==== ISSUE 46 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [July 14, 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: Bo Diddly - Dan Enright REVIEW: Bruce Hornsby, _Hot House_ - Bob Gajarsky REVIEW: Elvis Costello - _Kojak Variety_ - Joe Silva REVIEW: Up & Down Club Sessions - Volumes 1 and 2 - Ali Sinclair REVIEW: Local H - _Ham Fisted_ - Joe Silva REVIEW: Green Apple Quick Step, _Loaded_ - Sean Eric McGill CONCERT REVIEW: Monster Magnet, Stone Pony, Asbury Park, N.J. - Frank Herd, Jr. LABEL REPORT: Sarah Records - Tim Mohr NEWS: Morrissey's _Southpaw Grammar_ TOUR DATES Barenaked Ladies / Billy Bragg, Bjork, Buffalo Tom Cranberries / Toad the Wet Sprocket, Daryll-Ann, Die Warzau / Sister Machine Gun, Foetus, Bruce Hornsby (solo acoustic piano with Q&A sessions) Jayhawks / Wilco, Freedy Johnston, Ziggy Marley & Melody Makers, Moby, John Prine, Soul Asylum/Jayhawks/Matthew Sweet/Victoria Williams, Suicide Circus, They Might Be Giants The Readers Write Back! Back Issues of Consumable --- INTERVIEW: Bo Diddly - Dan Enright Born Ellis McDaniels, Bo Diddly is one of America's musical treasures. It's almost impossible to play rock and roll without "borrowing" his trademark rhythm. A recent appearance in my neighborhood also confirmed he's still got what it takes. His performance included a song he'd written on the plane ride to Wilkes-Barre (PA) and a stage presence that puts many younger musicians to shame. I had an opportunity to talk to him about his recent recording, last year's _Promises_, which he produced and played all the instruments on, but our talk also focused on the question of royalty payments for his Chess recordings. Here's what he told me... C: I read where you and Al Teller [chairman of MCA Group] co-hosted a press conference in 1992 to address the royalty problems with the Chess Records Masters... Bo: MCA, to my knowledge, is not involved with the rip-offs. As of now - and prior to now - I haven't found anything to suggest bootleggin' or playin' with royalties. They've been tryin' to do the right thing as far as I know. I have to take their word for it and so far I haven't found any fault with 'em. C: Have you gotten any money? Bo: Oh, no. They were supposed to be tryin', but I haven't heard anything. I'm a little bit upset about it because it's the same old story, over and over again. You have to get an attorney and then they tell ya, "Well, we need ten thousand dollars as a retainer." There's no guarantee you're going to find these people and when you do find 'em, it takes you five years to get any money out of them. That's a bunch of bullshit! The old American word... bullshit. See, you people out there been buyin' records and thinkin' the artist is livin' good. Because if you held your money right, you can do ok. It's like anything else. A guy could be a grocery man, but if he saves his nickels and dimes he'll be all right. But I'm in the business of music and makin' people happy, so my payment is a little bit different. But still and all you've got thugs out there don't want to pay - and they're not payin' - people. You got lawyers that are crooked, helpin' these dudes get away with murder. And I figure that I've been murdered! I've been had. You know, I'm 66 years old and I'm still workin' because I have to work. I'm not financially fixed. I'm not going to tell that lie and say I am. I'm not hungry, but if I can't afford to stop workin'... At 66 you start thinkin', "What's this all about? What have I been doin' for 40 years?" I've been makin' somebody else fat. C: Especially when you consider almost every song you've written has been covered. Bo: And I ain't got a dime for it. I think this is crazy. What we call... statute of limitations, is made for crooks. If you don't catch 'em in time, then there ain't no sense you messin' with 'em 'cause of statute of limitations. But there ain't no statute of limitations on murder, and I figure I've been murdered! C: It seems like MCA has the resources to deal with the problem and recover some money for you... Bo: Well, they've got to go after the same dudes I've got to go after. But nobody's attached anybody's bank accounts. I think the US government should contact me and get involved, because these people... I'm pretty sure they know where they are quicker than I do. C: They could go to record stores and look. Bo: When you find a bootleg record in a bin, the guy that owns the store won't give you the number where he got it from. C: What about the label info... Bo: No! It's not that simple. Baby, it's not that simple. These people got post office boxes. They send out catalogues and the only way you get anything from 'em, you have to say, "Well, I'm a record store owner..." and the cat might investigate to find out if you really have a record store. It's crazy. And when you find one of these people and run down on 'em, they're likely to be workin' out of their house. They're still makin' money and not payin' you. I'm the artist, it's my