Local Poll

In an effort to check the local pulse on some less-than-pressing national issues, i conducted a very impersonal interview with a cross section of Champaign-Urbana’s divergent community of movers and shakers. The discussion ran the gamut from influential music to comfort foods, and produced one mighty fine theoretical jukebox, a list of artists to discover or rediscover, and even a few winter survival tips. Oh, the things we can learn from others. Read on!

Our locals:

Dave Domal (DaDo) Downtown booker, Little Black Spiders/Mad Science Project drummer, music supporter extrordinaire, and realtor to the people. Stop asking him for favors.

Debra Domal (DeDo) “Writer/Spoken Word Artist/Founding Mother of Euterpe Music Network.” Little Black Spiders vocalist.

Jana (J) “DJ for a local and indie rock show on WPCD 88.7, freelance writer for the Hub, Illinois Disciples Foundation-worker, student.”

(R)*adym. (R) “I'm an anarcho-librarian-type.”

Rob McColley (RMcCo) Writer and performer of hit-you-between-the-eyes accusatory confessionals, startender, jar of jam.

Rob McCutcheon (RmcCu) “I sing in some band.” American Minor vocalist. Badass tennis player.

Sally Mundy (SM) “I was the drummer for The Violents and i am dj Missus.”

Our interviews:
1. If you were asked to contribute up to four cds to an “old school” jukebox that would feature personally influential or inspiring music, and two "just cause i really dig it" recordings, what artists or specific recordings would you choose to include?

** The Heavies **

DaDo - Mostly cool jazz… DEXTER GORDIN, CHET BAKER, OSCAR PETERSON, MILES DAVIS, GERRY MULLIGAN, etc.

DeDo – ALL MODS CON - The Jam. (see below for why)
The First BLONDIE Album (a high powered mix of punk/new wave/theatre that gets lost in later albums)
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW SOUNDTRACK. (Camp 101 with some great tunes and, of course, Tim Curry! RPHS taught me one of the most important lessons: Don't Dream It, Be it!)


J - 1) SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEART’S CLUB BAND – The Beatles. Because "when I'm 64" makes me so happy
2) RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST - David Bowie. Duh, hard to say why...it is just so influential and for the time it was written, SO brand new.
3) THE LONDON YEARS - Rolling Stones. (a good 4-CD compilation of a lot of their hits) The Rolling Stones are the most entertaining live band ever, and this album has all their hits and much more
4) ARTHUR - The Kinks. Or THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE. It's sunny.

R - 1. IMMACULATE COLLECTION - Madonna. Almost every pre-Erotica song on this album oozes with sensuality. Personality, I prefer to be on my hands and knees when I hear Madonna.
2. Anything by DARLY HALL AND JOHN OATES. After hearing "Maneater" throughout my childhood, and then figuring out that I was gay, how could I not like this duo?
3. LET’S GET GREE - Dead Prez. One of the best hip hop albums ever made, not only because of its solid beats and rhythm, but because of how this group expresses their feminist, Afro-centric, anti-racist politics.
4. LE TIGRE (self-titled). Post-punk feminist rock and roll never sounded so fun and emotionally/politically moving as it did on this album.


RMcCo - ALBUMS OR SINGLES?

SINGLES

1. DON’T STOP THE DANCE - Bryan Ferry - Boys and Girls (e'g/reprise, 1985). aging lothario asks himself "should i get married, or try to find the romance in this 'monogamy' thing?" his superego tells him yes, in the form "momma says" -- the first two words of each verse. his id, and ego urge him "don't stop the dance." great mid-eighties lushness, and groove; and what a concept to contemplate while sipping a martini in that sort of twinkly alcohol emporium where people meet other people they might want to fuck.

2. FIREFLY NIGHT - Caroline Lavelle - Brilliant Midnight (telarc, warner europe 1998). maybe she's best known as a cellist. her 1995 album spirit is amazing. comparable to enya, sans gongs. allmusic calls it electronica/dance, but that's just another example of allmusic's tendency to be poignant one moment, and pointless the next -- but what can you do with hodge podge (aggregate, mosaic, insert-adjective-here) editing. anywho, this song is the best example i've ever heard to exemplify the thrall a drummer can hold over his audience by playing at the back of the beat.

3. HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO THEM - The Housemartins - Now That's What I'd Call Quite Good (complilation of singles and b-sides, go! discs, 1992.) like the kinks, the housemartins started out by writing one really good 2-minute pop song, and then continued to release it under various names for the duration of their career. you may have heard "sheep" or "happy hour," for example. this version returns to a favourite of paul heaton's themes: "the queen is rich, and we are not, my working class friend." the chorus, in three part harmony sung by two current members of the beautiful south, and fatboy slim, goes "they've got they keys to all my doors/they hold my where and when/so i guess i'll always be/hopelessly devoted to them."

4. FANFARE - Eric Matthews - It's Heavy in Here (sub pop, 1995). cellos and trumpets: that ROCKS! if someone had told me about this art-pop record earlier, it might have saved me the bother of making my own cello and trumpety albums, which aren't as good. this song is the 2nd best example of back-of-beat drumming. i really like drummers who push the beat toward the front, by the way. i guess that's why these two songs struck me.

ALBUMS

1. AUTOMATIC - Channel Light Vessel (caroline, 1994) new age from roger eno and kate st. john. you've heard every song before -- except that you haven't, and why did it take so long for someone to finally record it?

2. BELLYBUTTON - Jellyfish (charisma, 1990) what, you don't know this record? well, i guess that's fair, as you were born yesterday, after all. this album goes to pubs with sgt. pepper, ok computer, shoot out the lights, forever changes, the la's, odessey and oracle, rumours, fables of the reconstruction, a discovery of a world inside the moone, modern life is rubbish -- that crowd.

3. HUNKY DORY – David Bowie (rca, 1971) 15 years, and still fiercely hanging on to the top spot of my all-time list. everyone knows "changes." ground breaking approach to self-revelatory lyric, art criticism, and orchestration. listen to the background vocals on "oh! you pretty things" it sounds like gordon from sesame street, and it works! i stole "queen bitch" for my latest album, and i suppose the title would have been appropriate, too. but that would have given it away.

4. FABLES OF THE RECONSTRUCTION – R.E.M. (i.r.s., 1985) there are summer albums, and there are fall albums. it's november, so i felt compelled to point out that this record must be played once per autumn. everyone in the band except michael stipe, and from what i've read, most critics, readily dismiss this record when discussing the r.e.m. catalogue. maybe they don't get it. a lot of people seem to gloss over, to not understand that the title is actually a succinct description of the theme. this is a theme album. and what a dangerous and exciting, dark time in history to cover-- when a lot of people were upset because they weren't allowed to sell other people anymore.

RmcCu –
1. DAMN THE TORPEDOS - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. This disc is instant good times.

2. PLASTIC ONO BAND - John Lennon. See one of the most intriguing musicians our of times get in touch with his inner child. Dark, powerful, and uplifting.

3. WOWEE ZOWIE - Pavement. This is seriously the best Pavement album, I don't care what anyone says.

4. QUADROPHENIA - The Who. If you don't like to pound shots when this comes on the jukebox, you are seriously flatlining dude.

SM - Is "old school" in reference to the jukebox or the music? I will assume the jukebox and say:
1. THE TEACHES OF PEACHES - Peaches.
2. S/T - Le Tigre.
These two fit the inspirational category in the sense that they inspire the listener to go out and GET IT!!
& of course...
3. THE IMMACULATE COLLECTION - Madonna.


** The ones that we really dig: **

J – 1. ORIGIN OF SYMMETRY - Muse, This album got me away from Bon Jovi and into real music. :-)

2. TIGERMILK - Belle And Sebastian. It is SO warm-hearted and mellow that it is the perfect album for happiness and sadness equally.

R – 1. FAGATRON (self-titled) -- I love this album for two reasons: 1) their lyrics make me want to beat up homophobes, "In high school I was a punching bag / When I got out I was a punching fag", and 2) they do a
really horrible rendition of my favorite Madonna song, "Like a Prayer."

2. SALT'N'PEPA - Who doesn't want to shoop to a man in a three-piece suit?


RmcCu – 1. AIN’T NO SUNSHINE - Bill Withers. Bill wrote some of the sweetest sounding love making soul music that these ears have ever heard.

Super I dig it recording....TIME TOUGH - Toots & The Maytals. Can't get enough of that song


2. Underheralded band or musician of present of past you recommend the kiddies of CU catch live or on cd..Or “Hey kids! Go find”:

DaDo – DEAD WEIGHT AND THE LOST CAUSE. (editor’s note: Oh yeah. A local band of note dear to my own heart. You can find em on the Brass Rail’s jukebox.)

