Indie-List_V2_N32
Bringing you the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat...
The Indie-List Digest
Volume 2, Number 32
November 19, 1993
Princeton - Seattle - Chicago - Raleigh
In this issue:
Message from the Moderator
Correction to Bunster's review
unrest/stereolab; orfice
Heavenly/Flying Saucer Attack
PJ Harvey Demos/Zine Plug/Seattle Scene Report
Rodan/demo tape/press release tape "Plug" 1993
INDIE_LIST pollution!
a sonic-life cross posting (ad of sorts)
!@#$%^&()&^%$#@!
Notes from the pit of despair...
not much to say here...it's been a pretty nasty past few days, stuff
that I just can't talk about more than to say it's personal and sorta
linked to the ever-popular "twisted relationship" sorta thing.
Quick reminder (for those in the Princeton area) - Stereolab and the
William Hooker Quartet (featuring members of the Boredoms this time
around - Hooker usually never plays with the same quartet twice) at
Terrace Club, Saturday, starting around 11pm. E-mail me for more info.
maybe i'll pull out of this manic-mood-swinging-framework really soon
and have something constructive to say...
sean
skmurphy@phoenix.princeton.edu
!@#$%^&()&^%$#@!
From: "K. Lena Bennett" <keb@u.washington.edu>
Message from the Moderator
Two things:
We're getting more subscribers and submissions from the U.K. This is
cool. It gives the Indie List a broader focus than just how many times
Eggs played around D.C. and vicinity (sorry, Mark). I just want to take
this opportunity to encourage any and all furriners readin' this hyar
thang to post, post, post!
Second, the INDIE-LIST SURVEY will be distributed soon via the
bloofga-matic. This is just a silly little timekiller on my part to get
some kinda idea about whoall reads our little electronic piece of eyesnot.
I will of course take all responsibility for compiling the thousands of
responses we're sure to get :)
Oops, one more thing: I have a copy of the latest e-mail CURSE update
for anyone interested in an update of what's going on with the local
struggle for community radio. I'm not posting it since it's mostly of
local interest. Email me and I'll forward it to you.
Lena keb@u.washington.edu
!@#$%^&()&^%$#@!
From: Kathleen M Billus <kbaw@world.std.com>
Correction to Bunster's review
>Just to prove I wasn't prebiased against Coedine, I was really looking
* forward to the Mazzy Star set, and was kind of disappointed by them too. They
* had a little more life to them, but they all looked pretty strung out and not
* really into being on stage and doing their songs. Hope looked pretty much
* like Kelly McGillis in Drugstore Cowboy, only shorter and way more comatose
* looking. she needs some sleep, I think. She still has a beautiful voice
Kelly Lynch was in "Drugstore Cowboy" not Kelly McGillis of "Top Gun"
fame.
Kathleen Billus
kbaw@world.std.com
!@#$%^&()&^%$#@!
From: karlof, chris knox <karlofc@seq.cms.uncwil.edu>
unrest/stereolab; orfice
hello hello! luckily this is a dead week for me so i can write about music
instead of annihilating polynomials ;-). i have bought a few records too
so maybe i will review them now or later. i am getting to see seam and the
mekons tonight and drunken boat and grifters later this week. it should be
an enjoyable week.
i am sure absolutely NONE of you care about this, but the great club in
wilmington, Jacob's Run, just held it's last show ever this past weekend.
Jacob's Run has provided wilmington with many great bands over the last
2-3 years that would have normally passed up wilmington. in fact, many
bands made wilmington its only stop in NC sometimes. We have Danny Ling
and the club owner Effie to thank for that. The only problem was that when
pavement played there only 20 people showed up. it eventually took its
toll on the club.
but anyway, almost every decent band in wilmington played on saturday
night (even Analogue, even thought we live in raleigh now ;-) amazingly
about 500 people showed up for a dollar cover and dollar beers.
strange....anyway, bands coming to play in wilmington now will have to
suffer the mad monk a.k.a "the meat market" or play at the mexican
restaurant (no kidding, we are playing on nov 27).
