"Hey, Linda, when are you going to review that
CD I gave you last winter?" Mark Chaffee never misses an opportunity.
He doesn't give his band's Not theJoneses full-length, professionally
produced
self-titled debut CD away to every member of the press in Chicago, so now
it's follow-up time.
"When they ask you to play Cornerstone," I responded. The
Phantom Tollbooth publishers are always on the lookout for great indies,
but the ones asked to play at Cornerstone Festival get our immediate
attention.
As official typist of the Cornerstone website, I was one of the first to
learn that indeed, they were asked to play Cornerstone '97, winners of
a new band showcase berth.
With a better-than-average attendance at their afternoon show, they turned
in another good set. "Draggin Man", "I Love You Anyway,"
"Tantalize," "Anastasia," Not the Joneses introduced
their music to a sector of the public that could appreciate the subtly
of their message, but who, for the most part, would never consider hearing
them in their typical venue.
Lead singer and guitarist Mark Chaffee and bass player Russell Bergum (who
has recently left the band to return to medical school) started creating
music together in 1993. They added lead guitarist Doug Schoenbeck and drummer
Vince Consolo in 1995, and became a professional band.
Professional means hired-for-pay, and like most cities, the majority of
paid entertainment in Chicago is consumed with alcohol. Not the Joneses
is a bar band. They play loud, tight, comfortable rock with catchy choruses
and plenty of flashy moves to get the imbibing patrons to pay attention
to their act. They write it and play it well:
Are we havin fun yet,
getting all we can get
Ashes to ashes, yeah we all fall down
Tryin not to feel while we're trying to look real
Ashes to ashes, yeah we all fall down
The sound is your basic rock 'n roll, a well-executed blend of
familiar
styles. Schoenbeck shreds on cue, Consolo is a maniacal drummer, Bergum
does what a bass player does best: support the lead singer, Chaffee, whose
clear delivery of the lyrics makes lengthy introductions unnecessary. Nobody
cares about that stuff, anyway. Just play that one they like so much:
"One
Time Woman." Never mind that the catchy tune is exhorting a would-be
groupie to quit hitting on these married band members, it has great
hooks!
They meet their audience where they are, sympathize, then offer a solution.
In the memorable "J-lite" over a bed of "J-lite the way,"
Mark lists the social ills of our times, and concludes, "where have
we gone - we've lost our way/ This is our home - and all we like sheep
have gone astray." In case you still haven't got it, or you need another
nudge, the ballad "For the Cross" spells it out,
I cry for the people who don't know
the way
I cry for the martyrs who don't know to pray
I cry for all people those wandering lost
I cry for the cross."
This one is too slow for most of their sets, but a nice addition
to the album. Sometimes their cleverness gets the better of them. My personal
favorite, "God Is Dead;" is a great novelty song for us
pseudo-intellectuals:
Inside a dim lit tunnel I saw
somethin' that I never thought would teach me
God is dead' was written on the wall and it was signed Mr. Nietschze
Alone in the dark I felt a helpless sinking in my heart
But my spirit lifted
When I saw those words so gifted
Cuz someone wrote beneath in red
'Nietzsche's dead'
Signed, God
Not the Joneses have dropped this from their paying set lists because
the hook that everyone took away with them was, "Hey, now, God is
dead, that's what Mr. Nietzsche said" --not the message they hope
to leave with patrons.
This is not a proselytizing band, yet as Chaffee explained it to me,
"Each
of the members are truly committed Christians, but we have been led to
the dogs - meaning the mainstream market. Our booking, management, record
company - almost everything else around us - are secular based. All we
do is write music, rehearse, and pray a lot and walk through the doors
God has been opening for us. I am beginning to realize more and more that
it is not necessarily lyrical content that keeps Christian bands of the
mainstream market. Let's face it, major labels and radio stations alike
don't care what the lyrics say as long as they think it can be force fed
to our youth who have the purchase power to keep the ball rolling! With
this in mind, I think it is more imperative for Christian musicians to
get out there and participate in life. We just need to be who we are, not
hide behind the walls of our churches and coffee houses, and act like the
saved people filled with the love of Christ that we are!"
The recording is first-rate for the most part, although like most studio
productions, it doesn't do their live show justice, and there are one or
two rough spots buried in some of the slower tracks. Despite the minor
quibbles, this is a good, upbeat listen you can play outside with pride
while you wax your car. It might even convince your neighbors to accept
your invitation to hear Not The Joneses the next time they're in
town.
