The Academy
Flat Earth Records MELODIE: Listen to the Academy’s self-titled CD, and you’d think it was a relic from the ’80s. At least a couple of people I know have said there’s an uncanny resemblence to Spandau Ballet. [Merrily, describing “Did It,” an adult contemp-sounding song: This sounds like you’d hear it on the radio right after Hall and Oates and before “Jenny, Jenny, who can I run to? 867-5309.”] My friend Usually Bored said he’s amazed that a band like this exists in Indianapolis [Usually Bored: I’m so glad they’re not another testosterone-laden bar band]. Previously known as Smart Milk, the Academy has always taken an experimental and inventive approach to their music. This approach is showcased in their new album which took two years to produce and is a complex mix of pure musical skill and masterfully-handled digital technology. I especially like “Let Her Fall,” “That Man” and “Ramona,” for their dreamy, nostalgic feel and the interweaving of Courtney Kaiser’s soft backup vocals. Recently their single “Let Her Fall” was remixed by the legendary Paul Mayhern at Echo Park in Bloomington and will be available in MP3 format on nuvo.net. Lead singer/guitarist Andy Fry and bassist Mike Rutz sat down with me to have a listen. MELODIE: Is it kind of weird listening to your own music? ANDY: It’s not so weird anymore. MIKE: It’s weird to hear people listening to it. (laughing) Song No. 1 “Let Her Fall” ANDY: The Adat tape we were recording this song on broke in half. So we had to tape it back together and sample all the things we’d done. Every line of this song is on a keyboard. The singing, the bass line, the drums … It’s like Frankenstein. Song No. 2 “Did It” ANDY: You hear that “bowww-bowww-bow”? There’s a voice in there going (in a very low voice) “hello, hello, hello.” You can’t really hear it. It goes along with one of the drum fills. MIKE: If you listen to the album with headphones, you can hear all kinds of weird shit … Song No. 3 “Only Live Once” MIKE: I like this one because it sounds so different. I feel like I’ve never heard anything like this before. I like how it starts off in layers. How it builds. ANDY: You hear that whip sound? We ripped a stack of paper and eight people clapped their hands. (Mike leaves for fashion show rehearsal … Voice of Dissent enters …) VOICE OF DISSENT: I like the scream you do at the end of this song. Every time I hear it, I’m like … “That’s Andy?” It’s totally like Prince. ANDY: Every once in a while I’ll do it live. But then sometimes I’m just like, “Nope, can’t do it.” Song No. 8 “Kiss and Tell” ANDY: This song is great on headphones, with all those echoes … It’ll bounce, do an around the world in your ears. Mark [Maher]’s a bad ass. VOICE OF DISSENT: I like the strings there. ANDY: I know. We just went nuts … VOICE OF DISSENT: Well, you spent two years on it. (everyone laughs) chorusgirls@nuvo.net Fighting the man MELODIE: This category might not seem related that much to music, but really, music and activism are meant to go together. They’re both about having a voice, using that voice to effect people and inspiring those people to use their voices, too. Cars Stink? I saw a bunch of flyers all over the place regarding a critical mass bike ride starting at Monument Circle on April 15 at 1 p.m. It sounds like a great idea. Alternative modes of transportation should be more accessible in this day and age. Ironically, most people will probably have to drive downtown to get there. The flyer also said pedestrians and equestrians (clever) are welcome, and you can e-mail hifivekitty@yahoo.com for more info. Artists and activists for better land and water protection It’s amazing the things you’ll find in NUVO’s Calendar section. It’s a pain in the butt to read, but this past week I found a ton of stuff to do. Like the poster art show at Herron featuring work by everyone from Duchamp to Warhol. And I also found out about this new club called Riverviews: Arts for the Environment. I ended up getting to the meeting when it was over, but they gave me some information about the group. Made up of artists, activists and journalists, their mission is to find creative ways to inform and empower the public about local environmental issues. They were all really nice people who seemed eager to make a difference. You can contact Clarke Kahlo at (317) 283-6283 or e-mail PORivers@aol.com. United States Three to play last show We received a press release from Flat Earth Records stating that United States Three will be playing their last show this Saturday night, April 1 at Second Story in Bloomington. At first we thought it might be an elaborate April Fool’s joke, but then the whole idea made sense. There’s been talk of Vess making a change for a while. His latest album, Watergate, is proof that he’s evolved, and it serves as a good ending point for the band. I’m curious to see what he does next. (Will it be another Ruhtenberg/ Ellrich combo under a new name?) You can bet that the last United States Three show will be a phenomenal one.
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