NEW NEW
It's tempting to dismiss the current revival of New Wave as derivative or lacking imagination. It would be easy to indict the second generation of New Wave bands as imitators, doubly frustrating because they are rocking out with something they've just discovered, something these know-it-all 20-year-olds feel like is brand new, when the first wave occurred well over 20 years ago. Darn kids!
It's true, much of what passes for New Wave nowadays is either watered-down versions, derivative caca or straight-up boring nostalgia.
But to lump all second generation New Wave into such categories is lazy and unfair. Some of it is great, confoundingly so, sending listeners and critics into spasms of frustration:
It's never cut-and-dry or black-and-white. Why does it have to be so hard to have an opinion?
Well, it doesn't. While it seems like, in this day and age, there's nothing new under the sun, sometimes
what's under the sun is still plain
good
, whether it's derived from the Beatles or David Bowie or Wire or whomever. Sometimes it's OK just to sit on a patio as the strange summer Santa Fe light fades and have a tight, smart, funny, new New Wave band rock you into the sunset.
Which should be the case when Chicago's BANG! BANG! takes the stage at the Santa Fe Brewing Company (8 pm Thursday, June 1. No cover. 27 Fire Place, 424-3333). BANG! BANG!'s brand of "sex rock," as they call it, is a swaggering, sweaty mix of zingy guitars, nasal vocals and efficient songwriting. There's nothing superfluous here, just riffs that take the shortest distance to get their points, and
melodies and aesthetic that harken back to the days of skinny ties.
Take "Days are #'d," the first single from the group's latest CD,
Decked Out
. The tune starts off with a scratchy guitar riff from singer/guitarist Jack Flash, a measure of Gretta Fine's simple bass and then rips quickly into a song as tight as John Stockton's basketball shorts.
It's a political song-"Have you heard the latest?/Have you heard the news?/Time is running out to/Exercise your right to choose/" sings Flash-but it's a damn sexy one too, with a sly backbeat, courtesy of drummer Nick Kraska, and Fine's high-pitched background vocals sneaking in.
"Electric Sex," also off
Decked Out
, is even more straightforward, both musically and in attitude. Punky, chunk-a-chunk guitar screeches as Flash and Fine (a couple in real life) trade lascivious lines: "Friday night and I'm thinkin' about you" says Flash. "You know I'm thinkin' 'bout you too" replies Fine, and you just know within about 20 minutes they'll be doin' it to the fast and furious beat of their own music.
Of course, with their bright, tight clothes and good haircuts, BANG! BANG! looks the part of a new New Wave band, but this sheer urgent sexiness is one thing that sets them apart from their retro counterparts. Another factor is chemistry: With such streamlined songs, there's no fat to cut, nothing self-indulgent or unnecessary. There's just good rock, as efficient and aerodynamic as the Porche Joel Goodsen drove in
Risky Business
.
OLD NEW
It's funny how the Hideaway, the cozy little cave-like spot in the back of Pachanga (416 Agua Fria St., 988-5991) was such an appropriate venue for wintertime. Dark, dark, dark, oddly shaped, crowded and warm as snow fell outside and DJs spun into the night. Can you imagine hanging out there during the summer, though, trapped in Nosferatu's tomb-esque environs while the rest of the world basked in the summer sun? Nope. Apparently, the folks at Pachanga aren't foolish enough to think so either, and thus and have opened up "El Patio-The Evolution of the Hideaway." El Patio, on Pachanga's lovely outdoor portal, will be open Thursday and Friday for happy hour and DJed funk and dance music. The grand opening, which takes place this week on June 1 and 2, goes from 5 to 11 pm, is free, and stars DJs John Sherdon, Billa and Jim Stevens. I'll bring the sunscreen, you buy the drinks.
NEW NEWS
Hey, if you haven't checked out the New Mexico Music Commission Web site lately (
), do so. Though it's skimpy with listings and such, the site is chockful o' info on several upcoming music festivals and conferences in New Mexico, including the Hyperactive fest that takes place June 8-10 and the Short Grass fest, June 22-24. The site continues to improve and impress me as a clearinghouse for information, though less so for fans and more for bands and working musicians.
Most notable is the site's musician's directory and list, divided into almost every subgenre, from "Vocal and Opera" to "Christian and Gospel" to "Rock: Hard Rock and Heavy Metal." It's a fairly substantial list, but not enough: Musicians and bands, I highly encourage you to add your info. I know, it's kinda square, but the Commission is excellent at publicity, excellent at getting your name out there for free, and excellent at supporting New Mexico music. So do it.
