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==== ISSUE 104 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [April 1, 1997]
Editor: Bob Gajarsky
Internet: gajarsky@email.njin.net
Sr. Correspondents: Jeremy Ashcroft, Dan Enright, Reto Koradi,
David Landgren, Sean Eric McGill, Tim Mohr,
Al Muzer, Jamie Roberts, Joe Silva, John Walker
Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Lee Graham Bridges, Scott Byron,
Janet Herman, Bill Holmes, Eric
Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Stephen Lin, Scott Miller,
P. Nina Ramos, Linda Scott, Scott Slonaker,
Simon Speichert, Jon Steltenpohl, Courtney
Muir Wallner, Simon West, Lang Whitaker
Also Contributing: Dan Birchall
Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann
Address all comments, subscriptions, etc. to gajarsky@email.njin.net
==================================================================
All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s).
Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the
editor.
==================================================================
.------------.
| Contents |
`------------'
INTERVIEW: Chris DeGarmo, Queensryche - Dan Birchall
REVIEW: Soundtrack, _Private Parts_ - Sean Eric McGill
REVIEW: Aerosmith, _Nine Lives_ - Linda Scott
REVIEW: Ben Vaughn, _Rambler '65_ - Bill Holmes
REVIEW: Various Artists, _Rare On Air: Volume 3_ - Janet Herman
REVIEW: T-Rex Reissues - Al Muzer
REVIEW: Aretha Franklin, _The Early Years_ - Joann D. Ball
REVIEW: The Clouds, _Collage_ - Scott A. Miller
REVIEW: Wondermints, _Wondermints_ - Bill Holmes
INDEPENDENT REVIEWS: Valerie Ghent, Willard Grant Conspiracy - Bob Gajarsky
Internal Neurotic Universe / Mike Dalton / Thom MacFarlane - Al Muzer
NEWS: Atlantic/Mammoth, Dodgy, The Figgs, Paul McCartney, Morrissey,
Slobberbone, Yer Blues
TOUR DATES: Art Alexakis, Bloodhound Gang, Bobgoblin, Boiled In Lead,
Churn, Shawn Colvin / Freedy Johnston, Cordelia's Dad, Cowboy Mouth,
Cravin' Melon, Daddy Longhead, Darlahood, Descendants, Dots Will
Echo, Mary Ann Farley, Five-Eight, Gefkens / Joe Lies / Oral
Groove / Knockout Drops, Humble Gods, Irving Plaza (New York
Concert Hall), Jewel, King Britt, Marilyn Manson / Helmet /
Rasputina, John Mellencamp / The Why Store, Metallica / Corrosion
of Conformity, New Bomb Turks, Orange 9MM, Orbit, Professor &
Maryann, Rasputina / Cranes, Samples / Stir, Samples / Guster,
Shonen Knife, Sick of It All, Sister Hazel, Elliott Smith,
Stillsuit / Downset / Earth Crisis, They Might Be Giants
Back Issues of Consumable
---
INTERVIEW: Chris DeGarmo, Queensryche
- Dan Birchall
It's been more than two years since the release of
Queensryche's last album, _Promised Land_. Not to say that the
band's members have been idle, by any means - they toured throughout
much of 1995, and 1996 brought the release of Promised Land the
computer game, a dual CD-ROM set for Macintosh and Windows
systems. And of course, they've been writing more songs!
Fourteen of those songs - fifteen, if you're in Japan - are
included on the band's new album, _Hear In The Now Frontier_, being
released in the United States on March 25th, with various other
release dates - seemingly in a state of constant change - for the
rest of the world.
This latest leap in a new direction - or several directions
at once - is very diverse. In general, it sounds less produced than
most of Queensryche's previous works. Some songs have a hard edge
which may shock recent devotees of the band, while others could
almost be used to lull children to sleep. The sound has already
been compared to grunge, disco, and nearly everything between.
Overall, the album may come as a bit of a surprise to existing
Queensryche fans, but I expect the sound to be much more accessible
to a general audience. With only two songs over five minutes long,
this album could also generate plenty of radio airplay for the band.
Guitarist Chris DeGarmo makes his debut as a lead vocalist on
one track. I spoke with him in early March, as the band prepared for the
launch of the album.
Consumable: Two and a half years it's been - how do you see
the world differently now? When _Promised Land_ was in the works,
there were rumors about personal lives in turmoil. At this point,
you all seem to be more stable.
Chris DeGarmo: Well, stability is relative, isn't isn't?
(laughs) We're all just at different levels of insanity... There were
certainly - within the band - some tumultuous lives going on, and
I think at any given time there's some turbulence and some smooth
air in there as well, to use flying analogies. But I think we're
in a good state right now. We had a really enjoyable time with
the project. The writing came effortlessly, really - we were feeling
very prolific, I guess, when we finished touring with _Promised Land_.
And the two and a half year separation between these two releases is
short by Queensryche standards. Certainly comparing us to something
like Rush's discography and their ability to seem to turn around
projects in like nine months or whatever it is, we seem related to
the tortoise or something. But it just takes what it takes, and
for some reason, we can't, given the touring that we do and that sort
of thing. This seems to be about our cycle. Also, we don't just
want to put anything out. We have to get to the point where we're
feeling good about what we have, and we have and we have an internal
standard that we're trying to hit. That's kind of the yardstick that
we go by on everything, and in the case of the last one, it just took
us longer to get ourselves positioned to where we felt we had something
to offer.
C: So you're your own worst critics, basically.
CD: Yeah, I think so... (laughs) But I'm happy to say our
chemistry is very strong, and we're nurturing it. We wanted to
actually release this a little sooner. We waited a bit - quite a bit
actually - for the production [producer Peter Collins] to come. And
don't we all wish that sometimes when we were ready to undertake
something, that the world could revolve around us? But with the
exception of being a child, it's a fleeting moment, so we had to
wait for other schedules to fall in sync with us, or we might have
been able to put it together six months earlier. We're doing good,
and everyone's very excited about this, and we're already putting
together presentation ideas now.
C: For the tour? Has it gotten any more specific?
CD: It's going to start in June - probably around the third
week of June, probably around the Northwestern area of the country,
and we're going to do all of the U.S. first.
C: As a change.
CD: Yeah, it is a change. We've done it coming from outside
North America on most of the other tours, or at least the ones within
recent memory, and so we're going to do it a little different this
time, not wanting to be too predictable.
C: Any chance of finally getting to Australia?
