Snagglepuss: Press

The latest from the 'puss, The Sound Report, was produced by Don Dixon and recorded at Mitch Easter's studio and Charlotte’s Reflections Studios. Slicker than their previous two releases, the new one nevertheless has the familiar loosey- goosey stage-party aesthetic that characterized front-woman Hope Nicholls' pivotal 80s act, Fetchin' Bones - a mix of Let's Active southern jangle and B-52s' theatre of the absurd. A local super group of sorts, the band features members of Charlotte outfits like Babyshaker and Tyre Fyre, among others.

Snagglepuss
The Sound Report
Coolidge Records

Most people wouldn’t think of words alike “abrasive” and “irritating” as compliments, but in this case they are. More indie rock should sound like this, instead of the smooth sound favored by indie bands today.

The band is from Charlotte, North Carolina. This record could be played at a dance party, because you can dance to these songs. However, the lyrics lend themselves to thinking, and have a lot to say.

Hope Nicholls is the lead singer/sax player on this album. If the name sounds familiar, it is because she was the lead singer of Fetchin’ Bones, a very popular 80s band who were way ahead of their time. They put jangle pop and hard rock together, and came up with a sound that was as great as the B 52’s, R.E.M, Let’s Active, Don Dixon (who produced The Sound Report), Yoko Ono, and Janis Joplin. Had Fetchin Bones' albums been released today, they would be superstars.

Snagglepuss is as great as Fetchin’ Bones. The Sound Report doesn’t have a bad song on it, but some stand out as wonderful. “Miss Me” has a good groove laid down by Aaron Pitkin (Nicholls' husband who was also in Fetchin' Bones), with friendly lyrics. “Red Fuzzy Ipa” has fantastic horn playing from Hope and trumpeter Scott Weaver. It’s a fun song about dreaming of an ipa, which is apparently some kind of animal.

“Belmont” and “Substitute” (not a Who cover) are the most thoughtful and quiet songs on the album. Both are political, in the sense that they want people to come together and form a movement to change the world, or at the very least to think about getting active politically. Slow jams let the lyrics sink in. “Substitute” also asks if the band can make your day better; can they substitute for anything awful in your life? This band cares about the listener, and that’s wonderful.

The track that stands out the most is “As Gay As I Am.” This is not a parody of Dar Williams’ “As Cool As I Am.” The song starts with a whole chorus chanting “Q-U-E-E-R” with lively horn playing. The song zips along after the chorus, and will have you dancing. “It’s fun to be gay, it’s the greatest thing. Everyone should be gay, it’s better that way.” It doesn’t matter if anyone in the band is gay, what matters is that this song is out and proud in a way that most out performers aren’t. I’ll take this song any day over 99% of what’s out there from openly gay and lesbian musicians.

You won’t forget this band anytime soon if you hear this album. And this record should be heard by as many people as possible; it’s not to be missed.

Davidson native rocks with Snagglepuss
COURTNEY DEVORES
Special to the Observer

As vocalist for Fetchin Bones, Sugarsmack, and currently Snagglepuss, Davidson native Hope Nicholls has been a fixture of the Charlotte music scene for more than 20 years. Saturday at Grand Central (formerly Swing 1000), Snagglepuss celebrates the release of its third album, "The Sound Report."

The Don Dixon-produced disc is progressive, experimental, and infectiously melodic and fun. The band includes Nicholls' husband and longtime musical partner, Aaron Pitkin, on drums; saxophonist Michael Anderson; Scott Weaver on trumpet and vocals; guitarist Amy Kennemore; keyboardist John Morris; and bassist Darrin Gray.

Nicholls, 47, sat down with the Observer recently at Boris & Natasha -- a clothing boutique she owns in Plaza-Midwood -- and talked about Snagglepuss, the new album, and her rock history.

Q. How did you get into music? Just being a huge music fan -- so much so that I just needed to try to be like all of the people I loved. When we started to see bands like R.E.M. and Pylon come out of the South, it was just like, "Man, that's what we want to do."

Q. After being on two major labels, what were you looking for when you formed Snagglepuss in late 1999? The No. 1 criteria was to make music with our friends. A lot of the bands I admire that came out of the post-punk thing around 1980-1981 -- the Slits, Pylon, the Raincoats, B-52's, and to a large degree R.E.M. -- there would be a couple of members who might know a little something about how to play an instrument, but they would just be like, "Here, have this guitar." That's what we did. We gave instruments to our friends and said, "Would you like to be in a band with us?" We gave Amy inspiration tapes of stuff we loved.

Q. How do you describe it to people who think you're a ska band because you use horns? I try to put it in the context of other bands -- maybe Bikini Kill or Yeah Yeah Yeahs for someone who doesn't know those older bands.

Q. Did you guide the less-experienced players at first? Mostly we wanted people to be able to develop their own style. We didn't want it to be Sugarsmack or Fetchin Bones junior in any way. That's why Aaron chose to be the drummer in this band. I love bands where you can tell the drummer is barely keeping it together.

