April 16–23, 1998
music issue
Sell-outs
Why do Philly bands like Tapping the Vein, Fathead and Cory bring people out in droves?
|
NOT IN VAIN: Tapping the Vein's Heather Thompson performs to a packed house at the TLA. |
George Matuch moved from Nashville to Philadelphia two years ago in hopes of finding a better music scene for his industrial goth band Torsion. What he discovered was a lot like the scene he'd left behind: "Few venues to play and a public unwilling to try new music." His bandmate Bill Musil adds: "You know when a cover band like Strange As Angels is more popular than an original one, the scene's in trouble."
But there's one thing giving the Torsion members hope: the success of Tapping the Vein—a band that displays a similar affinity for the dark side of rock with an accessible blend of metal guitar and goth drama. Tapping the Vein is selling out clubs at a time when most local live acts are struggling to fill even half of a room. And they aren't alone. A few other bands, Fathead and Cory for example, also pack in the crowds. Musically, the three bands couldn't be more different.
The members of Torsion have come out on a Friday night to support Tapping the Vein—the opening band on tonight's bill at Pontiac Grille. At 10 p.m. the band has already filled a good portion of the room.
"I've seen them five or six times and the music holds up," says Musil. "The songs are fairly complex and they add new elements to the arrangements all the time." Fans of goth, metal, industrial and grunge can all find something to connect with in Tapping the Vein—gritty chord progressions, thundering drums, blistering guitar solos and banshee wails delivered by Heather Thompson, tight black lace makes her look like goth Barbie. The band performs with enough energy as though it's playing the Spectrum. Thompson and guitarist Mark Burkert (who doubles as City Paper's distribution manager) lunge back and forth—at times perilously close to falling off Pontiac's tiny stage.
Thompson says she's been in bands for over 10 years, but none of them have garnered the attention Tapping the Vein has. The band is a seven-days-a-week pastime for her, but the group rarely plays more than two shows a month in Philly to avoid overexposure. When not practicing, updating the mailing list or writing music, she's going to see other local bands play to support a scene which will hopefully support her in return.
Hard rock is the fastest growing rock subgenre, says WYSP DJ Mel Toxic, and Tapping the Vein is a part of that movement. He adds that there's a renewed interest in original music in Philadelphia.
"For years the clubs on Delaware Avenue did well with cover bands," says Toxic, "so a lot of musicians figured 'Why bother trying to do originals when I can make a couple of G's a night playing covers?' Now the tide has changed. In fact, Strange As Angels—one of the biggest cover bands—has just broken up. I think that's a big sign that the era of cover bands is winding down."
—---
|
"The tide has changed. |
It's a rainy Wednesday night and Kurt Ciliberto is standing under the T.L.A. marquee handing out Fathead flyers to the crowd shuffling out of the Galactic show. Fathead is playing at the Pontiac Grille in about an hour. Over the past year and a half, Ciliberto has graduated from number-one fan to Fathead's ad-hoc road manager—that includes putting up posters, writing the newsletter and talking up the band to strangers.
Fathead is in the middle of a month-long Wednesday night residency at Pontiac Grille. Some of the band members are a little concerned that their fans have already blown their wad at the Galactic show. Then there's the rain, which never helps, and the fact that it's a weeknight. Yet, by the time Fathead takes the stage, around midnight, the crowd at the Pontiac extends from the stage to the door. It would be an impressive turnout for a weekend night, but to have this size audience for a local band on a Wednesday night in Philly is almost phenomenal.
"The shows have an intimate atmosphere," says Li Wang, who goes to see Fathead about twice month. "You see the same faces over and over." The band's distinctive hybrid of hip-hop, funk, New Orleans jazz and prog rock appeals to everyone from funkateers to deadheads. Like fans of Tapping the Vein, Wang appreciates Fathead's knack for keeping their songs fresh. The group starts its set with a crisp rap number and then follows it up with a trippy acid-jazz jam. Even if there aren't a whole lot of hooks to immediately pick up on, the grooves get the crowd wiggling like the wave pool at Dorney Park.
