Wednesday, October 28, 1998
Sound Bites
Various Artists, "Halloween Hootenanny" (Zombie-A-Go-Go) The
invitation reads "Halloween Hootenanny," and the pale guy at the
door is talking about werewolves and stuff. Keep going, his haircut
is a little too strange to warrant conversation.
Let’s check out the headline band, Rob Zombie and The Ghastly
Ones. Whoa, this Zombie guy looks way too at home here. He looks
like an extra from an Ed Wood movie, and he sounds mad. Real mad.
There’s this creep ball surf music in the background, and he’s
snarling like a junkyard dog that’s already got one of your shoes
in his mouth. He’s waving his arms, he’s baring his teeth, and
uh-oh, it looks like he’s actually enjoying himself.
This is the Halloween party from Bizarro Land.
Rob snarls his way off stage, and the party continues. The room
gets as dark as a Goth’s make-up bag, occasionally lit up by an
ill-timed strobe light. Maybe there was something in that punch.
Maybe it’s the music, which has kept up even though Zombie and his
horrid crew have departed.
These new guys are pretty good. What’s their name? Ahh, the
program says "Rocket From The Crypt." Jeez, that’s a heck of a
name. They’re playing so hard their amps sound like they’re gonna
blow up, and the lead singer is proclaiming that he drinks blood.
Stick with the punch, my friends, it’s got less calories.
Hey, the doorbell’s ringing! Aww, look, trick-or-treaters! Kids
are so cute, aren’t they? Wait, these punks aren’t even dressed up!
Jeans and a T-shirt? That’s a pretty original costume, you little
weasels! To borrow a line from the Swingin’ Neckbreakers, "No
costume, no candy!" Slam the door and go stir up some of that punch
again.
This has got to be the oddest get together in town. What is a
hootenanny, anyway?
Oh well, it doesn’t matter, as long as that music keeps going.
It’s one surf tune with creepy lyrics after another. Why is it that
surf music is connected with Halloween, anyway? It’s not like
there’s a load of vampires hanging 10 out in Santa Monica.
It’s all good; that organ and guitar make for an eerie sound
that fits in at this party. Dance, swig that orange punch down,
juggle pumpkins and keep out of the way of that guy dressed up like
Kenneth Starr.
Man, how did this party go so fast? Too bad it’s over, but hey,
what can you do? Get yourself a candied apple, wave goodbye to Rob
and the ghoul at the door, and head on back to reality.
Brent Hopkins
The Nields, "Play" (Zoe Records)
The Nields have a touching, straight-to-the-heart line-up,
eliciting reminders of those wild and crazy kids in the Partridge
Family. With Katryna Nields on vocals, David Nields playing
harmonica and electric guitar, and songwriting wife Nerissa Nields
contributing with hand claps, backing vocals and acoustic guitar,
one would be hard-pressed to give such a wholesome band with strong
familial ties a negative review, but let’s try to do so anyway.
Hailing from Massachusetts, the Nields have actually amassed
quite a devoted following among the East Coast, woven sweater
wearing, latte drinking, Sylvia Plath reading contingency. How this
yawn-inducing band has attracted such a fan base remains a mystery,
but then again, this is the same country that launched Meredith
Brooks into Top-40 fame.
The Nields are about as down home and white-bread as a band
gets, with song titles ranging from "Nebraska" to "Friday Night at
the Circle K." Just listening to some of the lame lyrics in songs
such as "Snowman" is agony in itself ("I’m a snowman, cold is all I
understand/ I’m a snowman, if you can’t hurt me no one can").
Primarily mixing folk, country and indie-rock, most of the songs
are hard to differentiate, especially with the annoying twang of
Katryna Nields’ voice. The only highlight from "Play" is the upbeat
first track, "Easy People," leading one to falsely conclude that
the Nields actually hold some promise. But after that, the 14-song
album disintegrates into a jumbled mess that fails to capture
anyone’s attention.
The Nields might have one useful purpose, however: their dull
sound could help any insomniac looking for assistance. And hey, a
female-fronted band this bland should be perfect for Lillith
Fair.
Tristan Thai
My Superhero, "Solid State 14" (Risk Records)
Paved with good intentions, ska’s shady future hangs in the
balance of veterans and fresh new sounds from bands such as My
Superhero. Unfortunately, it often paves the way to failure.
"Solid State 14" contains a lot of heart and spirit but just
does not have enough of the compelling melodies the listener looks
for in the pop-ska-punk sound.
At times monotonous, the band holds a lot of promise trying to
break through the limpid, overly pop-like beats.
Some noteworthy moments occur when the freshman attitude of the
band glows in their cute but immature melodies such as in "Sunday"
and "Another Kind." The listener also can’t help but sing along to
their rendition of "Groovy Kind Of Love" which, for them, is simply
titled "Groovy."
The amusing joke number "Intermission" invokes a smile, but it’s
not enough to carry the entire album and save it from the bad
songs.
Brownie points are rewarded to the a band in need of a little
more experience but no less energy.
Michelle ZubiateVarious Artists
"Halloween Hootenanny"
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