==== ISSUE 73 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [April 9, 1996] Editor: Bob Gajarsky Internet: gajarsky@email.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, Joe D'Angelo, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Stephen Jackson, Daniel Kane, Mario Lia, P. Nina Ramos, Linda Scott, Ali Sinclair, Jon Steltenpohl, Courtney Muir Wallner Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann, Damir Tiljak, Jason Williams Also Contributing: Al Muzer Address all comments, subscriptions, etc. to gajarsky@email.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 | `------------' INTERVIEW: Limblifter's Kurt Dahle - Sean Eric McGill REVIEW: Various Artists, _Songs In The Key Of X_ - Bob Gajarsky REVIEW: Neil Young, _Dead Man (Soundtrack)_ - Reto Koradi CONCERT REVIEW: Fleming & John, Tennessee - Stephen Jackson REVIEW: Barenaked Ladies, _Born On A Pirate Ship_/"Shoe Box" - Bob Gajarsky Beer and Strangers in Grenoble, France (Oasis) - Ali Sinclair REVIEW: Babble, _Ether_ - Reto Koradi REVIEW: O-Matic, _Dog Years_ - Jeremy Ashcroft REVIEW: Brother Cane, _Seeds_ - Linda Scott REVIEW: Sundial, _Acid Yantra_ - Jeremy Ashcroft REVIEW: Various Artists, _A Sun-Ra Tribute_ - P. Nina Ramos REVIEW: Wesley Willis _Rock'n'Roll Will Never Die_ - Jeremy Ashcroft CD-ROM REVIEW: frEQuency - Bob Gajarsky NEWS: Cravin' Melon, Howard Jones, Lenny Kravitz, Pittsburgh Nightlife, Stone Roses, Mike Watt TOUR DATES: Ammonia / Skunk Anansie, Bad Religion / Unwritten Law, Barenaked Ladies / Bogmen, BE, Black Grape, Bloodhound Gang, Frank Black / Jonny Polonsky, Cordelia's Dad, Deftones, Diamond Rio, Everclear, Foo Fighters / Amps, Freewheelers, Gin Blossoms / 3 Day Wheely, Gravel Pit, Harvest Ministers, Ho-Hum, Kate Jacobs, Howard Jones, Love and Rockets Mensclub, Nature/Thought Industry, Oasis, Anders Osborne, Joan Osborne / Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies, Poi Dog Pondering Professor & Maryann, Ruby, Ruth Ruth / Spacehog, Joe Satriani / Rollover Silkworm/Dis-, Stanford Prison Experiment, Sting, Tears For Fears, A Ten O'Clock Scholar / Brainiac, Tiny Lights, Trip 66, Urchins, Uzjsmedoma, Velocity Girl, Weston, Wrens CONTEST WINNERS ERRATA THE READERS WRITE BACK! Back Issues of Consumable --- INTERVIEW: Limblifter's Kurt Dahle - Sean Eric McGill It's funny how things can happen. You've got an interview with Limblifter lined up, and before you realize what has happened, the interview is set to go on your birthday. On top of that, your business is undergoing a sudden boom, and at the last minute, you scramble around and come up with a few questions. Add to that some odd phone difficulties between Canada, Los Angeles, and Louisiana, and you've got a pretty off-the-cuff interview with Kurt Dahle, Limblifter's drummer. Of course, there was actually more to this interview, but as interviews go, Oprah's done worse... Consumable: What are you guys doing as far as touring? Kurt: We haven't toured at all - in fact, we've never even played live together. I think we're going to do some dates right away. A couple of days ago, we got together for the first time in a year and went through the songs. C: Where is the musical background of the band? K: I dunno, we listen to everything. We listened to New Wave and Punk in the late seventies and in the eighties we listened to everything from Duran Duran to hard rock and metal. C: Well, in junior high, I had the odd distinction of being the kid who listened to Duran Duran and Iron Maiden exclusively... K: Yeah, that's us! (Insert brief discussion of the current state of Iron Maiden, KISS in full makeup, Metallica headlining Lollapalooza, and bands that perpetually tour off of three year old albums here) C: Where are you guys from? K: We're from Saskatchewan originally, but we live in Vancouver now. C: How is the Canadian music scene? K: It's alright. There's a lot of shitty Canadian bands out there, and there are a few Canadian bands that I feel it's too bad the Americans have to miss out on. C: Do you have any ideas on why the Canadian music scene is something we don't know a helluvalot about here in America? K: I dunno. It just seems the Americans get all the shitty Canadian bands. The ones that seem to make it down there are the ones we don't really give a shit about here. C: Is breaking through in America something that is really important to the band? K: Not really, no. We've been independent for so long in Canada, with our other bands and such. We've turned down some major label offers, and I think because it was American labels, we thought "Nah, I don't wanna do this" because nobody really knows us in the States. (Insert discussion on the up-and-down-side of living in New York, and weather differences between Canada and Louisiana) C: Is there going to be another album? K: Oh yeah. I hope, at least. Oh, I'm sure there will be, even if the label hates us or whatever, we'll still keep making records. C: How different is the Canadian music scene from the American scene? K: I guess we have just as many bands, per capita, that is. It's a pretty big scene, though - we have our own music awards and everything. C: Does the Canadian scene get caught up in the trends and fads of American music as quickly as America seems to? K: I think so. A lot of times, there