CD: I hope so. I'd really like to see us get a chance to
present the band over there. But we would like to have an audience
over there, someone over there interested to see the band, and I
think our exposure in Australia is still somewhat elusive. I don't
know exactly how we're perceived over there, or how we fit in, so
we're still kind of trying to assess our place (laughs) over there.
In a few new territories we've been doing some interviews - we got
South Korea and Singapore and some other Pacific Rim areas, what
were formerly Eastern Bloc European countries. And you probably
know, there are fans out there in a lot of different places. It's
just trying to put it together so that we can bring a presentation
to all those places, and it gets a bit complicated.
C: And then you have somewhere where you have two fans in
the whole country, and you can't rent an arena for two people.
CD: Yeah. I wish we could, I'd love to just drag the show
all over the world and play it, but unfortunately it's not quite as
easy as that. Hopefully we'll get to more places this time. Right
now, it's still a little ambiguous.
C: Do you think you'll reach out to a more mainstream rock
audience with this album?
CD: I don't know. I really don't have a crystal ball. I know that
we did something that is where we're at, at the moment, and that's all
we've ever tried to do with any of these things - capture the band at
the moment, what's on our minds, what interests us. There are a lot
of other variables that create the end result, as far as how it's
commercially received and all those kinds of things. I really just
don't have any idea, and I never have, with any of them. (laughs)
I'm being really honest - I just don't know. I hope people enjoy it.
If we really spent a lot of time trying to figure out what everybody
wants, what everybody expects and what we should do based on where
we've been and where we've going, I mean, it all gets terribly
complicated. I think we've just trusted the voice inside, so to
speak, and it's worked out. So I really don't know. It's all open
open territory. (laughs)
C: How does it feel to sing lead vocals?
CD: It's great, it's fun. I've been singing on our albums for
a long time, and I felt I could give a different perspective on it than
Geoff. In the interest of open-mindedness, everybody was cool
on it. At least they didn't kick me out! (laughs) That's what happens
when Geoff leaves the studio for the afternoon.
C: The song "The Voice Inside" got me wondering, what sort of
background, or current viewpoints do you have in the way of
philosophy, or beliefs floating around?
CD: Well, I think in terms of philosophies, there's been a
thread running through most of our material, perhaps not very early
on when we were just beginning the composition process. I think at
some point we've gravitated toward affirmation of self and free
thinking, coming at it from a number of angles. People finding
their own wings, and trusting their passions and fortes in life,
and trying to resist much of the social conditioning that we're
surrounded by. So it's a philosophy of starting with the individual,
really, and recognizing the power of the individual, in an age when
we feel crushed as an individual, honestly, and the system works
toward suppressing the individual. Yeah, I think there's a
philosophy. I don't think it's that we try - we didn't sit down
with a game plan a long time ago and map it all out. I know for
Geoff and I, because we write most of the lyrics, it's just what
interests us, and it seems to be inspiring. You need to be able to
pose something, you need to be inspired. That's what seems to
inspire us, the possibilities. It's endless fuel for composition.
An open mind, all the possibilities. I'll never run out of stuff
to talk about.
C: Do you feel that there's a common thread on this album?
The first two songs describe society being screwed up, and the last
one, "sp00L", is optimist and says to keep working for change.
CD: Yeah, I think in our attempt to not make a concept or
thematic album, when we actually got done with it and had to sit
and sort of figure out what we'd done so we could explain it to
people (laughs) inevitably, there wind up being some common links,
really. Maybe it's just that there are a lot of individual diverse
separate takes on that sort of thing. It wasn't by design, it's
more by accident that it's all kind of like that. Now that it's
done and we step back away from it, it's connected to what we've
done, but just in a different way.
C: Rumors are circulating that you won't make any videos
for this album, due to dissatisfaction with the airplay they receive
on MTV.
CD: The visual landscape is something that is certainly
exciting to the band, we enjoy going off in that direction. As
far as actual videos, we're not closing the door, ever, to making
music videos for the songs. But we create imagery for the fans via
the show - we come up with special imagery away from things that
we've done in videos. If no one can see a video, it becomes
pointless to make. Many of the videos we've done are very
expensive, and we would rather put the money into visual
presentations that we know people will see, and that means the ones
that we are presenting. We understand that especially with a career
as long as ours, we've had some nice collisions with public taste
and with the decision-makers at these video channels who decide
whether bands are relevant to their current tastes, and that sort
of thing. We understand that it's a different scenario each time
we come out with a record - it's a different environment. So if
we felt our stuff would get exposed, we'd do it. But it's all
kind of a crap-shoot to some degree. I'm not going to say that
we're not going to make any videos. I know we haven't made any
yet, and I don't see any on this week's intinerary. But certainly
we're not closing the door on that.
C: And if you spend less money on broadcast videos, you have
more left to spend on the tour.
CD: Yeah, and ultimately, other things as well. We know
when we bring our show someplace, we have total control over what
people see, and what they experience. If we don't cut a video that
maybe wasn't going to get cut anyway, maybe we can afford to stay
out a little longer, play a few more shows, because we can afford
to pay everybody a little longer. At some point, you have to
figure out what the goal is, what it is that you're trying to do.
Honestly, videos have never been a guarantee. We were fortunate to
have a project where we had some videos in heavy rotation, and
people responded really nicely to those. But we also know that we
won't be guaranteed heavy rotation throughout our career, nor will
any other band. And that's just the way it is. I understand it,
and I think we really could do some great videos for stuff on this,
and we may do that, but we're putting together the show right now,
and I'm more excited about putting resources and energy into that,
'cause I know that's going to happen, as opposed to wondering whether
someone feels we'll fit in with their version of what music is right
now.
C: So even if the album is comparatively raw, the tour show
is still probably going to be some incredible phenomenon.
CD: Well, those are big adjectives. I won't say that we're
going to follow in keeping with the spirit of the recording, which is as
you said, more direct, more stripped down. This isn't going to be
a tour with the moving sets. We had something within the grooves
of Promised Land last time, we really designed the bar scene and
the whole thing. You can hear it with the segues and everything
on the album. This is different - we did that kind of tour, and
I know that a lot of people really enjoyed that very much, but
we, in the interest of providing some diversity as well, don't
want to do the exact same thing we did last time. At the same time,
there are some elements of the Queensryche presentation that I think
people are going to expect from us, and I don't think we'll disappoint
in that area. But I think it'll be a little more raw this time -
I don't know how to describe it. It's going to be good, we always
go out wanting to put together a very quality show with an emphasis
on great sound first, making it a show that people come to and it
sounds really good. And hopefully something as well that's visually
inspiring. I won't use your elaborate adjectives - I would like
for people to come to our show and feel inspired or moved somehow.
