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== ISSUE 188 ==== CONSUMABLE ONLINE ======== [September 28, 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, 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: Laura Ballance, Superchunk - Christina Apeles
FILM REVIEW: Radiohead, "Meeting People Is Easy" - Michelle Aguilar
REVIEW: Death in Vegas, _The Contino Sessions_ - Christina Apeles
REVIEW: u-ziq, _Royal Astronomy_ - Krisjanis Gale
CONCERT REVIEW: Tom Waits at the Orpheum Theatre, Boston - Michelle Aguilar
INTERVIEW: Luke Slater - Krisjanis Gale
REVIEW: Various, _KCRW Presents Morning Becomes Eclectic_ - Andrew Duncan
REVIEW: Blink 182, _Enema of the State_ - Jason Cahill
REVIEW: Steve Vai, _The Ultra Zone_ - Linda Scott
REVIEW: Megadeth, _Risk_ - Paul Hanson
REVIEW: Triumph 2000, _Phazed and Confused_ - Chris Hill
TOUR DATES: Anti Flag / Dropkick Murphys, Art of Noise, Ben Folds
Five / Fleming & John, Bis, Church, Ani DiFranco, Johnny Dowd,
Gomez, Ben Harper, Indigo Girls, Luscious Jackson, Live,
Men At Work, Tom Petty & Heartbreakers, Pietasters, Pilfers &
Spring Heeled Jack, Pretenders, Royal Trux, Sean Na Na, Smash
Palace, Sally Taylor, Type O Negative, Watsonville Patio, Weird
Al Yankovic, Zeke
Back Issues of Consumable
---
INTERVIEW: Laura Ballance, Superchunk
- Christina Apeles
Stopping into Los Angeles for a two-night stint at the Roxy
to promote Superchunk's latest record, _Come Pick Me Up_, bassist and
co-founder of indie label Merge Records Laura Ballance, talked with
Consumable Online over some drinks before heading off to soundcheck.
And if you've ever seen Superchunk live, you're familiar with their
high energy set where the whole band gives it their all and have continued
to over their ten year career. One would think that after years and years
of playing gigs across the U.S. and abroad, there would be a point where
one or all of the band would tone down their set. Yet after seeing them
perform for the third time within a year, that hasn't been the case.
"I don't know, I guess maybe a couple years ago we were burned
out, but I think as time goes on we've learned how to get along better
over the years, and also just have more fun playing. We're not taking
everything so seriously. If you mess up it's not such a big deal," says
Ballance while sipping her Corona. When asked if she or Mac had ever
plowed each other on stage, Laura confessed, "We've never actually fallen
down but we've all hurt each other before, but not knocking each other
down."
So where do they find the energy to bounce around all over the
stage night after night? "You just do it," Ballance answers. "I hate it
whenever I see a videotape of myself playing. It's just embarrassing
and whenever I see that I'm just like, I am never doing that again. I
am not jumping around like that anymore; it's so stupid looking. But I
find that when I'm playing I have to, 'cause otherwise I'll feel like
I'm being a real stick in the mud. And, it's fun to do."
Playing shows at clubs while on tour are one thing, but playing
music festivals are another thing altogether. I last saw Superchunk
play on Independence Day at "Ain't No Picnic" which had some twenty-plus
indie bands staggered over three stages.
"Well, 'Ain't No Picnic' was fun," Ballance admits. "We got to
play with all the same bands two days before in Northern California,
like Guided By Voices, Sonic Youth, Rocket from the Crypt. We've all
known each other for years. That was an exceptional situation, that was
fun. But European festivals are disgusting. There's not enough
port-a-johns for everybody; it's just gross. I'm just like, get me out
of here."
As for their current tour across the U.S., Ballance shared
Superchunk's preparatory ritual. "We do place bets at the beginning of
the tour. We go through the entire itinerary and place bets on the
attendance of each show, like we'll all put in a number. It's
completely random so far who wins. I won a lot on our last tour because
I used to be tour manager. What you win is not much, like the band buys
you a drink, which is ridiculous because we get free drinks wherever we
play anyway, and when we go out to dinner the band buys dinner."
Since I am an Angeleno, I had to ask about her experiences
playing Los Angeles. "I don't mind playing L.A. I used to hate it when
we first started playing here, 'cause you get treated like shit. When
people don't know who you are and you're in a band, you don't get
treated very well. One of the first times we played here we played
the Whiskey, opening for Sonic Youth. After we were done, they're like,
'Okay your gear is on the street, move your van.'"
On the business side of making music, Ballance does not deny
the pressure or desire to sell more records. "We haven't given up on
that. There's no external pressure, but there has been internal pressure
to do that. At one point we tried to get past 40,000 records and we
hired someone to push the video, a single for radio, and it was a
miserable failure. It wasn't fun. We ended up doing a lot of stuff
we wouldn't otherwise do. We did more interviews than normal. Doing a
few is fine but doing a ton gets really old."
If you're wondering if she reads Superchunk interviews after
they run, she doesn't. "Why do I need to read them anymore? I'm just
fed up with reading about music. I read the 'New Yorker' a lot so I feel
like I have some idea of what's going on the world. I used to not to be
able to stand it. I used to think it was snotty. Now, I find that it's
not."
Though Ballance is sick of reading about music, she still has
her radio tuned in, and not just to indie rock. "There's a lot of crap
out there, but a lot of the hip-hop stuff I like, like Busta Rhymes.
If I'm not listening to college radio at home I'll listen to the hip-hop
station."
She went on to remark on the music scene in the band's hometown
of Chapel Hill, which has produced the likes of Archers of Loaf, Ben
Folds Five and Southern Culture on the Skids. "We're outside of it now.
There's still a strong Chapel Hill community, but we're not so much a
part of it. There's a whole new crop of kids. We used to know everyone
that was doing something." This is partly due to their touring schedule,
as well as managing their Merge Records label, which celebrated its
ten-year anniversary this year that carries such bands as Neutral Milk
Hotel, The Ladybug Transistor, and Magnetic Fields. "Mac and I own and
run it, and we have three-and-a-half employees who basically run it
whenever we go out of town."
