MEDIAEVAL BAEBES

Is that a lance in your pocket?

If so, the Mediaeval Baebes 

will be happy to see you!

MUSIC PREVIEW
MEDIAEVAL BAEBES
Friday, March 10, 2002
MacEwan Hall (U of C)

Former leader of the legendary goth band Miranda Sex Garden, Katharine Blake and her troupe of bewitching troubadours breathe new life into Europe’s oldest music. Borrowing in good faith from medieval literary sources, Blake arranges ancient sonnets and prose into workable 21st century melodies.

Formed in London in 1996, the Mediaeval Baebes originally consisted of a dozen women from around the globe who were drawn to each other by a shared love of art, music, theatre and drinking. Combined with their angelic voices,the group’s sensuous image, which incorporates intricately braided tresses and sinfully sheer floor-length gowns, quickly captured the interest of British record companies.

Three top-selling albums later the Mediaeval Baebes have reduced their handsome headcount to a mere nine singers: Blake, as well as fellow Miranda Sex Garden alumnus and Hamilton, Ontario native Teresa Casella, Marie Findley, Claire Ravel, Rachel Van Asch, Carmen Schneider, Ruth Galloway, Bjork’s doppelganger Audrey Evans and – who could forget? – Cylindra Sapphire. Though their numbers may have diminished, the balance and range of their vocal harmonies has not. The nine sisters recorded their latest offering and named it after the romantic symbol of perfect love, The Rose, and included a stunning booklet of gorgeous goth-nouveau artwork and intimate portraits of each Baebe in full anachronistic regalia.

"I think this is our most ambitious project to date," says Blake. "On our other albums we weren’t able to be a part of the whole process. We wanted to see this new one through from beginning to end, to really take responsibility for the final product. It was a great experience, we were able to bring in friends of ours who are musicians, and photographers, and artists."

Rounding out the wild wench entourage is accomplished musician and honorary Baebe, Dorothy Carter, who gives encore guest performances playing the hurdy-gurdy, dulcimer, zither, recorder and autoharp. Also along for the joyride is another Miranda Sex Garden refugee and longtime collaborator, percussionist Trevor Sharpe.

"We’re on a one-month tour of Canada and the U.S. where we all share one bus," says Blake. "It’s a bit of a nightmare getting everyone on the case. Every performance is incredibly live. Hundred-string instruments threatening to go out of tune. The instruments are amplified, but not electric, it’s all organic, and I think the audiences appreciate that aspect of realism. There’s no script – it’s different every time we do it, and anything can happen."

Perhaps, the most notable outside contribution to this album comes from the Mediaeval Blokes, who provide seldom-heard male vocal accompaniment to the Baebes on the bawdy song "Dringo Bell." Blake laughingly divulges that the naughty heirloom tune is about the sad dilemma of "Brewer’s Droop," – that is, when a man’s consumption of alcohol overbids his ability to perform in the bedchamber.

"It’s kind of our version of the Dead Kennedys' "Too Drunk to Fuck." What we did is called up a bunch of male friends of ours and got them so drunk they could hardly stand. Which was perfect, because we wanted a really deep manly kind of bass sound coming from them for this one.... They’re not on this tour with us, but when we play in London again, I think it would be excellent to go drinking and have them onstage with us."

Revelling in the social freedoms that would never have been afforded to women from the times of which they sing, the Mediaeval Baebes spice their wine with a feminist emollient. On another track from their new album, an 11th century Irish ballad entitled "I Am Eve," epithets of Christian misogyny fly like a world of woes released from Pandora’s jar. Still burning with bittersweet irony, the chenille-clad chanteuses reconstruct "The Sour Grove," a lewd 15th century erotic poem sung in medieval Welsh. Extracted from "Cywydd Y Cedor" (or "The Female Genitals") by Gwerful Mechain, this potent poem in celebration of the female body was reputedly banned from many anthologies of Welsh verse on the grounds that it is "salacious."

No strangers to controversy, the Mediaeval Baebes have had their works banned on British television, and have sent clergymen into a tizzy over their pagan sympathies and the liberal interpretation of songs usually reserved for Catholic mass. But speaking in tongues comes naturally to these scholarly-minded maidens; their previous albums have featured hymnals sung in Latin, Middle English, German, Italian and medieval French. During the process of sourcing out their latest array of material, the a cappella choir added several more languages to their dialectical palates. Blake explains that the gradual progression of translating and interpreting the original texts lays the foundations for the shape of the finished product.

