== ISSUE 198 ====  CONSUMABLE ONLINE  ======== [January 24, 2000]

  Editor:             Bob Gajarsky
                         E-mail: editor@consumableonline.com
  Managing Editor:    Lang Whitaker
  Sr. Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Joann Ball, Chris Hill, Bill 
                      Holmes, Tim Kennedy, Jon Steltenpohl
  Correspondents:     Michelle Aguilar, Christina Apeles, Niles J. 
                      Baranowski, Jason Cahill, Matthew Carlin, John 
                      Davidson, Andrew Duncan, Krisjanis Gale, Paul 
                      Hanson, Eric Hsu, Scott Hudson, Steve Kandell, 
                      Reto Koradi, Robin Lapid, Wes Long, I.K. MacLeod, 
                      Wilson Neate, Mike Pfeiffer, Linda Scott, Don 
                      Share, Scott Slonaker, Kerwin So, Chelsea Spear, 
                      Michael Van Gorden, Simon West
  Technical Staff:    Chris Candreva, David Landgren, Dave Pirmann
  Also Contributing:  Franklin Johnson

 Address all comments to staff@consumableonline.com ; subscription 
information is given at the end of this issue. 
==================================================================
	All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s). 
Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the 
editor.
==================================================================
                            .------------.
                            |  Contents  |
                            `------------'
CONCERT REVIEW: Stereolab / Papa M / Dymaxion - Wilson Neate
EVENT REVIEW:  Cahoots.com SFNYE Superior Bash, San Francisco - Joann Ball
REVIEW: Eiffel 65, _Europop_ - Bob Gajarsky
CONCERT REVIEW: Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Wilson Neate
CONCERT REVIEW: Buzzcocks / Heist - Tim Kennedy
REVIEW: Hobex, _Back in the 90's_ / Collapsis, _Dirty Wake_- Jon Steltenpohl
CONCERT REVIEW: Marc Almond - Wilson Neate
REVIEW: Another Level, _Another Level_ - Franklin Johnson 
REVIEW: Yellow Machine Gun, _Spot Remover_ - Andrew Duncan
NEWS: Clash reissues, Everclear, Green Day, Grooveradio, Jayhawks, 
   Musicmusicmusic, Musician's Atlas, Poptopia 2000, Previewtunes, 
   X / Noise Pop Festival
TOUR DATES: Anthrax, Cravin' Melon, Robert Cray, Dismemberment Plan, 
   Julia Greenberg, Guided By Voices / American Flag, Ben Harper & 
   Innocent Criminals, Richie Hawtin, Jimmie's Chicken Shack / Sumack, 
   Jungle Brothers, Live, Aimee Mann / Michael Penn, Pretenders, 
   Squatweiler,  Stereophonics, Stroke 9, u-ziq, Young Dubliners
Back Issues of Consumable
---
	CONCERT REVIEW: Stereolab / Papa M / Dymaxion, Irving Plaza, 
		New York City
		- Wilson Neate
	Since this was the final date on Stereolab's US tour, it 
promised to be somewhat of a special occasion.  Unfortunately, however, 
the tangible sense of excitement and expectancy at Irving Plaza last 
night was all but scotched by the opening acts, one that was as 
irritating as dermatitis and another that could have bored the hind 
legs off a donkey.
	Given that the name of the first band sounded like an 
antibiotic that you might take to clear up a nasty rash or a minor 
infection it was perhaps logical--albeit in a backwards sense--that 
Dymaxion should have a tendency to get under your skin in the worst and 
most irritating way.
	Dymaxion wouldn't look or sound out of place playing an 
afternoon bash hosted by the Electronics Club at your local high school. 
If their sound is fueled by any substance, then caffeine is clearly the 
drug of choice here. Dymaxion seemed to be a Devo-esque novelty act 
specializing in frenetic and disjointed, jittery and jerky, melody-free 
songs that were more like extended cartoon sound effects, scattered with 
very witty electronic noises.  Most of the latter were emitted by a pile 
of gadgetry proudly presided over by a clever boy seated at the front of 
the stage.  It was very impressive.  He must have spent all of his 
allowance at Radio Shack and assembled it all by himself. While 
Stereolab's sound may owe something to Burt Bacharach, Bert and Ernie 
are more obvious influences on Dymaxion.
	Papa M, brainchild of Dave Pajo of the ... ahem ... seminal 
Slint, begged the question: why bother playing live if you're not going 
to make even the remotest of stabs at having any live presence?  This 
was a concert after all and not a sound installation.  They seemed 
genuinely uninterested in being on stage and mailed in, via parcel 
post, a paradigmatic post-rock, charisma-free, no smiling allowed, 
occasional backs-to-the-audience 'performance'.  It was especially 
amusing that although Alan Licht had a flying V guitar--that most rock 
of instruments--he played it with as much character as Strom Thurmond 
would exhibit, playing the church organ.  Intentional, dead pan humor, 
one can only hope.
	Despite the accomplishment and craft of the recent _Live From 
a Shark Cage_, Papa M's music just didn't go anywhere live and there 
was more noodling in 40 minutes than goes on at your local Thai 
restaurant in a week.  At one point it became clear that they'd lost 
the audience, given that the crowd chat noise was louder than the 
music.  The sense that they didn't want to be there was underscored by 
the fact that, before the feedback had died out at the end of their set, 
the drummer had already started to disassemble his kit while Pajo had 
unplugged his instrument and was already on his way off.  But then what 
can you expect from a man who said, in a recent interview with 
_Pillowfight_: "I never had a relationship with an audience, I've 
always been the self-obsessed ego maniac that I am this day"?
	That Stereolab should have come on and salvaged the evening 
was a pleasant surprise in view of recent critical notices (in Britain) 
that have reported shows marred by austerity and distance on the part 
of the band, an absence of spontaneity and a tendency to inject 
precious little affect into their disinterestedly intellectual and 
intricate musical textures.
	Indeed, Stereolab frontwoman Laetitia Sadier has herself 
recognized their almost 'mathematical' approach: a precise, geometrical 
construction of shifting aural shapes, melodies and counter-melodies, 
and repetitive circular structures with incremental changes, as well as 
their deliberate crafting of sound patterns beyond a simple 4/4 beat.
	The cerebral dimension is enhanced by the technology they 
employ.  Stereolab's penchant for retro-equipment (Moog synths, Farfisa 
organs, etc) goes against the grain of seamless electronica as it 
yields a sound that always draws the listener's attention to those 
very devices used to create it.  The result is a self-referential 
meta-music that foregrounds the means of its own construction.
	Stereolab's lyrical content is commonly cited as evidence of 
their overtly and overly cerebral tendencies.  While Sadier and Mary 
Hansen trade catchy pop vocals, the substance of much of what Sadier 
is saying often attests to a very _un-pop_ depth of thought.  Not only 
are her lyrics frequently loaded with Marxian rhetoric but it's a 
particularly high brow, academic variant of Marxism that makes even 
The Gang of Four sound like union leaders spouting the Cliff Notes 
version of _Capital_ to the rank and file.
	Their politics have more to do with the writings of Althusser 
than with the rantings of, say, The Anti-Nowhere League; they're more 
Castoriadis than The Clash.  Rather than "let's smash the system", 
Sadier articulates something more along the lines of "let us work 
together towards a realization of the knowledge effect in order resist 