Of course any business is not without its difficulties. "It's
different every time, and there's always different problems. Lately
there's been a lot of problems and not a whole lot of rewards. Whenever
a record finally comes out it's okay. Just getting the whole thing
together, signing a band you love, getting the tape of the record and
going 'Oh that's awesome,' then the artwork comes in and it all comes
together and when it does, it's just a perfect package." Ballance also
contributes to the creative work. "I do a little bit of painting, not
very much. In high school I took a painting class. I mostly paint when
we need a record cover."
The other members of Superchunk (McCaughan, guitarist Jim
Wilbur, drummer Jon Wurster) have their outside responsibilities as
well. In addition to the day to day demands at Merge, McCaughan has
done three albums with his other band Portastatic, and he just started
Wobbly Rail, a jazz label. Wilbur has had his side projects like
Humidifier, with members from fellow Merge band Spent, while Wurster
keeping up with fan mail and managing Superchunk's website. Needless
to say, none of them have much leisure time. Ballance feels, "If I ever
had free time, I would probably want to spend it painting."
---
FILM REVIEW: Radiohead, "Meeting People Is Easy"
- Michelle Aguilar
In doing a little self-editing of my reviews previously published
in this fine 'zine, it has occurred to me that I perhaps take too long to
get to the damn point.
I promise all of you reading this that I did so only, well
mostly, with your best interests at heart -- in the interest of truth,
your tight wallet, the dignity of your record collection -- but also
creating an interesting read. Of course, there's a chance that readers
don't want all this sociopolitical musical trend analysis mixed in with
your album reviews, just something short and utilitarian. ("Am I going
to like the new Atari Teenage Riot or not, Michelle?") And granted, four
or five paragraphs seems a long time to get to what the heart of this
review is going to say about Radiohead's documentary film, "Meeting
People is Easy," directed by Grant Gee.
Which is that it's gripping, amazing and a must-see, even if
you've never thought of Radiohead as your kind of band. Whether you
like Radiohead or not hardly matters. In fact, if you're a Radiohead
fan, you might even be disappointed with "Meeting People Is Easy," as
Gee's camera rarely is content with simple, detailed shots of the band
live. Instead, Gee eschews that emphasis for a much greater statement
about what it's like to do just over a hundred shows in eleven months.
What may end up bitterly disappointing some Radiohead fans is that to a
great extent, "Meeting People is Easy" sacrifices one-half of the usual
goals of the rockumentary genre, which is to show footage of the band
playing their music.
Which is perhaps appropriate, since the premise of "Meeting
People is Easy" is this: Radiohead's music is the last thing that
anyone in the music press, at EMI Records, at any of the stadiums, at
the afterhours parties, is thinking about as the band journeys to the
center of the star machine. Gee elicits new meanings out of Radiohead
songs like "Creep," "Exit Music (For a Film)" and "Electioneering,"
making them seem almost like they were meant to be a running commentary
on the distance Radiohead feels from their audience as they travel the
world to meet it. In this context, these songs feel like desperate
little notes in a bottle sent into the vast, empty ocean from the shore
of a deserted island, its sender praying for, but not hoping for, a
meaningful response.
Gee is very good at conveying that deserted island, i.e. EMI's
carefully-constructed, emotionally sterile world of ever-changing
cities, harsh fluorescent-lit airports, dimly lit limousines, or stages
with blinding white and ethereal reds, blues and purples. It's a world
that has very little to do with reality, an existence of constant hurry
up and wait, of standing this way while flashbulbs assault the band for
twenty minutes, of talking to journalists for the 80th time about how
the band formed, of saying the phrase "Hi, this is Radiohead and you're
listening to..." so many times in so many different languages that the
band feels like a bunch of gibbering marionettes. For a band that has
even a small amount of integrity when they first get on the plane, the
whole experience is enough to drive one crazy. And indeed, as the film
progresses, the members of Radiohead becoming increasingly disturbed
and discontent with flitting through this surreal world at a pace far
too quick to enjoy or even absorb, with passing numbly through a new
city each day, from New York to Tokyo.
Of course, presenting this idea as entertainment isn't new. The
most famous example of this premise is played out in "The Wall" by Pink
Floyd, a band which hovers over Radiohead throughout the documentary
like Dickens' Ghost of Christmas Future. References to this band keeps
popping up in interviews with journalists who compare the two bands,
as well as in conversations between band members who use Pink Floyd as
a shortcut reference to refer to the kind of industry-bloated band they
worry they're becoming.
As far as subject matter, Gee is not breaking new ground here.
However, as he follows with his camera the aftermath of _OK Computer_'s
phenomenal success, on Radiohead's 1997-1998 tour across five
continents, his strength is in very discreetly, unobtrusively giving
the viewer proof in the pudding. Gee shows the viewer for himself the
numbing repitition of entrances and exits, of indistinguishable
airports, subways, limousines, hotels, makeshift rooms, parking lots
(where, inexplicably, some interviews are conducted in the open air)
that Radiohead faces in its headlong rush around the globe. In most of
your average fawning rockumentaries, this extremely artificial landscape
is presented in small, cute doses like an episode of "Road Rules" or
"Lonely Planet." But here, the repeated moments focusing on
international directional signs, white arrrows, polygonal shapes and
stick figures that vaguely recall the alien stick figures that adorn
_OK Computer_'s cover art. They combine to become an almost chilling
Esperanto for this strange world.
Halfway through the tour, this existence begins to take its
toll. Again, Gee powerfully lets the viewer see this himself. Seemingly
random bits and pieces of interviews going on throughout the tour are
included almost like data in a case study. In the beginning of the tour,
for example, Colin Greenwood attempts to answer the same, uninformed,
insipid questions over and over again from the music press with a
modicum of respect and good humor. By the seventy-fifth show or so,
he is sitting before a journalist, completely slumped in his chair,
shrinking into himself, defensively pulling his stocking cap over his
head like a child frustrated beyond the capacity of verbal expression.
