== ISSUE 159 ==== CONSUMABLE ONLINE ======== [October 28, 1998] Editor: Bob Gajarsky E-mail: editor@consumableonline.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: Christina Apeles, Niles J. Baranowski, Tracey Bleile, Lee Graham Bridges, Jason Cahill, Patrick Carmosino, Krisjanis Gale, Emma Green, Paul Hanson, Chris Hill, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Franklin Johnson, Steve Kandell, Robin Lapid, Linda Scott, Scott Slonaker, Chelsea Spear, Simon Speichert, Jon Steltenpohl, Simon West Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann Also Contributing: Dan Birchall, Rob Hillard Address all comments to staff@consumableonline.com ; subscription information is given at the end of this issue. ================================================================== All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s). Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the editor. ================================================================== .------------. | Contents | `------------' REVIEW: R.E.M., _Up_ - Bob Gajarsky INTERVIEW: John Curley / Afghan Whigs, _1965_ - Chris Hill REVIEW: Robyn Hitchcock, _Storefront Hitchcock_ - Joe Silva REVIEW: Placebo, _Without You I'm Nothing_ - Tim Mohr REVIEW: Various, _Tommy Boy's Greatest Beats_ - Bob Gajarsky REVIEW: Chris Isaak, _Speak of the Devil_ - Robin Lapid REVIEW: Dream Theater, _Once in a LIVEtime_ - Dan Birchall REVIEW: Firewater, _The Ponzi Scheme_ - Lang Whitaker REVIEW: Mike Scott, _Still Burning_ - Tracey Bleile REVIEW: Baxter, _Baxter_ - Tim Mohr REVIEW: R.L. Burnside, _Come On In_ / Robert Cage, _Can See What You're Doing_ / Bob Log III, _School Bus_ - Rob Hillard REVIEW: Jocelyn Montgomery with David Lynch, _Lux Vivens (Living Light)_ - Jon Steltenpohl REVIEW: Bio Ritmo, _Rumba Baby Rumba!_ - Joe Silva NEWS: Berlin, Lenny Kravitz, Yo La Tengo / Simpsons TOUR DATES: Tori Amos / Unbelievable Truth, Archers of Loaf, Better Than Ezra / Possum Dixon / Athenaeum, Cypress Hill, Deftones, Everlast, Glen Matlock, Motley Crue, John Taylor, Moe Tucker, Mike Watt Back Issues of Consumable --- REVIEW: R.E.M., _Up_ (Warner) - Bob Gajarsky The names of Berry, Buck, Mills & Stipe appeared enough times in print for the foursome to start their own law firm. But when drummer Bill Berry left the band that he had been a part of for the past 18 years, R.E.M. realized they had to turn the page and move on. Although the departure of their longtime partner and friend came to those involved as a shock, Berry's departure did allow the band to create a different chapter in their history. "We were given the opportunity to totally do anything we wanted to," recalls Mike Mills. _Up_ is a startling departure from their past, with results which may shock casual listeners. The leadoff track "Airportman" is a lonely, droning song with some feedback thrown in to accentuate the mood. The effect on anyone familiar with R.E.M.'s past will be immediate - this isn't the band you used to know. And when the new approach works, things progress wonderfully. "Hope" tips its hat to the 80s synthesizers, a cross between Kraftwerk and the Rentals, while nicking part of its structure from Lou Reed's "Suzanne" - to whom they give co-writing credits. "At My Most Beautiful" combines the elements of a slower R.E.M. song such as "Nightswimming" with a lush Brian Wilson (circa _Pet Sounds_) backdrop. Strings are present in some songs - not in-your-face, but set in the background to complete a song's structure, rather than dramatically alter it. "Walk Unafraid" - whose title was inspired by Patti Smith - has a hook unlike any R.E.M. song previous (note a trend?) which will capture the listener's ear on the second or third play, and won't let go. And Smith's influence pops up again on "The Apologist" which has an aura of one of her late 70s songs. The first single "Daysleeper" is not unlike earlier efforts such as "Country Feedback", but "Lotus" is the track most likely to click with fans of R.E.M.'s past. With a song structure not far removed from "Crush With Eyeliner", this one might even be taking a poke at a past R.E.M. hit with the lyrics "dot dot dot and I feel fine" - a nod to their own "It's The End Of The World As We Know It." However, when the trio goes towards a more avant-garde and experimental, things go a bit awry. On some songs such as "Diminished" , Stipe sings passively and dreamily, not at or to the listener, but off in some distant land. Names such as Brian Eno and John Zorn may flow from the tongue on first listen - or even a Pink Floyd, from the aura and atmosphere created on _Up_. There are no 'classic' singles here, ones which either are likely to stand out as pop / modern rock hits in 5 years, or those which are instantly recognizable as 'an R.E.M. song'. Mike Mills summarizes it as follows: "If you came in (to R.E.M.) on _Murmur_ or _Reckoning_ or any of those early albums, you'll know that we veer left and veer right, and that's what you should expect...it's good to show people that, whatever you expect from us, it's probably not what you're going to get." But what about the millions of fans who came onboard to the R.E.M. bandwagon circa _Green_ or _Monster_, albums which helped net the Athenians one of the largest contracts in music history? They'll probably be vastly disappointed by the turn of events on _Up_. And some of the fans who grew up with the jangly signature trademarks Byrdsian guitars will no doubt also wonder where the band went. It takes a brave band to risk commercial failure in order to carve a new, uncharted path in their musical career. With _Up_, R.E.M. have taken the first step in a brand new musical direction. --- INTERVIEW: John Curley / Afghan Whigs, _1965_ (Columbia) - Chris Hill You have to admire the nerve of a guy who records his lovemaking, titles a 23 second excerpt "Sweet Son of a Bitch", and puts it on an album which should be in a million teenage stockings on Christmas morn. But that's Greg Dulli - rogue and auteur - guiding force of a band (Afghan Whigs) with a potentially platinum new album ( _1965_ ). 1993's _Gentlemen_, stocked with gems like "Debonair", "What Jail is Like", and "Gentlemen", brought the Whigs to the attention of grunge-laden radio playlists. 