Archived North Carolina's News And
Observer Stories
1991-1994
April 5, 1991
The News & Observer
Following a hit-or-miss career
Cadre of fans is solid to the core
By DAVID MENCONI
Staff writer
It's a comment on pop music's current level of stasis that some
of the past few years' most interesting records have been tribute
compilations. On these records, various contemporary bands
perform cover versions of songs by some hugely influential
entertainers like the Byrds, Neil Young, Cole Porter or Buddy
Holly.
Not all these tributes involve artists from the top of the charts.
Take "For the Love of Todd," which Charlotte musician
Mitch Cooper (formerly of Fetchin' Bones) is assembling as a
tribute to Todd Rundgren.
After word about the project got around, Mr. Cooper received more
than 130 submissions. The final version, which should be out this
month on Third Lock Records, includes contributions from Tar Heel
types such as Mitch Easter, Peter Holsapple, the Woods, Don
Dixon, Parthenon Huxley and Jamie Hoover. As for the subject of
"For the Love of Todd," Mr. Rundgren says the project
leaves him feeling both flattered and bemused. "I'm not
exactly sure why anybody would donate their time to it, actually,"
he says, speaking by phone from San Francisco. "A Led
Zeppelin tribute I could see -- they were a very big band with a
large audience. But few enough people buy MY albums. I don't know
how many will buy a record of other people doing my songs."
Mr. Rundgren, who brings his band to the Showcase on Thursday,
has on occasion sold a great many records. His commercial high
point remains his 1972 masterwork, "Something/Anything?"
which included the hit singles "Hello It's Me" and
"I Saw the Light." But hits remain the exception rather
than the rule for him. "I'm like a classical pianist who
tours the concert circuit and does the occasional record,"
he says. "My sales are at about that level. Selling 100,000
copies is respectable for me -- it's never in the millions. But
I'm a musician, not a recording artist or a 'personality' who
needs immediate huge sales to validate my work. "I've been
making records for 23 years. As far as I know, I'll continue to
make records at least into the next decade. One of the great
things about being a marginal artist is that it isn't very hard
to get deals -- other labels always think they can do better with
you. So I'm not worried, because there always seems to be enough
demand for my services as a musician and a producer to keep me
busy." Whatever Mr. Rundgren's following lacks in numbers,
it more than makes up for in devotion. Few artists this side of
the Grateful Dead cause anything like the degree of fanaticism Mr.
Rundgren inspires. At times the adulation reaches embarrassing
proportions. A Spin magazine review of his 1989 "Nearly
Human" album concluded, "I want this man to be the
father of my children."
"Well, that's flattering yet extreme," Mr. Rundgren
says with a laugh. "But it doesn't really say anything about
the music, does it? Some people react to my records in strange
ways, but it's nothing I think about when I'm doing music. It
would be too much of a contrived Teddy Pendergrass type of thing
to try to be as 'sexy' as possible."
One factor limiting Mr. Rundgren's commercial appeal is the
variety and eccentricity of his output. Start with his producer's
resume. Like a lot of pop-geniuses (Nick Lowe and Don Dixon come
to mind) Mr. Rundgren is better-known as a producer. His past
credits include Grand Funk Railroad, Janis Joplin, The Band, Hall
& Oates, the Tubes, Cheap Trick, New York Dolls, Patti Smith,
XTC and Pursuit of Happiness.
As a recording artist, he works solo and as leader of the band
Utopia. Some of his solo projects are literally solo, with Mr.
Rundgren overdubbing all the instruments himself. While his last
few records have been band projects, Mr. Rundgren says he's
getting the itch to try going it alone again.
"Before, I really missed the interaction with other
musicians," he says. "Now I sort of miss being off in
the studio by myself. So I imagine a change could be coming soon,
especially since it's difficult to keep a band together. But it's
great to be able to do both."
