Reviews
Associate Editor: Matthew Taylor
James Kolchalka Superstar The True Story of James Kolchalka Superstar Dot Dot Dash Records
Produced and Engineered by Peter Katis & recorded at Tarquin Studios and in various living rooms on 24 & 8 track, and boom box from 1987-1995
Released 1995
by Jason Cooley
James Kolchalka Superstar: It's his dink.
Local cheese James Kolchalka opens up his mind with a meat cleaver and Spills it on a microphone for all to hear on his first full-length project, The True Story of James Kolchaka Superstar, just out on New York's indie label Dot Dot Dash. The multi-varied, multi tracked, multi-multiplied record plums the dark soulful depths of the cavernous wasteland that is James Kolchalka's brain. In each cavern you might find either a little boy petting a kitten or a giant donkey having sex with a small monkey. Either way you would probably stand stupefied at the sight of what you've found for a few minutes and then run away, shaking your feeble little head.
The mandatory literature on the inside of the CD would have you believe that it took James Kolchalka more than 7 years to make this small token of his artistry. But don't be fooled! This album is actually a chronicle of a body of musical work, spanning the careers of not one, not two, but three different bands that Kolchalka has played with.
While Kolchalka will be the first to admit that he has little or no musical talent other than his incredibly off-key shouting, that apparently doesn't stop him from employing real musicians to make it look like he does. His bands over the years have mostly consisted of college buddies. The main mastermind behind the music for the self-proclaimed superstar is Philistines leader Peter Katis, who also did time in Kolchalka'a JAZZIN HELL, a Casio keyboard-fueled group out of Vermont's own UVM. Also helping out are a bunch of other musicians, including Black Hairy Tongue's Pete Painful, Jazzin Hellist and Thicker magazine editor Eric Bradford, and the rest of the Philistines. All involved do a more than convincing job of making the superstar look like one.
The album begins with a short sad song that isn't really sad. Then out of the silence emits a lonely guitar playing a lovely little riff and then, BAM, the song kicks in tenfold. It's small moments like this that make me like rock and roll. The song is a lovely ode to the superstar's own endowments, namely his penis: "It's my dink, it's my dink, it's my magic finger," yells the superstar. Such a proclamation may seem like a simple man's typical bolstering of his masculinity on record for the world to hear, but perhaps it is something more, something that speaks to everyone as an individual, each proud of his/her own gifts. The 'dink' acts as a metaphor for the gifts each one of us has as a person, although in Kolchalka's case it may be a simple warning. I'm not sure.
After a few more days concerning car crashes, urine, and transvestism, you begin to understand where the superstar is coming from. He is a megalomaniacal dirty little boy pretending to be a 28-year-old genius. Song after song you begin to think he has probably covered everything there is to say in rock and roll. Many of the songs obviously take form first in his head, and then just reel out of control, as if we are all in a car with him and then he drives us off of a cliff, jumping out to his safety at the last second so he can sing another song, leaving us to die in the process. I think Kolchalka would probably do the same in real life.
What's bizarre is how the album accomplishes the difficult task of introducing you to an insane and illogical world that takes place primarily in a boy's head, and completely lets you inside instead of merely informing you. I can only think of one other musical artist who has duplicated this feat: William Shatner.
James Kolchalka also draws funny comic books- one is included with the CD- and would explode with ego-filled joy if you contacted him to buy one. Write: JAMES KOLCHALKA SUPERSTAR P.O. BOX 8321 BURLINGTON VT. 05402.
James Cooley wants more than anything to write for Good Citizen. Oh look, I guess he just did.
12 Times Over 12 Times Over Recorded at Low Tech Studio, Burlington, Vermont Released in 1995
by Chaz Handel
Every once in a great while the incestuous Burlington music scene inbreeds itself a new band, swallowing up what are usually the best parts of various local groups and spitting out something that sounds like something that might sort of sound like something new. The familiar might be comforting but it might be boring, too. Bands that can take the known and make it new are few and far between, you might say, but those that succeed seem to do it by melting genres and abandoning formulaic methodology. Today's case in point: local scenesters and living legends 12 Times Over.
