Indie-List_V3_N11
My thoughts are commodities...
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Indie List Digest
February 10th, 1994
Volume 3, Number 11
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Message From The Moderator
The bold beauty of Tall Poppies
Pavement review
Bailter Space/Versus/Orb/Inverse Guitar
Fitz of Depression/Gas Huffer, last week, MOE, Seattle, WA
*******ADS/ANNOUNCEMENTS*********
LOIS TOUR DATES
CRAW CD/CASS
Need bands
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From: K. Lena Bennett, Slacker Goddess
Message From The Moderator
The votes are largely against massive commentary. About half of the
people say a little bit of commentary is okay so long as it's not
repetitive and so long as it's short. That makes sense to me. The junta
is currently discussing guidelines. We'll let you know. I didn't put in
any commentary this week because everything that was said was more like a
seconding of what had been said before. Sorry if I edited you, that's the
breaks.
Neither Sean nor I has the energy to edit/moderate more, plus we believe
in the initial charter of the list that it should be reader-driven.
However, that means that you, the readers, should be able to guide
yourselves in evaluating whether your postings are in keeping with the
nature of the indie list. Anyway, like I said, we'll let you know what's
up.
RE TECHNO: Several comments came up about the discussion of techno -
largely against. I too have felt (personally) that it didn't really
belong on this list, because, while it is also on independent labels, it
comes from a different musical background and musical subculture then a
lot of the indie rock does (altho we could really get into hairsplitting
controversy here, so this is still not a clear-cut issue). Does anyone
have anything to say about this issue? Is it just a couple of vocal
people who are pro-techno, and everyone else against? Or is there a
secret groundswell of techno-positive and techno-curious IL-ers? Would
there be interest in a techno list moderated/edited by someone else? Is
there already such a list in existence?
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Editor's Rebuttal (sorta)
Yikes! I'll take Lena's remarks in reverse order...
1. No techno on the Indie-List? That's being incredibly close-minded.
Just because I haven't heard something (or its stylistic cousins) 100
times before on my local hipster radio station or in my favorite record
store doesn't mean I can't like it, and exposure can breed interest. The
US in particular has very little exposure to techno/ambient music, and I
appreciate the information that others can provide on the subject. Techno
/trance/ambience can be just as indie as the Mountain Goats or any of the
"dumb guitar bands" out there - maybe moreso, since it's generally one
person doing their own thing. To institute a "no techno" rule is to
stifle the exposure to new/current movements and innovations in music, and
that's counter-productive to the list. Endless "techno v. guitar" debates
may not be productive, but hell, I just picked up an Aphex Twin cd to see
what it's all about, based on the remarks of many on this list. Banning
discussion of a viable independent music form is totally inappropriate for
a list which is created by its readers.
2. The I-L is for everyone, not for the narrow vision of the few people
whose names are attached to it in some way. I can barely stand to look
back at old lists now (like from 9-12 months ago) because each one was
almost the same - Mark and I and Joshes Buergel and Houk and a few other
people writing over half of each list, talking primarily about the same
types of music. And that's fine, but I think the list can be bigger than
that. Right now, it is something more, and that's because everyone's
taking the time to write and tell others about the music they find.
That's why I like the Indie-List (besides the fact that we don't clutter
the mailbox with hundreds of postings each day, like "those other mailing
lists" :).
3. Moderation and editing - There has been some talk of splitting the I-L
into the "commentary" part and the "review" part and sending each under
separate cover. I personally don't think that this is necessary (and it
would require an extra mailing or two each week which I don't necessarily
have the time for). Maybe just more forethought in writing would do it -
are reviews just "thrown together" or are they carefully considered? is
it a commentary derived directly from music, or is it a rant about the
state of the world tangentially related to music? If it's the former of
each case, there shouldn't be much need for moderating and/or editing, and
that's the way the list has operated for the most part. The latter, well,
maybe that's what is happening now. I'm as guilty as anyone, but think of
it this way - if you feel like you should probably write "obMusic" or
"obIndie" in an article, then it probably isn't ready for the I-L. I
don't want to be elitist or obnoxious, but quality control has its merits.
