Published on Dec 12, 2000
Earlier this summer, I found myself in downtown Chicago covering
MOBfest, a collective of local bands hoping to break into the
big-time. I went to this show as a favor to a publicist friend of
mine (and ended up hooking up with Steve, a fellow music enthusiast
and Web-head).
As I sat through the first of many crummy acts, someone noticed
that I was holding a bunch of CDs (which I brought to help promote
“The Daily Vault”). This guy handed me one of his band’s CDs, and
introduced himself as a member of the group who was scheduled to
perform next.
And while it’s taken me a long time to fulfill the promise I
made to Joe Zangrilli that night at The Vic Theatre, I’ve finally
gotten around to reviewing Colonel Stem’s debut EP – and if this
band impressed me onstage (one of only two bands I saw anything
positive in), this disc proves that these guys are no fluke, and
are ready to launch a full-frontal assault on your eardrums.
The band – guitarist/vocalist Zangrilli, bassist Phil Stosur and
drummer Abe Sanchez – remind me a bit of early Nirvana, though
their music is much more fluid and interesting. At times, one has
to wonder if you’re actually listening to a trio, since the rhythm
section of this band is so textured.
Although the opening track “Guy In The Bushes” starts off a bit
slow, Colonel Stem quickly throws the switch on this one and sends
it off into a direction that you might not have expected. This one
song leaves little doubt in the listener’s mind that Colonel Stem
is a band destined for greatness. Tracks like “Sunking,” “You’ve
Got Male” and “Bottums Up” all confirm the suspicions.
What makes
Colonel Stem unique is two things. First, this EP might only
be 21 minutes long, but it solidifies the band’s position as one of
the most exciting things to come out of Chicago since Billy Corgan
and Smashing Pumpkins. I normally complain that I can’t form an
opinion on such a small amount of music; in this case, I’ll
complain only because I want to hear more from Zangrilli and crew.
Second, Colonel Stem doesn’t copy anyone’s sound, yet is able to
create an air of familiarity around their music. When you listen to
these songs, it’s like listening to an old friend.
The only knock I can put on
Colonel Stem regards the afterthoughts of weirdness
following “Bottums Up”. I can live with the Leslie
Nelsen-meets-horror film montage; that’s kind of entertaining. But
the heavily-echoed voice right at the end, featuring a groan that
sounds like a cat caught in a garbage compactor – sorry, gang, but
that was a bit of overkill. Scared the hell out of me too, I’m not
ashamed to admit.
Colonel Stem is the kind of CD that you’ll want to own,
simply so you can say in a few years that you were there when this
band was just starting up, before they hit the big time. There’s no
doubt in my mind that Colonel Stem is primed to make a big noise on
the alternative scene, and will be superstars. The question is: how
soon?