Silkworm and Why You Should Keep Your Pavement Records (or MP3s)

All involved should decry the speed in which a band can form, play its first show and release a proper album – Smith Westerns anyone? That formula, obviously, doesn’t ensure quality or a lack there of, but contrasting bands’ stamina and their longevity’s pretty interesting. With the current spate of sub-terra rock groups kicking around, it doesn’t really seem possible that too many of them are set to wrench a twenty year career from constant touring and issuing singles in runs of two hundred and fifty. It’s worked so far – Thee Oh Sees seem to be able to maintain a consistent level of performance, but the group’s frontman has a bit of experience.

Anyway, twenty or thirty years ago, groups weren’t so lucky as to have entire websites dedicated to posting re-written press releases and biographies. And a band, originally from Missoula, Montana, called Silkworm is not only a good historical model of earlier alternative bands, but also an example of what happened to groups back then when they weren’t embraced by the mass culture. Oh, yeah. And if you’ve heard Silkworm’s pretty much on par with Pavement, that’s nuts. They’re not.

Either way, forming in 1987, the band gigged out for at least three years before getting some compositions on tape. That wouldn’t work at all today, but eventually, the group moved to Seattle just in time to hit up all that grunge stuff, even as the media basically ignored the ensemble. What Silkworm was able to do, though, was to release its second long player on C/Z Records, an imprint responsible for issuing the first document of Seattle’s soon-to-be all-star scene. In the West (1994) didn’t and still doesn’t possess the sort of melodic style bands like the aforementioned Pavement or any of those Seattle bands possessed.

There is a bit of entertaining guitar here and there – and enough to land Silkworm a record deal with Matador and then Touch and Go Records. Neither of those things would result in the group heading out to mainstream appreciation, or even underground acclaim. Really, the band remained a second tier attraction even as it relocated to Chicago in order to be closer to its various labels.

The whole thing ended in an avoidable tragedy as the group’s singer was killed in a bizarre car accident. It’s a bummer, but seems to have served to mythologized the group’s work. Whether or not it’s deserved is up for debate, but Pavement’s still more entertaining to listen to.

I Need That Record: Stating the Obvious

Releasing a film detailing the state of the record industry and by extension why locally owned record stores are closing in 2008 seems like a weird idea. Granted, a huge portion of why director Brendan Toller when through the trouble of making I Need That Record seems to have stemmed from personal motivation. So, that makes sense. But it’s interesting to wonder if he believes the film’s really added too much to public discourse. Alright, that probably wasn’t the point. What was then?

Regardless of the answer, simply showing viewers, at this point, the degeneration of things like local business so late in the game comes off as a bit hackneyed despite a positive outlook of the entire project. With the world becoming digitized a bit more each day, we don’t really need anyone to keep telling us that it’s happening. And while Toller briefly examines how the record industry makes profits and inflates the price at which cds are sold, we could have guessed at all of that already.

What isn’t offered up – and this is commonly a problem, just ask Michael Moore – is a proper solution to the entire clusterfuck. It would be a bit much to ask Toller to solve independent music and business problems for an entire country, but without that, I Need That Record seems as much like a vanity project as anything else.

Along the way to hearing the same sentiment related for something like an hour and change, though, Toller did book a number of good interview subjects, albeit, folks we’d all expect to make an appearance – Thurston Moore crops up as does Ian MacKaye. It is pretty interesting that Noam Chomsky gave up a bit of face time even as his rhetoric isn’t all that helpful, new or surprising. It’s still good to see the old guy engaging with younger commies.

What is decent, though, are some of the record store clerks Toller’s able to talk to. Of course, more than a couple of ‘em seem kinda weird – as do their customers. But driving through the country just to talk to these folks is a pretty admirable thing. As a side, though, the director really must have just Googled the term “record store” and the city he was in. There’s no real explanation for his interviewing the folks at Music Saves in Cleveland, ‘cause really, that joint stinks. It doesn’t even have the best selection on the block. Whatever, decent flick if you’re a geek.

Jewws: The Garage Varierty

In part due to the Gories working tirelessly over a few years during the eighties and into the nineties, a garage renaissance reached the punk record collecting public at some point. And throughout the nineties, countless bands plundered punk while combining it with the most revved up and irreverent conception of the genre up until that point.

There’s no way to properly document each and every group working with these tropes during that very specific time period. But groups like the Oblivians and the New Bomb Turks, their collective combination of sixties’ garage swagger and punk’s gap toothed sneer, severed as new templates.

