RIP: Martin Phillips of the Chills

It’s funny that as we talk about music, hidden memories get rediscovered Martin Phillips, lead singer of the Chills recently passed away at 61. 

Like so many artists, his legacy can’t be summed up in one thought or sentence His band seemed to be on the breakthrough of the US mainstream in the early 1990s. There were some quirky pop singles on MTV’s 120 Minutes with bands like XTC, House of Love and the Ocean Blue among many others finally finding large audiences. I went as far as buying Submarine Bells and although I kind of just stuck with Heavenly Pop Hit- a song that describes itself- I didn’t go all that much further. But my friends did, and when the Chills reemerged with 2015s Silver Bullets, they were greatly loved once again. 

All of this doesn’t even cover their 1980s albums for Flying Nun which are a great influence and when I made it to college, submerged myself into finding the New Zealand sound. Along with bands like the Clean, the Bats, the Jean Paul Satre Experience, the 3Ds and Straitjacket Fits among others, the sound of Velvet Underground influenced pop from New Zealand bands has touched everyone who has heard it, and I suspect will be timeless for new listeners to come. 

Recent conversations around the Chills and another band Downy Mildew now immortalized by the recent Strum and Thrum: American Jangle Underground compilation unlocked a surprising forgotten memories. 

Me in 1992 was very interested in discovering music. This was before I found college radio but knew of it. MTV offered a window but I was hungry for more. I remembered some sampler CDs that I had either ordered for free out of the back of a music magazine or maybe bought with the magazine. It was a novel idea then. Of course, in the 1990s and early 2000s, I would buy the CMJ newsstand magazine that excelled at promoting new alternative bands. Then as it disappeared, saw the rise of Uk mags that did the same- Q and the Word back then and Mojo and Uncut carrying the torch. But I did look for free music back in those pre Internet days. Sire Records of course had the Just Say Yes series (for a price). Epic/Columbia promoted free music via soda pop companies. I even bought for a dollar or two the fantastic sampler put out by small indie Alias Records. 

But I couldn’t quite pull that early memory. I remember these discs being weirdly diverse with rock, jazz, world, etc. A few big names, a few names that became big and some who never did. And I thought it seemed it was something to do with Musician magazine. Though I now wondered if that was a real thing or if I made it up. I went to the Wiki and saw it did exist- a place for writers like Lester Bangs and Cameron Crowe- though by the time I started reading it, it was owned by Billboard Magazine and folded in 1999. Sure enough I looked and the discs I remember having I found. 

It was their series A Little on the CD side. I had at least three and possibly more. Looking at what I found online-the series carried on a bit and would have been great to keep up with as I see later discs with people like PJ Harvey, Elliott Smith and others who came later. It’s likely where I first heard Shakespear’s Sister, the Rembrandts, the Spin Doctors, Sophie B Hawkins and Del Amitri before they made their marks on 90s Radio. It was also a good spot to hear new music from Warren Zevon, Ringo Starr, Maceo Parker, Wendy & Lisa and Los Lobos- established artists who had been pushed to the margins. Eno and Cale was a revelation as were the Chills as was E (Mark Everett) who had bigger days ahead as Eels. I heard Me Phi Me whose Wikipedia entry details his success but someone I feel deserved more. But I also remember the bands that sounded like nothing I had ever heard and maybe I could or couldn’t make heads or tails of like Strunz and Farah, Young Gods and Limbo Maniacs. 

Here are the discogs pages for the ones that I know I had 

 https://www.discogs.com/release/6612622-Various-Musician-Magazines-A-Little-On-The-CD-Side-Volume-1 

 https://www.discogs.com/release/6613313-Various-Musician-Magazines-A-Little-On-The-CD-Side-Volume-VI 

 https://www.discogs.com/release/6613277-Various-Musician-Magazines-A-Little-On-The-CD-Side-Volume-5

 

RIP: James Chance

There are many times in our life where we hear a song that blows us away. While it may be less over the years, one still runs into them, and definitely one of those songs for me is “Contort Yourself” by James Chance.

I must have of him before I heard him. Like Glenn Branca or John Zorn, it’s almost impossible not to have heard the name. Famously, Chance was part of the 1978 Brian Eno curated compilation No New York which also introduced Arto Lindsay and Lydia Lunch.

