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Consumable Online Issue 110
==== ISSUE 110 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [May 28, 1997]
Editor: Bob Gajarsky
Internet: gajarsky@email.njin.net
Sr. Correspondents: Jeremy Ashcroft, Reto Koradi, David Landgren,
Sean Eric McGill, Tim Mohr, Al Muzer, Jamie
Roberts, Joe Silva, John Walker
Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Lee Graham Bridges, Scott Byron,
Janet Herman, Bill Holmes, Eric
Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Stephen Lin, Scott Miller,
P. Nina Ramos, Linda Scott, Scott Slonaker,
Simon Speichert, Jon Steltenpohl, Courtney
Muir Wallner, Simon West, Lang Whitaker
Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann
Also Contributing: Neil Kothari
Address all comments, subscriptions, etc. to gajarsky@email.njin.net
==================================================================
All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s).
Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the
editor.
==================================================================
.------------.
| Contents |
`------------'
PROFILE: Tiny Lights - Al Muzer
REVIEW: David Bowie, _Earthling_ - Stephen Lin
REVIEW: INXS, _Elegantly Wasted_ - Neil Kothari
REVIEW: Frank Zappa, _Have I Offended Someone?_ - Bill Holmes
REVIEW: Sneaker Pimps, _Becoming X_ - Simon West
REVIEW: Kyle Vincent, _Kyle Vincent_ - Bill Holmes
REVIEW: Jane Siberry, _Teenager_ - Reto Koradi
CONCERT REVIEW: BR5-49 - Al Muzer
REVIEW: Son Volt, _Straightaways_ - Scott A. Miller
INTERVIEW: Latin Quarter - Reto Koradi
REVIEW: Various Artists, _The World's Best Power Pop
Compilation...Really!_ - Bill Holmes
CONCERT REVIEW: David Wilcox - Lang Whitaker
REVIEW: Various Artists, _Beyond Life With Timothy Leary_ - Simon Speichert
REVIEW: Exp, _Exp_ - Johnny Walker
NEWS: Jam Tribute Album
TOUR DATES: Bobgoblin, Buck-O-Nine, Camber, Capercaillie, Johnny Cash,
Cellophane, Cheap Trick, Walter Clevenger & The Dairy Kings, Cowboy
Mouth, Cravin' Melon, Descendents / Less Than Jake, Mary Ann Farley,
Five For Fighting, Gene, Hoven Droven, Indigo Girls, Irving Plaza
(New York concert hall), Don Lewis Band, Lunachicks, John Mayall,
Moxy Fruvous , My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Ozzfest, Iggy Pop,
Prodigy, Professor & Maryann, Q-South, Sevendust, Sister Hazel, U2,
Vallejo, Vasen
Back Issues of Consumable
---
PROFILE: Tiny Lights
- Al Muzer
Hoboken's Tiny Lights have made a career out of being in
the right place at exactly the wrong time.
Despite five record labels, six truly outstanding original albums,
one amazing compilation disc, a long-running musical relationship with
various members of the Bongos and the dBs, and having had 10,000 Maniacs
open for them at one point in their career - Tiny Lights' biggest claim
to fame thus far has been as a training ground for cellist-in-demand
Jane (Richard Barone/Nirvana unplugged/R.E.M.) Scarpantoni.
Formed in 1983 around the nucleus of guitarist/vocalist John
Hamilton and vocalist/violinist/drummer Donna Croughn (who married each
other a few years ago) with bassist/trumpet player Dave Dreiwitz and
drummer/percussionist/saxophonist Andy Damos sharing the duo's vision and
adding a solid rhythmic pulse - Tiny Light's eighth album, _The Smaller The
Grape The Sweeter The Wine_ (Bar None), is quite possibly the group's finest
collection of music since their 1986 debut, _Prayer For The Halcyon Fear_.
"I think that when you start getting too nervous about making money
with your music," Croughn says with a self-deprecating laugh during her
six-month-old son's dinner hour, "is when it can get in the way of you
making your music."
"The key to having a successful, happy band, I feel, is to be
successful on your own merit. You know, if you try to be something other
than what you are, or," she adds, "if you try to sound like whatever's
'hip' or popular at that particular moment, well, I think people generally
see right through all that."
"We like to keep things exciting for ourselves as a band by going
in as many different musical directions as we can," Croughn says of her
group's distinctive sound. "So I really hope that people like the new
album. So far, the response has been very positive."
"You know," she offers before pausing to switch the phone to her
other ear and pick up her son, "we've toured a lot over the years, so, in
each little place we've been, in every town we've ever played, we've made
a little 'nest' for ourselves where we can always go to play, meet fans,
make friends and sell a few records. But," Croughn says earnestly, "I
really think that if other people actually heard this record, if people
who weren't already fans gave it a chance, they'd really like it."
"I don't know, I guess the main reason we never really fit into
any one 'scene,' " she says of the group's run of frequently brilliant
albums that never quite found the mass audience they deserved, "is
because we never really had one particular sound. I mean, I guess we do
sound like ourselves, we sound like Tiny Lights, but, we've never really
fit, or even attempted to fit, for that matter, into any one category,"
she concludes with a happy chuckle.
Experience _The Smaller The Grape The Sweeter The Wine_ and _A
Young Person's Guide To Tiny Lights_ (both on Bar None Records, the latter
being the compilation disc) for yourself by visiting a music store near you.
---
REVIEW: David Bowie, _Earthling_ (Virgin)
- Stephen Lin
It is simply amazing how well certain artists are able to cross
musical boundaries and genres without losing quality or artistic
integrity. In the same sense, it is no surprise that others fail
horribly while attempting similar metamorphoses to stay current with
changing trends. Perhaps most notably in recent years, the trend
frequently followed is that of venturing into "Electronica."
Ah yes, "Electronica," the buzz word of today. The confines of
this "genre" (has it truly reached genre status?) are fuzzy at times.
But many attempts have been made to incorporate characteristics of
Electronica into artists music whose prior repetoire consisted mostly of
more organic based music (ie: live instrumentation). Two minor examples
come to mind as non-successes. A few years back, Love & Rockets "_Hot
Trip to Heaven_ was, in my opinion, a horrid attempt at a techno-esque
album. Around the same period of time, Peter Murphy used a techno
producer for his album _Cascade_; a better album than _Heaven_, but still
not commercially successful.
