Newspaper Page Text
Page 20
Flagpole Magazine
March 18, 1992
They Walk Among You...
Dirt/Regina Strap
The Downstairs: March 14, 1992
Blood, Sweat and Dir? is how my friend Jack aptly
summed up Saturday night at the Downstairs. The frenetic
energy of Dirt threatened to turn the better part of the
Downstairs into a wrestling pit. The rabble rousers in the
crowd were appeased, though, and the two knuckleheads
fighting were soon seen attempting harmony (in vain) into
the mike they swiped
from the stage.
With the maniacal
taunting and mocking
that is the style of Dirt’s
frontman, John, taken to
the invariably fevered
pitch of the band, it was
no surprise to see
people teetering on the
edge of mayhem. I was
wondering going into the
Downstairs if Dirt would
be able to conform to
the confinements of the
small playing room. Of
course, this never en
tered their minds. They
made the room conform
to them. Jennifer with her monstrous Orange amp,
rocker-doll SG, and oft-employed wah pedal drove the
band.
Opening up for Dirt was Regina Strap. I didn’t like their
name, their look, or their soundman until they started
playing. Then I couldn’t get over how together they were.
Their harmonies, phrasings, and lyrics were smart and
unique. I would guess that among the four of them they
might have five or six years of experience on their instru
ments, but they were rich in creativity.
Well before last call, the crowd at the cavernous Down
stairs spilled out the doors and up onto the street. It was
another great night of music in downtown Athens.
Thom Federle
Hetch Hetchy/Big Shoal Tract
40 Wall Club. March 12. 1992
There must be a large contingent of Hugo Largo fans
down there in Florida, as we were treated (and subjected)
to two Gainesville bands following in their footsteps. Half a
night of entertainment, and half a night of grinding bore
dom.
Hetch Hetchy has developed a repertoire so distinct
from Hugo Largo that one must consider them strictly on
their own terms. However, the opening act Big Shoal Tract
suffers from the comparisons to either band. Their songs
are sosimilar to each other, it’s like one big gloppy song that
lasts for 45 minutes. And while that is not such a bad thing
in and of itself, that song is pretty boring. Not only that but
they’ve yet to develop any sort of stage presence or image,
other than Hetch Hetchy Wannabe. In fact, I came in while
they were immersed in their opening number, and for a few
seconds I actually thought that I had missed foam and was
already watching Hetch Hetchy. The lead singer, who
introduced herself as Amanda, was following Lynda Stipe’s
example of diction and body language (apart from the fact
that Stipe favors toned-down versions of dresses rejected
by Stevie Nicks while this band was definitely jeans ’n’
sweats) to the point of reverence. While she possesses a
crystalline voice with controlled vibrato (most effective for
the style of music they play), the harmonies with the flute
sometimes clashed inappropriately. Only on rare occasion
were they able to raise
the rhythm above
dirge, and it just got
monotonous. They
have talent but need
focus and direction.
Seeing as how they
have fallen into the
Hetchy camp, that di
rection might not be
long in coming.
Hetch Hetchy, on
the other hand, has
found more new direc
tions to follow, and their
show was unusually
peppy. As usual, the
primary instrumenta
tion is bass and voice,
but with the addition of
drums and electric viola, they have moved beyond the
ethereal soporifics of the past, finding rhythm and fury in the
new songs. They actually did a few pieces which broke into
complicated rock chamber music, not unlike the so-called
■■progressive’ music of the
sixties (like some of Henry
Cow's less complex pieces).
Stipe's voice is an instrument
of rare quality - clear, pre
cise, controlled. Her posture
and facial expressions cre
ate an image of
otherworldliness, emphasiz
ing the surreal aspects of their
music. As usual, they were
aided in their Athens appear
ance by violinist extrordinare
(Wet guitarist) Mamie Fike
(looking intense in her hairdo
of henna), as well as Big ShoaJ
Tract's flautist. One of the
great appeals of this band
remains the fact that they’re
just lovely to watch, physi
cally attractive in their air of calm. Once again, even through
the tension of the music, there was peace at the heart of
Hetch Hetchy.
j.e.sumrell
Uncle Green
Stone Mountain High School
Sometimes the entertainment is out of town. Sometimes
it’s necessary to go to Atlanta (horrors!!) for the evening.
Hell, sometimes you even have to go to Stone Mountain
(eek!!!). Well, that’s what I did last Thursday night to witness
Uncle Green’s benefit performance at Stone Mountain High
School. Preparing to unleash their fifth album on the unwit
ting public (they’ve been signed to Atlantic and have put the
finishing touches on the album which should be released
soon), The Mop-tops figured that playing a high school
drama stage could be weird enough to be fun. The band
lives 400 feet from the school, so they didn’t have too far to
drag the equipment. I’m not at all sure what they were
benefiting (I guess I COULD look on the ticket stub), but it
was only $5. Too bad the show wasn’t worth the outlay.
Uncle Green released one of the best albums of 1991 in
"What A Great Experiment His Head Was" on Atlanta’s dB
Rees. Full of Beatie-esque fluff and sexual innuendo,
there’s enough sixties references to fill a book, but all done
with a 90’s temper. One would have high hopes for the next
album, and the promise of this album was what dragged my
butt fifty miles west. They played VERY little new material,
though, propping their set up with heavy doses of "Experi
ment." This would have been fine, except they neglected
to pay attention to one critical aspect of the show: A sound
system.
Did you know that Rock’n’Roll is played loud? That they
use amplifiers to magnify the sound? And because this
equipment isn’t intelligent enough to run itself, profession
als are employed to tell the sound system what to do. If
Uncle Green had been smarter than the soundboard (which
I wonder), they might have found that professional to show
up for the hour + they played. The first 90% of their show
was marred by a soundman who didn’t know the difference
between monitors and mains. So, we heard a LOT of
feedback, we got to listen to the show on THEIR monitors,
and I don’t know if ANYONE heard the guitars. The drums
weren’t even miked.
Maybe I’m spoiled,
but you would fig
ure that for a mon
etary charge, the
band could deliver
some goods. By the
time they got to the
last pair of songs,
no one cared any
more.
Of course the
kids loved it,
moshing in the pit,
acting almost like
their older, more
mature college
counterparts.
But the songs
were delivered in game fashion. “Misfit Mouth", "I Don’t
Wanna Know About It," and “Not Even Then" were gems for
the evening. The band has the creativity and the personality
to go a long way. One wonders, though, if they have the
drive and the guts to do the work. Shows like this are an
embarrassment, regardless of the lightness of spirit. Even
when R.E.M. puts together the "impromptu" shows (like the
Mental Health thing), at least it SOUNDS like R.E.M.
I wish them luck. But they have a long way to go.
j. e. sumrell
■^tnaUovm
Cafe
Offering a wide selection of freshly
prepared foods and hoping to provide
something new for everybody...
Vegetarian and Omnivore.
Thursday we present
Debbie Norton
& Pat Flannagan
Friday we present
Vigilantes of Love
Saturday we present
In This World
Music begins at 11:00
Coffee and Dessert will be served
Now booking acoustic musicians.
Interested? Call David at 353-8105
Lunch &
Dinner
Sandwiclie*
All Vegetarian Soups
Ilomeatyle Veggie*
& Grains • Salads
Frashly bakad goods
from our bakary
Serving
Beer & Wine 5 ’
Hours are: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.,
Monday thru Saturday
1344 Prince Avenue
in ftonualtown • 3534105