 "Radio that listens to you" |
This Week's Music News: |  |
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"Radio that listens to you" |
This Week's Music News: | |
Mature metalheads |
by Celeste Tabora | |
| by Paul D. Dickinson | ||
| by Tom Hallett | ||
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| No band wants their music to seem
derivative or too easily recognized. “I find labels or classifications to be lazy and
generic, almost degrading in a way,” says Cave In frontman Steve Brodsky.
“What’s boring about music is when something is easily labeled. If I can avoid
that with my own music, then I will try to.” Brodsky’s aversion to labels makes my job harder. How can I get you interested in a little-known band if I can’t compare it to something you’re familiar with? At the same time, unless we are dealing with cover bands, no two bands are exactly alike. That said, let this be my attempt to use both description and comparison, hopefully bringing you a little closer to familiarity with Cave In. The band formed in Massachusetts. It was April 1995, and four high school friends launched an exploration of metal. Several trips to Salad Days Studios (Boston) produced two songs, which can be found on a split seven-inch with Gambit on Son of Sam Records. The praised debut release in 1997, Beyond Hypothermia, began their relationship with Hydra Head Records. As the fate of line-up life spans would have it, Cave In faced member changes before their next album was even conceived of. As a result, the band arose from the ashes with a solid line-up, and out came a rock innovation: 1998’s Until Your Heart Stops, which featured interesting diversions from what we knew heavy metal to be. Cave In delved deep in making their brand of rock, creating soundscapes instead of just a quick-paced beat and piercing guitar solos. They presented a seemingly more scholarly look at metal, setting the genre apart from “stoner rock.” This different perspective gained the band respect and credit internationally when they toured with favorites like Neurosis and Isis. Soon after, the band released Creative Eclipses, an EP that reveals an important evolution in the band’s life. Brodsky, John-Robert Conners, Adam McGrath and Caleb Scofield showed the music world what Cave In was becoming with the release. It was less direct, more epic and detailed (a la Prog), but maintained the energy and aggression of prior recordings. “The music evolving the way it did [helped us evolve as musicians],” says Brodsky. “We were out of high school and we didn’t do things the same anymore; we didn’t wear the same clothes anymore. The music is a reflection of [that change]. We change when we feel like it.” Jupiter, Cave In’s 2K effort (Hydra Head Records) presents the band’s maturation. They have come a long way from that 1995 Metallica medley. And although the members are a mere 21-years-old, Brodsky claims that youth hasn’t worked against them yet. “Most people are supportive,” explains Brodsky. “A lot are surprised we’re young, or at least more surprised we’ve evolved. We started early and held lots of practices. It demands respect in a way.” Jupiter demands respect, all right. It can almost be held in comparison to epic and heavy sound-scapey bands like Led Zep, Pink Floyd and--if you can get past the frailness of Thom Yorke’s vocals—even Radiohead. Showy tracks like “Innuendo and Out the Other”, which doesn’t lack interesting lyrical content unlike others of its kind: “Write a letter to yourself/ About yourself / Boring us with every detail...As bitter as I am / Nothing affects me anymore,” cleverly layered upon lush musical ground. Even though Jupiter was a solid effort, Brodsky admits it could have been different. “It could be mixed better,” he explains. “There were problems at the studio. Under the conditions, it came out fairly good.” Sans the almost-necessary over-overdubbing of this day and age, Brodsky states modestly, “I’m happy that the songs can stand on their own without having many layers.” Ambitiously continuing the journey of rock ’n’ roll, Cave In’s goals include a tour of Europe, Australia and Japan, another album out by next winter, and of course “Keeping our heads screwed on well enough to continue.” Catch Cave In live with Plastic Constellations, Saturday, Jan. 6th. at 7th Street Entry, 701 1st Ave., Mpls. Doors 3 p.m. All ages show. Call 612-338-8388 for more information. |
The date is Fall, 1988. The place, St. Olaf College,
Northfield, MN. Freshmen John Ostby and Eric Fawcett are randomly assigned to the same
dorm room. Their personalities click and their musical styles mesh. This is the beginning.
