4
Monday, September 3,1990
The Battalion
Pages
4 Memories of Vaughan s trips to B-CS linger
By JOHN RIGHTER
| Legendary guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan
played Bryan-College Station several times in the
late 70s and early ’80s as an up-and-coming gui
tarist with the Cobras, Triple Threat and Double
Trouble.
^ Vaughan, who died in a helicopter crash last
Monday, began his music career by touring the
|| Southwest, especially Texas, performing a semi
regular circuit of small music venues.
Due to Vaughan’s very active touring schedule
and his work in several bands (Vaughan was
known to sit in on performances of other groups
for a show or two), it’s difficult to pinpoint the
s exact number of times Vaughan did play in B-
CS.
Most likely, Vaughan performed four times in
B-CS before his third band, Double Trouble, was
: signed by Epic Records in 1982.
Vaughan apparently performed here first in
1977 with Lou Ann Barton and the Cobras.
According to former partners, Don Canter and
Don Anz, Vaughan and the Cobras played at the
Dixie Chicken when the popular Northgate club
was divided between the Chicken and Miranda’s,
alive music room.
In 1978, Canter and Anz closed Miranda’s, en
larging the Chicken. But, the year before, Vaug
han performed twice at Miranda’s, according to
records and recollections of Canter and Anz.
Vaughan’s first listing was with the Cobras in
June of 77, and his second performance was
with Double Trouble later in September.
The performance with Double Trouble is not
believed to be the same lineup that Vaughan
formed in 1981 with drummer Chris Layton and
ex-Johnny Winter bass player T ommy Shannon.
Ganter and Anz remember the Vaughan
shows as electrifying performances, even at a
time when Vaughan was only beginning to at
tract attention.
“The joint was packed,” recalls Ganter, owner
of the Dixie Chicken. “You couldn’t even move.
Vaughan put on one hell of a show.
“It was probably one of the last times he played
a little rinky-dink joint like (Miranda’s). He was
right at that pinnacle of stardom. You knew it
just watching him.”
Anz, owner of Cafe Excel and La Taqueria and
Tortilla Factory, recalls, “You knew he was good,
although the band he was wdth (either Cobras or
Double Trouble) was also very good. At that
time, it was really Miss Lou Ann Barton who was
the draw.
“There was no doubt, though, that he was a
great blues guitarist, and he proved it by being
the first to really break through.”
Interestingly (and maybe depressingly), the
door covers at Vaughan’s Miranda’s perfor
mances were a mere two bucks.
Vaughan performed two years later at TJ’s, a
defunct bar located at 707 Texas Avenue (Hun
an’s, a Chinese restaurant, is now located there).
Though, it is uncertain, Vaughan most likely
performed with Triple Threat at this time.
Rusty Reid, a longtime B-CS resident and ac
tive music listener, remembers Vaughan’s show.
“I actually knew who he was because I’d seen
him a few weeks earlier in Fort Worth,” Reid
says. “There were maybe three or four people
who came to that show. Stevie was really pissed
that night. I guess he figured enough of this,
’cause he stopped after his third or fourth song.
“He didn’t play long. He was livid. He suffered
Vaughan’s death was a tragedy for the music
world, and especially for Texas, the state Vaug
han helped place on the music map. A two-time
Grammy winner, Vaughan will be remembered
not as a technically-proficient musician, but one
who played from his soul. Those fortunate
enough to have seen Vaughan perform live,
agree few guitarists knew how to make a guitar
cry like Stevie Ray.
cott D. Weaver
z Vaughan
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6:30-8pni
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By JOHN RICHTER
Underneath the mousse, leather
and makeup of Los Angeles’ cor
poratized music industry lies the scar
dssue of San Francisco, a haven for
alternative eyes, ears and tongues.
San Francisco is the antithesis of
L A’s grandstanding and “bandwa
gon" mentality. L.A. specializes in
regurgitated glam groups in the vein
of Poison, Ratt and Motley Crue.
San Francisco digs deeper into the
purgatorial underground, furnish-
inga nepotism for unknown experi
mental “sister” groups.
Without the benefit/detriment of
major-label action (L.A. is the front
orch for major-label packed Bur-
ankand Hollywood), San Francisco
has cultivated a slew of young, un
known thrash, rap and “noise”
groups.
Jawbreaker, a proto post-hard
core band, blends the posi-preach-
ingof the early ’80’s D.C. scene with
a more modern noise appeal for its
melodic barrage, Un fun.
Released on S.F.’s Shredder Re
cords, guitarist and vocalist Blake
Schwarzenbach, bassist Chris Bauer-
meister and drummer Adam
Pfahler, wage verbal war on typical
hardcore concerns such as Nazi
skins, social ostracization and self-
The or
“Want,” an infec-
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6:30-8pm
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8-9:30pm
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: 6:30-8pm
$35/student
6-8pm
$35/student
ge 6:30-8pm
f>40/student
^ HELP
118/student
6-10pm
6-10pm
|»22/student
6-9pm
|»20/student
6-8:30pm
> 18/student
6-9pm
> 12/student
7:30-9pm
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» 15/student
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7:30-9pm
pening
dous combination of catchy melodies
and schizo-beat patterns, is typical of
Jawbreaker’s bridged education.
“Want” is high strung and aggres
sive in the traditional punk sense,
but it also displays an admiration lor
catchy rhythms, staggered-beat pat
terns and harmonies.
