Over The Edge Page 6

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UNDSCAPE

Firewater
The Ponzi Scheme
Cherry / Universal

“What better reason to
become a rock star than
not really wanting to
work?” says Tod. A, lead

vocals / bass. of
Firewater. “All you have

to do is write songs
about drinking and sex
and criminals. Or drink-
ing and having sex with
criminals. Or being a
criminal and having sex
with drinks.”

At first, not too success-
ful a band, they did a
“mish-mash” album in
Eastern Europe contain-
ing debris from such
styles as klezmer, tango
and bulgar. The result
was surprisingly catchy
and resulted in tours with
Soul Coughing, Squirrel
Nut Zippers, the Jesus
Lizard, and Skeleton

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This year the
band toured with Jesus
Lizard and Comer shop,
spreading their gospel
influenced tunes across
the globe, storming off-
stage “faster than a
hooker splits before
breakfast”, leaving audi-
ences asking, “Who was
that band?” and more
importantly to them “How
much does a_ T-shirt
cost?”

Soon enough, the band
found throngs of “shady
looking entertainment
industry types with pony-

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tails and expense
accounts” hanging
around their dressing
rooms. it wasn’t long
before they sold their
souls to the industrial
Satan for a chance at
fame.

Firewater’s “gospe-
lesque” tunes and brassy
undertones cause it car-
ries a “raucous and irre-
sistible” undertone - with
lyrics sure to tum up on
bathroom walls of radio
stations everywhere.
Traditional dance music
styles take hold in songs
such as “Another Perfect
Candidate” - a sort of a
modem tango, but
swings violently to the
destructive “I Still Love
You Judas” lament.

In Tiger Beat, Tod quot-
ed that “The Ponzi
Scheme’ is going to be
the “long awaited musi-
cal return to cold war
paranoia.”

Regardless, the band
claims they will be
harassing __ truck-stop
waitresses everywhere
this fall as they headline
their own tour, before
reporting back to their
parole officers in New
York. Keep an eye open
for them. They are cer-
tainly have a different
unconservative _ style

ane

which is worth hearing if
you ever have the
chance.

By Kevin Milos

John Favourite
wi r stra

Holiday Romance
Universal

“Holiday Romance”
represents everything
which was sexy and
seductive about the 30's
swing era - Pressed
suits, wing-tip shoes,
cigarettes and _ hard
liquor, a Pepsodent
smile and Brillianteened
hair...” It is more than
obvious that Johnny
Favorite is all about
revitalizing the music of
an elusive and lost era,
not to mention being
about having a great
time.

The upbeat swing
tunes are a classic spin-
off of the original style
first pioneered by the
famous Benny

Over The Edge

is a new review column encompassing music and
its many talents. Features will include reviews of
artists, live venues, recordings and upcoming
releases with a focus on Canadian and local
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November 9, 1998

, .
Goodman Orchestra of
the original swing days.
This means a 12 piece
setup instead of the
more common “two-gui-
tar-base-and-drums” or
the rock era.

Despite the origins of
swing music, the bands
influence comes from a
great many different
and diverse sources,
including Led Zeppelin,
which can be heard in a
riotous version of “Black
Dog” and the Ramones’
Blitzkrieg Pop can be
heard on “Home to
Mama’.

The band itself was
formed in the jazzy
Halifax music scene
which regularly tried to
tag Johnny Favourite as
part of their community
but, not wishing to be
relegated to any particu-
lar musical genre,
Johnny found the label
limiting, seeming that he
often had to “beat the
jazz right out of,” the
young musicians in his
group!

What results is a col-
lection of music which is
most possibly one of the
closest matches to tra-
ditional swing music,
straight out of the thir-
ties. In fact, it may have
even been improved. In
the thirties, the music
just couldn't be fed
through an entire stack
of Marshall amps, not to
mention the influences
from more modern con-
temporary styles.

In Holiday Romance,
the Johnny Favourite
Swing Orchestra takes
that fun loving, sexy
swing to new heights,
improving on what
nobody thought could
be improved.

By Kevin Milos