ARTS

TUESDAY
MAY 4, 2004

michigandaily.com/arts

CALIFONE BRING ROOTS NOISE TO DETROIT

By Andrew M. Gaerig
Daily Arts Editor
CONCE RT P REVI EW
In the fall of 2002, ultra-hot art-rockers
Wilco were scheduled to play at Ann Arbor's
State Theatre. The show was easily the
biggest event of the season
for Ann Arbor's under-
ground music circles, highly Califonel
anticipated by anyone with Tuesdayat8p.m.I
an interest in the current At The Magic Bag
music climate. Of course,
there's nearly nothing more frustrating on the
night of a huge concert than waiting out the
opening band. Slogging through an inferior
opening act can be a buzz kill for even the
most devoted fans.
It was inevitable, then, that supporting act
Califone took the stage that night to a restless
crowd. Frontman Tim Rutili, a quiet, nervy
presence with a bluesy guitar hand and neu-
rotic voice, sat center stage, his thin frame
dwarfed by the massive percussion kit behind
him. Califone wound their way through a
jammy set that spliced Americana-style song-
writing and avant-garde noise. The audience
was perplexed - to some, the mix was a
nearly intolerable prelude to an exciting
night. To others, it was an intriguing mix of

essential sounds both old and new. The band
kicks off a two-month headlining tour of
North America on Tuesday in Detroit.
Califone has existed in one form or another
since 1998. The remnants of mid-'90s roots-
rock progenitors, Tim Rutili's Chicago collec-
tive have been mixing classic America music
forms - Appalachian folk, delta blues,
Southern gospel - with buzzing electronic
noise since their inception. The combination
came naturally to Rutili.
"It came from loving rock music. It came
from Led Zeppelin and growing up in the
suburbs. I worked in a record store, and we
could just keep digging and dig deeper to
find where this music comes from," he
explained. "But I love Gun Club and the
Cramps, too. And listening to that stuff and
finding where it comes from is just as impor-
tant." He speaks fondly of hours spent in the
record store listening to "old folk music from
the '20s and seeing how that fit in with noise
music."
Much of the whirring noise on the State
Theatre's stage ended up on Califone's 2003
release, Quicksand/Cradlesnakes. On the
album, Rutili refined the haunting noise of
the band's early singles and incorporated it
into cryptic, understated pop songs. "It takes
more effort to do something more structured.
It's not as natural. You try to make things feel

fresh," said Rutili.
The band's creativity extends beyond Cali-
fone's records. Rutili and percussionist Ben
Massarella maintain Perishable Records, a label
that has earned renown for its elaborate, home-
made packaging; this is something that Rutili
admits is becoming increasingly difficult to do,
given his band's growing popularity and the
recording and touring schedules that the band
now faces.
"It's really fun to do. That's what we want to
do - more records like we used to ... hand-
drawn, hand-made," explained Rutili. "[Cali-
fone's first record] Roomsound is on its fifth
pressing, and we're going to have to get people
in here to stuff them, which is a pain in the ass,
or we're going to have to find a new way to
package it. But we all love the way that looks."
Things are only getting more hectic for Rutili
and company. This spring, they confounded
expectations again by following the melodic
turns of Quicksand with Heron King Blues, a
record full of percussion-driven jams and skit-
tering electronics. The band also kicks off a two-
month North American tour on Tuesday in
Detroit. High expectations and pressure, howev-
er, seem to concern Rutili little. "We're just try-
ing to make records that we like. And I think if
we thought about trying to please people, we'd
make shitty music and hate ourselves. So I
don't want to worry about it."

Why is there a clarinet mouthpiece floating above
my head?

Dirty Dozen shine on second album

By BrandonHarig
Daily Arts Writer

n
b
o
c]
ti

D12's debut album Devil's Night was e
a heavy-handed introduction to the "all- th
star" collection of Detroit rappers D12. g
The album's hit,
"Purple Pills," did D v g
well, but the record a
was far from a D12 World a
blockbuster. D12's Shady Records th
second offering, a
D12 World, is far more impressive, dis- rt
playing the lyrical prowess of Eminem, A
Bizarre, Kon Artis, Swift, Kuniva and b
Proof. Forget "My Band" and its play-
fulness - this record by Detroit's Dirty
Dozen is rooted in simple, bumping
beats with flowing lyrics about women,
guns and anger.
"Loyalty" is the second track on the
record but it's the first true testament to
the approach and sound of D12 World.
Bass-heavy and fast-paced, the song is a
prime example of how to use the rap
formula correctly: D12 mix rapid-fire
wordplay with laid-back rhymes, a com-
bination that matches any beat. "How
Come" is in the vein of Eminem's dark-
er tracks but pulses with choruses by
Kon Artis and Proof
One of the album's best traits is each
song's revolving roster. "6 in the Morn-
ing," arguably one of its best tracks, fea-
tures Eminem on the chorus, with Swift,
Kuniva and Kon Artis performing alter-

ate verses. By doing this, each mem-
er can display his skill without talking
ver the others, and the listener gets a
[hance to decide which rappers can dis-
nguish themselves. This formula, how-
ver, frequently relegates Eminem to
he chorus, an area in which the whole
roup should participate.
D12 World is a testament to Shady
ecords' faith in D12. Eminem jumps in
nd out, more like a featured artist than
full-time group member. Because of
his, D12's lesser-known members are
ble to put forth and sell an impressive
ecord based on their own talent. Kon
krtis is probably the only member capa-
le of a solo career, but they all prove

F~

themselves able to put outa record with-
out a goofy white rap superstar's help
and assert themselves as a one of the
best rap troupes around.

Greait FooG4I ~l1ltd!e

Specializing in HomestyLe Cooking

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