Musing again A winning Throwback, Benny Sizzler, and more BY BOB GULLA

The first time I saw Throwing Muses was waaay back in 1984, when they played Brown University, opening for Dire Straits in what can only be explained as a strange billing. I’m not sure why I was there, frankly, but I do know I was overwhelmed by the Muses, blindsided by their freshness, and taken by their freaky noise. Since then, there’s always been a soft spot for Kristin and the gang. So when a new Muses disc came down the pike, their first in seven years, I wasted little time in dispatching the following information . . .

Throwing Muses (4AD)

Kristin Hersh: The Grotto (4AD)

When a band says "they’re returning to their roots," it usually means their last album sucked and they’re imploring their fans to come back. But once a band strays from its roots, well, there’s really no turning back. People change, customary songwriting techniques get altered, morphing into an aesthetic different from the one that came before. So when I heard that the new Throwing Muses record was tabbed as a "return to the band’s roots," well, one eyebrow arched pretty high. But then, leave it to the Muses — still one of the best bands to ever call Rhode Island home — to prove there’s an exception to every rule.

The eponymous disc — the band’s first new collection in seven years, and the first in 10 years to feature ex-Muse Tanya Donelly — captures the Muses’ early sound, only better. While we’ve adjusted willingly to Kristin’s angular, often sublime solo sound, the sound of the Muses was grittier, more linear and, ultimately, more rock. This juxtaposition becomes obvious as Throwing Muses spins through. Songs like "Pandora’s Box" and "Speed and Sleep" present some of Kristin and the band’s most energized tunes. Hersh’s guitar chimes in that throttling way, verging on the post-punk vibe that originally gave birth to it. Assisted by bassist Bernard Georges, drummer David Narcizo, and backed on vocals by Tanya ("Portia," "Los Flamingoes") the record truly evokes the spirit of the Muses circa 1985, when the band, still in their teens, blew audiences away with their scorching, intuitive post-punk.

Which isn’t to infer that Hersh is ready to hang up her acoustic guitar any time soon. Her simultaneously released solo album, The Grotto, provides full evidence of that. It’s completely acoustic, her first solo recording since the luminous Strange Angels back in 1998. It features a few guest spots, most notably the amazing Howe Gelb (Giant Sand) and Andrew Bird (Squirrel Nut Zips, Bowl of Fire), but The Grotto is all about Hersh, her neo-Elizabeth Cotten picking, raspy, almost Piedmont blues (Skip James, Mississippi John Hurt) singing, and searing gothic poetry.

I can’t say which one of these I’d choose if I had to. Both are completely different listening experiences. One is anvil heavy, the other chillingly subtle. What’s your flava?

Benny Sizzler (Six-song demo EP)

And speaking of flavor, Gail Greenwood, former bassist with Tanya Donelly’s Belly and L7 for a brief moment, is on the hook with a new project. Benny Sizzler is a whack hard rock project starring Gail on guitars, Chil Mott on guitar and vox, and Gene Severens on bass. Different drummers round out the lineup, as far as I can tell. Anyway, this here’s a molten hot slab of distorto metallic rock ’n’ roll, full of pissy attitude and punk cheekiness. "Rock hard or don’t rock at all," the band yelps on the opener "Sacred Crowd Pleaser," a tune that features the disc’s best riff. Then there’s another hyper-intellectualized rocker near the close of the disc, "Don’t Fuck Up My Buzz," which reduces rock to its basic, most primal elements — electricity, attitude, and energy. There’s even some decent guitar playing on it. Benny Sizzler is so ripe right now one can only hope that the circumstances surrounding the band will allow for a commitment. This stuff deserves to be heard in the worst way. Seriously.

Benny Sizzler will play at the Met Café on May 2 with the Deterrents and the Dictators.

WHAT AN EYESORE! As we speak, Mr. Alec K. Redfearn and his band of merrymakers called the Eyesores are hittin’ the road, looking for musical mischief all along the eastern seaboard. Their mini-tour will take them from Boston all the way down to Richmond, Virginia, stopping along the way for visits in Brooklyn, Philly, and Baltimore.

Area songstress Fern Knight will be joining the troubadours for most of the trek; scattered area guests have been invited to join in the fun. Their next local gig will happen at AS220 on Tuesday, May 13. In addition to Fern Knight, Ireland’s Adrian Crowley will be along to enhance the evening’s entertainment value.

M-80 EXPLODES. Local melodious punks sure did represent in Los Angeles, where the small-town dudes from downhome kicked ass at an ass-kickin’ party and stirred up all sorts of good feelings in the City of Angels. Not only that, they got plenty of business taken care.

Writes Christian Blaney: "The Warped Tour Kick Off party was amazing. The Key Club was sold out and we rocked the house. We met a ton of people. We also did an interview with Fox Sports’ 54321 extreme sports show, so keep your eyes out for that."

Unfortunately, the band’s cameo on the program has come and gone, but from what they tell us it was a brief appearance on the show’s closing credits in connection with their appearance on the Warped Tour, which is awesome whether you saw it or not!

At the press party/conference, M-80 also made some serious impact. "Apparently," says Blaney, "we were the band that seemed the most excited to be there (i.e., drunk) and the press enjoyed our enthusiasm." We say it’s about time someone else shared in the enthusiasm for one of our local bands. We’ve had a shortage of local-artist-makes-good stories, so it sounds like music to our ears. The bottom line is that the band had an absolute blast. Stay tuned to www.m80punk.com for their online journal and accompanying photos, as well as their Warped Tour dates.

Wandering Eye. Heard that Mike Hamel and Freakshow will finally be heeding the call of the wild, ditching the comfortable confines of their home base for parts unknown. That is, they’re moving to LA. I’ll keep you posted on when and why.

On Saturday (the 19th) at the Century Lounge, the third installment of "Have You Seen This Cat" takes the stage, featuring Rebecca Nurse, Optic Lock, Emery Vesch, and Object Permanence. Door charge is $5, and it’s 18-plus.

This Saturday at Stone Soup, you can catch occasional expat Eric Andersen plying some unexpected styles. His career spans 30 years and several continents as well as relationships with classic characters like Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, and Phil Ochs. These days Andersen is more or less sloughing off his acoustic folk skin for some tougher blues and Velvet Underground (that is, urban) drone. But who knows? A friend of mine plays guitar with Eric whenever he comes to New York and he swears he never knows what to expect — or who he’ll show up with — from one gig to the next. Prepare to be surprised. You can catch him at Stone Soup Coffeehouse on Saturday (the 19th). The concert will be at 8 p.m. at the Blackstone Valley Visitor Center (175 Main Street, Pawtucket). Tickets are $15; call 725-8638.

Grandevolution has a pretty busy schedule these days, headlining the Sky Bar in Somerville, Massachusetts this Saturday (the 19th) and then on the 24th they have a gig in Cranston at JR’s Bourbon St Rock House. If you haven’t seen them, Grandevolution is Sarah Kollett, Scott Kenyon, Joe Baron, and Elia Kleiman.

E-mail me with music news at big.daddy1@cox.net