Thursday September 28, 1989
I INI SlTAdE
Bands hook fans with boisterous pop
The Popes
with Satellite Boyfriend
Friday, Sept 29, 10:30 p.m.
Cat's Cradle
Tickets $7
. n Friday, Sept. 29, two of the
(area's best pop bands, The
Popes and Satellite Boyfriend,
will be performing together at the
Cat's Cradle. Anyone who appreci
ates quality songwriting full of memo
rable hooks, musicians who are more
concerned with their music than their
image, and live shows where preten
sion is absent and dancing isn't ta
boo don't miss this show!
The Popes are a four-man combo
comprised of Steve Rupenthal (gui
tar, vocals), John Elderkin (guitar,
vocals), Henry Pharr (bass, backing
vocals) and Jim Rumley (drums, bro
ken cymbals).
The band has been on the scene
for a little over two years, having
come together soon after Rupenthal
and Elderkin began jamming as a duo
during their senior-year at UNC.
Bassist Pharr left the group he was
with at the time so. he could work
with the two talented, easy-going
guitaristssongwriters. Though
Rumley has only been with the band
for a few months, he's the drummer
they've been looking for all along.
When asked to cite major influ
ences on his songwriting, Elderkin
didn't offer any specfic names and
said his tastes had changed a lot since
the band's early days. Rupenthal re
plied to the same question in typi
cally understated fashion, saying
"most of the British guys," i.e. the
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Eric Andersen, folksinger extraordinaire and composer of "Thirsty Boots," the
anthem of the Freedom Riders, will be making a lone North Carolina appearance
1 0 p.m Monday night at the Cat's Cradle. Tickets are $6 in advance and $7 at the
door. They can be purchased from School Kids Records or Record Bar.
Doug Edmunds
usual list of geniuses like Lennon,
McCartney, Davies, Townshend.
Song arrangements usually are a group
effort. The group's sound seems to be
headed toward a sophisticated pop
rock not unlike late-sixties period
Who or Village Green period Kinks.
But don't mistake these guys for just
another '60s retro band, because their
material is refreshingly original and
above cheap imitation.
The Popes have toured up and
down the East Coast in support of
last year's 6-song EP, Hi, We're The
Popes, a wonderful batch of melodic
- pop that received critical raves. The
band was pleased with the record but
extremely frustrated by its lack of
distribution. Next time they hope to
overcome this problem by signing a
recording contract with a well-distributed
independent label.
In October, the band will meet
with representatives from Incas Rec
ords the New Haven-based label
responsible for early offerings by
Miracle Legion, Dumptruck and Spi
ral Jetty to discuss a possible sign
ing. Elderkin calls this process "highly
frustrating" due to endless legalities,
flaky AR men and the elusive luck
factor.
The group is looking forward to
traveling north for shows in Boston
and New York, but the members agree
that releasing a full-length record is
their top priority for the months
ahead. Beyond that, they are hesi
tant to predict the future. The Popes
say they're happy to be playing with
Satellite Boyfriend, a band they all
respect and like, at the club owned
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'Hi! We're
by the rrtan they like to call "the
fifth Pope." The group says, with a
collective grin, that owner Frank
Heath often barbecues with the band
and takes them to Durham Bulls
games.
Satellite Boyfriend has been craft
ing boisterous pop rock since early
1986, when lead singerguitarist Phil
Collins was still commuting from
Chapel Hill to Burlington for weekly
prcctices. Guitarist Sam Dennis, bas
sist Andy Ware and drummer John
David Eliason have since relocated
to Raleigh, while Collins remains in
Chapel Hill.
In the beginning Collins handled
most of the songwriting, but recently
it has become a collective effort. He
said self-effacihgly that writing songs
used to be easy for him when creat
ing melodies for "Louie, Louie" type
chord progressions still seemed fresh
and exciting.
Now the whole band pitches in to
help craft songs which, Collins ad
mitted, are still pretty clear in their
musical heritage. Like any intelligent
musician, he hates to label his band's
sound, but he mentioned that Satel
lite Boyfriend has been compared to
the Who, the Knack, the Replace
ments and even "Neil Young meets
the Partridge Family." "
The most exciting thing happen
ing for the band right now is the
imminent release of its first LP, Yes,
Ma' can. The group is putting out both
albums and CDs on its own Stew
Records, (named in honor of an old
friend), and is glad to have finally
packaged three years worth of record
ings for commercial sale. Some of
the material was recorded locally,
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The Popes.' And they're at the Cradle
some in Raleigh, and a few songs
were done with Mitch Easter at his
Drive-In studio in Winston-Salem.
Collins says he expects the record
to be somewhat uneven-sounding due
to the various studios and producers
involved. But he's happy with the
mixture of material, calling it "our
greatest hits without the hits."
Collins says the group's biggest
priority in the next six months is
paying debts that releasing the LP
has created. Black Park Records in
Raleigh is helping with promotion
and management, so the members of
Satellite Boyfriend won't have to
in
tOt Vt Franklin St, Oupd HW
Call MT-9033
TMTftgntiaT
Cindy Lee Berryhill
9 11 Friday
The Popes & Satellite Boyfriend
920 Saturday
Johnny Quest
101 Snnda
The ITALS (Jamaican ressac)
10g Honda
Eric Anderson
1C3 Tuesday
Brickbat, The Insurgcnce
Sticks and Stones
1v?ThHn4T
Royal Crescent Mob
Advaace tickets available
11 ever aaittydj
HOI
this Friday.
handle all the cards themselves. The
band plans on doing a bit more tour
ing to support the record, and Collins
hopes to send out copies to college
radio stations around the country.
The friendly, unpretentious lead
singer is philosophical about the fu
ture of pop music and Satellite
Boyfriend's role in it. He sees the
form getting more and more homoge
nous, increasingly derivative but
admits that he's at a loss for finding
totally new ways to present pop rock.
Still, his outlook remains optimistic
as he eagerly awaits the next big revo
lution in rock'n'roll.
THE
Saturdays 7 am-12 noon
Roberson St., Carrboro
Tuesdays 7-11 am
Cedar Falls Park, Weaver
Dairy Rd., Chapel Hill
On sale will be vegetables in season,
tomatoes, summer squash, garden
rocket arugula, organic vegetables,
fresh baked goods, gourmet food,
goat cheese, eggs, herb vinegars,
honey, jams, jellies, pickles,
bedding plants, garden art, and
other crafts. As always all products
are locally grown and made by
participating vendors. So visit the
Farmers' Market to buy or browse.
Bring a friend or meet a new one.
RAIN OR SHINE
Open til December 16
Some items not available on Tuesday.