Indie-List_V3_N5
There's no remorse and no reason why.
------------------------------
The Indie-List Digest
January 19, 1994
Volume 3, Number 5
------------------------------
In this issue:
studio red benefit @ lupo's, providence 1/13/94
xorcist ep review
Trace Elements/Band of Susans Plug
Silkworm/Engine Kid, Seattle and a Question for DC Residents
TFUL282: polishing bishops in the palace
Re: The Larry Cash Jr.
===============
Quick administrative notes:
1. Know your ILIJ and who does what. LENA receives your new articles for
the next issue, not me. LIZ receives your requests to get off the
Indie-List, not me. To quote Mark Cornick, "Be considerate and
patient." Thank you.
2. We should be sorta back on schedule after this issue - V.3 N.6 should
mail out Thursday night or Friday morning. Things have been a little
wacky of late, but I think it's all settling down (famous last words...).
Sean
skmurphy@phoenix.princeton.edu
================
From: spaceboy <TROUTMAN@middlebury.edu>
studio red benefit @ lupo's, providence 1/13/94
well, after over a year of pining to see versus live, they end up
cancelling the one gig i was able to attend :(.
this past thursday at lupo's in providence, i went to see the studio red
benefit. studio red is an indie recording studio in philadelphia that's
run by this guy named adam lasus, aka "red." anyway, a water main broke
on the street outside the studio and flooded the place, destroying most if
not everything therein... hence, the benefit shows.
bands billed that evening were: common thieves, incinerator, the halo bit,
versus, helium, gigolo aunts, and scarce. (as i mentioned above, versus
cancelled.)
common thieves: straight-forward guitar pop. enjoyable. apparently they
hadn't played in over a year. i think the drummer might have been from
scarce but i'm not sure. (*1/2)
incinerator: when the singer wasn't singing, i rather enjoyed them.
dreamy, mopey, guitar pop. vocals kind of reminded me of velocity girl but
not as good. (*)
the halo bit: by far the best band of the evening. they released an
amazing three song single this past summer and it's pretty darn cool. i
don't think they've put anything else out but i'm not positive. anyway,
they really kick booty. guitar pop with outstanding vocal harmonies. i
talked with the lead singer/ guitarist and to my chagrin discovered that
he is the guy from small factory (testimony to my cluelessness.)
it seems that he doesn't have a "real" job so he has to play all the time.
the halo bit was formed, he said, in order to write "mopey songs".
however, that really doesn't categorize them to well as they have more
than a few bright moments.
the other guitarist is from miracle legion and i don't know where the
bassist and drummer come from. i hope this isn't too blasphemous but i
think i like the halo bit better than small factory (not that the latter
isn't amazing also...) oh yeah, i asked him what he's up to now, and he
said that small factory's writing new tunes... (**1/2)
(sniff sniff... no versus)
helium: runner-up to band of the evening. i've been hooked ever since "the
american jean" b/w "termite tree" single. the vocalist/guitarist knows
what she's doing! she plays really well and has an outstanding voice.
their set sort of reminded me of when i saw liz phair over the summer when
she was performing solo... really haunting and very powerful. their latest
single sort of captures this but the production makes it sound heavier
than their live sound. (**)
gigolo aunts: not even a cover of chris bell's "i am the cosmos" could
save this band from mediocrity. i was actually sort of looking forward to
seeing them as i enjoyed their most recent ep, however, they just didn't
do anything for me live... thoughts of the spin doctors floated through my
mind. i will give them this conceit, they have really cool vocal
harmonies, almost reminiscent of the beach boys. (**1/2)
scarce: hmmm, i don't know what to say. they just didn't hold the same
appeal as when i saw them for the first time about a month ago. i'm not
sure what it is exactly but i didn't feel any kind of connection with them
this time. they just sounded like a standard rock 'n' roll band which
isn't necessarily a bad thing... i guess i wasn't in the mood that
evening. the bassist is still the coolest, though! (*1/2)
c-ya,
michael.
