RECORDS
Thursday, Oct. 12
7:30 p.m.
BILL KINCAID,
JOHN LUCAS,
and RON TAYLOR
Fri. Oct. 26
Panel Presentation by
DOROTHY JONES,
PATRICIA STOVER,
and BETTY KAUFMAN
Prog. on Women and Work, Instit. of
Labor and Industrial Relations:
By MARK COLEMAN
Detroit is regarded in some circles as
the rock and roll capitol of the world. As
much as the local FM rock stations
harp on this point, the music heard on
the airwaves would indicate that rock
and roll in the area begins and ends
with Ted Nugent and Bob Seger.
Ironically, the local scene is undergoing
a virtual renaissance, evidenced by the
flux of independently produced singles
by local performers. The fact that most
of these groups are considered "new
wave" may be one reason you don't
hear them on the radio, but a sampling
of local releases defies such pigeon-
holing. There is a wealth of local rock
and roll that deserves investigation.
AS EVERYONE remembers from
Rock History 101, Ann Arbor was a hot-
bed of musical extremity (along with
everything else) in the late sixties. The
Stooges and MC 5 are revered by critics
developing scene. Foremost is Sonic's
Rendevous Band, whose roster reads
like a local all star list; Scott Asheton
(Stooges), Gary Rasmussen (th Up),
Scott Morgan (Rationals), and ex-MC 5
guitarist extraordinaire Fred "Sonic"
rea
ding from their works Sexual Harassment
in the Work Placed
GUILD HOUSE, 802 Monroe, (eornerofOakland)
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SING ACAPELLA IN CONCERT
OCTOBER 25 8 PM
POWER CENTER
A LL SEATS 6.50 AVAILABLE
AT MICHIGAN UNION BOX
OFFICE OCTOBER 4
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Smith. Their double sided release of
"City Slang" is a bitterly intense,
urgent rocker that nearly knocks over
an unsuspecting listener. Sonic's
snarling vocals are interesting if un-
decipherable, and his laconic soloing
adds a riveting tension to the relen-
tlessly pounding rhythm. Although by
no means progressive, "City Slang" is
a streetwise masterpiece that rocks
with enough authority and conviction to
have Ted Nugent quaking in his boots.
Fellow MC 5 guitarist Wayne
Kramer's solo effort, "The Harder
They Come/East Side Girl" (on the
English Radar label), marks an in-
rC
past may be, in the case of a band like
Destroy All Monsters, they are
inevitable. Guitarist Ron Asheton has
continued in much the same vein he
pursued with the Stooges, replacing
Iggy Pop with Niagara, a teenage'
lobotomy-cum visual artist-cum-rock
singer of nebulous talent. Ron made
rock and roll history when he stood up
to the "guitar heroes" of 1969 with his
primitive three chord attack, but on
"Nov 22/Meet the Creeper", he is pain-
fully unfocused, bogged down by a
leaden rhythm section and the preten-
tious inability of Niagara. Even on the
level of trashy entertainment that the
group's name suggests, this is a boring
record.
The idea of incorporating a female
lead singer in the traditional guitar
heavy sound has been successfully
realized by Flirt, a young band from
Detroit. Rockee Re Marx can not only
wail, but sing in a fluid, clear soprano
that the group's single "Don't Push
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Me/Degenerator" fails to capture. The
victim of an inexpensive pressing,
Marx's voice is reduced to an upper
register shreik. The songs themselves,
however, are quite strong and the band
cooks throughout, especially on
"degenerator" with a dramatic mid-
song break. This band has improved
tremendously in the year since this
single was recorded and comeshighly
recommended live.
THE MOST interesting local release of
the past summer is the most typical in
terms of a local "sound" to date.
"Strawberry Cheesecake/Modern
Noise" by the Algebra Mothers mixes
David Byrne's nervous vocal style with
melodic organ and shrill, piercing
guitar over a busy but danceable beat.
Gerald Collins' eschewal of power
chords and great sense of timing make
him the most unusual of local guitarists
and "Strawberry Cheesecake"
becomes the most idiosyncratic and
tuneful local release to date. This sense
of experimentation realized is a good
omen for the future of both this band
and local music in general.
