== ISSUE 187 ==== CONSUMABLE ONLINE ======== [September 21, 1999] Editor: Bob Gajarsky E-mail: editor@consumableonline.com Managing Editor: Lang Whitaker Sr. Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Joann Ball, Bill Holmes, Tim Kennedy, Al Muzer, Joe Silva Correspondents: Michelle Aguilar, Christina Apeles, Niles J. Baranowski, Mike Bederka, Tracey Bleile, Jason Cahill, Matthew Carlin, Patrick Carmosino, John Davidson, Andrew Duncan, Krisjanis Gale, Paul Hanson, Chris Hill, Eric Hsu, Franklin Johnson, Steve Kandell, Reto Koradi, Robin Lapid, Wes Long, Linda Scott, Don Share, Scott Slonaker, Kerwin So, Chelsea Spear, Jon Steltenpohl, Michael Van Gorden, Simon West Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, David Landgren, Dave Pirmann 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 | `------------' INTERVIEW: Kool Keith - Lang Whitaker REVIEW: Air, _Premiers Symptomes (First Signs)_ - Robin Lapid REVIEW: Macha, _See It Another Way_ - Andrew Duncan REVIEW: Basement Jaxx, _Remedy_ - Don Share REVIEW: Various Artists, _Return Of The Grevievous Angel: A Tribute To Gram Parsons_ - John Davidson REVIEW: Canned Heat, _Boogie 2000_ - Don Share REVIEW: The Flaming Lips, _A Collection of Songs Representing an Enthusiasm for recording...By Amateurs -- 1984-1990_ - Andrew Duncan INTERVIEW/FEATURE: Russ Hallauer of Ghostmeat Records - Jon Steltenpohl REVIEW: The Pietasters, _Awesome Mix Tape #6_ - Christina Apeles REVIEW: Linda Perry, _After Hours_ - Chris Hill REVIEW: Self, _Breakfast with Girls_ - Scott Slonaker REVIEW: Black Box Recorder, _England Made Me_ - Niles Baranowski NEWS: David Bowie, Rockcity, Camille Yarbrough / Fatboy Slim TOUR DATES: Anti Flag / Dropkick Murphys, Ben Folds Five / Fleming & John, Bis, Church, Ani DiFranco, Johnny Dowd, Gomez, Indigo Girls, Jets To Brazil, Juno, Live, Magnetic Fields, Manic Street Preachers, Aimee Mann, Men At Work, Alanis Morissette / Tori Amos, Tom Petty & Heartbreakers, Pietasters, Pilfers & Spring Heeled Jack, Pretenders, Pretty Things, Promise Ring, Royal Trux, Sean Na Na, Splender / Train / Shooter, Sally Taylor, Type O Negative, Tom Waits, Watsonville Patio, Weird Al Yankovic, Zeke Back Issues of Consumable --- INTERVIEW: Kool Keith - Lang Whitaker As the magnanimous lyrical genius behind some of rap's hottest -- and weirdest -- rhymes from the last decade, Kool Keith has firmly established himself as a hip-hop anomaly, unafraid to experiment or be adventurous. His latest release, an eponymous record recorded under the nom de rap Black Elvis, allows Keith to wear a plastic wig and poke fun at The King of rock and roll. CONSUMABLE ONLINE: I was looking at your website last night, and you have like eight different personas listed on there. Where do you think of that kind of stuff? KOOL KEITH: I just have fun with myself. I always try do something different, a movie-type thing. It's all natural basically. Some people try hard to be different, but I let people know that there's not just one thing I could do all my life. C.O.: Tell me about the Black Elvis idea. KOOL KEITH: I just said, Yo, I need an image right now that is powerful, that will fuck with the whole materialistic side of rap music. I wanted something that really makes a statement, and who is bigger than Elvis? The king of kings. From all my influences in rap, I don't think anyone was giving me my proper receivings and awards. So, I figured I could blow my own horn with Black Elvis. C.O.: Why do you think you weren't getting your props? KOOL KEITH: Lack of education, and false education displayed through the industry. People were probably just plain jealous of what I was doing, creatively. People were more or less stunned. It's like in Terminator when they was always trying to murder that T-1000 guy. C.O.: What the hell are you talking about? KOOL KEITH: That's how my music is, and I think the industry hates making the link. They can put me in a ball of fire, and I'll still walk out of it. People always want to have something to say in conversation about whoever is trendy, like, "Oh, this guy is over. He won't come back." And it's like in Terminator. I love that T1000 guy, how he keeps coming back. C.O.: But he's evil. He's the bad guy. KOOL KEITH: Yeah, but I like the power of his presence. The best part is when he walks out of that fire, and he's like, "Fuck it." I'll always just walk out and do some new shit. C.O.: You said people try to keep you in check, and put you down. What's the deal with the rumor last month that they had to put you into an asylum? KOOL KEITH: Well, that wasn't really true. There were certain people and companies that I avoided, and they would say, "Well, Keith doesn't want to be here. He's crazy." A lot of people made things up. C.O.: Cool. Are you working on anything new right now? KOOL KEITH: Nope. I've shut down musically to focus on the Elvis album. But if I didn't shut down, I'd be making another album. My eccentricness, my eclecticness, to book studio time off the top of my head, is amazing. I'll just go bust out two or three tracks a day, and next thing you know there's another guy coming out. So, I have to pull myself back and take a break and sit around and relax, and not record anything for a minute. C.O.: Do you ever find yourself running low on creativity? KOOL KEITH: No. Never. I got new stuff in my head. I got brand new, futuristic keyboards that no one else has ever had. It's amazing, because I can go out and create some futuristic-like stuff at any time. C.O.: Are you feeling that electronica stuff at all? KOOL KEITH: I'm the funky guy. Just like Prodigy is the funky guy, with their computeristic sounds, I'm the