----------------------------------------------------- "groovin' to a new sin"
troutman@middlebury.edu, troutman@midd.bitnet
===============
From: power tools <FSBLR@aurora.alaska.edu>
xorcist _bitches ep_ (21st circuitry records 21c.cd005)
this is the xorcist's 2nd release, a follow up to his 1992(?) release
_damned souls_. unfortunately, there is only one new song on this five
tracker, but it's damn good! his dark and eerie style is definitely
progressing in the right direction. the next three songs are remixes of
songs off of _damned souls_, and they are also much 'darker' than the
originals. the last song is a cover of (uh-oh not the n word!) nirvana's
_smells like teen spirit_. i was quite skeptical about the whole idea of a
nirvana song but actually xorcist does a nice bastardization of the song,
changing it into an industrialish track. overall the album is very strong
although some of the lyrics get a bit offensive (to sensitive listeners of
course). **
by the way, if anyone else is interested in this type of dark, eerie,
gloomy, evil-esque type music, please contact me at:
fsblr@aurora.alaska.edu
===============
From: Kent Williams <williams@herky.cs.uiowa.edu>
Trace Elements/Band of Susans Plug
Well, R. Poss may shy away from shameless self-promotion, but I'm willing
to give Trace Elements and Band of Susans a plug. He sent me a big tyvek
envelope of stuff, which I'll summarize here:
Trace Elements
172 East 4th Street #11D (Down near the Battery, I think)
New York NY 10009
What T.E. currently has for sale is
It Was A Dark and Stormy Night (CD) -- Nicolas Collins $12
Devil's Music (LP) -- Nicolas Collins $6
Inverse Guitar (Cas) -- Nicolas Collins/Robert Poss $4
Sometimes (Cas) -- Poss' pre Susans band $3
Blessing & Curse (EP) -- Band of Susans $6
Hope Against Hope (LP/Cass) -- Band of Susans ($7/$4)
Love Agenda (LP) -- Band of Susans ($8)
Mood Swing 7" (45) -- Band of Susans ($3)
Love Agenda/Mood Swing/Veil T Shirts ($8)
[I would say that this is barely skirting our advertisement rules - I
obviously don't mind giving a small plug for another's label/zine/band/
whatever, but it should have some content to it, not merely a listing of
the catalog in question. Just something to watch out for in the
future... - Sean]
===============
From: Tim Wicinski <wicinski@polyp.barn.com>
Silkworm/Engine Kid in Seattle and a DC question...
Engine Kid/Silkworm/Sparkmarker/Said Child @ Velvet Elvis Theatre
(Seattle)
headed down on a dreary friday night (i was tired, i had to pick my friend
gordon up from work), all ages show and finally not a boring show in
seattle (for a town which claims to be hip they have very few interesting
shows, though i did miss the lois shows for other reasons). i missed said
child but i heard i missed little, Sparkmarker were an energentic 4-piece
from vancouver BC, and had most of the attention of the evening of the
younger crowd - good simple fast punk rock with poignant lyrics. i can
handle that. between bands we wandered out to drink in the alleys trying
to duck out of the rain. no such luck. Silkworm was the highlight of the
everning, just releasing a new record on C/Z called "Into the Woods". The
record is good, but they have some tendency of playing either new stuff or
stuff they haven't recorded too much. and wearing suits at shows - huh? oh
well, i guess everyone has their own thing. Their set was mainly new
stuff, with a few oldies. new stuff sounds good, but they play more drony
stuff in concert anyway. Engine Kid finished up the evening, and even
though i like their latest records, live they are a disapointment to me.
they have a new drummer (or so it seems) who i am not as fond of. still
one of those 3 pieces which can throughly grind out the rock scum with the
best of them. they slogged thru their paces, but by that point, it was
almost 2am, my friend was growing weary of the onslaught, so we hit the
road.
[a change of heart:]
Silkworm - "In the West" (C/Z) latest album from the transplants of
seattle, but the first on C/Z. good recording production, recorded at
Chicago Recording Company, and no producer credits but i gather it belongs
the skinny geek. He put together a cleaner sound for Silkworm, forced them
to not drone on as much, which they can do, and into more coherent songs.
"Into the Woods" (also on a 7" somewhere) is quite good, as is "Raised by
Tigers". They used the newer trend of clear CD cases throught, allowing
more space (underneath the CD) to put more artwork. still doesn't make me
a fan of the technology though.
