Martha imitating life

Harrison Sohmer

By Howard S.M. Wuelfing

D.CEATS
PSYCHEDELLY
BETHESDA, MD

The Psychedelly seems to be nursing an on-again-off-again love affair with the new wave, especially the local proponents thereof. Early last year, groups like the Rudements and White Boy were held in definite low esteem (the Slickees were told never to bring the Rudements around again)--this, after sponsoring a month of shows featuring Razz and a half dozen habitues of N.Y.C.'s Max's Kansas City. For awhile late last year things seemed to have shifted totally toward programming only local good-time staples: Root Boy, Nighthawks, et al. Suddenly, D.Ceats and the Young Turds (of all people!) were holding forth at the 'Delly, and to good effect too!

The D.Ceats took most of the first set to get their juices flowing and discard their more lackluster material. The sounds they made were angular and harsh--a scholarly reiteration of 60's rock formulae without the usual pop gushing. It all seemed a bit desperate and not a little contrived, especially in the more torturous passages. "Hungry" was tossed off more stridently than was called for, and "Right Time" was studiously frenetic.

As the set drew to a close, however, they began to open up a bit and emote more spontaneously. "Nurses and Beer" struck me as an admirable effort, along with "If We Had Met."

The second set began with more of the same, a clutch of tastefully rocksy originals and a taut arrangement of Kim Kane's "Golden Love."

And then it was time for this poor boy to split--curfew an' all that--besides, I was with someone else who had to drive another half hour after we got to my place to get to his--and he had to go to work next morning. But I wish I coulda stuck it out.

If lead singer Martha Hull finally can keep her voice under control and in-tune for a whole night (she was batting about .750 while I was there), and the band can turn out more material like "If We Had Met" and "Nobody's Robot," they're gonna be unstoppable.

P.S. I saw them a few weeks later and they seemed alot stronger. Keith Campbell re-wrote his "Subways" into a great pop-ism and had added a Slickeesque surf instrumental--part original and part cover. Their overall demeanor was more relaxed and natural sounding. In other words, most of my complaints about the Delly show did not carry over to this later gig.

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