Backyard Babies / The Yo-Yo's / Speed Twin
@
Graceland
February 25, 2000
Seattle, WA

Links:
Backyard Babies
Yo-Yo's

I had the chance to see the Backyard Babies two years ago at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark. If you ever think about going to a festival in Europe, go check out this one! One unfortunate side effect of a festival this size (90,000+ people) is that you lose the intimacy of a small club. In a smaller venue you get a good look of Dregen through his long sweaty hair and silver eyelashes.

The Yo-Yo's from merry old England came out drinking and continued to drink as long as the shots of booze and beers were handed to them. This was a four-piece with everyone taking turns at the vocals, blasting high-energy rock 'n' roll reminiscent of the Clash bred with some '50s greasers. These guys sure put on a good show and seemed to be having a great time, but for me the overall feel of their music was lacking some element to hook and grab you by your balls for a good twist.

After the allotted time to change bands the main attraction hit the stage with all cylinders firing. The Backyard Babies are the darlings of most metal magazines on both sides of the Atlantic. [eP spied Kerrang! in the audience. --ed.] Guitarist Dregen (born Andreas Tyrone Svensson) has chosen to drop out of The Hellacopters and continue with the Babies, and it may be a tossup which band he should have stayed with. For what The Hellacopters are (garage stoner rock with way too many leads), the Backyard Babies aren't. The Babies are the sleazy glam rock types who, pounding the ground with brilliant hit after smash hit of their blend of gigantic rock 'n' roll, could have come out of New York in the early '70s--making things look easy and having a great time in the process.

Tonight was the first night of the tour and the Swedish boys put their heart into a spectacular performance that should have been witnessed by more than the 100 people who were there. We could have also done without the obnoxious amazon-blonde chick with bad hair and glasses frames Elton John would die for, throwing beer cups at lead singer Nicke Borg. Maybe this was her perverse way of letting Nicke know that she wanted to do him--after all, the Backyard Babies are quite the girlie band. Other than this, Backyard Babies entertained all that came out tonight with a rockin' show.

-Steve Weatherholt
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Chuck D.
@
Shoreline Community College
February 10, 2000
Seattle, WA

Links:
Rapstation
Public Enemy

Best known as the political and social mouthpiece of Public Enemy, for the past 12 years Chuck D. has been traveling around the country on the lecture circuit, speaking his mind and educating people on the state of Black America with the hopes of having the same impact his music has had. And educate it did. Like similar great punk preachers Jello Biafra and Henry Rollins, Chuck D. had enough on his mind to talk for hours on end and, more importantly, understood the power a good sense of humor can have in bringing these points home with the audience, as was shown when he repeatedly made fun of Britney Spears for embodying everything that was wrong with music.

The night started off with Chuck apologizing for having caught a cold on his flight. Sucking greedily on throat lozenges throughout, he opened up with comments on where the music digital revolution is going in the wake of BMG CEO Strauss Zelnick's recent declaration of "the death of the CD." The big D. feels strongly that within four years 80% of music will be available for free over the Internet, but by the time the big boys in the blue suits scramble to get their grubby hands on a piece of the pie, the revolution will already have moved on. Talk then moved on to the origins of rap music (Jamaica) and how it wound its way to the Bronx in the '70s. Chuck reiterated a comment he'd made in 1987: "Rap music is Black America's CNN," and then went on to talk about how it was a response to the black media stereotypes that both black and white culture alike had grown up with. He spoke about both blacks and whites being kept away from black culture not only through media stereotyping, but also through educational blinders and revisionist history. He spoke of cultural exchange and how black heroes were limited because media stereotypes had led to a "lack of cultural exchange coming through a voice that spoke for itself and on its own terms," and how important rap music was as a tool and a means of initiating that cultural exchange.

And, as Chuck said, "With cultural exchange comes controversy." When 2 Live Crew was brought up, he countered by asking what was different between 2 Live Crew and Hugh Heffner? None. He then went on to clarify the important difference between being a thug and being a rebel. "Hip-hop," he said, "is the umbrella of culture, [...] a term for black creativity, not a definition for life." He talked at length about how the corporate music monsters have misappropriated what hip-hop is, and beyond that have brainwashed both artist and fan on what it should be about. Too many people have become convinced that the thug life is reality and something to aspire to. He then discussed the needless deaths of Tupac Shakur, Notorious B.I.G. and most recently, the Big Punisher. All lives that were lost because thug and image superceded the amazing intellect and musical creativity all three shared; the continual perpetration by corporations that fantasy really is reality. "Art imitates life. Life imitates art. That is what happens when a community follows images that are projected to it. Blacks don't govern their reality and that is the most damaging aspect about black music today." Corporations make rappers like shells to be refilled again and again was a point continually reiterated.

His speech then shifted to talk of what it is to have self-definition. "Common sense today," he lectured, "is not common. The only thing that's common is nonsense!" He pointed out that society relies on commercialism to give one's self a sense of self-worth. We busily consume and eat ourselves alive because we've been force-fed images that say we are worthless if we don't. "Corporations want you to be dumb as fuck!"