ORFICE "Colon" 7" (WiffleFist/Jettison)
This bizarre raleigh band is kinda strange. Perhaps the strangest
thing about them is that the bassist just ran for mayor of raleigh!
twisted huh? needless to say, he lost...even though he was the coolest
candidate. This band has a really evil sound. I mean something to give the
"evil eye" to when you are listening to it. if you have heard orfice on
the pyloric waves comp. put out by D-TOX then this 7" is more of the same.
i kinda sounds like brian eno on 33 instead of 45. it is one of those
records you have to figure out what is the right speed! it is pretty cool,
but definitely not for everyone. *1/2 (plus it has a picture of the guy
from vanilla trainwreck naked on the record!)
i also got the new compulsive! 7" compilation, i have only listened to the
side with rodan on it (it is why i bought the comp.). it is pretty good
and maybe i will get around to reviewing the rest of it.
to respond to mark's ? last week about small 23, small changed their name
a little while ago because some band in california is called small too. it
is kinda strange that alias has signed so many NC bands. it is kinda
suspicious. thye claim it is just coincidence but i hope they dont plan to
rape us! picasso trigger is purely a live experience. "queenie" on the
pyloric waves comp is pretty good but their 7"'s just dont toot my horn. i
fear their album.
Unrest/Stereolab/Portastatic @ The Brewery 11/9/93
HMMMM. i missed portastatic (no comment). Stereolab was enjoyable.
I am not too familiar with their stuff, but i do know they played very
little off their lastest album. no matter. it was still nice. the
singer/organ player was kinda cute, though my friend said that up close
she looked "kinda rough" and he said that "he wouldnt want to meet her in
a dark alley." are the women in england tougher than we hipster doofuses
here in the US? ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) although i liked it plenty, i was ready
for them to wrap it up near the end. i was sick and coughing plenty
because of the smoke, so i was ready to see unrest and then hit the sack
as soon as possible. i have to say that unrest was disappointing. they
played a cruel prank on us. they played the first 7/8 songs off their
lastest IN ORDER. predictable and dull. it wouldnt have been so bad if
bridget hadnt screwed up so much. finally they played some different
stuff, but nothing i hadnt heard ..you know isabel and such. almost
nothing off of Imperial. They ended with a special treat though "Bavarian
Mods." But the WORST, I mean the WORST, part was that they had their
encores WRITTEN on the songlist. "June" and "Cherry cherry". "June" was ok
and i am gonna barf if i hear "cherry" again soon. The part i really
enjoyed was the Mark was a big asshole to the crowd and bridget was a
doofus. something must have been bugging them. I am glad i saw them, but
it couldnt have been a hell of a lot better. I have seen them one other
time, about a year ago, and i thought they were much better then.
StereoLab ** Unrest *. I also felt jaded because i had caught rumor
they were playing "Christina" at their shows now! oh well. i am done
complaining now....maybe i was just grouchy because i was sick (i am still
not better btw).
[Well, Unrest -is- playing Christina sometimes...they did when I saw
them back in september...and is Bridget's fucked-up-ness becoming a
standard part of the Unrest thing these days? She used to be such a
nice girl, but ever since that interview in Chickfactor... has stardom
gone to her head? I hope not... -Sean]
i have already exceded my alotment, so see ya next week!
chris
!@#$%^&()&^%$#@!
