| Didn’t
someone say something to the effect of "history repeats itself"?
Certainly that cliché is applicable here. It was 1989, and I had just
begun my first adventure in publishing with an ill fated and silly little
zine called Red Heifer Offering. That obscure little zine featured
a record review of a six-song demo by a new band from Fairfax, VA called
The Throes. The Throes played an organic and earthy blend of early 80s
Brit-pop and R.E.M.-esque American rock. To make a long story short, Red
Heifer Offering died two years later and the Throes (in the incarnation
on that demo) kicked the bucket three years later. Now I sit on the phone
with Harry Evans, talking about his second band, Poole, for a feature
in my second publication, Tidal Wave Magazine. Perhaps history
doesn’t repeat itself, but rather gives you a second chance to get it
right. Poole’s
third full-length record, Among Whom We Shine, reunites the original
Throes lineup from years ago. "It’s the same band now!" exclaims
Poole wunderboy, Harry Evans. He is somewhat surprised to hear me bring
up the demo, titled Era of Condolence. Evans, still excited,
"It’s awesome, it’s the best it could possibly be." Skeptical,
I nervously ask, "Really?" Evans responds immediately, "Oh
absolutely. The other guys we had in the band were all great, we were
friends and stuff. Being with ones you have always played with is so
much better. Not only do you have the musical relationship, but you
have the relationship of being together. That makes everything so much
better. It’s a lot less stress and a lot less work, but you don’t have
to worry about building your friendships."
One thing
that must be understood about Evans is that the unbridled optimism he
conveys is balanced by a sarcastic and nearly biting sense of humor
(example: when asked about the Poole’s debut, Alaska Days, he
immediately quips, "Oh, it’s an indie-rock classic, man.").
When he laughs, it is full and genuine. Harry Evans got the nickname
"Bear" back in the day, and just talking to him, you can see
how appropriate it is.
Poole
was formed back in 1992, after Evans left the Throes due to differences
over the type of songs he was writing. "I remember sitting in the
car at Cornerstone that summer, talking to spinART on the cell phone
about what we wanted to do. We had planned that, after Cornerstone that
year, we would go up and record a demo for them. Harv and I were still
in the Throes at that time," he explains. Evans essentially was
in three bands. He was sensing that his tenure with the Throes was ending,
he was playing drums (mostly just for the records) with the Lilys, and
beginning his journey called Poole.
The relationship
with spinART, the indie pop purveyors of the late 20th century,
began when Evans was playing drums with the Lilys. While recording in
the presence of nothing (spinART’s second release), Evans planted
a seed in spinART’s Jeff Price about some demos he was working on. When
he returned to Virginia, he sent the demos off to Price and the rest
is history. Poole was born.
His experience
with the Lilys left an indelible impression on Evans’ songwriting. It
during was his time spent with the head Lily, Kurt Heasley, when he
learned about the pop song -- specifically, the essentials of a good,
solid pop song. "I remember when we were doing the first [Lilys]
record, we sat around listening to this Doris Day record. The whole
shoegazer thing we were doing was cool because it was what we wanted
to hear, but Kurt was always about the cool 60s pop music vibe. I mean,
he was listening to this Doris Day record, for god’s sake," laughs
Evans.
This new
appreciation of pop sensibility directly led to his decision to leave
the Throes. "[Power pop] has always been a great passion of mine,
I never really pursued it in The Throes, because with the Throes we
were more about the whole earthy, organic kind of southern rock thing.
Once I wasn’t doing that anymore I really concentrated on doing real
power pop stuff." Leaving the Throes enabled Evans to write what
he wanted to write and say what he wanted to say. He was, and still
is, the man in charge of Poole.
After
putting a few seven-inches out and lending tracks to some compilation
records, Poole finally released its first full length record: the pop-fest,
Alaska Days. Some serious indie-pop fans claim it’s a masterpiece.
When asked how to describe it, Evans hands the phone to his friend Brian
Gray, of Washington DC’s Racecar. Gray, "I’ve just been put on
the spot. All right let’s go with … umm… Vanilla crème pie with chocolate
shavings. Umm, well, it’s three part harmonies, all guitars on bright,
and very fast and dancey and happy. Have I summed it up for you?"