the ideology of late capitalism," albeit punctuated with the trademark 
to-and-fro da de da's of 60s French girl pop.
	Still, despite their undeniably thoughtful and, yes, 
intellectual approach, Sadier also said in a recent interview, "I 
think sometimes we 'rock' and it is kind of nice to rock" and last 
night was certainly one of those occasions.  Having switched on and 
kicked off with "Crest", from the pithily titled 1993 album _Transient 
Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements_, it was clear that Stereolab 
were going to save the day.
	They managed to balance the tightly crafted, rigidly structured 
and almost clinical nature of their recorded music with a measure of 
spontaneity essential to live performance.  They were a little rough 
around the edges, had a few minor glitches and hitches, lapsed into 
distortion and feedback occasionally, interacted with the audience--and 
with each other--and injected the kind of raw intensity that can only 
be achieved in the live context.
	Some songs were supplemented with elements not present on the 
recorded versions while others were overhauled.  "The Seeming and the 
Meaning" from _Peng!_ was accelerated and roughed up a bit and "Blue 
Milk," from the recent  _Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the 
Milky Night_, was prefaced with a chaotic intro segment absent from the 
album.  Other tracks that stood out live were "Metronomic Underground" 
with its throbbing Floydian "Come in Number 51" bass line, "Analogue 
Rock", "Tone Burst" and the new songs "The Free Design" and "Blips, 
Drips and Strips".
	Drawing on tracks dating back to 1991, Stereolab showcased 
the multifaceted and eclectic texture of their sound.  Last night's 
set featured early material characterized by minimal chord structures 
and simple time signatures alongside nods to Krautrock, Bacharach and 
Esquivel-esque lounge/cocktail stylings and more recent forays into 
bossa nova and jazz with complex time signatures.
	Stereolab have been described as a postmodern girl group and 
that's a pretty fair description.  The postmodern character of 
Stereolab's musical identity is their hallmark: a playful, almost 
affectless sound built on musical citations and a blurring of the 
divisions between high and low culture to form a kitschy, pop collage.
	But for a so-called girl group, Stereolab's live performance 
symbolically challenged traditional gender hierarchies.  Laetitia 
Sadier, Morgane Lhote and Mary Hansen occupied the most prominent 
positions on stage while Tim Gane, Simon Johns, and Andrew Ramsey 
toiled away in the background, the latter two building particularly 
strong, driving rhythms.  As is his custom, Gane spent the evening in 
a sonic world of his own at the back, jerking his head compulsively 
like the insane polar bear at the Bristol Zoo.
	The only down-side to their set was that they slightly 
undermined themselves during the encore.  Having almost completed a 
fine version of "Super Electric" that emphasized their ability to rock 
and to be danceable, they were joined by members of the opening acts.  
They then proceeded to indulge in one of rock's (and jazz's) worst 
cliches, turning "Super Electric" into an extended jam session.  To 
start with it was amusing but it quickly became a real patience-tester, 
an unfortunate epic of dullness: three drummers drumming, three 
guitarists guitaring, three percussionists banging, two keyboard 
players plonking and a partridge in a pear tree, etc.  Even so, 
Stereolab clearly had a good time and this was the last night of the 
tour, so you can't fault them really.	Jam sessions aside though and 
in stark contrast with last night's openers, Stereolab's performance 
made a number of timely points: a live concert really ought to provide 
an audience with something different from the experience of listening 
to a record; it's a good idea to have stage presence and to communicate 
at least _some_ identifiable form of emotion; it's possible to play 
intelligent music and communicate its intelligence live without being 
pretentious; it's possible to play quirky, idiosyncratic music without 
being plain silly; and it's quite possible to play thoughtful music 
that is danceable.
---
	EVENT REVIEW:  Cahoots.com SFNYE Superior Bash, San Francisco,
		December 31, 1999-January 1, 2000
		- Joann D. Ball
	California knows how to party!
	It was an around the Bay extravaganza at the Cahoots.com SFNYE 
Superior Bash held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in downtown 
San Francisco. Presented by Bill Graham Presents and local party kings 
Martel & Nabiel, and sponsored by Internet powersite Cahoots.com the 
San Francisco New Year's Eve (SFNYE) Superior Bash ran from 8PM 
December 31, 1999 until 3AM January 1, 2000. With maximum quality 
entertainment, minimal snob attitude, no velvet rope, and no need to 
take a cab to party hop, the ninety-nine dollar ticket price was a 
real bargain.  Extremely well organized and executed, the SFNYE 
Superior Bash brought together some 10,000 attendees for a fun-filled 
night of great music and madness under one roof and several tents.
	A major bigtime party on a grand scale, SFNYE featured a main 
stage plus nine party rooms, each offering a multitude of sonic and 
visual pleasures. New Year's revelers roamed from room to room 
throughout the night, and were always well rewarded.  None of the 
themed stages and rooms could be missed, from Club Release featuring 
the Bay Area's best House music DJs and the Disco Palace, to the 
Shagalicious Shack with live swing from the Chazz Cats and sixties 
a-go-go music from Casino Royale, and the spectacular World Beat 
Experience showcased the incredible live sounds of the West African 
High Life Band along with Hip-Hop DJs Tom Thump and Mind Motion.  For 
those "in the know" who procured the much-sought after shiny red 
wristbands, the Level 4 VIP Room sponsored by bayarea.citysearch.com 
was all about the good stuff.  And when it came time to celebrate on 
the down low, a high priority given the occasion, the Rat Pack Room 
with its martini bars, the Bubbly Lounge and The Make-Out Den were 
the perfect hiding places.
	But Party Central amid this New Year's Eve festival was 
definitely the Millennium Ballroom.  Cuba's Los Van Van, formed in 
1969 by vocalist, bassist and songwriter Juan Formell, entertained the 
crowd with REAL Latin dance music.  The first of the three acts on the 
Millennium Ballroom stage, they immediately established the ground 
rules: that this was a night for incredible music and serious partying. 
With a distinguished history that includes 23 albums and three decades 
of shaking bon-bons, Los Van Van has perfected a mesmerizing sound and 
performance style.  Their hour-plus set was completely relished by 
those who immersed themselves in all that the world's foremost Latin 
dance band had to offer.
	Headliners the Pretenders had the awesome responsibility of 
ushering out the old year and bringing in the new one.  With a sense 
of purpose, energy and determination to rock the house, the Pretenders 
kickstarted their performance with the no holds barred "Night in My 
Veins" that was the night's anthem.  The band blistered through a 
killer 20-song set that only slowed down because it had to - when 
lead singer Chrissie Hynde led the packed Ballroom in the traditional 
New Year's countdown.  And the indoor fireworks and explosions were 
the perfect segue into "Middle of the Road," as power drummer Martin 
Chambers continued the festive bombast throughout the song. With 