What seem at first to be gratuitously similar scenes of the
band waiting backstage, taken together, paint the picture of a band
hurtling quietly towards a collective nervous breakdown, or at least
a break-up. Early on, we see the band members in intimate moments,
comfortingly patting each other on the back. Towards the end of the
documentary, we see the band members consistently standing far apart
from each other and constantly plagued by far-too-bitter arguments over
relatively minor issues, like who's going to do the next set of radio
station i.d.'s, how long they have for soundcheck, who's going to sit
through the next interview. Gee presents Radiohead's world tour as a
pressure cooker for bands.
"What exactly is the pressure cooker cooking?" one might ask.
In a pivotal backstage moment toward the end of the film, Gee finally
gets to that, crystallizing a conclusion to which he has been building
throughout the documentary: Radiohead is a band afraid. Its members are
living on borrowed time in this unreal world, with nothing to do but
move from faceless city to faceless city, brooding about and dreading
having to come up with a good enough follow-up to _OK Computer_. The
mindless screaming of teenage girls at the Tokyo airport and the cheers
from captive audiences on "you've hit the big time" shows like MTV's 10
Spot and the The Late Show with David Letterman along the way only seem
to exacerbate their suspicions that they are frauds.
This is not a case of creative block, for we see the band at
one point in a makeshift studio committing to tape a brand new song
that presumably will be on the next album. The real problem is hinted
at right in the film's beginning. In various interviews, Radiohead's
members indicate that they have little real understanding of what they
did right with _OK Computer_. As far as they can tell, the album wasn't
much different from its predecesssor, _The Bends_, and frankly, says
Thom Yorke, they expected _OK Computer_ to be universally panned.
This is put into a more menacing context later, in that pivotal
backstage moment at the film's end, as Yorke talks grimly about how
they'll never be able to top _OK Computer_ and maybe they should just
quit while they're ahead. As he says it, it's clear that he's been
mulling over this idea for much of the tour.
But, Radiohead fans, don't get too scared yet. There is hope.
One of the highlights of this documentary for the rabid fan is the
footage of the band recording a promising new song on a rare day off.
The song, "Big Ideas (Don't Get Any)," is fairly straightforward, less
symphonic, less conceptual and more like material from _The Bends_ or
songs on _OK Computer_ like "Electioneering" and "No Surprises." The
end of the film does not appear to be the end of Radiohead.
"Meeting People is Easy" is enough to make any struggling
musician think twice about wanting fame and fortune. It also gives me
a little more sympathy for those whiny, pouty rock stars I would
normally be quick to judge as unbecoming ingrates.
Still, I don't envy the discomfort I see in Yorke's face as he
shakes hands with record company execs he's never met before, who stand
with their arms folded behind their backs nervously, telling me how
excited they are to "work" his art.
---
REVIEW: Death in Vegas, _The Contino Sessions_ (Time Bomb/Concrete)
- Christina Apeles
Several bands, ranging from Massive Attack and Spiritualized,
to Velvet Underground and Chemical Brothers, will come to mind upon
hearing this release -- none of them detestable to this listener. Couple
that with a number of guest vocalists stamping their sonic ensibility to
his and her respective track, Death in Vegas's latest satisfies a gamut
of musical tastes. With their ambient disposition intact, this time
infusing rock 'n' roll gestures into the mix, Death in Vegas's _The
Contino Sessions_ aims to hypnotize.
Opening with Dot Allison (One Dove) on "Dirge," her fragile,
adolescent style vocal accompaniment balances the composition, layered
atop dynamic electronica. "Aisha" reflects more of a rock bent with none
other than Iggy Pop offering his eccentric utterances to a backdrop of
guitar and industrial beats, as organs close the song with a funk vibe.
Onward to the noise-oriented "Broken Little Sister," the track has
Jesus and Mary Chain written all over it, custom made for Jim Reid to
let his sexual character shine through over subtle drumming and heavy
guitar distortion.
Meanwhile, pleasant cycles of strumming grace "Flying."
Appropriately titled, in this six-plus minute song, feelings of being
airborne are evoked with swells of discord and opulence. Bands like
Scenic and Pell Mell are masters of this type of instrumental scene
setting. And with "Lever Street," wrought with dijointed keyboard
playing like you've just walked in on a jam session, though strangely
romantic, Death in Vegas proves they are just as cinematic with their
craft. As long as you favor the reverie of repetitive melodies, there
is no shortage in _The Contino Sessions_.
---
REVIEW: u-ziq, _Royal Astronomy_ (Astralwerks)
- Krisjanis Gale
It seems Mike Paradinas, aka u-ziq, is all finished writing
"songs" designed to cause seizures in fifty percent of the human
population and killing the neighbor's cat. u-ziq has refined and
redefined his style yet again in order to stay current and possibly
even gain some fans instead of enemies this time out.
He hasn't forgotten what works, though. Still here are the
layered orchestral bits that make his music larger and more intelligent
than most electronic music. The first track, "Scaling" is a perfect
example. This neo-classical style has always been an underlying factor
in a majority of his music, but it always seemed to be hidden beneath
unnecessary noise. But on _Royal Astronomy,_ Paradinas allows himself
the necessary headroom in the mix to let his talent, for taking
traditional instrumentation in brand new directions, really shine.
"Scaling" leads right into "The Hwicci Song," with the vocal
cut "You want a fresh style, let me show you" laying out Paradinas'
mission in creating this album. The orchestra set up in track one
becomes layered with contemporary synthetic noise and an odd but
clever percussion set. "Autumn Acid" gets right down to business, with
a distorted guitar sound forming a foundation with a rock progression,
framed by a strange bass synth sounding a bit like parts of The Orb's
album _Orbus Terrarum._ A scratchy sort of percussion sits in the
background while a very hard, slamming and mixed up break sits in the fore.