product, and they have no right to do it without me. I can't go sell Cadillacs without General Motors permission. I feel like, my shits mine. Like General Motors say, "Hey, that's mine." and I can't do it. So, why is it so easy for these people that take your stuff? Copyrights? Now it sucks!" I hear so much country music that sounds like rock and roll songs from the '50s, ya dig? They've taken part of the song and curved it just enough you may not be able to say nothin' about it. And this sample bullshit. I think one of the things that hurt us is when we lost the musicians union. All the unions actually. Because the union fought for the rights of the person, the worker. I think we need to get back to that. There ain't nothin' wrong with it. You got somebody to go to bat for you. You have an employer that's an asshole and treats you any kind of way, it's not right. You know, one of the things is - since we're talkin' about employers - you take Japan. I don't care what they say about the Japanese people. They're beautiful people and they work together. I see the reason why they're so successful is because they do work together. They get up and the boss comes through the factory and talks to the people, "Hey, good morning. How you doin'? Let's have a good day today..." and boom, boom, boom. Whatever it is they be sayin', the people are happy and that's the reason why they turn out such good products. We got to take a lesson in this country, from people in other counties, in order to survive. Because they're doin' it. C: I agree. I think we should cooperate a little more and compete a little less. Bo: Well, it's called togetherness. You know, there's people don't even know who lives next door to 'em. It's really screwy, it's scary. Everybody in a neighborhood should know who's kids belongs where. That's the way it was when I was comin' up. Everybody for four, five blocks knew where you lived. C: Your talking about being 66 and having to work. Bo: Is ridiculous! You should see my walls. You should see the awards and plaques I've got on my wall that many people don't know I have. I look at this shit and I says, "What is this for?" I love the idea people thought enough of me, for what I was doin', to present these things to me. But the public don't know that I got 'em. C: What steps can the fans take to fight the bootleg problem? Bo: They need - my fans... old rock and rollers, young rock and rollers - to watch and write record companies and demand that the artist... I think if people started to picketing and not buying records... it would hurt a lot of artists, but I think the artists would understand people are not buying records because the record company's not payin' the artist. But you don't know which one is the culprit. That's the thing. See, I could belong to MCA. Ok, now MCA has got the Chess catalogue, but some dude in New Orleans just took it upon himself to press up as many Bo Diddly albums, or he'll take a song from Bo Diddly and he'll take a song from Chuck Berry, he'll take one from Elvis Presley, put 'em all on one CD and package it as... _Rock & Roll Era_. I'll go somewhere, see this damn thing, and look on there and say, "Damn! Where's it come from?" and it's pressed in Holland somewhere. Now, the United States government can't stop it, but it should be able to monitor everything that goes out of here and comes back. Then ask these people, "Did you pay the artist? Have you payed Mr. McDaniels?" so that they can get the money for me. --- REVIEW: Bruce Hornsby, _Hot House_ (RCA) - Bob Gajarsky When an artist has been honored with a Grammy, some say, his best days of pure "music" are long behind him. With his latest release, _Hot House_, Bruce Hornsby disproves that theory with a free flowing jazz album which draws the listener up and away. Drawing on his more than 100 shows with the Grateful Dead (as guest keyboardist), Hornsby has seemingly mastered the art of recorded improvisation. But whereas Hornsby was just learning to jam on his last release without the Range (_Harbor Lights_), _Hot House_ shows a much more successful side of Bruce. The first single, "Walk In The Sun", strikes back to his initial days from _The Way It Is_ - but other tracks, such as "White Wheeled Limousine" and "Spider Fingers" - allow Hornsby's piano skills to roll in synch with his jazz background. "Big Rumble" sounds like Aerosmith taking their first steps into jazz, and realizing that they like it. Guest musicians abound here, including Bela Fleck, Chaka Khan, Pat Metheny and, of course, Jerry Garcia. This album is NOT something that should be gotten by a fan looking for a quick 4 minute single; nearly half the songs are more than 5 minutes. _Hot House_ is meant to be savored, like a fine bottle of wine, not gulped like cheap beer. Bruce Hornsby has come a long way since being a backing pianist for Sheena Easton's touring band in 1983. One Hornsby fan, upon hearing this record, said that it was like his last release, _Harbor