Document text
Hea EPY S&S Pall ‘OR proyvrand sui
COMMUNITY RADIO OR
~ CHAOS?
Put KDVS in that
equation and what you get
is both (let’s call it Radio
Chaos). Exemplified in this
here program guide is the
best in music
programming, and a
growing interest in the
local and Global community
interests. As you all know,
KDVS has always provided
the local area with the
_ cutting edge of alternative
music, particularly in the
field of rock. Over the past
_ year and a half KDVS has
exploded with a diversity of
music programming. Now
our listening audience can
keep their dials tuned to
90.3 fm and receive a basic
education about the world
and its various cultures
through music.
As a community
outlet it is important that
KDVS do its best in
educating and serving the
community. The diversity
of our music programming
is just the first step in this
effort. This upcoming year
you, the listener, can
expect to here more news
coverage and more public
affairs programming.
Unfortunately, KDVS has
the responsibility of filling
in the gap left by the
by Kali “Dada” Akuno
negation of over 20 years
of U.C. Davis history. The
Third World Forum, the
campus voice of diversity,
was canceled from ASUCD
funding in the spring of
1993. With it was lost the
representative voice of
more than nine tenths of
the world’s people.
Although KDVS is a
different medium than the
Third World Forum, I plan
to give power to those
silenced voices through
extensive international and
world news coverage, and
a host of Public Affairs
programming the likes of
which this area has never
witnessed.
& Ee
Get your fix, man!
A FEW WORDS FROM THE
GENERAL MANAGER.
This year is dedicated
to making KDVS
alternative, in every sense
of the word. As it
presently stands, KDVS is a
hidden treasure, a virtual
Oasis in a vast wasteland of
commercial radio. This
uniqueness and _ integrity
will be upheld at all costs,
only now
there will be a new twist.
This year we are planning
to go way, way out there,
past the limits of
perception (if it's at all
possible)!
In order not to make
this a long, drawn out
excursion of management,
I end with this statement:
Tune in. Learn! And I'll
get back to you in four
months.
93m ~~
BDVS5--
ALL LAYouT &
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TUNING IN TO 5000 WATTS
So you're getting the
wonderfully weird music we
broadcast, along with more noise
than you can stand. Suddenly you
realize that the noise is due to bad
reception and not KDVS
programming. Well there is
something you can do to improve
the situation— just help your
antenna.
Perhaps the most overlooked
item in anyone's receiver is the
antenna, even though it is the most
critical item for clear radio
reception and sucking in KDVS'
signal whole and pure. Here are a
few hints which should help you
help your receiver.
perpendicular to the station you
want to receive. If you live in
Sacramento, the ends should run
Ia FTDY SS Pall (OR progriwn suide
0 Sa en eee
North-South. If you live in Davis,
just aim the antenna towards
campus and the Memorial Union
where the transmitter is located.
If this fails, try some TV
rabbit ears. They are relatively
cheap too and do Surprisingly well.
They also work best when
perpindicular to the transmitter,
but sometimes you might need to
move them around. Rabbit ears can
be used for your TV, too, but get a
splitter (available at any
electronics store). Otherwise
neither the radio nor TV will come
in well.
If you live in a place where
you can put an antenna on the roof,
invest. This might be a little costly,
but its worth it if you live out of
town. Be sure to align the antenna
o4 A) The simplest antenna set up, with the axis pointing toward
Pr rN especially for dorm and apartment campus and you should get much
living, is the dipole or T antenna. better reception. If none of the
4 Most receivers come with one, but Suggestions work for you, get
Vy a they're cheap if you need to buy creative and try something
one. After connecting the leads to unusual. I once found that the best
4% your receiver or tuner, tack up the antenna for receiving KDVS from
» r\ fully extended antenna 30 miles away was a twenty foot
wire strung along the roof. So try
anything. It might work even if
theory predicts otherwise.
Over 150 Labels
CD'S 6.98-8.98? NO WAY!
YES WAY!
Records and Tapes
2.98-4.98? Tons.
Full Catalog of New
U.S. Rock 'n Roll Recordings.
IMPORTS
DANCE MUSIC
QUICK SPECIAL-ORDERS.
ORDER BY PHONE
WE SHIP
LOCAL-WORLDWIDE
Davis Food ey ~ fi
CO O P OPT FCO-OD
A Healthier Bag of Groceries @ 620 ’G’ Street 758-2667
NEW, NEARLY NEW AND RARE RECORDINGS
3257 FOLSOM BLVD. AT 32RD STREET
SACRAMENTO CA 95816 (916)736-0147
He EPS feall (O3 program Lut
Top Ten Reasons for Tuning in to KDVS: |
10. Serve as a backup for the alarm clock in the morning.
9. Drown out Rush Limbaugh coming from your roommate's stereo.
8. Check for satanic messages in the public service announcements.
7. So that you can listen to Bashful Ben and have something to share with
your skateboarding buddies. .
The tuner is broke and permanently stuck on 90.3.
Have music for 3 a.m. aerobic workouts.
Fulfill assignments for outside listening in Survey of Music class.
Listen to the morning traffic report before bicycling to school.
Tape Joe Frank episodes for your grandmother.
You haven't.cleaned your ears in awhile & can't tell the difference.
SOCHSSSSSSSSHSSSHSHSHSSHHSSHSHSHSHSHSISHSSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHSHSHHSHSSHHHHSSHHSHHHCHSHHHLHHOEO
HVE RAD
FORTHAT ©
EXTRA SPARK
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206 3rd St. 756-4444 231 E St. 756-1615
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EFF FFB MSIS NIG
“Whoa, MAD!”: A Sunday
of Sensory Overload
by Jeffrey Fekete
“Get there early.”
That seemed to be the consensus
among everyone we knew headed to
the World of Music, Arts and Dance
(WOMAD) festival September 19th
at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
While the WOMAD series took 11
years to get to North America, the
ambitious WOMAD organization
founded by Peter Gabriel had
already staged over 60 festivals in a
dozen or more countries with artists
from 90 nations. This would tum
Out to be the largest WOMAD event
ever. Best of all, the mega-lineup
including Gabriel, Ziggy Marley,
Crowded House, Stereo MCs,
Jah Wobble, and last minute
addition Sinead O’Connor, was just a
10 buck ticket. Chump change in
the inflated concert market.
Anticipating history is a tall order
even when fully awake. Still
bleary-eyed but fueled with coffee
and pancakes, we manage to grab
coveted free street parking at 9 AM
a mere two blocks from the park.
No sooner after spilling out on the
sidewalk, we’re passed by a car full
of screeching revelers. I cringe.
My Sunday morning biorhythm
wave pattern still is geared towards
Sleeping in or being a 49er couch
potato. However as the sun warms
me, we join the procession towards
the Polo Fields and an adrenaline
rush kicks in.
PERN FE PPAR ES AA
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“They’re twenty-two inside”, he
assures me. But his streetwise radar
picks up a laminated official staff
badge approaching at 20 yards and
he lays low.
As the line inches forward, we
join a trickle of brave souls taking
an adventwzous short cut down a
steep wooded hillside. Wish I had
brought my jungle hiking boots,
but the payoff is a clear grove
leading to a much faster moving
second line straight in the festival.
