==== ISSUE 114 ====    CONSUMABLE     ======== [July 9, 1997]

  Editor:             Bob Gajarsky
		        Internet: gajarsky@email.njin.net
  Sr. Correspondents: Jeremy Ashcroft, Reto Koradi, David Landgren, 
                      Sean Eric McGill, Tim Mohr, Al Muzer, Jamie 
                      Roberts, Joe Silva, John Walker
  Correspondents:     Daniel Aloi, Tracey Bleile, Lee Graham Bridges, 
                      Scott Byron, Patrick Carmosino, Janet Herman, 
                      Bill Holmes, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Stephen 
                      Lin, Scott Miller, P. Nina Ramos, Linda Scott, 
                      Scott Slonaker, Simon Speichert, Jon 
                      Steltenpohl, Simon West, Lang Whitaker
  Technical Staff:    Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann

 Address all comments, subscriptions, etc. to gajarsky@email.njin.net
==================================================================
	All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s). 
Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the 
editor.
==================================================================
                            .------------.
                            |  Contents  |
                            `------------'
ANNOUNCEMENT: Changes with Consumable 
INTERVIEW: Pennywise - Al Muzer
REVIEW: Cheap Trick, _Cheap Trick_ - Bill Holmes
REVIEW: Charlatans UK, _Tellin Stories_ - Tim Kennedy
REVIEW: The Caulfields, _L_ - Bill Holmes
REVIEW: Ben Harper, _The Will To Live_ - Lang Whitaker
REVIEW: Toad The Wet Sprocket, _Coil_ - Bob Gajarsky
REVIEW: Supertramp, _Some Things Never Change_ - Reto Koradi
REVIEW: Patrick Prins, _Movin' Melodies - The Album_ / Various 
  Artists, _Anthems_  - Jon Steltenpohl
REVIEW: Mark Eitzel, _West_ - Reto Koradi
REVIEW: Friends Of Dean Martinez, _Retrograde_ - Tracey Bleile
REVIEW: matchbox 20, _Yourself Or Someone Like You_ - Linda Scott
REVIEW: Meridian Arts Ensemble, _Anxiety of Influence_ / _Smart Went 
   Crazy_, Margaret Leng Tan, _The Art of the Toy Piano_ - Jon Steltenpohl
REVIEW: Walt Mink, _Colussus_ - Scott A. Miller
REVIEW: The Vents, _Venus Again_ - Linda Scott
ERRATA
NEWS:	Fluf
TOUR DATES: Backsliders, Boston, Brad / Verbow, Candy Machine, Clarks, 
   Cowboy Mouth, Dots Will Echo, Furthur Festival (incl. Black Crowes 
   and many more), G3 (Joe Satriani / Steve Vai / Kenny Wayne Shepherd), 
   Government Mule / Sweet Vine, Rickie Lee Jones, Junkster, 
   Lollapalooza (Tool/Prodigy/Korn/more), Michelle Malone, 
   Mindset, Walt Mink, Moxy Fruvous , My Life With The Thrill Kill 
   Kult / Radio Iodine, Sister Hazel, Thin Lizard Dawn, Vallejo, Verve 
   Pipe / Tonic / K's Choice, Warped (Reel Big Fish, Mighty 
   Mighty Bosstones, Social Distortion, Sick Of It All, Less Than Jake), 
   The Why Store
Back Issues of Consumable
---
	ANNOUNCEMENT: With the four year anniversary of Consumable Online 
fast approaching, there are some changes coming to Consumable.  
Keep your eye peeled here during the next few weeks, but for 
now, we've set up an automatic subscription service for
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---
	INTERVIEW: Pennywise
		- Al Muzer
	More punk than you - the four members of Pennywise have spent 
the last nine years doing, pretty much, whatever the hell they wanted to.
	Formed in 1988 with Hermosa Beach, Calif. (also the birthplace 
of pioneers such as the Descendents, Black Flag and The Circle Jerks) 
skate punks Byron McMackin on drums, Fletcher Dragge on guitar, Jim 
Lindberg on vocals and Jason Thirsk on bass - Pennywise has taken 
the slow, but steady, route on their way to becoming one of punk's 
biggest, if least flashiest, success stories.
	"What a lot of people don't seem to realize," begins Lindberg 
with a mixture of pride and defiance, "is that we've been around for 
eight years now and our latest record sold more than the last - which 
sold more than the one before that, which sold more than the one 
before that. If you're playing music, that's all, really, you can 
hope for, you know? That you're constantly moving forward."
	"We've always made a concerted effort to not become 
overexposed," he adds, "to the point of actually turning down things 
that would've increased our standing and made money for us. I really 
think it's every band's responsibility to do what their fans want 
them to - and," Lindberg laughs, "I think our fans have made it very 
clear that they don't want us on the radio or MTV and they don't want 
to see us in big, glossy magazines doing the whole 'sell out' thing. 
They feel that it cheapens the message of a band like Pennywise and, 
in many ways, I agree with them. Our fans are the most important 
thing [to us] and, as long as they're happy, we're happy."
	"At the other end of the spectrum," he says hesitantly, as 
if ashamed to be harboring such thoughts, "you sometimes kind'a find 
yourself thinking, 'well, why don't we get the respect we deserve?' 
You know, when you see other bands that don't sell as many records as 
you do, that don't play to crowds as big as yours - getting all types 
of press coverage."
	"At the same time, if we went back two, or three, or four 
years and looked at the Billboard Top 200," Lindberg adds, "I bet 
you wouldn't recognize many of the names. I think that longevity is 
more important for a band than having one big hit and your ugly mug 
splashed across magazines and newspapers everywhere - only to become 
a 'has been' the very next month."
	While peer (sort'a) groups such as Green Day, Rancid and 
the Offspring have struggled, and failed miserably, to achieve 
anything remotely resembling the success of their respective mega-hit 
efforts; Pennywise has continued to build on their fanatical following 
thanks to four solid albums for Epitaph Records (including the 
recently released _Full Circle_), thousands of intense live 
performances on stages across the globe (including the last two 
Warped Tours), some serious band integrity (the group turned down a 
slot on the 1995 Lollapalooza main stage because ticket prices were 
too high while Fletcher once threw up all over a KROQ FM radio host 
during a broadcast), a tragedy (the 1996 death of Thirsk) and an 
unrelenting, "blinders on" conviction that Pennywise music is 
Pennywise music and you just don't fuck with what ain't broken.
	"I think a lot of our success has to do not only with us 
playing the music that our fans expect from us," Lindberg offers. 
"But, at the same time, by us trying to grow as musicians and 
become better with each new album. While the fans notice the change 
in the band, they're still, like, 'Okay, but they haven't strayed so 
