==== ISSUE 44 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [June 26, 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: Dan Birchall, Lee Graham Bridges, Scott Byron, Kelley Crowley, Tim Hulsizer, Sean Eric McGill, P. Nina Ramos, Jamie Roberts, Linda Scott, Ali Sinclair, Jon Steltenpohl, Jorge Velez, Courtney Muir Wallner, Scott Williams, Britain Woodman 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 |-. `------------' | `------------' INTERVIEW: Michael Wilton, Queensryche - Dan Birchall REVIEW: Rembrandts, _LP_ - Bob Gajarsky REVIEW: Fury In The Slaughterhouse, _Hearing and the Sense of Balance_ - Sean Eric McGill REVIEW: Kendra Smith, _Five Ways of Diappearing_ - Lee Graham Bridges REVIEW: Shadowplay,_Eggs & Pop_ - Tim Hulsizer REVIEW: Spoon, _Nefarious_ EP - Lee Graham Bridges TOUR DATES Eric Clapton, Gene, Green Apple Quick Step, H.O.R.D.E. '95, Kill Creek, Letters to Cleo / Sponge / Our Lady Peace Sarah McLachlan / Chieftains, Nitzer Ebb, Tom Petty/Pete Droge, Porch, Queensryche / Type O Negative NEWS - Elektra on WWW, Free CD of Emote THE READERS WRITE BACK! Back Issues of Consumable --- INTERVIEW: Michael Wilton, Queensryche - Dan Birchall Seattle-based progressive metal gods Queensryche have just embarked on the second US leg of their theatrical, multimedia-laden _Promised Land_ tour. They're also preparing to release a multiple CD-ROM _Promised Land_ set later this summer, featuring documentary footage, interviews, and five interactive worlds to explore. The band's label, EMI, has established a World Wide Web site to provide information on the CD-ROM set, at http://www.rockonline.com/emi/qryche/ I touched base with guitarist Michael Wilton as he and his bandmates - vocalist Geoff Tate, guitarist Chris DeGarmo, bassist Eddie Jackson, and drummer Scott Rockenfield - rested between tour dates in the southern US. Here's what he had to say about the tour, the forthcoming CD-ROM set, and technology in general. Consumable: Do you think the folks on Internet really reflect a significant market segment for you? Michael Wilton: It's really hard to justify that - I know there's a percentage of people who are just getting into that aspect. There's a core of Queensryche fans that - I wouldn't say they're fanatical, but they'll usually check out everything we do. That core is something that we've built over the last fourteen years, playing live and putting out music that they like, that they've become part of. Hopefully we need to reach out to more people and bring them into... the web. (laugh) C: So it's the old world domination thing all over again. MW: Yeah - we don't want to change the world, we just want to change their mind. (laugh) C: Have you gotten to the point now where you can plot your own course and do what you want without the label complaining too much, since you have that core of fans who'll stick with you? MW: I think so. We're really at a crossroads in our career right now, with the whole shift of the music industry happening in the last two or three years. We're seeing before our eyes a new generation of young kids that want their own bands writing anthems for their generation, which is the same thing that happened when we were around. Thus, the almighty circle has started. We're seeing rock radio formats changing, some crumbling and turning alternative or classic rock, and seeing video formats drastically change. It's really an interesting area for us, because we've never really been a band to try and jump on trends or the whole fashion part of it. We've always done it through hard work, touring, and pretty much tried to stay away from the sponsors and all that. After this tour, we're going to go back to Seattle, and we're going to put another record out, fairly quickly this time - we're not going to take four years off. And really get something going, get our minds together, and plot out an even bigger, better show to outdo this one (laugh) - I don't know how, but we'll do it. C: About the show, you've just started being out on tour again after a week off. How's this leg going so far? MW: This is the hot leg (laugh). We're down in Texas - actually, we're in Oklahoma today - and it's really hot. But in the South, they still like to rock and roll. They're an area of the country that still has hard rock stations. It shows in the crowds. They hear our tunes and they know our tunes, it's really good. So it's been really good so far. C: The CD-ROM you have coming out this summer - there were some rumors that there were going to be clips from it incorporated into the actual projection part of the show on this leg of the tour. Has that been done, or is it still in the works? MW: That was a wish from the people at Mediatrix. They wanted to somehow promote it, and they saw the perfect opportunity up there, but they don't know the logistics of, and cost