If we can accomplish that, I will be very happy.
C: Similar goals for the album?
CD: Yeah. The songwriting thing, it's a little more selfish -
when we do the show, we know we're presenting to people we know. As a
songwriter, I think you have to be true to yourself first, and I
think we've done that, and by doing that, we've been able to find
other people who are interested in what it is we do, as opposed to
at some point changing the strategy all of a sudden and creating
albums based on what we think other people think we should do. That
gets you into this terrible house of mirrors, and you can't find your
way back.
C: Some other critic described one of the songs on this album as
"epic and self-indulgent."
CD: (laughs) Oh, self-indulgent, that little two-word thing has
followed us around for God knows how long. Of course it's
self-indulgent! I mean, what is a painting? What is a drawing?
It's self-indulgent. A song is self-indulgent. What else should it
be? Other-indulgent? Of course that depends on what your goal is,
that goes with it.
C: Integrity.
CD: Yeah, and ultimately, we assume risks with that. We assume the
risk that people may not enjoy the version of where we are at a given
time, and commercially there are risks too. But the payoff as part
of the band is huge. It's such a great feeling to do what is steered
from within us. And if it all gets taken away somehow, if it all
falls apart, that's something so solid to hang onto. It's a matter of
pride and conviction, really staying to what it is that you want to do,
knowing of course that you can't please everyone. If you can accept
that, it helps you stay to what you want to do. The moment you try
and please everyone, you compromise to some degree. That doesn't mean
you can't be a nice person or something like that, particularly with
forms of expression. But expression says it all right there, it really
does. Expression is of thyself. It's not "I'm going to express what
other people think I should be expressing." (laughs) That starts you
down this really weird road of losing all perspective on what it is
that you're trying to do, you know. Unfortunately, it is a business
these days for a lot of people, and they treat it as a bar of soap or
a box of cornflakes, so we get a lot of interesting offerings from a
lot of different directions.
The Queensryche Internet magazine is available at
http://www.scream.org or for more information, e-mail editor@scream.org
---
REVIEW: Soundtrack, _Private Parts_ (Warner)
- Sean Eric McGill
It comes as no surprise that the soundtrack album to
_Private Parts_ is full of various bits from Howard Stern's
radio career. However, the surprise may be just how many bits
there are. Of the twenty-nine listed tracks on the album, a full
fifteen of them are culled from the movie (most of which are bits
of Stern on the air). These bits serve to bookend a mixed bag of
harder, alternative, and classic rock - with artists ranging from
Marilyn Manson to Ted Nugent.
And while this does give the album a _Singles_ meets _Dazed
and Confused_ musical sort of feel, as a whole, it doesn't hold up
well. The movie out-takes are also part of the problem. Had they
concentrated solely on clips of Stern on the air, then they would
truly warrant their stature on the album. But with so many of them
being scenes from the film (many of which would either require a
lengthy lead-in or visuals to truly appreciate), the effect is
nulled somewhat.
There is some synergy to the groupings of the songs and the
movie clips with which they are paired. New songs like Marilyn
Manson's "The Suck for Your Solution" and others are set with movie
clips from the later part of Stern's career. And by the time we get
to Van Halen's "Jamie's Cryin''", we're hearing movie clips depicting
the early stages of the Stern mythology - when the music may have
been better - but he sure as hell wasn''t as good as he is now.
Of the newer crop of songs, two groups made up of ex-members
of Jane's Addiction serve up the best, with The Red Hot Chili Peppers
(minus Anthony Kedias and replaced by an uncredited L.L. Cool J.) and
Porno for Pyros giving the best two performances on the album. "Hard
Charger" by Porno for Pyros is also notable for being the first time
Dave Navarro, Stephen Perkins and Perry Ferrel have recorded since
the break-up of Jane's Addiction.
Other new selections, ranging from interesting parings such
as Howard Stern and Rob Zombie ("The Great American Nightmare") and
Ozzy Osbourne and Type O Negative (a cover of "Pictures of Matchstick
Men") are interesting on the first couple of listens, but don't hold
much weight. And while it was nice to see "Cat Scratch Fever" and
"Smoke on the Water" on the album, hearing those songs again was
neat the first few times, but left me longing for something more.
Then again, Stern has always prided himself in his ability
to manipulate the media to fit his needs. The soundtrack for _Private
Parts_ is no exception. It's got hip new artists like Marilyn Manson
for the kids, Van Halen for the adults, and some movie clips to
promote the film more than it already has been. And even if this
attempt does come close to pleasing everyone on paper, the execution
could have been better.
---
REVIEW: Aerosmith, _Nine Lives_ (Columbia)
- Linda Scott
If the current crop of rock musicians is depressing you,
or if you think your money isn't buying you much entertainment, then
get out and get _Nine Lives_, the latest, greatest album from Aerosmith.
When Da Boys from Boston are on a groove, their albums rock. _Nine Lives_
was two years in the making, getting that groove. Manager: fired.
Producer's work: discarded. Substitute drummer's work: discarded.
Despite dire predictions, when the band got together with new
producer Kevin Shirley (silverchair, Journey), the groove was there,
13 tracks ripped out, and _Nine Lives_ is possibly the best Aerosmith
album yet.
First of all, it's good just to hear them again. Steven Tyler's
vocals are as sharp as ever. Cool lyrics have the trademark Aerosmith sexual
double meanings that leave you smiling and the sticker people confused.
The rest of the guys? They are absolutely right on. Lead guitarist Joe
Perry still smashes those solos although they don't seem as plentiful
here or mixed high enough for Perry fans. Brad Whitford is still one of
the best rhythm guitarists around, and Joey Kramer sounds like he
is playing with sticks of dynamite. Tom Hamilton gives a solid bass
underpinning to every song. The music and the vocals and the
lyrics are perfect. A number of listens are needed to get everything
so you won't be setting this cd aside after one play.
Leading off is "Nine Lives" which is a real Aerosmith rocker. This
one has got to be a single sometime. Next up is "Falling In Love (Is
Hard On Your Knees)", the first single. It's getting a lot of rock airplay
now so if you aren't singing along with Steven by now, you might try
the Alternative Section. "Hole In My Soul", "Kiss Your Past Goodbye"
and "Full Circle" are midtempo ballads that remind of "Crazy" - but
hotter. Then there are some new kinds of sounds for Aerosmith:
the punky "Crash", the industrial (Joey Kramer on the trashcans)
"Something's Gotta Give", the eastern "Taste of India", and "The Farm"
with Wizard of Oz samples. Aerosmith tries out this and that, but
everything still has great rock roots. _Nine Lives_ will lift your
spirits because as Joe Perry says, "We don't play mope rock. We're
here to entertain."