computeristic, new, funky guy. They're the new computeristic electronic, I'm the new computeristic funky. C.O.: Have you ever done anything that was so far out that you kind of bugged yourself out? Like something so creative that you surprised yourself? KOOL KEITH: Yeah. It's just the machines I'm using. It's fun because I'm not biting Timbaland's stuff, I'm not biting Swizz Beatz stuff; I'm not taking Dr. Dre's stuff. I'm just going in the studio and doing some shit I'm coming up with, and I'm bugging out on it. It's some energy I've got in myself. It's kind of wild. Naturally, I learned how to use the machines. C.O.: What is one trait about yourself that you don't like? KOOL KEITH: When I go out with a fucked up girl, and I be wasting my time, and I be like, "Why am I in this restaurant with this person?" C.O.: What's your greatest extravagance? KOOL KEITH: Flying to different places, and sitting on South Beach in Miami and lookin' at some pretty girls, and eating some hot wings, and looking at the world and the pretty girls walking back and forth, instead of being in some hot-ass club battling some MC's. Especially if it's some wack-ass guys or something. You could be on a trip to Costa Rica. C.O.: What's your most treasured possesion? KOOL KEITH: My Pentax camera. I love my camera. I take pictures of things, beautiful things. C.O.: And that could include women? KOOL KEITH: Yup. Mmm-hmmm. --- REVIEW: Air, _Premiers Symptomes (First Signs)_ (Astralwerks) - Robin Lapid What goes up, must come down. Unless, of course, you are Air, the French duo with a particular gift of crafting buoyant, ambient-lounge music that wafts through the ears, allowing one to float through a sonic ether like a relaxed body floats in water. _Moon Safari_, Nicolas Godin and Jean Benoit Dunckel's first release, became such a hit that the record company wants to stave off fans hungry for a new release with _Premiers Symptomes_, a re-packaged seven-track EP of earlier Air creations, including two tracks not on the original European release. Diehard fans will have acquired these songs elsewhere, but in any case the EP is a fitting companion piece to _Moon Safari_. The old-school keyboard and jazz whispers of opening-track "Modular Mix" flow into the summery, quiet bass-and-bliss sounds of "Casanova 70" and "Les Professionnels," all tracks that could be seamless preludes to _Moon Safari_'s "La Femme D'Argent" or a vocal-less "All I Need." The journey continues into the mellow kitsch and somnolent melodies of "J'Ai Dormi Sous L'eau" and "Le Soleil est Pres de Moi" ("I Sleep Under Water" and "The Sun Is Beside Me" for the French-impaired). "Californie" is a chilled-out, funk-tinged groove, sort of like what Shaft might be listening to in his bedroom while staring into a lava lamp. "Brakes On" is a tail-end exercise in looped and loping beats, striding alongside a build-up of uptempo samples and repetitive techno treachery. The last two, previously unreleased tracks have a hint of that tacked-on feel, but Air's directive is nonetheless achieved - to make the type of dreamlike mood music that would make you never want to leave the chill-out tent. --- REVIEW: Macha, _See It Another Way_ (Jetset) - Andrew Duncan Athens, Georgia has seen a recent continental shift in the college town's musical palette. R.E.M. may have put Athens on the music atlas, but it is Macha who is turning the town into a global village. Their debut release, appropriately titled _See It Another Way_, is an eye-opening experience from a group of musicians who are focused on playing their instruments. It is not their roots that make them so innovative, and it is not their talent either. It is, however, their passion for Indonesian music that gives them the motivation to correctly combine the gamelan art with hard rock to form a multi-cultural landscape filled with plush expressionism. Besides the traditional instruments (guitar, bass guitar and drums), Misho and Joshua McKay, Kai Riedl and Wes Martin also play a selection of exotic instruments including a zither, Hammered dulcimer, vibraphone, Indonesian gongs and 'Fun Machine' (as exotic as a 'Fun Machine' may be). Macha would be just another rock group if it were not for Joshua and Kai's Indonesian influence brought about by trips to Southeast Asia. They immediately fell in love with the music, and it immediately shows when the hammered dulcimer chimes uncontrollably on the opener, "Riding the Rails." Songs like "Mirror" and "Salty," although two unrelated tracks truly capture the essence with "Mirror" whisping through the airwaves like a puff of smoke coiling like a snake, and "Salty" radiating traditional meditative sounds. Experience is not always a requirement for excellence and Macha proves it. They have enough devotion to override experience, and belt out a CD's worth of material that is an aural paradise. And with Macha's next release, who knows how far they will go. --- REVIEW: Basement Jaxx, _Remedy_ (Astralwerks) - Don Share It's seldom admitted: many people don't know or want to know the difference between things like house and techno music. Maybe they don't go out dancing. Actually, I'm in that category. So, little did I know that Basement Jaxx are two guys from South London who've made a huge splash with their singles and dance mixes. Littler did I know that the people who were mightily impressed with what they now call the Jaxx's "older freestyle stuff" greatly anticipated this full-length release, and don't like it. Why should you care? Simply put, the sounds on _Remedy_, whatever you want to call them ("punk garage," I'm told, not to be mistaken for, say the Ramones, by any means) are a whole