==== ISSUE 37 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [April 19, 1995] Editor: Bob Gajarsky Internet: gajarsky@pilot.njin.net Sr. Contributors: Jeremy Ashcroft, Martin Bate, Al Crawford, Dan Enright, Tim Kennedy, Reto Koradi, David Landgren, Tim Mohr, Joe Silva, John Walker Other Contributors: Kelley Crowley, Tim Hulsizer, Melissa Pellegrin, P. Nina Ramos, Michelle Richmond, Jamie Roberts, Linda Scott, Ali Sinclair, Jon Steltenpohl, Jorge Velez, Scott Williams 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 |-. `------------' | `------------' REVIEW: Juliana Hatfield, _Only Everything_ - Jon Steltenpohl CONCERT REVIEW & INTERVIEW : Faith No More - Martin Bate REVIEW: PJ Harvey, _To Bring You My Love_ - Jon Steltenpohl REVIEW: Geffen Vintage 80's Volume 1 - Bob Gajarsky REVIEW : Tricky _Maxinquaye_ - Martin Bate REVIEW: Patti Palladin, _Rituals_ - Jeremy Ashcroft REVIEW: Grenoble Jazz Festival, 1995 - Alison Popowicz INTERVIEW: KMFDM's Sascha Konietzko - Jamie Roberts ERRATA: Juicy NEWS: Dave Matthews Band TOUR DATES: Beastie Boys / Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Dave Matthews Band, From Good Homes, Portishead, Smithereens, Toad the Wet Sprocket / Rusted Root Back Issues of Consumable --- REVIEW: Juliana Hatfield, _Only Everything_ (Atlantic/Mammoth) - Jon Steltenpohl From the very first seconds of _Only Everything_, my worst fears were confirmed: Juliana Hatfield is still trying to be Dinosaur Jr. Ever since the break up of Blake Babies, Hatfield has been veering to the slacker guitar sound. Buzzing guitars and lazy solos dominate _Only Everything_, and the transition from J. Hatfield to Ms. Dinosaur the Third is nearly complete. Fortunately, Hatfield knows what she's doing, and the slacker sound works for her. In the past, Hatfield's music was often quiet and sweet sounding. Her voice carried a fragility in it that was misleading. But now, there is a bit of a sneer in her voice. Some of the songs on _Only Everything_ begin with a whisper, and, instead of backing down when the lyrics get intense, Hatfield strikes back with her guitar. She slashes out buzzing riffs and grating solos as if she were possessed by J. Mascis himself. Hatfield still has her quieter moments, but those are usually just the choruses between the verses. Fans will just have to accept that the sweet, innocent Juliana of Blake Babies has finally grown-up. You won't find many self-absorbed, pity songs like "Ugly" on _Only Everything_. In fact, Hatfield's knack for penning self-indulgent songs is practically gone. It only appears briefly with songs like "Live on Tomorrow" and "Outsider". Maybe she decided to start listening to some of the overly negative critics who labeled her lyrics a little too childish and naive. Or maybe Hatfield has just gotten a bit more serious and cynical with age. In "Dying Proof", she writes as the friend of a junkie who she finds "turned blue". Instead of reaching out to help, the friend finally gives up and says "it's so hard to care what you do.". This is a far cry from past Hatfield lyrics about her sister and spin the bottle. "Dumb Fun" ends with the words of the cynical sage, "Hate your job. Love your stuff. If you think that's living then you're wrong, wrong, wrong." "Universal Heartbeat" might seem like a nice little song from the title. And, if you don't pay attention to the lyrics, it's a peppy little tune. You'll be bobbing your head along and singing along to the chorus. But after a bit, you'll realize that the peppy chorus is actually "A heart that hurts is a heart that works." Whee! Old fans might be a bit disappointed with Hatfield's new sound, but after a few listens, the harder edge will grow on you. Where some of Hatfield's older work lost it's impact on multiple spins through the CD player, _Only Everything_ is a solid, consistent effort. It comes alive when played loud. Hatfield's voice and multi-track harmony are mixed in just right with the guitar, bass, and drums, and the wall of sound is both sloppy and pristine at the same time. One might even describe the sonics as bombastic. Only a few bands have mastered this slacker sound, and now Hatfield joins them. _Only Everything_ will fit great in your collection between The Breeders and Dinosaur Jr. Even though _Only Everything_ is a bit of a departure from her old stuff, it's still Juliana Hatfield. She still writes a great song (whether it's self-indulgent or not), and she can play slacker guitar with the best of them. Old fans might even find that Hatfield's new confidence is refreshing. It's as if she's finally decided to stand up to her own self image. _Only Everything_ may not break new musical ground, but it is Juliana Hatfield's best work since going solo. --- CONCERT REVIEW & INTERVIEW : Faith No More - Martin Bate Faith No More are back from the wilderness. It's been nearly three years since their massively succesful (in the non-American world) _Angel Dust_ album. During this period they toured for a ridiculously long time, fired their long-time guitarist Jim Martin, searched long and hard for a replacement, finally found one in Mr. Bungle guitarist Trey Spruance, recorded an album, parted company with Spruance almost as soon as it was finshed and asked keyboard tech Dean Menta to join half an hour later. FNM