Metro Pulse/Music/Eye on the Scene

Bills Bows Out

Jeff Bills may be out, but his departure doesn't mean that The Faults won't still be dogged by the confounding "3-Roys" references that have dogged the band since its inception last year. Even though Mic Harrison (guitar and vocals) and Paxton Sellers (bass) are the only remaining V-roys in the band, the new drummer selected to replace Bills is Jason Peters, himself a former member of Ramblin' Roy, which means there are still three 'roys of some sort or another in the band.

In an email message to announce the change, Bills says the decision to leave the band "involved absolutely no animosity whatsoever." He'll still be working behind the band, running their fledgling Lynn Point Records label (a Faults CD is scheduled for release in April). "And since the guys are going to be touring quite a bit, it made more sense to find someone who could commit more time to just playing," Bills writes. Plus, Peters can sing.

Local CD Review

Joel Fairstein and The Nuclear Band
Lunar Saint (Apieron)

With his third release, Lunar Saint, local jazz/synth wizard Joel Fairstein delivers a jazz-fusion album with a new twist: a concept. Following in the footsteps (or missteps) of '70s prog rockers Styx, Emerson Lake & Palmer, et al, Fairstein has based his new collection of tunes around the Legend of the Lunar Saint, a brief text included on the CD sleeve. Unfortunately, the concept serves to distract from what is an otherwise engaging and well-crafted disc.

The instrumentals on Lunar Saint are exceptionally played, centered on Fairstein's keyboard mastery with the able backing of Mark Tucker on sax, Jon Steele on bass and Chris Gray on drums. The album kicks off with the title track, a pastiche of synths that is musically similar to the work of the Alan Parsons Project or Synergy. By the second track, all of the musicians have joined Fairstein and the music shifts into more of a '70s fusion mode comparable to Steely Dan without vocals. Throughout the disc, all of the instrumentalists are allowed ample room to shine without overshadowing the melodic component. The players are all top musicians with the taste to use their skills as building blocks for Fairstein's compositions.

The baffling thing about Lunar Saint is the choice of cover art and the concept. Fairstein's choice to align his music with a rather flimsy sci-fi theme tends to trivialize what is, for the most part, a top notch project. And the kitchy cover art—which is supposed to look futuristic—might have looked futuristic in 1975.

But the music is what matters. And there is no denying Fairstein's skills as a musician and composer, not to mention his crystal clear production technique. Next time, Joel, just leave the concept behind.

Go.

Thursday: Asylum Street Spankers at Barley's. From the band's own PR description of their sound, which, in this instance is absolutely true and is said better than I could: "Swaying and swaggering through woozy jazz, galloping country, wistful ragtime, martial blues, Hawaiian bliss and a couple of genres apparently invented during the sessions, fiddles, harmonicas, saws, banjos, washboards and an astounding array of guitars and voices weave over and around one another." Emma likes it. And you will, too.

Friday: Anne Murray with the KSO Pops at Civic Auditorium. I've worn out the grooves on my vinyl copy of "Snowbird." Murray's rich voice sends shivers.

Saturday: R.B. Morris at Patrick Sullivan's. Knoxville's own Beat Poet/Renaissance Man gives us a taste of his skill.

Sunday: Grand Theft Audio at Moose's. Apparently, the kids like this extreme electric stuff. And, I'll admit, I dig it, too—but will never admit that in public.

Monday: Ponder the meaning of the Electoral College in honor of President's Day.

Tuesday: Carole Connely at Hanson Gallery. Impressionistic paintings for your viewing pleasure.

Wednesday: ¡Carnaval Veracuzano! at Tennessee Theatre. Strap on your dancin' shoes.

—Emma "Poptart Madness" Poptart