Don't Interruptus

Want Boring Music? Don't Interruptus The following is a review of Interruptus, Umbrella Man written by Curtis Robinson, Music Editor for the Roaring Fork Sunday Newspaper: The article is dated June 1, 1996.
Sitting in the dark, drinking cheap whiskey while trying to forget you ever knew somebody who has always been a good friend is never easy. But that's what you've got to do if you're going to review music in this valley, because sooner or later you're going to know lots of folks. At least that's what they tell you at rock-writing school. You forget him too, especially those of you who recall Skinner from his glory days as Station Manager of KDNK public radio in Carbondale (his main credits: the production studio and put in the Aspen Translator). Others might recall his work in "The Natives," a rocking group that cut a pretty popular path through the valley in the 1980s. He was also Mr. Smee in the local "Peter Pan" production and got raves as Mr. Bumble in last year's "Oliver" production by the Aspen Community Theater. But forgetting is not easy. Like this particular well recorded part of his song "Pave It" reminds me of a political rally in Aspen when it rocked the house and the dancing fools provided some cover for Hunter S. Thompson to hit the door, only feet ahead of a few of his more zealous fans. Or the time Steve played "Bottom Feeder," his certified show-stopper about an upper-classless lady who "loves to go out/never picks up the check," at Shoomze Underground, and a girl went just a bit looney, thinking he wrote it about her. He did, we explained, but not her INDIVIDUALLY. Somebody must have explained the implication, and things were tense for a moment, but it passed the way such moments will.	So I'm forgetting about Steve Skinner as I'm listening to this "Umbrella Man" album from him and the group "Interruptus." It's just released on CD and includes 22 songs about "... Iove, hate, the earth and all the people in it." It's a bit like Tom Waits meets Pink Floyd with bonus points if you can spot the hidden Elton John snippet. And it rocks. The odd thing about Umbrella Man is the production quality. Skinner and "interruptus" met in a Santa Barbara, Calif. studio to record the album in only four days. Nearly two dozen songs didn't make the cut. The sound has depth; nuance and there's always slightly more there on a second listen. Musicians will love this stuff, but us listeners have lots to enjoy as well. Skinner and company developed the concept of a legendary Umbrella Man, coming up from the depths of despair, during the actual recording session. You'll see. The umbrella effects sound a bit like a Soviet gun ship hovering over a wet field in early morning, but it's an impressive sound. For the complex sound effect, they used a highly sophisticated umbrella. "Anything can be an instrument, you just need to mic it," says Skinner. "We used toys, back scratchers, voodoo dolls, anything we could get our silly little hands on to make sounds." This is a tight album. Not just in the music, but in the transitions between songs. No CD space is wasted, and the effect carries the energy well. Heaven help them if they ever tried to play this entire disc live.	Already copies of the CD are causing predictions a couple of the more political songs, 'Write It Down' "Pave It" will become cornerstones of this November election season. In the later tune, we open with: What's that I see Is that a flower over there? Growing toward the sky in the open air? Cut it into pieces and I still won 't share ... What's that I see Is that an elk over there? Breeding with it's mate in the open air? Shuffle it away with a vacant stare We're here to make money and we just don t care Mow it. Pave it. Sell it. Again and again to make money. Lyrics like that, and you wonder why the excitable boy doesn't just tell us what he really thinks. It's 22 songs, costs $15 at a music store near you, and worth every dime. First, a locally produced CD with this kind of quality deserves some support. Secondly, this is a musical milestone for some musicians with bigger and better things in their future. Actually, if I didn't know Steve, I'd figure he was one of those really cool Seattle types who left the big city and keeps a day job to fund his creative side. And I'd be right. Umbrella Man. Quit whining about the general insignificance of local music and get them while they're hot. Another Review

Want Boring Music? Don't Interruptus

The following is a review of Interruptus, Umbrella Man written by Curtis Robinson, Music Editor for the Roaring Fork Sunday Newspaper: The article is dated June 1, 1996.