As for eccentricity, Mr. Rundgren is famous for making weird,
self-indulgent records. Some of his odder past works include 1985's
"A Cappella," composed entirely of music from voice
synthesizers; 1976's "Faithful," which included one
side of eerily perfect covers of '60s rock classics like "Good
Vibrations"; and 1980's "Deface the Music," a
hilarious parody-tribute of Beatles music. Much of his work is
thematically conceptual, such as 1981's philosophical "Healing."
And every now and then he'll do a perfect pop record like 1982's
underrated "The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect,"
which had his last hit of note, "Hideaway."
Mr. Rundgren's latest album, "2nd Wind" (Warner Bros.),
is a little of both. Recorded live with a 12-piece band in front
of a San Francisco audience last year, "2nd Wind" has a
number of ace pop songs like "Change Myself." It also
includes three show-tune styled numbers -- "The Smell of
Money," "If I Have to Be Alone" and "Love in
Disguise."
Andrew Lloyd Webber he ain't, and these three songs are
definitely on the hit-or-miss side. They come from Mr. Rundgren's
score for "Up Against It," which was originally written
as the Beatles' third movie. Playwright Joe Orton wrote "Up
Against It" shortly before his 1967 murder, but it was never
filmed. After lying fallow for 20 years, it was revived by the
New York Shakespeare Festival, which staged it as an off-Broadway
musical in 1989. Mr. Rundgren wrote 16 songs for it.
"The story line for it was always sort of a problem,"
he says. "It involves a fantasy world in which women are in
charge, and they order all the men around. This happened after a
revolution broke out, which the women won.
"Because of that, a lot of people think it has a feminist
agenda. But everybody in it really comes out looking like a jerk.
It doesn't really have anything to do with the Beatles; Orton
just wanted to upset as many people as he could."
Before "2nd Wind" was released, one of its songs -- a
nasty swipe at Sen. Jesse A. Helms, R-N.C. -- received a lot of
attention. A number of bootleg copies surfaced after the song was
recorded, but Mr. Rundgren ultimately decided not to include it
on the LP.
"That was never actually intended to be on the record, but a
lot of people said I should put it out," he says. "Ultimately,
the label left it up to me. I doubt it would have had a
substantial effect on how the record has done -- maybe it would
have sold more with a sticker, I don't know.
"More important to me is that it would not have fit into the
musical concept of this record."
Mr. Rundgren closed last week's Los Angeles show with the song.
But will he do it here, in Mr. Helms' back yard?
"I don't know," he says, laughing mischievously. "I'd
say that's entirely possible."
Todd Rundgren, Thursday at the Showcase, 2840 Industrial Drive.
Doors open at 7 p.m. $15. Charge by phone:
*******************************************************************************************************************
April 5, 1991
The News & Observer
MANY PARTINGS: On a sadder note, Chapel Hill's Popes are calling
it quits. The Popes had made waves in alternative circles with
their 1988 EP "Hi, We're the Popes," which inspired
critics to favorably compare the band to contemporary power-pop
bands like Let's Active and the dB's.
More recently, the Popes were in the studio recording a full-length
album (with aforementioned Sex Policeman Mr. Plymale producing)
for New York-based First Warning Records. But the contract fell
through, partly because the band didn't actually come to terms
with First Warning before recording the album.So for now, at
least, the album won't be released and the Popes are disbanding.
"We feel like we've been kind of strung along for a while,"
says Popes guitarist John Elderkin. "A couple of the guys in
the band have just had enough."
First Warning manager Doug Schoemer expressed regret about what
happened.
"The record they did is very good, and I'll always think
they're a great band," he says. "But the situation
wasn't handled well, and the timing just didn't work. We all feel
bad about it."
One Popes recording that will be coming out is the band's
contribution to a still-untitled Alex Chilton tribute compilation.
The album, which also includes a song by Let's Active leader
Mitch Easter, will be released on Munster Records in Spain this
summer and should be available as an import.
Before splitting up, the Popes will play Saturday at Cat's Cradle.
Show time is 10 p.m., and tickets are $5. They'll also play with
Satellite Boyfriend on Thursday at 9:30 p.m. at the Brewery.
Tickets are $3.