Now, the time is right for artists to reap the rewards of the
ever-encroaching rage of Electronica. U2s _Discotheque_ is a fine (yes,
I know, this is up to debate) example of a smooth crossover. Smashing
Pumpkins' "Eye" is a great representation of Billy Corgan's ability to
work with a sound completely different from that found on _Siamese
Dream_. Conceivably, the most tastefully executed crossover is David
Bowie.
Bowie's 1995 release, _Outside_ basically blew my ass out of the
water. Dense layering of sounds, rich textures, fantastic dynamics, and
grim moodiness permeated the album. That, along with the futuristic
sci-fi murder story running through the songs, made the electronic based
album extremely Bowie. Traditional Bowie theatrics blended with the
modern conveniences of technology made the transcension of styles very
tasteful and convincing.
_Earthling_ represents another step into the realm of
Electronica. However, _Earthling_, in some ways, surpasses _Outside_ in
that the album touches a greater variety of sub-genres within electronic
music.
A few years ago, I never would have been able to guess that Bowie
would have had jungle beats underlying his songs in 1997. Lead-off
single, "Little Wonder" is clearly quirky enough to be classic Bowie.
But the herky-jerky feel for the song combined with a jungle beat and the
contrastly in-your-face bridge/chorus make "Little Wonder" a modern-day
Bowie masterpiece.
Now imagine a neurotic, obsessive-compulsive barbershop quarter
being backed by a groovin dance beat. If you could, you would have the
opening to "Looking for Satellites." If everything, except for guitar
and vocals, were removed from "Battle for Britain" you WOULD have a
classic Bowie song. It's as if he simply continued to write in the old
vein and then re-orchestrated to an extreme. As a bonus, there is an
extremely cool reverse-effect break toward the end of the track.
"Seven Years in Tibet" is like a bad mix of old-school R&B, low
budget horror film score, and Nine Inch Nails "Closer." You've got the
slightly cheesy horns, the beat from "Closer," and the irritating trebly
organ from old-school horror flicks. Immediately following on the album
is "Dead Man Walking." It honestly sounds like Bowie locked himself in a
small room with a large collection of KMFDM CDs for a month!
Basically, through the nine tracks comprising _Earthling_, Bowie
appears as if he has multiple-personalities with similar interests. How's
that for a selling point, eh? At any rate, in a time where the Chemical
Brothers, Prodigy, and Underworld are all gaining recognition, it is
wonderful to see that the "old-timers" can more than adequately keep up.
---
REVIEW: INXS, _Elegantly Wasted_ (Mercury)
- Neil Kothari
In the late 1980's, bands like U2, INXS, Poison, and Def Leppard
dominated the musical landscape. With the arrival of Nirvana's
_Nevermind_ in 1991, though, the old school formula for success
disintegrated. 'Hair bands' and musical showmanship fell out of
favor, replaced by a return to raw, hard-hitting, punk-inspired
music. Thematically, songs moved away from love and sex to the more
dark emotions of alienation and rage.
Through clever marketing, some 80s bands like REM and U2 not only
survived, but thrived in the new grunge-influenced market. INXS, on the
other hand, fell on hard times. Due to a rift with their then label,
Atlantic Records, promotion of the band altogether stopped in the early
90s. In 1992, the band released their most experimental and powerful
album, the critically-acclaimed masterpiece _Welcome to Wherever You Are._
Without Atlantic actively promoting the album to MTV and radio, though,
the album fell flat, and INXS became unfairly labeled as an "80s band."
'When we finished _Welcome,_ we really believed in that album, but we knew
that it would be the end of us in the United States for awhile. But you
gotta do what you believe in. You gotta roll with the punches,' lead
singer Michael Hutchence recently said. A year later in 1993 the band
released _Full Moon, Dirty Hearts,_ an album recalling their ska/punk
roots and R&B influences. Though considered a flop, INXS refused to allow
current trends to dicate terms to them. Whereas other bands were busy
ripping off the latest style, INXS maintained their artistic integrity,
while still managing to remain relevant.
INXS' new LP, _Elegantly Wasted_, the band's first effort in four
years, is a stirring and passionate album, filled with experimentation.
It also, of course, maintains INXS' trademark sound. The album opener,
"Show Me (Cherry Baby)," is as hard-rocking as the band has ever been, with
screeching guitars and heavy drums. The title track is reminiscent of the
band's number one hit, "Need You Tonight," while "Everything" recalls such
hit ballads as "Not Enough Time." Though an undeniable feeling of
familiarity surrounds the new album, there is also a sense of the band
having a new sense of purpose and fresh outlook on the future. Hutchence's
vocals have never sounded better in his career, and combined with the
rich, hook-laden music of the Farriss brothers, the album assuredly takes
its rightful place as one of INXS' strongest efforts ever.
Stand-outs on the album include the experimental "We Are Thrown
Together," an intriguing mixture of sitar and guitar, the gospel-inspired
"Searching," and "Shake The Tree," a song other rock bands like U2 can
only dream of ever writing. On "Don't Lose Your Head," written for Liam
Gallagh er of Oasis, Hutchence angrily cries, "You wake up in the morning
with a starf*ck for a friend, the things you do are so in tune with what
you said you hate," and on the album finale, "Building Bridges," INXS
delivers an emotional closer that leaves the listener gasping for more:
"Are you comfortable in your skin? When does the strip begin?" INXS has
sold over 20 million records in its 20 year career and _Elegantly Wasted_
shows the band is as vibrant and relevant today as ever.
---
REVIEW: Frank Zappa, _Have I Offended Someone?_ (Rykodisc)
- Bill Holmes
To say that Zappa pushed the envelope would be an
understatement. Before it was in vogue to do so, Frank thrilled
audiences with theatrical rock shows in residence and issued concept
albums. His perfectionist nature led him to discover, nurture, and
support talented musicians like Lowell George, Steve Vai and Terry
Bozzio. His music encompassed orchestral movements, rock, jazz, and
featured everything from classical strings to funky horn sections.
When label support would be unavailable (as it usually was from
Warner Brothers) Zappa would finance his own tours, usually at a
loss, to present his music in a form he felt it deserved. And,
politically he suffered no fools, as evidenced by his long time
campaign against the PMRC and their proposed rating system - again,
at his own expense and for the issue, not the glory.