One of Fathead's big fans is Electric Factory Concerts talent booker Jeff Gordon. He's hired the band to warm up for national acts like Moe, Ben Harper and Maceo Parker and applauds them for being so "promotionally minded" and "professional."
"When Finley Quaye dropped off of the Ben Harper bill at the last minute, I called them up the afternoon of the show," recalls Gordon. "I didn't hear a million excuses, they just got themselves together and played the show." It's even more impressive when you take into account that Fathead has eight members. They also had a show booked the same night at The Khyber. Not only were they a hit warming up for Ben Harper, they packed The Khyber later on.
It has taken Fathead's founder, Chris Mottershead, five years and several lineups to get to this point. "I started out being heavily influenced by The Roots," he says, "but the new members turned it into something else and I'm really happy with how it turned out."
Even though the band has some interest from labels, Mottershead says he's not rushing into any deals. "With so many members you really need a big contract to be able to tell everyone to quit their day jobs," he admits. For now the band hopes to do impressive numbers with its debut CD, What Doesn't Kill Us…, which will hopefully entice a major record company to bring out the Benjamins.
—---
Even though it's Easter/Passover weekend, Cory still brings out 40 to 50 people to an 8 o' clock Saturday show at the Tin Angel. But it's got to be a little disappointing for a band that's sold out its last eight Philly gigs. Though Cory's been around for about two years, things didn't really take off until the last six months or so, says vocalist/guitarist Steph Hayes. That's about the time Terry Tompkins started managing them. Tompkins talks up the band every chance he gets. His role as manager grew out of friendship and fandom. Same goes for Brad Schwartz, who's footing the bill for the band's first album, Pixie-Led.
"A lot more people with a lot more money need to be putting it where their mouths are for Philly bands," says Schwartz. Philadelphia is filled with great bands but no one hears them because people aren't coming up with the cash to get the word out about them, he figures. What's in it for him?
"I'm trying to make my dreams come true by the trickle-down process," explains Schwartz, a commodities broker who would like to be a movie and music producer.
He probably made a wise investment. Cory already has a mailing list of over 500 people and plays music that has plenty of commercial potential. At times the band's songs are reminiscent of 10,000 Maniacs' shimmering folk-pop, with a few methodone-slow country ballads, invoking Mazzy Star or even Tammy Wynette, tossed in the mix.
Lead singer Susan Rosetti has "the looks, moves and a charming, Jewel-like quality," compliments Marilyn Russell, co-host of Y-100's morning show. (Russell has been a longtime champion of Cory and had them play on the air when she was working at WXPN.)
"They're the first band I ever saw and liked immediately," says Jen Hughes, who was dragged by a friend of the band at first, but is now a diehard fan herself.
"It always amazes me that people come time after time to see us," admits guitarist Steve Margulis. "If I like a band I might go to see them once every six months, but there are people who come to see us every show."
Much of that following has snowballed by word of mouth, but Tompkins has also used the contacts he first made working at the Philadelphia Music Conference to get interest from radio stations (like WXPN) and record labels.
A couple days earlier, Cory played an industry showcase with promising results. According to Schwartz and Tompkins, several A&R reps were in the audience. It's not that hard to believe; the group's songs are tight and the vocalists achieve a rich sound that usually only comes from studio effects. When the time comes for Cory's 11 o' clock show, the Tin Angel is getting close to full. "We'll probably sell out the show," forecasts Schwartz.
The success of these bands may also point to improving overall health for the Philly band scene.
"Last year things were rough, but they've been improving since February," notes Rich Fravel of D&F Presents, which books shows at Pontiac Grille, Silk City, Upstairs at Nick's and the Five Spot. "I don't know if everyone fell for the whole DJ culture thing."
But Y-100's Russell says success on the local music scene is a combination of "luck, timing and talent."
It also helps that these three bands show components of chart-topping styles. Though Tapping the Vein doesn't sound a lot like Marilyn Manson or Nine Inch Nails, those bands have raised more interest in dark-edged bands. The same could be said for jam bands like Phish and Fathead, as well as the crisp folk-pop of Jewel and Cory.
Russell wonders if the success of so many similar female artists nationally will make it harder for them to break into the next level. But, as far as Philly is concerned, it seems like these bands are already stars.
