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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1989)
I Nebraskan a j. o t? a, j. • t- P98e Wednesday, November 1,1989 AllS OC t lit 01*1311111110111 ✓ , o shortage of live music ocal, national bands to perform in Lincoln | $Magic Slim By Mick Dyer Staff Prcviewer Local and national musicians will have a fairly equal share of the live music scene over the next few days. Here’s a brief rundown of bands playing in Lincoln today through Nov. 7. Alternative: Tonight, Flesh Petal and Side show will play at Duffy’s Tavern, . 1412 0 St. Flesh Petal made its debut per formance two weeks ago at Duffy’s. The band features present and ex-members of creative and entertaining Lincoln bands, such as Elysium Crossing, Trout Mys tery and the Return, as well as a couple of musicians with no previ ous band experience. Needless to say, Flesh Petal’s sound is as var ied as the backgrounds of its members. The band’s strengths two weeks ago were searing guitar lines, rain maker thunder-drumming, funky bass lines, and, when the vocalist could be heard, aching and occa sionally spirited lyrics. The band’s weakness two weeks ago was that it lacked cohesion, and sometimes direction. But given more time together, the band may blossom into one of Lincoln’s alternative finest. Sideshow has been a leader of and innovator in Lincoln’s alterna tive music scene for several years now. Its music is a robust blend of hard-core, straight-ahead rock ‘n’ roll and reggae influences. And the band has a reputation for playing its music on the loud side. Good stuff. Sunday, The Neats will play at Duffy’s. The Neats arc a hard-liv ing, hard-rocking and bopping band with college-student appeal. The band’s music is in the same vein as the Replacements, only not as nasty. Somewhat glamourous music with an edge. Country: Thursday, Scan Benjamin will play at 9th Street Blues, 421 S.9th Street. Outstanding acoustic folk music. Friday and Saturday, Joyce Durand and Paul Newton will play at the Sidetrack, 935 O St. Ja/.z/Blues: Tonight, the James Harman Band will play at the Zoo Bar, 136 N. 14th St. The James Harman Band plays a sweaty and aggressive blend of deep southern rural blues and northern urban soul. Quite simply, the band plays music that is deep down in the roots of what this country is all about. And every red blooded American with a pulse will find inspiration to move with the sound when this group of musi cal patriots take the stage. Here’s why: Charisma. James Harman, vo calist/harmonica player, is a show - man’s showman who clearly en joys his line of work. On stage, he mixes up fast-paced humor with stunning vocals and some dynamic moves. With a solid wall of fine performers behind him, the James Harman Band rivets the audi ence’s attention to the stage. Intensity. Between forceful and eloquent vocals; harp playing; hard-hitting and masterful guitar playing; and the driving rhythm and percussion section, the James Harman Band is like an unan chorcd live wire that plugs its rumbling, rolling housc-rocking energy straight into the audience’s soul. Passion. Harman blows a mean harp. Cashbox magazine said, “James Harman is perhaps the finest while blues singer-harmon ica player we’ve ever heard.” Actually, race has nothing to do with it; one has to hear this band and feel its emotional punch to believe it. Thursday, the Gulizia Brothers will play jazz music at Julio’s, 132 S. 13th St. Friday, Fusion Force will play jazz fusion at Julio’s. Thursday through Saturday and See LIVE on 10 Bush album lacks central concept fwo talented musicians release new albums Wy Mark Hain gBff Reporter *9ate Bush whe Sensual World” WMI Records I Since Kate Bush first appeared in :J®77, the music press has written as ^Buch about her breasts as her pas BBonatc, unique and self-revealing ^Busic. I True, Bush’s ever-present pout, Brk auburn mane and dancer’s body Biped her to be voted one of “rock’s Bost dateable women’’ in a recent BSpin” magazine, but her role as an Btclligent, talented and slightly off Bller musician rightly has predomi Bucd. I She has downplayed her looks by focusing her material on themes ranging from Aboriginal land rights to the mystical properties of men struation. Entire album sides were inspired by her own outer-body expe riences. But on ‘ ‘The Sensual World,” her first album of new material in four years, Bush