This is a "press kit" that the band put together at the time of the release of their first recording, the EP Human Conflict Number Five. We only have a xeroxed copy but we scanned each page anyway, for what it's worth.

<--- note, Christian Burial Music logo

In September of 1981 four members of the then-dormant no-wave group Still Life (Steve, Dennis, Norman and Natalie) began informal rehearsals with three ex-members of the bad jazz poseurs Jimmy and the Socialists (John among them) in an attempt to combine the loose, untrained vitality of creative people just discovering how relatively easy it is to actually play those instruments, with long-time skilled musicians wandering aimlessly along the local bar circuit.

Norm went into immediate seclusion; it was always assumed he would return when ready. While early gigs were enthusiastically received, the majority of the music was covers of other people's songs that seemed to go over so well that the group was always playing out and hardly ever writing or rehearsing new material. This early amorphous version of the band was laid to rest during the final weeks of 1981.

Norm returned in January and his impact was immediate; gone were the repetitious jazzy meanderings and endless, unfocused soloing - Norm's menacing guitarwork combined with his unique understanding of contemporary electronic discovery made the sound unmistakable, compelling, and, finally, for them, original.

Drumming, however, became a problem at this point - the first two percussionists seemed uncomfortable with the music itself and both left to rejoin A.O.R. cover bands. After a revolving door of pick-up drummers, Robert was finally pried loose from Amyl and the Accidents, a high-energy Plasmatics-influenced combo. Very, very quickly the rhythmic foundation was solidified.

It remains difficult to categorize the group's overall sound - Natalie's vocals slither and slide, at times the fragile rhyming of a frightened schoolgirl, at times the angry cacophony of Third World victimization. Dub vocals, driving rhythms, other-worldly echoes all seem to come and go; the group seems equally as adept at many kinds of musical styles. Dennis's organ playing remains the roller-rink foundation of the group, at times as reminiscent of Blonde on Blonde as he is at times of Bunny Wailer. Steve and John share the responsibilities of bass and guitar as well as second vocals. The music itself reflects a multitude of musical styles - rockers, dub, motown, minimalist, psychedelic, funk, reggae, pop. The group retains a level of self-reliance rare among modern bands. All artwork, recording, management, and financing are group controlled. The band is committed to particular ideals and values clearly evident in their lyrical content. No charming stage banter distracts the listener from the basic message. No boy meets girl lyrics pander to the least common denominator. This is, in fact, serious stuff.

Norman Buck - Born 1958 in Jamestown, N.Y. Joined the band in January '82. Electronic guitarist since 1964. An Archeologist and a veteran of several digs throughout North America, Norm enjoys TV movies, beans and tofu, Kashmir Shavism and contradictions. Debussy, Wagner and Hendrix supply inspiration. If it's square he's not there.

"When seeking after newness, one must be wary of the destructive potential in such things."

Dennis Drew - Born August 8th, 1957 in Buffalo, N.Y. Measures 5'10" with brown hair and eyes. Founder member of the group Sept. '81. Handles most business affairs. Digs Eisenstein and I-ROY. Despises '77 mondo bondage. The proud owner of 25 Grateful Dead albums, he is a self-taught musician.

"I envision Planned Obsolescence (from the EP Human Conflict Number Five) as PiL meets UB40 arranged by Count Basie."

Steven Gustafson - Born Madrid, Spain, April 10, 1957. Measures 6'0" with blonde hair and hazel eyes. Founder member of the group Sept. '81. Favors Robbie Shakespeare, Phil Lesh and Scallops. Counts a 1 min. 10 sec. version of Paranoid (complete with solo) by the Screamin' Shits among his most treasured musical memories. Steve uses a Gibson RD Artist bass through the ever popular Berrylium-Cooper submixer preamp, a peak delay chromatic transposer with dbx tweeters and a suspension waveform phaser-flanger-compressor-expander-driver. Even with all this, he says his biggest problem is - "Playing louder than John."

John Lombardo spends almost all his waking hours listening to music. People that know him generally come to him to settle almost any "who did that" question before 1972. He has thousands of records and knows every song on them. He hates what the world has beceome and uses this music as his escape. John limits his MANIAC input to the musical and visual portions as he is far-too-easily fooled by the business community. He likes TV, food and sports and his favorite single is "Walk Away Renee".

Robert "Bob" Wachter - Born April 2nd, 1963 in Olean, N.Y. Raised in Salamanca and is now surviving somewhere in Jamestown. Joined the band in April '82. Bob has been playing drums since he was six years old. His experience has run the gamut of musical styles from grade school chorus to the Plasmatics and beyond. Enjoys horror flicks and war movies with heavy blood and guts. Hates being asked questions and plays with his eyes closed.

Natalie Merchant - Born Jamestown, N.Y., 1963. Measures 5'3". Founder member of the group Sept. '81.

All designated statistics
Evaporated as they
Drew their attention
Eyes casually fixed
Upon the oddity
Smiling amused
But
Unprepared

The senses are daily scattered in effort to attend each sound, scent, flavor, sight or texture. To focus is difficult. If for one instant while someone sways, peers or dances before us and our music, then he or she is conjured as an entire sentient object. With this capacity for communication, an exchange must occur. Whether my thought becomes that of the audience or not becomes insignificant, the moment is shared mutual wonder.