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Thursday, September 18, 1997
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The Mighty Mighty Bosstones strutted into the Ritz on Sept. 10 and put on a
show that was indicative of their usual high-power intensity.
Weekend Excursion polishes pop
Once the word about an up-and-com
ing band gets out, it spreads like wildfire.
This being the case, the Greensboro
based band Weekend Excursion has
become the talk of the town.
With their new self-titled, self
released CD full of genuine rock tunes,
Weekend
Excursion is
leaving
almost every
one who
hears them in
| BROCK PIERCE]
CD Review
Weekend Excursion
A-
complete awe. They accomplish all of
this without flashy musical displays.
Instead they reach for the essence of
pop rock with a musical sound that has
been compared to a combination of
artists like Hootie and the Blowfish,
Dave Matthews Band and Blues
Traveler.
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The most surprising thing about
Weekend Excursion, however, may be
their sophistocated sound despite the
fact that they have yet to be called up to
the big leagues of musical artists.
This is instantly apparent from the
album’s first track “Realize,” on which
lead singer Aaron Shepard’s polished
sounding vocals strike the listener as
coming from a seasoned front man of a
long established rock group.
The next track, “Getting By,” takes
the sound yet another level higher as an
acoustic guitar opening soon becomes
intertwined with Shepard’s lamenting
vocals. With Michael Ferry’s violin
intermittently breaking in, the song then
gives way to a poignant electric guitar
solo that fades out tastefully at the end.
The result of all this is a mature pop
rock sound that maintains a fun-loving
DIVERSIONS Music
Bosstones rock Ritz with sounds of ska
Concert-goers needed the drenching
rain as they left the sweaty confines of
the Ritz Theatre after bowing to their
gods, the kings of ska, The Mighty
Mighty Bosstones.
These masters of ska grooved into
Raleigh on Wednesday, September 10,
one of the first stops on their latest tour.
The Boston
grown octet
has built a
humongous
following by
catering to its
fans, and the
group’s shows
reciprocate
; ERINWYNIA j
Concert Review
The Mighty Mighty
Bosstones
The Ritz Theatre,
Raleigh
A
the admiration and support of then
devotees.
Lead singer Dicky Barrett paused in
the middle of the band's set to explain
how they had been having difficulties
since the tour began.
"But tonight, things have just clicked.
attitude without jeopardizing artistic
integrity. Unlike many new bands who
suffer from incongruance between
vocals and instrumentals, Weekend
Excursion’s vocals and actual music
feed off and complement each other.
The song “Nothing to Lose” is cer
tainly evidence of the band’s ability to
mesh the finest elements of their talent
together. Cutting guitar teams up with
segments of violin which become lay
ered with Shepard’s smooth vocals and
results in an absolute treat for the ears.
Another striking element of the
album is the consistent quality of tunes
that persists throughout. Substandard
tunes and songs used just to fill album
space are nowhere to be found. Instead,
songs like “Nine Days” and “Hard
Times” prove the entire CD is an
absolute blast to hear.
With so many new rising bands try
ing to make their way in the music
world, it is often difficult to distinguish
one from the other. But, with its distinct
and shining style, Weekend Excursion is
no flash-in-the-pan band and promises
to distinguish itself with its catchy tunes
and sharp melodies.
'BOS MUSIC
FROM PAGE 5
case in point exists with ’Bos rock gurus
Van Halen. The showboating David Lee
Roth singing lead vocals and Eddie Van
Halen playfully strumming through gui
tar riffs on the song “Jump” bring back
memories of a time when rock music
meant having fun and letting loose.
Gone are the days of huge popularity
for hard rockers like Bon Jovi, Poison
and Def Leppard. These are the bands
who sported parachute pants and whose
mere existence caused sudden hairspray
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And we thank you,” he told the boister
ous crowd.
The Bosstones pride themselves on
being a fan-oriented band, and they
staged quite a show for their Triangle
followers.
Prodded by the “Mighty, mighty,
boss-tones” chants of the crowd, the
group strutted onstage to the “James
Bond" theme song, clad in the charac
teristic threads of ska: plaid suits and
sunglasses.