During his 1988 tour - a phenomenal series of performances
that has still not been fully documented - he made arrangements with
the League Of Women Voters in each city to set up a booth to register
voters. For all his idiosyncrasies (and truth be known they were
mostly perceived), Zappa was a brilliant and prolific musician and
orator with a biting wit and a generous heart. He never told people
what to think - he merely asked them to think for themselves.
Yet to many, Zappa was a man feeding toilet humor to the
masses in place of music, a crass and disgusting artist who made fun
of gays, blacks, Jews, Catholics...oh hell, everybody. Crass?
Well...maybe. Zappa used his satire to pop the balloons of many
targets, but never with hatred. What Frank did so well was to take
matters like homophobia, racism, sexual prohibition and especially
intellectual repression, and let them bask in their own hypocritical
bright light.
_Have I Offended Someone?_ brings together most of the songs
that got under the skin of the politically correct set, those who
unfortunately missed the humor and sarcasm. Of course, you also have
the closet hypocrites, too. (You can spot them in a second - they're
the ones who laughed at "Jewish Princess" but got pissed when "Catholic
Girls" came out a couple of years later.) Zappa was offended too, but
by phony televangelists, slimy record executives, two-faced politicians,
drug-addled air heads, and especially apathetic whiners. But rather
than sit back and complain, or - worse - do nothing, Zappa stood up
for what he believed in, in song, and in deed.
These witticisms were only a small fragment of a recording
career which comprises hundreds of hours of music that spanned the
full spectrum of music. But for those new to the Zappa world looking
to get a clue to his satirical side, this is as good a place to start
as any. Although each of the fifteen pieces on _Offended_ is available
in some form on previous releases, eight are remixed or reconstructed
and two are previously unavailable live versions - "Tinsel Town
Rebellion" and "Dumb All Over", the latter featuring some stunning
guitar work. Other highlights include the driving "Disco Boy" and the
hilarious "We're Turning Again", Frank's dead on shot at aging hippies:
'Now I see 'em tightnin' up their headbands / On the weekend
and they get loaded when they came to town / They walk around in
Greenwich Village buying posters they can hang up / In those smelly
little secret black light bedrooms on Long Island / Singing JIMI COME
BACK!...'
There are enough extras here to please even the Zappa completists,
and as usual, Rykodisc has done their usual stellar job with sound
quality and packaging. Fittingly, the cover art is from outlaw artist
Ralph Steadman and the liner notes from ex-Fug honcho Ed Sanders, both
of whom know something about artistic repression.
Frank Zappa was the Curt Flood of rock and roll, the man who
took one for the team and said out loud what many others did not have
the courage to voice. When he took on the Senate Committee and the
PMRC equipped with only wit, intellect and the Bill Of Rights, it was
a slaughter. The suits never stood a chance.
"Have I Offended Someone?" God, I hope so.
---
REVIEW: Sneaker Pimps, _Becoming X_ (Virgin)
- Simon West
Sneaker Pimps' debut album _Becoming X_ is an inventive blend of
triphop and indie guitar, with the occasional gothic flourish. More pop
than Portishead, singer Kelli Dayton sings with a distinctive vocal that
has a tendency to sound rather squeaky and twee in places when you
first put the disc in the player, but sounds fine after about five or
ten minutes.
The band is currently garnering airplay and attention for the
single "6 Underground", played on MTV and included on the soundtrack to
_The Saint_ . A triphop beat backing Dayton's ice cool vocals, the song is
included here twice: the original mix, and a Nelli Hooper remix that
dirties up the beats, bangs up the backing vocals and adds a little
texture to the track.
The title track lays a whispered vocal and occasional piano over
an ominous keyboard line and trippy drum loop. "Spin Spin Sugar" has a
touch of the Garbage about the vocal, while "Post-Modern Sleaze" finds
a lazy acoustic guitar playing over the beats.
The variety continues throughout the album. The trip-hop beats are
pretty consistent, but the guitar emphasis on several tracks and a
stronger lyrical sensibility than most of the beat-heavy acts around
at the moment make _Becoming X_ one to pick up. "Just your average
smoking beats/punk/torch/drum n' bass/folk/rock n' roll band", says
the publicity blurb, and that's really not a bad description at all.
---
REVIEW: Kyle Vincent, _Kyle Vincent_ (Hollywood)
- Bill Holmes
Ex-Candy vocalist Kyle Vincent looks like a man out of time on
the cover of his new self-titled CD. Red bellbottoms, shag haircut and
Beatle boots adorn the man as he walks pensively through a woodsy nature
scene. The picture suits the lyrics perfectly, as Vincent dreams of
days gone by, lost love and happier, innocent times. But the only
thing retro about the music is the influence, as these twelve songs
glean the best elements of pop greats like The Rubinoos and Eric Carmen
and plant them squarely into 1997.
If parts of the record have the sunny, jangly essence of classic
power pop bands, it's no accident - Vincent co-wrote a few songs with
two of pop's best purveyors of that sound. Ironically, although Tommy
Dunbar is all over this record, it's the songs written with Parthenon
Huxley that sound like great lost Rubinoos songs. "Arianne", the
kickoff track, starts off with a riff not unlike Jules Shear's "If She
Knew What She Wants" (speaking of pop gems) and features Vincent's
effortless and impressive upper range.
This is by no means a "power" pop record, though. Half the songs
are feathery light and are reminiscent of some of Eric Carmen's solo
work ("One Good Reason" is Carmen incarnate, right down to the
strings). Technically, Vincent has one of the sweetest, purest voices in
pop, and it is especially evident when laid bare against piano and
strings or a similar sparse arrangement. An avowed lover of pop music,
Vincent's songwriting reflects what must have been thousands of nights
falling asleep listening to an AM radio under his pillow. Unabashedly
a fan of some artists considered lightweights (we're talking about
a guy who sneaked out of school to attend Karen Carpenter's funeral!), he
eschews what's "cool" for what he truly enjoys.
Although there's arguably not a bad song on the record, Vincent
shines best when he fronts the more uptempo material like "It Wasn't
Supposed To Happen" and especially the killer single "Wake Me Up When
The World's Worth Waking Up For". The latter, with its jangly guitars,
slapping drumbeat and infectious chorus, is tailor made for radio.
Maybe if we all rolled down the car windows and turned this up really
loud, more people would make great songs like this.