are Canadian bands who are doing something before the America bands get a hold of it. I don't know why that is, though - maybe it's because we're closer to the British, I guess. C: How long had this album been done before it was released? Did you get signed and the label get you into a studio, or was it done already when you were signed? K: We recorded on a four-track. Actually, we started rehearsing, and one-and-a-half weeks later, we had the album done - I guess most of the songs were written already. We were doing it in the middle of the night because we were bored, and recorded it on our four-track. All our friends really liked it, so we gave one to our manager, and he really liked it - and a few months later we went into the studio around Christmas time. Our friend worked at a studio and nobody was there over Christmas, so we recorded the album, and when the label said "Are you guys ready to make an album?" We just handed it to them and said "We already have". Limblifter's debut album _Limblifter_, was compared by this writer to the Cars and "so bubble gummy that it would make The Replacements stand up and take notice" and reviewed in the February 1, 1996 issue of Consumable. --- REVIEW: Various Artists, _Songs In The Key Of X_ (Warner) - Bob Gajarsky Yet another compilation - how can a television show have its own soundtrack, when there's almost no music in the show? All the bands included here are fans of Chris Carter's creation, and when the groups run the gamut from Alice Cooper to Elvis Costello to PM Dawn, there's no lack of diversity present here. There's also no lack of quality. All songs were previously unreleased, dark, gloomy and definitely different. "Fuc..." - oops, "Star Me Kitten", by R.E.M. - Michael Stipe + William Burroughs - is just a twisted take on this song. Sheryl Crow's "On The Outside" won't remind anyone of "All I Wanna Do" and Filter's half-acoustic "Thanks Bro" could just well be the song playing in the head of a killer possessed by aliens. P.M. Dawn's "If You Never Say Goodbye" is the Jersey City based group taking psychedelia one step further - they must have been listening to the Beatles' _White Album_ while making this one. Over in England, where the Gillian Anderson fans are as rabid as the States ("She's a babe!" is most commonly echoed), the theme song has made the top 10. Twice. At the same time; Mark Snow's original version is #2 on the charts and DJ Dado (no relation to Miko) just popped on there with a remix at #8. Dado's remix doesn't appear here but P.M. Dawn remix the theme into an almost ambient setting, with little similarity to the original, save for some soundbites from the series and parts of Snow's creation looped over themselves. Eerie. You'll know by now if it's for you. --- REVIEW: Neil Young, _Dead Man (Soundtrack)_ (Reprise) - Reto Koradi Because many albums called "Soundtrack" are just more or less regular albums that try to capitalize on the success of a movie, we have to make this clear right from the start: this REALLY IS a soundtrack of the movie by Jim Jarmusch, and not a Neil Young album in the true sense - if there ever was such a thing as a typical Neil Young album. _Dead Man_ features Johnny Depp reading poetry by William Blake, dialogs, and sequences with wind noises, cars, and chirping birds. While Neil Young's voice is not to be heard, his music speaks for itself. Besides pump organ and some other instruments, he mainly plays his electric guitar. Part of the time it is just used for producing noises, but there are also long sequences that are almost pure guitar solos, where his full brilliance shines through, in a more experimental way than usual. The pleasure is slightly spoiled by the constant wind noises that are layered under these outbursts. Neil Young fanatics will certainly want this album, and people who saw and liked the movie will find it a great way to recall the images. Even if you didn't, these sounds might send you on a trip inside your imagination. --- CONCERT REVIEW: Fleming & John, Tennessee - Stephen Jackson For Fleming & John, life is no delusion of grandeur, it's another town on the road. And today, the town is Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where a strong and devoted following of college kids from Middle Tennessee State University await the return of their local heroes. As the band's Tioga camper pulls into the parking lot, it begins to snow. Fleming & John have made the half-hour trip up from Nashville to get here, having played the previous night in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They could have taken the day off. God knows they could use the rest, having spent the better part of two months on the road, but they haven't played Murfreesboro in quite some time, and they feel they owe it to their fans. Ah, yes. The fans. It's 14 degrees outside, and drifts of swirling snow are turning the streets into a tableau of mist and powder. At 8:00, the fans have already started lining up outside the door of Mainstreet, the town's major venue for rock music, and virtual home away from home for Nashville's Fleming & John. The fans arrive early so as to grab the good seats, the ones with an unobstructed view of the stage. Some people have driven up from Huntsville, Alabama and others down from