"We’re up to eight different languages on the new album. We added medieval Spanish, Russian and medieval Welsh. Oh, and some ancient Irish, too. The music and phrasing arise out of the lingual melodies. It’s exciting to stylize the existing elements and let it grow from there naturally. For example, the song "The Snake" is based on an old fairy tale, and sung in Spanish. It’s sort of the Mediaeval Baebes do Ricky Martin."

By Christine Leonard

Battershell: Luv Punks - Album Review

Battershell
Luv Punks
(Ng)

The circus has come home to Popopia and we're all invited, courtesy of gurlee-punkers Battershell. The adventurous trio from New York City is back with "Luv Punks", a return to the "non-mundania world of fantasy and frolic". 

The U.S.S. Battershell has witnessed some serious crew changes since the release of their EP "Beautiful Princess of Spit" in 1995, the year they were signed to NG Records. After gigging around New York and touring the U.S. they released their debut full-length album "Sunshine on Popopia" in 1997. Trapped in their urban environment the band: singer/songwriter/guitarist Tammy Lynn Fulkerson, bass/vocals Hannah Head, and drummer Charlie Lauth, sought to escape into a utopia of their own making. Based on Tammy Lynn's personal experiences, the fifteen songs on the new album will probably ring true for the many patriotic Americans raised on country and western music. Reminiscent of The Muffs, Veruca Salt, and, at times, Jane's Addiction, the drawling lyrics and rockin' melodies constitute a pop-punk meatloaf sandwich with a little mayhem on the side. 

While Tammy Lynn has claimed no affinity for Meat Loaf; Johnny Cash, Ace Frehley and Jimmy Page are definitely on her plate. Her impressive vocal range and solid guitar playing have earned Battershell much adulation as they've been showcased at industry festivals and events such as South By Southwest (two years running), Foundations Forum '96, CMJ Music Conference, and the Macintosh Music Fest. Battershell performs two of their songs on the soundtrack for the movie "Ripe", and have contributed a cover of Bow Wow Wow's "I Want Candy" for the Elektra Records one-hit-wonder compilation. 

Although the upbeat energy and bounce of this album is appealing in a Ramones-y kind of way, it all starts to sound the same after a while. And the lyrics are way too literal, as in: "My chords are tangled, this tone really sucks on my guitar. These cheap effects keep on buzzing, pissing me off." The rangy guitar and bizarre sound effects seem very promising, but the high pitched vocals sour the sauce. Water in the whiskey, if ya know what I mean. 

The real gem on this album, however, is the enthusiastic, trans-gendered cover of Billy Idol's hit "White Wedding". Recommended Tracks: "White Wedding", "Dizzy The Tattooed Dog", and the hidden song six minutes into the final track (Battershell's answering machine and a couple of hot little ditties at the end)

By Christine Leonard
Jul 24, 2001

Kittens: Night Danger Album - Album Review

Kittens
The Night Danger Album
(Sonic Unyon)

The fierce threesome from Winnipeg is back with The Night Danger Album, featuring cover art of an inverted mountain goat that reminds one of a shot from an old Viewmaster 3-D picture disc.

This album reads like a true Melvins tribute, from the muffled bass and unintelligible lyrics right down to the song titles and the font they're printed in. Funnily enough, Kittens have been kind enough to provide the listener with the lyrics to same said songs, i.e. "Water moccasin, choke on the phone/Jeckyll man, /Jeckyll man, the blindfold of hope" taken from the recommended song "Moosejaw". 

All I can say to that is, "Like stee moanin' Ludlow" (see Melvins " Bullhead"). Still, definitely worth listening to, The Night Danger Album possesses all the Kittens' natural charm and (by now) signature ingredients. With six tracks recorded in only three days, this album retains a certain live performance energy with a touch of Oi and honky tonk thrown into the mix, most prevalent in the song "Honky Tonk Werewolf Song". 

