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Big Rant!-style greetings to everyone. Even though I just returned from the annual CMJ conference (which, really, you should already know about - if you're only gonna attend one conference in your life, make it CMJ) with a bag of demos bigger than this week's laundry pile, I continue to be amazed by the amount of quality Rant! demo stuff showing up in my mailbox (as well as the sheer tonnage of mind-bogglingly mediocrity - or, does that go without saying?) - As such, I'm well behind on reviews, so we're just gonna tear through a big stack this month. Ready? Dig in:

Have a couple demos just screaming "sign me," fresh out of the mail in the past couple of weeks. First off, from NYC, is the new 4-song cassette from IMMORAL FIBRES. Admittedly, describing themselves as "soulful alternative rock" with vocal stylings "the likes of Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac to Ed Kowalczyk of Live" nearly got their tape tossed well into the back of my office, behind the dorm fridge, over there by the bag of rat poison... Maybe I feel perfectly justified in saying that it's a good idea to write descriptive press kits that give the reviewer/a&r person/club booker a clear picture of where your band is coming from, but also be aware that you run the risk of pigeonholing yourself as something that you may or may not really be. Granted, maybe other people checking out IMMORAL FIBRES' demo have a better general opinion regarding the merits of Lindsey Buckingham than I do, but still... Worse than that (here comes a small rant, apparently) - Do be aware that nearly every reviewer out there is quite likely to repeat large chunks of your press kit verbatim. Judge these quotes from the FIBRES' press clippings sheet: "Strongly reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac..." "Focus on Matt Kurzban's Lindsay Buckingham-meets-Live-meets-Matthew Sweet brand of melodic, sing-along jangle pop..." Get my point? Make one smart-ass crack about Lindsey Buckingham and suddenly every review you get (like this one, for instance) is gonna feel obliged to make some Fleetwood Mac reference. Was this really where you wanted the focus of your review to be? At any rate: after a two week delay, the tape finally made its way into a player, and knocked my socks off. I'm hard pressed to find anything in the four songs even remotely Mac-esque (although that Live reference is, yeah, applicable). This is extremely radio-friendly pop-rock, with "alternative" not really being a priority. Up-tempo, mature, developed songwriting - wouldn't call it "jangly." If I were to not take my own advice and go ahead and make a band reference, I would say "Fastball." Not a dud to be found in these four songs, right to the point, left me wanting more, played it through twice in a row. "Delivers the goods," as they say...

Also cranking out more than worthy tuneage, as well as yet more fairly embarrassing press kit filler, is Colorado's ACCIDENTAL SUPERHERO. Never mind the fact that the envelope it shipped in promised "pictures of beautiful women inside" (which, in fact, it actually delivered) or was emblazoned with the prerequisite "We Love You, Mike! XXOO" - Don't get me started on cheap tactics, and the ones that actually end up working... As for the press kit? Okay: Was it really necessary to make references to Dave Matthews Band, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Cream, Hendrix, Beatles, Rush, The Dregs, Eric Johnson, and Dave Weckl, all in the first paragraph? I think not. (Or, am I just being nitpicky, and padding yet another Rant! column? YOU make the call)... Getting past that, however, the disc revealed a musical scope far beyond what these aforementioned influences should sound like, fresh from a blender - This is solid, mid-to-up-tempo pop/rock (the kind I like, obviously), with extremely well-developed songwriting. Maybe I do hear the Soundgarden reference, with a few drop-D tunings and some outright riffing thrown into the mix. To further eat my own words, let me just admit that ACCIDENTAL SUPERHERO really do show signs of having such a wide variety of influences - there is a healthy variety of sounds interspersed throughout the album, although the band never loses focus of their combined sound. Acoustic guitars, various percussive instruments, etc., are used tastefully throughout - It's what we in the biz call "production." Very nicely done, indeed, although once again I find myself complaining about poor-quality xerox photos and lack of decent press materials, in general. An act of this caliber would do well to show a more professional business approach to match their top-quality material. To sum it all up, though - This disc might even make its way into my home cd carousel - How much more of a thumbs-up could I give an act?

