Slow-to-start, some of my previews have turned into post-views but,
really, that shouldn't be a hindrance as we are occasionally intrigued and
entertained by both perspectives in the music press. The past-participle for
May 1999 includes Atlanta's answer to Slovenly—the Rock*A*Teens—and the
original members of Man ... or Astroman? playing a number of brand new
numbers [sic] (and coinciding visual and tele-projections) for a for what
they define as "A Reversal of Polarity" (a.k.a. packed house) here in San Diego at the Casbah
on Sunday May 3. They call their latest assignment Eeviac: Operational Index
and reference Guide, Including other Modern Computational Devices (Touch and
Go). I call it really great surf music (the spade=spade theory). Either way,
it seems everyone was impressed when the band ignited the purple lightning of
a homemade tesla coil for an encore.
        The following night, Jad Fair (of 1/2 Japanese) and Kramer (of
Bongwater and his NYC label Shimmydisk) weren't short on talent—just an
audience. The two played collaborative songs (backed occasionally by members
of opening Shimmy bands Milksop Holly and Adult Rodeo) as well as individual
ones, teased us with a Roky Erickson cover, and ended with the Velvet's "Pale
Blue Eyes." Kramer's steel-stringed acoustic guitar resonated profusely but
was acutely tamed when confronted with the lyric of Fair. Totally one of the
most genuine shows I've seen this year.
        Trans Am is on tour again with the Champs, and this time they brought
along British electro-dub masters Pan Sonic to the Casbah on Tuesday, May 4.
These guys had a closed-channel audio-activated projection that would take
the form of a black square in silence and splatter like symmetrical paint
when reacting. The sounds fell between the powerbook rock of Oval and the
more danceable Teutonic funkiness of Mouse On Mars. Actually, Pan Sonic
(whose new Blast First/Mute album has relocated the A in its copywritten
former name Panasonic) has a lot more in common with recent Matador signee
Pole, only much more cyclical.
        The Champs drew the largest swell of rooters, who didn't seem to care
that they still haven't added a touring synth player to accurately perform
the amazing key work on their heavy metal double vinyl opus, III. Richard
Meltzer wrote in the foreword of The Aesthetics of Rock (1988 Da Capo
edition) that "heavy metal, that last bastion of sonic integrity, is really
more than 'closet classical music' ...." I have confidence that III is the
most tangible source for this passage, with its calming synthetic pleasures
being the savage child of something like Kraftwerk—which brings us back to
the latest Trans Am album.
        Funny that I should come across the Aesthetics of Rock (okay, I
finally bought my own copy a couple days ago) on this month since Trumans
Water, longtime Meltzer fans who even share a city of residence with the guy
now, are back on tour (Europe is already conquered for '99) and will be
playing with Soul Junk (natch!) and Physics at the Casbah on Thursday, May
27. You may have been one of the lucky few to pick up a copy of Osmotic
Tongue Pressure, a fanzine that members of Trumans publish. Meltzer uses the
words osmotic tongue pressure to describe the nonsensical sing-along ending
to the Beatles' "Hey Jude" and also demonstrates it by transcribing "Surfin'
Bird" by the Trashmen ... verbatim.
        The Black Heart Procession will be playing the Ché Café on Saturday,
May 15 and the Casbah on Sunday, May 16. Their new album, 2 (Touch and Go),
serves us two more helpings of "The Waiter" (which opened their first album
on Headhunter/Cargo) and sarcastically sulks with themes of time ("When We
Reach The Hill"), lost love ("Blue Tears") and death ("Gently Off the Edge,"
"Beneath The Ground"). The two (nice coincidence, eh?) shows will be with
Orso, a new band that features members of Rex and Red Red Meat, and will
launch a west coast tour to be followed by a full-scale U.S. tour in June.
        Last but not least, May 2 was Link Wray's 64th birthday and the man
is still touring! Another great show at the Casbah is set for May 29, and
although he won't have a tesla coil, he's got the most amazing guitar reverb
ever heard. Isn't that enough? —Chris Woo
 

Swab the Deck        Classified Information