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The Brothers Rock
I
By Tom Erlewine
Daily Arts Editor
While the Chelsea-based quartet the
Brothers Grimm may be called "post-
punk" by most critics, the group scoffs
at the label. "What the hell does that
mean?" asked drummer, Dave Oesterle.
"I think thatjust means we're under 30.
BROTHERS
GRIMM
Where: Rick's American Cafe
When: Tonight
Tickets: Call 996-2747 for
more information.
It doesn't say anything about us musi-
cally." What the Brothers Grimm cap-
ture is the relentless spirit of rock; they
take equally from the ragged Replace-
ments or the driving eclecticism of the
Rolling Stones at their peak.
Formed in early 1991, the Brothers
Grimm started playing because they had
nothing else to do. "I got out ofhigh school
and was bored out of my mind," recalled
Oesterle, "soIstartedlearninghowtoplay
thedrums.ThenGarth(Girard) decidedto
starttaking lessons to play bass." Guitarist
Ben Vermeylen joined soon afterward.
The band began practicing on a
regularbasis. "We were awful, though,"
said Oesterle. "We were all still learn-
ing to play our instruments. Normally
when a band would get together, they
would all know how to play their instru-
ments and then start writing. But we
learned how to play our instruments
together and wrote songs in the process.
We developed pretty quick, actually."
The group played as a power trio until
guitarist/vocalist Wally Schmidjoined.
"Wally had some songs that he wanted
to workout, sohe came to us because he
wanted a backup band," explained
Oesterle. "And we said sure - we
weren't doing anything at the time. We
liked the stuff he wrote so we asked him
to hook up."
Like any other new band, the Brothers
had some trouble getting gigs; that situa-
tion was partially remedied with the re-
lease of their debut album, "Fuel." While
their shows have earned the group a re-
spectable following, "Fuel" has helped
them expand their audience. "It's actually
done more than I ever would have ex-
pected it to," said Girard. "People actually
like it." Recently, Tower sold all their
copies of "Fuel" and the tape was the no.
5 selleronthelocalcharts atWherehouse.
"When we put the tape out," said
Oesterle, "Iwashopingthat(people) would
see through the mistakes in the recording
and see the songs for what they were. But
people have legitimately oozed on the
tape. In the Ann ArborNews, we getthree-
and-a-half stars and right next to us, Boyz
II Men gets two. And I can guarantee that
God Street
By Karl Jones
Daily Arts Writer
With slow-motion vocals and mu-
sical haikus about frogs, God Street
Wine's music may seem cartoonish at
times. But make no mistake, these
five men from New York have devel-
oped their creativity into an art form
not to be poked fun at.
"I don't have a political message
to the world, but that doesn't mean
the songs aren't serious, either," lead
singer/guitarist Lo Faber insisted.
"People are pretty narrow in how they
define having a serious message. The
fact that we have fun while playing
doesn't mean that we're a bunch of
yahoos."
God Street Wine has been fight-
ing the "yahoo," bar-band stereotype
since they began playing in 1988.1
Around this time, Faber was studying1
economics at New York University.1
He met up with bassist Dan Pifer, and
deciding that NYU was "a big, huge,1
bureaucratic, impersonal school," the
two decided to drop out and enroll in
the Manhattan School of Music. t
"But Manhattan School of Music1
sucked, too, so we didn't really gain
anything,"joked Faber. "We did meet1
the other guys there (guitarist/vocal-1
Wine pour.
ist Aaron Maxwell and keyboardist
Jon Bevo) and (along with Faber's
childhood friend Tomo) we formed
the band, so that was good."
One thing Faber wanted to make
clear is that, despite their early years
spent working the stages of "slimy
little" clubs, God Street Wine should
not be lumped into the "bar band"
category.
DOD STREET
WINE . .
Where: The Blind Pig
When: Tomorrow; doors
open at 9:30
Tickets: $750 in advance
"We're a concert band, not a bar
band, since that's the stereotype we've
been fighting in a lot of places we've
been playing. We've been touring for
so long that people think of us as a barl
band, although our music is totally...
un-bar bandish," Faber laughed.
A grueling six years sweating out
the cramped stages of small venuesI
has finally paid off for God StreetI
Wine, however. The formerly inde-;
pendent band has just released their
latest album "$1.99 Romances" on 1
s into town
Eleven Records (the newborn child of
Geffen Records and McGhee Enter-
tainment).
"$1.99 Romances" is a funky
jumble of musical styles, including
lounge music and barbershop quartet
harmonics. From the comical sexi-
ness of "Molly" to the epic ramblings
of "Crazy Head," God Street Wine
covers some pretty colorful musical
territory. (Not to refer to them as
cartoonish yahoos, of course).
Perhaps due to the higher level of
musical clout available to a signed
band, God Street Wine has been en-
joying the comforts of a more upscale
tour schedule while promoting their
latest album.
