TECH TALK

TECH TALK

NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND by Billy Cioffi

“Dangerously ahead of its time and grossly uncommercial!’’ That’s the phrase Tonio K. used to describe one of his earlier albums. His first solo album, 1979’s Life In The Food Chain, set the trend for subsequent releases. Specifically, critical adulation and tiny yet fervent (read: cult) commercial response. It contained a near dance hit called “The Funky Western Civilization” which was enough to convince record label honchos to order up another platter with the idea that sooner or later Tonio K. might come up with the main course. Since that time a couple of A&R people have felt the same way (I think a couple of them still have jobs) and every couple of years we get another look inside of Tonio K.’s twisted pop music mind. The latest, Notes From The Lost Civilization, finds Mr. K.’s fortunes on the upswing for a change.

“I don’t know what commercial is,” the singer/songwriter muses at the offices of his latest record company. “If anything, we (Tonio, exec-producer T-Bone Burnett and co-producer David Miner) decided that I was never going to be commercial, the heck with it, and just made the record. The producer I worked with on my last record, Rick Neigher, has a pretty good sense of what was commercial. Rick is also my publisher and he consciously tried to make the record ‘commercial.’ Musically, I liked the idea enough to go along with it. The Romeo Unchained record sort of fell through the cracks through no one’s fault. But this particular record seems to have everyone excited.”

The folks at A&M seem to really believe in the record and are determined to make it a success. It’s something Tonio isn’t used to. “I know it’s hard for me to believe that for the first time in my career, such as it is, everything is together.”

It has been a rather up and down affair, hasn’t it?

“Oh yeah, I could go off on a trip and complain about what’s been wrong here and there,” he agrees. “I mean there has always been something out of sync but in some cases it’s been my own fault. I’m keenly aware that while I still hold down to a small, almost cult status, nevertheless there are enough people in the business who are supportive so I actually get to do this. I’m actually earning a living. I’m one of the lucky ones!”

Tonio K.’s first brush with rock ’n’ roll came when he was asked to join a revival of the Crickets in the mid-’70s. While many might dismiss this post-Holly group as an aberration, it should be pointed out that many of Buddy Holly’s hits were co-written by the members of his band. Jerry Allison, the Crickets drummer, was a very important contributor to the timeless Holly sound and had a hit of his own under the name of Ivan in 1958 called “Real Wild Child.” Allison was the leader of the revived Crickets and recognized the fledgling writer’s potential. It was Tonio’s first brush with real live show biz and it was an education.

“It was the first professional gig I ever did. I guess it was in ’73 and they got a chance to make some new records (two albums on PolyGram—both very rare) and I got drafted as the singer-songwriter. I met them because I was working on a project in a studio right next to where they were recording, we hung out and they asked me to join. It was a wild scene. I mean Ric Gretch (Family, Traffic, Blind Faith) was the bass player and Albert Lee (Eric Clapton, Everly Brothers etc.) was the guitar player. It was great. Those two English guys, me, Jerry Allison and Sonny Curtis, who wrote ‘I Fought The Law’ and ‘Walk Right Back.’ It was a walking history lesson.”

It’s evident when listening to the structure of all of Tonio K.’s material that the guy knows how to play a lyric against a back beat.

“That’s something I got from the Crickets actually. As I was young and sort of forming my style and methods of writing, by the time we gave up on it a couple of years later I had written about 200 or so songs. Jerry, as he had learned from Holly and his other contemporaries was really into structure— verse, chorus, bridge...”

Each of Tonio’s albums appear to have a loose concept or general scheme to them. Romeo Unchained, for example, is more focused on interpersonal relationships than any of his earlier records.

“I’ve never approached any record as a concept out front but it seems that you always wind up with four or five songs that belong together,” he says. “Romeo Unchained was dealing with relationships because I was just ready to deal with relationships and before I knew it the whole album was dealing with relationships. Then the cover and title of the record evolve the same way. The same thing happened with Notes From The Lost Civilization—I wrote ‘Children’s Crusade’ and ‘Where Is That Place’ and suddenly it was obvious that this one was going to be a piece of cultural anthropology or something like that.

