Indie-List_V3_N6
What you say started in spite
Turned out to be the nicest thing to happen
In the last year of my life...
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Indie List Digest!
January 21st, 1994
Volume 3, Number 6
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In this burst of insanity:
Hazel b/w YLT and TFC
Live Indie-List Summit (urm), etc.
Continuing Struggle to Save Independent Radio in Seattle
Mambo Taxi/Beatnik Filmstars/Techno
and yer editor's "Mindless mumbles that I'd been meaning to get to..."
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From: Mike Winter <ab809@freenet.carleton.ca>
Hazel b/w YLT and TFC
Hazel|Toreador Of Love|Sub Pop
Hazel: who are these guys?? I know zip about them until their cd arrived
at my local community station courtesy of our friends at PubSlop (is it
just me, or are they on one hell of a roll?) To make a short story
shorter, I threw it in for a listen and was blown away by their
bass-powered sound that is deriative of the whole fugazi-thang in ways,
but a lot poppier. That pop edge is mostly the result of the male\female
vocal combination and a lot of cool hooks.. Even a couple of ballads are
thrown in, 'Truly' being the best one, clocking in at 6+ minutes. But
Hazel's real power is their kick-ass full throttle rock-outs like 'Big
Fatty' and 'Boog'
There're a couple duds on the album's 14 tracks, but if you can find it
for a decent price, it's a good pickup.. --->7.5/10
BTW, this may be indie blasphemy, but I was looking for some Sebadoh
recommendations after hearing that they sound quite a bit like Eric's
Trip, one of the greatest bands ever. Also, seeing that Teenage Fanclub
and Yo La Tengo are touring together, I'll throw quick comments at their
two new albums. T. Fanclub's 13 takes a while to get used to the highly
polished (ugh) sound, but the bottom line is that this album rocks, and
incl includes all the band's Bandwagonesque b-sides. Painful puzzles
me, it seems to follow a ABABABA pattern of great song, shitty song.. The
great songs are great (I only have it taped, so I can't reference song
titles_ and the shitty songs are really shitty.
--
'Those rare moments when the magistrate, after escorting me to
the door of the office, would pat my shoulder and say in a friendly
tone: 'Well, Mr. Antichrist, that's all for the present!'
_Albert Camus_ ## Mike Winter ab809@freenet.carleton.ca
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From: Mark Cornick [cornick@aol.com]
Live Indie-List Summit (urm), etc.
Greetings from etc. etc. I just got dumped from my "mail coordinator" job,
allegedly for not being "dependable" enough. Sheeya! You try driving
from downtown to the burbs and back every morning in the damned snow & ice
(which continues here now)... ah, fuck big financial corporations. I'm
gonna be a professional slacker again. Fuck insurance, fuck paid
vacations, fuck the goddamn corporate ladder... oh, never mind me.
What was I talking about? Oh yeah, Analogue, Uglyhead and Friendly, last
Friday at the Metro in Richmond, probably the last show we'll play there
since their drug-dealing management doesn't think we drew enough and our
friend there got fired. So. We were up against the Governor's Ball (yup,
inauguration time in the Capitol o' the Confederacy), Janet Jackson (or
was that Michael? Wait, Janet has breasts, right?) and John Hiatt (heh
heh, heh heh, John Hiatt SUCKS!, heh heh, heh heh.) Despite this, we drew
a decent crowd (or so we thought; these club managers can be a little
uptight about the beer tab, ya know?) Also, this was the first time I'd
met anyone from the ILIJ in person -- though I've talked to Liz and Sean
on the phone, I've never met anyone else F2F -- and, I guess, since we had
one ILIJer in one band and an ILIJer emeritus in another, this could've
been some kind of Indie-List summit or something.
