1994_09 Insight September 1994

              September 14,1994
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO
PageS
INSIGHT
MUSIC
REVIEW
TRIPPING ON
CAUSE AND EFFECT
Shahada Ahdui-Karim
INSIGHT
Isn't it true that America's
youth has shunned the techno
of the 80s, opting instead for
the demented ballads and bottomless lyrics of a style of
music known as alternative?
Isn't it true that every pop/
rock/techno wannabe from the
U.K. who ventures onto
American soil ignorant of this
handy piece of information is
in for a costly shock? Isn't it
also true that if this person (or
people) gets past the initial
hurdle and actually sells a
record, the next attempt to release an album will surely fail?
Perhaps not.
Enter Cause and Effect,
the not-so-ncw-to-thc-sccne
pop/rock/techno group from
the U.K. This London-based
trio ventured onto American
soil at the dawn of the decade,
when alternative music still
held minority status, and the
nation's teens were trying to
figure out what to do with a
band from Seattle called Pearl
Jam. Robert Rowe (lead vocals), Richard Shepherd (vocals, drums, and programming), and Keith Milo (vocals,
programming, and synthesizing) came to this country with
a game plan that not only enabled them to sell a substantial amount of records, but kept
their first American hit, "You
Think You Know Her" in the
top ten for eight weeks.
Their first album, titled
Another Minute, mimicked the
sounds of Depecbe Mode, who
had by then established themselves as a semi-permanent
fixture in the music industry.
Recognition struck the music-
listening masses with the release of their first hit (because
everyone thought ihey-were
Depeche Mode) ahd their
records began to sell. The band
kept a low profile during this
time and faded into the background for about two years after the initial release of the al-
Now they're back with a
new record, a new attitude, a
little experience, and a lot to
show for it The new album,
titled Trip, displays an Ingenious mix of rock, pop, techno
and — gasp — alternative
music. The songs on this album contain just enough
techno to keep the image of the
band intact, and enough alternative sounds to attract the
grunge-wearing masses who
See REVIEW Page 8
Fresno's ska scene flourishing
Sax players of Los Hooligans jam at Club Fred.
Lisa Dorman-Stubbs
INSIGHT
Fresno has a reputation as a ska
town — a town where people appreciate the high-energy dance music
punctuated by a prominent brass section.
"Ska's really big in the Bay Area
and Los Angeles. Fresno's known in
those places as a ska town," said
Terry Crouch, a member of a local
ska band, Los Hooligans.
Paul Cruikshank. a local concert
promoter and owner of Ragin'
Records, said Fresno has a lot of local ska bands, largely because of ihe
success of Let's Go Bowling, a veteran local ska band.
"Let's Go Bowling has done a lot
for Fresno. They can do a headline
tour and draw larger crowds than any
other band from Fresno in the last 15
years," Cruikshank said.
Crouch gives Let's Go Bowling
credit as well.
"Without the success of Let's Go
Bowling, I don't think the other ska
bands in Fresno, like Los Hooligans
and Checkmate, would exist," he said.
David Wiens, trombone player
with Let's Go Bowling, gave a
simple description of ska for music
fans unfamiliar with the sound. "It's
like reggae but a little bit faster. It's
goqd dance music."
"Skanking" is a dance style often associated with ska music. Wiens
described skanking as running in
place along with the beat of the music.
In the book, "Catch a Fire: The
Life of Bob Marley," author Timothy White traces the history of ska
music from its origin in the islands.
Ska originated in Jamaica in the
mid-1950s when Jamaican bands began covering rhythm and blues hits
from the United States and adding
their own distinctive "rumba-shaded
rhythms."
Some bands added horn sections to "a twelve-bar blues shuffle
with accents on the second and
fourth beats, badgered benignly by
an afterbeat —an impish little lick
— on piano or a percussive rhythm
guitar."
Ernest Ranglin, a Jamaican guitarist whd backed up the Wailers,
said the word ska was coined in reference to the "skat! skat! skat!
scratchin' guitar strum that goes behind," according to White.
The ska craze spread to London
in the late 1950s and early 60s. By
1966, ska had evolved into other musical styles such as rock steady and
later, reggae.
Ska experienced a second wave
of popularity in the late 1970s and
early 80s.
"Interracial English groups like
the Specials, Madness and the English Beat combined the traditional
ska sound and its emphasis on the
horn section with the antic energies
of punk," White said.
Let's Go Bowling, a product of
the ska revival, has been around for
eight years. Besides Wiens, the other
band members are: Patrick Bush on
trumpet, Erik Dvorak on baritone
sax, Darren Fletcher on vocals and
keyboards, Adam Lee on drums
and percussion, Mark Michel on
vocals and bass guitar, Paul
Miskulin on vocals, guitar and harmonica and Dean Olmstead on
tenor sax.
Wiens, Olmstead, Fletcher and
Michel are all founding members
of Let's Go Bowling, while the others joined the band more recently.
Wiens said most of the guys have
People are getting tired
of the music on MTV
and are turning to ska
as an alternative.
— Terry Crouch
known each other since high school
when they were involved with various band activities and competitions.
Let's Go Bowling released a
full-length album in 1991 called
"Music to Bowl By." Most of the
band's songs are original. Wiens
said he, Olmstead, Miskulin and
Fletcher write most of the material.
At least the music anyway.
"Then everybody else kind of
throws in their own ideas. Our
sound is more of the traditional Jamaican-type ska. We also throw in
influences from jazz and classical,"
he said.
Let's Go Bowling spent the
summer on the road, touring the
East Coast, the Midwest and parts
of Canada. Besides their loyal local fans, Wiens said they have a
strong following in the Chicago
area.
Another local band, Los Hooligans, whose members are all students or graduates of CSUF, has
been playing together for about a
year.