I also recognize the more esoteric final track "Silent Night" which seems to have just been thrown in as filler and yet provides some audio relief with the mellow weirdness of a modern hyper-ballad. All too short, this album is a 6 oz. steak where a 10 oz would have satisfied. Kittens can also be heard on the recently released "Now We Are Five" Sonic Unyon artist compilation.

By Christine Leonard
Jul 23, 2001

Scratching Post: Destruction of the Universe - Album Review

Scratching Post
Destruction Of The Universe
(Squirtgun)

That's right cats, a brand new Scratching Post has arrived for your enjoyment! Now, let's try not to tear it apart too quickly! The energetic pop-core foursome from London, Ontario are back with their second major effort Destruction of the Universe, the long-time-coming follow-up to Flamethrower released back in 1996. Short and sweet, Destruction takes only a brief eight tracks to accomplish its task, with a quick one-two punch of raw ambition. 

One: girlie rock lyrics dripping from Nicole Hughes' irresistible candy apple lips. POW! Two: massive and crunchy thrash-metal guitar underlying the whole production, courtesy of her Slayer convert bandmates. ZONK! 

There you have it, two sounds for the price of one. If you enjoy Liz Phair, Veruca Salt, Helmet, Slayer, Voivod and/or Kiss be sure and check out these self-professed pinball wizards. Of course, knowing that the driving force behind the band, singer Nicole Hughes, is a fan of Duran Duran and Shania Twain only intensifies the image in my mind of three metalheads shackled to the stage, dying to let their demonic tendencies loose upon an unsuspecting, besparkled and tank-topped all-ages crowd. Insert maniacal laughter here. 

Obviously, she keeps these beasts on a pretty short leash, as they fill in the songs with heavy bits here and there and even manage to break out a little with some scary screams on the final track which lends the hastily assembled album its title. Eager to be signed onto a major US label, Scratching Post ventured south of the border to create the album under the watchful mastery of Phil Nicolo, famed producer of Urge Overkill and Life of Agony. They certainly caught Nicolo's ear, and his influence in the mixing is apparent as you listen to the more feminine vocals surf on top of the waves of power chords without losing any ground. Much like Urge Overkill, the overall energy level is high enough on both sides to maintain a certain equilibrium. 

As I mentioned, this cd only contains eight songs for a total playing time of a mere 25 minutes. The single "Bloodflame" is rather noteworthy, but the material has often been described as sounding "eerily similar." Basically, when I hear this cd (which can easily be done in one sitting) I hear a cash register in the back of my mind. We're talking huge commercial potential here and this album officially puts Scratching Post on the international auction block. Going once...going twice... 

Look for big things from Scratching Post, including a video for "Bloodflame" which is currently in the works for release in April. As well, the band has plans to tour extensively in the spring and summer of 1999. 

Recommended Tracks: 1. Unforgiving Love 2. Bloodflame

By Christine Leonard
Jul 23, 2001

The Buttless Chaps: Death Scenes I, II, III - Album Review

The Buttless Chaps
Death Scenes I, II, III
(Lonesome Cowboy Music)

Tobacco-chewin' tunes for the lonely rambler in all of us. Showdown at the Circle K corral these nouvelle country dusters deliver the goods, with a bit of electric twang thrown in for good measure. The latest and greatest from Canada's favourite bare-assed barstool busters stampedes to a store near you in the unassuming form of an 11-track tribute to roadkill, the adorable fuzzy critters who never made it to the other side of that broken yellow line. A tender subject, but no cut is too rare for these calamitous cattlemen. Death Scenes I, II, III's alternate title might have been Let It Bleed.

Heartbreakingly simple songs, with plenty of banjo accompaniment, are the catalysts for many a romantic prairie reverie. The sweet smell of fresh-cut hay and the scarlet hues of a harvest sunset have been digitized here for your aural pleasure. One listen and you will find yourself transported to flavour country. The presence of Spanish trumpets evokes a Tex-Mex aesthetic, reminding us of bullfights, refried beans (aka. Mexican strawberries = always in season), and lazy, sunburnt siestas. Siesta time indeed, for despite their unsettling appellation, the exposed ones constitute a surprisingly mellow smoke, with 25% less tar than your new country music groups. Rather, they adhere to the Hank Snow, golden-oldie days of country predating Shania and the rest on her inbred, pop-fed kin.