Right, right, the bands. Analogue, featuring Indie-List Infotainment
Junta-er Chris Karlof on bass. Paul Cardillo raved about 'em last time. I
kinda liked 'em too. A trio, fuzzy enough to make some noise but clean
enough to make some melody too. I sensed a couple of influences --
Spiderland-era Slint was on a lot of people's tongues, and I also
noticed a hint of Dead C-style squall in there too. Chris wasn't all that
happy with the show, but I thought it went great. (Nice custom shirts,
too; but why does Karlof's shirt say "Christopher Knox"? Or does Knox have
a shirt someplace that says "Chris Karlof"?)
Next up, Uglyhead, who are friends of mine (my onstage, theatrical
confrontation with guitarist Jack notwithstanding -- it's an old joke, and
one we probably won't mine again.) Uglyhead are fairly big Kiwipop fans,
and fortunately they seem to like the same NZ bands I do -- the 3D's, the
Gordons, the Dead C (again), etc. (Right now Liz is probably mumbling to
herself "Hm. He used to not like NZ music. Christ, he must be in a bad
mood or something.") On Friday they were a wall of noise, with
singer/guitarist Dave's vocals nearly lost in layers of feedback and
distortion. For someone like me, who digs low fidelity, tape hiss, and
that sort of thing, this was fine, but I can see how the Janet Jackson
fans who stumbled in here by mistake might've been confused.
I won't bother reviewing my own band -- maybe Chris will -- but I'll mention
a few key points:
* Miking an eggbeater in live performance is tough.
* I thought I had a great costume -- or anti-costume, as you wish; it was
basically electrical tape over my nipples -- but Mike upstaged everybody
once again by playing in really ridiculous drag.
* I think we're finally catching on a bit here in Retchmond -- audience
response was very good, and there were a lot of people there for our set
-- but you know how club managers are.
* The next time you see us, maybe we'll have learned "To Sir With Love."
A word about the tape Steve "hjsadf';adkj'" Silverstein reviewed last
time: Yup, that's our tape, but it's going to be a 45 sometime in the
coming months, so if you're not quite sure whether you want one or not,
you might as well wait for the 45. If you want to join Friendly's Army
now, though, send a blank tape and a couple stamps and I'll hook you up.
(We're not mass-producing the tape; if we were I wouldn't ask for a tape
and stamps. We're saving for the vinyl.) That address once again:
Trashbox, 324 South Cherry, Richmond VA 23220. Oh, and Friendly might be
heading north for a few shows this spring, or south, or both. We'll play
cheap, plus we offer day one medical, 401(k), two weeks paid vacation, a
25th-floor off... UGH! I HATE CORPORATE EMPLOYMENT BULLSHIT! Yikes!
Send mail here if you want me to read it quickly. The Delphi account is
still open, but they're getting rrrrrreeeeeeaaaaalllllllllllyyyyy slow
lately (running an online service from a VAXcluster? Gadzooks...) so I'm
not on there very often these days. Maybe Rupert'll buy them some faster
machines, whaddaya say?
Oh yeah, one parting bit. I saw the new Jawbox video, can't remember the
name of the song, but it's from _For Your Own Special Sweetheart_, their
debut for Atlantic due out RSN. Not too bad, although I wouldn't guess
that this was the same band that made Grippe (then again, Grippe and
Novelty didn't sound so much the same either.) A lot of people are
expecting this LP to suck big-time, but I wouldn't write 'em off just yet.
"It's the freedom, stupid!"
--mark
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From: Julie Carter <a-julic@microsoft.com>
Continuing Struggle to Save Independent Radio in Seattle
CURSE stands for Censorship Undermines Radio Station Ethics, and is a
nonprofit organization formed in October 1992 to restore democracy to and
increase community involvement at the radio station 90.3FM (KCMU) in
Seattle.
@ Negotiations between CURSE and the University of Washington about the
future of KCMU are again on hold and will probably continue to be until
the lawsuit (filed by 14 individual plaintiffs, not by CURSE per se) has
been resolved. The case could be resolved by summary judgment in the next
few months, but if it goes to trial it could drag on for some time.