lotta fun. The album starts off, literally, with a bang on "Rendez-Vu," followed by, of all things, acoustic guitar strumming and vocodered Chipmunks-for-the-'90s vocals that would no doubt kick old Alvin's rodent butt. It turns out that your CD player wants to rendezvous with you! Heck, there are even real lyrics on some of this stuff, like "Yo-Yo," which, besides repeating "Yo" ten times, says, "You were a prophet from above/ Then you came and sucked my blood." Put that in your headphones and smoke it! Even better is "Jump n' Shout," with words that would make Lester Bangs do some dancing in his sainted grave: "Bwoy out a road fi wi name dem a call." Unbeatable, so to speak. There are tiny interludes called, well, ludes: "Jaxxalude," "Jazzalude," and so on, which segue into things like the intensely reflective "Stop 4 Love," the bouncing silly-salsa of "Bingo Bango," and the extremely addictive "Same Old Show," which sports samples from both KRS-One and Selecter, as well as the best beeping on record since Pink Floyd's "Echoes." There's even some languid, intelligible soul music here, like "Being With U." Even the jaded might be tempted to say, "Wow." Some tunes feature laughing, raucous male vocals, others extremely smooth female crooning, should you go in for either of those things. "Red Alert" is a particularly fine '70s funky groove thang -- not at all what you'd expect in this genre (or from the two geeky-looking white guys who, it must be revealed) are behind this enterprise. _Remedy_ is engrossing, entertaining, party-hardy and relaxing all at once, even to ears unfamiliar with this kind of music; its warmth and wit will make it appealing to strangers to the genre, and strange to aficionados. So here are the necessary warning labels: Previously existing fans, beware -- you might like to hold out for the inevitable remixes. Rockists out there -- don't expect guitars and drums, but get ready to update your party hats. It's good to defeat expectation, either way, isn't it? If you let it, _Remedy_ will certainly cure your end-of-millennium anxiety. --- REVIEW: Various Artists, _Return Of The Grevievous Angel: A Tribute To Gram Parsons_ (Almo) - John Davidson Whether or not you give Gram Parsons credit for inventing country rock, he certainly was doing it long before it was popular. Oh sure, bands like the Eagles came along and picked up the reins he left dangling after losing a bout with drugs, but his original vision of "Cosmic American" music was laced with a lot less sheen and a lot more razor blades. And, like so many musical luminaries, he died too young to see his legacy, a body of work that continues to inspire almost thirty years later. Parsons, a "subversive Harvard-educated hillbilly," had the goods very early. He joined the Byrds in 1968, and despite being only 21, he led the notoriously strong-willed band off into a country direction. As lead Byrd Roger McGuinn puts it, "We hired a piano player, and he turned out to be Parsons - a monster in sheep's clothing." Nonetheless, his days with the Byrds didn't even last a year before he left to form the Flying Burrito Brothers. Two albums into that ensemble, Parsons struck out on his own, leaving behind _GP_ and the seminal _Grievous Angel_ before succumbing to an overdose at the age of 26. _Return_ picks from nearly every facet of Parsons' recording career, which makes a nice overview for anyone new to his music. The lineup may seem a tad disparate at first, what with Evan Dando resurfacing and sharing the same platter with Gillian Welch, but what becomes clear is that all the artists involved all hold such strong regard for Parsons' formidable songwriting skills. Perhaps the only real surprise is the lack of more alt-country acts involved; after all, it's they who have carried his torch as loudly as anyone. Still, _Return_ delivers on some big names that reinforce the vitality of his music. The strength in this album rests in the gentle but modern interpretations of Parsons' originals. Unlike other tribute albums full of "creative" re-workings, _Return_ contains only modest adaptations that serve to embolden his vision rather than make it unrecognizable. Some artists, such as the more traditional country purveyors like The Mavericks and Steve Earle, keep the songs pretty straight up, only letting their voices elaborate Parsons' lyrics. Emmylou Harris, one of Parson's early collaborators, appears on three tracks, her classic voice now showing experience but still as inviting as ever. One band taking a chance is the Cowboy Junkies, who put a full, cosmic sound to "Ooh Las Vegas" and turn a sleepy twanger into a brooding classic. However, probably the biggest departure in style is provided by Wilco, who bury their alt-country roots a mile deep in their upbeat, popped-up version of "One Hundred Years From Now." _Return_ is perfect for anyone who has heard of Gram Parsons but hasn't known where to begin. More than just a roadmap of his work, it serves to recognize the talent of a man who was not only influencial enough to bring the Rolling Stones to "Honky Tonk Woman", but also a creative force to many modern day artists like Beck and Elvis Costello. While the country vibe is occasionally strong, _Return_ never annoys in a 90s-Nashville sort of way, and overall, it should appeal to just about any kind of music fan. --- REVIEW: Canned Heat, _Boogie 2000_ (Ruf) - Don Share Canned Heat were an immortal '60s/'70s band (though founders Al Wilson and Bob Hite died in 1970 and 1981, respectively) that played both Monterey and Woodstock, stunning wriggling hippie masses with their frankly weird combination of blues, boogie, and psychedelic