involved in, trying to transfer that onto a laserdisc format that's already been done, burned in. So no, as far as that being incorporated in our live show, we can't do that. The only thing we've done is at a couple shows, we've had media rooms set up for people, and we've had the alpha disc there, and they can mess around and maneuver their way through it. C: EMI has teamed up with a company called RockOnline to put up a WorldWideWeb site on the Internet, with some samples from the CD-ROM and things like that. MW: That's what they were talking about a long time ago. EMI and Capitol, they wanted to jump into this new format, and we said, "Hey hey hey, pick us, pick us! We're into this stuff, you know, we're computer literate, give us a chance, we'd like to do that." This whole CD-ROM venture has been very informative for us, seeing how it works and how it's developing in the beginning stages, QuickTime motion and memory. It still has a long way to go as far as I'm concerned. I'm still edgy around some of the movies, and the standard has to be brought up so that it gets run on faster machines. But I really think CD-ROM is going to be a viable part of the market in the near future, based on the sales of computers and CD-ROM apparatus. I think it's good - I think it's trendy in a way, but then I think there's going to be some really interesting information you can get on a CD disc. And then there's a whole new area to be policed as well - there's pretty disgusting stuff coming out. (laugh) The whole _Promised Land_ CD-ROM was brought up to first do just an informative documentary. So, in recording _Promised Land_ at Big Log Studios off the coast of Washington, we filmed it all - Chris DeGarmo's brother, Mark DeGarmo, filmed it. We digitally rendered the film in a three-dimensional format, and began placing everything that was in the log cabin back, so that you could have full screen. You can wander around through the log cabin, click certain things and find certain things, and bits of information will pop up. Basically, the first disc is going into the recording studio, clicking things and finding things, finding interviews and documentary footage. But then on the second disc, we decided, "Let's make something for the fans. Hey, this is CD-ROM, and you know there's a CD-ROM market out there, and there are people who are CD-ROM-heads - I mean, they're into this stuff. So let's give a little visual interpretation of Queensryche, and give a little gaming element into it as well." So if the user chooses, he can venture outside the log cabin into our forest, which is kind of the magic forest where things happen, and as you wander around, you find ways to transport yourself to different worlds. There are five worlds, representing the ideas and beliefs of each band member. As you venture through these five worlds, you have the choice - or it's inevitable, basically, that you'll trip a natural disaster. You have time periods and certain maneuvers that you have to do to clean up the disaster that you tripped, or else something really bad happens. So thus, it has kind of an ecological theme to it, taking care of certain situations, teaching the user to be responsible and think things out. So as you venture from each of these worlds - which, by the way, are all very different, Eddie's is like a game show, mine is my brain, they're all very drastically different - after you've ventured through all of them, and successfully tripped and solved all the things you need to solve, you find your way to this place where we come out and play a track on the computer, live. It's a track that will never be released on album. I don't know, if you spend a lot of time on it, you could probably do it in a couple weeks, three weeks, maybe. If you're just a casual user, then it's three months. Some of it's challenging, but then again we didn't want to make it so hard that it would piss people off. There are some gaming elements, some gaming puzzles are harder than others in certain worlds. C: So you've essentially geared it toward the average thinking metal fan. MW: Well, the average thinking computer CD-ROM puzzle-oriented fan (laughs). The objective is to find each little link that transforms something into the mighty totem pole, and then, "boom." C: In the mid 80's, you put out songs like "Screaming in Digital" and "NM 156," where you seemed wary of technology. Now, you've got all these DAT players, you've got one of the largest online fan bases in the world, and you're writing songs like "My Global Mind". Would you say your view of technology has changed? MW: I think we've always valued progressing, and technology progressing - I'm all for that. I think what we try and bring up, which is just a point of view, us being objective, is that too much of anything can be detrimental, and taken in the wrong context, it can