---
REVIEW: Jane Siberry, _Teenager_ (Sheeba)
- Reto Koradi
With a recording career of nearly 20 years, Jane Siberry can
well be considered to be a forerunner of the current female
singer/songwriter wave. Her most recent release, _Teenager_, finds
her zooming far into her own past, recording songs that she wrote as
a teenager.
Considering the age of the songs, it is not surprising that
this album does not seem to fit into our time. Instead of reflecting
our fast, complex and hectic world, the recording is completely
acoustic, and there is hardly a single loud note to be heard. While
this may sound dull at a first superficial glance, the album reveals
its qualities after repeated listening. Suddenly, it looks like an
oasis in a deserted world; the clean voice of Jane Siberry is filled
with tenderness, and the songs that first seemed almost too simple
reveal their sheer beauty, both in the poetic lyrics and the melodies.
Even though the proof was not needed, _Teenager_ confirms Jane
Siberry's outstanding talent - somebody writing such wonderful songs as a
teenager is really gifted from above.
This is the first release on Siberry's own record label,
Sheeba Records; their web site can be found at http://www.sheeba.ca/
Also excellent are the unofficial pages at http://www.smoe.org/nbh/
---
CONCERT REVIEW: BR5-49
- Al Muzer
As one BR5-49 song so eloquently puts it, "She done traded in her
Docs for kicker boots, [her] safety pin T-shirts for Manwell suits, her
punk rock records are gathering dust, Little Ramona's gone hillbilly nuts."
Such was the case in New York and Philadelphia when Nashville's BR5-49
turned both big city venues into their own personal version of Billy
Bob's back country road house and managed to convert enough Northerners
to their cause to make Hank senior smile blissfully down on 'em from his
baby blue '52 up there in country music heaven.
As authentic as grits 'n' fresh-squeezed milk with a Jack Daniels
chaser, the happy whine of Don Herron's pedal steel and fiddle sliced
through the twangin' rush of Gary Bennett's acoustic and Chuck Mead's
Gretsch hollow body electric as Hawk Wilson slammed out a boot-stompin'
beat on his vintage drum kit and Smilin' Jay McDowell humped his upright
bass as if it was honeymoon night in 'Vegas.
Transfixed by the keening harmonies of Mead, Bennett and Wilson and
responding as if the rebel flag hung high in their front yards, the audiences
at both clubs displayed their appreciation for the simple warmth and driven
beat of songs such as "Cherokee Boogie," "Honky Tonk Song," "Crazy Arms,"
"Hickory Wind," "One Long Saturday Night," "Ole Slewfoot," "Hillbilly Thang,"
"Knoxville Girl," "18 Wheels & A Crowbar" and "Me 'N' Opie (Down By The Duck
Pond)" with wild versions of the two-step, broad grins, impromptu line
dances, drunken rebel yells, shouted-out song suggestions, enough hootin' and
hollerin' to actually drown out the music at times and an unprecedented and
heartfelt demand for three extended encores and enough autographs to give all
five band members writer's cramp after the lights were finally turned up.
Look for BR5-49's self-titled Arista debut or the six-song _Live At
Robert's_ CD at a record store near you or visit 'em on the web at:
http://www.BR5-49.com
---
REVIEW: Son Volt, _Straightaways_ (Warner)
- Scott A. Miller
I was playing the new Son Volt album _Straightaways_ in my
office when a co-worker came in and asked about it. He liked the
country-tinged arrangements and easy, worn-leather feel of Jay Farrar's
vocals. "Where are they from?" he asked, because where a band calls home
speaks to this guy. I said "nowhere in particular: the players come from
all over." He seemed hurt.
I mention it because Son Volt, the band that doesn't really have a
hometown, has again come up with series of songs from and about the road,
that "asphalt prairie" (from "Cemetery Savior") that takes you over two
lane highways, through small towns and past the crumbled Americana of the
Midwest. It's the thematic, if not the sonic, twin to the band's 1995
debut, _Trace_.
Son Volt frontman Farrar wrote the songs on _Straightaways_ during
short breaks from a two-year touring schedule. He and the band say the
songs were less-polished going into the studio than those on _Trace_,
allowing each player to paint the music with whatever brush they found
appropriate. The result is a loose, easy-going feel to most of the songs.
If you take the opening song, "Caryatid Easy," off of
_Straightaways_, there's a relative dearth of Farrar's trademark
crash-and-stop rockers like _Trace_'s "Drown" and "Route." But the
increase in quieter, mid-tempo numbers gives multi-instrumentalist Dave
Boquist and frequent Son Volt guest Eric Heywood a chance to shine.
"Left A Slide" features Heywood on a gorgeous pedal steel ramble
for the entire song. Dave Boquist's looping fiddle and Mike Heidorn's
shuffling percussion give "Creosote" the same warmth and sentimentality
of Neil Young's beauty "Harvest Moon."
The album isn't without its rockers, but they don't seem as loud
as those on _Trace_. "Picking Up the Signal" has the album's best
electric hook. "Cemetery Savior" is an acoustic-based rocker that
includes the classic line "No pain, no reason to blink, you say it's
better when you don't think, you like to live on the dark side."
Farrar's voice sounds more worn than it's ever been and that
suits the road-ready themes perfectly. Bassist Jim Boquist provides
the harmonies and most of the vocal emotion, a nice accent to Farrar's
stoicism.
Son Volt released _Trace_ to a legion of loyal fans and critics
who were still ga-ga over Farrar's and Heidorn's previous band, the
legendary insurgent-country group Uncle Tupelo. For some of them,
_Straightaways_ may not be as exciting as Son Volt's debut. It has just
two all-electric numbers - _Trace_ has five - and definitely covers
familiar themes. But what it lacks in electric flash it makes up for
with an inner fire that will still provide heat many listens down the road.
And so what if Son Volt doesn't have a hometown to call its own.
The band likes the road.
---
INTERVIEW: Latin Quarter
- Reto Koradi
Some people may remember Latin Quarter from their minor hit
"Radio Africa" more than 10 years ago, but apart from that, their
previous four albums never received the attention that the should have.
Their catalog was deleted in most countries (except for Germany), and
the two most recent albums have been released on small German record
labels. What remains of a band of once around seven people are lead
vocalist Steve Skaith and guitarist Richard Wright, with Mike Jones
still writing most of the lyrics; all other instruments are played by
session musicians.