droning. Even now, just about everyone recognizes their hits "Goin' Up the Country" and "On the Road Again," if not the sublime "Let's Work Together." While the original musicians were record collectors like, say, the Rolling Stones before them, they were not content to imitate the blues, always adding their own twist. Since the band's inception and subsequent ill fate, there have perennially been musicians around to keep the Heat warm, and now lo (if not behold), we have a Canned Heat for the new millennium on _Boogie 2000_ which features original drummer, Tito de la Parra, as well as original bassist Larry "The Mole" Taylor on guitar, along with Greg Kage on bass. The opening "Wait and See," a Fats Domino tune, even features a flute riff stolen from "Goin' Up the Country," but from there things go off in a new, if somewhat predictable, direction, augmented by riveting vocals from a new leader, Robert Lucas. You can almost smell the bourbon and smokes on Lucas's breath on the best of these tracks, and another source of stimulation is his searing slide guitar. Even on derivative tracks like "World of Make Believe," which is a credible Santana soundalike, or set pieces like "I Got Loaded" and "She Split," the band is good and tight, as you'd expect. Still, the Y2K version of Canned Heat is more laid-back and less hauntingly etherial than the original -- except on the true-blue "200 Reasons -- Y2K Blues," which brings it all back home. And speaking of originals, "Searchin' for My Baby" features the original Cannibal and the Headhunters, go figure! Some of the tracks are only a bit more than good bar band material, though, like "Road to Rio" (which, features the wigged-out rhyme of "automobile" and "Rio"!), "Last Man (Who'll Ever Have to Sing the Blues)" and "Can I Come Home." Also, "I'm So Tired," not the Beatles tune, does kick especially hard. All things considered, the flame has been kept; but do not neglect Canned Heat's best work, still smoldering on various collections, especially the brief _Best of_ or the comprehensive _Uncanned_ sets. --- REVIEW: The Flaming Lips, _A Collection of Songs Representing an Enthusiasm for recording...By Amateurs -- 1984-1990_ (Restless) - Andrew Duncan The Flaming Lips were certainly one of the more important bands of the mid-'80s punk scene, even though many people did not know it at the time. It was the Lips that coaxed a scrawny Perry Farrell to form Psi Com, and then Jane's Addiction. It was also the Lips' bold maneuvers and blending of punk and psychedelica that helped create a generation of bands who were not afraid to experiment in that aspect, and break the mythos that punks were against the psychedelic movement of the '60s. They say it was all about sex, drugs and rock and roll. The Lips got two out of three right. It was the Lips who based their existence on experimentation. With the recent release of _The Soft Bulletin_, a graceful album that creates delicate compositions of electronics and instrumentation, they broke even their own barriers, thanks to technology. Yet, how did the band get from point A to point B? Historians say that in order to look into the future, one must understand the past. That is why Restless Records diligently worked with the group to create this collection of songs recorded from 1984 to 1990. Instead of creating a greatest hits album, this retrospective relies on rarities and early studio adventures from _Hear It Is_, _Telepathic Surgery_, and _In A Priest-Driven Ambulance_. The band's greatest hits did not fall until after 1990, beginning with the release of their most influentially recognized release _Hit To Death in the Futurehead_. "Bag Full of Thoughts" begins the 65 minutes with a modest attempt at garage rock. Even though the harmonies are piss-poor, the musicianship is immediately identified as above-average, even in the stale studio environment that fell upon the session. "Hell's Angels Cracker Factory" demonstrates an edited version of their sound-collage idea that appeared in _Telepathic Surgery_. The band flies through two popular and well-deserved songs from _Priest-Driven Ambulance_ ("Unconsciously Screamin'" and "God Walks Among Us Now"). The other delights are their covers of a combined Sonics' "Strychnine" and Elvis Costello's "Peace Love and Understanding," and covers of Sonic Youth "Death Valley '69" and Led Zeppelin's "Thank You," both appearing on the bootleged live CD _The Day Andy Gibb Died_. The liner notes explain exactly how and why each song was recorded, and shed some light on a rusty "Unconsciously Screaming" video. A deserved addition to this CD is the lack of space in between songs, giving some of these amateurish and drawn-out songs a breath of life in confined quarters. --- INTERVIEW/FEATURE: Russ Hallauer of Ghostmeat Records - Jon Steltenpohl From R.E.M. to the B-52's to the countless other musicians who followed in their footsteps, Athens, Ga., has been one of the college towns that acts as a magnet and a breeding ground for bands. So, when you hail from Athens, and you play music...well, you've got some big shoes to fill. Russ Hallauer and Ghostmeat Records have been adding to the Athens legacy since 1994. 