DB’S HIDEOUT BLOCK PARTY & HOUSE OF BLUES, 9/17 …
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30 CHICAGO READER | SEPTEMBER 23, 2005 | SECTION ONE Music By J.R. Jones L ast week the four original members of the dB’s played their first shows together in 17 years, and in a typical display of perversity they opened both Chicago dates with “Ask for Jill.” First released in 1982, it’s a jit- tery, difficult song that starts with Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple’s guitars pulling in opposite directions on a rumba rhythm. Stamey sings a seesaw- ing melody, drummer Will Rigby works against them with an eccentric, kick-drum-heavy pat- tern, and Gene Holder holds the song together on bass. It sounds like a hit record trying to pass a geometry exam. Kicking off with a tune like this is exactly the sort of eager overreaching that made the dB’s the most exciting power-pop band of the early 80s. Even now the group’s first two albums— Stands for Decibels (1981) and Repercussion (1982)—explode with ambition, delivering impeccably crafted songs and adventurous production. Stamey and Holsapple, child- hood friends in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, divided the songwriting in half and played a stunning game of musical one- upmanship, Holsapple leaning toward upbeat pop and Stamey toward eerily experimental sounds. The friction between their styles was enhanced by fel- low Winston-Salem kids Holder and Rigby, an energetic and inventive rhythm section that locked into the propulsive, itchy grooves. Vocalists Stamey and Holsapple aimed for the pristine harmonies of the Beatles or Big Star, but their idiosyncratic voices would never quite blend—there was always some- thing slightly off in the combi- nation, which created the endearing impression that they couldn’t quite realize the sounds they heard in their heads. In rock circles the dB’s are leg- endary might-have-beens. They moved to New York City in the late 70s but couldn’t secure an American label: their first two albums, widely considered their finest, were released by Albion Records in the UK and for many years could be found in the U.S. only as imports. Bad luck plagued the dB’s onstage as well: as Rigby writes on www.thedbsonline.net, “The band acquired something of a reputation in its early days for equipment mishap/breakdown. Amps that suddenly stopped working, cymbal stands falling over, radio reception in the mid- dle of songs.” After Stamey went solo in 1982, the more radio-friendly Holsapple took over as sole songwriter, but the excellent Like This (1984) was handi- capped by distribution problems and dropped out of sight when its label folded. The country- inflected Sound of Music came out on I.R.S. in 1987, but the label neglected the dB’s in favor of its star act, R.E.M. The group finally disbanded in 1988. Stamey reunited with the rest of the original dB’s lineup to play a benefit later that same year, though, and in 1991 he and Holsapple collaborated on the superb Mavericks. The band’s current reunion was precipitat- ed by another benefit concert: in November 2003, Stamey and Holsapple got together in Raleigh to help raise money for Alejandro Escovedo, who’s suf- fering from hepatitis C (and whose album A Man Under the Influence Stamey produced). The two old friends discussed doing another duo album, but instead decided to enlist Rigby and Holder and re-form the dB’s. Earlier this year they recorded seven new originals, and they’re trying to pick from among a dozen more to round out an album they hope to release in 2006. This month’s four-show microtour had only two stops, each in one of the band’s 80s strongholds— Hoboken, their second home during the New York years, and Chicago, where WXRT seized on “Love Is for Lovers” and “A Spy in the House of Love” and the dB’s played relentlessly in support of Like This. During their original run the dB’s earned a reputation as an inspired but uneven live act, and their early-evening set at the Hideout Block Party bore that out. Wedged into a 45- minute slot and burdened with a rough mix, they struggled with complicated numbers like “Dynamite” and “Cycles per Second.” Time hasn’t been kind to Holsapple’s voice, which made for a murderous rendition of the high-tenor rave-up “Black and White.” Stamey’s moody “Happenstance,” with its shift- ing dynamics and elaborate arrangement, failed to draw in the festival crowd, partly because the band had upped the Endearing Ambition With the dB’s it’s all about the magic space between what you can do and what you wish you could. DB’S HIDEOUT BLOCK PARTY & HOUSE OF BLUES, 9/17 Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple at the Hideout Block Party MARTY PEREZ continued on page 32
Transcript of DB’S HIDEOUT BLOCK PARTY & HOUSE OF BLUES, 9/17 …
30 CHICAGO READER | SEPTEMBER 23, 2005 | SECTION ONE
Music
By J.R. Jones
L ast week the four originalmembers of the dB’s playedtheir first shows together in
17 years, and in a typical displayof perversity they opened bothChicago dates with “Ask for Jill.”First released in 1982, it’s a jit-tery, difficult song that startswith Chris Stamey and PeterHolsapple’s guitars pulling inopposite directions on a rumbarhythm. Stamey sings a seesaw-ing melody, drummer Will Rigbyworks against them with aneccentric, kick-drum-heavy pat-tern, and Gene Holder holds thesong together on bass. It soundslike a hit record trying to pass ageometry exam.
