA Mama Kin Concert Hall Mar. 31 Philadelphia, PA Khyber Pass Diamond Rio Mar. 19 New York, NY The Bottom Line Mar. 21 Austin, TX Travis County Expo Center Mar. 22 Lafayette, LA Cajun Dome Mar. 23 Shreveport, LA Memorial Auditorium Mar. 28 Grand Rapids, MI DeVos Hall Theater Mar. 29 Rockford, IL Metro Center Mar. 30 Merrillville, IN Star Plaza Theater Mar. 31 Davenport, IA Adler Theater Arlo & Abe Guthrie Mar. 26-27 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark Mar. 29 Kalamazoo, MI Kalamazoo State Theatre Hum / Mercury Rev Mar. 22 Milwaukee, WI Annex Bar Mar. 23 Peoria, IL Madison Theatre Love and Rockets Mar. 22 San Francisco, CA Trocadero Transfer Mar. 24 Phoenix, AZ Club Rio Mar. 26 Dallas, TX Tree's Mar. 28 Houston, TX Numbers Mar. 29 New Orleans, LA Howlin Wolf Mar. 30 Atlanta, GA Masquerade Ziggy Marley & Melody Makers Mar. 21 Raleigh, NC Ritz Mar. 23 Fort Lauderdale, FL Smoke Park Festival Mar. 24 St. Petersburg, FL Janus Landing Mar. 27 Pensacola, FL Bayfront Auditorium Mar. 28 New Orleans, LA House of Blues Menthol Mar. 19 Gainesville, FL Rickenbacher's Mar. 20 Jacksonville, FL Club Five Mar. 21 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Cafe Theatre Mar. 22 Charleston, SC Music Farm Mar. 23 Myrtle Beach, SC Sandpiper's Mystery Machine Mar. 21 Kitchener, ON Volacano (w/Treble Charger) Mar. 22 Oshawa, ON Moonroom (w/ Treble Charger) Mar. 23 Toronto, ON Horseshoe Mysteries of Life Mar. 25 New York, NY Mercury Lounge Mar. 27 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's Mar. 28 New London, CT Elngee Club Mar. 29 Boston, MA Middle East Mar. 30 Philadelphia, PA Cyberpass Ken Nordine Mar. 22 NewYork, NY Mondo Kim's (CD Signing) Mar. 23 New York, NY Knitting Factory O-Matic Mar. 21 DeLand, FL Luigi's Mar. 24 Birmingham, AL American Beat Poi Dog Pondering Mar. 23 Champaign, IL Virginia Theater Mar. 26 Pittsburgh, PA Graffitti Mar. 27 State College, PA Crowbar Mar. 28 Philadelphia, PA Wxpn Show Mar. 29 Asbury Park, NJ The Metro Mar. 30 New York, NY Tramps Professor & Maryann Mar. 26 New York, NY Orange Bear Mar. 26 New York, NY Ludlow St. Cafe Rake's Progress March 29 Fredonia, NY SUNY Fredonia Sister Machine Gun / Gravity Kills Mar. 21 Paradise Is., SC The Flamingo Sting Mar. 24-26 Rotterdam, Holland Ahoy Mar. 27 Ghent, Belgium Flanders Expo Mar. 29 Lille, France Zenith Mar. 30 Caan, France Zenith Mar. 31 Rennes, France Salle Omnisport Swales Mar. 21 Norman, OK Cafe 66th Mar. 22 Kansas City, MO Hurricane Mar. 23 St. Louis, MO Cicero's Mar. 25 Minneapolis, MN The Fine Line (W/ Billy Pilgrim) Mar. 27 Madison, WI Chamber Mar. 28 Chicago, IL Schubas Mar. 29 Dayton, OH Canal St. They Might Be Giants Mar. 21 New York, NY Mercury Lounge Mar. 28 New York, NY Mercury Lounge They Might Be Giants / Swales Mar. 30 Evanston, IL Northwestern Univ. Patten Gym Mar. 31 Madison, WI Barrymore Theatre Tina & The B Side Movement Mar. 27 Santa Monica, CA Alligator Lounge Tiny Lights Mar. 21 Dayton, OH Canal St. Tavern Mar. 22 Chicago, IL Lounge Ax Mar. 23 Kalamazoo, MI Club Soda Mar. 30 Sparta, NJ Krogh's Urchins Mar. 22 Freehold, NJ Harley's Steak House Mar. 30 Bound Brook, NJ Palmyra Tea Room Uzjsmedoma Mar. 24 San Diego, CA Casbah Mar. 25 Santa Monica, CA Alligator Lounge Mar. 29 Eugene, OR John Henry's Mar. 30 Seattle, WA The Off Ramp Weston Mar. 24 Bethlehem, PA Lehigh University Mar. 29 Morristown, NJ Assumption H.S. --- ADDITION: The Killing Joke album reviewed in Issue #70 of Consumable, _Democracy_, will not be commercially released until April 16. --- To get back issues of Consumable, check out: FTP: eetsg22.bd.psu.edu in the directory /pub/Consumable ftp.etext.org in the directory /pub/Zines/Consumable Gopher: diana.zems.etf.hr Engleski Jezik/Music/Consumable or Hrvastki Jezik/Glazbena Rubrika/Consumable (URL) gopher://diana.zems.etf.hr:70/11/eng/Music/Consumable http://www.westnet.com/consumable/Consumable.html (WWW) http://www.westnet.com (CIS) on Compuserve Notes: GO FORUM (Delphi) Music Fandom forum; GO ENT MUSIC Web access contributed by WestNet Internet Services (westnet.com), serving Westchester County, NY. Promotional support provided by Music Interactive (http://musicinteractive.com), a free online resource for aspiring musicians and other music professionals seeking to expand their careers, networking, music skills and scope. Address any written correspondence to Bob Gajarsky, Consumable Online, 409 Washington St. #294, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030 ===