Music

PUNK BY DEFINITION

The Cramps have done things their own way for 25 years...why change?

We've got a growing punk rock scene here in Denver. Trends come and go, but punk music, for many reasons, never dies. The more records the Backstreet Boys sell, the more guitar-wielding, vinyl-clad bands take the stage. When punk music erupted in the infamous CBGB/ OMFUG dive bar in New York City, it passionately and defiantly screamed in the face of mainstream culture. To celebrate and continue the true tradition of all things punk, The Cramps ring in the New Year with one show at the Ogden Theater, December 31, 2000.

From their home in Los Angeles, guitarist Poison Ivy and vocalist Lux Interior talk about their 25-year career in the music industry. "First of all, we are the worst to talk to about the music business because we have done our own thing since the beginning," Ivy said. "We've isolated ourselves on purpose so we could continue doing what we love to doÑ we love to rock."

The Cramps represent a bizarre mix of pop culture iconography and rock-n-roll wickedness. Their inspiration draws from living hard and playing hard, earning them a cult-like status among dedicated fans. After self-describing their early sound as "psychobilly," The Cramps rocked the way no else had, and probably the way no one else will. "People love us because of the way we do what we do," Ivy said. "I think it's the way we flip our hips, the way we come out and are completely unique. We love playing, and we love rock and roll. We have an attitude that you don't see anymore, and we are true to who we are."

On stage, Ivy is the ultimate bad girl vixen, but it's not just an act to make the audience happy. "When we started this band," Lux explained, "we just wanted to meet the cool people in town [NYC] and play some rock and roll. Punk bands in the '70s were passionate. That's what you needed. We never thought we'd actually get gigs!

"Lux and I have always been reckless and sought out thrills, taken risks, probably blown our minds in certain

pursuits," Ivy continued. "It's only from living this way that we come up with this stuff."

This won't be the first time The Cramps take the stage for New Year's Eve in Denver. They have fond memories of a show here two years ago, and remember the enthusiastic and colorful crowd. Denver's punk scene keeps gaining momentum. Local musicians are fortunate because they get paid to play their own music. Lux and Ivy see that as pretty exceptional. "I know bands out here [LA] who don't get paid, get stiffed, or even have to pay to play," Lux said. "The Denver scene is good. The closer you get to the music industry, the more screwed you are. We don't even feel like we've been in the 'music business. ' We don't know anybody, we've stayed on our own, and we've made every mistake in the book, but we're good at what we do and nobody tells us what to do."

Ivy is quick to point out: "My advice is not to listen to anyone's advice."

Twenty-five years is a lot of time to do anything, let alone lead your band through the complex and ever-fickle gauge of the record industry. The Cramps have worked on two coasts, spawned an entire B-culture phenomenon, and will push and shove punk music into the new decade. The current dismal state of popular music has no effect on this fringe-dwelling crew. Even the sad state of current pop fluffiness only seems to prove The Cramps philosophy all the more.

"The business of this will never change," Lux said. "If you try to do what the music industry tells you to do, you end up with some quirky crap that sounds terrible. We write songs about fucking. Nobody does that anymore. Everybody's so busy trying to think of a new shtick instead of just playing their music. If you are strange and unique and new and alarming, people will get it and line up to see it. That's all you can do."

--Judy B.

See the Cramps at the Ogden Theater, 935 E. Colfax, New Year's Eve at 9 p. m. Tickets at Ticketweb outlets, the theater box office (DOS), or by calling 303-825-4TIX. music

Photo courtesy of The Cramps

THE DOWN LOW

Denver's Down-n-Outs take adversity in stride

When the Down-n-Outs chose the name of their band they had no idea what they were getting into. Each member had his own tale of a trip gone wrong, a cursed show or problems with record companies. They are starting to wonder if they really are the bad luck band, or if it's all in the name.

Jim Chandler, who plays the drums, remembers the trouble they had with producing their first album, Subterranean Beat Punk Blues which was released in November.

"After getting the runaround for almost a year with a company in Switzerland we decided to produce it ourselves, so we sent it out to a company in New York and they were the worst business we ever had to deal with," Chandler said. "We had to call the Better Business Bureau,"

So, producing an album takes awhile for all bands, but two years of getting the runaround from bad companies seems excessive, but that's not the extent of mishaps that has donned this group from the get go.

Chris Hedlund-- on the organ, maracas and harmonica-- is the most recent member of the Down-n-Outs and he admits that he too thinks the band might be cursed.

"Every time we go on the road, the car breaks down," Hedlund said. "We have gone through three different transmissions."

"We do seem to have the most difficult time doing things," said lead singer and guitarist Michael Daboll, and he shared the story of a show in Denver that seemed to fall apart.

It was at the Raven and they were opening up for a band called Delta 72. All the members of the band were accounted for except Chandler. They went ahead and set up and Jim still was nowhere to be found, Daboll said. The Down-n-Outs had to break their gear down and let the other band play. As soon as they got their gear packed up and the other band was on stage performing, Chandler arrived. The manager of the Raven allowed them to go on after all and they hauled all of their gear back out, only to find that the bass amp did not work and the organ was out of tune.

"Not to mention every time I touched the microphone, I got a 9000-volt shot through me," Daboll said. "Everything worked fine the first time around. So what are the chances that two pieces of equipment turn up broken the second?"

It's not all bad news for the Down-n-Outs. Their last album has been doing very well and they are working on another, which will be available at the end of February. The band plays local venues such as the 15th Street Tavern, 7 South, and the Lion's Lair as well as in Colorado Springs, Fort Collins and Pueblo. They also have been touring for the last year and a half, travelling from the East Coast to the West Coast, playing at different music festivals and scooter rallies all over.

