Wednesday, May 13, 1992-The Michgan DailySummer Weekly -9

Ride an attitude to the stars
Rinning guitars and nunching rhythms dazzle and daze

Ride
St. Andrew's Hall
May 5, 1992
Although the members of Ride
might deny it, success has come rela-
tively overnight for the Oxford, En-
gland quartet. Last Tuesday at St.
Andrews Hall in Detroit they made
clear why this is. Dazzling the crowd
with their ripping guitars, punching
rhythms,andgenuineloveforthestage,
Ride would put most bands today to
shame.
Much of their set focused on new
material off their latest album, Going
Blank Again. "Leave Them All Be-
hind," revved up the audience as the
opener, and"Twisterella,"and"Mouse
Trap" wereothernotablenew songson
the set list. Crowd favorites such as
'There's a whole
generation of bands
that've completely passed
me by.'
- Andrew Bell
Ride vocalist/guitarist
"Vapour Trail," and "Nowhere" were
performed with loads of raw energy
and untamed force, leaving the audi-
ence quite drained by the time the en-
cores were through.
Talking to one half of Ride, Steve
Queralt (bassist) and Andrew Bell (vo-
calist/guitarist)theday beforetheshow,
a definite feel of self confidence came
across as the band members discussed
their music.
"Ithinkifyouwentbackhow we are
now, it'd be a very different band. But
we probably wouldn't have the same
magic to us that we had at the begin-
ning, because we were all so stupid and
dumb," Bell said, laughing.
The past for Ride is only several
years old. The members all met in art
school in Oxford, and came up with the
idea of putting together a band. At the
time "it wasn't heading anywhere, re-
ally.Itwasn'tmeanttoheadanywhere,"
Queralt said.
Two EPs (released together in
America as, Smile) and two albums
TeMichigan D
Call 76-

-o--------------_ _ _v_ L .1:iA Kau iu Oiuaaae nex r-'- a tcuw yucantLineap
later,Rideisaforcetobereckonedwith also in gear. byGarrison Keillor butlike.
in the ever popular new guitar move- "ILwouldn't really want to get into a Viking The two plot lines weave around
ment. Yet the tie with this movement situation where we didn't sweat," said each other, and around the thousands
has been somewhat unfortunate since Bell. "You lose the atmosphere. And Itw und toa n.Anyo of side stories, occasionally twisting
the group, until recently, had found it once you've lost it, you can't really thancafteryears of sedoing "famly" en-ow themselves into an awful snarl. But
nearly impossible to eseape compari- regain It"htatryaso ong"aiy n that's part of what makes this book as
sons with British contemporaries such -Ni Hoda tertainment,GarrisonKeillorwasdes- charming as it is. Keillor's style satu-
as My Bloody Valentine, and Lush, tied to break rank There ust h rates the book - I had no problem at
"h yBrst tine, an u be dozens of tales of sex, tasteless allimagining himreadingfromitover
atin el irs , i.e 'Chelsea eml jokes, and visions of naked women the radio. The meandering doesn't
lation, Bell said, like Chelsea Girl, Tbuilding up in the mind that created bte o smc fyuv er
and thoseEPs-anemulation of House bidn pi h idta rae bother you as much if you've heard
of Love, Smiths, the Valentines, the - Lake Wobegon. Keillor give "The News from Lake
Mr Chai,Then after that, the mixThis bookiscertainlyan outetfor Wobegon" and you'll willingly for-
Mary Chain. Then after that, the m x that build-up. And ooooh it feelsnice. give the lack of dircction since the
gets more us and less everyone else. v > Itmust bearelief forKeillortogetitall story is so interesting, so human, and
Going Blank Again thrives off its outin the open. so fun
sheer diversity, as Ride has stepped WLT begins in 1926 with the
away from the growing fad of noise Soderbjerg brothers, Ray and Roy,
rock, to stake a very real claim on pop whostartradiostation WLT inMinne-
music. apolis to spur busness in their sand-
"It's unfortunate that if you have wich shop. (WLT stands for "with
good three-minute songs, people call lettuce and tomato.") Roy is a stereo-
you a pop band, with the bad connota- typicalhalf-loopyengineer,whileRay,
tions that go with that," explained ontheotherhand, isthelusty manager
Queralt. type, destined to become a lusty old
"I think being a pop band is better '.man.He's thekindofguy whosays,"I
than being a rock band," interjected have wasted half my life in the com-
Bell. "I'd rather be pop than rock. I'm pany of boring and stupid and ofttimes
notgoingtolosesleepoverit. We'dstill ; treacherous men but I have yet to
be the same whether we were pop or regret a single moment I spent alone
rock." with a beautiful woman. And I've yet
Whatever you prefer to call Ride is to meet one who isn't beautiful."
a matter of opinion. However, the band This typeof fellow presents Keillor - ,
is in noway tied in with other pop bands with a perfect opportunity to try his
outof Britain,asQueralt and Bell made hand at the risqu6. Keillor wnting a
very clear. sex (or near sex) scene is a thing well
"There's a whole generation of worth waiting for. He mocks himself Keillor
bands that've completely passed me and the scene as he writes it, and
by," sighed Bell. "They are just bands blends the everyday with the humor- fectofthe book comes across crystally
with no taste. I've heard probably a ous. Keillor's desriptions makex clear. Keillor's love for radio - an
maximum of like five minutes, in total, infinitely rea using to the reader affection easily understood when you
of music from all these bands - the and they res u the act fr othe h keep in mind that his Amecan Radio
WodrStuff, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, ing bosoms of the modemn gothics keimn hthsmr ai
Wonder WLT is also the story of Frank Company broadcasts every Saturday
Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine. White (formerly Francis With, but - is always the heart of the story.
That whole thing is just so alien to me. site (formedy"disWth, but Keillor's feelings of nostalgia and
There's no beauty to it. There's nothing when you said it he decided that he loss at the declineofthe golden age of
to it at all." wh yo said it he deei that radio strike deeply. This book was
"It'sthenextthing from goth-rock," ought atne it to someing that witien by a man who cares deeply
added Queralt."That's wherethegoths . Tmadeaniceelick likelosingthebolt for, and wants desperately to keep
on a .22.") The novel follows Frank's
went." journey in radio from childhood to alive the magic of the airwaves.
Where Ride goes fromhereremains Gardener,_Bell elder years. Frank is the typical boy- -A J. Hogg
to be seen. A band poised for stardom,
Ride have already gone a long way in
individualizing theirsound and distanc- Do You I
ing themselves from unfavorable com-
parisons. The musiccohesivenessand
happen. Above all else, the attitude is r "B EST H A IR C UT
sinery reed nto egotins
552 TodayIN ANN ARBOR"
-The Michigan Daily
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