==== ISSUE 107 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [April 28, 1997] Editor: Bob Gajarsky Internet: gajarsky@email.njin.net Sr. Correspondents: Jeremy Ashcroft, Dan Enright, Reto Koradi, David Landgren, Sean Eric McGill, Tim Mohr, Al Muzer, Jamie Roberts, Joe Silva, John Walker Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Lee Graham Bridges, Scott Byron, Janet Herman, Bill Holmes, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Stephen Lin, Scott Miller, P. Nina Ramos, Linda Scott, Scott Slonaker, Simon Speichert, Jon Steltenpohl, Courtney Muir Wallner, Simon West, Lang Whitaker Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann 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 | `------------' NTERVIEW: Matthew Sweet - Joe Silva CONCERT REVIEW: Beck / The Cardigans / Atari Teenage Riot - Lang Whitaker REVIEW: Daft Punk, _Homework_ - Bob Gajarsky REVIEW: Moxy Fruvous, _You Will Go To the Moon_ - Jon Steltenpohl REVIEW: Simpsons, _Songs In The Key of Springfield_ - Bob Gajarsky REVIEW: Bobgoblin, _The Twelve-Point Master Plan_ - Jon Steltenpohl REVIEW: Kip Winger, _This Conversation Seems Like A Dream_ - Linda Scott REVIEW: Walter Clevenger, _The Man With The X-Ray Eyes_ - Bill Holmes NEWS: Alx, Merril Bainbridge, Dodgy, Oasis, Silos, Paul Simon TOUR DATES: Automatic, Bloodhound Gang, Bobgoblin, Brilliantine, Cellophane, Chainsuck / Lycia, Chemical Brothers, Collective Soul / Darlahood, Crown Heights, Dada, Dots Will Echo, Drain S.T.H., Humble Gods, Humpers, Jayhawks, Leo Kottke, London Suede / Longpigs Marilyn Manson / Helmet / Rasputina, Matchbox, John Mayall, Old 97s, Professor & Maryann, Reel Big Fish, Samples, Shonen Knife, Silverchair, Sister Hazel, Sneaker Pimps / Chimera, Stone Temple Pilots / Cheap Trick, U2, Verve Pipe Back Issues of Consumable --- INTERVIEW: Matthew Sweet - Joe Silva While the Marilyn Mansons of the moment have come to insure that the day of the winsome and generally melodic pop star never returns, there's enough resistance out there to keep the non-ghouls like Matthew Sweet from fading entirely. Album number six from the Nebraskan-born, Athens-reared (well, musically anyway) musician is more high-energy, guitar-etched pop. _Blue Sky On Mars_ sees Matthew combine forces yet again with uber- producer Bendan O'Brien to come up with a hit-and-run style disc (it clocks in at just under 40 minutes) that's tuneful and fresh beyond what most regular record chart residents could ever hope to be. On the road for warm-up gigs with a slightly revamped lineup, Matthew took time for an extended chin wag. Consumable Online: How are you doing? Matthew Sweet: I'm crazed. Out of my mind. But I'm doing good. The tour's gone great and I was really nervous to go out because I hadn't played in like a year. It's been an amazing turn out every night. We've been so lucky. CO: This seven week "warm up" tour - was that your idea? MS: We did it last time where we toured for a few weeks. It was a little shorter, maybe like four or five weeks. It's definitely good to get the band out and get warmed up when you're not under full pressure yet. It's a little bit grueling, but mostly I was concerned that we wouldn't have a good turn out and that they wouldn't know the new songs and it would freak them out. But the crowds have been great and really accepting so far. CO: Who's out with you this time? MS: Tony (Marsico, bass), Ivan (Julian, guitar), Rick Menke is playing drums, and Paul Chastain is playing keyboards and doing vocals. So we actually have an extra member this time. CO: So have you guys worked out any of the harmonies? MS: Well there's me and Tony and Paul singing together, so there's more advanced harmonies than ever before in the live set. CO: Someone had asked me why you haven't been over to Europe in a long time. MS: And you said "Because he's stopped flying!!" CO: Well I had read how you'd made some manic two-day cross-country drive. MS: Yeah, I've done that a couple of times. I have a horrible fear of flying and I went through a period during _Altered Beast_ where I really flew a lot and it just caused me to have mini-nervous breakdowns. And I went and got hypnotized and went to various different people about it and just never really had an easy time conquering it. It kinda got to the point where either I needed to say I wouldn't fly or I was still going to have to fly all the time to promo things, or flying every day to different cities, and doing a lot of international. So before the last record, my manager said "OK, we'll just not fly at all on this record and just concentrate on this country and Canada." and I got gold records in both places within the year, which is way faster than _Girlfriend_ went gold. And since it worked so well, no one's really bothered me about it since. We spent a lot of money touring internationally and never really made money doing it. It's kinda like I feel I've gotten to go everywhere (already) and for the time being it's not like I won't fly, but it's just made it easier saying I won't. CO: Have you thought about the "boat" option? MS: Yeah, that really doesn't sound too great either. You need a lot of time for it and it's totally horrifying. I mean crossing the channel in England is scary. I spent a lot of time in England early on in my career before I had any success, like during my first record. Not so much touring, but recording. CO: I've heard that you've brought a lot of guitars with you on tour. And considering what you guys have been doing, is there any reason why... MS: Well I don't really have a ton of guitars with me, especially for me. I think most of that comes from the _Altered Beast_ era when I was using a lot of different tunings. I was using an open G, open E, drop D, regular tuning, so I had to switch guitars a lot on that tour. I got so much flak that I really made an effort on the last album not to use open tunings so that I wouldn't have to explain all the time why I switch guitars. I also love guitars and I have millions of different guitars, but this tour I've been mostly playing Jazzmaster Telecasters. Mostly fender stuff which I haven't played in a long time. Also an Epiphone Casino I used a lot on the record, the one from the back of _100% Fun_. CO: What about that clear lucite looking thing? MS: Oh, the Van Armstrong? I haven't used that a lot lately. I haven't been touring with it. I used usually on song with open E tuning. It's a cool looking guitar. It's really heavy, and not easy to play. I do have a double-necked Gibson SG out with me that I