Word: poem
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Doing a fine job of complementing Bardo Pond were opening bands Auto 66 and Poem Rocket. The former, playing to a sparse 9:30 audience, was a perfectly satisfactory opening trio who jammed a lot, though more softly and with less distortion than Bardo Pond...
...Poem Rocket, however, went above and beyond the call of opening band duty. The New York City band turned up the volume and cranked out a set of serious rock songs. Their songs were heavy on the drums and guitar, giving the show a much needed kick. And the songs were tuneful as well, with nice harmonies between the guitarist and bassist...
...Playing like a man possessed" may be a rock clich, but Poem Rocket's guitarist deserved the tag. He glared at the audience through fierce, bulging eyes, and at numerous times the veins on his head seemed ready to explode. He was certainly an intimidating presence on stage, but he became an even greater menace when during one song he jumped off the stage and stared various members of the audience down face to face as he shook a little shaker ball to the drummer and bassist's beat...
Aside from the showmanship, Poem Rocket had some experimental musical moments as well. At one point, the bassist took a drum stick and rubbed it along her bass strings, giving off a fuzzy hum that sounded not too bad. But their ultimate claim to fame lay with their spectacle of a guitarist...
...full title of the album is a poem, written in frustration by Apple after seeing a story about herself in Spin magazine that she deemed unfair. The complete title: "When the pawn hits the conflicts he thinks like a king/ What he knows throws the blows when he goes to the fight/ And he'll win the whole thing 'fore he enters the ring/ There's no body to batter when your mind is your might/ So when you go solo, you hold your own hand/ And remember that depth is the greatest of heights/ And if you know where...