far that they've totally alienated me.' The fans kind'a wanna know 
what they're gonna get when they shell out the money for your album."
	"With Pennywise, they wanna know that they're gonna get 14 
really fast songs," he laughs, "with a lot of screaming and a 
positive message in there.  If we were to, all of a sudden, just 
bust out and play some techno music, you know, or 'let's boogie 
down tonight', something not consistent with what we're doing," 
Lindberg explains. "If we were to just write some song for the radio 
so we could pad our wallets, well, you know, I think that's really 
talking down to your audience - and there's been a lot of bands 
who've done that recently."
	Featuring 14 blasts of their, by now, standard 
louder-harder-faster-straighter-edge skate punk roar with Jim's "get 
off yer ass and fix it yourself!" slogan/lyrics driving a positive 
message home; certain parts of _Full Circle_, such as the hyper-pop 
hook in "What If I," the bouncy tempo of "Every Time," the churning 
riff of "Did You Really" or the beautiful piano piece that closes 
the disc, are new additions to the Pennywise sound and show a band 
willing to open up and experiment even as they mourn the untimely 
death of a founding member and close friend.
	More or less replaced by bassist Randy Bradbury on most of 
1993s _Unknown Road_, parts of '95s _About Time_ and all of _Full 
Circle_, while his musical contribution to Pennywise had greatly 
diminished over the years since the group's 1991 self-titled debut, 
Jason Thirsk was still a brother for life - so his 1996 suicide 
after years of escalating drug use hit his friends especially hard.
	"This was a really tough year for us," reflects Lindberg. 
"You learn a lot about mortality and life and death when something 
like this happens to you. A lot of the songs on this record reflect 
our state of mind in the aftermath of everything that's happened 
this year. You know, sometimes, death isn't a reality until it 
really knocks you down, steps on your neck and pisses down your 
throat - these songs are our way of trying to appreciate life by 
understanding that, well, it's gonna end some day."
	' "Destiny", "Final Day", "Did You Really" and "Every Time" 
were all written after Jason's death," he adds, "and are about what 
we were going through as we tried to deal with it. You know, I wouldn't 
ever want anyone to think that we were trying to capitalize on a 
tragedy, but, I really don't think you can be honest as an artist or 
a musician if you don't speak about what's going on in your life. 
Besides, the situation was definitely something that had to be addressed."
	"This was an incredibly difficult album, mostly on an emotional 
level, for us to make," Lindberg says of the studio sessions for _Full 
Circle_. "I think we reached a new level of intensity in that we only 
did one or two takes of every song and we totally put our hearts into 
everything. We played the songs on pure emotion, instead of trying to 
get a certain guitar part or a vocal to sound totally precise."
	"We really wanted to capture the energy, intensity and emotion 
that was there when we wrote them," he says as he recalls songs 
written in tribute to his late bassist and friend. "We worked really 
hard to make Full Circle sound exactly like we wanted it to sound, 
and I think we actually came pretty close to recreating what we heard 
in our heads."
	"As for the lyrics," Lindberg offers, "I like for there to 
be a point to the song as opposed to a song made just for the sake 
of the music. Now, when something like that's done well, it sounds 
cool. But, half the time, you can tell that the band was just trying 
to write something for people to sing along to when it came on the radio."
	"Pennywise lyrics are, sort of, like two friends talking to 
each other about various situations," Lindberg says as he explains 
the band's occasionally didactic messages. "They're also interpersonal 
in the sense that, on a lot of these songs, we're also talking to 
ourselves."
	"Singing 'You do this and you do that,' " he concludes, "well 
that's also how you talk to yourself. You know, that's you telling 
yourself not to waste time, not to take for granted or miss out on 
the opportunities waiting out there for you."
	"Those are the sort of things I have to constantly keep reminding 
myself not to do," Lindberg says sadly, "and, like anything worth doing, 
they're the sort of things that take practice and need repeating."
---
	REVIEW: Cheap Trick, _Cheap Trick_ (Red Ant Records)
		- Bill Holmes
	Unlike most bands from the 1970's who fell apart but came 
back for the money; Cheap Trick has been grinding it out for twenty 
years. A slight bump in the road saw a revolving door for bass 
players for a few years, but with 12-string thumper Tom Petersson 
back in the fold, the original Tricksters are once more intact. 
Everything else has changed, however - the band's long time 
management has been jettisoned, a new label selected, and 
symbolically, a second self-titled record signaling a new phase in 
their career.
	Those old enough to remember the remarkable start this band 
had - four power pop classics spit out at a pace only Elvis Costello 
could keep up with - probably grew "comfortable" with the band's mid 
period. Like many acts of the time, as radio changed, so did their 
window of opportunity. If there ever was a pinkie ring era in rock, 
it was then, with rock and roll still young enough not to recognize 
the trappings of styling  to the movement du jour rather than just 
blasting at your own level come hell or high water. The result was 
a string of spotty records that featured a few sparks of brilliance, 
many exercises in producer's whimsy, and worst of all for the band, 
songs written by hired guns. Unfortunately, one of these was "The 
Flame", a song perfectly suited to Robin Zander's majestic voice, 
but ammunition for the nay-sayers that more outside material would 
be the way to go. For many, this is the biggest hit they ever had, 
their radio legacy. To a band that prides itself on its writing as 
much as its performance, that's a sore spot.
	When you're swimming in career quicksand it's tough to make 
a move, but whatever got under the band's skin recently may have 
been the best thing that ever could have happened to them. _Cheap 
Trick_ is easily the best record the band has made in fifteen years 
or more, and it's because they are doing what they want the way they 
want to do it. It's hard to imagine that the mid-80s version would 
dare include a confessional weeper like "Shelter" on a record, but 
here it works beautifully. The out and out rockers like "Baby No 
More", "Anytime" and especially the incandescent "Wrong All Along" 