use in my new video. CO: Is one coming out soon? MS: Yeah, we already made a video for "Where You Get Love," which is the third song on the record. It's a space video where I'm like in a pod spinning through space and I go walking on the surface of the planet sort of in a space suit and all of the current band is in it. It really came out cool. It's directed by a guy named Andy Fleming, who directed The Craft which is a teen witch movie that I did a song for last year ("Dark Secret"). Lindsay Buckingham played lead guitar on it because he was working in Ocean Way (studios) when we recorded it. He's a huge idol of mine, so that was real exciting for me. It's also the first time I got to play theremin on a record. There's one credited on _100% Fun_ ," but that's not a real theremin. CO: I saw that the new record also has as theremin credit. Is that yours? MS: Yeah, Brendan (O'Brien, producer) and I both bought theremins. Bob Moog has been making re-issue theremins the last couple of years out in North Carolina. They're a lot like an old one, but they're a lot more stable. I used that a lot on the new record, mostly "Missing Time" and there's a little bit on the very end of "Where You Get Love." CO: Speaking of theremins, I read the interview you did with Brian Wilson. How was that? MS: It's very exciting for me to meet Brian and for that matter Van Dyke Parks who I'm also a huge fan of. He was so great. You know, Brian's a little out there, but in certain ways he was more normal than I expected him to be. You know, he's not talking out of the side of his mouth or any of that stuff like you see footage of him doing in particular in the theremin movie. I saw that movie shortly after I interviewed him and it was night and day from the guy I just met. He's really way a lot more normal than he was at that point. He just seems healthier, but he's a little out there. I've gotten to know his manager pretty well and he says "Don't think Brian doesn't know what's going on behind the scenes. He uses it a little bit as a buffer between him and the world, that kind of wackiness thing.." It's kinda hard to tell. I've never really worked with him musically. I was supposed to perform some stuff from _Pet Sounds_ with him for some radio shows in conjunction with the _Pet Sounds_ box set which then was shelved indefinitely. But it got to the point where I was supposed to go to his house on a Monday and rehearse and then the plug got pulled. I hope to one day check him out musically a little bit, like get him to arrange some background vocals or playing Hammond (organ) on something. But I'm just a huge fan of his work. CO: There's that little bit in the beginning of "Back To You" that's sort of _Pet Sounds_-ish. MS: Yeah, that's got a little. The funny thing is that really comes from Brendan. It's Brendan that's playing that percussive Hammond sound that so's signature-Beach Boys. CO: I heard your voice coming out of a Coke commercial. Why'd you do that? MS: I used to collect a lot of tapes of people, and in fact Van Dyke Parks immediately pops to mind as someone who did a lot of cool commercials in the sixties. And the Yardbirds and the Stones did these Great Shakes commercials and I always had tapes of those. My viewpoint is kinda opposite of the hoighty-toighty artist that won't do anything commercial. I'm kinda like, if they pay me a lot, I think it's funny and cool to do it. And they did pay me a fortune to do that Coke commercial which is like a minute long. We did it the same afternoon that I did a song called "My Pet" for the Ace Ventura II soundtrack, so I made a lot of money that day. I'm not shy to say it, because believe it or not having sold a combined million and a half records, I've never made a penny from record sales. I mean, people might not understand that, but I need to do things to make money. I buy so many guitars, I have to offset it somehow (laughs). So it's partly for the money and partly because I thought it was fun to do. It was the same thing like Flipper. They asked me to do the theme for the kids Flipper movie last year. They just paid me a fortune to do it, so it was like how could I say no? Plus it was like Flipper, so I thought it was kind of funny. None of the so-called alternative people really knew about it too much. I just built up my eight year- old fan base with that. I mean, I just like doing music and if I could make an inordinate amount of money doing little one-off things like that as long as they're something that I think would be fun or I'm interested in, I do them. I've certainly turned down my fair share of things. CO: You did a track for the Germs tribute record, didn't you? MS: Yeah, that happened because believe it or not, I got invited to Drew Barrymore's birthday party. When I was there I met Pat Smear who's in the Foo Fighters now and was in the Germs and a guy named Bill Bartell who was kind of the coordinator of that record. They were just really nice to me and kind of begged me to do it. My friend Brian, who's friend with them kinda helped me get it together and came over and did some of the synthesizer noises. He's actually the guy who did the Moog cookbook with Roger Manning of Imperial Drag. So that was just a quicky thing we did. I was really into the Germs' stuff. I like Pat's guitar playing a lot. CO: So you knew their stuff ahead of time? MS: I knew it a little bit. I wasn't hugely into at the time. I kinda got the compilation, listened to a bunch of song, and found one that I liked a lot. CO: I guess you toured a fair amount for _100% Fun_. MS: Yeah, we toured pretty much a year for that record. Probably from February through December. CO: And did you take a fair amount of time off aside from the smaller projects? MS: Yeah, really like the whole year. I made demos during the spring, kinda got my demo studio together. I bought a house during May and June, which was a monumental hassle and then moved all my junk over there in early July. So I accomplished a lot of major life things due to my publishing deal getting renegotiated. CO: Zoo (Entertainment, Matthew's label) gotten shaken up a little bit. MS: Zoo was purchased by a group of Wall Street investors and a guy who was one of the high-up money guys at BMG who defected whose named is Kevin Zinger. Now it's Volcano Entertainment. It's kind of exciting, because it gives a whole new atmosphere to the label. They're more New York-based. It's a lot of my old friends from BMG who are running it now and they're all excited because there's more money for things like