Although I don’t know that I am a huge fan of the scene that became called No Wave- as opposed to New Wave- this post punk rock imagining of funk, jazz and disco, I do find the idea intriguing. And as an alternative rock fan of the 80s, its legacy was being carried out by the Swans, Sonic Youth and others.

I never fully jumped into a Chance deep dive but I always found “Contort Yourself” an amazing song. By the time I had gotten to it, it shouldn’t have seemed so revolutionary. There’s definitely a straight line to bands like Jon Spencer Blues Explosion that loves James Brown and gritty rock equally. I had found fringe bands like Chrome and Dog Faced Hermans whose stretching of boundaries really appealed to me. Even the post punk sounds of PiL and Pere Ubu were taking us there.

And yet, knowing all this still, it smacks a wallop. Even if you never heard the music, album covers like Off White by Chance’s alter ego band James White and the Blacks is pure cool- Chance with greased pompadour and sax.

In the modern day of social media, I learned of Chance’s failing health and though he truly was a great rock character, he still needed a GoFundMe. It is sad that someone of such a legacy would need that kind of assistance. His music will live on

An Appreciation - The Four Tops

88 year old Duke Fakir passed away last month meaning all of the original Four Tops are now gone. 

I knew Fakir was still touring the group when I read a review I think from the Guardian a few years ago. Fakir performed up until two days before his death which means he was a Four Top for 70 years The band will continue led by Ronnie McNeir who took over for Levi Stubbs in 1999 and sang with them since. 

I think most of us love the Motown (and similar sounding soul) bands but the Four Tops were really the pinnacle for me. They legitimately are one of my favorite musical artists of all time. The Funk Brothers were the backing band as they were for most every big Motown hit you can name. Holland-Dozier-Holland were the songwriting team and although they wrote for many artists, they are particularly known for writing for the 4 Tops and the Supremes. 

This may be some subliminal suggestion but Billy Bragg had a song called Levi Stubbs’s Tears and I truly think Levi was an amazing unique frontman. The band’s most famous songs are “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” and “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)” and they are fantastic songs. But so many of their hits are great. Stubbs always sounded like he was singing about the most important thing. “Bernadette” with its false finish, “Standing in the Shadows of Love” with its juxtaposition of urgent rhythm and the desperation of "Seven Rooms of Gloom", Stubbs signing his heart out on these essential songs. 

 If anything, I love the Motown essentials, but I know the band released music until the late 1980s. Though I consider myself a Rock Guy, an indie music fan, the Four Tops are always on my listening menu. Though they predate the “album” era, Second Album is remarkably solid with the recognizable songs on side one and a nice enjoyable second side of songs that don't get played on the radio.. At this point, it looks like the band will continue on led by Lewis McNeir who replaced Stubbs in 1999 and has had a strong musician and producer career on his own. 

 1966 - Motown 

 

Album Review- Vacations- No Place Like Home

I have been quite interested in the generational music divide. 

People my age generally had some commonality which I attribute mostly to MTV and its alternative music kingmaker 120 Minutes. We all knew the popular band and it seemsd like the mags like Spin and Alternative Press, college radio and everything else fell in line behind. When I talk to someone my age, we have the same references. 

When I talk to someone 15 years younger, they don’t get my references. Names like Psychedelic Furs or Horton Heat are meaningless. But it goes both ways. I am not sure how this generation consumes music. 

I suppose it’s multiple things like Spotify curated playlists, alt rock radio, Pandora streams, viral TikTok videos, TV and movie soundtracks, hipster blogs, tastemaker YouTube shows, Reddit threads and so on. Perhaps some secret dark web that only those under 35 have access to, for all I know. Still, these bands have millions of listeners and pack concert halls (though not always, a common modern problem is determining if streams can equal ticket sales). I used to feel I know the scope of everything but those days are gone. 

Australian band Vacations feel like a group that straddles both lines. They get play on Sirius XMs “College Rock” station which echoes the old guard commonality. Their sound is old school too. Dream Pop probably most accurately describes their blend of psych, shoe gaze, and Smiths jangle. To my ear, I hear comparisons to another Antipodean band San Cisco and Midwest bedroom pop artist Yot Club. Vacations do market themselves as Australia’s biggest boy band and their biggest moment is from a TikTok for their 2016 song “Young” and their 2018 song “Telephones” appropriately about being obsessed with our phone. For a band that sprung to life like many of their age from Tumblr and SoundCloud, that shouldn’t be a big deal. But the 90s sound of dream pop is what lures me in and I dig their sound.

