STOW AWAY ZONE

Rip It Up, Issue 69, 1 April 1983, Page 10

STOW AWAY ZONE

Duncan Campbell

As of about three weeks ago, the Miltown Stowaways' EP Hired Togs had sold exactly 194 copies. - This provokes ironic laughter from Fiona Anderson, Ben Staples,. Syd Paisley and Mark Dansey. They'd originally been told it was 300. High finance this is not, but if. that was the sole.object of the exercise, the Stowaways would probably not exist. It's early days yet, anyway. The Miltown Stowaways came together about six months ago, comprising remnants of the Newmatics, the Blue Asthmatics and the Pleasure Boys.. The' members are at a loss to explain what common interests they had, apart from a desire to make music and picking influences is just as hard. Fiona professes to a liking for Glen Miller, Ben for Ornette Coleman. Nobody wants to be pinned down and perhaps it's just as well. / W The sound on Hired Togs is a sortof loose-limbed jazz-funk, but that's also rather glib and simplistic. Some of : the ideas come close ; to James Blood Ulmer's theories 'of

harmolodics, especially in the rhythm guitar's chord structures. But the sound is very tuneful and catchy and most certainly danceable. The curiosity is 'Reptiles', a slow and intense piece; • a' sharp contrast with the other three tracks. It's a band favourite because of its-open-endedness, featuring a lot of free soloing from the horns and woodwinds. ; The EP was due for release last year, but-was delayed when the tapes got mixed up in Australia. When _ it was pressed, one. side contained: the Stowaways, while the other contaired half of a Propeller compilation EP. Bearing all this in mind, how does the band see Hired Togs now? ' - - "We'd been together.’for : four weeks, we had four songs and we recorded them," says Fiona. "It was a shame that it didn't come

oui ..ay oack then,, rather than now, when what we're doing is a lot different." "We've nearly finished recording for our album,", says bassist Mark, "and the sound is just so different, compared to that EP.'.' Fiona agrees: . . ' "The band itself is tighter and yet more- diverse. That sounds strange, I know, but . . ." . ' "It's like improvising within the three minute pop thing," says Ben. "Basically, probably. were a pop band, but were now giving ourselves more room to stretch out." Experimentation is an essential part of the Stowaways' sound. They're surprising themselves with the ideas that are emerging. All will be revealed soon, with a new single due next month and an album, entitled Tension Melee, sometime' in 'Jul7SHiHiaßl

. The Stowaways are part of a loose association of musicians producing some stimulating and progressive music. The common link is the Auckland City Council's PEP scheme music workshops. The central figure is guitarist/ musical director Ivan Zagni. Miltown Stowaways' guitarist Syd and saxist Kelly Rogers play in Big Sideways, the jazz-influenced 12piece which emerged from the first scheme. Ben plays with Avant Garage, the new PEP. group that includes ex Blam Tim Mahon, ex Blind Date Mike Caen and several members of the Auckland Regional Orchestra. "Ivan is such an amazing person to work with, because he's so creative and so enthusiastic," says Ben.; He has a remarkable effect on the people he plays with." • "Those of us who weren't on the PEP scheme have got 'a’ lot of benefit from those who were on it." says Fiona. . 1 "It's been a period of maturing and education," says Syd. "Speaking personally, it was just what I needed." ■ Breaking down barriers is a major task facing the Stowaways, something they face with determination. This great little country of ours (said with' a Taihape accent) 'simply, reeks of prejudice

of all kinds, something of which the Stowaways are all too poignantly aware. Let's list a few by example: Women in music: Fiona: "At Sweetwaters, I wore my artist's pass outside my jumper, because I was sick of people asking me which band my boyfriend was in. You get a band like Freudian Slips who, because they are feminist women, are immediately thought of as separatists rather than feminists, therefore they get put down to a certain extent. I don't think people take women musicians seriously in this country and there are some really tremendous women musicians." Former bands: Ben: "A lot of people were really pissed off when the Newmatics broke up and we've had a lot of bad reaction from that." Syd: "The Newmatics were a band that were really close and any member that drops out is irreplaceable. So when several members decide to go, you're really got to call it a day, because it's no use recycling." Regional barriers: Syd: "Ben and I run the Indies mail order service and we've been trying to arrange South Island distribution for the Big Sideways album. We've written to people

but we've just had no response. I sense a certain hostility down there." Ben: "What we're trying to do is put together all this great New Zealand music from the South Island and the North Island and then market it overseas. It should be going overseas because it's good. But first we've got to get everybody here to agree on the package." Fiona: "I think it would really improve relations if we had a bridge across Cook Strait. Or maybe a causeway." Mark: "Yeah, put some wood down and some concrete at each end and drain Cook Strait (laughter)." . RIU: Turn it into a pedestrian mall and give people somewhere else to busk.^HVppm Fiona: "Like us in Whakatane. We Weren't allowed any posters, we were told to take them down within, half an hour or we'd be fined S4OO. We weren't allowed to busk; and the . . . sheriff, wasn't he?" Ben: "No, the marshall." Syd: "Yeah, regulation 59, and he was going to.run us out -of town. V ; Mark: ; "Like smalltown America."