packaging now. CO: Yeah, the sleeve is really neat. MS: The cover has real Martian surface photos as well as orbiter photos and then Roger Dean, the Yes album cover guy did my name and album title for it. So we've got these really groovy looking name and album title and then all these real lander photos in color. CO: Now the new record sort of comes off like Matthew and Brendan's house of harmony and distortion again. Did you two work pretty much together on this? MS: This was like really the culmination of our friendship. We really had a great time doing it with just no turbulence at all. We worked really quickly, pretty much doing a song a day. We did a bunch of drums at first and then we'd just would work on a song a day and try to mix it by that night. So we kept up the kind of energy level of it because I played so much of it myself this time. It's really just me and him and a drummer on any given track. I played mostly all the guitars and everything, and he played a lot of the keyboards. Last time when we finished we said "Yeah, I think we could make a much stronger record." I feel like it's a really consistent record, kind of upbeat for me. It's almost kind of like a New Wave record. CO: You've worked with a lot of different people on your records, but now that you've done this more or less on your own with Brendan, did that affect the approach? I mean Richard (Lloyd, guitar) isn't on it. MS: Well the original concept for this record was that I was going to do it at home and then I was going to mix. It was going to be my home demo kind of record and then I took so long getting it together that (Brendan) finally called me going "Where's the record?" And was like "Well I just finished the demo stage (laughs)". So I ended going down and recording it with him. There are a couple of songs that I did mostly at home. Both of the ballads, "Until You Break" and "Missing Time" were recorded mostly at home. It wasn't a planned thing not to have outside guitarists on this record, but once I got there we just got into this process that was so streamlined. I mean, it wasn't even easy for Brendan to say "Let's not get Richard, let's not get Ivan", it was just that we had to make the decision at some point that since it was going so well do we even want to mess with that. I knew eventually I'd do a record where I didn't use those guys. It happened so naturally, I thought "Well, this is the time." If I take some knocks for that, I guess I'm prepared for it. I mean I haven't noticed a lot of people picking up on that right away. It's not the first thing they say to me. CO: Are you going to play any of the ballads like "Until You Break" on this tour? MS: We're going to. We haven't really been playing it. We did rehearse it. Almost every song from this record we can play live, which is good in case it becomes successful because we can play a lot of the songs from it which is not always the case. A lot of the songs from _100% Fun_ were really hard to translate from the record. But since we have Paul Chastain out playing keyboards, that helps to get some of those textures in. It's just a simple record which gives me a chance to play some lead live which is fun. Ivan's been really cool about playing rhythm parts on those songs. A lot of people at the label went really crazy about that song, and I think they have high expectations of getting it on the radio someday. I'm sure you'll see us playing it live. CO: I read somewhere that you thought Zoo went a bit crazy with how many singles they could get from _Altered Beast_. MS: They were talking about that there would be five singles and it just never works out that way. Usually it takes several months to get through a single and once you do that a couple of times, your record is either still happening or you're getting to a point where you're going to stop spending all the big bucks to promote it. In my case, the second singles have never been successful. They've been mildly successful and gotten some airplay, some MTV, but they've never really taken off. So we can always hope, but this time won't be different than the last. It's not usually that they're not saying that there are singles, they just sometimes get a little beyond themselves. But that's not their fault, I'd love it if all five singles came out. CO: There are things that have been out a long time and they finally get a single to take off like that Verve Pipe record, "The Freshman". MS: That happens a lot. That's a hard thing to get a label to do, to promote something for so long. People felt like we didn't promote "Sick of Myself" enough on the last record, that if we would have stuck with it longer, it would have been a much bigger hit. But the Top 40 felt so strongly that they could take "We're The Same," they just moved along to that track. You can't really back track it once you move on. So if anything, you should stay with a single longer. CO: Have you guys chosen a follow-up yet? MS: I'm not sure what it's going to be. I've heard a lot of different arguments. Some people say "Back To You," or "Into Your Drug." I've heard people say "Until You Break" being some kind of a pop single, but I don't think you'll see that happening unless we have some huge hits with other songs. People like "Hollow" for rock radio. CO: Has the Chamber of Commerce for California not insisted on "Come to California?" MS: That was all I heard about during the making of the record, but now I don't hear so much of anymore. I think people are just afraid of it at the label, like it's dumb or something. Brendan just went crazy for that song. He was just like "Feelgood hit of the summer!!" CO: Well you live out there now, and it's such an uptempo opener. MS: It's really a sarcastic song, sort of saying that this nasty machine will chew you up. But it's so cheerfully presented, people don't really pick up on it. When we play that live, they think it's a cover. CO: I see you have a sizeable and thorough Web site going. MS: Yeah, there are a few of those. There are some that are just amazing to me. I look at them and I'm so flattered that someone would go to the trouble. CO: I remember asking you one time after a concert what you thought about all the online hysteria that can go on for an artist and you seemed kind of shy about the whole thing. MS: My biggest problem with the online thing is that it becomes an excuse for people to spout off endlessly in a consequence free environment. And I just find that just breeds a lot of egotistical bullshit and that's what I kinda don't like about