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Pink Martini is at the forefront of this unusually active period, as the band's self-released debut, Sympathique, has defied conventional wisdom in becoming one of the hottest local albums of the year. Typically, record companies save the holiday season for its major releases; they would never think of issuing a new band's debut after Thanksgiving. Pink Martini's Thomas Lauderdale may not have known this when he made plans to manufacture and distribute Sympathique, yet almost 5,000 copies were sold in its first two weeks on the shelves. In comparison, most local bands feel fortunate to sell 1,000 records, period. Sympathique has already become the top seller for the Northwest Alliance of Independent Labels, the company that distributes many local releases to stores nationwide. "I was completely off-guard," says Alicia J. Rose, NAIL's vice president. "I didn't know this could happen." The only other distribution outlet for the album is local Starbucks stores, which ordered 1,400 copies. The coffeeshop chain hoped to sell out by February, says regional marketing manager Kim Harnisch, but it will probably happen by Christmas. "Anecdotally, our customer response has been overwhelmingly positive," Harnisch says. It's an almost inexplicable success story for Pink Martini. Perhaps the band's mix of jazz, classical and pop music struck a holiday nerve with listeners, or maybe Lauderdale has an alarming number of friends, but few self-released albums can sell 5,000 copies as quickly as Sympathique did, if at all. Another local band, Pond, adhered to the music industry's conventional wisdom. It's been said that nine out of 10 major-label releases are commercial failures, and Rock Collection was no exception. The trio's third album overall was its debut for the Sony-affiliated Work label, and despite some positive reviews, it didn't perform well out of the gate. As a result, Pond was recently dropped. In a strange twist, the band members are glad about their misfortune. Pond's contract called for it to record three albums, shoot two videos and receive tour support at Work's expense. To release the band, the label had to buy out the contract, for what guitarist and vocalist Charlie Campbell calls a substantial amount. "A good way to get money from a major company is to lose money," Campbell says. "We plan on failing our way to the top." Pond bassist and vocalist Chris Brady views the circumstances more soberly. "We were willing to do another album, but this one didn't do very well," he says. "I think Fiona Apple and Jamiroquai took off for them, and they feed the strong. I half-expected this to happen." Though the rejection stings, the two say the cash settlement proved an effective tonic, as both have purchased hi-tech equipment in the aftermath of being dropped. They insist that Pond will stay together and record another album. Checking the PDX Pulse: When The Oregonian's Friday music column, PDX Pulse, reported last week that Mike Thrasher was stepping down as booking agent at EJ's, it insinuated that the rock club would undergo a change that it didn't bother to specify. Readers were encouraged to check out shows--or "catch the current tone"--at EJ's before Thrasher's reign is up at the end of December. The misleading column failed to note, however, that the new booking agent has no plans to alter the style at the popular club. Xan Hamilton, a former Cavity Search Records employee, has already assembled the January lineups, and a casual observer wouldn't notice any difference in the schedule. EJ's regulars such as Dead Moon, Sunset Valley, Heavy Johnson Trio and Fernando will perform. Another nail in the '60s coffin:Everclear's latest single from So Much for the Afterglow is a song with a particularly repulsive message. In "I Will Buy You a New Life," Art Alexakis sings earnestly about the joy of being able to purchase luxuries such as a house in the West Hills. That's fine, but put in the context of a man buying a new life for his wife, it's almost nauseating. Not because it's politically incorrect, but because, with Everclear's proven hit-making ability, kids across the country will now be fed the message that the Beatles were wrong--money can buy you love. |
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