be disasterous. I think that's basically a philosophy that we've taken in technology. Our whole philosophy is to question everything. We always hope people, instead of just accepting the norm, question it. "Why do we do this? Why does this happen this way? Why does this have to happen this way?" Never stop asking questions. As far as the media blitz, my backyard - I live right next to MicroSoft. There are so many little sub-companies in my neighborhood, like Virtual Media. There's all these little companies spawning up just because of this huge thing called MicroSoft, this thing Bill Gates has done. They're coming up with stuff that you can't even dream of, and it's already done. I mean, it's scary. C: So do you think your neighbor, Mister Gates, might be playing a role in technological world domination? MW: Definitely, definitely. I mean, he's going to have his own TV channel. He's putting up satellites everywhere, he's buying up little companies. Paul Allen is doing the same, he's on the board of every virtual company and CD-ROM based company that's successful. These guys are just on a rocket into the future, you know, and it's like "Woah, fasten your seat belts, 'cause it's just around the corner." (laughs) I think some of it is going to be very useful, in organizing things, organizing data, keeping everything, keeping your desktop clean, so basically you're not cluttering your mind all the time. And then there's the interfacing with other computers, and the networking with other people, and the online services. Lots of information is going to be all via electronics. When you start theorizing on this and thinking about this, it's like, "Wow, what's going to happen to cash? Is everything just going to be credit? Is everything just going to be electronic? Is money going to cease to exist? Are Blockbuster Videos going to be a thing of the future, are they going to be archaic, because all movies will be like hotels - you can just order whatever you want, and Blockbusters will just be these huge vaults playing movies all the time?" The shopping channels, the golf channel, 24-hours-a-day golf, 24-hours-a-day soap operas. Everybody's setting up their own world, what they want to see, their own personality, on the television, on the computer screen. Everybody's setting up whatever they want; they're personalizing everything to their need. And is that right? Is that healthy? Is that isolationism? Is that healthy, isn't isolationism what causes war, what causes fear? So that is a thing we ponder. You realize balance is the key. You can spend half your days on the computer, but spend the other days socializing with people in your community, at the bar, the library, a sporting event, whatever. And talk to people, you know - tell them your views, tell them your opinions, tell them what you think. The whole decay of suburbia - and believe me, I live in suburbia, and I know - is everbody isolates themselves, nobody wants to talk to anybody, everybody is scared of what they have, they don't want anybody to know about it, and they become opinionless. It's a serious thing, this technology (laugh) - that could happen. C: We might actually see more songs along the line of "too much technology is a bad thing" in the future? MW: No; it's ironic that we use the technology to make what we talk about. C: You don't view that as an integrity failure, though, it's not a conflict. MW: No, not at all. Like I said, it's an organization of data. It's being more efficient and creative and resourceful. C: So the CD-ROM, the second disc particularly, is going to reflect a very personal and independent side of the band. MW: Yes - The Psyche of the 'Ryche." C: Basically that's not something that the label came up with at all, that was entirely your idea. MW: No, that's one way that this CD-ROM is going to be different than other CD-ROMs with bands. We've been completely involved in the whole process. As far as the graphics, the gaming, the routing, the coding, everything - we've stayed in contact with the company that's been doing it, Mediatrics. We've actually flown down to Santa Cruz to meet all these guys working on our stuff. It was just amazing - it's this shack with all these PowerPC's and SGI computers, and the guys just look wild. Long hair, goatees, bull rings in their noses, purple hair, leopard-print hair. These guys are on the computers, and they're coming up with all these wild images for our CD-ROM. We got in there and started talking with them, and they got ideas of what we were like, and started putting things together. So it's a very good representation of us, it wasn't just "Okay, here's what we want, do something with it." That's what made it fun. C: This thing's supposed to be coming out in August? MW: Yeah, the end of July. I think they're trying to figure out if it's going to go on 3 CD's