November 6–13, 1997

critic pick|rock/pop

The Silver Apples' Simeon

Silver Apples

It's hard to imagine exactly where the Silver Apples took their influence from or the number of electronic bands they've influenced. The duo's combination of tribal rhythms, primitive synthesis and incantatory melodies is both catchy and hypnotic, calling to mind early Genesis, Joy Division and a slew of electronica artists including Moby and the Chemical Brothers. Silver Apples formed in 1967 out of the ashes of New York's Overland Stage Electric Band, which featured Dan Taylor on drums, Simeon on vocals and three guitarists. Regularly playing four sets a night at Cafe Wha? with a limited repertoire, the members of Overland often indulged themselves with extended guitar jams. One night Simeon plugged in an oscillator he'd borrowed from a friend and started filling the room with swooping, electronic sounds. The guitarists hated it, but Simeon was so thrilled he began a collection of oscillators and tape loop machines. One by one the guitarists quit, leaving just Simeon and Taylor. The two kept on playing together and soon Simeon gave birth to a homemade synthesizer which consisted of nine audio oscillators and 86 control switches. The one-of-a-kind instrument created everything from burbling bass tones to intergalactic bleeps and theremin-esque sweeps. In 1968 and 1969 Kapp Records released Silver Apples and Contact, both of which sold only minimally. Soon thereafter the band disappeared, but their cult following endured. In 1995 a tribute album was released with various bands covering numbers from the two albums and this year MCA re-released the originals albums on one CD.

However, old Silver Apples fans shouldn't expect to hear the original lineup when the band comes to town on Nov. 12. This trio features Simeon with two new sidemen. In 1996, Xian (aka Christian Hawkins) happened upon Simeon at an art opening in Brooklyn and invited his old hero to see the last show of the band he was playing synthesizers for at the time, Mobius Strip. After Mobius Strip folded, Simeon invited Xian to form the new Silver Apples and the two recorded a 7-inch for England's Enraptured Records. Drummer Michael Lerner, a student of free jazz and Middle Eastern percussion, came on board in the following months. This trio's sound is a little peppier than vintage Silver Apples; more early-'80s no wave than late-'60s space rock. At times, early Peter Gabriel comes to mind. Though the band seems a little more dated, they still manage to have moments of timeless beauty and they're still more distinctive than most bands around today.

Japan's Lolita #18 opens the show. The quartet plays hyper and scruffy garage rock that's both frenetic and fun.

Silver Apples and Lolita #18, Wed., Nov. 12, Upstairs at Nick's, 16 S. Second St., 928-0665.

-Neil Gladstone