ARTS The Michigan Daily Thursday, October 31, 1985 Page 5 Minutemen to sound the call in Detroit By Hobey Echlin B RACE YOURSELVES and ready yourselves for a night of eclectic rock 'n' roll frenzy. Six months and two records later, here come the Minutemen to amaze Detroit again. The Minutemen gained national at- tention with their much lauded four- sided gem Double Nickels On the Dime, followed by their Project Mer- sh EP ("Something for everybody," quips bassist Mike Watt). Their most recent drop in the pop bucket is the just-completed 3 Way Tie for Last which is yet another amazing testament to the band's versatility and sheer diversity. The advanced single from 3-Way Tie features a brilliantly poppy A- side, "Courage," D. Boon's ode "...to the men who died for glory." The song has a Madonna-meets-Minutemen sound, characterized by Boon's strained baritone and fuzzy guitar, Watt's "Like a Virgin" bass line, and sturdy drumming from George Hurley. Watt explained the songwriting process. "D. Boon came in with the song with really heavy guitar in mind. I didn't want so much guitar so I told him I was going to use the Madonna bass line. The whole song was a funny compromise, like in the end, where D. Boon's guitar goes acoustic. He said he'd do that only if I'd do a solo to beef up the sound." Lennon and McCartney would be en- vious.. The B-side features "What is it?" and "Stories," both co-written by Kira of Black Flag. Sheer diversity is again key as the thrashy pap of side A is countered with the ditty-ish "What is it?" Its sound lies somewhere bet- ween Spanish swing and the "Peanuts" theme, with an acoustic approach and jumpy feel. Door-isms abound in "Stories" and for once, they make °a genuine case for musical coexistence without rip-off. The Doors sound, Watt assured me, is purely coincidental. "Stories," melancholy, is exacted by Boon's low and brooding voice. Sparse drumming, and a low, minimalist bass line add to the mood. It marks a shift in the typically up- beat M-men style, and gets no objec- tion from me. After all, you have to stop dancing sometime. According to Watt, the band's diversity stems from the fact that, "our fingerprints are very strange." As for their growing pop appeal, a far cry from their early days of relative hardcore obscurity as a warm-up band for Black Flag, Watt had this to offer... "It's only pop music if people go out and buy it. It's nothing we aim for. On the band's wide mix of styles, Watt commented, "I love the stuff that breathes." The Minutemen languished in relative obscurity for a long time, so when the national rock press began taking notice of their work, the band felt vindicated, but frustrated that their hard-to-categorize sound had paralyzed the critics. "They wanted us to go away," Watt explained, "For a while they had us nailed under the Dewey-decimal system for classifying our sound. But their two- dimensional cataloguing just wasn't enough. We're out to confuse people with our diversity, and I think we do." Watt views the Minutemen's new rise to stardom from obscurity with a respectable degree of humility. "We were never the hip people. I mean, I thought Van Halen was punk rock." He attributes much of their success to perseverance. "When you've stayed with the elitist punk-rock flavor-of- the-week long enough, the average guy will like you." Future plans include the November 15 release of 3-Way Tie (coinciding with the tour to "channel all those lit- tle dribblers into one pisser," as Watt put it), and - get this - an extensive tour with R.E.M. in late November and December. But for now, the Minutemen are concentrating on confusing and over- whelming the general public with their quantum-rock sound. And in the process, they'll show Detroit the time of its life at the Graystone Hall tonight. Ann Arbor's Laughing Hyenas, featuring ex-Negative Approach singer John Brannon and L-Seven's K Larissa on guitar will open. The Hyenas deliver a raw but calculated dark rock with haunting power. Definitely a band to watch for. The Graystone is located at 7816 Michigan Avenue, just outside Dear- born in Detroit, easily accessible from 1-94. Admission is $7 at the door. Call .833-3176 for details. The Hyenas will start promptly at 10 p.m. THE DAILY CLASSIFIEDS ARE A GREAT WAY TO GET FAST RESULTS CALL 764-0557 A(Bird JAZZ CLUB The Bird of Paradise Ann Arbor's Only Jazz Club Located at 207 South Ashley 662-8310 Featuring: LIVE JAZZ ENTERTAINMENT Seven nights a week 9:00 P. M. - 1.30A. M. BUT We're not just a nightclub. Come join us Monday-Friday, 5 P.M.