kick ass like anything from their prime.
	Robin Zander has one of the greatest voices in rock and roll, 
able to scream or glide from note to note with equal ease, and he 
sounds as good now as ever.  Two of his vocal showcases are also 
prime hit single candidates - "Carnival Game" and the Beatle-esque 
stunner "Say Goodbye". Rick Nielsen's imaginative guitar playing is 
fresh, and the rhythm section of Carlos and Petersson is solid. 
While the drawn out "You Let A Lot Of People Down" does absolutely 
nothing for my ears, I could mix the rest of this record with the 
first four records in my CD changer and be a happy guy. I'd just 
hope that the closer would still be "It All Comes Back To You", the 
Lennon-ish ballad that send you off with a smile.
	It would have been very easy for Cheap Trick to roll over and 
die. With their box set release and list of tribute comments from 
bands twenty years their junior, they could have played the old fart 
circuit for years, picking up the checks like Journey and Boston do. 
Instead, they've unplugged the life support system and are back to 
kick our ass all over again. Watch out, younger bands, the old dog 
learned something after all.
---
	REVIEW: Charlatans UK, _Tellin Stories_ (MCA)
		- Tim Kennedy
	The Charlatans and I go back a long way.  This is not an 
unbiased review,  because after about 8 years of disillusionment 
with rock music,  I went to see their awe-inspiring live show in 
March '90.  Then they were a total 1967 freakout, with oil light 
backdrop, and a sound that was like Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, 
but with a dancefloor sensibility that was obviously missing from 
the work of El Syd.
	They dared to do long instrumentals, and created uplifting, 
yet at times threatening soundscapes.  It's hard to believe an eerie 
atmospheric nine minute number like "Sproston Green" was actually 
about a young lady from a little farming village in the rural north 
west of England.
	I saw them two months before I saw the Stone Roses show at 
Spike Island, Merseyside.  Live, at that time, the Roses weren't in 
the same league.  Not only could Tim Burgess sing, but the classic 
Hammond sound made this band truly special.
	To the music fan who never saw them then as I did but who 
heard the records, this sounds no doubt like hyperbole.  Yet they 
really were that good.  I actually think the best recording of the 
band was a John Peel session they did at the time - featuring 
notably "Polar Bear", "Then", and "The Only One I Know".
	And now we have this album,  which is the truly gifted Rob 
Collins' epitaph- Rob having met the reaper after a car crash some 
months ago.
	Now the Charlies have gone bluesy, just like their forefathers 
of '67 did after all the acid wore off.  The voice sounds odd in the 
context of those dirty guitars, like a child as ever.  And therein may 
lie one reason for their survival seven years on - Tim still looks 
younger than most of the audience.
	The only keyboard tracks they have used is that which remains 
from Rob's last work, so a lot of it sounds like there is something 
missing.  Most eerie of all is the use of recordings of Rob as a 
child which feature on "Rob's Theme" - a superfly instrumental which 
he contributed during sessions for the album.
	This album features elements of their old sound - the building 
crescendo of sound, often based on minimal chord-changes, but giving 
a feel which is warm, and generous.  The lyrics are no longer 
childish ("I want to bomb your submarine" and "have you seen my 
Polar Bear?" blessed the early set).  Now Tim frequently relies on 
fairly hackneyed good-time cliches from the sixties.  But they were 
never a serious lyric band anyway.  The band they obviously take 
their cue from now is not the Strawberry Alarm Clock, but The 
Stones.  Dylan crops up in the lyrics a lot - one of the songs is 
even entitled "You're A Big Girl Now".  Another song recalls Free.
	This album is best listened to loud and in your
car, or even better at a club where you can have
a good dance.  It is moving and it will move you.
---
	REVIEW: The Caulfields, _L_ (A&M)
		-  Bill Holmes
	Let's get the tired old phrases out of the way - no 
references to "sophomore efforts" or having "their whole life to 
write their first record and only two years to write their second." 
Instead, lets focus on this record as a fifteen track document by a 
band that has something to say and the pop chops to say it impressively.
	Those familiar with _Whirligig_ will be impressed by the 
continuity of _L_; newbies will be thrilled to hear a band that 
combines the pop sensibilities and lyrical charm of bands like the 
Posies and Squeeze with the rhythmic pulse of contemporaries like 
Better Than Ezra or The Odds. A rock-standard four piece by nature, 
they're not afraid to throw in the odd instrument; horns enhance a 
couple of tracks and a theramin adds a spooky effect to "Waiting To 
Cry". Many of the songs feature a strong dual vocal, yet nothing is 
lost when John Faye's emotional vocals fly solo.
	Don't be thrown by odd song titles like "The Kitchen Debate" 
or "President Of Nothing". Although the subject matter tackles some 
heady themes - incompatibility, family tensions and severed 
relationships - this isn't _Berlin_ by any means. Drawing from the 
roller coaster ride of the past couple of years, lyricist John Faye's 
poignant and witty insights into relationships are framed by everything 
from mid-tempo strolls to chunky power pop rockers. "Beard Of Bees" 
(now there's a pop title for you!) is a standout with its punchy 
guitar riffs, and "Book Of Your Life" could find a home wherever 
the Gin Blossoms are welcome.
	The standout track is probably the abovementioned rocker 
"The Kitchen Debate" or the heartfelt wistful "Once Upon A Time", a 
song Faye calls "a dysfunctional fairy tale". Actually I could list 
good things about every track on the CD with the exception of "All I 
Want Is Out". Pretty impressive when fifty-two out of fifty-five 
minutes of music gets a thumbs-up. Don't be surprised to see this 
record on a lot of year-end lists.
	Oh, and the record's title? Apparently enough people 
misspelled the group's name as "Caufields" that they thought they'd 
supply the missing letter. Sense of humor intact, The Caulfields have 
kicked anonymity's ass. Where _Whirligig_ was a fun record with tongue 
in cheek humor, _L_ serves notice that there is major league song 
writing going on here.
---
	REVIEW: Ben Harper, _The Will To Live_ (Virgin)
		- Lang Whitaker
	Quick - name the only artist who has opened for Dave Matthews 
Band, the Rolling Stones, and Pearl Jam, all in the last two years. 
Don't know? Yup, it's Ben Harper. You'd think after such high profile 