Lights_, but taken to the next level - where the musicians sound like they're having fun, jamming and improvising as they go. I couldn't agree more. Expect the critics to rave about _Hot House_ - and deservedly so. --- REVIEW: Elvis Costello - _Kojak Variety_ (Warner Bros.) - Joe Silva By now 'ol Dec MacManus probably can't jar the listenership quite as easily any longer by the curves he may feel compelled to toss at them. No one expects a collection such as _The Juliet Letters_ to be sandwiched betwixt two straight ahead rock (sic) discs, but its arrival quickly becomes a matter of acceptance to the faithful. So this collection of covers, gleaned from his years of scouring the discount bins and his own record closet, is as logical a progression as anything he's ever delivered. You can think of it as a somewhat off kilter compilation tape of songs that manage to push Elvis' odd buttons, all bundled up and delivered to whoever's out there and interested. Already long known on bootleg the circuit as the "Barbados Sessions", _Kojak Variety_ starts with a misfired vocal that initially maintains that outtake feel. This was Costello's two week whirlwind shot of proving he could put together an album's worth of decent material in no time with very limited funding. On hand once again were a couple of loyalists (part-time attraction Pete Thomas and avant-guitarist Marc Ribot) as well as a few hired heavies (skins- God Jim Keltner, bassman Jerry Scheff, keyboard tickler Larry Knechtel, and long time studio gun James Burton). Once outlined the challenge appears fairly minor - Elvis enlists a load of talent, sets off for the Caribbean to run through a string of covers, comes up with enough new product to keep the homeys at Warners happy. However, somehow things got gummed up back at the office and the tapes wind up being fed to the truly hardcore through a series of discrete back room swaps before the label manages a legitimate release. Who blinked and why currently remains undocumented. Granted, the art of the cover is a tricky one as we all know, but without digging up the originals for your standard freshman contrast and comparison, it seems Elvis has called this set with a fair amount of acumen. From the straight 4/4 howl of Little Richard's "Bama Lama Bama Loo" to his rough and tumble vocal of Screamin' Jay Hawkins "Strange," Elvis seems right on his mark. Further in the sweet and beautifully somber R&B-ness of "Must You Throw Dirt In My Face" sounds like it might have accidentally lifted from the running order of the _King of America_ LP. From there Costello takes a fair stab at Dylan ("I Threw It All Away"), obscure Holland/Dozier/Holland ("Remove This Doubt"), and screechy guitar laced go at Ray Davies "Days" that seals the whole package as an appropriate farewell number. But it's the sheer ease and understated instrumental rendering (light brushed snare, and backdrop organ...) of something like Willie Dixon's "Hidden Charms" that might lead you away from the original. But on the flipside, that's what this whole exercise may be about. Elvis sketches out his source material in an uncharacteristically wordy fashion on the "inner sleeve" to purposefully illustrate and celebrate the great song writing that prompted his recorded admiration. It's heartfelt to be sure and all doubters can refer to the Costello's dating of the liner notes if they're not sure after a few listens. With love from Elvis to you, February 14th 1995. --- REVIEW: Up & Down Club Sessions - Volumes 1 and 2 (Mammoth Records/Prawn Song) - Ali Sinclair These two discs are a collection of live recordings from San Francisco's "Up & Down" Club, home of acid jazz. Acid jazz as heard here is probably best described as a funky, dancable music with includes elements of various styles: its roots steeped in jazz, but flavored with a lot of funk, soul and hip-hop. It's hot, city music, and it's insistent: it's not commercial, but is extremely energetic. It's nightclubbing music - not song so much as rhythm and movement. It's young but it's also very mature. The bands playing on these Sessions include Hueman Flavor, the Up & down All-Stars (collaborations by some of the Clubs most popular artists), the Josh Jones Jazz Ensemble and the Josh Jones Latin Jazz Ensemble, the Will Bernard, Kenny Brooks and Charlie Hunter trios, The Dry Look and Alphabet Soup. A mix-and-match of musicians, some - like drummer Eddie Marshall and bassist Wiitala - playing in more than one ensemble and on both CDs. The music is fun and exciting. And the musicians are true musicians - as jazz musicians usually are, whatever flavor of jazz they play. With hip-hop from Hueman Flavor and Alphabet Soup, and latin/salsa jazz from Josh Jones, this collection is an excellent introduction to "acid jazz". --- REVIEW: Local H - _Ham Fisted_ (Island) - Joe Silva Since Helmet's six figure salary couldn't bolster their major label sophomore effort any further than the bargain bins, Local H have offer to