The Chapel Hill News from Chapel Hill, North Carolina • 40

Cue Magaana JANUARY 25 1990Pago25 miiujsiid folds earn! iremmoDds' By JEAN DOBBS Correspondent After moving from country club lounge bend The Carolin-eri to white funk group Majosha songwriter Ben Folds now approaches another musical milestone: the transition from show-biz performance to artistic expression This weekend Majosha will play its final gig and the found- ing member will take his lyrics and scores to the newly formed Pots and Pans Pots and Pans will include Folds Majosha's current lead vocalist Evan Olson and a new member Snuzz from the group Big Kids Majosha has become too performance oriented Folds says want to get away from Evan's and concentrate more on getting the tunes across' Folds said at his Greensboro home last week Evan Olson's may account for much of the popularity in Triangle clubs More fun to watch than David Byrne Olson keeps the band and the audience hopping problem is that I can't write to feed that kind of big performance in fact it can be embarrassingto put your name on what it takes to do that" says Folds i Folds 23 has written virtually all of Majosha's material Olson 22 co-wrote the anxious love song Emmeline found on Up and Listen to Majosha" Folds feels that Olson has the makings of a pop star and that Majosha's work has already begun to mature says Folds adolescence of music involves imitating other The band has bran compared to XTC Joe Jackson The Pressure Boys and Steely Dan progressed into a blend that's mom our own" he says Part of growing up is moving on Majosha's current drum- -mer Eddie Walker and guitar-1st Millard Powers will both be leaving the groups Walker says he does not jnind the slick musicianship of Majosha He wants to pursue his career in performance after he receives his degree in music Powers hopes to go back to school in music at Northern Texas he says The loss of these members will mean big adjustments for Folds and Olson Folds will move from bass to drums and Olson from lead vocals to bass -and back-up vocals Folds hopes Pots and Pans will be as popular as Majosha but he wants people to listen mom closely The band will Elay the same Triangle clubs ut people will have to come with a different attitude he says Majosha will perform a farewell blowout at the Brewery in Raleigh tomorrow night (Jan 26) This may be fans' last chance to see Evan do his On Feb 6 Pots and Pans will give its debut performance at Cradle in Chapel Hill Folds says the band will have play at least eight completely new songs and that Majosha songs may barely be recognizable FOLDING Majosha Millard Powers Evan Olson Ben Folds and Eddie Walker plays its last gig this weekend as members head for different strokes kind of band In describing his theory of the he points to technique on one end and expression on the other McCartney was on the performance end the technique John Lennon was expressive You need the technique to get it across but we're not getting the songs across the way we want Substance is being sacrificed for style he says Hie new band will have fat" Their new music may be he will eventually go on to be one but at this time the band will downplay that particular talent is a great bass player he says In Pots and Pans Olson will step out of the spotlight as Snuzz takes on the lead singing role The name Pots and Pans sums up the new approach to music "I've always said 'If a song is worth a damn you could play it on anything including pots and Folds hopes to create a leaner leaner but these guys are no starving artists Critics have identified them as middle-class" and "the Holden Caufields of Carolina Folds says we're middle class Most bands are middle class We can afford to be honest but not boring like The Connells (Listening to those guys is like watching paint dry) Everyone writes about problems and the middle class has some real serious January bonanza for local bands the Beat's Ranking Roger Something For You and Ben Franklin 's Theme will make even the pop cynic bounce Up-front bass lends a chronic groove aided by crispy clean production Providing the backdrop double guitars simply work the melody Herein lies the debut's weakness: its comparatively uncrea-tive arrangements an effect largely more noticeable live Still with a hook around every comer it's tough not to forgive repititious guitars Humphrey's pop sensibilities promise great things for the future Flat Duo Jets: Duo Jets" (Dog Gone) After six years of combing the southern club circuit Flat Duo Jets has finally left tangible evidence of their musical mark Whyihe wait? When the Jets spoke on WXYC before Continued on pago 26 But whether recorded years or months ago coheres to the top-notch songwriting and musicianship associated with one of the states's strongest combos Singer Philip Collins recalls the vocal styles of Lloyd Cole and Roddy Frame in a guitar-based cement Tommy Keene lends a touch of twang on Alicia Dillon Fence: (NOCAR) If the first cut on this debut EP sounds familiar even though you've never seen the band live you're not alone Something For Yon's catchiness makes it instantly memorable But don't be too quick to slag the Chapel Hill band off as bankrupt derivatives Instead of scratching your head and asking if it's a cover appreciate pure pop beauties Every cut has the makings for smash-single potential Greg Humphrey's deep soulfully spirited vocals recall By CARRIE MCLAREN Correspondent After waiting for months for plastic to return from the press local bands have found a record-release hoydey in January Three LPs made their debut in heavy rotation at WXYC joining an elite Rrnup of national records played the maximum of three to four times a day Satellite Boyfriend: Ma'am" (Stew) To followers of Satellite Boyfriend the quartet's month-old dnbut can hardly be considered now Side one collects original staples of the past two years Crowd leasers like Alicia In the Black Dneaa have bran dubbed onto cartridges at non-commercial radio stations as soon as they were released as domos Newer material recorded last summer appears on side two 'YES MA'AM' Satellite Boyfriend's album collects original staples of the past two years.