Begin Here: Middlebury native Denny Donovan has a short attention span. In just a few years he's gone from Peg Tassey's Proud of It to 12 Times Over to Epitaph to Slush to The Luffers and back 12 Times Over, a lot of them simultaneously, and now onto his new projects Starlight Conspiracy and Seven Years War, and we're probably missing a few bands too. As prolific as he is, Donovan has somehow managed the task of matching his level of quality to his level of quantity. His recordings with Slush and Proud of It surely rank among Burlington's all-time best albums to date and his name is often mentioned as one of the area’s admired young guitar players. His recent exposure as a member of Slush has upped the ante somewhat. His ability to coax beautiful and delicate melodies out of an industrial roar has not gone unnoticed. As much as Denny Donovan can be proud of his past, the fact that Denny Donovan has the future is much more exciting.
Continue Here: 12 Times Over has a place somewhere back in Burlington Hardcore History has a band that almost, could have, sort of did, might have been, never was. They had a brief moment of glory before splintering in a bunch of different directions and then reforming with a new lineup later, in 1995. The new lineup caused a lot of talk: Donovan was in Slush, bassist Dave Barnett was in Chin Ho!, drummer Erik Sherman and vocalist Sterling Dew were in Colorblind, and singer Chris Muniz had been in Lost Grip. A lot of history and a lot to live up to.
So Here It Is: Recorded at Low Tech in May of this year, 12 Times Over, the tape, is a well-produced six-song collection that demonstrates what all of us is about: this band is tight, powerful and in your face and the combined voices of Dew and Muniz snap, crackle and rap. You can almost picture the singers criss-crossing the stage, mics held high, spit flying. These guys are a frantic dynamic duo that works best when the attack is full frontal and easy to read: sometimes in concert the words get lost, and while they are effective tools as percussive instruments, it's to this recording's credit that every line is decipherable. The vocals are at their best on this recording during the rap parts as occasionally the singing sounds a little strained and mixed a little weird. But that's being damned picky. Hardcore music is notoriously difficult to play effectively: it's fast, it's aggressive, and if you're not into it, it's going to show: the rhythm section of Barnett (who did time in the Champions in addition to his touring and recording in Chin Ho!) and Sherman (an early member of Dysfunkshun and the sometimes-on, sometimes-off Colorblind) drive this recording at a frenzied pace and never miss a beat.
And so: Great recording, thoughtful production, exciting performances. Packaging is kind of lo-fi but colorful. Available only on cassette, unfortunately, but it sounds good so shut up and buy it.
Chaz Handel is a freelance writer and kind of old for this shit but he's into it and thinks you should get into it too.
Bloozotomy Bloozotomy Produced by Martin Guiguu & Jim Branca Studio tracks recorded at Ducktape Studio, South Burlington, Vermont
Live tracks recorded at Nectar's by Sergei Ushakov Mastered by Chuck Eller
Released in 1995
by Neil Charnoff
Bloozotomy, lately performing on Sunday nights at Alley Cats in Burlington, is a blues band to howl at the moon by. Led by guitarist and vocalist Jim Branca, this is a band that can handily Supply exciting, sweat-drenched, progressive blues.
This is not the blues of whiskey and women- this is 'da blooz', bouncy and optimistic, as if Nectar had opened a franchise in Roger Rabbit's Toon Town. Jim Branca is not averse to brooding, he's just more likely to search for truth in a plate of fries and gravy than to try and find it in the bottom of a glass. Lyrically, "wherever you go, that's where you are'' is about as deep as things get. But Jim knows how to use his words, and his songs are perfect vehicles for his Texas style playing and George Bensonish scatting. Stevie Ray Vaughan could take the essence of Blues and write a great song. Likewise, Jim Branca succeeds in creating music which transcends the genre. 'You Bum Me Out' is classic Texas style rock. The wordy 'Duty, Honor, Need, Fear, Tribal Obligation' is a clever, jazzy toe-tapper. But Jim is at his best with anthemic, crowd arousing outbursts. 'As Muddy Waters Flows' and 'Wake the World Up' are the album's and the live show's highlights.
