Message over music

"Doing what you love to do is revolution." Ask the guys from the local "political.vegan.straightedge.pop.punk" (as they call themselves) group Rise Over Run. A student, a recent grad and two B-towners put their heads together three years ago to call for a revolution through music. They are anti-capitalist, pro-choice, anti-homophobia and pro-work for yourself, not for the job. These punkers are choosing their own high road -- putting what they have to say before the energy from their amps.\nAs guitarist and lead vocalist senior Ian Phillips says, he and his friends (they are all friends first, bandmates second, he says) are using the band as a tool, not just having fun and rocking out. Rocking is only part of it. \nPhillips (a self-described metalhead) says the band started as an idea, and it was a long process to find people to play with. He joined up with some friends and now the group includes Greg Chadwick on drums, Shane Becker on bass and Austin Edge on guitar (replacing Ryan Davis). \nThe members share a like charisma and many similar views on the world. Phillips, who has always been leftist and started a pro-choice group at his school in sixth grade, says they form a political band because they all see things much the same way. But the members still have four different personalities and don't participate in "groupthink."\nAs the band's Web site (www.tofuequalslove.com/riseoverrun) and CD liner notes say, Rise Over Run wants to influence people to think and analyze the world they live in. Learning to analyze the world and think about his actions was a life decision for Phillips. Now, when fans mention at a show or drop an e-mail saying how the lyrics made them think twice about a subject, Phillips finds it inspiring. Here he breaks down the message behind some of the music, as a tutorial for the band's show at Rhino's this weekend. \nRise Over Run = Message Over Music\n"We have other songs just about stepping back and thinking and actually evaluating ourselves within the consumer culture, and start asking ourselves do we really have to work a 40-hour work week to be happy. Is buying a cell phone or a pager or a beeper or a new TV, is that really going to bring happiness, and is looking like this person or acting like this person, is that going to make me happy -- is that really what I want to do? Is that really what I desire? \nI guess our main purpose as a band is to just to have people look at these things and look at themselves and not only how they interact with people, but how they interact on the larger scale -- on the larger social scale -- and see if that's what they really want to do, and if that's how they really want to live life. For all of the guys in Rise Over Run, we've looked at ourselves and how we work within this culture and said, 'You know what? This isn't what we want to do…' We don't want to be defined by what we consume." \n"Bert and Ernie are Dead" (A song from the band's first independent album)\n"The way we like to write our songs is sort of through a personal perspective. We're not just going to get up there and be like 'sexism sucks...' For example, one song that comes to my mind when we're talking about this is called "Bert and Ernie are Dead." It takes a look at the way males are socialized to be macho, to be homophobic and to be distant from other men. \nWe sing about how this thing, this outside concept, this outside idea of male generals is manifest within ourselves. And we all get screwed by it, because we don't actually experience what it actually means to be alive because we're so busy being 'a man.' We never get to experience real emotional ties with other men because we're afraid that we're going to be gay or whatever. Even though we're all definitely pro-gay, pro-sexual freedom, it's so weird because we are all so socialized to be very distant from one another -- like 'men don't cry,' stuff like that. It still feels really strange to cry in front of a man -- just little things like that that I feel like have been kind of stolen from me." \n"Desert Storm New York City" (A new tune written in reaction to Sept. 11)\n"We've written a new song about Sept. 11, called 'Desert Storm New York City.' I remember when I was a kid I was watching Desert Storm on TV and you saw buildings blow up, and we celebrated it. I remember seeing bombs, they had it on CNN -- bombs blowing up buildings, and everyone was celebrating it. Ten years later, when it happens in America, it's a tragedy… I'm not going to say that it's not a tragedy and that the people who died on Sept. 11 are stupid… I'm not going to value Iraqi lives more than I value American lives. But at the same time, I'm not going to value American lives more than I value Iraqi lives. \nTo me, it seems that any type of human tragedy, whether it's perpetrated by the United States, whether it's perpetrated by somebody else, it's human tragedy, especially with the United States' involvement in setting up brutal terrorist regimes not only in the Middle East but in Central America and Africa, that it's kind of, as Malcolm X said, 'Chickens coming home to roost.' If you set up all of these destructive policies abroad, if we work at setting up all these dictators and all these crazy Islamic regimes all around the world while at the same time completely supporting racist, zionist ideologies, then of course people are going to start to take offense to that and they're going to act on it. If we give them no other choice, if we don't listen to them, if we continue to kill Islamic people around the world, we're going to get what's coming to us eventually. \nAlthough I'm not trying to justify the Sept. 11 attacks, I'm just saying that that's part of the grander picture… If the United States media said, 'Well actually, yes, these people are somewhat justified in killing us because we've been killing them and we've been making all kinds of money profiting off of their destruction,' then the American public, I don't think, would be as quick to follow suit and join in on the bombing of Afghanistan or whatever terrorist it is now." \nRise Over Run will be performing at 8 p.m. on Saturday at Rhino's with Goner and Nakatomi Plaza. The band is also practicing and planning for its second album.

I wish I may...

For the past 12 months the entertainment world has been tossed up with a sugercoating in music and wit in movies, only to be trampled with the rest of the United States after Sept. 11. We lost Aaliyah and George Harrison. Movies were held back for violence or to remove clips of the World Trade Center from their backgrounds. Who knows what next year holds. Here's my list of wishes I can't wait to see happen. \n"Lord of the Rings" comes out on DVD\nWhen I was in elementary or middle school I tried to read "The Hobbit," but lost patience about half way through. I saw the movie because my little brother and dad wanted to. \nDespite my low expectations, "Lord of the Rings" encapsulated three of the most enjoyable hours I have ever spent sitting still. By the time the movie was over I felt like I had made new friends and had a deep seeded desire to visit New Zealand. "LOTR"'s acting, costumes, scenery and graphics were so believable I went right home and dusted off that old book from the shelf. Now I can't wait to see it stored with special features on a DVD we can watch time and again. The sound and picture are likely to be so downright cool that we won't mind sitting through that extra 30 minutes of film. I've also heard this one's heading to disc in August.\nBloomington Independent comes back to life\nThe economic recession has struck businesses across the nation, but I never thought it could seriously hurt the one B-town publication that seems to carry an anti-capitalist tone. Bloomington is missing a unique voice with the temporary hiatus of the Independent that really seems to show the liberal side of Bloomington -- a side you don't find in many other Indiana towns. Not to mention, every week the writers toss out a complex schedule of stuff to do and detailed stories on the local music scene. Good luck. \nPop music loses its throne\nBanish the Backstreet Boys. Bury Britney Spears. Knock down 'N Sync. With this sort of music carrying the top positions on U.S. entertainment charts, no wonder our kids score lower on standardized tests. Or perhaps, no wonder 70 percent of people ages 14 to 25 dress exactly the same. Our ears are in sore need of some worthwhile variety -- something we won't get with the same voice processors and sampled beats in every widely selling album. Sure, I loved New Kids on the Block in my day, but in retrospect, I'm glad that trend ended. New styles and intelligent lyrics make you think -- reproducing pop is stagnet. It's time for super pop to step aside and make way for something new. And I'm not talking about another Creed album. \nPeople start to think local original music is cool \nAfter the closing of Cellar Lounge and Secret Sailor, and the disbanding or movement of more than one local music group, it almost seems as if the local music scene is on a downward slope. If music supporters don't put their money where there ears are, there might be nothing good left to listen to. Not only do local original artists do cool new stuff with music every weekend, but they do it in Bloomington where we can actually afford to go see shows. The bands and the venues need support, or they will most likely go under or leave. And hey -- what better way is there to get rid of that pop problem than to support the local musicians who are trying something new or passionate? \nSept. 11 doesn't breed censors\nMost importantly, my biggest wish for 2002's entertainment is that this one thing doesn't happen. I hope that Sept. 11 doesn't breed censors. People are understandably queasy about releasing movies and other products with over-the-top violence, but hiding one view doesn't justify the next. We need to be very careful about watching the media and government and their reactions to new entertainment projects. Just quelling a movie's action scenes isn't going to bring world peace, and creators shouldn't have to be afraid of offending people.

