Phish

As you may or may not be aware, Phish recently breezed through for a double-hitter at the Firstar Center (formerly known as the Crown... another venue victimized by lousy corporate nomenclature). I welcome all who attended to join me in writing Firstar a letter to complain about the $10 parking fee: Kevin.Contardo@sfxent.com.

My feelings toward Friday's show are of an entirely selfish nature. I was in a rather pensive state all day, so their fringing performance was actually just what I needed. But to sum up Friday...in the words of our late great Mr. Zappa, "It ain't pretty. And, you can't dance to it."

I: First Tube, Wolfman's Brother, Bouncing Around The Room, Get Back On The Train, Billy Breathes, AC/DC Bag, Possum, Slave To The Traffic Light II: Sand, Limb By Limb*, Bug, Piper, Harry Hood

E: Rock and Roll

Saturday was phun, with a capital PH. Heavy Things is most definitely my new, favorite happy-go-lucky tune. Although, I was disappointed that we didn't get Fishman doing "Viva Loca" (Ricky Martin was to play at the Firstar on Sunday).

I. Heavy Things, Simple -> YaMar, Guyute, Tweezer -> Dirt, Loving Cup

II. Down With Disease, Split Open and Melt, Moma Dance, Farmhouse, TMWSIY -> Avenu Malkenu -> TMWSIY, When the Circus Come, David Bowie

E: Julius -> Tweezer

As the new year approaches, I hope that all of you have included in your list of resolutions to contribute to jambands.com. It isn't difficult, or painful, it has no calories and in no way interferes with drug testing, FBI background checks or your computer's hard drive. Just send me your opinions, insight, tasteless jokes, dirty limericks, what have you by the 5th of every month.

Happy and Safe Holidays!

Natalie

Domestic Problems

By John Serba

There's no wife-beating here. No husband-slapping, no kid-belting, no dog-kicking, no grandma- bashing. Nope. Nothing like it.

You see, Domestic Problems has nothing to do with domestic problems. For a folk/pop/rock/organic/jam/kithcen sink band that's rooted in pure, unrestrained, honest-to-gosh positivism, Domestic Problems is perhaps a name soaking in a hot bath of irony. But for the rabidly fun-loving, dancing-'til-there's-holes-in-their-shoes, sweating-a-ton-and-not-caring, singing-'til-their- throats-go-numb and smiling-like-the-Joker-just-gassed-them DP fans, there's no problem at all -- just enough upbeat, joy-inflicted, positive energy to slay a roomful of Hitlers and crush a battalion of Panzers.

Honestly, describing DP's music is like trying to grab a blue racer with vaseline all over your hands. These six guys -- Andy Holtgreive on vocals and guitars, Billy Kenny on trumpet and mandolin, Job Grotsky on woodwinds, Chris Stankee on drums, Jason Moody on bass and Jamie Black on keyboards -- crank out tunes that run the gamut, mixing genres like college students mix drinks: it may seem haphazard, but man, you'll get a hell of a charge from it.

Songs leap from souped-up rockers "Bastard Machine" and "I Think It's Funny" to quiet, sensitive, acoustic strummers "Untitled" and "My Only Love"; from goofball shuffles "Bowling" and "El Matador" to quaint, can't-get-'em-out-of-your-head sing-alongs "Ernie's Tragic Love Triangle" and "Summer in the Sandbox." Add in a hoedown such as "Just Let Go," and a jam-on-it-forever groove- chomper like "Hob Nob," and you've got a set list that knows no boundaries and ambitiously rides the bicycle of life until the handlebars fall off.

Yes, there's a lot of stylistic juxtapositions in Domestic Problems -- you have to see the band go from samba to Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" or (insert a kitschy '80s anthem here) back to a samba during the course of "El Matador" to fully appreciate this -- but the songs are unified by sharp melodies, top-notch musicianship and an endearing, sincere and slightly kooky quaility that can only be described as Holtgreive-ness, all of which prevents the band from being a scattered hodgepodge of influences.

DP has been honing and sharpening its unique qualities for nigh-on eight years now, ever since Holtgreive and Kenny started jamming in an Aquinas College dorm room in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

A few things have happened since then: A talent show, an Aquinas cafeteria gig, an opening slot for a just-barely-signed The Verve Pipe, jillions of G.R., Kalamazoo and East Lansing club gigs, a Hometown Rock Search victory, the starting of its own Triple Rock Records label, releasing a debut album, "Scattered Pieces," being accountable for 10% of the annual income of the highly acclaimed G.R. club The Intersection, winning a slot on the second stage for three dates of the 1997 H.O.R.D.E. tour, releasing a second album, "Play," becoming full-time in January of '98, hitting the road for countless college and club dates in the Midwest and East Coast, selling out the 1,500-seat State Theatre in Kalamazoo (twice) and -- whew -- selling 30,000 CDs. And Domestic Problems is just starting to tap into its potential.

The band's latest project was its easiest, namely, getting the hell off the road for a few weeks to rest, recuperate and recharge -- so the group can get the gears grindin' for record number three. During the six-week break, DP worked with producer Jon Frazer (who produced independent releases by The Verve Pipe and Papa Vegas), who helped the group lay down five new songs of a projected 12 cuts.

"Our goal is to have something out by the end of the year," Holtgreive said. "But we don't want to rush things. We want to take more time, to be more particular with this album. ... It's the first album we've done since becoming a full-time band. Being on the road for a year and a half has made us and the songs more mature, experienced and wiser."

When keyboardist Black joined the fold earlier this year, he added a new element to DP's signature. Having replaced a more traditional guitarist, Black brings a "magic ear" and even more improvisational prowess -- most likely a result of his lengthy stint in the neo-Dead act and fellow Grand Rapidians Karmic -- to the band. He has not only broadened DP's sound, but he has presented a new challenge to his band mates.

"He adds another element to the rhythm section, and makes us even tighter, and more grounded," said supreme skin-basher Stankee. "He forms a link between the keys and the guitar, so all the energy is transferred differently, changing the texture of our sound."

Record no. 3 promises to be DP's most focused work to date. And, if we live in a just world, it'll help spread the band's grass roots across the country.

"This album, hopefully, will push us to the next level, whether we get signed, or just sell more CDs on our own," Holtgreive said. "But we've always made good decisions. It's been slow getting where we're at now, so we have to be careful about taking the next biggest step without throwing away everything we've worked on for years."

Honestly, there's no reason Domestic Problems shouldn't be a part of households across America. The group's stage presence exudes a familial warmth that's undeniable; the songs ingrain themselves in your memory; and, like it or not, your feet are forced to move to the groove. Even the arm-folding, curmudgeonly critic will crack a smile when DP is on stage, whether chuckling at Grotsky and Kenny's sort of-choreographed booty-shaking or seeing themselves in Holtgreive's I'm- just-a-regular-guy honesty.

Girls like 'em. Guys relate to 'em. Little kids dig 'em (especially the song about Sesame Street, "Ernie's Tragic Love Triangle"). Adults appreciate 'em. And you can't deny that these Problems are good problems to have.

John Serba is a part-time music and entertainment writer for The Grand Rapids Press.