Our strategy to meet two separate
groups of friends we know are also
in attendance is failing miserably.
Using the Ben and Jerry’s “Ice
Cream Action” booths as reference
points proves worthless as both
sites are deluged. Turns out Ben and
Jerry are rewarding completion of
a postcard to elected officials with a
free ice cream. Two shirtless
youths meander by grasping licked
clean sticks and a new found social
consciousness.
“We VOTED, man!”
sugar fix.
Apathy gets a
The sweet, hypnotic voice of Sheila
Chandra with invisible, dreamy
synth accompaniment drifts. over
the field attracting respectful
attention of early arrivals. Dressed
in traditional Indian garb and
kneeling before the microphone,
Chandra has turned Stage 2 into a
Sunday morming mass of sorts.
Some guiding force must be at work
because as we make our way
through the thickening crowd and
clear across the field, we
randomly bump into our Bay Area
contingent.
POORER EKER OS
oye ee
asaas
Blankets: and coolers have sprouted
everywhere.
“Excuse me, pardon me, ‘cuse me,
sorry, shit!, pardon me...”
A labyrinth of food and vendor
booths pull like magnets and act as
human flesh compressors. If this
is one world togetherness, I want
no part of it. Despite high tech
sponsors like Apple and Phillips
Interactive, the festival layout is
not very user-friendly.
The early afternoon becomes a
series of purposeful quests. I’m
first just thinking, “liquid now,
food later’. However, after nudging
ahead for thirty minutes towards
one of the blander concessionaire
trucks, I opt for efficiency. I’ve
already listened to all of John
Trudell’s set while watching a pair
of shoulder blades inch forward.
With full lunch in hand, we find a
patch of grass and flop down just as
Stage 2 goes into set changeover.
“I don’t care if I dehydrate, I’m
not having anything else to drink
if
I have to get in this line again.”, a
thirtysomething woman laments.
“I'd rather pay twelve bucks and
have more’ toilets”, -her friend
answers. nee
From the portapotty line, I can
make out TriSan’s drummer with
my binoculars.
I’m delighted by another chance
encounter...this time near Stage 3.
Our Sacramento friends have also
discovered navigation along a side
path behind the vendor booths is
considerably easier than on the
field. As experienced local concert
“Yesterday it was 65,000 and They’ve staked out a spot some promoters themselves, they give
ramping up,” an event staffer says thirty yards in front of Stage 1...the professional validation to my
to his partner as he scurries up the main stage. We join them to watch suspicion that certain logistics
path. 100,000 plus are expected. I
picture us all flying off a ramp into
some BASS computer generated
abyss. Our first of many encounters
with large numbers of humanity is
just beyond some trees. A natural
fiber snake of paisley tie-dye
cotton, flannel, and denim is spread
over the asphalt path leading to an
entrance. Peter Gabriel’s “Big
Time” blares from an open car
window.
“Ganga brownies! Three dollars
the Drummers of Burundi. For the
first of many times that day I
congratulate myself for having
brought binoculars. Even from this
vantage point, the stage is a long
way off. As fifteen players parade
out with drums resembling giant
redwood tree stumps balanced on
their heads, my neck hurts.
Working in almost eerie unison,
this African drumming ensemble
achieves some kind of percussion
mind meld.
As good as the main stage
WOMA
WORLD OF MUSIC, ARTS, AND DANCE
PETER
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here, well. . . suck.
continued on page 13
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FEATURING [K79 PERFORMANCES BY
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each, two for five...” entertainment is, WOMAD's promise 1 H WOBBLE GOLDEN GATE PARK
The group just ahead of us in line Of multiple and simultaneous INVADE MGUNDAY
attractions lures us towards Breleanee tonne
partake and vouch for the
authenticity of the advertising
claim.
Another freelance pitchman has
fifteen dollar WOMAD t-shirts.
11:00 AM-5:00 PM
UHL SAIVIES. Stati
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MANY, AAMT MORE! CHILDREN 12 & UNDER FREE.
exploration. We bid what we think
is a temporary farewell to the
picnic blanket group.
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page 5
KDVS: Why am I Here
(or, Why AM I Here?)
by Ben Bruening
I am a KDVSer because of a mail-
order, four-record set put out by the Longines
Symphonette Society called Remember the
Golden Days of Radio? Jack Benny narrated
this collection of excerpts from radio dramas,
comedies, and new programs from the 1920s,
30s, and 40s. Until the age of eight, when I first
heard excerpts from Fibber McGee & Molly,
Bums & Allen, and The Shadow on those
records, radio had meant nothing to me. At the
time, we did not even have a working radio in
the house. We had an FM tuner, but that had
burned out the previous year. I played those
records to death and probably made my mother
sorry she ever ordered them. Imagine my
disappointment when I found out that Jack
Benny and Fred Allen and George and Gracie
had been off the air for twenty years before I had
ever heard of them. By the time I discovered
radio, it was little more than a glorified jukebox.
In the early and mid 1970s, there were
several specials devoted to those "Golden Days
of Radio", but they, like the Longines
Symphonette Society, played only highlights
from programs rather than entire shows. For a
short time in 1973 or 1974, however, someone
played Old Time Radio programs on KDVS on
Wednesday evenings; that is, in fact, how I first
heard of the station. Unfortunately for me, like
most KDVS personnel, that someone had the
nerve to graduate and disappear.
In 1976, someone told me that KSFO in
San Francisco played old time radio programs
every night at 8 p.m. I spent my high school
years taping the Jack Benny Program, Bums and
Allen, Fibber McGee and Molly, Philco Radio
Time, Suspense, Escape, and other programs off
that station, AM whistle and all, onto cheap,
three-for-a-dollar cassettes that would break on
the seventh playback. Eventually, I started
listening to KSFO during other parts of the day.
In the mornings, I would listen to Gene Nelson
(still my favorite radio personality), whose
humor made me realize that a disk jockey show
need not be dull. Hearing him made think I
would like to try disk jockeying myself. On
Saturday evenings, I would listen to a program
called "Sinatra and Friends", where I first heard
Joe Williams, Carmen McRae, Anita O'Day,
Johnny Hartman, and other singers that I still
play on KDVS today. My taste in music and air
personalities comes from listening to KSFO's
format of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
It took me four years to work up
enough courage to walk into KDVS to inquire
just how one went about getting on the air.
Countless times, I walked through Lower
Freeborn Hall, meaning to go through KDVS's
double doors, but I just couldn't bring myself to
do it. (I could imagine the surly program
director snarling, "Sorry, you just won't fit in
around here.") I finally walking in two weeks
after graduating from UCD, left my name with
Jeff Yih (KDVS Program Director, 1984-1985),
got trained shartly thereafter; and did my first
solo show on July 29, 1984.
The Mothership Connection Hosted by Kali "Dada" Akuno
Yes!
The Mothership Connection is back for another landing.
This year we're embarking on a new course. Education through music is still our prime
objective, but now you can also expect more education through discussion. Beginning at 11:30 p.m., I
will hold an open public discussion, speaking on the issues that affect us as individuals and as a world
community. Expanse and symmetry are my central objectives.
Expanse is filling the void created by ignorance and lack of understanding.
Symmetry is finding balance in our thoughts and actions.
