10 The Daily Collegian State College music scene gets dis-Jointe • Eggbound, Load contemplate leaving By CATHY ROWELL Collegian Arts Writer On a front porch on West College Avenue, late in the evening, members of the band The Joint contemplated their future. "Rolling Stone?" said the band's bassist, Brian Dean, imagining their faces splashed brightly across the cover of the magazine. "I'd laugh so hard." "I'd much rather be on the cover of Spin," said Greg Rizzer, guitarist for the band. Drummer Matt Epperson decided he wants to be a pin-up in Tiger Beat. But flaunting themselves in internationally-circulated music magazines and gaining a pop following is not the ultimate goal of The Joint, a band which has a loyal group of fans in State College. In only a couple weeks, the band members are about to make one of their biggest career moves on August 23 they leave State College for San Francisco where they hope to find a record label that will allow them to compose, perform and record as they want to, and not try to make them conform to what the majority of what the public wants. The two-week journey will also be a kind of nationwide tour: They'll stop in St. Louis, Mo. and Kansas City, Mo. and other places to perform. They'll travel in a van, ("A big blue one!" said Dean) and take only their clothes, equipment and a stuffed wombat. The Joint plays exclusively original pieces, influenced by the likes of the Beastie Boys, The Meters and Primus. "Some people call us a funk band. We don't consider ourselves to be a funk band," said Rizzer. Capsule Review The City Eye of the Needle A lot of local bands have fun hemming and hawing about how blasé the original music scene is here in Happy Valley. Sometimes it results in cool, funky juice (i.e. The Joint) and other times in marbled, elitist noise (insert band of choice here). But instead of such bitching, local band The City used its time to garner an impressive following, steady bar nights and a CD release, Eye of the Needle. Hey, as the adage goes, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. The City (formally Emerald City, duh) has always been known for playing plenty of covers by U 2 and Pearl Jam, and this brand of guitar oriented alternative rock heavily influences their original material. Tracks like "She Stands Alone" and "When You Fall," (with Paul Thistle's husky Eddie Vedder-esque voice and enough hooks and familiar riffs) could instantly blend in on any mainstream radio station. The lyrics do border on being cliché: "I've never seen the sky so blue/ when I said goodbye to you" from "So Blue," and a bit bizarre: "She sells salvation/virgin copulation." But for the most part, Eye of the Needle is simply pleasing, catchy, harmless bar rock. Fans of The City will love this 7-track album, a mixture of happy pop tunes and slower, strumming ballads. It doesn't capture their sweaty stage presence, but Eye of the Needle demonstrates a reasonably cool first effort. Queen Bee & The Blue Hornet Band Dealin' the Blues Tonya Browne and Mark Ross are a strange combination on stage sometimes. Since both are extremely talented, it can be hard for an audience "Some people call us a funk band. We don't consider ourselves to be a funk band." Greg Rizzer guitarist, The Joint They lack any definite label for themselves, hut mention the word "hip-hop" a lot. They also play without a vocalist, though they hope this is only temporary. The lack of a vocalist has its advantages they believe it's helped them develop a style as a band. When they do get a vocalist, Rizzer says, "The vocalist must match our style, not vice-versa." But the problem with not having a vocalist, said Rizzer, is that it "annoys people. There's no one for them to stare at." The Joint said they wouldn't mind staying in State College except for the fact that they believe there is no established, original band scene. "People don't go to check out new bands," Dean said. With such a large population of college students, it seems as if there ought to be a decent following of people who are interested in new music. This is sadly not the case, the band said. This is a topic that many bands in State College could rant about tirelessly. "A bar is just a paying frat party," said Chris Pilione, the band Load's guitarist. "People go to party. They don't want to have to think about (the music), to decide 'is this good?' or 'is this bad?' " A new venue Left: Sterling Ruby of the band Funeral Horse rips off some power chords Sunday night at the Phoenix Palace base ment, 111 