      Sitting in the dark, drinking cheap whiskey while trying to forget you ever knew somebody who has always been a good friend is never easy.
      But that's what you've got to do if you're going to review music in this valley, because sooner or later you're going to know lots of folks.
      At least that's what they tell you at rock-writing school.
      You forget him too, especially those of you who recall Skinner from his glory days as Station Manager of KDNK public radio in Carbondale (his main credits: the production studio and put in the Aspen Translator). Others might recall his work in "The Natives," a rocking group that cut a pretty popular path through the valley in the 1980s.
      He was also Mr. Smee in the local "Peter Pan" production and got raves as Mr. Bumble in last year's "Oliver" production by the Aspen Community Theater.
      But forgetting is not easy. Like this particular well recorded part of his song "Pave It" reminds me of a political rally in Aspen when it rocked the house and the dancing fools provided some cover for Hunter S. Thompson to hit the door, only feet ahead of a few of his more zealous fans.
      Or the time Steve played "Bottom Feeder," his certified show-stopper about an upper-classless lady who "loves to go out/never picks up the check," at Shoomze Underground, and a girl went just a bit looney, thinking he wrote it about her.
      He did, we explained, but not her INDIVIDUALLY. Somebody must have explained the implication, and things were tense for a moment, but it passed the way such moments will.

      So I'm forgetting about Steve Skinner as I'm listening to this "Umbrella Man" album from him and the group "Interruptus." It's just released on CD and includes 22 songs about "... Iove, hate, the earth and all the people in it."
      It's a bit like Tom Waits meets Pink Floyd with bonus points if you can spot the hidden Elton John snippet.
      And it rocks.
      The odd thing about Umbrella Man is the production quality. Skinner and "interruptus" met in a Santa Barbara, Calif. studio to record the album in only four days. Nearly two dozen songs didn't make the cut. The sound has depth; nuance and there's always slightly more there on a second listen. Musicians will love this stuff, but us listeners have lots to enjoy as well.
      Skinner and company developed the concept of a legendary Umbrella Man, coming up from the depths of despair, during the actual recording session. You'll see.
      The umbrella effects sound a bit like a Soviet gun ship hovering over a wet field in early morning, but it's an impressive sound. For the complex sound effect, they used a highly sophisticated umbrella.
      "Anything can be an instrument, you just need to mic it," says Skinner. "We used toys, back scratchers, voodoo dolls, anything we could get our silly little hands on to make sounds."
      This is a tight album. Not just in the music, but in the transitions between songs. No CD space is wasted, and the effect carries the energy well. Heaven help them if they ever tried to play this entire disc live.

Already copies of the CD are causing predictions a couple of the more political songs, 'Write It Down' "Pave It" will become cornerstones of this November election season. In the later tune, we open with:

      What's that I see
            Is that a flower over there?
      Growing toward the sky
            in the open air?
      Cut it into pieces
            and I still won 't share ...
      What's that I see
            Is that an elk over there?
      Breeding with it's mate
            in the open air?
      Shuffle it away
            with a vacant stare
      We're here to make money
            and we just don t care
      Mow it. Pave it. Sell it.
            Again and again
                  to make money.

      Lyrics like that, and you wonder why the excitable boy doesn't just tell us what he really thinks. It's 22 songs, costs $15 at a music store near you, and worth every dime. First, a locally produced CD with this kind of quality deserves some support. Secondly, this is a musical milestone for some musicians with bigger and better things in their future.
      Actually, if I didn't know Steve, I'd figure he was one of those really cool Seattle types who left the big city and keeps a day job to fund his creative side. And I'd be right.
      Umbrella Man. Quit whining about the general insignificance of local music and get them while they're hot.

Another Review

INTERRUPTUS
THE CD
UMBRELLA MAN

Any questions? E-mail me at: nigel@rof.net