1996's _Black Love_, though a respectable seller, was not as popular - blame either lack of label support or meatier, thought-provoking tunes. Now come 1998, and they've returned with their lighter, bawdier side given full rein and a whip. Dulli's cinematic interests are evident, either with establishing shots opening songs (a striking match - "Somethin' Hot", party babble - "Crazy", French dialogue - "Citi Soleil") or lyrical imagery ("You walked in just like smoke/with a little come on, come on, come on in your walk" - "66"). These songs are lust walking with a wide-open fly - my favorite line du jour comes from "Somethin' Hot" - "You don't know just how I lie awake/and dream awhile about your smile/and the way you make your ass shake". There's a plethora of randy quotables here. Working the publicity machine, John Curley, Whigs bass player, was kind enough to talk with me on the phone. Past raving about the excellence of the album (ta, objectivity!), stylistic changes from _Black Love_, _1965_ guest musicians, the amazing Susan Marshall (whose vocals round out _1965_'s powerful groove), and their touring plans (sans horns, due to expense), I noticed the tape wasn't recording. Sigh. So we start with... CO: You guys pick great photographs for your albums. John: Thank you. CO: Angel Fernandez, who came up with the concept for _Gentlemen_ - that photograph is just amazing. Should be a poster. John: Angel's actually Greg, by the way. That was his concept. And we knew what the cover was going to be before we really started writing the songs. We had a couple songs in the bag, that we had kind of started working out. "Gentlemen" and "What Jail is Like" were two of the early ones. And "My Curse" had been written some years before. But he knew what the cover was going to be, and told us, before we really set down to work on the songs. In a subtle way - true, but I found it really helpful to know that. Once I had the cover described to me, I was like "Yeah, I got it". I don't know how much of that translates into the actual notes I play on bass, but it made it a lot easier to see where we were going and stuff. CO: With the new record, you've got an astronaut over the Earth. Was that Greg's idea, too? John: At first, we wanted to use a collage of images from 1965, so we got a whole bunch of these images together, started looking at them, and it just became kind of obvious, definitely in looking at the cover of our last - of all our records, really - the single strong image seems to have more impact for all of us than a collage. But there's a collage in there, on the back cover of the booklet. CO: Why the image? There's a real dichotomy between the shot in space and the intimate lyrics. Was that an in-joke? JC: No, I don't think it's meant to be a joke at all. I mean, in that context, you're out in space with that spacesuit on, but inside it's kind of warm. You're sort of alone with yourself. There's probably several metaphors in that you could start to get out. And then there's also that _2001: A Space Odyssey_ rebirth metaphor, too. Not so much the music, but at the end, after he encounters the black box, you know ... reverts back to his baby self and the universe and stuff. I don't know. We've never really talked about it much, but those are my musings. CO: With pretty much the same personnel - Jeff Powell, Greg producing - HUGE difference in sound. I'm wondering what the catalyst was between the last album and this album, 'cause this one's just ... sunshine. John: Well, you know, I think getting off Elektra was a big boost for us, emotionally. I think stuff happened in Greg's personal life and health-wise, where he's in a better state in both. I mean, he's always said and even without saying, it's pretty obvious, but when he's feelin' good, he writes about feelin' good, and when he's feeling lousy, he writes about feeling lousy. And he was feeling pretty good, and still is. CO: Some of Trent Reznor's fans hope he's always miserable, because he writes the best songs when he's miserable. John: Yeah, I used to say stuff like that. Like when I was a kid, I would say that about Pete Townshend, "I wish he'd get addicted to heroin again" or something like that, 'cause he never wrote anything good after _Quadrophenia_ or whatever. But you get in a band, or you become friends with somebody who's an artist, and you know, it's just not worth it. Greg said this to me in several interviews. He's like "If I had to choose between feeling like that some more or not making any more albums, I wouldn't make any more albums." It's just not worth it. To see your friend not happy, that sucks, too. And you can't do anything about it. You just kinda got to sit there and watch. CO: Well, he's said _Gentlemen_ was a pretty cathartic experience, sitting around with you guys, gushing out this emotional pain, that you guys were there for him. John: I think that was the first time he really tried to do something like that. And I remember doing the demos for that, and just listening to the lyrics and being able to hear the lyrics for the first time, 'cause you can't really hear them at practice, or at shows, necessarily, and just being like "wow, this is pretty personal." To be able to write it in such an articulate and direct way. He's definitely one of my favorite lyric writers. So I'm glad I get to be in a band with him too, 'cause I'd probably still listen to it, even if I wasn't. I'm tough on lyrics, man. I get turned off really quick by some stupid lyric. CO: Who are your favorites? Do you have any modern guys piquing you? John: Chuck D. I think Chuck D writes great lyrics. I think Thom from Radiohead writes some pretty good lyrics, and even the ones that aren't great are okay, you know? It's hard. I've tried to do it before, and it's just like laughably stupid what I come up with. I think it's really hard to say something in a cool and unique way. A lot of it, too, is just conviction and believing in what you're saying. CO: Your new drummer, Mike [Horrigan] sounds like he's been playing with you for a while. John: I don't remember the first time I met him, but he's been in bands since we first started going out and playing with the Whigs. We've known him for a long time. CO: He's familiar with your drum riffs? John: It would be safe to say he was a fan of the band. CO: 'Cause I'm hearing little touches in _1965_ that pop up throughout the other albums. It's strange to have such a presence in the drums. The opening riff of "Going to Town", I hear that showing up in other... John: You say "Going to Town", that was actually ... you know, Greg's a drummer, too. CO: Yeah, I read he wrote on multiple instruments. John: Yeah, so that might be your connection, as far as hearing stuff, 'cause really, from about _Gentlemen_ on, he's been pretty specific about certain drum things, and he definitely has beats that are his favorites, that I recognize, that