5 years and 29 releases since their first 7 inch, it is Ghostmeat's 5th Anniversary year, and they've done pretty well. Not that he planned it way. Hallauer didn't come to Athens as an R.E.M. wannabe. Instead, fate led him there when his wife got accepted to graduate school at the University of Georgia. "When I started Ghostmeat," says Hallauer, "I had no idea I was starting a label. There was no business plan, no strategy, no money. It wasn't until about two years in, when I started releasing full-lengths by other bands, that I realized I was running a label." In retrospect, Hallauer seems to view it as inevitable. "Going to high school near [Washington] D.C. at the time Fugazi came about can be directly linked to Ghostmeat's creation," recalls Hallauer. "To me, musicians that can do business for themselves are far more appealing than musicians that are dependent on some bureaucracy." The Internet has played a part of that for Ghostmeat. Their website and monthly e-mail newsletters have gotten them beyond Athens to a national audience. "Email is wonderful," comments Hallauer. "It may be more impersonal than the telephone, but for what I do, it's very efficient and much cheaper. Our web site at http://members.aol.com/ghostmeat/home.htm has generated a pretty fair amount of mail order business for us." Web savvy seems to come naturally to Hallauer. Even from the early days, Ghostmeat has had a web presence, and now the site contains tons of pictures and sound files and other great information. But, without good music to back it up, Ghostmeat the label would be nothing. Fortunately, Hallauer is both a musician and a fan. As a member of Sunbrain, Hallauer began by releasing two singles in the classic indie/punk tradition by putting down a track or two, finding someone else with a track of their own, and scraping together enough money for a seven inch vinyl single. After that came a few of Ghostmeat's trademark compilation CD's, and full length releases by bands like Drip and Tony Tidwell and the Scalded Dogs. While the early releases were more on the punk side, releasing 9 compilations in 5 years means you're bound to catch just about every style. For the full length releases, the focus has been on punk, southern rock, and alternative. _Out of the Way_ is the most recent Tony Tidwell and the Scalded Dogs album, and it is a gem that is typical of Ghostmeat's offerings. This is an album that, 4 years ago, could have been pimped by the majors as a "No Depression" band. But, if you ask Hallauer if that label applies, he says, "I guess people consider Tidwell part of that scene, [but] we don't consider him anything but rock 'n' roll. He plays rock 'n' roll and he's from the south." It's a description which is entirely on the mark. _Out of the Way_ covers all sorts of bases, from southern rock to country with the pop ethic of Elvis Costello tossed in for good measure. Really, all the things people truly love about American rock are embodied by Tidwell and his band. The title track is a reserved, reflective, and regretful portrait of a youthful summer that avoids miring itself in any sort of self pity. On other tracks, you're treated to a lap steel guitar backing acoustic guitars with minimal percussion where Tidwell's vocals croon and tear. "Hand like a Foot" feels like a Van Morrison song with its loping beat and Tidwell's soulful vocals. Of Tidwell, Hallauer remarks, "I met him when I was in college [at Clemson]. At that time, the music there was pretty pathetic. All the bands catered to the students with shitty covers, so to find the good stuff, you had to look to the locals. Tidwell and bands like 6 String Drag all came out of the high school there outside of Clemson. He's been a great friend and collaborator ever since." Friends and collaborators are common within the Ghostmeat family. Tidwell's association with Jennifer Goree led her to the label, and members of Ghostmeat's bands have always seemed to be a bit incestual. Somewhere along the line, Sunbrain disbanded, and in its wake came Hallauer's current band The Lures, which includes members of another Ghostmeat band, Drip, and a new solo album by Sunbrain's former lead vocalist David Dondero. Dondero's release, _... The Pity Party_, is a classic example of modern slacker folk. It sounds like a cross between the Violent Femmes and a bootleg of Beck demo tapes. The lyrics are loose and, at times, barely beyond stream of consciousness. The album is a rough diary of a cross country trip through bus stations and small towns, and his topics range from broken love to conspiracy theorists to the various dialects of the different regions of the United States of America. Like the biggest ball of twine, Carhenge, or the picture in the liner notes of Dondero on a dinosaur sculpture outside of a Mini Mart and Econolodge, _... The Pity Party_ is slightly bizarre but instantly comforting -- and entirely American. As for Hallauer's own band, The Lures, their first full length release, _When I Was Broken_, actually marks a departure from the Ghostmeat stable. Being released on the Ten 23 label is simply a matter of civility, since, as Hallauer puts it, "it's hard to be a guitar player in a band and also be the guy who runs the label. Band members have creative expectations of guitar players and business expectations of labels," he explains. "When those expectations land on the same person, things get complicated." _When I Was Broken_ is an album that sounds like all of the other Ghostmeat albums funneled into one. Like Tony Tidwell, it's a nearly perfect album. It's definitely got a little punk and a little southern rock hidden in the background, but at its core, is a nucleus of classic alternative pop music. This is the stuff college folks drooled over in the early '80s when bands like R.E.M. were being roundly ignored by virtually every commercial music source in the country. Today, groups like the Goo Goo Dolls and Buffalo Tom are about the only ones who still get the sound right, and The Lures follow that tradition as well. "Million" is one of those great, slow, depressing alternative love songs that's driven by a