What I am Listening to - The Beatles - The White Album- Esher Demos

It’s been a year and a half since I cleaned out my mom’s house and I detailed some of the records I had found. 

Now, I am doing the same thing again, though not without help from others this time, for a family friend. And one of the perks was finding the 2016 White Album/Escher Demos box set and the Springsteen autobiography Born to Run. The box isn’t in enough shape to resell and it’s one of those pieces that would have a nice return but I just would have wound up wanting to listen to it anyway. 

 I have spoken about the Beatles at length. But I do remember a couple of years in college where I started the Fall by buying a new a CD. I remember just two of these, but one was Revolver and one was the White Album. The Esher Tapes were from my understanding recorded at George Harrison’s place in May of 1968 as a precursor to the White Album- with nearly half of the compositions from John, but also some, of course from Paul and George. I always enjoyed the variety of the White Album which feels like a true album of songs and not a collection of singles. The band seems to enjoy bringing the songs together on these Esher demos. 

Like the Vanilla Tapes that formed The Clash’s London Calling, I am super interested in hearing them, but I also imagine that I will not necessarily revisit them much in the future. However, the sound quality of the Vanilla Tapes were a detriment On the Esher Tapes they are presented in pretty high quality. So, it is possible, in any case, I look forward to spending some time with them now.

What I Am Listening to- Cherry Red Presents Action Time Vision- A Story of UK Independent Punk 1976-1979

As an American teenager in the 90s, I loved classic UK punk. And UK punk was more than the 76-77 Clash and Sex Pistols, it was so much deeper and extended a seeming decade. It was quite easy to sell cheap compilations to kids like me. You could get Dave Goodman’s recordings, slap a couple of Sex Pistols with lesser known bands and voila there you have it One of the compilations I bought that was out of that mold was 1996s Politics of Punk put out by Dressed to Kill Records. 

DTK was most famous for their colorful anthology primers. Want to know about Punk, Goth, Ska, Reggae, or Ambient? They had a collection for you. Before the label folded in 2002, they had released compilations for some of the movers and shakers in these genres, as well as plenty of tribute albums and a few leftfield choices like David Koresh, Rev Jim Jones and Sid Vicious. But unlike Rhino Records who captured the punk story in their DIY series, DTK used mostly cheap live recordings. 

Politics of Punk was a bit disappointing sure, but I played the heck out of it. It only vaguely collected bands like the MC5, the Exploited and Dead Kennedys who had a political theme among some cherry picked bigger names like the Fall, the Mekons and Sham 69. But it also introduced me to plenty of quality unsung bands. It was my introduction to the splendid Newtown Neurotics and Tom Robinson Band. 

A decade letter, British label Cherry Red Records is doing the compilation thing- but instead of cheap recordings in shoddy packaging, they are doing it right. 2013s Scared to Get Happy is a well loved indie pop compilation. 2017s Close to The Noise Floor explores early UK electronica. 2021s Shake the Foundation highlighted late 70s/early 80s Militant Funk. 2022s C91 updated the idea of C86 to focus on those early 90s bands These are but a few of their fabulous works. 

While they aren’t the only record label doing amazing box sets, they are definitely one to recognize. 2016s Action Time Vision is a collection celebrating what was then 40 years of Punk- specifically focusing on independent label punk. It shows the breadth of punk topics and styles. Punk fans will recognize many names here- Sham 69, UK Subs, Angelic Upstarts, Chelsea, The Fall, The Ruts, the Adicts, Eater, Vice Squad, Rezillos, the Boys, Patrik Fitzgerald, Cockney Rejects, SpizzEnergi and of course, given the title, Alternative TV. 

There’s also some important bands that have only started to get their due after their influence faded like Pure Hell and Hollywood Brats. There’s Punishment of Luxury who never quite lived up to their promise and Disco Zombies- “never were”s whose music holds up amazingly well. There’s lesser known musical acts like The Pack with Kirk Brandon of Theatre of Hate and Spear of Destiny and Demon Preacher featuring Nick from Alien Sex Fiend. Of course, there’s also more than a few obscurities who show his great the scene was. That not all of the songs are great but so many are interesting really speaks to the scene. Songs that target disco or Elvis may or may not have aged well but capture the era.

Album Review- Zach Bryan - The Great American Bar Scene

Zach Bryan has put together a career like few others. Like practically everyone, I first noticed him on his third album 2022s American Hearbreak, his major label breakthrough after two self released recordings. 