The problems with the CD mainly stem from a personnel mismatch. The rhythm section is simply no match for Jim's imagination. Jim Branca has the ability to careen from a philosophical rap into an atmospheric howl and then let rip a truly astounding solo from his guitar. On the CD (partly recorded live at Nectar's) bassist Sean Harkness and drummer Chad Hollister, two of the area's most distinguished players, never seem to find the groove and a lot of riffs are at best hesitant and at worst, sloppy. Jim doesn't seem to notice that he keeps playing as if he's not being pulled back from the edge. Things aren't helped by the production quality which occasionally gets muddy, with little to distinguish tone or timbre.
Bloozotomy, the CD, it's certainly a good calling card for Jim's band, if not the album he's capable of making. Having heard this band live, I can only urge you to check out the current lineup for a heavy dose of engaging, mind-blowing howling at the moon. If Jim can get some of his recent live shows into the studio will have the definitive album of 'da blooz'.
Neil Charnoff ran the night shift at WNCS for many years. He was well known as one of the area's most dedicated local music supporters. Listen to WCFE in the Plattsburgh area for his new folk music show soon.
Tamah You'll See Produced by Tamah and 'Captain' Eddie Recorded at White Crow
Released in 1995
by Matthew Blank
You'll See, the self-released first recording from singer-songwriter Tamah, puts forth a collection of ten lulling, at times hypnotic acoustic folk songs. Snuggled somewhere between Joan Baez and Phranc, these songs are heartfelt, impassioned, and mournfully sensitive in the truest of folk traditions.
While at times delving a bit too far into the realm of folk cliche ("like a slow train ride... take me to the riverside"), Tamah's voice is layered with confidence and a delicate sincerity that almost, but not quite, causes one to overlook her often time worn lyrics.
Subject matter aside, these songs are hauntingly honest and Tamah is in complete control of all the material on the album. With hints of Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, and even Michelle Shocked at times, Tamah's vocal abilities are strong and beautiful and place her easily on a par with the aforementioned artists. The music on this album is introspective and wintry, best listened to alone, and particularly conducive to those more reflective moments.
Most songs are accompanied by quiet, crisp acoustic guitar melodies as well as excellent percussion by Chad Hollister and bass by Matt McGibney. The production quality is exceptional with engineering credit due to Tom Walters. These songs are clear and well developed with Tamah's voice appropriately forthright in the mix. 'Solitude' and 'Don't Say' are quiet, pretty Joni Mitchell-esque finger-picking lullabies. 'Curious She' and 'I've Got You' demonstrate a more traditional folk guitar power-strum. The other six numbers liquor and oscillate somewhere in between, creating a competent diversity in both sound and style.
If you're a fan of tranquil folk songs with delicate melodies and soulful vocals, then You'll See is worth a listen.
Matthew Blank is a free thinking renegade whose life story is filled with any number of very impressive, highly improbable episodes. He once took his girlfriend to the prom in a hot air balloon.
Various Artists Hardwick Old Time Fiddler's Contest Recorded live by Big Ed's Studio on Wheels, Hardwick, Vermont
Produced by Big Ed Promised Land Records HCR 60 Box 40 Canaan, Vermont 05903
Released 1995
by Alan Rench
On Saturday, July 29, 1995, the most popular field in Hardwick, Vermont, came alive again with the 14th annual Hardwick Fiddler's contest, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. Sixty-one fiddlers of all ages and abilities started their stuff on the grass that last year saw the Big Music Fest and this year became the new home for the Vermont Reggae Fest, and Big Ed's Studio on Wheels was there to catch the action.
