Buzzcocks

By Jeremy Saperstein Most often, career resumptions are bad. They’re vents to quicken the rise of “I can’t believe I used to like these guys” bile in the back of your throat, full of lackluster performances and tired songwriting as a bunch of can’t-grow-up dudes hit the state fair circuit in search of one more payday. Yeah, that’s usually the case, all right. But someone forgot to explain that to punk-rock legends The Buzzcocks. The only thing lacking here is the youthful bravado/ignorance present on records like Singles Going Steady (released — get ready — nigh unto three decades ago), an absence that is more than made up with increased volume, crunchier chops and smoother production. Songwriting is, as ever, split between original members Pete Shelley’s erudite wordsmithery and Steve Diggle’s anthems. Original ‘Cock Howard Devoto (most recently seen in 24 Hour Party People even assists Shelley with a song or two. It’s hopeful that most of Pearl Jam’s fan base will realize the debt they owe to the Buzzcocks when they open for Seattle’s other grunge band at Alpine Valley on June 21st, but if you don’t feel like finding out, the ‘Cocks play a free gig as headliners in Madison on the 18th, and at Chicago’s Metro on the 20th.

Evan Dando

By Jeremy Saperstein Me, I always thought the idea of Evan Dando was a great one — a pretty-boy pop singer with the right influences, impeccable taste in covers and a band that friends were always telling me I should check out. I did, and aside from some truly great moments (the ramshackle video for the Lemonheads’ cover of “Mrs. Robinson” where Evan is wearing a Gram Parsons t-shirt, or the heart-rending cover of “Frank Mills”), his career left me feeling like I had feasted on a mouthful of cotton candy. Now, after a long stretch in which he seemed bent on following the same self-destructive path so many other talents — lesser and greater — had blazed before him, he releases a full-on solo album (although I had never thought of the latter-day Lemonheads releases as anything but) which shows him to be all that and a bag of chips. The solo setting seems to give Dando room to be a little laid back and rough’n’ready, lightly experimenting with alternative instrumentation & sounds throughout, most notably on the syncopated “Waking Up”. Simple pop gems abound as well: “Hard Drive” (co-written with Australian pop wunderkind Ben Lee) and “In The Grass All Wine Colored,” which sounds lyrically as if it was a first line from Walt Whitman’s Leaves Of Grass. All in all, this CD has been in my car player for most of the first nice days this summer — and it’s been a perfect soundtrack for them.

Molly Johnson

By Brian Barney Those familiar with Molly Johnson’s past remember her as the founder of the art-rock band Alta Moda from the early 80’s and as the lead singer for The Infidels in the early 90’s. Following the footsteps of fate has led her to what is most likely her true calling as one of the premier jazz singers of today. Her latest release, Another Day, is a collection of sultry, smoky jazz interpretations where her Billie Holiday-meets-Janis Joplin voice shines through with a captivating style that gives fresh meaning to vocalizing. Stand out tracks "Sleep in Late" and "He’s Got My Heart" display a sweet eroticism that could serve as ambience to any occasion; while the title track picks things up with enough punch to keep things more than interesting. While the record’s flow veers between lush and layered to almost jumpy, the continuity remains true where jazz, blues and soul enjoy a happy union. Johnson’s accomplishments extend beyond the world of music — her Kubaya Foundation’s efforts have raised over one million dollars to date for the care of people living with HIV and AIDS. Her move from alternative rock to jazz has been a successful one, and this latest release is proof positive of a career that should be long and prosperous.

Whirlwind Heat

By Brian Barney The first big thing to come from Jack White’s (of The White Stripes) new label is a hot little art-rock trio called Whirlwind Heat. At first glance, Do Rabbits Wonder? looks pretentious with mod Warholesque art work and songs entitled by color: "Black," "Tan," "White," etc. After a spin or two though, the infectious Devo-meets-Iggy Pop approach shows an irresistible flavor that takes raw intensity and style well into the area of accessibility. The beats have a straight-ahead, nearly house feel with vocals that, while sometimes brash and a little bit scary, are interesting and definitely in the pocket. The overall mood and motivating element, however, is David Swansons’ Moog synth. Undulating, innovative and overbearing, the highly recognizable sound of the 70s dinosaur of keyboards is brought back to life with a subtle aggression giving the disc a flowing theme from beginning to end. Although Jack White’s influence may not be that discernable musically, it is comforting to know that he seems intent on searching out talent that is truly alternative.