the Internet. But it's been useful to me in a lot of other ways, so it's kind of softened my view. You know, when I was looking for Mars photos for my record or just trying to find Roger Dean. CO: You find Roger Dean on the Internet? MS: Yeah, well we got an initial contact that way. I found his publisher through that. So I've kinda softened, but it's kinda of another thing to deal with. I'm really bad about answering e-mail. I mean, I can't deal with the phone calls I have in real life much less the other me in Internet life. I can certainly see that it's going to be a big part of our future. CO: What sort of focus do you have on the lyrics at this point in your writing? MS: I think they really grow out of the music for me more at this point. I don't really conceptualize them a lot beforehand. I mean, there are songs where I have a certain idea about a lyrical slant where I might write it all at once like "Missing Time" which I wrote all in one day with the words. A lot of times they are very fill-in-the- blanks and I don't know what they mean. A lot of the analysis of them is hindsight when people start asking me about them. I try not to overthink lyrics. I try to have them be natural and somewhat conversational. It's kind of a mysterious thing for me, the lyrics. I don't know where they come from. CO: So something like "Behind The Smile" is not particularly directed at someone. MS: No, not really. It's a song about somebody who knows they've let somebody down most of the time because of their own problems with themselves. It's a pretty universal concept I think. It has that funny thing "I haven't been a good friend" in it, which is obviously a little joke on _Girlfriend_. My manager really worked me hard to put that song first on the record and I was like "I don't need to be referencing my record two records ago just yet." But I thought it was funny opening _Blue Sky On Mars_ with "Come To California" which is a very martian place in a way. More pressure than I've ever felt from people to move a song on a record. CO: This record is pretty straight forward in terms of presentation. Do you ever think you're going to put together a more complex record using less traditional rock structures? MS: I think maybe, but this was such a natural record for me to make. I didn't plan for it to be really short songs and really concise and all that. It's just sort of the way it came together. I would really love to make a record like, but I just never seem to do it. I'm sure I'm going to make some records where I really stretch out and do some different things eventually. I'm still kind of struggling to make my living you know, and I live in fear of not have anything to show for my success. And that's not to say that I gear my records so that they are easier to sell or anything but I think I'm really trying to do clear, communicative, strong, "me" kind of records at this point. It's not by any sort of design. I mean, you can talk and talk about what kind of record you want to make, but for me it's just whatever songs I happen to write then. I got a few things that are kind of weird and different for the demos that I made for this record for whatever reason. But I don't know if that would mean making kind of an orchestral sort of record by branching out to different sort of instruments. I'm sure it's going to happen eventually. I don't know what it would take for me to be in the right kind of mood. CO: Do you think that if this record went through the ceiling and a year from now you were still even promoting, you'd feel comfortable enough to stretch out? MS: I think so, but I think it would take more than that. After _100% Fun_, I certainly felt comfortable to do a record like that, it just wasn't the time that I was interested in that. I was more interested in making a sort of New Wave record, like ultra-simple versus something complex and floral. But I would love to make something if I didn't feel I had a time crunch. That's the thing most likely to come out of my home studio when I get to a point where I have soundproof rooms and really pro-level equipment. It wouldn't want to do something that emulated too much of say, a _Pet Sounds_ style. It would have to be something that would come out of my own space. I fantasize a lot about making an instrumental record that I may do sooner than later as a side thing. --- CONCERT REVIEW: Beck / The Cardigans / Atari Teenage Riot - Lang Whitaker On a night that could have been billed as "Alternative Culture Meets Agriculture", several of the newcomers on the alternative music scene came to the bible belt and kicked it. Surprisingly, the show held up well despite the socio-economic differences. Atari Teenage Riot opened the night with their own special brand of techno music. It was a mind numbing half hour to say the least. At first I thought maybe there was a broken drum machine or something, because beats were spewing out of the speakers at a machine gun rate. Two young guys with leather jackets burst onto the stage like they were shot out of a cannon and immediately started wiggling about all over the place. I guess that's how you're supposed to dance to techno. The mosh pit ground to a complete halt almost as fast as it had started, and the kids comprising the pit sat down on the floor wherever they had been standing. When the Riot asked "Do you guys want one more song?", the answer came back a thunderous "NO!". Never ones to be dismayed, the Riot graced us with one last ditty anyway. When the Riot finally subsided, The Cardigans took the stage. They appeared to be the anti-Riot. What was so appealing about The Cardigans was that they played with all the posturing and preening of the Riot, but with their tongues firmly planted in cheek. Their set was an equal mix of songs off of their latest album, _First Band On The Moon_, and their earlier American release _Life_. Lead singer Nina Persson had enough moxie to make up for her trying to hide behind the mike stand the entire time, and guitarist Peter Svensson was really impressive. They opened with what had to be the happiest version of Black Sabbath's "Ironman" ever played. The rural crowd wasn't very familiar with The Cardigans' tunes, but when The Cardigans ended their set with the ubiquitous "Lovefool", the audience finally began to feel at home. Finally, it came time for the main event. Beck's band took the stage without him and began laying down a funk groove. Beck's band brought to mind the house band at the club in "Dolemite", not only because of their tight