now. Probably because of my world (laughs). Mine's the last one - Eddie's and mine are the last being done. The coding is going down right now. C: With it going on that many CD's, there's got to be some effort to keep the price down. You don't want to price it out of the market. MW: It's going to be competitive with anything that's out there. There are some other CD-ROMs, the one with Tina Marie in it - _Daedleus Control_, or something like that - I think that's three CD's, and she's in it. _Eleventh Hour_ is coming out, but they're the masters of compression. C: Those are more a game-playing thing, and they don't really have the musical focus. MW: Right, but the making of _Eleventh Hour_ - I saw it, and there's lots of heavy filming, blue-screen filming involved. So that's something again that might be happening in the CD-ROM area. Hollywood invading, actors and producers getting in on it, putting movies on discs, and driving the price up, you know, the production costs and all that. C: Steven Spielberg and the other guys are now getting really into the technology. MW: Right. As soon as they have it all worked out and have all the compression, and can put a full-time animation on a full computer screen, then I think it's going to get really serious. There's people like Todd Rundgren, Peter Gabriel - who have previously ventured into this. We researched the market, I got _Myst_ and _Seventh Guest_ and _Iron Helix_ and some other ones, and we all just thought what was appealing to us about these games. The interactiveness, and the act of making the user think, not letting the screen do everything for you - that was very intriguing for us. C: So if you're all playing CD-ROM games, what's the Queensryche computer hardware collection looking like these days? MW: Let's see... four-fifths of the band are Mac, and one-fifth is Atari. Scott owns the Atari. He doesn't own a CD-ROM yet. He's going to acquire one as soon as he gets home. He doesn't have any use for it out here, right now. We run MIDI sequencing software on the computers. We have them out on the road, and we're writing music. C: You guys are doing pretty well with the technology. You don't actually drag them out on stage, do you - they don't control the keyboards or anything? MW: We're scratching the surface. They're backstage in the tuning room. That's all MIDI-driven. This time around we're not using 35mm film, that was a pain. Now it's all laserdisc driven, so it's a much more efficient operation. The ADATs are actually doing the MIDI. C: How many of them do you have? MW: We've got five of them that are recording the show, and back in the tuning room I think there's three of them, and there's one with the MIDI signal on it that's on the side of the stage, that runs the laserdisc. C: And of course that doesn't count all the fans that have their own DAT decks out there taping. MW: That's right - we've seen some pretty amazing setups out there. We saw one guy in Chicago bring in a tower with two microphones, and he had four decks. (laughs) Hopefully he got something good out of it. C: So you're not too concerned about bootlegging? MW: No, not at all. I have no problem with it, because I think the people who would go to the trouble of bootlegging a Queensryche concert, and wanting to hear one, already know us anyway, and most likely already own one of our records anyway. And if somebody gets turned onto it just because it's a bootleg, then they might go out and buy the real thing anyway. So to me, it's kind of like a little personal thing between the Queensryche people, just like it is with the Grateful Dead and Metallica. C: So by letting them bring in stuff and not having security take it away, you're raising the quality of the bootlegs out there? MW: Well, it's up to whoever's bootlegging. And also, you flood the market, too, make it less volatile as far as people who are doing it for big money, you know, reproducing thousands of tapes. Now, everbody can have their own personal one and do it themselves, if they want. C: If somebody says they have a tape of a show, everyone else will say, "So what? So do I. MW: Yeah, exactly. And that's what's happening. (laughs) C: You don't think this will have a negative effect on releasing a live album of the tour? MW: No, because, like I said, our core will buy it anyway. C: True, and of course, you guys are plugged right into the soundboard. MW: Yeah, I mean, the fidelity's quite a bit different. Dan Birchall is the founder and editor of a weekly online Queensryche digest, "Screaming in Digital". To subscribe to the digest, which has been active since 1991, send a mail message to qryche@ios.com with your first and last name. --- REVIEW: Rembrandts, _LP_ (East West) - Bob Gajarsky The Los Angeles/Minnesota based duo of Danny Wilde and Phil Solem, better known as the Rembrandts, have burst