== ISSUE 166 ====  CONSUMABLE ONLINE  ======== [January 19, 1999]

  Editor:             Bob Gajarsky
                         E-mail: editor@consumableonline.com
  Sr. Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Joann Ball, Bill Holmes, Tim 
                      Kennedy, David Landgren, Tim Mohr, Al Muzer, 
                      Joe Silva, Lang Whitaker 
  Correspondents:     Christina Apeles, Niles J. Baranowski, Tracey 
                      Bleile, Lee Graham Bridges, Jason Cahill, Patrick 
                      Carmosino, Krisjanis Gale, Paul Hanson, Chris Hill, 
                      Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Franklin Johnson, Steve 
                      Kandell, Reto Koradi, Robin Lapid, Linda Scott, 
                      Scott Slonaker, Kerwin So, Chelsea Spear, Simon 
                      Speichert, Jon Steltenpohl, Simon West
  Technical Staff:    Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann

 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  |
                            `------------'
INTERVIEW / CONCERT REVIEW: Buffalo Tom - Kerwin So
REVIEW: Busta Rhymes, _Extinction Level Event_ - Joann D. Ball
REVIEW: Black Crowes, _ By Your Side_ - Daniel Aloi
REVIEW: Ani DiFranco, _Up Up Up Up Up Up_ - Jon Steltenpohl
CONCERT REVIEW: Manic Street Preachers / Catatonia - Tim Kennedy
REVIEW: Reel Big Fish, _Why Do They Rock So Hard?_ - Simon Speichert
REVIEW: Hefner, _Breaking God's Heart_ - Niles Baranowski
REVIEW: The Starseeds, _Parallel Life_ - Tim Mohr
REVIEW: Evelyn Forever, _Lost in the Supermarket_ - Daniel Aloi
REVIEW: Kenny Howes, _Back To You Today_ - Bill Holmes
REVIEW: Smart Brown Handbag, _Little Things are Everything_ - Reto Koradi
REVIEW: Bill Puddle, _Bill Puddle_ - Bill Holmes
NEWS: Chemical Brothers, Chuck D.
TOUR DATES: Black Sabbath / Pantera / Incubus / Deftones, Bluetip, 
   Broadside Electric, City On Film, Dave Davies, Dots Will Echo, 
   Jets To Brazil, One Minute Silence, Seaweed
THE READERS WRITE BACK!
Back Issues of Consumable
---
	INTERVIEW / CONCERT REVIEW: Buffalo Tom
		- Kerwin So
	In the midst of Buffalo Tom's nationwide tour opening for 
the Goo Goo Dolls in support of their recent album (_Smitten_), 
the band was able to spend some time talking with Consumable 
Online regarding their label, touring with the Goos, and more.  
Here are the thoughts from that conversation.

