Music

OY THE LANES

Punk Rockers have taken over a bowling alley in Thornton. Life is sweet

The suburban wasteland. Home to forgotten strip malls, parking lots, dilapidation, and the only affordable-- although undesirable-- housing in Denver. Amid the consumer-geared maze of lanes, places and courts, there exist few options in the realm of entertainment. Or so you thought.

Every Thursday night at 9: 30, a mob of chaos descends upon the AMF Sonesta Lanes on 88th and Grant in Thornton. That chaos is Punk Rock Bowling.

"We started out as only about 20 friends hooking up to bowl," said Virgil Dickerson, anchorman to Suburban Home Records, sponsor of the event. He and Chris Fogal of The Gamits have been picking up spares for about a year since Punk Rock Bowling's inception, now totaling around 100 participants each week. "We ripped off the idea from the National Punk Rock Bowling Tournament," Dickerson said. Fogal nodded. It's Fogal's turn to bowl. Dickerson further explained their grifted idea. "It all started with the labels in L. A.-- B. Y. O., Epitaph, Liberation, Vagrant-- they'd all get together every week and bowl." Leagues were formed, and the tournament

was derived. This February will mark the third annual meeting in Las Vegas. Last year the Suburban Home Records team nabbed 16th place out of 72 teams.

"That's, uh, second place in the losers bracket," Fogal clarified. "We won some porn ... and some underwear. Last place won gay porn."

The Denver syndicate promises to supply even more lovely parting gifts. The Denver Punk Rock Bowling Tournament takes place January 18 at Sonesta Lanes, with an award show the following evening at The Cat, featuring The Gamits, Pinhead Circus, Potential Getaway Driver, Armchair Martian, and Stereotyperider from Phoenix.

It would be unfair if I neglected to mention how charming Sonesta Lanes are. Go with the stereotype you have about suburban bowling alleys. Now imagine it on acid. Complete with the adjacent drinking establishment, Shooters, 'The Alley' is a punk rock hangout dream ... and a middle-aged bowler's Thursday evening nightmare. "They don't really have a clue here. But they'll play whatever music we ask, and the staff is really great. They're stoked that we're here," Fogal said. As well they should be. Dickerson collected money and paid for 18 lanes.

The scene spectrum is covered from old school to new: from underage ex-urbanites to some of Denver's anti-elite, like Alicia Cardenas and Tess Preston from Twisted Sol, stylist Tracy Gaylord from Urban Renewal, promoter Airick Heater, and famed poster artist Lindsey Kuhn.

"This is the only place I've ever bowled in my life," said Kuhn, who made the Thursday beer-and-bowling a ritual after the weather got too cold for skateboarding. He and some friends would stop in for drinks at the alley after the Thursday 'Old Man Skate Night' at the Broomfield Skate Park, making the scenic south-bound I-25 trek back to the city far more interesting.

Also in attendance are scores of local musicians, though not there to hobnob or network, but more for fun. Dav and Brian from The Gravity Index, newly reformatted from leftovers of other bands, were on hand to throw some strikes in preparation for the tournament January 18. Most bands in attendance will be competing. "Yeah," Dav mused, "We're all part of the No Coast Death Squad."

The what? After further attempts at exploiting information about this No Coast Death Squad, I was led to their supposed ringleader, Scooter. "The whole concept, it's pretty selfish. We, as in bands in Colorado ... there's like a bad

rap from being in the middle of nowhere. There are good bands everywhere that go unnoticed because of where they're from. We feel like we have to force people to recognize our scene. We wanted to be kind of like the death squads of South America-- we were gonna go to people's houses and force them to listen." And like that, Scooter disappears.

A skirmish erupts in lane 33. The offenders, some freshcuts, are ejected.

Thirty frames, a few punk compilation CDs, and countless pitchers of beer. This new breed of suburban entertainment isn't as bleak as once suspected. The chance for bands and fans to get together and be all about punk rock sans the attitude is something worth checking out. --Jenelise Pulliam

The Punk Rock Bowling Tournament takes place Thursday, January 18 at the AMF Sonesta Lanes, 8800 Grant Street in Thornton. The Punk Rock Bowling Tournament Awards Show is the following Friday, January 19, at The Cat, 2334 Welton, featuring The Gamits, Pinhead Circus, Armchair Martian, Potential Getaway Driver, and Stereotyperider. Doors are at 7: 30 p. m. Check out www.suburbanhomerecords.com for more information on some great local releases.

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Creative Music Works fuels Denver's need for the musically unusual

During a recent chat with Alex Lemski, he used the word "creative" many, many times. In some instances, it becomes redundant. In this case, however, Lemski has a lot to say and a hearty vision to go with it. Lemski is the executive director and founder of Creative Music Works [CMW], a Denver-based organization that serves as a music promoter. This is not a new idea, as Denver has numerous concert promoters. What rises to the surface is a rousing maverick, a network of music devotees who want to hear new things and experience alternative concepts. For Lemski and CMW, "creative" is not an adjective, it's a lifestyle.

Lemski found Denver's outlet for non-traditional, experimental, improvisational, and "creative" music was seriously lacking when he incorporated CMW in 1987. Since that time, CMW has introduced national artists to Denver who previously had no audience here, developed local talent who compose and play jazz styles outside the "straight-ahead" or traditional approach, and found a percolating underground of folks who support the mainstream but find it essential to move beyond it. Influential players like Steve Lacy, John Carter, Vinnie Golia, Joseph Jarman, Andrew Cyrille, Anthony Braxton, and Maria Schneider made first-time appearances in Denver with CMW as their backer. If those names are not familiar, how about Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman or John Coltrane?

From their beloved bebop roots, Coltrane, Coleman, and others pushed the musical landscape into unforeseen territory. Jazz has never been the same since the '60s. Lemski sees the trickle-down effects of these innovators not only at the national level, but here in town as well. The original crop of CMW's line-

up consisted of local jazzheads such as Ron Miles (trumpet), Fred Hess (sax), and Art Lande (piano). They deftly improvised the experimental path for Lemski's artistic assault on Denver's live music scene.

Today, CMW has a proud list of successes. The national recognition is one thing, but also paramount is the ideology behind the music. As Lemski stated, "We like alternative ideas, both extreme and mainstream." Today there is a growing

network for new composers of original instrumental music. Someone who wants to have a show can find a support system within CMW and its constituents. Young university musicians have teachers who were once the new generation and are now leading the path for a jazz scene not yet named or labeled. And, the CMW spring calendar is full of exciting new music featuring local artists such as Ellyn Rucker, Marc Sabatella, Goeff Cleveland, Kent McKlagen, Mark Harris, and Farrell Lowe and groups like Random Axe, Uversa, Perry Weismann 3 and Hamster Theater. What else is there for Lemski to do?

Puhlenty. While he is happy the Denver audience for experimental music grows steadily, obstacles loom overhead. "Funding sources in the city remain conservative, so that it's all symphony and fine arts," Lemski explained. "You have to do a lot of creative work to uncover progressive minds. We are looking for curiosity seekers, people who want to try new things, to break from the tradition." CMW likes to hold concerts at non-bar, non-smoking venues-- a risky approach within the metro demographic. Lemski also cites the corporate media circus as only compounding the problem.

"Too often, the media influence audiences to treat music as something that has already occurred, has a reputation, and is acceptable, not as a new experience," Lemski said. "We live in an environment in which people are fed things to choose from. So when you only hear so much on the radio, or you look at a club listing and it's the same thing time and again, everyone suffers."

Lemski is positive about the outlook for CMW and Denver, noting the range of musical generations here, the rich jazz roots, the grassroots energy, and the large pool of talent. "Creative Music Works finds work for musicians. No matter how good you are, you can't exist in a vacuum. We will keep searching and uncovering new music. The future is unknown, but it's been written."

--Judy B.

Learn more about CMW on the web at www.creativemusicworks.org Upcoming shows include Randome Axe, January 19 at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 8 p. m.; Art Lande and Aubrey Carton January 27 at Curtis Arts & Humanities Center, 7 p. m. (FREE); Marc Sabatella, February 3 at The Mercury Café, 8 p. m.

CD Reviews

We all have rituals for a new CD. Mine is to drop it in and immediately listen straight through at least once, to get a sense of the album's flow and the band's sound. Then I shuffle. I'm addicted to shuffle. I have a 300-disc changer at home that's always on 'All Shuffle. ' The only thing that makes me happier than a well-shuffled eclectic hour of music is a well-shuffled eclectic hour of music on one album.

Cabaret Diosa definitely conforms to a genre-- the band fiddles with Latin music so forcefully that I'd say they inhibit the genre 'on purpose with a vengeance. ' Still, within the booty-shaking rhythms and brass-heavy hooks, Cabaret Diosa manages to convey a sense of diversity, with mostly fabulous results.