We must all help fulfill our duties in making this changing world a more just place. Help me in
my effort by tuning in every other Monday night from 10 p.m. to midnight. Let's make this a responsible
community outlet.
A tentative schedule for this quarter's programming is as follows:
Oct. 18 - "The Universal Language"
ic< zp’ S&S Pall ‘OR program suicde
Sacred drumming from around the Earth.
Nov. 1 - "The New World Revisited"
Africa's contribution to the new world.
Nov. 15 - "God (s/es) Many Tongues"
Sacred music from around the world.
Nov. 29 - "Space is the Place"
Music of the spheres.
Dec. 13 - "All in One"
A woman's tale.
Remember, "One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain." -Robert N. Marley.
Peace be unto you, in any language. -Kali.
ah Tele
KDVS disk jockeys start their
broadcasting careers with a 3-6 a.m. time slot so
that only their mothers and cat burglars car hear
their first ninety-seven on-air mistakes. I began
my KDVS career by speaking into the wrong
end of the microphone (this was back in the days
when the studio mike looked like a Nerf cold
capsule). When my mother called me during the
show, I was so fatigued that I did not even:
recognize her voice. Not only that; I continually
had problems getting the next record cued before .
the previous record ended. I ran out of records
with half and hour to go, and while running
around trying to find something else to play, I
saw a campus police officer letting Aliane
Maxwell-Johnson into the station. I had been so
panicked and so punchy from having stayed up
all night that I did not notice the phone lighting
up from Aliane trying to call to ask me to let her
in to get ready for her gospel program. I was too
tired to be embarrassed. I have done some four
hundred fifty programs since then, most of
which have gone more smoothly than the first
one.
Like many shy people, I am a closet
performer. That is, there is a part of me that
would like to be an entertainer, but I am so
afraid of rejection that I would never dare put
myself in front of an audience. On radio,
however, I get to perform in, well, a large record
closet. I do not suffer from stage fright because
I do not have to face an audience directly. I
simply talk to myself while the audience (if there
is one) eavesdrops. When I cannot think of
anything more to say, I push a button and let
professional entertainers take over for three or
four minutes. Once a week on KDVS, I get the
chance to pretend to be a star.
HOVS Request Line 152-2777
Business Orafice 750-0720
mail all correspondence to
14 Lower Freeborn, Davis, Ca.,
ub
FE OOO ant RRA UUC CER UCREOCOUC USOC ICUCOOCCnncericers Pe re 4 ‘ Larrivee Ow REA NEADS ANN
EDV < Peall ‘93 program suide ae
A stuffy Spring day. Whole Earth Festival
1993, and me all upset with people and things. .
I was sick. And then I found KDVS.
I came to 14 Lower Freeborn consciously
seeking some direction. A good deal of my
involvement with the station came from a
feeling of being misplaced wherever I was. And
so I stumbled down the steps and said to them,
"Hello. I want to be a DJ" and they said to me:
"Hello, OK." It's amazing how much music
there is down here, and how much you can learn
from it. From Chemlab to Rachmaninoff, from
Prince Buster to Billie Holiday to Knapsack:
KDVS is the epitome of truly alternative radio.
Where else near Davis can you hear a segue
between Sebadoh and Charlie Parker that leads
you gently into Laibach?
But that's the beauty of a place like this.
Minimize the formatting, maximize the
enjoyment.
I've been here for two splendiferous quarters
now, and in that time I've learned a few things.
I've learned that we are none of us above the
intricacies of human behavior. (This was a blow
to me.) I've learned that sex can mean
absolutely nothing except fun and that there's no '
sense in us being all dead babies about it,
because the world will take care of itself, and of
us. That to ride, to be ridden, to go on a ride, or
to be taken for a ride: it's all part of one big
exquisite road trip and there's no reason
whatever to slow down. That sometimes all you —
have to do is ask. That "Good Luck!"s and _
"Have a Nice ‘Day!"s aren't an offense at all, but
a defense. I've learned that I hate outwardly
affluent people who try to bum change on Davis
Summertime streets.
I've found hat you shouldn't hate sex, even if
you are getting it and enduring post-coital tears.
That pornography is no way to spend a
salamander evening, waiting for dawn to_
explode green. And if you're going to be sad, be
sad; and if you're going to be happy, be happy,
but for God's sake don't be wishy-washy about it.
Shy and Awkward tend to lose their endearing
appeal rather quickly. That making smiles and
exposing shoulders stupid just doesn't have that
desired effect sometimes, that A-to-B, that direct
intensity. But time heals nurses even.
I've learned that with our collective gyre
there are small everydays that must be dealt with
and treasured. And I've discovered a great new
way to lose weight: A cigarette for breakfast,
another for lunch, and a sensible dinner of
coffee and a cigarette. Even delicious cigarettes
as snacks. Chow on that for a Summer and
you'll lose yourself ten pounds of valuable
muscle. Guaranteed.
And I've discovered that there is a difference
between basic morals and basic emotions, and
that you should never equate the two.
Some of these things I've learned within the |
walls of KDVS, and some without.
You can come here too, you know, and learn
something. Just bring open minds and ears. Be
prepared to hear a shitload of stuff you may've
never heard before. But everyone finds
something to enjoy down here, and hoe
learns a thing or two.
That's the beauty of a place like this.
Wu
each one lovingly band f coms = staff of slave pio
Notes From UnderFreeborn by martin buzak
styles avaliable are:
1. The classic "Mr. Turntablehead" (sophisticated) --$10
2. The comemorative Bob Marley at Freeborn Hall concert T
: (cultured) --$10
3. The defiant and constitutionally moot Burning Flag/
Burning Dollar Shirt preeeey especially in redneck
ars)--$12
To get one, come down to MINVS daring busines: hour, or send cash, check or money order
to: MISS, 14 Lower Freeborn, avis, Ca, 95616, and tell ‘em Dob sent ya.
ARGO OOO OOOO OOOO OOOO OOOO UO OOOO OO OURO OOOO OOOO UO UUOUO LOO GOOG O OOOO OOOO OUR LOU OULU ALLL LL IE
ROBB G UGG O OOO UOUUO OO UO OOOO OOOO OOOO O OOOO UR OOOO BOO OULU LUO L OURO UB O UIE OUUIOUO UU. UU LLL
page 7
it~ Ep’ SS Pall (OS program suide
American Roots Music from
Lubbock to Lexington
Avenue: New Folk Releases
by Loudon Wainwright III
and Terry Allen
by Peter Schiffman
If you like exploring roots
music, please don't limit your
_ investigations solely to that from
far flung places like Madagascar or
Kazahkstan. I know many
Americans who think that regions
of their own country, like west
Texas and New York City, are just as
bizarre and alien to them. And
having lived in both of those
places, I'd have to agree with them.
Roots are where you find
them. Songwriter Loudon
Wainwright III's just happen to be
in the affluent northern suburbs of
New York City. He doesn't try to
hide or deny them. As the words to
his "Westchester County" go, "I
don't mean to boast, but we were
richer than most, and I swam in the
country club pool".