	Consumable:  Why don't you tell me what's going on lately, 
are you switching labels or something? 
	Bill Janovitz (Vocalist / guitarist):  We switched to Polydor, 
which is under A&M. And then A&M just merged with Seagram's and MCA and 
so it might even change again.  [Ed. Note: It's happened, it's happening as 
you read this, and there is tremendous fallout in regards to the 
personnel at all the labels under the umbrella, as well as artists 
who are employed under the merged companies] 
	CO: Oh, good lord. 
	B:  Yeah, Seagrams owns MCA and Universal and Mercury, 
Geffen, all that stuff is under them.  Then they bought Polygram 
which owns Island and A&M and all that stuff, so they're merging 
those 2 companies together now.  
	CO: Oh really, I thought you were on Beggars Banquet? 
	B:  We told you it was a long story. We're signed to Beggars 
Banquet, but this is our last record with them.  And that was only in 
the UK, they were licensing out to different labels in the States. 
	CO:  So, how's the tour been going? 
	B:  Going pretty well, we've done 15 shows with these guys. 
Some on our own. 
	CO:  They just asked you out to tour with them? 
	B:  Yeah.  It's a lot younger audience than we're used to 
playing to. That's good, you know. 
	CO:  I read your tour journal online (at 
http://www.buffalotom.com )
	B:  Oh, that'll give you an idea. 
	CO: That's something, yeah.  It's really quite voyeuristic, but 
I really enjoyed reading it. 
	B:  Yeah, I'm trying to be as open as possible.  I don't put 
in all the personal details and stuff like that but, you know what's 
going on and some of our feelings about what it's like to be out. I 
think near the end it started to get like, "We need promotion from 
the record company" and all.  These guys [the band] haven't seen it all. 
	CO:  Oh really?  Yeah, I think you were primarily the one who 
was submitting. 
	B: Yeah it's just been me, I asked those guys if they wanted to, 
but it's just a matter of - I have a laptop. 
	CO:  It's great to be in the wired age, huh?  Well for the fans 
it is, cuz there's a lot of things going on 
	Tom Maginnis (Drummer): People are really interested in what 
it's like to tour, they're curious - but it's really not that glamorous. 
	B:  Not at all. 
	CO:  Yeah, people have these romantic ideas.  I'm in a band (local 
San Francisco-based Hungry Hungry Hippos) but we've never toured - it seems 
like a cool way to see the country. 
	B:  Oh yeah, without a doubt it's still fun.  And as we get 
bigger - I mean as we were getting bigger [chuckle]--  there's 
different aspects that are more fun.  But it's a lot of work.  It's 
way more work than a regular job, being on the road.  There's a lot 
of time when we're just off, but we get 6 hours of sleep a night 
usually, 7 hours of sleep at best, and we have to go out tomorrow 
to this TV show and do some kind of local Good Morning America-type 
show, we're gonna be performing at 7 a.m.
	T:  And then drive to L.A., do an in-store in Long Beach. 
	B:  But it's like,  I'm not getting up at 7 A.M. to dig 
ditches or work a crane or something.  It's still not like, sleep 
till noon, get up for a couple hours, start getting drunk and stoned 
and then go play and then get all the groupies.  I mean for those 
guys [the Goo's] it might be.  [Laughter] 
	CO:  So do you socialize with them a lot? 
	B:  Yeah.  We haven't had a lot of time cuz they drive out 
to the shows usually in their bus and we usually meet up with them. 
But, in the dressing rooms, yeah and we eat dinner with 'em and kid  
around with 'em.  We've kinda known em for a few years, crossing 
paths, saying hello, having a beer or something like that, but we 
haven't really known em that well. 
	CO:  That's cool. I'm actually a fan of both of your bands' 
music.  Do you consider this a break at all, opening for such a 
well-known act? 
	B:  I don't.  In some ways it is.
	T:  I'm sure there's a lot of bands who'd want to be doing it. 
	B:  Oh, I thought you meant like a break, like a vacation. 
	CO:  No, no, no. I mean like an opportunity for prestige.
	B:  Oh, without a doubt.  I thought you meant like, is it easier. 
	CO:  No. [Chuckle]  I could tell from reading your tour journal 
that it isn't. 
	T: [Chuckle] 
	B:  In some ways it is, though.  There's less pressure to bring 
in people, so there's no psychological thing on us like, "Oh man". 
	T: Or "we have to carry the show" - like a burden. 
	C: I don't know, I mean.  A lot of people have these gripes 
against bands that are popular just because they're popular. So I 
have friends who, they're fans of you guys too, and they're like 
"Buffalo Tom should be headlining those shows." 
	B:  Well, we have.  The thing is we will, again, but if were 
out on our own right now we wouldn't be playing the Fillmore, we'd 
probably be playing Slim's.  And we'd probably do okay, but right now 
this record's not getting played in San Francisco, it's not getting 
played in a lot of places, and so, aside from a core group of fans which 
pick and choose which Buffalo Tom shows they go to anyway, not all of 
our fans go to all our shows.  Especially as people get older, have 
kids and stuff. So it's a bit more of a pressure, you never know 
what's gonna happen, then you've gotta play longer - which I love to  
do, I mean that's what we're out there for, is to play.  But this is like,  
we're on, we're off, the show's over, we can go back to the hotel, 
blah blah blah but it's more work because you're trying to win over 
their fans, so you've got to really concentrate on the set list.  
Whereas, if we're on our own it's like, well, let's throw in this song, 
that song not really trying to figure out which songs are the most 
effective and like [snaps fingers] keep goin', and you know 
	CO: How's the  crowd reaction been to you guys?  Have you been 
winning them over? 
	T:  It's been pretty good.  It varies, from place to place.  I 
think we're stronger in certain cities anyway, but largely I think it 
is their fans. Everyone's pretty pumped up to see the headliners 
usually, but you get a vibe, you know, I think some places have been 
pretty good. 
	B:  There's been very few that have been dead. 
	T:  It's not crickets after each song. 
	CO:  That's good. 
	B:  Yeah but some places, like Seattle and Portland, those are 
good.. 
	CO:  Well, those are hip cities. 
	B:  But then like the little places, we played in Oshkosh, 
Wisconsin and Marquette, Michigan where, one of those towns literally 
hadn't had a band since Cheap Trick in 1988 or something.
	CO:  So they were like screaming...
	B:  Ah, it was crazy.  As soon as the lights went down, they 
didn't even care if it was up to the Goo Goo Dolls yet.  When we 
went on it was just like, "Ahhhh!"  And then the Goo Goo Dolls came 
on and it went up that much further. 
	CO:  So have people been recognizing the "My So-Called Life" songs? 
	B:  Yeah I haven't really figured out I think people have  
recognized "Soda Jerk" a little bit.  But it's hard to tell.  When we 
started to play "Late at Night", I thought that this would be the age 
group, but we don't get as many girls swooning.   
	[CO & T laugh] 
	B:  But when we do our own shows we've gotten this contingent of 
young girls that are waiting to hear that song, that's how they found 
out about us. Especially girls.  Which is good for [bassist] Chris. 
Chris sings that song. 
	CO: Do you know the next time you're gonna be heading through 
California? 
	B:  Well, we hope to get back in the spring. 
	T: It's kind of, if this label stuff is able to settle down so 
we really know where we are.  We're not sure, so...
	B: If and when our next single will come out and.. I think 
we'll come back either way because we'd probably make money going out on  
tour.  Right now we're not really making money because we're 
opening for another band.  But I think we could do a tour where even 
if we're the kind of band who's been around for so long that we 
have this kind of a core [group of fans] that we could still pull in 
people and still make a tour work. 
	CO:  Both of you guys [Goo Goo Dollss and Buffalo Tom] have 
been around for awhile. 
	B:  Yeah, we've been around as long as the Goo Goo Dolls. 
	T: This is both our sixth albums. 
	B:  At one point though, their career really verged off. [Chuckle]   
And our career...
	CO:  I've always been impressed by how you've kept the same core 
lineup since day one.  Were there any times where you felt like just 
giving up or moving on? 
	B:  [instantly] Every day. [Laughter] 
	CO:  I'm sure you get asked that all the time. 
	B:  Yeah.
	CO:  How do you deal with it? 
	B:  Uhm [long pause] it's uh it's a matter of on the road, you  
can't really judge anything from being on the road, even though that's 
where we spend most of our time.  But it's just such a weird situation, 
you know you've got seven *guys* (without the crew or anything) in  
a van for five weeks and you've gotta be relaxed your mind a bit 
you know.  With us three, we were friends before we started and I 
think we realize that we're friends and we wouldn't let  the band 
it's come close. We've come really close to just saying, "Okay, let's
just not do this anymore", but I think we just say, "Well, you know 
we're friends, let's not let the band affect the friendship," and you 
just start talking about whatever's bothering you and you realize that 
it's not that serious. 
	CO: It's good to get that out; people build up grudges.
	B:  That's exactly it. About intangibles sometimes, just little 
things sometimes it's just personality, you're just sick of everybody. 
There's nothing that anybody's doing that you can say, "Well he's doing 
*this*", you just don't want to be there, you just want to be home, 
Tom's got two kids now, we all have families.
	CO:  Have you guys been doing any acoustic songs on the tour, 
where you [Tom, the drummer] get to take a break? 
	T:  Not with the Goo Goo Dolls, just cuz we only get 10 songs and 
we've gotta keep it compact.  On our own shows and, we've been doing 
in-stores and stuff like that, which is really cool to do [in-stores] 
because you really get to see some fans again and talk to 'em  
and sign stuff.  It's much more rewarding little thing to do.  We've 
been doing Portland and Boise, Idaho which we've never even played 
before, and 150 people showed up to the in-store, you know? It's just 
like, wow. 