McNally hints at future potential

Jukebox Sparrows\nShannon McNally\nAnise/Capitol Records\nShannon McNally must be wallowing in good luck. \nWhether it is good luck to be signed to a major label is a matter of preference. But to latch on to Capitol at the tail end of Lilith-Fair-girl-frenzy and receive three and a half stars for her first widely-released album in Rolling Stone isn't too shabby for a 27-year-old artist.\nRaised in working class Long Island, McNally brings a honest, earthy tone to her sultry blues voice. Leadbelly, Bonnie Raitt and a trip to Paris in college all helped her to develop her own style. \nWith the first guitar lick and McNally's sexy whine, Jukebox Sparrows opens with a "down and dirty" attitude. The just-enough background vocals and Wurlitzer chords paired with a few electric interludes give a flow to the lyrics of a woman with wisdom.\nAs McNally says, her songs are about relationships and self-reflection, as most are. Although musicians may have a predestination to egocentric writing, McNally does it with grace and more than a few catchy melodies. \n"Now That I Know" blends acoustic strums with a happy version of McNally's voice, about not realizing what you have till it's gone. Again, a common topic, but with sweet harmonies and the lyrics, "I'll be your ground if you'll be my muse I can tie onto," and keyboard stylings, McNally proves that maybe figuring it all out isn't a bad thing.\n"Colorado" strays from McNally's typical guitar/blues/rock fashion with a wistful lyric and an empty background (compared to her other efforts). It's not a favorite tune, but it displays her range of writing styles. The line, "Never knew how I felt till I felt that gun in my hands" and the plinky piano interlude breaks up her ballad to western America.\nMcNally's voice echoes through her own 11-track jukebox. All of the tracks (despite "Colorado") are full and rich without overdoing your senses. They are the kind of songs to listen to and wonder how a person could put it all together. \nThough she has a strong lyrical wit and songwriting talent, McNally's consistency is too consistent. She shows glimpses of creativity that will hopefully be better developed in the future.\n

Saying goodbye

A shattered glass door now bars the way to an empty Bloomington venue, a home to all styles of music and political leanings. Where once there was rocking loudness, now there is the echo of empty walls. Where once there was Secret Sailor -- a collective of mostly liberal learned B-towners who hosted Pages for Prisoners meetings, shelves of zines and puppet shows -- now there is a dusty floor.\nThe Sailor is closed -- out with a bang and a dozen bands at the last concert on Dec. 29. Although originally conceived with, well, a not-so-clear conception, the bookstore-turned-meeting-space turned into a venue too, hosting multiple shows each week (as many as 20 this past July for an independence festival, says one collective member). \nSecret Sailor, formerly of 202 N. Walnut St., opened its doors on Feb. 1, 2000, thanks in part to Bloomington resident Sam Dorsett. It later became a collective, with staffers volunteering their hours. When the store started out, it was "empty," says ex-sailor and IU alumnus Matt Trisini. \nThough former collective worker senior Monica Sentmanat believes the Sailor started as primarily a proponent of "radical literature," Trisini says there was no definite purpose. They both agree it wasn't originally slated as a venue. \n"As far as what it ended up doing, Secret Sailor was just some of everything," Trisini says. \nAnd it seems, at least in part, that he is right. The Sailor was a bookstore, yes, but it also hosted shows or meetings many nights of the week, and was open for anyone to use as they so desired, as long as they followed the collective's basic guidelines. \nThese basic guidelines may be summed up at the former store's now outdated Web site, http://www.tofuequalslove.com/secretsailor, on the Secret Sailor Code page. The code in part says, "Secret Sailor Books is a resource for anti-authoritarian activists, free thinkers, revolutionaries, radicals…" Despite or perhaps because of this philosophy, Trisini and Sentmanat say the Sailor had a welcoming attitude, with many types of people visiting. \nThe same was true of the organization of shows: virtually anyone was able to set up a show at any time, and the floor held punk, folk, acoustic, jazz, electronic and other types of music. One time, someone even organized a rave. \nIt was free to book a show at the Sailor, an option more business-oriented venues can't offer. Some artists would have came to town regardless of whether the shows were free or not, Trisini believes, but many might not have. The space offered an intimate atmosphere like basement shows, but with more room. \n"I think it filled a niche for a while," Trisini says. Though there have been other shifts in the B-town scene recently, he doesn't see that as a problem. He says the scene is always changing and venues are always opening and closing, though he will miss the Sailor.\nOne local musician, whose band played at the venue three or four times, will miss the Sailor's uniqueness as well.\n"I got a genuine sense that they love music and wanted to help bands, they provided the structure when necessary without being obnoxious about it," says junior guitarist Ashton Stewart. "I guess it worked that way because it was a small venue."\nStewart's band Hijla plays what he calls "rock with some new wave." The student musicians have played most, if not all, the all-ages venues in town, including Rhinos, Dunn Meadow and WIUS VIBES. An all-ages stage is the type of venue where Stewart says the music really matters. In a bar, he says, people go to drink or be with friends and to hear songs they know. He contrasts this with an all ages venue like the Sailor was, where the band is the reason for going. And the Sailor might have offered a focus within this focus -- not just on the band, but on providing original and intimate music.\n"I think the Sailor offered an opportunity for more do-it-yourself kinds of acts and independent acts that were trying to emerge out of the Bloomington scene to have a place to play and be seen by people who might really enjoy it, whereas they might not fit in the bar scene," Stewart says.\nThis venue space, nestled amongst the bar scene on North Walnut, also offered a little more than just a place to play or see a rocking show. Sentmanat says, "It wasn't a place you just attend and become disconnected." She says musicians and show-goers were able to participate afterwards, either by setting up a show of their own, attending activist meetings or volunteering.\nOccasionally this volunteering led to other things. This skull and crossbones-adorned venue gave space for various benefit shows, in turn helping Pages to Prisoners and tree-sitters, as well as the Sailor itself. \nCome the end of the month, it was usually fundraising time, Trisini says. He claims he doesn't know how the Sailor usually made it by on book sales, with a limited selection, but sometimes donations were needed. Despite this hard work to meet the bills, just over $1000 was allegedly stolen during a period of time this year, he says. This was more money than the collective had raised at a particularly beneficial benefit, and was one of the last turns of the key on the closing of the Sailor. \nWith no money coming in from free or donation-only shows and little from book sales, the Sailor never made much money. The aim was not to become rich but to give an open home for thought and music for whoever partook. \nYet, with pirate paraphernalia in the windows and anarchist and other stigma-attracting business going on inside, many might not have seen the atmosphere as very welcoming. Yes, Trisini admits, the Sailor came off as intimidating, but inside, the collective members were good people, and shows offered an intimate atmosphere.\n"We worked on that for two years," Trisini says. "Part of it was just what we were, as far as an open space and a lot of punk shows and political literature. But in some ways, people had a lot of stigmas before they even got near the space. I don't think the space helped at all, either."\nThe Sailor was a sum of many parts -- part store, part meeting place, part venue, with a unique spin on all of them. Though it did so many things, Trisini feels it may have been overwhelming for the space. And with many memories, Trisini still feels the Sailor didn't live up to its potential. \nBut even so, when it came to shows, Stewart feels the Sailor had its loyalties in the right place.\n"At the Sailor, the focus is on the music"