The singles were practically inescapable- simultaneously getting play on Country, Pop and Americana radio. I had mixed feelings about American Heartbreak but it most likely was the two hour run time (and 34 songs). Even the best music group to ever do it struggled it when they attempted a triple album. If the Clash and Prince resorted to filler, undoubtedly Bryan did too. (After I wrote this, I read the Allmusic review which sounds about the same as mine. I guess there’s only so many triple albums. Site users do seem to rate Heartbreak much higher than me? 2023s self titled follow up would prove whether Bryan had it or not. 

In the course of 15 months, he went from unknown to one of the most buzzed artists in music. He had a massive hit single “I Remember Everything” the first song to simultaneously hold the # 1 spot on the Hot 100, the country chart and the alternative chart. Musically, it was a pretty great balancing act of being popular with the alt Country Crowd and country radio, in a way that few ever did, and even those who come to mind like Steve Earle or Jason Isbell never did quite conquer the charts like Bryan did Bryan was never going to sit still for long. He followed the album with a surprise five song EP. It contained two superstar collaborators (Noah Kahan, Bon Iver) and one of his best songs to date “9 Ball”. He should be tapped out for ideas but like the best artists in their creative peak, he keeps churning. The Great American Bar Scene is only an hour long but brings 19 songs and poems. 

 Modern pop country has a lot of 1970s Rock influences and one of those threads is The Boss (who was the topic of Eric Church’s 2012 #1 country song “Springsteen”). Bruce seems like the most obvious influence on Bar Scene, whether it was overtly through listening to Nebraska itself or as carried on by Earle and likely Bryan influences like Whitey Morgan, Drivin N Cryin or the Turnpike Troubadours, the literate lyrics here are part of that lineage. Interestingly, Bryan maintains that tightrope if intentional or not. “Pink Skies” (backed by North Carolina folk duo Watchhouse) is already a monster country hit. 

Though he would likely hate the comparison, Bryan reminds me a lot of Johnny Cash insomuch he isn’t trying to be anything specific. He seems comfortable in big arena crowds but he has been particularly critical of the record industry. He has no interest in politics despite being the kind of artist people would want to “choose sides”. It’s the kind of unicorn musician who doesn’t pick and choose his audience in a way that only the elder class of musicians like Johnny, Willie and Dolly could get away with. And maybe he won’t be able to get away with it forever, but for the time being, it’s working. Working man narrative is his strength and he leans into it with a “State Trooper” reference in the title track and “Oak Island” sounding like a spin on “Atlantic City”. If that isn’t enough, there’s another star studded guest list with artists like John Moreland and John Mayer and sure enough Bruce himself on “Sandpaper” The Springsteen track like much of the second half of the album isn’t a particularly standout (though it does have a great Born in the USA vibe). Which isn’t to say it isn’t good, but some of the “singles” are so top shelf. The Mayer duet likewise is part of that lesser half- not an essential Bryan track though both make for interesting additions to the whole here. 

 The Great American Bar Scene is a strong next chapter in the Zach Bryan story. While country music trends will eventually swing back, Bryan has set himself up for what looks like a fine career 2024 - Warner

Album Review- The Decemberists- As it Ever Was, Shall It Be Again

The Decemberists were part of a high water mark for indie rock circa the early 2000s, -which now has been called by the masses “Dad Rock”- with bands like Wilco, the National, and TV On the Radio- Pitchfork endorsed favorites whose audiences have inevitably aged. It’s all kind of silly, but every generation needs its Steely Dan. 

 The Decemberists were one of my favorite bands of this movement. It may technically have been indie rock but it featured sea shanties, murder ballads and other various narratives. Almost every in depth story of the band states that they were theater geeks in school not garage band punks. Colin Meloy is famously a huge Smiths fan and that intersects with REM- style college rock and as their Allmusic profile says - a strand of folk from bands like Fairport Convention and Pentangle. Their sound was truly unique which is why I liked them. Something offbeat akin to the Pogues or Camper Van Beethoven. 

