Strange crews

Double Dong and Max

Cellars by Starlight by Brett Milano

If hip-hop had been born in Provincetown rather than the South Bronx, a lot of it might sound like Double Dong. As it is, there's not much around that sounds like this trio, who may be Boston's only a cappella Broadway-influenced rap act. On stage they're a sight, with a human beatbox flanking male and female rappers who look respectively like a younger Christopher Walken and a brunette Anne Heche, or a prettier Emo Phillips (the lady specializes both in singing and in orgasmic noises). The raps concern all the usual topics: female ejaculation, Japanese porn, masturbation. It's a little sexy and a whole lot goofy, which to these folks is a perfect combination.

"I like being goofy," notes female rapper Heaven as we talk over coffee at Harvard Square's Au Bon Pain. "Sex is kind of goofy anyway. There you are, you're naked, there's your butt. Out come the candles and the Victoria's Secret. And you're suddenly afraid to laugh. Oh no, now we're embarking on the serious portion of the evening." Adds rapper Plen-T-Pac, "A lot of people think it's just a joke -- they see the human beatbox and think it's a parody." ("Human breadbox" Ghost Krabb lives in New York and so isn't with us.) "We're really using humor to seduce, to disarm you and make you comfortable. But the intent is still there."

As you might expect, two members of Double Dong are theater people: Plen-T-Pac and Heaven met each other in a Mass College of Art production of Macbeth, in which they had the lead roles. And they're both rap fans, despite the homophobia that's been rampant in hip-hop. "To me, rap culture is just like so many other pockets of culture -- most of it is complete hogwash, then there's 10 percent that's brilliant," says Heaven. Adds Plen-T-Pac, "Besides, there are a couple of very big women in rap that everyone in the gay community knows about, just like everybody knew about George Michael before he came out." Still, the very name Double Dong has been enough to keep them out of the mainstream. One of Boston's daily newspapers -- the same one that had the phrase "semen-stained dress" on its front page recently -- wouldn't print their name when they were nominated for a Boston Music Award, calling them only "DD." And Plen-T-Pac says he's only just gotten around to telling his parents what the name means, having insisted in the past that they were called "Double Ding," after the Szechuan dish.

Their material works better on CD than you might think, as the just-released Double Dong (on the Lunch label, which is run by Orbit drummer Paul Buckley) bears out. Breaking their usual no-instruments rule, they have themselves backed on one track by major-label diva Princess Superstar and on another by the local band the Ghost of Tony Gold. The words are easier to pick out than they are on stage -- so you can figure that "Rainwoman" is indeed about the making of wet spots -- and "I Am the Condor" is a well-sung bit of avant cabaret. The closing "When I'm Alone" is the funniest masturbation song since Lou Reed's "Bangin' on My Drum" (Plen-T-Pac says they mean it as an antidote to Lou Barlow's "Three Times a Day," where the singer's monkey-spanking expresses his loneliness and misery). They'll celebrate the release at T.T. the Bear's Place tonight (April 23), on a bill with the Crème Horns, Falsies, and Gravitron.

Off stage, Double Dong are surprisingly earnest about what they do, figuring that a message of sexual liberation is best expressed with humor. They've played a number of gay and bisexual-themed events, including last year's Pride March and sex maven Kim Airs's 40th birthday party. But they think their message is pretty much universal, so they recently linked up with the New York management firm that handles They Might Be Giants, and they've opened some Giants dates, including the one at Avalon last month.

"We're activists in a way, telling people their lives don't have to suck that bad. And telling people that just because you can't play instruments or sing, you can still be in a band," says Plen-T-Pac. Heaven's view goes deeper into sexual politics. "I want to try to make people more comfortable in their bodies -- to show that a woman can be strong and sexual, intelligent and healthy, and still be funny. To show that sex between consenting adults is a moral, positive thing. And to take away the evil aspects of most pornography, which tries to cripple women rather than empower them."

And you thought they just wrote catchy tunes. "It is pretty complicated, like an Ionesco play," Plen-T-Pac concludes. "When you're doing humor, you can't always pinpoint exactly where the spot is." And there's another sex/humor parallel right there.

MAX

When you talk about neo-psychedelic bands, you're usually talking about people who are into the darker side of the genre, the acid damage and the heady guitar jams, rather than the giddy bubblegum side. Usually the influences are the 13th Floor Elevators (or the Velvet Underground) instead of the Strawberry Alarm Clock. Psychedelic depressives, from Hovercraft to Damon & Naomi, are everywhere. But bands who honestly espouse peace, love, and flower power (and don't sound like Lenny Kravitz) make for a much shorter list.