groove, but also for their fashion sensabilities. Holding the band together was the guitarist, Showboat, who played leads and rhythms with equal aplomb. Also worth mentioning was Beck's D.J., who was decked out in a full cowboy outfit, replete with a bandana covering half his face and a 10-gallon hat on top. After grooving for several minutes, Beck came pimp-walking onto the stage in a pin-striped suit and tie. Combined with the spectacle of the disco ball spinning over the stage and the colored light show, it was quite a sight to behold. Beck started off playing songs from _Odelay_ like the throbbing "New Pollution", the donkey love song "Jackass", and the country funk of "Hotwax" in virtual note-for-note renditions off the album. It is possible that they were playing along to a DAT on these songs, because the samples and everything off the album were perfectly synched to the beats. Beck made up for the unoriginality in arrangement by doing various 70's dances during breaks and between songs. Beck then shifted gears and played some older songs off _Mellow Gold_, like "Mountain Dew Rock" and "Pay No Mind". After seeing many kids there wearing "Loser" T-shirts, I wondered if Beck would even play his monster hit from several years ago. Never one to disappoint, Beck did play "Loser", but with a surprising twist. Instead of reeling off an uninspired version of it, Beck and the boys played a version they called "Robo-Loser", in which they all moved and played throughout like robots. It came off like some kind of Devo tribute, which isn't neccesarily a bad thing. For a mid-show change of pace, the band took a break, leaving Beck alone with his acoustic guitar and harmonica. After removing his suitcoat, Beck played plaintive versions of "Asshole", "Truckdriving Neighbors Downstairs (Yellow Sweat)", and "Hollow Log". When his music is stripped down to it's bare bones, the soul of his music really shines through. The crowd hushed and everyone took a seat during this set. It was like we were all suddenly transported to a folk music show. Then, just as we grew comfortable with that setting, Beck shifted gears again. Putting down his guitar and using only his harmonica, Beck ripped off a rollicking "One Foot in the Grave". Propelled by the crowd's unison stomping and clapping, Beck delivered an inspired sermon on how "regulating...must have been invented in North Carolina". The band then rejoined Beck to close with a 15 minute version of his alterna smash, "Where It's At". After playing it through one time by rote, they broke it down, with the DJ adding in snatches of De La Soul's old-school jam "Me, Myself, and I" for good measure. For an encore the band returned for a medley Beck termed "American Wasteland". It began with a hard-charging rendition of "Motherfucker" off _Gold_, and then without missing a note, Beck did a superfast recitation of the lyrics to "Devil's Haircut" to the same thrashing beat. As the band held onto the final note of the evening, Beck took off his electric guitar and smashed it to bits on the floor. Unexpected, yes, but by now we should know enough to expect the unexpected from Beck. --- REVIEW: Daft Punk, _Homework_ (Virgin) - Bob Gajarsky It's never too early to practice up on those ABCs. Some could say that is the motto of Daft Punk on their debut album, _Homework_. Glorified as one of the leaders of the "new" bands in electronica (as opposed to veterans such as the Orb, Chemical Brothers, or Prodigy), Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo have recorded an album on the cheap (in the bedroom, a la White Town) which is sure to be a hit in the clubs in 1997. As a child practices the alphabet one letter at a time to get it right, Daft Punk bring out all the musical stops, one step at a time. This results in a musical classroom-like setting, where the French duo show the listener how their songs are constructed, one section at a time. Songs which might last 3-4 minutes for another group turn into extended 6+ minute lessons in layering one keyboard-based instrumental sound on top of another. "Da Funk", which also appears on _The Saint_ soundtrack, is a beautiful meeting of Chic (circa "Good Times", sans vocals) and the 90s form of electronica; the inside sleeve, complete with a picture of a Chic record, only serves to reinforce the connection. The sleeve, which could have come from an American teenager's room in 1980, includes a Kiss concert poster, _Hit Explosion_ album, can of Dr. Pepper, turntable, and Playboy magazine, amongst other articles. Daft Punk's "respect to..." section covers all the artists the band has listened to, from expected street icons James Brown, Grandmaster Flash and Sugarhill Gang to the unlikely names of Barry Manilow, Urge Overkill and Ween. The track "Teachers" speaks more on these influences, name-dropping Brian Wilson, Dr. Dre, and Lil' Louie Vega through a sometimes computer-generated voice over an authentic hip hop/funk backbeat. _Homework_ will definitely bring hip hop and old school fans over to the world of electronica. For fans of the new style, Daft Punk is in the house, and class is in session. --- REVIEW: Moxy Fruvous, _You Will Go To the Moon_ (Bottom Line) - Jon Steltenpohl Fresh, exciting, and eclectic are words that any fan would use to describe Moxy Fruvous. These self-proclaimed "Alternative Folk Heroes from Canada" went from street performers to major stadiums in just a few years. Here in the United States, street performers are a single evolutionary step away from panhandlers. Mostly, we think of mimes doing "the robot" and guys playing saxophone to karaoke tapes. But in Canada, things are different. Street performers are called "buskers", and a lot of times, they are incredible. Canadians treasure their originality, showmanship, and satirical lyrics. Moxy Fruvous are one of those incredible groups. As the story goes, they were four high-school friends who "took over a Toronto street corner." Their shtick was a kind of improvised and acted out do-wop. They got so popular that they were eventually asked to perform on CBC radio in Canada, and the rest is history. It's been a few years now since Moxy Fruvous played for donations in a hat, and _You Will Go To the Moon_ continues their transition from a live a cappella group to a recorded band very nicely. Nothing is quite the same as a live Moxy Fruvous show. The guys don't just sing songs - they live them. They make strange faces, jump and spin around, run through the crowd, and generally go nuts. Their rap version of Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham" is a show stopper. Those who have seen the band live will have no problem getting into _You Will Go To the Moon_. The style flows from Persian jazz to a Bee Gees cover ("I've Gotta Get A Message to You") with invisible fluidity. Those with Moxy Fruvous in their blood will be amazed. Those without Moxy will be puzzled. Add some politically liberal lyrics and a tendency towards an acoustic and a cappella sound, and you'll find that Moxy Fruvous has a small but dedicated fan base. The opening cut, "Michigan Militia", is pure Moxy. To start with, this _Canadian_ band is slamming a dubious _U.S._ institution! Then, the style of the song is "bluegrass hip-hop". _Deliverance_ style banjos play over a funky bass beat. It's a not-too-subtle poke at mixing backwoods white supremacists with the urban African America they antagonize. There are even samples of barnyard animals quietly "baa"ing in the back of the mix. It takes some massive jewels to poke political satire both across a border and at nationalist gun freaks! The rest of the album careens from one style to the next. "Get in the Car" (which sounds remarkably similar to The Beatles "Drive my Car") pokes fun at guys who are too attached to their cars. Two quiet waltzes, "Lee" and "Love Set Fire", recall the melancholy piano tunes of Tom Waits, and tell similarly fractured tales of love where the "flames look like angel wings." "Kick in the Ass" is an a cappella treat that offers its title to telemarketers and baggage handlers. It's one song that you just keep humming over and over again. The bottom line on Moxy Fruvous is that these guys are great artists with a huge range in lyrics and styles. In Canada, that's a big asset, but in the U.S. of A., it doesn't give them an easy way onto the radio. They compare somewhat to Barenaked Ladies. But where Barenaked Ladies travel the narrow road of quirky pop, Moxy Fruvous is all over the map. But, such variety won't surprise current fans of Moxy Fruvous who will be highly pleased with _You Will Go To The Moon_. --- REVIEW: Simpsons, _Songs In The Key of Springfield_ (Rhino) - Bob Gajarsky America's favorite family doesn't really exist except through the magic of cartoons, but the Simpsons are back with their second album, _Songs In The Key of Springfield_. Whereas the debut Simpsons disc _Sing The Blues_ combined members of the Springfield community with famous musicians in original tracks, serious fans of the show will recognize these songs - for all have originally appeared before on television. That fact shouldn't detract from the value of this disc, as these songs and outtakes have never appeared outside of their television context. And the pairing of highlights from the Simpsons show (songs plus dialogue), showcases the creative brilliance not only of the Simpsons writers, but of series composer Alf Clausen, the man responsible for creating most of the music on this disc. The tracks themselves are often witty takeoffs of other songs, themes and ideas. "Flaming Moe's" owes much to the theme of "Cheers"; "Dr. Zaius" is a direct parody of Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus", and Mr. Burns' "See My Vest" parodies Beauty & The Beast. The ending of "Baby On Board" references the Beatles ("Did we pass the audition?"), while Jack Sheldon recreates his "Schoolhouse Rock" vocals on "The Amendment Song". There's more; eleven different interpretations of the Simpsons theme; "Chimpan A To Chimpan Z", from "Planet of the Apes - The Musical!" pokes fun at the cheezy lyrics in many Broadway musicals, and a quite different version of "In A Gadda Da Vida". Guest stars abound, including Tony Bennett, Robert Goulet and Tito Puente. And, if there was any question of the mysterious voice singing "Happy Birthday, Lisa", we find out (officially) that the song was published by MIJAC Music. Say hello, Mr. Jackson... More volumes will be coming out in the future, so we'll have to wait for Volume 2 to hear the Ramones ("Happy Birthday") and Sting ("We're Sending Our Love Down The Well"). A must for Simpson-philes. File under comedy. --- REVIEW: Bobgoblin, _The Twelve-Point Master Plan_ (MCA) - Jon Steltenpohl Bobgoblin sounds like an early 80's band. My editor told me that before I received this CD. I mumbled that when I popped it in the player, and my wife said, "What is that 80's stuff?" when I went to review it. So, the concensus is in. Not that _The Twelve-Point Master Plan_ is bad. It's actually pretty good. Imagine Frank Black forming a band to play Devo and Cheap trick covers, and you've pretty much got Bobgoblin figured out. Like current 80's throwbacks The Presidents of the United States of America, Bobgoblin is goofy, guitar driven, and uniform clad. The bio describes the band as a futuristic group of rock soldiers in the Liberation Front States Motor Forces, and each of the band members has their pack number embroidered on their uniform. (You can travel to www.bobgoblin.com for a more detailed briefing.) Bobgoblin has gone to a lot of effort creating a very strange image for themselves. If DEVO hadn't dreamed up their own world of de-evolution, Bobgoblin's little fantasy might seem original. Basically, they're just the same bunch of disenchanted, idealistic, DIY rockers that have always been out there. The lyrics steal a little emotion from The Descendents "Suburban Home" and pretty much anything involving Henry Rollins. Suicide is covered in "One Down, One Across", and gun nuts get it in "Nine." "Pinata" relates the story of an oppressed "boy with a candy inside" who gets hung from a rope and beat with a stick. The chorus flip flops between guitar crunches and a "Pinata!" shout out. _The Twelve Point Master Plan_ ends with a bossanova beat caressing the song "Killer." Lead singer Sgt. Hop Manski sings blithely "there's no time to ask him 'Why...Why...Why-hy-hy-hyyyyyyy'". Fortunately, Bobgoblin's obsession with being members of the LFSMF doesn't creep into their music or lyrics. The sound is a bombastic crunch of deep guitar and bass. Simple little hooks bounce up and down, and stop just short of inducing a mosh fit in your brain. Instead, the effect produced is similar to the back and forth head bopping caused by a DEVO tune. At times, the album is a bit linear, and one song is tough to distinguish from the rest. Frank Black and his dearly departed Pixies are represented with "Oh-Ah" backing vocals and melodic interludes between the punchy guitars. Even little bits of The Cars come through in "Close You Eyes, Kids". By