	That night at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore auditorium, 
Buffalo Tom played an energetic and solid (but all-too short) set of 
new songs and old favorites, including "Taillights Fade", "Sodajerk", 
and a wonderful closing choice of "Larry."   Their already great live 
sound was augmented by the presence of Phil, the new keyboard player. 
The band even encouraged the crowd, young and old, to jump and 
down to upbeat songs like "Treehouse"-- and it worked!  The 
audience was quite diverse-- teenage throngs, kids with their parents, 
middle-aged rockers-- and they were mostly there to see the Goo 
Goo Dolls, but I think it's safe to say that all of them found at least a 
little something in Buffalo Tom's performance to enjoy.  And for the 
band's part, they certainly put in the effort to win over new fans by 
introducing song titles, playing with a lot of heart, and smiling a lot.  
Here's hoping it pays off.

	Footnote: Buffalo Tom played the KRON Bay Morning TV show the 
very next morning at 7 am.  They were given all of 20 seconds.
---
	REVIEW: Busta Rhymes, _Extinction Level Event_ (The Final World 
		Front)_ (Flipmode Entertainment/Elektra)
		- Joann D. Ball
	We've heard for years (and will certainly be reminded throughout 
1999) that the sky will turn purple and the party will be over when the 
year 2000 arrives.  Well, that's nothing compared to what Busta Rhymes 
predicts.  The hip-hop innovator offers a deeper, more intense, 
reality-based account of what the future will bring on his most ambitious 
release to date, _Extinction Level Event (The Final World Front)_ .  
While the final countdown to 2K will undoubtedly bring insights from a 
variety of artists, Busta Rhymes is the only one who can deliver 
genuine apocalyptic hip-hop.  After all, the millennium has been an 
interest of his since his tenure in the pioneering rap group Leaders 
of the New School.
	Busta Rhymes has expressed his interest in the day of reckoning 
on his two previous solo outings, 1996's _The Coming_ and 1997's _When 
Disaster Strikes_.  But _Extinction Level Event (The Final World 
Front)_ is the full text in full effect.  Over the course of 19 
tracks, the extremely innovative Busta Rhymes delivers his raw 
millennium message with a serious warning that it is "always better to 
be safe than sorry."
	Busta wastes no time getting down to business, opening his 
third solo release with "Intro-There's Only One Year Left."  This 
spoken word track begins with a child innocently asking what the 
Year 2000 holds.  The response includes a long list of crimes against 
humankind and nature, developments with which we are all too familiar. 
Busta steps to the mike himself at the end of the track, shouting 
out a loud wake up call about all the shit's that's already gone 
down and what is about to break loose. "Everybody Rise," is the 
global event warning that Busta sends out to all of the "niggas and 
motherfuckers" in his favorite American cities.  With these choice 
terms of endearment, Busta makes it clear that he and his Flipmode 
Squad have our backs through the hell on earth that lies ahead.
	Not only is Busta rhyming with trademark fury on _Extinction 
Level Event (The Final World Front), _ he grounds his rapid vocal 
delivery in a host of mad sounds and quality samples.  Of course 
it's all good, especially "Extinction Level Event (The Song of 
Salvation)" and "What the Fuck You Want!!"  And lead single "Gimme 
Some More" only hints at how Busta is all about doing what he 
promises on track nine, "Keepin' It Tight."
	That Busta Rhymes approaches Y2K with his characteristic sense 
of humor (check out the skits which precede "Just Give It To Me Raw" 
and "Take It Off") is reassuring.  And his dedication to making the 
best of the worst of times is evident on the phat rump shaker "Do 
The Bus A Bus."
	Another lesson we should learn from Busta is the importance 
of brother/sisterhood in the future.  Busta practices what he 
preaches by enlisting the help of a few good musical soldiers on 
the _Event_.  Busta gets his steamy R&B groove on with Janet Jackson 
on "What's It's Gonna Be," and serves up metallic rap with Ozzy 
Osbourne on "This Means War," a millennium remake of "Iron Man."  
And adding yet another dimension to the hip-hop flow are Mystikal, 
of Master P's No Limit Posse, on "Iz They Wildin Wit Us & Gettin 
Rowdy Wit Us" and the Flipmode Squad, who throw down with Busta 
on "Against All Odds."
	Busta Rhymes has always been a man on a mission.  So it 
comes as no surprise that he has a lot to say about what's coming 
our way with the arrival of the big 2K.  Busta's got a survival 
plan which is presented in great detail on all of the songs here, 
but especially in  "Outro-The Burial Song."  _Extinction Level 
Event (The Final World Front)_ is a record with a message that is 
not to be taken lightly, and we would be wise to listen carefully.
---
	REVIEW: Black Crowes, _ By Your Side_ (American/Columbia)
		- Daniel Aloi
	"Tighter than ever..."
	"Back to their blues-rock roots..."
	"... rocking with the abandon of The Faces and Exile-era 
Stones..."
	Yes, these and many other critical cliches will be thrown at 
the Black Crowes' fifth album. But _By Your Side_ actually proves all 
of the above and more to be true -- and I wanna testify! The band 
successfully channels a slew of late-'60s/early '70s influences, from 
the golden age of British blues, Southern rock and Memphis soul, to 
make one great party album for 1999.  
	After flirting with psychedelia on 1996's _Three Snakes and 
One Charm_, and courting hippie audiences with long onstage jams 
while headlining the 1997 Furthur Festival tour (they'd headlined 
H.O.R.D.E. in 1995), the Crowes are back on the ground, in the bluesy 
element that first found them an audience with _Shake Your Money 
Maker_ in 1992.
	When drugs, divorce and inamicable departures put pressure 
on the band in 1997, they reassessed -- and decided to be a rock 'n' 
roll band again. So, if you've been following the band all these 
years, this new album is more _Shake_ than _Snakes._