it's like "Oh, yeah, you like that stuff, don't ya?" Which is not to say he says, "Sit down and play it like this" or whatever, but there's definitely parts where he says, "Yeah, I gotta hear this" and that goes for drums, bass, and guitar. CO: So how complete are the songs when you come in? Pretty much like "Here's your line, go for it." or...? John: Well, like "Somethin' Hot" was a demo that was recorded and there wasn't really any room to change the bass on it, or the drums, or the guitar. It was a pretty straight- forward song, so we just kind of learned it like the demo, and I mean, it changes subtly. There's little fills or whatever, that everybody does that are unique to them. But there wasn't really a whole lot of room to mess around with it. "The Slide Song" - that ended up having an extra part, 'cause Greg wanted to sing it a certain way, and it needed that sort of second half of the verse where it descends, like the b-verse, I guess you'd call it. CO: I have to bring up Susan Marshall again. She's incredible. John: She was in a band called The Mother Station. And I believe - you should check this, but I believe they were on Epic. CO: Okay. [Atlantic, then on EastWest, according to the All-Music Guide web site] John: She's from Memphis. She sings with Ann Peebles sometimes. She sings with a lot of people down in Memphis. She's a great singer, though. She's got this huge powerful voice, and when we were recording, you know, the house is huge, and it would just boom through the whole house, you know, and all the floors are tile and wood and stuff, so it would just echo all the way back into the farthest reaches of the house. CO: Wow. I noticed you played keyboards on this one. John: A little bit, yeah. I did a keyboard bass thing on "Crazy". CO: I think it's pretty cool that you're personally responding to people on the site. [ http://www.afghanwhigs.com ] John: Yeah, I'm trying to. Part of it's guilt-driven for not responding to the analog fan mail we've gotten over the years. We've just tried a bunch of times to do it. It's just too much work, and it winds up halfway getting done. We've had a couple false starts on trying to start a fan club. CO: Well, you've got a couple out there - fan sites - that are just amazing. Meredith's page... [ http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~borakove/whigs/ ] John: I know. Meredith, yeah. The first time I ever got on the internet, I was like "Oooh, I'll type in Afghan Whigs"... CO: [laughs] John: ...and saw that. So, I mean, that was already there. So, I'll be forever indebted to Meredith for making me think the Internet was pretty cool. CO: How involved are you with the Interactive portion of Ultrastudio? [ http://www.ultrastudio.com/ - the Cinncinnati studio he shares with partners] John: I pretty much did the website for the studio. My wife and one of my other partners, Dave, run the interactive thing. Michelle, my wife, does all the enhanced cd programming, has a lot of corporate clients and stuff, and then Dave does the mastering and the digital audio work. So basically, the UltraInteractive part is the catch-all for doing anything that's not multi-track recording. CO: It's pretty Renaissance - you've got bald eagles, fantasy baseball... John: [laughs] She's busy. She's got boundless energy. CO: All the press about the studio makes it sound like a communal thing. John: Very much is. We couldn't run it any other way, because when the Whigs go on tour, half the staff walks out the door. CO: The rates are great. John: Yup. You won't find a better deal within 500 miles. I guarantee it. CO: I read that you were in the black. Are you still? John: Pretty much. I mean, if we were all trying to make a living out of it, I think it would be a little more difficult, but as long as it supports itself, we're all pretty happy, 'cause we have other things we do. The whole point of it was never to get in over our heads, to the point where we'd just have to be slaves to paying the bills, and having to go out and hustle for business, and having to record just god-awful music that none of us liked. [laughs] CO: Do you think Elektra was, in hindsight, almost good for not getting you out, so this album will be a little more fresh - a "who are these guys?" kind of thing? John: I think Elektra did more to make us indie rock than SubPop, you know. As far as that goes. CO: Really? Through lack of promotion? John: Yeah. You know what? I mean, number one, it was a total different company that we signed with, than what we left on. When we signed with Elektra, they put out 40 some odd records a year, then they folded in EastWest and Atco, and went to putting out maybe 140 records a year, 180 records a year, whatever. They just don't have the long-term vision. I don't think the new management had a clue what to do with us. They had people telling them, "Oooh, these guys are good. Don't give up this band." But they didn't know why. They made all these promises to us about a year-long commitment, and blah blah blah "We're in here for the long term". Six weeks down the road, it was starting to filter back to us that they were saying "The Whigs' record's dead. Let's concentrate on" ... whatever their flavor-of-the-month band was at that time. CO: What made you go with Columbia then? John: The guy that signed us at Columbia, Tim Devine, has been a longtime fan of the band, and has come to see us. In fact, there were a couple of people from Columbia, besides Tim, who'd been coming to see us just as fans for a long time. Tim kind of made it known, through conversations with people, mutual friends and stuff, "Hey, if you guys ever wind up leaving Elektra, please talk to me." And when it became clear that we were leaving Elektra, he let us know that we could come there if we wanted to. But we talked to a few labels. We talked to Interscope, we talked to Capitol, talked to a couple others as well, just to see what was out there. But eventually, we wound up going with Columbia, mostly because of Tim. Beyond that, because of people that we met, they just really seemed to be on top of it these days. And they've also committed to whatever it takes in the long term. John and I talked some more about his love for skiing, New Orleans' vibrant musical atmosphere, his pleasure at the makeup of the current Whigs setlist, and the touring life in general. It was a fun interview. All that's left is to tell you, the CO reader, to go buy _1965_. Buy several as gifts, and I can see them with a horn section that much sooner. --- REVIEW: Robyn Hitchcock, _Storefront