October 5–12, 1995

gyrate

To Catch A Thief

Stealing riffs and copping haircuts.

By Margit Detweiler

Lenny Kravitz. The best-paid cover band in the world.

One of our writers, Neil Gladstone, jokingly pitched me that one-line review of Kravitz's latest album, Circus — abatch of songs that blatantly rips off riffs, melodies and moods from '60s/ '70s flower child/ psychedelic bands.

In other words, Kravitz is doing the same thing he's always done. Unfortunately, his latest is no more than a pleasant, occasionally obvious parody, as he sings "Rock and Roll is Dead" to watered-down, Zeppelin-esque chords.Still, Circus is a gold mine of catchy pop songs — even if the styles are pilfered.

Anyway, I just pilfered a little, too. Swiped words right out of another writer's mouth. How dare I?

Why not, stealing is fun! Stealing is cool! Stealing in music is de riguer.

A few weeks ago, I heard a WDRE DJ snidely announce that the next caller to the radio station would win CDs by "Bush! Prick! and Hole!" Nasty names aside, I realized a connection more curious —all three have been "influenced" by one band: Nirvana.

Hole, ironically, is the least criminal. Check out Caroline records' just-released EP of old, rare Hole tracks called Ask For It — the five songs swing with raw guitars and lyrical vengeance. Unlike the unimaginative Bush and Prick, who've been surfing on a wave of post-Nirvana bliss, Courtney Love's serrated edges are real — just ask Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hannah.

Which brings us to Dandelion, who seem to be seeking a new, more marketable, more "Cobainable" sound with their second album, DYSLEXICON.

This is a band that's been around Philadelphia as a garage-metal combo in various formations since 1989. Their debut for Ruffhouse/ Columbia, I Think I'm Gonna Be Sick, proved they were a bit more than just another aggressive, droning, glam-inspired hair band. Still, they were stuck in the mire of unsuccessful pop.

First step to a Cobain-consciousness? Cut your hair.

"Hey! I cut my hair off like three years ago," says Kevin Morpurgo, lead singer and guitarist for Dandelion, calling from Detroit to defend himself.

"It doesn't seem like it was a drastic change. It wasn't like, 'Let's cut our hair and reinvent ourselves.'"

But I hardly recognized the band on MTV when the network aired Dandelion's single "Weird Out." Directed by Steve Hampton (who created Beck's "Loser" video), the boys sported short, moppy hair in this sharply "loose" film. They look grungy, years younger, and frighteningly like a lot of other bands.

I must admit, I'm sitting here humming the monotonously charming chorus, "Weird Out, Weird Out, Weird Out..." (So what's so wrong with a rip-off when it works?)

Morpurgo said he never felt like Dandelion fit in the world of indie rock very well, but that things have started to change.

"When we put out I Think I'm Gonna Be Sick, it was a few months after the Nirvana record [Nevermind] and stuff. They weren't really playing bands like that on the radio that much anyway. When that [Nirvana] record was out the whole radio situation seemed to change. We're kind of just riding it."

Riding the Nirvana era?

"I've never thought of us sounding like Nirvana. I've heard other people say that before, but it's certainly not a thing we try for. I think we're just going along with the garage ethic. The New York Dolls and Nirvana and a bunch of bands are influences on us."

Dandelion is on the road with hard rockin' peers Quicksand, and returns to Philadelphia to inaugurate the Electric Factory with fellow Philadelphia bands June Rich and The Strapping Fieldhands on Wednesday, October 11.

And there's been a little fallout from the tour: the band's drummer Dante Cimino left the band for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Ben Brauer (who's played with Flock of Seagulls, Spy Violet and The Stuntmen).

Gangsta Gone

With Time Warner ditching its 50 percent ownership (to the tune of $115 million) of rap-dominated label Interscope records, I wondered how our own label Ruffhouse, distributed by Sony/ Columbia records, felt about the split.

"It's a little bit disheartening that a music conglomerate would want to get rid of one of its most profitable divisions," said Chris Schwartz, owner of Ruffhouse records, based in Conshohocken. The independent label boasts hip-hop acts Schoolly D, Cypress Hill, The Fugees, Call of the Wild and Kriss Kross on their multi-genre roster.

"If they're willing to do that, it alerts us to the possibility that it might happen to us someday. But ultimately it puts Interscope in a pretty good position."

Insiders say that Interscope is likely to be picked up by an alternate distribution company or, according to a piece by Tom Moon in Monday's Inquirer, they may link up with other large independent labels and distribute on their own.

"Jimmy Iovine [head of Interscope] will get a great deal no matter where he goes — it wouldn't surprise me if he ended up at Sony... [Interscope] deals with a lot of happening acts. From a profit standpoint Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field walked with a way better situation."

Schwartz said he isn't concerned, however, about a similar situation occurring between Sony and Ruffhouse.

"A lot of problems stemmed from what went on personally with all the acts on the label... Death Row [the gangsta rap division of Interscope] is a very different kind of hip-hop label. We're your garden variety hip-hop label that uses traditional methods to market and promote records. Based on conversations I've had with Death Row, they use non-traditional methods."

Schwartz wouldn't expand on what those non-traditional methods might be.

Beep-Beep: Here's your weekly concert planner: The Western swing of Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys at the Khyber on Friday, Oct. 6 with Rocket 69 and Pine State; the smooth, caf avant stylings of Lori Carson at the Tin Angel on Wednesday, Oct.11; and the steam-engined melodic Railroad Jerk at Upstairs at Nicks on Thursday, Oct. 12.

Friday night, Oct. 6, Old Hickory will be recording a radio show featuring music by The Slobber Mountain Boys (another bluegrass corps from Chris DePinto of O Mighty Isis and Illegitimate Sons and Daughters fame) and a serial called Buck Benson Private Eye, including Pete Marshall — the "voice" of the show. The evening at Old Hickory will be broadcast Sunday morning, Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. on an undisclosed AM radio station.

Another noteworthy event — Arrested Development's drummer, Rasadon, will talk about his experiences in the music biz and debut his new band at Princeton's Borders — just a New Jersey Transit ticket away on Oct. 6, 7:30-10: 30 p.m. Call (609) 897-9250 for info.