"Slice" gets right back into that neo-classical sound, and quickly
serving chunks of fat synth-rhythm sounding very much like Aphex
Twin's _I Care Because You Do._
"Carpet Muncher" is a clearly a nod to Squarepusher,
incorporating the same sort of funky organ lines, sweetly squelchy acid
bass, and sped up, cut up, syncopated jungle breaks. "The Motorbike Track"
is the hardest track on the album. Taking a cue from Gang Starr's
"Royalty," Paradinas heeds the sample's message. "I need to knock that
shit off for real. That's some greedy ass fake bullshit." A thick
synth-guitar squelches and buzzes around as an absolutely punishingly
fast break builds to climax, then stops. The bassline is equalized into
the background, and the breaks get solos, then the bass slowly works its
way back into the mix. And quite cleanly, Paradinas lets it all loose
again, the faster break slamming right back in alongside the one-two
jump-up jungle break.
"Mentim" is just strange, and is indicative of u-ziq's previous
work. Big fat distorted metallic piano pads panning chaotically left
and right, in large blocks of chords, and framed by slightly detuned,
spacey strings. This one's a bit too lengthy, but there is some
enjoyment in it. Think of it as a means of providing the necessary,
painful solace at the end of a long day, when things couldn't
possibly get worse.
"The Fear" is a nice, bouncy, happy track. Not pop, mind you,
but very nice. This is vocalist Kazumi's recording debut. I have no
idea what she's singing, but it sounds very nice. Maybe I could
hear it if the mix was a little cleaner. But, perhaps that was
Paradinas' point - to create a pop-sounding electronic track which
doesn't compromise its emphasis on synth-sound.
"Gruber's Mandolin" is like a chase scene from a cops-and-robbers
silent film. It's quite clever, actually, meandering into some
rather nice arrangements.
"World of Leather" may have well just as easily appeared on the
"Richard D. James Album" as it does on this one. But to give
Paradinas proper credit, the style is a bit skewed from the Aphex
Twin's. Part disco, part funk, part sloppy messed up electro,
this one is definately fringe music.
"Scrape" starts with some nice staccotto strings, followed by
the same weird detuned bass sound used on "Autumn Acid," and framed
by a quiet choir at the left, and a deep, fat second bass zooming
around the middle. An interesting interlude, to say the least.
"56" starts quite like Jean Michael's Jarre, if all he had at
his disposal was a Commodore 64 for synthesis. But Paradinas seems to
use the minimalist sinewaves well, as the track soon fills out
with more layers of strange synth noise, and a really killer drum
break, and then a second one with a hard-hitting cymbal filling in
on occasion. Midway, a really haunting set of voices "ohm" and "ah"
their way deep into your subconscious, reminding you of Radiohead's
tune "Exit Music from a Film" on _OK, Computer._
"Burst Your Arm" is a super clean, super quick jungle track,
true to the genre with an echoey organ pad, a bassline that is tweaked
twenty ways to Tuesday, and more drum fills than you can shake your
baggy cargo pants at.
Kazumi returns for the last track "Goodbye, Goodbye." The title
is rather fitting. Starting off with a deep, soulful bassline,
and minimalist bits of tribal percussion, and then Kazumi's vocals
filling out the top-end quite nicely, it's a perfect outro to this
album, which covers so much ground.
There are parts of this album which hail back to u-ziq's desire
to create a new form of audio torture, but overall, Paradinas has
truly reformed. Fans of electronic music diasspointed by his
previous efforts should definately check out _Royal Astronomy._
---
CONCERT REVIEW: Tom Waits at the Orpheum Theatre, Boston
- Michelle Aguilar
A friend of mine recently said that Tom Waits has spent his
entire career playing the role of an old man; which is funny, because
at this point, time is catching up with Waits' persona. While most
performers who have been around as long as him are aging, pathetic
shells of their former selves, these days Waits appears to finally
be settling into his proper age.
And if his packed three nights at Boston's Orpheum Theatre
September 19, 20 and 21 were any indication, he's in his prime. The
ol' Tomcat may be clean and sober. Frank's Wild Years may be behind
him. And yes, _Mule Variations_ may not have turned out to be the
mind-blowingly innovative album many of his fans were hoping for, but
this trio of shows proved that Waits' live performances are still a
ticket to be envied.
On a fairly bare bones stage filled only with Waits' usual
pile of ethnic instruments and oddball keyboards, supplemented with
carefully-placed lighting here and there, Waits kept his audience's
rapt attention as he growled, shouted and stomped his black boots on
the floorboards with gusto for two-and-a-half hours. Waits made the
most of the fairly intimate opera house atmosphere, carrying on brief
conversations with audience members, telling his usual anecdotes and
generally walking back into Boston's collective embrace after a 12-year
absence, providing a killer performance along the way.
Waits is in at least one respect like Bob Dylan, who at this
point in his career has the luxury of an enormous back catalogue to
choose from. For the Boston shows, Waits culled together a set that
had the attentive fan in mind, which bore little resemblance to "Big
Time," or even his much bootlegged 1996 San Francisco benefit show at
Oakland's Paramount Theatre for his friend Don Hyde's legal defense
fund. Fans looking for old favorites got a list that went back as far
as _Closing Time_. Based on Internet reports, this set, and even Waits'
patter, wasn't all that different from shows he's been doing around the
country, but he still has the charisma to make his audience feel like
he's choosing the songs off the cuff, especially for them. The fact
that Waits' backing band always had a close eye on Waits for cues that
they sometimes couldn't help missing, and that they occasionally got
flubbed up when he would sing counterintuitive, syncopated vocal lines,
enhanced this conceit. (The band's mistakes were actually kind of
charming in this way.) The penultimate example of Waits' charisma that
night was probably when he coaxed the audience into a sing-along of
"Innocent When You Dream," in which he pretended to end the song four
times, only to raise yet another chorus, provoking so much laughter the
audience could barely sing their part. By the last reprise, even the
band was fooled.
Many of Waits' old "hits" were seriously reworked, some to the
point where they were hard to recognize until halfway through the first
verse. Old chestnuts like "16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six" and
"Jockey Full of Bourbon" lurched and rambled or sped along so
differently from their album versions or from other live performances
that they practically became new songs. Newer songs like "The Earth
Died Screaming" and "The Ocean Doesn't Want Me Today" seemed even more
chilling than their album versions. "Screaming" was set loose in
overdrive, as Waits turned his head up to rafters, rasping out both
the verses and the choruses unrelentingly at top volume, so that the
song became one long, anguished lament.