Hitchcock_ (Warner) - Joe Silva For those with only a passing familiarity of Robyn Hitchcock's work, he may seem to chalk up to not much more than an semi-obscure 80s pop quantity that never quite made the grade like - oh, let's say the Cure did. By while many of his post-punk contemporaries eventually were forced to return to their day jobs or simply ran out of new fashions to aspire to, Hitchcock has continued to hold together a modest core audience of listeners for close to twenty years. And more importantly, one of those listeners was filmmaker Jonathan Demme (Stop Making Sense, Silence of The Lambs, Beloved). When the two met backstage at one of Robyn's gig in a club not too far from Demme's home, the seed for another notch in Demme's filmography was planted. The resulting piece of celluloid should be making the rounds at the same sorts of theatres that periodically hold midnight showings of Clockwork Orange any time now. Presenting Hitchcock in front of a small and audience of friends and fans while behind him the macrocosm of a busy New York City street rushes past him on the other side of a shop window, Demme has captured one of Robyn's most valuable assets - his ability to improvise and entertain with not much more than an acoustic guitar, a harmonica, and a traffic cone or two. Moving through a mixed bag of his tunes new and old, Robyn rants, regales and generally puts forth a savagely good show. Interspersed with his well known semi-nonsensical tales, Hitchcock gives up great renderings of old faves like "Glass Hotel," as well as new songs like "1974." Beyond being a prime example of how well-crafted his material is when it's stripped down as it is here, Robyn shows how versatile he can be with a six-string beneath his fingers (something he's not all that well known for). The CD release and the film differ slightly in which tracks are used, but as it may be sometime before the video version is released, this soundtrack is a super illustration of a multi-dimensional artist in a sometimes overwhelmingly flat musical horizon. --- REVIEW: Placebo, _Without You I'm Nothing_ (Virgin) - Tim Mohr As if scanning the seating chart of an eighth-grade classroom, when you look at Brian Molko of Placebo you find yourself going, "boy, girl, boy, girl." Molko tends to wear slinky black outfits and lots of red lipstick. With the glamorous aspirations of a Hollywood startlet and an electric guitar that seems to have been tuned by Sonic Youth, Molko embodies a certain fin-de-siecle (or millenium, as the case may be) sensibility: youthful nihilism, the forced vacancy of anti-intellectualism, and wining self-pity all inform his lyrics on Placebo's second album, _Without You I'm Nothing_. Up to now, Placebo have gained notice primarily in the UK. Throwing down the androgeny card in a country where bands like Suede break the bank with only half-hearted bluffs in this direction, Placebo took the atonal riffs and nasal complaints of their eponymous debut into the top ten. Placebo look like little girls and have reinstated American guitars on the British charts. Placebo's musical tastes contrast sharply with the fey pop that typifies many British guitar bands du jour and the Teva-wearing, prep-school- athlete-turned-crunchy-musician-in-post-Grateful Dead jam bands of American college rock. From skidding, angular guitar lines hurried along by fuzzed bass lines and frenetic drums, to tinsel glam ballads worthy of early Bowie, Placebo represent both a new phase of alternative and a throw-back to the _Daydream Nation_-era of Lower East Side noise bands. Placebo's gender-bending imagery and ambiguous lyrics, though likely to make fraternity social chairmen rather ornery, lend an odd universality to the band and the problems they explore on _Without You I'm Nothing_. "I'm a queen,a libertine, and every time you vent your spleen I seem to lose the power of speech...you're slipping slowly from my reach--tick, tock, tick, tock," moans Molko on the title track, counting off the seconds as his companion withdraws. It is precisely this type of lyrical quandry that makes _Without You I'm Nothing_ the soundtrack that we deserve: comfortable in the abstract with proclaiming his more outlandish qualities, Molko recognizes the potentially alienating affect this can entail in practice. Placebo suffer from urban fatigue and are wary of stasis. "You try to break the mold before you get too old," sings Molko in "Summer's Gone," before resigning himself to a somewhat less ambitious goal: "You try to break the mold before you die." Not that that sentiment--or buying a record towards that end--is particularly original, but at least Placebo don't sound like Semisonic. --- REVIEW: Various, _Tommy Boy's Greatest Beats_ (Tommy Boy) - Bob Gajarsky Sometimes, writing reviews can be a chore. Sometimes, reviews are not only easy to write, but truly enjoyable. When the discs from the Tommy Boy _Greatest Beats_ came this way, the latter feeling of happiness truly came to the forefront. While DJing back in the mid 1980s, Tommy Boy was quickly known to me - and those dancing to the music - as a label which would always venture slightly ahead of the pack to produce superior music and artists with their ears firmly in the clubs. Of course, the super-influential and all-time top-selling 12" single from Afrika Bambaattaa & Soul Sonic Force "Planet Rock" is the leadoff track here. And what better song can signify the length to which Tommy Boy's influence would reach? Where Kraftwerk had their core audience, "Planet Rock" married rap with the robotic sounds of the enigmatic European group and singlehandedly inspired Miami Bass, and touched the hearts of those who would start dancing to techno and jungle in a later year. But one song does not a career make, nor a label. The psychedelic hip-hop eye-opening experience of the Daisy Agers, De La Soul, freestyling via TKA, and rappers such as Queen Latifah all were under the Tommy Boy umbrella. Samples were also in vogue on Naughty By Nature's reworking of the Jackson 5's "ABC" into the more youthfully-respected "OPP"; the Stevie Wonder updating for Coolio's "Gangster Paradise" If it was danceable and hip, odds are, it was on Tommy Boy. Always open to new sounds, Tommy Boy didn't solely strive for the urban beats; Information Society opened up the doors for a new generation of synthpop and Trekkies raced out and picked up "What's On Your Mind" for the sampling of Spock's 'Pure Energy'. Lisa Stansfield first became known in the States with Coldcut's hit "People Hold On", and 808 State's