==== ISSUE 147 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [July 1, 1998] Editor: Bob Gajarsky Internet: gaj@westnet.com Sr. Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Joann Ball, Bill Holmes, Tim Kennedy, Reto Koradi, David Landgren, Sean Eric McGill, Tim Mohr, Al Muzer, Joe Silva, Lang Whitaker Correspondents: Tracey Bleile, Lee Graham Bridges, Scott Byron, Jason Cahill, Patrick Carmosino, Krisjanis Gale, Emma Green, Paul Hanson, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Robin Lapid, Linda Scott, Scott Slonaker, Chelsea Spear, Simon Speichert, Jon Steltenpohl, Simon West Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann Address all comments, subscriptions, etc. to gaj@westnet.com ================================================================== All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s). Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the editor. ================================================================== .------------. | Contents | `------------' INTERVIEW: Monster Magnet - Al Muzer CONCERT REVIEW: Cornershop, San Francisco - Robin Lapid REVIEW: Paul Kelly, _Words and Music_ - Emma Green REVIEW: Pizzicato Five, _Happy End of You_ - Robin Lapid REVIEW: Colin Newman, _A-Z_ - Eric Hsu REVIEW: The Why Store, _Two Beasts_ - Emma Green REVIEW: Sand Rubies, _The Sidewinder Sessions_ - Bill Holmes REVIEW: Debby Schwartz, _Wrongs of Passage_ - Chelsea Spear REVIEW: Moxy Fruvous, _Live Noise_ - Jon Steltenpohl REVIEW: Dana & Karen Kletter, _Dear Enemy_ - Chelsea Spear REVIEW: Five Easy Pieces, _Five Easy Pieces_ - Linda Scott REVIEW: Belle Academe, _Shimmer_ - Chelsea Spear NEWS: Bauhaus, Ian Astbury, Northside / Nordic Roots, Gary Numan, P.M. Dawn TOUR DATES: Black Crowes, Blue Oyster Cult, Deni Bonet, Cravin' Melon, HORDE Tour, Iron Maiden, Joan Of Arc, Chantal Kreviazuk, Lilith Fair, Ziggy Marley & Melody Makers, Metallica / Jerry Cantrell / Days of the New, Plastikman, Swervedriver / Spoon, Third Eye Blind / Our Lady Peace / Eve 6, Josh Wink Back Issues of Consumable --- INTERVIEW: Monster Magnet - Al Muzer "It's important for me to remain simple in rock 'n' roll," Monster Magnet's Dave Wyndorf diplomatically replies when asked how he thought his band's new A&M Records release, _Powertrip_, stacked up against what was on the charts at that moment, "because it really is a physical thing that works best live. If it gets into anything more than that, well, then, to me it's just a waste." "Ya' know, if what we do is looked at as nothing more than simple, knuckle- dragging stuff," he says in an attempt to explain the appeal of his Red Bank, NJ, four-piece's eighth (see discography) release, "well, then, I like that! It's okay. Really. Although for me, it's almost evangelical. That's what Monster Magnet is to me, [chuckles] It's like I'm an evangelist or something." "I like a lot of different music and I listen to everything," the guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, band founder and guiding light continues as he zeroes in on what makes Monster Magnet Monster Magnet. "But, as far as the group is concerned? It all keeps coming out of the same place for me. Stuff that I heard when I was really, really young that my brother would play, Blue Cheer, Frijid Pink, Steppenwolf, Hawkwind a lotta Hawkwind Black Sabbath, ." "When it comes to down to me looking at my limitations and at what I can do and how I can put my message across in the shortest period of time, well, then," he says as if he never seriously contemplated any other answer, "that means being really physical which is why I'm such a big fan of the guitar." "I mean, the guitar is an instrument that you actually wear. It becomes a part of you. If you don't like someone, you can hit them with the thing, ya' know?" offers the man who sings, "I'm squeezed out in hump drive and I'm drowning in love," on "Space Lord." "I can go over and stab somebody with the motherfucker. I can fuck it. It can do anything, I just love it! I love the guitar." "It's [music] gotta be a human experience," Wyndorf says with finality, "Something's gotta be connected. The instrument has to be connected to the body the body has to be an extension of the penis all that stupid shit, ." [laughs] Propelled by a super-tight, amazingly heavy blend of Sabbath-informed power riffs, crunched out hardcore beats, swirling psychedelia, frequent-flyer space travel miles, a late-'60s garage-rock looseness and an intense, skull-crushing blend of barely harnessed energy coupled with an insatiable demand for more noize Monster Magnet has worked its furrowed-brow magic on folks hungry for lunatic-level, full-body mosh contact as well as it has those in the throes of slack-jawed acid flashbacks since the group's first self-released cassette, _Forget About Life, I'm High On Dope_, way back in 1989. Committing it all to tape between 1990 and 1993, the band (which featured guitarist John McBain, bassist Joe Calandra and drummer Jon Kleiman) checked in with another cassette-only blast of cannabis-fried freak-outs, a German label CD release, the wonderfully toasted _Spine Of God_ and _25............tab_, a three-song, 49-minute acid romp through a brain- imploding metal and drone mix that was as psychotically perfect as anything they'd done up to that point. Local lore has it that the group (which now featured former Daisycutter guitarist Ed Mundell in McBain's place) blew Soundgarden's mind when they opened for the Seattle grunge-meisters at The Fastlane in Asbury Park, NJ. One truly amazing performance, so the story goes, led to a Soundgarden-arranged meeting with A&M Records, which, in turn, led to 1993's brutally uncompromising _Superjudge_ and 1995's surprisingly subtle (yet just as completely "out there") _Dopes To Infinity_. With Beavis