The Greenville News from Greenville, South Carolina • Page 54

The Accelerators Finding a musical climate in which to grow Kiss is it on the regional music scene erald Duncan talks much like he writes songs: straight from the gut. As founder, anchor, guitarist and chief songwriter The regional concert scene still looks like its spending the holidays elsewhere than on stage. If you like Kiss, you're in luck. Otherwise there are a few exceptions on New Year's Eve you might as well check out all the season's Christmas movies and check into the music calendar next week. Kiss, the power-riffed hard rockers who were once identified by 1 rj Lynne Lucas I Ghelfaw if I their exotically painted faces and leather jumpsuits, are making a swing through the Carolinas and Georgia this week.

The group performs at 8 p.m. Dec. 28 at Charlotte Coli rap music concert featuring The Fat Boys along with R.J.'s Latest Arrival, Full Force and The Boogie Boys at the Atlanta Civic Center. Show time is 6 p.m. For a more traditional New Year's Eve celebration, The Waverly Hotel in Atlanta is presenting the Harry James Orchestra directed by Joe Graves.

The evening begins at 7:30 p.m. with dinner, dancing and champagne. On Jan. 3 and 4, Fins Music Room in Charlotte will present A Night at the Opry featuring George Hamilton IV, the Moody Brothers and Gamble Rogers. The show starts at 8 p.m.

The Kingston Trio, one of the top folk groups in the nation more than two decades ago, will bring their harmonious sounds to Spirit Square in Charlotte Jan. 1 for two shows at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Both performances may be sold out. Two of America's best known pop standard singers, Johnny Mathis and Dionne Warwick will share the bill at the Fox for a week-long run Jan.

7-13. Also coming to the area later in January are jazz vocalists Rare Silk Jan. 10 at Spirit Square; Alabama and the Charlie Daniels Band Jan. 19 at Charlotte Coliseum; and The Statler Brothers and Helen Cornelius, also Jan. 19, at Carolina Coliseum.

Allman seum, at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 30 at Augusta-Richmond Civic Center in Augusta, Ga. and at 9 p.m. Dec.

31 at the Omni in Atlanta. Black and Blue will open the Augusta show. The Producers are on stage at the Moonshadow Saloon in Atlanta Dec. 28, the same night that Hot Shandy performs at the Little Theater in Charlotte sponsored by the Charlotte Folk Music Society. The Gregg Allman Band will perform New Year's Eve at 8:30 p.m.

at Center Stage Theater in Atlanta. The last night of 1985 also holds a and vocalist for The Accelerators, Duncan makes no bones about why he left the Greenville area three years ago and moved to Raleigh: It was the climate. The musical climate. "There's an aura hanging over Greenville," he said, in a phone interview, trying to explain why the Upstate city is not supportive of fresh, new music. "Maybe it's the Bob Jones thing.

People are concerned about things that are not that important. They are so worried about images, about what other people think. It's like the city time forgot." The Accelerators hope Greenville doesn't forget the hometown boys the other three members of the band in fact still live in the Upstate on New Year's Eve when they return home to play at The Manor. The opening group that night will be Genetic Memory. Duncan, 32, began playing music while attending Wade Hampton High School.

For years afterwards, he led the erratically enlightening Moon Pie band, which performed his original poprock songs while most other local bands were copying Top 40 radio. Acceptance was occasionally close, but never embracing. Meanwhile, Duncan's songwriting improved, and so did the band members that joined the efforts to showcase his songs. Frustrated with Greenville's limited musical awareness, yet doggedly determined to relay his own message, he packed his bags and headed to the harmonic haven of North Carolina's Piedmont region. The band's name changed to reflect its new drive.

The other Accelerators, after several changes in lead guitarists and bassists, are now: Doug Whelchel of Gaf fney on sweat and drums, Brad Rice of Norris on lead guitar and Mike Johns of Simpsonville on bass. Since moving their base to Raleigh, The Accelerators have drawn praise from several national music magazines and critics, including Rolling Stone's Dave Marsh, and have toured successfully in big cities on both coasts and in between. In the research triangle of North Carolina, where pop musicians are as prevalent as professors, The Accelerators are known for their accessible sense of recklessness and muscled urgency. They were one of more than two dozen different North Carolina combos the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) recently crossed the Atlantic to film as part of a segment on America's new pop mecca.