brief American moment in the raving sun is captured on "Pacific". House of Pain commanded you to "Jump Around", and the crossdressing Rupaul proclaimed his/her/hir (sic) world on "Supermodel". But by marrying the sounds which were heard on the corners of New York City's streets - yet weren't considered mainstream, acceptable, or enough of a risk for the major label's bottom line - Tommy Boy helped define the dance scene for the 80s and 90s, without ever losing their street credibility. Those willing to plunk down their bucks for the entire 4 disc box set will find themselves rewarded with an additional bonus fifth disc of classic tunes remixed from some of today's cutting-edge DJs. Check out that list - including Dimitri from Paris, Dee Jay Punk Roc, Grooverider, and Jason Nevins - and save up the pennies to buy the whole box. Absolutely essential. --- REVIEW: Chris Isaak, _Speak of the Devil_ (Reprise) - Robin Lapid You know Chris Isaak -- he's that guy who parades around in VH-1 videos with a half-naked model while cementing his historical role as alt music's master transcriber of love gone wrong. What if I told you that on his latest release, _Speak of the Devil_, he actually lifts himself out of that 'I'm the singer with the movie star looks who gets dumped all the time' fog and creates an album chock-full of full-bodied rock music that explores a different musical terrain such as Isaak has never before approached? I'd be half off-base, is what. There are subtle hints of surprise on the album, but the singer still shows a knack for plaintive-sweet warblings a la Roy Orbison and a seductively sinister Elvis impression that is completely like the Isaak of old. Which is not a bad thing, considering that the singer-songwriter, like an updated Orbison or Presley, knows how to perfect the rock-and-country sound of a heart melting into heartache or pelted with frustration and misplaced lust. But also on the album are welcome nuances of uncovered territory, like the surf-y instrumental "Super Magic 2000", which sounds something akin to if the Pixies' Frank Black had been obsessed with the Wild West instead of space aliens. "Speak of the Devil" builds into a rollicking rock song wherein Isaak lets loose with the crooning wail more evident in his looser live shows. "Don't Get Down On Yourself" blends Isaak's soft and tender vocals with acoustic guitar and hints at how good a lo-fi, less-produced Chris Isaak album might sound. Most of the songs, however, fit into the mold that both sets Isaak apart and invariably limits him. The opening track and first single, "Please", with a salacious and gritty guitar line backing Isaak's dead-on rockabilly croon. "Black Flowers" carries Isaak's soft and deadly vocals much like the formidable "Dancin'" did, crescendoing into an eloquent and controlled chorus and some complementary guitar licks. In all, _Speak of the Devil_ conflates Isaak's trademark sound with a tad more playful sonic variations. Not a big leap forward, but more like a suave sway to the left. --- REVIEW: Dream Theater, _Once in a LIVEtime_ (EastWest) - Dan Birchall Dream Theater has been a part of the progressive rock and metal scene for a decade, and a major force since vocalist James LaBrie joined the band in the early 90's. Three full-length albums and two EP's later, the band consists of LaBrie, bassist John Myung, guitarist John Petrucci, drummer Mike Portnoy, and keyboardist Derek Sherinian. On this live double album, the five showcase their technical and artistic abilities. They're hardly lacking in either area. Why simplify complex studio songs for the road like most bands? They add even more twists, turns and rhythm fills in person. On stage, they leap at chances to include embellishments or improvise as a group in mid-song. Their antics are akin to the Grateful Dead or Phish - but with an emphasis on technique, a driving beat, and the volume knob set on eleven. Songs stretch far beyond their normal length. Unknown lyrics crop up. And often, they veer unexpectedly into a few bars of something from Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, or even Lynyrd Skynyrd. Four tracks, including the opener and closer, are segments of the group's 23-minute epic song, "A Change of Seasons." They also draw extensively from their last three albums, and include one song from their first album, along with three instrumental solos - two of which evolve into group jams. Other surprises include an amusing pause in the midst of a song for a "french horn" playing an equestrian fanfare, and a great guest appearance by Spyro Gyra's Jay Beckenstein on alto saxophone, lending a jazzy, new-age flavor to "Take Away My Pain." This is obviously a "must have" for Dream Theater's diehard fans, but it's more than that. The sheer volume of material crammed in a single jewel case - 23 songs and 154 minutes of music on 2 discs - makes it the ideal overview of the band's career to date. Excellent sound and production and an enthusiastic crowd make it even better. Whether you're a new fan interested in the past, a pop fan wondering what the whole "progressive" fuss is about, or a collector looking for the ultimate single example of Dream Theater's work, _Once in a LIVEtime_ is highly recommended. --- REVIEW: Firewater, _The Ponzi Scheme_ (Universal) - Lang Whitaker If the "Spy vs. Spy" cartoon in Mad Magazine had a soundtrack, it would sound like Firewater's new album _The Ponzi Scheme_. Taking the unbeatable attitude of brit-rock and proselytizing it with the pop sensibility of The Beach Boys, Firewater creates a boisterous yet refined sound. Owing as much to the chutzpah of Anthony Quinn's Zorba the Greek as to The Eagles harmonic balance, on _Ponzi_, Firewater's second full album, the kids show us that they are alright. After their debut album drew as much noise for its title (_Get Off The Cross, We Need The Wood For The Fire_), the more controversial subjects are abstained from in order to focus on the music. The ringmaster of Firewater's circus is lead singer Tod A., formerly of Cop Shoot Cop. He's totally British, faking the accent, but all balls, guts and lager. On "So Long, Superman" he manages to rhymes the phrase "...I will follow" with "...like Lou Ferrigno." A's scuffed baritone is gutteral and at odds against the clean arrangements. Despite their clean sound, Firewater injects a soul and drive to the music so that it's not as hollow as Fastball. There really aren't any duds on _The Ponzi Scheme_. The opening track, "Ponzi's Scheme," sounds relatively sinister yet orchestral, pitting brash