back into the music scene with their third album, ironically enough titled _LP_. The key track from the album which is most indicative of the Rembrandts style is "Don't Hide Your Love". Playing on a flurry of comparisons to Roger McGuinn (Byrds) and Tom Petty, the duo write the kind of should-be classic which top 40 radio desparately needs. Other tracks which show the Rembrandts can rock include "This House Is Not A Home", "Lovin' Me Insane" which employs a softer Led Zeppelin-like guitar riff as its cornerstone, and the first single from the release, "Comin' Home". It looked for a while that _LP_ would be relegated to the same corner as the other two Rembrandts releases (_Rembrandts_, _Untitled_) - criticially acclaimed, loved by a loyal audience which wanted more intelligent music coupled with harmonies - until a huge break came along. Of course, the reason why your younger brother, college buddies, or co-workers have heard of the Rembrandts is because of the 15th (hidden) track, "I'll Be There For You". The theme from the hit television show "Friends" has quickly catapulted the Rembrandts to airplay on nearly every radio station across the country. What started as a 40 second opening soon was "looped" by some radio stations to satisfy fans craving to hear this track on top 40, and, eight days before _LP_ was originally supposed to be released (March 28), the Rembrandts went into the studio to transpose a 40 second blip into a 3 minute song. The resulting product comes out as a combination of two other 1960's groups - Herman's Hermits and the Monkees - with the same bubble gum sound associated with both bands. It'll be a runaway hit for the summer, but don't expect the remainder of the album to sound like this. In conclusion - if you're a previous fan of the Rembrandts, you'll love _LP_. It's easily their most consistent release to date and the band wear their 60's influences of the Beatles and Byrds on their collective sleeves. If the first exposure to this duo is from "Friends", be prepared to open your minds, and let the Rembrandts harmonies and hooks take over. --- REVIEW: Fury In The Slaughterhouse, _Hearing and the Sense of Balance_ (RCA) - Sean Eric McGill Fury In the Slaughterhouse hail from Hannover, Germany - hometown to Germany's other major rock export, The Scorpions. And while The Scorpions flourished in the eighties, the members of Fury In the Slaughterhouse have been plugging away since 1987, first gaining success in their homeland before making the great trek across the Atlantic where they ended up on RCA Records. With their second US release, _Hearing and the Sense of Balance_, Fury In The Slaughterhouse recall a certain sense of the Eighties, but bring it into the nineties with style. But while some of the music is reminiscent of the Decade of Decadence, this isn't a bad thing. Sure, I caught traces of Mr. Mister and The Outfield in a couple of songs, but I caught merely that - traces. What the band accomplishes is successfully bridging the gap between the eighties and the nineties, giving them a sound that is unique in its range and impressive in their musicianship. Vocalist Kai Uwe Wingenfelder is superb, providing the perfect vocal style for the band. Nothing too polished, nothing too shabby, much like Peter Gabriel, in the sense that neither of them are the best vocalists in the world, but they suit their music fine. Wingenfelder also shows his skills as impersonator, doing a damn good Sting on the band's cover of "Next to You". The rest of the band (Torsten Wingenfelder and Christof Stein, guitars; Gero Drnek, keyboards; Hannes Schafer, bass; Rainer Schumann, drums) are equally suited for the music being able to go from catchy pop tunes like "Kiss the Judas" to the Pink Floyd-esque "Down There" with ease. Like their vocalist, the band members provide just enough on each song to make it distinct, but avoid going over-the-top with anything. But the musicianship isn't the only attractive thing about this album, because the band's songwriting abilities are superb as well. Many people can write a song "like" Pink Floyd, but if you are constantly thinking of Pink Floyd when you hear it, then their attempt was a failure. This process is generally known as "being ripped off" and is usually a good sign that a band either has no mind of its own or that they're trying to cash in on a popular craze. But with songs like "Down There", "Kiss the Judas" and even their cover of "Next to You", the band doesn't "rip off" their influences, they pay them homage. Their songwriting also shows that this is a band with something to say, although they don't feel they have to beat you over the head with their message to get it across. Topics like world peace are contained in this album, but not on every song, and not to such an extent that you began to get bored with the band's ranting. Some