From: Julian <Julian@sahiber.demon.co.uk>
Heavenly/Flying Saucer Attack
First up, having finally posted thought I could clear up the 13 year old
Amelia Fletcher tale. . . seeing as she's just left her job lecturing at
Oxford University, having completed her Ph.D. (Doctorate in Philosophy, or
don't you need that explaining?) in economics she's now off to work in the
City of London (equivalent phrase to Wall St.). Not quite the 'useless'
character she is on stage. Fret not, as it shouldn't effect Heavenly any
more than usual (Matthew, her younger brother, has been at University in
Scotland for the best part of Heavenly's career). Amy & Pete are off to
Mexico for Christmas, apparently, but I don't know if they'll be
stopping/playing in the US along the way. Also to those of you who think
Tiger Trap do it better/more punk-style, I strongly advise you get hold of
Talulah Gosh 'Rock Classics Vol.69', or 'They Scoffed The Lot' (which will
soon be deleted from Sarah's catalogue as the copyright belongs to the BBC
& the deal they made will run out). Or if you can't find either the 53rd &
3rd retrospective on Avalanche Records 'Fun While It Lasted'. Tiger Trap
owe MORE than a little to the Shop Assistants, Talulah Gosh, & Boy
Hairdressers. (And 53rd & 3rd was probably the closest the UK had to K
records. Which isn't wholly surprising!).
[Is 53rd and 3rd still in existence? I've been trying to track down a
copy of _Rock Legends Vol. 69_ for quite a while with no luck at all...
I guess my tape will do...and for the record, 53rd and 3rd is Stephen
Pastel's label, which originally released the first Pooh Sticks LP,
bunches of Pastels stuff, the Talulah Gosh LP, the Vaselines stuff, and
probably much more that I've never seen or heard... - Sean]
Someone wanted some info on Flying Saucer Attack. Basically it's a bloke
called Dave who works in Revolver Records in Bristol and who minds the 7"
section. Used to know one of Seefeel at college, which is possibly no
surprise. John Peel bizarrely likes to pretend they're a obscure American
band at times. Anyway, the first two 7"s are amongst my favourite 7s of
the year (others being the Tindersticks Rough Trade single, Heavenly,
Blueboy, Orange Juice's rereleased 'Blueboy', Slingbacks - 'Hot Rod', &
Stereolab). Wish/Oceans is one side of ambience that wouldn;t seem out of
place on the KLF's 'Chill Out' LP or some early 70s Floyd or the next
Slowdive LP - just two notes rolling up & down with plectrum scratch
waves, and percussion that sounds like a good train on downers. 'Wish' on
the other hand is like trying to watch TV with the colours turned right up
so the red bleeds over the screen - a 'quiet Velvets' (3rd LP) style
(though the vocals/vocal melody remind me of 'Lady Godiva's Operation)
indie song drowns in fuzzed-up echo (like a low budget A R Kane), until it
kicks into Kitchens Of Distinction/Ride ('Drive Blind') territory, though
without quite the production.
Soaring High - US 7" on (?????) - a release of the first UK 7"
Wish 7" - 700 * ltd.ed 7"
available from Flying Saucer Attack c/o Simon, 407 Fishponds Rd, Bristol.
Also the Flying Saucer Attack LP is near release, or maybe out. All 3
items are also available from Rhythm Mail Order, 12 Gwydir Street,
Cambridge, CB1 2LL.
!@#$%^&()&^%$#@!
From: "K. Lena Bennett" <keb@u.washington.edu>
PJ Harvey Demos/Zine Plug/Seattle Scene Report
I got a very complimentary email from a reader thanking me for my
reporting on the Seattle Scene. I must say I was impressed altho I don't
know what to do to deserve it. Anyway, to further my reportage (Liz will
like this one): I saw Kurt Bloch (Young Fresh Fellows, Fastbacks) sit down
at a table across from me in the taqueria last night. He ordered a
vegetarian burrito in his weird squeaky voice. Anyway, everyone around
here is in a band (or else a cartoonist, or both), but since I hardly ever
go to shows I rarely know who it is that I'm tripping over.
I'd like to put in a good word for a zine that I picked up at Fallout.