assume possession of the heavy, fast and tight with their debut. _Ham Fisted_ roars in spots, chugs along in thick distortion in others, and knows that stopping the whole rig on a dime adds to the intended wallop. But what Scott Lucas (guitar, vocals) and Joe Daniels (drums) seem to have a hold of is the notion that their taste for bombast and fuzz doesn't have to obliterate the melody. Three tracks in on "Mayonnaise and Malaise", the two manage a totally kosher reconciliation of the rough stuff and the hook. It's a good move as well, because their heads wind up craned above the tide rank and file post-grunge rockers who stock the college play lists with more ethic than content. Not that Local H is a smiley, happy noise unit - Locus seems as torqued up as anyone when he blurts "It sure is something/to be twenty-nothing." And when they rumble into "User" there seems to be a big enough bile factor as they groove all the way to the near- metal double guitar lines in the break, making "Don't you give me no shit" a believable enough mantra. I've been tempted a couple of times in these paragraphs to drop the name of that Seattle trio, but that might be a misleading comparison. There's a minor affinity but this is a flavour that's seems to crisp most of the time for flannel. I'm not sure completely about the motive behind "Chicago Fanphair '93" (there's too much lyric lost in the yelp there...) but go from "Scott-Rock" to "Bag of Hammers" and back to "Cynic" and you'll find that this is some of the better unbridled stuff that you'll hear for a moment. Manicured, yet not mild mannered. --- REVIEW: Green Apple Quick Step, _Loaded_ (Medicine) - Sean Eric McGill Green Apple Quick Step is a band from Seattle, and the music they play can be termed as "grunge", assuming you're into that whole music labeling thing. There, now that's out of the way. But before you write GAQS off as just another group of Pearl Jam wanna-be's, take a listen. There's something going on their sophomore effort, _Loaded_ that we haven't heard in a couple of years coming out of Seattle. Mainly, they actually sound like they're having *fun*. Despite its often dismal lyrical content, Pearl Jam's _Ten_ was an album that you could crank up and sit on the hood of your car drinking beer to, but everything that followed from Vedder and Co. has been anything but for the most part. _Loaded_ is the same kind of album that _Ten_ was. While there are some pretty intense statements made on this album, GAQS don't forget that they're actually a rock n' roll band, and like it or not, fun is what is at the heart of all rock 'n roll. This is an album for parties and the occasional period of deep introspection, something which is incredibly hard to achieve for musicians, with most opting for one or the other. Of course, part of the reason for the likenesses to _Ten_ stem from the fact that _Loaded_ was produced by Stone Gossard and Nick DiDia. But the production here isn't what is intriguing about this group. What is important is the music and GAQS are one of the best bands out right now, and _Loaded_ is one of the best releases of the year. The album opens with "Hotel Wisconsin", the name of the hotel where the band was robbed of all their equipment on their last tour. At almost four minutes long, it may seem like a little much, considering that it's ninety-nine percent instrumental (think "Up the Beach" of Jane's Addiction's _Nothing's Shocking_ album and you've got the idea). But the track is like the calm before the storm, as the album launches into "Ed #5" and "No Favors", which both remind us what punk was about in the first place, but without drowning us in nostalgia. One of the more interesting musical aspects of GAQS is the vocal pairing of Ty Willman and vocalist/bassist Mari Anne Braeden. On "T.V. Girl" and "Lazy", Willman and Braeden blend together perfectly, their voices mixing to take the songs to levels that simply couldn't be accomplished by two male or two female vocalists working together. And when Braeden takes the mike for "No Favors", I found myself grateful that she wasn't doing her best Courtney Love impersonation, and doing it well. On tracks like "Dizzy" (which is featured on the soundtrack to _The Basketball Diaries_) "Los Vargos" and "Halloween", the band shows off its knack for a good hook. These songs are incredably catchy, and "Dizzy" should go over well on radio (it would already have been a hit if _The Basketball Diaries_ had done better in theatres). The rest of the band (guitarists Danny K and Bobby Ross and drummer Bob Martin) all shine on this album, and rumor has it that they ain't bad live, either. Their "residency tour" will take them to various points in the country for about a month at a time, with the band playing essentially the same venues for that time period. It's an interesting experiment from and interesting band, and certainly something you should check out. --- CONCERT REVIEW: Monster Magnet, Stone Pony, Asbury Park, N.J. - Frank