After two hours, Chuck opened up the floor to a lackluster Q & A, and then the audience was invited to a post-lecture reception, where he graciously spoke with fans and autographed items. Throughout, Chuck D. fearlessly waved his flag of self-defiance and self-reliance, repeatedly pointing out that you can succeed and you can be a rebel; that it is possible for you to empower and inspire change, but you have to see the shackles that bind you and first free yourself, then work to free those around you. Because that's what hip-hop and any rebel music is all about: cultural exchange. "The culture should progress the people because progress comes from the culture."

-Craig Young
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Cro-Mags / All Out War / Shutdown / Trial
@
Graceland
February 15, 2000
Seattle, WA

Links:
Cro-Mags

-Steve Weatherholt
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Discount
@
The Paradox Theatre
February 25, 2000
Seattle, WA

Links:
Discount (Official Site)
Discount (Fan Site)

Opening up with "Broken to Blue," the first track off their latest release, Crash Diagnostic, the band let loose with a fury of noise and agression and didn't back down until their set was finished. It was amazing to watch singer Alison Mosshart jump frenetically about the stage as if possessed, then stop in midswing and grip the microphone to support herself as she belted out the lyrics. It was even more amazing considering that ten minutes before taking the stage she threw up both breakfast and lunch. Shaken but not deterred, her presence was lit up with a fiery animation. As well, her bandmates kept stride with her passion. Culling songs mostly from the aforementioned album, Discount played tight and furious, cranking out punk-fueled riffs then stopping on the turn of a dime with a pop-infected chorus or turnaround. Again, it was sad to see a band so young and obviously in control of their music calling it a day.

The only distraction from Discount's mesmerizing intenstity came in the form of a drunk and underage kid, who apparently turned out to be a friend of theirs. Standing directly in front of Alison, he incited both her and the crowd, forcing the band several times to stop and take notice of his belligerence. Once they mustered the courage to send him packing to the back of the theatre the band fell back into their set with the rest of the appreciative crowd right in step with them. Here's hoping Discount continue to make music individually with the same musical intensity they did collectively.

-Craig Young
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Girl Trouble / The Briefs / Head
@
Crocodile Café
February 19 2000
Seattle, WA

Links:
Girl Trouble

Next, with ex-members of Green Apple Quickstep and one of the original "Boppo Boys," was The Briefs. They came out full throttle with their high energy '70s punk rock, blazing through songs somewhat like The Clash and the Buzzcocks without the harmonies and love lyrics. These guys could really crank out the buzzsaw guitars and build the crowd into a frenzy, and they definitely had a huge turnout to see them. I have never heard of them before and don't know how long they have been together, and my only complaint was that towards the end their songs all started to sound the same. More time and energy could alleviate this for them though.

I was talking with Kurt, Girl Trouble's singer, before the show and he said he was worried because they hadn't practiced or played in awhile Girl Trouble would be out of form. I was thinking, "Yeah, right!" Girl Trouble have been around for fifteen years and know all of their songs like a well-used baseball glove. They could pull any show off if they had to, and tonight was proof that the old cranky musicians could still perform without practice. Girl Trouble all looked normal except for the Big Kahuna, who I didn't recognize at first, as he was sporting this narrow jaw-lined beard and looked quite out of place.

Before the show I ran into an old friend and his wife. She had brought along a bag full of pairs of socks, bras, and panties to hand out to people to toss at Girl Trouble while performing. As great performers that they are, Girl Trouble never fail to let the crowd down--always on top of it and keeping the crowd in the ball game. They keep cranking out Cramps-styled lowdown rock 'n' roll. They cranked out all of their hits and even a cover of Van Halen's "Ain't Talking 'Bout Love," which they do in prime GT style, including all the dirty rock 'n' roll that they're known for. You can't go wrong ponying up the $7.00 to see the best show in town.

-Steve Weatherholt
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Kodo
@
Meany Theater
February 13, 2000
Seattle, WA

Links:
Kodo

Taiko--the style of drumming practiced by Kodo--is an ancient Japanese tradition, said to define the village limits at the furthest distance from which the taiko drums could be heard. Not simply about sound, rhythm and melody, Kodo is also about motion--the choreographed movements of the players lack pretense, and express both reverence for the instruments and exultation in their sounds. Combined, the kinetics and cadences make taiko more than a historical curiosity; it stands uniquely well on its own, drawing you into community celebrations ("Bird Island"), traditional ceremonies ("Yae-no-furyu") and just the simple joy of complex drumming ("Mikazuni-no-yoru").

Or, in the case of "O-daiko," the complex joy of simple drumming. Played on a single huge miya-daiko (four feet across and 800 pounds), the free improvisation of the main player engulfs the audience and pulls them in, making them feel like "children of the drum" (one of the possible translations of "Kodo"), while the foundation rhythm maintained by the drummer on the far side gives the impression that the drum has awakened. It has transformed from inanimate wood and stretched skin into a living, growing entity--called by and communicating with the main drummer. Truly an overpowering experience, it is rightfully a moment many will recall even as time distances them from the performance.

