OCTOBER 15th 1996
TRAMPS
NEW YORK, NY
Banda Macho Tour:
Acid Bubblegum Tour
- Opening for and backing Graham Parker
- Setlist is not known at this time
Acid Bubblegum Tour
- Opening for and backing Graham Parker
- Setlist is not known at this time
From: New York Times - Still Stubbornly Surly
Published: Oct. 18, 1996
"Graham Parker is surly again. His new album, ''Acid Bubblegum'' (Razor and Tie), returns to the stubborn righteousness that has brought him loyal fans for 20 years. When he grew reflective on his previous album, ''12 Haunted Episodes,'' his admirers were bewildered; now he has new diatribes to offer. ''I don't appeal to the masses, and they don't appeal to me,'' he sang at Tramps on Tuesday night.
In the 1970's, Mr. Parker was the link between the roots revival of pub-rock and the rancor of punk; he denounced hypocrisy and desperately tried to find soul and passion. And as he started his set, it looked as if he was about to become a New Wave rocker. The Figgs, his backup band, had just played their own Beatles-flavored, punk-charged, embittered pop songs, strongly influenced by Mr. Parker and Elvis Costello. The band members, in their 20's, returned wearing matching suits; the 45-year-old Mr. Parker appeared in a white T-shirt, black jeans and his usual sunglasses. He sang ''Turn It Into Hate,'' a bitterly ironic denunciation of current culture: ''Don't start a fight with anyone rich and white.''
Backing Mr. Parker, the Figgs traded punk-pop for folk-rock and Rolling Stones riffs. While Mr. Parker's past bands included keyboards, the Figgs use only guitars. They hit hard and played crisply, revamping a few of Mr. Parker's older tunes but mostly providing straightforward run-throughs. Although Mr. Parker sang with gutsy insistence, he and the Figgs didn't disguise the uneven quality of the songs. Some, like ''Obsessed With Aretha,'' have both hooks and a verbal edge; others rely more on words than on melody.
At times, Mr. Parker hinted that he was being dutiful in his belligerence. ''I can't remember what I was angry for at the time,'' he said, introducing ''Daddy's a Postman,'' a song released in 1989. But irritation still brings out his passion best."
- JON PARELES
Published: Oct. 18, 1996
"Graham Parker is surly again. His new album, ''Acid Bubblegum'' (Razor and Tie), returns to the stubborn righteousness that has brought him loyal fans for 20 years. When he grew reflective on his previous album, ''12 Haunted Episodes,'' his admirers were bewildered; now he has new diatribes to offer. ''I don't appeal to the masses, and they don't appeal to me,'' he sang at Tramps on Tuesday night.
In the 1970's, Mr. Parker was the link between the roots revival of pub-rock and the rancor of punk; he denounced hypocrisy and desperately tried to find soul and passion. And as he started his set, it looked as if he was about to become a New Wave rocker. The Figgs, his backup band, had just played their own Beatles-flavored, punk-charged, embittered pop songs, strongly influenced by Mr. Parker and Elvis Costello. The band members, in their 20's, returned wearing matching suits; the 45-year-old Mr. Parker appeared in a white T-shirt, black jeans and his usual sunglasses. He sang ''Turn It Into Hate,'' a bitterly ironic denunciation of current culture: ''Don't start a fight with anyone rich and white.''
Backing Mr. Parker, the Figgs traded punk-pop for folk-rock and Rolling Stones riffs. While Mr. Parker's past bands included keyboards, the Figgs use only guitars. They hit hard and played crisply, revamping a few of Mr. Parker's older tunes but mostly providing straightforward run-throughs. Although Mr. Parker sang with gutsy insistence, he and the Figgs didn't disguise the uneven quality of the songs. Some, like ''Obsessed With Aretha,'' have both hooks and a verbal edge; others rely more on words than on melody.
At times, Mr. Parker hinted that he was being dutiful in his belligerence. ''I can't remember what I was angry for at the time,'' he said, introducing ''Daddy's a Postman,'' a song released in 1989. But irritation still brings out his passion best."
- JON PARELES