Bowling Green, Kentucky. It will be hours yet before Fleming & John make an appearance. But the crowd has settled in for the long wait. They line up at the bar, ordering shooters and $2 beer. They're wired and happy, and whether it's from being out of school on Spring break or anticipation of the upcoming show, it doesn't seem to matter. Despite the cold and the snow, they're here in mass, ready to rock. After all, they've been here before and they know what's coming. The opening act, a gutsy blues-rock band who drove up from Atlanta, has the misfortune of entertaining a partisan crowd biding their time until the real show begins. Finally, after a mercifully short set, the warm up band leaves the stage and Fleming and John take over. Within seconds, the energy level of the room rises like a vapor. The surprise of the evening occurs when Fleming makes her appearance, adorned in a Dolly Partonesque wig, like a blonde diva smiling before her adoring fans. While John Painter tunes, Shawn and Stan wander out, joining Fleming on stage. For a time, nothing much happens while the band goes through its preconcert ritual. Up front, bodies press closeer together, trying to establish some sense of contact with the band. One girl from Atlanta gets up on stage and proudly shows the emblem of her heart's desire, "FJ" tattooed on her belly. Then suddenly, like the calm vanishing before a storm, Fleming & John launch into a blistering rendition of "I'm Not Afraid." And though it's been a long wait, they do not disappoint. Playing an eclectic set of music, lasting about 1 1/2 hours, they go through all the songs on their debut cd, _Delusions of Grandeur,_ as well as a few we haven't heard before. Shawn and Stan provide a solid, rhythmic ground to the music, while John's guitar hovers over the surface, framing and accentuating Fleming's haunting, siren voice. Moshers near the stage pogo in ecstacy with the beat. And though it's announced that cars illegally parked outside are being towed, almost no one leaves. Better to be towed than to miss the magic in Mainstreet. Towards the end of the set, the band conjures up one final surprise in a Sonny & Cher meets Led Zeppelin demented and thrilling cover of "Black Dog" and "I Got You Babe." At the end of the show, my ears ringing from the final chords of "A Place Called Love," I walk back to my car for the long drive home. Although it had stopped snowing, the streets are silted with white powder. Just days ago, it had been 70 degrees outside and the birds were singing. But on this evening, the only souls doing any singing belong to Fleming & John, and they proved well worth the plunge into a bitter, cold night. --- REVIEW: Barenaked Ladies, _Born On A Pirate Ship_/"Shoe Box" EP (Reprise) - Bob Gajarsky BNL has made the leap into CD-ROM with both of their recent releases - the "Shoe Box" single and _Born On A Pirate Ship_ - having CD-ROM capabilities. So, for those non-Canadians who haven't seen their videos, it's a great opportunity to see the band's original quirkiness, and find out a little bit about the members. What about the music? Andy Creegan, who played piano, has left the group, but other members take turns on the instrument, where appropriate. The music is a bit "harder" than its predecessors and the lyrics take on a much more "mature" outlook than talking about grade 9 and Brian Wilson. "Shoe Box", which has been available for several months now on the _Friends_ soundtrack, is a return to the bouncy ditties that first turned many fans on to the Barenaked Ladies. The E.P. also includes a remixed version of the song, an unreleased version of "If I Had $1,000,000" and an unavailable (elsewhere) song, "Trust Me". Good for completists, but casual fans won't want to get the single. _Born On A Pirate Ship_ is a step above, and much more consistent than, _Maybe You Should Drive_. But whereas _Gordon_ was one of the best albums of the 1990's, this latest effort still doesn't come close to approaching it. It's time for people such as this critic to accept that BNL won't ever take that approach again, and while lighthearted gems such as "Shoe Box" may come out, they won't be the norm. --- Beer and Strangers in Grenoble, France (Oasis) - Ali Sinclair It's just that time of year: the town is full of strangers, foreigners: skiiers, students, just-visitors, tourists. If they're lucky, the sun shines and it's warm enough to sit outside at a pavement cafe, watching the world, breathing the spring air. It was like that on Saturday: clear skies, warmth, T-shirts and open collars. I'd been for an afternoon swim and was wandering slowly back through the centre of town, enjoying the crowds and the cheerful, bright atmosphere. Lots of people on the streets and sitting around, talking, laughing, passing the time. Outside the Palais de la Biere - the most expensive bar in town, I think- a crowd of obviously-British lads surrounded a small table, on which balanced improbably-large-litre glass tankards of amber beer. I don't know what it is about British men of twenty to thirty years old, outside their native land, but they are unmistakable. There's an atmosphere about them, almost like the old seaside postcards, but without the knotted-handkerchief hats. I recognise them anywhere: but perhaps it's just