But for me, that moment was surpassed by "Monochrome," which opened with a row of seven musicians, each kneeling behind his small shime-daiko. From silence, one started a quiet, steady staccato rhythm; the movements were so small, it was difficult to even determine who it was. After a bit, the volume only slightly increased and a slight additional tonality indicated that another drummer had joined. One by one they all joined in, keeping the tight, steady rhythm which gave the impression of a forest rainshower. Then, suddenly!--they were all drumming with full range of arm motion, deafening as a sudden spring downpour. Shortly returning to moderate volume, they began passing a more complicated rhythm amongst themselves. Through a seemingly random combination of drummers beating louder, faster or not at all, they made the sound swirl throughout the hall; it panned, it washed, it lulled, rabbit-punched and hypnotized, with nary a twiddled knob in sight. Then they did that illusion one better--back at a quiet, insistent rhythm, one artist's sticks bounced on the drumhead multiple times, creating a fading reverb. Soon, it had infected the whole group and now even their visible movements were slowed--they were moving in real time slo-motion, and for that minute(?), my whole reality was warped, my time sense stripped from me. These are the moments that will pleasantly haunt me the rest of my life.

-Paul Goracke
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Sol Invictus / Kommunity FK / Sumerland / The Dawn
@
Graceland
February 12, 2000
Seattle, WA

Finally, the band we had paid our dough for came out and proceeded to flatten me with their set. I have heard recordings, but displayed live this is the only way to appreciate this form of music. Sol Invicus consisted of amplified acoustic guitar and violin, flute, electric bass and keyboards. The keyboardist would also play a single floor tom and coronet. The crowd showed a rousing enthusiasm for Sol Invictus, which launched into their set of beautiful death folk. Tony's vocals followed the yin and yang plus minus style over the top of some of the wildest violin I have ever seen. Throw in some beautiful female backing harmonies and some well-timed drumbeats to leave you with this bleak overflowing feeling of despair and anguish. The music mesmerized and drew me in, creating images in my head that always led me back to thinking about what is going on inside their heads. Trying to visualize what it was or is that brought this music out from them...the circumstances that led to this...what transpired to lead Tony to break out of the Death in June mold to create this apocalyptic death folk.

-Steve Weatherholt
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Trey Gunn Band / LAND
@
I Spy
February 11, 2000
Seattle, WA

Links:
Trey Gunn
Jeff Greinke

Luckily, the pleasant barkeep managed to keep us in Red Hooks and 7-and-Sevens for the next hour while we waited for the backlog of humanity to filter through the doors. At 10pm, the stage was finally taken by the five members of LAND. As unassuming as these folks may appear, there's a lot going on in their heads with music ranging from relaxed calm to happy grooves to chaotic noise; somehow bridging the gap between fascinating and unlistenable. As Lesli Dalaba worked through her vast array of trumpet mutes, she and Jeff Greinke would sample her sound, loop and distort it while Greinke would mix it in with his own keyboard lines and experimentations. Bill Rieflin once again proved himself beyond the title of "drummer" by providing a beat and challenging the others to find it, while Dennis Rea managed to drape his Steinberger atop and between the others, and Fred Chalenor stood smilingly in the middle with bass, making it look easy to anchor the chaos surrounding him. Overall, LAND gave a strong impression; rather than working within a concept of what music should be, they made music precisely what they wanted it to be.

Then came the Trey Gunn Band. Gunn is probably the most well-known player of Warr Guitars, an instrument both similar to and completely different from the familiar electric guitar. Instead of picking, both hands are used to tap the fretboard to generate sound from the eight (or twelve) strings--imagine adding to "pat your head while rubbing your belly" the requirement to have the fingers of each hand tapping out a separate (yet complementary) rhythm and melody, and you'll begin to get an idea of the skill required to fully explore the instrument's possibilities. Playing tunes from the new release, The Joy of Molybdenum, and his previous solo album, The Third Star, he demonstrated not only his ability to compose and perform challenging yet accessible music, but his skill at surrounding himself with other musicians equally capable of supporting and adding to the music. Guitarist Tony Geballe staunchly provided echoes of and counterpoints to Gunn's leads, and Randy (whose surname I sadly have been unable to remember or uncover) added a second touch guitar, expanding the musical limits exponentially. Bob Muller, while sitting behind a drum kit, provided a veritable plethora of percussion, moving between the standard kit, tablas, shakers, bodhran and various other combinations. With the sound of eight or more musicians coming from merely four onstage, the audience was enveloped by the grandeur of "Sirrah," driven by "The Joy of Molybdenum," and completely entranced by "Arrakis." Even the knowledge that I would awaken the next day to a secondhand smoke-induced hangover couldn't keep me from appreciating the fact that seeing these two bands on the same stage doesn't happen just anywhere. Damn, I'm glad I live in Seattle.

-Paul Goracke
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