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Calobo recently learned a lesson in humility. The popular Portland roots-rock band regularly sells out this city's 1,000-capacity halls, but it played to sparse bar crowds during an April tour of the Midwest, where few are familiar with the septet's four albums and reputation for enjoyable live shows. "I don't think we made a lot of money for ourselves or the clubs we played in," says guitarist-vocalist Caleb Klauder, who co-founded Calobo with guitarist-vocalist David Andrews at the onset of the '90s. Up until the Midwest swing, Calobo had had one of the smoothest rides of any band in the Pacific Northwest. Since its inception, it has seen a steady rise in concert attendance and album sales. Released last year, Calobo's Stomp has sold approximately 15,000 copies, according to a representative at the Portland distribution company N.A.I.L. It's also the band's strongest record, and it suggests that Calobo deserves more than to be shrugged off as a hippie-rock curiosity. Recorded at Portland's Falcon Studios, Stomp features 11 remarkably well-produced songs, no easy task when considering that there are seven musicians involved and a minimal recording budget (besides Klauder and Andrews, there's drummer Brian Bucolo, pianist Jenny Conlee, guitarist Kenneth Erlick, bassist Nate Query and vocalist Michele Van Kleef). Tracks such as "Mood Swing Stomp" and "Bright Day" balance suppleness and crisp rock that's comparable to the Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic or the Wallflowers, with airy piano runs, textured guitar sounds and clear, articulate vocals. It's considerably more focused than the band's earlier albums--a self-titled 1992 debut, the next year's follow-up Runnin' in the River and '95's Ya Dum Di Dum. Given Stomp's success and Calobo's intensely loyal fan base in the Northwest, it seems like the band would be fielding offers from major labels. Klauder says this isn't the case yet, and while some of his fellow players would like to join the ranks of nationally known roots-rock acts like the Dave Matthews Band, he's still more interested in the band's sound than reaching for fame and fortune. "I feel like our music always needs to improve. That's the focus for me," Klauder says. "But there's not like this one goal. We're still trying to figure it out." The Truth About the Fibbers: If the rest of the world treated the Geraldine Fibbers as well as Portland does, the band probably wouldn't be on hiatus. For some reason, the Los Angeles quintet had a loyal fan base here but failed to achieve popularity elsewhere. Virgin dropped the Geraldine Fibbers following the release of their most recent album, Butch, and rumors about their break-up began circulating. They're not true, says guitarist Nels Cline. Nevertheless, it may be a while until we hear from the Fibbers again. Cline, a respected avant-garde player who joined the band two years ago, and vocalist-guitarist Carla Bozulich are starting to play out as Scarnella. In fact, one of the duo's first performances will take place June 4 at Stage 4 Theater, where it will open for Versus. Cline says that he and Bozulich play guitar and bass, use samples and throw in some spoken word. After Portland, they'll head to Seattle to record a debut for Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley's Smells Like Records label. Outré Art: The zine emporium Reading Frenzy (921 SW Oak St., 274-1449) hosts a couple of unusual events in coming weeks. First up is I Like to Look, an art exhibit by former Kicking Giant guitarist-vocalist Tae Won Yu, who now performs as the KG. His visual artwork is at least as impressive as his sonic output, and this show will feature paintings in an atmosphere designed to look like his studio. Tae has produced posters and album covers for Built to Spill and Beck, and he's currently working as an in-house artist at K Records. The opening reception takes place at 7 pm Thursday, June 4; the show runs through June 30. And on Saturday, June 6, Reading Frenzy hosts a reading and book signing by Michael Moynihan, author of Lords of Chaos, an in-depth look at the worldwide satanic metal underground, recently published by Feral House. I'll be on vacation next week. Timbre will return June 10. |
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