September 18–25, 1997
music
Sweet 75
It's hard not to feel a little sorry for Krist Novoselic. In the few years since Kurt Cobain offed himself and Nirvana came to a screeching halt, ex-drummer Dave Grohl has gone on to superstardom with the Foo Fighters while Novoselic has all but dropped out of sight. Sure he occasionally pops up on MTV or at a music conference, blathering on about censorship, but that's not quite as impressive as selling several million records. Perhaps he should start a support group with the guys from Genesis for musicians whose ex-drummers outshine them. Then again, maybe he should call up Sting and learn how you can play bass and front a band. Whatever the answer is, it isn't Sweet 75. When I first saw them a few months ago warming up for Dinosaur Jr., I honestly thought singer/guitarist Yva Las Vegas was a teenage boy going through puberty — her voice was just that screechy. Sweet 75's self-titled debut album is a huge improvement over their live show, but that's not saying much. Songs about violent sex and bad breakups are post-punk goth pop by numbers. Did you ever imagine an ex-member of Nirvana stuck in a Concrete Blonde tribute band? Right now I'm missing Kurt for a whole new reason. If he were still alive he might have spared everyone the bitter pain of Sweet 75.
If you're still interested, Sweet 75 will be playing with L7 and Bluebird on Sat., Sept. 20, 8 p.m. at the T.L.A., 334 South St., 922-1011.