Members of Los Hooligans include Crouch on guitar, Chris Fendrick
on trombone, Gus Gomez on drums,
Gilbert Lopez on tenor sax, Tony Luna
on trumpet, John Yancura on bass guitar. Randy Young on vocals and percussion, and Frank Zamora on baritone
sax.
Crouch said Los Hooligans' repertoire consists mainly of cover versions of classic ska songs. But they also
cover Latin and American traditional
jazz songs and adapt them to the Jamaican ska beat
"Our sound is very different man
some of the other local bands. We throw
in some swing, jazz and R&B influences. I mink it's become the signature
of our music," Crouch said.
Crouch predicted that ska is entering its third wave of popularity.
"I think it's been an underlying
musical force ever since its last revival." he said.
Crouch said people are getting
tired of the "same ole, same ole" music played over and over on MTV, and
they are turning to ska as an alternative.
For people who are curious about
ska, Ragin" Records in the Tower District has probably die most comprehensive collection of ska music in the Valley, with releases by about 40 different
artists, as well as a large selection of
domestic and import compilations.
In addition, Fresno audiences can
usually find live ska music at least a
couple of times a month in clubs around
town.
Let's Go Bowling will be at Club
Fred this Friday night It will be a 21-
and-over show and with a $6 cover
charge. They can also be seen at the
Wilson theater on Oct 27 with the
Specials, a veteran ska band from Coventry, England. Tickets for that show
will be $14 in advance ana $16 at the
door.
Los Hooligans can be seen in a free
show at Club Fred on Oct. 17 with several other groups (not all ska bands).
Local bandleader devoted to the blues
7o« Kosato *JR.
INSIGHT
The Fresno blues scene may very
well owe its existence to Chris Millar,
who in the past six years has let the
world know that Fresno blues is alive
and well.
Like the old records that he
smells out in thrift stores and garage
sales, Millar sought old blues artists
from Fresno's lesser known dives and
afternoon barbecue blues jams, and
brought them international fame.
Local musician John Shafer recalled Millar's gift for bringing old
blues artists out of the woodwork.
"He mined his own backyard,"
said Shafer. "And he took these old
blues guys around town and 10 to 12
people would come out to see them.
Then he took these guys out of Fresno
and they were like this American treasure. He's a great self-promoter."
To the great promoter's recording credit is West Fresno Blues masters, a CD of those Fresno-based blues
musicians that he discovered. It spent
two weeks as the number one selling
blues CD in England.
West Fresno Blues Masters
brought international attention to such
obscure local blues men like Hosea
Leavy, Harmonica Slim, Daddoo Wilson, as well as Millar's own Blues
West Orchestra.
West Fresno Blues Masters generated reviews from blues magazines
in Italy, Holland, Germany, Japan,
Sweden and the United States —
Millar said the reviews were "all favorable."
We belong to you.
If you're a CSUF full or part-time employee, a family member of a CSUF or public
school employee, or a student enrolled in a CSUF education credential and/or degree
program associated with the School of Education and Human Development, you're
eligible for membership in Educational Employees Credit Union. Membership in
EECU has many benefits.
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Student Loans
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Extended Hours Member Service
It's easy to join Educational Employees Credit Union and reduce the cost of your
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Local 275-7700 or toll-free nationwide 1-800-538-EECU
88 W. Shaw
Fresno
455 E. Barstow
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5675 E. Kings Canyon
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430 Pollasky St.
Govts
2029) High St
Selma
Millar also produced and released 68-year-old Hosea '.eavy's
Greasy Greens recording abroad on
his own Fedora Records label, which
garnered good reviews from English
reviewers.
Chicago's 90-year-old Homesick James was the next performer
on Millar's production schedule.
Using Fresno musicians to back the
legendary performer. Millar recorded a CD for New York's Muse
records, which is scheduled to be
released within the next few months.
Aside from alerting the world
to Fresno's blues scene, Millar has
brought local attention to the city's
own backyard.
Last year, Millar moved his
sixth annual Fresno Blues Festival
from its previous home in the Hacienda Inn to Water Tower Park in
downtown Fresno.
The festival brought a crowd of
4,000 to a little-known venue.
"People have the perception that
the downtown isn't such a nice
place," said Downtown Association
board member Craig Scharton.
"But when mat many go to an
event like that and leave with a good
impression, it's a good thing."
To say Millar has dedicated his
life to the blues is not fiction.
"I started listening to blues
when I was eight." Millar said.
"My friend had a 45—Jimmy
Reed, Big Boss Man. My friend was
from Memphis. We used to get into
Press photo
Fresno blues promoter/performer Chris Millar.
all his big brother's records."
The Texas-born Millar began
playing drums as a child. Drums
were a passion that later led to stints
with such blues greats as John Lee
Hooker and Sonny Rhodes.
Millar toured extensively with
Rhodes through Texas and Canada,
playing the "chitlin' circuit" which
Millar described as "middle-class
black clubs."
He currently plays every Saturday night with his Blues West Orchestra at Butterfield's Brewery in
the Tower District as well as occasional shows in Los Angeles and
the Bay Area with blues guitarist
Ron Thompson.
Millar keeps a full schedule.
From the Fresno recording studio
where he was finishing the final mixing of a soon-to-be released recording
by Bay Area bluesman Cal Valentine,
Millar randown his upcoming schedule.
On Oct. 2 he will put on a
downtonwn blues festival in Water
Tower Park, and is organizing a similar festival in Madera.
Then in November, Millar will
take a band of Fresno all-stars on a tour
to the "Blues Estafette," a large blues
festival in Utrecht, Holland.
Millar has spent his life involved
in the blues. He's helped bring to light
a music that might have otherwise been
left in the shadows of din joints and garage parties.
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