There are a number of remaining
local releases of varying quality and in-
terest. The Mutants' "So American"
is a classic of sorts; a crude but
humorous social put-down set to an an-
noyingly cute Beach Boys-type melody,
wth a flip side that is downright crude.
The 27 add shreiking electronics and
cello p'laying to the heavy metal
melodramatics of "Don't Go to Ex-
tremes!" The music here is nominally
diverting, but singer Mark Norton's at-
tempts at Iggy-style historonics and"
phrasing come out sounding like a
strained Alice Cooper.
The Cubes' four song EP on Tremore
establishes them as an ambitious but
derivative band. From their lighthear-
ted pop approach (complete with
keyboard hooks) to lead singer
Carolyn's sharp voice and not-so-
innocent teen lyrics, the Cubes appear
(and sund like) self-intended clones of a
certain new wave band with a big solo
hit.
COMPLETELY ON THE distaff side,
Nikki and the Corvettes combine girl-
group vocal harmony with Rockabilly
on the Bomp issue "Honey Bop/Shake
it Up." This stylistic contrast is an at-
tention grabber, but ultimately the
cloying innocence of the vocals and the
desperate urgency of rockability don't
mix well. Nikki and the girls, however,
are rehearsing a new band which m-
cludes two members of the East Quasi
spawned Infidels, so this group's future
and punk rockers alike for their fusion
of raw energy, rock and roll basics and
total committment. Not surprisingly,
the former members of these bands
form the backbone of the currently
BOUNCE FOR
BEATS
Sigma Alpha Mu
Fraternity
will hold its annual
24 hour Basketball Marathon
"BOUNCE FOR BEATS"'
fund raiser on the
diag this FRI & SAT
All proceed, will
go to the
Michigan Heart
Association
teresting contrast to "City Slang."
Replacing Jimmy Cliff's reggae'
rhythms with a catchy three note guitar
riff and funky bass line, he turns the
Jamacian standard into an uptempo
rocker, more reminiscent of Bob Seger
than the MC 5.
The flip side is an original in the same
mode, featuring some nice guitar and
piano alongside a slightly funky rhythm
track. This combination of forceful
playing and a more varied beat seems
somewhat of a novel diversion, yet
Kramer's current touring band,
featuring the N.Y. Dolls' and
'Heartbreakers' guitarist Johnny
Thunders and local jazz/blues fusion
drummer John Morton, could prove
noteworthy.
AS ODIOUS as comparisons to the
Broadway's Most Honored Play o
of the SeasonV
Winner of Four Tony Awards
m ~liii ilcdi h sa
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direction is definitely up in the air.
The most promising of the new local
bands, the Romantics, are currently
recording a debut album for whi NerQ-
porer that should, if their past efforts
are any indication, set the Knack s
claims to the power-pop throne to rest
once and for all.
On the whole the Detroit rock scene is
extremely healthy. The aforemep-
tioned groups and a host of others play
frequently both on the Detroit club cir-
cuit and at Ann Arbor's Second Chance.
Along with the singles, this is ample op-
portunity for the adventurous rock
listener, in his/her own backyard.
See and hear it for yourself. The next
time someone mindlessly calls Detroit
the Rock-n-roll capitol of the world, you
can tell them why.
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The U-M Dept. of,'
Lion Theatre & Drama/
aend SHOWCASE
Jewel PRODUCTION
Oct. 31-Nov. 3
By Wole 8 PM
Soyinka TRUEBLOOD
THE ATRE
Tickets available at
.d _the PTP ticket
f~office-Mich.
Trueblood Box
Office prior to
f of performance.
(764-0450)
it (O. J4 J'
OCTOBER 26-28
FRI & SAT- 8pm-SUN-2pm&8Dm
POWER CENTER
PROFESSIONAL THEATRE PROGRAM
Tickets available at PTP ticket office
Michigan League PHONE: 764-0450.
Hours: Mon-Fri 10-1 & 2-5pim
Asat all HUDSON'S outlets
ENERGY
We can't
afford to
waste it.
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Presents
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Prize is a Car
5-7pm Fri.Oct.26
Must be registered
by 4:00 at The bar.
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