Herd, Jr. If Mr. Rogers had been at the Stone Pony on May 20th, he might have been heard to ask (as the paramedics strapped an oxygen mask on him and wheeled him out the door), "Can you say sensory overload?" Yes I can - Monster Magnet. Even before they took the stage, the air was charged with nervous anticipation. The feeling was palpable; it was like the calm before the first sky-splitting peal of thunder signaling a monstrous electrical storm. Rather than run for cover though, the crowd eagerly embraced the torrent of sound that followed. From the very first chord, Jon Kleiman's insistent percussion, the tandem crunch of Ed Mundell's guitar and Jow Calandra's bass, and Dave Wyndorf's raspy vocals awakened primal urges in everyone and gave the impression of barely-restrained power. About halfway through the show the enthusiastic crowd hoisted one lucky (unlucky?) fan up in the air and tossed him on stage, knocking out a monitor and most of the guitar and vocals as well. The problem was remedied within a minute, and the restored sound only served to re-emphasize how full and textured their music is. For some people the highlight of the show was the battery of drums reminiscent of a stampede in "Elephant Bell" (from their first A&M album _Superjudge_);for others, it was the gripping bump and grind of "Nod Scene" (my personal favorite from their Caroline release, _Spine of God_);and everyone got off on the healthy sampling of tunes from their latest venture _Dopes to Infinity_. With the help of visuals engineered by Tim Cronin, Monster Magnet was our guide for a planet-stomping trip through the cosmos. However, we had to land sometime. They closed the show with "Vertigo" from the new release. Appropriately, too, because when it ended, it felt as if the music had been pulled out from under us and we were falling. This was, without a doubt, one of the best shows I've ever seen. I'll leave you with a quote from their single, "Negasonic Teenage Warhead": "I was born and raised on Venus, and I may be here awhile." I certainly hope so. --- Label Report: Sarah Records; including Heavenly, _The Decline and fall of heavenly_; East River Pipe, _Poor Fricky_; Sugargliders, _Sugargliders_ and _Gaol Ferry Bridge_ (Europe) - Tim Mohr Based in Bristol, England, Sarah has a reputation for bringing out unthreatening guitar pop, perhaps best represented by the Field Mice or Another Sunny Day. The label's offerings typically have been uncluttered, jangly, somewhat meloncholic - and to some people, annoyingly wimpy and soft. Pure pop that won't exactly scare your parents. In the past year Sarah has expanded their catalogue with records from a number of promising bands. Albums from Heavenly, East River Pipe, and the Sugargliders are particularly solid, and a singles compilation of Sarah bands, _Gaol Ferry Bridge_, offers an overview of the label's roster. Heavenly's excellent "Atta Girl" single is on _Gaol Ferry Bridge_. Heavenly sound quite similar to Washington, D.C.'s Velocity Girl (Sub-Pop), and comparisons to recent British hopefuls Sleeper would not be completely unwarranted. Like Velocity Girl's early single "Forgotten Favorite", "Atta Girl" opens with a lonely guitar strumming before the whole band jumps in. The lyrics lament possesiveness and jealosy in a relationship, and the chorus is a strong rebuttal: "I'm not yours, and never will be now. You've shown me how you are - you're jealous - and how far you've tried to smother." On their eight-song album, _The decline and fall of heavenly_, another side of the band is added to the display. Here Heavenly reveal a whimsical streak, showing an affinity for camp, sing-songy elements. Heavenly may share some of the fascinations with 60s European easy-listening music that infuses Saint Etienne with a similarly whimsical charm. Heavenly rely entirely on guitar-based songs, however, and the occasional xylaphone never leads to the dance elements or electronics used by Saint Etienne. On _Poor Fricky_, East River Pipe conforms to the mold of Sarah bands: quiet, simple, almost wimpy. It sounds like a one-man band, extremely sparse songs built around meandering guitar lines with occasional synths added to some of the jangly laments. The vocalist sounds like a weary, indie- Tom Petty. His nasal delivery also hints at Yo La Tengo or the Feelies. In fact, East River Pipe could almost pass for Yo La Tengo unplugged, like on their collection of covers, _Fakebook_. Lyrics on East River Pipe's _Poor Fricky_ cover the meloncholic gamut, with the most striking aspect found in the descriptions of deeply personal emotions couched in weird technological references. "Metal detector," for instance, discusses trust; the earnest plea is for a friend to "put away the metal detector, baby." Another song is a serenade - to a dictaphone. East River Pipe contribute three non-album songs to the _Gaol Ferry Bridge_ compilation. The formula is the same: there's one tune entreating "put the helmet