Most people know
Wainwright's one "hit": the song
about the "dead skunk in the middle
of the road". Ironically, that song,
some twenty years old, is entirely
unrepresentative of his collective
body of work. For since that one
and only hit single, Wainwright has
put out album after album,
consistently winning the praise of
music critics, but existing, in his
own words, "on the periphery" of
the music industry.
Wainwright's new release
"Career Moves" (Virgin) is a live
album featuring 24 tracks, many
from his previous recordings. But
unlike those studio recordings, the
live album captures this New
Yorker at his best: working a small
club audience with only his guitar
and his wits. As usual, there is
plenty of social satire and plenty of
pathos (i.e., the white collar blues):
songs about sex ("He Said, She
Said"), about divorce ("Unhappy
Anniversary"), holidays
("Suddenly It's Christmas" and
"Thanksgiving"), and broken
families ("Your Mother and I") as
well as broken relationships ("I'm
Alright" and I'd Rather Be Lonely").
If you were a Ukrainian and wanted
to learn about the especially
dysfunctional aspects of modern,
American society, you could easily
go to school on Wainwright's new
album.
Now Texas roots music is
something entirely different. Your
average Ukrainian wouldn't have a
hard time understanding Conjunto
music: after all, accordion-based
polka music isn't indigenous to the
Lone Star State. But Lubbock's
Terry Allen is, and his brand of
Texas roots music isn't like
anything they've probably heard
back in the old country. Allen's
perspective on Texas cultural
identify is personified in the "red
neck" way of life.
Music is but one part of Terry
Allen's bag of tricks. Allen has
taught fine art at the university
level and his objects d'art are
exhibited widely. One of his
pieces, a pair of sculpted trees, was
recently featured on CBS' "Sunday
Morning" show. The trees, one of
which "sings" red neck country
music, are on exhibit at UCSD.
Allen's musical output has
been sporadic, and not nearly as
consistent as Wainwright's.
"Lubbock on Everything" (1979) is
probably his best known work,
featuring Allen on vocals and
keyboards accompanied by his
Panhardle Mystery Band featuring
pedal steel ace Lloyd Maines. Now,
after a hiatus of several years, Fate
Records has released two new CD's
featuring various Terry Allen
Joe Frank "Work in Progress” is M=Monologue
a weekly radio drama program airing Q.7oRER
Saturday nights from 11 to 12am and
rebroadcast Wednesdays 9 to 10pm.
"Work in Progress” is an unusual
projects, dating mostly from the
mid-80's.
"Pedal Steel" is the more
interesting album from a cultural
perspective, although "Silent
Majority" is worth purchasing for
the cover photo featuring Allen and
Nancy Reagan. The title track of
"Pedal Steel" is a 35 minute,
conceptual performance piece,
originally commissioned as a
soundtrack for the Margaret
Jenkins Dance Company of San
Francisco, which premiered at the
Brooklyn Academy of Music's "New
Wave Festival" in October of 1985.
"Pedal Steel", which features music
and various recitation by Allen, his
wife Jo Harvey Allen, and fellow
Lubbockite Butch Hancock, is
decidedly mew wave by country
music standards. Allen's emphasis,
as always, is creating quotidian
portraits of redneck culture: white
trash couples trysting in flea-bag
motel rooms, housewives gossiping
on the porches of their mobile
homes out on the dust-blown plains
of the Panhandle. And it's all
done, as Allen puts it, in his unique
style of Texas avant "g'art". But
like Wainwright's work, it's a brand
of American roots music, one in
which tongue has been firmly
planted in cheek.
D=Drama
9 and 13 - Let Me Not Dream m/d
16 and 20 - Performer d
23 and 27 - Stories For Nothing m
30 and Nov.3 - Night Ride m/d
assemblage of monologue and eee NOVEMBER 6 and 10 - Highways West m
dramatic pieces. The programs
dominated by Mr. Frank's offbeat 4
philosophical. observations, based
around absurd situations, wry satire,
black comedy and a disturbingly keen DECEMBER
focus on the surreal folly of Maple
human frailties. KDVS' broadcasts o!
Joe Frank "Work in Progress”
are made possible by our listeners
support and with the cooperation of
KCRW Santa Monica.
A schedule of upcoming programs
follows. Schedule subject to change
without notice; listen to "Work in
Progress” for the latest updates.
ree
‘ene
13 and 17 - A Call In the Night
20 and 24 - Policeman’s Ball d
27 and Dec.1 - IcelandI m
4 and 8 - Iceland I m
11 and 15 - Iceland II m
18 and 22 - The Street d
25 and 29 - Road To Hell m
Inquiries should be directed to: Joe Frank
KCRW
1900 Pico Blvd.
Santa Monica, Ca.
90405
Please mention KDVS in your correspondence.
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THE LEGEND OF
GARY B. GUITAR
by Strings Attached
Down in Southern California,
where the surf is nice and warm,
Gary B. Guitar was born. These
were the old days of Dick Dale's
tribal thunder of a million guitar
slinging surf bands. The Fab Four
were knocking on the 60s' Doors of
Perception, totally unknown to our
beloved Singing Nun. Cool Latino
cats were spicing up the charts
with the jumpin' sounds of
"Watermelon Man" and "El Watusi".
Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound"
almost engulfed every last blue
note, but we dug it! Detroit City ,,.
nearly busted Bobby Bare, but got
us dancing in the streets during the
heat wave. A man called Bob was
turning on our older brothers and
sister to something happening, Mr
Jones. All that Guitar B. Gary knew
was that he wanted to play like
Johnny B. Goode. He practiced and
practiced like a son of a gunn,
Peter.
Ten years ago, Gary B. Guitar
decided to form a one man band
named after a famous New Yawk
folk/jazz club, The Village
Vanguard. To make this story short,
B. Guitar first performed
political/social satire a la "Do the
Pinochet," later switching to
instrumental music via a fast
mbaqanga train from the South
African townships. The train
recently did a grapevine back to B.
Guitar's roots: Spain and Greece.
Today, one can her B. Guitar
picking away old favorites like Dick
Dale's Greek number, "Miserlou". B.
Guitar usually plays quieter spots
like The Delta of Venus. Sometimes
Ms. Ninn's little birds sit on the
windowsill and harmonize along.
Rock
4 , (916) 362-3212 Gate "Open Aaa: 00pm
Ge ALSO
> Every Friday From 9pm until 2am
| COME AS YOU ARE AND PARTY THE ISLAND STYLE TO ROOTS,
SOCA AND DANCEHALL REGGAE. FOOD AND TROPICAL DRINKS IN
EFFECT. 21 AND OLDER. ONE LOVE AND PEACE.
BY SACRAMENTO CLUB KARIBEE
15 Things To Tell The DJ That Will Get
Your Request Played On KDVS
by Geriatric
15. Say: "Don't you play everything? I thought this was a College Radio Station."
14. Point out you have big mean buddies on the Aggie Football Team.
13. Threaten to call up all the sponsors and complain about the station's neglect of the needs of the
"average UCD student".
12. Always listen for shows with music most unlike the song you're requesting (eg. Folk or Jazz shows).
This increases the probability that the DJ might not realize who G.G. Allin was.
11. Claim you'll commit suicide if she doesn't play the live version of Bela Lugosi's Dead".
10. Say your father is Chancellor Hullar and you will have the DJ fired if he doesn't play
"Bitchin' Camaro".