The wooden flames placed around
the stage as backdrops underscored the
steamy warehouse, and Barrett soon lost
both sunglasses and jacket as the band
kicked into overdrive.
The group, which plays at least 300
gigs a year, proved their merit as sea
soned, charismatic performers. They
played a satisfying mix of old and new
songs beginning with “Noise Brigade,”
off their new album “Let’s Face It.”
The horn section, trombonist Dennis
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With a mature blend of pop and rock, the Greensboro-based Weekend Excursion is attracting a lot of attention. The
band frequently plays in the Chapel Hill area and has gained the respect of a number of area music listeners.
shortages. They have all now been
replaced by an assortment of toned
down “MTV Unplugged” albums by the
likes of everyone from 10,000 Maniacs
to Eric Clapton.
But, the ’Bos are by no means dead.
There are a growing number of people
who are pulling those dusty Huey Lewis
and the News CDs from the back of
their shelves and letting them blast on
the stereo.
Sick of the increasing social cynicism
in the ’9os, quite a few music lovers con
tinue to turn back the clock and listen to
all those synth-rich tunes. Local radio
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Equipped tor the Hearing Impaired
Brockenborough and saxophonists
Kevin Lenear and Tim Burton, wailed
as they expertly provided the brass
sound which adds texture to the punk
base of the band’s sound.
The remainder of the group showed
excellent technical skills, igniting the
music.
By the time they played their more
familiar material, such as “Someday I
Suppose," “Where’d You Go?” and their
new radio material (“The Impression
That I Get”), the Bosstones had
whipped the crowd into a bouncing,
ecstatic frenzy.
Periodically, fans would hop onstage
to dance, and Barrett humored them by
allowing them to sing along with him
before he sent them back to crowd-surf.
After one hour of continuous jam
ming, both the band and the crowd
appeared drained from the energetic
show.
Still, they returned for an encore per
stations have even budgeted special
blocks of time for ’Bos retro weekends
and shows.
The Chapel Hill area is also catching
the flashback fever which is made evi
dent by the ’Bos dance that will take
place tonight at the Cat’s Cradle in
Carrboro.
So, when you get a little annoyed
from watching the newest episode of
“The Real World” or “Road Rules" just
take a minute and think back to the time
when lively ’Bos music, and not a group
of spatting roommates, was the main
topic of interest on MTV.
Perhaps R.E.M. summed up the
carefree mindset better than anyone:
“It’s the end of the world as we know it,
and I feel fine.” And such was music in
the ’Bos.
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formance including “Seven Thirty-
Seven/Shoe Glue,” concluding a great
show for area ska-core worshippers and
novices alike.
Perhaps, the constant interaction
between the band and the crowd high
lighted the entire evening. Such a con
nection is evidence of why the
Bosstones have formed that bond
between the audience that is essential for
musical success.
Playing in small venues is nothing
new for the Bosstones. In fact, over the
years they have gained a reputation for
for packing their high intensity shows
into clubs which usually results in a very
lively reaction. Tonight was certainly no
exception.
Although many of the fans at the
show are accustomed to hear the band’s
songs on the radio, the opportunity to
hear the Bosstones in a venue with a
small size like the Ritz really brought
out the band’s true flavor.
'BOS FASHION
FROM PAGE 5
they belonged. There are no neon
checkerboards, busy pastel florals or
primary-colored paint spatterings.
Jelly shoes have resurfaced a couple
times since their initial decade of glory,
but they have never enjoyed the same
kind of success as the originals. Recent
jellies have all been see-through takes on
the plain, buckling Mary Jane which
could never hope to rival their open
toed, candy-colored plastic predeces
sors.
Legwarmers may never make a
come-back. Sure, they seem like a great
idea —a sweater for cold calves —but
they probably would not be the most
practical accessories to wear bunched
around the ankles of this season’s wide
legged pants.
Not everything works the second
time around, but everything works in
the privacy of your own room. So,
maybe those o-rings and zippered jack
ets could stay in the front of the closet
just for those situations that call for
dancing around the room to songs from
when Madonna was like a virgin and
Prince wore purple.