NIN album packed with emotion

And All That Could Have Been\nNIN\nNothing Records\nTrent Reznor's music is anything but fragile. His dark industrial sounds jump out of the shadows, and the painful lyrics carry a backbone. The music of Nine Inch Nails is more action and less whine -- though he's pissed off, the music is a statement, not album upon album of crying, like some other dark rock artists.\nLive the band is no different. And All That Could Have Been, the brand new live disc (released on the same day as an enhanced CD and DVD of the same product) is 16 tracks of energy, anger and passion from 2000's Fragility U.S. tour. The tour features Reznor joined by musicians Danny Lohner, Jerome Dillon, Charlie Clouser and Robin Finck. \nBeing the first live Nine Inch Nails album, its release has been preceded by much fanfare on the part of public relations reps. Though it features no 20 minute long guitar solos or jam sessions, the live album adds a new dimension to Reznor's complexity. \nThe songs don't seem to vary too much in the live versions, but they come off as less manufactured. If you compare a studio album to Reznor's dyed hair and black clothes, And All That Could Have Been is catching a glimpse of him naked. You can hear the voices screaming in the background, but the music is still in focus, and even somewhat pared down.\nFrom my limited knowledge of Reznor's work, the track selection couldn't have been better. The album starts out with an explosive beginning to "Terrible Lie" and continues to build on that first momentum. Dipping and climbing in passion with "March of the Pigs" and "The Frail," you're brought right back up to fever pitch with "Gave Up." \nAs all good artists should, Reznor leaves the most well known songs for the last third: "Closer," "Head Like a Hole" and "Star****ers, Inc." Even though you've heard the tunes over and again, you will want to hear them one more time by the end of the album.\nMaking the most noise with the softest sound, the album ends with "Hurt." Mournfully black, there are no words needed to describe the feeling the last song leaves you with. \nOverall, And All That Could Have Been is a necessary addition to a serious NIN collection, and a good introduction to the music for a beginner. Reznor spins you around in his world, and lets you go with a lingering melody.\n

Blue Moon Revue prepares for release

Local band Blue Moon Revue is gearing up for the release of its first official album this Saturday. Full of original material, Home boasts nine tracks of funkified soul rock. Vocalist and guitarist Matt Marshall, guitarist David Sullivan, bassist Andy Salge, keyboardist and programmer Drew Scalercio, drummer Dan Hirons and Matt Frick on banjo and percussion are all IU students.\n"We just found out a lot about ourselves and as musicians" while in the studio, Marshall says.\nHe also feels the band members are becoming more comfortable playing individually and as a group. This album is more polished than the band's demo release, 1108 Sessions, Marshall says. He found it exciting to record "Time," a cut off the new album, with a horn section -- a new avenue for the band.\nSaturday, Blue Moon Revue will be joined by a horn section consisting of Richard Dole on bass trombone, Karl Liechty on sax and Patrick Cronin on trumpet and Sydney Chatman and Lena Hill on backup vocals. The show at Uncle Fester's will feature three sets, one of new music, one from the album and one of "crazy covers," Marshall says.\nThe new album will be available for purchase at the show. \nBlue Moon Revue's CD release party will be held at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday at Uncle Fester's. Cover will be about $3.

Local pianist bops and boogies

Window on the Soul\nCraig Brenner\nCraig Brenner Music\nHurray for local original music. \nLocal pianist Craig Brenner's latest album of bluesy, jazz-muscle-flexing and bopping sound boasts his highest quantity of original recorded music to date. With only one rearrangement of an old boogie woogie, Brenner is trying to force his own soul to the forefront of his music. Window of the Soul makes a concerted effort in personal style through multiple genre stylings. \nBrenner recruits the talent of many locally based or begun musicians for the album, including sons Eli (percussion) and Nate (bass) who is an IU student, as well as trumpeter and IU professor Pat Harbison, Janiece Jaffe on vocals, IU alumnus Pete Wilhoit on drums and many other guests. Much of the group got together last weekend to release the CD with a benefit concert for the Community Kitchen of Monroe County and the Hoosier Hills Food Bank. The album was recorded at Echo Park, a studio visited by other local artists such as Mysteries of Life, Johnny Socko and Dominic Spera.\nBreaking out with a piano solo piece, "Brenner's Boogie" shuffles up and down the ivories as a fitting introduction to Brenner's style, influenced by New Orleans and the blues. \nThough bearing these influences, Brenner aptly switches from shuffling blues to smooth jazz to a Latin feel and back again, including soulful jazz trios on "Nathaniel" (a song written for his youngest son) and the smirkingly cool "You." \nThe inclusion of 20 other musicians is what gives the album its spice -- though the music was written by a pianist, his various flavors of composition turn the album into a witness of these different styles, while still maintaining coherence. \nStandout tunes in this respect are "Aimlessly He Floats," "Hardly Bop" and "Tune for Grandma." With a bit of a groove on "Aimlessly," James Campbell carries the melody on clarinet until the sultry voice of Jaffe takes over. Nate's string bass sets the stage for the horn-powered bopping on "Hardly," including jazz style head-nodding solos. "Tune" ends the album with the four part harmonies of vocalists Jaffe, Susan Swaney, Sonja Rasmussen and Jane McLeod, which almost sound celestial. \nThere are one or two letdowns on the album -- "Elias" comes off as a bit too contrived, and the boogie-woogie tunes, while a nice addition, almost seem out of place.\nOverall, Brenner has combined musical styles with his own influences and experiences, creating a solid expedition of both local talent and soulful swinging music.\n