gigs, Harper would finally be coming into his own commercially. To 
his credit, with his newest release _The Will to Live_, Harper shows 
that the commercial is secondary to the heart:
	"It's the next step. It's like crawling to walking to running 
to flying. Those are tough steps from one to the next." Harper says. 
"I could have made an entire rock record or an entire ballad record 
or an entire soul record, but that's not my life. My life is different
movements, it's different rhythms in my heart and in my mind."
	Harper's 1994 debut, the classic _Welcome to the Cruel World_, 
and his sophomore release, 1995's _Fight for Your Mind_, established 
Harper as the unique artist he is - an amazing amalgam of blues, soul, 
folk, rock, funk, and country. As far as I know, Ben Harper is one of 
the few artists fronting a band who plays entire shows without standing 
up, a testament to Harper's musicianship. He is able to coax a wide 
range of tones and emotions from his Weissenborn lap / slide guitars 
regardless of their open-tuning limitations.
	The new album, _The Will To Live_, never strays far from 
Harper's past. Two or three of the cuts take a new direction, but 
generally _Will_ walks in Harper's previous footsteps. 
	The song "Mama's Trippin'" is a definite departure for Harper. 
Utilizing a wah-wah and a horn section, the song evokes memories of 
Marvin Gaye or Ray Charles. The opening guitar riff also is eerily 
reminiscent of "Fly Like an Eagle", Steve Miller's opus. "Glory & 
Consequence" is another new foray for Harper, with it's two distinctly 
differing rhythmic parts.
	Save these two songs, the album is vintage Harper. Harper's 
longtime collaborator and producer J. P. Plunier pulls a few production 
tricks that kind of spin the songs a little differently than in the 
past. The opener, "Faded", except for its flanging vocals, could 
easily be off of _Fight_, with it's grinding guitars and hard-hitting 
rhythm. "Homeless Child" is a Delta blues romp that sounds like it's 
lifted straight off of vinyl. "Roses From My Friends" starts off with 
a sea of backtracked Weissenborns, with another Weissenborn being 
played normally over them. 
	The most beautiful track is easily "I Shall Not Walk Alone", 
an elegaic ballad that describes how the writer's faith will never 
leave him lonely. This is a song that will make your girlfriend cry.
	Harper's backing band, The Innocent Criminals, has been reworked 
from the last tour. Gone are the young drummer Oliver and percussion 
master Leon Mobley.  Harper has replaced the both of them with Dean 
Butterworth, who makes the transition seamless. Juan Nelson remains
on the bass, driving this train forward.
	Unfortunately, it appears Harper's lyrical abilities have not 
matured much in the past few years. His reliance on standard catch 
phrases and maxims to carry his verses was understandable on his first 
few efforts, but begins to grow tiresome. Harper wrote much of _Will_ 
on the road while touring in support of _Fight_, and this manifests 
itself in the shallowness of the lyrics. At times it sounds like Ben 
has an 80-word vocabulary, and he just keeps regurgitating the same 
words over and over. I swear the word "mama" is on every song he sings.
	The lyric deficiency would be enough to sour me from this album, 
were it not for Harper's voice. His angelic voice has a range that 
dwells in a high and fragile falsetto. At times he reminds me of a 
young Smokey Robinson, and more often his voice recalls Bob Marley's 
ragamuffin tones. At times Harper's voice approaches perfection.
	Harper tries to cure the world's hunger and prejudice problems 
with every song.  Talk about ambition. If you've ever heard and liked 
a Harper album before, this is a must have. If you never heard Harper 
before, give him a try - maybe he'll help you find _The Will to Live_.
---
	REVIEW: Toad The Wet Sprocket, _Coil_ (Columbia)
		- Bob Gajarsky
	Cursed with a name they'd rather not discuss, Toad the Wet Sprocket
have returned to the music scene with their sixth album, _Coil_.
	The name - taken from an obscure Monty Python skit - has
become synonymous with solid hooks and thoughtful writings.  While 
their first two records (_Bread and Circus_ and _Pale_) sold only
to a small core group of fans, the breakthrough smash "All I Want"
helped propel _Fear_ to a larger audience.
	As one of the bands that have helped define the Adult 
Alternative radio format (by their own records and those who have
followed with a similar sound, such as Hootie), it would be expected 
that Toad would have achieved a more mainstream status.  Still, 
although _Fear_ marked a departure from their first two discs, the 
band has never had an album sell millions of copies and ironically,
have retained more integrity among their fans.
	The straight-ahead formula which Toad has employed on their last
two 'new' discs, _Dulcinea_ and _Fear_, continues unabated with _Coil_;
a definite line between simple, but addictive 'quiet' rock and softer,
more intimate songs.  And just as those two discs took repeated spins
to grow on this critic, it look several times listening to _Coil_
before realising that this is just as strong a record as those 
previous two issues.
	As is their wont, Toad express themselves with incisive,
meaninful lyrics as well as in their sounds.  The rocking "Whatever I 
Fear" is a tale which shows not only that you can go home again, but 
that you don't have to leave to 'grow up', while the chorus for
"Amnesia" is based on the Rev. Martin Niemoller quote from World War 2,
"I Didn't Speak Up".  
	The hidden gem of this disc could be "Crazy Life", which swaps 
the usual lead vocals of Glen Phillips for those of guitarist Todd 
Nichols.  From a musical standpoint, this combines R.E.M.'s "Drive" 
with the more poignant songs of Brian Wilson, and could become a monster
hit with a little bit of luck.
	In conclusion, _Coil_ won't necessarily bring any more fans
into the Toad camp, but it will make the group's afficionados happy.
And from the attitude which the band's members have expressed in
the past, that's just fine with them.
---
	REVIEW: Supertramp, _Some Things Never Change_ (Oxygen/SilverCab)
		- Reto Koradi
	Supertramp? The Supertramp that we were crazy about when going 
to school, many years ago? Yes, it's them. And the album title is 
program: _Some Things Never Change_. Well, one thing did change: 
Roger Hodgson lived up to the '82 album title, _Famous Last Words_, 
and continued solo, with decreasing success. Part of his role is now 
taken over by Mark Hart, formerly of Crowded House.
	Old fans will feel immediately familiar with this album. Most 
songs are carried by bouncing keyboard lines, fresh sounding horns 