guitarist Adam Seymour's burning solos soaring and sizzling throughout 
the night, and bassist Andy Hobson keeping the band's musical pulse 
strong and steady, it's clear that the Pretenders are fueled and ready 
for their US theater tour, which begins in Florida in late January.
	With the New Year just barely underway, it was time to groove 
to the electronic sounds of the Crystal Method.  Only an act of this 
caliber could keep the mainstage crowd going after midnight at a New 
Year's Eve bash that had already overflowed with bubbly and intensity. 
Even before the set began, Crystal Method fans were poised and ready, 
having quickly staked out the necessary space required for the 
reckless abandon letting go that the group inspires.  Without missing 
a beat, underground club culture experts the Crystal Method transported 
that spirit and energy to the Bill Graham Auditorium, keeping the party 
going until the wee hours with their trademark rock, funk, big-beat 
hip-hop sonic assault.
	Throughout the world, Y2K fears were proven false.  But in San 
Francisco, one thing was for sure: the predictions and forecasts proved 
true.  The Cahoots.com SFNYE Superior Bash was everything that the good 
folks at Glodow Nead Communications promised.  It was without a doubt 
"the ultimate New Year's Eve millennium blowout!"
---
	REVIEW: Eiffel 65, _Europop_ (Universal)
		- Bob Gajarsky
	One of the biggest worldwide hits of 1999 was by 
an Italian trio - Jeffrey Jey, Maurizio Lobina and Gabry 
Ponte - formed under the headquarters of a European 
dance hit factory, the Bliss Corporation.  Eiffel 65's 
"Blue", through the use of a vocoder and filtering 
(similar to that used to modify Cher's voice in her 
international #1 hit "Believe"), captured the emotions and 
feelings of an entire dance generation.  And although 
many dance albums are "one hit, 2 remixes and 8 tracks 
of junk", _Europop_ will provide its listeners with 
endless hours of midi and synthpop pleasure.
	The three members of Eiffel 65 each achieved 
several top ten European dance hits. Being brought together 
by Bliss Corporation founder Massimo Gabutti enabled them 
to pool their influences and resources to create a new 
dance sound.
	"Blue (Da Ba Dee) is a mix of dance and English pop, 
a song with a disco beat," says Jey about his group's music. 
"We're more like an old-fashioned Depeche Mode, a solid 
structure, but more futuristic.  We are electronic, but 
we look for new sounds...it's easy to sing to and dance to."
	"Your Clown" is the best example of their Depeche Mode 
influences, and stands as one of the instances where the 
often-used vocoder actually detracts from the song.  Think 
a "Blasphemous Rumours" type of track, and you'll have the 
main musical thrust of "Clown", while lyrics including "I 
don't want to be a clown again / I don't want to live this 
triangle / I don't want a million lines / 'cuz I long to carry 
on " echoes the same type of sentiments as felt by many of 
the same people dancing to "Blue".
	Want "Blue", part 2?  "Another Race" and "Silicon 
World" will fill the bill perfectly.  Looking for more 
synth-dance hits that are instantly hummable?  See "Too 
Much of Heaven" and "Dub In Life".  And in the 'what goes 
around comes around' department, "The Edge" sure sounds like 
it's begging to be covered by Cher...
	When listening to _Europop_, it's best to free your 
mind, and let your ass follow.
---
	CONCERT REVIEW: Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Mercury Lounge, New York City
		- Wilson Neate
	In a recent interview, Gorky's front man Euros Childs joked that 
it was only a matter of time before someone issued a compilation 
entitled _The Best Welsh Album in the World . . . Ever!_ in order to 
cash in on the current popularity of bands from Cymru.  On this 
fictional album, as Childs conceived it, you'd find the likes of The 
Alarm, Budgie, John Cale, Tom Jones, Man, and Shirley Bassey, acts who 
until 10 years ago made up the canon of Welsh popular music, at least 
in the minds of most people on the English side of the Severn Bridge. 
Of course, this hypothetical album would also include representatives 
of the recent generation of Welsh groups that have turned out to be 
some of the hottest properties in British rock and pop today.
	But although Gorky's Zygotic Mynci are often mentioned in the 
same breath as Stereophonics, Super Furry Animals, Catatonia and the 
Manic Street Preachers, owing to their geographical origin, the 
similarities between Gorky's and their fellow Welsh groups pretty 
much end there.
	While the rest of the pack are fine bands, their songs do the 
standard work of pop, allowing listeners to slot themselves into a 
universal narrative.  Theirs is a kind of "your name here" approach 
with very little in the music that generates a regional sense of place 
or that roots them in the specific environment of Wales--not that I'm 
suggesting they have any responsibility to do so.  At the same time, 
however, bands such as the Manics certainly do identify themselves in 
national terms and make much of "being Welsh," albeit in interviews or 
via onstage flag-waving.
	With Gorky's on the other hand--on record, in performance and 
in interview--there's an absence of nationalist rhetoric and yet 
their music conveys a unique sense of time, place and identity.  
Listening to Gorky's isn't a passive, generic pop experience.  Rather, 
it's an active encounter with otherness in which you enter what Tom 
Cox of _The Guardian_ has called "Gorkyworld," a place of "rolling 
hills surmounted by bearded wizards playing flutes, schoolbound 
children dropping lunchboxes as they hurdle streams, picnics on 
windswept beaches, and mystical medieval roots."
	In these days of devolution and of popular nationalist and 
regionalist sentiment in Great Britain, however, questions have been 
raised as to whether the landscape of Gorky's music is an authentic 
representation of Wales.  Such concerns display an overly simple 
view of national identity and the terms of its cultural representation. 
Gorky's don't beat us over the head with an essentialized 
"Welshness"--whatever that may be--in terms that might just 
reproduce stereotypes and cliches. And interestingly, while the 
generic rock of some of the other Welsh bands--flag-waving 
notwithstanding--has tended to abolish a sense of place and a 
fixed, regional identity in favor of an anonymous urban sensibility, 
Gorky's music enagages in a more complex process and suggests more 
useful and progressive notions of identity and community.
	The vision communicated by the rich and allusive textures of 
their sound is far from quaint regionalism.  Of course it's grounded 
in the geographical, historical and cultural contexts of its creation 
but it also derives from other places and times.  The identity of 
their music is happily contradictory, at once rooted in Wales and 
at the same time produced by multiple incorporations of otherness.  
They create "Gorkyworld" not only by drawing on the cultural and 
musical traditions of their own region--as well as its language--but 
also by visiting other places and times: the English folk tradition, 
the 70s art rock of the Canterbury scene, the swinging London of 
early British psychedelia, the 70s Krautrock of Faust, the barking 
mad Mojave desert of Captain Beefheart, the American South of country 
music, and the Southern California of the Beach Boys.
	Owing to its hybrid pastiche of forms, their music attests to 
a postmodern sense of self and community, one that reveals the limited 