9. Compare the DJ's taste in music to the odors emanating from the UCD Pig Barn on a hot
August afternoon.
8. Claim you just heard this really groovy Erasure tune at Cafe Roma five times in the last three hours
and can't get it out of your head.
7. Whine really loudly. And if that fails, use expletives.
6. Call up before turning on the radio and say you'll probably tune in if they play your request.
5. Inform the DJs that their reggae program is really beginning to drag and that playing Primus would
"liven things up."
4. When your friend's band (or even better, your own band) has a new album out, call KDVS every three
hours so they'll be certain to make the KDVS Top Ten.
3. Say that LIVE 105 always plays your requests and that KDVS should at /east as "alternative".
2. Claim you're trying to set a Guinness Record by getting all the rock radio stations in the
Sacramento area to simultaneously play "Stairway to Heaven".
1. Say: "Hi, I'm the new Vice-President of Alternative Marketing at Sire Records and if you don't play
the new James CD, I'll cut off your station's payola."
“SHOVELS
j Delta of Venus »:
122 ‘B’ Street © Davis © 753-8639 hy)
4
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Good Coffee, Late & Brews
SDE WIENS)
Sososssesesssssssssesssessesssessssessss SoeosSesSeeooSoes es sesssssesessssssesesssosssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
CD REVIEWS
by Hiram Jackson
Ferron, Not a Still Life
(Cherrywood Station)
Ferron has a way of expressing personal
experiences (especially of emotional loss) in a
way that touches every listener regardless of
gender or sexual orientation. The crafted
literary quality of her lyrics and the very
hummable melodies are enhanced by delivery
that has the subtlety of great acting. These
qualities come together on the Canadian singer-
songwriter's most recent live album Not a Still
Life, recorded from her 1992 performance at the
Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.
The rapt silence during each lyrical
narrative and instant applause at the end could
be the benefit of digital technology, but more
believably is evidence of her ability to
completely draw listeners into her
performance. Her repartee with the audience
is comfortable and spontaneous. Songs include a
number of favorites, "Ain't Life a Brook"
(recently covered by Greg Brown and Bill
Morissey), "Snowin' in Brooklyn," and "I Never
Was to Africa." The previously unrecorded
"Shady Gate” is a poignant narrative song
about experiencing the breakup of a parents’
marriage from the perspective of a child; the
song defines another pinnacle in Ferron's body
of work.
Ferron's successes on previous albums
have more frequently come with the intimate
accompaniment of acoustic guitar. Her use of
conventional 3-piece bands and synthesizers
have often drowned the poetic introspective
quality of her lyrics and the quiet expression of
her singing. By relying on the minimalist
format of voice and acoustic guitar for the
whole album, Ferron creates what is critically
one of the best albums of the year. All lyrics
are included in the liner notes. Length: 64'15"
on 16 cuts. Not a Still Life is available from
Ferron's label for $15 (add $2.50 P&H for mail
order) at Cherrywood Station, PO Box 871,
Vashon Island, WA 98070, tel. (206) 463-5892.
Stan Rogers, Home in Halifax
(Fogarty's Cove)
Another notable Canadian singer-
songwriter, Stan Rogers, died in a Cincinatti
airline disaster ten years ago. One of his best
albums, however, has just been released — a
recording of a 1982 performance in Halifax,
Nova Scotia. During a short but prolific career,
Stan Rogers defined a folk tradition distinctly
Canadian and particularly maritime.
He EPY Ss Pall (93 program suicke y
The liner notes to Home in Halifax give
complete lyrics, a little history of each band
member, and background about the concert,
which, to our benefit, was recorded
clandestinely. The songs include a number of
favorites -- 45 Years, Mary Ellen Carter, and
Barrett's Privateers. This will probably be
regarded as the better of his two live albums
(the other being Between the Breaks), due to
anecdotes between songs, the program selection,
and the better sound quality. A principle
theme to most of the album's songs (and to most
of his songs in general) is the life of the
Canadian man, as sailor ("Free in the
Harbour," "Bluenose," and "Make and Break
Harbour"), farmer ("The Field Behind the
Plow"), or worker ("Working Joe"). The CD has
13 songs for 64'03", and includes substantial
dialogue between songs. If unavailable at your
favorite CD store, try Fogarty's Cove Music, 23
Hillside Ave. S., Dundas, Ontario L9H 4H7,
tel. (416) 627-9808.
Get Out Of
FOR ALL YOUR
BUDGET TRAVEL NEEDS
e Low-Cost Airfares To Worldwide
Destinations
e International Student/Youth
And Teacher ID Cards
e Packages To Hawaii And Mexico
Council Travel
162 Memorial Union, UC Davis
Davis, CA 95616
916¢752°2285
Eurailpasses Issued On-The-Spot!
¢ Youth Hostel Cards On-The-Spot
oipey ¢ogqy |IV
| . ' = Peall (O33 provrin suicde
~ 1 :
It's easy to believe that alternative
music in the Sacramento Valley is
scarce. For that reason, the following
retail outlets for your Bay Area
pilgrimages (and include one of Davis'
best kept secrets) and throw in some
mail order businesses that will give
you something to look forward to in
the mail. There are numerous other
fine businesses that I could not include
here due to space and time limitations.
What is listed here does not constitute
an endorsement by KDVS or the
University of California; they're only
suggestions of the writers. So, if
mainstream retail outlets seem
humdrum to your ambitious musical
tastes, I invite you to try out these out-
of-the-ordinary retail and mail order
outlets
The CDealer may not have the
panache of major franchises, but the
no-frills business more’ than
compensates in price and selection.
Many CD's are up to $2 iess than other
retail stores, and comparatively
generous store.credit is given. for CD
trade-ins. The in-store selection
includes a hodge-podge of the
‘common and obscure displayed
alphabetically in wooden crates on the
floor--beware if you have delicate
knees! On the other hand the catalog
selection is very extensive. Orders for
most U.S. labels are available within a
week to 10 days, and up to several
weeks for impoxts. If you're a budget-
minded enthusiast, this is the place!
Located at 624 4th St. in Davis ($1<)
758-4639, its hours are noon to 10 ».m.,
Sat. through Thurs.
Topic Records is a British mail order
company that carries its own labels
(Topic, Special Delivery, and Indigo) in
addition to numerous small folk/roots
labels from the U.K. and Europe that
are often impossible to find in most
retail stores. The few U.S. labels are
generally easy to come by locally (e.g.,
Rounder, Rykodisc, Green Linnet).
Labels of special note are Hokey Pokey
(for fans of Fairport Convention),
Cooking Vinyl, Rogue, and Tara (for
Clannad fans). As with Roundup,
descriptions of the music are non-
existent. Direct Distribution, 50 Stroud
Green Road, London N4 3EF, tel. 071
281 3465, fax: 071 281 5671.
Down Home Records is a retail store
specializing in folk, roots, and
international musics. They have a
large selection of LP's and stock a
respectable quantity of magazines and
imported labels. Two CD players are
available for listening to their
selection. The major down side is that
prices can be uncomfortably high.
Their affiliate record label is Arhoolie,
and mail order business is Roots &
Rhythm. Address: 6921 Stockton Ave.,
El Cerrito, CA 94530, tel: (510) 525-
1494.
