It seems that a new post punk record is released every week. Recently, they
all seem to share a lot of the same math-rock, punk, and no wave influences,
but, as in any other genre, not least in genres such as this one where there
are a lot of bands with a similar vision, only the bands with something new
to offer can be regarded as outstanding. This is why bands such as the Ex
Models and Numbers stand out amidst so many Fire Engines-wannabes.

The Ed Kemper Trio's twist to the typical post punk formula might have
something to do with where they were raised. Unlike a lot of Northeastern
post punk bands that have been playing recently, it seems that no one in the
Ed Kemper Trio has listened to a Talking Heads record in his or her life.
They seem to have replaced the heavy dosage of David Byrne and co that a lot
of Northeastern bands have been taking with extra-heavy servings of Sonic
Youth, with a dash of screamo (the more Southern trend mentioned earlier)
for good measure.

For most tracks on How to Win a Sword Fight, stop-start guitars pair with
off-kilter drums to give the album a very Paper Chase-ish feel (see "And
Here's Why" and "Why Death Works"). Songs that sound more nervous and
frenetic are surely the strongest on the album, though such a technique is
demonstrated very rarely here. "Hard and Black" is the song that utilizes
such freneticism best. Here, the vocals sound less like a sixteen year-old
boy in a punk band and more like a completely insane yet talented man.

Though it is impossible to guess what direction the band will shift towards
in the future, this reviewer surely hopes to see more of their crazy,
paranoid side in a move away from predictability and repetition.

Reviewed by Jeanette Samyn

It's obvious that the Ed Kemper Trio are strongly drawn to '90s Touch & Go albums and sport an apparent admiration for all things Albini. However, they haven't limply prostrated themselves on the Altar of Steve, relegating themselves to Big Black/Rapeman ripoff territory. Rather, the band digests and processes classic math rock components and then spits out its own chunky, odd time signatures and unpredictable melodic changes. "What's New No. 2?" begins with a spirited musical tantrum that eventually slams into a wall of shrill feedback. Schizophrenic and relatively indecipherable vocals jostle for position before the entire band slows down for a slow-burning finale. There may indeed be a touch of murderous serial killer curiosity on such tracks as "Bleeding Strategy", "A Blow to the Head", "Killed for This" and the creepy "Liquid Flesh"; "Flesh" begins with a spoken sample in which an anonymous voice decrees that the guilty will be put to death via the electric chair. If the tune's jerky rhythms and angst-ridden vocals don't make your brain ooze out of your nostrils, they'll at least send a warm tingling through your body; it's the Trio's musically challenging scum rock in prime form. "Bleeding Strategy"'s repetitive vocals bring to mind any number of Unwound tunes, while the rattling guitar and extra-tight percussion could back David Yow without any fan blinking an eye.

While the Trio excels at bashing out atonal rhythms and ear-splitting notes, they're not without a sense of humor. "Pain in Sound Experiment" begins with a tongue-in-cheek sample -- an anonymous geek burnout says, "RUSH. I listen to RUSH and that's all I listen to, pretty much..." There's also a handy bit of insect avoidance advice on "How to Escape Killer Bees". Easily one of the best tracks on the album, "Escape"'s buzzing guitar notes work their way through a hammering rhythm section that'll leave you with some nasty welts and a real appreciation for the band's aural intensity.

The Ed Kemper Trio's sincere, hard-hitting math rock approach has its limitations, and certainly rings a familiar chord on several tunes, but its tasty delivery and mind-blowing changes prove that you don't necessarily have to be creative geniuses to make great music. Want to book one hell of a kick ass concert? Put The Ed Kemper Trio, The Oxes and 400 Blows on one bill; you'll have kids with fistfuls of money lining up for blocks.

However...if you're sitting on the side of a dusty Alabama road, angling for a free ride to Montgomery, and Glenn, Kenny and Vonda pull up and beckon you towards their van, think long and hard about accepting a ride. A little serial killer vibe goes a long way.

-- Andrew Magilow

Ironically, it is the bands least likely to be approached by unsavory music-business types promising wheelbarrows of cash in exchange for their ever-loving souls that are the ones so concerned about not compromising their sound under any circumstances. Noble to be certain. But it is nevertheless easier to be steadfast against the enemy when it doesn't nor wouldn't consider one marketable prey.

Kenny Johnson of The Ed Kemper Trio is proudly defiant of his unwavering punk ethos, and although it has taken him over a decade to see his music released on a label other than his Pinebox Records imprint, persevering through the frustrations and numerous band break-ups - EK3 is his fourth band in ten years - has yielded substantial personal rewards for him and his bandmates, and finally, a record label. Even if the wait was attributable less to his implacable stance than to the uncompromisingly unrelenting music he and his bandmates write.

"Honestly, it's exciting," Johnson said. "I've been doing this for fifteen years and to feel someone is interested enough to ask to release our music without compromise is very satisfying."

Make that two someones.