Considering the reduced lineup, it is only logical that the
music sounds more stripped down. The keyboards, which played a major role
in the 80's, have disappeared completely, and at least on some tracks
the sound relies more heavily on the groove given by bass and drums.
Also missing, and probably missed by old fans, are the female vocals
by Yona Dunsford and Carol Douet. Still, the important qualities remain
the same. Latin Quarter make fine and intelligent music that attracts
both mind and soul. And Steve Skaith continues to be an outstanding
vocalist with a lot of sensibility.
The clear political statements presented in the lyrics of Mike
Jones on previous releases have largely disappeared on their current
release, _Bringing Rosa Home_ (SPV Europe). The lyrics still carry a
message, but it has mostly gone from global politics to a more social
and even personal level.
All Latin Quarter albums will always have to live with the
comparison to their first release _Modern Times_, arguably one of the
best albums of the 80's. Even though _Bringing Rosa Home_ may not quite
reach that level, it is still a fine album, and highly recommended to
everybody with a sense for music that takes time and attention to listen
to, and is more than just background noise.
Consumable was able to catch up with Latin Quarter's lyricist
Mike Jones, and find out what the group's been up to for the past
decade...
Consumable: Most people probably didn't hear anything from Latin
Quarter for almost 10 years, and it seemed as if you had split.
What happened in the meantime?
Mike: What 'killed' the first Latin Quarter was the failure
of the followup to _Modern Times_ - _Mick and Caroline_. Critics
hated it and it sold less well than _Modern Times_. Perhaps all it
lacked was a hit single, but there was more to our downfall than that.
Partly it was a question of definition and identity - three
vocalists was never a good idea, and neither was the 'non-playing'
lyricist'. If you look at a band like The Beautiful South, they've
done really well with the kind of line up and material we had on
_Swimming Against the Stream_, but they present nothing to take a
stance against.
So, what I'm saying is, _Mick and Caroline_ may have been a
good or bad, but it didn't matter. Not enough people were encouraged
to buy it because no-one knew how to market Latin Quarter, and Latin
Quarter didn't know how to market itself. Steve put up resistance
against marketing, full-stop. The others had no real say; our
manager wanted a kick-ass rock and roll band, and the record label
wanted the new Fleetwood Mac (which is how they saw us). Me? I wanted
to be famous.
The transfer to RCA seemed like a good idea at the time.
_Swimming_ has some great songs on it, although it tends to sound
lifeless. We meant nothing at all by the time it was released and,
again, there was no obvious hit single on it. (People left) and Steve
hated being in a band that he felt musically out of control of, and
Richard always insisted that the band had been formed too soon - this
was especially a huge source of tension with our manager, Marcus Russell.
It became clear that the band was not a joint enterprise
between Steve and me. Because I don't play I had very little power. On
the other hand, Marcus was my oldest friend and I found it difficult to
side against him. He hated _Swimming_ and, by this time, he was managing
The Bible, Johnny Marr and The The - he now manages Oasis. Basically,
we sacked him but he could afford to go.
C: Your role in the band sounds unusual; was it again the case
that you wrote the lyrics on your own, and then sent them to the rest
of the band by mail? Or was there a closer interaction, were you
involved in the recording process?
MJ: My role in the band always was unusual and yes, I did
post lyrics to Steve. But when we had the money I always attended
rehearsals and recording and I had no difficulty in contributing to
the recording process or in making musical as well as lyrical changes
when the occasion arose.
C: What are you personally doing when you aren't writing
lyrics for Latin Quarter?
MJ: One of the things I've done in the past few years is to
write a Ph.D thesis on popular music making and I've used _Mick and
Caroline_ as one of my case studies. Many other things happened and
I'd still like to be involved in the new National Centre for Popular
Music which is opening here, in Sheffield, sometime soon. In the
meantime as royalties dwindled I've had to take on more amd more
teaching - and very little of it has any connection with music, it's
more Media and Communication classes that I teach at the local college.
C: The lyrics on the new album are less political than they
used to be. What is the reason for this? Has the world improved so
that you don't see hot topics any more, or did you give up on pointing
them out?
MJ: The lyrical changes on the new album are deliberate.
Latin Quarter were so anonymous we felt that Steve should emerge as
a human being, as someone that listeners could relate to - I encouraged
him to do this so that's why there are songs like "Angel" and
"Branded" on the album - they are songs about his love affairs. Also,
I began to feel like an 'ambulance chaser' - 'look, there's some
human suffering, let's write about it'.
It was the war between Croatia and Serbia that finished me
off. The Croats were Nazi sympathisers in the last war. As soon as
they began their atrocities and the Serbs responded, I just gave up.
In many ways, I've lost my enthusiasm for Latin Quarter and for song
writing; ten years without success is far too long. That's partly why
there are only eight out of twelve of my lyrics on this album - there
will be even fewer on the next one. The songs on _Bringing Rosa Home_
tend to still be about injustice, but in a more individual way.
C: Do you think that the clear political statements in your
lyrics helped the success of the band, or could it even be that they
were a problem?
MJ: I think that Latin Quarter were ignored, ultimately,
because all pop radio programming is about 'good times', about
creating an artificial 'party atmosphere' day after day after day -
and there is just so litttle room for music that doesn't conform to
that programming be that Jungle, Einst. Neubaten, Consolidated or
whoever. We were censored for being serious, not for being 'political'
there's a difference.
C: Let's talk about a few songs on _Bringing Rosa Home_. Who
is the Rosa in the title track?
MJ: 'Rosa' (after Rosa Luxemburg) is a pseudonym for Hilary
Creek, a member of the British 'Angry Brigade' - a name the press gave
to an unnamed Marxist terrorist cell in the early 70's. These were
crazy times and it drove her crazy while in prison - maybe she's
recovered now, I don't know. I don't agree with terrorism but there
is a pathos in the way that young people find so much commitment
inside themseves and work so hard for what they define as progress -
yet nothing changes, that's my story as well.
C: "Come Down And Buy" is about tourism to poor countries, and
about the attitude that people show there...
MJ: Yes, the 3rd World Tourism song is quite cynical. I wrote
it after a trip to Tunisia. I had never been anywhere so poor and I
felt so many contradictions about my privileged Western background
and just touring such a poor place. Being anti-imperialist but turning
up in people's towns and villages because I derived my power from that
same imperialism. I felt the same way when Latin Quarter went to East
Germany as we did, twice.