and Butthead, Howard Stern and a huge chunk of America taking to "Negasonic Teenage Warhead" in a big way; a video in rotation on MTV; another song, "Look To Your Orb For A Warning," that actually received a bit of radio play; and a truly relentless touring schedule that helped turn the band into headliners overseas and major attractions here, _Dopes To Infinity_ set the bar pretty high as far as follow up efforts was concerned. Rising to the challenge, Wyndorf took his creative muse to new heights of decadence and explored brand new lows as far as the humanity that inspires it goes by venturing deep "into the belly of the beast," when it was time to write the songs that wound up on the Matt (Porno For Pyros) Hyde-produced, Randy (Metallica, Veruca Salt) Staub-mixed _Powertrip_. "I booked myself a flight to Las Vegas, the heart of the failed American dream," the singer has said, "and got a hotel room about 10 miles outside of town. I would watch 'Vegas from the balcony of my room, it looked like a big nuclear sunset in the distance. I made myself= get up every morning and complete a song before I let myself go into the city to watch naked women and see everyone lose all their money. I did this for 21 days and, by the end of 21 days, I had 21 songs. I was pumped nightly by all this artificial craziness." Exposed to a bizarre array of middle America gone bug-eyed and freakish with greed, glitz, glamour and the surreal glow that comes from a lack of sleep, too many vodka and tonics and a few new dark secrets to file away; Wyndorf matched weirdness for weirdness by stepping back from his 'Vegas experience and coming up with songs such as "Crop Circle," "Space Lord," "Baby Gotterdammerung," "3rd Eye Landslide," "Bummer," "Your Lies Become You," "19 Witches," "Temple Of Your Dreams," "Tractor" and "Goliath And The Vampires." "I was as honest as I could possibly be when I wrote those songs," he says of lyrical observations such as, "When you get tired of their crap, baby move over here and maybe buy some of mine," "Some people go to bed with Lucifer, then cry when they don't greet the day with God" and "Cashing Satan's check with my dick in my hand." "I wrote 'em all really quickly I don't think any one song took me more than say, an hour-and-a-half to write. I just said to myself, 'I'm not gonna try to polish them and I'm not gonna try to do anything to them.' I wanted this album to be an honest statement of where I was in Las Vegas and the way I felt while I was there." "I guess that could be me," Wyndorf agrees when asked if he was the "lame dope sucking little slacker" addressed in the title track, "or, it could be somebody I met on the road somewhere. Some poor American fucking bead-person, ya' know? With a tam on his head goin' [imitates dumb stoner], 'Hey man! When's the show gonna start?' " "Hey! It's 1998! Maybe you wanna stop smokin' pot for, like, two fuckin' seconds," he yells, " 'cause the world's gonna eat you up alive, kid!" "Oh, I still do it occasionally," he adds when it's mentioned that a big part of A&M's Monster Magnet sales-shtick evolves around a dope-friendly band image. "Not nearly as much as I used to. It kind'a stopped doin' it for me after a while. It's really sad. It's just not growin' with me and I wish it did! It's not like wimmin! ya' know? Like, wimmin? Always! The pot thing, [sighs] when I was a teenager, man, it was, like, smoke pot every single day. It was 'Drug Athlete Time.' Too bad they didn't give out awards." "I'm very serious about not being serious," Wyndorf says of his off-beat creative muse and the spaced-out stoner image his band has accepted as their own. "Within one song there'll be elements of total wish fulfillment, delusions of grandeur, moments of terrible despair and moments of flat-out rock out with your cock out stuff. So it actually gets pretty complicated. I just never thought anyone would be interested in knowing that kind of stuff about me or, if they would buy it if I explained it that way to them [laughs] so, I always tried to keep it [the public perception of the band] really simple, which is, you know, like, 'Fuckin' take a lot of drugs and fuckin' freak out!' " The most unsettling track on _Powertrip_ and a song that has absolutely nothing to do with sanity, Wyndorf's 'Vegas adventure, drug athletes, band image or the law as we know it is the Farfisa organ-driven, Question Mark & the Mysterians-meets- Strawberry Alarm Clock-surf-throb of "See You In Hell." A pleasant musical counterpoint to the rest of the album, the song sounds a little like something even mom would enjoy until she figured out the lyrics, that is. "That's such a weird, ," Wyndorf begins before pausing a moment to collect his thoughts. "I took a bus from the Port Authority (New York City) to Red Bank just before I left for 'Vegas and I got on with this freak! This, like, total hippie guy, who starts telling me this story about how he and his hippie wife killed their baby. Like, they had a baby and they couldn't handle it?!?" "The guy said he buried the baby in the Meadowlands," Wyndorf says in awed wonder before continuing. "He went down the whole thing like [imitates dangerously insane dumb stoner], 'You know, I didn't do it. She was the one who killed it, but, I had to bury it. She wouldn't do it, so I had to do the right thing and take it out and bury it.' I was, like, 'Holy fuckin' shit! Holy Christ!' I got off the bus." Monster Magnet Discography 1989 _Forget About Life, I'm High On Dope_ [cassette] (Cool Beans) 1990 _I'm High, What're You Gonna Do About It_ [cassette] (Cool Beans) 1990 _Monster Magnet_ [German release] (Glitterhouse) 1992 _Spine Of God_ (Primo Scree/Caroline) 1993 _25............tab_ (Caroline) 1993 _Superjudge_ (A&M) 1995 _Dopes To Infinity_ (A&M) 1995 _I Talk To