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July 19, 1995 - Image 10

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Publication:
Michigan Daily Summer Weekly, 1995-07-19

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Miissng L o*1palooza?
Get a bit of the taste of the festivities
tonight at industry in Pontiac where
second-stagers Coolio and The Pharcyde
will perform. Tickets are $12.50 in
advance. Doors open at 9 p.m.

?fie Ihdligan tiIg
ARTS

Pavement goes to summer camp

Wednesday
July 19,1995

By Jennifer Buckley
Daily Arts Writer
It must have seemed like a good idea at
the time, back when the powers that be at
Lollapalooza were concocting the lineup
for this summer's version of the annual
traveling alternative rock carnival: install
revered art-noise rockers Sonic Youth in
the headliner's slot and gain instant cred-
ibility. Get Courtney Love out of their hair
at lastby placing her band Hole in a promi-
nent position in the lineup. Book Beck for
lunacy, the Might Mighty Bosstones for the
party music, Cypress Hill for the illicit drugs
snd the Jesus Lizard for occasional on-stage
nudity. Stick Pavement in between "Loser"
and"Insane in the Brain"and have one big,
happy indie-rock summercamp.
And you know what? It wasn't just a
good idea. This is one hell of a lineup, and
it ispired Pavement -not exactly corpo-
rate rock poster kids -to accept a midday
slot on the main stage, the big top of Perry
Farrell's three-ring circus.
Percussionist Bob Nastanovich ex-
plained the band's decision: "We liked a lot
of the bands on it (the lineup). We're big

Jesus Lizard fans; we played with Beck last
year.WetouredwithSonic Youthbackin'92,
so we're friends with them. We feel that it's a
good opportunity for us to do something big-
ger, as far as people coming to see the band,
while at the same time be amongst people
with similar interests and a similar ethic."
It's been a fun ride so far, Nastanovich
said. "We've played half a dozen shows
now ... and we've met a lot of very nice
people. There's a healthy amount ofcama-
raderie going on backstage."
For a band accustomed to laying to
rapt, reverent audiences in small clubs, the
sheer volume of the Lollapalooza crowds
has proven daunting. "I think that we need
to figure out how to bridge the gap between
800 people who have very much come to
see your band play and 12,000 people boil-
ing in a field," he admitted. "We're sort of
feeling our way at this point. Some things
are working pretty well and some things
aren't. We think that we could do better."
He continued, "We really haven't
made any (performance) adjustments at all
and that might be part of the problem. Our
style ofpresentation is basically the same" as

on Pavement's recent tour supporting their
fourth and latest Matador LP "Wowee
Zowee."
It's hard enough to imagine Pavement
grinding out theirgloriously messy, guitar-
driven grooves in broad daylight, much
less in front of such an enormous crowd.
Usually, midnight finds Nastanovich,
singer/guitarist Steven Malkmus, lead gui-
tarist Scott "Spiral Stairs" Kannberg and
drummer Steve West onstage, mixing the
new "Wowee Zowee" tracks in with older
material-all of it recognizableto a clubful
of ardent fans, but not necessarily to a
sweaty crowd of Lollapallozers.
"We look out in the crowd and see a lot
of people sitting down, not paying atten-
tion. Then I look to my right, about 200
yards away, and there will be a group of
100 people jumping up and down."
One tune that moves the masses is "Cut
Your Hair," the deliciously ironic radio hit
that fueled the surprise commercial success
of Pavement's third album, "Crooked
Rain, Crooked Rain." The song, delivered
by Malkmus in his detached, flat, subur-
ban-white-boy whine, details the story of