The US disks have an enhanced cd section which is a lot of fun to
play with. This is an interactive section, not just text and pictures to
look at. You can play along with the band using your space bar or
your virtual pick (available free through the web site). You get a
rating as you move through the song, like "miserable" or "too laid
back" showing you it ain't easy to keep up with Joe Perry. If you like
rock and Aerosmith, then you'll love their latest album, _Nine Lives_.
---
REVIEW: Ben Vaughn, _Rambler '65_ (Rhino)
- Bill Holmes
"If it sounds good in a car, why not record it in a
car?" - Ben Vaughn, 1996
Probably the only people not shocked to hear that Ben
Vaughn recorded his new CD inside his 1965 Rambler American
("the Fender Telecaster of cars", says Ben) are his fans; they
know that Ben is capable of just about anything. So what to do
after less accessible side projects like _Cubist Blues_ (recorded
with Alex Chilton and Suicide's Alan Vega) and the pairing with
Kim Fowley? Vaughn uses his zaniest concept to date to create his
best record since _Dressed In Black_.
Two songs are co-written with Bill Lloyd, and they're both
killer. The opening track "7 Days Without Love" rocks, complete
with feet slapping on the car's floorboard. "Boomerang" combines
Vaughn's megaphone-induced vocal with an instrumental punch
straight out of the Sir Douglas Quintet. (I'd believe they were
actually on the track but I know he couldn't have fit them in the
car). "Rock is Dead" is an example of Vaughn's wit, an ode to the
future when there's "a blank space on your TV/where the music channel
used to be" and "abandoned tour buses scattered across the hills".
Outside of the sitar solo on "Levitation", the stripped-down
arrangements force Vaughn's songs to be judged on their own merits.
One listen to a simple melody like "Song For You" and those who are
not Ben fans may be quickly converted. A Vaughn album is always a
mix of surf, pop, country, rockabilly and anything else he can get
his hands on. _Rambler 65_ is no different, with pop oddities like
"Perpetual Motion Machine" (suggesting his work for TV's "Third
Rock From The Sun") countered with bluesy wisps like "Beautiful
Self Destruction". An actual Rambler ad is even tossed in just to
keep you honest.
Vaughn claims he was able to record the record in six
afternoons because "everything was a first take because I just
wanted to get the hell out of the car!" Cramming a small mixing
board, effects pedals, a turntable, mikes and a reel-to-reel
inside a car with the windows rolled up is about as intimate as
you can get. And while recording in a car has other drawbacks
besides leg room, but Vaughn made the best of them. With airplanes
flying overhead every so often, he finally gave up avoiding them
and included one as the opening intro to "The Only Way To Fly".
Typical Vaughn, using whatever is necessary to deliver the goods,
and it works.
And yes, there's an engine solo.
---
REVIEW: Various Artists, _Rare On Air: Volume 3_ (Mammoth)
- Janet Herman
Following up two previous releases, Mammoth Records and the
Los Angeles radio station KCRW have just released a third compilation
of live performances from their morning show. To put it mildly,
one listening to this cd might very well be inspired to move to Los
Angeles.
The compilation offers up a wide range of performers ranging
from classic performers like Patti Smith to newer and upcoming acts
such as Fiona Apple, The Wallflowers and Ben Folds Five. The disc starts
off with the Cowboy Junkies doing a beautifully smooth rendition of
"State Trooper" by Bruce Springsteen and then cuts into a wonderfully
raw and acoustic Patti Smith performing "Dancing Barefoot". Fiona
Apple does a piano-only version of "Never Is A Promise", one of her more
poignant songs (if it's possible for Apple to be more poignant than
she already is) from her recent album _Tidal_. Other more well known
artists on this compilation include Stereolab, Luna, Meshell
Ndegeocello, Guided By Voices and James Taylor.
Lesser known artists appearing on _Rare On Air_ include Booth & the
Bad Angel, Remy Zero, Tindersticks, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba. The song
"Fall In Love With Me" performed by Booth & the Bad Angel sounds eerily
similar to the dreamy songs and melodies used on the _Twin Peaks_
soundtrack; the reason for this is that both were composed by Angelo
Badalamenti.
The variety of artists and performances on _Rare On Air Volume 3_
make it a welcome addition to any collection. Fans of the appearing
performers will definitely want it for the live performances, and for
those who don't know all the artists who appear here, this is an
excellent sampler to get you started on some of the best and
up-and-coming artists around - especially if you're not up to the
task of moving to Los Angeles.
---
REVIEW: T-Rex, _The Slider_ / _Tanx_ / _Zinc Alloy And The
Hidden Riders of Tomorrow_ (Polygram Chronicles)
- Al Muzer
Frequently disregarded as superfluous teeny-bop noise unable
to establish an American audience, Marc Bolan and T-Rex are now
cited as a major musical influence by a large portion of the pop
elite and are suddenly big business in the country that rejected
them nearly 25 years ago.
Despite charting with "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" early in
1972 (No. 10) and then creating a minor stir on these shores with
_The Slider_ later that same year, America proved to be a frustrating
market for Bolan, a major superstar in Britain at the time these
three records were originally issued.
Hot off the success of '71s _Electric Warrior_ and still
riding the "Bang A Gong" buzz; industry predictions for _The Slider_
ran high and an American version of Bolan-mania (or T-REXtasy) was
widely-predicted.
Receiving a respectable amount of label support and released
amidst a flurry of promotional fanfare, "Telegram Sam" struggled to
reach No. 67 on the charts before vanishing that summer; while tracks
such as "Metal Guru," "Rock On," "The Slider," "Baby Boomerang" and
"Baby Strange" - all of which would've sounded great on the car
radio - never stood a chance.
Bolan's fuzzed out and bastardized Chuck Berry riffs, spunky
proto-boogie beats, diminutive, semi-androgynous appearance and
quirky lyrics about kissing cars, automatic shoes, Purple Pie Pete
and silver-studded saber-tooth dreams never found favor with radio
programmers eager for the next Cher, Argent or Eagles single; and
T-Rex, after a brief, marginally successful American tour, returned
home to bask in the glory of a fan frenzy similar to Beatlemania and
plot their next move.
