HIGH BIAS -- September 23, 2001 -- Richard Buckner, Anders Parker, Words and Music of WWII, Michael Lee Firkins, Chris McFarland, Rock City Crimewave, Erik Truffaz, Charlie Patton, The Residents

Album reviews of new music by:

Michael Lee Firkins: Firkins has more of a feel for American roots music, particularly country, than his neoclassical headbanger brethren; that alone is enough to set him apart from other Vai/Satriani/Malmsteen wannabes. (more)
Chris McFarland: Austin, Texas-based Chris McFarland is a perfect example of the new wave of singer/songwriters that have risen like phoenixes from the ashes of the alternative rock "revolution." (more)
Rock City Crimewave: From the unlikely location of Allston, MA, comes Rock City Crimewave, another louder-than-hell bunch of psychobillies heckbent on taking you on tour through their personal B-movie nightmares. (more)
Erik Truffaz: Upon initial listen, even a jazz philistine would be hard pressed not to notice the obvious sounding similarities between French trumpeter Erik Truffaz' second U.S. release Revisité and the late 60s/early 70s recordings of Miles Davis. (more)
Various Artists: Like a lot of tribute CDs, Down the Dirt Road has its ups and downs, though it's mostly ups. The simplicity with which most of the artists chose to interpret Charley Patton's songs works well. (more)

And a new DVD of The Residents: Icky Flix!

Stagestruck

RICHARD BUCKNER/ANDERS PARKER
@Cactus Cafe, Austin, TX; September 15, 2001
It's hard to say how the ugly events of Sept. 11 affected the mood at the Cactus Cafe on this warm Saturday night. There was a lot of conversation, but eavesdropping picked up nothing related to the tragedy four days before. Perhaps that's as it should be. The object of terrorism is to instill the kind of crippling fear that prevents a people from comfortably engaging in its routine. The best way to combat that fear is to not be intimidated, to continue on as normally as possible. Give blood, watch the news, donate money, pray, whatever helps you deal—but keep on keepin' on. The healthy (but not sell-out) crowd obviously felt that way. They talked, laughed, bought drinks and gave their attention to two of America's most heralded underground songwriters. (more)

Refreshed

VARIOUS ARTISTS
The Words and Music of World War II
(Columbia/Legacy)
Right now, many Americans are renewing their long-time love affair with the Second World War. The Greatest Generation, Tom Brokaw's recent paean to the men and women who fought abroad and at home, has enjoyed considerable popularity, spawning a series of companion volumes and a television special. This summer saw the release of Pearl Harbor, a fictional account of the infamous attack that failed at the box office not because of a lack of interest in WWII, but because of the film's hokey melodramatics. Riding that wave of popularity, Columbia/Legacy has released The Words and Music of World War II. This two CD compilation is a mass of sound bites and music from the Second World War stitched together with commentary from a present-day announcer. It strives to be an audio documentary of that war's social history and culture. Yet for lovers of music or of history, it fails to satisfy. (more)

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