==== ISSUE 95 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [December 16, 1996] Editor: Bob Gajarsky Internet: gajarsky@email.njin.net Sr. Correspondents: Jeremy Ashcroft, Dan Enright, Tim Kennedy, Reto Koradi, David Landgren, Sean Eric McGill, Tim Mohr, Jamie Roberts, Joe Silva, John Walker Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Dan Birchall, Lee Graham Bridges, Scott Byron, Paul Grzelak, Janet Herman, Bill Holmes, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Stephen Jackson, Daniel Kane, Stephen Lin, Bob Mackin, Scott Miller, Al Muzer, P. Nina Ramos, Linda Scott, Ali Sinclair, Simon Speichert, Jon Steltenpohl, Courtney Muir Wallner, Simon West Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann, Damir Tiljak, Jason Williams Address all comments, subscriptions, etc. to gajarsky@email.njin.net ================================================================== All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s). Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the editor. ================================================================== .------------. | Contents | `------------' INTERVIEW: Presidents of the United States of America - Al Muzer REVIEW: Oasis, _There and Then_ - Simon West REVIEW: Enigma 3, _Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!_ - Lee Graham Bridges REVIEW: Soundtrack, _William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet_ - Stephen Lin REVIEW: Various, _Television's Greatest Hits, Vol. 4-7_ - Bob Gajarsky REVIEW: Moistboyz, _II_ - Tim Hulsizer REVIEW: Pig, _Sinsation_ - Stephen Lin REVIEW: Weston, _ Got Beat Up_ / _A real life story of teen-age rebellion_ - Eric Hsu REVIEW: ZZ Top, _Rhythmeen_ - Linda Scott CONCERT REVIEW: Cravin' Melon - Bob Gajarsky REVIEW: September 67, _Lucky Shoe_ - Jon Steltenpohl REVIEW: Orphan Moon, _Have A Little Faith_ - Janet Herman NEWS: Amnesty International, Cypress Hill, Psychdelic Furs, Sick Of It All, XTC TOUR DATES: Arm Dogs, Bodeans, Boiled In Lead, Tracy Bonham, Chimera, Deftones, Gouds Thumb / I Mother Earth, Kiss / 4th Floor, Huey Lewis & The News, Metallica, Teddy Morgan, Phish, Poorhouse Rockers, Professor & Maryann, Scrawl, Sick Of It All, Sponge / Ruth Ruth / Red Five, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Stillsuit, Corey Stevens, They Might Be Giants, Tree / Clutch THE READERS WRITE BACK! Back Issues of Consumable --- INTERVIEW: Presidents of the United States of America - Al Muzer It took nearly seven months for The Presidents Of The United States Of America's critically-lauded, self-titled 1995 Columbia Records debut to reach the Top 10. And, while a seven-month climb up the charts ain't exactly bad - it ain't exactly overnight. Thanks, however, to a relentless world-wide touring schedule; well-timed appearances on an assortment of big-name television programs; MTV Buzz Bin hits such as "Kitty," "Lump" and "Peaches"; the blessing of Soundgarden's Kim Thayil (who guest-guitared on one track); and the ego-free, "just for fun" attitude of three friends who've been together long enough to work out their personal differences and evolve into a super-tight musical unit of living cartoon characters - what appeared to be an effortless, "overnight success" was actually the result of several years of hard work and semi-serious dues paying. After spending the last 10 years in, and on the fringes of, the music "bidness"; two-string basitarist/vocalist/songwriter and good-natured bald guy Chris Ballew doesn't seem fazed by the seeming defection of once-friendly music critics from The Presidents Of The United States Of America's (P.U.S.A. from here on out) camp. The fact that many critics who once applauded this fun loving, Seattle-born, three-piece (which also includes three-string guitbassist Dave Dederer and drummer/vocalist Jason Finn) for their carefree, semi-nonsensical lyrics, cartoonish image, curious guitars and Primus-meets-Grand Funk Railroad roar are now slamming the group for those very same traits strikes Ballew as, "uhm, well, actually, something that's pretty much to be expected, I guess." "It is, after all, the decade of 'the next big thing,' " he elaborates during a phone call a few weeks after the conclusion of the band's most recent (their fourth in one year) American tour. "Critics seem to have some sort of an agenda." "Anyway, while things can get kind'a weird when you step into the 'public eye'," says Ballew as he chuckles at his near diatribe. "I really feel that people are smart enough to make up their own minds about what they want to hear - and are certainly smart enough to read a review and realize when the music isn't really being described at all." "You know," he continues after a brief pause, "I've read a few reviews of our new record that I had to pick apart with a pair of tweezers to really understand. I couldn't tell if they were positive or negative write-ups at first," he laughs. "But, after reading them a second time, they turned out to be pretty good reviews masked by this thick, kind of unclear language." The conversation turns to critics, critical agendas, MTV, awards shows, '70s arena rock, the media and, finally, a recent issue of Spin, in which the reviewer describes _II_, the group's appropriately titled second album, as nothing more than a collection of "spitwad-size narratives" that deliver "watered down [Young Fresh] Fellows-style goof pop" while taking "the good, clean fun thing too far." "Now that one was real hard to figure out," Ballew says of the review with a bemused snort. "You know, we honestly don't care what anyone has to say about us as long as the three of us can have a good time and things stay fun. Which actually makes it kind of easy for us to take it [the negative press] all in stride. I - we - never asked; it's not like we asked to be in the club." "We were invited, asked by them to be in their club," he chuckles. "We were just playing our shows in Seattle, you know, having a good time doing our thing - doing what we enjoyed doing - and the record company asked us to be in the club, to be on a major label. We said 'okay' because, basically, we had absolutely nothing to lose." "And, we still feel like we have nothing to lose, you know, so, be it a positive or negative review," Ballew laughs, "at least there's a reaction. There's a debate. 