Q. Where does the title, "The Sound Report" come from? The title comes from Bell (Hope and Aaron's 5 1/2-year-old daughter). About two years ago, we were going to have rehearsal. She was kind of bummed out about it and goes, "Mama, are you guys going to work on your sound report today?"

Q. Does she like the band? She loves Snagglepuss. She knows all that music from the inside. One of the really memorable things for people about Snagglepuss is seeing me play a show at Tremont one month to the day before Bell was born. I was tremendously huge and rocking out.

Q. Do many people who went to see your other bands still come out to the shows? Unfortunately, many people think they're too old to go out. If I'm young enough to be out there rocking, they're young enough to get out there and see us -- even if it's at midnight.

People have to remember: It may be hard to step out of your box, but it feeds your soul. It's exactly like going to the gym. It's the same with art. It's so much easier to be a consumer. But we know that leads to empty feelings instead of a feeling of satisfaction.

Snagglepuss turn in its Report
BY EL DIABLO

"Time is not a relevant factor in the world of Snagglepuss."

So says Snagglepuss member Scott Weaver, discussing the three-year wait for the Charlotte septet's third record, The Sound Report. The same can be said for the band's sound, a mix of 1980s new wave, Pylon-meets-the-B-52s' southern rock, and jazz and punk. The band's MySpace site cites an eclectic list of influences, among them Blondie, Can, Stereolab, the Talking Heads, Bow Wow Wow, Patti Smith, the Ramones, the Go-Go's, and James Brown.

"There are no rules," says Weaver, who also sings for Babyshaker. "It's very democratic that way -- if you want to add something to a song because you like dance music, you can."

Snagglepuss formed in 1999 and is fronted by singer and former Fetchin' Bones leader Hope Nicholls, whose vocal yowl is a distinctive Joan Jett-Kate Pierson blend. The band's other characteristics are the prominent use of saxophones, played by Nicholls and Michael Anderson, and John Morris' varied keyboard textures. The Sound Report was recorded by North Carolina mainstay Don Dixon, who also produced the band's first two efforts. Weaver calls it their "slickest" record yet -- "and by that I mean it was recorded in two studios (Mitch Easter's place and Reflections) rather than Hope's den."

The record also has a palpable political bent, which Weaver says reflects the Bush-era nightmare.

"As a group, we have never shied away from expressing our feelings or beliefs in that way," he says, "but we also don't mind having fun and being silly."

And that's best expressed by Snagglepuss' live shows -- part performance art, dance party and rock show.

"More than anything, we are dedicated to art as a lifestyle," Weaver declares.

Snagglepuss, "The Sound Report." An unpredictable, cohesive blast of modern art-pop with elements of `80s new wave, jazz and punk shining through its pink-foil wrappings that remains accessible despite its experimental heart.

Most people compare these new wave hotdogs to the B-52's, and with their loopy dance-party vibe and boy/girl vocals, that's a dancin' shoe that certainly does fit. I tend to think of them more as a day-glo thriftshop version of Sly & The Family Stone. (Go on -- listen to Sly's "Sing A Simple Song" and tell me I'm wrong...) Snagglepuss has two Don Dixon-produced CDs, and a third on the way. If you're new to the band, I'm recommending The Country Club Sessions as the best place to start, simply because it contains my two favorite SnagTown classics, "La Prez" and "Punk Rock Boy."

"The veritable smorgasboard of post-modern flavor-packs known as Snagglepuss has been streaking across the Milky Way of Rock-and-Roll since the genesis of summertime, 1999. The group's two-fold mission: to rock, and to remain unfettered and free of rules and expectations in the process. Upon its inception, creation was the petrol that drove the Snagglepuss emotion, and nothing - not even a concern over intrumental prowess - stood in Snagglepuss's way. Rock - punk, classic, and art - would meet head to head with freeform jazz, outsider art, Z-grade cinema, and cabaret style flamboyance, resulting in a sound and performance that is as loud a statement of personal liberty as has been heard and seen since the 18th century. And what of those performances, even in the early years of Snagglepuss? Raw experimentation met general goodness of spirit, resulting in a happy mess that earned Snagglepuss the distinction of being Creative Loafing's band of the year in 2001."

"Anyone who has an ear for evocative musical stories has to have at least heard of the Hope Nicholls and Aaron Pitkin tag team. They've been together for 20 odd years, musically and personally, kicking it all off in the 80s with the legendary Fetchin' Bones, continuing with the oft-missed Sugarsmack and evolving into the multi-hued outfit called Snagglepuss. In Snagglepuss, Nicholls shares vocal duties with Scott Weaver while making a sax moan, groan and quiver when the mood suits her. She's a seasoned stage presence who can sing and let out orgasmic screams to wake the neighbors down the street. Sound bite instrumentation of whistles, bells, shakers and a box of other doodads lying on the stage enhance vocal intonations. Weaver's vocal style adds the rock layers while accentuating the dual front man/woman axis." -Samir Shukla, Creative Loafing