“I guess this is the first post-literate generation. In the ’60s people read and were encouraged to read but now music is the form.”

It’s safe to say that Tonio K. doesn’t underestimate the intelligence of Pop Music and its audience. Let’s hope we are, at last, smart enough to pick up on him.

NEW GEAR

Korg DT-1 Pro

Years ago, if musicians talked about a rack they were either referring to a pool hall or an instrument of medieval torture. Today, however, rack systems have become increasingly popular with keyboardists, guitarists, and home recordists. Using a rack system as “outboard” for special effects and sound enhancement is the way to go and it’s become increasingly affordable for all but the beginner. Now Korg takes advantage of the rack system’s convenience with the introduction of the multi-input DT-1 Pro rack mount digital tuner. Korg’s DT-1 brings digital tuning to any rack system. It automatically determines pitches within a seven-octave range from 32.7 Hz (C1) to 3951.07 Hz (B7) and displays the note name and degree of sharpness or flatness. Fast or slow response makes the tuner suitable for wind and string instruments as well as acoustic or electronic instruments. The tuner has a large, easy-to-read LED display which is particularly helpful during live performance adjustments and “quick check.” Keyboardists can tune as many as four instruments without ever repatching, thanks to the four rear panel input/output channels. Players using one arpp for multiple instruments have the option of using the DT-1 Pro’s Mix Out as a basic mixer. It combines signals from all four inputs. A single input on the front panel is designed for the guitar and bass and there’s a separate sound-out jack for amping the reference tones. For more information, contact Korg U.S.A., 89 Frost St., Westbury, NY 11590 (516) 333-9100.

Marshall-SRX Series PA System

The new SRX series of PA systems includes a six-channel, 150-watt powered mixer and a choice of either 1x15 (150 watts) or 1x12 (100 watts) Marshall-Celestion speakers, with both versions featuring twin piezo CD horns. Each of the six channels has individual bass and treble control and variable reverb, effects level and preamp gain. High impedence line level and low impedence balanced microphone inputs are also provided on each

channel. The PA also includes an effects loop, preamp out/power amp in sockets, master presence control and a slave output as well as a spring reverb unit. To learn more, contact Marshall U.S.A., 89 Frost St., Westbury, NY (516) 333-9100.

EMG-TC Telecastor Pick-ups

The EMG-TC contains a ceramic magnet that produces a vintage sound reminiscent of the older Fender Telecaster. The EMB team paid particular attention to the frequency characteristics of the vintage models while allowing modern technology to enhance traditional brightness and brilliance. The EMG TC will retail for the same price as the EMG T and, like that model, comes complete with prewired assembly that includes volume and tone controls. Contact EMG, Inc., P.O. Box 4394, Santa Rosa, CA 95402.

Sabian B8 Rock Plus Series

Sabian announces the expansion of its highly successful budget-priced B8 Plus to include the B8 Rock Plus cymbals. The new premium “European style’’ cymbals (of spun bronze) bring ringing tones and thunderous crashes at a beginner’s or bargain-hunting professional’s budget. The Rock 14” hi-hat offers crunch and hiss. They will, in the old terminology, ‘“suck air!” The 16” and 18” crashes and 20” and 22” rides will also give you more splash for the cash. The B8 Plus cymbals can be purchased in factory prepack sets of 14” hi-hats, 16” crash, and 20” rides at additional savings. For more info, contact Sabian Ltd., Medutic, New Brunswick, EOH IL0, Canada.

Ibanez Roadstar Standards RG 140 & RQ 340 Guitars

This new series from Ibanez’s craftsmen has a Basswood body with a shaped, one-piece maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. The innovative tiltback head stock is sleekly efficient. The guitars include one humbucking and two single coil pick-ups, and are controlled with one volume and one tone control and a fiveway pick-up selector switch. The RG340 comes with a Floyd Rose-licensed tremolo bridge, locking clamp and chrome hardware. The RG140 comes with a traditional style tremolo bridge. Contact Ibanez, 1726 Winchester Rd., P.O. Box 886, Bensalem, PA 19020 (215) ,683-8670.