	Skinny singer/showman/shaman Chris Robinson sounds more than 
ever like the love child of Otis Redding and Rod Stewart. His 
guitarist brother Rich Robinson (the siblings' battles are as 
legendary as the Gallaghers' or the Davies') is at his best even 
when recycling old riffs from Led Zeppelin, the Allmans and more. 
Keyboard player Eddie Harsch provides Stax-worthy grooves (and piano 
playing off the singer's drama) and the Dirty Dozen horns and five 
background singers give a gospel-and-soul underpinning to the Crowes' 
dynamic vision. Original drummer Steve Gorman is still there to keep 
the whole enterprise moving, and it's all new bassist Sven Pipien 
can do to keep up. The music may be derivative, but it sure does 
kick. Columbia calls the album "a serious kick-ass, riff-a-rama 
rock'n'roll record" and nearly all of the 11 songs bear that out in 
spades.
	Producer Kevin Shirley gives the band more than enough room 
to be both rocking and dramatic, and can be credited with a clean 
sound that doesn't distract from the down-and-dirty vibe the band 
goes for. As ever, religion, drugs, and lovers on their way out are 
primary themes.
	"Go Faster," while ostensibly about sex, also refers to 
"the chemicals you like." Then there's "HorseHead," a plea to a 
junkie, and the fervent, organ-laced "Go Tell the Congregation," 
which both play like heavy Humble Pie. Chris Robinson begs a woman 
not to leave in the affecting "Only a Fool" and says to just go in 
"Stop Kicking My Heart Around." The most soulful tune comes at the 
end: "Virtue and Vice,"  following "Diamond Ring," a richly emotional 
call-and-response proposal.
	While waiting for American Recordings to change corporate 
parents, the band showed its renewed strength with a tour of small 
clubs, to coincide with the release of a limited-edition box set 
last August.  _Sho' Nuff_ included all four of their previous albums 
digitally remastered. Each disc included two bonus tracks, a 
multimedia screensavers and full-length videos. The box also 
included a bonus live EP with five songs mixed by Shirley. 
	For more information go to http://www.blackcrowes.com 
---
	REVIEW: Ani DiFranco, _Up Up Up Up Up Up_ (Righteous Babe)
		- Jon Steltenpohl
	Ani DiFranco's latest album _Up Up Up Up Up Up_ takes Ani 
DiFranco to the next plateau in her career.  Whether you like it or 
not, she continues down the same path she toyed with on _Little Plastic 
Castles_; a mish-mash of poingant commentary and quirky performance art. 
Singular intensity has given way to fragmented playfulness.  The horns 
have been hauled away with a Wurlitzer dragged in, and DiFranco finally 
seems to be happy to be in a studio with a band.
	Where _Little Plastic Castles_ was somewhat tentative in its 
ventures, _Up_ takes big steps.  Half the tracks are fairly solid, 
straightforward tunes which are touching, but fairly low on the 
DiFranco intensity scale.  The rest fall into strange categories of 
varying degrees of songs, poems, and abstract musical art.  DiFranco 
takes the enthusiasm she had "remixing" the legendary Utah Phillips 
into the 21th century and applies it to her own sound.  Echoes and 
loops fight for attention while the trademark staccato blasts of the 
past are muted with a little R&B and an undercurrent of funky vibes.
	"Angel Food" and "Hat Shaped Hat" are poem songs with distorted 
vocals that bounce back and forth off the ropes and trade body slams 
and clotheslines as they wrestle for control of the sound board.  While 
they sound like they were a lot of fun to record and create, the 
finished product still shows the rough edges of the studio jam sessions 
they were mined from.  As such, their impact isn't nearly as remarkable 
as _Little Plastics Castles'_ "Pulse."  Not that either track is serious 
on any level.  They are, in fact, exuberant and silly.  "Angel Food" 
ends with an audio attack by Andy Stochansky on the "pocket Cajun" 
which is both entirely goofy and exceedingly annoying.
	Your mileage will vary on these tracks, and versions of the 
same theme seep to the other tracks in the album.  "Virtue" stalks and 
pounces like the dark cat DiFranco paints herself as, but the vocal 
distortions sneaking around the shadows of the beat just don't increase 
the value of the song.  DiFranco was much more intense when it was Ani 
vs. the world instead of the Ani Band.
	In the middle road, DiFranco is finding interesting topics to 
write about which aren't soaked in personal agony.  In "Everest", she 
sings of a trip to a gospel service with a friend whose silhoutte from 
a distance is "a lot like mine".  "So I took a deep breath," reflects 
DiFranco of her arrival, "and became the white girl with the hair."  
But, by the end of the service, her heart is filled and her friendship 
focused.  On the brilliant night as they walk and talk, "the moon was 
so beautiful that the ocean held up a mirror."  DiFranco's imagery and 
focus are still as sharp as when she writes in turmoil even if the 
emotional impact to the listener isn't as strong.  "Jukebox" and "Up 
up up up up up" are also solid songs musically, but, as with "Everest", 
the emotional tie-in just isn't there.
	"Trickle Down" and "'Tis of Thee" tackle societal and political 
issues with some success.  "Trickle Down" finds DiFranco at the bottom 
of a deep well of desperation as she describe the slow destruction of a 
town under Reagan's trickle down economic theory.  Her guitar bubbles 
up through an eeiry reverb and her vocals are whispered from far below. 
It perfectly captures the feeling of being trapped with no one out 
there to hear you.  "'Tis of Thee" is a mournful, plodding track of 
despair about drug use, poverty, and racism aimed at those who would 
"criminalize the symptoms while [they] spread the disease."  "Why don't 
you just go ahead and turn of the sun?," pleads DiFranco, "'cause we'll 
never live long enough to undo everything they've done to you."  It's 
an impassioned resignation that is framed perfectly by DiFranco's 
earnest performance.