on." Melbourne's Sugargliders have released an extremely interesting self- titled compilation, modestly subtitled "a flawed but beautiful collection," bringing together 12 singles released from early 1992 to late 1993. Naturally enough, the three singles on _Gaol Ferry Bridge_ are also found on their self- titled album. The impressive first song, "Letter From A Lifeboat," combines a lazy programmed drum beat with poppy guitars and softly delivered male vocals. Another standout is "Ahprahran", which can also be heard on the Sarah sampler. The lead guitar bleats a soft staccato line as an interesting bass bubbles along with drums; the vocal line fits in so well that this slow pop song almost sounds danceable. Likewise "Trumpet Play" where a fluid bass line carries the sparse tune along while guitars make occasional appearances that have the effect of samples. The Sugargliders use glittery, clear guitar tones and short pop structures. But somehow they end up bursting out of the genre - on some songs because of hypnotic drums, on others because the gentle strumming somehow creates illusory pulses of rhythmic excitement. Using traditional rock instruments and structures while exploring unusual territory is admirable; a tiny-sounding indie band whose songs for some reason have an atmosphere reminiscent of both the Church and Portishead is special. The Sarah sampler _Gaol Ferry Bridge_ offers tracks from each of these three bands alongside five others. The Heavenly single and b-side are among the band's best songs, as are the Sugargliders songs that appear on the compilation. Most of the other bands are less interesting than Heavenly, East River Pipe, and Sugargliders. Action Painting! and Boyracer seem particularly unsuccessful experiments: hard-core and wimpy pop just don't fit together. They don't sound aggressive enough to pull off blustery, punky streaks and the loud, fast patches don't effectively enhance the other side of these bands. Still, Boyracer's "cog" is catchy, primarily because its chugging guitars and slight syncopation closely resemble the music from the old Batman TV series. Of the other bands on _Gaol Ferry Bridge_, Secret Shine make an unnecessary foray into territory already well-explored by Slowdive and Blind Mr. Jones. And Blueboy is altogether too, uh, blue - whining about going far away on Air France while disposing with percussion. The notable exception to this mediocrity is Even As We Speak. Their jazzy "(all you find is) air" uses sax, xylaphone, and a Soul II Soul beat to back up breathy female vocals. Their other song is all guitars and speed with the effect of vintage Go-Go's or the Primitives. A majority of the 16 tracks are quite good, and even the disposable songs are not unlistenable, just unspectacular. Still, the appeal of even the best songs is limited by the general congeniality of Sarah bands. People who tend to prefer Velocity Girl to the rest of the Sub-Pop catalogue, for instance, would do well to check out the _Gaol Ferry Bridge_ sampler. Fans of other low-key acts like the Feelies, Galaxy 500, Swell, even Morrissey, might find things here to like. Likewise fans of New Zealand pop bands such as the Chills or the Straightjacket Fits. But if you preferred R.E.M.'s _Monster_ to _Automatic for the People_ you may be disappointed by even the most impassioned band on _Gaol Ferry Bridge_. --- NEWS: The new Morrissey album, _Southpaw Grammar_, which is slated to be released later this year, offers a couple mysteries to Morrissey devotees. The U.K. release is tentatively scheduled to include a picture of boxer Kenny Lane, taken from an April, 1963 issue of The Ring. Due to copyright difficulties, if the Lane picture can not be used in America, the U.S. cover should feature a recent picture of Morrissey. The first single will be "Dagenham Dave" and the sleeve will include a childhood picture of Terry Venables, a U.K. soccer commissioner. Track number 8, "Southpaw", ends abruptly with a distortion rip which is deliberate - Morrissey and his band played on and on until the tape ran out, accounting for the rip. --- TOUR DATES Barenaked Ladies / Billy Bragg July 18 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall July 19 Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati Zoo July 20 Chicago, IL Vic Theater July 21 Minneapolis, MN The Zoo July 22 Madison, WI Barrymore Theatre July 24 Indianapolis, IN The Patio July 25 St. Louis, MO Westport Playhouse July 26 Kalamazoo, MI State Theatre July 30 Englewood, CO Fiddler's Green Amph. Bjork July 22 Seattle, WA King Theatre July 23 Portland, OR La Luna July 25 San Francisco, CA Warfield July 26-27 Los Angeles, CA Mayan July 31 Dallas, TX Deep Ellum Live Aug. 2 Atlanta, GA Masquerade Aug. 4 Chicago, IL Metro Aug. 5 Detroit, MI State Theatre Aug. 7 Toronto, ON Warehouse Aug. 9 Philadelphia, PA Tower Theatre Aug. 10 Washington, DC Cellar Door Ballroom Aug. 12 Boston, MA Avalon Aug. 14-15 New York, NY TBA Buffalo Tom July 18-21 Hershey, PA