“Been staring for a hundred
hours,” chokes Schwarzenbach, “run
down a spiral drain, keep mouth
clamped, and it isn’t right. Three
words keep running around my
mind, but my tongue is hard to
find.”
“So now you know where I come
from, my secret’s come undone, my
heart revealed my cause, I’m lying
naked at your feet, don’t crush the
heart that bleeds.”
Not .the normal narcisstic punk
bullshit, Jawbreaker is similar to
other post-hardcore bands such as
Dinasaur Jr., Sonic Youth and the
Rollins Band, in recognizing the im
portance of human and spiritual
contact.
Other stand-out tracks on Un fun
include the anti-hate monger “See
Thru Skin,” the positive, open-
handed “Busy” and the arsenic
crushing “Wound,” the album’s fast
est track.
On vocals, Schwarzenbach gurgles
and gargles like an American Shane
MacGowan of the Pogues. Schwar-
zenbach’s gruff voice is strong on
character and surprisingly able to
carry through on the harmonies.
More accurately, Schwarzenbach
knows how to manipulate his throat,
and the result is Jawbreaker’s
dreamy grunge.
Unfun is a raw, passionate album
driven by youthful exhuberance, the
best fossil fuel possible. It’s light
years away from simple speed metal
or party-core punk, the direction of
most thrash retreads.
The direction is still confusion,
but the layered noise, punctuated by
Bauermeister’s heavy bass, fits
Schwarzenbach’s gruff chokes per
fectly.
Obviously, Jawbreaker requires an
indoctrination to underground mu
sic, especially punk or speed metal.
When I first listened to Unfun I
found it melodic and capable of
crossing over to the musically liberal.
But, when I played it for friends,
the usual cringing and calls of noise
pollution began. So go figure.
★★★★★★★★
l aggi
INEMA)
★★★★★★★★
Rock & Movie
Poster SaIe
Monday, Sept. 3 through Friday, Sept. 7
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Located on the First Floor of the MSC
the problem that groups here do today — nobody
knew what a great musician he was yet.”
Tommy Smith, a local musician and fan of Vaug
han, also saw him peform at TJ’s, and even loaned
Vaughan his equipment for the show.
“He had a wreck on the way into town and he
needed an amp for the show. I was at
the club when they got there and
started setting up. So I went over to
him and offered him my amp for the
show. He said, ‘Sure I’d be glad to use it,’
and offered me free cover for the show.”
Vaughan also performed around this time at
the Black Cat Saloon, a former bar at 819 S. Texas
Ave. Again, it is believed that Vaughan played with
Triple Threat, his band with Barton and Layton,
though it is possible that he performed alone.
Brian Lippman, bass player for the Kerouacs and
owner of Lippman Music, hopes Vaughan’s death
opens the eyes of music fans.
“Stevie was an incredible guitarist, an incredible
guitarist,” Lippman says, “but as unhappy I am to not
have him here, I also realize that it shouldn’t have
taken his death to make people appreciate him like
this.
“There are so many good musicians here and else
where busting their butt like Stevie to make it. Stevie
exemplified the hard work necessary to be a great
guitarist and a great musician.There are people
here though that deserve to be supported and
recognized for their hard work. If one positive
thing comes from this tragedy, I hope it’s that
people realize what is available right in front of
them.”
Hugh Stearns, manager of the Front Porch
Cafe and avid follower of Texan blues, agrees.
“Stevie’s death is a tragedy, and he was a great
guitarist, but I just hope that people keep his ac
complishments in perspective. There are guitar
ists in Texas right now just as good, maybe even
better than Vaughan, that have received minimal
recognition.”
Chinese Cultural Arts
Performance
MISSION OF THE:*.
+ K S8 tt ^ feW
Tuesday, Sept. 18,1990
7:00 p.m. Rudder Theatre.
Tickets may be purchased
at the MSC Box Office for
$3.00. For more informa
tion call the MSC Box
Office at 845-1234.
Presented by:
Chinese Student Association
VISC Jordan Institute
- for International Awareness
International Student Services
ADULT DRIVING
LESSONS
PICK-UP
SERVICE
COLLEGE
STATION
DRIVING SCHOOL
693-0086
RCIOAO Cft C W
BONFIRE
RELOAD
CREW
1990
Crew
Assistant
Positions
OPEN!
Pick up Applications
Rm. 103 YMCA
Due In: Sept. 7
LYTLE S COMICS & GAMES
• Baseball Cards
• Miniatures
15% Discount on New Comics
& Games
10% Discount on other Games
M—Th (10-6) Fri-Sat (10-9) Sun (12-6)
103A Pleasant (Behind Farm Patch) • 846-2977
BARBQUE
burgers, chicken fried steak
Best homemade Chicken Fried Steak
in Town!
Drive thru.
2319 Texas Ave. S., C.S. 696-7677
between Holleman and Southw est Parkway
$1 OFF Chicken Fried Steak Dinner
see coupon on Mondays Expires 9/9/90
The MSC Visual Arts
Presents
Something For Everyone
Works by
A
JOHNSON N d JOHNSON
PYP
JEN
September 1, 1990 - September 30, 1990
Reception Sept. 4, 1990
MSC Student Gallery
7:00 P.M.
Aggies for Barton
Meeting WED. Sept. 5, 7 p.m.
110 Harrington Classroom Bldg.
Come meet U.S. Congressman
and Former Aggie
JOE BARTON
Take advantage of this
opportunity to work
with a national campaign.
For more information call:
Shawn
693-9526
Brian
696-2588
Paid for by Aggies for Barton