Newspaper Page Text
About *
k To <
Choke
VIC CHESNUTT
About To Choke *
/ Capitol Record*
About to fal! apart. About *r.
to be- swaltowed up by the * ^
co o. cold ground About to fL 0 ckii i-f-f
die. The Vic Chesnutt' unu ' >nu 1 1
'you II hear on About To
Choke is jpst barely teth- * m
ered to this world On the
liner notes. Chesnutt
writes, “Some of this al- j.
bum may be- a bit ob- ^
sessed with the premise ) ' /vbOU i
that through death, life is r i 1 /
nourished," and that \ J. | J Q
ghost hovers over this al- '—^ I . SaW
bum like a firefly around -• CbnkP^
a naked light bulb Lyri- . ' ViflUNO
caliy. as evidenced on everything he's done since Little this album is as inscrutable
as they come: Chesnutt has always been more in love with the way words sound
thdh with w'hat they actually mean Regardless, songs like Myrtle.” “See You Around."
Threads' and “Degenerate” are full of snapshot, whirlwind images of loss and flip
pant regret — one gets the-feeling that. Vic is the sort to'stare death in the face and
crack a dirty joke. Interestingly. Chesnutt has also chosen to convey these miniature
poison-pen letters from ms soul in a manner befitting the music Taking his cue frem
the dusty.-airy production on West Ot Rome. Chesnutt has wisely stepped away from
the pop song-craft/lushness of /s The Actor Happy? (still quite possibly the best
thing he's committed to record), and has - 'along with producer John Keane, con
structed these songs around brittle acoustic guitars, hushed drums and muttered
vocals: Chesnutt sounds just as wrung out vocally as his subject matter.
Since the release of- Sweet Relief II Gravity Of The Situation, and due to the fact
that this record is available on a major label, more people than ever are aware of
Chesnutt. his songs and his schizophrenic/curmudgeonly press persona How won-
.derful. then, that in much the same way that he used to conduct his live perfor
mances. Vic has decided to soundly subvert his image with this bitter little pill. Al
though the sbntiment in "See You Around" has a chilling finality. I imagine that we've
got quite a journey ahead of'us with Mr. Chesnutt, major label or not -Climb aboard.
Jason Slatton
KOBEX
Payback EP/Phrex Records
Slowly but inexorably over
the last few years, '70s-style
music has been seeping back
into the mainstream (and back
waters) of American music.
Much of the ‘90s emulation has
focused on the heavy guitar
laden sounds of the hard or
"dinosaur" rock bands, while a
few bands have been tinkering
with the early New Wave
spawned by the 70s. Oh, yeah,
and don't forget the hordes of
punk wannabes.
Greg Humphreys of famed
Southeastern band Dillon
Fence got a bit tired of the
Southern pop/rock grind and
formed Hobex with Steve Hill
(drums) and Andy Ware (bass,
vox), which makes Hobex a
North Carolina supergroup of
sorts. Each has plenty of expe
rience with other notable
Tarheel state bands. Steve
played with funk rockers
Johnny Quest, while Andy
played with Grover and also
Dillon Fence. Together they
have focused their talents in a
new direction.
Hobex has taken a differ
ent tack in reconstructing the
musical heritage of the 70s.
Cool groove, moderate pace.
soul-driven music. Though the
press photos present the band
as a modern day Blues Broth
ers, there is much more in com
mon with Stevie Wonder or
Johnny Mathis. Toss in a dash
of old Tood Rundgren, and you
just about have Hobex
pegged. This is definitely not
Dillon Fence II. Though the
music is far afield from what
many Dillon Fence fans will
want and expect to hear,
Hobex is well worth a listen.
Give the band an opportunity
to impress you on their terms;
there's a good chance they will.
(Phrex Records. P.O. Box 3490,
Chapel Hill, NC 27515)
Mike Cuccaro
PERFUME TREE
...a lifetime away /World
Domination
Combining dance beats
and blaring guitars is about as
common now as big hair and
glam-rock was in the ’80s. Like
all genres of popular music, the
exceptional, the mediocre and
the pathetic all compete for the
same video and radio play.
Perfume Tree, from Vancouver,
stands out as one of the best
new hybrid bands quickly
emerging from bedroom and
garage studios around the
globe.
Sounding like a cross be
tween Enya and the recently
reformed Curve, Perfume Tree
mixes beautiful and often inde
cipherable vocals with lush
guitars, wandering dub bass
lines, and wonderful dance
rhythms to create startlingly
hypnotic grooves. Many of the
songs are dark and foreboding
while others feature a more
upbeat and majestic feel.
Songs like "Virgin.” "Contact”
and “My Worst Friend" show
case Perfume Tree's ability to
create a collage of sheer am
bient dub. harmonious vocals
and mystical sampling that is
sure to garner them a devout
following south of the Canadian
border. (World Domination.
Eric Palmerlee
VARIOUS ARTISTS
HYPE 1 The Motion Picture
Soundtrack / Sub Pop
“Seattle is like a bad case
of herpes—Grunge is just one
of its outbreaks." says Megan
Jasper, the Unofficial Queen of
Grunge, in this album's liner
notes. If you haven't heard of it
yet, HYPE! is a documentary
that examines the history of
and the hysteria over the mu
sic explosion that was Seattle
DAMON
r>-
DENTON
Pianist
in concert
Sat., Nov. 16
Classic Center • 8pm
pe?fo 7m i?Jg:
Rachmaninoff
Moussorgsky
Scriabin
Scarlatti
Bach
Ginastera
"One of the Nation’s best."- CNN „ c - , „
Simply awesome.
"Brilliant"- Santa Barbara Press - Athens Daily News
Tickets: $5 Students • $15 General Admission
TgXZ
Your Friendly
Neighborhood Tavern
In Normaltown
Proudlv Presents:
• Pool Tables
• Courtyard Deck
• Juke Box
• Popcosn
• Newcastle on draft*
• Free Hot Dogs
Come Check Us Out
- On Football Saturdays
Open from 2-2. Mon-Sat
(706) 546-8209
1294 1 2 Prince Ave.
$1 Bud &
Bud Light Draft
$1.50 Lite
Every Tuesday
Tuesday Dart
Tournament @
8:00pm and
$1.50 Lite
NIGHT
546-7999
321 E. Clayton St.
NO COVER
■8
m u 4mp open 7 daYs
SALOON & EATERY
* * *
Open for Lunch & Dinner 7 Days a Week
Check out our great new menu!
Come Spend Happy Hour at Flanagan’s
from 4:00 - 8:00 / Mon. - Fri.
$3 Domestic Pitchers
$1.75 Mixed Drinks / $1.25 Bud Si Miller
Champagne for the Ladies! Thurs. 10-11
Thurs. 14th - Old Toby
Book your Christmas Party Early!
208-9711 *301 E. Clayton Street
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