Festival Records is the mail order
division of the folk/roots label, Aural
Traditions, which is the self-described
‘house label’ of the Vancouver Folk
Music Festival. The catalog selection
is interesting for the numerous one to
two title record labels, the Canadian
folk artists (e.g., Stan Rogers), and
even Latin American labels (Discos
Fuentes & Discos Pentegrama)
Canadian artists are marked with a
small maple leaf in the listings. Some
~ newer releases, especially on the Aural
Traditions label, are featured in a color
display and description of the album.
Address: 3271 Main St., Vancouver,
B.C., Canada V5V 3M6, Tel.: (604) 879-
2931, Fax: (604) 879-4315
Fast Folk is a New York-based non-
profit musicians' co-operative that
releases ten compilation CD's per year
of live and studio performances of the
various member musicians. Suzanne
Vega, Christine Lavin, John Gorka,
and many others have been involved
with Fast Folk during the formative
period of their careers. Each CD comes
with an 8-page magazine with all of
the printed lyrics and a blurb about
each artist on the CD. The
subscription price is a bit steep
($100/year) given that some CD issues
may not be so interesting. Other issues
can be collector's gems. Of interest to
fans of acoustic singer-songwriter
genre. Address: P.O. Box 938, Village
Stn, New York, NY 10014, tel: (212)
274-1636.
Allegro Imports specializes in import
labels of classical, jazz, and
ethnic/international music. Of
particular interest to this writer is the
international music which includes
labels from France not often found in
retail outlets. Address: 12630 N.E.
Marx St., Portland, Oregon 97230-1059,
tel.: (800) 288-2007.
Dirty Linen is an informative bi-
monthly magazine dedicated to folk,
electric folk, roots, and world musics.
It is loaded with short reviews, which
are descriptive though not necessarily
very critical, of recordings from small
and independent labels. Each issue
has news and about 3 feature articles
on an artist or group of current
interest. A year-long subscription is
$18 dollars, and individual issues are
available at the Newsbeat (in Davis)
and Tower Books. Address: P.O. Box
66600, Baltimore, MD 21239-6600, tel.:
(410) 583-7973, fax: (410) 337-6735.
Roundup Records is the catalog order
division affiliated Rounder Records.
Their catalog is a general compendium
of available titles in the genres of
blues, folk, ethnic, and international
roots music. Most small domestic,
some import, and selected major
domestic labels are included. In
addition to CD's and cassettes, their
inventory includes LP's, books, T-
shirts, videos, and magazines. Because
there is no description of the kind of
music on each recording, you have to
have some idea what you're getting, or
else be willing to take a risk. Prices are
generally the same as at a retail outlet,
but selection is much _ broader.
Address: P.O. Box 154, Cambridge, MA
02140-0900, Tel: (800) 44-DISCS.
If you have any questions about where
to obtain that rare recording, write to
us c/o KDVS, 14 Lower Freeborn Hall,
University of California, Davis, CA
95616.
2A
x SRM slp KLAR Ss «KREIS .
page 13
WoMAD cont'd.
Together though we are
determined to enjoy some of the
unsung, non-headliner talent at
WOMAD. So we head to Stage 3 to
see Ugandan singer-songwriter
Geoffrey Oryema.
Unfortunately, Stage 3 sits next to
FUTURE ZONE, “a virtual village”
sponsored by Apple Computer. The
Future Zone sound system intrudes
so badly on Stage 3’s modest speaker
stacks that it’s no contest.
Oryema leaves the stage in disgust
after just one song and I seriously
reconsider my inclination to buy a
Macintosh. We wish our friends
luck in their journey to Stage 2 and
decide to plow back towards the
main stage and claim some real
estate for the duration and the
headliners.
Maneuvering our way back
towards the north bleachers, we’re
back in the crush. Just before we
reach the stands, i notice a lady of
about 60 behind some sort of
petition table. Considering the
mayhem of bodies, she has a most
serene look on her face. Just then I
feel myself being pinned against
the table.
“Whoa!, let’s not hurt anyone”, a
cheerful voice calls out from
somewhere over the din.
I tum and I’m right between the
table and a long narrow
wheelbarrow like contraption.
About ten people are pushing this
human powered limousine. I look
about two feet up and there making
sure I’m not sandwiched is a
smiling Wavy Gravy.
We find an unobstructed view on
the top level of the bleachers just
upwind of a now heavily taxed
portapotty row. It’s as good a spot as
any to see the Stereo MCs and then
Ziggy Marley. There’s now a seat
row even higher than ours.
Spectators are sitting on top of the
portapotties, crushing down their
soft plastic roofs. Ugh.
“Is that guy with the short dark
hair and the suit Peter Gabriel?”, a
KEV S&S Fall ‘93 provram suicde
woman in the stands asks.
I recoil from my binoculars and
reply dryly, “That guy is Sinead”.
Hearty laughter is heard from her
girlfriends so I know it’s quite
alright for me to chuckle too.
With the last flourish of
“Sledgehammer”, we head for the
gates and let the encore “Your
Eyes” serenade us on the way out."
“WOMAD t-shirts! Ten dollars!”,
the broker calls out the number
like a plummeting stock price.
“What the hell.”, I say, reaching
for my wallet, “It’s only ten bucks.”
Jeffrey Fekete is a DJ at KDVS and
now owns a WOMAD T-shirt.
"YOUR MOST IMPORTANT
FASHION ACCESSORY IS
ON YOUR FACE!
Mon - Fri 10 PM - 6 PM
Sat 11 Am - & PM « Closed ‘Sunday
DISTINCTIVE EYEWEAR
be LATEST LENS ANID FRAME STYLES
¢ OVER 1500 EUROPEAN & DESICNER eaeints ® UNIQUE AND
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ONE HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE WHILE YOU WAIT
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* OLD / NEW LENSES TINTED * DARKER / LIGHTER
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© PRESCRIPTIONS FILLED PROMPTLY WITH PRECISION SKILL AND CARE
* OWNED AND OPERATED BY TWO BROTHERS IN SIGHT, VICTOR & CURTIS
NOT A FRANCHISE
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* ONE DAY REPLACEMENT ¢ ALL MAJOR BRANDS AVAILABLE
* CHANGE THE COLOR OF YOUR EVES WITH COLORED LENSES OR CUSTOM TINTS
758-75 74
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CONVENTIONAL
LENSES be
"CALL US FIRST -. SAVE TIME AND MONEY"
"CALL US LAST - COMPARE ANY PRICE AND SAVE"
None of us really like beer; we just drink it to
get pissed. William Reid, Jesus and Mary Chain
Hallucinations
Vinyl
By Karl Ikola
Record hunting is a strange
pursuit. In the late 80s --the years
I call “the golden years” (don’t
laugh too hard -- I’m talking one
shred of gold fiber here --
fragments of psychic hope if you
will -- in every other respect this
period of my life blew bigtime),
specifically the years ‘86 to ‘89;
excellent condition vinyl was in
abundance as CD nerds dumped
their supposedly obsolete wax for
whatever scant pennies the
merchant of their choice would
dole out to them. During this
period, vinyl’s imminent scarcity
was evident to a few polyvinyl
chloride mainliners (we inject
direct, man) plowing hour after
lonely hour through bins in search
of their personal holy wax tablet.