C: "Smoking Gun" is about a professional killer?
MJ: "Smoking Gun" is about the killings of the Kennedys and Martin
Luther King. I still can't believe how the USA survived those
assassinations, and how its system survived the obvious suspicion
that people with power organised those killings. But I also wanted to
consider the gumnan, how he (if it was a 'he') would feel satisfaction
from 'a job well done'.
C: "Older" is a song about getting older; is this a topic that
worries you personally, or are you just observing?
MJ: "Older" is about me getting older and about aging in general.
When you set out to write songs that you expect to change the world, you
are clearly driven by a lot of youthful adrenalin. The massive failure of
Latin Quarter has crippled my life - but its also made me a far stronger
person than I might have been. Its been a hard, hard lesson which boils
down to, 'if you're going to commit yourself totally you'd better know
what the fuck it is you're getting into'.
C: Are you happy with what Latin Quarter achieved, or does it
sometimes make you bitter that you didn't sell more?
MJ: I don't really feel bitter about the Latin Quarter experience.
Writing the Ph.D has really helped me because vastly more bands fail than
succeed and I've interviewed people who have had a far worse time than Latin
Quarter. Also, I can see where we went wrong and why it was always likely
that we wouldn't succeed. I feel frustrated because I think I am a very good
pop lyricist and hardly anyone, anywhere knows my work; meanwhile Tim
Rice goes on getting Oscars, and Elvis Costello and Billy Bragg had ten
years of praise for what they wrote.
But pop isn't just about lyrics or about music, its about
organisation for success and Latin Quarter never had that. The principal
reason for the success of Oasis has been Marcus's organisation of them -
and he learned all that through us.
C: So is _Bringing Rosa Home_ the start of a comeback for Latin
Quarter, or just a one shot project?
MJ: As far as Steve and Richard are concerned, Latin Quarter has
never been away. Also, they expect to make more albums after this one, SPV
have given them the impression that they see Latin Quarter as a long-term
commitment. I have mixed feelings about it. I don't believe that we can
ever regain what we had, let alone go far beyond it. Basically, I think
I'd like to close the book on Latin Quarter; it has brought me too much
grief. I'd still like some pop success though - and no-one else is
beating a path to my door. In fact, what I'd really like to do is to
make my own album, I hate having to be so dependent on others and
having to filter everything through Steve and Richard. I'm sure I know
enough to organise a twelve track album with session players. I just
need the budget!
---
REVIEW: Various Artists, _The World's Best Power Pop
Compilation...Really!_ (Not Lame)
- Bill Holmes
The oasis of pop for many an Internet surfer, the Not Lame
Recording Company is a clearing house for power pop bands of all
shapes and sizes - reissued classics and the best new hopefuls from
around the world. Label head Bruce Brodeen is a pop fan first and
foremost, and his passion for the genre has helped his business
grow from a dream into a necessary conduit for many of the lesser
known bands to connect with their potential audience. Not Lame also
is a record label, home to a few of the brighter lights on the scene
like The Rooks and Martin Luther Lennon.
Bruce likes superlatives. Most of the releases in his catalogue
are tagged with some variation on the phrase "EXTREMELY HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED" to the point where you wonder about the few that don't
get the over the top treatment. But ironically, he's right - most of
the pop records in his catalogue are very good. So take the title of
this CD with a grain of salt - while it isn't the best pop compilation
in the world, there are twenty-two tracks by twenty-two different
artists, and most of them are very good.
Even the most die hard pop fans will find a track or two that
they haven't heard before, but the average listener is going to be blown
away by some of the best artists on the current pop scene. Brad Jones
is an in-demand producer who's worker with artists like Marshall
Crenshaw, but his own record _gilt-flake_ need not take a back seat
to anyone. Newcomer Walter Clevenger's _The Man With The X-Ray Eyes_
is turning heads everywhere; and Atlanta resident Kenny Howes blends
his 1960's pop influences into a delightful stew of pop nuggets that
are as fresh as anything you're likely to hear in 1997.
From Sweden we get The Moptops with their Tom Petty-ish "Plastic
Moon Rain". Together with countrymen This Perfect Day they prove that
Rickenbackers rule more than Britain and America. (Ditto New Zealand
with Dead Flowers and Nova Scotia with Cool Blue Halo). Those familiar
with heartland pop will be glad to see cuts from Darren Robbins (here
under the guise of Time Bomb Symphony) and Brad Elvis of the Elvis
Brothers (from the forthcoming _Big Hello_ CD).
Probably the most ambitious tracks are contributed by Declan
Young, whose layered sounds conjures up Jellyfish, and Willie Wisely,
who somehow mixes falsetto vocals, dance rhythms, pumping piano and
acoustic guitar into one of the most infectious tunes you'll hear all
year. My pick to click? Stellaluna, produced by Spongetone Jamie
Hoover, with the energetic "Nervous Man".
If you are a pop fan at all - if songs by the Raspberries, Big
Star, Badfinger and Dwight Twilley bring a smile to your face and make
you reach for that dial - you will love this disk. Not Lame has kept the
price way down as an enticement because - let's face it - they want to
sell records. They figure that if you hear these bands, you'll like a
lot of them, and you'll probably get that wallet out and drop a few
bucks. They're right. You will.
So what do I think about this collection?. It's wonderful. It's a
great deal at twice the price. Oh, hell....it's EXTREMELY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
---
CONCERT REVIEW: David Wilcox, Variety Playhouse / Atlanta, GA
- Lang Whitaker
Finding an artist who can speak directly to the soul of his
audience is a daunting task, but David Wilcox *is* such an artist.
Watching Wilcox play live is akin to watching Picasso finessing the
canvas or watching Ken Griffey Jr. unleash on a fastball. Wilcox
radiates a warmth and talent that is unattainable through practice.
Rather, Wilcox has a gift that comes from within.
Drawing mostly from his major label debut _How Did You Find Me
Here?_, his last major label album _Big Horizon_, and the just
released _Turning Point_, Wilcox crafted together a show that left heads
spinning. David Wilcox's fans are a rabid group that devour everything
he releases, so it's hard to surprise them. However, an early rendition
of "Hold It Up To The Light" played at a loping pace was a nice change.
