"So now she's converted, and she keeps kosher. She keeps the dog kosher..." ############################# Indie List Digest! May 29, 1995 Volume 4 Number 29 ############################# I can see stars, I can see asteroids... pop zine dream Watt, Versus, and questions about country music Destroy All Monsters/ Princess Dragon Mom ANNOUNCE: aquarius records benefit ANNOUNCE: Karl Hendricks Trio tour dates ANNOUNCE: new URBAN FARMERS CD out on Uprising It was a dark and stormy night, and once again i found myself at the door of Lounge Ax in Chicago, as i often have this spring. We were there for one of the nights of the Cardigan Fest, and if any of the bands played a cover of "The Sweater Song" i haven't heard about it, but i think it would have been brilliant. anyway. we missed the first few bands, including kittywinder and labradford, while we were out cruising for parking. but there was still a pretty small crowd for the next band, UI. they were three serious young men who loved repetition, building songs out of repeating the same riff over and over, then interspersing bass solos over that. the set began promisingly but the formula became pretty monotonous. i found myself longing for some variety in tempo and approach. one dogged soul danced, sort of a country line-dance actually, but she seemed to be in a different bar. I had heard a Number One Cup single and was prepared for some kind of minimal, poppy, arty sound. thus their all-out Chapel Hill-style sound was surprising. bouncy, loud, a little goofy but not too much so, they reminded me of Pavement, Archers of Loaf, and Superchunk alternately. They took so little trouble to synthesize their influences that I can only say that they are derivative, but people who like this sort of thing will find it to be the sort of thing they like. I liked it and felt like a sucker. They covered GBV's "Exit Flagger" and a Mountain Goats song. Last up were Sea and Cake, a band I'd kind of been on the fence about, and I was not disappointed. Something about the way these guys seem to toss off spare, languid melodies is very easy to embrace. I had feared there would be noodling, but what there was didn't seem to bother me. Notable personae included Archer, known for his role in The Coctails, and Sam, lead singer with a sort of sleepy-Mickey-Rourke attitude. "Play 'Jackin' the Ball!" yelled an audience member, right after they'd played it. "Aw, man, we just played that one," he replied, without a trace of irony. I laughed. zippity doo-dah, az <------------------------------> From: Sean Murphy <grumpy@access.digex.net> I can see stars, I can see asteroids... Before I get to the "substance" of this submission, I'd like to issue a little reminder/challenge to the Indie-List membership, all 1300 to 1400 of you. (Betcha didn't realize how many people receive this... I would attempt to give an exact count, but that would take hours to figure out.) My point: This list is one by and for its readers. It has always been and will continue to be member-driven. What this means is that the responsibility is on YOU to make it something worthwhile. Heard a record lately that made you jump up and down? Or one that fit that gloomy dark brooding feeling you've had for the past two months? Or one that is just worthy of some attention? Read any good zines or seen a show? Then tell us about it. There are no professional I-L writers. There are no official I-L writers (except for the occasional bit of administrivia). And unlike your average zine, this is not necessarily a passive exercise. If you're content to just read, then that's fine, and we won't kick you out or anything. :) But nobody should be afraid to express a viewpoint, ask a question, or talk about a band/show/zine/etc. You are the single best judge of what's appropriate for discussion here. So go ahead and try writing - after you've done it once, it only gets easier... and I speak from experience on that one. Recorded Material: Hum, _You'd Prefer An Astronaut_ (RCA) 3rd lp from this Champaign, IL crew, first one tied in to the corporate ogre (first two were on the fine Twelve Inch label). I was a little apprehensive about purchasing it, since my local "commercial alternative" station has been playing the hell out of "Stars" lately (advance CD single, perhaps? special "radio edit" that's 10 seconds shorter than the album version of the song? no, that couldn't be...). But I liked _Electra 2000_ plenty, and they were flat out amazing last year when I saw them play in Princeton, so I took the plunge and bought it. And, I'm glad I did. While "Stars" might be the first song to grab out at you from the disk, it's not the single that the LP was built around or anything - it was just convenient to draw it out from the LP. Strong guitar playing, nice and creative use of dynamics, nothing pretentious or ostentatious, just a well-crafted record. There will be comparisons made to ye olde smashing fucktards, and I've already heard one DJ say that "billy cornflake likes them," but this is a far superior record (and it's not the least bit whiny or over-produced). Last time they came through DC, they were opening for Bush (I think) - what a shame, 'cause I have no interest in seeing lame-ass British poseurs (but would have to pay too much to get in and then leave before the headliners). Anyway, if they happen to be playing near you, and the remainder of the lineup isn't too offensive, check 'em out. *1/2 for the album, ** in live performance. John Coltrane, _Blue Train_ (Blue Note, 1957) No commentary is really necessary, and I can't do this record any form of justice by talking about it. I'm just annoyed at myself for taking so long to pick up a copy. I think it's Coltrane's first release as band leader, but I could be wrong... anyway, it's a 6-piece band, and if you can't ride with the title track through its 10 minutes of glory, then you're not actually listening to it. *** (I was really looking for some Eric Dolphy stuff, but the store didn't have a single Dolphy CD - lame-ass fuckers - and in flipping around, I found _Blue Train_ instead. I'm not disappointed in the least, trust me, but how can a self-respecting record store not carry a single Dolphy or Ornette Coleman CD, and only 3 or 4 by Coltrane? That's what I get for impulse shopping in the chain store... anyone have ideas for punishment besides the ever-popular hand-flensing by lesbians?) Other than those items, not much in the way of new acquisitions lately... been listening to the radio far too much for my own good 'cause I'm too damn lazy to keep turning over records or changing CDs when they finish. But I will recommend that people who don't already have it RUN directly to the nearest cool record store and score a copy of Snap by the Jam - and don't wuss out for the shorter CD - you really do need this in its full glory - all 16 singles released by the band, with b-sides, and a couple other tracks for good measure. Remember (or learn) what true power-punk-pop is all about. Grumpy Sean grumpy@access.digex.net <------------------------------> From: Malathrsk@aol.com pop zine dream Even as we speak, there is a crew of hundreds laboring under deadline crunch to bring you the next issue of Malathion Risk, due out this summer (in several languages.) While we let them have a not-undeserved short break, we kifed these reviews off the desks of some for your early enjoyment! The Apples in stereo-fun trick noisemaker (spinart); I am absolutely in love with the apples' self-released ep. I was worried that they couldn't follow it up with a full-length lp. Not that I doubted they couldn't write the songs, I was worried that they wouldn't stay focused long enough to turn out a full lp. Wow, was I wrong! The record will either be the sleeper of the year or on everyone's tongue. The pure pop of "glowworm" to the psychedelia of "dots 1-2-3" to the Summer Nights-era Beach boys tribute "inner space" and the bonus surprise of Hillary's wonderful vocals all add up to this being one of the finest records I've ever heard! Robin Hitchcock-I Something You +2 (K): It's Robin Hitchcock, alone with a guitar & harmonica. Calvin Johnson recorded it. What the hell do you think it sounds like?!! Stark and beautiful. starhustler-Mendicant (dirt): this band certainly has the pedigree to compete in the indie-pop dog show, but it is on the strength of the music alone that would clinch it a blue ribbon. if you think that isn't a good review, then remember only the best dogs compete in the show, and a blue ribbon is the highest honor bestowed. this record is definitely "Best in class" and a strong contender for "Best of show." John T. Baker- itchy scalp theater (ivy de milo): what this amounts to is a self-released cassette. Ever heard of one of those? I thought so. John was apparently a member of the Nashville scene a few years back but decided to retire to the quiet hills of Arkansas. There he retired even further to his attic and recorded this tape full of wonderful pop songs. This tape is so low key that I'm sure few of you will ever hear it. What a shame. You can get this from John right now. Pop music of the home-grown variety, and we all know how much fun that can be! Swiss Bliss-7" ep (dirt):A nice, sorta psychedelic, way indie single by azalia snail and sportsguitar. azalia having already established some sort of "indie" cred, records some songs with her new swiss friends and