Umphrey's McGee jams for fans

The jam-band market faces some stiff competition. \nYou've got moe and String Cheese Incident. Deadheads and Phish fans abound, and the jazz improv of the likes of Medeski Martin & Wood and Herbie Hancock usually draw the same fan base. Of course, these are all generalizations. \nSo, when I go out to see a group billed as a jam band, I'm expecting two things:\n• To have a good, danceable time with some laid back kids. \n• To be surprised with something new.\nAnd in most regards, Umphrey's McGee's show at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater Friday met these requirements. \nThe show started out slower than I would have liked, with much of the same-sounding (to new ears) jam tunes. Though sure to bear some unique intricacies for the Umphreaks (the band's diehard fans who travel the Midwest to catch shows), I found the songs a warm up to better things. Seeing as how Umphrey's McGee was playing without an opening act, the jams served a purpose to get the crowd dancing. Early on in the first set, the band also debuted the brand new tune "Dump City," closely following the tune with a very fun short medley of covers including "Band on the Run."\nOne standout, apparent even in the first set, was guitarist/vocalist/percussionist/moogist Jake Cinninger's blues rock-influenced guitar solos. He wailed on his axe with the same furrowed brow and hidden smile -- the same expression of easy pain -- you could see on the face of any solid blues rocker of their day.\nUmphrey's threw in another new tune, "Walletsworth," and proceeded through more jamming to a short intermission. \nPart two really brought the house down. Sure the place seemed packed, being pressed up against the stage and the four people surrounding me. And everyone whistled, hollered and clapped in between songs before intermission, but the dancing only got faster and the screaming louder during the second set. \nAfter the intermission, everyone on stage and off was ready to go. The band picked it up with some energetic tunes to get everyone moving, with the rhythms of vocalist/drummer Michael Mirro on set, Andy Farag on percussion and Ryan Stasik on bass driving the electricity. Here the band released another new original, "Last Call."\nThe second set also boasted the members' versatile musicianship: Keysman and vocalist Joel Cummins busted out some very cool solos, and Cinninger aptly covered for Mirro on set for about a minute. Cinninger and guitarist/vocalist Brendan Bayliss also took a spectacular turn on acoustics, mixing fingerpicking and its multiple layers with the jams. Mirro, Farag and Cinninger also teamed up for a furious percussion solo -- Farag flailed intensely enough on the timbales to get anyone watching worked up. \nAnother component that really works for the band is the harmony vocals. They add a dimension and soul to the band that you can't find everywhere. \nIn the end, though, the length of the concert was noticeable. The best concerts seem a half hour long even when they aren't -- here I could tell you just how long I was at the show. Yet I'm guessing that feeling fades with the number of Umphrey's shows you go to, and with a little training and a love of music, I suspect the band could make Umphreaks out of any open-minded, college-age crowd. The atmosphere in the Buskirk-Chumley was intimate as usual, and the lighting was intense and succeeded in visualizing the mood on stage. There is something great about actually being able to tell when Stasik raises his eyebrows or just how much sweat is dripping off Farag's face. \nEveryone else in the audience seemed to know each other or be familiar enough with the band to talk about the most minute chord change from last time, further contributing to the happy, party-like feel.\nIn the end, I'm guessing this review won't matter that much. The band has a solid fanbase and dead-on technical skills. Besides, who needs critics and stadium-sized crowds when you could have a few hundred screaming and dancing Umphreaks?\nYou can catch Umphrey's McGee next at a Valentine's Day show this Wednesday at Axis Nightclub, 419 N. Walnut St.

Red hot

Valentine's Day. A time for flowers, candy and the celebration of love in all its splendor. Some regard this holiday as a truly special one meant to celebrate love shared with a significant other, while others see it as a nauseating commercialized fiasco put on by big corporations trying to cash in on sappy consumers. Regardless, this year Bloomington folk can just use it as an excuse to go hear a few "red-hot" bands play. \nLocal band Jim Fix will open for out-of-towners the Red Hot Valentines and Ultimate Fakebook. \nFor the Red Hot Valentines, Thursday is the band's "unofficial holiday," an anniversary of sorts. \n"We played our first show two years ago on Feb. 13, 2000. This is our first time playing on Valentine's Day," bassist David Gerkin says. The band is kicking off a short Midwest tour tonight at Rhino's playing before the Kansas rockers, Ultimate Fakebook.\nThe Red Hot Valentines come from Champaign, Ill., or "Cow-Town" as the musicians refer to it. Currently a four-piece band (the group is between keyboardists), the Valentines consist of guitarists Tobin Kirk and Jeff Johnson, bassist David Gerkin and drummer Eric Humbert. The Red Hot Valentines started out at the University of Illinois, as a couple of freshmen with too much time on their hands. Since the band's inception in 1999, the musicians have put out a six-song EP and just recently released their first album (self-titled). For now, their goal is to be able to support themselves off of their music alone. \n"It's not a big thing for us to be famous; we just want to provide for ourselves and live comfortably off of making music," Gerkin says. Currently their day jobs include: Text Book Thugs (clerks at a college bookstore), Culinary Dough Specialist (pizza boy) and Temp Agent of Justice (office grunt).\nOf their influences, the band claims to be ever-evolving, listening to "a ridiculously eclectic mix of music." The Valentines have been categorized as a punk band in the past, much to their annoyance. "A lot of people try to put us in the punk genre, because our first EP was really fast with punk undertones. But we think of ourselves as straight rock," Gerkin says. The band also thinks of their style as not so much mainstream, but catchy, with pop resonance. For recent inspiration, songwriters Kirk and Johnson have been listening to the likes of Cat Stevens and Nick Drake. \nShows consist of all original music, despite the occasional Josie and the Pussycats cover. \n"When you're onstage, it's all about your personality and capturing an energy. I saw Ben Folds recently, and he's great because he does it all from behind a piano and puts on a great show," Kirk says. The guys claim to put on a good show themselves, usually drawing a respectable response from the crowd.\n"There are a lot of good vocal harmonies, and our sound is really guitar driven," Gerkin says. "We try to keep talking to a minimum at shows and play as many songs as possible, because people come out to hear the music."\nAfter finishing their current tour, the musicians plan to embark on other tours later this spring, opening for Duvall and Ultimate Fakebook. \n"We're all rock bands with similar sounds, so we work well together," Gerkin says. Through touring, they hope to establish connections in venues, build their fan base and get their music out to as many people as possible. Most importantly, they hope to improve as a band.\nAfter their set, the Red Hot Valentines can be found in the audience as fans watching Ultimate Fakebook, or at their merchandise table, where they talk with fans.\n"No one who comes to the merch table ever has anything bad to say about us. We like to just hang out and talk with people. We're not snobby or anything," Gerkin says. \nUltimate Fakebook will follow the Red Hot Valentines tonight at Rhino's. Bob Nugent, Rhino's youth program leader and entertainment booker, backs Ultimate Fakebook with enthusiasm. \n"They're all about the rock," Nugent says. "They have this kind of essence that a lot of '80s metal rock bands had. Just going out in front of everybody and rocking out."\nWith a sound they derive from influences the Replacements, Cheap Trick and others, guitarist Bill McShane says his band wants to rock out. \n"We're all about our live show -- that's where we try to put our best feet forward," McShane says. \nThe band hails from the college scene in Manhattan, Kan., and has since moved on to play a majority of all-ages shows. McShane says the kids at all-ages shows are a "million times better" because they generally go to listen to the music instead of drink and hang out with friends. \n"Our crowds are really not reserved. They just let it all hang out," McShane says. "It's definitely better that way." \nThough dissenters might say the band carries a sound that stays pretty close to the current nerd rock trend, McShane maintains Ultimate Fakebook's positive sound is needed instead of dark rock and roll on the airwaves. He says kids need music they can rock out to -- simple songs that carry a good melody, a trait he admires in recent breakouts the Strokes. \nUltimate Fakebook writes about many of the themes featured in the lighter hearted rock of the day -- girls, innocence and wanting to rock when you're a kid. He says he and his two bandmates, bassist Nick Colby and drummer Eric Melin, have wanted to play music for a long time. \nThis year holds some new developments for the band -- Electric Kissing Parties, the band's second album, is due out in March. Ultimate Fakebook also holds a few spots on 2002's Warped Tour after submitting music for the bill in past years without reward. \nThough he finds it sometimes hard to be away from his friends and girlfriend while touring, McShane says playing music is worth it. Besides, he says his girlfriend isn't angry about his Valentine's Day absence because they celebrated this past weekend.\nNugent has planned ahead, too. \n"I'm going to be spending Valentine's Day with my girl here," he says. \nAnd they all just might try to make it a red-hot holiday.

