|
|  | Top Sites |
|
|
| | Music Media |
|
|
| | Archived Issues |
|
|
| | | 1996 Issues |
|
|
| | | 1999 Issues |
|
|
Home > Archived Issues > 1998 Issues > Issue 4
Disclaimer: This, and every issue, has been slightly modified from it's original version to fit the format of the new Underground Music Monthly site. Also, these issues are 10 years old or older. These links are likely no longer active. Enjoy the silly reading.
The image above is a larger version of what you see at the top right
hand corner of www.cybercitymag.com
website. They are not exclusively an underground music magazine like
this one is, but they do reviews for independent musicians, and in that way are
helpful for promoting your material. Here is some information on their
company and website.
The editor, Darcy Childs, has been around the Topeka, NE Kansas area all his
life and has met some very talented people. Many of these people had no idea how
to publicize their skills and abilities. Because of this Darcy decided to start
a magazine to help local artists, musicians and writers a forum to showcase
their talents.
Originally, Mr. Childs was looking to start a print publication, but with the
start-up costs and the fact that he was doing this all by himself made it
unfeasible. But with the advent of the World Wide Web, an economic venue
presented itself to him and he jumped at the chance to publish on-line. Thus,
cyber.city Magazine was born.
Darcy has such a variety of interests in his life and decided to incorporate
those into the publishing of the magazine. Since day one, it has been a
consistent metamorphosis, changing almost daily at times, to bring it to the
current incarnation.
"The Internet is a content hungry, fast-paced beast and cyber.city Magazine is
now focusing in three main areas; Entertainment, Sports, and Politics/News.
These areas have been the prime interest of our readership." - Darcy Childs
Their website is setup pretty logically, and is worth looking into. It's
at www.cybercitymag.com. Go
check it out for yourself. Let them know you read about them in
Underground Music Monthly, and try to submit your CD.
Update on
Underground Music Monthly
Several things are happening again at Underground Music Monthly.
First of all, the class I was taking is over, so starting next week I'll have
more time to work on the other sections of the site. Starting with the
distributors' section, I will get out as much information on the music business
as possible for all of you indie musicians. Because of the amount of
distributors I have to call, and the amount of pages I have to do because of
this, the effort will be very time consuming, but I think very worth it.
For you, and for myself. I plan on getting the section done by New Year's.
If I don't have information on all the distributors on my list, I will post what
I have, and add the remaining distributors as I contact them. Thank you
for your patience in waiting for the section to be done.
I have
added RealServer support to this website, which will make a wonderful difference
in how the reviews are read. You will no longer have to download
soundclips to listen to them. Instead, you will click on the name of a
soundclip in the article, and you will begin hearing it within five seconds.
For
lack of a better place to put the information on short notice, I will post the
dates for the Meat Beat Manifesto tour here:
WED 11/04 - Toronto ON -
The Industry
FRI 11/06 - Boston MA - Axis
SAT 11/07 - New York NY - Irving Plaza
SUN 11/08 - Philadelphia PA - Electric Factory (with DJ KRUSH)
TUE 11/10 - Washington DC - Black Cat
WED 11/11 - Winston-Salem NC - Ziggy's
FRI 11/13 - Atlanta GA - Cotton Club
SAT 11/14 - Tampa FL - Masquerade
SUN 11/15 - Miami Beach FL - Salvation
MON 11/16 - Gainesville FL - Florida Theatre
WED 11/18 - New Orleans LA - House of Blues
THU 11/19 - Houston TX - Numbers
FRI 11/20 - Austin TX - La Zona Rosa
TUE 11/24 - Los Angeles CA - Palace
WED 11/25 - San Francisco CA - Fillmore
FRI 11/27 - Seattle WA - Showbox Theatre
FRI 11/28 - Portland OR - La Luna
This band has a pretty
big following now, but I still consider them to be underground music. Look
for a possible interview in an upcoming issue.
After I finish the
distributors' section, I will work on a new section of the site which will be a
list of independent radio stations. The link I have now on my links page
does have a list of all radio stations in the country with a web presence.