GETTING AHEAD: Getting back to better news, Chapel Hill's
Snatches of Pink is the latest area band to graduate to the big
leagues.
The band, which features former Let's Active drummer Sara
Romweber, has signed with Hollywood Records, Walt Disney's new
label subsidiary. Snatches of Pink formerly recorded for R.E.M.
manager Jefferson Holt's Dog Gone Records.
*******************************************************************************************************************
BEACH-BOUND:May 1, 1992
The News & Observer
After weeks of deliberation, the North Carolina Showcase
committee has narrowed the field of several hundred applicants
down to 16 bands, who will play at the showcase in Wilmington
June 4-6.
Perhaps the biggest showcase news is that ex-Let's Active
frontman Mitch Easter will play this year's event, performing as
Mitch Easter and the Virtuosos.
********************************************************************************************************************
May 29, 1992
The News & Observer
Southern culture at the beach Tar Heel bands seek fame and
fortune in Wilmington.
By DAVID MENCONI; Staff writer
It looks as if Mitch Easter won't be playing in the N.C. Music
Showcase after all. The former Let's Active leader was going to
be one of the main attractions at this year's event, partly
making up for the absence of such bands as Superchunk (who
declined to enter).
Unfortunately, Easter is still in England on a production
project, and he won't make it back in time for the showcase.
******************************************************************************************************************
###November 5, 1993
The News & Observer
BETTY BOOP: Just like last week, there are local band breakups
and album releases to talk about.
First the bad news -- Raleigh's Bettys have given up the ghost,
citing the usual reasons. Last weekend's show at the Brewery was
their last performance.
"We all started out with expectations of what we wanted to
happen, and the band just wasn't what everybody wanted it to be,"
says guitarist Jerry Kee. "So I guess we'll just split up
and start all over again in different combinations. The good part
is that something good may come of it."
While Kee says he is feeling depressed over the Bettys' breakup,
the success of one of his other bands should ease the sting a bit.
Kee plays drums in Dish, who are picking up record company
attention. While pondering label options, the band recorded with
producer Mitch Easter at his Drive-In studio in Winston-Salem.
The News & Observer
Vault cleaning
Chris Stamey gets a studio tan handling reissues.
By David Menconi; Staff writer
There will probably never be a box set documenting North
Carolina guitar pop. But if you were putting one together, Chris
Stamey and the dB's (plus assorted spinoffs) would account for a
huge chunk of it.
After forming in Winston-Salem in the late '70s, the dB's charted
a course for melodic postpunks everywhere. Since their razor-sharp
power pop was ahead of its time, they never received their
propers. But dB's albums like 1981's landmark "Stands for
Decibels" sound just as good today as they did then.
So do the plethora of dB's-related reissues that have come out in
the past year. These include:
"Ride the Wild TomTom" (Rhino Records), the great lost
dB's album that hit the stores last week. It consists of 26 late-'70s
vintage tracks and demos, many of them quite wonderful (especially
the jittery "We Should Be In Bed").
"It's a Wonderful Life" (ESD Records), Stamey's 1983
solo album. It was released last fall as a 16-track disc that
also includes Stamey's 1984 mini-album, "Instant Excitement."
"Racket" (ESD Records) by Sneakers, Stamey's pre-dB's
band with Mitch Easter, also reissued last fall.
Another reissue in the works is Stamey's 1985 Christmas album,
"Christmastime," due out in October on ESD. Stamey
expanded this version to a 17-track collection with contributions
from familiar associates like Syd Straw, Alex Chilton and his old
dB's band mate Peter Holsapple.
To get all these records into presentable shape for the digital
age, Stamey had to put in a lot of unexpected studio time --
remixing almost everything and even cutting some new tracks.
"All these projects seemed like they would only take about a
week to finish when I agreed to do them," says Stamey, who
moved to Chapel Hill last year. "But they've all taken a
long time. If nothing else, it's been a real education in what
you can do with recording techniques.
"Some of those dB's tracks were literally put together from
scraps on the floor, and some hadn't been sung when they were
first recorded. It was interesting to go back and do those again.