'Are the Presidents Of The United States Of America worthwhile?' " he intones in a serious announcer's voice. " 'Are they a force to be reckoned with? Or, are they just a wimpy little breeze?' At least there's some sort of response." "Being on a major label. Being in the public eye and having a 'big' album," he adds, "wasn't our goal, or our point, when we first started out - it was, you know, like, the farthest thing from our minds. And now," he says quietly, "we have two records." As to the DOA tag the critics have already toe-tied on the group's second Columbia effort a mere month after its Nov. 5 release? "I think the whole thing is pretty ridiculous. It's still fun to us, though. We're working pretty hard and we think we're making good records and good songs," Ballew said, "So, as long as we can keep that element of fun in there - it'll be out there if you want it. If you don't want it, don't buy it." Bursting with rapid fire, stop/start riffs, precisely played, thoroughly-whacked time changes, lightning quick fills, odd key shifts, curiously detuned bursts of furiously-scattered guitbass and basitar chaos, an occasional foray into free-form rhythmic looseness and an average track length of a very punky three minutes; songs such as: "Volcano," "Twig," "Bug City," "Bath Of Fire," "Supermodel," "Froggie," "Toob Amplifier" "L.I.P." and "Puffy Little Shoes" travel the same unique, slightly-freaked, stream-of-conscious lyrical bent that was explored on the group's first record. The big story - as it has been since a few years before Columbia purchased the rights from PopLlama Records and remastered and re-released the Grammy-nominated, double platinum, 13-song debut - has been the band's unique instrumentation and twisted, almost childlike world view. "We write songs that are immediately satisfying and fun to play for our friends on a Friday night," Ballew comments on his band's creative process. Throughout both albums, songs about fruit ("Peaches"); dune buggies ("Dune Buggy"); "Kitty on my foot and I wanna touch it, kitty on my foot and I wanna touch it"; Matchboxx cars ("Mach 5"); natural disasters ("Volcano"); "She's Lump, she's Lump, she's Lump, she's in my head"; the insect kingdom ("Bug City"); a new amplifier ("Toob Amplifier") and Bobby Brady's tiki statue ("Tiki God") read like modernized Dr. Seuss observations set to some of the wickedest riffs this side of a Ramones/Primus one-off side project. "You never know what people are gonna respond to and what they're gonna like or hate; so, a rule that I learned early on, a long time ago, actually," he adds, "is to do what makes me happy. If it makes me happy and it sounds good to me, then it's worthwhile and it's definitely worth letting other people hear - or, at least I think it is." "We just write and play what makes us happy," he adds. "We've always done just that, whatever makes us happy, without worrying too much about any validation from the 'outside.' " "It's just, you know, super-serendipitous," he chuckles, "that we even ended up on a major label at all doing this [P.U.S.A. songs] on a nationalxno, on a world-wide level." As for the less-than-complete string configuration on Chris and Dave's fret boards? "The basic thing is that our string setup is as far away from a 'concept' as you can get," he offers. "It all, once again, comes down to what feels good to us. Besides, it's fun to do." "When I pick up an instrument with only a few strings on it and start playing stuff that's sort'a cliched," Ballew explains, "it takes on a new life. I can riff on these old rock 'n' roll cliche chords and they somehow sound rejuvenated to me - which really helps keep things interesting." "I love all kinds of stock, or standard, rock and roll chord progressions and riffs 'n' stuff," he continues. "And, I'm definitely not trying to be overly innovative as far as writing music goes. I like *comforting* rock 'n' roll," Ballew laughs, "Let's just say that I'm comforted by the basic elements of rock." "Dave and I eventually got to the point where we were really pretty good at our instruments," Ballew explains, "or, at least as good as we wanted to get on six and four strings. We also got very bored. We decided to cut the number of strings between us in half one day - and the two- and three-stringed thing rejuvenated our interest in playing all our favorite 'stock' riffs." "Our goal as musicians isn't to make people go, 'Wow! What great players they are.' " Ballew chuckles, "In fact, that's yet another reason for us to play with only two and three strings. It tends to take away any expectations people might have of us being 'amazing.' We can be sort of primitive, loud and simple - and still be satisfied playing our instruments. We're good, but we're not looking to win 'Best Musicians of 1996 Awards' or anything." "You know what?" he asks after a long pause. "The whole way along this ride, I've often thought to myself that it could all disappear tomorrow and I'd be completely fulfilled." Let the boys know you love 'em by writing to: P.U.S.A. Fan Club, PO Box 12265, Seattle, WA 98102 or e-mail the band at: PUSAFAN2@aol.com. --- REVIEW: Oasis, _There and Then_ (Sony Music Video) - Simon West The first time in _There and Then_ that you realize once again just how bloody marvellous Oasis is occurs right when Liam opens his mouth to sing "Acquiesce", about three minutes into the video. 