The recording begins with 84-year-old Willie Lapman of Terryfield, Connecticut, exclaiming, "If I make a mistake, don't blame me, I'm blind. Clap your hands and stamp your feet." And it's exactly that kind of 'It's a good time and there's room for everybody' flavor that permeates this album from start to finish. They have different divisions for varying ages and abilities, all of which is reflected throughout Hardwick Old Time Fiddlers Contest. Some of the most memorable moments on the recording actually happened between the songs when Master of Ceremonies Ron Sanville talks to the contestants and treats the audience to biographical details like Senior Division contestant Barbara McAllister playing without the wheelchair that she needed to play in last year's contest.
A clean recording with the fiddles out front provides the listener ample opportunity to get hypercritical, but that is hardly the point of a venture like this one: this is the real Vermont experience, warts and all, so like it or leave it alone and let it take care of itself, I say. I just wish I could see the faces of folks like 11 year old Lauren Brunswick or 13-year-old Patrick Ross as they saw away on their instruments. Maybe next year...
Seven Years War Seven Years War 4-song 7" Recorded by Joe Egan
John Brown Records PO Box 1105 Burlington, Vermont 05402
Released in 1995
by Matthew Taylor
The Seven Year War was just that- a war that lasted seven years, fought in the 18th century between the rival European colonial powers of France and England. Better known as the French and Indian War, or Queen Anne's War, it was fought on North American soil and served, for the most part, as an ultimate demonstration of the destructive nature of European imperialist interest in the Americas, particularly and obviously with regards to the land's indigenous peoples.
On the inside of the album jacket, the band by almost the same name gives us the following definition: “HARDCORE: aggression, anger, frustration, emotions, politics, expression, communication, education, direct action, change.”
Well, if you haven't guessed it already, then I'll let you in on a little secret; Seven Years War is a politically minded hardcore band and like other bands that meet this description, they are angry about certain things. Like other bands, they use their music as a channel through which to vent their anger and, like other bands, they are quite serious about what you might call 'their mission.'
On the inside jacket, band member Jonathan Hughes writes that "Hardcore is a form of education. Life education. With every song I write, I have to confront myself. Hardcore is my inspiration, my mouthpiece, my outlet. With the inspiration of music, I am able to express myself."
Now, I'm guessing that these guys are also probably vegans, are probably adamantly opposed to corporate rock, are probably very loyal to the punk rock ethic, and are probably very self-righteous about not selling out to anybody ever.
With that in mind, let me say that there are an awful lot of bands that embody the same ideals. There are an awful lot of bands who preach the same doctrine and who feel and express themselves the same way. The thing is, an awful lot of them really suck too. An awful lot of them don't really understand what they're talking about, or just jumping on the anti-establishment bandwagon, and have very little in the way of intelligence, let alone musical prowess. In my mind, a lot of them are just plain losers.
However, there are always a few exceptions. There are always a few people who are serious, who have the ability, who are intelligent, and who do convince you that they actually give an honest damn about what they're doing, Seven Years War is one such group. And they're good at it too. They know how to play their instruments. They write intelligent songs and they convince you that they are indeed passionate about their subject matter.
Their new release is a well put together, professional 4 song recording (available only on good ol' vinyl, so if you're not hip enough to own a turntable, you may have to borrow your dad's) the accurately samples the band style and writing.
'New World' is a fast, loud song with wailing guitars and rolling drums. The vocals scream over and around the music, defiantly shouting, "confront and destroy the dehumanization, face the reality of this allegation and educate the ignorant." 'Act Up' addresses a similar topic: "Ignorance is taught to those highest at risk. Silence=death. Death=silence. Act up." The fourth song is titled convenience of ignorance. You think there's a theme emerging here?