It's published and largely written by Jeff Smith (no, I don't know him),
and it's called _Feminist Baseball_. He seems to be about my age (late
20's). Issue #12's about 80 pages, about half of it reviews. Usually I
hate zines that are full of reviews but his writing is quite enjoyable and
actually manages to communicate something about the music he likes rather
than just preaching to the converted. He seems to like the Dead C and
Shrimper bands like the Mountain Goats and John Davis a lot, if that gives
you any indication. He's skeptical about Love Rock and Riot Grrl (i.e.,
the Olympia scene) but doesn't bash it like some I've seen. Plus there
are book and film reviews by a couple of women who I guess are friends of
his, which are equally enjoyable and intelligent. Anyway, it's $3 from
Jeff Smith, P.O. Box 9609, Seattle, WA 98109 (you should probably send him
some stamps or postage too).
Latest record buy is PJ Harvey's 4-track Demos. It shreds. It seems to
be just her and guitar (electric and acoustic), with just a few effects
added. 8 songs from "rid of me" and 6 "new songs" (sez the label). The
rid of me songs go to show just how much of the power of the band lies
directly in her hands. You hardly miss the rhythm section at all (well, I
did, at a few points, but I could get used to it). On a few songs she
uses a lot of fuzz effect to make the sound "bigger," but there's enough
power just as it is. The stripped-down format makes it clear how
brilliantly her arrangements of dynamics convey the power of her
songwriting, and of course her VOICE VOICE VOICE is the most intense
instrument of all. Anyway, I suppose I should mention that "Hook" is the
only song I know that has my name in it, altho my guess is that she's
referring to some old Irish song about Kathleen that my algebra teacher
used to embarrass me with by singing in class. Anyway, **1/2 for PJ
Harvey's 4-Track Demos.
P.S. Josh wants me to mention that the new Rollerderby zine is out.
Cover by Darcy Megan Stanger. In case anyone is wondering what Josh is
up to, HE'S SLACKING!!!!
Lena keb@u.washington.edu
!@#$%^&()&^$#@!
From: BHD2000 <BHD2@MUSICB.MCGILL.CA>
Rodan/demo tape/press release tape "Plug" 1993
Afetr just completing a recording for quarter stick records,
and being produced by shellac bass man Bob Weston, Rodan are on their way
to the top. This four song demo was given to me by guiatrist Jason Noble
right after a jaw dropping set in D.C. on Oct.29 that managed to stun all
30 people there including an over enthousiastic Jay Robbins who was in awe
after the show and praised Jason for his talents. The tape includes four
songs, Jungle Jim, I.R.S., the everyday world of bodies, and Exoskeleton
also released on their seven inch from the Three Little Girls label in
Louisville. THe songs are all demo versions of the album tracks recorded
in Baltimore Maryland by Tony French. Jungle Jim opens the tape with the
beautiful voice of Tara Jane O'Neil (bassist) and jumps to heavy, soft,
heavy mixes of jumpy stop start guitar lines. From there they pounce into
I.R.S. with a feedback beginning that builds momentum with the whispers of
Tara and Jeff/or Jason. This one is another nine minute song. You'de
think that you were missing out when you got a one sided tape with only
four songs. but with Rodan, these four hits cover the entire side A, an
average of eight minutes each. Buy, buy buy, the album when it comes out.
jonah
bhd2@musicb.mcgill.ca
!@#$%^&()&^%$#@!
From: Paul H Williams <phwst1+@pitt.edu>
INDIE_LIST pollution!
TIGER TRAP +Sour Grass Ep+ (K P.O. Box 7154 Olympia, Wa. 98507 USA)
I absolutely fell in love with "Sour Grass", when I first heard
it. Rose's voice is so pleasantly happy. "Carrie's Song" and "Treasure"
are more compliments for Rose's vox. The music hasn't changed from the
first album, but I think Pat Maley does a much better job producing the
Sacarmento indie-rockers. "Don't Ask" brings back memories of 80's
Shop-Assistants, fast-power-girl rock. The grand finale track,
"Sweetheart" is great lullably. Tiger Trap going acoustic! *** (5stars!)
LOIS +Strumpet+ (another K thang)
"Butterfly Kiss" didn't impress me as much as her Courtney Love
adventures, but I was surprised by Lois's sophmore effort "Strumpet".