30,000 people join in. Loud. Word perfect, and it's a sodding *B-side*. Noel's bashing away on the Union Jack Epiphone, Liam's doing the hands behind back, face on the microphone bit, and the loping around banging the tambourine bit, and they just look perfect, the world's biggest band indeed. Recorded at Maine Road in Manchester and London's Earl's Court, _There and Then_ is a perfect record of late 95/early 96 Oasis, shortly before they outgrew stadiums and started playing whole counties. It would be another few weeks after Maine Road (30,000 people, filled two days running), that Oasis would play two days at Loch Lomond, and two at Knebworth for a combined total of about half a million people. Since future Oasis gigs are up in the air since the well-publicized US fiasco a couple of months ago, this video is about as close as anyone's getting for a while. Luckily it's all here, the acoustic ballad bits, the monstrously loud singalongs, and more classic Liam incoherent shouty bits between songs. _There and Then_ is split just about evenly between Maine Road and Earl's Court. The set list is fairly heavily from _(What's The Story) Morning Glory?_ and associated singles, though there's a couple songs from the first album, _Definitely Maybe_. Notable clips include Noel's acoustic "Morning Glory", Liam's surprisingly restrained "Cast No Shadow" and "Wonderwall" (about time they let him sing those two on stage), and a surreal "I Am The Walrus" featuring Beatles tribute group the Bootleg Beatles, in full Pepper regalia, jamming with the band. For a second there, you'd swear it was Lennon banging away on that keyboard. The Earl's Court footage may be a little better musically than Maine Road. It was a few months earlier, and Liam's voice seems less strained (the attitude's more in check too). There's a brilliant take on "Champagne Supernova", a song that's rarely successful live, and a blinding "Supersonic". Whilst not technically as good though, the Maine Road footage can't be beat for the sheer scale of it all. It's a permanent singalong, the band are clearly delighted to be playing at home, and the power of it should be enough to convert the most casual Oasis listener into yet another devotee. Now let's have the new stuff, please... --- REVIEW: Enigma 3, _Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!_ (Virgin) - Lee Graham Bridges Michael Cretu, the man who is 95% of Enigma (as he suggested in his recent Internet chat session, the only "interview" he will give this year), figured out after Enigma 2 (_The Cross of Changes_) that people don't necessarily want to hear his music in the clubs anymore. _Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi_ capitalizes on the best elements of past Enigma albums, adds new idiosyncracies and themes, and follows a more unique stylistic approach. The first song past the introduction, "Morphing Thru Time" (which some speculate will be the second single from the album), foreshadows a certain maturity not witnessed on Enigma 1 or 2 with a slow, easy beat (quite a welcome change), a nicely executed chord progression, and Cretu's vocals, though loud as usual, actually adding dignity and intensity to the song and doing the lyrics justice (much unlike "Why!", which exemplifies his ability, especially on Enigma 2, to ruin an otherwise respectable song by screaming one line over and over). "Morphing" also demonstrates the use of elements from Enigma 1 (Gregorian chant) and Enigma 2 (Middle Eastern influence) in Enigma 3--and yet these elements are reinvented. Cretu has also tried to jettison the Dopey Title Syndrome which hurt the last album (see "I Love You...I'll Kill You" and "The Dream of the Dolphin"). Lyrics are hard for Cretu, and this is one of the few thorns that stuck in my side upon close evaluation of the album. However, many of the songs incorporate only unrecognizable vocals or no vocals at all. Some may find the frequently used new-agey background chords and the reverbing of the...well...everything, to be a bit annoying, expecting something rougher to happen once in a while. Understand, though, that Cretu conveys foreboding and general darkness not through dissonance, but through an emphasis on dark harmonies in nearly every song (except "The Child In Us" and "Prism of Life"). Such vibrant, affecting musical structures are most prominent in "Almost Full Moon" (featuring a very sly drumbeat and well executed synth maneuvers) and "Shadows In Silence" (incrdible utilization of background vocals). "Beyond the Invisible", the first single from the album, is a bit overdone, however, and does not follow in this vein as sucessfully as it should. While it has its faults, Enigma's third installment shows Cretu greatly improving his skills of craftsmanship and understanding of aesthetic quality, and easily inspires more wonder, calm, and sensuality than his previous studio engagements combined, not to mention other chart-topping albums as of late. If