YOU'VE got your work cut out with the American hardcore/alterno/guitar based crowd: for every "must have that" like Jane's Addiction and Dinosaur Jr, there's the "not today, thanks" of Stone Temple Pilots or bloody Alice In Chains. A lot of good came out of Dinosaur Jr, but we'll pass over the fact that they are the only band in the world who publicly admit to being influenced by the odious, British Oi! movement. First there was the incredible song writing talent that was J. Mascis and then there was the bass player Lou Barlow, who went on to form Sebadoh.
Sebadoh are quite strange: pioneers of the "lowfi" movement (not that you'd think it, hearing them live), they have been known to be introduced on stage by Zsa Zsa Gabor (no, honestly), their songs have been covered by Teenage Fanclub and The Breeders - and Neil Young is one of their biggest fans. They've been around in one shape or another since 1987, but only came to attention, ironically enough, with the release of their spoof grunge anthem, Gimme Indie Rock, a song which took the piss out of the big grunge rock money makers of the time and whose generic indie rock chord sequence is a classic of the genre. Basically, in those post Nirvana/Pearl Jam times, they were the only ones saying that "alterno rock" was turning into everything it set out to destroy in the first place.
Two great albums, Bubble And Scrape and Bakesale, brought them up from the underground and the latter in particular is as perfect a piece of hardcore meets lo fi meets punk meets slacker as you can get.
Barlow then went on to write the soundtrack to the appalling but highly successful film, Kids and with a specially arranged band called Folk Implosion, he scored a top five hit in the US with the film's theme song, Natural One. Now back where he belongs, the latest Sebadoh line up have a new single, Beauty Of The Ride and a new album, the 19 track Harmacy.
Before they go off to storm the Reading Festival across the water, they're here in Dublin next week for a Do Not Miss gig at The Mean Fiddler next Wednesday night. Support from Mexican Pets.
TALKING about films, sort of, The Stars Are Underground (And They Not Making Any Fuckin' Money) is a pretty damn good docu-pic about the lo-fi slacker punk grunge alterno rock "scene" in Dublin. Produced, directed and everything else by Darragh McCarthy (who's currently working on an Ash world tour documentary) it's a fascinating insight into the world of indie labels like Dead Elvis and, Blunt and the bands on their roster a sort of Shell Shock Rock of its time.
Because it's quite good, there doesn't seem much chance of it being screened in your not so a local Multidome but maybe some of the "art house" (snigger) cinemas might give it a go as a support film. If you want to get in touch with him, write to Monkeyhouse Film Production at 1-2 Eden Quay, Dublin 1.
NEWS to me: 98FM DJ Tom Dunne has got a band together and they played up in Whelan's last Saturday night. The few covers they did were most commendable (Nirvana, Elvis Costello and eh, Village People) but their own original stuff sounds very promising indeed. The band are called Something Happens and they'll be back at Whelan's next Friday night.
EVERYTHING but everything is connected up to the In The City music fest (Temple Bar, 6th-11th September): Billy Bragg is back after a four year absence with a new single, Upfield and he's coming over to play The Mean Fiddler (on September 10th) as part of the festivities, while next door in Whelan's there's a very interesting series of spoken word performances taking place. Called Vox n'Roll and described as "bar room literary evenings" you can hear the likes of Nick Cave, Jab Wobble, Gavin Friday, Roddy Doyle, Patrick McCabe and Ronnie Drew perform readings over the course of the festival. There's also a big Setanta night out at The Olympia Theatre on September 10th but more about that next week.