Heading the local version of that list would be Max, the band founded by guitarist/songwriter T Max (also the editor/publisher of local 'zine the Noise) and his 16-year-old son, singer/bassist Izzy Maxwell. (Keyboardist Joel Simches and former Think Tree drummer Jeff Biegert round out the line-up.) They released one of last year's more likable singles, "Ride the Dove," which twisted a '90s catchphrase into a very '60s-esque anthem ("Just say yes, just say love . . . Ride the dove!"). That song is now the title track of their album (on their own Dove label), which sports a beautiful Cynthia von Buhler cover and music drenched in groovy vibes and period sound. Simches digs up a Mellotron for some tracks, producer Bill T. Miller uses vintage samples on others. The likes of "Psychedelic X-Ray Man" and "Love Invasion" suggest the sing-along/anthemic feel of the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love." You know the scenes in '60s movies and sit-coms where the hapless parents tracked their kids to a college pot party and the screen dissolved into paisley patterns? The music usually sounded like this.

Since Max are also one of Boston's only cross-generational bands, you might wonder whether father and son relate to psychedelia in similar ways. "Considering that my brain was drenched in LSD when I first experienced this music," T Max replies, "I would think we have differences in relating to the swirling pop symphonies and peace/love themes. But together we're doing more musical research now -- digging up songs that I missed the first time around.

"When we started Max, Izzy had a hard time relating to some of my peace/love lyrics. In the '60s it was easy to champion peace -- there was a nasty war going on in Vietnam. Young men were dying for an unclear cause. Today the issues are different. The Gulf War seemed to be pre-written and choreographed by our leaders. There's no way a president would let another Vietnam evolve. It is always important to spread peace. It's something Max won't let go out of style."

Although the songs on their CD (save for one Pretty Things number) are original, on stage they cover a couple of psych/bubblegum classics (the Blues Magoos' "We Ain't Got Nothing Yet" and the Strawberry Alarm Clock's "Incense & Peppermints"), plus a couple by XTC's psychedelic alter ego, the Dukes of Stratosphere. "I don't think XTC had their tongue in cheek as deeply as you may think when they bowed to the essence of the drug-drenched '60s," says T Max. "And I know that Max is not approaching this music for a laugh. It's not funny like Spinal Tap. It's real and still carries an essence of `cool.' We show respect to nature and concern for all people. It's the most enjoyable and meaningful form of rock."

Any nightmares about sharing a band with your son? "No, he's always around for rehearsals and gigs. I don't want him up late on school nights so we never play during the week."

SIGNINGS

Last month we reported that the stylish electronic pop outfit Splashdown were being courted by Capitol Records. Just back from Los Angeles, manager Cynthia von Buhler reports that it's a done deal. The band will indeed be working with Glen Ballard, who previously masterminded Alanis Morissette's American breakthrough, and they hope to have an album out by the end of the year. Meanwhile, von Buhler will be reuniting with her old outfit, the notorious Women of Sodom, for a performance at Man Ray's B&D Ball next Saturday (May 2). Their performance will be brief but intense, as nearly all the previous Women of Sodom will be on stage at once. They'll be appearing under the pseudonym Betty Pageboy.

Also signed at long last are Fuzzy -- ending two years of label limbo since being dropped by Atlantic. They're going the indie route and signing to Catapult, the local label now building a fine pop roster with Star Ghost Dog and Cherry 2000. Fuzzy's album will include the nine tracks on their current demo tape -- leading off with "Summer," the prettiest song they've yet written -- plus two new ones they're now recording at Fort Apache. Expect a late August release for the as-yet-untitled album.

COMING UP

Tonight (Thursday) the Church of the Subgenius has a mini-convention at the Middle East, CherryDisc's Sheila Divine is at the Lizard Lounge, and the Swinging Suedines are at Johnny D's . . . Tomorrow (Friday) is the big Trona CD-release party at the Paradise with Cherry 2000 and Gravel Pit. Tugboat Annie have a release party upstairs at the Middle East, Dick Dale hangs ten downstairs at the Middle East, Count Zero, Boy Wonder, and Toyboat (ex-O Positive) are all at Mama Kin, Slide and Ultrabreakfast are at the Linwood, Barrence Whitfield and the Movers are at Cool Blue's in Chelsea, Jason Bonham plays his dad's oldies at Mama Kin, and the Push Kings do their release party (with Sleepyhead and Blake Hazard) at T.T.'s.

Saturday it's Versus, Future Bible Heroes, Swizzle, and Bright at T.T.'s celebrating WZBC's 25th anniversary, and the bash spills over to next door with the Binary System and Abunai! upstairs at the Middle East and Blonde Redhead downstairs. Also on Saturday, Lars Vegas are at the Lizard Lounge, Otis Clay is at the House of Blues, and rock legend Al Kooper brings his Rekooperators to Harpers Ferry . . . On Sunday, the Keith Yaun Quartet and the Joe Morris trio provide Sunday's jazz at Charlie's Tap, Jonatha Brooke is at the Somerville Theatre, and the Business are at the Middle East . . . Tuesday English acoustic guitarist John Renbourn is at Johnny D's . . . And Nashville Pussy invade the Middle East with Gaunt on Wednesday.