Planets_ [CD-ROM] (A&M) 1998 _Powertrip_ (A&M) --- CONCERT REVIEW: Cornershop, San Francisco - Robin Lapid There were a lot of good things going for Cornershop's performance at San Francisco's Warfield Theatre. It's always nice to hear the echo of sitar rise through a cavernous concert hall and the dance-friendly chants of Cornershop's latest release, the groove-laden near-masterpiece _When I Was Born for the 7th Time_. Singer Tjinder Singh's voice translates perfectly live, with a funky lilt that melts from English to Punjabi, half-rapping and half-singing. Singh and his bandmates delivered faithful renditions of their music, sort of a cross between psychedelic English pop and Beck on acid, but with nowhere near the stage presence of an artist like Beck. Singh stood stock-still, occassionally drifting out of the microphone's range to watch the stage screens (alternating between pictures of various European women in traditional garb and guys break-dancing), or to stare at his bandmates. I'm reminded that Cornershop recently opened for the equally-stoic Oasis on their last U.S. tour. With bongo drummer and sitar and keyboard players in tow, the five-piece dove into their most recent work, starting with the smooth grooves of "Sleep On the Left Side," and getting their biggest hit, "Brimful of Asha," out of the way as the third song of the evening. Near the beginning, a computerized Stephen Hawking voice intoned, "People in the Bay Area, raise your hands in the air like you just don't care." That bit of amusement aside, the evening was punctuated with good dance grooves that went down well with the crowd, and a seemingly endless psychedelic wankout for an encore, with Singh absent throughout most of the finale. The audience didn't seem to mind (although I did spy three yuppies get up and leave, followed by a group of anxious club kids without backpacks - there's a difference). It was more like going to a dance tent at a rave, where you're not really meant to direct your attention toward any stage, but just slip into the vibe as befits your mood. Cornershop the band were a success, as the evening brimmed with sample-heavy dance beats, but Cornershop the live act faltered in the charisma department, leaving a bittersweet aftertaste at show's end. --- REVIEW: Paul Kelly, _Words and Music_ (Vanguard) - Emma Green He may be one of the industry's finest musicians, a true Texas-style songwriter capable of defining universal truths and holding the respect of millions worldwide (all this despite his Australian roots). So why does his name seem as unfamiliar as your second cousin twice removed whom you met for the first time last year in a drunken stupor at Uncle Bob's fortieth birthday bash? It's remarkable that such a capable and prolific songwriter could exist in a commercial no man's land outside his own country, forever destined to suffer through stagnant indifference and squandering sales. As much as America loves to export and replicate its cultural image overseas, things rarely work the other way around. The sad truth is that Paul Kelly doesn't really fit with the commercial vision of U.S. radio, except on those rare dialstops on the overcrowded ether (which Rolling Stone noted earlier this year as "Radio Stations That Don't Suck"). If Paul Kelly is an unfamiliar name, it's time to learn something about the man who the Australian Recording Industry Association (roughly equivalent to the US Grammy Awards) recently inducted into the pretigious Hall of Fame. A steady, reliable cultural icon, Kelly consistently experiences success in the Antipodes, but his commecial viability never quite makes the enormous leap across the Pacific on to crumbling American shores, even after releasing eight full-length albums over the past decade or so. While this latest effort only legitimizes his legendary status, commercial success stateside is probably not in the cards for Kelly, though he continues to fertilize a dedicated international fan base with globetrotting tours and consistently original releases. While initially his songs seem fairly innocuous, even (dare I say it?) unmemorable, Kelly is one of those artists who attacks from the inside. On _Words and Numbers_ he sheds some of the chord-driven familiarities , this time favoring a style he describes as "built more from the groove up." Featuring two duets ("Lazy Bones" with Rebecca Barnard and "Melting" with Monique Brassard), Kelly effectively pays tribute to all his influences, ranging from Bob Dylan ("Gutless Wonder") to Edgar Allan Poe. "Nothing on My Mind" begins with, of all things, the accelerated drumbeat of Prince's "Sexy Motherfucker," over which Kelly narrates in a fuzzy, humidified voice digressing on a barroom scene (and still he somehow manages to pay tribute to Ernest Hemingway in the process). By far the most appealing track ("How to Make Gravy") tackles the emotional burden of homesickness during year-end holidays, and hops around on a surprisingly nimble beat (complete with wah-wah guitar tracks) considering the depressing subject matter. Always a thoughful lyricist, Kelly imbues strength through deeper meaning and visionary purpose. He sings as though he really has something to contribute to the world with Neil Finn-ish vocals, and his product really reflects his can do troubadour attitude. Given enough time, his lyrics and songs grip the heart, but strike without warning on the third or fourth listen. --- REVIEW: Pizzicato Five, _Happy End of You_ (Matador) - Robin Lapid Why do a remix album? I sometimes find this especially hard to fathom when it concerns artists like Pizzicato Five, whose pastiche of grooves, beats, and samples make them a sort of self-contained remix band, dubbing and looping pop as a Warhol-ian artform. On this remix album, artists ranging