Despite providing these favorites, Waits demanded a lot of his
audience, peppering the set liberally with songs from _Mule Variations_
including a soulful version of "Hold On" and the "Rain Dogs"-style "Get
Behind the Mule." But Waits doesn't tend to attract the casual fan, and
the crowd cheered just as hard and with as much recognition at new songs
as they did the old ones, even when in the middle of his set Waits sat
at the piano and asked the audience, "Do you want to hear a new one or
an old one?" and then joked, "Go to hell!" when they responded
overwhelmingly in the latter.
But then again, that might be because "The Eyeball Kid," (off
_Mule Variations_) was the song that people were mentioning on their
way out the theatre, the unquestioned highlight of the night. Throwing
his trademark reflective confetti around himself like a wino having a
one-man party, Waits' rasping, gravelly ravings -- combined with a
simple but eerie light show and truly weird, indistinguishable ear
candy from the backing band - breathed new and surprising life into
"Eyeball." The same goes for "Filipino Box Spring Hog," a song which
had a stunning public debut with Charlie Musselwhite on harmonica at
the 1996 benefit show but seems robbed of life on the new album.
Waits' Orpheum show at proved that no matter what you might
think of his latest album, there's no denying that when it comes to a
live show, the old man's still got it.
---
INTERVIEW: Luke Slater (Part 1 of 2)
- Krisjanis Gale
Consumable Online had the opportunity to interview Luke Slater
recently while in New York City prior to the release of his latest
album, _Wireless_ (Mute). Here's some of the excerpts of that interview:
Consumable Online: How'd your career in music begin? Not the
industry-bio, but the real truth.
Luke Slater: I can't even remember what the biography said; I'll
be absolutely honest with you. It was just love of music. I know it
sounds a bit cliche, but, even when I was just a small kid, I was into
music in a strange way. I used to do some weird shit. I wasn't really
a "hanging out with people" sort of a kid.
CO: So you were in a basement with an 808 getting freaky with a
tape loop, and what not.
LS: What happened was we had this piano in my house and I used
to have piano lessons when I was a kid, and I got really bored of those
lessons. I don't know what it is, but in England, it's becoming like a
ritual for kids to have piano lessons. So it slightly tipped my mind
about piano lessons.
When I got to a certain age, I started thinking: "Well, why am
I doing this? I don't really want to learn these pieces of music; I
don't really like what I'm playing." I started doing this thing, where
I'd take the piano apart. And, my dad had this like old reel to reel.
It's really old, and, when you recorded on it, it sounded really kind
of warbly.
CO: When you played it, it had this kind of cheap flanging in
there.
LS: Yeah, exactly. So I used to take the piano apart and sort
of detune - there's three strings for each note - some of the strings.
So you get a real fat sort of honky tonk sound. I used to like to record
that, and overdub it with any old shit. That's how I grew up.
CO: When did you get the first drum machine? The old beat up 808.
LS: The 808, alright. I was in a band when I was 13. I was the
drummer. I don't know why I was doing it, actually. But what I do
remember was the keyboardist had an 808 - and a Prophet V synth. We
were at one of these band practices, and he didn't come. So I had to
use 808 for the drums, and I played bits on the synth. He just never
turned up to get his gear, and I've still got his 808. That was a
change; that was around the same time when electro came to England, and
it totally changed my life.
CO: What factors, at that time, shaped your unique style? And
what were, and still are, you major influences from the early electro
period?
LS: When I first heard electro in England, it was the first
type of music, that was dance music that wasn't a song. It had to do
with rhythm, and noise. It wasn't pop music. There wasn't anything like
it at the time. You had stuff like Northern Soul, but that was still
soul; it wasn't electronic
When I heard electronic music, that was it. And I haven't
changed, at all, since then. Those factors that I liked about
electronic music, is why I'm doing it now.
CO: Which artists did you listen to in the beginning?
LS: If I really had to get it down, it would probably be Captain
Rock and Pacman.
Captain Rock was an electro thing. It was two brothers, called
the Elene brothers on a label called NIA, from New York. They wrote tons
of shit, under different names. And this is where I got into this thing
that made people release stuff; the same people, creating different
psuedonyms for what they were doing. They were just putting out tracks,
but the Elene brothers, did tons of shit. And it's only later on, you
realize just how much they'd done. And people like Marly Marl. He's
one of the original hip hop dudes, man. His beats were so raw,
unproduced, and rough. It's brilliant. It's people like that.
CO: Of all places, living in Horley, how did you hear the sounds
of Chicago and Detroit?
LS: It was about 1987 and we were going to go meet this bloke
down in a club in London, who was setting up a label. We wanted to put
stuff out; it was a club called the Sound Shaft which was mixed with a
gay club called Heaven.
We walked in there and there was this DJ in there, whose name
was Steve Bell; it wasn't actually a gay night, I think it was a
mixed / gay night. He was mixing records; it was cool, man. I thought
"That would be me." So I made some [mix tapes], gave it to the blokes
around the club, and I ended up playing down there every week for a year.
You see, at that time, there were so many clubs with DJ's, who
were talking between the records. There was a lot of kind of Luther
Vandross shit going about, and that kind of soul stuff. It was a bit
like "Okay, everybody - the next one's coming up here, and I hope you
enjoy it." It was all a bit like that, flashy and nice. I just
couldn't stand it.
CO: And that was around the time you released Freebase.
LS: Yeah, with Al Sage.
CO: What other aliases have you recorded under?
LS: Planetary Assault Systems, Deputy Dog, Morganistic, 7th
Plain and Clementine.
CO: When did you finally decide, and why, to start recording
under your own name?
LS: Because it was the right time. All the time I thought "I'll
use my name when it feels right..." I didn't really want to start off
just doing one thing in the beginning; I was doing so much stuff, for so
many labels - DJAX, Peace Frog, and GPR - all at the same time. And the
only way to do it was to use different names. Because a label takes the
name, and you can't use it, for a certain amount of time. So that was a
way around it.