Lucinda Williams

By John Hughes The brilliant Ms. Williams, 50 year old alt-country chanteuse, angst goddess, poet and daredevil, has added nine great new songs to her legacy as one of the most underrated songwriters in a generation. World Without Tears was recorded live, and the results are incandescent. Never before has Lucinda sounded so raw and exposed. Her singing is ringed with fire. Never before has her band sounded so hot and free. For nine songs, she rocks, rages, mourns the world’s pains, declares her love, flirts, yearns, and tells the hidden truth. It’s exhilarating, gorgeous music ‘n message. Of course, there are more than nine songs on this album. There are thirteen, and the four lesser ones are ballast, which weighs the ship down a little. Her anger at the preachers she was subjected to during her Nashville years, expressed in “Atonement,” and her grief over life here, emoted in “American Dream,” are not served by songs worthy of Lucinda Williams. But even in these, the musicianship behind her and the intelligent lyrics she’s written manage to limit the damage. Much is being made of the concept that with this record she’s leaving her Americana roots behind. It’s true, you can hear more of Keith Richards, Paul Westerberg and Patti Smith between the grooves than you can of Loretta Lynn. But Lucinda Williams has, for several years, been a musician beyond category, playing what moves her at the time, with all the greats imbedded in her soul. She’ll never not be alt-country. She’s just that and a whole lot more. This is a marvelous CD.

Turning the Mind Into an Ally

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Drop City

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Levity

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Why Should I Care About Clear Channel

By Jessamyn West “Clear Channel Radio is positioned to exploit the synergies of scale in a way no other company can duplicate. We reach over 110-million listeners every week, across all 50 states and through nearly every format.”– Clear Channel Annual Report I like to listen to the radio. My old car has an old radio. It has two knobs. I frequently listen while I drive. Until right after September 11th, I had never heard of Clear Channel. As I drove from California to Milwaukee in the third week of September of 2001, Clear Channel was doing a fundraising drive for the victims of the attack. I suddenly noticed just how many stations Clear Channel owned. In state after state I would hear the exact same fund drive on many different stations, different kinds of stations, even. I thought that was pretty cool. Then came the rumors of the “banned list” of songs that Clear Channel supposedly wouldn’t let their stations play in a post-9/11 world, including works by Bob Dylan and John Lennon. Controlling the media — one Chick at a time. Though the story wasn’t true, exactly (see Further Reading links), it made me, and many people, aware of the power of large monopolistic broadcasters, specifically ones that control news media outlets. More recently, there was the Dixie Chicks fiasco, in which the band’s singer was forced to apologize for saying that she was “ashamed” that our Commander in Chief comes from Texas. While Clear Channel claimed it did not order any of its 1200+ stations to stop playing the Dixie Chicks, many Clear Channel stations still did, declaring themselves nearly simultaneously “Chicks free” coast to coast. Second place station-owner Cumulus Media — who owns “only” 262 stations — directly ordered all its country stations to stop playing the band’s songs. At the same time, Clear Channel was also (ironically) madly promoting the Dixie Chicks’ US Tour; tickets went on sale a week before the controversy broke. Why? In 2000, Clear Channel purchased SFX, the largest and most powerful concert promoter in the country at the time. After these and several other purchases, Clear Channel became “the nation’s No. 1 radio chain, billboard owner, venue operator, and concert promoter” according to Business Week. Like the President, and the Dixie Chicks, Clear Channel also comes from Texas. Their vice chairman, Tom Hicks, bought the Texas Rangers in 1998 for $250 million from a group headed by then-Governor Bush. Clear Channel’s CEO, Lowry Mays, donated over $100,000 to the Republican party. Brave New Business Plan: own the news and make it, too. Clear Channel is the major (possibly only) funder behind “Rally for America,” the group organizing many of the larger pro-war rallies, supplying money for signs, advertising the events on their stations, and then doing “news” reporting on the rallies themselves. These actions smack of creating news, not just simply reporting it. Whether you love, hate, or are indifferent to the Dixie Chicks, or even the war, the consolidation […]

