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.
