Live string cheese is fusion fun to the max

By NIKKIHONG
Staff Writer

Going against the current of rock bands that are all about screaming and making lots of dischordant noise, String Cheese Incident provides impassioned music that is fun and exciting. The music is as wacky as the band's name suggests, but this Boulder-based quintet has often been referred to as the living legacy of the Grateful Dead and compared to the Dave Matthews Band.

The influence of these bands is evident in the live double album, Carnival '99. It is especially noticeable in the rhythmically smooth song "Missin' Me," which closely resembles the style of Dave Matthews. "Jellyfish," with its playful narration and creative improvisation, is a song that keeps the listener on edge despite the fact that it runs for more than 10 minutes. String Cheese Incident cleverly mixes bluegrass, reggae, folk, rock, Latin and funk to create a musical melting pot. Many of the songs are without lyrics, allowing the listener to concentrate and fall into the band's hypnotizing mandolin-driven groove.

Carnival '99, which includes original music as well as several cover songs, is a must for fusion music lovers.

Why is it that most new albums claiming to be "jazz" can't be trusted? Like a lot of so-called "modern art," much of new-wave, post-be-bop jazz falls far short of its predecessors and ends up wallowing in a mess of indistinguishable emotions and overly trite melodies.

While keyboardist Philippe Saisse's delicate piano stylings are not quite as void of feeling and spirit as a white canvas with a mustard stain on it, his newest solo album, Halfway 'til Dawn, lacks the spiritual depth and beauty of most major jazz recordings. The album, Saisse's fifth solo release, contains a strange mix of absurdly simplistic piano phrases coupled with funky, electronica-esque grooves that sound as if they belong on a made-for-television sequel to "Mission Impossible."

While the blend of the two themes leaves the listener wondering what's going on, the grooves alone are almost hip enough to bring a smile to one's face - almost. Saisse attempts to spice up the bland-as-EVK world of smooth jazz with interesting beats and bass lines, but until he rids the album of his own trite playing, he is merely creating funky elevator music. Granted, those who ride elevators for the music may enjoy this new edgy Generation-X spirit that Saisse's band has grafted onto his dull themes, but for most of us, the album serves little purpose other than providing a nice coaster or conversation piece.

Admittedly, the album isn't all terrible, as Saisse enlists the help of trumpeter Jeff Beal, who occasionally gives the recording a soul searching, introspective flavor, and drummer Tony V., whose syncopated funk beats will certainly take the audience by surprise. Unfortunately for Saisse, however, the majority of Halfway 'til Dawn fails to sound much different than one of the preset songs on a My First Sony keyboard and will probably not appeal to a wide audience.

- Josh Zetumer | Staff Writer

Kathy Acker's posthumous monument, Redoing Childhood, falls just short of a spoken word masterpiece. Produced by Hal Willner (the brains behind 1992's Charles Mingus/Harry Partch tribute, Weird Nightmare), Redoing Childhood is an important development in the genre, although undeniably flawed.

Of course, the term "spoken word" is not to be taken literally in this case. A very talented backup band (with the metal group Tribe 8 at its core) follows and accents Acker throughout this track-by-track surreal account of her childhood. Acker draws upon the humor and morbidity of spoken word pioneer William S. Burroughs, beginning her "childhood" with the election of President Bush and ending, eerily, with her death.

Ironically enough, the major flaw in Redoing Childhood is Acker's own performance. Her monologue sounds pretentious throughout, on the order of an "open mic night," and without tremendous feeling for the meaning behind her words. Merely reading her classic "Blood and Guts in High School" to oneself would have been better than listening to Acker's unemotional soliloquy, were it not for the backing musicians. In all, Kathy Acker's first and only solo LP succeeds as an example of the potential of spoken word production, but not as the acme of spoken word performance.

- Joe Tepperman | Staff Writer

Sheila Nicholls is the British response to the army of female folk rockers of the '90s. With a powerful voice that closely resembles that of Sheryl Crow, the musical style of Tori Amos and the lyrical sophistication of Jewel and Lisa Loeb, Nicholls possesses great potential. She could very well be the next in line of great female singer/songwriters.

She could be - but not with this album. Her debut album, Brief Strop, just does not have the sound that grasps the audience. The opener, "Question," which is sure to lose the listener's attention, kicks off 60 minutes of boredom.

Those who are patient enough to survive all 14 songs will notice that, with the exception of "Fallen for You," every song sounds just like the next. "Fallen for You" stands out from the rest of the monotonous tracks because it carries a sweeter melody. However, it is still typical coffeehouse music.

Brief Strop lacks variety and flavor. Nicholls' usage of raw sound is greatly appreciated, but how many dark, sullen, piano-based songs can a person take?

Despite the uninteresting debut album, Sheila Nicholls has hope. With a little bit of trimming around the edges, she can really put her talent to use. Hopefully, the second album will be better than the first.

- Nikki Hong | Staff Writer

Copyright 2000 by the Daily Trojan. All rights reserved.
This article was published in Vol. 139, No. 35 (Friday, March 3, 2000), beginning on page 7 and ending on page 9.