But now it feels right. It's a different ballgame, what we're
doing with my name; everything that comes out on Novamute is what
we're doing live.
CO: So basically you wanted to have as many names as possible,
and experiment the hell out of...what it was you were trying to do. But
now you feel like you've arrived at a point where you can safely produce,
under your own name.
LS: Yeah. I can do anything I want to. We just wanted to put
out a lot of records, because there was nothing out there, especially
in Britain. When we started in Britain, getting our records sold and
played, was the hardest thing in the world - because (in England) the
media used to be so kind of silky and smooth.
We were coming out with all the hard stuff and everything, and
it was a bit odd to hear stuff like that, but we didn't care. We were
making records to play in clubs, for me to play, and the clubs were
happening. That's what it's about. It's just about putting out records
and then playing them out.
CO: In your own words, describe your style of music...
LS: Electro-tech; I mean, what we did with _Wireless_ is electro,
with bits of rock, and hip-hop - like street beats mixed together with
soul. I wanted to take the attitude from some of the early electro,
because the early electro was big music. I really wanted to bring back
that kind of that large sound and do something different with it. We
wanted to do something we could do live, that was powerful.
Part 2 of this interview will appear in the next issue of
Consumable.
---
REVIEW: Various, _KCRW Presents Morning Becomes Eclectic_ (Mammoth)
- Andrew Duncan
Living in Indiana, radio is something that is nothing to be
desired. Like most metropolitan areas, National Public Radio reigns with
a stiff-upper lip when it comes to escaping a conglomerate of Top 40,
alternative rock or country stations. However, world news and classical
music is the price one usually has to pay. Thank God there is KCRW, a
Santa Monica, California radio station located at 89.9 FM.
Santa Monica may be thousands of miles from the Midwest region,
but it is only a click away via the Internet. At www.kcrw.org, one can
access this NPR affiliate station (yes it is an NPR station) and listen
online. The thing that sets this station apart from other NPR stations
is their brilliant use of local programming. Shows with crafty titles
like "Metropolis" and "Chocolate City" showcase intelligent music that
is innovative and resourceful for the modern world.
But the program that has set the standard for modernizing music
radio is called "Morning Becomes Eclectic." The show plays artists like
Tom Waits, Elvis Costello and Tricky on the airwaves, when other
stations would not even dare. Throughout the week, a band will
occasionally stop by the KCRW studio to either unplug or rev things
up on air.
Now, KCRW and Mammoth are bringing these on-air performances
to digital technology with _Morning Becomes Eclectic_, the CD.
The goal of any compilation should be to attract the person
with a sense of familiarity, but lure and tempt the person to check
out other artists as well. This compilation does a great job at that,
offering a collective of both well-known and obscure artists with a
variety of musical styles involved.
Singer/songwriters like Joe Henry, Beth Orton, and Sixpence
None the Richer offer their acoustical talents. Air brings a softer
approach to their '70s-space electronica with "All I Need." The
Freestylers juice things up with a dancehall number, and Buffalo
Daughter gives their two cents of satirical viewpoints with "Socks,
Drugs & Rock 'n' Roll." Other artists, from Lyle Lovett to Mercury
Rev, offer their talents to the CD as well. Even Semisonic and Cake,
both radio-friendly artists, earn some respect.
---
REVIEW: Blink 182, _Enema of the State_ (MCA)
- Jason Cahill
How perfect that the indelible image associated with Blink 182
happens to be that of the band running naked through the California
streets, as they do in the video for "What's My Age Again?". Perfect
because it's the kind of frat-boy mentality which is so pervasive on
Blink 182's latest release, _Enema of the State_. In fact, the band
seems to be enjoying the recent popularity of low brow, scatological
humor, even appearing in this summer's low brow masterpiece, "American
Pie". Remember the "Internet" scene where a band and their monkey
watch as Jason Biggs attempts to seduce a foreign exchange student?
Yup, that's them, monkey and all.
But, before you dismiss the band outright as purveyors of
uselessness, take a good long listen (alright, clocking in at just
more than 35 minutes, a good long listen might not be possible, but...)
to the punk rock anthems packed within Enema. True, the songs are
pure testosterone, but useless they are not. "Dysentery Gary" is a
three minute anthem of angst and bitterness, "Adam's Song" is a deep
song of adolescent depression, about as mature as Blink 182 can get
without breaking into laughter, and "Don't Leave Me" is an absolute
gem of a punk song. In fact, in terms of pure content, _Enema of the
State_ might just be one of the year's most satisfying releases.
Of course, the majority of the album's lyrical content is of
the low brow variety. Nowhere is this more apparent than in "The
Party Song", where the band sings of keg stands, porn and phone sex.
But perhaps the album's finest lyrical moment comes near the end of
"Dysentery Gary", where vocalist Tom DeLonge sings the following -
Fuck this place / I lost the war / I hate you all / You're mom's a
whore. Lennon and McCartney they are not.
So, if you're looking for introspection and reflection, you've
come to the wrong place. Instead, Blink 182 have created what amounts
to a Fraternity party masterpiece. In fact, you could say that _Enema
of the State_ is the musical equivalent of a beer funnel - it's over
quickly, but leaves you feeling great, if not slightly bloated...
---
REVIEW: Steve Vai, _The Ultra Zone_ (Epic)
- Linda Scott
In 1990, Steve Vai released the classic _Passion and Warfare_.
Vai doesn't know how to make a bad solo album, but three follow-ups,
_Sex and Religion_, _AlienLove Secrets_, and _Fire Garden_, didn't
challenge _Passion and Warfare_. _TheUltra Zone_, released September 7,
is destined to be a classic and perhaps even surpass _Passion and
Warfare_.
Steve Vai learned hoe to play the guitar from Joe Satriani.
Practicing ten hours during the week and all weekend, he grew up to
be Frank Zappa's protege and "stunt guitarist." Later, Vai was in
Diamond David Lee Roth's band, and then in Whitesnake. To make his
own kind of music, Vai embarked on a successful solo career.
