2003-09 Vital Source Mag – September 2003
Inn
By Brian Barney Inn Inn Io Records With a sound the band itself describes as “tronic groove”, Milwaukee’s Inn has used calculative strategy and loose jam to create a truly unique sound. Their self titled debut release waffles between coffee house techno and an almost 80s club style, where Depeche Mode-like beats and a Pearl Jam approach toward electric guitar are held together with spatial keyboard. Track after track, the hypnotic mood continues, mimicking a movie soundtrack that features serious scenes taking place in seedy bars. Opening track “Nirvana” sets the tone, melodic and weaving to a perfect fade. The music seems to hold its’ own at a predictable clip up to track 7, entitled “Low Resolution.” Here the feel seems to modulate towards ambient, and structure is abandoned in track 8, “Gibbous (Beta),” a thirty second musical interlude that could easily be mistaken for the theme from Shaft. The “stand out” track (last on the record), “Trek,” features trippy guitar and bass lines winding around grinding saturated vocals for the heaviest, yet most accessible offering overall. The strength of the disc most definitely lies in its’ diversity. Middle Eastern influenced lead lines, off kilter melody with catchy, often spooky counter melodies blend with what can be described as fantastic rhythm trackings in a creditable attempt in originality. Step into Inn’s Inn for a freshman effort well worth sampling.
Sep 1st, 2003 by Vital Archives
Frank Black and the Catholics
Frank Black and the Catholics Show Me Your Tears spinART www.spinartrecords.com/bands_frankblack.html The standard spiel about Frank Black could apply to any other seminal rock ‘n’ roll figure (Bob Mould, say) who presaged the alternative-rock insurrection but neither profited heavily from it nor died conveniently young. The line goes like this: “He hasn’t done anything great since he was in [insert band name here].” This cuts deeply in Black’s case because, more than anyone else, the Pixies — his band back when he was Black Francis — defined the edgy dynamics that Nirvana used to sell millions of records, inject electricity back into radio, destroy metal temporarily, etc. And after the Pixies disintegrated, Black formed a new band, the Catholics, with whom he’s cranked out rock ‘n’ roll that has been frequently good, sometimes better than good, but never quite so scintillating as the earlier flashes of fire. Show Me Your Tears is Black’s latest. Like most of his work in the last few years, it sounds as if he’s decided to reduce not merely his own expectations but those of everyone else as well. It’s just 13 songs ranging from the dark, stalking rockabilly of “Nadine” to the airy brooding roots-rock of “Manitoba,” with influences like Tex-Mex and spaghetti Westerns in between. None of the songs qualifies as a genuine waste of time, but Black’s voice — mostly low grit with the occasional leavening of melody or falsetto — lacks tension. The elastic snap that would propel the music past its own fleeting pleasures simply doesn’t happen. Show Me Your Tears, the title says, but Black gives out mere traces of tears, blood and sweat: the bodily fluids of art.
Sep 1st, 2003 by Jon Gilbertson
Fountains of Wayne
By Brian Barney Fountains of Wayne Welcome Interstate Managers S-Curve Records www.fountainsofwayne.com With their third release to date, Welcome Interstate Managers, New York’s Fountains of Wayne has cemented their standing as one of the great all-time pop acts of recent years. Song writing duo Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood, along with former Posie Judy Porter and drummer Brian Young, have crafted yet another collection of songs that take the best of the timeless catchiness reminiscent of groups ranging from The Monkees to The Knack. Polished with style is the flavor of the day in hit-worthy tracks like “Stacey’s Mom” and “Little Red Light” where hard-edged guitars meet melody lines that remain stuck in the brain from the first listen. The jangly, slightly overdriven layering of vintage guitars through vox amplification resounds throughout in tunes such as “No Better Place.” Although the subject matter of cell phones and late appointments may wax redundant, the volley between electric and down right pretty acoustic in tracks like “Valley Winter Song” keeps things fresh and interesting. A precious gem lies hidden under this vast mountain of pop in the country snippet “Hung Up On You,” which features a guest appearance by steel pedal master Robert Randolph. With equal doses of pop, twang, rock and 60s psychedelica, FOW’s latest has covered all the bases with something for everyone.