Again, please mail your comments to me and Lena on any, or all, or none of
these points. And I promise to have some reviews for next time. :)
Sean
skmurphy@phoenix.princeton.edu
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From: Marilyn Monroe in overalls <ILION@ac.dal.ca>
The bold beauty of Tall Poppies
Tall Poppies: "Fields of Addiction"....... I've seen these guys
live a few million times here in Halifax and they absolutely rock in
concert. I think some of that energy is lost on the tape but it's still
really good... it contains 4 studio-recorded songs and 4 live (from the
same gig that Nowhere's Ark's "Somewhere Live ep" came from). The band is
five guys, two Mikes, a Paul, an Adam, and a Glenn. Anybody from
Charlottetown, PEI out there? You might know them as Tall Popeye, from
some kind of management fuckup. Anyway they're playing this friday (the
11th) at the Double Deuce, opening for the Lost Dakotas, if anybody out
there's from N.S. besides me. They always put on a good show.... the
singer (one of the Mikes) has a really strong rich baritone and does more
with it that scream (though he does that too).... their music is
influenced by R.E.M. (the cover of "Cod Don't Care" is a B/W pic of
M.Stipe in suit and hat... "Cod Don't Care" is not to be confused with
"Cod Can't Hear" a local compilation), and early U2 (they do an excellent
cover of Exit).... Anybody interested in getting a copy could probably
order it through Sam's (they carry it here) or send me email and I'll hunt
down their label's address (fruitbat music). DISCLAIMER: I have no
financial connection to Sam's or fruitbat or the Tall Poppies, except that
Paul occasionally buys me beer.
Joanne Merriam
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From: Spencer R Hamblen <spencer@WPI.EDU>
Pavement review
I know in a few days the list might be hit with reviews of "Crooked Rain,
Crooked Rain", Pavement's newest, so I wanted to get my two cents in
before everyone buys it. I got a copy of this from a friend who used to
work at a radio station in Missouri (when I'm done with the tape I have to
send it to Damon from the Swirlies). I can't say that I gushed over
Slanted and Enchanted like most of my friends did, but it was good.
Crooked Rain sounds very Pavement-ish, there's not a great departure from
their style. I'm sorry if I can't give names of songs, but the tape only
had the names of the first track "Silent Kid" and "Cut Your Hair", the
single. The tone of the album was strange: if you took the weirdest songs
from S+E, those would be the normal songs on Crooked Rain. Yet it managed
to sound more commercial than S+E. I definitely heard some Rolling Stones
influences on some of the tracks. Overall it's a good album, though not
revolutionary. I'll probably buy the CD or LP, listen to it for a while,
and bring it out once in a while to reminisce about the good old days when
Pavement was still an indie band (sort of). *1/2
Spencer
spencer@wpi.edu
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From: Kent Williams <williams@cs.uiowa.edu>
Bailter Space/Versus/Orb/Inverse Guitar
Bailter Space 'B.E.I.P' EP (Matador)
For those of you not yet aware of the magic that is Bailter Space,
this would make a perfect introduction. These guys have been following
the perfect fuzz-washed drone for over ten years. 'B.E.I.P.' has two new
songs 'X' and 'Projects' that they've been doing live, plus remixes of
'Robot World' and 'EIP' that I prefer to the album cuts. And pick up the
Gordons record, if you don't think these guys were way ahead of their
time.
Versus "Let's Electrify" (Remora)
These are good songs. These are great songs. I can almost excuse
the anonymous production. I'd rather have a mono cassette of them playing
live, but until they put out something mixed a little more dangerously,
this will do.
The Orb "U.F.ORB" (Big Life/Mercury)
This is almost 2 years old, where was I? I guess I shied away
from techno because what I heard was so drum-machine ticky-ticky. But
this stuff rips your head apart. You can trance out, or play 'name that
sample.' My favorite is the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea sonar pings in
the middle of 'Blue Room.' And the whale clearing its blowhole noises in
'Towers of Dub.'
The coolest thing about this record is that at it's root it's so
retro. Steve Hillage plays on it -- he was one of those seventies guitar
wankers I listened to in high school. And so does Jah Wobble, who was the
bass player in Public Image Ltd. Of course it wouldn't exist if it wasn't
for Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream.
Nicolas Collins/Robert Poss "Inverse Guitar" cassete (Trace Elements)
You might not even think this is music at first. The Collins
material on the first side is a little like a Hi Fi Demonstration record
from the 50's. In 'Pet Sounds' he plays everyday noises INTO an electric
guitar pickup, so that they induce the strings to vibrate. So you get
those inimitable Manhattan police sirens with a ringing halo of guitar
harmonics.
After you hear it a few times though, it becomes addictive.
There's a point late in the piece where the police siren mutates into the
cooing of doves that is suprising every time I hear it.
Robert Poss' side is some music concrete' made with electric
guitars, and a hilarious cut where he demonstrates all the standard guitar
player cliches with commentary.
After a few listens, I thought both sides had potential with drum
tracks added -- Collins' side would be ambient, and Poss' side would be
industrial.
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From: Jonathan Haynes <haynesj@elwha.evergreen.edu>
Re: Fitz of Depression/Gas Huffer, last week, MOE, Seattle, WA
I was up in Seattle and got to drop in on a new club across the
street from the Comet Tavern--'bout time, getting a pedestrian-friendly
venue there. I think it'll float. The room sounds really good too; nice
sound system, nice sight lines--just like RCKNDY or First Avenue.
