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==== ISSUE 83 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [August 2, 1996]
Editor: Bob Gajarsky
Internet (Temporary): gaj@westnet.com
Sr. Correspondents: Jeremy Ashcroft, Martin Bate, Dan Enright, Tim
Kennedy, Reto Koradi, David Landgren, Sean Eric
McGill, Tim Mohr, Jamie Roberts, Joe Silva, John
Walker
Correspondents: Dan Birchall, Lee Graham Bridges, Scott Byron,
Paul Grzelak, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Stephen
Jackson, Daniel Kane, Mario Lia, Bob Mackin, Al
Muzer, P. Nina Ramos, Linda Scott, Ali Sinclair,
Jon Steltenpohl, Courtney Muir Wallner
Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann, Damir Tiljak,
Jason Williams
Also Contributing: Shirley Brown
Address all comments, subscriptions, etc. to gajarsky@email.njin.net
==================================================================
All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s).
Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the
editor.
==================================================================
.------------.
| Contents |
`------------'
IMPORTANT NOTICE
INTERIVEW: Too Much Joy's Tim Quirk - Tim Hulsizer
REVIEW: Black Crowes, _Three Snakes And One Charm_ - Linda Scott
MACFEST CONCERT REVIEW: Hayden, Holly McNarland - Bob Gajarsky
REVIEW: Sublime, _Sublime_ - Sean Eric McGill
REVIEW: Spooky, _Found Sound_ - Jamie Roberts
REVIEW: Far, _Tin Cans With Strings To You_ - Shirley Brown
REVIEW: Pink Noise Test, _The Electric Train_ (EP) - Jamie Roberts
REVIEW: Chimera, _Earth Loop_ - Bob Gajarsky
CONTEST: Chimera
NEWS: Beck at benefit, Pete Droge, Header, Morrissey, Philadelphia
Music Conference, Punk: The Original
TOUR DATES: Baboon, Barkmarket, Biohazard / Dog Eat Dog, Bryndle,
L.T.J. Bukem / MC Conrad / D.J. Tayla, Camber, Tracy Chapman /
Charlie Hunter Quartet, Cheap Trick / Trip 66, Chimera, China Drum
Elvis Costello, Enormous / Perfect, David Gray, Hayden,
H.O.R.D.E. (incl. King Crimson), Jawbox, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
k.d. lang, Little Feat, Mae Moore / Tara MacLean, No Doubt / Goldfinger,
Pantera, Poorhouse Rockers, Possum Dixon / Yum Yum / Dig
Primitive Radio Gods, Rembrandts, Sepultura / Far, Sex Pistols /
Gravity Kills, Slayer, Steely Dan, Warped Tour, Wild Strawberries
Back Issues
---
IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you are corresponding with Consumable from
Thursday, August 1 to dates unknown (hopefully less than a few
days), please ONLY send e-mail to gaj@westnet.com - the main
account will be unable to answer mail for several days. Thanks
for your understanding.
---
INTERIVEW: Too Much Joy's Tim Quirk
- Tim Hulsizer
I got the call at 10 am. A very tired-sounding Tim Quirk,
telling me to call him back at his hotel, room 216. This I did,
discovering he hadn't been to bed yet. Hey, no big surprise there -
after all, this is rock and roll. Anyway, knowing he was about to
fall asleep I got right into it. Portions of fanboy adulation have
been edited so as not to annoy you, the reader...
Consumable: Have you been playing since the last album
_Mutiny_ or did you guys have to get back into it?
Tim: Actually the latest tour is the first time we've
gone out more than a night or two in a row in three years. The
last actual tour we did was spring in '93 and we spent the time
after that just basically writing songs and recording and doing
the occasional one-off just to put some money in our pockets.
Mostly we were hustling to get another deal.
C: This album seems harder than the last couple.
T: Yeah, there's a couple reasons for that. Part of it
is the mood we were in, part is the fact that it's three years since
the last record. We recorded 30 songs, we could've put this album
together any number of different ways...there's other more loping
numbers we could've thrown on but in the end these just seemed like
the 13 songs that made the strongest, most coherent statement.
Another thing is that it's the first time the guy who produced the
band, apart from being IN the band, has SEEN the band live before he
made the record. Even though Bill {Wittman} did the last record,
he'd never seen us perform live until after he was done with the whole
thing, which is the same thing with Paul Fox and _Cereal Killers_
and Michael James with _Son of Sam I Am_. No one ever saw what the
band was like live until it was too late (laughs). They go back and
say, "Oh THAT's what you're about." Which is not to say one is
better than the other, but it does account for the difference.
C: There's a song on the new album called "You Will". Are you
skeptical of this whole "computer movement"?
