Catherine
Shoegazery, ax-heavy ensemble led by Neil Jendon, Jerome Brown
Mentored by Billy Corgan; signed to TVT; first video, "Songs About Girls," scores bit of MTV play
First TVT album, Sorry, pleasant but not ground breaking
Sorry three months in CMJ top ten; on tour with Suede
Certain Distant Suns
Venturesome pop-based suburban combo led by talented sampling geek Justin Mroz
Warner subsidiary Giant picked up early EPs, just released as Happy on the Inside
Impressive if uncanny ability to capture disparate sound of mid-80s John Hughes movie sound track
Perhaps with Eric Stoltz, Molly Ringwald cameos in video
Fig Dish
Power-pop foursome led by Blake Smith and Rick Ness
None; though signed by PolyGram subsidiary Atlas
After several not-so-hot local releases, Brad Wood-produced demo caught ear of label
Learning curve suggests band hasn't yet peaked, but too soon to tell
Hum
Hard-driving tough rock from Champaign
Signed by RCA, least competent of majors alternativewise
One droney, nothing-spectacular release, Electra 2000, distributed through Cargo
Unclear; band hasn't yet demonstrated major league talent
Lupins
More than slightly ridiculous pop-for-preteens outfit fronted by cartoony "Stoley"
See Hum
RCA debut due out soon; song appropriately included on Dumb and Dumber sound track
National success may represent end of rock music as we know it
Loud Lucy
Boisterous, catchy, very young trio led by Christian Lane
Signed to Geffen, home of the hits
Nice single, "I'll Wait," out on local indie March
Rerecording first album at Idful after false start with Seattle's Jack Endino
Stabbing Westward
Unpleasant suburban faux-industrial lava dispensers
Zilch
Ungodly noise on ambitiously bad 1994 Columbia debut, Ungod
Album stiffed
Trenchmouth
Heavy Rage Against the Machine-ish industrial funk
Some fanzine support; signed by Electra's East/West
Band needs more in the way of riffs, hooks, songs to be taken seriously on national level
Doubtful
Triple Fast Action
Former Rights of the Accused boys Wes Kidd, Brian St. Clair put together bashy quartet
Name captures live Zen, hides pop smarts beneath; after bidding war, signed to Capitol personally by big cheese Gary Gersh
Nice current single on Limited Potential: zoomy "Revved Up," b/w charming "Sally Tree"
Band recording full album in NYC with Don (Screaming Trees, Teenage Fanclub) Fleming
Veruca Salt
Breeders-y combo fronted by songwriting double threat of Nina Gordon and Louise Post
Signed by Geffen last year; debut American Thighs climbing charts
Hooks, dynamics, gal's-life lyrics mesh well
American Thighs gold; MTV awaits second single, punny "Number One Blind"
WickerMan
Tres heavy hep-metal purists
Tres little; signed by BMG subsidiary Imago
Band's attack on eponymous Imago debut convincing but marginal by definition
Imago collapses; band in limbo
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): Photos/Brad Miller; Mark Smalling; Marty Perez; Dave Callahan; Amy Guip; Michael Hay; Charles Simokaitis; Alison Dyer.
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