A man of integrity and intelligence, he also dabbles in
beekeeping, sits on the Board of Governors of NARAS (the Grammy
organization) and recently founded the record company Favored Nations.
Vai notes that his biggest influence is Jimmy Page but also
cites Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck and Ricky Blackmore among
guitarists he likes and draws inspiration from. You can hear these
influences on _The Ultra Zone_. The album is primarily instrumental,
but Vai does sing on it. Over time, his singing has improved, yet
sometimes he seems to be talking instead. But when he lets his Ibanez
axe speak, there are no complaints.
_The Ultra Zone_ has all kinds of songs. Some tracks will
appeal to advanced guitarists, but there are also many tracks for the
rest of us. Highlights include "Frank," a rocking tribute to Frank
Zappa, and the beautiful "Jibboom," written in memory of Stevie Ray
Vaughan. "Windows To The Soul" is a wonderful guitar ballad where Vai's
guitar weeps with sadness. "Here I Am" features Vai on vocals, and this
one has catchy lyrics and rocking guitar solos. "Voodoo Acid" gets high
marks for shifting from Middle Eastern influences to a dance groove. In
contrast, "Oooo" is a powerful metal track. Variety and quality are
found throughout _The Ultra Zone_.
If you like guitar music, _The Ultra Zone_ is a must for
musicians and the general listener. Steve Vai's produced another
stunning album, and it's available now. Vai will do a 14 month tour
in support of the album, beginning October 10. Here's hoping he's
looking forward to it as much as we are.
---
REVIEW: Megadeth, _Risk_ (Capitol)
- Paul Hanson
The name of the new Megadeth CD _Risk_ comes from something
Metallica's Lars Ulrich said to vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine
through the press. Ulrich said that he thought Mustaine was talented,
but that he should take more risks.
So that's exactly what goes on with this disc. Megadeth has
definitely taken a lot of what Ulrich said to heart. Perhaps the
biggest risk (and that'll be the last time I use this word in this
review) is the track "Ecstasy." First of all, Mustaine strums a clean
tone guitar. Second, there is a tambourine played on the two
with the snare. Finally, it is nearly impossible to hear Marty Friedman's
licks throughout the song. The mix of the song allows the hi-hat to
overpower the guitar. And yes, everyone by now has probably heard
"Crush 'Em," the first single and also the theme for Bill Goldberg in WCW.
The main thing you'll pick up on with this CD is the added
electronica' element added to most of these songs. The days of thrash
metal a la _Rust in Peace_ are gone. Mustaine says in his press pack that
he believes the fans of the band expect them to grow.
And quite definitely, the band is growing. While this was a tough
disc to get into, I now would say it is pretty good.
_Risk_ starts with "Insomnia." with some digitally enhanced
violins that add a new dimension to the song. The second track, "Prince
of Darkness", is the closest Megadeth come to thrash metal. The band is
taking risks. They are risking their audience that they have building
since _Peace Sells . . . but who's Buying_.
Is the risk worth it? Most definitely. This is a much more
adventurous album than its predecessor _Cryptic Writings_. Does it
measure up to _Rust in Peace_? Definitely. Where _Rust in Peace_
succeeded in creating a new wave of thrash metal bands, _Risk_ should
encourage more musical outings from other metal bands. Already Def
Leppard and the Scorpions have taken a turn toward a more melodic
sound, believing metal can be more than the usual guitar/bass/drums
lineup. Unlike Metallica, Megadeth have maintained their integrity with
this CD.
---
REVIEW: Triumph 2000, _Phazed and Confused_ (Derailed)
- Chris Hill
A mix of pre-apocalyptic, urban, instrumental landscapes,
French film soundtrack, and laconic, club-filling space rock,
_Phazed and Confused_ follows a map drafted in the minds of
ex-Spectrum guitarist and producer Richard Formby and vocalist
Howard Storey.
Formby, who's worked with some brilliant bands in his
career (the defunct Spacemen 3, the serenely noisy Mogwai, The
Jazz Butcher, the sparsely beautiful Dakota Suite, and Spectrum),
now steps from the supporting cast to a leading role with Triumph
2000. He writes all the music, with Storey taking co-writing
credit on the three vocal tracks ("Baris", "Happy Ever After",
and "Out There"). The instrumentals comprise the majority of
tracks on the cd, however, and rightly so.
"TFS #8" and "TFS #4", though part of a series, are two
distinct pieces. "TFS #8" is joyous and bubbling, programmed
drums cavorting with cloudy keyboard runs. "TFS #4" is a moody
slice of film noir, eerie notes appearing out of a fog which
recedes, then envelops the listener over its 5:30 runtime. It's
reminiscent of Vangelis' "Blade Runner" music or the Tangerine
Dream score for "The Keep".
"Untitled (Colonne Sonore)" evokes a '60s French romance
soundtrack scrambled with a moody alto sax. "Oscillate" drives
instrumentally through Godard's splendid "Alphaville", headlights
illuminating the bleak urban landscape. The keyboards exhale
like bellows and the drums provide an uneasy, steady meter for
the track.
But for true film splendor, "Neumatic" wins the Oscar.
Nearly 16 minutes of Middle Eastern wonder, multi-instrumentalist
Formby wanders like Lawrence of Arabia over a swirling desert of
drums, keyboards, and droning ambience, that eventually coalesces
to an acoustic guitar which guides the listener to journey's end.
The three vocal tracks also deliver. "Baris" centers
around a mesmerizing bouzouki rhythm, hypnotic as a cobra swaying
back and forth. "Happy Ever After" - "if there was a God, right
now where's I'd pray/if it's all in my head, come and take me
away" - runs its lyrics about a dark, edgy love. "Out There"
drifts through desolate sonic surroundings: "pressing on your
lifeless lips/give me just one kiss/just when you think there's
nothing out there/she is/with liquid eyes and arms outstretched/
she holds a demon grip/and like some crippled adolescent/you just
bite your lip". Love isn't a sanctuary, it's an oasis with a
bleached skull resting on the waterhole's edge.