Older songs like "Eye Of The Hurricane", "That's What the Lonely
is For", "Chet Baker's Unsung Swan Song", and "Rusty Old American Dream"
brought the crowd to their feet. New songs like "Kindness", "Western
Ridge", "Show Me The Key", and "Spin" were all equally well received.
Wilcox also included the raucous "Blow 'em Away", a song by Chuck
Brodsky that has become a live Wilcox staple.
What makes Wilcox so unique is his rare gift for combining his
storytelling skill with his remarkable insight into relationships and
life. Wilcox throws out metaphors like he's tossing pennies into a
fountain, causing ripples that go out and touch his captive audience
deep within their hearts. Wilcox's tenor voice rings sweet and clear.
Even with his full band playing with him, his voice still soared up and
over the room.
As if Wilcox's lyrics and vocals weren't enough, he plays the
guitar with a touch that borders on divine. Despite occasional technical
glitches, he made his guitars sing all night. Rotating between his
Olson acoustic, a different fuller-bodied acoustic, a Telecaster, and
some sort of jazz electric guitar, Wilcox picked and strummed incredibly
all night.
His backing band was basically the same cast that appears on
_Turning Point_. Drummer Brian Kelley played a spare kit that added to
the naked sound of Wilcox's music. David LaBruyere's fretless bass laid
a smooth, supple footing for Wilcox to stand on, and Ric Hordinski and
Newton Carter contributed a warm variety of hums and howls from their
guitars.
Wilcox has been touring around the last 4 or 5 years performing
solo, so the backing band made for a different sound than most of the
audience was used to. It was the first time live that most of the songs
he played have sounded like they do on his albums, so it was interesting
to hear the songs from that direction. The band did appear to be a bit
tentative all night. Hopefully, playing together more often will make
for a tighter sound.
If you've never heard David Wilcox, run to see him. Getting to
see a master craftsman at the top his game is rare. The sheer beauty of
his art will blow you away.
---
REVIEW: Various Artists, _Beyond Life With Timothy Leary_
(Mouth Almighty/Mercury)
- Simon Speichert
Many people might remember Timothy Leary as a man who encouraged
them to "tune in, turn on, drop out". Some might think of him as "that
freaked out drug guy", but David Silver and Jim Wilson, the producers of
this album, encourage us to think of him as a ground-breaking philosopher
and scientist with his own take on life.
_Beyond Life With Timothy Leary_ is primarily dance/trance music
set to Tim talking about various subjects. Some of the music is performed
by producer Jim Wilson, and some is taken from Tim's late-60's album.
The rest of the album features astrophysicist Dr. Fiorella Terenzi
guesting on a spoken-word piece with Tim, The Moody Blues, Allen Ginsberg,
and Ministry's Al Jourgensen and friends.
Dr. Timothy Leary died on May 31, 1996, of terminal prostate
cancer. He will forever be remembered as one of the most influential and
inspirational people of the twentieth century. The purpose of this album
is to preserve his thoughts and ideas for generations to come. If you'd
like to take an intellectual trip, give this album a listen.
---
REVIEW: Exp, _Exp_ (Hollows Hill / Triple X)
- Johnny Walker
The big secret about most of this newfangled "electronica" of today
is how conservative it is: add a few disco beats to the noodlings of
70s Dinorock bands like Yes and Gentle Giant, sprinkle with a bit of
neo-hippie, pagan philosophy gussied up for the millennium, and shazam!:
you've got "electronica," the great new movement designed to make the
world a better place, or at least a better place for those with the cash
to buy the new Orb CD.
While there is never a shortage of people out there on both sides
of the music biz ready to try and profit from the public's gullibility,
certain types really *are* keeping the light of true musical
experimentation burning. Thus we have the appropriately named Exp, whose
leader, the singularly named keyboardist Paris, treats us to a bit of
truly 'alternative' music in the sense of the term before it became
synonymous with jangly guitars and goofy grins. Paris, a frequent
collaborator of decadent dark-rock dandy Rozz Williams (who returns
the favour here by playing bass), pays homage here to truly experimental
music ranging from Throbbing Gristle, Ornette Coleman, Whitehouse and
Dead Can Dance with this challenging debut CD.
Like all truly experimental music, _Exp_ veers between the
sublime and the obnoxious, risking the alienation of the audience in a
way all too seldom attempted in these user-friendly, corporate days when
most rock bands seem indistinguishable from Wall Street bankers. More often
than not, however, I find myself being drawn in here by the mantra-like
rhythms which help lend order to the internal chaos of tracks like
"The Cannibal Banquets" and "A Brummal Hare." There is an addictve,
creeping sense of dread which gnaws at the edges of this stuff, even when
at its most seductive: one of the album's high points is an inspired,
appropriately eerie and unsettling French-language reading of Jacques
Brel's "Ne Me Quitte Pas," a lounge standard often inaccurately
translanted into English as "If You Go Away."
Here, then, is a truly adventurous, eclectic listening experience,
one which rewards the listener looking for something far more than mere
passive and predictable "entertainment." Quite frankly, I'd rather listen
to the transporting neo-classical strains of "Jackal," featuring the
haunting, ethereal strains of vocalist Dorianda interwoven with some
booming, echoed grand piano playing from Paris, than to anything from
Daft Punk. _Exp_ demands involvement on the part of the listener, not
mere acquiesence to some ill-conceived, passing fad. Cheers to Paris
and company for keeping the spirit of musical invention alive.
---
NEWS: > A Jam tribute album, _Fire & Skill_ , is set to be released
in Britain in August of 1997. A few of the acts who will appear on
this compilation include Oasis' Noel Gallagher ("Carnation"), Beastie
Boys ("Start"), Dodgy, Everything But The Girl, Gene and Primal Scream.
---
TOUR DATES:
Bobgoblin
May 30 Fayetteville, AR JR's
May 31 Ft. Worth, TX The Aardvark
Buck-O-Nine
Jun. 3 Lawrence, KS Bottleneck
Jun. 4 Springfield, MO Attic
Jun. 7 Wilmington, NC Forum
Camber
Jun. 6 Baltimore, MD Laff & Spit
Jun. 7 Wilmington, NC River Club
Capercaillie
May 29 Vancouver, BC Centennial Hall
May 30 Portland, OR Aladdin Theatre
Johnny Cash
May 30-31 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues
Cellophane
May 29 Omaha, NE Range Bowl
May 31 Boulder, CO Boulder Reservoir (ESPN Extreme Games)
Jun. 2 Denver, CO Lion's Lair
Jun. 5 Sacramento, CA 815 L St.
