From RIP magazine, June 1994
Course of Empire
by Adrianne Stone
At the beginning of Course of Empire's second album, Initiation, there
is the staccato sound of a bomb ticking... or is it a clock ticking?
Actually, it's neither. The beat comes from a pair of well-timed
drumsticks, simulating one of the above for the intro to their song
"Infested." Percussion, you see, holds special meaning for the Texan
quintet. Down in Dallas' Deep Ellum district (where four blocks of
alternative clubs abound), fans flock to their gigs expecting to
become part of the show - and for good reason.
"We'd put drums out in the audience," explains guitarist Mike Graff,
"and everybody would just be beating and pounding on them. It was
basically this exercise in tribalism. We would take a pre-written
song and turn it into something where we no longer had control over it
because it just developed organically. Sometimes, it was really great
and went into weird musical parts that we never could have foreseen.
Sometimes, it ended up just being a bunch of drunk idiots just
pounding on stuff."
The percussive explosion was just part of a bigger experiment begun in
1988 when Graff and an early drummer met at film school. Inspired by
the impact of their visual work, they decided to use sound to obtain
the same audience response. What resulted was a self-titled indie
release which later was repackaged through Zoo Records. Graff had
already found a new set of bandmates by then, which included vocalist
Vaughn Stevenson, whose intellectually advanced, apocalyptic visions
found their way onto a darkly hewn first disk. "Vaughn was kind of
drifting through town and saw a flyer we put up at a local
alternative/punk record store," Graff recalls. "He joined us and
never left."
A final line-up modification saw the addition of second drummer
Michael Jerome (for a truly tribal sound) just after the recording of
Initiation. Heavy on frantic guitars and primitive rhythms,
Initiation boasts sonic orgies that capture the imagination lyrically
while tweaking the soul musically. "The record is really about loops
and control," says Graff. "Ways in which people can buy into
programs and ready-made religions and world views where their good
intentions are used by people with not-so-good intentions."
Although Course of Empire's sound is hardly filled with uplifting and
joyous imagery, the idea that a band can kickstart a collective
conscience is intriguing. Graff, however, sees this as only one
facet of his band. The audience takes home what it wants from a COE
performance. "It's kinda interesting, the crowd of folks that come
and see us," Graff ruminates. "Up front, we have all the stage-
diving kids and moshers. But about 10 or 20 feet back, you have the
people who are just there to watch. It's definitely not a party
scene. People come to see what we do and then they leave... but they
come back every time."
Already veterans of two cross-country tours, Course of Empire plan to
hit the road again this year. No need to bring your own drum.
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