horn stacks against guitars howling to be heard above the din. "Another Perfect Catostrophe" is a swarthy and romantic tango in Tijuana. Another shot of tequila please, senor. "Knock 'Em Down" is a pew stomping good time, a Civil War-era, anti-church hymn ("I don't believe in God because he don't believe in me," A. sings). A real gem is the track "Isle of Dogs," which is surprisingly uplifting and, well, beautiful. It's a song where Firewater doesn't get caught up in their own war games, and as a result they are able to create a slow jam that borders on the serious. Thankfully, the tongues are immediately shoved right back in cheek, exactly where they belong. --- REVIEW: Mike Scott, _Still Burning_ (Minty Fresh) - Tracey Bleile Whatever you may think of the Waterboys' Mike Scott - a little over the top, a little too arms flung wide - he is a showman first and a proselytizer second. He passionately believes, and he wants you to, too. And he'll pull out every trick he knows in the hopes of keeping you following along. The Big Music is back, minus the rest of the Waterboys, but Scott works hard to revive the past with _Still Burning_. His first solo effort, _Bring 'Em All In_, was more of an exploration of Man plus Guitar equals Serious Singer/Songwriter. And while there are some quieter moments on this release ("Personal", "Sunrising"), Scott's area of strength doesn't lie in the minutiae of self-examination, but on the largesse of emotion and proclaiming one's feelings at the top of your lungs. And _Burning_ brings all of that rushing back with much trumpet fanfare and guitars blazing. Mike Scott is very much like Michael Been of The Call - an artist bent on bringing you closer to understanding their view of life's mysteries through their music. And the songs can be read many ways - the private love of the deity you worship, in a song like "Open" or the devotion to one human being that builds up and flows over with a song like "Love Anyway" - listen each time with an open mind, and you'll hear it a different way every time. Yet like the archangel whose name they share, there is also the examination of anger and earthbound demons playing a part in the human struggle that Scott faces in armed only with grinding heavy guitar in "My Dark Side" and the extra added thunder of an RD500 keyboard on "Dark Man Of My Dreams". If you're a Waterboys fan, you've heard this all before, that unforgettable throaty warble bubbling through the songs that follow a very predictable, cadenced rhythm, which makes the absence of how much more percussion there used to be far more noticeable. But he has found an excellent groove between the excess and the folkiness with songs like "Rare, Precious and Gone", with the help of a Wurlitzer and the omnipresent horns. He is still an irrepressible and enjoyable performer, playing his Pan pipe and calling you to follow. With an album like _Still Burning_ you find yourself chasing after, laughing and singing the whole way. Also released is a long-overdue "greatest" collection, _Whole Of The Moon_ which spans the entire W'boys catalog, and includes tracks from both solo Scott albums. Guess some things are worth resurrecting. Also available (but currently only as an import) is a great double-disc set _Live Adventures Of The Waterboys_, which includes killer versions of "This Is The Sea", "We Will Not Be Lovers", their biggest U.S. hit "Whole Of The Moon", and just because you can never have too much Prince, their cover of "Purple Rain". The Big Music Lives! --- REVIEW: Baxter, _Baxter_ (Maverick) - Tim Mohr Baxter's individual members come from very different backgrounds, the combination of which on their debut album works extremely well. The most important components are the dub and jungle stylings brought to the project by Ricky Tillblad, and the song- and lyric-writing of Nina Ramsby, who honed her skills at the helm of the Swedish indie outfit, Salt. The result is ambient drum and bass with an atmosphere that would feel at home on 4AD records. What makes the record enjoyable is the way Baxter avoid most of the trappings of the various styles: drum and bass usually comes in one of two formats--the instrumental variety of, for instance, DJ Krust, or the house-inflected stylings of people like Alex Reece or Goldie. Baxter take their cue from the more minimalist instrumental school but add vocals. And likewise, the vocals--with their morose quality and thoughtful lyrics--lean towards the trip-hop of Portishead or Lamb, but the musical backdrop is more lively and less self-consciously melodramatic. There are some particularly interesting moments: On "So Much I've Heard," Baxter loop a dusty guitar sample in Tricky's signature style, but then add frantic, crashing drum and bass percussions to the track. Some of the pieces have the haunted dancehall feel of Witchman, with a dark, spooky piano line looped over sinister snares. "Possible" takes something of this approach, then adds horns--mirroring another common drum and bass technique, the jazzy sample--to create what might be mistaken for a top-drawer re-mix of Portishead. Sometimes the mix is less effective: "All Of My Pride" could be a Sade remix, what with the lyrical tone and the muted trumpet line. Baxter make a good case for the genre cross-pollenization that they attempt. Tracks such as "So Much I've Heard" should make believers of people who like all manner of beatz, and particularly those who already seek out similar projects -- The Aloof come to mind with their organic, dub-heavy, vocal excursions. --- REVIEW: R.L. Burnside, _Come On In_ / Robert Cage, _Can See What You're Doing_ / Bob Log III, _School Bus_ (Fat Possum Records) - Rob Hillard Out in the rolling hill country region of northern Mississippi, there ain't a whole lot to sing about. The days are hot, the roads are dusty, and the economic conditions are as mean and nasty as a junkyard dog. Fortunately, the blues are alive and well in this lonely and forsaken place. But you might never know it if it weren't for the brave souls at Fat Possum Records. Based in the tiny metropolis of Oxford, this fiercely independent group of modern-day archivists is working hard to expose the next generation of Mississippi's trailblazing blues bogeymen. Yet the core of their talent includes many of the last living disciples of vintage Delta blues, made famous in this region by legendary characters like Son House, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, and Elmore James. At the top of the Fat Possum roster is a stubborn, ol' whiskey swillin', wide-grinnin' son-of-a-bitch