The best song on the album is perhaps the third song, the instrumental 'Chaos '68.' While we once again hear the weight of the pounding rhythms, there's also a bit of a melody here, something that works quite well with the band's harder edge. It also adds dimension to their sound, something Seven Years War should employ more often to ensure their safety from the fiery pits of hardcore genericism. In the meantime, they're doing all right by themselves. Check out this recording and look for more stuff from these guys and then in the not so distant future. Hardcore is apparently alive and well, even in Vermont.
Wide Wail Wide Wail Produced by Glen Robinson, Tom Walters and Wide Wail
Recorded and mixed at White Crow, Burlington, Vermont
Top Notch Dark Earth Heart Records PO Box 05402
Released in 1995
by George Yahseff
This is the album of a lifetime. Actually, this is probably the album of five lifetimes. Let's just get the hype right out of the way. The eponymous debut by Burlington's Wide Wail is one of the finest recordings ever in our little music community's history. How it holds up as time gets along and perspectives change... hard to say. But it's obvious from the first note that this album has VIP written all over it.
There's been a lot of unnecessary pressure on the Wide Wail camp since their song 'Help Wanted' first appeared on the Good Citizen Soundtrack Volume One. A lot of people heard that song and got talking. A lot of people still talk about that song. The delicate guitars that give way to that voice. That voice. A lot of people have been talking about that voice, and for damn good reasons. Amanda Gustafson is cool and carefully spoken; her casual phrasings and lyrical twists and turns create unforgettable hooks that help to define this album as pure, unadulterated, introspective pop music that just happens to be a little more clever than most.
Throughout Wide Wail, the album, the band creates dreamy washes and textural oceans that are ambient in nature yet still rock out. That's one of the really cool things about Wide Wail, the band: there's a thick layer of heavy noise that serves as a bed for Amanda's voice to get cozy in. The music is custom made for a Vermont day at home with some serious cold medicine contemplative and plotting at times, always enveloping and hypnotizing. Guitarists David Rosenstein and Josh Mechum have mastered the art of restraint that I wish all guitarists would learn: they know when to fire up and blast away, but more importantly, they also know when to lay back and let the song take center stage. And bassist Kieran Donaghey gets a lot of room to move throughout the twelve songs, allowing him to take his deserved space among Burlington's short list of great players of the four-stringed beast. Drummer Dave LaCombe's work also gets highlighted by the spatial air on this record; drums and bass tend to get lost in a lot of productions, but this album makes room for every instrument with equal finesse.
Producer Glen Robinson, who also produced the Envy album Distorted Greetings and was behind the board for the upcoming Slush album Null, worked with engineer Tom Walters and the band (who all share production credit) to create a big, wide open feel to the album, smartly putting Gustafson's throaty vocals up front, where they belong. The sound of this album is a good mix of clean and heavy; commercially viable and Radio Ready without selling out... this is what Wide Wail really sounds like. It is ultimately the songs that will bring you back to this album again and again, and will make Wide Wail more than just the first recordings from another great Burlington band. Eleven of the twelve songs are original Wide Wail compositions, while the one cover is a beautiful tune called 'Lost Heart' penned by local singer-songwriter Dianne Horstmeyer. And ten of the eleven Wide Wail songs are winners; only the superfluous and silly 'Seattle Song' detracts from the whole. From the upbeat pop of 'My Old Boyfriend', which is one of the most charming songs on the album, to the more surreal and plaintive balladry of 'I Can't See You' and 'The Sea is Powerful', the songs cover an emotional range that extends beyond mere happy and sad. There are many shades of feeling involved that acknowledge that all is not just black or white, there's a whole bunch of gray here, too. And this kind of contemplation of space and emotion just increases the audience's need to explore and discover, and will undoubtedly bring listeners back to the album time and time again. And Wide Wail is worth the trip.
George Yahseff is the pen name for an extremely famous Burlington resident who wants to make sure that no one knows who he is. He's that well known, we mean, huge. Bigger than huge. Large. Very large. You figure it out. You're dying to know who it is, aren't you?
Chin Ho! Exhaust Produced by Chin Ho!
