Shudder to Think about success y Ella do Loon aily Arts Writer Stream of consciousness. Ran- m thoughts that translate into song rics. From its conception, that's ow Washington, D.C. band Shud- er to Think has operated. "We got our name from our first rummer, Mike Russell," explained ad singer and guitarist Craig edren. "He said, 'I shudder to ink that such-and-such a song e're writing is going to be just an- ther boom-pa, boom-ba hardcore 'eng.' So we were like, OK, that's 11 right, and then we woke up and it sas too late to change it." A long and varied history fol- ows. Formed in 1986 with Wedren n guitar and lead vocals, bassist stuart Hill, guitarist Chris tatthews, and Russell, Shudder to lhink started out small, but armed sith a biting, dark, dynamic sound. Nedren related, "Our first record dually was put out by a sister label Dischord, which is called Sammich Records, and that was run by Amanda Mackaye, Ian's sister - an who runs Dischord Records and who is in Fugazi. They put out our record, I guess Ian dug it, started coming to our shows, and eventually we fell into each other's arms." Wedren and company then put out three successful albums in their two years on Dischord. After 1992's "Get Your Goat," big changes.occurred. Exit Matthews and Russell. Enter six- string player Nathan Larson and beat keeper Adam Wade, formerly of Jawbox. Together with Wedren and Hill, the new lineup produced the "Hit Liquor"/ "No Room 9, Kentucky" 7- inch. Next came the cut "Animal Wild" on the 1993 "Sweet Relief" compilation. Soon, STT (an acronym used sparingly) began to receive more attention, not to mention offers from the big labels. They finally decided on Epic Records in 1994. The band had an ideal relationship and were enjoying success with Dischord. Why the move? Wedren revealed that it was "just time to raise the ceiling in terms of the number of people we could reach po- tentially, and we wanted to do this full time for a living. That (music as a full- time occupation) was really hard on Dischord. We all had to have other jobs, and it was very hand-to-mouth. And also we were starting to move out of D.C. I went to college in New York, and we were becoming an Eastern sea- board band rather than a D.C. band." With Epic, Shudder to Think has made the EP "Hit Liquor" and their major label debut, "Pony Express Record." Matters have only improved. Wedren reflected, "I think our albums have gotten more comfortable, more and more varied and more and more interesting. 'Pony Express Record' has this polar effect to it. When it's pop and hooky and catchy and rocking, it's the most that we've ever been. But then it almost immediately gives way to the most extreme, left, experimental or unusual music that we've ever writ- ten. I think there's a lot more dynamics than there used to be." In terms of major vs. independent label, Wedren found, "There's a lot more business, a lot more bureaucracy. Bureaucracy is, obviously, not the greatest thing in the world, but the business is really fun. I think we kind of embrace that. Other than that, it's pretty much what you ex- pect." Getting to the heart of the matter, Wedren continued, "The politics are different. Dischord is a staunchly inde- pendent label, and Epic is a staunchly corporate label. But the people we work with are all really passionate about music and our music, so it's ul- timately not that different except at a fundamental, philosophical level." And what about Shudder To Think's philosophy'? "To keep mak- K hits the spot: The Blank Generation goes acoustic at St. Andrew's ing music as long as what we're do- ing feels vital and fresh to us." stated Wedren. Sounds like a foolproof plan. s e on cs n c o et N *M y Heather Pharos aily Arts Editor X's show at St. Andrew's Hall last ednesday proved that some good things on't necessarily have to come to an end. For while X, one of the few remaining punk bands from the LA scene in the late '70s- early '80s scene (which included such bands as the Germs and Black Flag), is not a new band, their onstage energy is still as vital as when they put out their de- but album "Los Angeles." The band's show at the Blind Pig in 1994 saw the band revisit many of their ssic songs like "We're Desperate" and e Hungry Wolf." X raised the roof and showed punks young and old that they were still a viable act in the '90s, every bit as loud and fierce as they were at the start. Which is why Wednesday's show was another reminder that X is in fact still vi- able: This time around, the veteran punk ax X St. Andrew's Hall August 2, 1995 band is touring acoustically, promoting their new album"Unclogged," released on their own Infidelity label. Playing unplugged versions of some of their greatest songs, such as "White Girl," "More Fun in the New World" and "The Have Nots," X's country and folk roots came to the forefront. Exene Cervenka and John Doe's harmonies were as clear and pristine as ever. And since the emphasis was off of rock noise, their vocals took the spotlight for the evening. Though X are a consistently great live band, and this performance was no exception, there were some in the audi- ence that were underwhelmed with the acoustic format. Most of these were younger fans who have probably heard about X as "seminal punk legends" and came expecting to pogo. Amusingly, the devoted throng pressed against the stage showed more than a little grey in their hair and wore businesslike attire, while many of the kids hung around the back and the lobby of the club. So X continue to entertain and move their fans, regardless of the way they play their music. 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