The disc concludes with a remix of "Baris" by Overseer,
and "Droppin' It (Triumph 2000 Mix)", a driving guitar finish to
67 minutes of aural travelogue. _Phazed & Confused_ is a strange
journey. With Formby as attentive guide, it's one worth taking.
---
TOUR DATES:
Anti Flag / Dropkick Murphys
Oct. 1 Detroit, MI St. Andrews
Oct. 2 Chicago, IL The Metro
Oct. 3 Minneapolis, MN Univ. of MN
Oct. 5 St. Louis, MO The Galaxy
Oct. 6 Lawrence, KS Bottleneck
Oct. 7 Denver, CO Ogden Theater
Oct. 8 Salt Lake City, UT Bricks
Oct. 9 Boise, ID Bogies
Oct. 10 Seattle, WA RKCNDY
Art of Noise
Oct. 7 San Francisco, CA Slim's
Oct. 8 Los Angeles, CA Coachella Music & Arts Festival
Ben Folds Five / Fleming & John
Oct. 4 Omaha, NE Sokol Hall
Oct. 5 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
Oct. 8 Atlanta, GA Alexander Memorial Coliseum
Bis
Oct. 1 Columbia, SC New Brookland Tavern
Oct. 2 Atlanta, GA Echo Lounge
Church
Oct. 1 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
Oct. 2 Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
Oct. 3 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
Oct. 4-5 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
Oct. 6 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
Oct. 7 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
Oct. 8 Memphis, TN Newby's
Ani DiFranco
Oct. 1 Hartford, CT The Bushnell
Oct. 2 Binghamton, NY Broome County Arena
Oct. 3 Albany, NY Palace Theatre
Oct. 4 Poughkeepsie, NY Mid Hudson Civic Center
Oct. 6 Washington, DC 930 Club
Oct. 7 Norfolk, VA The Boathouse
Oct. 8 Asheville, NC Thomas Wolf Auditorium
Oct. 9 Raleigh, NC The Ritz
Johnny Dowd
Oct. 1 Buffaloy, NY Mohawk Pl.
Oct. 6 Pittsburgh, PA Bloomfield Bridge
Oct. 9 East Lansing, MI Mac's Bar
Oct. 10 Chicago, IL Schuba's
Fleming & John
Oct. 3 Reno, NV KLCA Show
Oct. 9 Boston, MA WBMX Show
Gomez
Oct. 1 Los Angeles, CA John Anson Ford Theater
Oct. 2 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
Ben Harper
Oct. 5-6 San Luis Obispo, CA Cal Poly
Oct. 7 Sacramento, CA Uc Davis Rec Hall
Oct. 8 Berkeley, CA Greek Theater
Oct. 9 Indio, CA Coachella Music And Arts Festival
Indigo Girls
Oct. 2 Davidson, NC Baker Sports Complex
Oct. 4-5 Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre
Oct. 6 Lowell, MA Tsongas Arena
Oct. 7 Syracuse, NY Landmark Theatre
Oct. 8 Fairfax, VA Patriot Center
Oct. 10 Hanover, NH Dartmouth College
Luscious Jackson
Oct. 4-5 New York, NY Irving Plaza
Live
Oct. 1 Raleigh, NC The Ritz
Oct. 2 Charlotte, NC Ovens Auditorium
Oct. 3 N. Myrtle Beach, SC House Of Blues
Oct. 5 Lake Buena Vista, FL House Of Blues (Fl)
Oct. 6 Pensacola, FL Bayfront Auditorium
Oct. 7 New Orleans, LA House Of Blues
Oct. 9 Pelham, AL Oak Mountain Amphitheater
Oct. 10 Little Rock, AK Robinson Auditorium
Men At Work
Oct. 1 Petaluma, CA Phoenix Theater
Oct. 2 Los Angeles, CA House of Blues
Oct. 3 Bakersfield, CA Kern Co. Fair
Tom Petty & Heartbreakers
Oct. 1 Philadelphia, PA First Union Center
Oct. 2 Virginia Beach, VA Virginia Beach Amp.
Oct. 4 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion
Oct. 6 Bloomington, IN Assembly Hall at Indiana Univ.
Oct. 7 Chicago, IL United Center
Oct. 9 Detroit, MI The Palace
Pietasters, Pilfers & Spring Heeled Jack
Oct. 1 Orlando, FL Sapphire Supper Club
Oct. 2 West Palm Beach, FL Respectable Street
Oct. 3 St. Petersburg, FL State Theatre
Oct. 5 New Orleans, LA State Palace Theatre
Oct. 6 Houston, TX Fitzgerald's
Oct. 8 El Paso, TX Club 101
Oct. 9 Mesa, AZ The Nile Theater
Oct. 10 Pomona, CA The Glass House
Pretenders
Oct. 9 Atlantic City, NJ Sands Casino
Oct. 10 Boston, MA Foxboro Stadium
Royal Trux
Oct. 1 New York, NY The Cooler
Oct. 2 Philadelphia, PA Kyber
Sean Na Na
Oct. 7 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
Smash Palace
Oct. 8 Haddonfield, NJ Three Beans
Sally Taylor
Oct. 1 Boulder, CO Tulagi
Oct. 8-9 Eureka Springs, AR Ozark Folk Festival
Type O Negative
Oct. 1 Detroit, MI St Andrews Hall
Oct. 2 Toledo, OH Main Event
Oct. 4 Chicago, IL Metro
Oct. 5 Milwaukee, WI The Rave
Oct. 6 Minneapolis, MN The Quest
Oct. 8 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
Oct. 9 Salt Lake City, UT Club DV8
Watsonville Patio
Oct. 3 Boise, ID CD Merchant
Oct. 6 Provo, UT ABG's
Oct. 8-9 Laramie WY Buckhorn
Oct. 10 Ft Collins, CO Starlight
Weird Al Yankovic
Oct. 7 Phoenix, AZ Arizona State Fair
Zeke
Oct. 1 Riverside, CA Overtime
Oct. 2 San Francisco, CA Bottom Of The Hill
Oct. 9 Seattle, WA The Break Room
---
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