Obviously not to Evans liking, he yanks the phone away, "Let me
make the description more concise for you. It’s a vanilla crème pie
with chocolate sprinkles and the guitars on bright. That’s good."
Adding with a laugh, "That should be in a letterbox, you know."
With the
release of the record, Poole found itself touring and receiving a bit
of critical acclaim. In the bio Evans penned for the Poole Internet
web site, he says, "We found out that our first show ever would
be at CMJ in NYC … We thought we ruled. After the show, Jeff [Price]
informed us that we, in fact, did not rule. This was the beginning of
the Poole optimism that Jeff Price still loathes."
After
the release of Alaska Days, Poole went through personnel changes,
adding bassist Pall Masters to the lineup of Harry Evans (vocals, guitar),
Harv Evans (guitar, BGV's), Jeff Booth, and Brian Barnhardt (drums).
Poole was now a five-piece rock outfit. This incarnation of Poole created
the next record, The Late Engagement. "The big, steaming
rock mess," laughs Evans, recalling the sophomore effort.
"We
added him [Masters] to the band, and wanted to take on a more mature
rock direction. Because I was feeling a little weird writing such a
happy, poppy, you know, gay record," Evans explains. "Plus,
we had been on tour with Letters to Cleo and Superdrag that summer,
and just got a serious schooling in ‘the rock.’ So we tried it. I think
there are some good songs on the record; but, as a whole, the experiment
just didn’t work. You know, the big sophomore slump record." You
can hear his eyes rolling.
Now, Poole
is with a new lineup; they have come full circle. Essentially, this
band is the Throes, but with the Poole moniker. This is Harry Evans’
band. He wrote all the songs, except one on Among Whom We Shine.
Evans confidently states, "At the risk of sounding egotistical,
Poole has always pretty much been me, and people surrounding me. My
brother and I have been the main people in the band since its inception.
A myriad of people have sort of come and gone."
If Alaska
Days is "a vanilla crème pie with chocolate sprinkles and the
guitars on bright," then Among Whom We Shine is equally
as tasty. This time it’s a dark chocolate candy bar with smooth caramel
harmonies and the guitars on crunchy. Perhaps this is one of the crunchiest
power pop records ever recorded (while maintaining that candy pop harmonies
and catchy melodies of the Beach Boys). The record has both "the
rock" Evans tried to capture on The Late Engagement, while
being true to influences such as The Apples in Stereo, Beach Boys, and
Paul Weller.
"It’s
like the difference between pop and rock," says Evans, explaining
the balance he tries to achieve with his songs. "Rock songs are
like rock. They are big and they make you move your hips and make the
devil sign. Whereas pop music is something you can turn off and you
are humming it in your car thirty minutes later. That’s what you look
for," says Evans earnestly. This is readily apparent upon one listen
to Among Whom We Shine. From the opening guitar strums of "Better
Off on Yer Own," to the crash-bam-boom drums of the title track,
to the beautiful melody on "Anyway," to the all out rock on
"Sole Operator," Poole isn’t about being timid or just silly
happy pop tunes. This is "the Rock," my friends.
Evans
certainly attributes this ability to rock heavy while being hooky and
catchy to the return of Campbell and Nitz. "Working with those
guys again, I just knew that it was a great combination. And the live
shows were great. And the songs were great. And the recordings were
great. It’s fantastic. I would say it’s a good combination of the two
records. We kind of matured, like we wanted to on the second record,
but we’ve kind of maintained that really great pop essence that the
first record had." Certainly.
Those
familiar with Campbell’s work with the Throes (post-Harry Evans) and
with the Choir may expect a bit of that weird, swirling guitar work
to creep in. Not so. "I couldn’t ask for anything better than to
be back with Mr. Campbell. That’s not the party line either, that’s
the truth," Evans says, adding, "We took away his delay pedal!
[laughs] No, the guitar sounds we went for on this record are crunchy
and right up front."
Evans
writes basically all the structures for the songs, but he doesn’t alienate
the other members. "The performances, and the way the band carries
this stuff out was very much everybody play their own parts, and kind
of came up with stuff, and it’s very much the way the band sounds. Not
so much me sitting in a studio crapping a record, and telling everybody
that everybody played on it. It is a real band record, it’s great."
