Lauries two

Geltman and Sargent sing out on their new CDs

by Brett Milano

If there are three words guaranteed to make Laurie Geltman bristle, it's the dreaded "women in rock." But she can't help it if she was writing rock songs long before she got lumped in with a trend, by virtue of her guitar and her gender. "I've gotten compared to every woman out there, even though none of them sound like each other. I can't count the number of times I've been told, `This would be a really good time for you.' I found that a little hard to swallow, but I always figure that my time would come after the hoopla died down. And maybe it's better that I waited this long, so I won't be considered part of some stupid trend."

This week Geltman makes the most overdue local CD debut in recent history. No Power Steering (on RBP) is her first full-fledged album after 10 years on the circuit. (Her previous output includes two albums as a member of Vasco da Gama, a handful of compilation tracks, and 1992's Departure, a cassette-only release sold at gigs.) Instead of a career summary, it's an up-to-date set of tunes featuring the band of notables -- violinist Dan Kellar, former Letters to Cleo bassist Brian Karp, and former Del Fuegos drummer Woody Geissman -- she's had for the past couple of years.

Sporting a tunefully rootsy sound and a sure songwriting touch, the album sounds ripe for national attention -- but then, you could have said something similar about Geltman a decade ago. I first heard her demos in a friend's car sometime in 1987; all I knew about her then was that she worked in the office at Musician magazine. The demos I heard were so polished (in a non-obnoxious mainstream-rock way) that I thought it was some major-label advance (she expresses mild embarrassment about those tapes now). She then left the singer-songwriter mode altogether and joined Vasco da Gama as lead guitarist, almost single-handedly turning them from an avant-art outfit into a rock band. Around 1990 she picked up an acoustic guitar and spent a few years doing lower-key gigs, while various people who'd opened for her went on to get big-label deals.

"It's taken a long time to learn the lessons I've learned. One of them was not to chase anybody down and try to make them like me. I'll admit I've gotten sidetracked a few times; I've been playing electric guitar since seventh grade, and suddenly I was a `new folk act.' But I'd been perpetuating that myself, by letting my electric guitar rot in the corner of my room. When I got this band together, I told them, `I'm going to start taking solos, so stay with me if I play some bad notes.' It was going back to the roots, back to Neil Young, and back to feeling like a kid again."

Recorded more than a year ago and held up due to predictable money-related hassles, No Power Steering still emphasizes the tunes over the guitar sound, though it does include a nifty punkish song as a hidden track. The album speaks well for Geltman's songwriting. Unlike many writers who work in a roots/folkish vein, she shows a consistent knack for pop hooks (one thing she has in common with Young and Robbie Robertson, two of her more obvious influences). And unlike most of the good songwriters in town, she prefers storytelling to personal admissions. When she wants to write about, say, the emotional rough edges of hovering around age 30 (a recurring theme on this album), she'll do it by creating a character and letting you read between the lines.

"It's about that wall that comes up when you hit your late 20s -- when you realize that you'll never see the friends you grew up with again, that nobody's giving a shit about you, that you've got to get on with things. The idea is that you can either climb over the wall, walk around it, or take two steps back and crash into it." The characters in the songs do a bit of each, and Geltman can relate. "Really, it's all about my struggle not to become so cynical that you stop believing. So far I still haven't."

LAURIE SARGENT

Boston's other musical Laurie, Laurie Sargent, also came out with an album this week. And the music on Heads & Tales (on Reprise; it might be called her major-label re-debut, 10 years after the break-up of her old band Face to Face) should be familiar to those who've followed her in the past few years. After pursuing an acoustic direction, she's gradually moving back to a rock format. That much was clear in her release gig at the Hard Rock last week, where her band included former Face to Face mate Stuart Kimball and her stage presence harked back to those days, red jumpsuit and all.