named R.L. Burnside, whose stripped-down, electrified guitar blues is as wicked and intense as a New Years Day hangover. My first exposure to Burnside was at the 1996 Johnstown Folk Fest, where he shared a bill with his friend and labelmate, the late, great Junior Kimbrough. Backed by the Kenny Brown Blues Band, Burnside rambled onto the stage about three or four songs into the set carrying a shabby looking electric guitar that looked like it might have been pulled out of a dumpster. He then proceeded to display his raw wizardry, unleashing some of the most hypnotic and high-voltage backwoods blues I'd ever heard. Stretching and scratching the strings as often as he stroked them, Burnside spewed forth an hour-long, alcohol-fueled set of howling, stomping, straight-ahead mojo madness. Above the swirling din of spontaneous guitar licks came the sound of Burnside's growling, caterwauling vocals - rough, rootsy, and seething with passion. The entranced crowd responded in style, partaking in the most down and dirty, reptilian dancing ever witnessed in this conservative, blue-collar town. With three recording projects already under his belt, including a 1996 session with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion that yielded the critically acclaimed _A Ass Pocket of Whiskey_, Burnside is always looking for a fresh new sound. Never one to pay much homage to maintaining tradition, Burnside's latest Fat Possum release, _Come On In_, may be his most daring adventure yet. On this fascinating collection of experimental remixes of new and previously recorded tracks, famed Beck producer Tim Rothrock makes use of ambient sounds, drum loops, and sampling to add yet another dizzying dimension to Burnside's trance-inducing southern boogie. The result is sonically intense, yet still surprisingly primitive. Moving from the hell-bent fury of "Let My Baby Ride" to the spooky technofried blues of "Shuck Dub," the album manages to capture the spirit of a modern-day dance hall without diminishing the spark of Burnside's fiery juke joint blues. Compare the untouched live version of the title track to the two remixed versions that are scattered throughout the album's twelve tracks and you will see what I mean. Other memorable genre-bending moments include the urban hip-hop rhythm romp "Don't Stop Honey," which features Burnside's grandson Cedric on drums, and "Rollin' Tumblin," a driving swamp-stomp rocker that is sure to tickle the toes of even the baddest technophobe. Burnside is currently on the road, reluctant as he may be to leave his modest home in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Opening a majority of the shows is another veteran Fat Possum bluesman, Robert Cage, whose lean and mean pre-war blues hits you like a musty blast of air from a long-shuttered root cellar. Once you get acclimated to his vintage grunting sound, it's very cool. This trademark vocal style is a rough and tumble tradition that Cage picked up from his long-time mentor, a Woodville, Mississippi blues legend named Scott Dunbar. After nearly four decades playing electric blues, Cage returns to his roots on his first recording for Fat Possum, _Can See What You're Doing_. While the disc contains two potent, electrified numbers, including the opening butt-thumper "Get Outta Here" and the searing "Instrumental #5," most of the remaining tracks follow the old-school acoustic country blues theme. Listening to Cage "doo doo doo" his way through "Little Eddie Blues," you almost get the feeling you're sitting out on his backporch sipping on a cool can of Colt 45, watching the sun settle down over the old Rosemont plantation. Cage grunts his way through "How Do You Get Your Rolling Done," a wailing tune that evokes the spirit of Mississippi Fred McDowell. Other highlights include an unrestrained take on the traditional "Liza Jane" and spirited renditions of Leadbelly's "Easy Rider" and "Goodnight Irene." A few select dates on the Burnside-Cage tour will also feature the monkey-pawed, caffeinated slide-guitar and kitchen sink percussion of Bob Log III, a self-proclaimed rock'n'roll rebel who regularly performs wearing a motorcycle helmet. While the helmet adds an air of mystery to Log's already puzzling persona, it has an even greater effect on his vocal style. Yep, that's right. He actually sings through the helmet, using cheap telephone microphones to create a bizarre lo-fi sound that is nearly as intriguing as his self-generated psychedelic blues rave-ups. Never mind that you can barely understand a damn thing Log is singing. Vocals definitely take a back seat to the lightning-speed slide guitar riffs and funky junkyard rhythms in this unique one-man-band. One half of the Tucson-based post-punk blues outfit Doo Rag, Log has long experimented with primal beats and unorthodox guitar effects. On his Fat Possum solo debut, _School Bus_, Log hammers out a series of short, percussive romps that range from supercharged breakdowns like "String on a Stick" and "Big Ass Hard On" to the loping blues shuffle of "Fire in the Hole" and "Land of a Thousand Swirling Asses." The mojo really gets working on a funky little ditty called "All the Rockets Go Bang," a rowdy call and response number that must surely be a highlight of the live Log experience. "Pig Tail Swing," a wickedly paced slice of slide thrash that clocks in at just under two minutes, conjures up depraved images of Log chasing hogs around at an all-night Midwestern barn dance. While the abbreviated length of these tunes creates an appearance that they may have been tailored for commercial radio, it's far more likely that Log is merely suffering from some sort of severe attention deficit disorder. For further information on these artists or Fat Possum records, you check out the web site at http://www.fatpossum.com --- REVIEW: Jocelyn Montgomery with David Lynch, _Lux Vivens (Living Light)_ (Mammoth) - Jon Steltenpohl Throughout his career, David Lynch has tried time and time again to create visions of slightly twisted parallel world where the bizarre is seemingly everywhere. He's brought that vision to light not only with characters and visuals, but also with music. Even in his early cult classic, _Eraserhead_, there was a miniature girl in the radiator singing about heaven. His later albums with Angelo Badalamenti and Julee Cruise provided a mysterious, yet silly take on the Twin Peaks theme, and lately, he was responsible for bringing Rammstein to the masses with the Lost Highway soundtrack. However, regardless of the success of his work, Lynch