terms of the traditional conceptualizations of belonging and 
identification allowed by nationalist ideologies.  "Gorkyworld" and 
its inhabitants are multifaceted as opposed to monolithic; they are 
at once local and global, rooted and shifting.  While Gorky's sense 
of belonging, identity and place may stem from a crossing of borders, 
it never ceases to be Welsh.  Their Welshness simply accommodates 
heterogeneity, process and transformation and is defined by more 
than language, a political stance or acceptable, fixed cultural 
tropes.  This hybrid identity becomes brilliantly clear in a single 
moment at the end of the song "Spanish Dance Troupe" as Childs, his 
Welsh accent foregrounded, playfully poaches a Beach Boys lyric.
	"Good evening, we're Gorky's Zygotic Mynci from Wales in 
Great Britain" were Euros Childs's words of salutation to a packed 
Mercury Lounge.  And that was pretty much all that Childs said last 
night, apart from repeatedly thanking us and giving us the thumbs up. 
But then there was no need to say anything else, no need for banter 
or shtick--the music spoke for itself.
	The last 18 months or so haven't been easy for the band from 
Pembrokeshire.  During the sessions for _Gorky 5_, guitarist John 
Lawrence decided to call it quits, then they were dropped by Mercury 
in late 1998--halfway through a tour--and subsequently they even had 
to self-finance the recording of their next album.  Fortunately, 
they were signed by Mantra records and _Spanish Dance Troupe_ was 
released in October.
	Much like _Spanish Dance Troupe_, which clocks in at a 
slim 37 minutes, their set was brief by late 90s standards, lasting 
only 45 minutes.  But that's perfectly OK given that their sound is, 
after all, a beautiful pastiche of music from a time when albums and 
performances were generally shorter than they are today.
	When you listen to Gorky's, you know you've heard what 
they're doing somewhere before but at the same time you haven't.  
Rather than imitate, they take the shape and feeling of earlier 
music and repackage it in their own way.  _Spanish Dance Troupe_ 
continues to revisit the best of British folk and progressive rock 
of the late 60s and early 70s, albeit with the addition of a distinct 
country twang.  Last night's performance of songs like "Desolation 
Blues," "She Lives on a Mountain," "Faraway Eyes" and "Over and Out" 
showcased the best of the new album and its hybrid renderings.
	The linchpin last night was, of course, Euros Childs.  At 24 
years of age and with six albums under his belt already, he's a rare 
talent, a man out of time in this age of boy bands and talent 
deprivation.  Looking uncannily like a miniature Nick Drake, Childs 
occupied center stage behind his keyboards--occasionally emerging to 
play guitar.  He's a uniquely self assured songwriter who is blessed 
with a rich and diverse creative vision. Childs's live performance 
foregrounded an ability to pen songs that run the gamut of style and 
tone, songs that are always enhanced by the musicality of his voice, 
which moves effortlessly from lulling, lower ranges right up to a 
Brian Wilson-esque falsetto.
	While he seems shy and jittery in the spaces between songs, 
hiding behind his hair and repeatedly giving us the thumbs up, Euros 
is back in his element when the next track starts. Then he gets 
totally lost in music.  But he's not affected or contrived, just 
completely absorbed by what he's doing, and it's that intensity that 
makes Gorky's especially engaging live.  While much of the time 
Childs' intensity took the form of quiet focus and application, at 
times it was translated into sheer physical energy.  This was indeed 
the case during the Roxy Music-styled "Poodle Rockin," from _Spanish 
Dance Troupe_, and "Sweet Johnny" from _Gorky 5_, with its 
Beefheart-esque shifts in tempo and volume.  During the latter, 
Childs physically assaulted his bank of keyboards like a man possessed, 
much to the delight of the crowd.
	Although Childs was obviously the center of attention, the 
endeavors of the other Gorky's should not go unrecognized.  
Particularly noteworthy was Megan Childs's perfectly integrated 
violin playing which evokes--as others have noted--the sound crafted 
by Scarlet Rivera on _Desire_ and David Mansfield on _Street Legal_.
	While the tracks from _Barafundle_, "Meirion Wyllt" and "Patio 
Song," were particular highlights, the finest moment came at the end 
of last night's show with the instant classic "The Humming Song" 
from _Spanish Dance Troupe_.  This fragile piece is quite an 
achievement.  Centered around Childs's simple but emotive piano and 
his understated, soothing vocals, "The Humming Song" packs a whole 
range of emotion into four-and-a-half minutes, building up and 
managing to soar momentarily but ultimately settling back into 
melancholy.
	Gorky's put the largely unfashionable notion of musicianship 
back on the rock map.  And there's nothing wrong with musicianship, 
especially when it's so unpretentious and so full of substance as 
the brand that they perform.
	There were mutterings at the end of the set owing to the 
absence of an encore but when you consider the set-up of the venue 
it makes sense that the Gorky's didn't come back.  At the Mercury 
Lounge bands have to access the stage through the crowd.  To do an 
encore they'd have had to push their way to the back of the room, 
stand there for a bit and then push their way back up to the front.  
All a bit pointless and awkward really, especially given Childs's 
apparent shyness.  And besides, after "The Humming Song," there was 
really no need for anything else.
---
	CONCERT REVIEW: Buzzcocks / Heist, Brighton England
		- Tim Kennedy
	Tonight's venue is a sticky upper floor of an old Victorian 
pub on the main A23 route running into Brighton,  premier seaside 
resort of the South of England.  We are here to see one of the original 
punk bands who were involved in the infamous Anarchy Tour which the Sex 
Pistols led around the UK in 1976 (only to be banned from nearly all 
venues). If you know your history...
	But before all that,  Heist make their entrance.  Two young 
ladies in evening dresses grace either side of the stage,  one with 
cornet,  the other a violin, a drummer and centrestage is a rather 
severe cropped-headed guy in a jacket on vocals and guitar.  Their 
songs seem to inhabit a smoky demi-monde between indie punk and Eastern 
European gypsy music.
	The music is seductive whilst retaining the muscle of the 
drums and guitar.  The violin is effectively the lead instrument and 
Celina shows great skill with her instrument and a great deal of shy 
but evident charisma.  Alison uses her cornet on occasion to nicely 
embellish their songs or else joining Mike on vocals to offset his 
gruff yet impassioned delivery.
	This band seem to be a little too individualistic for the 
major record companies in the current nervy climate, which is a shame 
because their brand of romance is sadly lacking in today's often 
stereotyped musical camps.
	Their response has been to go independent.  They have their 
own label Super 8 and brought out a single a while back called 
"Defectors" which garnered critical acclaim.
	On their own they have variously worked with Nick Cave,  Primal 
Scream,  Marc Almond and Tindersticks.  They've toured with the Fall 
and Eddi Reader as if to emphasise their eclecticism.  
	The mainly punky crowd rouse themselves to applaud a brave set 
from the eclectic Heisters as they depart.
	The Buzzcocks take the stage about half an hour later to a 