Recorded and mixed at Eclipse Studio, Hinesberg, Vermont
Good Citizen Records PO Box 5373 Burlington, Vermont 05402
Released in 1995
by Steve Lemcke
Chin Ho! is one of the bands in this town that has had to deal with the Phish fallout. The last four or five years have brought rich rewards for Burlington's piscean brethren. But it has marked the town as a hippie music scene. Chin Ho! has stuck it out in the shadow of Phish and approved that hanging tough and creating opportunities is all about hard work and persistence. And because of that, they certainly must be included in the group when you talk about 'who's next?'
Regional success as a live act has given Chin Ho! word of mouth publicity among gen-Xers and older geek rockers (sound familiar?) Plus, lead singer Andrew Smith's association with this magazine as exalted bhodi of manic energy has placed Chin Ho! in the position to make Burlington known not only for jazzy gems but for pop/rock as well. His tireless efforts in promoting Burlington music and his own band Chin Ho! could change the name of the band to Spin Ho!
Exhaust is a friendly mainstream rock/pop album. As usual, the lyrics and vocals are very self-referential (a little too minimal at times) and Vermont-reference filled. The music swims safely in the mainstream these days, as it is much darker and grungier than the Chin Ho! of old (Drink, Recovery, Big Crowd). The production values make it a lot more low-end for that professional polish and it all sounds radio-ready. The length of the song spits this as well. There are plenty of radio friendly exceptions to the harder stuff that dominates the CD and prettier ballots for you boomers who can't stand the distortion. 'The Undertakers' is a great pop/metal ditty in full '80s cheese/metal splendor. The CD has a lot of retro eighties feel to it. If they were compared to REM in the past, then this album could be their Life's Rich Pageant--a gem.
'Brautigan' has a Jane's Addiction feel to it, what with its haunting pool effects. 'Clouds' is a great tune, as is 'Strong Street.' A good rock album any way you look at it. 'Seeing Things' has a great Rolling Stones-ish cowboy thing going on.
The musicianship is solid. Bill Mullins rips it up on guitar. Dave Barnett is simply one of the most honest sounding bassists in town. Pat Coyne's drums are competently solid though not tremendously compelling. Smith doesn't have the most beautiful voice in the world but it has a depth and richness and honesty that you can't dismiss. The greatest small town band in the world. They will be playing in these parts for years to come in one way shape or form. The trick is to see if they can expand it further. More hard work ahead. Hi-ho, Chin Ho!
Steve Lemcke is music columnist for the Burlington Free Press. He also writes for the Vermont collegian and performs stirring Renditions of Hootie and the Blowfish tunes.
Phish A Live One Elektra Records Produced by Phish
Released in 1995
by Arthur Fufkin
Oh, you've already heard of them? Ah yes, Phish. The grand poobahs of the Burlington music scene. Let me start by saying that I have an awful lot of respect for Phish. They're a group of guys that have definitely earned every good fortune that's come their way (including a recent inheritance of thousands of suddenly errant Deadheads.) Phish has managed to take success in stride though, continuing to satisfy scores of loving fans on a regular basis, while still maintaining loyalties for their hometown. Very commendable, considering the nature of their dramatic rise from relative obscurity to national cult phenomenon.
My problem with the band's music, however, has been a personal one and it is this: my favorite album, by far, is the first- independently released Junta. My second favorite, right in line, is Lawnboy- their second effort. This pattern, as you may have guessed, continues through the next three albums, A Picture of Nectar, Rift, and finally Hoist.
While I don't have the time or space to get into the reasons for my diminishing interest in Phish's recorded material, I will concede that it probably has something to do with the inevitable loss of intimacy experience when local heroes go mainstream. In some ways, it seems that Phish could only truly be Phish within the context of late, drunken nights at Nectar's or The Front in Burlington. But, as fate would have it, The Front is now The SkiRack and those late drunken nights have given way to sell-out crowds at Madison Square Garden.
