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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 1997)
Rule overcomes adversity to distribute new album By Bret Schulte Senior Reporter Despite being misled by labels, confused by corporations and delayed by legalities, Mercy Rule perpetuates its local rock reign with the release of “The Flat Black Chronicles.” The new Mercy Rule album spent years in transit because of a series of delays and disappointments, but final ly is being produced, said guitarist Jon Taylor. Although the band currently is housing the compact discs in its trade mark van, local fans still have to wait until Christmas - if not longer - before the album arrives in local stores. “Right now all the distributors have bought their records so it’s going to be hard to get albums to distribu tors by Christmas,” Taylor said. Although it is customary to go through distributors to release an album, Taylor says he will make every effort to get the record that he dubs “100 times better than any of our pre vious stuff” into local music stores. i ne Dana receivea copies or the album a few weeks ago to take along on its current road trip to the East Coast, where Mercy Rule will play New York, Cleveland and Washington. Beginning Tuesday, fans from Kansas City to Boston will be able to purchase “The Flat Black Chronicles” before people back home can, an anomaly Taylor said couldn’t be helped. “It’s really a tour-only release,” he said. “We’re going to hand assemble this first 50 or 100 copies to be sold at shows only. If we have any CDs left at the end of the trip I may take them down to Zero Street or other stores.” Taylor said the anticipation of this release was well-deserved. The group’s first album since its defini tive 1994’s rock-howl Relativity Records release, “Providence,” “The Flat Black Chronicles” is the culmi nation of years of struggle, disap pointment and tenacity. “This is a record that your band makes when your band is fortunate to stay together for a long time and you go through every possibility and every sit uation that could happen,” Taylor said. Mercy Rule lost die label that orig inally supported “The Flat Black Chronicles” in 1996, when Relativity Records shrugged off its rock bands to embrace the increasingly popular rap ■... and hip-hop urban movement. With the aid of producer Lou Giordano, veteran guitar-noisesmith for Bob Mould, Mercy Rule landed a deal with MCA records. With production quickly fin ished, the band waited for word from the company about a release date. A date was never set. MCA informed the band the album would not be distributed. But, Taylor said, the album was too good to be shelved, and the band, in a nontraditional move, bought back the rights to the album, which allows them to distribute it under a different label without actually owning the recording. lne Mat Black Chronicles will contain a few surprises for listeners accustomed to Mercy Rule’s emotion ally-structured and dense punk fabric. Taylor said the alt-rock input of Giordano helped the band produce an album unparalleled by the band. It fea tures an orchestra of fresh instrumenta tion, rejuvenated power punk and a greater attention to detail, he said. “(Giordano) paid attention to every little thing,” Taylor said. “He is extremely careful to make it sound as good as it possibly can. You listen to the record, and it sounds like a great sounding three-piece band with these other elements.” Tambourines, saxophones, trum- , pets, pianos and even the occasional i accordion blow, pump and squeeze L their ways into Mercy Rule’s new recording, which Taylor says is “kind of like a concept album.” The risk involved with label hop ping, compounded with fresh experi mentation, made the album’s produc tion somewhat perilous, Taylor said, but even more rewarding. “I think it is a great triumph. It’s a thrill to be back at this level because it’s like putting on a pair of your old favorite shoes. It’s just heaven.” 1" 1 ■ --— Wheelchair dancing takes art to unique, challenging new level WONDER from page 12 Dickson-Matsunami said she had been challenged through these classes to create new move ment for the sit-down dancers. “I’m trying not to adapt a pedestrian movement to a person who can’t use their legs,” Dickson-Matsunami said. “I’m interested in finding all the new ways a person in a wheelchair can move.” She added that the wheelchair gave the sit-down dancers several advantages. “You have the ability for incredible movement, speed and sustained energy in a wheel chair,” she said. “(Sit-down dancers) can glide in a way stand-up dancers never can.” The dancers are currently rehearsing their repertoire for a spring performance at the Omaha Community Playhouse. They plan to perform three works: The Wonder-Wilder duet of “Keys to Imagination”; a duet between Wonder and Dickson-Matsunami called “The Gift”; and a work in progress that will include Wonder, Wilder and Dickson Matsunami with music by Bach. Cleveland Ballet’s Dancing Wheels will also perform at the spring concert. Wonder said she hoped Wonder Wheels would increase the accessibility of the arts in Omaha. “We want to help people be able to participate in the arts not only as an audience, but as a per former as well,” she said. Wonder said those involved would also gain a valuable tool for rehabilitation. “Three years ago, I couldn’t even roll over,” Wonder said. “Dance has really pushed me. I remember being afraid in the beginning. 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