For me, the band’s third album “Picaresque” was where every thing gelled. On that album, what may be their signature song “The Mariner’s Revenge Song” which did what it advertised. The band made the major label jump for 2011s The Hazard of Love which was still telling a complicated plot, but things were changing, and the next album 2011’s The King Is Dead despite the Smiths’ sounding name really seemed as if the band was now moving into respectful indie rock territory. Peter Buck guested and it seemed the band was hoping to duplicate REMs mainstream success. But with the change in sound, I found myself no longer really that interested in the band. Albums in 2015 and 2018 came and went with little attention from me 

 But ahead of 2024s As it Ever Was, Shall It Be Again, the band released “Burial Ground” a collaboration with another Aughts indie hero James Mercer of the Shins. Probably their most striking single since 2011s “ The Rake’s Song”. Band promo materials suggest that the album title may be apt with the band looking to incorporate all the sounds of their two-decade-plus career. 

Indeed, songs like “William Fitzwillam” would probably fit comfortably on those early albums. It’s interesting to see Redditors try to pin down the sound - Lyle Lovett, John Prine, Drive By Truckers- and I am not sure I would use any of those artists, it does give some insight into how left of center the band remains. To further prove the point, while the album begins with the radio hit sounding “Burial Ground”, it ends with the near 20- minute “Joan in the Garden”. Sure, it probably could have been edited but for the most part holds all the way through and if the bands want to add prog rock and 70s arena rock to their arsenal, I think we should let them. As It Ever Was is a wonderful return to form, and while album promo materials tend to be hyperbolic, it certainly sounds like the band put a considerable amount of effort in making the best album they could.

Album Review- Richard Thompson- Ship to Shore

A standard question that everyone asks is “What is the outlier in your music collection” and my answer is always Prince. 

Now, there may be better answers for me- Ice Cube, A Tribe Called Quest, Rodney Crowell, Glen Miller, Bobby Darin, the Four Tops, Bill Monroe, U-Roy, Screaming Jay Hawkins, even Tom Petty, might be a better response. But maybe I should say Richard Thompson. 

 Not that I don’t listen to singer- songwriters or folk- but Thompson is such an outlier to popular music in general. There are few artists quite like him. Not that Thompson ever makes bad albums, but his best albums seem to usually have a binding theme and almost always, a striking album cover. 

Thompson looks like a fisherman, more like someone on the Deadliest Catch than a rock star- in the cover painting with seagull on each shower. The album follows a similar nautical theme to previous album 13 Rivers. Recorded in Woodstock, New York, critics are general agreement that it will rank with his best albums. It has a variety of sounds and styles that like the Classic Richard and Linda Thompson still holds together and yet upon reflection, shows a great deal of emotions. Yes, it is most somber and serious, but not always. 

Like my favorite of his 1990s albums- I love that I feel like every song is important and striking. Yes, the last few albums were good but they were also the typical collection of songs where only two or three were of great impact. That said, the most striking songs here are The Fear Never Leaves You- a song about losing half your crew to a terrible storm and the much more upbeat “We Roll” a sea shanty of inspiration.

Album Review- The Libertines- All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade

The Libertines were one of my favorite bands of the early 2000s. They had two albums which were pretty fantastic (2002s Up the Bracket and 2004s self titled). The best thing about them (or worst if you were a critic) was that they combined the sound of the Smiths and the Clash. That said, they became a supporting act for Morrissey and Mick Jones produced the band’s first album. Of course, the two frontmen - Pete Doherty and Carl Barat had separate careers but they were never as good apart as they were together. The band unexpectedly reunited to release Anthems of Doomed Youth in 2015. 

Although the first two albums are elevated by history, Anthems is a great album. It didn’t get a ton of publicity but in my eyes, really captures what is great about the band. I am a huge fan of Doherty, who was a self- destructive punchline for a time. 2019s Puta Madres and 2022s collaboration with Frederic Lo- The Fantasy Life of Poetry and Crime are some of his best solo work. 

We are now another nine years before we have another album, but we now have All Quiet on Eastern Esplanade. The Libertines can be captured with the album reviews for the recent disc. Critics aren’t interested and reviews are not glowing. Yet, on user based sites, Libertines fans seem to love it. So it goes. 

The most interesting thing might be that All Quiet sounds like a band’s fourth album (even if for most bands that time span might be seven years, and in this case it’s 22). But it’s a benefit that the album sounds like an act of growth and not some flimsy attempt to copy a certain sound. The band selected Dimitri Tikovoi (Placebo, Blondie, White Honey) producer and he gives it a pretty slick sound (Tikovoi also produced one of my favorite records- I’ll Gotten Gains by Michael J Sheehy) that might not capture the punk sound the way that Jones did, but captures the poppier side. 