With that said, let me say this: in the days and months since Phish last played at The Front, they have entered an entirely different league of live performance. Though the experience can no longer be a personal one, the band is becoming unbelievably tight and Incredibly professional on stage, which brings me to the point: Phish is a live band and their music is absolutely dependent on the presence of a stage and an audience.
With that in mind, it's a damn good thing they decided to put out a live album. They certainly have the catalog of shows to choose from, and, as a testament to their ability and quality of their performances, they did just that- chose one show. Unlike most bands, who pick and choose songs from various tapes in order to get an album's worth of good cuts, Phish simply release two CDs worth of one concert. A Live One is just that. It is a documentation of the band as they were meant to be heard and it succeeds. The double disc showcases 12 songs, ranging from fan staples like 'Bouncing Around the Room' and 'Tweezer' to the slightly more obscure, lesser-known 'Gumbo' or 'Slave to the Traffic Light.'
The quality is superb, as could be expected. Phish has grown up, both professionally and financially, and this album reflects it. I figured as much before the first listen. Phish has been around long enough and has enough experience to make sure an album like this is done just right. And it is. The twelve songs are flawless; they're cohesive, diverse, funny, catchy, all those things that make Phish who and what they are. You'll find it here. It's a collection of material that will satisfy both old and new school fans. Oh yeah, and the sound is really big too, but then again, so is Phish. A Live One is a very classy release, one which artfully documents the evolution and maturation of four exceptionally talented guys.
Arthur Fufkin it's just now starting to deal with his affinity for teddy bears and oversized pacifiers.
Rachel Bissex Don't Look Down Alcazar Records, PO Box 429, Waterbury, VT 05676.
Produced & engineered by Stephen Goldberg
Recorded No-Mow Studio, Burlington, Vermont and Duck Tape Studio, South Burlington
Mixed and mastered at Chuck Eller Studio, Charlotte, VT
Released in 1995
by Neil Charnoff
As Burlington continues to will itself into the nation's musical consciousness, more artists dot the landscape, representing even more musical subgenres. But perhaps there is a reason that Vermont's pleas for attention are finally being heard. The fact remains that thrash, acid jazz, and grunge pop are movements that originated someplace else and, with any medium, an artist's success depends largely on their ability to be creative and original. One reason Phish broke through the wall is because they were able to internalize their influences, experiment, and create something new. Thus, they move forward.
Folk music is one of the most relentlessly stagnant art forms, grounded by traditionalists still upset over Highway 61. Rachel Bissex's lovely new album, Don't Look Down, is a low-key affair that quietly moves folk music several steps forward while maintaining a good song's power to move a listener. And, to use an adjective not often applied to folk, it's fun.
The album begins with the title track, a pretty, albeit conventional ode to love. But the tone of the album is set by the next song, 'Wildflower', with its playful, intoxicating tribute to perseverance. Like most of the songs on Don't Look Down, the arrangement is spare, with a saxophone and valve trombone (!) gliding around Rachel's vocals. 'Eve of Construction' the cute in-joke for Vermonters whose summers commence not with Memorial day, but with the sprouting of those "lousy orange barrels."
The next two songs slow things down a bit with a puzzling contemplation of Jackson Browne. First, an earnest cover of 'Colors of the Sun' has one wondering who changed the CD. 'Oh Jackson' begins with a woman perhaps questioning Jackson's sincerity (though no mention is made of the infamous Daryl Hannah incident) and then addresses the recent violence at women's health clinics. Come again? On Joni Mitchell's most recent album, she includes a vicious personal attack on Browne for his role as an abuser of women, but Rachel's intentions are unclear... maybe signaling her ambivalence about including one of his songs, maybe not.
