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Cat Power: &Jh(Zm W(MF&lhGlUU Slides Jij With Serie Heavily G uitarist and singer Chan (pronounced "Shawn") Marshall— and whomever else happens to be performing with her at the time—is Cat Power. The native Atlantan has collaborated in the studio over the past few years with Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley, guitarist Tim Foljahn, performed countless solo gigs and released several albums. There is a humid, haunting quality to Chan Marshall's music. Like a slow fever dream where the mind's ghosts play out scenes of regret and longing, Marshall's sound is a disorienting swirl of sense and emotion. It's mostly her voice that does it—a steamy coo that carries stumbling phrases over wandering finger pickings. It's one of the most beautiful voices in pop music—mature and straightforward without any diva- esque trills or indie queen shrieks—but it isn't a comforting voice. It's creepy. There are excep tions of course ("The Colors And The Kids"), but for the most part, there is always an under lying tension in her voice that keeps any Sarah McLachlan- esque warmth and gushing at bay. For example: the song "Moonshiner" off of her 1998 album, Moon Pix (Matador), recorded in Australia last December with two thirds of The Dirty Three. After a series of gentle, similarly phrased verses, there's an aggressive guitar line and then Marshall belting out the lines, "You're already in hell!/ You're already in hell!" followed by a stow chord change and *hen Marshall softly lamenting, "I wish we could go t: hell." It's eerie in a way that few things are anymore. It brings to mind the mystic naivete of Rimbaud with his unchecked emotional outbursts, fas cination with hell, guilt, and subsequent aching for heaven. The best example of Marshall's talent is, strangely enough, her most recent release The Covers Record (Matador). Up until Moon Pix, she had been trying to fit into some sort cf Steve Shelley- crafted, indie-rock mold (there's still some residue of that on Moon Pix) but for The Covers Record, Marshal is a straight-up chanteuse. She slowly and softly covers songs from Nina Simone, Smog, Moby Grape, Lou Reed and most notably, The Rolling Stones. While her take on "Satisfaction" isn't the best song on the album, it is the best example of Marshall's ability to tum mascu line strutting into spiritual fatigue. The famous riff and chorus are gone, and in their place is the plodding, mumbled confusion buried deep in the heart of the song. The verses build on each other until Marshall seems totally lost in a crowd of confident, strident passersby. With the wrong shirts, the wrong cigarettes and the wrong mannerisms, she can't seem to do anything but moan, at the climax of the song, "And I'm trying. And I'm trying." She doesn't so much change the song as channel it, almost as if she's trying to play it straight, but this slow, agonizing way is the only way the music can come through her. Whatever or however, it's one of the most affecting things out there. Travis Nichols Cat Power's performance is part of the Digital Club Network Festival—a four-day "cybercast" series in which dozens of national bands are broadcast live over the web from clubs across the country. Go to digitalclubnetwork.com for information. WHO: Cat Power WHERE: 40 Watt Club WHEN: Monday, July 24,10 p.m. HOW MUCH: $5 SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES! I INFORMATION IS OUR #1 PRODUCT Corner of Broad & Pulaski * Mon.-Sat. 9:30am-7pm Phoenix Market wants you to be healthy and well-informed. All boxed cereals are everyday low priced at $2" Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide Paperback was $29" On sale now for $19" MUSIC for Less A FULL SERVICE USED INSTRUMENT SHOP ■HHi fantlB' LARGESTt BEST SELtCnOBI Of USED EQUIPMENT 613-6656 , 36 5 c|ayt0 „ st AUTHORIZED |Q DEALER Next f 0 OFs & Roly Poly Fender • Epiphone • Gibson • Peavey • Olympian • Tacoma SPEED VISION NEWS RACEIVEEK-SUNDAYS, 7:30RIVI/ET Join veteran anchors Bill Patrick and Bob Varsha as they host a team that includes some of the biggest names in motorsport: “Fast" Freddie Spencer. Alain deCadenet, Derek Bell, Dorsey Schroeder, Allen Bestwick. Derek Daly, Michael Wattrip, Chris Economaki, David Hobbs, Sam Posey. Dave Despain and Calvin Fish. For complete programming information visit our web site www.speedvision.com DON'T GET SPEEDVISION? Call 1-800-885-5501 JULY 19, 2000 FLAGPOLE m