Sep 1st, 2003 by Vital Archives
The First Day of School
By Lucky Tomaszek My middle child, Emma, starts kindergarten this month. Like all parents, I find it hard to believe that this baby is ready for such a large endeavor. She is a smart, beautiful and creative five year old who truly seems ready for a slightly more structured learning environment. Emma has already learned so much. She is just starting to read and loves to add single digit numbers. She can tell you anything about bugs and loves art. She knows the colors of the rainbow and is borderline obsessed with putting all of her toys in ROYGBIV order. And she is craving more! When I sent my older child Lena to public school for the first time (albeit briefly, as it turned out), we made a big deal out of the day. She got a new dress to wear, with nice shoes and a new headband. She took a long bath the night before and I spent extra time and care combing her hair and trimming her nails. In the morning she jumped out of bed, excited to start on this new adventure. I helped her dress and gave her a necklace to wear to school, so she’d have something to hold on to if the day seemed hard. Of course we took pictures, lots of pictures of Lena’s first day of school. Eventually, group schooling didn’t work out for our family and I brought her home to start homeschooling. As I am getting ready to homeschool Emma, I think back on that other first day of school warmly. It was fun to shop with Lena and buy her first day of school dress. It was wonderful to spend the extra time with her the night before the big day. And the look on her face when I gave her the necklace was priceless. It was clear to both of us that she was growing up, and this first day of school was a rite of passage. These rituals of dressing up and taking pictures mean a lot to families. They make a special occasion out of these important events. Rituals like this show your kids that you know they’re ready to take this next big step and you believe they can succeed. All of this helps your child feel like a valued member of the family and increases their self-confidence at a time when kids are nervous and scared about trying something new. I want to make Emma’s entry to homeschool kindergarten just as special as Lena’s entry to public kindergarten. Emma is emotionally and developmentally ready to take the next step with more a formalized learning environment, and that step should be marked. We have decided that we will dress up in first day of school clothes and take pictures. We will break out our new school books for the first time and do a little lesson, and then we’re going to celebrate Emma’s entrance to kindergarten with a picnic at a local park. I hope […]
Sep 1st, 2003 by Lucky Tomaszek
Eliet Brookes
By Brian Barney Eliet BrookesThe Miles Left Over Recorded poetry and spoken word do not get commercially released as often as they should. Look for it in a store and you’ll be sauntering through the same ghetto aisle that has been set aside for “comedy.” Luckily for those of us who wade through Adam Sandler, Weird Al and the Jerky Boys, there exists poetry CDs like Eliet Brookes’ The Miles Left Over — eleven tracks of sheer pleasure. Settle into a pleasant moment, fire-up the CD player, cuddle up with Brookes’ beautiful voice and don’t forget the cocktail party at the bar on the fifth track. Exquisitely produced by Brew City musician Paul Setser, each track features musical accompaniment ranging from the talents of acoustic guitarist Richard Pinney to Paul Lawson to the Aimless Blades to Setser himself. Never obtrusive, the music adds to the substance of Brookes’ voice at every turn. Brookes works from a variety of moods quite successfully. Overall, there is a sense of incredibly tranquil peace, even in the bittersweet moments of the second track, “annie from broken street.” Somewhere halfway through that fifth track, Brookes says, “of course, none of this is true.” Somehow she manages to make even something this haunting sound very reassuring. Remarkably dark moments are traveled through with great grace. Brookes’ voice is not the only one on the CD. The fifth track features cameos by poet Lisa Mahan, musicians/poets Tank Staggers, Voot Warnings Rustle of Luv and several more. And then there’s the seventh track. Eamonn O’Neill manages to make Brookes’ contemporary poetics sound vaguely like Middle English. The journey ends on an intriguingly Asian-sounding “usyoumewei, (eliet’s mantra),” as performed by singer/songwriter Mariah Myerson. Can’t find the CD? Eliet Brookes can be reached at: herontree@ecoisp.com. It is also available at Woodland Pattern. See Eliet: Sept 8: Thai Joes Sept 18: Zodiac Luxury Lounge Sept. 24: Y-Not II Sept 26: Bremen Café
Sep 1st, 2003 by Vital Archives
In Search of An Agenda
By John Hughes Sure, it’s early in the race. But some lucky candidate could set the agenda for debate. Who will it be? Early next year, The City of Milwaukee will elect its first new mayor in well over a decade. The field of candidates is crowded and still growing. So far Tom Barrett, Vincent Bobot, Frank Cumberbatch, Sandy Folaron, Martin Matson, Tom Nardelli, John Pitta and Marvin Pratt have declared. More entrants are expected. Even though it’s early in the race, the unique circumstances of this election are already drawing attention to it. Thus far, no one has stepped forward to set the agenda for debate and thereby define the issues that will determine the winner. But the questions are out there. We contacted each of the candidates with four that we think must be addressed. This month, we hear from Barrett, Faloron, Matson and Pitta. The remaining candidates will give their answers in October. Tom Barrett has served in the State Assembly, the State Senate and the United States Congress. This year he suffered a narrow defeat in a bid for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Wisconsin. His concerns include preventing increases in property taxes and mayoral accountability for Milwaukee Public Schools. Sandy Folaron is President of the West End Vliet Street Business Association, and has been involved in numerous neighborhood and community organizations. She is also a successful businesswoman. Martin Matson is former Deputy Director of the city pension offices, and has served Milwaukee for several years in the Department of Public Works, in accounting and business operations. His campaign slogan is “Giving the City Back to the People.” John Pitta is a seventh grade math teacher at Roosevelt Middle School of the Arts. He holds two master’s degrees and is currently finishing a Ph.D at UWM. He has previously worked for J.M. Brennan Inc. and Johnson Controls. He currently serves on the advisory board for the Strive Media Institute, a local non-profit that provides mentoring and media training for Milwaukee area youth. 1. VITAL SOURCE: What specific steps will you take to make the police chief more accountable to the people of Milwaukee? Tom Barrett: I, along with the new chief, will be accountable to the residents of this community, and I intend to work closely with whoever is selected. The state legislature is exploring a change in the selection process for the Chief, and I am interested in the outcome of the issue as well. The current situation reflects a long, protracted, complicated degeneration of this Police Administration’s relationships – with the Mayor’s Office, with the police unions; with the community (the public at large, as well as specific community-based organizations); and with the media. Too often, the current situation has degenerated into tussles in the media among the Police Chief, the County Sheriff and other elected officials. While the arguments get more personal, more crimes are committed and residents begin to lose faith. The next Police Chief must work to build relationships, and […]
Sep 1st, 2003 by Vital Archives