Sowers St. Above: Ruby adds vocals to the York band's hardcore sound. The Phoenix Palace is now the only location for all-ages shows, since the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in town has changed its policies. by Sally Kuzemchak also Guitarist Greg Rizzer, left, drummer Matt Epperson and bassist Brian Dean of The Joint jam in a basement on West College Avenue. The band, which had a regular gig at Cafe 210 West, 210 W. College Ave., has decided Load includes Pilione, Rick Williams on bass, Jerry Conrad on drums, and Ken Doleman on vocals. They are currently looking for a new name, after discovering that another band has the name Load under a trademark. Members of the band Eggbound blame the lack of an original band to get a grip on what to watch: It's either Browne's toe-curling vocal ability, or Ross' guitar showmanship. When they're both on, it's a goosebump affair. Their latest is the first recording to catch the band truly blending in a way that reflects its strength without watering down individual performances. Dealin' the Blues is full of musical craftsmanship, from the full sound of "Sleepy" Jack Wilkinson's drumming to the patient and refined saxophone of new member Doug Bernstein. Also, new bassist Rene Witzke grooves just fine in place of departed Ronnie Wasco, who helped write one of the songs on the disc. Seven of 11 tunes on the album were penned by some combination of everyone in the band. The production, by the band and local harp player Mark Wenner, is far superior to the previous album, Harder Than a Freight Train. Most of the tracks sound like they were recorded live in one take, with no B.S. added. The standouts are "Under His Spell," "Don't Touch Me Baby" and the blistering "90 MPH," but the rest of the album is seamless, including "Baby What You Want Me to Do" a muggy, one-take, one-microphone acoustic jam. Most importantly, Dealin' the Blues rarely forces the listener to choose between Browne and Ross. It captures a State College treasure and deals it out with nothing up the sleeve. by Joe Warminsky Don Caballero; Donora/Blowout Kit The instrumental has never been a popular musical form beyond the realms of classical, jazz, surf rock and now, techno. Heck, without words, there'd be just noise. At least that's the sentiment of the majority of ITZEI scene on the "super-conservative" attitude of the student population. Eggbound includes Bob Kissinger, vocals/guitar, Chuck Basset, guitar, Bob Sweeny, bass, and Jason Ranck, drums. Recently, they've recorded their soon-to-be-released single titled "Ampersand." Local rappers leave for Atlanta By PAUL GIANGIORDANO Collegian Arts Writer An isolated college town in the middle of Appala chia is not exactly fertile ground for hip-hop acts. As a matter of fact, the hip hop scene in State College is virtually non-existent, and it may not improve once Straight Roots Productions moves on. "Penn State is too conservative, and hip hop wouldn't be in Penn State's best interest," said Martin Stoyer (senior-management information systems) of Straight Roots. Stoyer and his partner, Kether Gallu-Badat, a former University student, are relocating to Atlanta once classes end. "People from Sony and Columbia are looking at us down there," said Stoyer, adding that there is more opportunity for hip-hop acts in Atlanta. "It's the place to he. Record companies are moving down there." Stoyer and Gallu-Badat said they have no regrets about leaving. Gallu-Badat spoke of a show where he and Stoyer performed at Cafe 210 West, 210 W. College Ave. The band they performed with disagreed with the explicit content of the pair's lyrics. "They wanted to tone our stuff down," he said. the buying public. Three area bands are trying to change that tune. Two of them, Donora and Blowout Kit, have combined to release a split 7-inch on Donora's label, City of Champions, and it could awaken anyone out of the musical blahs. Although hardly Coltrane, both jam enough to hold my attention. Donora's "Little Chocolate Donuts" (on "Side Juan") marks a sort of return to the band's roots. A year ago, the trio used to play only instrumentals until singer and guitarist Travis Etling added lyrics but now he rests his pipes for more sonic conventions. Building up a dense, distorted mix anchored by a sturdy rhythm section, Etling charts a web of guitar prattle that only heightens in tension. In some circles, Blowout Kit has been jokingly referred to as "Donora Jr." This 7-inch, the band's first recorded outing, has the band breaking out of