R E Q U E S T OCT. 1996

12 INDIE BANDS THAT MATTER
by David Sprague, Ira Robbins, and Jim DeRogatis

STINKING LIZAVETA

When the words progressive and "rock" are used in the same sentence, most right-thinking folks head for the hills -- largely because of a few overblown musos who have obscured the true meaning of the first term. As Stinking Lizaveta proves it's certainly possible to expand the parameters of rock without losing its innate gutsiness -- or as Lester Bangs once put it, its "rebop."

On the surface, the all-instrumental Philadelphia group could be seen as a power trio in the most basic sense of the word: Drummer Cheshire Agusta pounds with a propulsive energy that belies her slender physique, while brothers Alexi and Yanni Papadopoulos coax impressively visceral sounds from guitar and upright bass. But rather than merely kick out the jams, the trio works with impressive improvisational finesse, as befits a band that lists free-jazzers Charles Gayle and Sonny Sharrock among, its influences.

"It's cool to be able to give people what you feel at the given moment. It's fun to treat your instrument like a sound source rather than a source of prescribed notes," says Yanni, whose elastic guitar playing colors much of the band's debut, ...Hopelessness and Shame (Compulsive), in dark, rich hues.

Sound qua sound -- one that Agusta says is ideally "phenomenally bad-assed" -- is crucial to the Stinking Lizaveta ethos. The members alternately mirror and refract each others' unscripted moves, creating moods that can be either terrifying ("Some Go to Hell") or lulling ("Father's Song") while seldom roaming into the bombast so common to the band's so-called "math-rock" peers.

"We like to hit people with clear musical shapes," says Agusta, a trained pianist who didn't begin playing drums until she was an adult. "For me, adding free playing to my work is the next scary step in becoming a totally fearless player: a player who can be at the center, responding to the music of the other players without bullshitting the audience."

Let Stinking Lizaveta free your mind, and a serious ass-kicking is sure to follow. -- D.S.