T: Well, skeptical's not really the right word, because you
know, I'm hooked up, I got it, I dig it. It's just those AT&T
commercials...I just don't understand WHY anyone would wanna get a
fax at the beach. You go to the beach, you're away from all that
bullshit! You know? What's the point? I don't understand why that's
a goal to work toward!
C: So what's up with the artwork for the new album, did you
ask for that stuff specifically from him or did he turn that in himself?
T: No, he was our 5th or 6th try actually, as an artist. We'd
come up with this idea, sort of along the style of R. Crumb and we
actually went after Crumb and asked him, but he hates rock bands so
he said no, but someone had told us Doug Allen was one of his favorite
artists so we tracked him down and we looked at some of his stuff
first. The first guy that did a drawing, we described it like, "It's
a guy and a girl in bed...they're very realistic and sexy-looking but
you know in a very sleezy, sort of twisted way. They've obviously
just finished having sex and they've each got a thought balloon coming
out of their head and it merges into one and says, 'Finally', because
that's what they're both thinking." We told that to every artist we
had, and the first guy gave us a picture of two CLOWNS in bed! Why in
the world would we want a picture of clowns? We said "sexy" not
"scary"! (laughs). But Doug Allen, we told him what we wanted and
he was the first person who got exactly what we were thinking. It's
as though he dug his hand into our brains and scooped the picture out
of 'em. It was totally cool, and then he threw in all this extra neat
stuff that we hadn't even thought of...a lot of the details are all
his, and the strip on the inside of the lyrics to "Jersey Sky".
I'd sorta had this idea that it might be cool and I asked him
to do it. I didn't really have any idea whether it would turn out good
or not, because you know I can be kinda precious about my words
basically, and it came back way better than I thought it coulda turned
out. I was so happy and proud of that.
C: Do you guys have any plans for a video off the new album?
T: We still have plans for videos off the old records, honestly!
(laughs)Ah yes, it's just a question of what song we decide to plunk down
the money on. We'll see how it goes with radio.
C: The video you did for "Donna Everywhere" was directed by Penn &
Teller?
T: It was actually directed by Teller. It was Penn's idea and
Teller directed it. It was great fun, but the thing is, Teller doesn't
say a word onstage but boy is he a loudmouth when he's directing!
(laughs) It was really fun, the only thing was, he saw us drinking
beers and he asked us to stop. And you know, because we're sort of
WASPy, non-confrontational type people (in real life, not onstage in
the band) rather than just go "no, this is what we do," it was like
we were back in junior high school, hiding our beers in cups and soda
cans and stuff so he wouldn't know. But it was fun..we just took over
a mall in Topeka, Kansas.
C: How did you get to work with [rapper] KRS-One on "Goodkill"?
T: Let's see...Our publicist at the time, who ended up marrying
Sandy, the former bass player, also worked with KRS-One at that time
and we were big fans of his, always had been. And Sandy had been
talking to KRS one day and he said, "you know, you should do something
on our album!" We're whores basically; whenever we meet anyone famous
or semi-famous or semi-talented we're like, "Oh, we should work together
one day!" And you know, no one had ever said yes before but all of a
sudden he was like "okay" and it was really cool. We went through the
album and he had to go back to New York but he still wanted to do it.
So we sent him a DAT with the music in the right channel and he tried
several different raps over it and recorded them in the left channel
and we picked one and it turned out great.
C: A few years back Too Much Joy were touring with the Wonder
Stuff and there was some sort of problem. What happened?
T: To this day we don't have a satisfactory answer. The tour
was going great, we were selling out every room we were in and it was
a perfect opening headliner slot basically, we were bringing in fans
of our own which pretty much helped fill up the club. We were
introducing them to the Wonder Stuff and at the same time winning
over the Wonder Stuff's fans for ourselves. We thought everything
was going great; it might have been going a little too great, I'm
not sure. It's just that the Wonder Stuff were...well, drunken
English bastards, as far as that goes! (laughs) We made a couple
of attempts to get to know them, not in an ass-kissing way, not to
be buddies or anything, but just to be friendly. They were all
rebuffed, and I don't know, they were just really miserable and at
odds with each other and with everybody on that tour. We did a show
in Asbury Park..we had two nights off and then we were going to D.C.
and at the end of the night we just said, "See you guys in a couple
days in D.C." and they're all like, *effects British accent* "Royt,
royt, see you there." We pull up in front of the club two days
later and the club says, "oh you can't unload your van, you guys
aren't playing, didn't they tell you?" We'd been kicked off the
tour and no one had bothered telling us. It was a really messed up
situation because you know, both bands had the same booking agent
at the time and our own agent had to tell us we couldn't do these
shows they'd booked for us and they swore up and down they weren't
going to stand for it, they were going to talk the Wonder Stuff out
of it, that they couldn't do that, that it wasn't up to them, they
were just being jerks. Then all of a sudden [the agent] just turned
around and said, "you know what, sorry about this guys, just go on
home and we'll make it up to you." And we ditched that agency
shortly thereafter. It was not a happy scene.