Donora's shadow. "Spindly Legs" (on "Side Buck") provides enough amplified muscle to recall Steve Albini's Big Black and Rapeman. Although there are vocals, they're so unintelligible the song might as well be considered an instrumental. Pittsburgh area-based Don Caballero features guitarist Mike Banfield, who used to play with the other members of Donora drummer Darren Zentek and bassist George Draguns in the band Slag. Don Cab has an album (produced by Albini) coming out in the fall on Chicago's Touch and Go records. For those who can't wait for the full length effort, the band has released a two-song 7- inch. You could play the A-side, "Our Caballero," at either 33 or 45 RPM it sounds cool either way. This type of guitar work may have been pioneered by Pussy Galore and the Pain Teens, but the band goes beyond those well-traveled paths. by Jason Cherkis ,y~ to take its funk rock sound to the West Coast to search for a singer and a record deal. A number of other bands are ready to pack their bags, including the rappers of Straight Roots Productions. (See story below.) Both Eggbound and Load have been looking into moving to Raleigh, N.C., which Ranck explains as "a music scene that hasn't blown up yet where there are a lot of cool bands." This means a greater chance of signing a better record deal. "A lot of people think if a band When asked what could improve the rap scene in State College, Gallu-Badat responded, "Not a lot. This is a hick town with little urban influence, and they want to keep it that way." Stoyer said that there is little opportunity for hip-hop acts in the area because there are few places for them to perform. "All State College needs is one person who is motivated," said Stoyer. He pointed to the new club Tatoo, 420 E. College Ave., as an opportunity of which "nobody's really taken advantage." But Stoyer and Gallu-Badat said there are some advantages to being a hip-hop act at Penn State. "We're pretty much out of the real world up here, musically and culturally. Penn State has helped us because it isolated us from outside influences," said Stoyer, adding that being here has provided Straight Roots more room for creativity. Stoyer said another advantage was meeting Gallu- Badat, with whom he had "real good chemistry." Both said they produce their tracks by mixing in music from records with sampled drum heats, and send in about a tape a week to the copyright office. "That's how you get in the door, by doing remixes. We're working with people who are more established." Straight Roots Productions Short, White & Ugly Considering home-grown hip hop is a rarity in State College, fans should look out for Straight Roots' Short, White & Ugly. And even for those who may be indifferent to hip hop, this smooth 12 track demo EP is sure to appeal to a broad range of listeners from devout rap fans to the easy listening audience. The tone is set in the instrumental intro of the album, "Nocturnal Emission," a track with a jazzy drum beat, mellow acoustic bass, spacy sax and soulful female vocals. The next song "Keep it on the DL" is the first vocal track featuring rhymes to a catchy funk beat and soothing keyboards, and the third track, "Short, White & Ugly" samples melted down Steely Dan to a subdued scratchin' turntable and spacy horns. "We Would Like to Dedicate," probably the most hard-hitting of tunes on the album, features more funky rhymes to a dancy beat and mellow organ. Basically, the groovy sound stays the same throughout the album soft and abstract, yet funky and danceable. Unlike many hip hop albums, this one features as many instrumental tracks as it does vocal tracks, and in contrast to most rap which has a clean computerized sound, Short, White & Ugly is raw and unrefined, as background vinyl crackles can be heard in many of the songs. Perhaps the only turnoff to be found in the EP is the occasionally sexist lyrics: "You gotta keep a ho down low/ that's where they belong." But otherwise, the album is worth looking out for. It's just as good for a party as it is for an after-work chill-out session. Hopefully, somebody will notice it when they get to Atlanta. Tuesday, Aug. 3, 1993 isn't on Atlantic, then they aren't any good," says Sweeny, "That just isn't true." By not "playing cover songs year in and year out," like the majority of the State College band scene, they have already shown a strong sense of self and a desire for creativity, Rizzer said. Collegian Photo/Mark Pfatf by Paul Giangiordano
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