from Dimitri From Paris to the High Llamas' Sean O'Hagan to St. Etienne stamp their signature sound on tracks from P5's _Happy End of the World_ release, with varying degrees of success and excess. Each of the 13 tracks pretty much sounds like it could be a b-side of the artists that remixed them. The Automator's remix of "Love's Theme" starts the album off on a high note. The cool scratches and sparse beats jell with 60's-style Japanese pop, punctuating its Dr. Octagon vibe with Maki Nomiya's airy vocals and a spacey bass beat. From there, the remixes hit peaks and valleys. The tracks dip into the deconstructive sound of club-style grooves - the heavy house and jungle of DJ Dara's "Porno 3003" remix renders the original track barely discernible in a moderately enlightening way, while Dimitri from Paris's "old skool flava" remix of "Contact" makes me feel as if I'm dancing at Manchester's Hacienda club back when New Order was just hitting its stride. The High Llama's Sean O'Hagan turns "My Baby Portable Player Sound" into a mellow keyboard game of Stereolab-y bleeps and burbles. Oval refracts "Happy Ending" into an ambient prism of hollowed-out chimes followed by an accumulation of organized chaotic noise, all strung together by a P5 pop refrain, "da da dum dum..." And Saint Etienne's track sounds like, well, Saint Etienne -- they turn in a summery, groove-pop version of "Love's Theme" that climaxes with funky guitar lines. It's highly possible that I will end up hearing this album filtered through a sound system at my local record shop or vintage clothing store. _Happy End of You_ isn't completely essential unless you're a hardcore fan of Pizzicato 5 or a completist of any of the featured artists, but it would make for a more enjoyable shopping experience. Featured Artists: The Automator; 808 State; Daddy-O; DJ Dara; Gus Gus; Sean O'Hagan; Oval; John Oswald; St. Etienne; Momus; The Shooter; Dimitri From Paris; Daniel Miller & Gareth Jones. --- REVIEW: Colin Newman, _A-Z_ (Beggars Banquet) - Eric Hsu By the time Wire recorded _154_, Colin Newman had clearly become tired of pop and touring and the life surrounding it. Having exhausted the punk idiom with the amazing _Pink Flag_, he wanted something new and didn't know how to get there, so all he could do was sabotage what he knew. On the strangely compelling single "Map. Ref. 41N 93W" he came up with the most unmemorable single title in history and insisted on sneering "chorus" everytime the chorus returned. Wire struggled for a few months longer, but collapsed into self-indulgent experimentation before eventually reuniting (and recovering) in 1987 with _The Ideal Copy_. _A-Z_ was Colin Newman's first solo album, released in 1980, and in some ways the fourth Wire album after _154_: drummer Robert Gotobed and producer/keyboardist Mike Thorne from Wire play on it, and Graham Lewis even contributes words. But instead of providing any kind of missing link, between _154_ and _The Ideal Copy_, it feels more like the logical progression down the spiral from _154_. The record is a collection of sounds, the sound of Newman trying to tear things down to find something new in the ruins. "I've Waited Ages" begins with a one chord new wave groove that Newman undercuts with strange distracting noises, a mishmash of competing atmospheres and "the most stupid words I could possibly write" as he later reflected. The song "& Jury" exemplifies Newman's style of creating through negation and contrariness. Newman sings the chorus as oddly as possible: "you are the judges too" by emphasizing and holding the syllables "-ges too". Of course the title never appears literally in the song, only noticible in its absence and the fact that the chorus appears to refer to it. A strange effect, slightly unsettling, but at best a formal effect. Newman's urgent and desperate singing communicates only its own tone in the absence of supporting music. The same inflection that was so effective interrogating "How many dead or alive?" on _Pink Flag_ sounds like just another effect singing "Order in order". His self-destructiveness extended to refusing to tour to support the record and his vetoing their single choice of "Order for Order", which had some kind of cohesiveness in its sheets of looping cries, and insisting on "B" which is a new wave groove, again sabotaged with unsettling noises and screams, like a riot at a disco, but not nearly as fun. Beggars Banquet, who had just had a massive hit with Gary Numan's "Cars", were feeling receptive and indulgent towards bizarre approximately new wave music, and let Newman have his way. Of course it bombed critically and commercially, and his solo career never recovered. The piece I find most affecting is the bonus track of Newman's piano demo for "Alone", which was atmospheric enough to inspire This Mortal Coil to cover it. It's telling that this simple piece gets straight to the heart of that feeling of lonely yearning that's swamped by the full soundscape version on _A-Z_. This re-release collects a couple of singles "The Classic Remains", which sounds like a carnival with indigestion, and "This Picture", actually a not bad horror movie soundtrack piece, and tacks on a couple of Wire-ish sounding demos. Every song has something interesting about it, which is usually immediately crushed by other overdubs. In the end, this record is interesting more as a document of decadence and musical confusion than as music in isolation. It's the sound of new wave being cut up from the inside as it swallows up punk. --- REVIEW: The Why Store, _Two Beasts_ (Way Cool Music) - Emma Green Swiftly overstepping the perilous canyon of one-hit wonderdom, roots-rockers The Why Store announce their arrival with a fifth album, only the Indiana group's second major label release. Where