There's no doubt that Sargent's writing and vocal delivery are far more versatile than they were in the Face to Face days. The problem with Heads & Tales -- aside from sharing its title with Harry Chapin's first album -- is that the production (by veteran Warners staffer Russ Titelman) is way too homogenized, and it comes out sounding like the kind of light-rocking singer/songwriter album Linda Ronstadt was making in the '70s. The difference is that Sargent (along with her bandmates, who include Morphine drummer Billy Conway and guitarist Adam Steinberg) writes her own material and injects some bohemian sensibility between the lines. (The light funk tune "Groove Thing" has a cross-dresser for a hero.) Still, there was more of an edge on her previous indie album, Something with the Moon, whose re-recorded title track is also the best song on Heads & Tales.

It's good to see Sargent get another shot, however, especially after the near-fatal snowmobile accident that she and Conway experienced in early '96. (Another of the album's better tracks, "Beautiful," is about her coming back to life afterward.) "When you have a close one like that, your priorities get whacked into place, if you'll pardon the term," she said after a WBCN lunchtime show last week. "I don't want to say it was a good experience, but a lot came out of it. I'm stronger now. And lumpier. I'm almost totally recovered, though there was some head trauma that I'll probably be dealing with forever. I get overwhelmed if too much information comes at me at once -- but a lot of people are already like that."

She's now gearing up for her first major national tour in years, though she's not sure about the prospect of being billed as the former Face to Face singer. "We'll probably have to do that for a little while. Unfortunately it's the easiest way for publicists to get their foot in the door. But it was so long ago, I don't know if anyone who'll be seeing us will even remember." And what happens if people yell out for the old Face to Face hit "10-9-8"? "We started doing it as a little punk-country song, which was hilarious. Nowadays we just have Stu tell them to shut up."

BREAK-UPS AND REUNIONS

Despite a promising start this year with a new line-up, Quivvver have quietly called it quits, leaving one fine album (last year's Been There Done That/Superheroes) behind. Meanwhile, two notable '80s bands are about to give it another shot. The Dogmatics, who did a fun one-shot reunion in late '95, will be doing it again at T.T. the Bear's Place on May 10. More surprising is the news that the Neats, who haven't played together since the late '80s, are laying plans for a one-off show in early summer.

TAM MOVES

This weekend will mark the last live music ever to appear at the Tam, officially the Tam O'Shanter, a Brookline institution that's survived more than two decades despite its less-than-prime location. (The suave instrumental band Four Piece Suit play Saturday, followed by the semi-weekly a cappella matinee on Sunday.) But the Tam will be back before long in its new location, the Coolidge Corner bar that currently houses Matt Garrett's.

"We were looking to renew the lease and it didn't work out," talent manager Bill Benoit explains. "Then the Matt Garrett's property became available, so we went for it. The music mix will be pretty much the same, though we're looking to get some bigger acts in. It's sad to be losing the old room, just because the ambiance was so good, but we think the transition will be easy. The new place is certainly easier for the Allston crowd." The opening date for the new spot is as yet undetermined; whether it will still be called the Tam also remains to be seen.

COMING UP

The Pendulum Floors (with Audrey Clark from the 360's and Laurie Kramer from Paper Squares) play their CD-release party at T.T. the Bear's Place tonight (Thursday); Plumtree open. Meanwhile, Sick of It All are at the Middle East and Slumberland are at Mama Kin . . . Kevin Salem/Steve Earle protégés the V-Roys are at T.T.'s tomorrow (Friday) -- and take note, Earle has lately been known to show up unannounced with them. Mung and Dropkick Murphys are at the Linwood; folksinger Sara Wheeler is at the Hard Rock, Serum and Two Ton Shoe are at the Rat, Young Neal & the Vipers are at Harpers Ferry, and New Radiant Storm King and Ida make a strong double bill at the Middle East . . . Johnny Copeland plays the House of Blues Saturday; Bedhead are at T.T.'s, Chuck do the Phoenix Landing, Ronnie Earl hits Johnny D's, and Jacopierce are at Mama Kin . . . New Orleans favorites the Radiators drop into the House of Blues on Tuesday; meanwhile Barry & Holly Tashian celebrate a new album at Johnny D's . . . Everclear frontguy Art Alexakis plays solo at the Middle East Wednesday.