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| QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “It was kind of a good
thumb-in-your-nose at the reverential attitude that people have towards certain other
people.” —Gary Louris, on the title of The Jayhawks’ 2000 release, Smile SONG OF THE WEEK: “Love Lift Us Up” by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes OK, so I could start my first column of 2001 writing about how the latest Eminem, Korn, or Jessica Simpson CD really, really changed my fucked-up, white boy rock critic life, but I think I’d rather tell ya about my adventures at The Jayhawks first show of two last week at First Ave. As usual, I performed my pre-show rituals—played a shitload of ’hawks songs (Smile at least three times, some old REV 105 specials) at home before the show, lots of fun, blah blah blah...boged a buddha, slammed a couple ol’ brews, an’ felt pretty holi-dazed when I floated down the stairs to head for the show. I know this might shock a lot of you, but I don’t have one of those pen-light notepads that the bigshots at the major papers have...I actually have to blearily scratch out the setlists of the shows I write about on a stained yellow stick-um pad with a fuzzy-tipped black Bic I snagged from the bank. But it’s fun. I really don’t mind. Headed for the spot I usually stand at, I discover that the show hasn't even started. Not a good sign. Means I’ll be drinking more than I should, and probably buying alotta schwag (T-shirts, etc.) for my girlfriend as a result. We watch a few freakish moments on the big screen, then the openers hit the stage. Still haven’t seen anyone I remotely recognize at this show. No music writers from the daily papers (I’m surprised), no Cities 97 staff (I’m a bit surprised), no Zone 105 folks (no surprise), no weekly alternative scribes (really no surprise), no other Pulse writers (no comment). I just gotta say, sometimes I’m ashamed of my fellow so-called local writers for not making the effort to get out to these gigs—shame, shame. Don’t you fucking know that The Jayhawks are our very own Beatles/Stones/Clash/CCR/Crickets?? The ’hawks hit the stage with a vengeance, noisy at first. Eager to give his hometown what Europe shoulda gotten in spades last summer, Gary was dapper and pressed, slappin’ the strings happily but clearly pissed off for not being able to play the Smile-heavy setlist he wanted to...Axeman Kraig Johnson—too cute in brilliant red, floggin' his strings like a dirty lover; bassist Marc Perlman—pretending to be serious, all Diamond-Jim-’n’-Fuck-You-Grins, drummer/vocalist Tim O’Reagan—tucked away, too hidden-for-his-talent-but-not-caring, Jen the fiery-headed mistress of mayhem—staring down the jocks with a devilish pout and bangin’ on the keys.... Then. Ahhh. Here’s da shit. Ding ding ding ... Jen brushes the keys ... Gary’s honey voice ... Perlman thuds ... O’Reagan thwaks ... Johnson holds back ... “Smile” kicks off like a fresh breeze from an open back Entry door. The crowd blows up, singin’ along. Shit, yea. I’m thrilled to know that at least half of the would-be coaches an’ chump-change cheerleaders on hand know even a few of the words. Into a sublimely-read Tim O’ Reagan cover, “Drivin’ Wheel”, then “Somewhere In Ohio,” from Smile. The room melds...this is what a rock ’n’ roll show should be like. I find myself happy for The Jayhawks. I find myself out of booze. I order another Bulldog. My girlfriend does too. Good, on the same page later. Right? “Trouble” from Sound of Lies finds the crowd a bit less attentive. Not a surprise. The album wasn't the good-time, Bob-Stinson’s-still-alive-an’-Lori-Barbero-will-tend-bar-in-Minneapolis-forever vibe that the Smile songs intimate. Gary is fucking rocking on lead guitar, letting Johnson fill in the rhythm guitar parts he usually does. The ’hawks run through their set list like they’re at a garage kegger and they wanna get to the tapper before the shit’s gone. That’s not a bad thing. They crank out a Byrds tune (“If I Needed You”), “Five Cups of Coffee”, “Queen of the World” from Smile (Somewhere