blood recognising blood, despite the years in exile. But that's just what I saw: a group of young British men, sitting at a French pavement cafe in the sun on a peaceful, springtime Saturday afternoon. But behind the beer-drinking Brits, and next to the cafe window, looking shockingly-pale and wide-eyed, sat my daughter and her friend, grasping tiny cups of black coffee and Very Obviously trying to look careless and carefree and Extremely Sophisticated. It wasn't working. At least, not in to my eyes - something was Very Wrong! "Come here!!!!" she signalled, "Quick!" A panicked whisper. I squatted in the chairless space at the side of her table. "What's going on?" I whispered back. "Behind you... it's OASIS!!!!! It is! It's THEM!" Giggle. And both girls tried to hide their blushing faces in the miniature coffee cups. Ahhhhh.... so that explains why she and her friend were spending twice as much on a coffee than they would ever normally do. (Everyone falls for this place at least once: it's an enticing cafe, a nice spot, you can see a garden square and its fountain, some majestic buildings, the mountains towering behind... and the waiter serves you and you sit in the sun and the world is at ease.... and then he brings you the bill and you choke on the dregs of your beer. I remember paying about 70 francs - 14 dollars - for two coffees and three Pepsis, five years ago now...) Anyway, it _was_ Oasis, sitting relatively-quietly (for British lads out on the beer), relatively-undisturbed (apart from daughter-and-friend asking for autographs) in a relatively-peaceful (apart from Saturday-shopping) French town. A bodyguard each, apparently, but they just looked like mates out to enjoy themselves. And I guess they did enjoy themselves, because my daughter bumped into them all again that night at a local nightclub. Enjoying the beer, they were, all of them, and I don't suppose that they had any need to worry about the prices here. But I wonder if they could have sat, relaxed, in the street, then danced the night away with all the locals back home without getting mobbed? Somehow I doubt it. I can't give a first-hand review of the Sunday-evening concert. All I know is that for several hours beforehand, my home was full of youths of assorted shapes and sizes, talking about how they were going to get to the concert hall, whether-or-not Oasis was "their" music, would she introduce them to the band? what would it be like, would they get there on time? could they have a sandwich please?.. and how my daughters returned at midnight, enthralled, having loved the concert, the music... how they didn't know who had been more drunk, the band or the mostly-British audience, who'd bussed down here from all over the UK... their stories of the Scots lining up 16 French beers to get the equivalent of a British pint, and paying even more than at the Palais... of John Lennon and Paul McCartney lookalikes by the dozen in the audience... and one proudly-owned tour T-shirt that is still ceremoniously draped across the kitchen worksurface. Oasis performed at The Summum, Grenoble, on 31st March 1996. --- REVIEW: Babble, _Ether_ (Reprise) - Reto Koradi Babble will probably have to live with the fact that every mention of their name is followed by parentheses - as in, (former members of the Thompson Twins). That's what you get for being in one of the most successful pop bands of the 80s. But Allannah Currie and Tom Bailey have gone through more than just a name change; they moved to New Zealand, and the new material is a long way from simple pop songs like "Hold Me Now". In fact _Ether_ is a perfectly chosen album title as there is something very ethereal about these songs. They still work with keyboards and vocals, but Babble work up influences from many directions. The music is based on ambient grounds, and features oriental sounds. Some songs also have this nice low-fi trip-hop feel that Portishead made so popular. And of course Allannah and Tom haven't completely forgotten about writing catchy pop tunes; the vocals, where both of them take turns, have some very distinct hooks. Despite this style mix, the sound is very integral and perfectly balanced. Babble will most likely never have the commercial success of the Thompson Twins, but trying to repeat what they did 10 years ago would be doomed to failure anyhow. Instead Babble are firmly rooted in the 90s, and _Ether_ is a very atmospheric album, light and deep at the same time, which can have nearly hypnotic effects. --- REVIEW: O-Matic, _Dog Years_ (Grass) - Jeremy Ashcroft Though the band insist that they're not a metal band, '90s heavy metal meets '70s punk rock would be my description of their sound. Since they also hate the "alternative" tag, let's just say that whichever rack this record finds itself in the stores, "easy listening" it won't be. O-Matic (so called to celebrate the kind of tacky names given to products in the '50s to make them sound "modern") are a 4-piece band who like to make a lot of noise. And quickly. Their longest track is three and a half minutes, most of them average about two. No time to get bored with O-Matic. The line-up of the band is Rob Tarbell on bass, (ex-Brainiac) Michelle Bodine on guitar and vocals, Scott Bodine on guitar and vocals and Will Gale on