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Pop: Hot Ticket
By GINA VIVINETTO
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 15, 2001
Chicago: A hard habit to break
Was Peter Cetera refering to the pop charts when he sang, "Everybody needs a little time away ..."?
Well, Chicago, one of the most successful American bands of all time, has had ample time away. But, this is one of those classic bands that has had so many fabulous tunes, its greatest hits packages must be broken down into decades.
1970s: 25 or 6 to 4, Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? Saturday in the Park, Feeling Stronger Everyday.
1980s: Hard to Say I'm Sorry, Stay the Night, You're the Inspiration, Hard Habit to Break.
Okay, so the '80s stuff doesn't compare, but that early Chicago is tough to top.
Chicago performs at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater. $45. (727) 791-7400.
- GINA VIVINETTO, Times pop music critic
No slackers here
No, you're not imaginging it, Superchunk really does play here every time you turn around. From Chapel Hill, N.C., Superchunk has for more than a decade been the alt-rock version of James Brown: the hardest working band in show business. The quartet tours constantly, produces one decent-to-brilliant record every year and runs its own independent label, Merge.
Superchunk's sound is authentic 1980s-style alt-rock: heavy on guitar, low on innovation but filled to the brim with the brisk taste of suburban white kid angst. My favorite era was the early 1990s Mac-and-Laura-just-broke-up-records, chronicling the demise of romance 'tween the band's front folks. Of course, the earlier favorites such as slacker anthem Slack Motherf---, about hating your part-time job at Kinko's, rocked, too.
Superchunk's shows have so much energy, you frequently see that little Energizer bunny pogoing in the pit, drumming along punk rock-style.
The opening act, Spoon, from Austin, Texas, has a terrific new album out called Girls Can Tell, filled with jittery punky pop.
Superchunk performs with Spoon, 8 p.m. Tuesday at the State Theatre, 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. $9.99. (727) 895-3045.
- GINA VIVINETTO, Times pop music critic
Bubbly art with serious undertones
Expect a night of arty shenanigans with Champagne (sham-pain), the performance art/musical piece put together by local arts luminaries RhondaK, "editrix" of the Web site http://www.NakedPoetry.com, and her cohorts musician Jeremy Gloff and singer BettyX. The trio has crafted their version of the "Seven Deadly Sips," a collection of pieces about champagne and all its bubbly glory.
Well, actually the show tackles more than champagne wishes and caviar dreams. Champagne (sham-pain) takes the audience all over the globe and through the ages in a series of one-acts about pop culture, child abuse, alcoholism, punk rock, office angst, sex and more.
Members of Tampa's alt-rock band Ashes of Grisum join the trio. Singer/guitarist Chris Temple will screen an original multimedia piece, cellist "Evil" Bob Moore will add his highbrow flourishes and keyboardist Vinnie Saletto produced the show's soundtrack, which will be available for purchase.
Champagne (sham-pain) gets started at 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Silver Meteor, 2213 E Sixth Ave., Ybor City. Tickets are $7.
- GINA VIVINETTO, Times pop music critic
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