Kicking off with a tune likethis is exactly the sort of eageroverreaching that made the dB’sthe most exciting power-popband of the early 80s. Even nowthe group’s first two albums—Stands for Decibels (1981) andRepercussion (1982)—explodewith ambition, deliveringimpeccably crafted songs andadventurous production.Stamey and Holsapple, child-hood friends in Winston-Salem,North Carolina, divided thesongwriting in half and played astunning game of musical one-upmanship, Holsapple leaningtoward upbeat pop and Stameytoward eerily experimentalsounds. The friction betweentheir styles was enhanced by fel-low Winston-Salem kids Holderand Rigby, an energetic andinventive rhythm section thatlocked into the propulsive, itchygrooves. Vocalists Stamey andHolsapple aimed for the pristineharmonies of the Beatles or Big Star, but their idiosyncraticvoices would never quite
blend—there was always some-thing slightly off in the combi-nation, which created theendearing impression that theycouldn’t quite realize the soundsthey heard in their heads.
In rock circles the dB’s are leg-endary might-have-beens. Theymoved to New York City in thelate 70s but couldn’t secure anAmerican label: their first twoalbums, widely considered theirfinest, were released by AlbionRecords in the UK and for manyyears could be found in the U.S.only as imports. Bad luck plaguedthe dB’s onstage as well: as Rigbywrites on www.thedbsonline.net,“The band acquired something ofa reputation in its early days forequipment mishap/breakdown.Amps that suddenly stoppedworking, cymbal stands fallingover, radio reception in the mid-dle of songs.”
After Stamey went solo in1982, the more radio-friendlyHolsapple took over as solesongwriter, but the excellentLike This (1984) was handi-capped by distribution problemsand dropped out of sight whenits label folded. The country-inflected Sound of Music cameout on I.R.S. in 1987, but thelabel neglected the dB’s in favorof its star act, R.E.M. The groupfinally disbanded in 1988.
Stamey reunited with the restof the original dB’s lineup toplay a benefit later that sameyear, though, and in 1991 he andHolsapple collaborated on thesuperb Mavericks. The band’scurrent reunion was precipitat-ed by another benefit concert:in November 2003, Stamey andHolsapple got together inRaleigh to help raise money for
Alejandro Escovedo, who’s suf-fering from hepatitis C (andwhose album A Man Under theInfluence Stamey produced).The two old friends discusseddoing another duo album, butinstead decided to enlist Rigbyand Holder and re-form thedB’s. Earlier this year theyrecorded seven new originals,and they’re trying to pick fromamong a dozen more to roundout an album they hope torelease in 2006. This month’sfour-show microtour had only
two stops, each in one of theband’s 80s strongholds—Hoboken, their second homeduring the New York years, andChicago, where WXRT seizedon “Love Is for Lovers” and “ASpy in the House of Love” andthe dB’s played relentlessly insupport of Like This.
During their original run thedB’s earned a reputation as aninspired but uneven live act,and their early-evening set atthe Hideout Block Party borethat out. Wedged into a 45-
minute slot and burdened witha rough mix, they struggled withcomplicated numbers like“Dynamite” and “Cycles perSecond.” Time hasn’t been kindto Holsapple’s voice, whichmade for a murderous renditionof the high-tenor rave-up “Blackand White.” Stamey’s moody“Happenstance,” with its shift-ing dynamics and elaboratearrangement, failed to draw inthe festival crowd, partlybecause the band had upped the
Endearing AmbitionWith the dB’s it’s all about the magic space between what you can doand what you wish you could.
DB’S HIDEOUT BLOCK PARTY & HOUSE OF BLUES, 9/17
Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple at the Hideout Block Party
MA
RTY
PERE
Z
continued on page 32
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ante by replacing the backbeat-driven rhythm of the chorus—the song’s payoff—with some-thing more introspective. Yet onbalance the dB’s provided whatthe large and adoring crowd hadcome to hear, delivering pas-sionate performances of theBeatlesque “Big Brown Eyes,”the Memphis-soul-powered“Living a Lie,” and the blacklyfunny suicide boogie “Amplifier.”
Three and a half hours later theband assembled on the House ofBlues Back Porch Stage, a moreintimate restaurant setting that
allowed Stamey and Holsapple toshow off their stunning guitarwork and rich catalog of songs.
Holsapple delighted the audiencewith WXRT favorites like “LoveIs for Lovers” and “Lonely Is (AsLonely Does),” and Stamey acedtwo wonderful tracks fromStands for Decibels: the gentle,
Kinks-inspired “She’s NotWorried” and the bouncy “I’m inLove” (taken at a less frantic
tempo that highlighted its fineconstruction). Stamey is animpressive fingerstyle guitarist,improvising jazzy staccato solos,and though Holsapple can’tmatch his technique, his own
solos are beautifully written, likelittle self-contained stories. Thecerebral “Cycles per Second” crys-tallized perfectly this timearound—the way the dB’s navi-gated the tune, you could tell thefour of them have been friendsfor more than 30 years.
At the end of the night a stomp-ing crowd coaxed the dB’s backout for a second encore of threenew songs. They promised toreturn next year, though theyhaven’t yet found a label for theirforthcoming album and their abil-ity to tour is limited—they’ve allgot other professional commit-
ments, and Holsapple recentlylost his home in New Orleans.(One of the newly recorded tracks,a cover of the old Jimmy Ruffinsingle “What Becomes of theBroken Hearted,” is for sale on theband’s Web site, with proceeds tobenefit the New OrleansMusicians Relief Fund.) A livedB’s performance may be only anapproximation of the band’sambitious studio concoctions,which may be only an approxima-tion of even more incrediblesounds that only they can imag-ine. But even in middle age,they’re still shooting the moon. v
Stamey and Holsapple playeda stunning game of musicalone-upmanship.
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