==== ISSUE 114 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [July 9, 1997] Editor: Bob Gajarsky Internet: gajarsky@email.njin.net Sr. Correspondents: Jeremy Ashcroft, Reto Koradi, David Landgren, Sean Eric McGill, Tim Mohr, Al Muzer, Jamie Roberts, Joe Silva, John Walker Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Tracey Bleile, Lee Graham Bridges, Scott Byron, Patrick Carmosino, Janet Herman, Bill Holmes, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Stephen Lin, Scott Miller, P. Nina Ramos, Linda Scott, Scott Slonaker, Simon Speichert, Jon Steltenpohl, 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 | `------------' ANNOUNCEMENT: Changes with Consumable INTERVIEW: Pennywise - Al Muzer REVIEW: Cheap Trick, _Cheap Trick_ - Bill Holmes REVIEW: Charlatans UK, _Tellin Stories_ - Tim Kennedy REVIEW: The Caulfields, _L_ - Bill Holmes REVIEW: Ben Harper, _The Will To Live_ - Lang Whitaker REVIEW: Toad The Wet Sprocket, _Coil_ - Bob Gajarsky REVIEW: Supertramp, _Some Things Never Change_ - Reto Koradi REVIEW: Patrick Prins, _Movin' Melodies - The Album_ / Various Artists, _Anthems_ - Jon Steltenpohl REVIEW: Mark Eitzel, _West_ - Reto Koradi REVIEW: Friends Of Dean Martinez, _Retrograde_ - Tracey Bleile REVIEW: matchbox 20, _Yourself Or Someone Like You_ - Linda Scott REVIEW: Meridian Arts Ensemble, _Anxiety of Influence_ / _Smart Went Crazy_, Margaret Leng Tan, _The Art of the Toy Piano_ - Jon Steltenpohl REVIEW: Walt Mink, _Colussus_ - Scott A. Miller REVIEW: The Vents, _Venus Again_ - Linda Scott ERRATA NEWS: Fluf TOUR DATES: Backsliders, Boston, Brad / Verbow, Candy Machine, Clarks, Cowboy Mouth, Dots Will Echo, Furthur Festival (incl. Black Crowes and many more), G3 (Joe Satriani / Steve Vai / Kenny Wayne Shepherd), Government Mule / Sweet Vine, Rickie Lee Jones, Junkster, Lollapalooza (Tool/Prodigy/Korn/more), Michelle Malone, Mindset, Walt Mink, Moxy Fruvous , My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult / Radio Iodine, Sister Hazel, Thin Lizard Dawn, Vallejo, Verve Pipe / Tonic / K's Choice, Warped (Reel Big Fish, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Social Distortion, Sick Of It All, Less Than Jake), The Why Store Back Issues of Consumable --- ANNOUNCEMENT: With the four year anniversary of Consumable Online fast approaching, there are some changes coming to Consumable. Keep your eye peeled here during the next few weeks, but for now, we've set up an automatic subscription service for Consumable. Effective immediately, to subscribe to Consumable, send an e-mail message to consumable-request@westnet.com with the body of the message stating "subscribe consumable". To unsubscribe, send a message to the same address stating "unsubscribe consumable". --- INTERVIEW: Pennywise - Al Muzer More punk than you - the four members of Pennywise have spent the last nine years doing, pretty much, whatever the hell they wanted to. Formed in 1988 with Hermosa Beach, Calif. (also the birthplace of pioneers such as the Descendents, Black Flag and The Circle Jerks) skate punks Byron McMackin on drums, Fletcher Dragge on guitar, Jim Lindberg on vocals and Jason Thirsk on bass - Pennywise has taken the slow, but steady, route on their way to becoming one of punk's biggest, if least flashiest, success stories. "What a lot of people don't seem to realize," begins Lindberg with a mixture of pride and defiance, "is that we've been around for eight years now and our latest record sold more than the last - which sold more than the one before that, which sold more than the one before that. If you're playing music, that's all, really, you can hope for, you know? That you're constantly moving forward." "We've always made a concerted effort to not become overexposed," he adds, "to the point of actually turning down things that would've increased our standing and made money for us. I really think it's every band's responsibility to do what their fans want them to - and," Lindberg laughs, "I think our fans have made it very clear that they don't want us on the radio or MTV and they don't want to see us in big, glossy magazines doing the whole 'sell out' thing. They feel that it cheapens the message of a band like Pennywise and, in many ways, I agree with them. Our fans are the most important thing [to us] and, as long as they're happy, we're happy." "At the other end of the spectrum," he says hesitantly, as if ashamed to be harboring such thoughts, "you sometimes kind'a find yourself thinking, 'well, why don't we get the respect we deserve?' You know, when you see other bands that don't sell as many records as you do, that don't play to crowds as big as yours - getting all types of press coverage." "At the same time, if we went back two, or three, or four years and looked at the Billboard Top 200," Lindberg adds, "I bet you wouldn't recognize many of the names. I think that longevity is more important for a band than having one big hit and your ugly mug splashed across magazines and newspapers everywhere - only to become a 'has been' the very next month." While peer (sort'a) groups such as Green Day, Rancid and the Offspring have struggled, and failed miserably, to achieve anything remotely resembling the success of their respective mega-hit efforts; Pennywise has continued to build on their fanatical following thanks to four solid albums for Epitaph Records (including the recently released _Full Circle_), thousands of intense live performances on stages across the globe (including the last two Warped Tours), some serious band integrity (the group turned down a slot on the 1995 Lollapalooza main stage because ticket prices were too high while Fletcher once threw up all over a KROQ FM radio host during a broadcast), a tragedy (the 1996 death of Thirsk) and an unrelenting, "blinders on" conviction that Pennywise music is Pennywise music and you just don't fuck with what ain't broken. "I think a lot of our success has to do not only with us playing the music that our fans expect from us," Lindberg offers. "But, at the same time, by us trying to grow as musicians and become better with each new album. While the fans notice the change in the band, they're still, like, 'Okay, but they haven't strayed so far that they've totally alienated