twinkling guitar line, a slow loping bass, and simple harmonies. It is full and melodic. The lyrics are painful and touching. "Ordinary" shares the same simplicity with a slow 3/4 waltz. "Goner" is probably the stand out single of the album, and is featured on mp3 at http://members.aol.com/ghostmeat/sounds.htm . Lead singer Jason Slatton's touching and soft vocals soar above the nice, grinding guitars. Of the album, Hallauer comments, "I've been excited about The Lures debut record since this time last year when we finished it. It has been since 1996 that a band I was in had a full-length release out there. It is really rewarding that Ghostmeat can help out friends who make music I love, but I definitely missed releasing my own music." True to his word, The Lures have plans to get back into the studio this fall. Their second album is going to be recorded in December with David Barbe, who is the ex-Sugar bassist and producer of Son Volt and Uncle Tupelo. Barbe's resume couldn't be more fitting to The Lures sound. Given their impressive debut on _When I Was Broken_, the sophomore effort of The Lures can only be described as highly anticipated. At the same time, there's no rest for his work with Ghostmeat. When asked about the future of the label, Hallauer replies, "I don't know. I've been very fortunate to have a tight circle of musicians around me for the last five years...we're just going one day at a time. Clay, drummer for The Lures and Drip, is releasing a solo album on the label this winter..." In other words, while Hallauer won't have much free time this winter, we can look forward to more releases from this great independent label. --- REVIEW: The Pietasters, _Awesome Mix Tape #6_ (Hellcat/Epitaph) - Christina Apeles The rude boys of The Pietasters remind the ears how fun ska music can be with the prerequisite horns, reggae beats, bass line, and a husky voice carrying each song. In the case of _Awesome Mix Tape #_, they equate fun with bouncing, swaying, and body movement variations on the same theme. This septet produces a feverous collection of songs, in suits while sporting buzz cuts, that will lift your spirits. With vocalist Stephen Jackson, sounding tough and raspy, taking center stage, it is inevitable to draw comparisons to Madness, which is part of the appeal -- familiarity. In "Chain Reaction" and "Yesterday's Over," with horns galore, the Pietasters will take you back. Decades later, the sound has yet to lose it's merry tone, which makes it easy to gravitate to as well as reminding of sifting back through your vinyl collection for Selecter or the Specials. What sets the Pietasters apart is their punk roots, not that it is necessarily a unique quality since everyone knows most ska bands today have one foot in the punk scene as well. But like fellow label bedfellows Rancid, their infusion of punk sensibility gives an edge to their sound, incorporating a commotion of electric guitar on brisk tracks "Somebody" and "What I Do." _Awesome Mix Tape #6_ resonates the best part of this genre of music: No matter how tragic the lyrics are -- whether over heartache, nostalgia, or crime -- nothing feels too bad when horns are a-playing, the beats are still hopping, and the bass line is grooving. --- REVIEW: Linda Perry, _After Hours_ (Rockstar) - Chris Hill On Linda Perry's Top 10 favorite albums list (see her website, http://www.rockstarrecords.com ), she places Janis Joplin's _Greatest Hits_ at number one. Not surprising to those who've heard the ex-4 Non Blondes vocalist. (To jog your memory, "What's Up?" was their ' 93 rocket to multi-platinum success.) Now, as the century fades to a close, she's back with a follow-up to her first solo album, 1995's _In Flight_, and channeling Joplin with effortless, supernatural ease. _After Hours_ can't simply be summed up by name dropping the ghost of Janis. Perry takes chances on this CD: electronically altering her amazing voice on the confessional "Get It While You Can;" bringing in a Little Rascals urchin to lead off "Sunny April Afternoon" with innocent charm. By taking chances, Perry walks that fine line between success and failure, tumbling into the latter several times. "Til the Cows Come Home" is annoying, redolent with dysfunctional pride: "We were wasting all the wine/gettin high like two old friends/shootin' shit half wit politics/rockin' til 12:09/till the neighbor up above/ didn't like our point of view/...how we love to raise the brow/of the double shifted family man." And the glam rock of "Somedays Never End" sprawls awkwardly, with clumsy lyrics like "Sometimes I'd like to throw a brick or two/at all the aggravating fates of doom." But the successes outweigh the failures. In "Lost Command," Perry deftly explores the healing qualities of love and religion. The song makes a fine one-two combo with the soul-in-jeopardy lyrics of the next cut, "Get It While You Can:" "hell is my heaven/the devil stands right by my side/there ain't no halo/to hang above my life." "New Dawn" is a phenomenal piano hymn, with Perry and her backing vocalist Donna Simon harmonizing like eagles in a mating flight, praising the power of Jesus and the strength and pride Perry finds in her gender: "I am woman/a mountain I will climb/I've been beat down and I've been broken/but each day I give it another try." "Fly Away" takes a flight metaphor and grounds it in a bluesy romp that takes the Joplin spirit, strains it through four whiskeys and a pack of smokes, all to showcase the roaring powerhouse that is Perry's voice. Most brilliant of all, there's a hidden track following "Carry On," where Perry, the daughter of a Portuguese father and a Brazilian mother, delivers