rapturous welcome.  Two of the original band are present, Pete Shelley 
guitar/vocalist and Steve Diggle guitarist and occasional vocalist.
	The hits are rolled out,  including "Ever Fallen In Love", 
"Paradise", "Orgasm Addict",  "Promises",  "Fast Cars",  "Harmony 
In My Head" (with Steve singing as gamely as ever), the classic punk 
tunes keep rolling out.  The mass pogoing that breaks out down at the 
front makes it a little risky up there. The band are beaming smiles 
over the mostly young hordes,  though peppered with greying heads from 
the old days. The odd new number is thrown in and goes down as well as 
the golden oldies. 
	What was always interesting about the Buzzcocks was that for 
an original punk band, their subject matter rarely strayed from teenage 
romance.  Perhaps only Ulster's Undertones of all other punk bands 
concentrated on this area.  Of course, the Buzzcocks were far more 
X-rated with their lyrics.
	There being no back room to exit to,  the band announce a 
virtual encore "Right,  this bit's the encore so just imagine we've 
gone off and come on again."  A few more 70s punk classics and then 
the great "Boredom" and they're off,  through the crowd and upstairs, 
leaving a heaving sweaty mob roaring with appreciation.
---
	REVIEW: Hobex, _Back in the 90's_ (Slash) / Collapsis, _Dirty 
		Wake_ (Cherry/Universal)
		- Jon Steltenpohl
	It was a strange debut.  Nearly a decade ago, I remember 
getting the first Dillon Fence album from Mammoth at the college radio 
station I was a DJ at.  I put it in and listened.  "Southern white boy 
pop funk" was about the only way I could describe it.  Dillon Fence was 
irresistibly catchy and a little odd at the same time.  As the years 
went on, Dillon Fence got signed by a major and drifted away from that 
initial funk sound towards a standard alternapop genre.  Yet, they were 
never really as appealing as those early albums.  In the mid 90's, they 
quietly broke up.
	Today is a different story.  Recently, two phoenixes have 
risen from the from the ashes.  One phoenix, Hobex, is fronted by Dillon 
Fence's leader, Greg Humphreys, and the other phoenix is Collapsis with 
Dillon Fence drummer Scott Carle.  Hobex takes all of the bizarre bits 
of funk that made its way through the early Dillon Fence releases, and 
fleshes them out into a great, unique sound.  Collapsis, on the other 
hand, is a classic example of modern day "dirty" alternapop.
	Hobex's _Back in the 90s_ isn't exactly the album for every 
person, but for those who are interested, it's very good.  Fans of the 
early Dillon Fence albums will "get it" immediately.  New listeners 
might take a bit to catch on.  Mainstream alternative music combines 
punk, rock, and hip-hop, yet few bands, save possibly for Young Fresh 
Fellows, have delved into funky disco beats and falsetto.  Humphreys 
lives and breathes it.  "I Was Wrong" sounds a bit like the slower 
funk-alternative bands of the 80's like Tackhead, while other tracks 
make you think of Van Morrison's unknown American cousin.
	The opening track, "Groove, Baby", has a nice hammond organ, a 
laid back feel, and Humphreys' slightly gravely, but oh so smooth 
voice.  "Am I losing my Mind" features a "wacka wacka" guitar break 
out of Starsky and Hutch, and horns from some of the Squirrel Nut 
Zippers adds a bit of authenticity to the funk to "Comment Tu T'appelle"
 "Back in the 90's" isn't quite as successful at the funk, but 
fortunately there are other tracks like "My Moonshine" which sounds 
just like classic Dillon Fence songs.  Another Dillon-esque song, 
"Windows", was even featured in the Matt Damon movie _Rounders_.
	As for Collapsis, well, despite having Dillon Fence's old 
drummer, they're really fronted by Mike Garrigan.  They've got the 
classic alternative rock sound in the style of the Gin Blossoms, Buffalo 
Tom, or a harder edged Matchbox 20.  It's typical "Party of Five" and 
"Dawson's Creek" soundtrack music.  (In fact, after the first draft of 
this review, I did some final research on their website and found out 
that "Radio Friendly Girlfriend" has already been featured on "Party of 
Five".)  Anyway, "Radio Friendly Girlfriend" is pretty good stuff.  It's 
a little bit overblown with the angst at times, but _Dirty Wake_ 
definitely has potential.
	And the label must agree.  _Dirty Wake_ was supposed to be 
released last year, but has been delayed until February.  The most 
likely theory is that Cherry/Universal is gearing up to make Collapsis 
the next big thing. Expect a massive onslaught.  In addition to "Radio 
Friendly Girlfriend", "Two Egrets", "Superhero", and "Automatic" all 
have the definite potential to break out.  "Two Egrets" probably 
requires royalty checks be sent to the scattered members of the Gin 
Blossoms, and "Automatic" has such a great alternapop sound to it that 
you'll have a tough time recognizing it from any of the other bands in 
this genre.  As for "Superhero", well, it is just a great driving pop 
song while "Wonderland", with its lazy arpeggios, sounds a lot like The 
Samples.
	Which is actually all a good thing.  It's a relief to have an 
album from the faceless "Party of Five", one hit wonder crowd, which 
actually has some depth and some decent melodies.  And, unlike, say, 
Sugar Ray, Collapsis and Hobex are real bands.  You can listen through 
their entire album and enjoy them.
	Collapsis and Hobex are both decent bands that, despite their 
pop appeal, still have some of what it really means to be alternative 
left in them.  Both albums have the distinct feel of being recorded by 
actual touring bands.  There are just enough rough edges here and there 
to let you know that they actually sat down and played these songs.  So 
many current bands have their vocals spliced in one phrase at a time or 
gratuitous samples thrown on the top of the mix.  When Beck does that, 
it's cool. But, when it's done on a pop song, it sounds like paint by 
numbers. Collapsis and Hobex are the real thing and are worth a listen.
---
	CONCERT REVIEW: Marc Almond, The Bowery Ballroom, New York City
		- Wilson Neate
	Marc Almond made his first impression on most of us at the 
start of that decade horribilis known as 'the 80s'. Bearing that in 
mind, it would probably make sense to situate this review by talking a 
little about hearing his work with Soft Cell for the first time, about 
being 16 and proudly sporting a 'wedge' haircut, experimenting with 
eyeliner, and trying hard to look like Simon Le Bon.  It would make 
sense to recall wearing baggy black, pleated trousers along with those 
embarrassing black suede ankle boots, and trying hard to smoke and drink 
a lot at some dreadful, sweaty adolescent disco.  Above all, it might be 
appropriate to mention failing miserably to cop a feel - let alone cop 
off - throwing up a great deal and trying to kid myself that I was, 
indeed, having fun.
	But of course none of that entered into my experience.  And 
besides, as Marc Almond told us last night, he'd rather forget the 80s 
too.
	Still, despite what he says, Almond's tongue is firmly in his 
cheek.  At the start of last night's show he remarked, albeit with a 
staged grimace and a wink, that 'that song' he recorded with Soft Cell 
had brought him the terrible curse of fame and that he'd like to put 
it all behind him now.  But of course he delights in an ambivalent 
relationship with the decade of his rise and fall from mainstream pop 
stardom.  He wants to distance himself from his past glories--in 
particular, the song that dare not speak its name - yet, at the same 
