ENTERTAINMENT / REVIEW
MAYFEST '92; various artists in concert at the University of Utah; Wednesday-Friday, May 13-15.
The University of Utah's annual version of Woodstock, or more recently Lollapalooza, has ended, and while it may not have attracted audiences as large as the aforementioned concerts did, it did show the promise in a lot of new bands.
Among those making the biggest splashes were California's Big Drill Car, Seattle's Treepeople and Denver's the Fluid. The Fluid, which plays charged hard-core
pop/rock (much like Missouri's All), probably came off the best, showing diversity and energy throughout its all-too-brief 45-minute set.
Metallic lead guitar and strangely funky bass guitar work gave BDC's "Take Away" an odd appeal, while Frank Daly's earnest vocals worked wonders. Also aces was "Restless Habs," a pulsing pop number that crackled with guitarist Mark Arnold's electric leads.
But miles better than either of those were "In a Hole" and the band's cover of Cheap Trick's "Surrender." The first actually managed to get the smallish Friday afternoon crowd moving (and even some mosh pit action), while the latter paid tribute to one underappreciated band that has untold influence (in bands like Big Drill Car or Soul Asylum). The quartet also showed some ability to move out under All's shadow, at least as far as the "emo-core," or pop/punk rock scene is involved.
The Treepeople, a quartet that has been neglected in the face of all the attention on the "Seattle music scene," was Wednesday's brightest moment. Even though clouds looked like they might rain out the late first-night shows, the Treepeople played through it, scoring grungy success with the sharp "Something Vicious For Tomorrow," the title of the group's newest release, and the ironic cover of the Smiths' "Bigmouth Strikes Again."
The Fluid has also been neglected in light of the Seattle press. Playing equally in grunge- and garage-rock styles, the five-piece actually helped define the trademark "Seattle sound," along with Green River.
Though the band is currently looking for a new record label (having escaped from the narrow-minded Sub Pop label), during its Friday evening set the Fluid splendidly previewed new material like "One Eye Out" and "Waves," both featuring heavy, heavy bass guitar from Matt Bischoff and John Robinson's gravelly vocals, which recalls Iggy Pop's best work (when he was still with the Stooges).
Of the remaining festival headliners, San Francisco's Skankin' Pickle (Thursday) and Ivo Papasov (Thursday) and his Orchestra probably stood out the most. The former, already a local favorite for its brisk ska numbers put on one of its trademark energetic sets, while the other, which promises to get audiences dancing with their authentically jazzy ethnic folk and wedding numbers, didn't disappoint.
Big disappointments were Inner Circle (Thursday) and Oxford, England's Ride (Friday). Inner Circle, famous for its "Bad Boys" song (the theme for Fox Network's "Cops" TV show), was sluggish and uninspired, and Ride didn't improve at all on its frankly bland guitar pop.
Mayfest also featured a full complement of local acts from which to choose. Those making the biggest splashes were Provo's Stoneface (funky punk-rock), Salt Lake's Iceburn (heavy hardcore punk and near-metal) and the Skeletones (rockabilly).