C: Was that before or after you guys wrote the song,
"Long-haired Guys From England"?
T: Oh that was after. We were doing that song every night
on tour, in fact the first night of the tour we asked them (not that
we were going to stop if they minded), "Oh, you don't take offense
at that, do you?" And they were like, "No no...we're the long-haired
guys from England! We think it's funny..ha ha!" And they seemed to
mean it at the time.
C: What kinds of beer do you guys like the best?
T: I'm a Molson Golden man, myself. I also like Red Stripe
and I'll drink a Sam Adams now and again. I guess Sam Adams and Red
Stripe come in brown bottles, but I'm mostly a green-bottle boy, as
long as it's not Rolling Rock.
C: I got your first album, _Green Eggs and Crack_ [long
out of print] and I think it's good. Do you think that's ever going
to be available again?
T: Yeah, the thing is we kept telling everybody we were
going to put it out in 1993 but then the problem is, we put out
_Mutiny_ and then we had problems finding a new record company and
the time between _Mutiny_ and the new album just started getting so
long we didn't want anyone to think _Green Eggs and Crack_ was our
next album. We're just so young and learning on it! And now if
anything it'll probably be even longer because if we put out anything
that's not a new record, it's going to be all the songs we have a
backlog of from these sessions. I want it to happen so people will
stop stealing it from college radio stations, that bums me out! I
hate it when people come up to me and go, "yeah man! Sign this!" and
when I ask where they got it, they go "I stole it from my college
radio station!" like that makes them cool or something. It's like
not returning books to the library!
C: I was really disappointed last year when I tried to go out
and replace all of the old TMJ albums on CD and they're all out of print.
T: Yeah, that just happened last year. Someone was over at my
apartment one day and they knew I was in a band but they had never heard
it and they asked to me to play something. So I thought I'd put on
"Crush Story" since this wasn't really a rock-type person. I thought
this is pretty, this will win them over, and I put on the CD and it
started skipping! I thought, Oh no! My only copy of my own record
is messed up! I went to the store to buy another one and I couldn't
find them anywhere so I had to go to the flea market. It was very
depressing!
C: You guys have the best liner notes of any band i know...is
the whole band responsible for writing that or what?
T: Basically it's a lot like the lyrics. I'll sit down and
write 'em, then submit 'em for the band's approval. And they'll
nitpick, throw in a stray line here or there. It's a group process
but it begins me.
C: Other than the Who, what are your favorite bands?
T: Actually the thing about the Who, especially with this
record is, alot of that's Bill. I guess on the cover of _...Finally_
there's a Kiss album, a Clash album, and a Who album. Basically Doug
Allen had given us blank spaces for three different records but
there's four guys in the band so Jay and I both chose _London Calling_
so that sort of solved that problem. But I was a huge Who fan when I
was a teenager, still a pretty big Who-ophile, but apart from them
I would probably say The Clash are probably #1 of all-time for me.
Currently I like...well, the Flaming Lips are pretty happening and the
Mekons now and forever will be good. I like the Wedding Present too;
that's off the top of my head.
And thus, after a couple more minutes of chatting about other
stuff like Star Wars, the conversation ended. Having been illuminated
about a number of points, I slouched back to my hole, to wait for the
next record. We can only hope it doesn't take too long.
---
REVIEW: Black Crowes, _Three Snakes And One Charm_ (American)
- Linda Scott
With their fourth album, The Black Crowes have been given
the unenviable task of topping their stunning _amorica_. Their
earliest albums, 1990's _Shake Your Money Maker_ and 1992's _The
Southern Harmony And Musical Companion_, were fairly straightforward,
good time, Southern-rock albums. 1994's _amorica_ was a darker,
harder rocking, more complex album. It won critical praise with the
caution of a need for more focus and polish.
Expectations that _Three Snakes And One Charm_ will be
_amorica_'s successor won't be met this time around. _Three Snakes_
is more like an album that could have come before _amorica_. It shows
natural growth from the earlier efforts without _amorica_'s power.
Fans will see this as a return to the band's roots, Southern-rock, but
this time with big dollops of blues, gospel, bluegrass, soul and country.
The Crowes have stayed with another part of their success
formula - retrorock and imitation of their influences. Lead vocalist
Chris Robinson has toned down the extreme Jagger/Rod Stewart posturing.
and the music is less Stones, Aerosmith and more Lynyrd Skynyrd and
Allman Brothers. The sound is brought to you by a band together for
eight years. Rich Robinson (brother of Chris) is on rhythm guitar; he
and Chris handle all the song writing. The sextet is rounded out by
Marc Ford (lead guitar), Steve Gorman (drums), Johnny Colt (bass), and
Eddie Hawrysch (keyboards). The band is one of the more controversial
ones (vocal pro-drugs, partially banned _amorica_ cover), but this
pulls the group together. The only threat seems the ongoing Chris/Rich
battle.