Yes, yes, yes, I'm always rambling about packaging, and press kits, and quality recordings, etc., etc., etc... Of course, I realize that not every recording artist has unlimited resources, nor is every musician also a graphic artist, author, or businessman - these are things that can be handled by professionals, taught in seminars, and so forth. The one thing that no-one can teach, however, via book, seminar, or wise-ass internet column, is HEART. A good dose of sincerity mixed with talent (and a boatload of charisma) is, essentially, "the real deal." A guy who meets all of these magic criteria would be J. MIKE PERKINS, with his debut disc "Pop Rock From Texas" - A simple, unassuming, and totally REAL cd full of, well, pop rock. From Texas. Were I to design a pop star, Mike wouldn't be it - sparse country-ish arrangements, a high-pitched, shaky voice, and if I'm to believe that the cover photo is J. Mike himself - his image is much more suited to "Regional Manager" than to "Appearing Tonight." Still...You can't deny the catchiness of this disk, his sheer joy in creating it, and the charm of the entire package. This is truly one from the heart, with no thought of marketing or packaging in any part of it. Yup, it is indeed a breath of fresh air, and is probably the most truly "indie" thing I've heard all year long. In the press kit, even Marshall Crenshaw gives props to this disc, you think I'm gonna argue? Three cheers for pop rock from Texas!

I would like to remind everyone out there that being a twenty-two year old in an "alternarock" band isn't the only thing in the world that will land you that lucrative recording contract you're salivating for - Being an entirely interesting (and/or frightening) person doesn't hurt. Anybody remember "charisma," after all? Check this out, for an unlikely star: Former bodybuilder, law student, son of jazz big-band drummer, lead-singing, drum-pounding, Bonham-influenced, bearded caveman ED MONTANO lays out some truly unbelievable stuff on his debut, "Monn Tanno Mondo II - Moods & Madness." Madness is, gulp, correct. Besides the fact that the physical presence of Ed Montano is intimidating (to say the least), the combination of sub-heavy metal, jazz, and outright tribal chestpounding just plain WORKS. Heavier than heavy, but frequently hummable as all get-out (think Blue Cheer and a dumptruck combined in some sort of Fly-esque matter transporter mishap) - All the while performed under the watchful eye of Montano's hulking 50's-era wrestler persona. Further, I am more than certain that this guy would come out alive if pitted against Ted Nugent in some sort of wilderness survival contest... Look, I don't even know what the hell this album is, all I know is that ED MONTANO is a star. And he could hurt me. Don't argue. Just sign him.

Here's where I get to play bad guy, and actually exercise my right to throw out a less-than-stellar review (welcome to the real world, kids) - I am currently annoyed by the demo I received from BINARY SOULS. First off - I am all for diversity in your music, and showing a wide range of influences, but sooner or later you're gonna have to decide just what the focus of your band is going to be - pick a personality. Specifically, here's the rundown of what's on the Souls' debut cd (with commentary from their own press kit): Pretty White World - "reggae influenced song," More Beautiful Than This - "jazz influenced song," Juliet - "a very Beatlesesque song," My Inspiration - "rocks the house," then there's "ska influenced song," etc., etc.,...you get the idea. While I'm griping about it, I might as well throw up a red flag about the cover of the record, as well, which had me believing I was going to be listening to a techno disc... Truth is, even the band themselves don't know exactly what they are, or who they're trying to be. Not that there aren't worthwhile moments to be had (indeed, there are), but all in all, there is an identity crisis at work here that should've been worked out well before demos started shipping around to industry types. Not that I'm wanting to discourage the BINARY SOULS in any way, but everyone should think about this example when getting together your own demos and press materials. Take a look at your band - is it really a BAND, sharing a common vision, with a real identity? Maybe not as uniformed as the Ramones, or DEVO, granted, but... Is there a hippie bass player? A heavy metal drummer? A ska keyboardist? A Dave Matthews singer? Do you each get to pick one song, and then lay out a set of totally disparate, unimpassioned music? If so, kindly go back to square one, go out clothes shopping together, and the winner of the fistfight gets to pick he musical direction of the band. THEN send me your demo, okay?

Go HERE for more Mike Po RANT! November 1998