Taking his glammish image to the extreme on 1973s _Tanx_,
Bolan scared off yet more of middle America with a silver-tinted,
feather-boaed, half-naked, heavy-lidded, eye-shadowed, thoroughly
suggestive album cover.
Not as immediately gratifying a piece of ear candy as the
collection of singles that was its predecessor, _Tanx_ nonetheless
boasted several tracks on a commercial par with Bolan's bopping
best, most notably "Born To Boogie," "Rapids" and "Mister Mister,"
showcased convincing, albeit brief, traces of metal, psychedelic
and blues influences, contained lyrics that occasionally made sense
(to others besides Bolan) and expanded the reflective muse
previously explored by the Jeepster on "Main Man" with "Highway
Knees," "Life Is Strange" and "Broken Hearted Blues."
Credited to Marc Bolan & T-Rex, a lifestyle of rock and
roll excess had considerably dulled Bolan's once sharp pop
sensibilities and 1974s _Zinc Alloy_ - his answer to the commercial
failure of _Tanx_ - finds the band on the brink of dissolution, his
shamefully lightweight songs swamped in overproduction, Yoko-caliber
backing vocals provided by girlfriend Gloria Jones, "Interstellar
Soul" (which features a chorus of "Bullshit! Bullshit!") as the
only track that hits any sort of mark, and all traces of the
happy-go-lucky Bolan bop replaced by pasty-faced, second-hand funk
and the sort of faux hippy mysticism that made his pre-abbreviation
days so forgettable.
All three Chronicles reissues feature singles, B-sides and
non-album material as bonus tracks. _The Slider_ includes
"Cadillac," "Thunderwing" and "Lady"; _Tanx_ boasts a holiday
message (wishing you a "superfunk Christmas") from Marc and the
pre-_Tanx_ singles "Children Of The Revolution," "Solid Gold Easy
Action" and "20th Century Boy"; while the otherwise abysmal _Zinc
Alloy_ includes "Midnight," "Sitting Here" and the excellent "The
Groover" - all recorded during sessions for _Tanx_.
---
REVIEW: Aretha Franklin, _The Early Years_ (Columbia/Legacy)
- Joann D. Ball
Aretha Franklin is, without a doubt, the Queen of Soul. But
before she belted out "Respect" and defined soul music for Atlantic
Records in the late 1960s, Aretha was a pop songstress for Columbia
Records. During her seven year tenure at Columbia, Aretha sang
everything from standards and show tunes to jazz and refined blues.
_The Early Years_ , the latest release in Columbia/Legacy's Rhythm
and Soul Series, captures the best of Aretha's early career and
highlights her incredible voice and inspired delivery.
Columbia Records' legendary John Hammond obviously recognized
Aretha's unique talent when he signed the 19-year old in 1960. But as
the fourteen tracks here suggest, Aretha was just too much for the
conservative label to handle.
For example, Aretha puts her own indelible and unmistakable
stamp on jazz vocalist Dinah Washington's "This Bitter Earth," "Drinking
Again," "Nobody Knows How I Feel This Morning" and "Evil Gal Blues."
And on "Laughing on the Outside," "Without the One You Love" and "God
Bless the Child," Aretha transcends lush string arrangements and
high-brow trappings with her emotionally-charged gospel vocals.
Aretha's ability to make the most of Columbia's offerings is also
obvious on "Walk on By." She transforms Burt Bacharach's pop classic by
adding her characteristic brand of sassiness and spirit in such a way
that it easily outshines the more restrained Dionne Warwick version.
Similarly, on "Skylark" and "Cry Like A Baby," it's obvious that Aretha
was on the verge of bursting loose creatively and pouring forth something
that would forever transform American music. And _The Early Years_ is
a tribute to the development of that incredible voice, emotion and power.
TRACK LISTING: This Bitter Earth, Without The One You Love, Cry Like A
Baby, Trouble in Mind, Muddy Water, Walk On By, Skylark, Drinking Again,
Evil Gal Blues, Laughing On The Outside, God Bless The Child, Take A
Look, Nobody Knows The Way I Feel This Morning, I Wonder (Where Are You
Tonight)
---
REVIEW: The Clouds, _Collage_ (Altered/Ichiban)
- Scott A. Miller
If you look at The Clouds of Sydney, Australia, long enough you
can see anything you want - quirky pop band, grrrl punks, or metal heads.
The Clouds can be light and fluffy, dark and ominous or just a little
silly.
_Collage_ is a collection of old demos, songs from the band's
debut _Penny Century_, and material from the EPs _Beetroot_ and
_Aquamarine_. These songs have made the band a staple on the alternative
charts down under since 1990 and it makes you wonder why this four-piece
hasn't hit in America as often, especially in an era when practically
every female-fronted band from Boston to Seattle was getting a listen
and a web site.
The CD opens with the driving "Aquamarine," which highlights the
band's penchant for sonic assault, particularly through David Easton's
guitar work. It's a nice song but it doesn't prepare you for the second
track, "Bubble Baby."
Opening with a thumping mid-tempo drum beat, "Bubble Baby" is
squashed by a few hammered organ chords, then rebuilt from the ground up
as guitar, bass, incidental percussion, lead vocals, background vocals
and finally the opening drum riff are layered in one at a time. About
3:19 later, you realize the song never stopped building for a single
second, and that the two-beat "break" right before Jodie Phillis wails
the word "sin" was just an accent mark.
The third song, "Immorta," again stars Easton's guitar, this time
in an opening riff that reaches into your chest cavity and vibrates its
way up the back of your head. The harmonies and interplay of lead
vocalist Phillis and bassist/vocalist Patricia Young float across the
top of the guitar action like, well, clouds.
In fact, each song seems to bring a new approach to the standard
guitar-bass-drums-vocal lineup. If there's one staple to each of the
disc's 12 tracks, it's the blending of Easton's ferocious guitar with the
nimble vocals of Phillis and Young. "So Close" and the Jimmy Webb
classic "Wichita Lineman" showcase the vocals at their prettiest. The
massive "Boy of Air," complete with John Bonham-like drumming by Raphael
Whittingham, answers the musical question "what would it sound like if
Sinead O'Connor got off her high horse to front a metal band?"
This is the second American album by The Clouds and it proves the
band is as talented as any alt-rock creation in the states. The band is
back in Australia touring and working on new material. If _Collage_ is
any indication, this may be the calm before a much-welcome storm.