A band that has always been defined in terms of cultural references. There are two songs that sound like they could be classic alternative covers (they’re not) - “Run Run Run” and “Oh Sh*t” and “Night of the Hunter” like the Mitchum movie. “Merry Old England” is a bit of the band’s Anglophilia they have always had a la Kinks/ Smiths/Jam and the strongest moment. There are a few songs that sound classic like “Be Young” and some that expand the sound “Shimmer”. There’s few clunkers. (“Oh Sh— was one of the singles but it may be the weakest song here) The album ends with “Songs they never play on the Radio” (another borrowed title-the name of a Nico biography) a fitting Beatlesque finale of a Doherty song from the early days of Babyshambles. While fans might slot this as the fourth of four albums in quality (which it likely is), I can see why Libertines fans are happy. I am more than happy with it.

Album Review- Old 97s- American Primitive

 My favorite band of the late 90s early Alt Country days is and was the Old 97s. They never seemed to get the attention that Wilco, Son Volt, the Jayhawks, or even Whiskeytown did, but they have hung around now that they have got their due. I always thought the band broke up between their 2004 and 2008 records but I am not sure that they did. 

In any case, Drag It Up is perhaps their low point and after that four year layoff, they have come back with one great album after another. American Primitive is their fourth album in the last decade (fifth really - but one is a Christmas album). All of these albums are good but they all have different feels. 2017s Graveyard Whistling is probably my favorite but there is no wrong answer. (I may have thought the band broke up when Rhett Miller released 2006s The Believer. However, his solo career has run concurrently with the band. 

I saw the band live in 2022 when Rhett’s album The Misfit was only a couple of weeks old. While I don’t think Rhett’s album are quite as consistent as the band’s- but the catalog is still quite good). American Primitive comes with an entirely different feel and though surely the band is due an inferior album, this isn’t that. It’s another worthwhile addition to the catalog. 

Recorded and imagined as an album to catch the live feel of the band. American Primitive is at once a Stephen King reference and a reference to the Musical style made famous by John Fahey. This album is their first to be produced by Tucker Martine who has produced a good deal of respected Americana artists like My Morning Jacket, Laura Veirs and the Decemberists. Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey show up in guest spots too. However you rate it, there are a few songs like Falling Down that will be additions for Old 97s playlists for years to come.

Concert Review- Southern Culture On the Skids

 One of the bands that I discovered in College Radio was Southern Culture on the Skids. I mean if you have an album named Too Much Pork for Just One Fork, you are going to stand out. The band goes back to 1983 but albums like 1992s For Lovers Only and 1993s Peckin Party EP was putting them on the map. In 1996, they got their major label moment with Geffen’s DGC indie label and although it did not set the world on fire, did gather some attention and musically is probably the best distillation of the band’s sound. The band’s next two albums were able to keep them in the indie spotlight until 2000, and I hate to say it, but I kind of lost track of their band. 

But the band didn’t stop and to their credit, as the world shut down for Covid, SCOTS was trying their best to take advantage of the downtime and released a fantastic album - 2001s At Home With… Before Covid, they had been a touring workhorse, yet somehow I never managed to see them When I found they were playing the local 250 capacity venue, attending the show became my number one priority. The opening band was the Surf Zombies. The Cedar Rapids based band are bona fide local legends, and whereas I usually think of that term as diminutive, in this case, they are a fantastic band - as good as any surf band whose only nearby body of water might be the Des Moines River. 

Whether the audience were brought in by the opener, or by the surf and rockabilly advertised, it was certainly an older crowd. I am not sure what the typical SCOTS crowd would be, but the fabulous folks in their 50s, 60s and 70s outperform their younger (possibly nu metal listening) peers. Iowa is a weird place. SCOTS has a unique niche. It’s almost impossible to describe them without some comparison to the B-52s and the Cramps. Besides the retro obsession and rockabilly and surf influences, there lies the “white trash” celebration that might fit between John Waters and Mike Judge’s King of the Hill. Or is it satire. Songs like “My House has Wheels” don’t make the answer any clearer. No surprise most may know them from the Rob Zombie curated 1998 album Halloween Hootenany, and the band took a moment during the concert to acknowledge the recent passing of Roger Corman as they performed Zombiefied (not the Alien Sex Fiend) and Goo Goo Muck (the Gaylads song made famous by the Cramps) As much as the music, the band is known for throwing Oatmeal Creme Pies, Fried Chicken and (not today) Banana Pudding into the crowd. Which is as great as it sounds. 