Joining The Black Crowes on _Three Snakes..._ are banjo player
Rick Taylor, pedal steel guitarist Bruce Kaphan, the Dirty Dozen,
vocalist Gary "Mudbone" Cooper and Gary Shider of the P-Funk All Stars,
singer Erica Stewart of Ziggy Marley, and singer Barbara Mitchell. The
album sounds rich, full with interesting textures brought by all these
guest artists.
"Good Friday" is a great choice for the album's first promotional
single; it's one of the best tracks on the album, a lovely ballad with a
familiar, Stones-like vibe. The first song in the stores will most
likely be "Blackberry", a soul track for which the band will shoot a
video.
From here it looks like The Black Crowes have another hit.
_Three Snakes And One Charm_ may not go beyond _amorica_ musically;
it's a different, lighter vibe and can be judged on its own merits.
This is a good, consistent album from a good, consistent, performing
band. The Crowes always seem like they are about to make the big leap
into superband, but _Three Snakes_ isn't likely to be the release because
of its reliance on a proven and solid formula instead of a leap into
the great unknown. In the meantime, _Three Snakes And One Charm_ is
good rock listening.
---
MACFEST CONCERT REVIEW: Hayden, Holly McNarland
- Bob Gajarsky
New York's Macintosh Festival featured several hundred bands in
various locations in New York City and Hoboken, all looking to strut
their stuff for music professionals and afficionados of all ages.
The second year of this festival showed it wasn't just for exclusive
industry people, but also for the die-hard people who wanted to
experience new music, first, before it broke out across the country.
Twho artists who exemplified the spirit of the festival - and
both coincidentally are from north of the border - were Hayden and
Holly McNarland.
Hayden appeared at Hoboken's legendary Maxwell's (and later
in the week at New York City's Knitting Factory), and the intimate
setting only served to magnify his performance. With vocals and a
spirit which could evoke comparisons with the late Kurt Cobain, this
powerful acoustic guitarist set forth a mind-numbing selection of
songs, interspersed with personal comments on life, that captivated
his audience. And it wasn't griping - just talking, as if he were
among friends whom he hadn't seen for a few weeks.
The lyrics aren't deep, but in a folk fashion, they tell
- stories*. According to Hayden, "Bad As They Seem" is about 'a guy
who spends his summer days playing guitar on the roof of his parents
house, writing about different neighbors as they walk by', while "Stem"
tells about an unfortunate incident where 'I stopped in at a variety
store to buy a rose for a date; on the way to her house, I ran into
some wind and lost all of the petals'.
"In September" is infectious on disc; acoustically, it silences
a room with raw power and energy. His voice becomes an added instrument,
rising and falling in nearly perfect synchronization with his guitar.
His debut album, _Everything I Long For_ (which is more than acoustic)
has been available for more than a year in his native Canada, and has
recently seen the light of day in the United States.
Holly McNarland is another Canadian native who has seen her
first album, _Sour Pie_, released in her home country before being
issued here in the States. The 21 year old Vancouverite at times,
sounds like the next in the line of Kate Bush Tori Amos/Sarah
McLachlan - at other instances, her vocals have seemingly come from her
country bcakground (she began singing those songs with her mom),
yet there's other examples when everything indicates she's a true
rock 'n' roll independent woman in the spirit of Liz Phair. The
song titles do nothing to dispel that last image; "Mr. Five Minutes"
and "Cry or Cum" show this woman can stand up on her own, and won't
take shit from anyone for any reason.
Live, McNarland showcases her vocals much better than on the
record; one might think that they toned *down* her resonant chords
to make a more successful showing with mainstream audiences. The vocal
hyrbidization of country/McLachlan/Phair works well on _Sour Pie_ -
it just sounds much better live. And her band performs tightly,
well in verse with the rush in McNarland's songs.
All in all, two exciting new performers who may well require
more than a couple listens on disc.
---
REVIEW: Sublime, _Sublime_ (MCA)
- Sean Eric McGill
I wasn't overly familiar with Sublime until their latest self
titled major-label debut came across my desk. Now, considering how great
the album is, coupled with the death of vocalist/songwriter/guitarist
Brad Nowell - I wish I had been around for more.
_Sublime_ isn't an easy album to pin down in terms of style. By
mixing a variety of influences - ranging between dance hall, rap, metal
and reggae - into their music, Nowell and his fellow bandmates (Eric,
bass; Bud, drums) have formed an interesting musical hybrid. It's a
style that at many times recalls the work of past performers such as
Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix - but also embraces newer movements in music
such as rap and hard rock, which may not sound like it works, but the
band pulls it together nicely. The samples flow freely, the guitars
are crunchy - and almost everything has a reggae edge to it.