me.' The fans kind'a wanna know what they're gonna get when they shell out the money for your album." "With Pennywise, they wanna know that they're gonna get 14 really fast songs," he laughs, "with a lot of screaming and a positive message in there. If we were to, all of a sudden, just bust out and play some techno music, you know, or 'let's boogie down tonight', something not consistent with what we're doing," Lindberg explains. "If we were to just write some song for the radio so we could pad our wallets, well, you know, I think that's really talking down to your audience - and there's been a lot of bands who've done that recently." Featuring 14 blasts of their, by now, standard louder-harder-faster-straighter-edge skate punk roar with Jim's "get off yer ass and fix it yourself!" slogan/lyrics driving a positive message home; certain parts of _Full Circle_, such as the hyper-pop hook in "What If I," the bouncy tempo of "Every Time," the churning riff of "Did You Really" or the beautiful piano piece that closes the disc, are new additions to the Pennywise sound and show a band willing to open up and experiment even as they mourn the untimely death of a founding member and close friend. More or less replaced by bassist Randy Bradbury on most of 1993s _Unknown Road_, parts of '95s _About Time_ and all of _Full Circle_, while his musical contribution to Pennywise had greatly diminished over the years since the group's 1991 self-titled debut, Jason Thirsk was still a brother for life - so his 1996 suicide after years of escalating drug use hit his friends especially hard. "This was a really tough year for us," reflects Lindberg. "You learn a lot about mortality and life and death when something like this happens to you. A lot of the songs on this record reflect our state of mind in the aftermath of everything that's happened this year. You know, sometimes, death isn't a reality until it really knocks you down, steps on your neck and pisses down your throat - these songs are our way of trying to appreciate life by understanding that, well, it's gonna end some day." ' "Destiny", "Final Day", "Did You Really" and "Every Time" were all written after Jason's death," he adds, "and are about what we were going through as we tried to deal with it. You know, I wouldn't ever want anyone to think that we were trying to capitalize on a tragedy, but, I really don't think you can be honest as an artist or a musician if you don't speak about what's going on in your life. Besides, the situation was definitely something that had to be addressed." "This was an incredibly difficult album, mostly on an emotional level, for us to make," Lindberg says of the studio sessions for _Full Circle_. "I think we reached a new level of intensity in that we only did one or two takes of every song and we totally put our hearts into everything. We played the songs on pure emotion, instead of trying to get a certain guitar part or a vocal to sound totally precise." "We really wanted to capture the energy, intensity and emotion that was there when we wrote them," he says as he recalls songs written in tribute to his late bassist and friend. "We worked really hard to make Full Circle sound exactly like we wanted it to sound, and I think we actually came pretty close to recreating what we heard in our heads." "As for the lyrics," Lindberg offers, "I like for there to be a point to the song as opposed to a song made just for the sake of the music. Now, when something like that's done well, it sounds cool. But, half the time, you can tell that the band was just trying to write something for people to sing along to when it came on the radio." "Pennywise lyrics are, sort of, like two friends talking to each other about various situations," Lindberg says as he explains the band's occasionally didactic messages. "They're also interpersonal in the sense that, on a lot of these songs, we're also talking to ourselves." "Singing 'You do this and you do that,' " he concludes, "well that's also how you talk to yourself. You know, that's you telling yourself not to waste time, not to take for granted or miss out on the opportunities waiting out there for you." "Those are the sort of things I have to constantly keep reminding myself not to do," Lindberg says sadly, "and, like anything worth doing, they're the sort of things that take practice and need repeating." --- REVIEW: Cheap Trick, _Cheap Trick_ (Red Ant Records) - Bill Holmes Unlike most bands from the 1970's who fell apart but came back for the money; Cheap Trick has been grinding it out for twenty years. A slight bump in the road saw a revolving door for bass players for a few years, but with 12-string thumper Tom Petersson back in the fold, the original Tricksters are once more intact. Everything else has changed, however - the band's long time management has been jettisoned, a new label selected, and symbolically, a second self-titled record signaling a new phase in their career. Those old enough to remember the remarkable start this band had - four power pop classics spit out at a pace only Elvis Costello could keep up with - probably grew "comfortable" with the band's mid period. Like many acts of the time, as radio changed, so did their window of opportunity. If there ever was a pinkie ring era in rock, it was then, with rock and roll still young enough not to recognize the trappings of styling to the movement du jour rather than just blasting at your own level come hell or high water. The result was a string of spotty records that featured a few sparks of brilliance, many exercises in producer's whimsy, and worst of all for the band, songs written by hired guns. Unfortunately, one of these was "The Flame", a song perfectly suited to Robin Zander's majestic voice, but ammunition for the nay-sayers that more outside material would be the way to go. For many, this is the biggest hit they ever had, their radio legacy. To a band that prides itself on its writing as much as its performance, that's a sore spot. When you're swimming in career quicksand it's tough to make a move, but whatever got under the band's skin recently may have been the best thing that ever could have happened to them. _Cheap Trick_ is easily the best record the band has made in fifteen