In 2002, Yawn Records, a surging label from Oklahoma, was turned on to The Ed Kemper Trio via demo submission, and by the fall, Yawn had released How To Win A Sword Fight. In the ensuing months, after they performed at the Independent Georgia Film and Music Festival in August at the behest of the Atlanta band Hex Error, the owner of Moodswing Records approached the band to offer to release their next album.

"At the time we had seven songs half-assed ready, so when we got home, we hit the books and cranked out six more," Johnson recalled. "This is the first time we've written with a release in mind. In the past, we just wrote whenever the moment struck. This time, we focused and surprised ourselves. I think it's the best thing we've done, but I could just be overly excited about it."

Later that month, they traveled back to Georgia from Montgomery, Alabama to record these thirteen new songs at Sarcophagus Studios in West Point. Moodswing will release these as an EP in the Spring of 2003. They've already begun writing again and Yawn may release another album for them later in 2003.

Not only does The Ed Kemper Trio strike while the iron is hot, they do so with alarming rapidity, ripping off entire EPs in about half the time it takes for the average Mogwai song to get going. Evil, the band's second release disgorged six songs from its fiery bowels in just eleven minutes. The Ed Kemper Trio, who along with Johnson are bassist Vonda McLeod and drummer Glenn Grant, obviously strive other than to lengthen their songs.

"In fact we try the opposite," Johnson said. "We trim all the fat from the songs so hopefully there are no dead spots. We do this for the same reason we like The Minutemen. No breath is wasted no unnecessary notes are used. We try to get to the point in an interesting way. Just like in a conversation. Unless you're a long-winded jerk-face, you try to get your point across without boring people to death. Plus, it's just fun. It gets old playing the same guitar part over and over and over for years. Keeping things short sometimes lengthens the song-list-life-span of that song."

Direct and forceful, The Ed Kemper Trio writes music that is brutal yet nimble, threatening and furious in its sonic quasi-psychosis. Johnson's vocals reside in the same atonal range as his scraping guitar, his shout-sing delivery emits real pathos as he chews and spits his venomous words like hot lead, leaving them to sizzle briefly on the microphone before dissipating behind his searing guitar work.

Whether veering, charging or stomping militantly, the rhythm section of McLeod and Grant demonstrate both agility and muscle as they counterpunch Johnson's stabbing riffs or bolt ahead, leaving the guitarist writhing in his acidic spew. Since their debut, Ding Dong School, this has been the prime objective of The Ed Kemper Trio: Seek. Pummel. Flee. And be quick about it. Lethal, were it not for their brevity, these songs would have no conscience, no mercy upon the weak.

Maybe that's because Johnson and his bandmates have thus far survived the Darwinian reality of independently-released rock music. To make a reptilian analogy, they've only survived by being quick and deadly, are small enough not to attract the attention of the larger predators, and even if they did, EK3 tastes a bit bitter.

No one has offered to re-release EK3s first two records, though discussions have been had. This doesn't seem to concern Johnson.

"It'd be great if someone would," he said, "but if not, I'll go back to burning CD-Rs and giving it away. Which, by the way, I think it should be done. Give it all away. It would keep bands more honest in that they'd make music for themselves, instead of pandering to record buyers. I think you're just lucky if someone likes your CD enough to pay for it. Lots of bands playing the indie game these days are losing sight of why there is such a thing as punk and indie rock."

Not The Ed Kemper Trio, however.

"It's great," said Johnson of the label attention they've earned. "After fifteen years of turning my hair gray, straining personal relationships and my own body, it's very satisfying to know on a small level we as a band have done something without sucking up to anyone."

Objective complete with integrity intact. And somewhere, Darwin is smirking.

WAGNER SCORES SOLO GIG, PERFORMING WITH NUDE FURNITURE

Coolest show I've seen in a while was Tuesday night at Deadtown Tavern. I
mean, it was groovy enough when Sarah Wagner was opening the gig all by her
lonesome - sans her band, the Pop Adelphics - with an electric guitar, but
then she joined the featured band, Nude Furniture, and son-of-a-gun if it
wasn't 1982 all over again.

Nude Furniture is the one-man-band-bedroom project of Neil Dirickson, whose
public face recently has been as the bass player for Tex Montana's Fireball
Four. He's issued three CDs of his killer old-wave pop on discs he burned
at home. Tulsa-based Yawn Records plans to re-issue them all in proper
factory copies later this year, after the new one comes out:
"Antidepressants."

For the gig - his first as Nude Furniture in about two years (not counting a
Mohawk in-store once upon a dream) - Dirickson landed Wagner on guitars,
singer-songwriter and former Fireball Four axman Jeff Graham on bass (also a
compatriot of the Skeletons' Lou Whitney, so he really fit into this scene)
and ex-Zigs drummer Karen Mo(mm)e (mis-spelled Monne) keeping the spirit of
Mo Tucker (Velvet Underground) alive and slamming.