"In a lot of towns, we're finding
ourselves moving from a club to a
small theater, and it's a lot nicer,"
Faber said. "For years and years when
we first started, we just played little
bars, and then we started playing rock
clubs. Now we're moving from the
rock clubs up to bigger venues.
"It's a little more impersonal, but
it's so much better for the music and
the show we can put on. I think fans
get a better show when they can all
see, and they're not being jammed in
the ribs."
Waiting for their man ...
we spent less money than Boyz II Men."
The Brothers Grimm plan to head
into the studio in March to record a new
album. Like "Fuel," it promises to be an
exhilarating mix of rock, pop, country
and punk. "To a certain extent, we used
to worry about having a sound," said
Oesterle, "(but) that's kind of become
our thing. We don't really worry about
having a sound. Eventually, there will
be that quintessential Brothers Grimm-
type tune. Maybe we've already done
it, I don't know. It'll happen by itself-
I've stopped worrying about it"
Never underestimate Nick Lowe.
Over the years, the singer/
songwriter has frequently been
written off, yet he keeps coming
back with a surprise. The latest is
his new record, "The Impossible
Bird," his best album since 1979's
pure pop masterpiece, "Labour of
Lust." Lowe has written scores of
classics over the years, including
"(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace,
Love, and Understanding," "I Knew
the Bride," and "Cruel to Be Kind,"
but "Bird" features some of his
best songwriting ever, as well as
the most emotional music he has
ever made; it's a gorgeously blue
album, filled with heart-wrenching
ballads and gritty rockers. Lowe
hits the Blind Pig tonight; doors
open at 9:30 and tickets are $10 in
advance. Don't miss this show - It
promises to be one of the best of
the year.
Just say y
By Sangita M. Baxi
Daily Arts Writer
Growing upin theBronx, Achinoam
Nini first attended a religious Day
School and then the renowned High
School for the Performing Arts. At age
17, she convinced her parents to let her
move to Israel and finished her educa-
tion at a boarding school there.
es to Gil Dor and Noa
V.-
NOA
AND GIL DOR
jam'-
Where: The Power Center
When: Thursday at 8 p.m.
Tickets: Student Rush
Tickets are available for $7.
Please contact the
University Musical Society
Box Office at 747-1171 for,
more information.
Through Dor, Nini was put in touch
with jazz great Pat Metheny, who
offered to produce her debut interna-
tional album.
Today, she's 24 years old, and
known to the world as Noa. Her album
was just released on Geffen Records
and was produced by Metheny. This
past fall, Noa and Dor performed their
rendition of "AveMaria," first recorded
as scud missiles fell on Tel Aviv during
the Persian Gulf War and again on her
albumin St. Peter's Square atthe Vatican
for Pope Paul II. Noa is now touring -
an arrangement of a mix of concerts and
workshops - and she's coming to Ann
Arbor.
"It's sort of East meets West -
eastern elements plus the music I've
grown up with," said Noa about her
music, though she was hesitant in
doing so. "Music in general shouldn't
be described, but listened to." Her
concert here is the next in the Mid
East/West Fest International Com-
munity Exchange.
For Noa, music is a "form of ex-
pression, a way of life. It reflects an
entire range of emotions. It's a mir-
ror, and the point is to communicate."
Growing up in the Bronx, and attend-
ing a Jewish Day School, she was also
brought up with American music -
Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Prince, Joni
Mitchell and James Taylor. "Every-
thing you have (heard) influences what
you write," she said.
Her touring schedule is set up a little
bit differently than normal - Noa is
doing a workshop and performance at
every site, including Ann Arbor. At
these workshops, she brings in grade
school kids - who she would not nor-
mally reach-and they share with each
other. Noa teaches and shares her mu-
sic, and they share and teach her their
music. "Music,"sheexplained, "is about
interacting and communicating."
Her workshop in Ann Arbor is go-
ing to be held at Hillel and will be for
University Students. The Gathering at
Hillel, as it is called, will be on Satur-
day, February IlIat9p.m., and it's free.
The workshop will be featuring the
campusa cappella group Kol HaKavod,
but it will primarily be a question and
answersession forpeopletogetachance
to talk to Noa and Dor.
1 1
Upon graduation, she was drafted
into the Israeli Army and assigned to
an entertainment unit. Nini performed
in hundreds of shows over a two-year
period, often under strenuous condi-
tions. It was during this time that she
met Israeli guitarist Gil Dor.
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with Gil Dor, guitar
Thursday February 9, 8:00 PM
Power Center
Call her a cross between Sheryl Crow and.
Joni Mitchell, with a touch of Ella Fitzgerald,
She's Noa, Israel's most popular singer/
sogwier nAd se'oring the U.S.5 hot-
Anne-Sophie Mutter,
Violin
Lambert Orkis, piano
Saturday, February I1, 8:00 PM
Hill Auditorium
"In league with the angels" (Toronto Star),
the divine Anne-Sophie Mutter brings her
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