years or more, and it's because they are doing what they want the way they want to do it. It's hard to imagine that the mid-80s version would dare include a confessional weeper like "Shelter" on a record, but here it works beautifully. The out and out rockers like "Baby No More", "Anytime" and especially the incandescent "Wrong All Along" kick ass like anything from their prime. Robin Zander has one of the greatest voices in rock and roll, able to scream or glide from note to note with equal ease, and he sounds as good now as ever. Two of his vocal showcases are also prime hit single candidates - "Carnival Game" and the Beatle-esque stunner "Say Goodbye". Rick Nielsen's imaginative guitar playing is fresh, and the rhythm section of Carlos and Petersson is solid. While the drawn out "You Let A Lot Of People Down" does absolutely nothing for my ears, I could mix the rest of this record with the first four records in my CD changer and be a happy guy. I'd just hope that the closer would still be "It All Comes Back To You", the Lennon-ish ballad that send you off with a smile. It would have been very easy for Cheap Trick to roll over and die. With their box set release and list of tribute comments from bands twenty years their junior, they could have played the old fart circuit for years, picking up the checks like Journey and Boston do. Instead, they've unplugged the life support system and are back to kick our ass all over again. Watch out, younger bands, the old dog learned something after all. --- REVIEW: Charlatans UK, _Tellin Stories_ (MCA) - Tim Kennedy The Charlatans and I go back a long way. This is not an unbiased review, because after about 8 years of disillusionment with rock music, I went to see their awe-inspiring live show in March '90. Then they were a total 1967 freakout, with oil light backdrop, and a sound that was like Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, but with a dancefloor sensibility that was obviously missing from the work of El Syd. They dared to do long instrumentals, and created uplifting, yet at times threatening soundscapes. It's hard to believe an eerie atmospheric nine minute number like "Sproston Green" was actually about a young lady from a little farming village in the rural north west of England. I saw them two months before I saw the Stone Roses show at Spike Island, Merseyside. Live, at that time, the Roses weren't in the same league. Not only could Tim Burgess sing, but the classic Hammond sound made this band truly special. To the music fan who never saw them then as I did but who heard the records, this sounds no doubt like hyperbole. Yet they really were that good. I actually think the best recording of the band was a John Peel session they did at the time - featuring notably "Polar Bear", "Then", and "The Only One I Know". And now we have this album, which is the truly gifted Rob Collins' epitaph- Rob having met the reaper after a car crash some months ago. Now the Charlies have gone bluesy, just like their forefathers of '67 did after all the acid wore off. The voice sounds odd in the context of those dirty guitars, like a child as ever. And therein may lie one reason for their survival seven years on - Tim still looks younger than most of the audience. The only keyboard tracks they have used is that which remains from Rob's last work, so a lot of it sounds like there is something missing. Most eerie of all is the use of recordings of Rob as a child which feature on "Rob's Theme" - a superfly instrumental which he contributed during sessions for the album. This album features elements of their old sound - the building crescendo of sound, often based on minimal chord-changes, but giving a feel which is warm, and generous. The lyrics are no longer childish ("I want to bomb your submarine" and "have you seen my Polar Bear?" blessed the early set). Now Tim frequently relies on fairly hackneyed good-time cliches from the sixties. But they were never a serious lyric band anyway. The band they obviously take their cue from now is not the Strawberry Alarm Clock, but The Stones. Dylan crops up in the lyrics a lot - one of the songs is even entitled "You're A Big Girl Now". Another song recalls Free. This album is best listened to loud and in your car, or even better at a club where you can have a good dance. It is moving and it will move you. --- REVIEW: The Caulfields, _L_ (A&M) - Bill Holmes Let's get the tired old phrases out of the way - no references to "sophomore efforts" or having "their whole life to write their first record and only two years to write their second." Instead, lets focus on this record as a fifteen track document by a band that has something to say and the pop chops to say it impressively. Those familiar with _Whirligig_ will be impressed by the continuity of _L_; newbies will be thrilled to hear a band that combines the pop sensibilities and lyrical charm of bands like the Posies and Squeeze with the rhythmic pulse of contemporaries like Better Than Ezra or The Odds. A rock-standard four piece by nature, they're not afraid to throw in the odd instrument; horns enhance a couple of tracks and a theramin adds a spooky effect to "Waiting To Cry". Many of the songs feature a strong dual vocal, yet nothing is lost when John Faye's emotional vocals fly solo. Don't be thrown by odd song titles like "The Kitchen Debate" or "President Of Nothing". Although the subject matter tackles some heady themes - incompatibility, family tensions and severed relationships - this isn't _Berlin_ by any means. Drawing from the roller coaster ride of the past couple of years, lyricist John Faye's poignant and witty insights into relationships are framed by everything from mid-tempo strolls to chunky power pop rockers. "Beard Of Bees" (now there's a pop title for you!) is a standout with its punchy guitar riffs, and "Book Of Your Life" could find a home wherever the Gin Blossoms are welcome. The standout track is probably the abovementioned rocker "The Kitchen Debate" or the heartfelt wistful "Once Upon A Time", a song Faye calls "a dysfunctional fairy tale". Actually I could list good things about every track on the CD with the exception of "All I Want Is Out". Pretty impressive when fifty-two out of fifty-five