set the accents, and Rick Davies' trademark vocals are easy to pick 
out among thousands. The songs range from tasteful ballads like 
"Live To Love You" and "And The Light" to the bluesy "Help Me Down 
That Road", and of course there are the shamelessly good pop songs 
like "You Win, I Lose" and  "C'est What?" that one expects from 
Supertramp.
	From a technical point of view, thanks to modern recording 
equipment,  Supertramp sound better than ever. Everything is 
carefully crafted, perfectly played, and right at its place. With 
70 minutes, the album can get somewhat lengthy at places and the 
listener's attention tends to slip away during some of the more 
atmospheric parts. But _Some Things Never Change_ is a nearly 
perfect pop album. The only problem for Supertramp is that hardly 
anybody wants to hear perfect pop music nowadays, what got the masses 
excited 20 years ago now revokes mostly feelings of nostalgia.  But an 
occasional bit of nostalgia can never hurt, and many hyped bands of 
today could learn from some of the qualities present on this album.
---
	REVIEW: Patrick Prins, _Movin' Melodies - The Album_ / Various 
		Artists, _Anthems_ (AM: PM / A&M Records, UK)
		 - Jon Steltenpohl
	"Finally," I say to myself, "some music I can dance to."  As a 
guy stuck in the midwest of the United States, getting to decent dance 
clubs on a regular basis is nearly impossible.  One can only hear the 
phrases "I got the power" and "Get ready for this" so many times 
before they explode, and don't even start me on the latest crop of 
MTV techno darlings...
	But now, in my very own hands, there are two pieces of gold.  
These two import compilations include some of the best dance tracks 
I've heard in the clubs, and they are certainly the best complete 
albums I've heard outside of a club.  Most importantly, they're 
mixed together track to track for no interruption party playing.
	Patrick Prins emerges from the Netherlands with a definitive 
1993 to 1996 retrospective of 18 of his best tracks collectively 
titled _Movin' Melodies - The Album_.  There is a definite progression 
of technology and skill that starts with the slightly mechanical and 
synthesized sound of 1993's "Looking for 3-D" to the flowing smoothness 
of 1996's "Don't Hold Back".  1993's "P.A.R.T.Y." starts out like a 
hyper Technotronic song and then, after 2 minutes, ends abruptly with 
a big Gong Show "gong" and then breaks in a rollicking jam.  "Le Voie 
Le Soleil" has a classical music feel to it with piano breaks and 
synthesized strings.
	"Bailando Guitarra" and "La Luna" will be familiar to even a 
casual club fan.  "Bailando Guitarra" is heavy on voice samples with 
a diva singing "I need release" and a guy saying "Kick the groove" 
over and over again.  "La Luna" has the familiar tag "To the beat 
of the drum, BANG, To the beat of the drum, BANG-BANG."  "Silence 
is a Rhythm Too" layers multiple screams of "silence!" over a bubbling 
bass rhythm that actually gives live to the typical "thump-thump" 
beat of modern house music.
	The two most recent tracks from October 1996, "Rollerblade" 
and "Don't Hold Back", are the best on the album.  "Rollerblade" is 
the only track to employ a diva and a melody, and "Don't Hold Back" 
is not only danceable, but the mixing and production are perfect.
	AM:PM's compilation, _Anthems_, features some of the best 
tracks from this UK label's catalog.  Unlike Patrick Prins' 
synthetic sound, these tracks are focused strictly on their divas.  
"Saturday" by East 57th St. and "Nobody's Business" by H2O featuring 
Billie are the standout tracks on this album.  They alone are worth 
the price of the album, and they are guaranteed to get your feet 
moving and your arms raised.  After listening to "Saturday", you 
won't spend a single weekend at home again.
	"Can I Get a Witness" by Ann Nesby, with help from Jimmy 
Jam and Terry Lewis, combines funk and dance to perfection.  Future 
Force's "Puttin' A Rush" does the same with R&B rhythms.  (Both 
tracks make this U.S. listener think that our post "New Jack" style 
of R&B is a complete waste of time.)  Other memorable tracks on the 
_Anthems_ compilation include a remix of The Police's "Voices Inside 
My Head", Sarah Washington's "Heaven", Future Force's "What You 
Want", and Alcatraz's seductive "Give Me Love".
	AM:PM has released two excellent compilation albums that are 
definitely guaranteed to keep your party going until dawn.  Unlike 
many of the weak compliations in the "techno" sections of the music 
stores, you can play either Patric Prins' _Movin' Melodies - The 
Album_ or the _Anthems_ compilation straight through without skipping 
a single track.  Plus, since they are designed for the home listener,
they are both mixed into a continuous 70+ minute groove.  _Anthems_ 
is slightly more engaging and melody based, but both albums are 
excellent choices for reproducing the club experience without ever 
leaving your own home.
---
	REVIEW: Mark Eitzel, _West_ (Warner)
		- Reto Koradi
	An interesting couple, without any doubt: Mr. American Music
Club, Mark Eitzel, meets his REMness Peter Buck. The fact that they 
managed to write 11 songs within 3 days indicates already that the 
chemistry between the two was right. And there is no need to worry 
for AMC fans that the influence of a big name would suddenly make 
Mark Eitzel write songs about happiness.
	_West_ is certainly the least suitable album to create a party
atmosphere, and listening to it too frequently might be harmful for your
mental state. But for these sad moments where you really need to let
yourself fall for a while, it is hard to beat. Eitzel puts melancholy
into lyrics and music like few others, and reaches a deepness that can
send shivers down your spine. Just when you think to hear an optimistic
twist in a line like "I'm gonna move myself ahead", this is shortly
followed by "and I don't know how". Some of the lyrics are also mysterious 
in a fascinating way, and leave room for interpretation, like the chorus
of "Three Inches Of Wall", one of the highlight tracks on the album:
"there is a song in the next room, that I can't quite hear, and only
three inches of wall, separates me from my fear".
	Peter Buck plays his part in this fruitful partnership perfectly.
His guitar work is excellently done, but he always stays far enough in
the background to make it mainly showcase Eitzel's capabilities. Only
rarely, like in the intro of "In Your Life", can one clearly identify REM
sounds.  The simple production done by Eitzel and Buck themselves 
perfectly fits with the music.
	You can place bets that _West_ will not enter any major charts;
this is not music for the masses. But those that are not afraid of
