The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 18, 1988, Page 5, Image 5
Features I
Monday, April 18, 1988 THE GAMECOCK 5
Drag the River with Miche
Columbians
By CHUCK DEAN
^ Staff writer
W The crowd was abnormally small at Rockafellas'
Friday night. The band performing was Drag the
River, whose nucleus is Atlanta resident Michelle
Malonc.
Malone has developed a loyal Columbia following
and is one of the most respected and talented
musicians to perform in the city. Friday, Malonc
took the stage with her three-man band, who
anementpd hrr nou'crhnmc tnlpntc What
was a night of first-rate music that left the appreciative
audience completely satisfied.
To describe Malonc's music is as challenging as
administering the Rorschach test. Her voice is
pleasingly calm at one moment yet ready to shift
into a high-geared, charged plea at the next. . .her
hand complying with a thrashing guitar riff.
Malone is a petite woman who, on Friday,
sported a Mafia-like hat with turned down bill ?
allowing the audience to catch only flashes of the
face churning out one mesmerizing song after
anoiner. snc strikingly resembled I'atti Smith.
Watching the band prepare for their show, one
could tell ? from the strict attention given their instruments,
sound and lighting equipment ? that
Drag the River is a band of perfectionists. The concert
that followed simply reinforced this
observation.
Although Drag the River performed some cover
tunes, including songs by the Rolling Stones and
Pink Floyd, the forte of their music rests in original
songs penned by Malone. Her songs are highly personal
and emotionally written in such a manner
that their vitality relies on her acoustic accompani
mcnt. When in top form, Malone's lyrics intertwine
with her manic guitar playing which are then
boosted by her well attuned band. The results are
astonishing.
One of the highlights from Drag the River's conSccrt
was their interpretation of "Mother" from the
album The Wall. Former Floyd songwriter Roger
Waters would be highly proud of this rendition.
Malone's voice, when she sings, "Mama's gonna
put all of her fear into you/ Mama's gonna keep
you right here under her wing/ She won't let you
flv tint chp mioht l#?t vnn cino " Qorms to twist
deep from her insides as if indeed she's speaking of
her mother.
I This is one of the factors contributing to Drag
the River's popularity: they have mastered the
talent of conveying emotion to the audience
through their music. Their sets are well planned
with no lulls, and they involve the audience in a
strange, surrealistic manner.
Some other of Drag the River's staple songs are
"New Experience," "Big Black Bag" and "Under
Memphis Sky."
"New Experience" is a Dylan-like, rollercoasterish
frolic about the limits of love. Malone
\ cuddles to the microphone and proclaims, "I'll
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treated to firsl
give you anything for a new experience/ I'll give
you my left wing for a new experience/ I'll give fifteen
bucks for a new experience/ I'll give you all
my lust for a new experience. . Then, Malonc's
incredibly strong voice trails off into her trademark
wail. These wails are captivating, unspoken words
left to the audience for interpretation.
"Big Black Bag" is another Malone original and
a credit to her songwriting ability. Her strong
points in lyricism are humor and creating striking
images with a few simple words. In "Big Black
Bag" she sings, "His eyes were the color of his
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Michelle Malone, lead singer for Drag the Riv
Malone and her band make frequent appearanc
SPRING
GRADUATES:
nrr
Once again, we're proud to ofl
GMAC College Graduate Fins
Plan. GMAC wants to help us
you the credit you deserve, ar
keys to a new GM car or light
For this special GMAC finar
all you need is your diploma, |
a ir?h p low Hnwn navmpnt th
to meet monthly payments an
GMAC represer
this Friday fron
See the new li
*
Urate rorirert
^ JL. *0^ 8/ J*. -M~ Jk %
car/I'm doing cartwheels in my yard/Today I'm
gonna go too far/Because I got a hand in Big Black
Bag. . ." In concert, the delivery of this song is
unique. A sarcastic grin slowly skirts across her
face as her eyes lift to the ceiling, then the whole
audience. The song about love peaks when she con"Wrll
I leavp von mv nhone bonk/ So von
could try to find mc at all my friends' houses/ But,
1 make up their names/ and I make up their
numbers/ Yeah, and I even make up their
addresses. . ."
