ZOUNDS
Pigface
Pigface is more than
the sum of its parts
Killing Joke's Martin Atkins and
Ministry's William Rieflin were the
pistons in the drum engine on Min-
istry's last trek through the states
Following a successful partnership.
Atkins suggested he and Bill do a
record together. They invited some
friends whose day jobs include
Skinny Puppy, Revolting Cocks,
The Jesus Lizard, Nine Inch Nails,
KMFDM, Lab Report and Scorn-
flakes. The result was christened
Pigface. The weird, provocative.
interesting, indulgent and mighty
album was named Gub, after
Atkins' dearly departed cat. It was
recorded and mixed in a little
more than a week by noted guitar
strangler Steve Albini. There are
tricky drum patterns (naturally).
sheets of guitar noise and even the
occasional Doritos bag and hotel
room water tap. "We want to take
chances, says Rieflin. "Our main
guideline was to save fun, not get
bogged down with tie technical
aspects and be more concerned
with the spirit of the moment"
Atkins and Rieflin assembled a
band featuring Killing Joke's Raven
on bass, guitarist William Tucker
"anti-tank guitarist Matt Schulte
and vocalists Chris Connelly and
Ogre to take the show on the
road. The musicians reinvented.
everything each night "Anything
goes in Pigface; you can do what
ever you want. It's more important
for us to have a blast than to play
the album perfect every night
When you set up something that's
supposed to be radical and dan
gerous, and you take it on tour,
and regurgitaté every night, it
becomes hypocrisy and a sham."
Mike Lavella
Smashing Pumpkins
I found myself saying things in music that is reflects. "My father was a musician
wasn't saying in life," says Billy Corgan, gui
tarist/vocalist of the Smashing Pumpkins.
"My whole life has been a series of failed
lationships-music is the one relationship
I'm really comfortable in. It's also the most
painful." The Pumpkins revel in a sense of
wracked catharsis, an ailing, dejected, hard
volume sound on their turbulent, troubled
debut album, Gish. The Chicago quartet cel
ebrates a sort of neurotic confidence.
through stinging melodies and spectacular
guitar washes. "Music had a very negative
connotation for me growing up," Corgan
ho had cheated on my mother. I've
gone through two marriages and
gotten busted for drugs. The guitar
was connected with all sorts of nega
tive, emotions and failure-it just
pushed me to do something pure
with it." After the Pumpkins' two
out-of-print singles and in
d innumerable
sold-out Chicago club dates later, Corgan's
an almost happy man. "Originally I thought
it was necessary to make a connection with
the audience," he says. "I've found that the
real power lies in making that connection
with myself, getting out all that confusion,
all that frustration, all those manic mood-
swings. What can I say? My emotions con-
sume me. This band is like therapy. Primal
scream, y'know?"
-Mike Gitter