From In Music magazine (Las Vegas, Nevada), January 19th, 1992
Course of Empire
U2 with a Bauhaus hangover?
by Susan Robert
Consider the buzz. It's that nearly inexplicable microburst of consciousness
that envelops one band out of, say, every few hundred or so. Course of Empire
is the latest beneficiary of the music industry buzz. Which is to take nothing
away from the group's obvious talents. Buzzes rarely happen to hopeless bands.
Course of Empire is the first Dallas band in recent memory that has been the
subject of an indie label bidding war. When the smoke cleared, Course of
Empire found themselves recording on Carpe Diem Records. Their eponymous debut
is a thematic collection of songs arranged to represent the band as a whole.
Its style and content strike up contrasting images in a dark yet hopeful way.
With a foundation of massive drumming, bleeding guitars, and poignant lyrics,
the band has created the beginnings of a long career.
"You always hear the stereotype about the band that's concerned with the
environment. I hate to say it, but I guess that's us." It's not likely that
singer Vaughn Stevenson hates to admit his concern for the planet as much as
he would hate for his band to be subjected to a stereotype. Not that this is
at all likely to happen. Course of Empire is as resolutely different as they
come.
Uncomfortable with the roles of performers playing for a passive audience, the
band has set about trying to alter this relationship. Las Vegas should prove
a challenge on February 10th (when the band performs at the Shark Club), since
Vegas is notorious for comatose bystanders. "Standing up on stage sets up all
sorts of weird expectations and barriers that we're just figuring out how to
deal with," says guitarist Mike Graff. The band met this challenge by adding
a second drummer to supplement Anthony Headley's big beat, and by placing
large storage drums in the audience and encouraging fans to participate.
"Just personally," says Graff, "the idea of exploring the entire room, leaping
off the stage, grabbing someone, handing them a pair of sticks, and getting
them involved in creating the music that is going down right now in the
present tense is fascinating to me." And it seems to have worked. Although
a Course of Empire show may begin conventionally enough, the band endeavors to
build to what singer Stevenson characterizes as "a really energetic, chaotic
feeling."
The energy outlined by Graff's metallically meandering guitar and Paul
Semrad's whomping bass line is dark, but not without hope. The dark/light
symmetry of the band's sound (reminiscent to some reviewers as U2 with a
Bauhaus hangover) may not lend itself to the immediacy of commercial radio,
but hell, you can dance to it - in a tribal sort of way...
Citing such influences as Bauhaus, Butthole Surfers, and Laibach, Course of
Empire nevertheless practices its own style, which doesn't beg comparison to
anyone. Although lacking a written manifesto like Laibach, the band has
taken to passing out reprints of articles on such subjects as creativity to
fans after their set. According to Graff, "when you're up on stage, there's
not time to get involved in an intellectual conversation. But if afterwards
you hand somebody an article that inspired you, two nights later they'll be
sitting on the toilet and have a chance to read it. The next time we're
together a conversation starts."
The major impact of Course of Empire's music is visceral, not cerebral.
Their first major label debut, on Zoo Entertainment, will be released
January 28th. Graff says he envisions the band moving towards a "kind of
tribal experience. But at this point," he adds, "we're just laying down
the groundwork. We're just trying to play our chords right."
Course of Empire will be performing with Gutter Snipe at the Shark Club
on Monday, February 10th at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5.00 at the door.
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