To the most loyal and even sporadic readers of the College Music Journal, a tour handpicked by the magazine is an open invitation to rejoice in dyed-black hair ecstasy.
With a lineup of Longwave, the Mooney Suzuki, White Light Motorcade and the Raveonettes, the audience should be prepared for anything and everything when the Advance Warning Tour, a joint CMJ and MTV2 rock venture, rolls into the Center for the Arts Mainstage Theatre 7 p.m. this coming Sunday.
The Raveonettes, a Danish duo, will perform music from their EP "Whip It On," a short but sweet introduction to their sound. "Whip It On" was written under the following self-imposed conditions - all tracks had to be under three minutes long and use the same three chords in the key of B minor.
"Actually, (the record) didn't start as a set of rules or constraints," Sharin Foo, vocalist and bassist of the Raveonettes, said. "(Main songwriter Sune Rose Wagner) was heading around the States in '98 and bristling at the overproduced music going around. His idea was to keep it simple, and it was more of a reaction to the music at the time than a concept. It just developed into an obsession and then a game."
"Once we got to the studio it was like, 'What if we don't use hi-hats or rise cymbals?'" Foo said. "We created something unique. We weren't being stupid, if it needed another chord, we would've added another chord."
Directly preceding this tour, the Raveonettes had a jaunt with indie kings of the moment, Interpol, whom Foo said was a riot to be around.
"They are really great guys who really party hard. They taught us a thing or two about that," Foo said, with a laugh.
As a whole, the record features similar elements to Interpol, but also calls to mind the Eels and even whispers of the solo work of John Frusciante, guitarist for Red Hot Chili Peppers. If having Interpol as touring partners, and such musical influence bodes well for the band, they are not losing sleep at night wondering if they could be the next big thing.
"(It) doesn't add pressure creatively, we're going to write what we want to," Foo said. "It is a great opportunity, but we're not going to compromise on anything. We've always felt good about every album, like each one was a ... masterpiece."
A "next big thing" band would not be complete without controversy. The video for the duo's single, "Attack of the Ghost Riders," was banned in the U.K. for its B-movie depiction of Wagner frying on an electric chair.
"I guess they are starting to play it on MTV2, which is fine by us," Foo said. "We thought it was great (that it was banned). Hilarious."
Between the tour and listening to Ella Fitzgerald ("so intimate, so sophisticated," Foo gushed) the Raveonettes are preparing to launch their next disc, titled "Chain Gang of Love," which they recorded entirely in the key of B major.
Aside from the madness of the Raveonettes, the tour brings highly touted Longwave's return to Buffalo. The group with Rochester and Long Island roots - and gains more attention every day - will be putting on another set of unforgettable rock and roll a la early U2 and R.E.M., with a dash of Velvet Underground.
For those swept up in the retro rock and roll movement, Sunday allows a feast of the Mooney Suzuki. Flamboyant and chaotic, the band's latest release, "Electric Sweat," has garnered praise in just about every publication where they are featured. Their music is recognizable from its inclusion on a Nike commercial featuring Mike Piazza during last season's major league baseball playoffs.
Lastly, White Light Motorcade will be filling the bill to capacity. Their pop-sounding tracks are filled with dirty - nay, filthy - rock and roll. The ballads of WLM evoke comparisons to Oasis and, dare one say, Our Lady Peace. Sporting ear plugs will lend a viewer the opportunity to pretend they are watching The Strokes, as WLM's outfits and haircuts are nearly identical to the MTV2 phenomenon.
If the phrase "next big thing" conjures up thoughts of four Vines' rip-offs (a sickening thought, indeed), take confidence in Foo's words of wisdom: "Not to be rude, but when a band is strictly retro, it's really boring. And we aren't retro. At all."
Tickets are $5 ($4 for UB students) at the Mainstage Theatre in the Center for the Arts. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., the show starts at 7 p.m. It is sponsored by Sub-Board I and the University Unions Activities Board.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