drums. Scott sings lead on several tracks, but personally I prefer Michelle's crazy/spoiled little girl vocals which remind me of the brattish Annabelle Lwin from '70s UK punk band, Bow Wow Wow. I'd have expected a possible Breeders influence with the involvement of Kim Deal in the recording, but such songs as "Teenage Make-out King" sound closer to Sonic Youth. Other notable tracks include: "Push Pull" which echoes its title by a manic left/right call-and-response vocal over a driving beat; "Big Kiss" in which Michelle is totally convincing as someone who could (and probably would) really "kick your ass"; and "Flick The Roach" with it's catchy, though abrasive, riff is the nearest these guys are likely to get to a pop song. Dog lovers may also appreciate the cameo of cover star "Nelson" barking on the final uncredited track. If you're looking for background music, look elsewhere. However, if you share Scott Bodine's affection for a noise that can make "your leg hairs move", pogo over to the store and buy this album. --- REVIEW: Brother Cane, _Seeds_ (Virgin) - Linda Scott _Seeds_ is Brother Cane's sophomore album on Virgin. This hard rock album is a bright spot in the current deluge of alternative and post-punk music. It was recorded in Atlanta for a little Southern rock flavor, produced by Brother Cane and Marti Frederiksen, and mixed by Tim Palmer, who has also worked with Pearl Jam and Sponge). The album has that wonderful hard rock, driving beat, but some tracks evidence a medium tempo showing range and keeping things interesting. The first single off _Seeds_ is "And Fools Shine On", a good example of a midtempo song with lovely, soaring lyrics and an underlying insistent beat. "Hung On A Rope" is a favorite with its in-your-face guitar onslaught. Similarly, "Kerosene" grabs the first note and runs full speed to the end with an ear shattering barrage. The tempo might vary, but the lyrical inspiration does not. The lyrics were written about family and friends making for a more personal album and cohesion across the tracks. Brother Cane is most proud of the the lyrics in _Seeds_ because of the feelings expressed. The band member penning most of the lyrics is lead vocalist and guitarist Damon Johnson. Others in the band work on lyrics as well but are primarily involved with making the music. Those familiar with Brother Cane's debut album will find a slightly different lineup this go-round. Scott Collier is still on drums, but Roman Glick has moved to bass making room for new guitarist, David Anderson. Like the rest of the quartet, Anderson hails from Alabama. While Collier still pounds out that distinctive sound which comes from his study of Latin and African drumming, Glick gives the bass a less predictable feel. Who will like _Seeds_? Every hard rock fan - because it's truly a great album. Pick it up and you'll hear some influences of established rock bands, but you'll also hear lyrics that are very personal as sung and played by an extremely talented new band. Keep an eye on Brother Cane. These _Seeds_ should be sown for a while to come. --- REVIEW: Sundial, _Acid Yantra_ (Beggars Banquet) - Jeremy Ashcroft Though it may at first sound heavy criticism to suggest that songwriting, as such, isn't a strength of a band, remember that some records are enjoyable purely because of their sound, the sheer aural pleasure that they can give. I think _Acid Yantra_ is such a record. And with such a title, a psychedelic coloured sleeve and instrumentation including wah-wah guitars, a mellotron and exotic percussion, do I really have to waft a joss stick in front of you to let you know the kind of sounds we're dealing with here? Sundial are a three-piece band who are clearly very much in love with the sounds of the 60s and it's not difficult to hear the influence such bands as the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd and others of their era have had on them. You know the cliche about wannabe rockstars posing in front of their bedroom mirror playing along to guitar solos on their tennis rackets? Well, listening to "Are You Supernatural?" makes me think that Sundial's guitarist Gary Ramon probably drenched his raquet with lighter fuel and set it alight too... ala Jimi Plays Monterey. It shows a lot of dedication when a fan goes all out to play like their heroes, but this guy even goes as far as getting the same incidental rumblings and feedback intro as Hendrix did at that famous show! Unfortunately, while he matches the tone, the songwriting isn't a patch on Hendrix himself. Random notes: "Red Sky", opens with a gentle "Wind Cries Mary" echoey guitar and filtered vocals before jumping in with its heavy fuzztone chorus. "3,000 Miles" combines acoustic guitar with spacey synth-like tones. "Bad Drug" is more aggressive, with an almost Stooges-style riff. "Rollercoaster" is funky. The most successful track for me is "Nova" with its "2000 Light Years From Home"-style haunting Mellotron strings. This song is more freeform than the others and allows the band to do what they do best... play the music and not worry about having a structured "song". There are flutes and a heavier section that reminds me of 1969-era Alice Cooper, and is the sort of track you can get caught up in. In fact, though it segues into the closing "Yantra Jam", you hardly notice the join - it just seems one long flow of music. In conclusion, if you're a fan of '60s psychadelic bands, you'll probably be a fan of this album. --- REVIEW: Various Artists, _Wavelength Infinity: A Sun-Ra Tribute_ (Rastascan) - P. Nina Ramos Your favorite jazz and poetry alien lives on in this amazing double cd tribute. Sun-Ra, the self proclaimed man from Saturn has inspired over thirty artists to gather in one incredible collection of his lifetime acheivement as an artist. With musicians such as the avant garde San Francisco group, The Residents, The Call and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, the music becomes more than just mere reflections of his original masterpieces, they become an experience. Also, known for his birth-given name, Herman "Sonny" Blount, he spent his lifetime leading his band Arkestra in life and song. They've all resided in a house in Philadelphia, from which now only remains a few members. After the death of Ra in 1993, and more recently band leader John Gilmore the world thought Arkestra and the glorious sound of Sun-Ra's powerful chants gone forever. But the folks at Rastacan Records in California could not let this be. With one mission in mind - to help the surviving members of Arkestra, this compilation came together. The overwhelming response to the pre-release printing was amazing. So much so, the entire stock has been sold out! Sun-Ra's music and poetry has influenced many jazz and rock artists through his lifetime and ours. Not only has Ra left his mark in our souls with his out-of-this-world sensibilities, but he has left a legacy of music that many love - and many more will grow into. For further information, contact Rastascan Records at PO Box 3073, San Leandro, CA 94578-3073 --- REVIEW: Wesley Willis _Rock'n'Roll Will Never Die_ (Oglio) - Jeremy Ashcroft You are a man-mountain of a guy with a huge personality to match You are a well known figure in Chicago and have lots of famous fans You love to go to concerts and lots of your songs are about those shows Wesley Willis, Wesley Willis, Wesley Willis, Wesley Willis Your style doesn't change much Your songs kind of sound the same It doesn't matter though 'Cause for a crazy guy you talk a lot of sense Wesley Willis, Wesley Willis, Wesley Willis, Wesley Willis Your new record has a lot of charm Like you often say, it could whup a camel's ass _Rock'n'Roll Will Never Die_ in your stores today! Tracks: Hootie & The Blowfish/Kurt Cobain/Nirvana/The Rolling Stones/Jello Biafra/Mojo Nixon/Bolt Thrower/Spin Doctors/Dave Grohl/Foo Fighters/Pink Floyd/Blues Traveler/Fugazi/Blackie-O/KRS-1/Morbid Angel/KMFDM/Shonen Knife/Liz Phair/Courtney Love/Jefferson Airplane/Lotion/Dale Meiners/The Wesley Willis Fiasco --- CD-ROM REVIEW: frEQuency (Modified) - Bob Gajarsky CD-ROMs are coming out at a phenomenal rate. In addition to the standard music album + extra stuff on the CD (see the Barenaked Ladies one, reviewed elsewhere in this issue), the "computer based" CD ROMs - those that aren't able to be played on a conventional disc player - are exploding onto the scene. One which should not be overlooked is frEQuency. frEQuency takes the potential which computers offer and combine it with a visual reality unlike that in other CD ROMs. The music isn't designed for "classic rockers", but for fans of techno, ambient, hip-hop, or anything else you might hear in a club at around 3 in the a.m. Users can take 250 backbeats and samples, 200 MB of fast videographics and audio, and mix and match to create their own video and audio masterpiece. In addition, these can be combined and exchanged with other users across the Internet for more variety and spice from each listen. Modified has also recently put a "Jungle Chiller Killer" on their Web site. The only warning? Be prepared to spend far too many hours in front of your computer combining, modifying and playing with all their video and audio samples. I wish I had gotten the same warning before I found myself engrossed in this CD... frEQuency is a must for any wanna-be musicians, disc jockeys or anyone who wants to experience the power of dance music direct from their computer at a price that's about 1/3 the cost of normal CD ROMs. For more information, check out Modified on the World Wide Web at http://www.compulink.co.uk/~modified/ --- NEWS: > Cravin' Melon, whose _Where I Wanna Be_ cd was reviewed last year in Consumable, has recently signed a recording contract with Mercury. The group from Greenville, SC has been together for 2 1/2 years and has released two discs on independent labels. The band has already started recording their Mercury debut, with a projected late-August release. _Where I Wanna Be_ has sold more than 20,000 copies; to contact Cravin' Melon and get on the group's mailing list, e-mail melonheads@aol.com > Howard Jones will be on America Online on Wednesday, April 10 at 8 p.m. for a question and answer session with fans in the AOL Live Auditorium. > Lenny Kravitz has been inducted into the Rock Circus Experience in Picadilly, London. The museum is the most famous musical wax museum in the world, and visitors can hear an artist's most famous works while within "range" of that artist. Even Kravitz' nipple ring and tattoos were precisely