time, he's clearly proud of that personal flock of brilliant musical 
albatrosses that hang around his tattooed neck.
	This fraught relationship with the past is absolutely crucial 
to the cultivation and perpetuation of his own personal mythology and 
to his performance of Marc Almond.  And it's no surprise that his website 
is called The Theatre of Marc Almond ( http://www.marcalmond.co.uk ) 
since, on record and on stage, he's consistently acting out the story 
of the star and all of its possible narrative variants.
	His recordings are littered with the human detritus scattered 
in the wake of fickle fame: the drug and booze addled burn-out, the 
forgotten icon, the fallen star, the idol fallen on hard times, the 
self-destructive celeb and the former child star.  In equal measure, 
Almond focuses on the stars we are - to coin his phrase - that is, the 
camp notion of everyday lives as performances and the possibility of a 
fleeting moment of glamour and accomplishment amid the banalities of 
the quotidian.
	On stage, in addition to his ambivalent lyrical and musical 
mapping of the tumultuous geography of stardom, he weaves those myriad 
identities together in his banter with the audience, metamorphosing 
from one character into another, in high dramatic style.
	At the start of last night's show he hammed up the part of 
the needy, faded star, promising to play our old favorites as long as 
he felt waves of love and adoration floating up to him over the 
footlights in return.  After that, he became the rock and roll cliche 
for us, attributing memory lapses in the 80s to "too much acid".  He 
acted out - with supreme irony - the part of the arrogant, bitter star 
contemptuous of fame.  Later, telling us about some of his darker days, 
he took on the guise of the post-fame crack-up unable to venture beyond 
his squalid room and away from his supply of alcohol.
	But the best role that he performed for us was that of the 
star fallen to his absolute nadir, clutching his trusty "carrier bag 
full of tranquilizers".  Pure Judy Garland.
	Beyond the verbal dimension--the story-telling and 
self-mythologizing--he translated those identities into dramatic 
physical gestures during the songs.  He became the reluctant star 
refusing to come into the spotlight, finally yielding to imagined 
beckoning; he became the conquering hero kissing members of the 
audience, allowing himself to be pawed; and finally he was the 
genuinely flattered star clutching at the rose and the boxer shorts 
thrown on stage for him at the end of the evening.  How the gentleman 
standing next to me managed to get them off without my noticing is a 
question I'm still at a loss to answer.
	Almond is a masterful showman and his performance is total 
theater, a perfect combination of voice, gesture and music.  And it 
wasn't just the quality and variety of that performance, but the 
sheer quantity that was impressive too.  Without a dull moment--backed 
only by Rick May (keyboards/synth/bass) and Neal X (guitar)--he played 
a two-hour-plus set of more than thirty songs that sampled his entire 
career and foregrounded the rich and diverse texture of his oeuvre.
	His post-Soft Cell years were represented by material drawn 
from almost every period. From his Marc and the Mambas albums we were 
treated to "Untitled," "Black Heart" and "Catch A Fallen Star" - the 
latter being his own nervous breakdown set to music, as he informed 
us.  From _Stories of Johnny_ he played the title song and from 
_Mother Fist_, "Saint Judy," the bleak, harrowing tale of the 
martyred star.  From _The Stars We Are_, Almond revived his late 
80s pop hit "Tears Run Rings" and from _Enchanted_ he gave us "A 
Lover Spurned," the song whose protagonist makes Glenn Close in _Fatal 
Attraction_ sound like one of the sisters from The Waltons.  From 
_Tenement Symphony_ he did a vibrant high-energy, house version of 
"Jacky" (during which we all got to sing the last line of the chorus) 
and from _Fantastic Star_ the thumping, glam influenced "The Idol," 
the epic chronicle of the horrors of stardom and its shifting 
fortunes.  There was, of course, much much more but I haven't even 
mentioned the new material yet.
	Almond's performance of tracks from this year's _Open All 
Night_ attested to the fact that he's at the peak of his creative 
powers.  Among the offerings from this record that he regaled us with 
were "When Bad People Kiss," "Black Kiss," "Bedroom Shrine," 
"Sleepwalker" and the real winner, "My Love." _Open All Night_ 
emphasizes the richness and diversity that has always characterized 
his music, incorporating white soul, synth pop, trip hop, jazz, Latin 
beats, tinges of drum and bass, doomy torch songs and dark ballads.  
Amazingly, this depth and range were underscored last night, even 
though he was backed only by two musicians.
	Almond's epic performance took us on a musical odyssey 
through his own personal city of night, his vision of a world after 
dark and a dark inner world.  His is a well-trodden physical landscape 
of streets lit only by neon signs, back alleys, seedy clubs, squalid 
rooms, louche strip bars and an emotional landscape of doomed love, 
misery, betrayal, loss, melancholy, lust, desperation, self-destruction, 
and excess.
	The characters who people this noir terrain are brilliantly 
drawn, evocative of the characters of Brecht and Weil, Genet and Rechy 
and, indeed, as memorable as any literary personage.  They stay with 
you long after the songs are over--although, in some cases, you'd 
much rather they wouldn't.
	In the theatre of Almond last night other actors were enlisted 
to further flesh out his unique vision and to bring his world to life.  
Sporting nothing but a white thong and running shoes, a youngman named 
"Ivan" worked it on a podium at the back of the stage as Almond sang 
"Lonely Go Go Dancer" to him.  Later, an enormous drag queen named 
"Perfidia," dressed in a beautiful scarlet gown, played Almond's muse 
while he sang "Champagne."  With her boa draped around his neck, 
Almond gleefully buried his face in her impressive cleavage as the 
song reached its conclusion.
	Toward the end of the evening he treated us to the oldies 
"Sex Dwarf," "Bedsitter," "Seedy Films," and "Say Hello Wave 
Good-bye"--during which he climbed into the audience sans microphone 
and encouraged a round of community singing.  In the final round of 
encores, having re-emerged wearing a _Hustler_ T-shirt, he called out 
"Oh no, oh no . . . what's that sound?" as the opening chords of 
"Tainted Love"--the song that dare not speak its name--finally and 
inevitably rang out.  At first he reeled with his hands over his ears 
in mock confusion, shock and terror and then did a perfect imitation 
of the way he used to dance in 1981.
	On stage at least, Marc Almond is looking disturbingly good 
at 42, still apparently fresh faced, youthful and sprightly.  In fact, 
he looks exactly the same as he did when he shot to stardom nearly 20 
years ago.  Somewhere in an attic in Southport there has to be a 
portrait of an aging. grotesque Almond propped up alongside the one 
of Dorian Gray. And his voice is as strong and as full of character 
as ever, even unaccompanied: at the conclusion of one song, a member 
of the audience was so moved that he called out "Diva!" in 
appreciation of Almond's vocal performance.
	As a songwriter there are few to challenge him these days.  
While he's on a par with Nick Cave in the word-heavy, story-song 
category, Cave is often hoist by his own petard, length and absence 
of (intentional) humor being his lyrical stumbling blocks.  Almond, 