minutes of music gets a thumbs-up. Don't be surprised to see this record on a lot of year-end lists. Oh, and the record's title? Apparently enough people misspelled the group's name as "Caufields" that they thought they'd supply the missing letter. Sense of humor intact, The Caulfields have kicked anonymity's ass. Where _Whirligig_ was a fun record with tongue in cheek humor, _L_ serves notice that there is major league song writing going on here. --- REVIEW: Ben Harper, _The Will To Live_ (Virgin) - Lang Whitaker Quick - name the only artist who has opened for Dave Matthews Band, the Rolling Stones, and Pearl Jam, all in the last two years. Don't know? Yup, it's Ben Harper. You'd think after such high profile gigs, Harper would finally be coming into his own commercially. To his credit, with his newest release _The Will to Live_, Harper shows that the commercial is secondary to the heart: "It's the next step. It's like crawling to walking to running to flying. Those are tough steps from one to the next." Harper says. "I could have made an entire rock record or an entire ballad record or an entire soul record, but that's not my life. My life is different movements, it's different rhythms in my heart and in my mind." Harper's 1994 debut, the classic _Welcome to the Cruel World_, and his sophomore release, 1995's _Fight for Your Mind_, established Harper as the unique artist he is - an amazing amalgam of blues, soul, folk, rock, funk, and country. As far as I know, Ben Harper is one of the few artists fronting a band who plays entire shows without standing up, a testament to Harper's musicianship. He is able to coax a wide range of tones and emotions from his Weissenborn lap / slide guitars regardless of their open-tuning limitations. The new album, _The Will To Live_, never strays far from Harper's past. Two or three of the cuts take a new direction, but generally _Will_ walks in Harper's previous footsteps. The song "Mama's Trippin'" is a definite departure for Harper. Utilizing a wah-wah and a horn section, the song evokes memories of Marvin Gaye or Ray Charles. The opening guitar riff also is eerily reminiscent of "Fly Like an Eagle", Steve Miller's opus. "Glory & Consequence" is another new foray for Harper, with it's two distinctly differing rhythmic parts. Save these two songs, the album is vintage Harper. Harper's longtime collaborator and producer J. P. Plunier pulls a few production tricks that kind of spin the songs a little differently than in the past. The opener, "Faded", except for its flanging vocals, could easily be off of _Fight_, with it's grinding guitars and hard-hitting rhythm. "Homeless Child" is a Delta blues romp that sounds like it's lifted straight off of vinyl. "Roses From My Friends" starts off with a sea of backtracked Weissenborns, with another Weissenborn being played normally over them. The most beautiful track is easily "I Shall Not Walk Alone", an elegaic ballad that describes how the writer's faith will never leave him lonely. This is a song that will make your girlfriend cry. Harper's backing band, The Innocent Criminals, has been reworked from the last tour. Gone are the young drummer Oliver and percussion master Leon Mobley. Harper has replaced the both of them with Dean Butterworth, who makes the transition seamless. Juan Nelson remains on the bass, driving this train forward. Unfortunately, it appears Harper's lyrical abilities have not matured much in the past few years. His reliance on standard catch phrases and maxims to carry his verses was understandable on his first few efforts, but begins to grow tiresome. Harper wrote much of _Will_ on the road while touring in support of _Fight_, and this manifests itself in the shallowness of the lyrics. At times it sounds like Ben has an 80-word vocabulary, and he just keeps regurgitating the same words over and over. I swear the word "mama" is on every song he sings. The lyric deficiency would be enough to sour me from this album, were it not for Harper's voice. His angelic voice has a range that dwells in a high and fragile falsetto. At times he reminds me of a young Smokey Robinson, and more often his voice recalls Bob Marley's ragamuffin tones. At times Harper's voice approaches perfection. Harper tries to cure the world's hunger and prejudice problems with every song. Talk about ambition. If you've ever heard and liked a Harper album before, this is a must have. If you never heard Harper before, give him a try - maybe he'll help you find _The Will to Live_. --- REVIEW: Toad The Wet Sprocket, _Coil_ (Columbia) - Bob Gajarsky Cursed with a name they'd rather not discuss, Toad the Wet Sprocket have returned to the music scene with their sixth album, _Coil_. The name - taken from an obscure Monty Python skit - has become synonymous with solid hooks and thoughtful writings. While their first two records (_Bread and Circus_ and _Pale_) sold only to a small core group of fans, the breakthrough smash "All I Want" helped propel _Fear_ to a larger audience. As one of the bands that have helped define the Adult Alternative radio format (by their own records and those who have followed with a similar sound, such as Hootie), it would be expected that Toad would have achieved a more mainstream status. Still, although _Fear_ marked a departure from their first two discs, the band has never had an album sell millions of copies and ironically, have retained more integrity among their fans. The straight-ahead formula which Toad has employed on their last two 'new' discs, _Dulcinea_ and _Fear_, continues unabated with _Coil_; a definite line between simple, but addictive 'quiet' rock and softer, more intimate songs. And just as those two discs took repeated spins to grow on this critic, it look several times listening to _Coil_ before realising that this is just as strong a record as those previous two issues. As is their wont, Toad express themselves with incisive, meaninful lyrics as well as in their sounds. The rocking "Whatever I Fear" is a tale which shows not only that you can go home again, but that you don't have to leave to 'grow up', while the chorus for "Amnesia" is based on the Rev. Martin Niemoller quote from World War 2, "I Didn't Speak Up". The hidden gem of this disc could be "Crazy Life", which swaps the usual lead vocals of Glen Phillips for those of guitarist Todd Nichols. From a musical standpoint, this combines R.E.M.'s "Drive" with the more poignant songs of Brian Wilson, and could become a monster hit with a little bit of luck. In conclusion, _Coil_ won't necessarily bring any more fans into the Toad camp, but it will make the group's afficionados happy. And from the attitude which the band's members have expressed in the past, that's just fine with them. --- REVIEW: Supertramp, _Some Things Never Change_ (Oxygen/SilverCab) - Reto Koradi Supertramp? The Supertramp that we were crazy about when going to school, many years ago? Yes, it's them. And the album title is program: _Some Things Never Change_. Well, one thing did change: Roger Hodgson lived up to the '82 album title, _Famous Last Words_, and continued solo, with decreasing success. Part of his role is now taken over by Mark Hart, formerly of Crowded House. Old fans will feel immediately familiar with this album. Most songs are carried by bouncing keyboard lines, fresh sounding horns set the accents, and Rick Davies' trademark vocals are easy to pick out among thousands. The songs range from tasteful ballads like "Live To Love You" and "And The Light" to the bluesy "Help Me Down That Road", and of course there are the shamelessly good pop songs like "You Win, I Lose" and "C'est What?" that one expects from Supertramp. From a technical point of view, thanks to modern recording equipment, Supertramp sound better than ever. Everything is carefully crafted, perfectly played, and right at its place. With 70 minutes, the album can get somewhat lengthy at places and the listener's attention tends to slip away during some of the more atmospheric parts. But _Some Things Never Change_ is a nearly perfect pop album. The only problem for Supertramp is that hardly anybody wants to hear perfect pop music nowadays, what got the masses excited 20 years ago now revokes mostly feelings of nostalgia. But an occasional bit of nostalgia can never hurt, and many hyped bands of today could learn from some of the qualities present on this album. --- REVIEW: Patrick Prins, _Movin' Melodies - The Album_ / Various Artists, _Anthems_ (AM: PM / A&M Records, UK) - Jon Steltenpohl "Finally," I say to myself, "some music I can dance to." As a guy stuck in the midwest of the United States, getting to decent dance clubs on a regular basis is nearly impossible. One can only hear the phrases "I got the power" and "Get ready for this" so many times before they explode, and don't even start me on the latest crop of MTV techno darlings... But now, in my very own hands, there are two pieces of gold. These two import compilations include some of the best dance tracks I've heard in the clubs, and they are certainly the best complete albums I've heard outside of a club. Most importantly, they're mixed together track to track for no interruption party playing. Patrick Prins emerges from the Netherlands with a definitive 1993 to 1996 retrospective of 18 of his best tracks collectively titled _Movin' Melodies - The Album_. There is a definite progression of technology and skill that starts with the slightly mechanical and synthesized sound of 1993's "Looking for 3-D" to the flowing smoothness of 1996's "Don't Hold Back". 1993's "P.A.R.T.Y." starts out like a hyper Technotronic song and then, after 2 minutes, ends abruptly with a big Gong Show "gong" and then breaks in a rollicking jam. "Le Voie Le Soleil" has a classical music feel to it with piano breaks and synthesized strings. "Bailando Guitarra" and "La Luna" will be familiar to even a casual club fan. "Bailando Guitarra" is heavy on voice samples with a diva singing "I need release" and a guy saying "Kick the groove" over and over again. "La Luna" has the familiar tag "To the beat of the drum, BANG, To the beat of the drum, BANG-BANG." "Silence is a Rhythm Too" layers multiple screams of "silence!" over a bubbling bass rhythm that actually gives live to the typical "thump-thump" beat of modern house music. The two most recent tracks from October 1996, "Rollerblade" and "Don't Hold Back", are the best on the album. "Rollerblade" is the only track to employ a diva and a melody, and "Don't Hold Back" is not only danceable, but the mixing and production are perfect. AM:PM's compilation, _Anthems_, features some of the best tracks from this UK label's catalog. Unlike Patrick Prins' synthetic sound, these tracks are focused strictly on their divas. "Saturday" by East 57th St. and "Nobody's Business" by H2O featuring Billie are the standout tracks on this album. They alone are worth the price of the album, and they are guaranteed to get your feet moving and your arms raised. After listening to "Saturday", you won't spend a single weekend at home again. "Can I Get a Witness" by Ann Nesby, with help from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, combines funk and dance to perfection. Future Force's "Puttin' A Rush" does the same with R&B rhythms. (Both tracks make this U.S. listener think that our post "New Jack" style of R&B is a complete waste of time.) Other memorable tracks on the _Anthems_ compilation include a remix of The Police's "Voices Inside My Head", Sarah Washington's "Heaven", Future Force's "What You Want", and Alcatraz's seductive "Give Me Love". AM:PM has released two excellent compilation albums that are definitely guaranteed to keep your party going until dawn. Unlike many of the weak compliations in the "techno" sections of the music stores, you can play either Patric Prins' _Movin' Melodies - The Album_ or the _Anthems_ compilation straight through without skipping a single track. Plus, since they are designed for the home listener, they are both mixed into a continuous 70+ minute groove. _Anthems_ is slightly more engaging and melody based, but both albums are excellent choices for reproducing the club experience without ever leaving your own home. --- REVIEW: Mark Eitzel, _West_ (Warner) - Reto Koradi An interesting couple, without any doubt: Mr. American Music Club, Mark Eitzel, meets his REMness Peter Buck. The fact that they managed to write 11 songs within 3 days indicates already that the chemistry between the two was right. And