---
REVIEW: Wondermints, _Wondermints_ (Big Deal)
- Bill Holmes
Years ago, a struggling guitarist named Jimi Hendrix
had to break in England before his own homeland would recognize
and support his talents. Thirty years later, a Los Angeles band
is making ends meet by recording for a Japanese label. Fortunately,
Big Deal, a New York label, has licensed the debut record and made
it available and affordable for American audiences.
Anyone who has the Hollies tribute _Sing Hollies In Reverse_
(eggBert Records, and if you don't, stop reading and go buy it now.
I'll wait!) was no doubt enthralled with the version of "You Need
Love" - picture perfect pop, the kind that allows you to plunk for
a full CD without a moment's hesitation. I did, and although this is
not a pop album with "hit singles" busting out of it, most of it is
jaw-dropping great. (Okay, maybe there's a single - the Posies meet
Rubinoos sound of "In A Haze" just kills me.)
"Shine"'s shuffling beat, bongos and psychedelic guitar will
appeal to anyone who enjoyed the deeper side of 60's records, the
meat behind the hit singles (indeed, one could sing Joe South's "Hush"
over this melody and not be far off). "Fleur-de-lis" has all that
1980's Britpop bounce that will make even cynical heads spin (the
piano is straight out of "Oliver's Army"), but in place of the
gruff vocal of an Elvis or Nick there's the candy-sweet harmonies
fans of this band have come to love. Yet it's not all retrospective -
slip "Thought Back" onto Jason Falkner's recent release and no one
would know the difference - and that's a compliment!
Brian Wilson supposedly claimed that if he had the
Wondermints back in 1967, he "would have taken _Smile_ out on the
road". While post-sandbox Brian has to be taken with a grain of salt
(he recently called "Grumpier Old Men" one of the three best movies
ever made), one listen to the stunning "Tracy Hide" will confirm
that this was said on a day when all the sand grains aligned
properly. Hypnotic and haunting, "Tracy Hide" blends the effortless
falsetto choruses, harpsichord rhythms, kettle drums and other
studio nuances that instantly transport the listener to The Golden
Age Of Brian. If this had been the flip side of "Good Vibrations",
no one would have complained.
Besides this record, the band has a couple of (now out of
print) singles, and "Carnival Of Souls", here as the records closer,
is featured on _Yellow Pills #2_. The band has also released a CD
of cover songs, which - you guessed it - is only available as a
Japanese import. Some things never change.
---
INDEPENDENT REVIEWS: Valerie Ghent, _Unstoppable_ (West End) /
Willard Grant Conspiracy, _3 AM Sunday At Fortune
Otto's_ (Dahlia)
- Bob Gajarsky
Internal Neurotic Universe, _Bigger Than Plastic_ (Style) /
Mike Dalton, _Poker_ (Melon) / Thom MacFarlane, _Longtime_
- Al Muzer
New York-based writer/performer/producer Valerie Ghent is heading
directly against the currents of today's trends on her independent
debut release, _Unstoppable_.
While many artists are trying to create a lo-fi, flawed
sound (and consequently spending many times their budget to appear
"chic"), Ghent took the reverse tactic - focusing her limited
budget while yearning to make every note and instrumentation sound
perfect.
Evoking comparisons of a soulful Nu Shooz - really! - Ghent
takes the listener on a picture-perfect walk through a flawlessly
produced wall of sound in which all keyboards, lead vocals, sampling
and drum programming was performed by Ghent herself.
The standout track is probably "Truth", which chronicles the
tragedies which befell the citizens of World War I Russia by Josef
Stalin - and opens with Valerie's mother vocalizing in Russian "Truth
crushed to the earth shall rise again." "Justice" has a swinging
cabaret-feel to the song, with Ghent sounding like a younger Liza Minelli,
and most of the other tracks echo a similar R&B/pop feel which dominated
the scene in lesser forms years ago, but has been largely ignored today.
Ghent is no newcomer to the music scene - her resume includes
performing with Dizzy and the Romilars (who opened for Depeche Mode on
their first ever New York City gig), Nursery School (who landed a top 30
hit on the dance charts) and touring with Debbie Harry. These
credentials probably helped her land prominent behind-the-scenes
musicians such as Knox Chandler of the Psychdelic Furs to contribute on
other instrumentation.
_Unstoppable_ is avaiable through major New York City retailers
or through the artist's homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~valghent
What might have happened if Nick Cave and Bob Dylan
played a set together in the evening in the wild west? Massachusetts'
Willard Grant Conspiracy offers one possible answer to this question
on their Dahlia Records debut, _3 AM Sunday At Fortune Otto's_.
Acoustic guitars are the heart and soul of WGC, but the
rest of the body is neatly fleshed out with mandolin, harmonica,
and nearly every other instrument which isn't brass or a synthesizer.
"The Only Story I Tell" captures the feel and soul of the entire
disc - in a small cabin out in the west, nearly brooding,
somewhat slow, and introspective. Modern rock fans might even
notice a similarity to slower Indigo Girls cuts or U2 tracks
circa _The Joshua Tree_.
Bookended by two hidden tracks, the latter of which is
a 26 minute walk through a myriad of sound effects, steel pedals,
and the vague recollections of popcorn popping, _3 AM_ doesn't
succumb to commercial pop standards. Dahlia Records can be searched
online at http://world.std.com/~dahlia
Even cooler than they were on 1995s _Damned, Damaged And
Desired_, Dave, Ray and Joe of Internal Neurotic Universe have used the
time since their last release to sharpen their already impressive
songwriting skills, mature magnificently as musicians, discover matching
white chemical suits, and mutate into something much louder, and much
bigger, than the sum of its parts.
One of the most signable bands floating around the Garden State
at the moment, INU's _Bigger Than Plastic_ is bursting with a loose,
breezy, snotty attitude and one of the crispest sounds since Nirvana
went and let itself get huge. Featuring something for just about
everyone, INU cram an aggressive punk-like energy, NIN-inspired metallic
sheen, Jon Spencer-ish psychedelic wash and Lemon Dando-caliber pop hooks
into a churning bed of electro-jangle alterna-pop that just don't quit.
An essential listening experience.
Style Records can be reached at PO Box 3796, Trenton, NJ 08629
On the Jersey Shore club scene for what seems like forever,
singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Mike Dalton checks in with an
excellent example of radio pop at its finest.