	The two best tracks on the album are the most personal and the 
most straightforward musically.  "Angry Anymore" is a coming of age 
song.  In it, DiFranco comes to terms with her broken home and forgives 
both her father and her mother.  The banjo and accordian tinged intro 
feels a bit like a New Yorker's version of no depression music, but it 
doesn't distract from the song or the simple harmonies.  "Come Away 
From It" is an 8 minute opus that is rapturous.  DiFranco begs, pleads, 
and crys like a tortured diva.  Over and over she pleads to her lover 
who's self destructing trying to find deeper and deeper highs.  "Why 
don't you come away from it?", she challenges.  Slowly her fear gives 
way to a slight hint of frustration at having "to put the training 
wheels back on your bike."  Yet still she coaxes through the end.
	Taken as a whole, _Up_ doesn't really get you in the gut, 
doesn't bleed your emotions the way that DiFranco's breakthrough 
albums _Dilate_ and _Not a Pretty Girl_ did.  In comparison, the pace 
is slow and subdued.  Nearly plodding.  When set along side the live 
versions of these songs, _Up Up Up Up Up Up_ is nearly flacid.  Given 
the incredible recordings on her live album, _Living in Clip_, DiFranco 
would do better to re-record these songs live.  It's not that _Up_ is a 
bad album or that the songs are lacking.  On the contrary, it's pretty 
good.  It's just that DiFranco has done so much better in the past and 
she performs these songs so much better in concert.  _Up Up Up Up Up Up_ 
is, like _Little Plastic Castles_, an album Ani fans will enjoy but not 
treasure.
---
	CONCERT REVIEW: Manic Street Preachers / Catatonia, Manchester Arena
		- Tim Kennedy
	Catatonia's Cerys ambles onto the gargantuan stage of the MEN 
as if arriving at the pub.  Cloaked in a bizarre dressing gown 
reaching to the floor and in a floppy fur helmet with earflaps, 
she seems unconcerned at the adulation of the crowd - many 
whom are clad in or waving Welsh flags. Not that this is a purely 
Welsh affair - most here hail from around the north of England. 
	Cerys trades banter with the baying hordes then launches into 
a set derived largely from the hugely successful _International 
Velvet_.  The band are not a great technical unit,  but they 
serve as a reasonable platform on which Cerys can work her 
seductive charms.  For she is a star.  She is totally at home 
onstage,  slouching around,  or skipping about when the mood 
takes her.  Her tunes are strong enough to make any shortcomings 
of the band marginal. Her lyrics are complex,  whilst avoiding 
pretentiousness.  Cerys has a happy muse and whilst she 
seems a tad drunk at times,  it makes for a thoroughly enjoyable 
show,  and perhaps some of us bloody English can feel a little Welsh 
envy.  When she does her solo acoustic spot there is an unfeasibly 
warm and chummy atmosphere. 
	The Manics arrive with considerably more lights and drama.  The 
set is based around the _Design For Life_ album,  with highlights from 
the latest offering _This Is My Truth Now Tell Me Yours_. "Design For 
Life" and "Kevin Carter" are still the great stadium rockers,  and 
"Everything Must Go" is particularly incandescent.
	As always James is the dynamo,  stage-left these days,  punching 
out those superb power chords that drive the Manics along.  Nicky is 
stage-right in combat pants instead of the dress that was his favoured 
outfit on the last tour,  and waves his bass around like an overgrown 
stick insect doing a Peter Hook impression.  Sean is largely hidden 
behind his drum kit,  providing the backup for the guitar assault. 
	The current album promotional material has looked a bit pompous, 
with much waving of the word TRUTH.  The band still come across as they 
always did however,  albeit without the slight figure of Richey James at 
stage-left. 
	The new material live still displays the essential rock bombast 
that you'd expect from the Manics, and if there is a slight element 
of mid seventies prog rock in "I'm Not Working",  as if to offset 
this the band launch straight into "Motown Junk" - the Manics at 
their most punky. 
	Earlier material is also on show.  We get "La Tristesse Durera" 
- a very fine version - from _Gold Against The Soul_.  From _The Holy 
Bible_ we are treated to the excellent "She Is Suffering" and a 
blistering "Revol".
	"You Love Us" - one of their early singles,  and from a time when 
the very opposite was true - is the inevitable encore,  and Nicky sees 
fit to get his rope out and do a bit of skipping on his speaker stacks.
	Truly the Manics are the only true UK stadium band of their 
generation, but they manage to do it with such mad integrity that even 
the Richey fans in the crowd cannot but join in the general adulation.
---
	REVIEW: Reel Big Fish, _Why Do They Rock So Hard?_ (Mojo)
		- Simon Speichert
	Approximately two years ago, I had the good fortune to review 
this band's first release, _Turn The Radio Off_. From the first time I 
spun that CD, I had a gut feeling that the band I was listening to 
would make it to the big time; it is apparent to anyone who has 
followed them even slightly that they have "made it". Going from 
being starving artists playing at local parties to having their 
music played during the MTV awards is a big jump, and Reel Big Fish 
have handled it well.
	The title for the album is interesting. While two years ago, I 
considered Reel Big Fish a ska band, they have definitely made the 
transition into being almost a full-fledged rock band. There is, most 
noticably, a great deal less use of the horn section which comprises 
two-thirds of the band; also, more "rock" melodies and power chords are 
present in the songs on _Why Do They Rock So Hard?_.
	I semi-mourn the loss of the more "ska" feeling in Reel Big 
Fish's music. Don't get me wrong, it's still good music, still catchy 
as always, but in a different way. Fears assert themselves that Reel 
Big Fish will become "just another rock band". I doubt those fears 
will become reality, as Reel Big Fish's humor would never survive in 