To sing 'We Should Be In Bed,' I had to get real nervous. Will
{Rigby, the dB's drummer} is ahead of the beat on that one and
the vocal had to be ahead of him. There actually was a vocal
version of that one, but with no kick drum and you could hear a
chair banging really loudly. So we redid it."
These albums also include some historical oddities. "Ride
the Wild TomTom" has "I Read New York Rocker," a
never-used radio spot for the dB's favorite rock magazine (they
rehearsed and recorded in the magazine's offices during their
early years).
"Racket" contains "B&G Pie Commercial,"
Easter's tribute to "a famous Winston-Salem delicacy."
As the album's liner notes explain, "The chords under the
words 'B and G' were meant to be B and G, but had to be
transposed to A and F to accommodate the singer's 'range.' It's
the thought that counts."
"B&G pies are what some people might call vile -- these
seriously deep-fried, not at all low-fat things, especially the
chocolate pies," Stamey says. "But we liked 'em."
Now that the vaults have been more or less cleared out, Stamey
can get back to more timely projects like his "Big Band,"
which features guitarist Jeff Hart, Swamis guitarist Brent
Lambert, former Finger drummer John Howe and old partner Easter
on bass.
Stamey and band play tonight at the Brewery, a show that Stamey
says will be "a relatively straightforward, uncomplicated
evening." Since he's getting married next month, he probably
won't be playing around these parts for several months --
especially since he has a new record he wants to finish.
The album includes tracks like "That's Why I Hate the
Replacements," "Learning How to Scream" and the
Byrds' "5D (Fifth Dimension)." For now, Stamey just
wants to finish it and hasn't given any thought to which label
he'll put it out on.
"I'm very interested in trying to make a good record,"
he says. "That part of it I find appealing. Lawyers do the
other bit. I've never liked the 'rock-star business' and am less
interested in it than ever right now.
"I like records, more than songs. It's sort of like some
people like plays and some like movies -- I like movies. I like
the otherworldliness of making records."
Showtime for the Stamey Big Band is tonight at 10:30 at the
Brewery, 3009 Hillsborough St. Grover (featuring Easter's wife,
Angie Carlson) opens the show. Tickets are $5. 834-7018.
Stamey
Copyright 1993 by The News & Observer Pub. Co.
There are a couple of bands I'd recommend, starting with Winston-Salem's
Urban Edge. Though they have a stupid name, this young quartet
follows in the fine Tar Heel power-pop tradition of bands like
the dB's and Let's Active.
Mitch Easter (who knows a thing or two about power-pop)
produced Urban Edge's fine self-released debut album, "Songs
From the Hydrogen Jukebox," stocking it with plenty of crisp
guitars and killer hooks. And you don't even have to stay up too
late to see them -- Urban Edge plays tonight at 10 on a bill with
Second Skin, Buster Rogue and Straight Ahead.
*******************************************************************************************************************
February 11, 1994
The News & Observer
But the highest-profile sphere of all now involves Motorolla and
Dish, two bands that appear to be headed for bigger things. Both
bands have the same guitarist, Bo Taylor; the same manager,
Glamour Puss bassist Cheetie Kumar (who also manages Finger and
Flat Duo Jets); and recording contracts with the same major
label, Interscope Records (also home to big-time acts like Nine
Inch Nails, Dr. Dre, Helmet and Primus).
As much as they have in common, however, neither band really
sounds a thing like the other. One way to compare them is by the
songs they cover. Motorolla does The Who ("Dogs Part Two,"
an obscure Keith Moon-penned song), while Dish covers The Band's
"Tears of Rage."
Centered around the nucleus of the former 8 or 9 Feet, Motorolla
is a loud-and-fast power trio that injects a sense of humor and
punky firepower into classic-rock riffs. Imagine a cross between
Nirvana and Cream (a gross oversimplification, but you get the
idea).
Where guitarist Taylor is Motorolla's front man, he has a
supporting role in Dish, which is centered around the soaring
vocals and intricate piano of Dana Kletter. A logical extension
of Kletter's old band the blackgirls, Dish plays something like
gothic, moody country-rock.