in this fucked up melange, Son Volt alum Jim Boquist gets up an’ starts jammin’ with the band and Gary hands his guitar to to a pair of stretching, clawing hands in the audience—a stagehand immediately snatches it back), “I’d Run Away”, “Dying on the Vine”, “A Break in the Clouds” and “What Led Me to this Town”.... Second song into the first encore, here comes original ’hawks keyboardist KAREN GROTBERG!! Jen graciously gives up her seat to Karen, an’ she kicks into the first sweet notes of Bobbi Gentry’s “Ode To Billie Joe.” Fucking unreal. Then the finale—the whole crowd freaks as the band eases into Eric Carmen’s “All By Myself” Jesus, here’s a cover of Neil Young’s “Sedan Delivery” completely fucking melted into the monitors by Johnson ... then the screwy, comfortably numb ringin’ of “Baby, Baby, Baby” from Smile. The crowd is ecstatic. They’re celebrating their own madness, their own sadness, their own ability to rise above the blandness. And that’s cool. Who the fuck am I to judge them? The world needs coaches and cheerleaders and white rap critics and bitter ex-high school QBs with backwards baseball caps and disillusioned weekly alternative editors and tough stage managers and crazy publishers and frustrated corporate scribes and cranky drunken pals and irritated girlfriends and writers who can’t make shows just as much as, naw, a helluva lot more than it needs some loadee like me to write it all down and analyze it. How else could we measure up? I go home, my buddies leave. My girlfriend goes to bed. I play an old mix tape. It’s Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes doing “Love Lift Us Up.” I realize that Gary Louris and Jen Gunderman are this generation’s beautiful-love-song-duet-singin’ artists. That makes me happy. I pour out the last of my bottle of Bud, put Smile in the CD player on repeat, lay down next to my girl, and start counting my blessings. I got to see the ’hawks tonight. I got pleasantly toasted. I gots friends. And I’m not sleepin’ alone. That’s enough to make me smile. Happy New Year! If you have local news, gigs, events, etc, that you'd like to see in this column, or you'd just like to protest that I unfairly portrayed you as an doofy jock/cheeleader/writer/editor in the above article, send replies/payoff checks/leftover prescriptions to TMygunn777@aol.com. |
| Bright Moments in Jazz |
| "These bright moments is for all the very
wonderful people in the universe that have never known anything about bright moments. So
check it out!" —Rahsaan Roland Kirk Ernest Dawkins' New Horizons Ensemble Jo'burg Jump Although this Chicago-based, AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians)-affiliated group has been around since 1979, this is its first release for a U.S. label. (It’s previously recorded for German and Swedish labels). Saxophonist/composer/bandleader Dawkins heads up a quintet performing all-original music that combines avant garde and bop sounds. The disk crackles with energy from the driving opening track, “Stranger.” The title track features a quirky bass line, a funky beat and clever call-and-response passages from every member of the five-some. Dawkins’ “Shorter Suite” reflects the thoughtful composing style of one of his influences, tenor saxophone great Wayne Shorter. Billy Childs Trio Bedtime Stories: A Tribute to Herbie Hancock (32 Jazz) Pianist Childs isn’t exactly a high-profile superstar, but his credentials are impressive. While still a teenager back in the mid-’70s, he was backing heavyweights like Freddie Hubbard and trombonist J.J. Johnson. More recently, he’s been arranger/bandleader for singer Dianne Reeves, a job that’s kept him solvent but out of the spotlight. This collection includes not only standards by Hancock (“Speak Like A Child”, “Toys”, “Dolphin Dance” and the obscure “Tell Me A Bedtime Story” among them) but tunes by Sting, Duke Ellington and Bill Withers and Wayne Shorter. Like Hancock, Childs is a pianist of great subtlety and sensitivity who prefers to let tunes slowly unfold rather than trying to impress listeners with flash and technique—although he has