However, I feel it would be more beneficial to the independent musician to have
the list of all independent radio stations, with or without web presences.
Sure you'd have to make some long distance phone calls that way, but it's worth
the couple of dollars in phone charges and shipping and handling charges to get
you radio play and therefore (with the right distributor) get you more sales,
and make you money. I'd like to thank all of you again for your patience,
and believe me, when the sections are done, you'll be glad you waited.
I have added two new
online music magazine sites,
www.cybercitymag.com and www.demorama.com.
The first isn't music only, but they do independent music reviews, and the
second one is. Actually, you should have read the article on cybercity mag
before this one, so you should know all about it.
In Love and Civil War...
by Rachel Miller
Enchanting piano work fuses with the deceptively cool
voice of a fallen angel to create Miss's latest, Civil War. The album is a result of long
and tedious nights spent at the recording studio, and the bands hard work has
really paid off. They have a mature sound and a developed range of musical
techniques that are really note worthy. This album is nothing short of
sweet ear candy. It's refreshing to find a band of such superior rating
that is actually innovating and not imitating the former greats of rocks elder
generations. Miss makes the soundtrack for a new era of modern music as we know
it.
Miss (a.k.a. Christopher Adam, Lara D'Anna, and Steve Seidler) were
in a rush following their debut 1993 effort , a pretty mess, to comply with the
public's growing demand for their new material. The indescribably talented trio
regretfully snubbed dreams of a double album in order to comply with the avid
cries of their fans wanting more. They couldn't get the songs out there fast
enough, and after listening to Civil War, you'll know why.
Miss pumps out tunes in a dazzling array of instrumental variety,
some songs having only the skeleton of a piano along with Lara's mystic voice,
like the opening track "What
is" , and others in full bloom, baring resemblance to early sixties rock,
like the irresistible #6, "Head
Not Found." There's something that will appeal to even the harshest and most
critical of music lovers. Miss has taken a another giant step forward on the
quest for musical perfection, and if you ask me they've already achieved it.
The Philadelphia based music machine has been busy creating other
must-haves. If the brilliant collection called Civil War appeals to you, I urge
you to seek out other accomplishments of equal quality, like their past
contributions to the unquenchable monster that is underground rock. The long
list of past releases includes; "Asleep"(1997), Spit(1996)-EP, and the
previously mentioned a pretty mess(1993)-LP.
 Unfortunately, the album Miss wasn't born
under the most ideal circumstances. This LP seems to be geared towards the
introspective of it's members, and intense lyrical content peers out from under
the thin veil of Lara's appealing voice. The grueling process tested the bands
talent, as well as it's patience, but it appears that Miss passed both
examinations with flying colors.
Seidler testifies to this saying, "Civil War....probably one
of the hardest things I've ever done, it was worth the trip."
And listeners will thank Miss for taking that difficult journey for
years to come. From soothing ballads to old-school beats, up to date
techno rhythms riding on the backs of the sirens song, Civil War is a thrilling
collection of distinctive and impressive songs drawn together with the tight
bond of unearthly genius. The album leaps into life with Lara's words guiding
the listener through a swallow's song laced with masterful keyboard work on "what
is". "Gravity"
carries the funky beats and catchy tones that made Ace of Base so popular in
their day, but Miss adds their own groove to the ever changing genre of dance
music. It's impossible to listen and not move! "Head
not Found" gives the album a peppering of rock flavor, distant guitar
compliments a solid Jagger root and the result is magnificent. After so much
greatness in so little time, the album deserved a benediction worthy of a king,
and it gets just that in the last track "Mono."
You'll want to listen to this one again and again, a necessity for long
road trips or just for creating the perfect mood for a Friday night full of
parties and good times.
Miss covers every array of human emotion and helps us
discover more about ourselves by pulling us out of our daily routine with
soul-felt melodies that are guaranteed to satisfy. Once you get your hands on
this album you're never going to let go.