Hershey Park Stadium July 22 Philadelphia, PA Mann Music Center July 23 Richmond, VA Classic Amphitheater July 25 Raleigh, NC Walnut Creek Amphitheater July 26 Charlotte, NC Blockbuster Amphitheater July 28 Atlanta, GA Lakewood Amphitheater July 29 Orlando, FL Central Florida Fairgrounds July 30 Miami, FL Bayfront Park Amphitheater July 31 Tampa, FL Expo Hall Cranberries / Toad the Wet Sprocket Aug. 4 Hartford, CT Meadows Music Theatre Aug. 5 Mansfield, MA Great Woods Aug. 8 Camden, NJ Blockbuster/Sony Entertainment Center Aug. 9 Bristow, VA Nissan Pavillion Aug. 11 Holmdel, NJ Garden State Arts Center Aug. 12 Wantagh, NY Jones Beach Aug. 14 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center Aug. 16 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Music Theatre Aug. 17 Tinley Park, IL World Music Theatre Aug. 19 Columbus, OH Polaris Amphitheatre Aug. 21 St. Louis, MO Riverport Amphitheatre Aug. 22 Bonner Springs, KS Santstone Amphitheatre Aug. 24 Dallas, TX Starplex Amphitheatre Aug. 25 Houston, TX Woodlands Pavillion Aug. 27 Denver, CO Red Rocks Aug. 30 Phoenix, AZ Desert Sky Pavillion Aug. 31 Laguna Hills, CA Irvine Meadows Daryll-Ann July 15 Petten, Seapop (NL) July 28 Alkmaar, Atlantis (NL) Die Warzau / Sister Machine Gun July 19 Washington, DC Black Cat July 21 Pittsburgh, PA Metropol July 23 Cleveland, OH Odeon Music Hall July 24 Cincinnati, OH Sudsy Malone's July 26 St. Louis, MO Other World July 27 Milwaukee, WI Shank Hall July 28 Chicago, IL Double Door Foetus July 20 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy July 21 San Francisco, CA Trocadero Transfer July 23 Seattle, WA RKCNDY July 26 Denver, CO Mercury Cafe July 28 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue July 29 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle July 30 Detroit, MI St. Andrew's Aug. 2 Boston, MA Mama Kin Music Hall Aug. 3 New York, NY Tramps Bruce Hornsby (solo acoustic piano with Q&A sessions) July 21 Santa Monica, CA Borders 8-10PM July 23 San Francisco, CA Borders 2-4PM July 25 Seattle, WA Borders 6:30-8:30PM July 26 Denver, CO Media Play 12:30-2:30PM July 31 Atlanta, GA Rhythm and Views 6:30-8:30PM August 1 Washington, DC Borders 1-3PM August 2 Chicago, IL Borders 5-7PM August 5 Detroit, MI Borders 12-2PM August 8 Dallas, TX Borders 7-9PM August 9 Houston, TX Blockbuster Music 5-6:30PM August 10 Boston, MA Borders 7:30-9:30PM Jayhawks / Wilco July 19 Birmingham, AL 5 Points South Music Hall July 20 Nashville, TN Dancing In The District July 22 St. Petersburg, FL Janus Landing July 24 Jacksonville, FL Shades July 26 Myrtle Beach, SC Headroom July 29 Norfolk, VA Boathouse July 30 Charleston, WV Mountain Stage Freedy Johnston July 14 Bridgehampton, NY The Pike July 15 New York, NY Central Park Summerstage July 16 Philadelphia, PA Penn's Landing Ziggy Marley & Melody Makers - Tribute To Bob Marley July 21 Toronto, ON Markam Fairgrounds July 22 Montreal, QC Verdun Park July 23 Ottawa, CAN Ottawa Ractrack July 25 Hampton, NH Hampton Beach Casino July 26 Hyannis, MA Cape Cod Melody July 27 New York, NY The Academy July 29 Upper Marlboro, MD Prince George Equestrian Moby has been added to the second stage of Lollapalooza dates from July 18-31 in Cincinnati, Detroit, Cleveland, Toronto, Boston, Hartford, New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. John Prine July 14 Milwaukee, WI Performing Arts Center July 15 Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theater July 17 Madison, WI Madison Civic Center July 18 Chicago, IL The Navy Pier July 19 Chicago, IL The Navy Pier July 21 Indianapolis, IN Clowes Hall July 22 Kalamazoo, MI The State Theater July 23 Cincinnati, OH Moonlite Gardens Soul Asylum / Jayhawks / Matthew Sweet / Victoria Williams Victoria will be playing half her set with backing band Soul Asylum, and the other half with backing band Jayhawks. The concerts will help musicians in need of funds to defray musical costs. Aug. 16 St. Paul, MN Municipal Stadium Aug. 18 Green Bay, WI Brown Cty. Vet. Mem. Arena Aug. 19 Noblesville, IN Deer Creek Music Center Aug. 21 Louisville, KY Louisville Gardens Aug. 22 Cleveland, OH Nautica Stage Aug. 23 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Ampitheatre Aug. 25 Finley Park, IL World Music Theatre Aug. 26 Rochester, MI Meadow Brook Music Theater Aug. 27 Toronto, ONT Varsity Arena Aug. 29 Mansfield, MA Great Woods Aug. 30 Wantagh, NY Jones Beach Aug. 31 Philadelphia, PA Mann Music Center Sept. 3 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion Sept. 4 Holmdel, NJ Garden State Arts Center Suicide Circus July 18 Detroit, MI The Mosquito Club July 19 Pittsburgh, PA Electric Banana July 21 Newark, NJ Studio 1 July 22 Wilkes-Barre, PA Rodanos July 23 Springfield, VA Jaxx July 25 New York, NY The Spiral July 28 Cleveland, OH Red Eye July 29 Detroit, MI I-Rock They Might Be Giants August 2-4 New York, NY The Beacon --- THE READERS WRITE BACK! This week's mailbox was full. What follows are some of the usual compliments, a