Age suits frontman Rick Miller. Now in his late 60s, he really resembles a King of the Hill or Squidbillies character. Bassist Mary Huff may be one of the unheralded female indie musicians of the 90s. She proves a nice counterpoint to Miller and she can sing as if she was born to be a 1950s or 60s country chanteuse. Drummer Dave Hartman is quietly amazing. He doesn’t say much but they moved him so he is pretty much in line of sight with the other two. I suspect that the band’s schtick hasn’t changed over the years, but it’s still hard to beat a group that gets fans onstage to sing about fried chicken and I was so glad I got to see them and definitely recommend them.

Concert Review- Violent Femmes

My adopted hometown has seen some ups and downs as far as bands coming through. It will always fall second to neighboring cities like Kansas City and Minneapolis, even failing in comparison to Omaha. The one thing that makes up for it is that the concerts are usually more intimate affairs. I worry Des Moines doesn’t draw, though. In any case the last couple of years, two venues really did the hard lifting. There is an arena football stadium for the big names, of course. Also a 1200 person theater that usually focuses on songwriters. 

But Des Moines losing a cool 200 capacity venue felt awful - one has finally sprung up in its place. Now, a new spot has been built and is being sponsored by Live Nation will bring in some large names. Bands like The Black Crowes, Pixies, Chicago and Gladys Knight have been some of the first to play here. But somewhere in here, the downside and upside is also augmented by the remodeling of the Val Air Ballroom. I had only been there to see Wilco, pro wrestling and MMA. A history that goes back over a century. The image draws forth images of 40s and 50s big bands but the renovation caused it to close for a year and a half. Anyone who is anyone has come through and I just don’t get to too many concerts anymore but I am glad I got out to see the Violent Femmes. 

The Femmes are touring behind the 40th anniversary of their second album Hallowed Ground. They had been touring last year on the 40th of their first album, so this tour is featuring both played in their entirety. That doesn’t leave much for a Greatest Hits but they have been doing two song encores and we got American Music and I Held Her in my Arms. I hadn’t spent a lot of time with Hallowed Ground but I of course knew the first song which is a great opener. Country Death Song In retrospect, I am not sure that the Femmes get their dues as the roots of Americana. Released in 1984, I know Nick Cave and others were doing Goth country in Australia, it’s really kind of a late 90s/early 00s thing with Johnny Cash’s Rick Rubin albums kind of opening the genre and bands like BR549, the Handsome Family, Th’ Legendary Shakeshackers, Slim Cessna and 16 Horsepower bringing old school country death ballads to a rock audience. 

The Femmes were doing it before that with this album, of course. Like 16 Horsepower, audiences weren’t sure that Gordon Gano was mining from Christian lore or an actual Christian. Famously, he was the latter. (Brian Ritchie, however is an atheist and has always been a tense counterpoint to Gano. An 2018 interview with Gano in Magnet suggested the two’s interactions with each other are completely limited to band performances) Hallowed Ground is not quite the album the debut is but it is an interesting album with a lot of highlights like “I Hear the Rain”. Gano played expertly on guitar and fiddle, Ritchie on his unique bass and drummer John Sparrow on two snares and a charcoal grill. Gano’s voice is exactly as it sounds on record. 

The insecure frustrated teenager who wrote this album. I always think Modern Lovers-era Jonathan Richman is the prototype and dozens of 90s indie frontmen the progeny but Gano might be the best to ever portray that angst correctly. The band as always was accompanied by the Horns of Dilemma. Gano came out for the second set with his long hair down and the kind of colorful bathrobe looking outfit that he used to wear. The Violent Femmes debut a-side is probably as good as any five songs recorded in a batch. It makes for a definite crowd favorite. The B side isn’t half bad either and also has the strong anchor near the end of Gone Daddy Gone. The band hardly said anything to the audience. Gano before going into American Music- a perfect peak for the bands talent said “This place was good enough for Sinatra so it’s good enough for us” (referencing the Ballroom’s history). But without any interaction, there was just something in Gano’s presentation to communicate to the crowd (There’s also a noise ordinance so maybe there wasn’t time to fool around). 

I was glad I got to see the band. I was a bit worried that I arrived at door open and that place wasn’t packed (NuMetal band the Disturbed were playing the same night at the Arena) but that only guaranteed a good view as the place did seem to fill the 2000 person vicinity by show start.