Fans take to campus, streets in celebration

And you thought it was crazy on Thursday night. \nAs soon as the scorekeepers called the final tally of 81-69 for IU over Kent State on Saturday night, the screaming started. Horns blasted and cheers echoed between the dorms, filled the bars and poured out onto Kirkwood Avenue. That was only the beginning of IU's Final Four celebration. \n"It was really exciting. I wish they won almost by a bigger lead," said freshman Sam Lofgren on her way to Showalter Fountain. She watched the game with a friend and immediately headed to one of last Thursday's main gathering spots to see what was going on. \nGroups of two, five and more tore across the Main Library parking lot, bounding down the stairs behind the Fine Arts Building, while others dodged to avoid getting run over. The howls of "IU, IU" and "Final Four" could be heard from anywhere near the center of campus.\nThe crowd of hundreds covered the lady of the fountain, its rims, the stairs surrounding and the green lamp posts. Police donned their now-customary post-NCAA-conference-win gear and kept an eye on the crowd from its edges. \nGraduate student Michael Burton watched the game with his friends in Alpha Phi Alpha and brought his handheld video camera to record the celebration. \n"I've been here six years," Burton said. "This is the most fun I've had at IU."\nStudents and community members joined together in rejoicing. Drunken 20-somethings, 5-year-olds with their parents and a lone fellow with a snare drum slung over his shoulder all watched the crowd, turning heads to follow the loudest cheers. The quieter of the basketball team's many followers held close to the edges, avoiding the pulsing mass that some held hands to wade through. \nSophomore Allyson Metz took her father and mother, in town for a parent's weekend, to see the happy fans. They live in Atlanta.\n"We just booked her plane ticket back home," Yale Metz, Allyson's father, said. They planned to find game tickets to IU's bid against Oklahoma.\nSaturday night people weren't just cheering for the players' sweat and three-point prowess. They were also hailing the coach forced to follow a legacy.\n"It's a great win for Mike Davis," junior Brandon Williams said. "Now we can finally forget about Bobby Knight." \nDespite Knight-laced comments and interview questions and the public's voiced misgivings about the new coach, this past week seems to be his validation in many eyes. \nJunior Scott Brian Smith called his stepfather, an IU alumnus, right after the game.\n"He really loved Bobby Knight," Smith said. "He had some bad opinions about (Davis) earlier in the year, but not now." \nAt the fountain, hugs and cheers were mandatory. Teamwork wasn't only seen on the court in Lexington, as strangers offered a hand for the pole climbers to step on. Crazed students also worked together to tear down one of the smaller trees bordering Showalter, set part of it on fire, which the police soon doused, and dragged it to Kirkwood. \n"This is the road to the Final Four!" yelled a tree-limb-brandishing student who led the procession. A trail of dirt still remained on Sunday. It led down Seventh Street, across Indiana Avenue and through the alley behind People's Park. \nOnce at the Kirkwood intersection across from the Upstairs Pub, the thronging crowd raised the trunk stripped of now-souvenir limbs. A T-shirt clad student hoisted himself on its swaying branches, dropping sparks from the magenta road flare he looped through the air until the uprooted tree fell. \nClimbing seemed a disease shared by the crowd at Kirkwood, as students stood on the roofs of Kilroy's, Upstairs and Greetings. Others scaled the street signs, and were hanging from the connecting wires. \nThe more rambunctious of the crowd lit newspapers and clothing on fire, forming a small ring of onlookers, news cameras and photographers. \nIU's win brought out all spectrums of campus life -- from the girls convinced flashing is a good thing and the guys who cheered them on, to the do-gooders who yelled in protest at the arsonists and tree killers. \nSaturday's main melee ended with a troop to President Myles Brand's house, where the crowd was met by a line of police officers standing in his front yard. Students leapt and stumbled across the small creek in his yard and cheered for about 30 minutes before dispersing. This time, a few environmentally-minded students saved the tree chosen to be destroyed. \n"This is the craziest night of my life," sophomore D.J. Zipp said. "I will remember it forever"

Music Landing:

Before he lands at Space 101 next Wednesday, Dan Sullivanthe man behind the music of Nad Navillus will have played in Toronto, Montreal, Brooklyn, Washington D.C. and more with guitar in hand and Parker Paul by his side. \nTraveling on a shoestring budget and crashing at friends' and relatives' houses, Sullivan and Paul are promoting their latest albums from Bloomington's Jagjaguwar Records indie-style. \nSullivan has been playing music since he was a child. Partner to many musical projects, Sullivan says he got his break when he met up with Jason Molina, songwriter of Songs: Ohia (produced on Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar's parent label). Sullivan has since toured with Songs: Ohia, played bluegrass with his brothers and completed session work with various artists. Sullivan released a new disc of his own fingerstyle songwriting, Show Your Face, last November. Dan's newest album takes him past the instrumental work on his first solo release and brings him to the galaxy of songwriting. He also appears on Paul's newest release and is heading into the studio for his next.\nPaul has been playing music "for a long, long time" and isn't thinking of quitting yet. He is currently pushing his October release Wingfoot, filled with deep vocals and gritty lyrics (the second verse of "When I Got You at the Pound" starts with "When you ate that poison rat, / The morphine variant made you / Throw up at the vet). Keith Hanlon joins him and Sullivan on drums. Paul's description on Jagjaguwar's Web site hails back to a starkly indie pretext: "You should have no illusions. The future for Parker Paul is still unclear. But he is resolute on one thing: not relying on critical acclaim, on ivory towers alone, to spread the word. The masses will come or Parker Paul will fade permanently into obscurity." \nSullivan and Paul gave up some time to answer questions about the tour and their music last week.\nNad Navillus\nQ: Have you ever played Bloomington before?\nA: Well I played Bloomingtonfest this summer, that was without a doubt the best festival I've ever participated in in terms of the quality of music… You could easily see a bunch of bands… I just got back from South By Southwest which is the exact opposite of that. I've had good shows in Bloomington, the people are respectful. It's always a good time in Bloomington if nothing else to see the folks who are hanging out at the offices (of Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar).\nQ:What differences are there in your new album compared to your last?\nA: The first CD I released on a small label here in Chicago was all instrumental and Show Your Face has singing on every song. It's not that I woke up one morning and decided to sing; I've been singing since I was a kid. It also forced me to work harder on my songwriting. Once you start working on the craft of songwriting, it's just this never-ending process. The masters of it have been working on it their entire lives. It's a timeless art. I think that's what I try to develop in my songwriting, maybe so more than other people, is a more involved musical approach -- really thinking about the way the song sounds, not just the lyrics.\nQ: What do you try to accomplish at live shows?\nA: I think as a performer you're always looking to reach deeper to your audience, maybe in a way that you haven't before. You're trying to do justice to the complexity of emotions and of our lives without sounding trite or heavy-handed. You want to try simultaneously to touch people… with your songs… I like to engage them as an instrumentalist to play the guitar in a way that they find engaging and sing in a way that touches them emotionally.\nQ: What does the future hold for you?\nA: I think just trying to increase my scope nationally and internationally, that would be my focus for the foreseeable future. Continue to make music that I find challenging to myself and others. I think when you start looking at music as a potential career, it doesn't change your outlook on music necessarily; it changes the way you look at the big picture.\nParker Paul\nQ: What are you doing to prepare for the tour?\nA: Danny is building a loft right now in the back of the van. You do your laundry, you find someone to dog-sit, then you practice, practice, practice. \nQ: How would you compare recording in the studio to touring?\nA: Well, you're nervous and you're spending money when you're in the studio. But when you're playing it's fun and you're having a good time. It's not the final deal -- you're just letting it rip.\nQ: Do you have the option of quitting your day job and playing music full time?\nA: I can quit anytime and play music, I just won't have any money. I think if I didn't work my music would be a lot more boring… My big challenge would be finding a good valet to buff the suede on my rock boots.\nQ: What are you looking for in the tour?\nA: That we become a cohesive unit and lay down a trail of incendiary wooha… It's a lot louder when you have a group. Sometimes it's a lot more fun.

'Cake And Pie' not too sweet

Cake And Pie\nLisa Loeb\nA&M Records\nThis is pansy rock. It's flowery -- the music of curly typeface and cat-eyed glasses. The album is called Cake And Pie for crying out loud. But, for as much cutesy lilt as there is in Lisa Loeb's voice, her third full album (minus cassette tape efforts in her early years) carries a bite and precision that makes listening to pop music worthwhile. \nLoeb has graduated from the super-radio success of "Stay," the surprise hit from the "Reality Bites" soundtrack. She's still wistful and sings of strained relationships in her lyrics, but rounds them out with strings, layered vocals and electric guitars. \nCake And Pie's full sound is both a benefit and detractor. Some songs leave you wishing for simplicity, while others blend light acoustic pickings with just the right amount of electricity. Much of the developed sound and electricity comes from the collaboration of boyfriend Dweezil Zappa, Randy Scruggs, Glen Ballard and Peter Collins. Despite these efforts, the album carries a sameness that gets boring at times. \nWith lyrics of abandonment, doubts and loneliness, you shouldn't listen to this album if you just went through a bad break-up. Loeb (and company) looks at her world honestly and records her thoughts. Sometimes too honestly. No matter how true it might be, the lines "I like things that are so good / You are so, so good / I like you," from "Underdog," just don't make for a good intro. \nAs a counterbalance to the occasional way-too-cuteness of some lyrics, Loeb comes back biting on "She's Falling Apart," a sad song about a painfully anorexic girl and her parents' realization of the truth. A blues-tinged guitar solo tops off the best track on the album.\nAll in all, Loeb's newest release is a solid album, with a spice of honesty and musical style that gives her ultra-sweet character more depth. Hopefully, Loeb still has room to branch out further and show us just what she is capable of. Cake And Pie might leave you wishing for a piece of music with a little more mincemeat and less stale apple. \n

Rusted Root still ready to 'party'

Reaching for the peak

Carrying the indie rock 'Flag'

Swearing at Motorists\nThis Flag Signals Goodbye\nSecretly Canadian\nSwearing at Motorists brings you 14 tracks of pure indie rock with their latest release, This Flag Signals Goodbye. Passion, contemplation, brooding and rock fury -- it's all here. Grab your beat-up leather jacket and put on your black sunglasses. It's time to play this album on a stereo system in someone's basement — loudly.\nSwearing at Motorists, on the local Secretly Canadian label, grew out of Dayton in the early '90s. The two piece unit of vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Dave Doughman and drummer Joseph Siwinski brings enough volume and skill to the fold to convince us that a three to five man lineup is merely bulky. This half-hour album crams so many different emotions into 30 minutes that it makes longer albums seem like filler. \nBut, as indie-rocking cool as it is, This Flag Signals Goodbye waves both the highs and lows of the genre at the musical sky. About the mellow songs -- don't listen to them when you are tired. Doughman's voice, deep and smooth, will sway your eyes shut -- It's so brooding and peaceful. When Doughman sets out to do a mellow song, he makes it mellow. He echoes with that mysteriously unfulfilled longing that all good, cool-guy rockers seem to have.\nHis lyrics spin the tales of unrequited love in the true young rocker tradition -- I'm trying, but she doesn't seem to care -- with a welcome conciseness. Doughman also throws in just enough distortion to let you not feel guilty about listening to (however good they may be) a few sad-bastard songs. Highlights of the album are "Borrowed Red Bike," "Room Full of You" and "(It came) Out of Nowhere." The first takes the sad-bastard-distortion technique and plays it for all it's worth. "Room" takes the sweet tones of an acoustic guitar intro and a trumpet solo and gives them the darkness of the lines "I'm all jacked up and I'm driving too fast/And I can't seem to think past the past." "Out of Nowhere" closes the album with a hesitance and depression that will echo after the CD stops spinning. \nThe two-piece lineup (with four sparsely used guest artists) tops off the band's "smaller is better" approach. Swearing at Motorists just make all the extra seem unnecessary. \n