Opening with a Beatles-tinged bit of sing-along jangle called
"Walked On My Lover," Dalton and friends shift to a mellow funk groove
for "Mystery"; harmonize beautifully on an uplifting slice of Squeeze-pop
called "Somebody Else In Mind"; get choked up and sentimental on a gentle,
Crowded House-worthy ballad; bring tears with the country-chartable "For
You"; get all smooth, soulful and Seal-like for "So Why Be?"; and then turn
around and out do Marshall Crenshaw, Bryan Adams and the Finn Brothers on
"Carnival Head."
The second half of the CD is as equally a compelling reason to
become a Mike Dalton fan as the first. "Train To Glory," "Ocean," "The
Waiting Game," "Mary Jane" and, in particular, "Crowded Roads," all
showcase a performer in full command of his gift, aware of his strong (and
weak) points, and justifiably confident in his musical direction. By the
way, "I Won't Bail On You" is, simply put, a hit waiting to happen.
Melon Records can be contacted at PO Box 556, Point Pleasant, NJ 08742
Thom MacFarlane's been called many things during his life-long
quest for the perfect song.
Tagged as a "retro-pop" artist, "ready for the majors," "a human
jukebox" and a "pop genius". Me? I think the guy is probably the
brightest musical talent to ever stick a plug into a wall socket connected
to a New Jersey power supplier.
The "retro" label is applicable if only because Thom is smart enough
to appreciate that the reason music by artists such as The Beatles, Simon &
Garfunkle, Elvis Costello, Steelers Wheel, Jonathan Edwards and Bob Dylan
holds up today is that it was based on simple melodies and honest, heartfelt
lyrics.
MacFarlane's respect for classic songwriting influences means that
every track on _Longtime_ is solidly-rooted in lyrics and melodies that would
hold together were every instrument to be removed from the mix. In fact, the
accompaniment on a few tunes is nothing more than Thom (who lists the Lute
among the nine or 10 instruments he plays on the record) backed by guitar or
piano and double-tracked vocals. And, while certain songs do feature guest
artists such as Blondie drummer Clem Burke or Marbles guitarist Mike Grau
(cool guitar-as-whale noises!!) helping out, MacFarlane is, for the most
part, a one man studio entity capable of recreating the warmth of a full band
on his own.
Moving easily from quieter, more introspective moments of
singer/songwriter regret and longing ("Song For Judith," "Turn Away,"
"One More Waterloo" and the title song); to classic folk-pop story/songs
like "Edith and the Kingpin" and "Jesus Was An American"; to the sort of
bright, car radio-ready jangle that would make Matthew Sweet, XTC's Andy
Partridge or the average record consumer (that means you) sit up and take
notice ("Fascist Fingers," "In Between The Sheets" and, in particular,
"Mary") - _Longtime_ is a future classic that becomes more essential with
each listen.
For more information, contact Thom MacFarlane at 42
Country Village Court, Bayonne, NJ 07002
---
NEWS: > The Atlantic Group and Mammoth Records, who entered into
a worldwide join venture in September 1992, have mutually agreed to end
their relationship. Under terms of the agreement, Mammoth president Jay
Faires has relinquished his position as Atlantic Records Vice President
of A&R, and Florida group Seven Mary Three has signed directly with
Atlantic. The group's new album, _Rock Crown_, will be released on June 3.
> The British group Dodgy, whose _Free Peace Sweet_ disc was scheduled
to be released in the States in January (nine months after its original
U.K. issue), are now looking for another American label. Problems between
the band and Mercury over the choice of a single and future plans have led
to the group seeking American distribution elsewhere.
> Mike Gent of The Figgs reports that the band has left Capitol
after the release of its sophomore effort _Banda Macho_ last year. The
four-piece from Saratoga Springs, NY, will seek a new label for its
next album, making it three albums, three labels. In the meantime, the
band will again back Graham Parker, a man accustomed to frequent label
switches, on a tour this summer in support of a live Graham Parker and
The Figgs album released by Razor and Tie (http://www.razorandtie.com).
The album was recorded when the band backed Parker on his _Acid
Bubblegum_ tour last fall.
> Paul McCartney's latest album, _Flaming Pie_, is due to hit
stores on May 20. There will be guest appearances by his wife
Linda, Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne and Steve Miller.
> Morrissey's new album, _Maladjusted_, is slated to be released
on his new label (Mercury) in September. However, as Morrissey's album
titles and release dates have often been subject to change, this information
may be modified before the fall arrives.
> Doolittle Records (http://www.doolittle.com) is set to
release Slobberbone's sophomore effort _Barrell Chested_. The band,
which played the South by Southwest music festival for the second
year in a row, is currently putting together a tour that will take it
throughout the midwest this summer.
> Yer Blues Band is the name of a supergroup that Noel Gallagher
and Paul Weller have put together. Artists participating on _The Smokestack
Sessions_, due for release in late spring or early summer, include Primal
Scream's Bobby Gillespie and Denise Johnson, Cast's Liam Tyson, Andy Bell
(formerly with Ride), the Charlatans' Martin Blunt, members of
Ocean Colour Scene and more. The album contains covers of ten obscure
blues classics, and seems to be a British version of the Hindu Love Gods.
---
TOUR DATES:
Art Alexakis
Apr. 1 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
Apr. 2 Chicago, IL Fireside Bowl
Apr. 3 Detroit, MI 7th House
Apr. 4 St. Louis, MO Side Door
Apr. 5 Lawrence, KS Bottleneck
Apr. 6 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street
Apr. 8 Boston, MA Middle East
Apr. 9 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
Apr. 10 Washington, DC Birchmere
Bloodhound Gang
Apr. 1 Northampton, MA Pearl Street
Apr. 2 New York, NY Tramps
Apr. 4 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
Apr. 5 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
Apr. 6 Tampa, FL WXTB-Livestock
Apr. 11 Indiana, PA Hadley Union
Bobgoblin
Apr. 6 Dallas, TX Bar Of Soap
Boiled In Lead
Apr. 1 Santa Fe, NM Second Street Brewery
Apr. 3 Tucson, AZ The Rock
Apr. 4 Las Vegas, NV The Wet Shop
Apr. 8 San Francisco, CA The Boomerang
Apr. 9 Santa Cruz, CA The Catalyst
Apr. 10 Davis, CA Palms Playhouse
Churn
Apr. 1 Salt Lake City, UT Cinema Grill
Apr. 3 Portland, OR Satyricon
Apr. 4 Seattle, WA Showbox
Shawn Colvin / Freedy Johnston
Apr. 2 Steele, WA Paramount Theatre
Apr. 3 Portland, OR The Roseland Theatre
Apr. 5 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
Apr. 9 Ventura, CA Ventura Concert Theatre
Apr. 10 Las Vegas, NV The Joint/Hard Rock Hotel
Cordelia's Dad
Apr. 4 Clinton, NY Kirkland Arts Center
Apr. 6 Amherst, MA Black Sheep
Apr. 7 Marlboro, VT Marlboro College
Cowboy Mouth
Apr. 4 Baton Rouge, LA LSU Parade Grounds
Apr. 10 Cleveland, MS Delta State Univ.