Soft and slow, Dave Gowan's dreamy vocals will lull you into a state of repose faster than you can say "Rhinestone Cowboy." The gentle and contemplative songs on this album blend together until there is almost nothing left to distinguish them from one another. The biggest standout from the mass is "Six Strong Men," the title that answers the burning question: What will it take to get me into church?

Making excellent use of pianos, violins, clarinets, and, of course, euphonium, The Chaps create a wonderfully, warm ambiance that's guaranteed to put their audience at ease. Each tune seems so casual and off the cuff that it would be tempting to assume they were written in an absent-minded flow of consciousness à la Wesley Willis. Yup, just hit the Country Demo button on the old Casio organ, sit back, sip some Southern Comfort and write some poop-kickin ditties about what you did or maybe just thought about doing that very day.

If you're a fan of vintage country music, or you just really enjoyed David Byrne's movie True Stories, be sure to check these dudes out. The Buttless Chaps may not be the fastest guns in the West, but they sure do sit tall in the saddle.

 ( http://www.thebuttlesschaps.com )

RECOMMENDED TRACKS: Six Strong Men, Disco Dancer

By Christine Leonard
May 1, 2001

JELLO BIAFRA

Serving up a heaping pile of patriotism? 

There’s always room for Jello!

Bovine intervention: Biafra picks the lock on Stock’s stockade

SPOKEN WORD PREVIEW
JELLO BIAFRA
Saturday, February 3, 2001
MacEwan Hall Ballroom (U of C)

Part punk rock legend, part political zealot, Jello Biafra (the man who’s brought us the Dead Kennedys, LARD, Tumour Circus and Grow More Pot!) never fails to provoke a response. On his current spoken word tour, in support of his newly released CD, Become the Media, he promises to expound on "a lot of subversive ideas." Topics, according to Biafra, such as "the events of the past fiscal year of protest starting with Seattle" and "the comedy of errors that was the U.S. national election." If that’s not enough to whet your appetite, he has plenty to say about the eerie familiarity of the rising political currents in our own country.

"I was in Vancouver when the national election took place. Some of the fresh buzz words and sound bites that the Canadian Alliance in particular are using are, of course, mined from far right-wing religious extremist groups in the United States. And it’s not always obvious from the way they present it what their agenda really is. As much as people rightly complain that Ontario controls the national elections because it’s more populous, I hope they stop and think that at least Ontario did Canada a favour this time by not putting the whole country in Stockwell’s stockade!"

Reflecting on our fair city here in the heart of the stockade, and our anticlimactic hosting of the World Petroleum Congress in July, Jello muses:

"Would ‘Normal Joe’ walk anywhere in Calgary these days? The shock for me the last time I was there was the unplanned suburbs outside just go on mile after mile, strip mall after strip mall. The best way for authorities to shut down protests at that conference would have been to change a few street signs, so everybody trying to get into downtown would get lost. Wouldn’t be that hard."

Misinformation of the masses by the authorities has always been a tool for maintaining power and controlling public opinion. It has therefore become Biafra’s passion to turn the tables, pull off the blindfolds and let these spin doctors reap what they have sown. Become the Media does just that.

"I think it’s so important to pay attention to independent and alternative media. The corporate media will go on and on about something like Survivor, when a lot of us are more concerned about surviving! Deliberate omission of important news stories in the corporate media is the worst form of censorship going on in either of our countries today."

Despite being embroiled in legal battles over the past year, Jello was not content to sit on the sidelines for the U.S. elections. The Green Party in New York State drafted him, and indications are that having his name on the ballot attracted some voters who had never considered, or heard of, Ralph Nader and the Green Party before.

"I joined the Green Party and voted for Nader for a reason. A lot of the middle-of-the-road liberals are bitching and moaning that ‘Nader cost Gore the election.’ Sorry, that’s crap! Gore cost Gore the election.

"There’s a growing number of us who absolutely will not vote for anyone who’s pro-drug war, pro-death penalty, pro-WTO or NAFTA, pro-destruction of the welfare system, doesn’t give a shit about the environment, etc. There are non-negotiable issues that Gore was on the wrong side of. As is the upper echelon corporate-controlled structure of the not-so-Democratic Party. So to hell with them!"