New Age at its best

'American Idol' manufactured music

Fox has unleashed the latest and worst consumer-driven concoction of daydreams and embarrassment possible and crammed it into spotlights and tight jeans with "American Idol." Thousands of Britney and Justin wannabes from around the nation are whittled down to one, based purely on sex appeal, cool-factor and, oh yeah, talent. The winner gets a recording contract and millions of pre-acquired fans. \nWith all the hype going into the show -- a fully interactive web site, judge Simon Cowell's obnoxious personality and that funny glowing deity-like thing for the show's mascot, it's easy fame for the winner. The 12 to 25-year-old consumer bracket has been picked apart and thrown on the purchasing table with handfuls of cash just waiting for the idol to be chosen and the album released. \n"American Idol" is everything that is wrong with the music business, but I still watch it with my dad and brother because it has a sort of hypnotic quality. (I could take Cowell in a talent-bashing competition any day.) In this observation, I've noticed one thing: the show is missing a realness factor. It's not music, it's manufactured. \nHere are a few reasons why the show is derivative of Satan:\n1. It is sponsored by Ford Focus and Coca-cola. Have you ever driven a Focus? They are not cool, fun cars. They have tiny little 4-cylinder engines and not enough umph to accelerate faster than a Gremlin. And they're ugly. And Coke? Yuck. \n2. The judges are transparent. Cowell's the mean one. Paula Abdul's the nice one. And Randy Jackson's the medium one. Sound a little bit like Goldilocks to you?\n3. The hosts' last names are Seacrest and Dunkleman. \n4. One girl with a spectacular voice was disqualified because she was too fat. Well, there go the music careers the rest of us were planning on the side. \n5. Have you ever read the contestants' favorite CDs they listed on the Web site? They are crap. \nBut the one thing that really gets me is this: I'm sitting here listening to a CD I picked up last night from a local Lafayette band. It's great. The guitarist is driven. The vocals have just enough grit for the blues they are playing, and the harmonica player is only 8-years-old. They have been touring and practicing relentlessly since I first heard of them a couple years ago, and they get better with every performance. They don't have a free recording contract. They aren't signed to a label. They went to a local recording studio, did their thing and now sell the CDs in local bookstores and through mail-order. They write original music. They have real talent, real soul, live passion and a work ethic supporting their music. \nAnd so do hundreds of other bands trying to make it from local roots. \nAll the "American Idol" has is Cowell and millions of dollars from Ford and Coke. And yeah, half of them do sound like karaoke. \nSo next time you turn on that TV, watch out. Don't let the "American Idol" deity steal your soul. Spend your dollars on local music, and maybe this time next year, you'll hear something real on the radio.

'American Idol' manufactured music

Fox has unleashed the latest and worst consumer-driven concoction of daydreams and embarrassment possible and crammed it into spotlights and tight jeans with "American Idol." Thousands of Britney and Justin wannabes from around the nation are whittled down to one, based purely on sex appeal, cool-factor and, oh yeah, talent. The winner gets a recording contract and millions of pre-acquired fans. \nWith all the hype going into the show -- a fully interactive web site, judge Simon Cowell's obnoxious personality and that funny glowing deity-like thing for the show's mascot, it's easy fame for the winner. The 12 to 25-year-old consumer bracket has been picked apart and thrown on the purchasing table with handfuls of cash just waiting for the idol to be chosen and the album released. \n"American Idol" is everything that is wrong with the music business, but I still watch it with my dad and brother because it has a sort of hypnotic quality. (I could take Cowell in a talent-bashing competition any day.) In this observation, I've noticed one thing: the show is missing a realness factor. It's not music, it's manufactured. \nHere are a few reasons why the show is derivative of Satan:\n1. It is sponsored by Ford Focus and Coca-cola. Have you ever driven a Focus? They are not cool, fun cars. They have tiny little 4-cylinder engines and not enough umph to accelerate faster than a Gremlin. And they're ugly. And Coke? Yuck. \n2. The judges are transparent. Cowell's the mean one. Paula Abdul's the nice one. And Randy Jackson's the medium one. Sound a little bit like Goldilocks to you?\n3. The hosts' last names are Seacrest and Dunkleman. \n4. One girl with a spectacular voice was disqualified because she was too fat. Well, there go the music careers the rest of us were planning on the side. \n5. Have you ever read the contestants' favorite CDs they listed on the Web site? They are crap. \nBut the one thing that really gets me is this: I'm sitting here listening to a CD I picked up last night from a local Lafayette band. It's great. The guitarist is driven. The vocals have just enough grit for the blues they are playing, and the harmonica player is only 8-years-old. They have been touring and practicing relentlessly since I first heard of them a couple years ago, and they get better with every performance. They don't have a free recording contract. They aren't signed to a label. They went to a local recording studio, did their thing and now sell the CDs in local bookstores and through mail-order. They write original music. They have real talent, real soul, live passion and a work ethic supporting their music. \nAnd so do hundreds of other bands trying to make it from local roots. \nAll the "American Idol" has is Cowell and millions of dollars from Ford and Coke. And yeah, half of them do sound like karaoke. \nSo next time you turn on that TV, watch out. Don't let the "American Idol" deity steal your soul. Spend your dollars on local music, and maybe this time next year, you'll hear something real on the radio.