a Latin American slice of heaven. The track should have led off the disc, as proof of her multi-faceted talent. I hope she delivers more of the same on her next outing. But, blues-rock or samba, her voice is a big bad wolf knocking, showing no sign of leaving. Open the door, and let her in. --- REVIEW: Self, _Breakfast with Girls_ (DreamWorks) - Scott Slonaker It seems that DreamWorks Records is presently enamored with a variety of "mad scientist"-type artists such as Blinker the Star and eels. Of course, _Pet Sounds_-style pop fusion is all the rage these days- even grunge belter Chris Cornell is drenching his arrangements in strings and keyboards. Self, which consists of Matt Mahaffey and some friends, can largely avoid accusations of trendiness. Mahaffey's first major release, 1995's _Subliminal Plastic Motives_, actually predates _Odelay_. _Breakfast with Girls_ is Self's second major-label album. In a nutshell, Self's music is a perfect hybrid of Weezer and Beck. Cut-and-paste nerdy-power-pop-rock may be tough to imagine, but the formula is fine-blame the execution in spots. Mahaffey has a great ear for pop hooks; it's just that sometimes he buries them beneath layers of same-sounding hip-hop beats, oversize guitars, and keyboards. The first two tracks, "The End of it All" and "Kill the Barflies", are described well by that criticism. It isn't until the middle part of the record that hooks really start to surface and stick around. "Uno Song" sounds like the Monkees covering a Beck ballad, which is a good thing. "Paint By Numbers", the disc's gem, has an addictive sing-song rhythm and some very funny "meta-" lyrics, i.e., it's a song about songs. What's funny is that the hip-hop-lite of the chosen single, "Meg Ryan", is not even remotely as catchy. Imaginative singles surface later on, such as Ella Fitzgerald's "Chew, Chew, Chew Your Bubble Gum", injected into "What Are You Thinking?" Wish Mahaffey had really milked the clip for more. He seems to have the opposite problem with samples compared to the Puff Daddies of the world. Same thing with LL Cool J's "It Gets No Rougher", as heard in the title track. Come on, man, work the joint a little! There has to be a middle ground between using samples without abusing them. Mahaffey and his friends have enormous potential. The lesson to be learned: when everything is thrown into every song, it can be almost as bad as not throwing enough. This record is easy to admire, but hard to *remember*. There may be all kinds of crazy noises on _Breakfast with Girls_, and a bunch of phenomenal ideas, but only a handful of really good, lasting songs. And songs are the secret. --- REVIEW: Black Box Recorder, _England Made Me_ (Jetset) - Niles Baranowski "It's my primary instinct," sings Sarah Nixey, "to protect the child." The words come out of her mouth like a soft, sultry demonic possession, but it's hard not to laugh. After all, these aren't Nixey's words; they come from former auteur Luke Haines, he of the morbid obsession with car crashes and terrorism. So when you boil it down, you have Nixey (who did vocals with the short-lived Balloon) pretending to be Haines who is pretending to be a teenaged mother. This sort of pretending isn't taken much further on Black Box Recorder's debut, the prettily dour _England Made Me_, but it informs the sensibility behind almost all the lyrics. Whether it's a black, hateful heart hiding behind respectability (the title track and "I.C. One Female") or vice versa (the superb "Child Psychology"), Haines' portraits of a repressed, cuckolded Britain seethe with mistrust and deserved cynicism. Yet the combination of Haines' misanthropy and Nixey's icy intonation leaves an unwelcome emotional void on "New Baby Boom," where Nixey sings like teen pregnancy is some sort of bad hair day. It's no question that Black Box Recorder are best when they have a story to wrap their dry British wit around (how ironic that they should be attacking their homeland with one of its best known qualities). The sparse "Child Psychology" is a tale of a spoiled child who punishes her parents with the silent treatment, climaxing with the most acidic chorus you'll hear this year. "Kidnapping an Heiress" is another take on Patty Hearst's mid '70s ordeal, this time from the side of the S.L.A., and the languid, chimy "Swinging" comes from the mouth of a moll with a heart of iron. _England Made Me_ isn't without hooks, but musically nothing will catch in your head, except maybe the collision of Nixey and Haines' voices on the chorus of "Child Psychology." It's the lyrics and Nixey's vacancy that entrance the listener, more than the Velvet Underground-derived tunecraft (think "I'll be Your Mirror" for a reference). Their cover of "Seasons in the Sun" is a perfect example: Nixey throws every one of the song's lines away as if by rote, like she cares not a whit for anything she's saying goodbye to. By the time she gets to the chorus, she's rushing, as if anxious for that light at the end of the tunnel. No crushed flower melodrama here, Black Box Recorder has realized that pain is the only thing engrossing enough to distract you from pain. --- NEWS: > David Bowie fans will have the opportunity to download his new album two weeks before the actual release date on Tuesday, September 21. For more information on this, check out http://www.davidbowie.com or http://www.virginrecords.com . > In preparation for the debut of the original Internet show Rockcity Limits, Rockcity ( http://www.rockcity.com ) is looking for six adventure seekers over the age of 21 to go on a seven week cross-country trip starting in New York City and ending in Los Angeles. Contestants