never got to drink for free or get laid, we just got impression had solidified amid the ominously
to play a lot," he says.
Murphy's Law recently plowed through the
Stone in San Francisco, and left a smoking trail of
churning charisma. At one point they were joined
by Junior, their self-proclaimed greatest fan.
"Junior was goin' off, man," says guitarist Todd
Youth. Jimmy agrees, "Junior, to me, makes it
worth driving twenty hours to get here. He was
fuckin' out of his mind, having the best time.
Junior's pet turtle could have died today and he
didn't care, he was just psyched. Sometimes kids
dressed depressives and members of the Prince-
ton intelligentsia.
The band has released an album and one sin-
gle for Sub Pop Records and plans to tour Europe
this summer. Reverend Horton Heat is as gen-
uine and straight forward as they come. Even
after selling out shows in the U.S. and touring
European countries, the band still humbly plays a
couple nights in hometown Dallas with the same
sincerity. Reverend Horton Heat for the future.
-Derek Rinaldi
just come in and they're not thinking about any MC 900 Ft. Jesus
thing that's going on outside the door. They're
just having a good time venting and letting loose."
The band's latest is the rambunctiously opti-
mistic The Best Of Times, featuring the ever cru-
cial NYHC sound with sonic blasts from Law's
Burping Brass Section (Johnny Banks on trumpet
and Raven on sax), adding critical flashes of
dynamics. "Car Song" and "Tight" explore the
high-tensile fibers of hard ska stretched taut,
replete with soulful hom accents and screaming
bossa nova vocals. On "Beer Bath," the band,
driven by the rowdy rhythm section of Doug
Beans on drums and Chuck Valle on bass, rages
down in full throttle anthem format. "Freaktown" is
a funky, freaky trip-out, and "Harder Than Who?"
points out the ignorance of fighting each other
when we really should fight the powers that be.
No matter what they do, says Jimmy, "It's all
rock and roll, when it comes down to it. All death
metal, thrash metal, skate metal, skate-thrash-
death-metal upside down skinheads farting, it's
all rock and roll."
-Brian Brannon
Rev. Horton Heat
A life of dumb redneck damnation stared James
Heath dead in the face, but then he was shown
the light and ordained himself the Rev. Horton
Heat. "When I saw the Cramps in Dallas," he
says, "it changed my life." Now, almost eleven
years later, Reverend Horton Heat and The
Cramps are touring together across the country.
The current three-piece has been together for
three years and would rather not be known as
rockabilly. "We started out as just a straight rock
band, but we are always trying something on the
edge," explains the Rev.
In a recent show in Trenton, New Jersey, the
crowd filing in to see the Cramps didn't know
what to expect from the Heat. Before they hit the
stage, the main focus of discussion was the
Psycho televangelist God rapper Oral Roberts
vision of a nine-hundred fool Christ prompted
Mark Griffin to name himself MC 900 Foot Jesus.
Thus he was reborn onstage as "a borderline
psychotic street person who thinks he's some
kind of prophet, but also thinks he's a rapper."
With a 1988 New Year's resolution to do a solo
record, a new sampler and borrowed money in
hand, Griffin laid down his first Ep. In 1990.
he created the searing Hell With The Lid Off.
that pronounced death on the sloppy, boring,
techy industro-cheese of the time. The
record had evangelists, insane killers, psy-
chotic homeless, chanting natives and
invading UFOs. These characters danced in
a foreground of hip-hop laced with lively
jazz, industrial crunch, and the rolling, whip-
ping scratches of DJ Zero. Meanwhile, the
vocals rapped, sneered, snarled out of a
bullhom, and whispered over a background
of strong bass.
Considering Hell, one might think Mark
On Welcome To My Dream, Griffin didn't want
to rehash the sound of his first two releases. "I
went and did the second album, and I'm going.
Jesus Christ. You can spend two days sequenc-
ing the perfect conga part, or you can just get
one of your friends who are great conga players
to lay down a track." Thus, Welcome To My
Dream lost its industrial edge and gained a
moody jazz feel with a heavy hip-hop flavor.