Cravin' Melon
Apr. 4 Winston Salem, NC Ziggy's
Apr. 5 Raleigh, NC Lawn Party
Daddy Longhead
Apr. 2 Athens, GA 40 Watt
Apr. 4 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
Apr. 5 Rchmond, VA Twisters
Apr. 6 Baltimore, MD Memory Lane
Apr. 7 Philadelphia, PA Upstairs @ Nicks
Apr. 8 New York, NY Brownies
Apr. 9 Providence, RI Met Cage
Darlahood
Apr. 1 Iowa City, IA Gunnerz
Apr. 2 Washington, IL Rosies
Apr. 3 Milwaukee, WI Rave Bar
Apr. 4 Indianapolis, IN World Mardi Gras
Apr. 5 Tampa, FL WXTB Livestock
Apr. 8 East Lansing, MI Small Planet
Apr. 9 Grand Rapids, MI The Intersection
Apr. 10 Cleveland, OH Peabodys Down Under
Apr. 11 Cincinnati, OH Top Cats
Apr. 12 Chicago, IL Double Door
Descendants
Apr. 1 Milwaukee, WI Modjeska Theater
Apr. 2 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's
Apr. 3 Louisville, KY Brewery
Apr. 4 Nashville, TN Performance Hall
Apr. 5 Memphis, TN New Daisy Theater
Dots Will Echo
Apr. 4 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's
Mary Ann Farley
Apr. 3 New York, NY Sidewalk Cafe
Apr. 8 Northampton, MA Brewery
Apr. 10 Northampton, MA Fire & Water
Five-Eight
Apr. 1 Valdosta, GA Shooter's
Apr. 2 Orlando, FL Sapphire Supper Club
Apr. 3 Tampa, FL Rubb
Apr. 4 Tallahassee, FL Cowhaus
Apr. 5 Gainesville, FL Covered Dish
Apr. 9 Jackson, MS Hal & Mal's
Apr. 10 New Orleans, LA Howlin Wolf
Gefkens / Joe Lies / Oral Groove / Knockout Drops
Apr. 4 New York, NY Tramps
Humble Gods
Apr. 1 Boston, MA Middle East
Apr. 2 Albany, NY Qe2
Apr. 3 New York, NY Coney Island High
Apr. 4 Pittsburgh, PA Club Laga
Apr. 5 Cleveland, OH Odeon
Apr. 8 Columbus, OH Chelsie's
Apr. 9 Cincinnati, OH Top Cat's
Apr. 10 St. Louis, MO Galaxy
Irving Plaza (New York Concert Hall - http://www.irvingplaza.com)
Apr. 4 Moe./Ominous Seapods
Apr. 7 Squirrel Nut Zippers
Apr. 10-12 Radiators
Jewel
Apr. 1 San Francisco, CA Berkeley Community Theatre
Apr. 2-3 Los Angeles, CA Wiltern Theatre
Apr. 4 San Diego, CA Rimac Arena
King Britt
Apr. 5 Las Vegas, NV Utopia
Apr. 8 Gainesville, FL Simon's
Marilyn Manson / Helmet / Rasputina
Apr. 9 Little Rock, AR Barton Coliseum
John Mellencamp / The Why Store
April 6-8 Minneapolis, MN Northrup Auditorium
Metallica / Corrosion of Conformity
Apr. 1 E. Rutherford, NJ Continental Arena
Apr. 4 Hartford CT Hartford Civic Center Arena
Apr. 5 Providence, RI Providence Civic Center
Apr. 6 Albany, NY Knickerbocker Arena
Apr. 8 Landover, MD U.S. Air Arena
New Bomb Turks
Apr. 8 Louisville, KY Backstage Cafe
Apr. 9 Lexington, KY House Of Heresy
Apr. 10 Peoria, IL Bradley Student Center
Orange 9MM
Apr. 1 Tampa, FL Rubb
Apr. 3 Raleigh, NC Brewery
Apr. 4 Asbury Park, NJ Stone Pony
Apr. 7 State College, PA Crowbar
Orbit
Apr. 3 Milwaukee, WI Rave Bar
Apr. 4 Chicago, IL Metro
Apr. 7 Cleveland, OH Euclid Tavern
Apr. 10 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's
Professor & Maryann
Apr. 6 New York, NY Acme Underground
Rasputina / Cranes
Apr. 3 Seattle, WA Moe's
Apr. 4 Portland, OR La Luna
Apr. 7 Los Angeles, CA Dragonfly
Samples / Stir
Apr. 1 Columbia, MO The Blue Note
Apr. 3 Charlottesville, VA Trax
Apr. 4 Lewisburg, PA Bucknell University
Apr. 5 Philadelphia, PA Villanova University
Samples / Guster
Apr. 6 Morristown, NJ Morristown Theater
Apr. 8 New Haven, CTToads Place
Apr. 9 Baltimore, MD Bohagers
Apr. 10 Washington, DC Capitol Ballroom
Shonen Knife
Apr. 9 Santa Ana, CA Galaxy
Apr. 10 Sacramento, CA El Dorado
Sick of It All
Apr. 1 Buffalo, NY Showplace Theatre
Apr. 2 Burlington, VT Club Toast
Apr. 5 New York, NY The Roxy
Sister Hazel
Apr. 9 Auburn, AL Supper Club
Apr. 10 Tuscaloosa, AL The Varsity
Elliott Smith
Apr. 1 Minneapolis, MN 400 Bar
Apr. 4 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
Apr. 5 Beloit, WI Beloit College
Apr. 8 Cincinnati, OH Sudsy Malone's
Apr. 10 Cambridge, MA Middle East
Stillsuit / Downset / Earth Crisis
Apr. 4 Lindenhurst, NY The Pit
They Might Be Giants
Apr. 2 Tokyo, JP Milk
---
Founded in August, 1993, Consumable Online is the oldest continuous
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