a rock setting. However, we still (for now) have the great music from 
this 9-piece out of Southern California. Their songwriting is superb, 
with many a hook and catchy lyric. Some of the standout songs include 
"Brand New Song", "Thank You for Not Moshing", and "Scott's A Dork". 
Even their song titles evoke humor.
	Reel Big Fish seem to have jinxed the sophomore jinx with _Why 
Do They Rock So Hard?_. The songs are upbeat and catchy as always, and 
full of the band's trademark humor. If you bought _Turn The Radio 
Off_, pick this up now. If you're into ska, pick up both. If you want 
to hear a damned good rock/ska band, head down to your local record 
store now. You will not be able to take this album out of your CD player.
---
	REVIEW: Hefner, _Breaking God's Heart_ (Too Pure/Beggars Banquet)
		- Niles Baranowski
	The name is Hefner, as in Hugh, Playboy magazine and all things 
silicone.  It's an odd image for a Scottish band that maintains a 
working relationship with Belle and Sebastian and advises its 
listeners to "buy more Beach Boys records." Surprisingly though, 
their full-length debut, _Breaking God's Heart_ manages to mix both 
sex and jangle pop into an addictive and dynamic first effort.  
	While it is probably true that you can't throw a lump of haggis 
in Scotland without hitting a fairly promising guitar pop band, lead 
singer Darren Hayman's songs stand out from the cuddly, coy music made 
by many of his compatriots.  There is a rough sense of real sadness 
here, a slight twang to "Love Inside the Stud Farm" and even a feeling 
of accelerating disintegration as "The Sweetness Lies Within" draws 
to a close.  Fighting sentimentality at every turn, even the most 
lovey-dovey of the ten tracks-"A Hymn for the Postal Service" - is 
written to an expatriate pen pal who "let time slip through her 
skinny, skinny fingers."
	The album's standout cut is "The Librarian," a Neil 
Young-damaged lament about a patron who checks out smart-looking 
books to seduce the title character and fulfill the fantasy inside 
his head.  He fails, of course, and the scenario is touching and 
incredibly funny at the same time ("He would never kiss her eyelids," 
goes the song's mournful final line, repeated many times.  I'm sorry, 
man.).  The mix of emotions in Hayman's voice is as heady as a second 
trip through puberty.
	There are other great moments, too, like the bass-driven 
bravado of "God Is On My Side" and "Stud Farm"'s dejected chorus, 
but _Breaking_ is about more than the sum of its parts.  Unlike most 
of Scotland's single-oriented popsters, the album is complete and 
rounded in both its emotional and musical aspects. It isn't perfect, 
but it's whole and charming even in its imperfections.  Sexuality 
comes through in both the lyrics and the music, making for a visceral 
blend of pop music.  Less pastoral than Belle and Sebastian, able to 
look women in the eye better than Teenage Fanclub, Hefner may be 
Scotland's great white hope for twee-free music and sexually sane 
songwriting.
---
	REVIEW: The Starseeds, _Parallel Life_ (Millennium)
		- Tim Mohr
	Hush all you lonely, jaded scenesters, coming down, hungover, 
crying or kissing away lost moments of the past. Dubadelic waves of 
bass, hypnotic crests and troughs of synthetic whale noises, whispered 
confessions...a beat drifts in from afar: the Starseeds are playing.
	Way back in the early 90s, there was a school of music that 
formed a bridge between Primal Scream's _Screamadelica_ and the 
ambient dub of the Orb. Bands like One Dove and State of Grace put 
female vocals above slow beats - a style that over time evolved into 
things like Gus Gus, Sneaker Pimps, even Portishead.
	The Starseeds are students of this school as well, though they 
tend to sound more like the early masters One Dove than like more 
recent groups.  Utilizing a very Orb-esque set of principles to guide 
their percussion, Starseeds add touches of twangy guitar that show 
their devotion to Primal Scream. Vocals - like the manipulated lines 
in One Dove's "White Love" - are often looped or cut up, used like 
all the other instruments that are loaded onto the computer.
	In many cases their programmed beats follow stubbornly 
early-90s patterns, refusing to grapple with more recent innovations. 
This means, of course, that the Starseeds are willing to allow 
attention to focus on the essence of their music rather than on any 
particular part (these days, typically some minor innovation of drum 
sequencing) - and their willingness is warranted by the genuinely 
effective soundscapes they manage to create.
---
	REVIEW: Evelyn Forever, _Lost in the Supermarket_ (Airplay)
		- Daniel Aloi
	First off, despite the borrowed title, this does not sound 
much like The Clash.
	It sounds more like... The Cars, Cheap Trick and Superdrag on 
an all-night coffee jag. Or something very much like that.
	New Jersey's Evelyn Forever makes precise and joyous power pop 
in the same league as those bands, as well as such respected farm teams 
as Splitsville and The Posies. Employing just about every power-pop 
trick in the book, they're melodic and catchy almost to a fault. 
Starting with "Crush," sing-along choruses and swirling guitar lines 
wrap around crunching rhythm riffs; and you're forced to dance around 
the room, what with all the punching basslines and drumbeats under 
those joyous harmonies. Two or three minutes later, there's another 
one, doing the same thing to you all over again. The band breaks with 
this format on two of the nine tracks, the mid-tempo ballads "Cry" and 
"Rockin' Chair" -- they're just as catchy as the rest, just not played 
as fast and loud.
	The guitars of Mark Sanderlin and Reef Fanous are the stars 
here, playing off one another in myriad ways for endless hooks. They're 
joined by bassist Ed Yoo on vocals, and the clever and memorable 
songwriting (the chorus of "Teenage L.M.S." spells it out: "Love, 
Murder, Suicide") is credited to the entire band. Producer Tony 
Shanahan plays up all their strengths, although Matt Wilson's drums 
could be a little higher in the mix.