Here they are, slanted and enchanted, the mighty, mighty Pavement I
one band's fight through the corporate rock While the thought of thousands of pre-
rat race. An irresistibly hummable melody viously passive listeners shouting, "NO
and the simplest chorus in rock history BIG HAIR!" along with Malkmus is hi-
maximizes large-scale sing-along poten- larious, Pavement understandably find ita
tial, and it sold the record to many who little dismaying. Nastanovich admitted,
might otherwise have considered "We're pretty aware that the reason (for
Malkmus too obscure, Kannberg too the relative success of 'Crooked Rain')
noisy, and the rest of Pavement's mate- was one or two songs. That's still very
rial just too difficult. SEE PAVEMENT, PAGE 12

Kick out the jams bruthas and sistas, it's the Lollapalooza main stage acts
fy Scett Plagonboof berries, instead landing aline-up much closer A long way fom their plaid, plaid Con- Following Beck are slack-rock gods, Love and her band, Hole. Following the sui-
Daily Arts Editor to thespiitwithwhich theevent wasfounded. verse commeialstheBoston based ska-rock Pavement. Theirdebut album, "Slanted and cide ofherhusband, Kurt Cobain, Love qui-
As radio stations and MTV continue to This year's bill, already suffering from a bandMighty Mighty Bosstones will open the Enchanted"stands as one ofthe decade's fin- eted naysayers about her musical ability with
embrace the so-calledaltemative of American lack ofethnic, gender and racial diversity, has main stage. The Bosstones, with a rabid fan est , and with each subsequent album they the stunning "Live Throgh his." Unfortu-
music, changing formats and championing a lost Irish chanteuse Sinead O'Connor. base and an energetic live show, a certainly continue to expand their loyal fan base. With nately she has fed the frs of her dissenters
variety of previously underground heroes at O'Connorisleaving this year'safestival dueto amongst the day's most accessible acts. any luck they will emerge from the tour as fi- with a series of displays of the spoiled, rock
the same time as the cache of imitation rock sickness and exhaustion compounded by her Then therearethe Jesus Lizard.The Chi- nally being recognized as one of America's persona so oathed by her late husband.With
that major-labels are currently concocting, beingpegnant,acondition that she was awae cago noise-rock band,lthe least known of the most important bands. With any justice they the potential to thrill or utterly disappoint, the
Lollapaloozacertainly this year faced aeross- of prior to the tour, but didn't feel the need to mainstagers, have the opportunity to assault won't, because the adulation of millions is the kinder-who is becoming as uneven a per-
roads. Fortunately organizer Perry Farrell tell the organizers about. Thereareno imme- the unsuspecting masses. And, ledby singer last thing that they desire. foner as Bob Dylan and as tantmprone as
avoided the temptationto litter the stage with diate planstoreplace her spotonthe bill forbthe David Yow, with apenchant for thecmide and Despite Beck,hip-hop is tly psented AxiRose.
BuzzBinners such as Bush, Live orthe Cran- Detroit area shows. a soft-spot in his heart for nudity, they most onsthe bill by Cypress Hill. Criticized as gm- The seminl art-rock band Sonic Youth
certainly will. micky fortheirrabid pro-maijuana stance and - definitely a more challenging headliner
Performing third will be Beck. The pro- lyrics(allguanteedto sellmerhandise)they tha recent borderline cock-rock stars such as
Slificsinger-songwriter's melting pot of delta are still undoubtedly one of rap's most suc- Alice in Chains and Red Hot Chili Peppers-
blues, folk, hip-hop, rock, punkand funk is cessful cross-over artists. will close the show.Fomerly an avant-garde
amongst the most creative music currently Possibly the most anticipated perfor- noise-rock band, Sonic Youth eventually
being made. His performance will be one of rance, or non-performance depending on honed theircacophony into recognizable and
the conerts most anticipated. what the case may be, will be from Courtney melodic structus and preceded shortly after-
wards to record two of post-punk's finest.
works, 1987's "Sister" and 1989's "Day-
drmNation." Although their subsequent
major-label period has been less consistent,
m Ssingles such as "Dirty Boots,""Kool Thing"
There's Still Time To Be WellPre pared! d'IDD%"havegtly dir

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