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ARTS
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The Michigan Daily
Friday, October 14, 1988
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Psst! Hey, kid. Screaming Trees wanta sell you a letter
'0.' You can pick it up, along with a powerful good
earache, at the Blind Pig tonight as they open for SST
artists fIREHOSE, themselves well supplied with
capital letters. Tickets are $10.00 in advance, $12.00 at
the door. Doors open at 9:30 p.m., and the Trees take
the stage at 10:00.
Top
this,
Yellowstone!
a
The Trees will blaze away...
BY BRIAN BERGER
"Look, I was there when John Lennon got shot and I just fucking laughed
and blew splooey in his face. Yo, Mark David, if you're reading this, right
on bro-mo-fo. RINGO'S NEXT! "
-Thurston Moore, noted non-metal dude
...& Ed carries the fIREHOSE
BY GREG BAISE
I
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Detroit Area Phone: 526-6990
F renchtown Square " Fairane Town Center " Lakreside Mall " Northland Mal " southland Mall " Eastland Mal
Buhl Building" Renaissance Center " Lathrop Village" Tally Hall " Twelve Oakes Mall " Roseville Plaza " Brarwood
Mall " Macomab Mall " Wetland Mal " Wincheter MalP Flint, MI: Genesee Valley Mall " Courtland Center " Grand
Rtapids,.M: North Kent Mall " Woodland Mall " Holland. MI: Weatahore Mall
W ell said, Thurston, well said. It's fucking 1988 and people are still
wasting their time on some dead limey who hadn't made a decent record since
1970. Yeah, the Beatles were good, but they certainly weren't the godly
geniuses that flocks of musical know-nothings proclaim them to be.
Particularly nauseating has been all the pathetic drivel spilled over the dead
and forgotten corpse of Sgt. Pepper.
Listen up, because this is fact: In 1967, even mainstream bozos like the
Byrds, the Who, Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, and the
Yardbirds had albums that kicked the Beatles' ass. Considering this, I don't
even need to mention that freaks and punks like Captain Beefheart, Velvet
Underground, Mothers of Invention, Count Five, Moby Grape, Question
Mark and the Mysterians, Troggs, Them, and the Fugs made records ten
times better than anything the drab four ever did.
And the world turns once more. While millions of idiots line up to buy
the latest pieces o' shit from R.E.M. and U2, Screaming Trees records gather
dust in indie bins. And that dear friends, not Albert Goldman's boring book,
is the real rock and roll tragedy of 1988.
The Screaming Trees are four white hot Washingtonians that create
psych-driven melodic blasts of caterwauling guitar beauty. A band for three
years now, the current members of the Screaming Trees are Mark Lanegan
(vocals), Gary Lee Conner (guitar), Mark Pickerel (drums), and Donna
Dresch (bass), who recently replaced Gary's brother Van.
The Screaming Trees are latest record is called Invisible Lantern. Simply
put, this is a great record. Like their pals and fellow rocking friends Beat
Happening, the Screaming Trees prove that even sane people can kick out
the jammies. I mean, as much as I love nihilistic trashcore noise mongers
that are consumed by lust, self hate, and paranoia, it's very cool to hear a
group that that knows how to use melody and simple (dare I say sensitive?)
affecting lyrics while still rocking out.
All of the Screaming Trees' previous records have been mosters. Like
Invisible Lantern, Other Worlds (SST), Clairvoyance (Velvetone), and
Even if and Especially When (SST) are essential purchases for the fan of
cranking psychedelic brouhaha. Screaming Trees have yet to put out a duff
disc, and, at this point, I don't thnk that they ever will. Another cool thing
for the Screaming Trees aficionado is the collaborative Beatj
Happening/Screaming Trees EP (Homestead).
There is an incredible sound in the Screaming Trees music. Over the
I See Trees, Page 10
First thing you notice: it's a different band. But it's supposed to be.
D. Boon, activist/dude/guitar player-type person formed one-third of the
Minutemen. With bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley, Boon
helped forge their trademarks: socially conscious lyrics, flexibility of musi-
cianship, and brevity of song. A strong sense of camaraderie bonded these
three - after all, they were best friends, and we were all comrades.