Nowell writes with such a reggae-based groove on almost all of
the songs on _Sublime_, that it's hard not to go along with him. I hate
to sound trite, but you really groove to this album. Eric's basslines
(the entire band is known only by their first names, by the way) provide
the perfect backing for Nowell's sing-song lyrical work. The songs
themselves cover a variety of topics, from the obligatory songs about
women to more unusual fare, such as "April 29, 1992 (Miami)" and "Pawn
Shop". The first deals with the ensuing riots that spread throughout
major cities in America following the Rodney King verdict, and the latter
- well, it's a song about a pawn shop. Not usual musical fare on an album
of this type - and Nowell's songwriting never takes the subject too
seriously. While many others have done songs from the point of view of
a looter - none have ever done it with such a flair.
_Sublime_ is one of the best releases of the year - and odds
are that it will be the band's last. And I really don't know what's
worse - that young and talented musicians continue to follow a path of
self-destruction, or that we're no longer surprised.
---
REVIEW: Spooky, _Found Sound_ (A&M U.K. - Import)
- Jamie Roberts
This CD is a (U.S. import) gem! Making music, to Duncan
Forbes and Charlie May, is more like putting together a car's
engine than anything the creative process has been compared to
before. The artistry in the melange of clanging objects, and
moody ambience is pure genius on this second album by the re-mixer
duo. Their combined credits include MC900 Ft. Jesus, Lush, Cud,
and Headswim, but this gives no clue to what is in store when
this disc begins to revolve.
They aptly call their work Cubist, and one might add
abstract - to the thousandth power. Their music is something best
imagined soundtracking the show Stomp. Do not be mistaken, it is
also melodic and smooth. The sounds are not disturbing or loud.
Rather they are soothing, like the sound of working lite-machinery
(ie. the noise of a fan lulling you to sleep) and draw the listener
into a trance.
There is some serene piano work in "Lowest Common
Denominator", and an odd majesty in the melody of "Hypo Allergenic".
These are the "fuzzy" tracks, as compared to the cold, clanging
"Central Heating" and "Aphonia". The disparity makes for a CD
that slowly paints a complex picture that you are not at all
familiar with until the last possible second.
This, my friends, is interactive listening! The Spooky
boys let you feel what is behind each noise, and pick out how
exactly you want to hear each song... each time in a unique way.
The only requirement is to let it take you on the whole trip, so
you get the well-rounded world-of-music-and-feeling tour.
---
REVIEW: Far, _Tin Cans With Strings To You_ (Epic)
- Shirley Brown
Every once in a while I run across a band that makes me really
happy. It's hard to explain, but when I put this disc in my CD player,
I just had to turn it up really loud and bounce around the room. This
is odd for a couple of reasons; first off, the music just isn't bouncy.
Most of the time, it's a hard, driving wall of sound. Secondly, I
usually don't bounce. It just isn't me. In any event, I really like
this band. I've even braved some pretty random venues to go see them.
Almost everyone I have tried turning on to the band seems to like them,
too, so I know this isn't one of my weird little psychopathic breaks.
There's something really honest about the music. The initial
impression is that Far are part of that "anger rock" genre, but they're
really not. They don't whine, their lives are not ending tomorrow,
they don't advocate hatred or violence, and the music doesn't make me
want to run out and shoot up. They write about real things, but in
a random way that makes you think, or at least smile. For example,
the single, "Love, American Style" is this kind of Natural Born
Killers song about a serial killer and this woman who falls in love
with him; I cite OliverStone's movie because it's a commentary on
how the media glorifies violence, but expressed from a slightly
different point of view than I've heard it before.
The sound is, well, LOUD, with bits of metal and bits of
hardcore, not quite sounding like either. It really hits that primal
core of emotion, the way only really good driving music can. But
it's not angry - more like pure emotion. Heavy low end, the kind of
music that makes you want to stomp around in heavy boots. I would
use the word tribal, but there really isn't anything there that one
could pinpoint as being tribal. Jonah, the lead singer, has an
interesting voice. He can do the soft, melodic thing really well,
and sometimes even sounds little boy-ish. For more than half the
record, though, he gets raw and raspy, without sounding painful.
He conveys emotion well, on a basic level.
I suspect that a large part of both the bouncy impulse and
the honesty is that Far really love what they're doing, and this can
be heard in the music. I think that all good music comes from what
Eric Clapton calls the core and is a pure expression of emotion.
In the case of Far, whatever emotion they are expressing is always
tinged with the joy they feel when they're creating their art. A
bit esoteric, perhaps, but I don't know how else I would describe it.