Cretu continues in this fashion, his next couple albums may well turn up masterpieces. --- REVIEW: Soundtrack, _William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet_ (Capitol) - Stephen Lin Have you ever had a great shirt and a great tie, but they look absolutely wretched together? Well, that's exactly what _William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet_ soundtrack is. Most of the tracks stand beautifully alone, but together they clash like pickles and Ovaltine! However, I assume that executive producer (and musical genius) Nellee Hooper had some greater vision that I'm just not seeing yet. At any rate, the album opens with Nellee Hooper's remix of Garbage's "#1 Crush." "#1 Crush" originally appeared on the import _Subhuman_ EP which preceded Garbage's self-titled album. The original version had more of an edge with grittier guitars chiming in periodically. The soundtrack version has had its edges smoothed out. By removing the grit, the song becomes extraordinarily eerie and haunting. _Romeo & Juliet_ is worth your money just for this one track alone. But there's so much more. I don't particularly like Everclear. In fact, their singles irritate me (but have stuck in my head). Surprisingly, I'm hooked on "Local God." For some reason, the repetitive, quirky guitar line endears me to the song. Go figure. While these first two tracks aren't identical in nature or sound, they could be remotely associated in one way or another. Let's jump ahead to the love theme from Romeo & Juliet, "Kissing You" performed by. Des'ree. Huh? I'll admit that I'm not a big R&B fan, but this song sticks out like a sore appendage. And who would you logically follow this song up with? The Butthole Surfers, of course. (Do you see what I was talking about?) Unlike the wonderfully assembled pseudo-soundtrack, _Songs in the Key of X - Music from and Inspired by the X-Files_, _Romeo & Juliet has ZERO continuity. Inconsistent mood and incompatible styles permeate this album. Despite this lack of odd choice of coordination, the album redeems itself in the individual selection of tracks. The Butthole Surfers' catchy tune, "Whatever," is followed by The Cardigan's robo-mega-super-pop song, "Lovefool." (Warning: if you listen to "Lovefool" too much, you'll be in danger of going postal for no apparent reason.) Mundy's "To You I Bestow" is followed by Radiohead's "Talk Show Host." Interspersed between gaps I didn't mention are tracks that are good and NOT-SO-good. Perhaps it's simply the environment in which they're found. If you're a fan of any of the bands mentioned in this article, you wouldn't be disappointed in purchasing the soundtrack. If you're looking for one cohesive unit in which to lose yourself, you'll find yourself lost and confused. Be irritated and amazed, incensed and astounded. it's the Romeo & Juliet soundtrack! In all seriousness, it is worth a listen. Diversity is a good thing. On top of it all, it's an enhanced CD for your home computer (nice layouts)! What more could you ask for?. --- REVIEW: Various, _Television's Greatest Hits, Vol. 4-7_ (TVT) - Bob Gajarsky If at first you succeed with a good idea, why not continue? That may well have been the premise behind _Television's Greatest Hits, Vol. 4-7_, four individual compact discs which help chronicle the history of theme music in television shows. Worldly success greeted the first three volumes, which have sold more than one million copies and reached the top 5 in Australia and top 20 in Japan and France. The four volumes, as a group, aren't for everyone. While they share the common bond of television themes, each volume represents a distinctly different era of the boob tube. As such, listeners may wish to purchase only one or two of the "new" themes, rather than all four, based on age and individual preferences. The televisions featured on the front of each volume are indicative of their original era - whether the larger boxes of the 50s and 60s, or the remote control of the 1980s. These covers also utilize the "3D" effects (which have also been recently seen on Tool's _Aenema_) to give a more unique look to each disc. As always, the liner notes by Tim Brooks (co-author of The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present) help to fill in the gaps in TV history. This is true even for the recent themes; in 10 years from now, "How Do You Talk To An Angel" might still be receiving commercial airplay, but most people won't know anything of the television show from which it came, The Heights. The 1950's volume (#4, "Black and White Classics") is arguably the weakest compilation of the group. Because the best themes have already been used in Volumes 1-3, this serves mainly as a point for completists who want to have an obscure theme song. While shows such as "Walt Disney's World" and "Candid Camera" are hardly unknown, this volume contains more themes from short-lived shows than any other. Volume 5 ("In Living Color") chronicles the 1960's and 1970's - and is an ideal addition even for those who weren't around in the tie-dye or leisure suit years. Many of the themes such as "Bionic Woman" are floating around in reruns, and Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual" has been around forever. Alternative music afficionados who purchased _Saturday Morning_ (the album full of cover versions of cartoons) can find out what the "original" versions of songs such as "Gigantor", "Hong Kong Phooey", "H.R. Pufnstuf", "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters" and "Banana Splits" sounded like - and