Untitled - Essence

Esscnsc
The Gig
Hollywood
Contact: 415-641-8990
The Players: Essence, vocals,
guitar; Jim Greer, guitar; Daniel
Burkman, guitar; Simran Bentel,
bass; Ricky Carter, drums; David
Hopkins,keys.
Material: Essence earned herself
and her bandmates an opening
spot at the Lilith Fair, and with
good reason.This female fronted
act exhibits enough talent and
estrogen-injectedwarmth to warrant the attention.
The material ranges from hiphop beats laced with silky, sexy
soul, to acoustic gems with a
Stones/Mazzy Star-like touch.
Essence deftly combines classic
instrumentswith newer technolgy,
making for an interestingblend of
styles.
Musicianship: The players are
each more than competentat their
instruments.Hopkinsplayedsome
excellent keys, executing some
funky etfects and turning out a
sweet Hammond-likesound. Carter is a very tight drummerwho
plays his breaks with precision,
while both guitarists,Burkmanand
Simran, employ feedback nicely
and solo very well.
It is Essence herself, however
who reallycapturesthe essenceof
"Essence."At times she's emotional and contemolativelike Natalie
Merchant,and at other times she
soundslikeTracyThorn singingfor
Massive Attack. She has remarkable control of her voice and is
capable of reaching many registers.
Performance: A confident entertainer, Essence is aware of her
charismaand uses it to her advantage. The songs seemed to be
structuredaround her vocal performance,the band fillingin the gaps
with meat and nuance.Each band
membergot into the set, which climaxed with The Spirit of Bruce
Lee,"a song that had thern going
frombassanddrumsto an almost
powerpop.
CheapTrick-like
Summary: Essencehas shown
that she haswhatit takesto play
biggervenueswithher girlfriends'
at Lilith,and she seems determined to becomea household
nameamongcollegegirls everywnere.
While,for betteror worse,some
songsfelt as all too familiaras a
Lisa Lopezor Natalielmbruglio
song, Essence'semphasison
beatsalongwithacousticguitaris
a hipavenue,
andmighteventually
serveto makehei evenmoreinterestingthanherLilithpeers.
-Dan Siwek
paniment. Needless to say, their
sets are always the same length
leaving no room for much spontaneity.Abbe has a stronger,more
polishedvoice.Michaeltalks/sings
in a style reminiscentof Lou Reed.
Their voices harmonizewell.
Performance: All things French
are explored during the Tyrants'
briskset.The coupleare both playful and antagonistictoward each
other and they engage in live and
recordedbantering.
Manyof theirtunesare prefaced
by recordedintroductoryexplanations and commentarywhich slyly
mock such icons as Bany White.
Abbe wears dark clothesand little
make-up. Blond Michael wears
color and lipstick.Abbe's srow
moody renderingof ArthurAlexander's"Anna"(fromthe Beatles'first
album) is haunting and both the
duo and the audience have fun
with lheir playful version of the
erotic,breast-heaving1969 hit,"Je
T'aime". "Why are we speaking
French?"Michael innocentlyasks
Abbe.Duh, it's a Frenchsong.The
audiencecracksuo.
Summary: While it is unlikelythat
Tyrants in Therapy will ever play
stadiums,their materialis appealing to those weary of formulahits.
With comedy films dominatingthe
market right now, directorswould
be well advisedto placeTyrantsIn
Therapytunes, just as they would
Randy Newman's or Jonathan
Richmans'work, into the sort of
projects that are in need of this
type of material.
-Dianne Bates
TyrantsIn lherapy
Canter's
Hollywood
Contact: TrustedBrain,818989-0574
tyrantsintherapy.com
The Players: Abbe Kanter, vocals; MichaelJaye,vocals
Material: Tryants in Therapy is a
husband/wifeduo who sing to a
DATrecording.Mikeand Abbe present an entertaining,intelligent
cabaret-styleact that is as theatrical as it is musical.The 26-song
set ran the gamut from the danceable "Boy" to the decadent waltz
"ln the Shadow of Hitler,"to the
silly, faux-country tune "Cowboy
Loungel'The Tyrants' songs are
smartly humorousand often cynical. "Words Like That" starts ofl as
a list of dirty words which eventually includes words like "Disneyland," "George Bush," and "Caucasians." "Fuck Barbra Streisand"
is, well, self-explanatory.
The Tyrants"'TooTuff to Cry" was a disco
hit in Latino dance clubs and
music from their "Big Pink House"
'|2" was used in the CharlieSheen
tlick, Men at Work.
Musicianship: Tyrants use competent guest musicians such as
Bobby Roblesof Thee Midnighters TyrantsIn Therapy:Smail,humorduo.
to ore-recordtheir musicalaccom- ous husband/ryife
MUSICCONNECTIONAUGUST16. 1ggg-AUGUST29. 1999
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