Negativland Get Positive Reaction At Indie Fest From Sonicnet (7/20/99) Negativland Get Positive Reaction At Indie Fest During Yoyo a Go Go, controversial multimedia group plays first official live concert in six years. SonicNet Correspondent Gillian Gaar reports: OLYMPIA, Wash. ó Sonic manipulators Negativland may be best known for the outrage and lawsuits generated by their 1991 EP, U2. But group member Mark Hosler says they were thrilled by the rousing response to their first official live show in six years - an appearance at the Capitol Theater on Thursday for the Yoyo a Go Go indie-music festival. "That's the first time in all these years of being in Negativland we've gotten a standing ovation," Hosler said, speaking from his Olympia home. "That really surprised the hell out of me." An enthusiastic audience of 600-plus cheered Negativland as they headlined a bill that also included Nova Scotia, Bonfire Madigan and Mecca Normal. "I thought maybe we'd get a few hundred people 'cause there's a lot of younger people that are here to see these punk-rock bands," Hosler said. "And I didn't know if they'd want to check out what we're doing or not." The Negativland performance was one of the most eagerly anticipated sets of the third edition of the six-day festival that ended Sunday and also included performances by Sleater-Kinney, Elliott Smith, Bratmobile and Dead Moon. Also held in 1994 and 1997, it was begun by Yoyo label founder Pat Maley to showcase Pacific Northwest music artists. Yoyo was the first stop on what Negativland called a "micro-minitour," a short West Coast swing that also included performances in Seattle on Friday and Portland, Ore., on Saturday. They plan to tour around the United States and overseas. The 1999 version of this multimedia collective includes core Negativland members Hosler, Richard Lyons and Don Joyce, as well as Peter Conheim and Mike Cousino. Every member plays a varied role on record or in live performance, trading off singing and other musical duties, speaking, lighting and film. As a result, Hosler says the group members dislike being categorized individually as "singer" or "guitarist" or "lighting designer." "It's really about the ideas," Hosler explained, "[not] who executes them. [We] don't think [that's] important for people to know." The group's controversial U2 EP sampled surreptitiously taped, obscenity-laden commentary by radio-personality Casey Kasem. But Hosler says Negativland's live shows don't merely "try and re-create [our] recordings. We're trying to make something that works well as a live experience." At the Capitol Theater, the show mixed film, spoken-word recitations, electronic music and songs in its critique of a culture where "we're just surrounded by so much information and input and ideas and news and stories that we are completely confused," Hosler said. "We don't know what's going on anymore," he added. "You don't know what's true, and you don't know what's false, or what's real or what isn't." The show's first sound clip, which featured the late actor Ricardo Montalban welcoming the audience, proved to be an appropriate introduction to what followed. The early-'70s Coca-Cola jingle, "I'd like to teach the world to sing," played sporadically. Meanwhile, a male narrator explained the intricacies of marketing fast food to teenagers as a film of teenage gymnasts was shown. Brand names and corporate logos were juxtaposed with images of Jesus, while a calm voice offered the repeated assurance "Everything's going fine." The idea that everything was ultimately marketable was summed up in a sound clip that said, "Hi, I'm me, and I'm using this to sell you this." The two-and-a-half-hour show (including intermission) was cut by about 15 minutes for the Olympia date due to time constraints, according to Hosler. The show had a two-year gestation period, Hosler revealed. "Personally, I was sort of intimidated by what we'd done before," he said. "We had this standard we established that we had to top. We had to come up with a whole new show, and we're not gonna just play our songs off our record, 'cause we don't do that." Negativland assembled the bulk of the show in the spring. A rough version was performed April Fools' Day at the San Francisco performance space The Lab, with the group hiding behind the name "Positivland." Though future dates have yet to be scheduled, Hosler said he's greatly encouraged by the response the show received Thursday. "I was terrified before, going out and planning a tour when I wasn't sure we had a show that really was great," he recalled. "Now I'm really excited." "I hope people, when they see our show, are interested enough to give it their attention," he said. "Because there's a lot [more] information and ideas in it ... than you get in a normal music show. And if you're not paying attention, it might just all wash over you. But we've actually carefully thought out every single damn thing you see or hear in the whole show. "We're not rocking the house; we're rocking your brain." Back to PRESS US