the self-titled Way Cool Music debut was disjointed and tended to drift off into digressive jam sessions, _Two Beasts_ showcases a wonderfully coherent collection of songs as the group shuffles a little closer than usual to the line of mainstream alternative modern rock. While "Lack of Water" became a bona fide radio hit in 1996, alternative and modern rock radio station never really embraced the band with so much potential. Front man Chris Schaffer commands an unforgettable presence through a deep, throaty voice, occasionally recalling a chain-smoking Jakob Dylan. As the singer pens most of the songs himself, his sound advocates melody as expressive, both vocally and instrumentally. If one common factor bonds the album, Schaffer's tunes are infectiously hummable and full of memorable hooks and lines. Working class roots-rock to the core, _Two Beasts_ opens with a tribute to hard work ("Working") and serious guitar driven rock grooves on "No Matter," where Schaffer blatantly thumbs his nose at skeptical critics. Title song "Two Beasts" defines the essence of the band, exploring the inherently schizoid thoughts we all experience from time to time through beautiful arpeggiated acoustic work. While the band has established itself though energetic live shows, building a fanatical grassroots following of so-called "Whomheads" through the 1990s, it struggled to find a pulse in the sometimes unsympathetic music press before inking a record deal in 1996. Rumored to be flirting with late night television host (and fellow Hoosier) David Letterman more than once, the group fought an uphill battle for attention, mainly relying on word of mouth to build a fan base. Following in the tradition of live experience bands like Blues Traveler and Widespread Panic, The Why Store is surprisingly adept at multiple playing styles, which may ultimately benefit them through cross-genre radio appeal. After announcing the frat party festivities of "When You're High" and "Everything" (both released on previous independent albums), Schaffer proves capable of churning over the heartfelt ballad on "Who Is Your Love," a fairly corny love song, and "She's Broken," which softly layers some unexpected country guitar influences on a set of Jeff Pederson's jangly keyboards. More subdued than the previous self-titled release, _Two Beasts_ almost seems a retrospective of the entire Why Store ouvre. The deliberate inclusion of a few older tried-and-true tracks introduces some interesting stylistic comparisons in Schaffer's evolving songwriting talents. On the closing "When You're High," in case the listener wasn't paying attention, Schaffer brashly interjects the rock star persona into the music as he ostentatiously proclaims, "The Why Store's got what it takes to get everybody high." This comes after the lyrics invoke images of gallavanting naked through the woods and feeling grass poke up between one's toes. While it might be floating on a little more than pure optomism, The Why Store is a solid band with a refreshing dedication to their art and vocation, as is evident on this latest effort. --- REVIEW: Sand Rubies, _The Sidewinder Sessions_ (Contingency) - Bill Holmes The Sidewinders and The Sand Rubies are actually the same band, but after their first two albums (_Witchdoctor_ and _Auntie Ramos' Pool Hall_), The Sidewinders had the double insult of being unappreciated by their label AND losing their name to an obscure bar band from the East coast. But the nucleus of the band stayed intact, rechristened themselves The Sand Rubies, released another great album....and still remained a cult favorite at best. Now, the band has reformed with the original members and has cut a new record set for June release. To summarize the past, and perhaps show the world what they almost threw away, the band has assembled their favorite cuts from the two Sidewinders releases (1988 and 1990) and added one new track under the name _Sidewinders Sessions_. The band in any incarnation is centered on the fluid and dynamic guitar sounds of songwriter Rich Hopkins, whose textured work could only be compared to the inspired licks of Neil Young when he jams with Crazy Horse or the extended vibes of a Built To Spill record. The early songs are emotional passages; titles like "Doesn't Anyone Believe" and "What Am I Supposed To Do" should nail it for you. But in the hands of vocalist David Slutes, the vocals are the perfect match for the gut-wrenching guitar. Slutes croons, begs and howls like a fourth instrument, his interpretive skills as impressive as his vocal range. Hopkins and Slutes are one of those great pairs in rock and roll who make each other better. Don't mistake this band as some carnal exercise, though - with better luck they could and should have been as popular as fellow desert mates The Gin Blossoms. "Sara's Not Sober" is a highly charged melodic rocker, and the lyrical "We Don't Do That Anymore" has a hook that is as strong as its appealing verse. The pleading "If I Can't Have You" would be as effective as a slow blues tune as it is here in its more Byrdsian mode. There's a lot of great bands being touted with handles like "Americana" and "No Depression", and you could vault these guys to the top rung of those lists as well. The new record is exciting and shows that the band has not lost a step, but this document captures a magical era that somehow slipped through the cracks in most people's lives. If you appreciate songs that move you lyrically as well as stimulate you musically, you owe it to yourself to catch up with this band. To find out more about the Sidewinders/Sand Rubies legacy, or to get this CD if your local mom&pop doesn't have it, surf over to the Contingency web site at http://www.contingency.com and dive in. This is essential American music at its