always seem to be a band forced to do things the hard way. I caught up with them six shows into a pre-album-release mini tour of Europe which saw them playing small venues in the UK, the size of which they hadn't played since back before 'Epic' went nova. The show itself was incredible as always - nobody juxtaposes beauty and ugliness quite like FNM - the frightening Black-Sabbath-on- crack of "Jizzlobber" is followed by the majestic Bee-Gees cover "I Started a Joke" and the super-smooth soundtrack-funk of "Evidence" contrasts with the opening assault of "Cuckoo for Caca". Mike Patton is visually the center of attention, snarling and spitting, screaming in a crouch, bouncing off the stage-front monitors, crooning gently with mock cabaret stage moves and joking with the audience - when someone throws a drink at him, he asks for more. And, the encore tongue-in-cheek cover of The Cranberries "Zombie" with some poor girl from the audience being dragged on stage to sing while Patton rocks out was one of the funniest things I'd seen in ages. The rest of the band is equally in control. Bill Gould and Mike Bordin are one of the best rythym sections around at the moment, swapping between tribal pummeling and fluid grooves with ease. Roddy Bottum expands the sound with his keyboards and is almost a second front-man and new guitarist Dean Menta plays old and new material alike with confidence and an energy that had slowly become missing from Jim Martin. He is also without a doubt the nicest guy in the music business - fact! If there's a feeling that they aren't *quite* back to 100% it's probably down to the set-list. A good two-thirds of the set is made up of established favorites (the new album wasn't due to come out for another few days) and songs like "Epic" and "We Care a Lot" can't do anything *but* sound a little tired and over-familiar after years of faithful service. I talked to bassist Bill Gould after the show with Dean dropping into the conversation occasionally. Bill is friendly and talkative, his relaxed confidence and business-like manner giving him the air of someone who'd do well in white-collar management if he ever fancied a career change. Consumable: So how's the tour going ? Faith No More: Fine. I mean it's only been like six or seven shows. It's brand new, we've just started. C: Why the small clubs ? FNM: It's good to be out here when the record comes out and we don't want to do anything too big because we want to work Dean into it in a comfortable way. C: How's Dean doing ? Bill smiles and says "He's doing good I think - what do you think ?" I tell him that there definitely seems to have been something that's just clicked with Dean coming on board. That there seems to be a new confidence and strength and that everyone just seems *happier*. Bill nods, "Aw, totally! I mean just the atmosphere...." he tails off looking satisfied. C: What happened with Trey ? The official story was that he got cold feet about touring... FNM: Well, yeah kinda. Y'know, he's a good guitar player but he wasn't the right guy for the band. C: There were all sorts of rumors about a fall-out with his long time Mr. Bungle band-mate Patton and money disagreements. FNM: Well...Trey has some personal problems that will probably never be resolved.", he states, abruptly ending that avenue. I hit another slight brick-wall when it comes to song-writing. How did the breakdown of the writing go on the album ? I heard Patton wrote a few guitar parts.. "Yeah, he did." In the past, it's always been hard to work out who does what. "Its something we don't like to talk about." Okay...What would you say if I said the new album wasn't particularly a challenging album (in the sense that _Angel Dust_ was a notoriously difficult album) but that it was challenging people's ideas of what FNM are. Is that fair? "Yeah. No. Actually, I think that we didn't think like that as much as we used to. I think it's just more like we decided to stop fucking around and just make a good record", he laughs, "As far as we see one. I don't see us so much as trying to change or define what we are. I think now we're pretty comfortable with what we are." I noticed a few people tonight who went to the bar as soon as you started playing new smoothie "Evidence". Does that bother you ? "No, that's cool, it doesn't matter. They did the same thing with (the Commodores) "Easy" when we started playing it too, it's the same thing - it's got the same effect. Y'know in six months it'll be totally different - it's just that people don't have the record yet." FNM are always challenging people. One of their greatest strengths is that even their fans have no idea wha'ts coming next. The song I had the most problem getting my head round on the new record was "Take This Bottle", (previously compared in Consumable to Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn"). "Just a Man" is pretty camp and "Easy" was pretty tongue-in-cheek but... Bill interjects, "Take This Bottle" is *not* tongue in cheek!" "Well that's the thing", I tell him. "I kept looking for the irony. There's definitely a sinister undercurrent in there though. Maybe a little violence." Bill nods, "Yeah, a little bit. It's just going to take people a little while to get used to it, it's always like this when our record comes