why even a band like the Dickies would choose to remake the "Tra La La" song. Volumes 6 ("Remote Control") takes a look at the late 1970's and early 1980's. Again, as many of these shows make (or have made) the rounds in reruns - see "CHIPS", "Airwolf", "Mork & Mindy" - present familiarity is high on these themes. Fans of the Naked Gun trilogy will recognize the "Police Squad" theme - Leslie Nielsen starred in this short-lived show which helped spawn Frank Drebin's movie career years later. The theme to the cult British comedy, "The Young Ones", is also a pleasant surprise on this volume. Since the original series of Greatest Hits was released in the late 1980's, a whole generation of shows have lacked their themes on CD. Volume 7 ("Cable Ready") remedies this omission with 65 themes (27 of which are still on the air) running the gamut from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" to "The Simpsons", and including hip writers such as the George Clinton-penned "Tracey Ullman Show", Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh ("Liquid Television"), and Danny Elfman. And even if a Barney song is included here, the rest of the collection makes this a thoroughly enjoyable modern collection of themes. With four different discs, _Television's Greatest Hits Vol. 4-7_ will bring back some pleasant memories - and at least one of them will be right for you. --- REVIEW: Moistboyz, _II_ (Grand Royal) - Tim Hulsizer Whether or not you like Ween's music, I think it's fair to say you can at least appreciate their ambitious nature. Not only have the duo of Gene and Dean Ween charted many different paths in their albums, from country to psychedelia, but they each have other diverse projects as well. The Moistboyz is Dean Ween and Guy Heller from False Front, and this pair of adventurous musicians have banded together once again as nothing less than a full-blown metal band. _II_ clocks in at barely over a half hour with 10 songs, but they are amazingly all the same. A half hour spent with the Moistboyz left me feeling as though I'd listened to two albums by anyone else. The first track "It Ain't Rude" is rather quiet and ominous, discussing a guy's sexual confusion, and "American Made and Duty Free" is a country tune left off of the last Ween album, but the rest of _II_ is just plain loud. Amps cranked to 10, distortion and wah wah pedals maxed out, reverb effects and crazy overdubs, all are put to good use as Dean and Guy (calling themselves Dickie and Mickey Moist here) deconstruct heavy metal's old sexist attitudes and musical cliches. Emphasis is on power and strength as the pair scream lyrics that at first sound sexist or racist but are obviously satiric in nature. I'm sure a song like "Man of the Year", taken wrongly would be highly offensive to Jews. It contains lyrics like "You say you're a jew/Well himey I'm a priest..." and "spittin' on my palm before I shake your hand/I'll drag the whore of Babylon acoross your holy land." A direct anti-Semitic attack? No, it's clearly an attack on that kind of ridiculous attitude. Later in the song they explain the fallacy of putting people in power who have closed minds (Hitler, etc.). The lyrics pull no punches but I found myself appreciating their loud and clear approach. "Crank" deals with drug abuse, "American Made and Duty Free" takes a darkly humorous approach to sexism by completely overdoing it, and "Second Hand Smoker" is an over-the-top ode to smoking's manly aspects. Yes, there are a lot of interesting commentaries here and I'm afraid the listening public just wouldn't understand the irony of the lyrics. I found the album witty; others will assuredly find it childish, clumsy and of course offensive. Words aside, these guys play a mean rock song. Powerful attacks on the riffs will leave even the offended folks banging their heads, and the melodies themselves are surprisingly catchy despite their distortion or volume. I've had the album's last track, "Good Morning America", in my head for weeks and it won't go away. Beware the possible objections to content and swearing, but try to look past them. I found this album to be funny, clever in its dead-on sendups of stupid people, and listenable to boot. I look forward to Moistboyz' next move. --- REVIEW: Pig, _Sinsation_ (nothing/Interscope) - Stephen Lin Trent (Nine Inch Nails) Reznor's "nothing" label has certainly been responsible for exposing the world to some bizarre, yet enticing music. Pop Will Eat Itself, Prick, and modern day shock-rockers, Marilyn Manson all have distinctive sounds that co-exist nicely under the label. A "new" member has been inducted into this family. While new to nothing, Raymond G. Watts (Pig) is not new to the music scene. He's a founding member of KMFDM and has worked with the likes of Einsturzende Neubauten, Coil, and Foetus. As you may have guessed, _Sinsation_ is somewhat "industrial." But to say that _Sinsation_ is an industrial album would be an injustice. It would limit the full spectrum of musicality that the album displays. A friend of mine said this: "_Sinsation_ is what KMFDM would sound like if they listen to a lot of Queen." Well. it certainly is a possibility. I would prefer to think of it as a slightly more accessible, commercial industrial-esque masterpiece. Pig's debut solo album is nothing short of majestic in terms of its texture. Huge dynamic changes; layers upon layers of samples, thick guitars, discordant strings, and random noise; terrifying lyrics and vocals; and snippets of beautiful melodies are the foundation upon which