And on the subject of Joni Mitchell, Don't Look Now includes a brave but unsuccessful reworking of 'The Last Time I Saw Richard', a song that for many people just doesn't invite the radical alteration. (Hey, we all have a bit of the traditionalist in us.) The album also includes covers of songs by Leonard Cohen and Carol Abair, but its best songs are Rachel's own. 'Beauty in the Dark' manages to be playful and sensuous, inviting the listener to surrender to the magic of the night. If you're suffering from a broken heart, the song 'Leave it Open' can be your best friend, and 'Dancing with my Mother' closes the album with pure, unguarded songwriting, artfully merging hazy memory with a woozy present. I'm sure Jackson and Joni would be proud to cover it.
Don't Look Down probably owes more to Joni Mitchell's later body of work than to earlier albums like Blue, and its percussive starlings are more akin to recent Suzanne Vega. But ultimately, the voice and the songwriting belong to Rachel Bissex, and if folk music continues to grow, even incrementally, we can thank Rachel for helping it move along.
Neil Charnoff guided thousands of vermonters through the night on WNCS for many years and he was one of their most loyal supporters of Vermont music. He should be showing up on WCFE in Plattsburgh, New York with a folk show soon.
The Pants Fred Sex Recorded and produced by The Pants
Released in 1995
by John Bowles
The Pants' latest effort, the cryptically titled Fred Sex, sets a new standard for local bands. This one and a half year old quartet pairs long time collaborators Tom Lawson and Paul Jaffe (Chainsaws of Babylon, Pistol and Sandwich), with drummer Neil Cleary (formerly of Famous Potato) and bassist Eric Hutchins.
From the raw opening cords of 'What the Fuck Does She Want'- epic, multi textured, aptly titled and extremely easy to relate to- to the groaning, slightly menacing refrain of "cheap disaster, major drama" in 'Song in Drunk', this disc defies turning down or turning off.
Most of the cuts on the disc display perfectly crafted Rock and roll, influenced by such bands as The Police, Cheap Trick, The Knack, and even BTO..
'High Water Mark' juxtaposes jangly guitars, a swinging beat, and doo-wop-esque vocal harmonies with subtly thrashy, chugging guitar breaks. 'Simmer Down' and 'For the Love of a Woman' are late-' 70s style rock and rollers. 'For the Love of a Woman' especially shines with its blistering staccato opening and BTO-styled breakdown and vocal harmonies. It is easily the best straight-ahead rocker on the album, outclassing but not eclipsing gems like 'Lawnfire,' 'Simmer Down,' and 'All the Time Me.'
The Pants are not afraid to experiment, either. 'Surface Tension' is a bizarre yet mesmerizing instrumental experience somewhat akin to peeling a particularly reticent scab off of one's leg (but in a good way.) The rough yet pretty 'Que Sera Sucks' with its syncopated melodies, and 'Song in Drunk,' which is what the title says, also succeed, but are outshone by the brilliant 'Wounded (You're So Fine.)' This is the best song on the album and also the most un-Pants (at first listen). A hypnotic, folksy love song highlighted by Cleary's banjo and Hurchins' haunting violin, it is a radical departure in sound, but upon repeated listening it bears the unmistakable stylistic imprint of The Pants. I could listen to just this track all day.
The album was recorded in Lawson's apartment (!) and mixed by Joe Egan at Eclipse Recording, with mastering duties handled by Simon Pressley at Studio Morin Heights in Quebec. The production quality is amazing- the disc is beautiful.
The playing throughout is top notch, with Hutchins' rock-solid bass and Cleary's perfectly understated drumming complimented by brilliant guitar work from both Lawson and Jaffe. Jaffe's particularly inspired leads, combined with his unique tone, are a joy to behold. Lawson's vocals are extremely emotive, regardless of whether the lyrics are crystal clear or muddily obtuse. Another strength is the quality of the background vocal throughout- all four harmonize superbly.
The only thing I don't like about this disc is the 'yahoo-ing' in the refrain of WTFDSW, but all my friends tell me I'm full of shit when I say that, so maybe this is a perfect album. All I know is that Fred Sex is as good as it gets in Burlington and anywhere else, for that matter.
John Patrick Bowles is full of shit but was asked to write this review anyway.