there is no need to worry for AMC fans that the influence of a big name would suddenly make Mark Eitzel write songs about happiness. _West_ is certainly the least suitable album to create a party atmosphere, and listening to it too frequently might be harmful for your mental state. But for these sad moments where you really need to let yourself fall for a while, it is hard to beat. Eitzel puts melancholy into lyrics and music like few others, and reaches a deepness that can send shivers down your spine. Just when you think to hear an optimistic twist in a line like "I'm gonna move myself ahead", this is shortly followed by "and I don't know how". Some of the lyrics are also mysterious in a fascinating way, and leave room for interpretation, like the chorus of "Three Inches Of Wall", one of the highlight tracks on the album: "there is a song in the next room, that I can't quite hear, and only three inches of wall, separates me from my fear". Peter Buck plays his part in this fruitful partnership perfectly. His guitar work is excellently done, but he always stays far enough in the background to make it mainly showcase Eitzel's capabilities. Only rarely, like in the intro of "In Your Life", can one clearly identify REM sounds. The simple production done by Eitzel and Buck themselves perfectly fits with the music. You can place bets that _West_ will not enter any major charts; this is not music for the masses. But those that are not afraid of darkness should put it right beside their Red House Painters and Tom Waits albums. There can be beauty in sadness, and Mark Eitzel captures these emotions in an outstanding way. --- REVIEW: Friends Of Dean Martinez, _Retrograde_ (Sub Pop) - Tracey Bleile For those of you hipsters who enjoy good music that will outlive the five-minute hype surrounding the revitalization of lounge last year...Yes, swingers, the mysterious Southwestern supergroup making beautiful noise, Friends Of Dean Martinez, has slipped us a sweet little mickey with their further explorations of backdrop sounds that belong right in the front in _Retrograde_. It reminds me of the one and only shot of tequila I ever did, smooth and golden, with an immediate potent effect. Needless to say, I enjoy this release much more. No hangover. Starting with the core members of Bill Elm, Van Christian and Joey Burns, who have graced the line-ups of high-caliber bands hailing from Arizona (Giant Sand, Naked Prey), Elm then calls upon his many Friends from the region to add their own talents. The guesting Friends as always, read like a who's-who of the region - Tom Larkins (Naked Prey, Gila Bend) on percussion and drums, Chris Cacavas (Green On Red) tickling his many kinds of ivories, John Convertino (drums and vibes - also of Giant Sand) and Woody Jackson (ex-Useless Playboys, guitar, clarinet) to name just a few. _Retrograde_ offers up a whole new slew of gorgeous instrumentals that rely as much on steel guitar, violin, and saxophone (played with emotion and style by Ralph Carney of Tom Waits' band) as they do the vibes and goofy percussion sounds to produce a feel of something classier than your average lounge. It's the kind of band that belongs in the best little nightclub you know, a band that gets heard as much as it gets taken for granted as the perfect backdrop to a night out in the desert. The sad and plaintive feel of many of the songs (even the effects drawn out by moog and keyboards only point up the campfire mood) is based around Elm's voice-like stylings with steel guitar and the willingness to use any appropriate instrument, including harmonicas and cellos to achieve this atmospheric feel - check out the great train-coming-on intro of "Westbound #11", and the growl of a big car disappearing into the desert night on the title track. But it can also turn sprightly and swinging in an instant, owing to the vibes backing up the high-twangy end of Elm's playing, setting a new standard for a jazz standard, as in "Monte Carlo", and a smooth key-drenched cover of the Beach Boys' "The Warmth of The Sun" - a subject these Arizona natives (although Bill Elm now resides in L.A.) probably feel awfully close to. It's always a great thing when a side project can be completely different from what you normally produce as a musician and yet still be so rooted in where you come from, musically and geographically. _Retrograde_ gets my wholehearted vote for the disc that gets plopped on at the end of a particularly great evening spent hanging out, and the after-dinner drinks have been poured. Savor them both slowly and with great enjoyment. Further details on the band and the track listing can be found at Sub Pop Records' website, http://www.subpop.com --- REVIEW: matchbox 20, _Yourself Or Someone Like You_ (Lava/Atlantic) - Linda Scott This album was a big surprise. The sleeve artwork is goofy; a fat man in a silly cap with ear warmers is looking in a window. You might think this is another silly teenage new-punk band. But put it in your cd player, and you have some lovely music. The surprise is that this is a *debut* album. Hard to believe that this is the first recording by matchbox20. Amazing. The big standout for matchbox20 is Rob Thomas, songwriter and lead vocalist. The lyrics focus intensely on personal relationships. Not only are the songs wonderfully interesting, but Thomas also delivers a one-two punch with his delivery. The phrasing and emphasis are excellent. Thomas' voice is strong, filled with emotion, and is clearly the focal point of _Yourself Or Someone Like You_. If you've heard Counting Crows' Adam Duritz, Thomas writes and sings with that same distinctive power. Thomas fronted matchbox20 from the time he recruited Paul Doucette on drums and Brian Yale on bass. Lead guitarist Kyle Cook and rhythm guitarist Adam Gaznor came along a bit later. The band's influences through Thomas are Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Al Green and R.E.M. The band was quickly signed by Lava/Atlantic, and Producer Matt Serletic (Collective Soul) was enlisted to record _Yourself Or Someone Like You_ which was released last year. By the end of April this year, the album had gone gold in U.S. sales. The first single, "Long Day", was a hit on the alternative singles