this album is built. Add to this mixture flashes of bizarre mental images (the CD inlay has a disturbing collage/composite of a man-pig), a touch of theatrics, and some "je ne sais quoi" and you've got _Sinsation_ in a nutshell. I said earlier that the album had a touch of commercialism. I say this because there are real hooks which will echo in your mind long after the CD ends. Pig songs also have direction and substance which some industrial music doesn't (like some of the more experimental stuff Einsturzende Neubauten does). This is not to say that less commercial industrial is of lesser quality, only that Pig's brand of music is a bit easier swallow - but disturbing, nonetheless. _Sinsation_ is the best album to be released on "nothing" since Nine Inch Nails' _ The Downward Spiral_. Without question - end of discussion. If you don't believe me, go buy the album. And if you still don't believe me - oops. But even if you don't think it's the BEST "nothing" album since _Spiral_, you won't be disappointed. --- REVIEW: Weston, _ Got Beat Up_ (Go Kart) / _A real life story of teen-age rebellion_ (Gern Blandsten) - Eric Hsu This is the first band which I allowed to impair my hearing. Self-preservation usually keeps me from blowing out my ears with live music, but these guys had so much energy and life in their show that I couldn't go away. They played for very small audiences, first in Sacramento (Calif.) and then at Gilman in Berkeley, but were still a blast. They had stage antics from wild hopping, spastic leaping and hand claps to a weird trick where the bassist put his foot into his mouth while still singing and playing. I really respected the fact that they started each set with a whirlwind song whose entire lyrics were "I hear that (insert city name or club name) likes to rock, is it true that (insert city name) likes to rock?" It was worth the week of nausea and ringing in the ears. I thought their unbelievably good stage show was the whole story until I listened to their first record, _A real life story of teen-age rebellion_ which is full of outstanding power pop songs played competently with enthusiastic three-part harmony. I discovered that if anything, they play their songs too fast and too loud on stage. They treated their own beautiful songs the same way they treated "Always on My Mind" on record: turn amps up all the way and play as fast as possible. Live, they buried gems like "Just Like Kurt" and "Little Mile" under supercharged guitars and tempos. When I told them that they should play quiter and slower, their drummer responded that they always wanted to play that loud and fast, but were never technically able to before. Oh well. The songs veer from high-school romantic trauma to odder but still enjoyable topics ("I know you're interested in my feet"). "Little Mile" is a clever Lolita-story ("if I was two years younger and you were two years older, it still wouldn't matter... I'd walk a little mile for her, no more no less"). The peppy songs were balanced by songs like "Mr. Lazo" whose dopey chem class Lolita storyline is transcended by a reverbed guitar line that is almost meditative(!). This was one of my favorite records for a while. I had greatly looked forward to the follow-up record _Got Beat Up_. I saw them live again, and they were great as usual, but naturally, you could tell anything about the new songs live (they all sounded like colossal bursts of white noise). And somehow I just can't rekindle the same enthusiasm for their latest CD. It's hard to describe why. If anything, their playing has gotten better, but the songs seem to be stuck in a rut. Despite the drummer's threats, the songs are about the same tempo. There's nothing wrong with ONE brilliant power-pop high school record with Ramones overtones (_teenage rebellion_) but to follow it up with a similar record turns a part of their personality into a selling strategy, especially when you hype up the nerdy high-school bit in your press release. And basically, there's no song on this CD I like as much as any song on side one of _teenage rebellion_. My recommendations: (1) see them live at all costs, (2) buy the _teenage rebellion_ record at the show, or in the shops or by writing them, and (3) if you are the kind of person who regularly listens to more than two Ramones records, you should buy _Got Beat Up_. Otherwise, try to get a listen first at your friendly music retailer. You still might get hooked. Weston can be contacted at 317 Hanover St. 2nd Fl, Bethlehem, PA 18018 --- REVIEW: ZZ Top, _Rhythmeen_ (RCA) - Linda Scott When ZZ Top switched to RCA, they talked about making a change from the synth-pop of the late 80's and getting back to their blues roots. The first RCA album, _Antenna_ didn't quite do it, but the boys from Texas nailed it on the second try. The album with a mean rhythm (hence, _Rhythmeen_) and blues roots will satisfy the early ZZ Top fans who have been wondering why their band had to get so slick and polished. What pushed the change was a hurry-up job they did for Quentin Tarantino's soundtrack _From Dusk Till Dawn_. This single, "She's Just Killing Me" was so rude and raw that the band turned it in with the promise they would polish it up. But the word came back to leave it alone - it was great as is. The trio took it as a confirmation that a stripped down track was what they did best. Starting with "She's Just Killing Me" which has already been released as a single, ZZ Top created _Rhythmeen_ with the same bare bones, no over dubs, no synth approach. The ZZ Top fans - and there