March 31, 1997

Obliterati: "a Greek, a freak, a sheik, and two geeks." This is the band in a socio-ethnographic nutshell according to Steven ("first names would be best, please"), the band's guitarist.

Obliterati are as stylistically different from The Hate Bombs as The Bush Tetras were to The Chesterfield Kings. But one concept is paramount to both groups - working the crowd into a dancing frenzy and having as much fun as is humanly possible.

According to Steven, Obliterati play "mutant" disco. "There is a great awareness, primarily based on our ages, of what was going on in the late 70's and early 80's with dance music," Steven said, "not to mention every other possible thing that could have come into music since then." Tony, on "bass and keys," specifically cited the New York underground minimalist funk scene (c. 1979-81), and the seminal, but defunct, 99 label out of New York (Liquid Liquid, ESG) as Obliterati's musical context.

Three other "obliterati" round out the group: Nadeem "I will kick your fucking ass!" on drums; Holly on whacked-out samples and "Pram-esque" clarinet and keyboards; and Lisa, singer and baby doll head juggler; after all, every singer must have something to do during instrumentals.

Obliterati, playing only their fifth live show, are remarkably comfortable and accomplished on stage. Some of that "tightness" may be due to the fact that Tony, Nadeem, and Holly have been playing together for years in ear-piquing bands like Choc and Bad Afro Experience. All the members contribute lyrics and music.

Obliterati played an hour and fifteen minutes of "mutant" originals like "Disco Obliterati" which according to Steven is "for juggling baby heads ... it's entirely an homage to the music a lot of us got to hear when we were growing up." Obliterati's songs have set parameters in which the members have the ability to improvise, but the defining quality is that the music is propulsively rhythmic. If you ain't dancing to "Miss 45," "Rhapsody of Excess," and "Short Stick" your feets is dead!

I'm not talking Gloria Gaynor, The Bee Gees, Celie Bee, or Cerrone here. In my skewed estimation take "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" era-David Bryne and filter it through Rufus and Chaka Khan and you get smart, fun, and danceable (though you can't do "The Hustle") music. You get Obliterati.

Ray Gunn Virus A.k.a.: Ray Gunn Virus; Mr. Ray Gunn Virus, Sir; Shinygodhead; J. Alvarez; sometimes even old plain Jorge (go ahead say whore-hey) never mind George will do. Stuff he like to do someday: Make a living out of writing "junk and stuff" and going places and seeing things ... Other Articles I've Written