George is still around, as is his hair. Mike is still around, with his remi-
niscing about "Dick Hell" and his fascination with Illuminati conspiracy
theories. But D. is gone. December 22, 1985. Car accident.
Luckily, not too many of us have forgotten D.'s spirit. Indeed, the spirit
lives on in Ed Crawford. Ed could be me or you - completely lacking
musical training, unless you count buying the albums and jamming on our
air Les Pauls just like D. Ed probably played a lot of air guitar before the
catalyst: his witnessing a Minutemen performance. That catalyst made him
realize that rock is a populist art form. Anyone can do it. As D. insisted,
"There should be a band on every block because it can happen."
It happened. Such was Ed's inspiration that, upon hearing a rumor that
Mike was reforming a band with George and was auditioning guitarists in
Pedro, Ed left his semi-scholastic, semi-employed life in Columbus, Ohio,
and headed west. Much to Mike's chagrin. You see, the rumor, relayed by
that zany Camper Van Beethoven, was untrue. Mike was not in the mental
state to start playing in a band again. Persistently, Ed tried to convince Mike
otherwise, first through repeated phone calls, then finally through personal
visitation in Mike's living room, guitar in hand. Reminiscing, Watt told the
Providence Journal-Bulletin, "This kid comes over and he starts fumbling
through our songs, and I thought, 'The audacity!"'
Thus was the unlikely birth of fIREHOSE, whose idiosyncratic appella-
tion (taken from Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues") reflects the fa-
iosyncratic nature of Ed's and Mike's obscure lyrics. In contrast to D.'s
practice of naming names in his songs, especially towards the end of the
Minutemen's career, Ed opts for the apolitical, as he told Spin: "I'm not'at
the point where I would feel comfortable writing my political opinions into
a song. I don't want to give the people that. I'm not D. Boon."
The comrades that dug the Minutemen find that Ed's last statement seems
to be the consensus. Not that fIREHOSE has thrown out all of the Minute-
men starting points - verily, far from it! Ed can deftly mimic D.'s guitar
style, which ranges from funky rhythm.to rock inspired by CCR, BOC, and,
of course, the punk revolution. You can tell who Ed's guitar hero is, as tie
spews forth sounds from his Fender. Punk rock, through D. Boon and the 4
Minutemen, changed Ed's life. It also changed his last name, as he is more
popularly known now as Ed fROMOHIO.
In fact, the next fIREHOSE album is tentatively titled fROMOHIO. It
will be recorded later this month for SST, but, following the pattern set by
their first two albums, Ragin' Full On and if n, they are touring in advance,
performing songs that will appear on the upcoming album.
Counseling Services will be offering the following groups and workshops for currently enrolled students. These
groups are presently in the process of being filled. Enrollment is limited. Many groups require screening
meetings with Counseling Services staff to assure best service. For more information inquire at Counseling
Services, 764-8312.
Coping As A Minority Student on The U of M Campus
Growth Thru Dreams: A General Theraov Group with emphasis on dreams
Thursdays 5-7 pm, screening
From Grief to Growth: Resolving Significant Losses
Thursdays 3:15-4:45 pm, screening
Adult Children of Alcoholicimog iredPrents Grou .
ICHIGAN STUDENT ASSEM Y 1988-1989 ELE d
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Wednesday 12:00-1:00 pm, NO SCREENING NECESSARY, begins October 12th
rvivalGrowth or Adult Chilren of Alcoholic/D sfunctional Parents
(Six twenty-minute, Mini-Workshops) Monday, October 17, 11:40-1:00
Anderson Room, Michigan Union Bldg.
Midterms Panic.. A Relaxation Workshop
Tuesday, October 18,4-6 pm. Call 764-8312 to reserve a place
Asian Women's Support Group
Wednesdays 6:00-7:30 pm., Begin October 19,
Attend informational meeting 6-7 pm, October 12, 3100 Michigan Union
Adult Children of Alcoholic/lmpaired Parents Group
How to Cope With Your Difficult Parent: Holiday Survival Skills
Tuesday, November 15, 7-10 pm, Welker Room, Michigan Union Bldg.
Call 764-8312 to place your name on list.
Each Thursday 7-9 pm, beginning October 27, Guide Peer Facilitators
October 27: 'AAUUGH!! I WISH I WOULD HAVE SAID..."