out. If people hear the songs and don't have the album it's a little strange. It doesn't ever actually work live until they get to hear it." Bill, Roddy and Dean are all computer-literate and all three are members of the independent FNM/Mr. Bungle mailing-list, 'Caca Volante'. Indeed Dean was lurking on the group from its creation back near the start of the year.... So Bill, the Internet, and computers in general - whaddya reckon ? Bill laughs, "What do I reckon ? Ha Ha ! Big question!" I laugh. OK, well...a few people reckon that 'net-surfing' is just a fad. "No, it's definitely not a fad. I don't think it's that, I just think it should be cheaper and more accessible. Y'know there's no international access really - like, I travel, I tour a lot all over the world and there's no way I can find any international access. The internet is not internet for me because I can't log onto my computer, I can't do any telnets from out here to get back there, so I'm fucked!" Courtney Love, was making her infamous usenet posts from her hotel rooms. I guess she was doing that within the US though.... "Yeah well she did it from America On-Line. Any fucking idiot can do that." Yeah, AOL gets a bad name... "Well it's stupid! I mean it's cool for what it does but..." We get distracted as Dean wanders over and I take the chance to ask Dean about his other work. He's done work on soundtracks for several games. Anything we'd know ? "Probably not. I did work for like this major game for this new company but the game was kind of a flop. And then I worked for a guy who did all independent stuff, sound for Virgin games. I don't know the names of them, but tons and tons of stuff. I was like understudy for the guy." So start looking at the credits for your software, FNM fans. I tell Bill I heard he wrote the title-track for _King for a Day_ on computer. Is that right ? "Well, ", he pauses then laughs, "a lot of this record was written on computer actually. I tell you what, "Digging the Grave", that song was *all* on computer. The whole fucking song, believe it or not." I look surprised. "Well, the thing is, all the ideas...it's just the way you present your ideas to the rest of the band. I used to have a four-track and I used to put my ideas on there and play them to everybody. And then you want more, you want to learn digital audio and start learning MIDI, so I just do it on computer now because they're more versatile." "But y'know after you bring your ideas in everybody goes through and arranges the song - Everybody does everything together." Do you find it easier to work like that ? "I just *like* it, I think its cool. I love computers." What do you think of the Caca Volante mailing list ? "CV's pretty interesting. I like to watch CV. If there's any mis-information going on I like to say something, but other than that I like to see it develop on its own." There used to be more gossip before people knew you guys were listening. Bill perks up. "Good gossip huh ? Weird shit ?" Well, nobody said much about the Select interview (Recent UK interview which centered tabloid-style around Patton's marriage and Roddy Bottum's personal problems) whereas before it would have sparked some discussion. How much did that interview exaggerate things ? Bill sighs, "Well, y'know this is the thing about the British press right now, they're using old ideas, things we were fucking around with 2 or 3 years ago. They don't know what to write about and everything is going back to shit and Roddy's drug problems - I mean, Roddy hasn't had a drug problem in two years!" Yeah, they seem pretty obsessed right now Patton and his shit (Patton now has a history of doing things people normally wouldn't do with their own feces including having a taste of it according to a recent interview. Call it sick, call it an inquisitive mind, call it what you like, as he doesn't seem to care as long as it keeps the conversation off his private life). "They don't know what else to talk about. They don't have any other angle." I tell him it seems as if they're trying to make Patton the cartoon character now that the most easily defined character, Jim Martin has left. Bill agrees, "Yeah, that's exactly what they're trying to do. See, once they turn you into a cartoon character then they have the power to kill you." A lot of the mis-information and tabloid-hype in the press is kind of scary. "Well, the thing is, you can't really defend yourself because if you do you're giving *power* to the bullshit they say. The thing is, the British press, no matter how funny and entertaining it is to read, doesn't have a lot of credibility outside of England. It's pretty nuch a joke to the rest of the world. So it's hard to take that seriously." What about some of the almost fan-hysteria on the mailing-list ? Does it worry you or bother you ? "They can't touch me. I can just delete all my messages.", he grins, "I don't give a fuck! I like it better that way. I like it better electronically cause I can come and go. There's a certain amount of respect because I take somebody at their word, face-value, none of the bullshit, I don't see what they look like. It's cool - it's the way to really communicate with people. With respect to fan-artist contact, computers have really broken down barriers. "Yeah, I'm fucking into