Silkworm and Engine Kid have a split Christmas 7" out, but it went out of
print really quickly.
that's all from seattle - besides the fact i find the coffee here to be
suprisingly bad quality. not that i like it all that much in the first
place. i'll take a cup of tea anyday.
oh yea, i'll be in DC visiting friends and family during the end
of january - any shows ayone can recommend? drop me some email.
thanks
tim
wicinski@barn.com
===============
From: prunesquallor <al@iris.claremont.edu>
TFUL282: polishing bishops in the palace
a review:
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 _Admonishing the Bishops_ EP (Atlantador)
In which our heroes get cohesive, sorta. My initial impression was "nice,
pretty tuneful, la la la." However, I've been having to force myself to
take this thing out of my digital device, which is an unusual response to
an EP for me. Generally, I like the format, but I prefer longer stuffs
for true immersion. This is an incredible little disc, this. First song,
"Hurricane" starts Pavementy, waxes Slint-like in the middle, takes a few
more detours, and eventually ends up in the usual TFU neighborhood, near
Neptune. Nosir, won't even try to compare the rest of the songs to any
earthling type bands. The hoedown at the end of "father" is worth the
price of admission alone.
a recommendation:
Palace "Come In"/"Trudi Dies" (drag city) More distilled dewy sadness
from The Palace Brothers.
--
m i c h a e l l. m e d l i n a l @ i r i s . c l a r e m o n t . e d u
whenever we kiss, dear, our two lips meet,
and whenever you're not with me, we're apart.
when you sawed my dog in half, that was depressin',
but when you shot me in the chest, you broke my heart.
--lucius shepard
===============
From: Russ Poldrack <rpoldrac@s.psych.uiuc.edu>
Re: The Larry Cash Jr.
In response to remarks by Matt <snow@minerva.cis.yale.edu> in a previous
issue:
I don't know these fellows, and I'm sure they are nice and all and have a
great studio, but I saw them open for Scrawl at the Lounge Ax a couple
weeks ago and I have to say that I thought they were really horrible. Far
from being musical geniuses, their music was totally derivative and
pretentious. The lead singer's vocals were grating and at times seemed
like a literal Pavement ripoff. Whereas some bands or musicians seem to
make because they have to, these guys seemed to make music because they had
some extra money laying around and wanted to see themselves being cool on
video. (Just one guy's honest opinion, your mileage may vary)
---
Russ Poldrack
rpoldrac@s.psych.uiuc.edu
===============
From: Sean Murphy <skmurphy@phoenix.princeton.edu>
Reviews for icy, rotten, unpassable walkways...
KICKING GIANT: Halo (Spartadisc, 117 N. 5th St. Brooklyn, NY 11211)
The long-awaited debut CD from Tae and Rachel, and it's totally amazing.
22 songs of anger, joy, and sex (wait, isn't that all part of the same
thing?) with one guitar and one stand-up drum kit that puts most full
kits to shame (dispel those visions of Sheila E., dammit!) and two voices
that weave together occasionally and mesmerize individually. Much of
this CD is re-recorded from their 3 cassette releases, but since I never
heard those cassettes I can't compare too much (except that Fuck The
Rules sounds happier on the CD than I remember it being on "Throw"). It
gets a little tiresome in one full sitting, but I still have to recommend
this to EVERYONE who's ever enjoyed one Beat Happening song or one Some
Velvet Sidewalk song. **
TERMINALS: Black Creek / Both Ends Burning (Siltbreeze, PO Box 53297,
Philadelphia, PA 19105)
A new single from Christchurch, NZ's masters of 60's doom-psych. "Black
Creek" goes on for about 5 minutes, you know it's been playing for five
minutes, and yet you need to listen to it again as soon as it's
finished. "Both Ends Burning" is a genius cover of the old Roxy Music
tune (from "Desire, the fifth RM album") which ditches the cheesy synth
and horns for a spookier-than-shit analog synth and scorching guitar
energy. Both these songs make me tense and hyper and exhausted and
remind me how much I need to buy more Terminals records. **
FREAKWATER: Feels Like The Third Time (Thrill Jockey - dammit, I dont
have the address here...)
Despite what those jokers in the Squirrel Bait and Rocket House families
have led you to believe, Louisville is still a hick town. Freakwater is
one of the manifestations of that hick-ness. While the "notable" member
is Janet Beveridge Bean (also of 11th Dream Day), most of the singing is
handled by Catherine Erwin, and it's mostly down-home country-ish rock.
An older, less fucked-up relative of the Palace Brothers. Covers of
Conway Twitty and Pete Seeger and some hilarious originals (Crazy Man)
prove that there can still be such a thing as good country music in the
era of Garth "G-R-E-E-D" Brooks. **
And it's nice to see in the liners to Tara Key's new LP, "Bourbon County"
(on the Homestead label), that she plays exclusively "Williams and Bally
machines." With the exception of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Data East can go
to hell. Gottlieb/Premier already has.
Sean
skmurphy@phoenix.princeton.edu
<------------------------------------------------------------>
The Indie-List Digest is published every Tuesday and Friday 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, 19 Jan 1994 14:41:09 -0500 (EST)]