duplicated for the figure. > Pittsburgh's Backstage Pass, providing information on the nightlife and the steel city's entertainment scene, can be accessed online at http://www.pittsburgh.net/backstage > Word out of England is that the Stone Roses' John Squire has quit the group. The band's future is very much in doubt, although no official word has been received. > Mike Watt has updated netizens on his recent goings-on. To read it on the Web, go to: http://home.cdsnet.net/~michaelm/watt.int.html --- TOUR DATES Ammonia / Skunk Anansie Apr. 14 Seattle, WA Moe Apr. 15 Vancouver, BC Town Pump Apr. 16 Portland, OR La Luna Apr. 18 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill Apr. 20 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour Bad Religion/Unwritten Law Apr. 10 Tampa, FL State Fairgrounds Apr. 11 Fort Lauderdale, FL The Edge Apr. 12 Orlando, FL The Edge Apr. 13 Atlanta, GA Masquerade Apr. 15 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory Apr. 16 Washington, DC Capitol Ballroom Apr. 17 New York, NY Roseland Apr. 19 Asbury Park, NJ Stone Pony Apr. 20 Providence, RI Lupo's Barenaked Ladies / Bogmen Apr. 11 South Bend, IN Notre Dame Student Center Apr. 12 Cincinnati, OH Taft Apr. 13 Chicago, IL Riviera Apr. 15 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall Apr. 16 Cleveland, OH Lakewood Civic Apr. 18 Washington, DC 9:30 Club Apr. 19 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory Apr. 20 New York, NY TBA Apr. 21 Boston, MA Opheum BE Apr. 12 Joplin, MO The Kitchen Pass Apr. 13 Conway, AR Hendrix College (w/Wakeland) Apr. 19 Fayetteville, AR J.R.'s Black Grape Apr. 9 Tijuana, MX Mr. Crowns Apr. 10 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy Apr. 11 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy Apr. 12 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy Apr. 14 San Francisco, CA Bimbos Apr. 15 San Jose, CA Cactus Club Apr. 17 Boston, MA WFNX Show Apr. 19 Philadelphia, PA Theater of Living Arts Apr. 20 Cincinnati, OH Bogarts Bloodhound Gang Apr. 11 State College, PA Cafe 210 Apr. 12 Philadelphia, PA Upstairs At Nick's Apr. 18 Lewisburg, PA Bucknell University Apr. 19 Indiana, PA Indiana Univ. Teen Center Apr. 20 Toledo, OH Frankie's Apr. 21 Cleveland, OH The Grog Shop Frank Black / Jonny Polonsky Apr. 12 Madison, WI Paramount Apr. 13 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue Cordelia's Dad (UK Tour Dates) Apr. 9 Southampton, Joiners Apr. 10 Cambridge, Boat Race Apr. 12 Brighton, The Richmond Apr. 13 Oxford, Elm Tree Apr. 15 Harrogate, The Regency Apr. 16 Bradford, 1 in 12 Club Apr. 17 Spilsby, Spilsby Theatre Apr. 18 Glasgow, 13th Note Apr. 19 Leeds, Duchess of York Apr. 20 Edinburgh, Casrock Deftones Apr. 9 Jacksonville, FL Shades Apr. 11 Lafayette, LA Shanahan's Apr. 12 Houston, TX Deep Phat Apr. 13 Austin, TX Auditorium Shores Apr. 15 Dallas, TX Galaxy Theatre Apr. 16 El Paso, TX The Attic Apr. 17 Albuquerque, NM Time Out Apr. 18 Mesa, AZ Nile Theatre Apr. 20 San Diego, CA Soma Diamond Rio Apr. 12 Dallas, TX Cowboy's Apr. 15 Eugene, OR Hult Center for the Perf. Arts Apr. 16 Medford, OR Jackson County Expo. Apr. 18 Kennewick, WA Tri-Cities Coliseum Apr. 19 Portland, OR Portland Memorial Coliseum Everclear Apr. 10 Dallas, TX Bomb Factory Apr. 11 Houston, TX International Ballroom Apr. 12 New Orleans, LA Rendon Inn Apr. 14 St. Petersburg, FL Jannus Landing Apr. 15 Fort Lauderdale, FL Edge Apr. 16 Orlando, FL Edge Apr. 18 Atlanta, GA International Ballroom Apr. 20 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory Foo Fighters / Amps Apr. 12 Orlando, FL Edge Apr. 13 St. Petersburg, FL Jannus Landing Apr. 14 Fort Lauderdale, FL Edge Apr. 16 New Orleans, LA State Palace Theatre Apr. 17 Austin, TX Music Hall Apr. 18 San Antonio, TX Live Oak Civic Center Freewheelers Apr. 11 Montreal, QC Club Soda Apr. 13 Northampton, MA Pearl Street Apr. 14 Burlington, VT Toast Apr. 16-17 Cambridge, MA House of Blues Apr. 19 Providence, RI Club Babyhead Apr. 20 Port Jefferson, NY Village Pub Gin Blossoms / 3 Day Wheely Apr. 11 Evansville, IN Veterans Coliseum Apr. 12 Muncie, IN Emens Auditorium Apr. 13 Springfield, OH Wittenburg Gym Apr. 14 Marietta, OH Ban Johnson Fieldhouse Gravel Pit Apr. 12 Worcester, MA Ralph's Apr. 17 Northampton, MA Grotto Harvest Ministers Apr. 11 New York, NY CB's Gallery Ho-Hum Apr. 9 New York, NY Brownies Apr. 10 New York, NY Wetlands Apr. 11 New York, NY CBGB's Apr. 12 New York, NY Mercury Lounge Kate Jacobs Apr. 18 Sioux Falls, SD The Back Alley Howard Jones Apr. 11 Cleveland, OH Odeon Concert Club Apr. 12 Pontiac, MI Seventh House Apr. 13 Toledo, OH Asylum Apr. 14 Columbus, OH Ludlow's Bar Apr. 16 Chicago, IL Park West Apr. 17 Milwaukee, WI The Rave Apr. 19 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre Apr. 20 Salt Lake City, UT Huntsman Center Love and Rockets Apr. 12 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre Apr. 13 Salt Lake City, UT DV-8 Mensclub Apr. 13 San Francisco, CA El Rio (Record Release Party) Nature/Thought Industry Apr. 10 Seattle, WA Off Ramp Apr. 11 Portland, OR Moody's Apr. 12 Medford, OR Warehouse Apr. 13 Placerville, CA The Attic Apr. 15 Los Angeles, CA Opium Den Apr. 16 Scottsdale, AZ Atomic Cafe Apr. 17 El Paso, TX The Attic Apr. 18 Tucson, AZ The Cage Apr. 19 Albuquerque, NM Time