Now I think in order for a person to really possess mastery of the
punk rock idiom s/he absolutely needs to have equal mastery of sheetrock
skills--or at least re-rodding a poured concrete foundation. There are
exceptions--trust-fund slacker kids who manage to eke out a few good
numbers before hanging it up for a spot in the family business or a
cocaine habit. In general though, you get your best fork-in-the-blender
hardcore punk from bent-nosed guys who stack sacks of mortar mix all day.
If she has on a gas station attendant jacket--it smells like gas because
she's been pumping gas. It's her job. Those houndstooth food service
pants should really smell like buffalo wings well into the third or fourth
number--you been workin' the fryer all afternoon. Now you're gonna sing
about it. (I was once quite embarassed when my best friend in high school
spotted a blob of cow shit dried on my Morley Power-Wah-Fuzz pedal. Fuck,
I had just come in from milking the cows and plugged in the old black
Gibson! I shoulda displayed the manure with pride.)
I try to see Fitz every chance I get. Last time they played in
Olympia was with Sicko (yecch!) at the Capitol Theater Backstage. I'll
say a word about that show; they were in nearly rare (medium rare?) form.
The singer-guitarist with the great classic yelping punk voice and
Sid/Johnny Thunders mannerisms seemed like maybe he had an encounter with
distemper or the gout--nothing clicked. I know these guys can RAWK
because they peeled most of my scalp off on a few occasions before. (I
felt like I was really special--like a guitar-minded Mr Rogers--when I
helped that scallywag get his "g" string nestled back in the bridge
saddle. It was akin to when you get to catch one of Elvis' sweaty towels
at a Vegas gig. Is is really geeky to be the guy who plugs the monitors
back in and helps the drunk kid get out of the slam pit? Maybe that's
what Stuart Smalley might do at a punk show.) Ummm... Fitz keep punk
alive. I walked into MOE and they were playing their last song. It was
enough to stand there and be shot through by the hardcore spirits of the
early 80's for the two minute duration of the song. I hope Fitz of
Depression get real big--reeeel big.
Gas Huffer took the stage and led the audience in a sing-along of
"Happy Birthday" for the bassist. It was a heartwarming moment. The boys
played an energetic set of their b-list songs--probably because they were
sick of playing the "hits." They did play "Firebug," which got Matt(?)
the singer into his usual character, the Jed Clampett/Earnest T. Bass
cantankerous guy. (I heard that character was invented in college
literature classes--some guy told my brother that he went to school with
him and he was doing the backwoods thing even then. I guess this is what
happens when cousins marry.) Watch for Gas Huffer's upcoming ABC
Afterschool Special--they put it together with Donny Most last December.
P.S. Anybody ever seen a band in Minneapolis called The Crashdummies?
They only put out one 7" on Stucco Records, but they had a catalog of
hundreds of songs. What ever happened to 'em?
*******ADS/ANNOUNCEMENTS*********
From: $JFENNEL@LWCVM1.LWC.EDU
LOIS TOUR DATES
The night before LOIS plays at JMU in Harrisonburg, VA, the band is
playing at LONGWOOD in Farmville at 7:30 in Lancer Cafe. Weeeeeeeee! That
should be fun.Free coffee and food for anyone. Lois is on K Records, by
the way. It's a FREE show, too! FEBRUARY 17 AT 7:30! jennie fennell,
mainstage chair, LWC
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CRAW CD/CASS
The debut CD by Cleveland's CRAW is out now and available in stores
nationwide. If unable to find it and want it, write to :
CHOKE, INC.
1376 W. Grand Ave.
Chicago, Il 60622
See march Alternative Press for feature in said band
Craw/Choke Inc. newsletter - mail interests to :
rockie@neurosis.wariat.org
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From: Aaron Schatz <ST000414@BROWNVM.brown.edu>
Need bands
I'm trying to put together a good show for here in Providence on Friday
April 8 at AS220, cause my band is playing and I want to play with bands
that will draw people so that we can be heard. Any suggestions, or any
big indie-types out there read I-List? Please write me. (So far, I've
tried to contact Halo Bit, Scarce, and Versus). Thanks.
Aaron Schatz
ST000414@brownvm.brown.edu
(401) 863-5584
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The Indie-List Digest is published twice weekly by the Indie-List
Infotainment Junta, Unltd.
What Who Where
Editor Sean Murphy skmurphy@phoenix.princeton.edu
Moderator K. Lena Bennett keb@carson.u.washington.edu
Mailings Liz Clayton lclayton@uhuru.uchicago.edu
Archives Chris Karlof karlofc@seq.cms.uncwil.edu
FTP/Gopher /pub/music/lists/indie @ ftp.uwp.edu
Consultants: Mark Cornick and Joshua Houk
Indie-List is not copyrighted. It may be freely reproduced for any purpose.
Please cite Indie-List as your source.
<----------------------------------------------------->
please send your articles for the next issue to LENA!
<----------------------------------------------------->
[Submitted by: karlof chris knox (karlofc@seq.cms.uncwil.edu)
Wed, 9 Mar 1994 14:56:43 -0500 (EST)]