4 The Daily Tar Heel Thursday, March 24," 1988
Let's Active comes of age
to shed garage-pop image
By ALLISON PfXE
Staff writer
The Winston-Salem natives who
make up Let's Active have big plans
for everybody when they play
Cat's Cradle Friday night.
it's been two years since Let's
Active released its album Big Plans
For Everybody, but Mitch Easter
and his gang (Angie Carlson, Eric
Marshall and Dennis Ambrose) are
still intact and still playing what
they call "non-boogie. non
Southern pop "
Let's Active began back in 1981
as a trio consisting of vocalist
guitaristsongwriter Easter, bas
sist Faye Hunter and drummer
Sara Romweber (now playing with
Snatches of Pink). By 1984. Let's
Active was touring the States and
England, opening for Echo and the
Bunnymen; this was also the year
it released its first LP, Cypress.
By the release of the fourth Let's
Active LP. Big Plans, both Hunter
and Romweber had left the band.
The trio's sound was pure garage
pop and it earned them a follow
ing of college students - and
"teenyboppers," as Easter says. "I
suppose (they) originally liked us
for the famed "puppies' video
('Every Word Means No')." he
theorizes.
Easter says that the new lineup
is tighter than the previous one.
Dennis Ambrose took over the
bass, Eric Marshall is on drums and
Angie Carlson handles the key
boards and guitar.
"The old band could sound really
charming," Easter says. "Now we
sort of sound tougher, and we
seem to be pretty tight. I think
that the charm is still there, but
l think it's a less silly kind of charm,
we seem to have gotten a lot
louder."
Easter's role as songwriter and
nucleus of let's Active has given
him an almost solo artist status
in the music industry, in fact, there
was some talk of Big Plans album
to be released under Easter's
name. But he says he is not "in
charge" of the band.
"I always wanted everybody to
be involved and get what they
want out of it," Easter says.
"Everybody in the band sort of
figures out a little corner they'd
like to operate in. It's sort of up
to me to write the songs and stuff,
and that's the job I want."
Easter is Very critical of the
music industry and says radio is
the "corruptest" end of it. "I think
radio has an obligation to let
people hear stuff, and they don't
do that," he says. "They always like
to claim that they reflect the
public's taste, but they don't. They
really set tastes. I feel like it's just
a terrible industry. The only thing
that's remotely hopeful is that,
now and then, somebody hip
seems to slip through "
Another prospect of the music
business that irks Easter is Let's
Active's reputation for being a
"cute" band.
"Seeing myself in the mirror, the
word 'cute' is the last thing that
comes to my mind," he says. "All
that cute business, I think, was
probably a necessary evil at the
beginning, and it seemed to work.
That's how we got pegged, and
people seemed to enjoy it at the
beginning, whatever it takes, I
suppose."
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Let's Active will perform at Cat's Cradle Friday
General College
Due to Spring Break, last week's
episode of General College is re
running this week, so we're taking
this opportunity to catch you up
on this semester's action.
Having alienated and offended
Ken, Jason, Kirk and Steve, Meg is
raped by an unknown assailant.
Afterward, she finds she is unable
to deal with herself and others.
Because Chris files sexual harass
ment charges against Kingsley,
Sarah discovers the affair but
agrees to stand by him until the
matter is settled. After receiving
a number of dangerous threats,
Sarah forces Chris to admit to
lying, only to discover while driv
ing that her brakes dont work.
After finally resolving her prob
lems with Brendan, Mary Cathe
rine discovers he has been spend
ing time with Suzy secretly. The
matter is quickly settled, however,
when he proposes.
Unhappy with their lives, Anne
and Courtney accept drug dealer
Tessa's offer to do coke. While
things only get worse for Anne,
Courtney finds a silver lining in
newly-reformed Jason, but both
girls find themselves wanting to
toot again.
Tune in next week for an all-new
episode of General College on STV.
Feel the passion Monday through
Thursday at 11 p.m. Carolina Cable
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