Since they fit right into alternative rock's prevailing
commercial ethos, it was no surprise when Motorolla became the
object of a major-label bidding war after playing the New Music
Seminar in July. One advantage of being in demand was that they
could name their terms -- one of which was that Motorolla came as
a package deal with Dish.In an impressive coup for everyone
involved, manager Kumar got Interscope record deals for both
Motorolla and Dish. It's an unusual arrangement, but not entirely
unprecedented.One reason Interscope won out over the other labels
(primarily Capitol and Warner Bros.) was that it had a similar
arrangement with two other acts, San Diego bands Rocket From the
Crypt and Drive Like Jehu. Singer/guitarist John Reis (who
produced Superchunk's 1992 album, "On the Mouth")
splits time between the two bands, which are both signed to
Interscope.
"There's a sort of skeleton structure in place for this at
Interscope," says Dish's Kletter. "They have a
precedent for dealing with a situation like this, which has a lot
of complexities to it. At least they're somewhat versed in the
subtle art of placating everyone."
Another point Dish and Motorolla negotiated was the right to put
out independent-label singles even while under contract to
Interscope. In a wise move, both bands will release one-off
singles and mini-albums on independent labels before putting out
full-length albums on Interscope.That will allow both bands to
tour and build audiences through alternative channels. It's a
strategy that paid off handsomely for Chicago's Smashing
Pumpkins, who released an independent-label album after signing
to Virgin Records. After putting in a couple of years of
incessant touring, the Pumpkins hit it big with their first
Virgin Records album, which quickly went platinum when it was
released last year.
"Interscope is a pretty cool label, in that they're willing
to let us express ourselves where and when we want to," says
Kletter. "It's a matter of context, I think. There are some
things that are out of context for a big, huge major label, but
make sense for a smaller one. And with all of us having been in
little alternative bands for so long, it made us all more
comfortable being able to do that."
If all goes according to plan, 1994 will see a steady stream of
records from both bands. Motorolla will have a six-song mini-album
out in late March on Chicago-based Cargo Records, followed by the
full-length Interscope album this summer.
Dish releases a single, "And Then"/"Moving Day,"
late this month on Richmond, Va.-based Tenderizer Records. That
will be followed by a five-song mini-album on New York-based
Engine Records in April, and an Interscope album in October.
Mitch Easter is the producer on all these records. Motorolla
began recording its album this past week, and Dish is tentatively
scheduled to record its album this summer.
Obviously, for Taylor to play in both bands will present some
serious logistical difficulties in terms of touring and recording.
The two bands' artists-collective approach could get awkward in a
hurry, especially if one band or the other takes off.
"It's just a matter of all of us being understanding, and
communicating, and good scheduling," says Kletter. "There
might be times when Bo can't come with us on tour, and we'll get
friends to sit in. But we hope he'll work with us as much as he
can and as far as I know, he plans to. There's a great thing
between me and Bo that's kinda groovy."
One impending change involves Motorolla's name. Since
corporations like Motorola don't take kindly to bands using their
names (even if they're spelled differently), Motorolla will have
to change names soon. When they release their mini-album in
March, it will be under the new moniker Motocaster.
"I talked to the trademark guru at Motorola about a year ago
about this," says Taylor. "You know, asking him, 'What
if?' He was very nice and patient about it, and said they
wouldn't sue. But he said they would ask us to change it. Since
they're one of the biggest companies in the world, they're gonna
get their way, so what are you gonna do?"
As if Kletter isn't busy enough with Dish, she's also playing a
Valentine's Day show Monday at the Cat's Cradle with local
supergroup Boss Tweed, which also includes Superchunk drummer Jon
Wurster, Tinsel drummer John Ventura (who will sing) and Spatula
guitarist Chuck Johnson. Dish will also open the Uncle Tupelo/Joe
Henry show Wednesday at the Cradle. Then it's off for some live
dates in the Northeast.
