A Band With a Mission--and a Bus

Hazel waits patiently outside T.T. the Bear's Club. At 36, she's no youngster, but she's a classic beauty and still gets her share of appreciative stares. Hazel is, of course, a custom-modified 1956 Chevy schoolbus, The Olivz's band-vehicle extraor-dinaire.

In fact, The Olivz commitment to The Bus is pretty much the only thing that distracts them from their music. Since they got together in 1986, Leo Ganley, George Chambers, Bill Boyd and Sean Sumner have concentrated on playing their own brand of alternative rock to the exclusion of everything else.

Leo Ganley, lead singer, says, "We've got to do this because we don't have a choice. We've given up a lot to do this...the chance to take high-paying jobs, relationships with people who depended on us, our cars, our health insurance, everything and we're on a mission, definitely."

What he's talking about is The Olivz raison d'etre--songwriting. Since 1986, The Olivz have recorded more than 100 original songs, totalling over 500 hours of 16 track studio time. They spend most of each day working on new music, and you get the distinct feeling that they'd live in the studio if they could.

They play only original songs. "We don't have a set list for tonight!" yells Leo as the band launches into an hour of rollicking Olivz tunes. The band likes to tailor its sets to the mood of the audience. With that kind of spontaneity, Ganley adds, "we can touch the crowd when we jam."

Tonight, the crowd is even closer than usual, dancing around the amps and leaning over the mike stands like an amoeba poised to engorge the band. The Olivz "regulars" sing along with Ganley's clear, Micheal Stipe-esque tenor. People slam dance. There's a brawl. It's chaotic, but tremendous fun.

George Chambers, lead guitar, belts out The Olivz tumbling melodies with a kind of blaring precision. He's fond of decibels--lots of them at once--but adds that "there's more to it than just sheer energy. There's melody too."

As for drummer Sean Summer, well you can't argue with a guy who cites muppet drummer Animal as one of his personal heroes. Sean smacks drums like a hyperactive kid demolishing sandcastles.

The best thing of all is that you can hear each instrument individually. The Olivz swim against the Nirvana-inspired grundge rock current of blur and amplifyer feedback. "Our music has balls, but our sound is clean," says Chambers.

The sound may be clean, but the Olivz lyrics are on the harsh side. Ganley cringes at the very mention of what he calls "mushy romance shit. Metal ballads. Aaarrgh!!!" Sometimes the lyrics are sarcastic, and other times they cross the line to snide. The Olivz only sliver of sentimentality is reserved for the subject of music itself, in lyrics like "God don't like on movie show/the people there live in make pretend/God loves his radio."

Ganley describes the band's musical development between mouthfuls of potato chips. "We've had the same goddamned focus forever. We write music because we don't like what we hear on the radio, and we've just grown up. We're still thesame goddamned band." He turns to George. "Aren'twe?"

"Yeah, but we're much better musicians than wewere before," says Chambers.

It was George Chambers who came up with theband's name. "It means nothing, so you can'treally equate it with anything." he says. "Iactually hate olives." Ganley explains, "There'sno baggage. You can't hate us for being TheOlivz."

When asked about life outside the band, TheOlivz wax vague and hedonistic. Sean tries "tokeep an open mind. Any woman will do."

Bill Boyd, bass player, is pensive and to thepoint. "Sex, music more sex. The moment.Coca-cola."

In November, The Olivz got a good dose of allfour when a concert promoter from the VirginIslands checked out the local music scene andchose The Olivz as the Boston-based band to takeon tour in the Caribbean. Boyd is nostaligic aboutthe tropical tour. "For three weeks, we didn't getto bed before 5 am." No Bus needed.

But odds are, Hazel will hit the tour roadsoon. Now that the band has finished shootingtheir first video, they're more thanantsy--they're prepared. "We're shopping indiesright now," says Leo. "We want to haven't beenworking on the bus all winter for nothing."

So the next time you see a customized Chevyschoolbus roll by, toast The Olivz. They'll findreason to celebrate.

TEENAGE FANCLUB Bandwagonesque

The cover of Teenage Fanclub's new releaseBandwagonesque represents the direction inwhich the young group is heading. On a bright pinkbackground rests a bulging yellow moneybag.Teenage Fanclub has already encountered somesuccess themselves, having recently appeared on'Saturday Night Live, and as the moneybag suggestsshould receive much more.

Their sounds is reminiscent of much of thePretty In Pink soundtrack, combining brashelectric guitar with strong vocals and basic drumbeats. The soothing voice of the lead vocalistadds a touch of the mellow to the mixture.