In the “golden years”, I found such
records as_ the Holy Modal
Rounders’ Moray Eels LP in near
mint shape for two bucks, Captain
Beefheart’s first single on A+M
from 1966, “Diddy Wah Diddy”/’Who
Do You Think You're Fooling”, for a
buck, various ESP-disk titles--the
list goes on. Of course, people like
my friend Frank Uhle in Michigan
operate on a higher plane of
collectordom -- he has been
scouring flea markets and thrift
stores since the late 70s for 60s
punk and soul and R+B 45s and has
amassed tens of thousands of discs
which “will. temain “forever out of *
my reach.
stuff to keep me going, and there's
no reason for me or anyone else to
give up or assume vinyl is dead.
Read on and taste the salty deposits
of my sweaty. late night delirium
and elusive dreams of hidden
islands of sonic ssnctuary lying in
the grooves of any record that |
NEED but just can’t find....Yet!
,
The reason “the golden
years” are now over is that a
higher percentage of used vinyl is
in increasingly deteriorated
condition. Also, merchants are now
accustomed to charging premium
(sometimes fucking laughable)
prices. Just go to the moldy funeral
home in Sacramento known
unoffically as “K-street Records”
and leer at their museum of mostly
beat to shit records begging $20 to
$40 prices. It’s pathetic to see the
owners of the store smoking and
gazing at a meaninglessly
scrambled image on their TV set
across the dungeon’s mustiness --
surely their dreams are long since
dead.
Despite the artificially
inflated “museum rates” at such
places, a few vibrant stores exist
that are worth checking out.
While not quite “vibrant”,
Esoteric Records (1716 Broadway,
Sacto. 442-4858) is still known to
contain the occasional gem --
usually their best buys are the most
obscure, i.e., the Broadway store is
selling fairly fried copies of the
first two 13th Floor Elevators LPs
for 40 bucks a piece, while I picked
up the obscure and brilliant Mij LP
(1969 ESP-disk “space-folk” release-
- reverb-laden twelve string guitar
and twisted vocals used to
But I’ve scored enough ~*~
3 Unsolicited
intoxicating effect) for a scant five-
spot. The Beat!’s vinyl supply is
large but stagnant and relatively
picked clean -- but you never know.
Probably the most pleasing
experience I’ve had record
shopping in Sacramento recently is
at Record Heaven (2608 Watt, Sacto.
483-1986). A stereo pawnshop/
record store in the tradition of the
various “Top Cash Paid” record
stores I used to frequent in
Southem California (when I used to
bug the shit out of one of the
“proprietors” of said establishment
in Costa Mesa), Record Heaven has
a lot of used LPs, as well as a small
but off-beat stock of used 45s. The
records vary widely in condition,
but are priced cheaply -- sometimes
inconsistently -- but how nice to
find an excellent condition’ copy of
the first Moby Grape LP for four
dollars instead of paying seventeen
bucks for an import CD, The key to
Record Heaven is their listening
turntabl& You can check out titles
that you’ve “seen a lot but never
heard” as well as check condition
(visual inspection is not always
consistent with playability -- many
shiny, umscratched records are
merely professionally cleaned
copies of records that were. ruined
years ago with a bad needle, while
dusty records with surface marks
that don’t affect play are the true
finds). Record Heaven may not be
consistent in their stock, but its
unpredictability makes it a fun
. plat to panini
Philosophical
Interjection #247:
For all my advocacy of vinyl
-- | admit to owning a CD player and
a few (no!) CDs as well. Simply
because new music is generally
only sporadically released on vinyl
(not discounting the now waning
indie seven inch boom) and ultra
rare titles that I will never in my
life find in their original form are
being reissued on CD. Most
significant in this category is the
1993 reissue of the legendary Dutch
band the Outsiders’ 1968 LP CQ --
supposedly withdrawn by Dutch
Polydor upon release after only 300
or so copies had escaped (Okay -- so
it was reissued about ten years ago
on vinyl --I never saw that either).
The difference in my perspective
from most individuals brainwashed
by the record industry's profit
hungry and unfortunately quite
successful marketing ploy to get
people to rebuy their entire record
collections at many times the cost
they originally paid (talk about
suffocatingly narrow visions) is
that I see CDs as a supplement to
vinyl, not a replacement. Vintage
vinyl 45s simply sound like nothing
else, and have an identity separate
from other mediums. Likewise, LPs
offer a unique conceptual
presentation of music (i.e., larger
cover art, two sides, etchings,
reverse mastering (record plays
from the inside out), locked
grooves, separate/parallel tracks
etc.), the grooves themselves are
more accessible and tangible than
digitally encoded information, and
no matter how “accurate” that
information is claimed to be -- it
still isn’t the same thing. And
records still sound great if
mastered and pressed properly and
treated with care by the user.
Return to the Hunt
The Bay Area has a whole sea
of record stores worth checking out
-- a few I frequent that I can
recommend:
Epicenter Zone (475
Valencia, the Mission, SF (415) 431-
2725)
A nonprofit record store operated
by Maximum Rock+Roll “kingpin”,
Tim Yohannon, and on the same
floor space as the related (but
separate) Blacklist Mailorder,
Epicenter carries virtually no
major label releases, has the largest
selection of punk/indie singles
anywhere and carries the nearly
undistributable independent twelve
inch LP as well -- in abundance.
Perhaps the “truest” punk store in
existence -- the staff are all
volunteers and the sometimes
disorganized inventory is sold at
costs often barely above wholesale.
Singles are $2 to $4 and LPs are $4 to
$12 depending on the source. They
also stock an interesting assortment
of CDs, fanzines, have a spiffy
display wall of out of print
“museum priced” collectable
records as. well. as a bathroom and a
reading library -- simply put --
worth setting aside an afternoon
for. Hours are skewed, the store is
closed Mondays and is open other
days generally from about 1PM to
8PM.
- Aquarius Records (3961
24th ‘st.,.Noe Valley, SF (415) 647-
2272)
A small store with excellent taste in
current independent records.
Several of the clerks are Kiwiphiles
(fans of New Zealand music) and
they often carry some records you
don’t see anywhere else, along with
reasonably priced more’ widely
available independents. Staff is
friendly and open to playing music
at the customer’s request.
Record Finder (258 Noe st.
SF (415) 431-4443)
Here’s a store which can be
frustrating in its often over priced
new stock (and kinda snooty staff)
but exhilirating in its tendency to
have used items unseen this side of
Tibet. I found the privately pressed
red vinyl 1981! debut twelve inch by
Green on Red there for seven
bucks, as well as the 1981 LP Trap
Sampler for about the same price (a.
record which includes early Wipers
and Pell Mell tracks), ditto the
Exploding Budgies (pre-3ds/Goblin
Mix) EP from 1986. In short, if you
skip Record Finder on your weekly
or monthly record run, you'll
always wonder what you missed.
Jack’s Record Cellar (254
Scott at Page, SF (415) 431-4443)
Notable partially just because
former Flamin’ Groovies frontman
Roy Loney works behind the
counter, this store carries only
vinyl -- mostly rockabilly,
r+b,blues, jazz, folk and 50s and 60s
rock, and a few good indie singles as
well. Their inventory has sadly
seemed to have shrunken the last
few years but it’s still worth a visit.