"We have a really easy sound that most people like right off the bat," Hedlund said. They are also opening up for the Cramps on New Year's Eve at the Ogden Theater, which all members of the band are excited about. "They have always been one of our favorite bands and consider them one of our strongest influences," Daboll said.

This band has many influences including several other mid-' 60s garage punk bands, such as Chocolate Watchband and the Moonrakers, who were big in Denver at one time. They have taken bits and pieces from early psychedelic rock to regular garage punk bands and added some of their own bluesy licks to create a sound of their own. "We just make a lot of racket," Daboll jokes.

The organ also contributes to their unique sound. Hedlund uses a Farfisa organ which was used a lot during the '60s. It is a compact organ that is no longer in production. It has a sound that can't be replicated on modern organs.

"It has more vibrato and reverb. The organs now are all digital," Hedlund said. "I have three of these particular organs just to keep one running. I just inter-change their parts."

--Sarah Carney

Photos by Sean Hartgrove

BEAT DIET

BEAT DIET Stop daydreaming and start facing your problems, son, like the problem of how you are going to get to Tracks to fulfill your destined role in The Neverending Story.

Despite rampant rumors of eminent closure, the little nightclub that could (Tracks 2000) has been busy planning a party like no other club in Colorado can. The world of human fantasy promises to switch dimensions and manifest itself as flesh-and-blood physical reality on December 28 for the final Thursday of this millennium. Do not be afraid, for the oracle guarding the gates of Fantasia will not harm you, and each room of the club will be magical-ly transformed into a different scene from the film (Ivory Tower, Swamp of Sadness, etc.). The Neverending dance mix will be headlined by sonic collage artist Terry Mullan, with support from Tracks residents Basil (Trance/ Zero Gauge) and Ty Tek (Tech House/ Casa Del Soul).

Free admission to Fantasia will be granted to the first 100 mesogroovic partygoers, and a couple dozen lucky dreamers will get their hands on some portion of 500 dead presidents scheduled to fall from the sky. With parties like these, it is no wonder why Thursday night at Tracks has remained one of the most consistently successful underage events in the entire region for three years running. Fantasia can arise in you. The more wishes you make, the more magnificent Fantasia will become. Suggestion num-ber one? Falcor.

--orange peel moses

Tracks 2000 is located at 2975 Fox St. (near the corner of 20th and Chestnut) in Denver. For info or directions, give their info line a buzz at 303-780-7811, or log on to www.tracks2000.com.

CD Reviews

I hate holiday albums with a Grinch-like fervor-- many Christmas songs are wonderful, but the practice of purchasing and swapping entire albums of holiday pap makes me gag. Every time this year, I tune my ear for an artist who creates music that's both gift-worthy and year-round compatible. My favorite this year is local crooner Celeste Krenz's semi-eponymous effort from Blix Street Records.

Closest in flavor and color to Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Celeste is a great stocking stuffer for that one person we all know: the country-music lover who really needs to broaden into the mainstream. Her music has craft without twang, and takes the high folk-influenced road lyrically. There are no songs on this album called "You Pulled Me Up Then Yanked Me Out," or any other Nashville witticisms. Though Krenz only had a writing hand in a few of the songs here, they're all expertly interpreted, and for the most part well-performed.

The major disappointment is the final track, "It All Comes Back," which tries to capitalize on Cher's re-popularizing the mouth guitar. The results are cheesy at best, annoying at worst. When you've got pipes that are so suited to pop articulation, there's absolutely no need to hide behind stupid electric effects. Wait until your voice gives out like Cher's, Celeste, then beg your producers to wah-wah it up.

Fortunately, there are truly creative arrangements, like the doo-woppy "Don't Send Me Anymore Love," and sweet bal-lads, like "In the Arms of the Moon," to balance out the slate and make any fan of Jonatha Brooke or Shawn Colvin itching to see Krenz live. Blix Street is hoping that Celeste will take this Denver-based singer to a national audience. I just hope Blix Street keeps supporting talents like Krenz country-wide, regardless of how well their albums slip off the racks and under the tree. C+

--Chris J. Magyar

CD Reviews

In high school, it was all Pixies for me. I remember when my boyfriend handed me the Surfer Rosa tape, and I thought of it as a special present that only we knew about. The music was like nothing I had heard before that time. It was loud, energetic, obscure and fun all at the same time. My best friend and I would pop the tape into my old Jeep and speed down the road singing, "Gigantic, my big, big love." It's not a surprise, then, that I was pretty excited about hearing the latest release from ex-Pixies front man, Frank Black.

Frank's gotten a little older since his Pixie days and it shows in the music on his new album, Dog in the Sand. Though many of his songs are rhythmically reminiscent of his past albums, he seems to have picked up a twangy, acoustic sound. The songs fuse pop, rock and country to make a sound that's distinctively American. It's like Willie Nelson, Nirvana, and Elton John all crashed into each other to create a beautiful mess of debris.

Most of the songs are mellow with some upbeat additions such as "If it Takes All Night," which drives with a classic rock n' roll beat. The CatholicsÑ Scott Boutier on drums, Rich Gilbert on guitar and David McCaffrey on bassÑ interweave riffs and rhythm to create a well-choreographed dance of near misses and perfect melodic collisions. Black's vocals were confusing to me, though. At times, I swore I must have been listening to Mick Jagger or Neil Young. Even though it sounded on some songs like Frank was allowing the other personalities in his head to sing, I found it refreshing because it added some dimension to the album that might not have been there otherwise.

Though the album as a whole is a great series of strong rock-n-roll melodies, no song in particular struck me as absolutely remarkable. I would put this album on the Christmas list of any Black and Pixie loyalists. If you love the pudgy guy like I do, give this album a listen.

B --Elizabeth Beeson