Page 3
Thursday • September 5, 1996
rag brings show to Dixie
By Christopher Rivera
The Battalion
Ith alternative becoming the norm, and the
angst-filled grunge movement passing into
the night, the music universe seems ready to
\biace a fresh style. Enter The Drag.
With a driving psychedelic pop sound and
for biting harmonies, the S.C. band,
ids more like British pop stars
sis and Blur.
Chance Walls, The Drag’s
singer, said that his
■rnie town of Myrtle Beach,
llhas had little influence
" the band’s music.
“It’s not where you live,
where you are at,”
11s said.
The British-pop-looking
id sounding band got its
|urt in 1992 when Walls
iswered an ad placed by
id guitarist Trey McManus
d bassist Billy King. At first,
p trio churned out garage-
rman, The BArau|unding punk originals.
“We stuck out like a sore thumb
lien we first started,” Walls said,
ecause we were these runty little 17-year-
Ikids, and we were out there playing our own songs
people who were used to these old guys playing cov-
Walls said.
But by adding McNeill and Tucker in 1994, their
lighs & Lowi|und took a different turn.
‘We started concentrating on sounds instead of
Yesterday's H.d ngs,” Walls said.
93op The songs on Satellites Beaming Back at You, The
vil engineering J
re for a lab.
Drag’s Island Records debut, offers a glimpse of a
musical turn that gives nods to influences ranging
from ’60s psychedelia of The Byrds to surf rock of
The Beach Boys, and ’90s techno gods, The
Chemical Brothers.
“Even though there is no super direct influence, it’s
obvious to us that we’re trying to do things ... in as
many directions as possible,” Walls said.
The Drag’s frontman, Walls, said
music is “like giving birth, being
creator.”
“If we can create a feel
ing in someone else, then
it’s a good chain reac
tion,” he said.
Axeman McManus
cites the guitar work of
U2’s the Edge as a major
influence and describes
his own music as “a
blend of 60’s pop
melodies with some
crunch and fuzz added
into the mix which sounds
familiar but new.”
Walls said he feels ener
gized during live performances,
and said the key to putting on a
good show is being confident.
“To think you can get up in front of
people at all takes some attitude,” Walls said.
“It’s not like we’re egotists or anything, but you
have to feel like you’re the best band in the world.
That’s always been part of rock ‘n’ roll. It’s not so
much arrrogance but self-belief. If we don’t believe
in ourselves then who will?”
The Drag will bring its retro rock show to the Dixie
Theatre this Saturday.
Snider steps into the spotlight
by Aaron Meier
The Battalion
T he title of Todd Snider’s lat
est album, Step Right Up,
has some literal meaning
behind it. With this album, Snider
hopes to take a major step in the
direction of his dream of making
it big in the music industry.
Snider was born in Portland,
Ore., but spent a good portion of
his childhood moving around
the country. He said his tran
sient family’s lifestyle had a
major influence on his music.
Snider’s music career started
when he was young, and he said
he has enjoyed playing and writ
ing music ever since.
"It all started with a G-
Chord,” Snider said.
Snider was raised on many
types of music. It was his father’s
eclectic musical taste, which
Snider said influenced his style
of music and his sense of humor.
“My dad listened to a lot of
Credence Clearwater Revival
and Waylon Jennings,” he said.
“In fact, he reminds me of an Al
Bundy’ kind of dad.”
Snider said his nomadic
childhood and adolescence
added a wide range of musical
flavors to his music.
Snider’s said his residence in
Houston did not provide the
most comforting
of atomospheres
for which a young
person could
hope.
“Houston just
wasn’t my thing,”
he said. “I didn’t
enjoy that town at
all.”
When Snider
was 15 years old
and living in
Houston, he ran
away from home.
After returning to
his family, they
relocated to
Austin, where he
made his profes
sional music
debut a few years later. Snider
said that the atmosphere in
Austin is much more condusive
to artists. He said that he partic
ularly enjoyed the local music
scene that is extremely support
ive of new musical acts.
Snider said his work is difficult
to categorize.
“[Snider] is a puzzlement to
those who like their music easily
categorized,” said a press release
from MCA Records.
Todd said he is proud of his
unusual sound.
“My music has kind of an
inbred mountain man on crack-
rock sound,” Snider said.
The album was originally
supposed to be a concept album
about two mountain guys
named Elmo and Henry a MCA
Records press release said.
However, Snider said that this is
not true.
“I basically sat in front of the
executives, drunk, and made up
the entire story,” Snider said.
Elmo and Henry appear on
the album, but as the title of the
first song on the album.
On his latest release, Snider
roams from style to style. One
See Snider, Page 4
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Thursday, Sept. 5
Todd Snider, a country and western musician, will play with opening band
Jasmine Blue at the Dixie Theatre tonight.
The Fire Ants, a local classic rock band, will play at Fitzwilly’s tonight.
Electric Gypsies, an eclectic rock band, will play at Chelsea Street Pub &
Grill tonight.
Red Eye Gravy, a local acoustic band, will play at Bullwinkle’s tonight.
Friday, Sept. 6
Austin rock band, Sister 7 (formerly Little Sister), will play with opening
band,Tina & the B-side Movement at Dixie Theatre tonight.
Miss Molly and the Whips, a rhythm & blues band from Houston, will play
at 3rd Floor Cantina tonight.
Local blues musician, Ruthie Foster, will play at Fitzwilly’s tonight.
Electric Gypsies, a eclectic rock band from Austin, will play at Chelsea
Street Pub & Grill tonight.
Local rhythm & blues band,The Wicks, will play at Sweet Eugene’s House of
Java tonight.
Saturday, Sept. 7
Pushmonkey, a rock band from Austin, will play with opening band
The Drag at the Dixie Theatre tonight.
Johnny Dee the Rocket 88’s, a classic rock band from Austin, will play
at 3rd Floor Cantina tonight.
Texas Twisters, a local classic rock band, will play at Fitzwilly’s tonight.
Electric Gypsies, an eclectic rock band, will play at Chelsea Street Pub
& Grill tonight
Diana Gordon, a folk musician, will play at Sweet Eugene’s House of
Java tonight.
The Killer Bees
Sister
The Killer Bees (above), a Reggae band from Austin, will play at the
Tap tonight.
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