In any event, producer Brad Wood (Liz Phair, Sunny Day Real Estate)
has done a marvelous job of capturing the band's core on this disc.
I know that the band has been known in the past for being
overly experimental, but with the release of _Tin Cans With Strings
To You_, Far seem to have hit upon the right mix of the tried-but-true
with the new.
---
REVIEW: Pink Noise Test, _The Electric Train_ (EP) (Boy's Life)
- Jamie Roberts
This 5-song premiere effort from West Coast 4-piece, Pink Noise
Test is a real 'deja vu' experience.
What makes this all-too-short CD so interesting are the
combinations within each song and within the EP as a whole. There is a
British, House-of-Lovey flavor to the tracks with the requisite moaning
shoegazer vocal styling. The melodies are adrenaline pop/rock fare,
while the lyrics are kitsch-pop, as are the backing vocals (of the 'ooh
wah' variety). The musicianship is top-notch, as are the mixes - done
by Van Christie (of Die Warzau notoriety) at Chicago's famed Warzone studio.
The 'deja vu' element is the biggest draw to this EP. This
sounds decidedly like you have heard it before. One listen and you
- will* sing along. Your feet are tapping, your head is bobbing, and
you can't quite place where you have heard this before. On alternative
radio? Soon. On a Top 40 show? Maybe with a major's backing...
---
REVIEW: Chimera, _Earth Loop_ (Grass)
- Bob Gajarsky
The cover of _Earth Loop_, the debut American full length
album by the Irish band Chimera, screams out "4AD", the chic
alternative label responsible for bands such as the Pixies,
Lush, Dead Can Dance, Throwing Muses, Ultra Vivid Scene and many
more artists who always seemed to be about three years ahead of
the music scene. But this isn't the newest release from 4AD;
rather, Chimera spurned their advances and chose to opt with the
smaller independent label, Grass. And, instead of being before
its time, _Earth Loop_ hits the mark for *this* year.
Following the path of the "alternative Irish sound"
that has been paved by the Sundays, Cranberries and Scheer,
lead singer Eileen Henry sings over a lilting melody, but rather
than a straightforward, simple melody, the group turns to a more
complex way of expressing their sound. The first single, "Catch Me",
opens and closes with a light industrial backdrop, and serenes into
Henry's reflective vocals. "Night Song" covers more familiar
territory, with less menacing guitars and could be a likely second
single. And, with producer Chris Nagle's past history of success
with such bands as the Smiths, New Order and the Wedding Present,
it looks like the band made an excellent choice of a guiding force
behind the music.
If the Cranberries knew how to rock - and grabbed a sense
of being on the cutting edge, rather than the mainstream - they
might be Chimera.
---
CONTEST: In conjunction with Grass Records, Consumable is
having a giveaway for the band Chimera. Five lucky winners
will receive a Chimera frisbee along with their debut,
out-of-print U.S. EP, _Day Star_. _Day Star_ contains four
tracks: "Closer", "Untitled" and two songs off their current
full length album, _Earth Loop_ - "2 Sunny" and "Let Me Be
Around".
To enter the contest, send a note to nina@blarg.net with
the subject header of CONTEST. Inside the note, include your
name and address. All entries must be received by August 9, 1996.
---
NEWS: > Beck will be one of at least six performers and the Dust
Brothers will DJ a benefit concert on Sunday August 11 from noon
until dusk at the Santa Fe Loading Docks in downtown Los Angeles.
The benefit was organized to raise funds for three-year-old Banjo Sky
Harris, the son of Ross and Terry Harris and godson of Beck, who was
diagnosed with autism last year. All proceeds will be split equally
between the Banjo Sky Harris Fund and the Los Angeles-based charity,
Cure Autism Now. Tickets for the benefit cost $10 and go on sale at
Second Time Around Records, No Life Records and Spaceland.
> Pete Droge will be appearing in Cybertalk on America
Online on Monday, August 12 at 9:30 p.m. EST
> A new London-based design team, Header, will be producing a
quarterly series of enhanced CD's showcasing new work by artists on the
cutting edge. Header #1 includes UNKLE from Mo Wax, As One, 4-Hero, a
Carl Craig commission and a twenty minute track from Derrick Carter, with
seminal 70's drum and bass by King Tubby. In addition, there are back
catalog audio tracks, interviews and much more on the CD. For more
information, email header@tui.co.uk or check them out on the Web at
http://www.tui.co.uk/header
> The latest Morrissey concert video, titled _Introducing
Morrissey_, will be released on August 13. Songs on the 63 minute
compilation, which was taped from his 1995 Sheffield and Blackpool
(England) concerts, include "Billy Budd", "Have A Go Merchant", "Spring
Heeled Jim", "You're The One For Me Fatty", "The More You Ignore Me The
Closer I Get", "Whatever Happens I Love You", "We'll Let You Know", "Jack
The Ripper", "Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself", "The National Front
Disco", "Moon River", "Hold On To Your Friends", "Boxers", "Now My Heart
Is Full" and "Speedway".