The Replacements: Letting it be

I couldn't help it. I had to write about this album, no matter how obvious of a choice it may be for unearthing a lesser-known but very influential album. \nComing at the end of the first punk movement but before the big alterna-rock scene, The Replacements blasted into the music world with ferocity and insight in the 1980s, offering a refreshing rock substitute for all the new-agey-pop-pansy-music on the airwaves at the time. Here was the solution for the kids who felt their musical muscle shrinking every time they turned on the radio. Here was a band to follow, an album to buy, a movement to idolize. And in 1984, they gave us Let it Be. \nPaul Westerberg, Tommy Stinson, Bob Stinson and Chris Mars continued to give some real rock fans hope that it was possible to create something that sounded different than the rest of the sludge out there. Sure I didn't really live (consciously -- I was two when Let it Be was released) through the 1980s, so I can only imagine what it would have been like to hear the album when it was first released. But if it can sound new and musically insightful now, after the shifts in the musical currents over the past 18 years, imagine the effect of its sound on a real rock fan in 1984.\nThe 'Mats (as they're known by their fans), from Minneapolis, gave the newly cell-phone toting corporate world an alternative that went largely unheeded. The band was much to blame for its own unrecognized stature -- the 'Mats (at first) refused to make accessible videos for MTV, rarely showed up for a gig sober and played their one slot on "Saturday Night Live" roaring drunk. Yet, with Westerberg's and the rest of the band's developing songwriting skills, the band brought rawness and sensitivity in the same breath. Though only heralding one charting single, The Replacements are viewed as pioneers, and Let it Be is the classic 'Mats album. \nHere is an album that mixes rocking passion with social awareness, an album that starts pop rock, blasts through half the middle with punk and splays itself with beautiful ballads. It is the 'Mats' third full-length album and boasts songs of dissatisfaction during the decade of Mr. Money Maker. Let it Be is universal and personal. \n"I Will Dare" starts off the album with a happy shuffle. It shows one dimension of the complex 'Mats repertoire. The second track, "Favorite Thing," picks up the tempo before the band launches into the raucous rocker "We're Coming Out," a tune complete with screeching guitar solos and Westerberg's background screams. And in the middle, there's finger snapping. \n"We're Coming Out" paves the irreverent way for "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out," a snare-drum punching, distortion ridden tune with a chorus of "Rip, rip / We're gonna rip 'em out now." What is a better commentary on the health care system than the lines "Get this over with / I tee off in an hour / My Cadillac's running." Its irreverence shares the same spirit of track nine, "Gary's Got a Boner." \nNext up is "Androgynous." The song is beautiful. It's the story of Dick and Jane, who love each other and look the same. It's a song only the 'Mats could give us, about two kids who wear whatever they want and are confident in their gender. Westerberg sings "Today the people dress the way that they please / The way they tried to do in the last centuries," with a scratchy-voiced conviction that makes the song's sparse arrangement of piano, vocals and light percussion work. This is the song that really sets The Replacements apart from other punkers -- not only do they rock out with distortion, but they can break it down on the piano just as well. \nOne of the other four ballads on the disc is "Unsatisfied," a perfect mix of music and frustration with a bare-bones approach. The song again lets you hear why Westerberg is so good at what he does -- his vocals are just weak and furious enough to convey his desperation. He sings, "Look me in the eye and tell me / That I'm satisfied." It doesn't get much more real than that. \nThe Replacements end the album with perhaps the coolest concluding track ever. "Answering Machine" spews as much sadness, bitterness and feeling into a rock ballad as I have ever heard. Westerberg laces the song with the acidic lines "How do you say 'I miss you' to an answering machine / How do you say 'Goodnight' to an answering machine / How do you say 'I'm lonely' to an answering machine?" "Answering Machine" rings with distorted loneliness and leaves you with the guitar riff lingering in your mind's jukebox long after it ends.\nLet it Be's 11 tracks show just how good an album can be. With pop rock, punk rock, acerbic ballads and even one cover (KISS' "Black Diamond"), The Replacements stretch the limits of post-punk just about as far as they can go. \nYou need to buy this album! There is no substitute for The Replacements.

The Replacements: Letting it be

I couldn't help it. I had to write about this album, no matter how obvious of a choice it may be for unearthing a lesser-known but very influential album. \nComing at the end of the first punk movement but before the big alterna-rock scene, The Replacements blasted into the music world with ferocity and insight in the 1980s, offering a refreshing rock substitute for all the new-agey-pop-pansy-music on the airwaves at the time. Here was the solution for the kids who felt their musical muscle shrinking every time they turned on the radio. Here was a band to follow, an album to buy, a movement to idolize. And in 1984, they gave us Let it Be. \nPaul Westerberg, Tommy Stinson, Bob Stinson and Chris Mars continued to give some real rock fans hope that it was possible to create something that sounded different than the rest of the sludge out there. Sure I didn't really live (consciously -- I was two when Let it Be was released) through the 1980s, so I can only imagine what it would have been like to hear the album when it was first released. But if it can sound new and musically insightful now, after the shifts in the musical currents over the past 18 years, imagine the effect of its sound on a real rock fan in 1984.\nThe 'Mats (as they're known by their fans), from Minneapolis, gave the newly cell-phone toting corporate world an alternative that went largely unheeded. The band was much to blame for its own unrecognized stature -- the 'Mats (at first) refused to make accessible videos for MTV, rarely showed up for a gig sober and played their one slot on "Saturday Night Live" roaring drunk. Yet, with Westerberg's and the rest of the band's developing songwriting skills, the band brought rawness and sensitivity in the same breath. Though only heralding one charting single, The Replacements are viewed as pioneers, and Let it Be is the classic 'Mats album. \nHere is an album that mixes rocking passion with social awareness, an album that starts pop rock, blasts through half the middle with punk and splays itself with beautiful ballads. It is the 'Mats' third full-length album and boasts songs of dissatisfaction during the decade of Mr. Money Maker. Let it Be is universal and personal. \n"I Will Dare" starts off the album with a happy shuffle. It shows one dimension of the complex 'Mats repertoire. The second track, "Favorite Thing," picks up the tempo before the band launches into the raucous rocker "We're Coming Out," a tune complete with screeching guitar solos and Westerberg's background screams. And in the middle, there's finger snapping. \n"We're Coming Out" paves the irreverent way for "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out," a snare-drum punching, distortion ridden tune with a chorus of "Rip, rip / We're gonna rip 'em out now." What is a better commentary on the health care system than the lines "Get this over with / I tee off in an hour / My Cadillac's running." Its irreverence shares the same spirit of track nine, "Gary's Got a Boner." \nNext up is "Androgynous." The song is beautiful. It's the story of Dick and Jane, who love each other and look the same. It's a song only the 'Mats could give us, about two kids who wear whatever they want and are confident in their gender. Westerberg sings "Today the people dress the way that they please / The way they tried to do in the last centuries," with a scratchy-voiced conviction that makes the song's sparse arrangement of piano, vocals and light percussion work. This is the song that really sets The Replacements apart from other punkers -- not only do they rock out with distortion, but they can break it down on the piano just as well. \nOne of the other four ballads on the disc is "Unsatisfied," a perfect mix of music and frustration with a bare-bones approach. The song again lets you hear why Westerberg is so good at what he does -- his vocals are just weak and furious enough to convey his desperation. He sings, "Look me in the eye and tell me / That I'm satisfied." It doesn't get much more real than that. \nThe Replacements end the album with perhaps the coolest concluding track ever. "Answering Machine" spews as much sadness, bitterness and feeling into a rock ballad as I have ever heard. Westerberg laces the song with the acidic lines "How do you say 'I miss you' to an answering machine / How do you say 'Goodnight' to an answering machine / How do you say 'I'm lonely' to an answering machine?" "Answering Machine" rings with distorted loneliness and leaves you with the guitar riff lingering in your mind's jukebox long after it ends.\nLet it Be's 11 tracks show just how good an album can be. With pop rock, punk rock, acerbic ballads and even one cover (KISS' "Black Diamond"), The Replacements stretch the limits of post-punk just about as far as they can go. \nYou need to buy this album! There is no substitute for The Replacements.