are asked to send in a short video (three minutes or less) telling the folks at Rockcity.com a bit about themselves and why they should be picked to go on a this unusual journey. For more information, check out the site http://rockcity.com/rclimits/rcindex.htm > Vanguard Records will be issuing a new CD-5 for Camille Yarbrough's "Take Yo' Praise" on September 28. Best known as the keynote sample for Fatboy Slim's "Praise You", the CD-5 includes the original track and 2 modern remixes, as well as Jean Jacques Perrey's "E.V.A.", and Fatboy Slim's remix of that track. --- TOUR DATES: Anti Flag / Dropkick Murphys Sep. 28 State College, PA Crowbar Sep. 29 Pittsburgh, PA Club Laga Sep. 30 Cleveland, OH Agora Ben Folds Five / Fleming & John Sep. 28 Portland, OR Roseland Sep. 29 Seattle, WA Moore Theater Sep. 30 Vancouver, BC Rage Bis Sep. 21 Detroit, MI Magic Stick/7th House Sep. 23 Boston, MA Middle East Sep. 24 Washington, Dc Black Cat Sep. 27 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom Sep. 30 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle Church Sep. 21 Portland, OR Roseland Grill Sep. 22 Seattle, WA The Fenix Sep. 24 Salt Lake City, UT Zephyr Club Sep. 25 Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre Sep. 27 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue Sep. 28 Chicago, IL House of Blues Sep. 29 Pontiac, MI 7th House Ani DiFranco Sep. 29 Rochester, NY Auditorium Theatre Johnny Dowd Sep. 24 Ithaca, NY Haunt Sep. 29 Cleveland, OH Wilbert's Sep. 30 Toronto, ON El Mocambo Fleming & John Sep. 25 Nashville, TN WQZQ Show Sep. 26 San Francisco, CA Golden Gate Park Gomez Sep. 21 New York, NY Irving Plaza Sep. 22 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club Sep. 27 Chicago, IL Metro Indigo Girls Sep. 23 Chattanooga, TN Memorial Auditorium Sep. 24 Antioch, TN 1st American Music Center Sep. 25 Greenville, SC Peace Concert Hall Sep. 26 Raleigh, NC Alltel Pavillion Sep. 28 Savannah, GA Mercer Theatre Sep. 29 Birmingham, AL Jefferson Civic Center Sep. 30 Knoxville, TN Civic Auditorium Jets To Brazil Sep. 22 Boston, MA TT The Bear Sep. 23 Poughkeepsie, NY Vassar Sep. 24 New London, CT El-N-Gee Juno Sep. 21 Columbia, MO Shattered Sep. 22 Ft. Collins, CO Starlight Live Sep. 30 Columbia, SC Township Auditorium Magnetic Fields Sep. 21 Seattle, WA Crocodile Cafe Sep. 22 Portland, OR Aladdin Theatre Sep. 24 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall Sep. 25 Los Angeles, CA Spaceland Manic Street Preachers Sep. 22 Vancouver, BC The Rage Sep. 23 Seattle, WA AROspace Sep. 25 San Francisco, CA Bimbo's Sep. 27 San Diego, CA Cane's Sep. 28-29 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour Aimee Mann Sep. 21 San Juan Capistrano, CA The Coach House Sep. 22 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern Sep. 23 Los Angeles, CA Cafe Largo Sep. 25 San Francisco, CA Slim's Sep. 28 Los Angeles, CA Cafe Largo Men At Work Sep. 22 Providence, RI Living Room Sep. 24-25 Atlantic City, NJ Sands Casino Sep. 26 Cambridge, MA Middle East Club Sep. 28 San Jose, CA Palookaville Sep. 30 San Diego, CA 4th & B Alanis Morissette / Tori Amos Sep. 22 Phoenix, AZ America West Arena Sep. 24 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay Sep. 25 Los Angeles, CA Irvine Amphitheater Tom Petty & Heartbreakers Sep. 21 Tampa, FL Ice Palace Sep. 22 West Palm Beach, FL Coral Sky Pavilion Sep. 24 Atlanta, GA Lakewood Amphitheatre Sep. 25 Charlotte, NC Blockbuster Pavilion Sep. 28 Greenville, SC Bi-Lo Center Sep. 29 Raleigh, NC Walnut Creek Amp. Pietasters, Pilfers & Spring Heeled Jack Sep. 24 Fairfax, VA Student Union Bldg. Sep. 27 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle Sep. 28 Charleston, SC Music Farm Sep. 29 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade Sep. 30 Tallahassee, FL PSU Union Green Pretenders Sep. 22 Paris, France Mutualite Sep. 23 Amsterdam, Netherlands Paradiso Sep. 25 Cologne, Germany Live Music Hall Sep. 26 Brussels, Belgium Cirque Royale Sep. 27-28 London, England Shepherds Bush Empire Sep. 30 Glasgow, Scotland Barrowlands Pretty Things Sep. 21 Cambridge, MA Middle East Club Sep. 22 Philadelphia, PA Th. Living Arts Promise Ring Sep. 24 Madison, WI Club 770 Royal Trux Sep. 21 Columbia, MO Shattered Sep. 22 St. Louis, MO Side Door Sep. 23 Cincinati, OH Sudsy Malones Sep. 24 Columbus, OH Shattered Sep. 25 Athens, OH Union Bar & Grill Sep. 26 Dayton, OH Club Safari Sep. 27 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop Sep. 28 Pittsburgh, PA Millvale Industrial Theater Sep. 30 Baltimore, MD Ottobar Sean Na Na Sep. 21 Boston, MA Middle East Upstairs Splender / Train / Shooter Sep. 21 Los Angeles, CA Mayan Theater Sep. 22 Chicago, IL Club Metro Sep. 23 Minneapolis, MN Quest Sally Taylor Sep. 30 Denver, CO Bluebird Type O Negative Sep. 29 Cleveland, OH Odeon Tom Waits Sep. 23-24,25,27 New York, NY Beacon Theatre Watsonville Patio Sep. 23 Missoula, MT Ritz on Ryman Sep. 24 Bozeman MT The Zebra Sep. 25 Helena MT Miller's Crossing Sep. 26 Chico, MT Chico Hot Springs Weird Al Yankovic Sep. 22 San Luis Obispo, CA Performing Arts Centre Sep. 24 Bakersfield, CA Kern County Fair Sep. 26 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre Zeke Sep. 21 Atlanta, GA Echo Lounge Sep. 23 New Orleans, LA State Palace Sep. 24 Dallas, TX Club Clearview Sep. 25 Houston, TX Fitzgerald's Sep. 26 Austin, TX Emo's Sep. 28 Tempe, AZ Green Room Sep. 29 Anaheim, CA Chain Reaction Sep. 30 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour --- 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 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. PMB 294, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030 ===