the indie-pop world is happy. Actually I like this record more than this review would reflect. Lazy-You and me +2(roadtrip):Lazy are local heroes, and deservedly so. This 7" turns in one song sung by each of the three members. Meghan's song "You and Me" is the a-side and desservedly so. This is the strongest track of the 3. The b-side shows their bar/punk influence. "Broken" rocks as hard as anything they ever do, and "Jacked-Up Nova" should shake the whole cuddle-core movement right to its foundations. Godzuki-Toast/Gleason Rocket (march): Not every single is destined to become a classic. This actually falls somewher between Liz Phair and cuddlecore. It's got the cool girl vocals and the twangy guitar sound we've come to expect from both. This is a really cool record and you should buy it now, before everyone picks up on the "scene" status and these records sell out. Blairmailer/Flywheel split 7"(spit and 1/2): This is the second 7" in the on-going "australian pop series." 2 more great songs. If you're familiar with blairmailer, then you should own this. By no means a throw away track. Flywheel remains unknown. I'm assured this track will be on a full-length Flywheel cd soon. So this MUST be what's known as a tease. Garage-rock/Australia-style! Karate-death kit/nerve (self-starter): You hear good things about a record. Then you run across it at record store the next day. Is it too soon? Should I wait till I hear more? Should I just go on gut instinct? Fuck it! I'm gonna buy this record. Uhh.. just for the record, I'm glad I did. The Silly Pillows-Strangest of the Strange (little teddy); While you may not know it, the silly pillows have been around for a long time. They were sitting in their bedroom recording wonderful pop songs long before it became fashionable. Now they have moved out of the bedroom and into the family room. This record is filled with the sort of low- key pop songs that creep their way into your head several times a day, long before you know the titles. *************************************************************** Some malcontents have dubbed this particular brand of music "college rock." I guess this is meant to be derogatory in the way you would use "frat boy." Since I like a lot of the tunes in this genre, I'm going to attempt to rename it. Like all things, there are good and bad examples. You have to decide for yourself which bands fall into which category. This music is primarily guitar-driven, fairly stripped down, and vocally pleasant. It has a bad habit of sticking in your head for awhile at work. Some of it will survive a lot longer than others. However well it stands up to the test of time, remains to be seen. Currently, though, when you hear it you have one hell of a time pulling it off the turntable. Of course most of it comes from the same area of the country, but not all of it. It sounds alot like I'm describing So-Cal '70s wimp rock, so I'm going to use a phrase I once heard coined for that now long-dead scene. This music generally comes from the east coast now, and we're gonna call it "trash pop." spent-songs of drinking and rebellion (merge): this would get my vote for trash pop king record. Boy/girl vocals that are to die for, a revved up guitar sound, humor and heartbreak. It's all here on the label least likely to put it out. After 20 minutes of listening to The Beach Boys-Today, the workforce returns, everybody's happy, everybody's singing Help Me, Ronda, and everybody's back at work. Malathion Risk #9 will be here soon, but you won't hear from me until then. See ya soon! <------------------------------> From: Aaron Schatz <ST000414@BROWNVM.brown.edu> Watt, Versus, and questions about country music Hi folks, it's been awhile since I posted to the indie list but I figured since finals were over I'd say hi. I went to see Mike Watt a couple of weeks ago and came off with some interesting impressions. First of all Dave Grohl's new band sounds very much like Nirvana, but tuneful, more like "Nevermind" than "Bleach" or "In Utero." You may ask what this has to do with indie-ness. Well, I struck up a conversation with William the drummer back stage. William and Nate from Sunny Day Real Estate are now in Grohl's band, the Foo Fighters, and sound as good as always. William says SDRE has definitely called in quits, a real shame, but there will be a posthumous album this fall. I think he was really touched that someone had come to the show to see him and not just Eddie Vedder. Poor Eddie, all these girls were screaming his name and he was just trying to watch Foo Fighters from the back of the stage. He's very shy, I was standing next to him for most of it. (I was the BRU promotional DJ for the show, so I