"Evening in Paris", "Diopter", and "Return (your turn)" are good
warm up innings of songs, they provide the pace and the tune for the
album. "The Trouble with Me", "Sugar Rush" and "Wet Eyes" are more solid
innings of work. After the 7th inning stretch, "From a Heart" speeds up
the tempo of the album. Calvin provides good support from the bench and it
shows. This is song will get get more toe's tapping than "Take Me Out To
The Ballgame". "Danger" is a decent song. "Strumpet" is a 1-2-3 inning.
It's my favorite track with funny and catchy lyrics (I maybe a social
diease/But I cant' be caught). "MC" and "The Way I Feel Inside", an
accapella song, provide an extra effort in proving LOIS as a strong force,
in the indie-rock league. (I miss baseball, can you tell)**
TIGER TRAP/THE KARL HENDRICKS TRIO @ Squirrel Hill American Legion 11/14
Pittsburgh, Pa.
If there is a scene in Pittsburgh, THE KARL HENDRICKS TRIO will be leading
the pack. They are returning from a tour with Smog, which brought them
down the east coast and eventually coming back to entertain us at the CMJ.
Tim Parker (bassist) had girls crying. The new sex symbol had a girl
wooing, "I love him so much, but he makes me sob." (This is a true life
fact, no bullshit!)
As the opening act, they provide an top-notched show. The all-ages
show (a rare thing in Pgh.) had high-school popsters and Riot Grrrls, in
full-force. About 100 people were attrached and being an unusual day, a
high of 70degrees, the room was extremely warm. TKH banged out his
favorite songs, "Bigger Jerk Than Me", "The Last Thing...", "Do You Like
To Watch Me Sob?", "You Can't Argue With Cash". The heat of the room had
Tom (drummer) completely exhausted, from destorying his drums, and they
played "Fuck Shit Up", to slow down the pace. It's from Karl's solo 7", "I
Hate This Party". People were hot, sweaty, and disgruntled, because some
folks wanted to start a mosh pit. But the trio provide a warm welcome for
TIGER TRAP.
When Tiger Trap began their gig, it was very hot in the room. The
sound quality, in the back of the room, was poor. There PA system
consisted of 2mics for the vocals, and that's it. There was a lot of
people standing, in front of those speakers, and the bodies just absorbed
the sound. Luckily for me, I was standing almost in front of Rose. The set
list included several new songs, "Stitch", "A.S.S.", "A Girl With A
Guitar", "A Cup of Coffee", "Nummy" (Rose-drums, Heather-bass, and
Jen-vocals), and "Wo Ho" (Rose-drums, Heather-vocals/drums, Jen-guitar,
Angela-bass). The latter song had Heather screaming into the mic and play
some rather interesting guitar chords. Tiger Trap seemed very tight and
performed a great show. My favorite part of the show was when Heather
stood up and played drums on "Supreme Nothing".
They'll be touring for a few more days , so you gotta see them.
Before their show, I interviewed the band, for an hour or so. They were
really nice and seemed pretty cool to hang out with, in a pizza diner.
When I asked them about where they had played the night before, they said
"Princeton", so I asked about Sean Murphy. Angela seemed to be the only
one recalling him, saying "He was nice. He let me use his phone."
[This is odd...I never talked to Angela...and I couldn't let someone use
the phone at Terrace...I did talk a little with Heather, but that was
with Sleepyhead as well...oh well, I'm not a scenester, OK? :) -Sean]
*****************************************************************************
*"Indie Rock Ain't Noise Pollution" "Gimme Indie Rock!!!" -Sebadoh *
* *
*****************************************************************************
!@#$%^&()&^%$#@!
From: David Michael Sisson <ragbrai@aal.itd.umich.edu>
a sonic-life cross posting (ad of sorts)
hi...i put this on the sonic life list...and wanted all of you to know
about it too...i make no money off of this so please read on (if you
dont know what sonic life is...its the list for sonic youth...)
attached message follows:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
hi...as you all probably know weve finished up the sonic life tape...
if y