it! It's a good way to get way to get information out and a good way to write information. If you want to know something, ask the source. Better than hearing it from some other asshole!" he laughs. Later he tells me, "We're gonna try and get a web site going in the next couple of months so we'll have like a chat-room on the site and an information center. Warner has their own web site now (at http://www.warner.com)" Many of the companies do seem to be getting in to it just now but a lot of the time it seems they're just doing it because it's trendy. "Thats cool. Y'know, whatever it takes. If it gets done, I don't care." He's got a point. So what's the plan now ? "We're gonna tour for fucking forever! Until this time next year at least. We're doing this 'Alternative Nation' thing in Australia [Lollapalooza-type bill happening around Easter]. Three shows and then straight back to the US for the tour starting four days after that." Are you going to do Lollapalooza ? Have you been asked ? "No. We have been deemed uncool for Lollapalooza. We *asked* to be on it actually. We don't have the cool factor though." Would a big thing like that not worry you after your bad experiences on the G'n'R/Metallica tour ? Although it can`t be as 'rock-n- roll' as that... "Well from what I hear, it is! But I think it would've been good for us to be on it." For the exposure ? "Exactly. But you can't be cool to everybody.", he shrugs. How much further do you see all this going ? There's been a lot of talk of how things nearly came to an end and so on. "One day at a time. It's always been fucking tense in this band. And it'll continue to be.", he smiles resignedly. There's been mention of how if you go out now, you'll be going out on a high with the new album. "Well, no. We'll do another one after this, definitely. We already have half of it writen so it's not going to take three years to come out next time. We're gonna write it on tour so when we get off tour we'll just make it right away. I'm gonna have a beer, d'you want one ?" As I say yes, it seems like a good place to end to end this interview. Cheers! --- REVIEW: PJ Harvey, _To Bring You My Love_ (Island) - Jon Steltenpohl It's hard to say just what defines the music of Polly Jean Harvey. Maybe it's the distorted, flailing voice - or the searing guitars. Possibly, even the tortured string quartets. Whatever it is, PJ Harvey has it stamped boldly on every one of her songs. This explains the strange feeling caused when "Down By the Water" first unleashed itself over the airwaves. The song shares little with Harvey's previous work except for the presence of Harvey herself. A look at the liner notes of _To Bring You My Love_ reveals that the buzzing bass line is from Harvey's organ. The change in sound is marked by the exiting of "the PJ Harvey band" and the addition of John Parish and Joe Gore (Tom Waits) with Flood at the producer's helm and mixer's board. The change of producer is cause for celebration. Although _Rid of Me_ is a phenomenal work, it was hampered by Steve Albini's need to distort, and his tendency to bury the vocals on everything he touches. Fortunately, _To Bring You My Love_ won't require a _4-track Demos_ to prove a point. With a competent producer, PJ Harvey's sound is wild, free, and clear. Each distortion and wretched note comes from Harvey wringing her own heart through the microphone, not the whim of a producer. _To Bring You My Love_ sounds very much like the soundtrack to a David Lynch movie. The liner art sets the mood with pictures of Harvey in a satin red dress against a green background. On the cover, she floats in the water with a cold, serene look on her face. With the help of Flood, _To Bring You My Love_ is, at times, chillingly atmospheric. One expects to slip into a dream and witness a Lynchian one-armed midget dancing by with a tormented beauty by his side. At other times, Harvey rises up like the exaggerated shadow of a man with a knife and then crashes down like a rain of glass. The best song on the album is "C'mon Billy". It's an epic, western of a song with an incessant guitar strum backed by John Parish's expert percussion. Harvey's voice is mirrored with a string quartet, and she sings with driving passion for an absent lover. By the end of the song, her pleading rises until Harvey just wails over and over "C'mon on Billy, come to me!". By the time the song ends, you feel drained. Amazing for a piece that is less than three minutes long. The rest of the album is filled with songs that feel much different but accomplish the same thing. _To Bring You My Love_ catapults PJ Harvey beyond the ranks of ordinary musicians. It is an album that is remote but engaging, disfigured but beautiful, abrasive but caressing. Like her first album, _Dry_, _To Bring You My Love_ has simplicity as its core. Like all of Harvey's work, the album is focused on relationships gone wrong. Each song is a pageant of loss and deception. For those who are new to PJ Harvey, _To Bring You My Love_ might be a bit of a surprise, but fans of Harvey's previous work will cherish _To Bring You My Love_ as a masterpiece. --- REVIEW: Geffen Vintage 80's Volume 1 (Geffen) - Bob Gajarsky Geffen Records has recently jumped into the foray of 1980's compilation discs with their selection of