Out Apr. 20 Dallas, TX Orbit Room Oasis Apr. 11 Seattle, WA Seattle Center Apr. 13 San Francisco, CA Graham Civic Auditorium Apr. 15 Universal City, CA Universal Amphitheatre Apr. 16 Mesa, AZ Mesa Community Amphitheatre Apr. 18 Denver, CO Mammoth Events Center Apr. 20 Dallas, TX Bronco Bowl Apr. 21 Austin, TX Austin Music Hall Anders Osborne Apr. 9 Northampton, MA Pearl Street Apr. 10 Boston, MA Mama Kin Apr. 12 New York, NY Tramps Apr. 13 Rochester, NY Water Street Apr. 14 Charleston, WV Mountain Stage Apr. 17 Pontiac, MI 7th House Apr. 18 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre Apr. 19 Grinnell, IA Grinnell College Apr. 20 Madison, WI Barrymore Theatre Joan Osborne / Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies Apr. 12 Albany, NY Palace Theater Apr. 13 Boston, MA Orpheum Apr. 16 Providence, RI The Strand Apr. 18 New York, NY Roseland Poi Dog Pondering Apr. 11 Atlanta, GA Cotton Club/Variety Apr. 12 Nashville, TN 328 Perf. Space Apr. 15 St. Louis, MO Mississippi Nights Apr. 16 Columbia, MO The Blue Note Apr. 17 Lawrence, KS Granada Theatre Professor & Maryann Apr. 13 Bethlehem, PA Comfort Inn Ruby Apr. 11 Chicago, IL The Metro Apr. 12 Detroit, MI Shelter Apr. 13 Indianapolis, IN The Patio Apr. 14 Cleveland, OH Peabody's Apr. 16 Ottawa, ON Zaphod Beeblebrox Apr. 17 Montreal, QC Foufounes Electriques Apr. 19 Toronto, ON Lee's Place Ruth Ruth / Spacehog Apr. 12 Sacramento, CA Guild Theatre Apr. 13 San Jose, CA Cactus Club Apr. 14 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall Apr. 16 Pomona, CA Glass House Apr. 17 San Diego, CA SOMA Sidestage Apr. 18-19 Los Angeles, CA Whiskey Joe Satriani/Rollover Apr. 11 New York, NY Roseland Apr. 12 Providence, RI The Strand Apr. 13 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory Apr. 14 Boston, MA Avalon Apr. 16 Baltimore, MD Hammerjacks Apr. 17 Buffalo, NY Studio 652/Ogden St Music Hall Apr. 19 Toronto, ON The Warehouse Apr. 20 Pittsburgh, PA Metropol Silkworm/Dis- Apr. 9 New York, NY Mercury Lounge Apr. 10 Philadelphia, PA Nick's Apr. 11 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's Apr. 12 Washington, DC Black Cat Apr. 13 Bowling Green, OH Howard's Apr. 14 Ann Arbor, MI Magic Stick Apr. 15 Chicago, IL Lounge Ax Apr. 16 Madison, WI O'Cayz Corral Stanford Prison Experiment Apr. 20 Mesa, AZ The Nile Apr. 21 Albequerque, NM Time Out Sting Apr. 14-16 Paris, France Bercy Apr. 20 Melaga, Spain Plaza de Toros Tears For Fears Apr. 11 Miami, FL The Cameo Theatre Apr. 12 Tampa, FL Tampa Bay Perf. Arts. Ctr. Apr. 13 Atlanta, GA Roxy Theatre Apr. 15 Washington, DC Capitol Ballroom Apr. 16 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory Ballroom Apr. 17 New York, NY Beacon Theatre Apr. 19 Boston, MA Avalon Ballroom Apr. 20 Montreal, QUE Place Des Arts A Ten O'Clock Scholar/Brainiac Apr. 12 Cambridge, MA Middle East Apr. 13 New York, NY Mercury Lounge Apr. 17 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle Tiny Lights Apr. 11 Ames, IA The Maintenance Shop Apr. 12 Cedar Falls, IA Steb's Apr. 13 Ashland, WI Northland College Apr. 19 Atlanta, GA Smythe's Old Bar Apr. 20 Winston-Salem, NC Ziggy's Trip 66 Apr. 15 Morgantown, WV The Nyabingi Dance Hall Apr. 20 Long Branch, NJ The Brighton Bar Urchins Apr. 13 Morganville, NJ Ville Apr. 20 Princeton, NJ Peace Cafe Uzjsmedoma Apr. 13 New York, NY Knitting Factory Velocity Girl Apr. 11 Tampa, FL Rubb Apr. 12 Fort Lauderdale, FL Squeeze Apr. 13 Gainesville, FL University of Florida Apr. 15 Raleigh, NC Grove Apr. 16 Lancaster, PA Chameleon Apr. 17 State College, PA Crowbar Apr. 18 Baltimore, MD Bohagers Apr. 19 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero Weston Apr. 13 Indiana, PA Teen Center Apr. 15 University Park, PA Penn State Asylum Apr. 19 Lindenhurst, NY PWAC Wrens Apr. 11 Chapel Hill, NC Lizard and Snake Apr. 12 Baltimore, MD Memory Lane Apr. 13 Philadelphia, PA Nick's Apr. 14 Boston, MA Middle East Apr. 15 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's --- WINNERS: The following people are winners in the recent Consumable Online/ World Domination record givewaway. They are: Oscar F. Mairena, Tammy Scroggs, Ida Antares Becker and Brian Murphy. --- ERRATA: The band Heroes del Silencio was mistakenly referred to in last week's tour dates as Avalanchia. We apologize for any inconvience this may have caused. --- THE READERS WRITE BACK! I just finished reading Lee Graham Bridges' review of Lush's new album, _Lovelife_. I was relieved that someone else thought Lush had obviously changed their sound to attempt to sound more like the cookie cutter mainstream-dash-alternative band every label wants their band to be these days (especially when there are female vocals/guitars involved). Hearing "Ladykillers" or possibly "Single Girl" on the radio, is actually a pleasant break from Hootie, Bush, Live and other hideous "modern rock" acts. But I know what _Spooky_ sounds like. In the context of their previous releases, _Lovelife_ sounds like a blatant sellout, a bid to play the next Lollapalooza. What I want to know was: whose idea was this? Their's or Colin Wallace's? (4AD's British A & R) - Shalini Chatterjee, Vinyl Devotion, San Francisco, Calif. --- To get back issues of Consumable, check out: FTP: orbit.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 ===