Well enough said, but can the average citizen really make a difference, and have their opinion heard by the powers that be? Can we truly "monkey wrench the New World Order?" Do we even stand a chance against big government and even bigger business? Jello seems to think so.

"The independent media centre and the whole burst of that movement may be one of the best things that happened in Seattle. Even a small Green wedge present in a legislature or on the national scene, especially in a parliamentary system like Canada, can work wonders."

Christine Leonard

NoMeansNo interviewed by Christine Leonard

NOMEANSNO and that's that!

"We’ve always done stuff that takes a few chances and requires a bit of listening...."

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He’s coming to town this December and he’s bringing the Wright brothers with him! I don’t mean Orville and Wilbur, but rather John and Rob Wright of Victoria’s NomeansNo. Currently touring the East in support of their latest release, No One, the brothers Wright find themselves in the part of the continent where they do not tend to do so well.

"Pillar to post. You go from 400 people in Chicago, 100 in Phillie, to a bowling alley, to someone’s warehouse."

Fortunately, their egos are well in check, and they are not injured by the thought of playing a smaller gig. Even if the turnouts could be more impressive, the band still manages to draw something positive from each experience.

"We’ll do these shows and think, ‘There aren’t too many people here – too bad.’ And somebody will come up to you and say, ‘Hey! We drove eight hours from Missouri, or Kentucky, to see you!’ And you realize it’s not the amount of people, it’s the quality."

With quality high on their list of priorities, it’s not surprising that their new album is such a fine example of NomeansNo’s time-practiced artistry and musical craftsmanship. A monstrous and confrontational body of work, No One lumbers through eight-minute power poems, and jazz-inspired tangents that threaten to alienate those looking for that quick punk rock fix.

"We gave our audience a bit of a job with this record. Sometimes that’s the way they turn out. You just follow your inspiration, and if it takes you down 20 minutes of whatever, then all you can do is follow."

Following that path of inspiration has led NomeansNo down many twisted avenues and dark alleyways. As a Canadian rock entity, they have continually reinvented themselves, keeping the spirit of their music vital and alive. But with all these startling transformations over the years, some of their old-school fans may have been left in the dust.

Even now, some are still sitting in the basement listening to Sex Mad on vinyl. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! Rob acknowledges the philosophical gap.

"I think our audience expects that of us. We’ve always done stuff that takes a few chances and requires a bit of listening.... You risk failing and you risk humiliating people who think they want a song to reach out and grab them, but it happened to work out the other way around."

Market appeal definitely isn’t an issue here – these guys have been at it long enough that they just do what comes naturally. This time the result is a lengthy, clean and thoughtful collection of songs that takes us down an emotional chain and stirs the juices. One of the two standout tracks on the album is "’Bitches Brew", a 15-minute transgression inspired by Miles Davis’s improvisational jazz album. In NomeansNo’s version, the super-structure riff from the intro becomes the basis of a huge, long, improvised interpretative piece. Wright gives Davis full credit, touting "Bitches Brew" as one of the best recordings of the 20th century.

"It’s a classic. To hear the original compared to what I did – it’s a bit different," Rob laughs.

The other big surprise comes at the very end of the album, in the form of a heavily monotone and dried out version of the off-colour Ramones hit "Beat on the Brat."

"We started doing that as a joke. Sort of stumbled on playing it reeeally slow. When all is said and done, there were a lot of extra songs in the sessions for this record, but we chose that one over some of our originals. And it ended up being quite in with the tone of the record – the contrast between it and "Bitches Brew."

Perpetually, swinging from one end of the pendulum to the other, NomeansNo encourages us to let go of the human symbols for the mystery of the existence that we’re bound up in. No more clinging senselessly to oversimplified cartoons (i.e., the yin-yang). What then is the alternative? Uncertainty. A frightening thought. But then, one must be strong to be wrong.

"At least let yourself fall into the soup, where you’re not quite sure what It is. That takes some guts. You never know what you’re going to find."


by Christine Leonard

Performing with Removal and Chupacabra at The Night Gallery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Originally published in FFWD Magazine -- Friday, December 1, 2000