> The Philadelphia Music Conference is scheduled for October 30
to November 2, 1996. The conference, entering its fourth year,
has become the third-largest in the country. For more information,
check out the web site at http://www.gopmc.com
> _Punk: The Original_ is a 136 page tome containing the best
articles, humor and cartoons from the late 1970's magazine Punk. The
magazine was the first to report on the new scene, and the book
which is released was assembled by original Punk founder (now
publisher of High Times), John Holmstrom.
---
TOUR DATES
Baboon
Aug. 7 Lubbock, TX Motor 308
Aug. 8 El Paso, TX Attic
Barkmarket
Aug. 6 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Shelter
Aug. 7 Cleveland Heights, OH Euclid Tavern
Aug. 8 Toronto, ON Rivoli
Aug. 9 Montreal, QC Fou Founes Electriques
Aug. 10 Cambridge, MA TT The Bear
Aug. 13 New York, NY CBGB's
Biohazard / Dog Eat Dog
Aug. 11 Lindenhurst, NY PWAC
Bryndle
Aug. 7 Seattle, WA Woodland Park Zoo
Aug. 9 Los Angeles, CA California Plaza
L.T.J. Bukem / MC Conrad / D.J. Tayla
Aug. 10 Los Angeles, CA Planet of the Drumz
Aug. 11 San Francisco, CA Funky Tekno Tribe
Aug. 14 New York, NY SOB's
Aug. 15 Pittsburgh, PA Enit Festival
Camber
Aug. 3 New York, NY Under Acme
Aug. 8 New York, NY Brownie's
Tracy Chapman / Charlie Hunter Quartet
Aug. 6 Vienna, VA Wolftrap
Aug. 10 Birmingham, AL Alabama Theatre
Aug. 11 Atlanta, GA Lakewood Amphitheatre
Aug. 13 Miami, FL Jackie Gleason
Aug. 14 Orlando, FL Bob Carr
Cheap Trick / Trip 66
Aug. 3 Agawam, CT Riverside Amusement Park
Aug. 4 Syracuse, NY Vernon Downs
Aug. 6 Rochester, NY New York Nites
Aug. 8 Wantagh, NY Mulcahy's
Aug. 9 Providence, RI The Strand
Aug. 11 Washington, D.C. 9:30 Club
Aug. 13 Harrisburg, PA Zee's
Chimera
Aug. 6 Albany, NY QE2
Aug. 7 Danbury, CT Tuxedo Junction
Aug. 8 Cambridge, MA Middle East
Aug. 14 New York, NY Brownie's
Aug. 15 Philadelphia, PA Upstairs At Nicks
China Drum
Aug. 5 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
Aug. 6 Raleigh, NC Alive
Aug. 7 Charlotte, NC Tremont Hall
Aug. 9 Birmingham, AL Nick
Aug. 11 Dallas, TX Orbit Room
Aug. 12 Corpus Christi, TX Backdrafts
Aug. 13 San Antonio, TX Showcase
Elvis Costello
Aug. 8 Nashville, TN Ryman Theatre
Aug. 9 Washington, DC Capitol Ballroom
Aug. 10 Philadelphia, PA Mann Music Center
Aug. 12-13 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
Aug. 14 Boston, MA Harborlights Pavilion
Enormous / Perfect
Aug. 6 Buffalo, NY Nietzche's
Aug. 8 Pittsburgh, PA Graffiti
Aug. 9 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
Aug. 10 Detroit, MI Shelter
Aug. 11 Columbus, OH Staches
Aug. 13 Cincinnati, OH Club Gothem
Aug. 15 Indianapolis, IN Patio
David Gray
Aug. 5 New York City, NY Mercury Lounge
Aug. 12 Detroit, MI 7th House
Aug. 14 Minneapolis, MN 7th St. Entry
Aug. 15 Rock Island Rock Island Brewing Co.