of these songs are actually fun, which is becoming more and more unusual these days. Finally, this is an album which fits no specific demographic. As for right now, you hear the band mentioned in alternative circles, which qualifies them as such until Top 40 Radio gets hold of a couple of these songs, then they'll become "sell-outs". Basically, just buy the damn thing and enjoy it...it's one of the best releases of the year so far. --- REVIEW: Kendra Smith, _Five Ways of Diappearing_ (4AD/Warner) - Lee Graham Bridges Brian Eno once said that "the purpose of art is to distract the viewer." However, the art created by Kendra Smith on this album is more than distracting--it is often tiring and annoying. She began her musical career in the early 80's with The Dream Syndicate, which led the pack of LA's "neo-psychedelic" bands. After leaving the band in 1983, she was involved in various projects and wound up meeting David Roback, with whom she formed the band Opal. But after a few years, she departed from the band mid-tour because Roback did not share her "desire to delve into more unorthodox modes of expression." Hope Sandoval took Kendra's place in the band, which changed its name to Mazzy Star. After taking a 3-year pause, she recorded with the Guild of Temporal Adventurers (A. Philip Uberman of that band helped out on _Five Ways_). It seems as though this was the band she was most comfortable with, yet she never really joined. Even for her disjointed career, it seems strange that anyone would start off a solo career with an album like this. Smith's lyrics remind me of what a typical teenager is like--too silly to be serious, too pretentious to have an impact. "Maggots" is funny the first time around, but later becomes highly nerve-racking. Tracks like "Judge Not" and "Get There" are a joke lyrically, compared to more artistic, better organized lyrics on the irresistible "Valley of the Morning Sun" ("In the valley of the morning sun / all is lost, all is one / Consider Sir Richard Francis Burton / Captain get your jacket on"), "Bold Marauder" and others. Unfortunately, Smith only achieves lyrical greatness a line or two at a time. And her voice, sounding a bit like Lida Husik or the Breeders' Kim Deal, is another unique, yet not necessarily attractive part of the Kendra Smith experience. Guitars, synths, a pump organ and even an Indian harmonium drone along wearily as Smith sings about spaceships and futuristic hallucinations. "Bohemian Zebulon" is a complete failure, falling on its face due mostly to the song's dominant pump organ, which sounds like an overused toy rather than a musical instrument. And although many songs are quite enjoyable musically, Smith's poor lyrics often defeat the purpose (i.e. "Judge Not" or "Temporarily Lucy"). In her quest to create original soundscapes and lyrical techniques, Smith made _Five Ways_ too mediocre and inaccessible to be accepted even by some die hard 4AD fans (at least for a first album), and not creative enough to gain a cult following in the future. --- REVIEW: Shadowplay,_Eggs & Pop_ (Incandescent Records) - Tim Hulsizer Incandescent Records is a new San Francisco-based label that's got a great agenda: To focus on releasing alternative bands from other countries. I certainly could not be happier, especially after hearing this first offering from the label, Shadowplay. Hailing from Helsinki, Finland, Shadowplay have been around in some form since 1982 and have had considerable success in their native land. It's not difficult to see why. This album is polished, beautiful at times, and perhaps most importantly, entertaining. Front man Brandi Ifgray has a strong but sensitive voice, but unfortunately it's often lost in the mix when it should be dominating the guitars, as he digs into relationships and life in general. The songs are finely crafted, jazzy pop gems that actually succeed in drawing the listener in the first time around with their excellent melodies and arrangements. Perhaps the most exciting thing about Shadowplay's sound is that they forego extended walls of "alternative" distortion in favor of some moodier flavors. Marco Kosonen's trumpet contributions are featured prominently, and combine with the organ to form a perfect foil for the traditional rock 'n' roll guitar. Eggs & Pop_ was called Album of the Year by one publication when it came out in Finland, and I see no reason it shouldn't find a similar acceptance in the U.S.A. with the right distribution. The lyrics are in English, for those concerned about that stuff. Check out out the video game noises on "Foam", the disturbing dissonance of "Some Kind of Wonderful", and the great hooks in most of the songs on the album, particularly the opening track. To sum up: Excellent songs, average mixing, but a beautiful and engaging sound. All-around sonic joy. I give it an A-, and