favorites, _Vintage 80's Volume 1_. _Vintage 80's_ tenderly walks the fine line between alternative and pop. Although Wang Chung gets played on alternative stations today, during their time in the 80's, the group was a staple on exploratory pop stations. Conversely, with Blondie's revitalization in clubs and on the charts, Debbie Harry's "French Kissin'" is appearing more on pop stations today than when the record was first released. Highlights of the compilation include the only appearance on disc of the debut Was (Not Was) single, "Knocked Down, Made Small (Treated Like A Rubber Ball)". It doesn't have the pop toss-away sound of "Walk The Dinosaur", but remains this reviewer's favorite song that the Was "brothers" have helped to record. The Quarterflash selection, "Take Me To Heart", also has not seen the disc light of day in the States, and fans of the teachers from Northwest America should eagerly welcome this cut. Although some of the tracks appear elsewhere on multiple compilations (the Berlin tracks, Plimsouls, Madness), these were all jewels in the Geffen 80's crown, and their exclusion would not shine a light on tracks still featured during Flashback Lunch Hours. All in all, it's an admirable entry into the 80's reissue market. If you're a fan of EMI's _Living In Oblivion_ series, Geffen's release is right up your alley. Track listing: Wang Chung - Dance Hall Days, Everybody Have Fun Tonight; Debbie Harry - French Kissin'; John Hiatt - Living With The King; Berlin - Sex (I'm A...), No More Words; Stan Ridgeway - Goin' Southbound; Lone Justice - Ways To Be Wicked; Madness - Our House; Plimsouls - A Million Miles Away; Quarterflash - Take Me To Heart; Ric Ocasek - Emotion In Motion; Gene Loves Jezebel - Desire --- REVIEW : Tricky _Maxinquaye_ (Island) - Martin Bate Massive Attack collaborator Tricky finally goes out on his own here, or rather in the company of his companion, 18 year old Martine. _Maxinquaye_ is the most warped take on the trip-hop sound yet. Where Portishead and Massive Attack have established the Bristol sound as being the point where stoned hip-hop meets smoky nightclub soul, Tricky takes the sound into a far nastier area than that inhabited by Portishead and track after track is more bleak and disconcerting than anything Massive Attack have yet to come up with. Martine's sultry feminine voice counterpoints Tricky's 3am London drawl perfectly and it isn't until the fourth song that Tricky takes the lead, on "Hell is Round the Corner" which uses a floating string backing nicked from Portishead to scary effect. The atmosphere, as throughout the album, is that of an urban nightmare dreamscape with Martine luring you into the shadows where Tricky lurks. Opener, "Overcome" has Martine crooning Tricky's Massive Attack collaboration "Karmacoma", spinning round the line "You sure you want to be with me ? I've nothing to give..." while "Ponderosa"s eastern beats and vivid imagery ("Beneath the weeping willow lies a weeping wino", "I drink till I'm drunk and smoke till I'm senseless") provide the ultimate eerie soundtrack to urban life. More genius is evident on the cover of Public Enemy's "Black Steel" where Chuck D's original rap is subverted with Martine's sneering feminine vocals and a metallic clanking rhythm welded to metal guitars and squelch bass. To go on picking highlights would be futile. Suffice to say that this is an incredibly sexy album, though one where you're constantly aware of the emotional and physical danger involved. The album works on two levels - walking through the city with it on, looking at the faces and the urban sprawl, the music comes alive and everything looks simultaneously romantic and horrifying; but listen to it safe inside and its the words that grab the attention, ripping apart the fabric and lies of love, *just* as romantic and horrifying as the streets outside. Although Tricky doesn't have the command over the studio that Massive Attack do, the sound is deceptive. The initial impression is that the sound is extremely sparse but you soon notice that it is actually extremely deep - samples are layered three deep in places and snippets of other music and voices cut in occasionally in the background like short-wave radio interference. Occasionally the production can get a little muddy and lessen the tension but only on the last two tracks does Tricky almost lose it. "Strugglin'" meanders nowhere for an awfully long time despite a rhythm track The Orb would be proud of - a tap drips, a gun is loaded, a watch ticks; and "Feed Me" is an emotionally unengaging, dischordant slur. _Maxinquaye_ is a dark album that requires many, many listens to unravel. Do you fancy a bit of danger ? --- REVIEW: Patti Palladin, _Rituals_ (Peek-a-Boo, Europe) - Jeremy Ashcroft Way back in about 1977/78, I remember buying the single of Brian Eno's _King's Lead Hat_ and the very knowledgeable guy at the counter saying "I bet you really bought that for the b-side". He was quite correct - the b-side was a collaboration between Eno and a group called Snatch. It was called _RAF_ and is still a pretty unique combination of electronics, funk and sheer street feel. Snatch were Judy Nylon and Patti Palladin - they only had a handful of releases, but I think they stand as one of the most interesting bands of