the end of _The Twelve Point Master Plan_, it's unclear why Bobgoblin seems so interested in the story line they've created for themselves. Bobgoblin's music has some potential, and it will be interesting to see if the story line turns into a video that kids will latch onto or not. But short of that, the uniform is just a distraction from this better-than- average release. --- REVIEW: Kip Winger, _This Conversation Seems Like A Dream_ (Domo) - Linda Scott In the 80's, a band called Winger was on top of the glam metal world. With front man Kip Winger, his namesake band released three albums in seven years selling more than four million copies. They were the darlings of the metal fan magazines with color pictures and interviews in nearly every issue. Then alternative grunged out of Seattle, and the Winger-like bands hit the canvas. Winger's death blow came from the unlikely source of the Beavis and Butthead cartoon show. A dorky character named Stewart was added to the show. Stewart, forever uncool and out of it, wore his Winger t shirt proudly. The band's sales plummeted even further, Kip Winger begged out of his contract, and Winger was history. The man who once played bass for Alice Cooper, fronted his own band, decided to leave for New Mexico where he would build his own recording studio and rebuild his career. _This Conversation Seems Like A Dream_ is Kip Winger's first solo album. It's in the pop/rock genre, and it's a beauty. Music is by Winger exclusively; so are the lyrics with a collaboration here and there. The man has a beautiful voice that conveys the emotion in the lyrics. Winger says his influences now are Bowie, Thomas Dolby, The Beatles, Gabriel and Sting. The lyrical complexity and beauty are certainly reminiscent of Sting, and the music leans more towards adult contemporary. It this musical style is a favorite of yours, then you'll want this album. From the first track, "Kiss of Life", you know you are into something special. Other personal favorites are "Monster" and "I'll Be Down". Possible singles leap out all over the track list. Winger did a short March tour in support of _This Conversation Seems Like A Dream_ and it's hoped he will agree to a longer one. This album deserves promotion. It's a lovely pop/rock album from the former glam metal posterboy. You can see more on Kip Winger at his record company site: http://www.domo.com He's a talented musician who's remaking his image - Kip Winger is on his way back. --- REVIEW: Walter Clevenger, _The Man With The X-Ray Eyes_ (Permanent Press) - Bill Holmes "Love can make you happy/or it can spit right in your face..." Therein lie the two moods of one Walter Clevenger, whose yang and yin theories of love and relationships pack an impressive debut record. And if the "yang" is the "my life is so blissful with you" half of that couplet, this album is chock full of yin. Thank God for that! The first thing the listener will zero in on is that Clevenger sounds uncannily like Nick Lowe. In fact, I'll wager that I could play "Love You Like A King" , "Love (A Misunderstood Thing)"and "Angels" to friends who are fans of Nick Lowe and they'd swear it was their boy. Although Nick is one of Walter's heroes, I don't consider this record a rip-off or even a homage to Jesus Of Cool; rather it's a case of someone who grew up loving a certain type of music naturally emanating it in his own. That said, however, the converse is certainly true - if you do like Nick Lowe, you'll love Walter Clevenger. His lyrics are witty and biting, as anyone who has been on the wrong end of a romantic crash can attest. Sometimes it's utter dejection ("I used to make the hit parade/Now I only line the cage") and sometimes bitterness ("You say you're sorry/I don't believe you/ 'Cause sorry couldn't cover/half of what you're doing"). Even when he is singing about a happy relationship, it turns out that it's one that slipped through his fingers. If you're despondent about love, this is the soundtrack for your life, and it will either pick up your spirits or hit you deep. Either way, it leaves a mark. Musically, Clevenger nails the pop bulls eye by wrapping up pathos in three-minute nuggets. There are a few different sounds to the record, which may be a result of it having been recorded over a longer period of time. Most are 70s/90s classic pop ("Yesterday's News Now" could be a Rockpile outtake) and some, like "Cries Of Desperation", suggest folk and country-pop influences like the Everly Brothers. Only the closer, "I Don't Like Your Face (Just Git)", sounds out of place. But hey, rednecks gotta cry at the jukebox too, so why not to this one? Clevenger recorded most of the record at his home and issued it under the title _PoPgOeStHeMuSiC_ in 1995. (The cassette-only release quickly sold out through word of mouth and is now a collector's item.) I was delighted to see that Walter's recording was picked up by a label for distribution, and not just any label, either. Permanent Press Recordings is headed by Ray Paul (Klimek), a popster himself, who has also released records by deserving artists like Bob Segarini and Klattu. _The Man With The X-Ray Eyes_ is proof positive that sometimes the best music around is being made in someone's bedroom or garage. Radio Programmers take note: this is music that should be deserves to be playing on radio stations everywhere. For you doubters with Internet access, there's a link to his website on my homepage (http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/8282) where you can hear it for yourself. I heartily urge you to find a copy of this record and wallow in great music. --- NEWS: > The musician Alx has his own Web site, located at http://www.diamondhard.com:80/artists/alx/alx.htm > Fans of Australian pop star Merril Bainbridge can reach out and touch her through cyberspace at the e-mail address merrilb@unistudios.com > Dodgy has released their fourth UK single from _Free Peace Sweet_. "Found You" includes three extra tracks; an "underground excursion version" of the main track, "I Can't Make It", which also appears on the Small Faces tribute album, _Long Ago and Worlds Apart_ and a live version of "Stand By Yourself". > Tentative Oasis information: A new Oasis single, "Everyone's A Winner", is slated for a May 19 UK release date. The single is from the forthcoming album _Be Here Now_, slated for a September or October release. > The Silos have a homepage with tour information, sound clips, photos, and a discography/lyrics to their songs. Check it out at http://world.std.com/~silos > Paul Simon's 1986 classic _Graceland_ disc has been reissued in an enhanced CD format. The enhanced version includes exclusive interviews, original handwritten lyrics, rare video footage and a bonus CD-Rom track. --- TOUR DATES: Automatic May 2 Atlanta, Ga Cotton Club Bloodhound Gang May 2 Detroit, MI St Andrews Hall May 3 Champaign, IL WPGU Planet Fest (w/ Less Than Jake, Jane Jensen ) May 8 Potsdam, NY SUNY-Potsdam Bobgoblin May 1 Iowa City, IA Gabe's May 2 Normal, IL The Gallery May 3 Rockford, IL The Pit Skatepark May 6 Chicago, IL Metro (w/ Pulsars) May 7 Milwaukee, WI The Globe May 8 Ann Arbor, MI Rick's Cafe Brilliantine May 6 Washington, DC Black Cat May 7 Chapel Hill, NC Lizard and Snake Cellophane May 1 Lincoln, NE Hanger 18 May 2 Chicago, IL Double Door May 3 New Orleans, LA ESPN EXTREME GAMES -Audobon Institute May 6 Kansas City, MO Roadhouse Ruby's May 7 Springfield, MO Juke Joint May 10 Virginia Beach, VA ESPN EXTREME GAMES -Mt. Trashmore Chainsuck / Lycia May 4 Birmingham, AL Unity May 5 New Orleans, LA Angel May 7 Fort Worth, TX Impala May 8 Austin, TX Backroom May 9 Midwest City, OK Star May 10 Denver, CO Blue Bird Chemical Brothers May 1 Salt Lake City, UT Brick's May 2 Las Vegas, NV Joint (w/Orb) May 4 Oakland, CA Kaiser Arena (w/Orb) May 7 Seattle, WA Union Station May 10 Los Angeles, CA Shrine Expo Collective Soul / Darlahood May 9 Brookville, NY Tillis Center May 10 Boston, MA Avalon Ballroom Crown Heights May 9 Austin, TX Emo's Dada May 1 Chicago, IL Park West May 3 Sea Bright, NJ Tradewinds May 4 Washington, DC The Bayou May 5 New York, NY Coney Island High May 7 Providence, RI Lupo's May 8 Boston, MA Mama Kin May 9 Philadelphia, PA Theater/Living Arts May 10 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall Dots Will Echo May 3 Easton, PA Lafayette College May 9 Red Bank, NJ No Ordinary Joe May 10 Summit, NJ Common Ground Cafe Drain S.T.H. May 7 Boston, MA The Axis (w/Sister Machine Gun) May 9 New York, NY Coney Island High May 10 Baltimore, MD WIYY Radio Show Humble Gods May 2 Detroit, MI Majestic Theater Humpers Apr. 30 New York, NY Coney Island High May 1 Cambridge, MA TT The Bear May 2 Philadelphia, PA Upstairs At Nicks May 3 New Brunswick, NJ Court Tavern May 4 Providence, RI Met Cafe May 6 Cleveland, OH Peabody's May 7 Columbus, OH Stache's May 9 Des Moines, IA Satori May 10 Sioux City, IA KD Station Jayhawks May 2 New York, NY Irving Plaza May 3 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club May 4 New Haven, CT Toad's Place May 5 Baltimore, MD Bohager's May 6 Washington, DC 930 Club May 8 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle May 9 Charleston, SC Music Farm May 10 Atlanta, GA Roxy Leo Kottke Apr. 29 Cincinnati, OH Bogarts Apr. 30 Columbus, OH Capitol Theatre May 2 Bloomington, IN Bluebird May 3 Cleveland, OH Odeon London Suede / Longpigs May 9 Toronto, ON Warehouse May 10 Ottawa, ON Barrymore Marilyn Manson / Helmet / Rasputina May 2 Hamilton, ON Copps Coliseum May 3 Erie, PA Civic Center May 4 Pittsburgh, PA Civic Arena May 6 Utica, NY War Memorial Matchbox April 28 St. Petersburg, FL State Theatre April 29 Miami, FL Hard Rock Cafe May 1 Greenville NC Characters May 3 Charlotte, NC Tremont Music Hall (w/ the Connells) May 5 Philadelphia, PA Pontiac Grill May 7 New York, NY Mercury Lounge May 9 Charlottesville, VA Trax May 10 Baltimore, MD WIYY show May 13 Winston Salem, NC Ziggy's May 14 Atlanta, GA 99X show May 16 Columbia, MO Blue Note May 17 St. Louis, MO KNPT show May 18 Springfield, MO Juke Joint May 20 Cincinnati, OH Top Cats May 21 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop May 22 Detroit, MI Shelter May 23 Chicago, IL Scubas May 24 Minneapolis, MN WEJE show May 26 Milwaukee, WI WLUM show May 28 Ft. Wayne, IN WEJE show June 4 Sea Bright, NJ Tradewinds John Mayall May 1 New York, NY Bottom Line May 2 Morgan, NJ Club Bene May 3 Huntington, NY Inter-media Arts Center May 4 Alexandria, VA Birchmere May 6 Piermont, NY Turning Point May 7 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall May 8 Burlington, VT Club Metronome May 9 New Haven, CT Toad's May 10 Providence, RI Lupo's Old 97s May 2-3 New York, NY Mercury Lounge Professor & Maryann May 10 New York, NY West Bank Cafe Reel Big Fish May 9 Santa Barbara, CA Ucsb Fiji House May 10 Redlands, CA Uc Redlands Samples May 1 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall May 2 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's May 3 Athens, OH Pi Kappa Alpha Field May 4 Champaign, IL Thunderbird Theatre May 7 St. Peter, MN Lund Arena May 8 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue May 9 Omaha, NE Ranch Bowl May 10 St. Louis, MO Mississippi Nights Shonen Knife May 1 Boston, MA Paradise May 2 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts May 3 New York, NY Irving Plaza May 5 Washington, DC 9:30 Club May 6 Atlanta, GA Masquerade May 7 New Orleans, LA House of Blues May 9 Houston, TX Urban Art Bar May 10 Dallas. TX Galaxy Silverchair / Automatic May 3 St. Petersburg, FL Jannus Landing May 4 Ft. Lauderdale, FL The Theatre and Club May 6 Houston, TX West Park Entertainment Center May 7 Dallas, TX Bomb Factory May 10 Phoenix, AZ Club Rio Sister Hazel May 2 Auburn, AL Auburn University May 3 Atlanta, GA Music Midtown Fest Sneaker Pimps / Chimera May 2 Cincinnati, OH Top Cats May 3 Chicago, IL Metro May 4 Milwaukee, WI Rave May 5 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue May 8 Denver, CO Bluebird Stone Temple Pilots / Cheap Trick Apr. 28 Binghamton, NY Broom Co. Arena Apr. 29 Allentown, PA Stabler Arena May 1 Johnson City, TN Freedom Hall May 2 Roanoke, VA Civic Center May 3 North Charleston, SC Coliseum May 4 Atlanta, GA Music Midtown Festival May 5 Orlando, FL UCF Arena May 7 Birmingham, AL Oak Mountain May 9 New Orleans, LA UNO Arena May 10 Pensacola, FL Civic Center U2 May 1 Denver, CO Mile High Stadium May 3 Salt Lake City, UT Rice Stadium May 6 Eugene, OR Autzen Stadium May 9 Phoenix, AZ Sun Devil Stadium Verve Pipe May 8 New York, NY Irving Plaza --- Founded in August, 1993, Consumable Online is the oldest continuous collaborative music publication on the Internet. To get back issues of Consumable, check out: WWW: http://www.westnet.com/consumable FTP: ftp.quuxuum.org in the directory /pub/consumable ftp.prouser.org (URL) http://www.westnet.com/consumable/Consumable.html (Delphi) Music Fandom forum; GO ENT MUSIC Web access contributed by WestNet Internet Services (westnet.com), serving Westchester County, NY. 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