THE GRIP By Barry Johnson N o w among the tantalizing fragments of New Wave there is a new political music. The Clash named it: Combat Rock. It’s darker, more apocalyptic, rawer and meaner than what has come before it. Its condemnation is complete. It borders on anarchism and brushes against nihilism. It’s informed by the Third World and packs a technological wallop from the First: moody synthesizers, insistent tom toms, deafening guitars and vocals in the vernacular, loaded with accents and inflections and phrases we hear in everyday language. For a skirmish with Combat Rock in Portland, the front line is a band called The Grip. The Grip are six exiles from the Sixties whose politics and musical tastes have stewed down into a concentrated iconoclasm. The khaki of those war years is back. The Grip are older than most rock bands, less indebted to the pop sensibility, and at this point are unaffected by the star making machinery. They are dark, intense and, well, adult. The band is rough around the edges because for its members life has been a little rough around the edges. The first song by The Grip that caught my attention was “Blood and Oil ” Its lyrics by Portland poet iSteven Tyler, “Blood and Oil” is very sexy, undulating and exotic. But what really gives the song punch is the vocal by keyboardist and Grip co-founder Denis Chericone. Chericone, an ex-Green Beret in Vietnam, explores every sinuous curve of “Blood and Oil,” investing it with irony and the necessary lust. “Oh, god, such a craving in my soul. An endless lust for blood and oil. Hunger always calling on the phone. No time to answer, got to feed my Jones. EASY TO Music HARD TO SAY Kokiriko. It looks like a wooden spine, works like a set of dominoes, sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard. Artichoke Music stocks a surprising selection of exotic and inexpensive instruments that are easier to play than to say: chancas, sikus, antaras, bansuri, shekeres, caxixis, ganzas, agogo bells, gato drums. We also carry many superb instruments that are easier to say but harder to play. At the heart of Artichoke are people who can help you play and say. Mention this ad and get a free Humanatone. 722 NW 21st, Portland 248-0356 Hours: 10-6 Mon.- Sat. KEROSENE EXPERTS We know th e best staves.lamps and fuel, and we know how to fix them.We teach safe uses .We explain effkienot x and econoew-Wt care about who we sell to as much as w h it we 9 4 7 5 are selling. Comfort Glow - Kero*unlAladdin%K-1 Kerosene. K-1 KEROSENE W EnerjyMad of Oreqon 6031 S.E.Stark phone;23?‘0877 s GAttOM COUTAMEA The ^ p e rt Combination.YMI come in -Youll see. ECBCBLES 2108 N.W. GLISAN ST. PORTLAND. OREGON 97210 PHONE <503) 248-8142 Watch for our Move — the early part of 1984 to 916 N.W. 21st Ave. RON HINCKLEY MATT LABADIE < KING of ROME dEI SELECTED HIGH QUALITY PRE-READ BOOKS <1’ ’, PRINTS; OLD (LEAD) TOY SOLDIERS; MILITARIA 231-9270 8133S.E. 13TH OLD SELLWOOD PORTLAND, OREGON 97202 36 Clinton St. Quarterly call 243-1166 Our New Addition What’s cookin’ ? The Kitchen Store— The Definitive Guide 223-6542 2nd Floor
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