I'd advise seeing Dish while you can.
********************************************************************************************************************
June 10, 1994
The News & Observer
As such, Motocaster's "Acid Rock" (Fistpuppet/Cargo
Records) doesn't disappoint. A six-song mini-album released as a
teaser for the band's big-league debut album (due Aug. 2 on
Interscope Records), "Acid Rock" all but leaps full-throttle
out of your stereo's speakers. As Bo Taylor howls at the start of
"The Train," "Crazy is like crazy does."
Mitch Easter produced "Acid Rock," but it sounds
nothing like most of the records he's usually involved with. This
is a hard, verging on metallic record, and a perfect mini-album
-- intriguing enough to pique interest in the band without giving
too much away, right down to the obscure cover song.
******************************************************************************************************************
August 19, 1994
Easter resurrection
North Carolina producer breaks free from shackles of 'jangly pop'
label.
By David Menconi; Staff writer
Ten years ago, it was hard to pick up an album without seeing the
words "PRODUCED BY MITCH EASTER" stamped on the back
cover.
That's what happens when you work on one of the most influential
albums of all time, R.E.M.'s "Murmur." Easter co-produced
the first three R.E.M. records, and that put North Carolina on
the map as a recording center. For the rest of the '80s,
countless bands beat a path to Winston-Salem to record with
Easter at the Drive-In, the unassuming studio Easter ran out of
the garage of his parents' house.
Easter's credits from back then read like the Southeastern wing
of the college radio hall of fame: Pylon, Beat Rodeo,
Windbreakers, Game Theory, his own band Let's Active and members
of the dB's and Bongos, as well as big-timers like Suzanne Vega
and Marshall Crenshaw, and Triangle acts like Hege V, the X-Teens
and Fabulous Knobs.
But Easter's omnipresence had an unfortunate side effect in that
he was typecast as "the Southern pop guy." The label
soon became an albatross, because the very mention of Easter's
name conjured up rock-critic-cliche adjectives like "jangly."
After the Southern pop sound fell out of fashion, Easter's
association with it became a serious career liability. Things hit
rock bottom a few years back, when I heard a story about a
manager who said he would never hire Easter to produce his band's
record because it would be "the kiss of death."
Ouch.
That's unfair for a lot of reasons, the biggest being that Easter
has never made a bad record. A couple of times a year, I'll get
an Easter-produced demo from yet another obscure Triad band he
has made to sound sensational.
Lately, Easter's national profile is starting to rise again. He
has produced albums, singles and mini-albums by Dish, Motocaster
and June. The latest Easter-produced Loud Family album is due out
this fall. Easter also produced "Teenage Symphonies to God"
(Sony Records) by Rhode Island trio Velvet Crush, who play the
Brewery tonight.
"Teenage Symphonies to God" is quite tuneful in a
Teenage Fanclub sort of way, but nobody will call it "jangly,"
"winsome" or "polite." Those are also the
last adjectives that come to mind about Motocaster's verging-on-metallic
"Stay Loaded."
Easter likes it that way just fine, thank you.
"During the mid-'80s, it would've done my reputation a world
of good to do a record like Motocaster," Easter says. "Just
to get out of that 'Southern pop' thing. I love stuff that's
absolutely acoustic, but I also love stuff that's absolutely
thundering.
"It's easier for everyone to have categories, and I wound up
as 'the guy to go to when you want nice, clean guitar sounds' --
when I'd spent years playing heavy, heavy guitar, all the way
back to high school. It became almost insulting, this idea that I
couldn't understand rock music.
"Getting pegged the way I did was really crummy, and it hurt
my career because it wasn't gonna stay 1981 forever. There was
not an endless supply of 1981-vintage Southern pop bands and
besides, that's not all I wanted to do. So I'm glad that it fell
apart. But to this day, I've had trouble because of my heavy-duty
association with that one sound. It's a very fine sound, but
there are others out there, too."