darkness should put it right beside their Red House Painters and Tom
Waits albums. There can be beauty in sadness, and Mark Eitzel captures 
these emotions in an outstanding way.
---
	REVIEW: Friends Of Dean Martinez, _Retrograde_ (Sub Pop)
		- Tracey Bleile
	For those of you hipsters who enjoy good music that will 
outlive the five-minute hype surrounding the revitalization of 
lounge last year...Yes, swingers, the mysterious Southwestern 
supergroup making beautiful noise, Friends Of Dean Martinez, has 
slipped us a sweet little mickey with their further explorations 
of backdrop sounds that belong right in the front in _Retrograde_.  
It reminds me of the one and only shot of tequila I ever did, smooth 
and golden, with an immediate potent effect.  Needless to say, I 
enjoy this release much more.  No hangover.
	Starting with the core members of Bill Elm, Van Christian 
and Joey Burns, who have graced the line-ups of high-caliber bands 
hailing from Arizona (Giant Sand, Naked Prey), Elm then calls upon 
his many Friends from the region to add their own talents.  The 
guesting Friends as always, read like a who's-who of the region - Tom 
Larkins (Naked Prey, Gila Bend) on percussion and drums, Chris Cacavas 
(Green On Red) tickling his many kinds of ivories, John Convertino 
(drums and vibes - also of Giant Sand) and Woody Jackson (ex-Useless 
Playboys, guitar, clarinet) to name just a few.  _Retrograde_ offers
up a whole new slew of gorgeous instrumentals that rely as much on 
steel guitar, violin, and saxophone (played with emotion and style 
by Ralph Carney of Tom Waits' band)  as they do the vibes and goofy 
percussion sounds to produce a feel of something classier than your 
average lounge.  It's the kind of band that belongs in the best 
little nightclub you know, a band that gets heard as much as it gets 
taken for granted as the perfect backdrop to a night out in the desert.
	The sad and plaintive feel of many of the songs (even the 
effects drawn out by moog and keyboards only point up the campfire 
mood) is based around Elm's voice-like stylings with steel guitar 
and the willingness to use any appropriate instrument, including 
harmonicas and cellos to achieve this atmospheric feel - check out 
the great train-coming-on intro of "Westbound #11", and the growl of 
a big car disappearing into the desert night on the title track.  But 
it can also turn sprightly and swinging in an instant, owing to the 
vibes backing up the high-twangy end of Elm's playing, setting a new 
standard for a jazz standard, as in  "Monte Carlo", and a smooth 
key-drenched cover of the Beach Boys' "The Warmth of The Sun" - a 
subject these Arizona natives (although Bill Elm now resides in L.A.) 
probably feel awfully close to.  
	It's always a great thing when a side project can be completely 
different from what you normally produce as a musician and yet still 
be so rooted in where you come from, musically and geographically.  
_Retrograde_ gets my wholehearted vote for the disc that gets plopped 
on at the end of a particularly great evening spent hanging out, and 
the after-dinner drinks have been poured.  Savor them both slowly and 
with great enjoyment.
	Further details on the band and the track listing can be found 
at Sub Pop Records' website, http://www.subpop.com
---
	REVIEW: matchbox 20, _Yourself Or Someone Like You_ (Lava/Atlantic)
		- Linda Scott
	This album was a big surprise.  The sleeve artwork is goofy; a 
fat man in a silly cap with ear warmers is looking in a window.  You might 
think this is another silly teenage new-punk band.  But put it in your cd 
player, and you have some lovely music.  The surprise is that this is a 
*debut* album. Hard to believe that this is the first recording by 
matchbox20.  Amazing.
	The big standout for matchbox20 is Rob Thomas, songwriter and lead 
vocalist.  The lyrics focus intensely on personal relationships.  Not only
are the songs wonderfully interesting, but Thomas also delivers a one-two
punch with his delivery.  The phrasing and emphasis are excellent.  Thomas'
voice is strong, filled with emotion, and is clearly the focal point of 
_Yourself Or Someone Like You_.  If you've heard Counting Crows' Adam Duritz,
Thomas writes and sings with that same distinctive power.
	Thomas fronted matchbox20 from the time he recruited Paul Doucette
on drums and Brian Yale on bass.  Lead guitarist Kyle Cook and rhythm
guitarist Adam Gaznor came along a bit later.  The band's influences through
Thomas are Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Al Green and R.E.M.  The band
was quickly signed by Lava/Atlantic, and Producer Matt Serletic (Collective
Soul) was enlisted to record _Yourself Or Someone Like You_  which was
released last year.
	By the end of April this year, the album had gone gold in U.S. sales.
The first single, "Long Day", was a hit on the alternative singles charts.
"Push" is the second single and is also doing well.  Another they should
select is the leadoff track, "Real World".  For more information on 
matchbox20, check out their web site at http://www.matchbox20.com.
---
	REVIEW: Meridian Arts Ensemble, _Anxiety of Influence_ / 
		_Smart Went Crazy_  (Channel Crossings) / Margaret 
		Leng Tan, _The Art of the Toy Piano_ (Point Music/Polygram)
		 - Jon Steltenpohl
	For those familiar with the strangeness of Frank Zappa and 
John Cage, the music of Meridian Arts Ensemble and Margaret Leng Tan 
is certainly nothing surprising.  But for the general population, the 
avant garde sounds of these musicians are unsettling at first. Still, 
these Julliard schooled musicians know what they are doing, and their 
impeccable quality allows them to be listened to by a normal person 
without too much confusion.
	Meridian Arts Ensemble is a brass band composed of trumpets, 
horns, trombone, and tuba accompanied by drums and piano.  Most of 
their repertoire is 20th century music including Frank Zappa, Stephen 
Barber, Billy Strayhorn, and Jimi Hendrix.  Many of the pieces, Frank 
Zappa's in particular, were produced with the direct collaboration of 
the composer.  The music is warm and glowing, but at the same time, 
purposely off kilter and humorous.
	Much of there work impresses me the same way that Zappa's does.  
Sure, it's artistically impeccable and very interesting, but at the 
same time, it's not music you can just sit and listen to.  Take the 
Zappa piece, "Little House I Used to Live In", you have a brass band 
interrupted with a drum solo and then augmented with the guys singing 
their parts in little chirpy voices.  This is Picasso music.  Take all 
the parts, chop them into pieces, throw them in the blender, and then
reconstruct it.  All of the parts are still there, but everything is 