sampling of the mail regarding the controversial Kurt Cobain piece, and some information on the Nine Inch Nails review. I really like Consumable - it's the only place I can get good tour schedules. Keep up the good work! - Mario L. On Courtney Love and Hole... Courtney is Courtney. She used to get enraged at every single Kurt question while he was alive, especially insinuations that he wrote her music, or questions about what it was like to be Kurt's wife. Courtney had a killer tour lined up shortly before Kurt's death that would have blown _Live Through This_ through the roof. Trouble is, her bassist decided that she really liked heroin and had a little too much. We had _Live Through This_ pegged as one of the best albums of the year when it came out - certainly a level above that achievable by L7 or Babes in Toyland. We made our minds up before Kurt died, and we listened to Courtney claim her band was better than Soundgarden or Pearl Jam. Maybe you were just too wrapped up in Kurt to pay attention to what Courtney Love deserved. Maybe she gets a little more than she deserves, but if her first 2 albums are any preview of what's to come then she will long outlive any benefit her career has derived from the death of her husband. - Dave B. *** I can't quite believe you ran "Cashing in On Cobain" by Sean Eric McGill, which is neither good op-ed writing or even something I would put up with spouted by a drunken person at a bar. I agree that it's a shame people are cashing in on KC's death. Okay. So then why "I have no problem with someone wearing a Kurt Cobain t-shirt in memory of his music and his life. That's capitalism in action." Explain to me how this is somehow excusable because it's capitalism in action. I thought that's what McGill was complaining about -- "cashing in", capitalism in action. No, what he really wants to do is trash Courtney for, whatever -- surviving, existing, being in band. It's somehow her fault that interviewers ask 5 out of 10 questions about Kurt. I wasn't predisposed to like Courtney's record and believed for a long time the only reason anyone was listening to it was the sympathy vote. Finally forced to listen to it, I had to admit it was a pretty good record. Now, two months later, I have to admit Hole made a great record. It's not as if she recorded after Kurt killed himself to make a buck, you know. She had her own career. No, what McGill is up to in hist rant is across-the-board woman bashing. Yoko was a leech, Courtney was a leech, they never had an interest or a talent outside their husband's careers, they don't deserve to have an interest or a career, and all either of them are or ever will be are Mrs. Kurt Cobain and Mrs. John Lennon. I'm really curious: why did you see fit to run anything this incoherent and this offensive? - Linda F. (ED Note: Courtney was on a ton of covers - those covers were prepared before Kurt killed himself. You had an interesting counter viewpoint until you mentioned Yoko Ono. She would never have been given a contract (OR a box set) if it wasn't for Lennon, and playing her music loud enough for others to hear is a violation of all wartime conventions. On a side note, *Cynthia* Lennon has just released in the U.K. a cover of "Those Were The Days". Draw your own conclusions). *** Thank you for having the balls to run that Kurt Cobain article. I get sick of seeing people fawn over Courtney Love as if she's got some talent. - James B. On Nine Inch Nails... Using big twenty dollar words in your review does not make it more interesting it makes as if you do not know what you are talking about. There is more going on at the time that you are listening to the music than just music itself. Once, you understand that, then, and only then, will what you are saying about Trent Reznor make sense. - K.M.M, Florida *** David I. and Cheryl B. note that the U.K. version of _Further Down The Spiral_ does include remixes of "Ruiner" and "Heresy" (in David's words: two of the best mixes), as well as a live version of "Hurt" and another version of "Mr. Self Destruct". Cheryl further comments that: One personal observation: while it is true that many NIN listeners will buy every NIN remix EP without questioning its contents, we aren't mindlessly feeding a self-indulgent monster. Why should we waste our time questioning their quality before making a purchase? Historically, NIN remix EPs are known for being excellent, with a cover here and there and lots of imaginative and stylistically varied remixes by well-respected musicians. Another personal observation: Several times in his review Mr. McGill mentions the small "number of different songs" on this or that NIN remix EP. Well... we ARE talking about remix EP's here, so why shouldn't there be multiple versions of any particular song? It might be more logical to view each remix as a different song, considering the fact that each has a new title and a new sound. --- 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 ===