I'll beef first and praise later. "Welcome to the Show," the album's first song, sucks. I think it's supposed to be funny, a mocking invitation to the super-cheese land of white-boy Latin. The humor is buried, however, by the ineptitude of the track-- the sloppy instrumentation, the lame production, the forced vibrato vocals, the uninspired drumming ... by the time the next track, "Comet Samba," comes on, you're prepared for the worst: a silly bunch of locals with a half-baked idea and instruments left over from high school marching band.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. All 11 remaining tracks are superb, particularly the ones on which male vocalist Juan del Queso is allowed to shine. In an age of Ricky Martins and Marc Antonys, del Queso (one assumes this isn't his real name) shows admirable restraint in his crooning, playing the smooth boy to the band's jaunty rhythms. Female singer Montana del Fuego lives up to her assumed name with smoldering lines, though she stumbles at times on backups. If you only have time to check out one track, go straight to "Banana Rum" and hear the whole ensemble at its best, with just a hint of 311 thrown in for good measure.

Overall, this is a marvelous cocktail party album, both because it sets the hard-drinking fast-dancing mood and it serves as a conversation piece: "Who is this?" your guests will ask. "Oh, this? Just a little band from Boulder called Cabaret Diosa." There's no better way to impress friends than owning an album from a good little-known local band.

Just make sure to put it on shuffle to get around the opener, or, even better, skip the first track altogether. It's only one bad step in a mesmerizing dance ... I eagerly look forward to their next album. A--- Chris J. Magyar

CD Reviews

It's undeniable that Marilyn Manson's desired reaction is an extreme one, but the ultimate goal has always been to stimulate our minds while providing music that intensifies our emotions. I can't imagine the contents of this album appealing to one who embraces or nurtures apathy, but rather to those who might accept an invitation to examine our present day values and beliefs. Shocking imagery, controversial lyrics and raw vocals seemingly demand that we take notice. If you listen closely, you'll hear Manson pleading, "Love me, hate me, just don't ignore me!"

Powerful electric and acoustic guitar sounds and eerie background music set the mood for bitter vocals and passionate lyrics. While some songs might inspire you to become a monstrous machine of annihilation, others invite despair and hopelessness. The lyrics of "Target Audience" spit in the face of religion and confront herd conformity with resentment. The album opens with "Godeatgod," which appears to be a mock prayer, and the collection of songs is ended with the slow and melancholy "Count to 6 and Die."

Although picketing zealots may still be present at the live performances, it appears as if the shock value has decreased significantly, and the band has matured and evolved with this album. The change of image has become expected and is a natural progression for the band. Some fans were disappointed to see the dark and tragic Antichrist Superstar followed by the glamorous Mechanical Animals, whereas others were able to appreciate the subtle poetic lyrics and naked emotion of the album.

Holy Wood creatively breeches the gap left by the two previous albums and exhibits a new range of diversity that the band was lacking. Marilyn Manson's transformation of character is accurately reflected, while his interest in showing that death and decay can be beautiful is consistent. The music is unique and if insightful lyrics are an important part of your listening experience, I think you will find Holy Wood very enjoyable. B+
--Lordis

BEAT DIET

W endy Carlos began piano lessons in Rhode Island at the age of six. She excelled in graphic arts and the sciences, eventually earning a Westinghouse science fair scholarship for a computer she built at home. Brown University graduated Carlos with an undergrad hybrid of music and physics that would prepare her for the next level.

While pursuing a Master of Arts in music composition at Columbia, Carlos had the unique opportunity to study with electronic music pioneers Otto Luening and Vladimir Ussachevsky at the first electronic music center in America. Following graduation, she worked as a recording engineer before meeting Robert Moog (inventor of the Moog synthesizer) and becoming one of his first clients. Thanks to a collaberation with producer Rachel Elkind in 1968 titled Switched-On Bach, Carlos went platinum and snagged three Grammys in the process. The stage was set for Alexander DeLarge.

When legendary motion picture director Stanley Kubrick decided to bring Anthony Burgess' futuristic tale of a young man whose principal interests are rape, ultra-violence, and Beethoven to the big screen, Carlos was honored with the privilege of scoring the soundtrack. The finished product (A Clockwork Orange) features the debut of a vocal synthesizer called the vocoder, as well as an eclectic mixture of original classical music and cutting-edge electronic compositions. Wendy's sonic contribution to the cinematic masterpiece helped earn the motion picture two New York Film Critics awards and four Academy Award nominations.

Thirty years, The Shining, Tron, and a parody of Peter and the Wolf with Weird Al Yankovic later, Carlos has secured herself a permanent place in the history books of electronic music.

--orange peel moses

For more information on Wendy Carlos, visit www.wendycarlos.com