	This is Evelyn Forever's second full-length release for The 
Airplay Label, and it's even more solid and fun than their critically 
acclaimed 1997 debut, _Nightclub Jitters_. Both albums are among the 
best you'll find on the independent power pop scene. As proof, E4E's 
"Magic of the Moment" (off the new album) was chosen to lead off the 
recently released _International Pop Overthrow_ CD, a 20-band 
compilation on Del-Fi Records.
	For more information, go to http://www.evelynforever.com or 
e-mail E4E@evelynforever.com
---
	REVIEW: Kenny Howes, _Back To You Today_ (A.A.J.)
		- Bill Holmes
	Rickenbacker-wielding pop star Kenny Howes is back with his 
third record, yet another collection of ringing hooks and earnest 
vocals. The lo-fi production has its charms and drawbacks, sometimes 
framing songs in just the right minimalist setting but occasionally 
losing something in the fog bank.  Overall, however, it’s another 
solid effort that sees Howes depart from his past formula and take a 
few chances.
	The title track is certainly an example of his strong suit - 
bouncy chorus, solid hook and quick guitar break. This formula reaches 
its zenith on "Exactly Like You", a sing-along track that could lift a 
band out of the garage and onto a jukebox - even if it winds up being 
their only hit. The simple, fuzzy guitar break is perfect and you can 
almost see the audience swaying and hand-clapping along to the "Cathy's 
Clown" beat. And underneath it all, Kenny's trying to land a new girl by 
shredding all those losers he's hit on before - like THAT will work.
	Sometimes the stretches don't synch - "Something Really Great" 
sounds like Dylan doing the Monkees' "Randy Scouse Git", for example, and 
"Save You" is muddled angst. But "Never Left" sounds like the bonus track 
on the _Pet Sounds_ box set, and the epic closer "Free Tattoo" sounds 
like Moon and Townsend sat in on the session.
	Cohesive it's not - I think Kenny had a lot of snippets of ideas 
when he hit the studio and went for broke. Although you might find 
yourself skipping a tune here and there, there is enough immediate 
gratification to bring you back again, which is when you'll discover 
the chestnuts that appeal to you.  Howes played everything but drums 
(kudos to Kelly Shane) and wrote all the songs, and is a talent deserving 
your ear time. 
	For more information about Kenny Howes, set your browser to 
http://www.mindspring.com/~tchristoh/kenny .
---
	REVIEW: Smart Brown Handbag, _Little Things are Everything_ 
		(Stonegarden)
		- Reto Koradi
	New trends may be coming and going, but Smart Brown Handbag are 
obviously firm believers that some of them were just too good to be 
forgotten. With their 5th album, they keep up the fine art of intelligent 
guitar pop that peaked during the 80s. The fact that the voice of SBH's 
brain David Steinhart has a striking resemblance to Roddy Frame of 
Aztec Camera only reinforces the fond memories.
	_Little Things are Everything_ does not quite live up to the 
remarkable predecessor _Lullabies for Infidels_ from 1997, but it still 
features 10 carefully crafted and catchy pop songs, with bittersweet 
lyrics mostly about unhappy and lost love. This might not be an essential 
or even ground-breaking album, but it certainly is thoroughly enjoyable, 
and you may find yourself humming some of the tunes long after you turned 
of your CD player.
	Ordering information and some sound files can be found at
http://www.stonegarden.com
---
	REVIEW: Bill Puddle, _Bill Puddle_ (Huge Records)
		- Bill Holmes
	No, there's no poor sap with a name like that. Bill Puddle is 
actually a Toronto based four-piece that features good songs and an 
uncomplicated loose knit sound. Loose is good? Okay - think Neil Young 
jamming with The Replacements on "Ha Ha Ha" (all harmonics and loopy 
guitar lines), _Transformer_ era Lou Reed on "Family Tree" and the 
quirky folk-pop of Michael Shelley and Robyn Hitchcock on "Maybe 
Then". If you like those bands, you'll love these guys.
	Puddle's roots are obviously steeped in country and Stones 
riffs, but what makes the outcome so good revolves around Paul Emery's 
clever songs and Patrick Gregory's amazing range of guitar sounds. 
Gregory doesn't flash, he snakes his way around and through the 
material, catching your ear and acting more the navigator than the 
driver. The rhythm section is solid but never in the spotlight, much 
like the harmonies and background vocals never overwhelm Emery's 
effort. _Bill Puddle_ has many good moments like the lurching kickoff 
track "When I Let You Down", the folksy charm of "Saginaw" and 
especially the radio-ready "Making Believe".
	There are a billion records being released every day, and 
when I find something like this in the pile I remember why I love 
writing about music so much. An impressive debut. 
	For more information about the band, set your browser to:  
http://www.hugerecords.com/HTML/bill.htm
---
NEWS:	> The Chemical Brothers will be returning to the studio 
this week to finish working on the follow up to the Grammy winning 
album, _Dig Your Own Hole._  Although the new record is not yet 
complete, the band have begun work on collaborations with Oasis' 
Noel Gallagher; Bernard Sumner from New Order, and Mercury Rev 
singer/guitarist, Jonathan Donahue. The first single from the 
untitled album is due out in May, with no set release date yet for 
the record.
	> Public Enemy's Chuck D. and his latest song, "Swindler's 
Lust", are available on the in MP4 format through the Global Music 
Outlet.
	The song, according to manager Walter Leaphart, is "A direct 
response to Chuck being forced to take down [from their website] 
the MP3 songs from his unreleased, "Bring The Noise 2000" 
remix project."
	The track, which will not be available until later this 
spring (on Chuck D's _There's Poison Goin' Down_ ) is available at 
http://www.public-enemy.com and http://mp4.globalmusic.com .
---
TOUR DATES: 
	Black Sabbath / Pantera / Incubus
Jan. 19 Chicago, IL Rosemont
Jan. 22 San Antonio, TX Alamo Dome
Jan. 24 Dallas, TX Reunion Arena

