Cheer Accident

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ Steve, we need to a) sense it, b) analyze it, c) realize it.

You're the very -Prog King-.

[Steve F.]

You're the very -Prog King-

[Scrotum Scissor]

I know.

But hey, we've tried about two dozen times in here to instigate a general debate on how "prog-rock" actually morphed into something altogether more contemporary vital and ongoing, and somehow it didn't seem to work. Our fault and everybody's loss. Remember that when you hire an underpaid historian to chronicle the merits of Cunei/Wayside/Random Radar you'll have to tutor his his/her cultural conduct in advance.

Cheer-Accident rule, of course. But barely only merely. They should have been the true kings.

[Kcrimso]

The only way Mr. F. could be more prog than he is if he would sign Arc Of Life to Cuneiform.

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ Were it not for him, I wouldn't have stayed interested.

Early 90s revival was a great thing, but it wouldn't have lasted were it not for the message that things were also even happening and developing on an overall scale. The first Cunei I bought was the vinyl Faultline by the Birdsongs of the Mesozoic in 1993. No one else I knew had any idea of the label it was on, and for a "second-wave" progressive rock fan it was a farout item in the first place.

Then I went to Hustad leir (at Farstad, north of Molde) in late January 1994 in accordance with what we used to call the civil duty-obligation here in Norway; community practice-service as replacement for military consignment for pacifists and post/neo-hippies and stuff. There I met a vocalist/musician whom I'd seen live in Bergen four months previously when he appeared at the legendary student venue Hulen with his band Albino Slug, and I remembered him especially because later that same evening in October '93 we went to an after-party where a local band were playing with John Hegre as engineer: John being a local legend of sorts and very much a fan of the above-mentioned Albino Slug - he would also go on to engineer my own band's demos and in time become a noise collaborator with (among others) Masami Akita, Deathprod and many others.

Anyway, when I encountered Albino Slug's singer again at Hustad, he told me of his "progressive rock" credits and proudly played me his copy of the debut U Totem, saying how he'd established a particular relationship with that ensemble's label. And I have to admit that I'd never really realized how "rock" music as profoundly ambitious and grand as this was still being produced; remember, this was a year and a half since we got the debut Änglagård. I returned to my Birdsongs LP from Cunei with a different view, to say the least.

And I couldn't believe it! There was another dude there (at Hustad) who'd just joined my group of students for 'music' class - because this is how the whole deal was sorted; as some sort of "school" - and the guy was an ardent fan of Dream Theater. He played the Theaters over the stereo at the leisure facility in order to inspire us to commit to "better" things, as he had it - but when Asgeir Rekkavik (singer of Albino Slug) pulled out his U Totem CD and spun that afterwards, the whole room basically went all but numb - here was a) a heavy metal group sounding like Iron Maiden with further chops and ideas, versus b) something else altogether, almost toppling my whole sense of reality as to what could constitute rock music. I recall someone saying that it sounded like "Gershwin in King Crimson".

And having been an enthusiastic follower of the very notion of progressive rock since I first discovered it in my teens during the 80s, and further having picked up on the emergence of the Colours label (Thule, Utopian Fields, Landberk, Änglagård et al.), I was simply struck by the sheer radical dimension of an artistic concoction like U Totem. I'd heard the Art Bears the year previously, but I was not aware of how this creative radicalism indeed had its own current tradition and merit.

Basically it ended with the Dream Theater-afficcionado forming his half of the 'music class' and recording one track for a cassette release, while I formed another half and recorded an oddball, freak-folk/avant-poetry bullshit session lasting for 13 minutes and taking up the entire side 2 of the 'Camp Sanger' tape - "camp" being the English word for (Norwegian) 'leir'.

And Asgeir Rekkavik, the singer of Albino Slug from Trondheim who introduced me to U Totem and called them his "[...] fave prog-rock group of today", continued with his band until they folded the year after. Albino Slug were on the Voices of Wonder label and had their debut toted as 1993's "best debut" in Norwegian music mag Rock Furore by none other than Hans Ryan (Snah) of Motorpsycho, who also contributed to one of Albino Slug's recordings playing viola.

Asgeir had never heard of Van der Graaf Generator, btw. I played him a cassette of Pawn Hearts and he went wild about it.

[Steve F.]

The only way Mr. F. could be more prog than he is if he would sign Arc Of Life to Cuneiform.

I had to look and read, goddamn it the arc of life thread.....

[Steve F.]

I wanna sign a band named Albino Slug. But I can tell that they’ll run off, with nary a goodbye, to Inside Out, so I guess I’ll pass.

