HIGH BIAS -- April 29, 2001 -- The Streetwalkin' Cheetahs, Joey Ramone, The Ramones, The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Clutch, Gnappy, Will Hoge, Greg Panfile & Talk & Roll, Son of Sam, Zero Hour, The Chamber Strings

Album reviews of new music by:

Clutch: Heavy rock quartet Clutch hail from Maryland and are stars in the D.C. area. They seem to have taken the eclecticism of their region to heart. (more)
Gnappy: Austin quartet Gnappy do the jazz/funk bump 'n' grind with grace and fire on their self-titled debut. (more)
Will Hoge: "When people hear my music, I hope 'honest' is a word that comes up," says Nashville-based singer-songwriter and rock 'n' roll band leader Will Hoge. Indeed, Hoge appears to be a true believer in "honest" rock 'n' roll music. (more)
Greg Panfile & Talk & Roll: A theatrical composer as well as a rock musician, Greg Panfile began Inferno in 1977 as a rock opera based on Dante's most famous work, but it took until now to reach fruition. Those expecting some sort of Andrew Lloyd Webber-style extravaganza/monstrosity (depending on point of view) will be disappointed/elated (depending on POV). Panfile is a smart and tasteful writer, using Dante's epic poem less as a source of narrative drive than as a thematic sketchbook. (more)
Son of Sam: A New York creep-rock supergroup of sorts, Son of Sam is made up of punk, goth and metal veterans like Danzig's Todd Youth, Samhain's London May and Steve Zing and AFI frontman Davey Havok. (more)
Zero Hour: ...one of the few bands in prog metal actually the kicking the music into the next realm. (more)

Stagestruck: The Chamber Strings in concert!

Jazz pianist/composer Dave Brubeck turns 80 this year. To celebrate, Columbia is reissuing three classic albums with his Quartet from the 50s and early 60s, plus a compilation.

Aural Fixations

THE STREETWALKIN' CHEETAHS
Waiting For the Death of My Generation
...Perhaps the most visible band stomping over the [punk] boundaries is L.A.'s Streetwalkin' Cheetahs. Always a explosive live act, the band has never quite caught fire in the studio, issuing entertaining but fairly traditional slash 'n' burn studio records like Overdrive that imitated their onstage fire. That's changed, however, with their latest record Waiting For the Death of My Generation, a genuine progression of the band's sound that still stays true to punk's unruly spirit. (more)

Joey Ramone, 1951-2001

Continued. The death of Joey Ramone on April 15th shocked music fans around the world. Rather than present yet another retrospective of the punk icon's career, we at High Bias decided to ask some of our writers to present their own personal takes on the former Jeffrey Hyman's impact. We'd like to think Joey would give a hearty "Gabba gabba hey" to know the effect his grimy touch had on so many young lives. Thanks, Joey, for all the trips to Rockaway Beach.

Michael Toland
Editor-in-Chief

[read all of the tributes]

April 15th, 2001: ...Joey Ramone is gone. Like any semi-celebrity/icon, I didn't know him, but yet I did. He accompanied me on some very odd goings-on in my life, and he didn't even know it... (more)

Summer 1976: ...I had the willingness to take a chance and buy The Ramones. I took my records, including the Rolling Stones' Get Yer Ya Ya's Out as the safe bet, home, staring the whole way at The Ramones cover. I couldn't wait to hear this record, to put the music with the pictures and articles I had been reading all summer... (more)

Spring 1980: ...I remember vividly skipping off the curb near the fabled (and long-gone) Zebra Records location in downtown Austin that bright spring day in 1980, having ponied up my $5 to see the Ramones at Armadillo World Headquarters... (more)

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