Reductive in explaining the place Jewws had in the (very late) nineties, but considering the band didn’t record all that often and seemingly eschewed mounting multiple, huge nation wide tours, it becomes difficult to define the Houston based group in terms other than contrasting it with others performing around the same time.

Firstly, though, the group’s name needs to be dealt with. Yeah, it’s meant to be funny. And perhaps it is – though, certainly not offensive. But coming from a place that can’t be lousy with Semetic types and tossing it out as a joke intended to trouble some folks seems lame. No one should take issue with the group’s name apart from it actually just being less amusing than all involved previously figured.

But, that has nothing to do with the music represented over the course of the Jewws (guitarist and and singer Omari Yoshihiru, bassist Rebecca Gugarelli and drummer Matt Murillo) L' Explosion Du Son De Maintenant. Issued at the end of that wave of garage’s dissemination, the 2002 album trucks in tunes that may have been recorded ten years earlier. There’s a steady stream of raved up blues from “When Your Man is Gone” to “Just Blink, She’s Gone.”

Sounding like the meeting place between Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry (or any other early rock and rollers) and re-imagined hard rock groups doesn’t make the Jewws all that unique. Or unique at all, actually. The minute long “Love in a Pill,” though, works to allow the band to make a claim on just being new-aged punkers.

It’s all a tremendous waste to dig this far down into the gut bucket of the genre(s). The Jewws aren’t a crummy band, but probably only for enthusiasts and collectors. Either way, though, they kinda rule when you need ‘em to…

The Montells and EVIL...A Florida Garage Legacy

There’s as much interest in individual state’s garage output as there is for city wide scenes. Examining a state-wide phenomenon, though, becomes a bit more difficult when cities aren’t within five hours of each other. And while your grandparents might find Florida an hospitable place to call home for the last few years of their collective lives, the garage scene down there wasn’t a singular pillar of sound. It had its sundry derivations. But between the Montells and EVIL, there was a bit of similarity. Not too much, though…

Probably, the reason make a connection between these two groups – apart from the fact that Corduroy Records saw fit to toss the two band’s on a single disc – is the fact that each counted the same bass player in its ranks for a bit. That’s a pretty tawdry relationship, but that’s what’s served to tie the two groups together.

Judging by the name each ensemble choose, listeners, before even plopping down some scratch for this disc, should be able to guess which ensemble’s gonna rank as a bit nastier.

Founded as the Montells were in the middle of falling apart, EVIL comes off as a better purveyor of Brit stuff that everyone was working to borrow from extensively at the time. In the group’s cover of “Whatcha Gonna Do,” EVIL works up a pretty heady blossom of feedback during the track’s break. Despite the song being tied to another group’s catalog, EVIL’s still able to craft a work that sounds personal. The group’s singer, John Doyle, seems to be on the way to ruining his throat for future endeavors, but seeing as there weren’t too many songs in EVIL’s future, it probably didn’t matter.

That being said, EVIL possessed the ability to reel in its unhinged prattling on efforts like “I Know I’ll Die.” Moving from sixties’ styled punk to something of a ballad was probably a necessity if a band wanted to play local dances. But even on this softer track, the sentiment expressed isn’t anything short anti-social.

Interspersed with those EVIL tracks are the Montells’ earlier recordings. That latter band doesn’t sound like wimps, but come off a bit more timid when contrasted to what else is included on this split. Even with that, “Don't Bring Me Down” ratchets up the tempo. And even if it’s not a pre-punker classic, it does the job. Just like everything else on here, the effort points to the future without ever exploding the bounds of what was then currently acceptable.

Mo-Dettes - "White Mice" (Video)

First off, the dancing in this thing is amazing. Second, Mo-Dettes are basically a femme, post-punk supergroup. Eat it up. It's better than your 2010 top ten list.

The Nerves - "Hanging On The Telephone" (Video)

Power pop as punk? Close enough. The Nerves were around during the seventies punk thing. And while a good portion of the band's catalog flirted with more commercial work, a few choice cuts emerge as being punkier than probably intentioned.

The Futura Label: Pierre Favre

Focusing narrowly on a specific instrument, sticking with it and working up a solo display of some variety isn’t the most far fetched goal a player can have. When that player’s a drummer, though, it might seem a bit odd to folks. That being said, the reason record labels that deal with bizarre recordings generally disappear after a time is that creating a document that no other business person would be willing to shell out cash for doesn’t usually make money. ‘Natch.

