Pge 24 --The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 8, 1988
ENTERTAINMENT
Lapides hopes fans dig 'Miners
BY TODD SHANKER
The magnetism of good "pop"
music should never be underesti-
mated. Music tailored for mass ap-
peal doesn't have to sound like
Whitesnake (wimp/wuss metal),
Richard Marx (gushy "love-hurts"
crap), or even Madonna
(dunce/dance grooves). Whether it
be catchy, melodic, lyrical, creative
or just plain fun, quality "pop"
music can really be enjoyable. This
is no small spectrum either, as the
"good stuff" could be anything from
Tracy Chapman and Big Star to
William Shatner's Shakespearing of
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."
LUCKILY, the Ann Arbor area
is. blessed with their very own
excellent pop band - the Folkmin-
ers. Led by singer/songwriter/gui-
tarist Sam Lapides, the Folkminers
create music of elusive beauty by
I -.
blending jangly guitars (a la R.E.-
you know who!), the melodic,
melancholy baritone of Lapides, and
oblique, dreamy lyrics. The band
also includes Marty Fletcher, whose
fluid lead guitar is embellished with
a barndance country twang, and the
brisk yet rustic rhythm section com-
prised of Tom Dunham (bass) and
Randy Sabo (drums).
"I can't deny that I hear some
R.E.M in our music. I mean, I like
the band and I listen to 'em a lot,"
Lapides admits. "But I also hear the
Rolling Stones and Byrdsy country
guitar playing. I guess the Folkmin-
ers play country-folk-rock because
sometimes our music rocks, some-
times it's folksy and sometimes it's
kinda country."
A LITTLE BIT country and a
little bit rock&roll? Sounds like
Donny and Marie Osmond. How-
ever, just one listen to the Folkmin-
ers' self-titled EP will snuff that
idea. It's reflective music that will
have you hummin' along after a
couple listens. Adds Lapides, "I've
been humming songs since I was
eight years old. I used to hum so
much I'd drive my family crazy. I
even would hum myself to sleep."
Figures, huh?
Since coming to Ann Arbor in
1978, Lapides has played drums
with the Evaders and Tool-and-Die,
and later made cameo acoustic
guitar appearances with the Mortals.
In 1985, he released a solo cassette
that sold minimally in the Ann
Arbor area. "I was like, shit, why
isn't anybody buying this tape -
it's really good. Then I realized no
one knew who I was or what my
music sounded like," says Lapides.
"Then someone said to me 'I
think the people that play in the
Arch are the most gutsy people,"' he
continues. "Well, I love a dare, so I
went in there and started playing. I
started reaching a lot more people
and it even was slightly profitable -
Oh, don't put that in, people won't
feel sorry for me," laughs Lapides.
"Seriously, people really hear about
you when you play under the Arch
or in the Diag."
AFTER FORMING the Folk-
miners in January 1987, Lapides and
the band had their first taste of the
dog-eat-dog atmosphere present
among the beer-bar music scene.
"The club owners are kind of a pain
in the ass; they're never excited
about anything," Lapides complains.
"You just have to eat their shit and
keep going; keep making your
posters and postering, and then go to
your shows and be happy that
people show up."
And show up they did. Word
spread quickly - from Deadheads
to grunge-gurus to folk-lovers to
frat-brats - that the Folkminers
were a cool band. From their
downhome, shaggy-dog originals to
late-night, beer-guzzling covers, the
Folkminers seemed to please
everybody.
Unfortunately, the band found
spreading their music beyond the
Ann Arbor/Detroit area to be an ar-
duous task. "It's really frustrating
and discouraging. I send tapes out; I
get rejections," Lapides laments.
"Most of the companies want to see
you live so sometimes living in
Michigan is really shitty. I'm not
trying to offend anyone, but there's
no record labels here. Plus the major
companies expect a certain sound
from Ann Arbor - the Iggy Pop
stigma."
"IT'S INTERESTING that
supposedly we've got somewhat of a
following in Italy," he says. "We've
only gotten two reviews from Eu-
rope that I know of, and they've
done more for us than any of our
American clips. In the U.S. it's hard
to communicate your music on a
larger level unless you're reviewed
in Rolling Stone or Spin."
The Folkminers have excavated
their share of musical gems, and as a
Entertainment
quality pop band, one can only hope
their new, cassette-only release Two
Feet Down and a Million Miles high
(Office) will bring them an even
greater audience. "I'm into mass
appeal," Lapides unabashedly states.
"That seems to be a no-no in the
underground music scene. You
suddenly become uncool because
you want popularity. People look 4t
you and go 'Oh, you're selling out,'
I just think it'd be nice to make
living at something you love."
Michigan Daily
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