different.
	Margaret Leng Tan has been described by The New Yorker as "the 
diva of the avant garde."  Tan claims John Cage as her mentor, and as 
such, takes on two different themes.  One is to use non-traditional 
instruments along side traditional instruments, and the second is to 
blend an appropriate amount of distortion and cacophony into the mix. 
Tan does both elegantly.  "Eleanor Rigby" is typically de- and 
re-constructed into a discordant chatter of toy piano chimes and the 
clatter of the hammers and levers.
	Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata is included as an ode to the 
Peanuts' character Schroeder.  "East Broadway", a track written by 
Julia Wolfe for Tan, is a noisy, blasting contraption of toy piano 
and a cheap toy boombox that plays cheesy, "on demand" rap beats.  
In addition to the boombox, _The Art of the Toy Piano_ also features 
toy accordions, cap guns, and empty cat food tins at various points.  
But, the most beautiful and accessible piece is the closing track for 
piano and toy piano.  It's a lullaby by Erik Satie called "Gymnopedie 
No. 3", and the marriage of the two instruments will draw you in.
	Unfortunately, the bulk of this music isn't for everyone.  The 
tracks on these albums are presented as pieces of work to be pondered 
rather than songs to be enjoyed.  Like Picasso, Zappa, or Cage, either 
you get it or you don't.  If you do happen to get avant garde music, 
then I highly recommend any of these albums.  You will be delighted 
by the presence of melody and structure behind a frame that seems 
disconnected on the surface.
	(You can visit Meridian Arts Ensemble at http://www.pi.net/~fg.)
---
	REVIEW: Walt Mink, _Colussus_ (Deep Elm)
		- Scott A. Miller
	Walt Mink is back with a collection of completely mind altering, 
mood enhancing, space-age arena-rock cum power pop confections to make 
your head swim and your jaw go slack.
	After all the band has been through - two albums on Caroline 
and one on Atlantic before jumping to the stridently independent Deep 
Elm - just regrouping to put out Colossus_ (Deep Elm) is a triumph of 
the spirit. One listen, though, and you understand why they did it. These 
are great songs expertly played.
	With a sound so diverse, it's hard to put this newest offering in a
category except to say that it's mostly like the previous three Walt Mink
albums.
	As a songwriter, singer-guitarist John Kimbrough has a gift for 
putting his imagination to music. In "John's Dream" he takes "the red-eye 
to the moon" and sees a man who looks just like him "bathing on the shores of
Tranquility." I don't know what it means, but with bassist Candice Belanoff
laying down the bottom and drummer Orestes Morphin wailing away in a
slow-rock groove, it's a song big enough to fill a stadium - as could most
of the songs on this album. The mid-song break on "Lost in the World," a 
song about space invaders that manages to be both touching and
incredible at the same time, is probably the only exception.
	Lyrics aside, where the wow-factor of _Colossus_ shifts into hyper 
drive is with Kimbrough's guitar playing. Equally capable of acoustic 
beauty and metal crunch, Kimbrough's ax is the reason reviews of past Mink 
albums have appeared in such highbrow publications as Guitar Player and 
Stereo Review. It's this technical skill that allows Walt Mink to 
successfully straddle the huge chasm between art-rock '70s and pop-rock 
'90s. What would be an Evel Knievel Snake River jump for most bands is 
like popping a wheelie for Walt Mink.
	While other songwriters with diverse repertoires sometimes stamp 
their influences on top of everything they do (think Karl Wallinger/World 
Party), Kimbrough buries influences deep in his songs, mostly in the 
guitar lines.  You only catch a glimpse of Jimi Hendrix in the chorus 
riff of "She Can Smile" or a peek of George Harrison's sitar phase on 
"Lovely Arrhythmia" or a slice of David Gilmore (Pink Floyd) in the way 
the closing riff trails out to its logical extreme on "John's Dream." 
Kimbrough makes a strong case for being the equal of all of them.
	The music, the lyrics, the staunchly independent vibe: It's heady 
stuff.  The college psychology professor for whom the band is named should 
be proud.  Modern rock fans ought to light a match and hold it over their 
head in appreciation. Walt Mink fans are probably doing spontaneous back 
flips over this one.
---
	REVIEW: The Vents, _Venus Again_ (MCA/Way Cool Music)
		- Linda Scott
	The Vents sound a lot like that Brit band with the bowl haircuts.
That's not necessarily bad depending on your Beatles opinion.  If
imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the Beatles are currently
being flattered by all kinds of bands including the top UK band,
Oasis.  The Vents are not a tribute band; like Oasis, they have their
own songs.  _Venus Again_ has 12 original tracks all composed by
lead vocalist and songwriter Devin Powers, who names his
influences The Who, T-Rex, and (surprise!) the Beatles.
	Powers is the driving force behind The Vents.  In addition to
composing, he played every instrument on every song here except
drums which were handled by Jimmy Sage.  Powers also produced
and engineeered all tracks.  Once the album was completed, Shawn
Rorie (guitar/vocals) and Pat Wisley (bass/vocals)were signed on.
Devin characterizes their sound as big guitars, distortion, and
melodic bass lines, but you might also say pop/rock, harmonic
vocals, uniformity.
	It's hard to select one of the tracks as a potential single.  All
the songs are light and rocking, and none really stands out that
far from the rest.  This doesn't mean they are bad songs - actually
they are above average.  For a debut album, The Vents sound good,
but they need more variety.  Perhaps Powers will be sharing future
musical composition and some of the other work with the band
to get some diversity.
	If you like the Beatles/Oasis pairing or debut albums with 
a pop/rock flair, this album may be for you.  The band has some 
potential, and we expect good things from them in the future.  Why 
not get in on their ground floor?
---
ERRATA: In the May 28 issue of Consumable, the drummer for David Wilcox'
tour was erroneously listed as Brian Kelley; it is actually Tony
Franklin.
---
NEWS:	> Francis Winfield, formerly of the band Several Girls Galore, has 
signed on as the new drummer for San Diego's fluf. Original fluf drummer 
Miles Gillette left the band last month to return to his native country 
of New Zealand.
---
TOUR DATES:
	Backsliders
Jul. 9 Perrysburg, OH Citi Lounge
Jul. 10 Chicago, IL Schuba's
Jul. 11 Ames, IA People's Bar
Jul. 12 Minneapolis, MN 400 Bar
Jul. 15 Seattle, WA Crocodile Cafe