on the other hand, communicates a consistent sense of play and irony 
which always bails him out.
	Marc Almond turned in a performance that left you with the 
word "genius" on your smiling lips.  It may have been completely 
polished and scripted, right down to the banter, the jokes and the 
raised eyebrows, but it was carefully and lovingly crafted for our 
pleasure and therefore completely sincere.  Best of all, he served 
up a rich, camp pastiche, effortlessly shifting in and out of musical 
and lyrical identities.  He was part Norma Desmond, part Jacques Brel, 
part Judy Garland, part Pee Wee Herman and part Tom Jones, but always 
Marc Almond, Fantastic Star.
---
	REVIEW: Another Level, _Another Level_ (Arista)
		- Franklin Johnson 
	The story has been heard before: superstar act discovers 
an unknown act, cultivates and nurtures them, and soon the 
new act achieves the goal: success!  And if I told you that the 
superstar act was multi-platinum rapper Jay-Z, and the unknown 
act Another Level, you'd think street-smart lyrics, right?
	Wrong.
	Though Jay-Z found the group and brought them to his British 
record company, NorthWestSide Records, _Another Level_ really has 
nothing in common with "Jigga My N***", "Hard Knock Life", or any 
of the other songs which spoke to his listeners.  Instead, think 
Will Smith and R Kelly's style as seen through the eyes of four 
young (early 20s) men - Wayne Williams, Dane Bowers, Bobak Kianoush 
and Mark Baron.   
	The #1 UK hit "Freak Me" is ripped right out of R Kelly's 
catalog, right down to the suggestive lyrics.  "Be Alone No More" 
includes Jay-Z making an ill-suited appearance, but other UK hits 
such as "Summertime" and "Guess I Was A Fool" fit much nicer into 
the album's laid-back, suave image.
	Although the album has been available elsewhere in the world 
for more than a year, and the band toured Europe as Janet Jackson's 
opening act, the American market wasn't targetted by the group - 
until now.  "I'm very excited about breaking into the U.S. market," 
reports Kianoush.  "It's the birthplace of great music and you 
definitely have to prove yourself there.  But I do feel confident."
	Rap fans drawn in by Jay-Z's association will likely be 
disappointed by _Another Level_.  But fans of R Kelly, Keith Sweat, 
and the 'new' rhythm and blues will definitely find this disc well 
to their liking.
---
	REVIEW: Yellow Machine Gun, _Spot Remover_ (Howling Bull)
		 - Andrew Duncan
	With monumental women rockers like Babes In Toyland's Kat 
Bjelland and Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hanna now taking on the world with 
a quiet angst, it's time to look east for the thunder.
	Yellow Machine Gun may look like just another Shonen Knife 
with a pretty face, but looks can be deceiving and these girls will 
rip your throat out. You might even go so far as to say that these 
girls rock with a vengeance.
	With the opener "Again," the power that guitarist Kyoko Moriya, 
bass and vocalist Kaori Okumura and drummer Tamami Ohkado generate is 
as much a shock as when Michael J. Fox hit that guitar chord in the 
movie Back to the Future.
	They have had plenty of time to develop there skills. As a band, 
these ladies have been regulars in Osaka, Japan since 1993. Their fan 
base grew rapidly throughout the years having such credentials as giving 
Limp Bizkit a run for their money and performing in front of 30,000 
people at Japan's Air Jam. Thanks to Howling Bull's newly domestication 
in California to bring Yellow Machine Gun to the states.
	And rare is it to have a band create such a full-and-rich sound, 
generating a fury that is fast and precise. "Something Enormous" and 
"Hip Tail" has impressive syncopation that takes Helmet to court, 
while "In A Box" challenges any Slayer song.
	The finale, "Eat Hat Fat" slows down as Okumura takes a moment 
to sing instead of growl with tremendous proportion. Sounds mellow but 
take Black Sabbath and have Grace Slick sing with a broken English 
accent, a shocking but wonderful result.
---
NEWS:	> On January 25, Clash fans will see a digital remastering 
by Epic Records of much of their catalog.  Included in this will 
be the first U.S. release for the original U.K. version of the 
debut _The Clash_, _Give 'Em Enough Rope_, _London Calling_, 
_Sandinista!_, and _Combat Rock_.  Along with these are 
 a new compilation _The Singles_ which is the band's only 
single-disc hits set.
	> Everclear will be releasing two distinct albums in 
2000.  April will bring _Songs From An American Movie Volume 1 / 
Learning How To Smile_ while November should mark the arrival of 
_Songs From An American Movie Vol 2 / Good Time For A Bad Attitude_ 
	> Green Day have recently returned to the studio to 
begin recording a follow-up to their double platinum _Nimrod_ 
album.
	> Groove Radio ( http://www.grooveradio.com ) , 
an exclusive electronica dance music format, has recently 
returned to its loyal core of fans on the Internet.  The 
programming will be headed by the Groove Radio founder, Swedish 
Egil (aka Egil Aalvik), who in the last two decades was 
responsible for successful radio programming on KROQ-FM,
MARS-FM, and Groove Radio on 103.1 FM in Los Angeles and 
much more.
	> The Jayhawks have announced the latest addition to 
their ranks: keyboardist/vocalist Jen Gunderman who began 
performing with the group in concert in November.  Jen was 
previously a member of the group Dag.
	> Musicmusicmusic.com, inc., the world's first Internet 
webcaster granted a license by the Recording Industry Association 
of America (RIAA), has launched the world's first branded 
satellite Internet radio services providing complete 
programming offering music chosen by the host site from the 
company's Internet broadcaster, Radiomoi.com.  
	> The Musician's Atlas 2000 guide has been released.  
The ultimate music industry resource lists more than 
10,000 music business contacts easily divided into sections 
including record labels, clubs, radio, publishers, publications, 
lawyers, interviews with music execs such as Al Teller and 
Chuck D and much more.  The book is priced at $20; further 
information can be obtained at http://www.musiciansatlas.com
	> Poptopia 2000 will take place February 1-6 in Los 
Angeles and February 2-3 in Portland, OR.  This 5th Annual 
celebration marks the first time Poptopia will be held in 
Portland.  Confirmed headlining artists at this time include 
The Mr T. Experience, Jason Faulkner and The Cowsills.  Exact 
information regarding bands and their venues can be found 
at http://www.poptopia.com
	> PreviewTunes.com ( http://www.previewtunes.com ), an 
online jukebox, has premiered and offers listeners the newest 
music from the labels of Warner Music Group.  The jukebox 
offers full-length videos and will feature up to 90 new releases 
at a time.
	> Seminal punk rock band X will reunite this winter 
for a headlining show in honor of the 8th annual Noise Pop 
Festival, to take place in San Francisco on March 1-5.  
The band will headline Slim's on March 1; Bob Mould will 
be the highlight of the March 3 activities at Bimbo's 365 
Club.   Tickets have just gone on sale for this event.
---
 TOUR DATES:
	Anthrax
Jan. 25 Baltimore, MD Daytona's
Jan. 26 Cleveland, OH Odeon
Jan. 27 Detroit, MI Harpo's
Jan. 28 Chicago, IL House of Blues
Jan. 29 Milwaukee, WI The Rave
Jan. 31 Denver, CO Fox Theater
Feb. 2 Los Angeles, CA House of Blues
Feb. 3 Santa Ana, CA Galaxy Theater
Feb. 4 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
Feb. 5 San Francisco, CA The Warfield