the late-70s. Since then, the twosome have split. Judy (an ex-collaborator with John Cale) released a great album called _Pal Judy_, but seems to have disappeared from the scene. Patti, after producing and singing with Johnny Thunders on many of his albums, had also been missing for far too long... though luckily she's back. She returned, fittingly, on a recent Thunders tribute album, _I Only Wrote This Song For You_, and has now released an all too short, but perfectly sweet, solo album, _Rituals_. Actually, "sweet" isn't quite the word you'd associate with Patti... she's from Noo Yawk and she's got about the best sneer in the business. Attitude on a plate. That said, she also has a classic 60s singing voice - she once made an album of 50s and 60s pop covers with Johnny Thunders, _Copy Cats_ - her voice on the Shangri Las' _He Cried_ could really make a grown man cry, it's beautiful. Just one listen to _Rituals_ should impress anyone with her versatility. Take the final three tracks, for example. "Turnin' The Other Cheek" is quite a straightforward song, but Patti's vocals are so rich. "Runnin' With The Pack" is really brooding and atmospheric - for such a petite lady, Patti has a really deep voice. Sexy? Definitely. The last track is "Who Needs It?" and it's the late-70s again. Punk is _not_ dead. Debbie Harry was always great at snarling, but Patti goes one better. _Who Needs It?_ Anyone who appreciates a classic voice and real attitude, that's who. --- REVIEW: Grenoble Jazz Festival, 1995 - Alison Popowicz The Grenoble Jazz Festival, 1995 version, is finished for another year. The audiences have gone home, the musicians have packed their bags and guitar-cases, the concert halls have been swept clean of the last floating echo and discarded entrance ticket. Even the posters are beginning to peel and fade as the chill, unseasonal rain falls. Who played at Grenoble? Famous jazzsters such as Helen Merrill, McCoy Tyner, Bobby Hutcherson, Bill Frisell, Joe-Louis Walker, Calvin Russell, Linda Sharrock, Henri Texier, James Blood Ulmer, Martial Solal and Didier Lockwood. Add many many more, well-known and little-known and totally unknown: singers and instrumentalists from the USA, from all over Europe, Africa and Bosnia and the Crimea: some in France just for the festival, some passing through town on their year-long European tours. Something for everybody, all under one big, brassy jazz umbrella - and this year, the umbrella spread wide to cover not only traditional and improvisational jazz, but also including jazz-root blues, and R-and-B, and even folk and rock-and-roll. Definitely, something for everybody. Whatever you like to call it, jazz or otherwise, or just `music'! During the festival, at first, the town seems the same as every other day of the year: there's the usual number of buskers, all good and bad and indifferent and all expecting to be paid: there's no great ceremony, no fireworks, no shouting-in-the-street apart from the market traders and the schoolkids greeting their friends. But then you notice the striking, eye-catching posters: the big- band bus parked in the square, and the three sax-playing minstrels who go strolling through the Saturday crowds: the snippets of jazz as you are riding on the tram, the jazz playing in all the bars... and the tired-eyed colleagues who go to every concert they can, from the noon-time jazz in town to the early- evening solo shows and the nine-o'clock big stars right through to the one-o'clock-in-the-morning restaurant for a steak-and-jam- session... it's happening, all right. Not only in the concert halls and theatres, but in the bars and on the streets. It is impossible to see everyone or hear everything; you have to choose according to your tastes, your locality and your budget. Many concerts are free: the big names who pack the concert halls in the evenings are inevitably more expensive. You can buy an "abonnement" - a ticket that allows entry to a set of concerts - or go as you please. Even if you don't spend a single centime, you can still have an excellent ten days music! It's hard to know where to start making a choice: the big names or the up-and-comings? Traditional or experimental or something completely different? Guitar or singing or drums or saxophone or kitchen implements or keyboards or everything? And will you have time to take a master class, or visit the two photo exhibitions, and what if someone invites you to a concert `en appartement'? And how-on-earth will you be able to get from Voiron after the concert that starts at 6.30, to Grenoble in time for the concert at 8 o'clock? You just have to try your best. For me, the acts that linger on were, first-of-all and most-of-all, Calvin Russell, who plays nothing-like-jazz but a rude, Texan, rock'n'roll and raw, haunting, acoustic cowboy-ballads: the Bill Frisell Quintet, a group of magnificent musicians, who, (when they all played the same tune at the same time), produced some of the most beautiful music I've heard in years: Enver Ismailov, the Crimean-Tatar electric-guitarist, with his unique string-tapping method of playing and melodies that draw from the heritage of the entire ex-Soviet-Union: and the unforgettable, irreplaceable, inimitable James `Blood' Ulmer with his Blues Experience, playing heavyweight