I don't know which New Wave throw-back in the crowd was smiling wider : me,
the guys in Square Force or ex-Zigs guitarist Tom Hanford. Dirickson's
still getting his sea legs on stage, but his material is sharp, biting
stuff. If John Belushi had copied Elvis Costello instead of Curtis Salgado,
we'd have never gotten the blues and Dirickson wouldn't look so damned
original.

-- Thomas Conner

Omnizine Sampler Volume 1 by Nicole Ciomek

Imagine a CD composed of bands that have amazing resemblance to other bands
that are already in existence or just completely are not worth listening to,
and you will have the Omnizine Sampler Vol. 1 by Yawn Records. The disc is
composed of indie rock bands trying to make it "big," but are either too
original for their own good, or you can't distinguish them from every other
mainstream band. To say the least, listening to this CD was a very painful
experience. I saw bands that have amazing talent and could be so much more
than what they are settling for.

"579" by Little League Hero (a great band name by the way) has early
alternative rock influence a la Cracker, but horribly timed lyrics. This
track was a rough start to the CD and sort of set the tone of what I was in
for. Fanzine's "America" was a nice poppy song. It has a catchy rhythm and
gets you hooked in, but the leader singer's British accent is very forced,
which ruins the potential of the song.

Mad Verb is a band still trying to find their own identity. Their song
"Cream Puff" is a cock-rock song with a random bit of pop throw in. Then by
the end it just starts rocking full out, and I was left wondering what just
went on. If you want to experience Rob Thomas meeting The Queers, Formerly's
"That Special No One" is for you. They are trying desperately to
commercialize and failing miserably. Stealing Blink 182's riffs won't get
them there.

Despite the flaws of this disc, there are a few redeeming qualities. If The
Frequency Bliss would turn up the vocals on "Memories of Skin," the singer's
beautiful voice would be more audible and make this song much better. The
lyrics are only mediocre, but they have room to grow. The same goes for
All-American Rejects. "Don't Leave Me" is a catchy, fun song with a
wonderful intro and good vocals to boot. It just lacks emotional complexity
to keep the listener interested.

The best two tracks on the CD are Aqueduct's "Post Rock and Slightly
Seasoned" and Static Set's "Big Green Hearse." Aqueduct's tune was very
intriguing and individualistic. The pauses in the song are a bit off, but it
works. It has a nice thematic drums that fit well with the moody song. "Big
Green Hearse" proves that words are not necessary to create an effective
song. Static Set creates a song that is surf music The El Camino's style. It
is a great close to a disc that struggled to keep me interested and
entertained.

For more information on the Omnizine Sampler Vol. I, please visit Yawn
Records.

Woo Hoo Bank by Nicole Ciomek

Take 19 tracks from 19 different albums and place them on one CD and the
result would be Yawn Records' Woo Hoo Bank compilation. It is a nice pop
rock disc, with great flow between the seemingly random selection of songs.
The songs on this compilation go from great, to okay, to why is this song on
here? With any CD that has a random splattering of bands on it there are
going to be some songs that wow you- and some that leave you desiring more.

The disc starts off with a tune by the Merrymakers, "SaltWater Drinks." It
is an upbeat song that sounds like a blending of Beatles and Oasis British
pop. Another track, Jenny Labow's "The Heaviest Thing," is a beautiful lyric
ballad with a bit of a kick to it. Her voice is a mixture of Shawn Colvin
and Natalie Merchant, which is not bad company to be associated with. The
song definitely made me want to her more of her CD.

Lazio Bane is one of those musicians whose music reminds you of someone
else, but you can't put your figure on exactly who. His song "Hold Me" has
good transitions in song. He switches tempos with ease, and goes beyond the
stereotypical guitar, bass, drums band by throwing in instruments such a
saxophone. "3 Ring Circus (Digital December Mix)" by Dave Lon has an odd
techno beginning with sounds static. He adds in the other instruments, but
it sounds like he singing almost underneath the music as it is very
difficult to here him Though I was not sure what to make of this song it was
very intriguing because it was so different.

The singer of Hosty Trio has maginificent voice making their sound stand out
from other pop rock bands. "Silent Me" is a cute poppy song that had me
swaying in my seat. The great guitar work combined with infectious lyrics
helps this track to be perhaps the best on Woo Hoo Banks. The compilation
switches things up a bit with "Epperly's "Don't Stay Home, Los Angeles."
This hilarious punk rock song has lyrics like "You are not the pop machine
you think you are." This song brings a smile to my face and reminded me of
why punk rock is still essential part of music.

The rest of the songs on this CD are not really worth mentioning because of
their lack of distinct qualities. They all are bands trying to sound like
bands that already exist. Lacking originality does not get many points on my
book. The Woo Hoo Banks compilation is a great disc with mixture of talented
up and coming bands and a few that make you wonder why they even exist.

For more information on the Woo Hoo Bank, please visit Yawn Records.