@ Rumors of the resignation of KCMU station manager Chris Knab have been
confirmed. Former development director Tom Mara has stepped in as interim
station manager.
@ A comprehensive story about CURSE and KCMU that was scheduled for
publication in 'Details' has now been bought by 'Rolling Stone' and should
be appearing in their college issue, which will be available in February
or so.
@ Copies of the first anniversary issue of 'CURSEword' should still be
available. Check coffeehouses in Seattle or call 298-CURS.
@ The next CURSE membership meeting is Sunday, January 30, 7pm, at the 911
Media Arts Center in Seattle (117 Yale North). Biannual elections for the
board will be held, and attendance is open to new members, as always.
Please attend, if the future of community radio in Seattle is important to
you.
For recorded information or to be added to the CURSE newsletter mailing
list, call (206) 298-CURS. The CURSE mailing address is P.O. Box
85839, Seattle, WA 98145.
<CURSE condemns all threats, harassment, violence, and other illegal acts.>
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From: James Nash <CCX020@raven.coventry.ac.uk>
Mambo Taxi/Beatnik Filmstars/Techno
OK, coupla lives n' some other stuff...
++ Mambo Taxi @ Biko Bar, Coventry Uni, 15Jan94
No support. Not even a gusset.
Sorry, Mambo Taxi sucked big time. I guess my attitude wasn't helped by a)
none of my friends turning up; b) me blanking out a girl I'd tried to chat
up at a Slowdive concert three years ago, when she had remembered me; c)
the routine fire alarm three songs in; d) my liking immensely the 3 songs
I had heard beforehand; e) the disgusting beer; f) hitting the paranoid
come-down on that PM's roll-up. Need I go on? I did like the synth/organ
player tho'. And at least they were enjoying themselves. ** (just)
++ Beatnik Filnstars / Kinky Love @ Browns, Coventry, 19Jan94
Missed the first band... dunno their name either.
This was Kinky Love's second ever gig and they sure were tight for a new
local band (Nuneaton - I wonder if they're fans of the Borough?). I
couldn't get a grip on their sound during their set; it didn't wash over
me, I just couldn't place them, which must be a good thing. A
between-bands piss provided inspiration: Mint 400 meets The Cramps. The
vocals were way low and the drums a bit brash but I enjoyed them and look
forward to seeing them in 6 months or so when they could be incredible.
*1/2
Beatnik Filmstars I'd somehow managed to avoid before tonight. Can't say
my life was incomplete without them but they were fun hardcore. Loud, too.
My ears are still ringing. Best bits: when all four gtr/bs were slammin'
away, or when they experimented some. Worst bits: gtr strings & amps going
ker-splat. Check 'em out if you like weirdish hardcore. They have a new
single out soon, if not now. *1/2
++ OTHER NEWS
Swirlies playing London next week which I shall try to make if I can find
a place to crash out afterwards (any offers, ultra-cool I-L people?; I
don't smell much) or by some miracle I can catch a train after the gig.
Found a Breed single I never knew existed. Review imminent.
++ HOW CAN I TEMPT YOU TO READ THIS?
Of interest to Joep & Loz, and of course all other Indie-Listers, will be
this week's issue of Melody Maker. There is a 15-page special on
techno/ambient/whatever-you-wanna-call-it which looks a brilliant
introduction to the whole scene. Coupled with J&L's posts, you've got no
excuse not to give this sort of music a whirl. (y-gig). (and that includes
me). Related: I've heard Sons of the Subway a couple of times on John Peel
and really liked their stuff. Now someone will probably come along and
tell me they suck in a major industrial way or somesuch but I'd like to
know. And you were right, I never did hear that second Aphex CD.
--James Nash (ccx020@cov.ac.uk)
Half way up the Wrekin with an empty flask of tea
A fog descends and takes away my visibility
Yet in this Hellen Keller state I'd still quite like to know
Why is Rod Hull alive... and getting paid as well?
