SOLUBLE SOULS
Having the word Jesus in your name is a currently trendy idea which numerous bands have adopted like JESUS JONES, THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, and JESUS LIZARD. Now there is a new significant L.A. addition to this holy named bunch called LIQUID JESUS, spelled with small letters intentionally.
Originally with Triple X Records, early home of JANE'S ADDICTION, liquid jesus have just released their major label debut through MCA, called Pour in the Sky. Produced by Michael Beinhorn (RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS and VIOLENT FEMMES fame), it is not their first major label work however. They also did a cover of "Stand" by SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE on the soundtrack for the movie "Pump Up the Volume."
"Admittedly there is an onslaught of Jesus bands, but we are stuck with it," says Todd Rigioni, the guitarist and voice of the band. "We decided we were different from everyone else, and we picked the name about three and a half years ago. The name matches our music, it's almost revolutionary. The meaning constantly changes for me, it's perfect for us and consistent with our music."Despite the holy name. liquid jesus are a less than pious gospel experience. Favourites on the experimental rock scene coming out of L.A., Todd cites influences as vast as early 70s rock to the jazz greats like CHARLIE PARKER. Their first LP was a live one for Triple X, which captured their energy and enthusiasm and enabled liquid jesus to break out of L.A. into new territory. The band has played with a wide assortment of bands active in the American College indie scene, such as THE PIXIES, THE REVOLTING COCKS, STAN RIDGEWAY, PYGMY LOVE CIRCUS, and 7 SECONDS.
"We'd been playing around L.A. just like 20,000 other bands, trying to figure out a way to get our music out there and get a record deal. The L.A. crowd is responsive to a degree, but it's nicer to get out of there and play to people who want to see good music with open arms. In L.A. they just test you and prod you. I love L.A. crowds, don't get me wrong, but I was so glad when I realised we weren't relying on them as our only crowd base any more."liquid jesus are very much a live band, but they also appreciate the craft involved to create an album of merit. They went and recorded 80 per cent of Pour in the Sky's songs in the first week live, and then took five days off so they could come back and listen to it fresh.
"We like good music, we really enjoyed this studio part of it, getting a chance to paint. It was like, 'here is your paints, here is your easel, here is your canvas, now go to it.' The main thing was to make sure we didn't come out with the 'same flower' on every canvas. We thought of this as an album, as a whole work, not as 'here is our hit single, now what do we do?' In the 80s we got a bit side-tracked in the music world. The 70s album rock is where we are coming from. It's an album you can dive in and swim around for a while."Upon listening to the album, an immediate jamming sort of spontaneity comes through. liquid jesus tried out various ideas to create a rich mixture of sounds. They employed opera singers for the intro, a didgeridoo player, and they even enticed BRUCE HORNSBY to jump in and play piano and let himself go.
"John Molo our drummer works with Bruce, as well as with us. He has two jobs. We work out our schedules over the phone. Bruce became a big fan of our band because John was involved. Bruce would come down to the shows and check us out. When we were going into the studio, I asked him if we could drag him in. He said he thought we would never ask. I think his favourite was the intro to 'Feelings Flower,' where he plays a dark sounding jazz piano. He did the take in one. He was amazed we were going to keep it as he thought it sounded too out. He was just like a little kid I'd given a lollipop too."
Before Todd formed liquid jesus with the other members, John, Buck Murphy (vocals), Scott Tracy (guitar), and Johnny Lonely (bass), he was a roadie for MAC DAVIS. It was on tour in Las Vegas with Mac that Todd first met up with Mac's temporary drummer John. They ended up jamming together one day while bored, and it was a meeting that Todd believes helped him to decide to become a professional musician himself.
"I did some strange jobs along the way. I finally came to the conclusion, 'Am I going to be a great roadie or am I going to be a musician?' John turned my head around, when I plugged in my guitar, and he blew me off stage. As a guitar player this was a disgrace, no drummer knocks you off stage. I said to myself I've got to get my playing up again. I asked John if I ever got a project together would he play. Knock on wood, he kept his promise!"The band had been described as a "rock n' roll pinball machine." The singer Buck is a diminutive wild man on stage, but at first the band and Buck did not hit it off.
"Oh yeah, it was very different at first," Todd recalls. "About two weeks before our first proper gig with Pygmy Love Circus we had a vocals audition with Buck and he just didn't work out at all. But he stole a demo off us, later learned our material, and at that gig he jumped on stage, sang the last song, and tore the house down in overdrive gear. Needless to say we invited him back for another try."liquid jesus plan to play some shows in October. Todd promises liquid jesus will put on a memorable performance.
"We are a very intense groove project at its best. We are hoping people will open their ears up and also their eyes and come and see us. We come out, get into a song, and go crazy right away. We let you know we are definitely an electric band, we raise the spirits that way."
Marion Garden
Riff Raff
October 1991
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