funk and rap and scaring the living daylights out of all the jazz purists who'd just been listening to Bill Frisell. I shall wear my "23rd Grenoble Jazz Festival" T-shirt with happy memories - and I'll be looking forward to next year. I've marked it in my diary: take ten days away from the office, and plan to see and listen to everything. Any jazz fan who can escape to Grenoble, France for a few days of some great music should definitely do so. --- INTERVIEW: KMFDM's Sascha Konietzko - Jamie Roberts Sascha Konietzko, KMFDM mastermind, stellar producer/remixer for the likes of Die Warzau, Living Colour, and Megadeth, is one of the most recognizable names in Industrial or any kind of music. If you know your knife-edged, intense music, odds are you are famliar with this man's work. Charged as one of the fathers of the genre, Konietzko shows much modesty. He gives the credit where he feels it due, and sets the record straight about TVT, those darn guitars, and KMFDM's new CD, _Nihil_. Consumable: From your first album, _What Do You Know Deutschland?_ (1986) to _Nihil_ (1995), what has changed? What has remained the same? Konietzko: You can't start a band and say "This is what we are doing 'til the end of time". We explored different styles and concepts in making each of our albums. Each album is like a snapshot - a product of situations and dynamics of the band. We are really fond of our past work... It's not like other bands, who say "Don't listen to our first album, it sucks!" So we recycle some elements (often samples) from our previous work in each new work. By the way, I want to tell you something... Make sure you let people know we are on Wax Trax!... It is Wax Trax/TVT now... I've seen it listed all different ways "TVT" only, etc. C: And how are things going at Wax Trax! post-financial troubles? How has it affected your work with them? Also, how is working with TVT? Some people have had problems... SK:Things are better than ever - our dealings with TVT have been nothing but positive. Some people can have problems with anybody. C: _Nihil_ does something different with guitars than your previous work. SK: We really overdid it on _Angst_. On _Nihil_ we, in effect, did the whole album, then added the guitars in at the end. When we started bringing in the guitars on _Angst_, we wanted to make it more like our live shows. When we actually went out and played live, and people saw the guitars, they would walk out! I guess it wasn't what they expected from us. Our goal, of late, has been to be real musicians. We started out distorting vacuum cleaner sounds as we were into noise manipulation. Now we want to be real musicians. It is an obsession of ours, so that's part of the reasoning behind the use of guitars... C: So this album is not "Industrial" in the purest sense... you know, all mechanized...? SK: There are no Industrial purists anymore...Thrill Kill Kult are campy Industrial-Pop, Ministry are Industrial-Metal, and so on. New terms and definitions are coming about in this genre all the time. C: I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that your work formed my opinions about (and my taste for) Industrial. You originated it. SK: Thank you, but we missed the first wave of Industrial. We started in 1984 and are certainly not originators of the style. Milestones in music for us were Kraftwerk and DAF. C: Another thing - the cover art for your albums. I heard about the problems with the _Naive_ cover art. Sexism? How do you plead? SK: The charges of sexism were stupid! _Naive_ was banned because of the cover art. We play with fire in all aspects of our career. We use excess as artists, to demonstrate something. The supposed "rape scene" was not intended that way. C: So with the women on your covers and in your video, and the female vocals in songs like "Juke Joint Jezebel" (_Nihil_'s first single) what exactly are you getting at? Are you a feminist band? SK: Feminist? That's an interesting way of putting it. Female strength is projected through the vocals, so, yes, maybe we are 'feminist'. We are certainly not sexist! En Esch has a lot to say on that subject (albeit not in perfect English). C: A friend of mine wouldn't even listen to your music because she was a Depeche Mode fan. You know, the Kill Mother Fucking Depeche Mode anagram? SK: (Laughs) That is actually one of my favorites! We get them in the mail all the time. We have about 1500 of them right now. The sad thing is that in "KMFDM" the "MF" lends itself to "Mother Fucker". People ought to be more creative than that! C: So when will you be touring? SK: We are beginning a full tour in about 2 weeks. We will go around the United States with Dink [who are counted among Konietzko's production credits]. In the summer we will be in Japan and Europe. We get back to the US in the fall; you must come see us when we're out! C: Is that an order? SK: Sure! (Laughs) C: It has been a pleasure talking to you. Good luck! --- ERRATA: Last week's tour dates included "For the Ladies", which was actually the title of the album for the band Juicy. Juicy is the one who is on tour. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. NEWS: Somehow, somewhere, someone started a rumour that Dave Matthews of the Dave Matthews Band is HIV positive. According to the band's management, "This is a sad rumor. There is no basis to the rumor whatosever. We view it as a negative and unfortunate side effect of the attention the band has received lately". The band recently appeared on Saturday Night Live, and has just completed a tour of Europe. --- TOUR DATES: Beastie Boys / Jon Spencer Blues Explosion April 26 Los Angeles, CA The Palace April 27 San Diego, CA RIMAC Gym April 28 Santa Barbara, CA County Bowl April 30 Salt Lake City, UT Salt Air May 1 Denver, CO Red Rocks May 3 Kansas City, MO Municipal Aud. May 4 Dallas, TX Fairpark Coliseum May 6 Houston, TX Astro Arena May 7 New Orleans, LA UNO Arena May 8 Atlanta, GA The Omni May 10 Philadelphia, PA Civic Center May 11 Long Island, NY Nassau Coliseum May 13 Washington, DC Patriot Center Dave Matthews Band April 19 New Orleans, LA State Palace Theater April 21 Springfield, MO Shrine Mosque April 22 Oklahoma City, OK Bricktown Brewery April 23 Tulsa, OK University of Tulsa April 25 Dallas, TX Bomb Factory April 26 Austin, TX Backyard April 27 Houston, TX International Ballroom April 29 Santa Fe, NM Paolo Soleri April 30 Fort Collins, CO Moby Gym May 1 Salt Lake City, UT Salt Air May 2 Jackson Hole, WY Snow King Center May 4 Olympia, WA Recreation Center May 5 Salem, OR LB Day Amphitheater May 6 Vancouver, BC Commadore Ballroom May 8 Sacramento, CA Community Theater May 9 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theater May 10 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theater May 12 San Jose, CA Event Center May 13 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium May 14 Phoenix, AZ Mesa Amphitheater From Good Homes April 19 Philadelphia, PA Middle East April 20 Newark, DE Stone Balloon April 21 Washington, DC Bayous April 22 Lexington, VA Zollman's Pavillion April 23 Nelson CIty, VA Van Riper's Lake (w/Widespread Panic) (these gigs, to April 30 are with Shannon Worrell) April 26 Providence, RI Met Cafe April 27 Burlington, VT Club Toast April 28 Albany, NY Bogie's April 29 Portland, ME Granny Killiam's April 30 New Market, NH Stone Church May 2 Pittsburgh, PA Rosebud May 3 Louisville, KY Cherokee May 3 Nashville, TN Exit In May 5 Memphis, TN Beale St. Music (with Fleetwood Mac) May 6 New Orleans, LA Tipitina's (with Cowboy Mouth) May 8 Lafayette, LA Grant St. Dance Hall (with Cowboy Mouth) May 9 Pensacola, FL Seville Quarter May 10 Birmingham, AL 5 Points South May 11 Columbia, SC Elbow Room May 12 Atlanta, GA Music Mid-town (Music Festival 99X) May 13 Charlotte, NC Metrolina Expo May 14 Charleston, SC Music Farm May 20 Columbus, OH Ohio State May 25 Fort Wayne, IN Piere's May 26 Chicago, IL Otis (w/ Shannon Worrell) May 27 Evanston, IL Lake Field Portishead April 19 San Francisco, CA Bimbos April 21 Seattle, WA Moe's April 23 Minneapolis, MN Guthrie Theatre April 25 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre April 26 Toronto, ON Trinity Center April 27 Detroit, MI Industry April 29 Boston, MA Ballroom April 30 New York, NY Supper Club May 2 Washington, DC Music Hall May 3 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse Smithereens April 19 Greenville, SC Cowboy's April 20 Ashville, NC Coyote's April 21 Raleigh, NC Long Branch April 22 Charlotte, NC The Ritz @ The Capri Theatre April 24-25 Baltimore, MD 8 April 10 April 26 Boston, MA Mama Kin April 27 New York City, NY Irving Plaza April 27 - The Conan O'Brien Show! April 28 Hamden, CT Quinnipiac College April 29 Syracuse, NY Syracuse University Block Party April 30 New Britain, CT The Sting May 2 Lancaster, PA The Chameleon May 3 Toledo, OH Roxanne's May 4 Chicago, IL The Metro May 5 Indianapolis, IN Live Annex May 6 Detroit, MI The Ritz May 7 Grand Rapids, MI The Orbit Room May 8 Louisville, KY The Toy Tiger May 10 Little Rock, AR Blues Rock Performance Hall May 11 Bossier City, LA Cowboy's May 12 Vinton, LA FX May 13 Memphis, TN 616 May 14 Pensacola, FL Spring Fest May 16 San Antonio, TX Sneakers May 17 Houston, TX Rockefeller's May 18 Dallas, TX The Kegl @ Las Colinas May 19 Amarillo, TX Roxy May 21 El Paso, TX Metropolis May 23 Las Vegas, NV Drink May 24 Los Angeles, CA House of Blues May 25 San Diego, CA Belly Up May 27 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore May 28 Denver, CO Rock the Rockies Stapleton Airport June 8 St. Louis, MO Union Station June 9 Joliet, IL Joliet Memorial Stadium Toad the Wet Sprocket / Rusted Root April 24 Toronto, ON Opera House April 25 Montreal, QC Club Soda April 26 Ottawa, ON Barrymores April 28 Burlington, VT University of Vermont April 29 Loudenville, NY Siena College April 30 Storrs, CT University of Connecticut May 2 South Hadley, MA Mt. Holyoke College May 5 New York, NY Roseland May 6 Philadelphia, PA Tower Theater May 7 Princeton, NJ Princeton University May 9 Providence, RI The Strand May 10 Boston, MA Orpheum Theater May 12 Poughkeepsie, NY Mid-Hudson Civic Center --- 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 FTP by mail: mail bitftp@pucc.princeton.edu put the word help anywhere in the message. 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) Compuserve, Lotus Notes users only: GO FORUM (Delphi) Music Fandom forum; GO ENT MUSIC Web access contributed by WestNet Internet Services (westnet.com), serving Westchester County, NY. 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