"Falling Elevators" starts the album with a rolling
bass, distant scratches and a moody feeling of
midnight rain. Jazzy horns and keyboards intro-
duce the 900 Foot Jesus as he tells of his surre-
al visions. "The City Sleeps" is a slow visual piece
sung by a pyromaniac attempting to set a city
ablaze. Of course, someone had to blame Griffin
for inciting arson, and the call was answered by
the Maryland State Fire Marshall. "There's an
issue here of people trying to blame pop songs
for society's problems," was Griffin's reply.
While more tech oriented and hip-hop acts tend
to fall back on technology and get lazy, live MC
900 Foot Jesus is real people with real instru-
ments, making real music. From Chris Dirkx on
drums, jazz-heavy Chris McGuire on sax, to DJ
Baby G (replacing Zero) on turntables, the band
smokes, with or without DAT backup. The impro-
visations of the horns are fresh and furious, but
the crowd charmer is often DJ Baby G. A third
place finisher in the London World DJ competi-
tions, he's mystifyingly fast and can scratch with
his bare feet, elbows and other body parts.
Meanwhile, Mark Griffin transforms into one of
his strange-but-true characters. "It's interesting
for me to look at someone exhibiting this bizarre
thought process and try to connect the dots,"
says Griffin, "and, I'm also fascinated with people
who also see the world from a totally different
perspective."
stand-up bass and new Gretsch reissue illumi- Griffin had been hard at work for years in the Treepeople
nated on stage. From the moment the introduc
tion was made, up until the last song, a positive
underground, but his music background is actu-
ally quite formal. He holds a degree in trumpet,
has had orchestral training, and worked as a
contract musician for awhile. He even
backed up Charo. For two years, howev-
er, he pursued a corporate gig back
home in Dallas. This led to disillu-
sionment, a job at a record
store, and exposure to al-
ternative music. He im-
mersed himself in sam
pling, but after the
first Lp, the novelty
had worn off. Says
Griffin, "There are
some things sam-
ples and beat boxes
are great at, so I
use them for that.
But other things
sound better with
a live musician."
-Mark Madeo
are at its forefront. After releasing their album
The Boise sound is rising and the Treepeople
Guilt, Regret, Embarrassment on Toxic Shock,
they relocated to Seattle and switched to C/Z.
With their newest, Something Vicious For Tomor
row, they are already on the road.
The Treepeople consist of recently acquired
drummer Eric Akre, bassist Pat Brown, with Doug
Martsch and Scott Schmaljohn sharing guitar and
vocal duties. I tracked them down in their pseudo
home/van outside the DPC in Tucson, Arizona.
They talked about mindbending freakouts at
Magic Mountain and plans to play a benefit for
Jerry Brown in Georgia. Other happening Tree-
people-approved Boise bands include: Toxic
Resin, Gravel Truck, Hardluck Shovel. Hagus
and the Deep Down Trauma House. I was sur-
prised when they told me all the members of the
band had a skateboarding history. The bassist,
Pat, had even been seen in Thrasher (January
1987) riding the Boise pipes. -Kevin Jarvis
CASSETTES,
CHAIN
WALLETS, AND
POSTERS
AVALABLE!
SESSIONS
CONCRETE MEX
PEGBOY
PUNK SHIRTS $13.95 EA.