Evans brain is always looking for a good quote, he pauses, and says
(with a smile in his voice), "Everybody has a paintbrush, if you
will. I let them paint freely on my canvas of Rock. You can put that
in a letterbox too [laughing]." What is the most important to a
good song? "Melody, melody, melody, melody and a snappy beat,"
he adds in a sing song voice, emphasizing that melody is king.
Evans
not only has found the balance between "the Rock" and pop,
but also in his lyrics. For years, with the Throes, he felt pressure
to deliver a serious message, something of importance. This pressure
also contributed to his decision to leave that band. Now, he has reconciled
the fluffiness of Alaska Days with the "message" of
The Throes. "Definitely saying what I think and what I feel. I
feel free to espouse my opinion now," he admits. "Whereas,
before I didn’t want to, because I didn’t know how people would take
it. I didn’t want it to seem like I was trying to preach to people or
whatever. But now, it’s like, ‘Screw it.’ It’s fun. If you get something
out of it, cool. If you don’t, it’s entertainment, buddy," Evans
says laughing.
He proudly
comments, "Like the title of the record is from … (I should know
where this is, because I get asked this a lot). It’s a quote from Paul,
from Ephesians or Corinthians, where it is talking about lecturers and
murderers and heathens and blah blah blah, and this gigantic list of
all the awful sinners. And he says [in a wise Paul voice], ‘Among whom
we shine’, and I was reading that one day, and said, "Yes, that’s
great." While there is more "important" moments like
quoting the Bible, most of Evans lyrical material revolves around relationships.
The spin Evans plays involves a bit of (biting) sarcasm, a bit of idealism,
and a bit of arrogance. Yet, there is meaning to be experienced. He
has something to say, and there is truth, but the lyrics are not overbearing
or remotely preachy; just fun and entertaining.
There
is a definite similarity between Evans and P.D. Heaton of the Housemartins/The
Beautiful South. Evans admits he isn’t a great lyricist, but his greatest
inspiration is Heaton. "He is so clever the way he can turn a phrase,
just the way he strings things together. I would love to be able to
write like that. So that’s kind of what I shoot for."
Evans
is excited about getting Among Whom We Shine out to the public,
but he isn’t keen on the idea of touring. While admitting that touring
is a necessary "evil," he believes he has found a new medium
to get the word out on Poole. "I think that bands and labels need
to embrace the Internet; to arise from the ashes of Rock Touring into
the Phoenix of Internet Exploration!" exclaims Evans. "It’s
easy, almost free, and it’s low-stress. I mean you don’t have to go
down and order a record or go to a [crappy], smoky club with friends
in a part of town that you would rather not go to and check out somebody
that you might not even like! I mean, spend seven bucks at the door
to get in, and then have a watered down beer and a [crappy] time, and
have your clothes smell like cigarette smoke when you go home. With
the Internet, you can just sit at home in your pajamas, and go, ‘Oh
Poole — clicks to hear that — these guys sound good, I think I’ll order
the record. Hey, I really like this CD; these guys are great. Hey, they
are having a live web-cast in two weeks; right on, I’ll watch it.’"
Evans explains like, "Duh! It makes perfect sense."
Look for
Poole to add songs, live web-casts (he points out how Korn has used
the Internet to bring its music and live shows to the fans), and other
tasty Poole-related morsels to the listener. This excitement about the
Internet, and its seemingly endless possibilities, stems from his personal
loathing of touring. "You almost have to be a complete loser to
be in a touring rock band! You can’t have a job. You can’t have a wife.
You can’t have an apartment or a place of your own. Because, when you
are out on the road touring, [whispers] you don’t make any money. It’s
not like you are raking in the money to mail home to your girlfriend
who is taking care of your stuff," Evans adds with sarcastic venom.
"If
there is not a reason to go, why waste the time and the money? That’s
what I think. The old school of Rock has got to catch up with me, man.
I’m a visionary," he says with a big smile in his voice. So if
you miss Evans and his band when they blow through town, don’t fret.
They will be coming to you on the Internet. With a record that provides
you all the butt-shaking, air guitar-jamming fodder, and catchy melodies
with killer hooks, who cares? Buy the record and listen to it frequently.
Oh, you may need the web site address, eh? Hook up with Poole: http://www.mrpoole.com
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