are legions of them - will love _Rhythmeen_. This is a special album though, for the fans who knew the seventies band without money for the big production, who stuck closer to the blues than to rock. Guitarist Billy Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard get back to the road house boogie of the early seventies footstomping songs that first brought them fame. The live-band sound and blues-rock riffs make this the best ZZ Top album in 10 years. _Rhythmeen_ suffers from the same problem as most of the ZZ Top albums; after a while the tracks become monotonous. And although "the little ol' band from Texas" may have thrown them off the truck, you long for a blast of one of their pop rockers like "Legs". Fans of the eighties band that loved "Legs", "Sharp Dressed Man", "Gimme All Your Loving" won't hear anything like that on _Rhythmeen_. But, hey, this band has been around for more than twenty years. --- CONCERT REVIEW: Cravin' Melon, New York City - Bob Gajarsky The pride of Greenville, South Carolina, Cravin' Melon, recently made their first trip out of the South on a mini-tour. On their trip to the Big Apple, the foursome made a packed crowd of industry executives, writers and fans ripe with anticipation for the release of their major label debut in January, _Red Harvest Clay_. Performing like seasoned veterans, Cravin' Melon took their unique brand of rock sprinkled with some good ol' Southern flavoring to the city slickers - and received a well deserved enthusiastic ovation. With some similarities to Hootie and the Blowfish (who Cravin' Melon has toured with before, and may be touring with again) and Toad the Wet Sprocket, some might think the band is too commercialized. But three years of solid touring up and down the Southeast coast has solidified this lineup to the point that a major label release isn't a sellout - it's a well-deserved reward for hard work. Although most of the room was filled with record executives from several labels, it was a pleasant surprise to see people - from companies other than Cravin' Melon's label, Mercury - who were dancing around and moving to the beat. The group performed four songs from their last independent album, _Where I Wanna Be_ - "Pretend", "Blossom", "Down Without A Home", and the song extolling the virtues of that uniquely Southern drink, "Sweet Tea". The infectious song stands an excellent chance at being the second single from _Red Harvest Clay_, and could easily spark the same sort of interest as Men At Work did 15 years ago with vegemite sandwiches. New material from _Red Harvest Clay_ blends well with the older material, showcasing a tight, guitar/drums/vocals outfit that has fun while performing some seriously good music. "Come Undone", the first single from the new album, especially stands out with its baiting hook and rollicking beat. Closing out the set was a faithful cover of the classic "Never Been To Spain". The Southern rock of Cravin' Melon is nothing like that of Lynyrd Skynyrd or 38 Special, and they shouldn't be compared to any of those bands. But, with the down-home, feel-good sound of Cravin' Melon, it's only a matter of time before the nation wants a piece of this band. --- REVIEW: September 67, _Lucky Shoe_ (The Enclave) - Jon Steltenpohl _Lucky Shoe_ is one of those rare releases that showcases phenomenal talent, excellent production, and true originality. Like The Story's _Grace in Gravity_ and Lisa Germano's _On the Way Down From Moon Palace_, September 67 has seemingly come from nowhere with a tender, strange, and beautiful album. Comparisons to The Story and Lisa Germano are not a casual observation. September 67 shares the "girl group" moniker with both and shares the two groups tendencies for exotic melodies and harmonies. September 67 features Shannon Worrell and Kirstin Asbury. Like the original lineup of The Story, Worrell writes most of the music and Asbury adds additional vocals and percussion. Like Germano, the sound is essentially homespun and minimalistic. The vocals are fragile and recall a little girl who's smoked one too many Camels and had her heart broken one too many times. _Lucky Shoe_ is a subdued concoction of bluesy tales and sad stories. Both ladies are from liberal arts backgrounds and Worrell's ability to weave tales is reminiscent of The Innocence Mission's Karen Petis. September 67's unique vocal and musical arrangements are refreshingly simple and direct. One or two instruments are all the band needs to create a whirling beat and compelling melody. The production is to be commended and comes from none other than John Morand and Cracker's David Lowrey. The bottom line is that there are some who must have September 67 in their collection. Fans of quiet girl bands with sonic depth must seek this album out now. After that, all that's left is to pray Worrell will be smart and avoid the breakup and downward spiral of Ms. Brooke and The Story. --- REVIEW: Orphan Moon, _Have A Little Faith_ (Brainforest) - Janet Herman Describing themselves as Modern American romantic, Orphan Moon has just released this second release with lead band members Diane Boothby and John Boegehold on vocals and mandolin and acoustic guitar, respectively. Approaching each song as a separate entity the band uses an eclectic combination of instruments including those mentioned above as well as violin, viola, drums and percussion. This interesting blend of instruments with the addition of Boothbys strong voice gives the band a sound that ranges from folky to dance to pure ballad. At their best, Orphan Moon