sit here waiting for more. --- REVIEW: Spoon, _Nefarious_ EP (Fluffer) - Lee Graham Bridges From Austin, Texas comes Spoon, a band creating, amateur indie "faux-punk" pop rock. The _Nefarious_ EP provides a small sample (under 15 minutes) of Spoon's talent. The key to success for Spoon with this release is "The Government Darling", which is possibly the catchiest bit of indie rock since Archers of Loaf's "Web in Front" ("You're the government darling / you're sick of yourself / you're sick of yourself") and makes the whole album worth picking up. Spoon front-man Britt Daniel's vocals on the track are fantastic; singing the chorus of the song, it's hard to tell whether it's him or a Replacements-era Paul Westerberg. "This Damn Nation" (a song by the Godfathers) is equally intense and even more angst-ridden ("This damn nation / this frustration..."), including some great guitar effects as well. "Primary" is also a good example of Spoon's loose yet endearing performing style. "Nefarious" is plain annoying and "Not Turning Off" isn't too impressive, but overall, _Nefarious_ is a good record. I hope to see Spoon make it big soon, that is, without ending up in the same league of dull alterna-rockers that currently plague pop and alternative charts. To get a hold of _Nefarious_, send $4 check, cash or money order (payable to Britt Daniel), to SPOON, PO BOX 684651, Austin, TX 78768. You can also contact Spoon by e-mail (spoon@hours.com). --- TOUR DATES Eric Clapton Aug. 28 Dallas, TX Reunion Arena Aug. 30 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center Aug. 31 Houston, TX Summit Arena Sept. 2 Atlanta, GA Omni Sept. 3 Knoxville, TN Thompson-Boling Arena Sept. 5-6 Miami, FL Miami Arena Sept. 7 Tampa, FL Thunderdome Sept. 9 Chapel Hill, NC Dean Smith Center Sept. 10 Charlotte, NC Coliseum Sept. 11 Washington, DC US Air Arena Sept. 13-14 Philadelphia, PA Spectrum Sept. 15 Worcester, MA Centrum Sept. 18 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Sept. 19 Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum Sept. 21 Buffalo, NY Auditorium Sept. 23 Detroit, MI Palace of Auburn Hills Sept. 24 Chicago, IL United Center Gene July 6 Kentish Town, UK London Forum July 20 Vancouver, BC Town Pump July 22 Los Angeles, CA Roxy July 24 Phoenix, AZ Electric Ballroom July 25 Chicago, IL Double Door July 27 Toronto, ON Lee's Place July 28 New York, NY Mercury Lounge July 29 Boston, MA Paradise July 30 Washington, DC Black Cat Aug. 1 Atlanta, GA The Roxy (Tentative) Aug. 20 Phoenix, AZ Electric Room Aug. 21 Las Vegas, NV Huntridge Theatre Aug. 22 San Diego, CA Soma Green Apple Quick Step July 1 Washington, DC 930 Club July 3 Long Branch, NJ The Metro July 5 Boston, MA T.T. Bears/Middle East July 6 New York, NY CBGB's July 7 Philadelphia, PA Khyber Pass July 8 Washington, DC 930 Club July 10 Rochester, NY Horizontal Boogie Bar July 11 Boston, MA Local 186 TBC July 13 New York, NY CBGB;s July 14 Philadelphia, PA JC Dobbs July 15 Washington, DC 930 Club July 16 New Haven, CT Toad's Place July 18 Boston, MA Local 186 July 20 New York, NY CBGB's July 21 Philadelphia, PA JC Dobbs H.O.R.D.E. '95 (featuring Black Crowes, Blues Traveler, Taj Mahal, Ziggy Marley, Mother Hips, Wilco, G. Love & Special Sauce. Special guest appearances from Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews Band, Dionne Farris) Aug. 4 Indianapolis, IN Deer Creek Aug. 5 Pittsburgh, PA Star Lake Amphitheatre Aug. 6 Columbus, OH Polaris Aug. 8 Wantagh, NY Jones Beach Aug. 10 Portland, ME Seashore Performing Arts Center Aug. 11 Stanhope, NJ Waterloo Village Aug. 12 Boston, MA Great Woods Aug. 13 Saratoga, NY Performing Arts Center Aug. 15 Hartford, CT Meadows Music Theatre Aug. 17 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Aug. 18 Chicago, IL World Amphitheatre Aug. 19 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheatre Aug. 20 Detroit, MI Pine Knob Aug. 22 Minneapolis, MN River's Edge Park Aug. 24 Philadelphia, PA Mann Music Center Aug. 25 Washington, DC Stone Ridge Aug. 26 Raleigh, NC Walnut Creek Aug. 27 Atlanta, GA Lakewood Amphitheatre Aug. 30 Dallas, TX Starplex Aug. 31 Austin, TX South Park Meadows Sept. 2 Los Angeles, CA Velodrome Sept. 3 San Francisco, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre Kill Creek June 29 Fayetteville, AR JR's Light Bulb Club June 30 Dallas, TX Orbit Room July 8 Lawrence, KS Bottleneck July 15 Missoula, MT Pine Street Tavern Letters to Cleo / Sponge / Our Lady Peace July 4 Washington, DC Washington Harbour Park July 5 Norfolk, VA The Boathouse July 6 Raleigh, NC Ritz July 7 Charlotte, NC Capri Theatre July 8 Wilmington, NC Mad Monk July 9 Myrtle Beach, SC Headroom July 11 Atlanta, GA Roxy Theatre July 12 Augusta, GA Garden City Music Hall July 13 St. Petersburg, FL Jannus Landing July 14 Orlando, FL The Edge July 15 Ft. Lauderdale, FL The Edge July 