was backstage) I think we in the "indie community" (whatever that is) should really cut Ed some slack, he seems like a nice enough guy who doesn't really want to be the world's biggest rock star. He was pretty good with Watt too, and Watt played "Making the Freeway Safe for the Freeway," so I went home pretty happy. At one point he said, "This song is for D. Boon, and for those of you who don't know, you should know." Watt rocks. Good to see him getting some $$$ finally. Watt (without Eddie and Dave Grohl) will be on Lollapalooza second stage this year, along with a bunch of other bands, some of which I remember: Pharcyde, Coolio, Laika, Dambuilders, and Versus. Speaking of Versus, their singles compilation "Dead Leaves" is out finally, and I have to give it ** 1/2 out of 5. Yes, I am another of the crazy Versus fans who thinks they are the greatest band on the planet. It's all the tunes you know and love - Astronaut, Bright Light, Insomnia, plus 4 new previously unreleased tracks. The one bad spot - "Another Face," of the Stars Kill Rock compilation. All that screaming - what the hell was Richard thinking? By the way, I'm betting that Eddie Vedder himself is a big Versus fan - if you ever hear the PJ single "Corduroy" you might notice that the bridge is very Richard-esque. Other new stuff I've gotten... The Poole album on SpinArt, Alaska Days, is pretty cool but probably not worth paying money for (I got an extra copy from the station) unless you're really into that dreamy fast-strummed pop (not as fast-strummed as Unrest, mind you). The Suddenly, Tammy! major label debut is called We Get There When We Do, its very Adult Contemporary-sounding and would probably go over well on AAA radio. This is not a bad thing, it would be the best thing on AAA radio. The piano is an exiting instrument in Beth's hands, the songs are catchy, and her voice is so cute. I've listened to it a lot since I got it. I gave away my Radial Spangle album. Too dull, too spotty. The songs range over so many styles yet all seem pretty boring except "Patio Furniture." One last question: about Wilco. Yes, I know they are on a major, but I am a huge huge fan of Wilco and Uncle Tupelo and I am curious what else is out there that has that similar rock-bluegrass-folk sound (Wilco kinda drops the punk aspects of the first couple of Uncle Tupelo records, but I liked those too). I didn't like the Jayhawks 'cause the sound was too polished; I think I like Tweedy and Farrar's rough voices and the string instruments like banjos, pedal steel, etc. I bought Gram Parsons and Flying Burrito Brothers, but that wasn't quite what I was looking for. Anyone who likes music similar to this can email me personally with suggestions. Also I'm curious what people think of the Bad Livers or Freakwater; I heard those bands are pretty country influenced and I am wondering if I should pick some stuff up. Oh, Blood Oranges are another band that fit this label. I like them too. So email me with some advice, please. And buy the Versus album. *********************************************************************** Aaron Schatz "There are only two races: Zeta Delta Xi the decent and the indecent." Brown University st000414@brownvm.brown.edu - Victor Frankel (401) 863-5580 "Man's Search for Meaning" P.O. Box 3994, Providence, RI 02912 America's foremost indie-pop frat boy! *********************************************************************** <------------------------------> From: Michael Troutman <thivai@m-net.arbornet.org> Destroy All Monsters/ Princess Dragon Mom Well, the Destroy All Monsters reunion show in the "fashionable" (according to the ad for the Magic Bag Theatre) Detroit suburb of Ferndale, Michigan, was a great success. When I arrived, though, I thought I had taken a wrong turn and had somehow found my way to Hoboken, NJ. The Magic Bag itself is on Woodward Ave. and by the time this road makes its way to Ferndale, it has become the classic "main drag" in all the New Jersey implications of the word. I spotted quite a few vehicles sporting those pink fluorescent license plate lights. When my posse and I walked up to the theatre, we were greeted by a very disheartening "SOLD OUT" sign. However, below that was a note saying: "30 tickets reserved for THE MEDIA may become available after 10:30." It was 9:00 at the time. Thankfully there were only two people in line ahead of us who'd been there since 8:00, shortly after the show "sold out". So we began what was to be a two hour wait in line on a 30-40 F degree and windy night. While waiting, it was sickening to see that the ratio of guest-listed patrons to bona fide ticket holders was something on the order of 4:1. It was also very amusing to