Bumblefoot Has Incredible Musical Talent
Ron Thal of
Bumblefoot was promoted to me as the greatest guitar player of all time, and
from the opening guitar-riff, you can see why someone would say this. It
is very similar to what Hendrix would do. While he is not "The Master" or
Eddie Van Halen, he certainly is amazing. His guitar playing ability is
limited only by his imagination, and that's not much of a limit. His music
is very creative, and much of it is very funny.
Drunk is a great example of this. The way he describes vomiting
in the song is incredibly amusing, and his sarcastic use of the phrase "I love
getting drunk" epitomizes the great use of humor in the song.
If you are looking for more than just
humor, he of course provides very thoughtful and high quality songs in
Hands, and
Tuesday In Nancy. I'll let you interpret them for yourselves, since
you can now hear the entire songs on this website, and you'll agree that they
are well-done and intelligent.
I'd have
to say my favorite song on the CD is either
What I Knew or
Shrunk. I've caught myself singing the chorus for Shrunk repeatedly
lately. "I don't need all your therapy. I'm alright without your
insight. I was fine till you took my mind - that's when it SHRUNK!"
What I Knew begins somewhat like a Rage Against The Machine song, except with
better guitar playing. Then it gets slightly less aggressive, but stays
just as good.
Ron Thal shows
more of his range of vocal abilities in the vengeful song
Dummy. He sings like the lead singer or The Red Hot Chili
Peppers, and does so very well. You feel almost like you're
listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but then he changes style, and you
realize he's not some cheap imitation of a great band. He too is great.
Just showing off his abilities, like he should.
Two other
songs worth noting are
Vomit and
Noseplugs. Noseplugs is a hilarious song, talking about someone's bad
breath. It's ruthless, and very funny. Vomit, is actually a very
intelligent song, despite the title. It touches on the subject of growing
up, and people who cause pain. All in the all, the CD is a must have for
anyone who is a fan of Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, or any
kind of good rock music. Ron Thal is the type of musician who proves that
some of the greatest musicians are INDEPENDENT, and that it is
still possible to be original and great both.
To
purchase "Hands" by Bumblefoot, go the to the bumblefoot website at
www.prognosis.com/bumblefoot/
. One final note on the CD. There are two hidden tracks.
The one about the cactus is definitely amusing enough to find. You'll have
to buy the CD to hear it, though.
Pardekooper Is A
Man Of True Talent...
by Rachel Miller
The cover of 30 weight is a black and white vehicle into the past. A
silent street stands vigil behind a weathered artist whose ancient eyes convey a
message. That message is imperceptible, but through the music he creates, nimble
hands sliding up and down the neck of a hearty acoustic guitar, the listener
comes closer to the vision, the person that holds the golden sweet secrets of
yesterday.
Kelly Pardekooper put together a bitter sweet collection of hearty
rock hits
 reminiscent of early Springsteen efforts. The album has
mature sound, soothing and thought provoking perfect for the rainy day on the
farm or for smooth riding in a big lonely city.
The opening track, "Suzy"
brings to light Kelly's masterful guitar work. It's obvious his rock symphony
with it's lemon twist of blues has been years in the making. Waning riffs paint
a picture of a bright white moon waxing the sky and a lone figure pacing the
empty docks of Boston harbor when all decent men have long since retired to
their beds. It's composed almost like a sound track to the American dream
dampened by modern complications. This album is the American west, solitary
individuals clinging to whatever hope they can. "Plain
Jane" is a beautiful tune among many on the album, Kelly's grinding,
yearning voice complimenting forlorn lyrics we all can relate to. "Midnight
Train" is especially breathtaking, Kelly is a man with true talent seeking
to revive the days of classic rock, when new music meant a man knelt by the fire
place at some local inn, singing his heart out to strangers passing by for the
spare change they'd toss carelessly into his gaping guitar case nearby.
 This is a record for guitar lovers, for
those solid people seeking refuge from the power chords and screaming vocals.
People who take take time to watch a sunset melt into the horizon, or stoic
country men who are both perplexed and marveled by the changing shape of creme
clouds in their 5 AM cup of coffee. Kelly made a collection of working men's
songs for all of us with a little bit of unplugged appreciation blossoming deep
inside. It is a fabulous record, a true accent of the good old days to
anyone's collection.
|