DeDo – THE JAM. Anyone who wants to play bass should listen to them. Bruce Foxton is an amazing player. Paul Weller is a brilliant songwriter. Smart lyrics. And the music is a fantastic mix of mod, punk, pop and soul. And oh those Rickenbacker guitars!

J- CAMERON MCGILL. Because seeing him live is almost more intense than seeing Radiohead. i have never seen anyone being so completely lost in his music. And what beautiful, painful music it is.

R – LE TIGRE. If you haven't seen them in concert, you're missing half of the fun. The band has an amazing dance routine and video show that goes along with their songs. The energy at any Le Tigre concert will blow your mind!

RMcCo – BLUE MOUNTAIN (or LONELY TRAILER, if it's meant to regard champaign-urbana music groups) a lot of people think jeff tweedy approaches divinity. i always preferred the jays he worked with -- they were just hookier. but the real brilliant dude in that gang is john stirratt. you can tell he's clever, because he hasn't been kicked out yet. but really, it's his sister laurie that has the music brains in that family. and most of all, it's her ex-husband cary hudson who deserves praise, if not downright worship. some of the best stuff in all of music happens when a woman and her man quietly lament in song. usually, it kills one of them, or the marriage. there's just too much feeling for two people to bear. find a recording of their song "rain and snow," for starters.

RmcCu -- As far as new bands...
THE SIGHTS out of Detriot. These guys are awesome. They will rock your world. Another is THE FEATURES out of Nashville Tennessee. They will rock your shit too.

Musicians of the past...
HASIL ADKINS. That guy, if you don't already know who he is, is the most funny and fucked up redneck to ever record anything...I think IRS records and Fat Possum Records are still printing his stuff up.

SM - When my friend Lena returned from Sweden she gave me a cd of this Swedish Dance/Electronica duo called THE KNIFE!!! They Rule! If you can ever get your hands on their "deep cuts" cd, do it.


3. What’s your favorite winter comfort food?

DaDo – Vegetarian chilli.

DeDo – Risotto.

J - Apple Crisp or baked apple with lots of cinnamon and vanilla. Hot chocolate with it, please.

R - A mixture of mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and string bean casserole. All mushed together.

RMcCo - Lonely Trailer.

RmcCu - This winter it seems to be meatloaf at the super lame trendy 101 cafe in Los Angeles.

SM - Little Debbie snack cakes.


4. Hey, what are you reading/listening to these days?

DaDo - Whatever the next band looking for a gig sends me.

DeDo - I'm reading Hairstyles of the Damned by Joe Meno (look for the review in Pamphlet Press) and W.M. Thackary's Vanity Fair (a second hand copy I bought on the street while in college at NYU - not some overpriced re-released edition with Reese Witherspoon on the cover). A good winter read. I can't stop listening to Oh, Inverted World by The Shins. It hasn't left my CD players since I bought it.

J - Manic Street Preachers, the Shins, Kristofer Astroem, Muse (as always), Cameron McGill, Damien Rice, Nada Surf.

RMcCo - Terry Pratchett, David Sedaris, Bill Maher.

RmcCu -- Listening to too much to even list...from West Virginia, don't know how to read. Just discovered shoes.

SM - I have switched to fall/winter music mode, so lot's of mellow & shoegazer music. Also, the new Le Tigre; Arcade Fire; & Magnetic Fields.


5. Best spot in Champaign-Urbana or surrounding vicinity to go to to make the winter months not suck so much. Or “Yaaah, winter! We meet again. Ye thinks ye have the best of me, but little did ye know that, in my bag of swashbucklinarific tricks to fell ye, I have”:

DaDo – The Brass Rail, since there’s no windows in back.

DeDo - Take your cold, pale self to BodyWorks Associates for a massage. It may still be snowing out but you'll feel warm and sunny inside.

J - If I'd still be with my boyfriend, it would be my boyfriend's bed, but since i am not, I just miss it dearly.

R - Inside the Urbana Free Library, in a chair next to a window on the second floor (preferably where nobody can see you), where you can quietly read a book in comfort and watch it snow outside.

RMcCo - The Skating Rink - smells like winter, feels like winter, with fewer arctic blasts than out of doors. And the Sledding Hill Orchard Downs really feels like winter -- and arctic blasts are pleasant when youse all sweaty from running up a hill all afternoon.

RMcCu - Cafe Paradiso. That's the best place to make Champaign seem awesome during anytime of the year.

SM - i like winter.