remains an artist for whom you always wonder if you can take seriously. His work is often bizarre just for the sake of being bizarre. Now, collaborating with Jocelyn Montgomery, David Lynch has produced an album which is remarkable for both it other-worldliness and its stunning beauty. And thankfully, Lynch has restrained his need to tweak the nose of rational thought. _Lux Vivens (Living Light)_ manages to be both mysterious and serious without taking away from either aspect. Lynch discovered Montgomery as she walked down the street singing to herself. With an eye for talent and itching to get going in his new recording studio, Lynch recruited Montgomery as his next diva. Montgomery, a trained vocal artist, had recently been exposed to the music of a German nun named Hildegard von Bingen who lived from 1098-1179. The resulting album of these three unlikely collaborators is a treasure. It unfolds like a dream where you find yourself floating over Eden. Montgomery's single a Capella voice echoes as if you were in an ancient monastery. The echoes float back and forth over themselves in a most incredible display of self harmonization that turns one voice into a chorus of angels. Unlike the Enigma albums or the Benedictine Monks remixes of a few years back, _Lux Vivens (Living Light)_ contains no dance beat behind it. There is no percussion. Strings, wind and rain, bird sounds, and other effects set a quiet backdrop for Montgomery's practiced voice. She is crystal clear, like a small bell. Simple, subdued. Yet within each note, Montgomery caresses and consoles the melody to the point of breathlessness. After a single listen, the title comes as no surprise. _Lux Vivens (Living Light)_ begs to be played with candles in the room. Something about the music is solemn and contemplative. It's as if there is a ceremony in progress. The listener is practically dared to find a bath or a massage to complement the album. Just toss that _Songs of the Humpback Whales_ album by "Yanni wannabe #23" in the trash, put this album in the player, and relax away. _Lux Vivens (Living Light)_ is riddled with continuity and consistency as one song softly flickers into another. The album is, like most of Lynch's work, more different and abstract than what you'd normally find in the mainstream. But, unlike his previous body of work, the quirkiness is restrained and very refined. Lynch, with Montgomery as his voice, has finally found a way to focus on just his genius and leave the rest behind. _Lux Vivens (Living Light)_ is an auditory masterpiece. --- REVIEW: Bio Ritmo, _Rumba Baby Rumba!_ (Mercury) - Joe Silva This octet of mostly non-Hispanics may appear as if they're doing some pretty high-wire tap dancing by putting out an album of Latin jive, but at times these guys can actually manage this bit of sleight of hand. Led by Cuban emigre' Rene Herrera, Bio Ritmo strike a compromise between Herrera's background and more marketable brand of big band merriment that live makes them a big hit with those who are just now making room for Salsa in their musical vocabulary. Songs like "Ugly" and "Call Me Up" are jokey numbers and straight-up pop fare respectively that just happened have a Latin taint to them. And while their "Tequila" cover may just seem like easy filler, there are some breaks within its framework that show what savvy musicians these guys actually are. In fact "Un Carnaval En La Habana," "Una Palabra," and "Sientate Ahi" comes pretty close to servicing all of the genre's essential elements both musically and vocally. Herrera's voice might be a touch saccharine, but it's convincing enough at least for this tune to inspire the rest of the troops to some damn precise backup vocals. While I might take Marc Ribot's ("Marc Ribot Y Los Cubanos Postizos") release over this despite it being even further removed from the real article, there's enough sincerity and genuine professionalism within Bio Ritmo not to dismiss them as big band opportunists. A few more mojitos and a visit to the old county might be in order however. --- NEWS: > The band Berlin revealed during a recent live gig that it is currently shopping a new studio record to the labels. And the band has been performing several of the brand new songs in concert along with their biggest Eighties hits. The new song with the most potential is the sultry "I Can Love Again," written by Berlin vocalist Teri Nunn and former Concrete Blonde leader Johnette Napolitano. > Lenny Kravitz' _5_ album has recently been certified gold (500,000 shipped) by the RIAA. > Yo La Tengo will join two other performers (Sonic Youth and Tito Puente) to cover the Simpsons theme song in an episode of the television show. Their psychedelic version will appear at the end of the November 15 episode. --- TOUR DATES: Tori Amos / Unbelievable Truth Nov. 1 Detroit, MI Rose Arrena Nov. 3 Eau Claire, WI Zorn Arena Nov. 4 Madison, WI Dane County Expo Nov. 6 Pittsburgh, PA Civic Arena Archers of Loaf Nov. 1 Seattle, WA Show Box Nov. 3 Vancouver, BC Starfish Nov. 4 Seattle, WA Crocodile Better Than Ezra / Possum Dixon / Athenaeum Nov. 1 West Palm Beach, FL WPBZ Radio Show Cypress Hill Nov. 2 Washington, DC 9:30 Club Nov. 3 Detroit, MI Clutch Cargos Nov. 4 Chicago, IL House Of Blues Deftones Nov. 3 Petaluma, CA Phoenix Theatre Nov. 4 Los Angeles, CA Palladium Nov. 5 San Diego, CA Soma Nov. 6 Phoenix, AZ Mesa Amphitheater Everlast Oct. 28 Boston, MA Axis Oct. 29 Old Bridge, NJ Birch Hill Nov. 1 Pittsburgh, PA Club Laga Nov. 2 Cleveland, OH Peabody's Nov. 5 Charlottesville, VA Trax Nov. 6 Washington, DC The Bayou Glen Matlock Oct. 30 London Mean Fiddler Oct. 31 Dublin Mean Fiddler Nov. 4 York Fibbers Nov. 5 Doncaster Leopard's Motley Crue Nov. 1 New Haven, CT Oakdale Theatre Nov. 3 Wilkes Barre, PA Kirby Theatre Nov. 4 Rochester, NY Auditorium Theatre Nov. 6 Syracuse, NY Landmark Theatre John Taylor Nov. 3 Jacksonville, FL Moto Lounge Nov. 4 Hallandale, FL Button Nov. 6 Orlando, FL House of Blues Nov. 7 Atlanta, GA The Cotton Club Moe Tucker Nov. 4 New Hope, PA John & Peter's Nov. 6 New Haven, CT Tune Inn Mike Watt Nov. 1 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue Nov. 2 Iowa City, IA Gabe's Oasis Nov. 3 Omaha, NE Ranch Bowl Nov. 4 Lawrence, KS The Bottleneck Nov. 6 Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre --- 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". 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. Address any written correspondence to Bob Gajarsky, Consumable Online, 409 Washington St. #294, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030 ===