finest. --- REVIEW: Debby Schwartz, _Wrongs of Passage_ (Mercury) - Chelsea Spear Early in this decade, Debby Schwartz made a name for herself as the guiding light behind garage-pop sensations the Aquanettas. While the band mined appealing ground by grafting a singer/songwriter approach onto the chunky surf-n-turf rhythms and simmering dynamics of the Feelies, their albums reached a limited audience, and the band seemed to disappear after showing up on the high-profile soundtracks to Amateur and Kissed. Before you can say "whatever happened to...?", Schwartz bounds back into the spotlight with her solo debut, _Wrongs of Passage_. The new album represents a growth and maturity since the last Aquanettas album. Though her former bandmates join her on a handful of tracks, _Wrongs_ takes the band's sound in a more song-based direction, with influence coming less from the Glenn Mercer side of the equation and more from Aimee Mann. The press release states that Schwartz isn't afraid to rock out, but she's equally unafraid of pinning her heart directly on her sleeve and loosing a vulnerable ballad like "Revelations", which ends Side 1 with a rainy-day vibe. Lyrically, Schwartz is also found in a contemplative, mature mindset. If the Aquanettas albums detailed a night in the life of a nerdy girl experimenting with sex and drugs, _Wrongs_ looks at that girl as she grows up, learns from the mistakes of her youth and tries to make a better life of herself. The infectious one-two punch of openers "Venus Again" and "Never Come Down" finds the protagonist of these songs not only contemplating love with the proper old boyfriend, but proving herself sane enough to be worthy of such love. More complex tunes like garage raveup "Tribe" look at her relationship at large with the opposite sex. While all of this information might add up to a ponderous sounding album, Schwartz imbues this growth with a terrific sense of humour and biting observational skills. Not every bug-eyed balladeer can punctuate a series of goosebump-inducing slow songs with "Because You Don't Love Me", a Zombies-esque four-on-the-floor rocker with a hummable analog-synth riff and the hilarious line, "I'm joining a convent because you don't love me!" The album ends with the gossamer waltz "Mousecraft", which makes the observation that "the cat is in a coma" during a spooky monolouge about a lonely night drinking at home. The entire package is wrapped up with a nifty production job, giving the songs a candy-apple lustre while staying true to the dark themes at their core. Unless Syd Straw releases her much-threatened third solo LP by the end of this year, the exemplary _Wrongs of Passage_ could be my favourite girl-with-a-guitar album of 1998. Hooray for a chick who can rock, think, laugh, and write a gorgeous melody -- sometimes all at once! --- REVIEW: Moxy Fruvous, _Live Noise_ (Bottom Line) - Jon Steltenpohl Moxy Fruvous is one of those bands whose fans will tell you that the only way to really experience them is to see them live. These former buskers (street musicians) from Toronto have built a cult of fans throughout Canada and the United States based on nonexistent stateside airplay and an endless series of live shows. Their studio albums have been decent examples of their tight four part harmony and unique blend of both smart-ass humor and solemn emotions. And while their studio albums hold their own, Moxy Fruvous' legacy is drawing in people on a street through sheer force of musical energy. Somehow, they've managed to carry that directly into show after show in front of larger and larger audiences. _Live Noise_ is the result of their fans' prodding. If "live" is the only way to see a band, then logic dictates that "live" is the proper way to record an album. This album, recorded at various New England dates during the fall of 1997, is without a doubt a live album. There is banter and fan participation oozing at every turn. Often, the sound of the crowd singing and shouting is louder than the band. Fortunately, Moxy Fruvous fans are generally also folk music fans, and they've learned to only sing loud on the choruses. _Live Noise_ carries out its duty of capturing the band live fairly well. The choice of songs is nearly perfect. The best songs from all points of their career are represented from "King of Spain" to "Michigan Militia". The biggest omission is probably their rap version of Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham_" but that is only due to copyright issues. In addition to their favorites, a cover of Talking Heads "Psycho Killer" is thrown in for good measure, and a second version "King of Spain" is added on. Dubbed the "Cranky Monarch Version", this "King" sounds a bit like David Bowie, Bono, and Bruce Springsteen tossed in a blender and forced to sing Moxy Fruvous covers on puree. The banter between songs is generally a good thing. One bit called "Kasparov vs. Deep Blue" is a bit boring, but it's a little forgivable given the fact that it was news at the time and they were playing at M.I.T.. Fortunately, the rest is much better. "Nature Sounds" is funny, and the discussion on "Naked Puppets" ends with them speculating about how Oscar the Grouch would be much more realistic if the first word out of his mouth each day was "Motherfucker". "The Lowest Highest Point (Improv)" starts out as a trivia question, but ends up as an off the cuff rap with all four guys trading beats and shout outs while keeping up a discussion with the crowd. Of any track on the album, this one shows what a Moxy Fruvous show is all about. The only fault of the album is tuning. A fourth of the songs have points where the 4 part harmony turns a little sour. On "B. J. Don't Cry" and "Boo Time", there are times where it's slightly cringe inducing. Likewise, "Horseshoes" and "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" are nearly perfect except for a few lapses. In each of these songs, they guys find their pitch back before the end of the song, but it seems like the incessant touring might be take its toll a bit. As is common with many live and folk artists, the album is proudly _not_ overdubbed. Regardless, for a live album recorded over multiple dates, you'd think these songs would have been replaced with more in tune versions. Regardless of the minor problems with the tuning now and then, the entire album is engaging and exciting. _Live Noise_ is exactly what a Moxy Fruvous fan would want and expect out of a live album. They've picked out a bunch of favorites that everyone loves, and crammed 70 minutes of them into a single CD. _Live Noise_ can't replace a real Moxy Fruvous show, but, if you can't wait until they come back to town, it's the next best thing to being there. --- REVIEW: Dana & Karen Kletter, _Dear Enemy_ (Hannibal/Rykodisc) - Chelsea Spear For all her abundant talent, Dana Kletter has had some heartbreaking near-misses. Her first ensemble, Blackgirls, broke up before they could realise their true potential, and Dish were buried under ornate production, extraneous filler tracks, and the corporate indifference of a label refocusing their priorities. While her abilities might be a bit too challenging for mainstream recognition, _Dear Enemy,_ may be her most fully realised work, the one that cements her as a compelling voice and helps her connect with new fans and longtime admirers alike. However, _Dear Enemy_ is the work of more than one person. Dana's twin sister Karen, who vetoed a career in music to pursue her Ph.D in medieval languages, comprises the other half of the equation. The sisters united musically to create a sort of photo album recalling their unusual upbringing. The songs on _Dear Enemy_ show the influence of the music of their youth, the Transylvanian folk songs of their mother and grandmother, who survived Auchwitz, and their street-tough father's show tunes and jazz. All this is informed by the melodic, indie-influenced pop for which Dana is, in some circles, renowned. Though, as the press release states, "the music sounds like this: la, la, la, la", don't expect the kind of twee lilt that would normally be described in such words. Nimble arrangements, good use of cello and an able hand at the mixing table bring a beautiful low end to light, giving the songs a rich, sonically resonant sound. The lush melodies are countered with lyrics suggesting the inner strife of their family during the sisters' youth - "Father Song" and "Flight Into Egypt" suggest conflict with their father as he runs from the law, "Sister Song" showing the conflict between twins, and the lilting "Meteor Mom" bringing the solace and comfort they found in their mother to the surface. The sisters have said in interview after interview that they are just a pair of twins with stories to tell, and that none of the songs are supposed to be cathartic. However, the aching beauty of _Dear Enemy,_ brings the emotional truth of dysfunctional family life, in the days before there was a word for such conflict, to light. If you're a fan of Damon and Naomi's dreamy folk or the spare honesty and melodicism of Nina Simone, _Dear Enemy,_ is the album for you. One of the year's ten best. --- REVIEW: Five Easy Pieces, _Five Easy Pieces_ (MCA) - Linda Scott What we have here is another rock and roll band from Los Angeles. But if you follow the L.A. scene at all, you know that there are new bands hatching every week. Here's a difference - Five Easy Pieces could actually make it out of the area and into the national spotlight. These five musicians write radio-and MTV-friendly songs. No heavy, rage-filled, drug songs here. This MCA debut album has songs for us all about our loves, our lives, our fates. The lyrics are hopeful for the most part and are sung to bouncy melodic and upbeat tunes. The band that put this together starts with frontman, vocalist, and guitarist Marc Dauer. Interestingly, Dauer gave up a UCLA surgical residency to make music, so you know he's in for the long haul. With keyboardist/lyricist Jay Schwartz on board, the two wrote an album's worth of material in a week. Jason Sinay, a fine lead guitarist, and bassist Alan Wolovitch came on next. The original drummer was replaced by Brian Macleod, who has worked with Sheryl Crow and Paul Westerberg. Sinay has obvious talent and should get some more solos, and Macleod's experience as a stickman leads the band where it ought to be on time. _Five Easy Pieces_ gives you ten tracks from the new band. It's easy listening, and several tracks have really catchy melodies and lyrics. While the first track, "Lovers", was chosen as the first single, a real standout is "Spy". It's one of those songs that keeps playing in your head - a happy rock tune with some irresistible hooks. The band is at its best with these light, uptempo rockers. "Bittersweet" has lyrics more suited a tortured vocalist like Cobain or Rose than Dauer. If Dauer learns how to pull these songs from his gut, the band will need to change their name. _Five Easy Pieces_ was produced by Don Smith (Cracker, Rolling Stones, Tom Petty). It was recorded entirely in Smith's one room carriagehouse, jamming live. No headphones or recording tricks were used, so what you hear on the album will be what you hear at a tour show. For the latest information, surf on over to http://www.mcarecords.com or write to the band at fiveeasypieces@directnet.com --- REVIEW: Belle Academe, _Shimmer_ (Swingerland) - Chelsea Spear Listening past track four of this Los Angeles quartet's debut proved to be a real effort for me. It's not that _Shimmer_ is a particularly bad album - they're