Occasionally, Teenage Fanclub begins to thinkof itself as heavy, metal, and strays too far intoblaring guitar solos, as in "Metal Baby."

Other times, in songs like "Guiding Light," theband turns effectively to a slower style. Withoutbeing corny or overly sentimental it reminds agirlfriend that even "when all your clouds coverthe sun" to remember that "I do know who you are."

Despite having many unoriginal tunes, TeenageFanclub also presents some new sounds. Theinstrumental "Is This Music" makes a broadexciting sound not often found today.

Since Teenage Fanclub does experiment with newtypes of music, and since they frequently mixheavy electric guiter with soothing vocals, it isnot surprising that they have received such mixedreviews. Spin loved Bandwagonesque, while RollingStone trashed them.

If you can overlook the occasional straying ofthe guitar, you'll find some fresh exciting music.Like most young bands, Teenage Fanclub is stillsearching for its musical identity.

Although cuts like "The Concept" and MetalBaby may merit Rolling Stone's negativereview, songs like "Guiding Star" and What YouDo To Me certainly make Band-  Howie Axelrod

THE DROVERS The Drovers

When you first pop this debut CD from Chicago'snewest Irish beat band into your player, theenergetic drive of the drum combined with thewhimsical melody of the accordion, flute, and yes,even the fiddle will make you want to get up anddo a funky Irish jig.

And then you'll hear the words.

In their self-titled debut, The Drovers mergetraditional Irish folk with vigorous, electricrock to create a harmonious yet hard-edgedinstrumentation. But the whining voices droningout barely incomprehensible lyrics undercut muchof the instrumental strength of the band.

In the few tunes with decipherable lyrics, TheDrovers offer pseudo-poetic exploration ofloneliness and lost love. "Love won't be the thingthat cures you...Love won't be the end of us...Ican't wait here always...Love..." wails leadsinger Dave Callahan in the characteristicallyuninsightful "Love Won't."

"Always always?" Perhaps the words are betterleft misunderstood.

If the lyrics and vocals don't grate on yournerves, the music almost redeems most of thesongs. The resonating, melan-choly wooden flutesolo in "When Fortune Turns" is especiallyhunting.

The traditional, rousing "Trad Reels," whichhas no words at all, is surely the highlight ofthe album. But if you're looking for tradition,why not go for the real thing?

Try The Chieftans or D'Danan if you want to getinto the Irish spirit this St. Patrick's Day. Orif you want rock with an Irish edge and reallyrics, try U2.

But until The Drovers find a new song-writerand a new singer, wish them "the luck of theIrish" and let them drone on.  Phoebe Cushman

COCTEAU TWINS 10-CD Collection

Soporific, incomprehensible vocals and basictunelessness are not to everyone's taste. Thiswould appear to be bad news for the Cocteau Twins,as they have just released a ten-CD collection ofexactly that sort of music as a boxed set.

The Cocteau Twins are oddly named, consideringthat the groups is actually a threesome, andScottish at that. Elizabeth Fraser, the vocalist,actually started the group, and was soon joined bybassist Simon Raymond (who left after the releaseof the first album, Garlands) and guitaristRobin Guthrie.

The Cocteau Twins' music has evolveddramatically since their rather tentative firstalbum. The expressionless lyrics and dull backingwhich had irked many early listeners weregradually polished away, leaving the kind ofdelicate cacophony which makes the Cocteau Twinsso easily recognizable.

This collection traces the Twins' progress fromGarlands and Head Over Heels to the richemotional appeal of Treasure and Blue BellKnoll.

The Twins have been progressed to the pointwhere some of the songs from their latest album,Heaven or Las Vegas, are actually inEnglish that you can understand.

The listener will find that this is good musicfor a rainy day when you want to indulge thatmelancholy mood. It's great to study to as well,since you won't be distracted by the non-existentlyrics.

You certainly won't be able to dance to theCocteau Twins, though. Shiny, happy and boppy isjust not their style.

Don't expect to sing along with them, either.Much of their lyrics is in differentlanguages--some English here, some French there, aSpanish word or two thrown in. And even themultilinguist will have trouble figuring out whatthe words are.

For most people, the Cocteau Twins take somegetting used to. The flowery, psychedelic tones ofFraser's voice, and the moan of the instrumentalbacking are an acquired taste. (Some may say it'sa taste not worth acquiring.) In any case, itseems that only a very earnest Cocteau Twins fanwould want to buy a ten-CD collection of theirmusic. If taken in large doses, you'll find thatone so-called song will begin to sound very muchlike all the rest.wagonesque a worthwhile purchase.