KBY JAMIE PIETRAS
Rating System
Lilith Fair
H.O.R.D.E.
Family Values
Van's Warped Tour
Lollapalooza
POCKET AN 0
Stunt Monkey
Who needs guitar lessons to
make it in the music biz? When
Aram Sarkissian, guitarist/vocal-
ist for Stunt Monkey, told his gui-
tar teacher he wanted to play
punk, he got the boot. And
Michael Rossi, the bassist for
the San Jose, Calif., trio suffered
a similar fate. His guitar teacher
"strongly recommended" that he
stop taking lessons.
But this story has a happy end-
Ing - kind of like a Stunt
Monkey song. After jamming
with different bands in high
school and taking a short break-
to attend college, the two start-
ed playing together. They picked
up drummer John Velcamp, record.
ed their debut album For the Ear
(Tastes Like Chicken Records) and
grew up to be shiny, happy rock
stars. Or at least they're well on
their way.
"Right now, we're on fire,"
Sarkisslan says. "We're totally
into it. It totally makes us
happy."
Three months after sending out
a lo-fi demo CD, the band is
already playing San Francisco
and L.A.-area clubs, and have had
two singles on Live 105, the Bay
Area's alternative rock station.
Stunt Monkey combines clever,
catchy and happy lyrics with a
unique pop sound - and a little
but of old-school punk thrown in.
There's no tormented or mean
punk attitude here. Even
"Suicide" sounds happy when
Stunt Monkey sings it.
- Jessica Lyons
To buy For the Ear, check out
http://surf.to/stuntmonkey.

Various
Artists
Burning London:
The Clash Triubte
Epic
T he Clash were the sem-
inal punk band of,
the late '70s/
early '80s, so.
the number of high-profile
rockers that turn up on
this tribute album should

be

come as no surprise. Ey
in
The Urge and Rancid churn out a do
pair of straight-up punk covers of fro
"This is Radio Clash" and gr
"Cheat," respectively, while the ch
Indigo Girls chip in a folky, a
acoustic rendition of fo
"Clampdown" that po
works a lot pu
Bury the Hatchet
Island
Don't expect any surprises here, just anoth-
er solid record from America's favorite Irish
import. Sticking with tried and true Cranberries
formula, frontwoman Dolores O'Riordan revs it
up for some hard-edged rockers like "Promises"
and tones it down again on ballads like "You and
Me" and "Dying in the Sun." We've got to say
though, O'Riordan isn't the most intimidating
lassie when she tries to lash out against
poseurs on "Copycat." She's just too darn cute
to get mad.
Underworld
Beaucoup Fish
V2
This trio has made quite a
name for themselves in the
United Kingdom for their ability
to cold rock a party. Fortunately,
they've packaged up their killer
dance floor skills into something vocal d
we Yankees can enjoy, too. Their breakbe
latest full-length CD is an elec- mind col
tronic head-trip, meshing spacy beaucou

tter than you'd imagine. But the high
point on the album has to be the
Mighty, Mighty Bosstones frenetic
take on "Rudy Can't Fail," though
the Afghan Whigs mellow remake
of "Lost In the Supermarket" and
Moby and Heather Nova's ethe-
real collaboration on "Straight to
Hell" aren't too far behind.
Unfortunately, like all other tribute
albums, this one has its duds. Third
e Blind's as annoying as ever on "Train
Vain," and "London's Burning" just
esn't sound quite the same coming
m Silverchair. But, if you can pro-
am your CD player to skip a few
oice tracks, then you've got
worthy tribute to the gr
unding fathers of back
litically charged lecti
nk rock. Wait
"I ru
I liv
"Pon
Get the groove on help
- U.'s music page: t
www.umagazine.com turn

Ben Folds Five
The Unauthorized Diogaphy
of ReinhoW Messner
Sony 550/Epic
Sure, liking Ben Folds Five might not be the most
macho thing in the world, but give these guys credit for
wailing out some gutsy little numbers. From the meti
lously orchestrated opener "Narcolepsy" to the "Lullaby
that gives the album closure, singer, songwriter and
pianist Ben Folds strikes a chord with clever tunes about
everything from sitting in a hospital bed to joining a rock
band. And who can deny the guy's sense of humor?
"Choose from any number of magazines, who do you
want to be, Billie Idol or Kool Moe Dee? ... there are
100 ways to cover your redneck past," he sings. We
dig the new Piano Man.
Tom Waits
Mule Variations
Epitaph
Tom Waits can do no wrong.
t's been six years since the heralded songwriter last put his
avelly voice on record, and he hasn't missed a beat. He's
with Mule Variations, a dark and bizarre yet poignant col-
on of blues-inflected folk tales. Over low, acoustic strums,
s conjures vivid imagery of America off the beaten path.
n my race with burnt face Jake, gave him a Manzanita cross.
ed on nothing but dreams and train smoke," he growls
y." On the album's opener, "Big In Japan," he gets a little
from Primus' Les Claypool, one of several musicians and a
tablist who all chime in at times to create Waits' eerie, exper-
ntal musical backdrops.

i

ime



ON CAMPUS
" What better way to start out the sum-
mer than sun, sand and ska? And with their
upbeat, fun lyrics, blaring horns and high
energy tunes, Buck-O-Nine is just the band
to do it. San Diego's ska/punk favorites are
hitting the road this summer to tour the
U.S. and promote their new album, Libido.
Guitarist Jonas Kleiner says he can hardly
wait. "I'm really looking forward to getting
back on the road. It's a part of who I am and

I really enjoy it." So grab the sunscreen and
a beer (or two) and put on your dancing
shoes. Look for these boys of summer head-
ing to a campus near you.
" Sugar Ray - those fly guys who are
really stretching out their 15 minutes of
fame with their latest CD 14:59 - are play-
ing on campuses now through May 7 as part
of the MTV Campus Invasion tour. Hottle
Mark McGrath and company are teaming up
with Orgy for the tour which is currently
rocking schools in the Northeast. To find
out if your school is one of the lucky ones,
go to www.campusinvasion.mtv.com.




The Lucy Nation
Maverick
Ever since those Cardigans
hit the music scene, Sweden
seems to be pumping out more
and more great singers who look
good, too. And Anna Nystrom,
vocalist for The Lucy Nation, is no
exception. Her sexy voice, cou-
pled with the musical talent of
Andy Cousin makes for one of the
most infectious collections we've
heard in a while. One thing's for
sure - we love Lucy.

Overmars
Lightyear/WEA
What do you do when life
gives you a good, swift kick in
the ass? No, you don't mope
around feeling sorry for yourself.
You pull yourself together and
then you write a brilliant, heart-
wrenching song about it. At least
that's the theory these New York
City indie-rockers live by. And it's
made for a pretty sweet debut.
Kick back, rock out and think
happy thoughts.

istortion and furious
ats into a truly out-of-
lage. We guarantee it's
p fun.

14 w.aama on e April/May 1999