	Cravin' Melon
Jan. 28 Atlantic Beach, NC Ziggys by the Sea
Jan. 29 Greenville, NC The Attic
Feb. 5 Savannah, GA Riverrox

	Robert Cray
Jan. 27 Visalia, CA Fox Theater 
Jan. 28 Stockton, CA Fox Theatre 
Jan. 29 San Diego, CA 4th & B 
Jan. 31 Flagstaff, AZ Procnow Auditorium 
Feb. 1 Tucson, AZ Music Hall 
Feb. 3 Anaheim, CA Sun Theatre 
Feb. 4 Santa Cruz, CA Catalyst 
Feb. 5 San Rafael, CA Marin Center 

	Dismemberment Plan
Feb. 3 Carrboro, NC Go Lounge (w/ Alkaline Trio)
Feb. 5 Tallahassee, FL The Down Under/FSU (w/ Alkaline Trio)
Feb. 6 Winterpark, FL DIY records (w/ Alkaline Trio)

	Julia Greenberg
Jan. 29 New York, NY Knitting Factory

	Guided By Voices / American Flag
Jan. 24 Orlando, FL Sapphire
Jan. 25 Gainesville, FL Covered Dish
Jan. 26 Tallahassee, FL Cow Haus

	Ben Harper & Innocent Criminals
Jan. 27 Charleston, NC N. Charleston Performing Arts Center
Jan. 28 Greenville, SC Peace Center
Jan. 29 Charlottesville, VA Traxx
Jan. 31 New Haven, CT The Palace 
Feb. 3 Northampton, MA Smith College
Feb. 4 Burlington, VT Memorial Auditorium
Feb. 5 Utica, NY Stanley Performing Arts Center
Feb. 6 Ithaca, NY Cornell University

	Richie Hawtin
Jan. 29 Park City, UT Sundance Closing Party
Feb. 3 Ottawa Atomic
Feb. 4 Montreal Sona

	Jimmie's Chicken Shack / Sumack
Jan. 25 State College, PA Crowbar
Jan. 26 Detroit, MI Shelter
Jan. 28 Cleveland, OH Peabody's

	 Jungle Brothers
Jan. 25 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom (w/Alex Gifford of Propellerheads)
Jan. 26 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
Jan. 27 Los Angeles, CA Vynyl

	Live
Jan. 25 Lycoming College Lamade Gym
Jan. 26 Ottawa, ON Robert Guetrin Arena
Jan. 27 Montreal, QC Molson Centre
Jan. 28 Toronto, ON Maple Leaf Gardens
Jan. 30 Quebec City, QC Colisee De Quebec
Feb. 5 Niagara, NY Niagara Univ. / Gallagher Center
Feb. 6 Coblleskill, NY Suny Cobbleskill / Bouck Gym

	Aimee Mann / Michael Penn
Jan. 25 San Francisco, CA Bimbo's 365 Club 
Jan. 28 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater 
Jan. 29 Seattle, WA The Showbox 
Feb. 6-7 Annapolis, MD Rams Head Tavern 

	Pretenders
Jan. 27 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theatre 
Jan. 28 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Sunrise Theatre 
Jan. 29 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall 
Jan. 31 Orlando, FL House of Blues 
Feb. 1 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle 
Feb. 3 Austin, TX Music Hall 
Feb. 4 Houston, TX Aerial Theatre, Bayou Place 
Feb. 5 New Orleans, LA House of Blues 
Feb. 6 Dallas, TX Bronco Bowl 

	Squatweiler 
Jan. 27 Baltimore, MD The Vault

	Stroke 9
Jan. 24 San Diego, CA Cane's
Jan. 25 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
Jan. 26 Santa Ana, CA Galaxy Theater
Jan. 27 Scottsdale, AZ Cajun House
Jan. 31 Fayetteville, AR Dave's on Dickson
Feb. 1 Jackson, MS Hal & Mal's
Feb. 2 Memphis, TN Newby's
Feb. 3 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
Feb. 5 Fern Park, FL The Station
Feb. 6 St. Petersburg, FL State Theater
Feb. 7 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Fu Bar

	 Stereophonics
Jan. 30 Chicago, IL Double Door
Feb. 1 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Feb. 2 Montreal, QC Molson Centre
Feb. 3 Quebec City, QC Le Colisee
Feb. 5 Sudbury, ON Sudbury Arena
Feb. 6 Thunder Bay, ON Fort Williams Gardens

	u-ziq
Feb. 2 New York, NY Bowery
Feb. 4 Detroit, MI Shelter
Feb. 5 Chicago, IL Metro
Feb. 6 Minneapolis, MN Ascot Room

	Young Dubliners
Jan 27 San Luis Obispo, CA Mothers Tavern
Jan 28-29 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern
---
Founded in August, 1993, Consumable Online is the oldest 
music reviews publication on the Internet.
To get back issues of Consumable, check out:
        WWW:     http://www.consumableonline.com

To subscribe to Consumable, send an e-mail message to
consumable-request@westnet.com with the body of the message stating
"subscribe consumable".  To unsubscribe, send a message to the
same address stating "unsubscribe consumable".

Web access contributed by WestNet Internet Services (westnet.com),
serving Westchester County, NY.

Address any written correspondence to Bob Gajarsky, Consumable Online,
409 Washington St. PMB 294, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030
===