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From: Sean Keric Murphy <skmurphy@phoenix.princeton.edu>
Late-night reflections on a few past articles...
Oh well, another late night in a computer cluster... I'm mostly killing
time since I thought I'd be mailing the new I-L right now (thursday
night, january 20, 1994, 10:30pm, eastern standard time) but I'm not.
Some responses to articles in recent issues -
- for those interested in American "ambient-techno-whatever": check out
Steve Fisk's work. Some has been released under his name, some under the
name Duck Hunt, some as Media Warrior (a scathing cut-up of the ass-hole
professional program director at KCMU), and his amazing work on the most
recent Some Velvet Sidewalk release, the I Scream EP. Probably too active
for a Seefeel fan, but pretty killer all the same. And the obvious choice
- Negativland. Their most recent CD, "Over The Edge Pt. Five", is
bizarre... it tracks the exploits of one Crosley Bendix, Cultural
Reporter. The bit about "domestic art" had me rolling on the floor when
my friend Mike played it oon the radio a couple weeks ago... "Marshmallow
fluff has particularly good adhesive properties..."
- There are many fine examples of live-playing Brit bands who have floored
me (Stereolab and Th' Faith Healers come to mind, as does Jacob's Mouse),
but I think that there's something in the water over there that might help
explain the fascination with ambient and other space music... where else
in the world would a classical symphony (admittedly, a really interesting
one, Gorecki's Symphony #5) make the charts, or a band that had been
obviously broken up for almost 10 years have a number one hit based on a
clothing commercial (The Clash) ?
There is a different musical culture between the US and Europe - and
though many of my very favorite bands are british (just look at my
frequent postings about early 80s stuff like "anything on Cherry Red"),
there is a definite boost to seeing a performance of a band. Seeing Sonic
Boom set up all his instruments to drone and feedback off each other for
40 minutes is a different experience from hearing his CD of the same
things OR seeing someone play three records at the same time as a
performance of drone-music. Hip-hop and dance music do not usually
translate well to the live stage, and this is unfortunate. Ambient music
is even further removed from live performance (most of the time) and thus
faces the same problems.
It was 3 years ago this month that I saw my first live indie-band
performance (Superchunk and Erectus Monotone at Terrace Club) and that
experience totally changed the way I listen to music. Some bands are
better on record than live, but often it's the other way around, and I
always want to have both experiences to judge the music when possible.
(This is why I'll fucking travel around the world if necessary to see the
Dead C and Terminals play before I die...) The first time I saw the
Swirlies live, they floored me. 2 1/2 years later, I see them and they
sound lifeless and sleepy. First time I saw Tsunami, I was more in awe of
seeing them than I was at the music (various reasons... mostly related to
the fact that these people released a Bricks song, and they put on a 2 day
festival with 20 bands, and they let me stay at their house... and Jenny
was really, really cute :) ) The more I see them, the more I appreciate
what they're doing musically, especially in the "rhythm" department.
(Yes, Jenny's still cute, but I'd rather try to figure out what Andrew's
playing... :) Live performances matter in music. This is why I was so
psyched to see Bricks live - I can listen to their 20 songs any time I
like at home, but seeing them live was a different, special experience.
Others may totally disagree with me, and have no interest in seeing a band
perform in person... that's fine. But I think that generally, there is
more of an emphasis in the US on live performance (not even from a
showmanship angle) than there is in the UK. Then again, they have Reading
and Glastonbury, and we have Mersh-a-pa-fuck-tard XVIII coming this
summer.
I feel like I stopped making sense about halfway through that argument,
but at least I'm not getting graded here...
Anyway, I'd like to hear what others think. But don't just tell me - send
the articles to Lena... we'll publish the list as often as we have to to
keep up with supply (that's why it's twice a week now instead of once...).
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)
Mon, 24 Jan 1994 14:37:20 -0500 (EST)]