MUSIC COLUMN If you can't say something nice... A few notable local rock and jazz releases to praise. BY RICHARD MARTIN rmartin@wweek.com Dan Balmer Trio Jimmy Mak's 300 NW 10th Ave., 295-6542 Saturday Nov. 7 $3 Jazz de Opus 33 NW 2nd Ave., 222-6077 Sunday, Nov. 8 Cover Recently, some disparaging comments about the local jazz and rock scenes in WW stirred a backlash from the community. We received about a half dozen calls and letters from embittered readers, and each correspondent claimed that his feelings about our negative coverage were shared by damn near just about everybody else he knew. Rather than respond with snide assertions, haughty deconstruction or an about-face into mindless cheerleading, I've sorted through dozens of recent CDs by local acts in order to honor the credo that my mom tried and evidently failed to drill into my head: If you can't say something nice... In other words, I've discarded or put aside the crap and settled upon a few notable new releases to praise: The Minders Hooray for Tuesday * (SpinART) The Minders moved to town from Colorado about a month ago, about the same time they released this retro-pop gem. An esteemed member of the fruitful Elephant Six collective (which includes Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control), the band recorded Hooray for Tuesday with the Apples' Robert Schneider in his Denver studio, and the record brims with whimsical hooks and brisk, flowing melodies. The title track is a brilliant blast of upbeat garage pop, with frontman Martyn Leaper joyfully crooning about communicating via postcard or letter, because, as opposed to a phone call, "You can tell where I sent it from." In "Yeah Yeah Yeah," he and his bandmates harmonize the title's words ad infinitum as a playful bass line bounces around a flood of strummed and solo guitar parts. Elsewhere, the Minders cavort through a field of '60s-sounding tunes that recall early Beatles and Kinks. Dan Balmer If We Never Meet Again * (Chase) One half of Portland's Double-Dan jazz-guitar mafia--along with Monsieur Faehnle--Balmer reels off fluid runs throughout his latest album. With keyboardists Gary Versace and George Mitchell alternately playing Lyle Mays to Balmer's Pat Metheny, the ensemble turns out slick compositions that gather momentum but always pull back into a sharply honed groove. Balmer's a versatile frontman, leading the team through a blues-inflected romp ("Attractive Nuisance"), a spicy Latin diversion ("Samba Nueva") and a jaunty contemporary turn ("Reunion"). With help from friends like Phil Baker, Doug Smith and Carlton Jackson, Balmer has crafted a first-rate modern jazz record. Reload Repair * (self-released) Synth aficionado Brian Applegate records under the name Reload, and his latest endeavor was to reinterpret, or "repair," other artists' songs. It's a bizarre covers collection with some unlikely selections. The tinny trek through Devo's "Big Mess" makes sense, but Reload goes on to tweak the Ramones' "Babysitter" and the B-52s' "6060-842," and imagines Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" as a low-budget Gary Numan vehicle. Amusingly, Applegate turns local hard-rock act Blackjack's "Jack Booted Thugs" into an electronic romp complete with oscillations. The record is topped off with a disturbingly digitized version of the Ohio Express nugget "Yummy Yummy Yummy." Applegate's vocal capabilities are limited, but the man knows his way around a circuit board, making this an exceptional novelty item. Portland Postscripts: The online magazine allstar reports that the Posies' Ken Stringfellow and the Young Fresh Fellows' Scott McCaughey--both of whom performed with R.E.M. on Late Night with David Letterman two weeks ago--will help Marigold record demos for its major-label debut on Outpost, tentatively slated for summer '99...Portland's Absinthe seemingly disappeared after sparking label attention last year with the minor alternative-rock radio hit "Happy in My Pants." But guitarist Brady Woodcock tells Timbre that the band was hiding out in London while finishing up work on a debut and finalizing a deal with the Sony-backed U.K. imprint Disco Volente. Confronted with the news that a former member of the BoDeans had begun recording under the name Absinthe, the band settled on Lowcraft and will release a full-length in Europe early next year, with a stateside release to follow. Woodcock describes the album's first U.K. single, "One of Us," as "very Bowie-esque." Just in time for a Velvet Goldmine-spawned glam revival!...Seattle's Earshot Jazz Festival concludes this week with nightly shows around the Emerald City. Portland pianist/vocalist Dave Frishberg nabs a headlining slot Friday at the Kirkland Performance Center (the festival hotline is: [206] 547-9787)...Prior to his main area appearance at St. Johns Pub on Friday the 13th, alt-country progenitor Michael Hurley makes an unpublicized stop at the LaurelThirst this Saturday. Look for an interview with the inimitable "Dr. Snockgrass" in next week's WW. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published November 4, 1998