	Black Sabbath / Deftones / Pantera
Jan. 25 Houston, TX Compaq Center
Jan. 28 Philadelphia, PA First Union
Jan. 29 Pittsburgh, PA Civic Arena

	Bluetip
Jan. 21 Richmond, Va Twisters 
Jan. 22 Columbia, SC New brookland Tavern
Jan. 23 Orlando, Fl Go Lounge 
Jan. 24 Tampa, FL The Fortunate One 
Jan. 26 Gainesville, FL Covered Dish 
Jan. 27 Atlanta, GA The Point 
Jan. 28 Carrborro, NC Go Rehersal 
Jan. 29 Philadelphia, PA Stalag 13
Jan. 30 Washington, DC Black Cat
Jan. 31 New York, NY Brownies

	Broadside Electric
Jan. 23 Watchung, NJ Arts Center

	City On Film
Jan. 19 Bakersfield, CA Jerry's
Jan. 20 Santa Cruz, CA UCSC Campus
Jan. 22 San Francisco, CA Cocodrie
Jan. 23 Portland, OR 17 Nautical Miles

	Dave Davies Kink Kronikles
Jan. 27-28 New York, NY The Bottom Line
Jan. 29 Schenectady, NY The Van Dyke
Jan. 30 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's

	Dots Will Echo
Jan. 22 New York, NY Sidewalk Cafe
Jan. 30 New Brunswick, NJ Plumb St.

	Jets To Brazil
Jan. 22 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
Jan. 23 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's

	One Minute Silence
Jan. 29 Winston-Salem, NC Ziggy's

	Seaweed
Jan. 28 Vancouver, BC Starfish Room
Jan. 29 Seattle, WA Breakroom
Jan. 30 Portland, OR La Luna
---
THE READERS WRITE BACK!
	> I read your review of _Live on 2 Legs,_ Pearl Jam's new 
live album. I really think that you didn't give Pearl Jam the credit 
they deserve. It's a great album by one of the best rock bands you'll 
ever find.  Your references to the loss of popularity and "fading 
out" were way off, in my opinion.  Yes, Pearl Jam is not quite the 
same album-selling band as 5 or 6 years ago. You seem to forget that 
they had many sold out shows this summer, and let me tell you, no one 
there seemed to think of Pearl Jam as a band on its way out. Pearl 
Jam still has a very large and active group of core fans that will 
be loyal for years to come, because Pearl Jam will be rocking for 
years to come! - Dawn T., Ohio
 
	> As far as your review of Pearl Jam's _Live On Two Legs_ 
goes, Steve Kandell's review lacks elements such as actual song 
description and proper research.  If I had never heard the disk, I 
would feel as if I had no idea of the style, feel or sound of the 
album at all after reading said review. There are no mention of 
lyrics (or subtle changes), very few specs on the way the music 
differs from the studio versions, and, as with every single review 
done on Pearl Jam by a non-fan, an underlying obsession with Pearl 
Jam having, or not having the crown of "World's Most Popular Band." 
They never had a torch, thay never passed a torch, there is no torch.
	The most interesting tidbit is Kendall's line about Pearl 
Jam shows not being as highly attended as in earlier years.  Check 
ticket sales friends... there was not a show on this 47 date tour 
that was not filled to capacity. The band continues to evolve, 
creating richer, more personal efforts with each album, and the 
skin of writers grows thicker and thicker, unable to see over their 
stack of alt-rock post-Pearl Jam ripoffs. - Christopher P., St. 
Louis, MO
 
	> I would just like to comment on the review written on Pearl
Jam's _Live on Two Legs_.  It seems to me it was implying how Pearl 
Jam was a great band in past times but now slowly fading away.  Pearl 
Jam is growing in popularity;  sure they lost many fans after 
spending nearly 2 years in hiding, but they are slowly rebounding and 
their music is becoming more recognized for the maturity of its 
sound. - Mark T., Canton, OH

	(Ed. Note: From "Band Worship, 101" - Ignore all comments 
that don't support the position as greatest band ever to grace the 
earth, including "willfully abdicated the rock crown they never really 
asked for in the first place", ignore any facts (Pearl Jam sells 
less records today than before, Pearl Jam plays to smaller venues, 
and their records aren't all over the radio), and only accept kind 
words with a condition that the critic should live and breathe 
every second of every song performed by the band.  Fortunately, 
passing Band Worship 101 doesn't require reading comprehension 
skills of the original article; otherwise, fans would 
have to take this class over and over again.
	In Band Worship 201, we'll talk about making fake backstage passes...
---

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