But thankfully, the Futura label lasted long enough to create a substantial discography, a relatively varied one at that. And while there aren’t too many folks who’d either like to create or listen to an album’s worth of drum solos, Futura released one in1972 as recorded by Pierre Favre.

Much like that entire cohort of post war jazzbos who would at one time or another find themselves accompanying a bevy of American players, Favre hasn’t really become a huge figure outside of his native country. Of course, anyone being a fan of the guy’s music is kinda startling at this point.

Either way, that early seventies’ disc, simply entitled Abanaba comprises eight tracks and includes everything from gong to bells, a full set and crashing cymbals. Not palatable to most folks, the forty minutes of percussion work should be startling to anyone who hears it. And yeah, it won’t be too many people.

Opening Abanaba with a song about a clown and then moving into a surprisingly melodic composition called “Katybaby” immediately shows off Favre’s unmatchable talent. He’s no Ginger Baker, but he could be, it seems, if he wanted to be.

There’s nothing represented here approaching funky or rhythmic in any traditional understanding of pop and dance musics. But Favre doesn’t need those restrictions in order to rave up a good racket.

It’s difficult to summon sounds recalling a specific country if one’s only tools are a spate of drums and stray percussion instruments. But there’s no way a listener can make it through “Gerunonius” and not at least think about China for a brief moment. That’s not to figure the track for some cultural appropriation, but the gong goes a long way.

Considering the instrumentation used here, it’d be difficult to figure a track as the disc’s high point. It’s not that much of Abanaba sounds the same, but since there’s no melody to follow, making it end to end becomes a bit difficult.

Albertos Y Lost Trios Paranoias - "Kill" (Video)

These dudes weren't so much punkers as clever guys playing music in England during the seventies. Regardless of what Albertos and company are recalled for, this track would still easily fit onto just about any retrospective from the era.

Athletico Spizz '80: Is That the DRI Logo?

Athletico Spizz '80 and its front-man Spizz cropped up late enough in the UK punk and post-punk scene to have benefited from learning after watching other groups’ successes and failures. Of course, it’s lone long player from 1980 isn’t too frequently referenced as a watershed moment by anyone. There are, however, more than a few moments on the debut that are worth getting into especially considering the relative renaissance Gang of Four and its cohort has appreciated over the last decade. Spizz isn’t punk or post-punk, but seems to have seen enough to make sense of it all. Kinda.

It’s unquestionably a coincidence, but “Red and Black” finds Spizz phrasing his verses in a manner that parallels that of Darby Crash from the Germs. It’d be stretch to imagine these Brits sitting down and listening to “Forming,” but who knows? Either way, the song sports a middling tempo, approximating the breakdown if a faster portion of the song existed. There’s mention of metallic dreams to go along with that dystopian synthesizer. But even without the supplemental support, Spizz seems enervated to the point that he’d be able to wrest the song from complacency all alone.

With that track aping something of a straight up rock thing, fans of weirder Brit punk might be itching for work matching the intensity of earlier groups. With its rolling bass line “European Heros” might be the closest thing to first wave punk that Athletic Spizz ’80 deals with. The song’s descending guitar line and Spizz’ quick spit verses make the song fly by – and in a good way.

There’s not too much a let down in this batch of songs. At times, the release date comes to bare. I mean, by 1980 there wasn’t too much left to do with punk. And while the boys try to craft something new with tracks like “Personimpersonator” it occasionally winds up being a horrible conflagration of the Jam and the Police.

Redeeming himself, Spizz leads his group through the eight minute close “Airships.” Yeah, the song sounds like it should be a prog-rock staple. But it’s not. Somewhere between the Buzzcocks and some latter day Rough Trade group, the band turns in something referential of krautrock and John Lydon’s Neu! worship without being dull and repetitive. That track might not be strong enough to make you speed on the freeway, but does serve as a pretty good way to end an album.

RIP: Frankie Campagna

Spector 45 frontman dies at only 24 years old.

The music scene in Dallas was really rocked last Saturday morning when Frankie Campagna, punk rock Spector 45 frontman passed away. The memorial for this young legend will be tonight at Club Dada (where Frankie was a bartender) in his honor at 7 p.m., with Doubledowns, Missile and Here Holy Spain, will playing at 8. There will be no cover charge but donations to Deep Ellum Community Association will graciously be accepted.

Learn more about the event tonight and Frankie Campagna at DFW.

 

 

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