Local Exposure: Maggi, Pierce and E.J. • Mecca Bodega • Various Artists • cole.

Local Exposure

Maggi, Pierce and E.J.
(Independent Release)

by Ed Yashinsky

With its simple stickdrawing cover the Philadelphia-based, Maggi, Pierce and E.J., might be construed as a very simple band. In some ways, mainly through the strummy acoustic guitars and enchanting harmonies, the music is very innocent, but under the surface there is a whole lot going on here–mainly really strong guitar solos, great lyrics, and wonderful songscapes.

The fact that Maggi, Pierce and E.J. (MPE) all write individual songs is this record’s strength and its near-downfall. There are many great songs here, but with three distinct writing styles, some pieces seem out of place next to the songs around it. The melange is furthered by the fact that all three play a variety of instruments. Happily, this quirkiness feels pretty comfortable after several listens.

MPE wear their heroes on their sleeves and that only enhances their music. The guitar on the end of the opening track, "Sweeter," could be right at home on any of Queen’s early albums, while the too-short "Clones in a New Town," uses the same herky-jerk action of They Might Be Giants’, "Don’t Let’s Start." The CD also has a travelogue feel, with wonderful songs like, "Caliphornia," "Nashville," and "Roadkill (Texas)."

The Black CD Cover release (not to be confused with MPE’s first release which has an identical white cover) is available by contacting the band at: P.O. Box 41056, Philadelphia, PA, 19127. Catch Maggi, Pierce, and E.J. at The Wire in New Cumberland on Friday, August 15.

Mecca Bodega
City of Rocks
(Fang Records)

by Ed Yashinsky

Leave it to two wiseacre Long Island natives who escaped to New York City to deliver a refreshing CD that lives up to its self-described tagline, ‘hypnotic tribal groove exploding on a New York City backbeat.’

City of Rocks, the latest release by percussionists Paul and Marc Mueller and multi- instrumentalist Marlon Cherry, presents a cohesive band sound for Mecca Bodega. Previous releases from these longtime subway musicians have veered more toward multitrack experimental percussion. But this time, aided by Simon 7 on didjeridoo and Jonathon Doyle on bass, the songscapes are much more accessible. Other key additions are strong vocal contributions by M. Doughty of Soul Coughing, Mary Lorson of Madder Rose and Robin O’Brien.

Standout tracks on City of Rocks include the New York City meets Morocco street-smart "Udda", the drum-happy "City of Rocks," and the Middle-Eastern inflected "Axle Rod." A special bonus is an light-as-a-breeze version of "Sanctuary" that even Material Girl could love.

City of Rocks is available by contacting Fang Records, P.O. Box 652, New York, NY, 10009. Mecca Bodega will play The Wire in New Cumberland on August 16. You can also catch their handiwork in Subway Stories, an HBO original movie scheduled to premiere August 17th.

Various Artists
This is Harrisburg, not Topeka
(Proteen Records)
by Mitchell L. Hillman, Jr.

Proteen Records, champions of the local lo-fi sound, has produced a compilation CD that not only shows the rough beauty of crunchy production, but also the eclectic selection of artists that the label associates with. This CD is neither for the weak of heart nor the lame. This is Harrisburg, not Topeka (A Haight Ashbury Studio Compilation) is a CD for fans of serious INDIE ROCK. If you cut your teeth on Pavement, Beat Happening, Superchunk, Bitch Magnet, and the like then This is... is right up your alley.

Throughout these fifteen slices of lo-fi pie, things are raucous, unprofessional, explosive, and at times hilarious. Simply said, things are perfect. From the studio chatter that precedes Golden’s brilliant "Ride the Tiger," to the post performance thanks after Crop Circle’s psychobilly surf tune "Mod Cowboy," this compilation covers an entire continent of underground musical territory.

Be careful upon listening, it may disturb the senses. The listener is thrust through likable indie pop (Meringue, Moped, Teen Angel Heart), to nervous Math Rock (Golden, Halogen, Beat Frequency), and is occasionally smashed head first into the boot of intelligent punk (Lefty, Targo). Finally the ride ends as you are dropped into the capable hands of first rate indie rockers (Driver UFO, Train Truck Tractor, Buddy Sevaris). My personal fave from This is... has to be Regress’ minimalist "Ants." In fact I’ve had a perma-grin ever since I heard it.

There is no lack of entertainment on This is Harrisburg, not Topeka. Even the amusing liner notes from Proteen guys, Scott, Kyle and Bryan, make this disc worthy of purchase (it also gives some history on how this compilation came to be). Enjoy.

cole.
cole. E.P.
(Independent Release)
by Mitchell L. Hillman, Jr.

Although the cole. E.P.’s five songs run only 16 minutes, it packs a lot of punch for such a small package. The stylistic range displayed on cole.’s digital debut is amazing. While the first half of the e.p. relies on the strength of their punchy upbeat tunes, the second half of this release reveals a slower, more sensitive side to the band.

Quirky pop tunes, "When You Bleed" and "Gasoline Eyes," contain enough guts and rock sensibility to get these guys signed on an independent label. "Lost Dogs," the heaviest song on the E.P., is a nice pivot point for the record to revolve around as it connects the shimmering guitars of the first two songs to the slower, longer numbers which finish. "Gone Away" and especially "Suffer" are great tunes that reveal that cole. is deep and talented enough to pull off near-ballad material.

cole. consists of Tony Ryder (vocals) Matt Dahlheimer (guitar) Mike Passariello (bass) Jason Hoffheins (drums). Although the CD is a good studio representation of cole., nothing really compares to these guys performing live. If you haven’t gotten around to seeing them live, I would recommend either catching them at Reservoir Park August 2 for EDGE Day in the Park or at Zee’s on the 29th with Cherry Twister and the Polins.