Ed Said: Babbling About Millenium 2000

Ed Said:
Occasional Ramblings About Arts and Entertainment

Babbling About Millenium 2000

by Ed Yashinsky

Darcie’s Miner Miracle

Who would have thought that Thursday night at the Millenium Music Conference would showcase the local act with the most potential to get signed to a national record contract?

At Shakey’s, before a surprisingly large weeknight crowd, the support staff was running around like maniacs making sure that everything was just right (and throwing a wrench into the usually efficient Millenium schedule, to boot). But why not? Rumor had it that major labels were sniffing around to check out a five-foot nothing, sixteen-year-old pixie whose body is literally dwarfed by the Gibson jumbo acoustic guitar she uses on stage.

Recalling a young Patty Griffin, Darcie Miner delivered a 45-minute set that most likely sent any talent scouts in the crowd scurrying for cell phones to tell their bosses to open up their checkbooks. It will only be a matter of time until a bidding war breaks out over Miner.

Granted, it took the soundman about three-quarters of the set to attain a bearable mix, and Miner was literally shaking in her boots when her set started, but her “somewhat-experienced” backing band (The Badlees) no doubt calmed her down. Decked out in a Wonder Woman tiny-tee with a vase full of roses at her feet, Miner finally got comfortable and let her talent take charge — even if she was overwhelmed by the electric response to almost every song. (After screaming out “Thank you very much,” after the first five songs, she muttered, “I’m trying to think of something else to say.” Just like a teenager.)

But while the crowd relished every moment of Miner’s set, behind the scenes the rumbles are already gathering steam about potential roadblocks in Miner’s burgeoning career. There is talk of an overbearing father, an unproven management team, and a trainload of opportunists trying to get their hooks into this young girl and mold her into “their” idea of what she “should” be. (If the number of cameras flashing at the front of the stage was any indication, there are more people jockeying for position to get of a piece of the financial pie than boys willing to take Miner to the junior prom.)

Miner has just released Down to Earth, an incredibly beautiful, haunting CD produced by Badlees’ Bret Alexander and Paul Smith, that chronicles numerous heartaches in her young life. Let’s hope, in the end, that all parties involved realize this sixteen-year-old is just a talented little girl who deserves normal life, whether she makes the Top 40 or not.

Hunting for Miles Hunt

If there was a single must-see artist at Millenium it was pretty tough to find him based on venue alone. But when former Wonderstuff leader Miles Hunt took to the acoustic stage at the Gingerbread Man Center City just after 11 p.m. on Saturday night to kick off his current U.S. tour, it quickly became apparent to those in attendance that this was more than just another showcase. Hunt’s label, Gig Records, was a Millenium sponsor and brought a stable of great performers to Harrisburg, but Hunt is their ace in the hole.

How can Hunt be described? How about Joe Strummer with a keen sense of melody or Luka Bloom with testicles hanging down to his ankles? Mostly Hunts recalls the intensity of bands like Midnight Oil and The Clash, but lyrically Hunt loses the political preaching for personal diatribes of in-your-face confrontations that never give an inch.

And his scathing wit was very apparent at the G-Man on Saturday night. After taking the stage, Hunt proclaimed, “I can tell I am back in America when I start playing in venues that are more interested in selling food than having live music. I can finally see why punk never started in America. I just can’t picture Johnny Rotten sitting down to a plate of chicken wings before lying chest down in a pile of broken glass.”

With that, Hunt unleashed a powerful set of music that truly satisfied those there to see him, and over time drew the attention of everyone in the bar. By the end of the set, many dining patrons sat, focused on Hunt’s lyrics and intense playing style. It was impossible not to.

After a forty-minute set that included two Wonderstuff classics (“Circle Squared” and “Unbearable”), one broken string and four cigarettes, Hunt walked off the stage and returned to the near anonymous presence that the Wonderstuff always had in America. Fans screamed and screamed for more, but Hunt did not oblige. For 40 minutes, nothing else at Millenium mattered. Miles Hunt was playing, and everyone should have paid attention.

Searching for a Tree in the Forest

It’s just my humble opinion, but if you strip away the outfits, the hype, the marketing ploys and the slick packaging off all local bands, pound for pound the best band in Central Pennsylvania is The Polins. Their debut CD, starhartflower, still stands out as an incredible sonic-pop CD, and the new material they unleashed at The Gingerbread Man Center City might even be better than their first record. Dave Aufiero, Pete Aufiero, Tony Melchiorre, and John Fritchey may not get a ton of local press but they are truly a force to be reckoned with.

A Final Millenium Thought

While I wholeheartedly congratulate John Harris and Vicki Walls for an incredible job in pulling off another Millenium Music Conference, I would ask to put in my two cents for the good of Millenium V in 2001. I feel that any band participating in the showcase must sign a waiver that states they will not play more than one cover song during their forty-five minute set. It really is not much to ask? The idea of Millenium is to showcase original music, yet a fair number of bands still felt the need to pad their sets with familiar classics. If these bands are good enough to play, they should be able to perform 40 minutes of original material. One cover tune is enough.