"People in Europe know about North Carolina, that people make records here," said Duncan. "People support the pop music scene here and that word gets out so more bands come here to play." On the basis of their live show reviews and their 1983 LP Leave My Heart on Dolphin Records (produced by North Carolina musical guru Don Dixon), The Accelerators were able to make the necessary contacts over the past couple of years to play at many tuned-in clubs around the country. They opened for The Clash on several college dates last year and for quirky pop craftsman Nick Lowe recently in Los Angeles when on a Southwestern tour. Audiences relish their relentless attack of roots rock as they exuberantly deliver a sound that over time has grown tighter, leaner, but never too polished. "We do stuff that is pretty much straight down the gut," said Duncan.

Bassist Johns is also contributing material to the band and singing lead on a handful of songs. His songs are lyrically quite different from Duncan's, but stylistically compatible. One of Duncan's songs, What Is Real, was included on this year's sparkling debut album by Marti Jones on Records. But he has learned not to grow too attached to his own penmanship. When regularly presented before so many hip poprock audiences, material that is not exciting is quickly dumped, he said.

And anyone who hasn't seen The Accelerators in the last six to nine months, will hear plenty of new songs. Having sufficient tunes has never been a problem for the band, which currently has a demo tape in waiting for a deal with a major record label. Interest has been shown: "In the business world, we have what they call 'good dialogue with said Duncan. Meanwhile they'll continue to perform wherever they can. And Duncan will enjoy the diverse musical madness he now finds in his own backyard.

"It's so refreshing to see everything from hardcore (punk) to folk all going on in the same area," he said. "And the musicians, even if they don't like each other's bands, respect and support the idea of a wide range of music. It was always so confrontational in Greenville." Whether Greenville ever accepts him the way his new home and many other cities have and whether or not a major record label deal materializes, one gets the impression that Duncan will persist at his calling in life: to do things his way and hope people open their ears to its honesty. "I've already beat the odds," he said. "I'm still here at my age.

I'm still doing what I set out to do 15 years ago." But nowadays, people are listening. The best of '85 United Press International NEW YORK A roundup of 10-best lists for albums released during the calendar year 1985, according to UPI music writers across the nation. Contemporary 1. John Fogerty, Centerfield (Warner Bros.) 2. Talking Heads, Little Creatures (Sire) 3.

Sting, The Dream of the Blue Turtles 4. Dire Straits, Brothers in Arms (Warner Bros.) 5. Mick Jagger, She's the Boss (Columbia) 6. Graham Parker, Steady Nerves (Elektra) 7. Eurythmics, Be Yourself Tonight (RCA) 8.

Tom Petty, Southern Accents (MCA) 9. Prince, Paisley Park (Paisley Park) 10. Bob Dylan, Empire Burlesque (Columbia) Jazz 1. Wynton Marsalis, Black Codes (From the Underground) (Columbia) 2. Various Artists, One Night With Blue Note, Preserved (Blue Note) 3.

Stanley Jordan, Magic Touch (Blue Note) 4. Keith Jarrett, Standards, Vol. 2 (ECM) 5. Maxine Sullivan with the Scott Hamil ton Quintet, Uptown (Concord Jazz) 6. Herbie Hancock and Foday Musa Suso, Village Life (Columbia) 7.

Dave McKenna, The Key Man (Concord Jazz) 8. Manhattan Transfer, Vocalese (Atlantic) 9. Charlie Rouse, Social Call (Uptown) 10. (tie) Professor Longhair, Rock 'N' Roll Gumbo (Dancing Cat) Scott Cossu, Islands (Windham Hill) Country and western 1. Emmylou Harris, The Ballad of Sally Rose (Warner Bros.) 2.

The Bellamy Brothers, Howard and David (MCA) 3. Willie Nelson, Halt Nelson (Columbia) 4. John Anderson, Tokyo, Oklahoma (Warner Bros.) 5. Hank Williams Jr. Greatest Hits Vol.

II (Warner-Curb) 6. Dan Seals, Won't Be Blue Anymore (Capitol) 7. Waylon Jennings, Turn The Page (RCA) 8. Earl Thomas Conley, Treadin' Water (RCA) 9. Reba McEntire, Have I Got A Deal For You, (MCA) 10.

Oak Ridge Boys, Steppin' Out (MCA) Page 14 JlwreeinPewsQwwlir, Saturday. 28, 1985.