At a time when musical genres rise and fall to meet certain marketing needs ("alternative," "electronica," you name it), it's refreshing to find a band that honestly eschews limitations in favor of personal and sonic growth. That band is L.A.'s Acetone.
"As opposed to saying 'This is what we'll be,'" explains Richie Lee, the trio's main vocalist and bass player, "we just started playing. And as you play and write, you start to understand the personalities of the people involved, and what the chemistry is. That forms the kind of music that you play. And as we change and grow, our sound changes and grows. We don't lock ourselves into a category."
"Simultaneously resonant and familiar, Acetone's music stands as a strong statement against categorization. "Language makes things fit into categories," Lee explains, "But art is not about language, it's about using a language to get beyond that. When something's already in a category, and somebody hears it, they think, 'Oh, that's this kind of music.' And it's not an experience anymore. There's no interaction between them and the music."
If Lee sounds more like a visual artist than a rock musician, it's probably because he is. The band came together in 1987 while Lee was studying painting at Cal Arts in Valencia, California, where he met Mark Lightcap, a compositional music student and tuba player. Drummer Steve Hadley was a high school acquaintance of Lee's from Newport Beach.
The band's 1993 debut, Cindy, ranges in style from evocative pop to garage-inspired rock and low-end drone in the Velvet Underground tradition, while I Guess I Would, a seven-song 1994 EP, veers into country music narrative with covers of The Flying Burrito Brothers, John Prine, Johnny Horton, and others. If You Only Knew, the band's 1996 sophomore full-length, draws upon Acetone's developing skills and dynamics to produce a more personal, emotional recording.
Acetone's third LP, and their first on Vapor Records, is a fully-realized effort that continues the band's process of evolution and re-definition. "On our other records," Lee says, "there was more the erector-set theory going on, and a lot of it was pieced together afterwards. On this record there was more of an emphasis on recording live."
"Keeping things simple in the studio yielded stunningly complex and sublime results on Acetone. There's a sense of mystery and wonder on the sweeping "All The Time," as Lee sighs, "What I'm saying/How I wish it were clear." Acetone fuses abstract blues with a Twin Peaks vibe to create the mystical resonance of "Shobud," while "All You Know" is a languid, rootsy exploration of life on a different kind of edge.
Acetone's radiant melange of rootsy chords, vivid tonality and introspective beauty has earned them a great deal of respect from their peers -- artists like Garbage, The Verve, Oasis, and Mazzy Star, who have all taken Acetone along on tour.
For Acetone, notes, melodies, lyrics, and harmonies collide in a space stripped of limitations. Musical growth results from the tensions inherent in a dialectical sonic approach. And, most importantly for them, and now for us, rock music remains very much an experience.
(from a Vapor Records press release)
Largely passed by in the alternative music sweepstakes of the mid-'90s, Acetone pursued indie-rock with influences from two of their Southern California forbears, the Beach Boys and Gram Parsons, with plenty of the Velvet Underground thrown in as well. Officially formed in 1992 by guitarist Mark Lightcap, bassist Richie Lee and drummer Steve Hadley, the group had actually existed as early as 1987, when the trio began playing around Los Angeles. After working for several years with a succession of vocalists, the group decided to keep it a threesome.
After just a few months of recording demos, the band signed to the up-and-coming Vernon Yard subsidiary of Virgin Records (also the home of Low and the Verve) and in 1993 released their debut album Cindy, a collision of aggressive neo-psychedelia with pastoral harmonies reminiscent of the Velvets' third LP. Though Acetone toured in a quite visible role as support for the Verve, the album sputtered under a glut of similar-sounding releases.
By 1995, the group had turned in a new direction, translating their affinity for roots-rock and country into I Guess I Would, a seven-track mini-LP of inspired cover tracks, including the Flying Burrito Brothers' "Juanita" and the Kris Kristofferson chestnut "Border Lord." Though alternative rock was beginning to hit the trails of their roots-rocking ancestors, the album again failed to connect with listeners.
The trio then recorded their second full-length, If You Only Knew, which charted a course between the aggression of the first album and the twang of I Guess I Would. Dropped from Vernon Yard in 1997, however, Acetone moved to the independent Vapor Records for their third, self-titled album.
- John Bush, All-Music Guide
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Epilogue: Mark and I would like to thank all of you for keeping a special part of our lives
available to the friends and fans we've made. I would especially like to thank Sean from
"Valentino Vamp" for doing this space. We will be adding things as we get the time!
For now, dig on the Home recording of "Candy Says" we did for a doomed project
with Traci Lords.(Yep, that's her) This recording really takes us back to a special time.
Listen for the Skill saw coming through Marks amp while we were taping. It's a nice touch and we loved it.( We had too, because the damn guy wouldn't stop!) It ended up being very musical, so dig it!
Peace,
SH
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Added note on new audio: This one of many songs from the Lightcap chest o' plenty.
"Out the Window" is Mark w/ Steve, both recorded 2006 @ Mark's.
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Soon to be added: Some live video in which the quality mabe suspect, as to my ghetto transfer capabilities. Also more from Mark's solo chest. (There's some true gems in there) Some of which you can find on my silly blog thing's podcast "Bugnoise America".
Blog link in band website location of this page. (The Central Shaft)
Thanks for keepin' on.
s
I listen to Acetone still late at night while I am working on shapes and colors for people. They always turn out better because of it. Thanks for posting different songs up!
Oh!!! Have loved you guys for years. I used to work for Raoul Moutarde, and I can totally confirm that many druken hours were spent behind the record shop counter playing Cindy VERY loudly. It is a work of genius. Keep on truckin.
So great to get these new songs, and to find that such an enthusiastic and devoted following lives on for this wonderful band. This takes me way back: mid 90s, my little record shop in Melbourne, "working" with my dear friends, Friday late night shopping, beers under the counter, Cindy BLASTING out. Idyllic.
indubitably my favorite band since i got turned on to "cindy" summer of 94 by mark hyman who worked at camelot music in the raleigh springs mall. still a truly super band. thanx mark.
I wish I knew how many times I actually saw Acetone. The Verve, Mazzy Star, Oasis, Charlatans and we followed Spirtualized around Texas but it ended up we were following Acetone because at least they would change their set list up a bit. Luckly I was able to shake Richie Lee's hand the last time I saw this delicious band in Austin and tell him thanks for being such a positive influence. When Richie and Mark were on stage playing with Spirtualized on Cop Shoot Cop I was so jealous but so proud to see how far this little 3 piece had come over the years and I was able to congratulate Mark as well. I cried when I heard about Richie because I was waiting for the next album that was going to put them up in the spotlight as a true headliner. Your music is so dearly missed, it's like I'm going to shows looking for an old friend around the crowd and they are there anymore. My brain just can't get around it. Your music has touched more lives than you'll ever know.
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