Another change from the old days is that Easter is no longer
using the Drive-In as his primary base of operations. He has
moved most of his recording equipment from Winston-Salem to his
own house in Kernersville, dubbed "Brick Henge.""We
started calling it that when we were fixing it up because it was
this big, rotting pile of bricks," Easter says. "A sort
of monumental ruin. I moved a bunch of equipment over here to do
the Motocaster record. We were gonna record it at the Rialto, but
that didn't work out."Led Zeppelin just always rented some
huge, crumbling old place and rolled up the recording truck, so
that's what we did here. This house has real high ceilings, and
it's got a good sound. I don't know how long I can keep this
setup, but it's working for now."
Easter is presently taking a break from producing to tour with
Velvet Crush as second guitarist, primarily because he's been
itching to get out and play. Eventually, he wants to get back to
his own career as a recording artist and spend less time
producing other bands.
When that happens, he'll need a new band. Let's Active has been
gone for five years, dissolving after 1988's "Every Dog Has
Its Day." Since then, Let's Active alumni have turned up in
Triangle bands Motocaster (bassist-turned-drummer John Heames),
Snatches of Pink (drummer Sarah Romweber), and Rubbermaid and
Grover (singer/guitarist Angie Carlson).
One reason for Easter's long layoff was his terrible experience
with Let's Active's label, I.R.S. Records, which was also R.E.M.'s
first label. Easter says it left such a bad taste in his mouth
that he has been hesitant to try again.
"That label got sort of warped," Easter says. "They
started out very hip and cool, and it was great for about the
first two years. Then it just turned horrible. All of a sudden,
their biggest act was Belinda Carlisle, and we just didn't fit
anymore. It was awful, like they hated us or something.
"So right after that last record was made, I asked to get
out of the deal and they let me. Even though it was a step
backward, it was great to get out -- I haven't tried to do
anything about getting a deal since, it was that traumatic.
"But I'm aiming to record a bunch of songs by the end of
this year, and then see if I can put something out again. I need
to sit down and do some more writing. The stuff I have now was
written over about three years, and it's really varied. I don't
trust doing that anymore because it seems to confuse people."
Maybe the listening public won't get the wrong idea about Easter
on his next go-round. In the interim, Velvet Crush plays with
Grover and Reverb-A-Ray tonight at 10 at the Brewery, 3009
Hillsborough St. Tickets are $5 at the door. 834-7018.
Caption:
Mitch Easter, in his performing days.
Copyright 1994 by The News & Observer Pub. Co.
*******************************************************************************************************************
August 5, 1994
The News & Observer
Pretty in punk
Motocaster's raw sound aims for the big time, while Dish's artful
pop holds promise.
By David Menconi; Staff writer
So here it is, finally, the moment of truth. After last year's
unprecedented (for the Triangle) record company bidding war,
hometown boys Motocaster's first major-label album is in the
stores -- "Stay Loaded" (Interscope Records).
I wish I could say for sure that "Stay Loaded" will
sell boat loads and make all the labels that missed out on
signing Motocaster even more envious. But who knows? That's up to
the fates (with, we can only hope, some juice from the promotion
gurus at Interscope).
What I can tell you is that "Stay Loaded" is an
unexpectedly aggressive, in-your-face album. Apart from the
occasional sound-effects embellishment, "Stay Loaded"
sounds even more raw and less produced than "Acid Rock"
(the independent-label mini-album Motocaster put out a few months
back). It's as if producer Mitch Easter took one listen to
Motocaster's demos and threw out a dare:
"Y'know, you guys just don't rock hard enough ... "
The results should have you reaching for that air guitar. Or
maybe air drums, because "Stay Loaded" will show the
rest of the world what the Motocaster faithful already know:
Keith Moon may not be alive, but Motocaster drummer Jon Heames is
the next best thing.
It's a good thing Motocaster is only a three-piece band, because
Heames takes up so much room. But in Motocaster's medium --
postpunk classic rock rendered the way God intended, loud and
fast -- overplaying is something to be treasured. There's little
subtlety or finesse to Heames and bassist Brian Sliwa's rhythms;
just raw, bludgeoning power.
