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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 1996)
Descendents revisit punk By Cliff Hicks and Emily Wray Critics agree: Detective novel deserves a look I so wanted to give Emily a change of pace this week. Some thing away from the science-fiction and surrealism that we’ve been dis cussing up to now. My original thought was to give her a Raymond Chandler story. Unfortunately the only one I had handy was the one I hadn’t read yet. What I ended up giving her was “Sweet Silver Blues” by Glen Cook, the first in the series that follows a private dick (gumshoe, investigator, you know what I mean) by the name of Garrett. But Garrett’s story is not exactly a typical noir-style detective book. ^ “I like this trash. It’s got a mur der mystery, vampires, goblins and other assorted creatures carrying guns,” Emily said after finishing the book. Garrett s adventures take place in a world that blends the detective fiction of Chandler, Hammet and others with fantasy writing. The re sult is unique, to say the least. “I actually pretty much read it cover to cover,” Emily said, “which didn’t affect the chemistry test grade that I was supposed to be studying for too much.” Wow. We’re both going to like a book. This is a first — and prob ably a last. “Must be the end of the semes ter blues,” she said. “Desperation has set in.” - Garrett runs a private-investiga tion agency out of Ids borne, with occasional help from “the Dead Man.” The reason he’s called this is he’s of a different race that com municates with the living after their physical deaths. The case sounds simple enough. Old Man Tate, a gnome, hires Garrett to find the inheritor of a great deal of wealth. The reason Tate has Garrett do it is the de ceased, a guy named Denny, left Garrett as executor of his will. The trail, as in any good mys-' tery, is convoluted, twisted and fas cinating. I Garrett is looking for — wouldn’t you know it—one of his ex-girlfriends from back when he was a Marine in the war. Ex-girl friends like these tend to show up in detective fiction. “But Garrett’s still in love with her!” Emily said. True, Garrett indeed is in love. But, to paraphrase “the Dead Man,” Garrett chases after every skirt he sees. However, we both enjoyed “Sweet Silver Blues,” which is un usual. It made writing a review more difficult because there was little for us to argue about. I’m even lending Emily the rest of the series — all of which have some kind of metal in the title — during Christmas vacation. Wow. Hicks is a sophomore news editorial and English niajor. Wray is a junior news-editorial major. Both are avid book lovers and Daily Nebraskan staff report ers. California band reunites for tour, not just nostalgia By Bret Schulte Staff Reporter As the name suggests, the Descen dents hail from a long and richly fa mous background. Their history takes root in South ern California old-school punk and blended with their own quirky angst accelerated melody. Although they haven’t existed in name for several years, the Los Ange les band has reunited and is bringing its distinctive punk-flavored speed rock to Omaha’s Ranch Bowl this Sun day. The Descendants are cm tour sup porting their first studio album since 1987, “Everything Sucks,” on the self aware, independent altema-label, Epi taph, “With this new album we want people to realize that we’re not some nostalgia rock band,” singer Milo Aukerman said. “This album is hard to place, we are too fast for punk and too melodic for hard core.” Graduating from the L.A.-area school of punk, the Descendants are contemporaries of the now-dpfunct leg endary hard-core band Black Flag, as well as powerj^^^^r^^^e ally started the band back in ’78,” Aukerman said. “We have been bud dies since high school. Bill came up with the name because he liked the sound of it, and we held cm to it up until ’87.” : The band’s links to California hard core are particularly strong. Stevenson decided to drum for Black Bag while lead singer Aukermafi continued his graduate studies at the University of California at San Diego. This opened a revolving door for Aukerman—and thus the split identity of the Descen dents. “When I am not singing for them they are a different band, called All, with Chad Price as vocalist,” Aukerman said. “They’re fantastic, and thi^ really carry the spirit of the De safedents with them iitevery way pos All has been touring and recording extensively since forming from the Descendents in 1987. Aukerman has kept himself busy over the years by earning his Ph.D. in biochemistry and then doing research at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Please see DESCENDENTS on 13 ’ '*%•!" j- x CoumSY PHOTO Punk rocks Omaha By Patrick Miner StaffReporter The Suicide Machines, a band from Detroit, used to be called Jack Kevorkian and the Suicide Ma chines. However, when they per formed in front of people who thought they were going to see the infamous doctor, the band decided to change their name. The Suicide Machines will bring its mix of punk and ska to the Ranch Bowl Sunday, opening for the punk band the Descendants. The Suicide Machines are supporting their Hoi iywood record debut, Destruction by Definition.” The band began playing to gether in 1992, and soon opened for the Mighty Mighty Bosstones dur ing the baid’s second Detroit ap pearance. “We were a very confused band then,” drummer tterek Grant said. “When we started, we didn’t clearly understand ska and sounded more i like polka”* •' Grant explains that the band’s punk and ska sound is very sepia rated. On “Destruction,” the pxrnk Please see SUICIDE on 13 Hangar 18 goes live with two local bands By Ann Stack Senior Reporter Richard Schultz thinks the very best art should evoke such an emotional response it would be like looking in the artist’s diary. If that’s the case, the singer/guitar ist of the Omaha band Sawdust Devil is laying the pages out for a public viewing tonight at Hangar 18,1118 O St. Despite delays, Hangar 18 opened Wednesday, and tonight marks the bar’s first live show. Sawdust Devil will play at 10, with Lincoln’s Radio King (formerly Cowtown) following. Sawdust Devil is comprised of Schultz and his wife, bassist Melissa Wood, and drummer Sven Deepe. Schultz and Wood met at a telemarketing firm in Omaha, where Wood remembered him from his brief stint at Wayne State College as a broad casting major. (She studied the clari net and graduated in 1990.) The two dated, and when he told her he was forming a band, he invited her along for the ride. Sawdust Devil is promoting its first full-length release, “Affirmative” on the Lincoln-based “-ism” label. Their music is hard-edged and quirky, but difficult to pinpoint—kind of Husker «t Du crossed with Stabbing Westward. Schultz, whose voice is at times reminiscent of Live’s Ed Kowalczyk, cites such influences as the Doors, David Sylvian and Concrete Blonde— but you’d never hear that in his music. “Musically, I’m Joan Jett meets AC/ DC,” he said. “Purely the post-Nirvana, John Cougar crunchy hooks, with good storytelling that’s heavy enough to fall through the floor rock ‘n’ roll.” . Tonight-will be Radio King’s de but performance as a band, after the breakup of Cowtown eight months ago. But three of Cowtown’s members are in Radio King-—drummer Rand Paul, guitarist Tony Robertson and bassist Marty Stienhausen. They recruited former Cocktosens singer Mike Miller to handle vocal chores. Paul and Stienhausen were in the thrash band The Demigogs together, before forming Cowtown. Fans of Cowtown would probably groove on Radio King, Paul said. “The sound’s evolved a lot,” he said. “We’re a lot smoother. We’re tighter as a unit now.” Radio King is mostly a bluegrass rockabilly outfit, with some surfer punk reggae thrown in for good mea sure, Paul said. There is a $3 cover charge for tonight’s show. CommcsY photo