Why underground? Well, it's a good place to keep a valuable secret. This band
has (fortunately) refused to surface into the mainstream for 10 years, and
during this time they've produced eight albums of refreshingly original,
uniquely infectious rock music.
It's brothers Curt and Cris Kirkwood on guitar/vocals and bass/vocals
respectively, while Derrick Bostrom handles drums. Curt writes the lyrics, and
all three have had a hand in the strange artwork on their albums.
They started out with a loud, fast, and obnoxious self-titled LP, but by the
time Meat Puppets II came out (1983) the trio had begun to develop a
delicate touch. With Curt's lively guitar overlays flavoring an overall sense of
easy-going simplicity, their sound somehow combined elements of heavy metal,
punk and folkish country-western into a distinctive, charmingly rough-edged
romp.
Two years later, Up On The Sun established the Meat Puppets as rare
pioneers in a time when "alternative music" was beginning to thirst for
alternatives. It's a pleasingly chaotic trip to a land of sophisticated,
interwoven instrumentation thoroughly supporting wierdly good-humored
continuity.
They crafted four more albums on the SST label through 1989, increasing their
production level and stylistic scope with each title. That year's release was
Monsters, which capitalized on a growing affinity for lively, sometimes
savage guitar rock with an edge of off-beat humor and psychedelic abandon.
In a phone interview, Curt described the bands studio career as "a long, slow
sort of a ride to nowhere. It's all an attempt to figure it out. We're still
trying to do that."
The new album, Forbidden Places, seems an admirable attempt, with a
little more emphasis on lyrics than past works, though Curt always offerred
strong personal statements behind apparent humorous nonsense. "I'm able to
exploit my literacy in a more grandiose fashion than the average rock fuck," he
said.
Compared to the studio material, the MP's live show is a slightly different
animal. Curt waxes philosophical about performing: "It's deep, you know - it's
like looking into an electron microscope."
On the stage, this thaumaturgic threesome cranks out concentrated artistic
potency with totally professional focus. No speeches, no theatrics - just
non-stop, intensified sound production. The intensity is all part of a very
unconventional outlook. "It's a forum for the unusual, a chance to kick the
mundane in the teeth," Curt said. "Fuck the audience up, fuck ourselves up -
fuck shit up."
Curt cites his disenchantment with mainstream America and the music industry
as a motivation for his against-the-grain approach, and working on Forbidden
Places, their first product for a major label, has provided the band with a
closer look. "It's helped me become more appreciative of how precious what we
have is," he said, adding that they've had the same lineup for ten years, and
haven't made any concessions to the business.
The MP's are all about cutting through the boredom of superficial,
condescending averages and just doing their own thing, and they show it when
they get down to business on stage. This band will not be categorized. "Rock
sucks," Curt said. "The kids are not allright, and they know it."
What does that mean? Well it could mean this band can show you something
that's really at odds with the standard fare, and challenges anything else you
could call music. See for yourself at the Melody Ballroom tomorrow night;
tickets are ten bucks.
It's been almost
two years since the most fabulous underground band in North America has honored
Portland with it's presence. It was December 10, 1989 at the Pine Street
Theater. Three guys - just drums, bass, and guitar - combining to create an
unforgettably enchanting musical experience. Yes, the Meat Puppets are back.