That also goes for main Motodude Bo Taylor, whose guitar playing
has come a long way the past couple of years. I saw Taylor with
his former band Eight or Nine Feet shortly before they broke up
in 1991 and almost didn't recognize him the first time I saw
Motocaster (who were then called Motorolla) in 1992. Sometime
during that year, Taylor went into the woodshed and metamorphosed
into a guitarist of monstrous intensity.
Taylor is all over the place on "Stay Loaded," with
guitar heroics that ought to impress the most exacting of
technocrats. Equal parts Billy Zoom (from X), Slash (from Guns N'
Roses) and Neil Young, Taylor plays in a sort of blues-punk style
that overpowers every song with shotgun blasts of guitar. It's
almost enough to make you break a sweat just listening to him rip
through "Pull the Plug," "The Habit" and
"Sweet Pearl."
I do have a complaint, however, with the song "Motorolla
Blues," whose mutant "Voodoo Chile" riff is always
a highlight of Motocaster's live sets. Maybe I've just been
hearing it wrong all this time, but here it sounds a half-step
slow. The recorded version is still good, but not the show-stopping
earthquake it is live.
Perhaps they did that to temper the adrenalin rushes. Nine of 11
tracks on "Stay Loaded" are up-tempo, and most of the
lyrics get lost in the band's blastfurnace roar. That makes it a
bit one-dimensional -- especially since the two slower songs are
actually the most intricate, interesting ones on the album.
The countrified "Farah" sounds like XTC covering Gram
Parsons. It's got a hook straight out of the Andy Partridge
songbook and also sounds a bit like the Rolling Stones' "Wild
Horses." And the cover of the blackgirls' "Truth"
saunters along, chasing its tail like an evocative dream you
can't quite focus on after waking up: "I lie, I live a lie,
I am a lie, I tell the truth. I speak the truth, I am the truth
and so I lie ... down."
As much fun as the bash-away stuff is for now, this way greatness
lies.
Taylor also plays guitar in the band Dish, who might actually
have more of a long-term future than Motocaster because they seem
built for a longer haul. If Motocaster sounds shiny and metallic,
like a '71 Ford Mustang, Dish sounds more like wooden music. As
in "Wooden Ships" (a song I'd love to hear them cover
sometime).
Where Motocaster drummer Heames plays with bone-breaking power,
Dish's Jerry Kee displays a lighter touch. And where Taylor's
guitar is the focus of Motocaster, in Dish his primary role is to
be a vocal and instrumental foil for Dana Kletter's skittery
keyboards and pristine vocals.
It's a potent combination on "Mabel Sagittarius" (Engine
Records) -- like Motocaster's "Acid Rock," a mini-album
teaser for Dish's forthcoming Interscope debut album -- because
each one provides just what the other needs. Dish picks up the
more accessible side of Kletter's old group, the hyper-arty
blackgirls, with the valuable addition of pop sense.
The mix works to perfection on "Eyes Peeled," rescued
from Eight or Nine Feet's 1989 album "Resolution."
Where the Eight or Nine Feet version was a pleasantly
inconsequential jangle-rocker, Dish has completely transformed it
into a mysterious, atmospheric reverie that sounds fully realized.
Can't wait to hear the album, which Dish will begin recording
Monday at Ardent Studios in Memphis with producer John Agnello (Dinosaur
Jr., Screaming Trees). Mitch Easter produced "Mabel
Sagittarius" and had been tentatively set to do the full-length
album as well, but Dish decided to try someone more out of
character.
"We talked to a lot of producers, and they all had these
weird concepts," says Kletter. "Like, 'Let's detune
every third string on the piano, and make you sing from the
bottom of an isolation tank.' I wanted to make more of a
straightforward record, while everybody seemed to want to do
'quirky production.' John was the only one who really got it."
In the meantime, Dish plays its final local show for the next
couple of months tonight at the Brewery with Chew Toy and Pollo
Rojo. Show time is about 10 p.m. at the Brewery, 3009
Hillsborough St., and tickets are $5 at the door. 834-7018.
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