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ They were alright. Not spectacular and certainly not en par with their buddies in Motorpsycho, but for 1993 here in Norway they offered a fascinating level of difference on a generally indifferent rock scene. Long gone, of course, and anyway there'd be too much ugly commercial potential for InsideOut to chew over.

[Zappathustra]

I wanna sign a band named Albino Slug. But I can tell that they’ll run off, with nary a goodbye, to Inside Out, so I guess I’ll pass.

[Zappathustra]

I love the band, but I have to admit - with a blush - that I wasn't really thrilled with Chicago. A record that costed me a fortune, since I had to pay customs for it.

Still it's a good thing that it's in the house...

[Steve F.]

I love the band, but I have to admit - with a blush - that I wasn't really thrilled with Chicago. A record that costed me a fortune, since I had to pay customs for it.

Well, I hope it grows more on you.

The singing is magnificent.

[moecurlythanu]

I love the band, but I have to admit - with a blush - that I wasn't really thrilled with Chicago.

You should've tried the pizza!

[Marco]

I absolutely love 3 Cheer-Ax records (Lemon, Salad, and Enduring) but I just can't get into any of their other works. Too inconsistent, and not as well produced as those three IMO. Their best work is enough to save them a place in the prog rock pantheon, though.

[chalkpie]

Is that crazy tv commercial on YT where he's wanking to his grandma or something in the dark room? I couldn't find it, but not sure what I'm looking for....

[moecurlythanu]

Is that crazy tv commercial on YT where he's wanking to his grandma or something in the dark room? I couldn't find it, but not sure what I'm looking for....

So a search on "wanking to grandma in the dark room" didn't turn up any good videos?

[chalkpie]

https://www.cheer-accident.com/cheer...me-commercial/

Found it! Wow.

[Kcrimso]

I had to look and read, goddamn it the arc of life thread.....

So.... are you interested?

[Steve F.]

So.... are you interested?

I'm mostly interested in 'wanking to grandma in the dark room'.

[Kcrimso]

I'm mostly interested in 'wanking on grandma in a dark room'.

What a cool title for the next Arc Of Life album!

[Mister Triscuits]

^ They were alright. Not spectacular and certainly not en par with their buddies in Motorpsycho, but for 1993 here in Norway they offered a fascinating level of difference on a generally indifferent rock scene. Long gone, of course, and anyway there'd be too much ugly commercial potential for InsideOut to chew over.

Burgess Shale fauna in the artwork? They must be good.

[Marco]

https://www.cheer-accident.com/cheer...me-commercial/

Found it! Wow.

That's so much better with context. Wonder how many people wanted to check them out because of this.

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ Asgeir was a truly bad vocalist. He made a career as a mediocre librarian here in Oslo after Slug. He could neither sing nor pronounce English words. But he was an allround nice guy.

Well, that's what you get from a bunch of squatterheads having discovered Diamanda Galás and (uhm...) "prog". Their second release (Barrabas) was a single 30 min. doom-industrial song with two chords and a female vox yelling orgasmically in the background - I recall Asgeir likening her to Cathy Berberian, whom I didn't know at all at the time. The Slugs should have stuck with the avant-prog-metal thing and moved further into that terrain, I think.

I'm doing a binge of vintage Cheer-Accident this evening, with prime light on the noise-core releases (Dumb Ask and Babies Shouldn't Smoke). Shit, some of this is plain ugly music! Deliberately so, but ugly nonetheless.

[Scrotum Scissor]

I have to say that when I see things like this I'm quite bedazzled. Not only do they accomplish pretty damn advanced setups and arrangements and concepts for their records, but then they actually proceed to conjure up a posse for live appearances as well. "Sun Dies" from Fear Draws Misfortune (opening tune) is a pretty densely convoluted track, yet they make a party from performing it! And with a large calibre of seemingly ad-hoc.musicians to enhance the experience. I'm quite amazed at how their socio-cultural standing appears firm with the folks they need to make the music happen, and not least how intensely freakishly fun the whole thing looks. Every band should try it!

[Steve F.]

^^^^^

Cute gurlz with violins dancing. What more can anyone want???

You’ve never seen them, have you, Richard??

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ Never saw them. Closest I got was when I bought ticket for one of the Carmaux RIOs but eventually had to sell the thing away to an acquaintance who ended up not going anyway. I also remember 7-8 (or more?) years back when they were touring Europe and I wanted to go for one of their German or Swiss dates, can't recall which. Coulden't get away from work, so none of it. But I remember Kerman writing in here that he'd seen them in Bern or Basel or wherever.