Hayden
Aug. 10 St. Louis, MO Cicero's
H.O.R.D.E. (incl. King Crimson)
Aug. 8 Bonner Springs, KS Sandstone Amphitheatre (w/Hayden)
Aug. 9 Maryland Heights, MO Riverport (w/Hayden)
Aug. 10 Nashville, TN Starwood
Aug. 11 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend
Aug. 13 Pittsburgh, PA Starlake
Aug. 15 Boston, MA Great Woods
Jawbox
Aug. 6 Omaha, NE Cog Factory
Aug. 7 Lawrence, KS Bottleneck
Aug. 8 St. Louis, MO Galaxy
Aug. 9 Cincinnati, OH Sudsy Malone's
Aug. 11 Columbus, OH Stache's
Aug. 13 Detroit, MI St. Andrew's Hall
Aug. 14 Cleveland, OH Odeon
Aug. 15 Buffalo, NY Showplace Theatre
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Aug. 6 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
Aug. 8 Houston, TX Woodlands Amphitheatre
Aug. 11 Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre
Aug. 14 Los Angeles, CA Universal Amphitheatre
k.d. lang
Aug. 7 Interlochen, MI Center for the Arts
Aug. 8 Dayton, OH Fraze Pavillion
Aug. 9 St. Louis, MO Fox Theatre
Aug. 13 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Aug. 14 Park City, UT Wolf Mountain
Little Feat
Aug. 4 Atlantic City, NJ A.C. Harbor Music Fest.
Aug. 10 Denmark Skanderborg Music Fest.
Mae Moore / Tara MacLean
Aug. 15 Vancouver, BC Starfish Room
No Doubt / Goldfinger
Aug. 14 Toronto, ON Lee's Place
Aug. 15 Montreal, QC Le Spectrum
Pantera
Aug. 6 Cedar Rapids, IA 5 Seasons Center
Aug. 7 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheatre
Aug. 9 Chicago, IL Rosemont Horizon
Aug. 10 Auburn Hills, MI Palace of Auburn Hills
Aug. 11 Noblesville, IN Deer Creek
Aug. 15 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center
Poorhouse Rockers
Aug. 8 Fells Point, MD Horse You Rode In On
Aug. 9 Lancaster, PA Lancaster Dispensing Co.
Aug. 10 Havre de Grace, MD MacGregor's
Aug. 14 Wilmington, DE Buggy Tavern
Possum Dixon / Yum Yum / Dig
Aug. 6 Toronto, ON Horseshoe
Aug. 8 Woodstock, NY Tinker St. Cafe
Aug. 9 Providence, RI Met
Aug. 10 Cambridge, MA Middle East
Aug. 11-12 (New York City or Long Branch, NJ) Mercury Lounge /Metro
Aug. 13 Philadelphia, PA Khyber Pass
Aug. 14 Washington, DC Black Cat
Primitive Radio Gods
Aug. 7 Denver, CO Mercury Cafe
Aug. 9 Kansas City, MO Hurricane
Aug. 10 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
Aug. 11 Milwaukee, WI Shank Hall
Aug. 13 Chicago, IL Double Door
Aug. 14 Cincinnati, OH Club Gotham
Aug. 15 Detroit, MI Shelter
Rembrandts
Aug. 12 San Mateo, CA San Mateo County Fair
Sepultura / Far
Aug. 8 Albequerque, NM Wool Warehouse
Aug. 10 Denver, CO Ogden Theater
Aug. 11 Wichita, KS The Cotillion
Aug. 13 Lawrence, KS Liberty Hall
Aug. 14 St. Louis, MO Mississippi
Sex Pistols / Gravity Kills
Aug. 6 Washington, DC Patriot Center
Aug. 8 New York, NY Roseland
Aug. 10 Boston, MA Great Woods
Aug. 12 Toronto, Canada Molson Amphitheater
Aug. 13 Cleveland, OH Nautica
Aug. 14 Pittsburgh, PA LC Lite Amphitheater
Slayer
Aug. 7 Boston, MA Axis
Aug. 8 Washington, DC 930 Club
Aug. 10 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
Aug. 13 Dallas, TX Deep Ellum
Aug. 14 San Antonio, TX Sneekers
Steely Dan
Aug. 6 Kansas City, KS Sandstone Amphitheatre
Aug. 7 Denver, CO Fiddler's Green
Aug. 9 Irvine, CA Irvine Meadows
Aug. 10 Las Vegas, NV Hard Rock/MGM Grand
Aug. 12 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
Aug. 13 Mt. View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
Aug. 15 Portland, OR Rose Garden
Warped Tour (including Rocket From The Crypt, Red 5,
Dick Dale, Figgs and more. Confirm all dates.)
Aug. 6 Jacksonville, FL Metro Park
Aug. 7 Miami, FL Bayfront
Aug. 8 Orlando, FL Cocoa Expo
Aug. 9 Pensacola, FL Fairgrounds
Aug. 10 Houston, TX International Ballroom
Aug. 11 Dallas, TX Fairpark Coliseum
Wild Strawberries
Aug. 9 Ottawa, ON Barrymore's
Aug. 10 Barrie, ON Molson Park (this show contains multiple
acts, including Alanis Morrissette, Frente, Dinosaur Jr.
Shudder To Think and Our Lady Peace)
Aug. 11 Toronto, ON Danforth St. Festival
---
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http://www.westnet.com/consumable/Consumable.html
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===