Village Music (9 E.
Blithedale Av. Mill Valiey (415) 388-
7400)
HA EY Ss
‘O38 program guide
One of the largest inventories of
vinyl in the Bay Area, this store is a
marathon dig and has plenty of wax
in most every category except for
new releases; they even have 78s--
yikes!. If you are the curious “open
to anything” peruser, you need to
set aside an afternoon for this
place. The Mill Valley Market deli
down the street is a must for lunch ,
as well.
Mod Lang (2136 University
Av. Berkeley (510) 486-1880)
Named after a cut on Big Star’s
Radio City LP, and predominantly a
haven for the _ hipster/anglophile
leaning towards the mainstream
types, Mod Lang stocks new, used
and collectable records and CDs.
This place has surprised me with its
small stock of obscure 60s garage
comps, hard to find CD reissues of-
psych/prog/weirdo late 60s early
70s records, as well as a thoroughly
stocked, well organized indie seven
inch selection. A fun 30 minute
perusal is usually enough to get the
gist of their stock.
Amoeba Music (2455
Telegraph: Av. Berkeley (510) 549-
1125)
The Monster of the East Bay.
Amoeba is the store where you can
literally drown for an entire day in
endless-piles of records and CDs.
Anything and everything can and
will tum up there. Their
experimental music section and
indie seven and twelve inch vinyl
selection are what really make
them stand out-- not that they do a
bad job with any of the genre's that
they stock. Prices are average to
good (i.e. not too high to keep you
from buying something but not as
low as the non-profit Epicenter
Zone). My. polyvinyl chloride
shooting gallery of choice. (OK,
they sponsor KDVS too, so I’m biased
-- you still gotta check ‘em out).
Enough Already
Finally, if you want to save
gas, avoid harming the
environment with your selfish auto
emissions, etc., you may want to
imbibe your recs by mail.
Forced Exposure (PO Box
9102 Waltham MA 02254)
The penultimate catalog of obscure
private releases,
improvisational/experimental
records and CDs, and limited
reissues of the 60s and 70s rarest
releases. FE is also a record label
and (originally only and now
infrequently published) magazine
of high quality and widespread
influence. They just issued Keiji
Haino’s (legendary Tokyo
underground musician active since
the early 70s, who currently fronts
the incredible trio Fushitsusha)
first US release. They are also the
U.S. label for one time Davis
resident Simon Wickham-Smith’s
projects with his pal and fellow
Englishman Richard Youngs.
Their service is speedy and their
catalog is free (and almost a real
zine in its own right). Essential.
AJAX Mailorder (PO Box
805293, Chicago IL 60680)
The home of the indie seven inch
boom. Great prices and service for
indie releases from the U.S., N.Z. and
continued on page 15
peerer
“
ae
SS
Wau base eae
=
Wak
Mad
Vinyl Hallucinations cont'd.
elsewhere. Ajax keeps threatening
to stop its mailorder business and
focus on its record releases
exclusively, but so far that hasn’t
happened. Just about the only
distributor which carries releases
by the (personal favorite)
uncompromising Finnish
independent label Bad Vugum
(named after a line in Beefheart’s
“Sue Egypt”; remember that copy of
“Diddy Wah Diddy” I mentioned
back at the beginning of this here
article? See, it all comes full circle
eventually). Send a couple stamps
for catalog.
Metro Music (PO Box 10004,
Silver Springs MD 20904)
Huge (about 5000 titles) list of new
indie LPs and CDs, as well as 60s and
70s reissues and (their specialty) ~
out of print 60s LPs and 45s. Prices
vary, but you can find things here
you won't almost anywhere else.
Well, I’m exhausted now as I
imagine you will be too if you
choose to follow this spiraling path
toward your feverish descent into
record collector's HELL. Happy
huntin’. Keep your needle clean.
Is It Worth It?
x
aythe Bee
Very rarely does a KDVS DJ stay at
KDVS for 3 straight years. I am
fortunate to have been able to
juggle my schedule enough to keep
on the 90.3 frequency for this
amount of time and plan on many
more years behind a microphone in
the wee hours of the morning.
Why? Because I love the music I
play which is metal, punk thrash
and hardcore. Unfortunately the
record industry has left a sour taste
in my mouth and I am feeling a bit
burned on the music that spoke to
me and my frustration with things I
see in the world. Let me explain.
It is no secret that a sucessful
band in any music genre can make
a buttload of cash playing tunes for
the masses. This is not new
knowledge to most of us. One thing I
did learn by working here at KDVS
is exactly how much money is
poured into bands in most genres in
the hopes of a huge profit. We saw
what one damn song did for
Nirvana , we’ve seen what the so
called “Seattle Scene” has done for
Pearl Jam and believe it or not ,
even so called “Punk” is making its
own little come back and the
industry is hopeing it can cash in
on nostaligia and “teenage angst”
(refer to Nirvana’s latest release for
reference). Still , to anyone
involved just a little in music , this
is nothing new. What does surprise
me is the fact that bands (or more
precisely , their labels)that could
never sell 1 million copies of a
record send us “gifts” with the
hopes we will play their songs on
our radio station.
Now to the average person , it
sounds like a simple promotional
tactic , but take the total number of
college stations (more than 1000)
and the number of commercial
have is one hell of a lot of T-shirts
“4
mug 4
| Ss DAS Beall (OR progeracn
going out to a hell of a lot of DJ’s
who probably aren’t going to play
your record anyway. Now add
advertising , promotion , phone
bills , personel , smoozing and all
the other crap and what you have is
a pile of cash and work hours spent
on a chance that you have the next
“Smells Like Smash Hit” on your
hands. Plus , your band is
competing with the release of the
new U2 album called “More Cash for
Us” for the and consumer dollar. IS
THEIR REALLY THAT MUCH MONEY
TO GO AROUND FOR ALL THESE BANDS
TO BE DOING THIS!?!
Yes.
Which brings me back to the
metal , punk thing. Metallica sold
acouple million copies of what I felt
to. be their worst album ever
because they got the MTV rotation
necessary to .make people
remember their songs. Now bands
are getting large amounts of money
to produce stuff that taps into that
“teenage angst” that Nirvana
speaks of. Metallica did it , and
maybe Biohazard-Slayer-Quicksand-
Bad Religion-L7-Rage Against the
Machine could all do the same. It
makes me warm inside to hear that
a certain label lost some serious
money on Helmet. They sell the kids
of Amerikkka a style , an image in a
point in time when everything is
falling apart and nobody seems to
have any answers. It is a
generation with an identity crisis
and all this money is being spent to
help them get one even if it is
destructive and anti-social.
So I guess I will continue to help
the kids along , feeding them what
they ask for but hopefully point
them away from some of the stuff I
see as run of the mill , money-
making machines. That doesn’t
mean I won’t play Slayer , I just
means I’ll grimace at their latest
release, call them sell outs and
pretend to hate them now. Secretly ,
when I am alone , I will listen to
them and be thankful they have
better production on the new
album.
BEEP
O2I971
suid
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