U.R.G.E
OTHER BANDS
AFGHAN WHIGS
AGNOSTIC FRONT
(RED BLACK OR WHITе)
EYE SON 4.95
Engineer Boots Sa
STANDARD (PICTURED) $42.95
CABALLERO $56.95
CHUKKA BOOTS 543.96
NTS
NOT THE SAME
AIRWALK
Beck, Green Blue, or Yellow
$59.9
AIRWALK
PLUS
$59.95
BOLD
BUTTHOLE SURFER VANS
DANZIG
CRAMPS
CURE
NAPALM DEATH NIRVANA FACE SOUNDGARDEN
PEGBOY
Icet
AFHGAN WHIGS URGE OVERKILLD RI
PARA DEAD KENNEDYS
DEAD MILKMEN
DEPECHE MODE
DINOSAUR JR
SM PMK DEVIL
CURE IN BETWEEN
DMM SOUL ROT. ICET KNEELING BUTTHOLE LOCUST
PANTERA FUGAZI
lush
PEARL JA
EXPLOITED
FLUID
PRIMUS CLAY FRONT 242
CET
JANES ADDICTION
JOHNNY ROTTEN
JOY DIVISION
KMFDM
LEMONHEADS
40
Zero Two...$59.95
Bamey-Blace Brows
Simple
Available Mid August
SKATEBOARD T-SHIRTS
HOLE
JANES FAMILY
LUSH
PEARL JAM ALIVE
MORRISSEY L
MELVINS
MINISTRY
MELVINS
MINOR THREAT
MISFITS
MUDHONEY
NAKED RAYGUN
MY BL VALENTINE PANTERA
DINOSAURU
FUGAZI GROUP
EGGNOG
MELVINS
NEW ORDER
PRIMUS CHEESE RHCP ROLLER NWA
GUY MARIANO
ROLLING
DINO JR COW
SLAYER EAGLE SMITHS STRESS SD HEAVENHELL GOOFLESH
TAD
SEP TURA
CHILIPEPPERS
$59.9
$49.9
$13.95 EAC
ND. MONTESSI PLAN B HENSLEY GUERRER
SESSIONS
PUBLIC ENEMY
PUBLIC IMAGE LTD
RAMONES
REM
REVOLTING COCKS
SAMHAIN
SEX PISTOLS
SEPULTURA
SIOUXSIE
J.GRARD
SISTERS OF MERCY SESSIONS
SKINNY PUPPY
SLAPSHOT
SMITHS
SMASHING PUMPK
SOCIAL DIST
SESSIONS DOT N DEAL A BARAJAS JIVE ARTIFICI
PEARL JAM
A
SESSIONS PLATE UND ELEMENTS
ND CACLE
GOLD DIGGE
ALSO:
TAD
SONIC YOUTH
SMITHS MEAT SUICIDAL TEND
DIDJITS
SEPULTURA THRILL KILL KULT SONIC YOUTH
SOUNDGARDEN
MINISTRY
RINSTERZENDE STONE ROSES
THRILL KILL KULT
UNIFORM CHOICE
NEUBAUTEN YOUTH OF TODAY
SLAVER
DWAY MAT
SESSIONS HENSLEY
STUSSY
VERB ASSAULT NIRVANA LADY
DIDUITS
MET TOUR MINISTRY HOTROD E NEUBAUTEN
STUSSY
JIVE
ETNES
REAL
UNDERWORL
ELEMENT
LONG SLEEVE
This is just a sample of the things we carry. We have over 300 designs of music tees and are always getting in new stuff. Call if you don't see what you want.
SKATEBOARD DECKS $41.95
POWELL
H-STREET
PLAN B
WORLD INDUSTRIES
KOKLIEB
PLANET EARTH
NEW DEAL
101
BLIND
THINK
SANTA CRUZ
THE FIRM
SKATE:
H-ST Next
SMA
PLAN B
REAL
OTHERS
ADD $2.00 FOR HST DECKS, ADD $8.00 FOR SLICK BOTTOM DECKS
TO ORDER:
By Phone: call between 9 and 5 pacific time Mon-Fri
By Mail: Send check or money order with your order to:
Sessions Mail Order
Department T
989 E. California Ave., Ste. 3
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
(408) 735-1138
24 Hour Fax 4087357299
VIDEOS
MUSIC:
CURE
NEW DEAL
SANTA CRUZ
POWELL HOT BATCH
MINOR THREAT
JOY DIVISION
JANES ADDICTION
MORRISSEY
CHLIPEPPERS
CALL NOW
FOR A FREE
CATALOG!!!
HATS
H-ST
NEW DEAL
BLIND
PLAN B
STUSSY
THRASHER
DR MARTENS
SESSIONS
COD Available, add $5.00
ADD $4.00 FOR UPS BLUE LABEL AIR
IF YOU'RE UNDER 19 YRS OLD HAVE YOUR
Prices Subject To Change Without Notice Mail In Orders Plesse List Substitutions And A Daytime Phone Number PARENTS THERE WHEN YOU ORDER.
Pants & Shorts
JIVE
SANTA CRUZ
STUSSY
PLAN B
NEW DEAL
FUCT
Shipping & Handling
for US & Canada:
Subtotal UPS Ground
Under $45 $4.97
$45-$75
$75-$100
$100-Up
$6.25
$7.15
$8.25
Please add shipping charges to all orders
CA scents add 25% sales tax.
AK, HI, PR Air only. Add $0.00 to ground price