Cheap Trick
May 30 Boston, MA Avalon
May 31 Mansfield, MA Greeat Woods WXKS Radio Event
Jun. 1 Camden, NJ Blockbuster-Sony E Centre
Jun. 3 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
Jun. 4 Providence, RI The Strand
Jun. 6 Allentown, PA Lupo's
Jun. 7 Old Bridge, NJ Birch Hill Night Club
Walter Clevenger & The Dairy Kings
May 30 Anaheim, CA Linda's Doll Hut
May 31 Huntington Beach, CA Fitzgerald's
Cowboy Mouth
May 29 Savannah, GA The Zoo
May 30 Charleston, SC The Music Farm
May 31 Charlotte, NC Tremont Music
Jun. 1 Raleigh, NC Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
Jun. 6 Fairfax, VA Fairfax County Fair
Jun. 7 Des Moines, IA Anveny Airfield
Cravin' Melon
Jun. 1 Raleigh, NC Walnut Creek
Jun. 5 Atlanta, GA Cotton Club
Jun. 6 Augusta, GA Red Lion
Jun. 7 Charlotte, NC Sound Factory
Descendents / Less Than Jake
May 29 Las Vegas, NV Joint
May 30 San Diego, CA Soma
May 31 San Bernardino, CA Citrus Building
Jun. 1 Palo Alto, CA Edge
Mary Ann Farley
May 29-30 Boston, MA Charles Playhouse Bar
Jun. 6 Montclair, NJ Page One
Five For Fighting
May 31 Cleveland, OH Odeon
Jun. 3 Cambridge, MA Middle East
Jun. 4 Portland, ME Zootz
Jun. 5 Burlington, VT Club Toast
Jun. 6 Albany, NY Paully's
Jun. 7 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
Gene
May 30 Vancouver, BC Richard's
May 31 Seattle, WA Club Moe
Jun. 3 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
Jun. 4 Los Angeles, CA El Rey
Jun. 7 San Diego, CA Cane's
Hoven Droven
Jun. 7 Toronto, ON Northern Encounters Festival
Indigo Girls
May 30 Philadelphia, PA Mann Music Center
May 31 Hartford, CT Meadows
Jun. 3 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Jun. 5 Holmdel, NJ PNC Arts Center
Jun. 6 Mansfield, MA Great Woods
Jun. 7 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts
Irving Plaza (New York concert hall; http://www.irvingplaza.com)
May 29 Supergrass W/ Pulsars
May 30 Israel Vibration
May 31 Bettie Serveert W/ Versus
Jun. 3 Prodigy
Jun. 4-6 Steve Winwood
Jun. 7 Poi Dog Pondering
Don Lewis Band
May 30 Middletown, NY Rugby's
May 31 Tannersville, PA Thirsty Camel
Jun. 6 Salisbury Mills, NY Loughran's
Jun. 7 Newburgh, NY Driscoll's
Jun. 27 Newburgh, NY Driscoll's
Lunachicks
May 29 New Orleans, LA Monaco Bobs
May 30 St. Petersburg, FL State Theatre
May 31 Miami, FL Cheers
Jun. 2 Jacksonville, FL Moto Lounge
Jun. 3 Atlanta, GA The Point
Jun. 4 Columbia, SC Rockafella's
Jun. 6 Norfolk, VA Riverview
John Mayall
Jun. 3 Kansas City, MO Grand Emporium
Jun. 4 Minneapolis, MN Cabooze on the West Bank
Jun. 5 Madison, WI Barrymore Theatre
Jun. 6 Chicago, IL House of Blues
Jun. 7 Detroit, MI Majestic Theatre
Moxy Fruvous
May 29 Montreal, PQ The Cabaret
May 30 Ottawa, ON National Library Auditorium
May 31 Clinton, NY Kirkland Arts Centre
Jun. 7 London, ON COCA Conference
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
Jun. 4 San Francisco, CA Trocadero Transfer
Jun. 6 Portland, OR La Luna
Jun. 7 Seattle, WA Fenix Underground
Ozzfest (Ozzy Osbourne / Type O Negative /
Machine Head / more)
May 31 San Antonio, TX Alamodome
Jun. 1 Dallas, TX Starplex
Jun. 3 Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center
Jun. 4 Indianapolis, IN Deer Creek
Jun. 7 Pittsburgh, PA Starlake
Iggy Pop
May 30 Kansas City, MO Sandstone
June 2 Cleveland, OH Blossom
June 3 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend
June 5 Detroit, MI Pine Knob
June 6 Indianapolis, IN Deer Creek
June 7 Columbus, OH Polaris
Prodigy
May 30 Chicago, IL Metro
May 31 Washington, DC RFK Stadium
Jun. 2 Boston, MA Avalon
Jun. 3 New York, NY Irving Plaza
Jun. 4 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
Professor & Maryann
May 29 New York, NY Arlene's Grocery
Jun. 7 New York, NY Hotel Galvez
Q-South
May 29 Albany, NY Valentines
May 30 Boston, MA Mama Kin
May 31 Rockaway Beach, NY Boardwalk Festival
Sevendust
Jun. 1 Davenport, IA Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds
Jun. 3 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
Jun. 5 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Music Theatre
Jun. 6 Columbus, OH Polaris Amphitheatre
Jun. 7 Noblesville, IN Deer Creek Music Center
Sister Hazel
May 30 New York, NY Elbow Room
U2
May 29 Raleigh, NC Carter Finley Stadium (w/Fun Loving Criminals)
May 31 East Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium
Vallejo
Jun. 4 Houston, TX Fabulous Satellite Lounge
Jun. 6 Mobile, AL Monsoon's
Vasen
May 30-31 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center (traditional dance)
Jun. 1 Madison, WI Edgewood College Chapel
Jun. 2 Chicago, IL Scandinavian Club
Jun. 3 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark
Jun. 4 Bloomington, IN Lotus Festival
Jun. 7 Toronto, ON Northern Encounters Festival
---
Founded in August, 1993, Consumable Online is the oldest continuous
collaborative music publication on the Internet.
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