A Mighty Wind

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Get Ready for Pax Americana

By John Hughes Is it far-fetched to believe there is a master blueprint for America’s future, a grand plan or design in the minds of our leaders? Conspiracy theories aside, there is, at least in international relations, the beginning of one, hailing from the (some would say “neo”) conservative end of the spectrum. Star wars, anyone? Or, how about cyber wars? Or, failing those futuristic calamities, how about three simultaneous, independent wars conducted by one country? It could happen. It’s part of the plan. And you can read all about it. It’s not a joke. It’s the Project for the New American Century. Any citizen interested in exploring at length the motives, mentality, and long-term international mission of the Bush Administration can get a thorough start at newamericancentury.org, the official website of the Project for the New American Century. This Project has been the subject of rampant speculation and rumor, and has been mentioned in numerous conspiracy theories. You may have heard about the “cabal” within our government, and their “plot to take over the world.” With this website, you’ll get beyond the rumors, and read for yourself the Statement of Principles, numerous papers on NATO and Europe, Iraq and the Middle East, East Asia, the Balkans and more, published by “neo-conservatives” who have the President’s ear. You may read a defining 76-page paper, in the “Defense and National Strategy” section, entitled “Rebuilding America’s Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources For a New Century.” This Defense Report was published in September of 2000, two months before the Presidential election. The Project for the New American Century was created in 1997 with a clear agenda for American involvement in the world. Signing off on this Project, as influential members, were future key members of the Bush Administration, like Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Assistant Secretary of State Paul Wolfowitz. These three men have had an enormous impact on the disposition of the current administration. Put simply, the PNAC can reliably be considered a topographical map for foreign policy within the current administration. A study in global aggression as servant of American might. The Project can be studied as an articulation of American international strategy for now and the near future. The strategy is one of spectacular military growth and development, at the service of global aggression. “At present,” the Defense Report states, “the United States faces no global rival. America’s grand strategy should aim to preserve and extend this advantageous position as far into the future as possible.” In the Statement of Principles, which calls for a revival of “the essential elements of the Reagan Administration’s success,” a pivotal question is asked: “Does the United States have the resolve to shape a new century favorable to American principles and interests?” Within the Statement, reference to the principles and interests of nations other than ours is limited to those that echo the principles and interests of the United States. The mission of this government should be, according to the […]

By Jon Anne Willow It’s happening around the world. Corpus Christi, Texas; Tarifa, Spain; Hood River, Oregon; Vancouver Island, British Columbia; The Florida Keys. And now it’s reached the Lake Michigan coastline. The mitigating condition is wind on water: the sport is kiteboarding. It’s a solo sport, but full of camaraderie. It’s wild to watch, and must feel more wild to do. Using a lightweight (usually inflatable) kite attached to the body with a harness, kiteboarders use the wind to flip, skip and, literally, fly over the water. Some call it the sport of the future, and some say the future’s already arrived. Kiteboarding (also known as kitesurfing, fly surfing, and kiting) has grown at a phenomenal rate in the last five years, but was only conceived in 1979, when William G. Roeseler first published a paper on kite sailing. His son Cory became a pioneer of the sport in its current form. Darren Mathers, a transplanted Liverpudlian, all around water sport expert, and employee of Southport Rigging in Kenosha, says growth of the sport in this area mirrors the general trend. “About a year and a half ago, I would have said 6 or 7 people were into kiteboarding around here. Now, I’d say around 60 or 70. That’s Chicago to Door County. It’s growing really fast.” Gene Likhtered is one of Wisconsin’s early adopters. A Milwaukee resident, Likhtered has been boarding about three years. He used to windsurf, but made a transition to kiting because it was more fun in the light wind predominant in this part of the country. A quiet, rugged young man, Gene has the look of someone who’d rather be outdoors. He sits calmly across the desk during our interview, but his eyes stray often to the window, where a beautiful spring afternoon bears promise to brisk evening winds on the lake. He’s heading up north for the weekend with some friends, gear in tow, hoping for a chance to fly. I ask him about the conditions here in comparison to major kiting destinations. “The wind here is definitely not as consistent as in some other places,” he muses. “You have to watch all the time for conditions to be right, but it’s worth it. And there are some pretty good spots up in Door County and down further south of here.” Mathers mirrors Likhtered’s thoughts. “It’s not ideal, but it’s worthwhile. The wind conditions here are generally gusty. We get good wind and we get poor wind. For Lake Michigan you have to pick your location based on wind direction.” Simple beauty. The beauty of kiteboarding is its simplicity. All that’s needed is wind and a kite. Even the board is optional, especially for beginners. Kiting can be done on land with a mountain board (an all terrain skateboard), on snow with a snowboard and on water with or without a kiteboard. This makes it the perfect sport for Midwesterners, who enjoy wind, water and snow in abundance, but don’t necessarily have access […]