the chops to do that, too. Acoustic bassist extraordinaire George Mraz and drummer Billy Hart round out the simpatico trio. Dave Weckl Band Transition (Stretch Records) Weckl, best known as the drummer in pianist Chick Corea's electric band of the late ’80s and ’90s, has produced a studio recording with the energy of a “live” performance. Weckl is a riddum scholar who cross-pollinates beats from various cultures, along with a heavy dose of American funk. His tune “Braziluba” mixes rhythms from Brazil, Cuba and New Orleans; “Crossing Paths” is based on complex African beats in 12/8 time, and “Alegria” has a percussion/drum part adopted from Spanish Flamenco music. Weckl’s “Amanecer” mixes more Cuban and Brazilian feels, shifting into a montuno rhythm. While some of saxman Brandon Fields and keyboardist Steve Weingart’s fusionoid efforts veer dangerously close to the “smooth jazz” snooze-zone, Weckl’s eclectic approach keeps things interesting. Hagans/Belden Band Re-Animation Live (Blue Note) In 1999, mainstream jazz players Tim Hagans (trumpet) and Bob Belden (sax) took an unexpected, experimental detour, hooking up with hip-hop artist DJ kingsize and other players to produce a modern fusion. This disk documents their performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival. Hagans and Belden, both usually associated with so-called “mainstream” jazz, deserve kudos for stretching out and trying such non-traditional cross-pollination. Still, the music here doesn’t sound particularly adventurous, coming several years after the release of similar “live” releases by the funk/jazz/hip hop bands of Miles Davis and Marcus Miller, both of whom produced more interesting music. Kurt Rosenwinkel The Next Step (Verve) Patterns—the same patterns that are necessary building blocks to learning an instrument—can be stumbling blocks to creativity. So, when he sat down to compose material for his second Verve CD guitarist Rosenwinkel experimented with alternate tunings that allowed him to find new chord shapes, riffs and melodies. The strategy seems to have succeeded, since the eight Rosenwinkel originals here evidence a personal style that doesn’t lend itself to easy comparison to any other guitarist found in the “jazz” pigeonhole. He cut this disk with the group he's been performing with since 1992 (tenor saxman Mark Turner joined in ’94); with all that group experience under their belts, Turner, bassist Ben Street and drummer Jeff Ballard are ideal improvisational foils for the leader. Dave Young Trio Tale of the Fingers (Justin Time) While he’s a fine bassist and composer who’s traveled in some pretty fast company (accompanying piano giants Oscar Peterson, John Hicks, Barry Harris and Cedar Walton along the way) Young has stayed out of the limelight—probably because he’s spent his career in his native Canada. Walton fills the piano chair on this trio date, which includes three originals composed by Young. The title track, a Paul Chambers composition with a complex, boppish melody line, shows off Young’s impressive dexterity as an accompanist and soloist on the demanding upright bass. Ron Carter When Skies Are Grey (Blue Note) With the recent upsurge in the popularity of so-called “Latin jazz”, players and record companies alike have been rushing to capitalize on it. But while everybody’s been jumping on the Latin jazz bandwagon, Carter has done more than 50 albums as a leader (with thousands of sideman dates), and he’s been around long enough to have experienced several such “revivals.” Here, he uses his vast experience to take a subtle approach to the genre. While the phrase “Latin jazz” usually associated with fiery, rhythmically driving music, this understated, quartet disc brings out its subtleties. Much of the credit for that should go to Stephen Scott, who’s one of the most eloquent pianists to arrive on the scene within the past 20 or 30 years. Drummer Harvey Mason and percussionist Steve Kroon also play essential roles in bringing out the Latin nuances of the music, without the benefit of horns. The tunes include four originals by Carter. |