- 8 P.M. for - Happy Hour Drink Specials * After work Snacks ALSO Wed.-Friday & Football Saturdays Live Music 5:30 P.M. - 7:30 P.M. Chain.Link Fence pops over By Hobey Echlin C HAIN LINK FENCE isn't like all, those guitar-oriented jangly- bands that are all-too-cliche in today's music. For the handful of people who saw them at the Blind Pig last night, Fence proved their distinction and then some, with an hour-long set of pop-rock frenzy. With the set-opening "Generate," from their Fireworks LP, Fence was on, as guitarist Prescott Cronin's Townsend-jumps, 'and bassist Kip Boardman's intermittent leaps out to the barren dance floor fueled the visual fire . Singer Billy Barrett was at his pop-idol best with his white socks, black loafer approach and his omnipresent pulsing left leg matching the baritone power of his early Joe Jackson-like voice. During "Fireworks", Fence proved youy can have your pop and eat it, too. Barret crooned through the song while Cronin's guitar untamed the pop sound with varied meanderings. Fence proved that while their vinyl might be a little slick, their live shows can still get sweaty, especially during "Us", where hysteria was the rule. Cronin kept the Fence away from too many pop-isms with his eclectic guitar work. His unique hybrid of Peter Buck, Bob Mould, and The Edge's guitar style kept me intrigued, if not amazed, with his ability to work so dextrously within the essentially straight-forward rock 'n' roll Fence sound. During "How Many", Cronin demonstrated his command of the myriad-effect guitar, with styles and effects echoing the powerful guitar sound of Husker Du. Fence was at is power-pop-rock best during "Upstairs Downstairs." The song's essentially nonsensical lyrics make it a great excuse to put just about every pop-rock element together, linking an anthemic guitar line, jumpy bass, and harmonizing backing vocals. Barret even took to the dance floor for his own bit of pop- frenzy. A rousing cover of "Get Ready" (of recent Hall and Oates fame) rounded out the set with Fenceat its finest. Their U2-goes-pop approach to the song, with percussive stacatto guitar ala Edge from Cronin, by Boardman's popping bass, and hi-hat riding drumming anchored Barret's. Motown croon. After the set, Cronin told me Fence is moving on to open for Husker Du, having completed a series of recent dates with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The band is also working on a new EP, and preparing for a shift to a, gulp, major label from their current label, Throbbing Lobster. But for now, six more weeks of touring are Fence's major concern. With performances like their Tuesday night appearance at the Pig, they should have no problems establishing themselves as integral members of the new music scene. Are you LOOKING FOR A JOB NEXT TERM? Are You A CAMPUS LEADER? Apply to be a Campus Day Student Leader Help prospective students experience the University Applications and information available at the Office of Admissions, 1200 S.A.B. through Nov. 8 INDUSTRIAL TOS RE LA TIONS DAY (All Graduate Students Welcome) : Saturday, November 2nd S8:30 am. - 4 p.m. The Executive Lounge in the School of Business Administration A workshop focusing on careers, human resource development, and labor relations. Call for info. 763-1187 sponsored by the Institute of Labor Industrial Relations When a 4 hour test counts as much as 4 years of school, you'd better be prepared. * Correction LSAT,GMAT,GRE classes forming now Crue in action was inadvertently prin- ted without proper credit given to the photographer, Jae Kim, in Wed- nesday's Daily. LSAT GMAT MCAT SAT GRE Preparation for LSAT, GMAT, GRE, MCAT, SAT. Day and evening, weekday and weekend classes. Guarantee: Score in the top 25% or take the next course free. 1-800-222-TEST The National Center for Educational Testing National Center '