charts. "Push" is the second single and is also doing well. Another they should select is the leadoff track, "Real World". For more information on matchbox20, check out their web site at http://www.matchbox20.com. --- REVIEW: Meridian Arts Ensemble, _Anxiety of Influence_ / _Smart Went Crazy_ (Channel Crossings) / Margaret Leng Tan, _The Art of the Toy Piano_ (Point Music/Polygram) - Jon Steltenpohl For those familiar with the strangeness of Frank Zappa and John Cage, the music of Meridian Arts Ensemble and Margaret Leng Tan is certainly nothing surprising. But for the general population, the avant garde sounds of these musicians are unsettling at first. Still, these Julliard schooled musicians know what they are doing, and their impeccable quality allows them to be listened to by a normal person without too much confusion. Meridian Arts Ensemble is a brass band composed of trumpets, horns, trombone, and tuba accompanied by drums and piano. Most of their repertoire is 20th century music including Frank Zappa, Stephen Barber, Billy Strayhorn, and Jimi Hendrix. Many of the pieces, Frank Zappa's in particular, were produced with the direct collaboration of the composer. The music is warm and glowing, but at the same time, purposely off kilter and humorous. Much of there work impresses me the same way that Zappa's does. Sure, it's artistically impeccable and very interesting, but at the same time, it's not music you can just sit and listen to. Take the Zappa piece, "Little House I Used to Live In", you have a brass band interrupted with a drum solo and then augmented with the guys singing their parts in little chirpy voices. This is Picasso music. Take all the parts, chop them into pieces, throw them in the blender, and then reconstruct it. All of the parts are still there, but everything is different. Margaret Leng Tan has been described by The New Yorker as "the diva of the avant garde." Tan claims John Cage as her mentor, and as such, takes on two different themes. One is to use non-traditional instruments along side traditional instruments, and the second is to blend an appropriate amount of distortion and cacophony into the mix. Tan does both elegantly. "Eleanor Rigby" is typically de- and re-constructed into a discordant chatter of toy piano chimes and the clatter of the hammers and levers. Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata is included as an ode to the Peanuts' character Schroeder. "East Broadway", a track written by Julia Wolfe for Tan, is a noisy, blasting contraption of toy piano and a cheap toy boombox that plays cheesy, "on demand" rap beats. In addition to the boombox, _The Art of the Toy Piano_ also features toy accordions, cap guns, and empty cat food tins at various points. But, the most beautiful and accessible piece is the closing track for piano and toy piano. It's a lullaby by Erik Satie called "Gymnopedie No. 3", and the marriage of the two instruments will draw you in. Unfortunately, the bulk of this music isn't for everyone. The tracks on these albums are presented as pieces of work to be pondered rather than songs to be enjoyed. Like Picasso, Zappa, or Cage, either you get it or you don't. If you do happen to get avant garde music, then I highly recommend any of these albums. You will be delighted by the presence of melody and structure behind a frame that seems disconnected on the surface. (You can visit Meridian Arts Ensemble at http://www.pi.net/~fg.) --- REVIEW: Walt Mink, _Colussus_ (Deep Elm) - Scott A. Miller Walt Mink is back with a collection of completely mind altering, mood enhancing, space-age arena-rock cum power pop confections to make your head swim and your jaw go slack. After all the band has been through - two albums on Caroline and one on Atlantic before jumping to the stridently independent Deep Elm - just regrouping to put out Colossus_ (Deep Elm) is a triumph of the spirit. One listen, though, and you understand why they did it. These are great songs expertly played. With a sound so diverse, it's hard to put this newest offering in a category except to say that it's mostly like the previous three Walt Mink albums. As a songwriter, singer-guitarist John Kimbrough has a gift for putting his imagination to music. In "John's Dream" he takes "the red-eye to the moon" and sees a man who looks just like him "bathing on the shores of Tranquility." I don't know what it means, but with bassist Candice Belanoff laying down the bottom and drummer Orestes Morphin wailing away in a slow-rock groove, it's a song big enough to fill a stadium - as could most of the songs on this album. The mid-song break on "Lost in the World," a song about space invaders that manages to be both touching and incredible at the same time, is probably the only exception. Lyrics aside, where the wow-factor of _Colossus_ shifts into hyper drive is with Kimbrough's guitar playing. Equally capable of acoustic beauty and metal crunch, Kimbrough's ax is the reason reviews of past Mink albums have appeared in such highbrow publications as Guitar Player and Stereo Review. It's this technical skill that allows Walt Mink to successfully straddle the huge chasm between art-rock '70s and pop-rock '90s. What would be an Evel Knievel Snake River jump for most bands is like popping a wheelie for Walt Mink. While other songwriters with diverse repertoires sometimes stamp their influences on top of everything they do (think Karl Wallinger/World Party), Kimbrough buries influences deep in his songs, mostly in the guitar lines. You only catch a glimpse of Jimi Hendrix in the chorus riff of "She Can Smile" or a peek of George Harrison's sitar phase on "Lovely Arrhythmia" or a slice of David Gilmore (Pink Floyd) in the way the closing riff trails out to its logical extreme on "John's Dream." Kimbrough makes a strong case for being the equal of all of them. The music, the lyrics, the staunchly independent vibe: It's heady stuff. The college psychology professor for whom the band is named should be proud. Modern rock fans ought to light a match and hold it over their head in appreciation. Walt Mink fans are probably doing spontaneous back flips over this one. --- REVIEW: The Vents, _Venus Again_ (MCA/Way Cool Music) - Linda Scott The Vents sound a lot like that Brit band with the bowl haircuts. That's not necessarily bad depending on your Beatles opinion. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the Beatles are currently being flattered by all kinds of bands including the top UK band, Oasis. The Vents are not a tribute band; like Oasis, they have their own songs. _Venus Again_ has 12 original tracks all composed by lead vocalist and songwriter Devin Powers, who names his influences The Who, T-Rex, and (surprise!) the Beatles. Powers is the driving force behind The Vents. In addition to composing, he played every instrument on every song here except drums which were handled by Jimmy Sage. Powers also produced and engineeered all tracks. Once the album was completed, Shawn Rorie (guitar/vocals) and Pat Wisley (bass/vocals)were signed on. Devin characterizes their sound as big guitars, distortion, and melodic bass lines, but you might also say pop/rock, harmonic vocals, uniformity. It's hard to select one of the tracks as a potential single. All the songs are light and rocking, and none really stands out that far from the rest. This doesn't mean they are bad songs - actually they are above average. For a debut album, The Vents sound good, but they need more variety. Perhaps Powers will be sharing future musical composition and some of the other work with the band to get some diversity. If you like the Beatles/Oasis pairing or debut albums with a pop/rock flair, this album may be for you. The band has some potential, and we expect good things from them in the future. Why not get in on their ground floor? --- ERRATA: In the May 28 issue of Consumable, the drummer for David Wilcox' tour was erroneously listed as Brian Kelley; it is actually Tony Franklin. --- NEWS: > Francis Winfield, formerly of the band Several Girls Galore, has signed on as the new drummer for San Diego's fluf. Original fluf drummer Miles Gillette left the band last month to return to his native country of New Zealand. --- TOUR DATES: Backsliders Jul. 9 Perrysburg, OH Citi Lounge Jul. 10 Chicago, IL Schuba's Jul. 11 Ames, IA People's Bar Jul. 12 Minneapolis, MN 400 Bar Jul. 15 Seattle, WA Crocodile Cafe Boston Jul. 9 Wantagh, NY Jones Beach Jul. 11 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Jul. 12 Noblesville, IN Deer Creek Jul. 13 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Jul. 15 Mansfield, MA Great Woods Brad / Verbow Jul. 10 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue Jul. 11 Chicago, IL Cabaret Metro Jul. 12 Detroit, MI St Andrews Hall Jul. 13 Cleveland, OH Odeon Jul. 15 New York, NY Supper Club Candy Machine Jul. 9 Boston, MA Middle East Jul. 10 New York, NY Knitting Factory w/ Retsin Jul. 12 Washington, DC Black Cat w/ Retsin and Dismemberment Plan The Clarks Jul. 10 Columbus, OH The Continent Jul. 11 Minneapolis, MN Cabooze Jul. 12 Chicago. IL The Waterloo Cowboy Mouth Jul. 13 Syracuse, NY Vernon Downs Dots Will Echo Jul. 12 Red Bank, NJ No Ordinary Joe Furthur Festival (incl. Black Crowes and many more) Jul. 9 Toronto, ON Molson Amphitheatre Jul. 11 Hershey, PA Hershey Park Jul. 12 Columbus, OH Polaris Amphitheatre Jul. 13 Detroit, MI Pine Knob Jul. 15 Pittsburgh, PA Star Lake G3 (Joe Satriani / Steve Vai / Kenny Wayne Shepherd) Jul. 9 Memphis, TN Mud Island Jul. 11 Woodlands, TX Woodlands Pavillion Jul. 13 San Antonio, TX Sunken Garden Government Mule / Sweet Vine Jul. 10 Winston-Salem, NC Ziggy's Jul. 11 Myrtle Beach, NC House Of Blues Jul. 12 Charlotte World Mardi Gras Jul. 13 Knoxville, TN The Rockpit Jul. 15 New Orleans, LA House Of Blues Rickie Lee Jones Jul. 9 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Junkster Jul. 13 Philadelphia, PA The Five Spot Jul. 15 Boston, MA Axis Lollapalooza (Tool/Prodigy/Korn/many more) Jul. 9 Boston, MA Great Woods Jul. 11-12 New York, NY Randall's Island Jul. 13 Camden, NJ Entertainment Center Jul. 15-16 Detroit, MI Pine Knob Michelle Malone Jul. 9 St. Paul, OR Champoe State Ampitheatre (support Indigo Girls) Jul. 11 Seattle, WA The Pier (support Indigo Girls) Jul. 12 Seattle, WA The Easy Mindset Jul. 9 New York, NY CBGB's Jul. 10 Boston, MA The Rathskellar Walt Mink Jul. 12 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig Jul. 14 Kalamazoo, MI Club Soda Jul. 15 St Louis, MO HiPoint Moxy Fruvous Jul. 10 Buffalo, NY Lafayette Square Jul. 11 Thunder Bay, ON Harbourfest Jul. 12-13 Winnepeg, MB Winnepeg Folk Festival My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult / Radio Iodine Jul. 9 Austin, TX Liberty Lunch Jul. 10 Tulsa, OK Cain's Ballroom Jul. 11 Midwest, OK Star Seven Jul. 12 San Antonio, TX Cameo Theater Jul. 13 El Paso, TX Club 101 Jul. 14 Albuquerque, NM The Pulse Jul. 15 Tempe, AZ Electric Ballroom Sister Hazel Jul. 10 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall (w/ Cowboy Mouth) Jul. 11 Detroit, MI 7th House Jul. 12 Minneapolis, MN Basilica Block Party Thin Lizard Dawn Jul. 10 Danbury, CT Tuxedo Junction Jul. 11 Washington, DC Black Cat Jul. 12 New York, NY Coney Island High Jul. 13 Asbury Park, NJ The Saint Jul. 14 Burlington, VT Toast Vallejo Jul. 12 Burlington, VT WXPS Festival Verve Pipe / Tonic / K's Choice Jul. 10 Tucson, AZ Cage Jul. 11 Tempe, AZ Electric Ballroom Jul. 12 Las Vegas, NV Joint Jul. 13 San Diego, CA Cane's Jul. 15 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Warped Tour (Reel Big Fish, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Social Distortion, Sick Of It All, Less Than Jake, many more) Jul. 9 Vancouver, BC Pne Coliseum Jul. 10 George, WA Gorge Amphitheatre Jul. 11 Boise, ID Le Bois Park Jul. 12 Salt Lake City, UT Fairgrounds Jul. 13 Denver, CO Colorado Univ. Field Jul. 15 Lawrence, KS Burcham Park The Why Store Jul. 10 Chippewa Falls, WI N. Wisconsin State Fair Jul. 11 Minneapolis, MN Basilica Jul. 12 Fort Wayne, IN Three River Festival --- 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 To subscribe to Consumable, send an e-mail message to consumable-request@westnet.com with the body of the message stating "subscribe consumable". To unsubscribe, send a message to the same address stating "unsubscribe consumable". Web access contributed by WestNet Internet Services (westnet.com), serving Westchester County, NY. 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