sounds at times like the Indigo Girls with Boothbys voice soaring over the folky guitar and violin such as in the opening song "These Days". Most of the songs are related to nature and man's emotional and physical relationship to this element of our world. While this has the potential for corniness, Orphan Moon manages most of the time to sound inspiring without being overbearing. The only song which goes overboard and gets a bit on the preachy side is "Rocks, Paper, Scissors" which reminds me just a little too much of Martika's #1 hit "Toy Soldiers". Overall, Orphan Moon provides the listener with an earful of strong vocals, rousing lyrics, and an interesting array of instruments and rhythms to make this album worth more than one listen and then a toss into the cd rack never to be played again. --- NEWS: > Amnesty International has recentl opened up a Web site at http://www.getupstandup.com . The site includes new versions of Bob Marley's "Get Up Stand Up"; artists performing Internet-only versions of the song include Patti Smith, Booker T. Jones and an all-star reggae trio of Maxi Priest, Shaggy, and Rayvon. The AI site also focuses on human rights issues around the globe and provides information on other Amnesty sites as well as mechanisms for activism. > Cypress Hill will be playing a special holiday show at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, Dec. 30. DJ Muggs plans on beginning work on the 4 full length Cypress Hill album early in 1997. Muggs has completed work producing the debut from Harlem based rap duo, Call O? Da Wild due out in early '97. The album features guest appearances by Cypress Hill?s B Real. > A definitive retrospective of the Psychedelic Furs is in the development stages from Sony Legacy. The package, which is as yet untitled, will include their best known material, unreleased studio and live tracks, and rarities. No release date has been set for the package. > Sick Of It All played the final show at Long Island's PWAC (that's People With AIDS Coalition) Common Ground. This DIY run-by-fans-for-fans venue hosted quite a few amazing shows in its all too brief existence. More than 1000 people turned out to see and hear Sick Of It All debut a few songs from their upcoming album _Built To Last_. And PWAC went out on a righteous note: Two dollars from every ticket were donated to Toys For Tots. RIP PWAC. > XTC Update: It's going to be a fairly hectic year for the band because they've been looking at both indies and majors for a new deal. The band is rehearsing at present and there is talk of adding a permanent drummer (after 16 years of sit-ins) and possibly a keyboard player. Geffen is putting out a greatest hits CD currently titled _Upsy Daisy_. A box set is to follow sometime in the autumn and Andy Partridge is taking part in working up both projects. One of the tunes from Andy/Harold Budd CD _Through the Hill_ is being used in the new Tom Cruise film (Jerry McGuire). TOUR DATES Arm Dogs Dec. 18 Los Angeles, CA Cicada Bodeans Dec. 16 Indianapols, IN Vogue Dec. 26 Green Bay, WI Weidner Center Dec. 27-28 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre Dec. 30 Minnesota, MN Northrop Auditorium Boiled In Lead Dec. 19 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center Tracy Bonham (All shows are sponsored by the listed radio station) Dec. 17 Austin, TX KLBJ Dec. 18 Phoenix, AZ KEDJ Chimera Dec. 19 Cleveland Heights, OH Grog Shop Deftones Dec. 17 Seattle, WA Rock Candy Dec. 18 Portland, OR La Luna Gouds Thumb / I Mother Earth Dec. 17 Portland, ME Zoot's Dec. 18 Boston, MA Mama Kin Dec. 19 New York, NY Coney Island High Kiss / 4th Floor Dec. 28 Worcester, MA Centrum Dec. 29 Long Island, NY Nassau Coliseum Dec. 30 Hartford, CT Civic Center Dec. 31 East Rutherford, NJ Meadowlands Huey Lewis & The News Dec. 27-31 Las Vegas, NV Caesar's Jan. 6 Desert Hot Springs, CA Desert Springs Resort Metallica Dec. 20-21 Los Angeles, CA Forum Dec. 29 Sacramento, CA Arco Arena Dec. 30 San Francisco, CA Cow Palace Dec. 31 San Jose, CA Arena Jan. 4 Phoenix, AZ America West Jan. 10 Las Vegas, NV Thomas & Mack Center Jan. 11 San Diego, CA Sports Arena Teddy Morgan Dec. 18-19 Lafayette, LA Swamp Water Saloon Dec. 21 Mandeville, LA Ruby's Roadhouse Phish Dec. 28-29 Philadelphia, PA Cora States Spectrum Dec. 30-31 Boston, MA Fleet Center Poorhouse Rockers Dec. 20 Lancaster, PA Lancaster Dispensing Co. Dec. 26 Fells Point, MD Parkers Dec. 31 Ocean City, MD Talbot Street Cafe Professor & Maryann Dec. 23 New York, NY Mercury Lounge Scrawl Dec. 20 Champaign, IL Blind Pig Dec. 21 Chicago, IL Lounge Ax Dec. 27 Columbus, OH Stache's Sick Of It All Dec. 31 San Diego, CA San Diego Sports Arena Jan. 3 Corona, CA Showcase Theatre Sponge / Ruth Ruth / Red Five Dec. 18 Minneapolis, MN First Ave. Dec. 20 Chicago, IL Metro Dec. 22 Grand Rapids, MI Orbit Room Squirrel Nut Zippers Dec. 18 Houston, TX The Satellite Lounge Dec. 19 Dallas, TX The Red Jacket Dec. 31 Atlanta, GA The Roxy Theater Stillsuit Dec. 27 Danbury, CT Tuxedo Junction Dec. 28 Washington, DC Capitol Ballroom Corey Stevens Dec. 31 Yakima, WA Yakima Sun Dome They Might Be Giants Dec. 27 Washington, DC 9:30 Nightclub Dec. 28 Providence, RI Lupo's Dec. 29 Rochester, NY Water St. Jan. 3-4 St. Louis, MO Mississippi Nights Tree / Clutch Dec. 27 Old Bridge, NJ Birch Hill Dec. 28 Washington DC Capital Ballroom Dec. 29 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall Dec. 30 Cleveland, OH Odium Dec. 31 Detroit, MI Majestic Theater --- THE READERS WRITE BACK! 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