The band is Drag the River. The lead singer is
Michelle Malonc. They make regular stops at their
favorite bar, Rockafcllas'; so the next time they're
in town, treat yourself to one of the most entertain
ing and talented bands to hit Columbia's music
scene in a while. You will not be disappointed.
?5^ - - - I -
fi
I ^ ^
CHUCK DEAN/The Gamec
er, Sana her heart out Friday night at Rockafellas'.
es in Columbia.
Per the derogatory credit refer
tnce You'll get $400 off the
give or a 90-day deferral on
id the as a graduation preser
: truck. After all, graduating
icing, is no small achieveme
proof of to offer you one of yoi
ie ability GMAC is an Equal Cre
id no Company
Come in and see us today.
ltatives will be on Green
n 10:00-4:00 to explain tl
ine of GM cars and light
HI
By Michae
The Smithereens, Green Thoughts, I
Enigma/Capitol Records c
With the demise of the Smiths, the a
British band that redefined the term t
"angst," the Smithereens are prov- t
ing to be worthy successors. Where 5
singer Morrissey and guitarist t
Johnny Marr left off with the 1
Smiths, I'at DiNizio and Jim Babjak z
pick up respectfully. I
Green Thoughts, their second r
album, continues where their promis- 1
ing debut Especially for You left us.
DiNizio has a knack for writing lyrics I
that soulfully express his hurt over 1
broken relationships and missing out
on love. On the first single, "Only a
Memory," DiNizio speaks of a
finished relationship that has become
truly painful with poignant lyrics:
"Broken bits of you and me/ Only a
memory. . . In a world of pain/ I
have no peer."
This is not to say that the
Smithereens are just a Smiths clone.
I ITo r- f rr\m it Thn niiirtnf nut
i Greenwich Village, produce a bardedge
guitar sound reminiscent of
fellow Villagers, the Brandos.
Guitarist Jim Babjak's biting licks
are similar to those of Brando David
Kinkaid and both share a common
intensity. With superb rhythmic
force generated by bassist Mike
Mesaros and a crunching drum beat
from Dennis Diken, the band does
not allow themselves to wallow in
DiNizio's misery.
^ Produced by Don Dixon (R.E.M.,
Marshall Crenshaw), Green
Thoughts is more than a study on
fm i ? _ i_ _ : u i _ i.. ii\\r u \i i ^
|gj now iu uc mibciuuic. in wuiiu wt;
Know" and "Drown In My Own
! All Gamecock
from Fall '87 n<
*> their negatives i
the Russell Hoi
ences.
) purchase price,
your payments,
it from GMAC.
from college
nt. We're proud
jr first rewards.
tdit Opportunity
e btreet
he plan.
trucks.
I
y Tuned [
ill
1 Clezie I
"cars" there is instead an acceptance [J
t hn n'?in t a ctnrt /^\/*?r
nd experience new love. Somewhere i
etween DiNi/.io's misery and the at- j
ack brought by Babjak's guitai, the pv:i
Jmithereens prove capable of shif- Fg
ing from mournful ballads to hardlitting
guitar rock. The music proves jpti
ible to rise above the gloominess that
DiNizio in some strange way seems to } elish,
although he is constantly at Ns
jattle with. ! "
With this healthy mix of augst and
hope, the Smithereens are surely pi
[leaded in the right direction. p4;
R.E.M., "Finest Worksong", pi
l.R.S. Records p:i
For the third single from their [p
platinum album Document, R.E.M. pi
decided to return to the studio. The |
result: a remix dance version of |3
"Finest Worksong." Now, with p
tongue firmly in check, I would sup- p3
pose, R.E.M. has somewhat sue- [p
cessfully gone where they dared not fej
step before. With blaring horns, sud- H
den cuts and extended jams, "Finest
Worksong" ushers in a new era for |p
the band: dance club acceptance. p
Kidding aside, the true gem of the p
three-song compilation is a live vcr- m
sion melody of "Time After Time" m
and "So. Central Rain." With Peter |g
Buck accompanying on acoustic p
guitar, Michael Stipe's voice clearly p
floats over the audience and is gripp- I
ing in the passionate rendering of the h
lyrics. p
While not for the casual R.E.M. j.
fan, this compilation is a true must b
for the serious followers of the band. I
ohotoaraohers ii I
> CI >
jed to pick up
in room 321 of |
_____
| PaNTIA^
| | :