7#{$ DDDD N XX<xD ,Q*{QBQQ{QQQQQQhed: Liver fluke dek: The history of American music according to Bad Livers Who: Bad Livers Where: Mercury Theatre When: Fri., June 16, 9:30 p.m. How much: $6 advance/ $7 door by Chris Barrett Theres a bizarre, money-driven mutation that occurs when traditional music becomes popular. Musical forms usually begin with a distinct function in a culture. For example, certain Irish song styles are specifically for storytelling, others are for courtship, still others for mourning. In America, for a traditional song to have the opportunity to become popularto grab a background spot on Northern Exposure or be pressed as a singleit must first be groomed to assure that its not going to offend anybody. (I know its a dirge. But we dont wanna bring anybody down here.) It becomes useless to the culture that once claimed it, and pretty much anybody else. Appalachia has seen its musical traditions sucked all but dry by marketing conformity. The old-timer who loved listening to Paps fretless five-string in the kitchen as a child would have a hard time in the record store these days. Unless, that is, a kindly clerk knows enough to tip him toward Bad Livers. With Danny Barnes playing banjo and singing, Mark Rubin on bass (or tuba), and Ralph White III on fiddle, Bad Livers have revived some killer string band and mountain music styles. A lot of people assume, explains Rubin, because were younger people and we play these instruments we would have been influenced either by Jerry Garcias forays into the banjo world or Newgrass Revival. In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth. A quick spin of the Livers 1992 debut, Delusions of Banjer, or last years Horses in the Mines, (both on 1/4 Stick) backs up Rubins claim. Many others who play acoustic instruments these days have adapted traditions to suit a market, rather than stooping to play traditional music. Bela Fleck plays banjo, but he doesnt play banjo music. Mark OConnor fiddles, but he no longer plays fiddle tunes. Bad Livers play music sprung from a culture of callused hands, dung-dirty boots and missing teeth. Instead of dressing that music up for the parlor folk the way newgrass has, Bad Livers shuffle in proudly, say to hell with the rug, and smile sos you can see the six good teeth still there. Danny would say, Rubin remarks of his contemporaries, that those musicians have made some musical choices. They just happen to be choices that he cannot comprehend. I would have to echo that, I guess. Even while Bad Livers uphold threatened or forgotten traditions, theyve been wise enough to keep clear of simple musical archaeology. Digging up old songs, and mimicking 78s wouldnt do listeners or the music any good. Most of the songs they sing are originals, played in old-time styles, with occasional acute deviations. Sleepy Peepie, on Delusions, is a tasty rearrangement of lyrics by the Butthole Surfers (Austin, Texas neighbors of the Bad Livers), set to the tune of Davy Crockett. The more recent Puke Grub is what Rubin calls a poor mans lament: I catch my dinner with an old puke grub/aint got no woman for to give me no rub. The song is a bit of a walking tune, a cranky down-tempo ramble for banjo, bass and fiddle. Pretty straight. But Barness vocals sound like theyre coming up half a mile of twisted culvert. The result is music thats respectful of tradition, but somehow relevant to the generation that gets to patch the ozone hole and take apart all the bombs. The Bad Livers combination of the antique coupled with invention can be traced, though its unlikely anyone would have predicted it. Barnes has been playing banjo for 23 of his 29 years, ever since he saw Stringbean Akeman as a tot. Rubin was weaned on punk. Thus they draw crowds that might slam on one night and allemande-left-then-back-to-your-right the next. What was fun was this last trip to California, says Rubin. We go out to L.A. and Dez Cadena of Black Flag comes up and says how much he loves our stuff. We get to San Francisco and Jello Biafra says hes one of our biggest fans. Rubin and his cohorts have labored to make sure that theyre not seen as a novelty actto let people know that theyre not bucking the trend and releasing their unplugged sets first, before they get down to the coolie alternative rut. Thats paid off in a couple ways. Bad Livers thrill a devoted audience that continues to grow. And the group members have realized that this is what they should be doing, and probably will do as long as theyre allowed. When we first got involved, we knew that what we did was not commercial, says Rubin. But its kind of like weve got the tattoo on the forehead, you know? We have really no choice but to continue on. u86C307.507166666666667D 288.28796875E.547610576923076923F.508495535714285714T1/8 bN_GHq & / @@ MN^u"`HI  !!!!! !!!    &C88:e:f:g:hQHH(FG(HH(d'@=/RH -:LaserWriter New YorktttE}E