settles gracefully into a more conventional style without sac rificing her eclectic approach to music. ‘‘The Sensual World” opens with the title track, one of the most pro vocative numbers Bush ever has per formed. More openly erotic than any of her more arcane tracks, Bush croons openly about her breasts and punctuates the undulating stream of pipes and bouzoukis with frequent sighs of “ummm, yes.” In this track, Bush manages to be more arousing than a bus load of Samantha Foxes, and still explore the marriage of rock ‘n’ roll with Middle East music. llhnnkn Unlike most of Bush’s earlier al bums, “The Sensual World” has no central concept. A few of the songs are united only by a sincere but irri tating sentimentality. In a recent interview, Bush said she hoped the album would be com forting to listeners “going through a tough time.” Certainly the intensely personal nature of Bush’s work would make this a friendly late-night companion, but some of the tracks lack the bite that made Bush’s earlier work so darkly attractive. “Reaching Out” for example, comes dangerously close to Stevie Nicks-ish mawkish ness, but Bush's pleading passion saves the song. Despite her growing convention ality, Bush is still far from a “safe” songwriter, and even the tracks that don’t work as well arc way above average. However, the first side re mains vaguely unsatisfying. Bush ends the first half of “The Sensual World’’ in a more typically odd fash ion with “Heads We’re Dancing,’’ a nearly disco track about dancing with Hiller. By the second side, though, Bush concocts a stunning collection of music. “The Sensual World’’ continues Bush’s career-long experimentation with international musicians. She uses many Irish instruments. Three of the tracks on the second side feature the haunting vocalization of the Trio Bulgarka. Bush’s soprano blends well with the slightly nasal harmoniz ing of the Bulgarian vocalists. The singers add an amazing complement to Bush’s work, never sounding out of place, even amidst the explosive guitar of Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour on “Rocket’s Tail,” or backing lyr ics about a lonely woman who turns to her computer for companionship on “Deeper Understanding.” The ultimate summation of Bush’s “world music” experimenta tion is evident on the achingly beau tiful “Never Be Mine.” A union of See KATE on 10 I Album commemorates anniversary; I most songs are weak, forgettable I By John Payne Staff Reporter In commemoration of its 10th anniversary, I.R.S. records has re leased a compilation album of various artists who appear on its label. The LP, entitled “These People arc Nuts”, consists of 22 songs from groups such as Fine Young Cannibals, the Alarm, R.E.M. and early Police. I.R.S. long has been on the cut ting edge of music, but this album is so loaded with fluff that it doesn’t begin to do justice to what has been a very bold, refreshing record company. “These People are Nuts’’ con tains one silly song after another, beginning with “We Got the Beat” by the Go Go’s and continu ing with Wall of Voodoo’s4 4 Mexi can Radio” and R.E.M.’s most annoying hit “Superman.” The point to be made here is that there have been some very solid groups recording with I.R.S. over the past 10 years, but the cuts chosen for this album arc really unworthy of retrospect. album. Root Boy Slim’s “Dare to be Fat” is one of the many novelty songs offered: ‘4Dare to be fat/ fat is where it’s at/ . .. havin’ a ball with choles terol/ c’mon you all/ fat don’t matter at all. England’s Dr. and the Medics absolutely murder a classic with their techno-pop version of Nor man Grccnbaum’s “Spirit in the H Sky,” Oingo Boingo is very bor- |j ing with “Only a Lad” and Lords B of the New Church deliver a hall hearted attempt at humor with Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.’’ The only bright spot on this compilation is Concrete Blonde, a great L.A. band whose tune “I’ll Chew You Up and Spit You Out” so outclasses the rest of these songs that I hesitate to bring it up. “I’ll § Chew You Up’’ is a very gritty extended version of “Still in Hol lywood,” which can be found on m Concrete Blonde’s first album. S I suggest buying that, or i| R.E.M.’s “Murmur ,”or anything f| by the Police, and staying away |j from this very weak compilation, ij Of all the great tracks available to ! 1 I.R.S., they have chosen the most inane and forgettable.