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Apr 20, 2004 12:00 a.m. - KINGBLIND: Music, Art & Entertainment
Sebadoh Feel The Indie Love
In 2004, "indie" is the new "alternative." Like that bygone buzzword, the once-specific term (it’s short for "independent," you know) is now applied to a whole universe of music encompassing everything from bedroom laptop experiments to the classical bombast of avant-rock orchestras. It’s a badge more than a descriptor, the chosen moniker of some huge, amorphous club of obsessive music enthusiasts everywhere. Back in 1989, "indie" still belonged to the cardiganed underground. That’s when Sebadoh released their first record, Freed Man, a rough cassette recording featuring the songs of Lou Barlow, who ’along with Robert Pollard and Steve Malkmus’ now stands as one of indie rock’s most recognizable slacker oddball/idols. "I think people who were kind of influenced by us, it’s almost for philosophical reasons as opposed to the actual quality of the music," says Barlow, with characteristic Modesty. "’Cause when I hear what I’ve done, I hear a lot of near misses. I hear a lot of almost-good." Fifteen years down the road and Barlow, along with longtime collaborator Jason Lowenstein, is resurrecting Sebadoh for a North American tour that has them stopping in Hamilton, Toronto and Montreal, along with a host of U.S. cities. The tour arose out of a few European shows the duo played to augment their appearance at the 10th anniversary of Domino Records, which boasts Sebadoh’s 1994’s Bakesale as its first ever release. That, and some prodding by a particularly ardent fan: Barlow’s mom. "My mother works for a centre for families with children with autism outside of Northhampton, Massachussetts, and she’s got a co-worker who’s totally into indie rock," he says. "They thought it would be a great idea to have a benefit for the centre and ask their friends? bands to play. They could ask me, they could ask J Mascis, ’cause he’s totally in the circle, and Sonic Youth live close by. My mother wanted Jason to play, too ? and I thought it made sense for Jason and I to do what we’d started in England. Do that show and do a bunch of shows around it." Dubbed the Turboacoustic Tour, the jaunt marks Sebadoh’s first stint in the spotlight since the release of 1999’s The Sebadoh record. It’s strictly a Loewenstein-Barlow affair (original drummer Eric Gaffney isn’t involved "He really hates me," says Barlow) and will feature classics from the Sebadoh catalogue. Barlow says the two have no plans to write or record new material "unless it starts to happen while we’re working together." It seems a bit of an odd move for a guy who dismisses reissues of his band’s material as ridiculous. But while the tour was started as a kind of vacation project, ’Barlow who’s in the midst of recording a new solo record’ says it’s developed into something of a favour to the band’s fans. "When we did the tour around England, I wasn’t really thinking about how it was going to be received, I thought we should just do it for the hell of it," he says. "But the response was really good. People did go to shows and get really excited about it and that’s kind of contagious. "It’s a lot easier when it’s like that ’ it’s so much better than being the new buzz band. There?s so much less pressure, it?s wonderful. People are impressed that we?re even on stage. It takes a lot of the pressure off." Pressure and Barlow have often been close bedfellows in the past. Besides Sebadoh, he dealt with the debacle of the Folk Implosion, the side project that ended up with a fluke Top 40 hit in 1995’s "Natural One" (from the soundtrack to the film Kids). It was an experience which soured him after the outfit’s subsequent efforts were met with "massive indifference." In a way, he looks at the reunion tour as a kind of treat for his years of contribution to the indie scene he helped jumpstart. "I think after all this pain and turmoil Jason and I have been through in this band and with each other, we deserve just a little bit of love," he says. "It’s been a really, really, really hard road. Up to this point, the history of Sebadoh has been a really emotionally scarred thing, even more than I’d ever really imagined. So if we can go out and play a few songs for people and just have them be like, ’We’re really glad you did that and we’re really glad to hear it, it really helps to put you back on balance."
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