watch all the shmoozing taking place as people made their entrances. No Thurston sightings, though. Darn. Sometime between 10:30 and 11, Princess Dragon Mom rounded the corner and made their entrance, wearing silver space outfits and helmets, two of them riding in a weird silver bicycle sidecar contraption and a third following on foot with a metal detector that was screaming like crazy. They rode the bicycle thing straight through the main entrance, to the chagrin of the door people, and from the accounts of people inside, straight down the center aisle of the theatre and took the stage. So at 11 the "media" tickets became available and we were able to go in. It was quite nice that they were able to let all of the 50 or so people in line in. Although the Magic Bag was undoubtedly just trying to make up for the guest lists. O, to the delight of my ears (eyes too but mostly ears) when I was able to walk down the center aisle to the front of the theatre and take my place. I am now of mind that Princess Dragon Mom are certainly one of the greatest "rock" bands on the planet at the moment. The noises they make using a synthesizer, drums, two vocal mics (for screaming), the metal detector from time to time maybe a radio from time to time too and the occasional firecracker is really sick. I missed the earlier part of the set where their synth player, a big burly guy sporting a vampire cape was rapping and I can only imagine how great that must have been. There's also another big burly guy with lots of tattoos who just sits on stage in pants and an undershirt, reading a newspaper at a table, with a look of complete indifference to the insanity going on around him. Occasionally, he sets the newspaper down and staples scraps of paper to his face or impales his double-chin with a skewer. Fucking great! In all there were 5 people comprising the band: synth player, drummer (Warren from His Name Is Alive, I believe), newspaper guy and two screamers (one of them was Davin who's also in the amazing Little Princess.) I'm not sure how much/often they play outside of Michigan but any of you out there who book shows, I'd highly recommend looking into them. Their recorded stuff is quality too. Their stuff is pretty well scattered on a variety of labels but Time Stereo seems to be where most of it can be found. Write: Time Stereo/ 28143 W. 8 Mile/ Livonia, MI 48152/ USA. PDM have a pretty recent 7" on the Alley Sweeper label that is quite fine. It sounds like they use guitars on this one: seconds of familiarity broken up by noise bursts just as you start feeling comfortable. Weird panning techniques, speakers alternately swelling or just dropping out completely. Best played at high volumes. Good cerebral stuff. The original DAM line-up was all here: Cary Loren, Mike Kelley, Niagara and Jim Shaw. Since DAM's subsequent splintering in the mid/late 70s, Shaw and Kelley have become somewhat recognised artists. Those unfamiliar with Kelley can check out the liner notes to Sonic Youth's Dirty for a quick introduction, where some of his stuffed animal creations and high school mug shot can be found. If you have the limited edition CD, you can also see him doing nasty things to said animals. A book of some of Jim Shaw's paintings titled _Thrift Shop Paintings_ is also out and about and is recommended. The instrumentation for the show: two guitars, bass, drums, synth, sometimes scary vampire looking woman (Niagara, currently of Dark Carnival) came out to sing, rest of the time the drummer (Mike Kelley) sang. Niagara was totally great and I liked the songs she sang on the best. She had a very evil presence and lyrics to match. Looked very zoned out though by the end of DAM's hour and a half long set and indeed advised us all to "snort it, shoot it, whatever" (she had travelled back and forth from backstage all evening.) It will be weird listening to Sonic Youth after this because Kim Gordon's voice sounds totally derivative of this woman. As a sidenote of potential interest, I believe Kim Gordon went to art school with Mike Kelley and also (possibly) Richard Pettibon in California. As for the songs, at their best, they were arty albeit with simple structures. Not as much guitar crazy improv as I was lead to believe beforehand, though. At their worst, they sounded like a cross between the Dead and Sonic Youth. I'd say their set was split about a quarter mindblowing, a quarter boring and a half above average. As part of the encore they were joined on stage by Robert Quintron who danced around and screamed and two members of the Demolition Dollrods who just danced around. On the drive home, I listened to a tape of a DAM live show plus "outtakes" from the recent three CD box set on Ecstatic Peace that they were selling at the show. This really flipped my head. It was the greatness that I'd been hearing people talk about before the show. Just weird improv/noise, tape loops, etc., that didn't sound pretentious or wank, like improv has a tendency of doing. And it never grew old or tiresome. This is the best music I have heard so far this year and it's from f-ing 1975! Timeless music that eerily predicts music-to-be some twenty years after its creation. Since this review was originally written, I have picked up the box set (c. 1974-1976) and words fail to describe just how beautiful, disturbing and powerful their music is. For $30, it seems pretty intimidating but it's guaranteed to be the best $30 you will spend on music this year. Thanks for your collective time. Fuck the media. Michael Troutman thivai@arbornet.org <------------------------------> From: tubesox@Sirius.com (windy) ANNOUNCE: aquarius records benefit Aquarius Records is having a benefit! For the past 25 years, Aquarius has supported, loved and exposed local musicians to the Bay Area's serious music-appreciating community. To assist us in creating this special event, we have asked a wonderful and varied selection of our favorite artists to donate their time and talent. The Bottom of the Hill is very graciously donating 100% of the door take, and all moneys will go toward paying off extremely unwieldy taxes that the store accumulated in the 1980s. ** DATE -- Saturday, June 10, 1995 ** VENUE -- Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th Street, San Francisco ** TIME -- 3:00pm - midnight ** TICKETS -- $10 per ticket, which includes a $2 coupon good towards a purchase at Aquarius. Tickets are available at the store as of today. Store hours are Mon-Sat 10am-9pm and Sun 11am-7pm. Cash only. ** SCHEDULE (all items marked with "(?)" are unconfirmed) 3:00 -- doors open 4:30 - 5:00 -- DIRTY THREE (from Australia) (?) 5:15 - 5:45 -- VIRGIL (Dieselhed) 6:00 - 6:30 -- EVILLE (BRUCE ACKLEY of ROVA, MYLES BOISEN, JOSEPH SABELLA) 6:45 - 7:15 -- MARK EITZEL (American Music Club) 7:30 - 8:00 -- VIRGINIA DARE 8:15 - 8:45 -- CHOTCHKE 9:00 - 9:30 -- BARBARA MANNING 9:45 - 10:15 -- special guest (?) 10:30 - 11:00 -- J CHURCH 11:15 - 12mid -- FIFTY FOOT HOSE (first performance in 26 years!) For understanding the difficulties encountered in running a small business and recognizing Aquarius to be an historic anchor in the Bay Area's music history, we thank all those who are involved with this project. Aquarius Records 3961 24th Street San Francisco, CA 94114 (415) 647-2272 For more info, email Windy <tubesox@sirius.com>. <------------------------------> From: "Stephen J. Snyder" <ss05+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU> ANNOUNCE: Karl Hendricks Trio tour dates Hello The following are the first batch of dates on the Trio's summer schedule. May Monday 29th - tentatively - Columbus @ Staches Wednesday 31st - St. Louis @ Cicero's June Friday 2nd - Chicago @ Lounge Ax Saturday 3rd - Madison @ U. of Wisc./the Rath Skellar Sunday 4th - Detroit @ Zoot's They will have records and t-shirts if you are interested in such things. Ask Karl to show you pictures of Maive. thanks Stephen James Snyder music director @ WRCT & 1/6 Peas Kor Blunderbuss is rock and roll <------------------------------> From: C Khoury-EE <khoury@students.uiuc.edu> ANNOUNCE: new URBAN FARMERS CD out on Uprising Uprising is pleased to announce that we've finally put out the long awaited(?) Urban Farmers CD, titled "Music for the Peasants." 7 Songs, 55 Minutes, with the farmers exploring Middle Eastern, traditional Irish, blues and improv jazz, all instrumental. The CD is $8 ppd. Make checks out to Mike Khoury and send them to: Uprising PO Box 4412 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Also, please check out our web page: http://www.cen.uiuc.edu/~khoury/uprising.html Take care-chris. ---- Christopher Khoury University of Illinois khoury@uiuc.edu at Urbana-Champaign Electrical and Computer Engineering <------------------------------------------------------------> The Indie-List Digest is published weekly (Mondays) or more often by the Indie-List Infotainment Junta, Unltd. What Who Where Editors Eric Sinclair esinclai@indiana.edu Anne Zender azender@indiana.edu Mailings Sean Murphy grumpy@access.digex.net Archives Chris Karlof karlofc@seq.cms.uncwil.edu FTP ftp://ftp.uwp.edu/pub/music/lists/indie FAQ http://www-sc.ucssc.indiana.edu/~esinclai/indie-list-faq.html Consultants: Mark Cornick, Joshua Houk, Sean Murphy, Liz Clayton and K. Lena Bennett. 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 <indie-submit@indiana.edu>. <-------------------------------------->