produced
by
the buzzrats and Geoff
Streadwick
engineered by Geoff
Streadwick
mastered by Chris
Goosman at Solid Sound
duplication by World
Class
recorded at 40 oz.,
Ann Arbor, MI., and New Action, Ypsilanti, MI.
buzzrat artwork by Jeff
Westover
photos by Lisa Powers
design by Christine
Golus
musicians
Steve
Leggett
acoustic and electric guitars, vocals, hums
Vino Veasley electric
guitar, e-bow, can o' bolts, backwards highhat, vocals and whispers,
congas, slide
Charlie Murphy box
drums, bongos, dumbek, gongs, rototoms, aquaharp, cymbals, rain stick,
nisi shaker, xylophone
Nate Higley trap
kit, chicken shaker
Phil Tepley electric
guitar (backwards and forwards), slide
Rob Crozier bass,
harmonica (backwards and forwards), congas
Todd Perkins bass,
fretless bass, accordian
Geoff Streadwick trap
kit, organ, bass
Dan Bernstein bass
on "syd"
Aria DiSalvio cello
Andrew Wheat drums
on "syd"
Chubb Sessions whispers,
suggestions, production on "cautionary tale"`
The Buzzrats
A Tiny Speck in a Ruthless Universe
Current
- Ann Arbor's Entertainment Monthly
July 1997
Tiny Speck in a Ruthless Universe
Current
- Ann Arbor's Entertainment Monthly
As
guitars and an accordian slither through the body of "When Lightning
Strikes the Ferris Wheel," the first track on the Buzzrats' debut
album, one can feel the presence of ghosts. It's as if, in the
slow, determined pace of the song, where instruments ambiguously drop
in and out of a mix, one hears traces of a veiled music rather than
a music that tells us where to go to look for it. Even the vocals,
which might give us something to go on, and do tell a story, are so
far back in the mix, so much a part of the drift and shadow of the tune's
melody, that they only serve to deepen the tabula rasa impression.
A Tiny Speck In A Ruthless Universe takes the loose strands of rock,
country, blues, pop and alchemy, and braids them together, leaving strands
hanging loose everywhere. It carries the listener along on a road
trip of the mind through the American Midwest and the unchartable terrain
of the interior with a surreal, yet hummable approach.
The Buzzrats, through, are accessible in their high weirdness. They
prize melody and harmony and simplicity, but they read it through their
own system of icons and signposts in interpreting American music. Simply
put, they make music that lies not on the margins, but in the cracks,
where all traditions and genres meet in the morass of a well--if loosely
constructed--tune.
If all of this seems cryptic, good. This is a cryptic record,
one that is so full of challenge and adventure and risk that it deserves
to be heard and puzzled over for years to come. But don't worry, they
can rock a house party or a barroom with the best of them; they just
leave you with something to ponder for a very long time. A masterpiece.
-Thom Jurek
The Buzzrats
The genius of collaboration
Ann Arbor Observer
August 1997
"I
want it all. I want a band that's a real melting pot," says
Steve Leggett, lead vocalist and principal songwriter for the Buzzrats.
Collaboration is the soul of rock 'n' roll music. For every guitar
genius there are several groups of musicians greater than the sum of
their individual talents. Where would the Doors have been without
Ray Manzarek's acidly ironic organ as counterpoint to Jim Morrison's
theatricality?
The
Buzzrats bring together a wider range of sounds than almost any other
area band. Though "power ambient folk-punk" might cover
most of it, a blanket term only obscures the way each song goes off
in its own direction yet brings the group together as a unit. Many
Buzzrats pieces take shape around Leggett's melodically simple, subtly
mystical songs, interpreted in all kinds of unexpected ways. Percussionist
Charlie Murphy is a special joy to watch, surrounded by his array of
drums, gongs, shakers, keyboards, cymbals, harps, and whatever else
he may recently have acquired. The Buzzrats can rock ferociously
or meditate quietly, and the shift always seems like the most natural
thing in the world.
During
the course of a Buzzrats show you can expect to hear everything from
Pink Floyd-style guitar atmospherics, hard rock, punk, jazz, and grunge,
to long group improvisations reminiscent of the Grateful Dead. Even
individual songs may go through several stylistic phases, but they never
come off as a pastiche. The Buzzrats music is a true merging of
spirits, something that exists only because these particular people
found one another.
They
are a spontaneous, jamming band that puts most of its creative energy
into making recordings rather than into live gigs. A Tiny Speck
in a Ruthless Universe, on the San Francisco-based Dirty River label,
has received some strong acclaim, and another CD is already on the way.
But several of the band members labor under Bob Seger's "deadlines
and commitments" of middle age, having neither the time to hustle
for nightclub dates nor the late-night ways they'd need to actually
pull them off. So it's all the more important to see the Buzzrats
when you can. You can catch them in Ashley's little basement room
on Saturday,
August 9.
-James
M. Manheim
more buzzrats albums: