Cloaca Melodia

Tradewinds, Sea Bright, NJ..... Catherine Wheel exploded onto the music world in 1992 with a 7-minute rock opus called "Black Metallic." This song synthesized the dance-rock of the Stone Roses, the moody riffing of Sisters of Mercy, and the simplified indie coarseness of the Jesus & Mary Chain into one epic expression of loosely-opaque lyrics. Its effect was anthemic on the alt-rock crowd, still reeling in the months after "Smells Like Teen Spirit" has dashed previous anthems to splinters. The band recognized the power of returning to full volume after its 90-second breakdown section, which stripped everything down to drums plus a little lead guitar and vocal noodling. The crashing conclusion of this breakdown was the song's secret weapon, the stunning amendment to the dance-rock Constitution put forth by the Stone Roses and ultimately the missing ingredient to "Fools Gold." I never had a chance to see the band live during the years immediately fol...

Tradewinds, Sea Bright, NJ..... sorry, Mike has not yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!    

Surf Club, Ortley Beach, NJ sorry, Mike has not yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!

Tradewinds, Sea Bright, NJ.... Songs performed included "Devil Inside," "Disappear," "Heaven Sent," "Don't Change," "What You Need," and then-new song "Searching" and "Girl on Fire." According to one reviewer, "Singer Michael Hutchence also shows he can still work a crowd, whether he dances under flashing white lights or lays atop speakers singing to the audience."     me with Michael Hutchence backstage at Tradewinds

Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ sorry, Mike has not yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!

Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY A broadcast for MTV's Live at the 10 Spot . setlist: Karma Police The Bends Exit Music Subterranean Homesick Alien My Iron Lung No Surprises Bones Paranoid Android Fake Plastic Trees Street Spirit

Birch Hill, Old Bridge, NJ sorry, Mike has not yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!

PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ..... H.O.R.D.E. Festival '97. Neil Young's setlist: Hey Hey, My My Crime in the City Hippie Dream Jam Big Time From Hank to Hendrix The Needle and the Damage Done Ohio Throw Your Hatred Down Rockin' in the Free World Sedan Delivery encore break Mansion On The Hill

Surf Club/Planet Surf, Ortley Beach, NJ sorry, I haven't yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!

PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ.... sorry, I haven't yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!     me with Chad Taylor of Live my ticket stub from the show my meet and greet pass from the show

Tradewinds, Sea Bright, NJ.... sorry, I haven't yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!    

Birch Hill, Old Bridge, NJ sorry, Mike has not yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!

Mighty Mighty Bosstones/Social Distortion/Pennywise/Blink 182/Reel Big Fish/Less Than Jake Bradley Park, Asbury Park, NJ sorry, Mike has not yet written about this show -- coming soon!

PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ..... Lilith Fair   sorry, I haven't yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!

State Theater, New Brunswick, NJ Sheik performed with a second guitarist, a bass player, and a percussionist. The sound mix was terrific. Very mellow, yet you could hear every note... As a sidebar, here's a 1996 interview I did with Sheik on his birthday (11/18): Mike: One of the things I love about your album is it's not just great music--songs, I mean--but also it's such a great sonic environment. Was that the kind of thing you heard in your head when you were composing the songs, or was this something that evolved in the studio? Duncan: Well, definitely my aesthetic comes from people like Brian Eno or David Sylvian or the later Talk Talk records. Whether they're electronically produced or they're acoustic-instrument produced, I still like these things that sound really organic and moody and have their own kind of darkness. That's always been a really important part of creating recordings for me. Mike: So when you have something like in "Reasons For Livin...