	Boston
Jul. 9 Wantagh, NY Jones Beach
Jul. 11 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob
Jul. 12 Noblesville, IN Deer Creek
Jul. 13 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend 
Jul. 15 Mansfield, MA Great Woods

	Brad / Verbow
Jul. 10 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
Jul. 11 Chicago, IL Cabaret Metro
Jul. 12 Detroit, MI St Andrews Hall
Jul. 13 Cleveland, OH Odeon
Jul. 15 New York, NY Supper Club

	Candy Machine
Jul. 9 Boston, MA Middle East
Jul. 10 New York, NY Knitting Factory w/ Retsin
Jul. 12 Washington, DC Black Cat w/ Retsin and Dismemberment Plan

	The Clarks
Jul. 10 Columbus, OH The Continent
Jul. 11 Minneapolis, MN Cabooze
Jul. 12 Chicago. IL The Waterloo

	Cowboy Mouth
Jul. 13 Syracuse, NY Vernon Downs

	Dots Will Echo
Jul. 12 Red Bank, NJ No Ordinary Joe

	Furthur Festival (incl. Black Crowes and many more)
Jul. 9 Toronto, ON Molson Amphitheatre
Jul. 11 Hershey, PA Hershey Park
Jul. 12 Columbus, OH Polaris Amphitheatre
Jul. 13 Detroit, MI Pine Knob
Jul. 15 Pittsburgh, PA Star Lake

	G3 (Joe Satriani / Steve Vai / Kenny Wayne Shepherd)
Jul. 9 Memphis, TN Mud Island
Jul. 11 Woodlands, TX Woodlands Pavillion
Jul. 13 San Antonio, TX Sunken Garden

	Government Mule / Sweet Vine
Jul. 10 Winston-Salem, NC Ziggy's
Jul. 11 Myrtle Beach, NC House Of Blues
Jul. 12 Charlotte World Mardi Gras
Jul. 13 Knoxville, TN The Rockpit
Jul. 15 New Orleans, LA House Of Blues

	Rickie Lee Jones
Jul. 9 Los Angeles, CA El Rey

	Junkster
Jul. 13 Philadelphia, PA The Five Spot
Jul. 15 Boston, MA Axis

	Lollapalooza (Tool/Prodigy/Korn/many more)
Jul. 9 Boston, MA Great Woods
Jul. 11-12 New York, NY Randall's Island
Jul. 13 Camden, NJ Entertainment Center
Jul. 15-16 Detroit, MI Pine Knob

	Michelle Malone
Jul. 9 St. Paul, OR Champoe State Ampitheatre (support Indigo Girls) 
Jul. 11 Seattle, WA The Pier (support Indigo Girls) 
Jul. 12 Seattle, WA The Easy 

	Mindset
Jul. 9 New York, NY CBGB's 
Jul. 10 Boston, MA The Rathskellar 

	Walt Mink
Jul. 12 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig 
Jul. 14 Kalamazoo, MI Club Soda
Jul. 15 St Louis, MO HiPoint 

	Moxy Fruvous 
Jul. 10 Buffalo, NY Lafayette Square
Jul. 11 Thunder Bay, ON Harbourfest
Jul. 12-13 Winnepeg, MB Winnepeg Folk Festival

	My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult / Radio Iodine
Jul. 9 Austin, TX Liberty Lunch
Jul. 10 Tulsa, OK Cain's Ballroom
Jul. 11 Midwest, OK Star Seven
Jul. 12 San Antonio, TX Cameo Theater
Jul. 13 El Paso, TX Club 101
Jul. 14 Albuquerque, NM The Pulse
Jul. 15 Tempe, AZ Electric Ballroom

	Sister Hazel
Jul. 10 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall (w/ Cowboy Mouth)
Jul. 11 Detroit, MI 7th House 
Jul. 12 Minneapolis, MN Basilica Block Party

	Thin Lizard Dawn
Jul. 10 Danbury, CT Tuxedo Junction
Jul. 11 Washington, DC Black Cat
Jul. 12 New York, NY Coney Island High
Jul. 13 Asbury Park, NJ The Saint
Jul. 14 Burlington, VT Toast

	Vallejo
Jul. 12 Burlington, VT WXPS Festival 

	Verve Pipe / Tonic / K's Choice
Jul. 10 Tucson, AZ Cage
Jul. 11 Tempe, AZ Electric Ballroom
Jul. 12 Las Vegas, NV Joint
Jul. 13 San Diego, CA Cane's
Jul. 15 Los Angeles, CA El Rey

	Warped Tour (Reel Big Fish, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Social
Distortion, Sick Of It All, Less Than Jake, many more)
Jul. 9 Vancouver, BC Pne Coliseum
Jul. 10 George, WA Gorge Amphitheatre
Jul. 11 Boise, ID Le Bois Park
Jul. 12 Salt Lake City, UT Fairgrounds
Jul. 13 Denver, CO Colorado Univ. Field
Jul. 15 Lawrence, KS Burcham Park

	The Why Store
Jul. 10 Chippewa Falls, WI N. Wisconsin State Fair
Jul. 11 Minneapolis, MN Basilica
Jul. 12 Fort Wayne, IN Three River Festival
---
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