PAGE 10 March 15, 1985 entertainment Star Trek I'V : Skinny Puppy Stardate 2/28/85. This is Captain Kirk., commander of the starship Enterprise. Dr. McCoy and | are the only ones to return from our recent by DAVE WATSON mission to earth. Mr. Spock and Mr. Scott are still trapped in 1985. The USS Enterprise had been given a highly secret assignment—to beam down to Earth and analyze the sonic output of a band called Skinny Puppy. A Federation spy had sent a message that,they would be appearing February 28 in an Earth village known as Vancouver at a cabaret called the Luv-a-fair. We beamed down several miles from the club. In accordance with the Prime Directive we adopted incon- spicuous transportation—a black 1964 Volvo. McCoy: ‘‘Tell me Mr. Spock, could- n’t you have hot-wired something a little bigger and newer like a 1974 Buick station wagon?’’ Spock: ‘Your point is irrelevant Doctor, we have arrived.’’ (Actually, we should have beamed down into the club, not only to avoid the uncomfortable ride, but also to escape the cover charge.) Spock: ‘‘Captain, the patrons of this club have adopted a fascinating variety of hairstyles. Our secrecy may be difficult to. maintain.” . Kirk: ‘Well, our pointed sideburns. are evidently in style. Our hair is a bit short, though.’’ McCoy: ‘’Yeah, everyone else has Tina Turner-like hairdos. At least you- know-who’s ears won’t be a liability for once. Spock might even start a new fashion craze.’’ Spock: ‘‘Doctor, please try to rem- ember the Federation Policy of Tol- erance for other life forms. This reading is very unusual Captain. My tricorder indicates a number of small vials containing high concentrations of amyl nitrate in the possession of many of the patrons.’’ McCoy: ‘‘That’s funny, my medical tricorder doesn’t indicate anyone with coronary disorders in the crowd. What could they possibly want with all those poppers? (Spock performed the Vulcan mind- meld on an unsuspecting band mem- ber to extract some background infor- mation). Spock: ‘’Skinny Puppy began as the solo project of Kevin Crompton, a member of Images in Vogue. Kevin Ogre was added as vocalist and they recorded a six song EP.Crompton plays synthesizer and a variety of percussive instruments while Ogre sings. Both write the lyrics. A song from the EP (Glass Houses) and another (K-9) were featured on Under- growth 84. The band has just finished recording a new album, adding Dale Pleven on bass guitar for some songs (he also played on Glass Houses) and Bill Liebe on bass synth.’’ (Mr. Spock’s data gathering did not prepare us for Skinny Puppy’s live show (their second). The set was decorated with iron fencing. A manne- quin was suspended upside down in one corner, while two skulls were mounted in a prominent position at the front of the stage. One skull had sustained a massive fracture, display- ing an inner substance which tricorder analysis revealed to be Libby’s spag- etti. The two synth players took their places on a fog shrouded stage and began to play eerie and piercing chords while the lead singer entered dangling from a noose, causing Dr. McCoy no small amount of anxiety.) McCoy: ‘‘Jim! Jim! He’s dead Jim!’’ Kirk: ‘‘Mellow out there Bones. It’s probably an illusion caused by a telepathic alien or something. Let’s pick up some women.”’ (It wasn’t an illusion, but Kevin Ogre wasn’t dead either. He began to wave around a lit candelabra and then ignited the foot long razor blades on his gloved other hand.) (When he descended from the rope and reached the microphone we dis- covered that his voice was altered by.a digital delay mike. Spock explained it as an advanced echo box. Ogre constantly adjusted it to produce strange vocal effects. When not sing- ing, Ogre went over to a welded rack containing a variety of pieces of metal. Pans, skillsaw blades and a gong were the only recognizable items.) (Various film clips were projected on the screen behind the stage along with slides of dismembered dolls.) Kirk: ‘‘So, what do you guys think of the band?’’ Spock: “Sensors indicate that this type of depiction was first attempted by the Beatles 20 years ago. A complete analysis by the music tri- corder also reveals that the music is urban-industrial from the beginning of the technological era. Odd human emotions like frustration, aggression and fear are the major lyrical themes.’’ McCoy: ‘‘Dammit Jim, I’m a doctor, not a critic. However, prerecorded tape loops and electronic effects are typical of this type of music. Its very nature is political without having to explicitly state political themes.”’ Spock: ‘Very profound, Doctor McCoy.’’ Scott: ‘‘Captain, | dinna know if | like them. They need a set of bagpipes, and | need a drink.’’ (We then lost Mr. Scott, who had been drinking heavily since we arriv- ed. Apparently he had mistakenly identified one of the patrons as a Klingon subversive and the resulting fight ended in the arrest of both of them. Scotty is still in jail.) Spock: ‘’I must say Captain, that | find this band fascinating. They’re going to be really scary when they can afford lasers.’’ Kevin Ogre and friends (Despite the insistent and regular beat, few patrons danced. Evidently they preferred to watch the Alice Cooperish stage show, which included skull crushing and hurling before culminating in a frenzied meat cleaver attack on a stuffed doll. If the Federation intends to dispatch other observers to future Skinny Puppy shows (which won’t be for a while, Kevin Crompton is on tour with IIV) make sure they are psychologically prepared for borderline insanity. Pur- chasing the group’s recordings should help. Spock liked the band so much that he went AWOL and joined them as equipment manager. This is Cap- tain Kirk signing off.) photo by Dave Watson Town Pump serves up Grape jam “Wherever there’s a band starving and struggling, I'll be there.’’ Okay, so that’s not what Henry Fonda said at the end of the movie, but by DAVE WATSON these Grapes of Wrath have little to do with either John Steinbeck or the Oklahoma dustbowl. They’re from the Okanagan (Kelowna to be exact), hardly an area of economic depression unless you’re a musician. The Grapes of Wrath formed in 1977 with Kevin Kane (lead guitar and singer) and the Hooper brothers, Tom and Chris (on bass and drums, respectively). At the time they were only 10 and 13 years old. After eight years of practice while growing up together, the band has developed a unity readily apparent in their music. The result is a fairly intricate sound, surprising from only three instru- ments. The guitar (usually acoustic) fills out the band’s sound in a manner similar to The Alarm, but in a different style. This is not anthem rock. The singing and some of the lyrics resemble the ‘“‘new Romantic’ wave, but the band’s sound is much ballsier, drawing influences from a wider range of pop and rock than just late 70’s Roxy Music. Bits of the rhythmic, not-quite-psy- chedelia of later sixties pop are mixed with the strummed guitar sound now back in vogue. A Flock of Seagulls can be seen in the overall production of their songs and in the haircuts of two band members. However, the lack of synthesizers and the steady punch of real drums prevents the Grapes of Wrath from sounding wimpy. They recorded a four song EP in the fall of 1984, off which Misunderstand-- ing is probably the best song. It is quite commercial enough to replace most of LG73’s top thirty, although I’m not quite sure if that is a compliment. After recording their EP, they moved to Vancouver in December and have been playing occasionally around town, most recently at a March 4th show at The Town Pump as the opening act for 54-40. The band has a good live sound, helped by a mid-set sound check that corrected a couple of minor problems. They also have a sense of humour; ““‘We’re gonna do one off our record now. Our record company likes it when we do that.’’ They also did one cover, If | Needed Someone, an obscure Beatles tune. Grapes of Wrath have an accessible sound that is very danceable too, not that the crowd took advantage of it. The poseurs preferred to pose against the back wall, while the yuppies safely kept to their tables. This is a good band; tight, fun, nice sounding, and not out to destroy the world. You could do far worse than to locate them for an evening of dancing to original music. Unfortunately, they do seem to lack that extra spark that would elevate them from the level of numerous other bands of this type. Possibly the album they are sched- uled to record this spring will reveal something that stands out a little more. Until then, catching them live is probably a worthwhile way of explor- ing local talent without straying too far into the unknown.