excellent musicians, and the solid songs provide everything a modern-rock radio programmer would be looking for. Belle Academe just don't offer anything interesting to the mix. The band can crunch or swoon when the songs warrant, and lead singer Nicole Bahuchet has an appealing, though generic, voice - a few years older and wiser than the baby-voiced children of Lilith, but not as simmering with passion as Courtney Love (to whom she has been compared) nor as gossamer-pretty as Sarah McLachlan. The songs' majestic swirl might sound good under the spidery black light of a goth club, and some My Bloody Valentine fan may find this a good substitute while waiting for new material. Otherwise, this isn't anything too special or interesting, and I find I'd rather listen to older Lush or MBV and get the same effect with something behind it. --- NEWS: > A new Bauhaus compilation, _Crackle_, will be released on July 7. This newly remasted 16 track collection spans their entire career, and includes the following cuts: "Double Dare", "In The Flat Field", "Passion of Lovers", "Bela Lugosi's Dead", "The Sanity Assassin", "She's In Parties", "Silent Hedges", "Hollow Hills", "Mask", "Kick In The Eye", "Ziggy Stardust", "Dark Entries", "Terror Couple Kill Colonel", "SPirit", "Burning From The Inside", "Crowds". In addition, 4AD will be releasing _In The Flat Field_ in America for the first time, remastered and including 9 bonus tracks. > Former Cult lead singer Ian Astbury has completed a new album with collaboration from Chris Goss (Masters of Reality) and John Roome (Witchman), which also includes a re-recording of "The Witch". The album is slated for an early 1999 release. > Northside has released a 20 song compilation of the best in Nordic Roots music, aptly titled _Nordic Roots_ , at a price anyone can afford - $2.98. The disc can be purchased at many stores or through the label's web site at http://www.noside.com > Gary Numan fans may want to check out the Beggars Banquet web site (at http://www.beggars.com ) for two concerts which are only available from that label's mail order service; _Living Ornaments '79_, now 21 tracks and _Living Ornaments '81_ , 26 tracks from Wembley, 1981. > P.M. Dawn's first new album in three years, _Dearest Christian_, will be released this fall. --- TOUR DATES: Black Crowes Jul. 1 Athens, GA 40 Watt Club Jul. 3 Orlando, FL Street Festival Jul. 4 Tampa, FL USF Sun Dome Jul. 5 Sunrise, FL Markham Park Jul. 7 New Orleans, LA Tiptina's Uptown Jul. 8 Shreveport, LA Malibu Alley Jul. 10 Dallas, TX Deep Ellum Live Blue Oyster Cult Jul. 3 Lafayette, IN Riehle Bros. Club Jul. 4 Toledo, OH WIOT 25th Anniversary Party Jul. 5 H Hobart, IN Hobart J.C.'s Jul. 9 Dewey Beach, DE Bottle and Cork Jul. 10 Frederick, MD Xhale Deni Bonet Jul. 8 Boston, MA Brandeis University Jul. 9 Matunuck, RI Ocean Mist Cravin' Melon Jul. 3 Greenville, SC Downtown Jul. 4 Myrtle Beach, SC House Of Blues Jul. 10 Atlantic Beach, NC Life Guards HORDE Tour (Blues Traveler, Barenaked Ladies, Alana Davis, Ben Harper, and many others) Jul. 9 Somerset, WI River's Edge Park Jul. 10 East Troy, WI Alpine Valley Music Theater Iron Maiden Jul. 1 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Music Theatre Jul. 2 Cleveland, OH Nautica Stage Jul. 4 Montreal, QC Stade Du Maurier Jul. 5 Quebec City, QC L'Agora Jul. 7 New York, NY Roseland Jul. 10 San Antonio, TX Blue Bonnet Palace Joan Of Arc Jul. 3 Detroit, MI Magic Stick Jul. 4 London, ON Call The Office Jul. 5 Toronto, ON Riviloi Jul. 7 Ottawa Club Saw Jul. 8 Montreal, QC Petite Campus Jul. 9 Portsmouth, NH Elvis Room Jul. 10 Worcester, MA The Space Chantal Kreviazuk Jul. 6 Seattle, WA Mercer Arena Jul. 7 Portland, OR Schnitzer Concert Hall Jul. 9 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre Jul. 10 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre Lilith Fair Tour Jul. 1 Oklahoma City, OK All Sports Stadium Jul. 2 Bonner Springs, KS Sandstone Amph. Jul. 4 Indianapolis, IN Deer Creek Music Ctr. Jul. 5 Columbus, OH Polaris Amph. Jul. 6-8 Detroit, MI Pine Knob Music Thtr. Jul. 10 Rochester, NY Finger Lakes Perf. Arts. Ctr. Ziggy Marley & Melody Makers Jul. 1 Detroit, MI Michigan Taste Fest Jul. 2 Indianapolis, IN Starlight Summerstage Jul. 3 Columbia, MO Blue Note Jul. 4 Kansas City, MO Liberty Memorial Jul. 7 Hyannis, MA Cape Cod Melody Tent Jul. 8 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom Jul. 9 New York, NY Roseland Ballroom Metallica / Jerry Cantrell / Days of the New Jul. 1 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion Jul. 3 Toronto, ON Molson Amphitheater Jul. 4 Columbus, OH Polaris Amphitheater Jul. 5 Pecatonia, IL Winnebago County Fair Jul. 7 Cincinnatti, OH Riverbend Music Center Jul. 8 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center Jul. 10-11 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Music Theater Plastikman Jul. 1 Vancouver, BC Mars Jul. 3 Washington, D.C. Buzz Jul. 4 Gainesville, FL Simons Jul. 5 San Francisco, CA Spundae Swervedriver / Spoon Jul. 1 San Francisco, CA Slim's Jul. 3 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour Third Eye Blind / Our Lady Peace / Eve 6 Jul. 1 Muskegon, MI Muskegon Summer Celebration Jul. 2 Pontiac, MI Phoenix Plaza Jul. 3 Milwaukee, WI Summerfest - Old Style Stage Jul. 5 Traverse City, MI National Cherry Festival Jul. 7 Dayton, OH Hara Arena Jul. 8 Pittsburgh, PA IC Light Amphitheater Jul. 10 Cleveland, OH Nautica Lot Josh Wink Jul. 3 Washington, DC Buzz Jul. 4 Philadelphia, PA Shampoo --- Founded in August, 1993, Consumable Online is the oldest music reviews publication on the Internet. To get back issues of Consumable, check out: WWW: http://www.consumableonline.com (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". 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