16 Jacksonville, FL Shades July 18 Panama City Beach, FL Spinnaker July 19 New Orleans, LA Howlin' Wolf July 20 Houston, TX Numbers July 21 Austin, TX Liberty Lunch July 22 Dallas, TX Deep Ellum Live July 23 San Antonio, TX Showcase July 25 Albuquerque, NM El Rey Theatre July 26 Tempe, AZ Club Rio July 28 San Diego, CA Soma July 29 Los Angeles, CA The Palace July 30 San Francisco, CA Fillmore Aug 1 Portland, OR La Luna Sarah McLachlan (first 6 dates with the Chieftains) June 26 Cleveland, OH Cane Park June 27 London, ON Alumni Hall June 29 Toronto, ON Molson Amphitheatre July 1 Rochester, MI Meadow Brook July 2 Lewiston, NY Art Park July 13 New York, NY Beacon Theatre (Lifebeat) July 14 New Haven, CT Palace Theatre July 15 Wantagh, NY Jones Beach Amphitheatre July 17 Holmdel, NJ Garden State Arts Center July 18 Mansfield, MA Great Woods July 19 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavillion July 20 Pittsburgh, PA Starlake July 21 Philadelphia, PA Mann Music Center July 22 Columbus, OH Polaris Amphitheatre July 24 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center July 25 Tinley Park, IL World Music Theatre July 26 Indianapolis, IN Deer Creek Music Center July 27 St. Louis, MO Riverport July 28 Memphis, TN Mud Island July 29 Atlanta, GA Lake Wood Amphitheatre July 31 Dallas, TX Starplex Amphitheatre Aug. 1 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Pavillion Aug. 3 Denver, CO Red Rocks Nitzer Ebb July 1 San Francisco, CA Trocadero Transfer July 2 Los Angeles, CA House Of Blues July 4 Dallas, TX Eden 2000 July 6 Houston, TX Kaboom July 7 Beaumont, TX Phaz II July 8 New Orleans, LA House Of Blues July 9 Atlanta, GA Masquerade July 10 Washington, DC 9:30 Club July 11 New York, NY Limelight Tom Petty/Pete Droge August 10 Salt Lake City. UT Delta Center August 11 Denver, CO McNichols Arena August 14 Mansfield, MA Great Woods August 15 Saratoga, NY Performing Arts Center August 17 Wantagh, NY Jones Beach August 18 Hartford, CT Meadows Music Amphitheatre August 20 Holmdel, NJ Garden State Arts Center August 21 Camden, NJ Blockbuster/Sony Entertainment Center August 24 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavillion August 26 Burgettstown, PA Starlake Aphitheatre August 27 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center August 29 Columbus, OH Polaris August 30 Cncinnati, OH Riverbend Sept. 1-2 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Music Center Porch June 26 Seattle, WA Off Ramp June 27 Salem, OR West Side Station June 28 San Jose, CA Cactus Club June 30 Santa Barbara, CA Underground July 1 San Diego, CA Casbah July 2 Los Angeles, CA The Whiskey (with Sponge) July 3 Santa Barbara, CA Underground Queensryche / Type O Negative June 27 Tampa, FL Expo Arena June 28 Atlanta, GA Lakewood Amphitheater June 30 Raleigh, NC Walnut Creek Amphitheatre July 1 Charlotte, NC Blockbuster Pavilion July 2 Hampton, VA Hampton Coliseum July 4 Manassas, VA Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge July 5 Pittsburgh, PA Star Lake Amphitheatre July 7 Louisville, KY Louisville Gardens July 8 Fort Wayne, IN Fort Wayne Coliseum July 9 Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati Gardens July 11 Evansville, IN Roberts Stadium July 12 Columbus, OH Polaris Amphitheatre July 14 Scranton, PA Montage Mountain July 15 Buffalo, NY Darien Lake Amphitheatre July 16 Boston, MA Great Woods July 18 Wantagh, NY Jones Beach Amphitheatre July 19 Camden, NJ Blockbuster Sony Entertainment Center July 21 Albany, NY Knickerbocker Arena July 22 Hartford, CT Meadows Music Theater July 24 Holmdel, NJ Garden State Arts Center --- NEWS The Elektra label has joined many of the other majors in providing a World Wide Web site, http://www.elektra.com which provides information on various Elektra artists. A band out of San Diego, Emote, is giving away copies of their CD. Their music is influenced by Husker Du, Sugar, Generation X and Big Star. For further information, email to diode@connectnet.com or, on the World Wide Web, http://www2.connectnet.com:80/users/diode/emote.html --- THE READERS WRITE BACK! _Harbinger_ by Paula Cole is great. She has a refreshing honesty that seems to be missing in a lot of music. I especially like "The Ladder" because of those wonderful harmonies, "Chiaroscuro," and "Ordinary." She wears her heart on her sleeve. And all of this is coming from someone who listens to heavy metal (and I mean hard stuff too). Again, Paula is wonderful. - J.B. (Editor's note: Paula Cole's _Harbinger_, reviewed in the previous issue of Consumable, will be released in August). --- 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) 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. Address any written correspondence to Bob Gajarsky, Consumable Online, 409 Washington St. #294, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030 ===