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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 2000)
La Zoo captures wild sound in tame studio setting ■ The release of the CD “Media Zebra” offers fans a chance to hear the live sounds they’ve loved for years and come to expect By Yael Menahem Oregon Daily Emerald La Zoo. Interesting name for a band whose sounds are as eclectic as its name. The music is a “mixture of funk, hip-hop, acid-jazz [and] global-groove,” the group’s gui tarist/percussionist Brent Bosworth says. Fans of La Zoo and new listeners alike can hear that catch-all mix at the Wild Duck Saturday night, when the band throws a CD release party to celebrate “Media Zebra.” The six current members of the band have been together for five years, and this CD is either La Zoo’s second or third release, “de pending on who you ask on any given day,” reads the liner notes for “Media Zebra.” Band mem bers are Bosworth, Eric Abate, Ed win Coleman III, Will Moye, Dave O’Toole and Brian Price. This latest La Zoo release is the result of six to eight months of re hearsals in the form of live shows. The band recorded “Media Ze bra” at Eugene’s Pro Arts Produc tion studio during one weekend. The sound that La Zoo aimed for was a reproduction of its live sound but created in a studio. Bosworth maintains that many bands record a CD in the studio and make themselves sound better using studio tricks that they can’t reproduce onstage. La Zoo man aged to do a studio recording that captures the sound that its fans have loved for years and know they will hear at a live show. The band also wanted to make this 18-track release more radio friendly, without losing its jam session sound, Bosworth says. Each member of the band con tributes to writing the music, and as a group they fuse the various efforts to create their sound as a group, though “most songs are doctored,” Bosworth says. The band’s influences range from Miles Davis to Yes to The Beatles, and each musician’s his tory has spanned decades. Bosworth has been a composer for 30 years and has performed with bands such as Wisdom Star, the Bosworth Brothers and White Liberals. Abat§, who sometimes adds a touch of French rap to the music — he’s originally from Lyon, France — attended the ac claimed Aimera Jazz School of Music in France and is a former member of the group Love, Death 0007307 ControlSuPPltes Health Services toseelffoutiuaW - 0planr!?dh ste" ig- ***** Courtesy of La Zoo La Zoo plays its funky brand of jazz Saturday night at the Wild Duck. The show doubles as a CD release party. & Agriculture. With its second (or maybe third) CD packaged and ready to sell, La Zoo is planning to tour in San Francisco and Los Angeles in February. Abate plans to visit Eu rope soon with hopes of landing the band some overseas jazz festi val dates for this summer. In addi tion, Bosworth says the band is also interested in having its songs appear on film and television soundtracks. Catch La Zoo, an original band with a funked-up acid jazz sound, Saturday at the Wild Duck, 169 W. Sixth Ave. Doors open at 9 p.m., and the music begins at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased only on the day of the show. VH1 rock poll denies satisfaction ■ A recent poll conducted by a music video station offers some off-base picks for the top rock song By Jack Clifford Oregon Daily Emerald In case you missed this news last week, VHl conducted a poll of 700 music industry people, and the group chose The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” as the greatest rock song of all time. That choice begs an obvious question: What exactly does VH stand for, “Very High”? Don’t get me wrong, I like the Stones. In fact, when I turn 80 years old I’d like nothing better than to have Mick and the boys play at my birthday party. If they’re not still on the road, that is. (What might a 2050 Rolling Stones tour be called, “Steel Wheelchairs”?) Seriously though, the VHl top selection is a fine tune and any one older than 25 years has prob ably engaged in some rather illic it activity while listening to the 1965 song about, what else, sex. But rockingest ditty ever? Don’t think so. In fact, Keith Richards has said that the words and music came to him one night while he was sleeping, which doesn’t exactly evoke images of raising the roof. By the way, how did Richards recognize the difference in his consciousness? To be blunt, “Satisfaction” is n’t even the best Stones song of all time. “Sympathy for the Dev il,” which at least made the list of 100 greatest at No. 26, is better than the poll winner. For that matter, so is just about anything off that “Sympathy” album, “Beggar’s Banquet.” Todd Schwartz, VHl program ming director told the Associated Press that “[‘Satisfaction’] kind of sticks up as an anthem for the time it was released and for every generation that came since.” Yep. All of those wacky kids going bonkers during last sum Commentary Jack Clifford mer’s Woodstock were secretly wearing headphones, listening to Jagger’s lips flap, while Limp Bizkit’s cry to “Break Stuff’ went unheard. More to the point, the list didn’t have anything on it past the 1991 release of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” which ended up No. 41. So, let’s see the Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” makes the cut at No. 8, but Beck’s “Loser” doesn’t even crack the top 100. Who sponsored the vote, the makers of Prozac? Schwartz pointed out that the voters for this poll were older than the network’s usual audi ence, which falls into the 30 and older category. Remember that Abbie Hoffman once said never trust anyone over the age of 30. Amend that to read “especially voters in a rock-music poll.” Easily the most glaring omis sion from the list is a song, any song, by Santana. In a monumen tal lapse of music appreciation, voters put Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” in the top 100 but left off Carlos Santana, the “guitar man,” arguably the best ever. “Free Bird” made it for God’s sake, but not Santana? Supernat ural forces must have been at work. Another unacceptable over sight by the voters was ignoring Chrissie Hynde and The Pre tenders. Ask any female rocker today who influenced her the most, and the overwhelming re sponse would be Hynde. Either “Middle of the Road” or “Brass in Pocket” would be a perfect choice from The Pretenders. Getting back to the overall line up, Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” came in second. Since dishing dirt on the Queen of Soul is strictly forbidden, we’ll let that choice slide. Besides, the song’s pretty damn good. Following Aretha in slots three through five are Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” — What? Not “Whole Lotta Love” or “Dazed and Confused”? — then Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” and finally Bruce Spring steen’s “Born to Run,” perhaps the most sensible pick of the top bunch. Pickings became more ques tionable as the top ten rounds VHT’s top ten rock songs of all time 1. “Satisfaction," The Rolling Stones 2. “Respect,” Aretha Franklin 3. “Stairway to Heaven," Led Zep pelin 4. “Like A Rolling Stone," Bob Dy lan 5. “Born to Run,” Bruce Spring steen 6. “Hotel California,” The Eagles 7. “Light My Fire,”The Doors 8. “Good Vibrations,” the Beach Boys 9. “Hey Jude,” The Beatles 10. “Imagine,” John Lennon For the complete list of 100 songs, plus the top ten in other cate gories, go to the VH1 Web site, www.vhl ,com/insidevh1/shows/ KXLgreat. SOURCE: VW out. “Light My Fire” by The Doors in seventh place? The Bea tles’ “Hey Jude” in the ninth spot? Oh, the humanity. Interestingly, the song most likely to be heard coming from a high school marching band, “Louie Louie,” finished 11th overall. So what is the top rock song of all time? Right. You don’t expect me to answer that one, do you? No thanks. I just write the cri tiques, I don’t provoke them. Unless, of course, you want to debate the best movie of all time.
