Monday, November 3, 1997
New radio
MUSIC Indie bands looking for a break help the hand that feeds
them at a concert benefitting Loyola Marymount’s KXLU.
By Brendon Vandergast
Daily Bruin Contributor
The fact that there were 40 people over capacity at the
Whisky-A-Go-Go in West Hollywood last Wednesday night for the
annual KXLU 88.9 FM fund-raiser may have prompted a sober-faced
fire marshall to show up with a fat fine.
But any non-believers who walked through the door that evening
would nod their heads in reverence and whisper to themselves
slowly, "Show me the way." No, there was not a blinding-light
phenomenon that sent the crowd home in a zombie state only to wake
up with no recollection of the night before – unless, of course,
someone had slipped ruffies in your Red Dog. No sir, this was a
toe-tappin’, butt-shakin’, rock ‘n’ rollin’ festival that sent the
kids home more than happy to have clothes smelling of cigarettes
and a temporary hearing loss.
The plan was simple: showcase 10 bands who are each doing their
part to define an ever-expanding independent music scene, to
benefit a radio station doing its part to bring this music to our
FM dial.
None of the bands on stage – Sunday’s Best, No Knife, The Get-Up
Kids, Spanakorzo, Jejune, Knapsack, Strictly Ballroom and Jimmy Eat
World, among others – could be heard or seen on KROQ or MTV (Except
for Knapsack, who had a bit of airtime on the Jeneanne
Garafalo-hosted "Indie Outing"). Stations like KXLU, which is
housed on the Loyola Marymount University campus and is broadcast
all over Los Angeles, not only play music that is truly
alternative, but also have a huge influence on fledgling bands
trying to get a foot in the door.
Beck, who was a KXLU favorite before "Loser," showed up at last
year’s benefit show with fellow Los Angelenos That Dog to prove
that the music business isn’t just about the Billboard Top 40, MTV
and the Grammys (Beck topped them all). It’s about the raw
music-talent underground that most of us don’t get a chance to
see.
Even Lou Barlow of Sebadoh and Folk Implosion knew there was
real genius pulsing through the speaker watts. He stuck around long
enough to witness the chop-suey guitar pop of San Diego’s No Knife
and L.A.’s Knapsack. Both blistered through songs at a
melody-per-second rate that made the most of the limited 25 minutes
allotted for sets. Each band played five to seven songs after
quick, five-minute set changes in between.
Splitting No Knife and Knapsack’s jumpy sing-alongs was
Spanakorzo’s mutated banter, which was, to say the least, a change.
The lead singer jerked like an amphetamine-induced Elvis and tore
through malicious echoes on the mike. Perhaps it was too much of a
change for some watching in the audience. They either stood
awestruck or maybe just bludgeoned by the intense noise that could
cause an uncontrollable soaking of their backs with their own
sweat.
But for the most part, the crowd was looking forward to hearing
what has become a staple sound of the post-hard-core, post-punk
indie movement: for lack of a better word, called "emo" or
"emocore" (think along the lines of Fugazi, Sunny Day Real Estate
and Foo Fighters).
The Get-Up Kids and Jejune satisfied the crowd with a style of
play that defines the "emo" genre: driving guitars; dynamic tempos;
and anthemic, dueling and emotional vocals. Jejune easily dismissed
any doubts whether it could transfer its beautiful voices from
record to the stage and impress a few unnamed industry heads as
well as the reserved audience.
Sore backs and tired legs didn’t keep the crowd from staying for
the entire 5 1/2 hours. They waited diligently for the last two
acts that took the stage after 12 p.m. The first band, Strictly
Ballroom, believes in music innovation, presently displaying two
drummers and a synthesizer to complement the guitars and bass. They
played an enduring set of long, winding songs that explored the
progressive side of post-hard-core and mapped a fine line between
serenity and rage.
Jimmy Eat World closed the night with several new songs and a
sense of skill that has helped the band get a major label deal with
Capitol Records. But its energy may have suffered from the late
starting time that left the anxious crowd almost too tired to show
any overwhelming cheers for the headlining band. When the band
finished its set, two staff members from KXLU took the mike and
thanked all the bands and fans for their support. There was good
feeling in the smoky air of the Whiskey as the crowd filed toward
the exit. KXLU raised over a few thousand dollars with the help of
the Whiskey and all the bands, but most of all, the fans got
exactly what they wanted. That’s the best part about music,
independent or not.
Genevieve Liang/Daily Bruin
Strictly Ballroom was among the bands that played at KXLU’s
benefit concert at the Whisky. KXLU, the radio station housed on
the Loyola Marymount campus, regularly features such alternative
bands.