The Red Krayola in Berlin
Mayo Thompson has stopped playing his guitar and is asking the soundman to crank up the drums. Actually, the drummer in question happens to be a machine the size of a discman. The drums have been getting lost in the onstage mix but despite repeated requests, the drums remain buried. "Crank it up!" Mayo asks. "It's a rock'n'roll thing!". He turns to his fellow Red Krayola of the evening, guitarist Tom Watson, smiles and shrugs. "Or", he suggests, "we could go soft!". But then, suddenly, the drum machine comes boom-bashing in, and normal sevice is resumed, and Mayo looks happy for a while. Seems, though, that someone has seriously upset him earlier. His mood adds an edge to the overall proceedings. Red Krayola gone soft? No way! Now 62, the legendary mastermind behind one of America's best underground groups of all-time, still has it in him to infuriate and confuse the casual listener. Unusual chord sequences, puzzling lyrics (often with political or historical content), off-beat rhythms, freeform exploration, and his fragile, untrained crooning. Me? I love The Red Krayola!
The Red Krayola (sometimes Crayola) have been making difficult listening music for the best part of 40 years now. I first stumbled across them via a free flexi disc in the long gone and much missed Zig-zag magazine back in the 70's (featuring what could be their "greatest hit", Hurricane Fighter Plane). Teaming up with musicians from various Rough Trade groups, Mayo recorded the classic Soldier Talk album, which introduced Mayo's music to a post-punk audience. It was around this time I first got to see them in concert, a line-up which included Lora Logic (sax and vocals), Gina Birch of The Raincoats (bass), and Epic Soundtracks from Swell Maps (drums). It was this line-up that would record (with Allen Ravenstein of Pere Ubu) the excellent 1981 album Kangeroo? The Ubu connection, of course, had been there a while, with Mayo joining David Thomas and friends as guitarist on their 1980 album The Art Of Walking. A personal favourite of mine, this record included a new version of Mayo's fantastic song Horses (originally recorded back in the late 60's on his solo album Corky's Debt To His Father).
There have been various line-ups through the years. During the 90's many new Red Krayola albums found their way into specialist shops. Most were received favourably by the faithful but Mayo remained a shadowy figure in a fast moving alternative music scene. Not that the big time was ever on his agenda. The Krayola make seriously uncompromising music. And here they are, in 2006, as a duo (with that "difficult" drummer), promoting (or not-promoting) their most recent album Introducing (Drag City Records). One of the most listenable records of their career, it has to be said, but with no lessening in the difficult music department. The chords remain jagged and at all angles and the guitars are dubiously tuned. But, in there somewhere, is this glorious, melodious record. Maybe it's all done by mirrors? Maybe it's just a natural maturing (like Dylan on Time Out Of Mind). Mayo's singing is at it's best and many a tune memorable long after that first hearing. In short, another slice of Classic Krayola.
Having already submitted my Top 10 faves a while back to the Untidy website, I soon realized I'd missed one of my most played and best loved records of the year. At their concert at Roter Salon in Berlin (19.12.06) the songs Breakout, Greasy Street and Vexations from the Introduction album are featured (the latter with it's memorable "Life oh life, what did we do wrong?" chorus). The past is not forgotten though, and there's a welcome dip into the Kangeroo? collection with Portrait Of V.I.Lenin In The Style Of Jackson Pollock (Part 1) and The Mistakes Of Trotsky (both originally sung by Lora Logic).
And how about it? There's Hurricane Fighting Plane in all it's playful and joyous glory. Tuning still of the almost-but-not-quite kind don't distract from this performance, with Tom Watson proving to be a reliable (and vital) partner. Mayo comes across as part-philosopher, part-comic actor, while remaining a mesmerising guitarist in his own right. Despite whatever (or whoever) it is that's upset him, he finds time to chat and joke with the audience, though much of the humour proved too dry for this crowd. He tries a second guitar, claiming the first one wasn't co-operating, and all goes seemingly to plan. However, the onstage sound is still a problem. And then...
The drum machine is cranked up high for the last few numbers. The songs out front sound great. Mayo is hearing something else, it seems. He takes off his guitar, throws it to the floor, and goes to leave the stage. The guitar drones in feedback. Mayo heads for the steps but slips and falls off the stage. He brushes passed the audience to the backstage room. Tom Watson continues to play over Mayo's still droning guitar. Eventually he stops, then rests his guitar over Mayo's. The noise ends suddenly. He thanks the audience for coming, returns to pick up his guitar, at which point Mayo's guitar begins to drone again (as if it has a life of it's own). Later, I spot Mayo chatting with some fans. He seems ok (though when I woke this morning I was thinking, that was some fall, he must be suffering from that). So, what to make of it all? The Red Krayola are still a fantastically exciting group. Still jagged and at odd angles, but all the more beautiful for it. Long live the Red Krayola and all who sail in her.
Clive Product
Some of our friends' websites
cliveproduct.com
kevincoynepage.tk
9-pmrecords.de
trashville.co.uk
lovelyrecovery.com
kioski.de
