Cold Front
By Rich Collins
(Gambit Weekly -- 12/23/97)
A new anthology spotlights the
city's first "new wave" band
No, you can't capture lightning in a bottle. But you can capture a rock 'n' roll phenomenon on a piece of plastic, and that's what the former members of the Cold have done with Three Chord City, a new 26-song anthology that explains why the group was a New Orleans rock sensation in the early 1980s.
The disc is a ticket back to a time when "new wave" music first seeped into the New Orleans consciousness and a handful of bands turned the style into electrifying live performances. It was a time when the only things that seemed to matter were catchy hooks and pure adrenaline. All the classic Cold tracks are on Three Chord City, and many are as charming as the day they were born. Looking back, it becomes clear that the band's first hit, "You", was a winner because it blended the herky-jerky new wave style with the slinky riffing of the city's legendary funk bands. "Mesmerized" is still as good a "strut song" as any. And the band's cover of the Petula Clark hit "Downtown" is perfect for caffeine addicts. In fact, the majority of the tunes are played fast, and they're over almost as soon as they begin. Which was the whole Cold philosophy, of course.
"When we started the band, everyone was into new wave, and the songs we liked by Elvis Costello and Squeeze were quick songs," says former Cold guitarist Kevin Radecker. "They got in and out, and for me that was always my favorite type. I never got into hard rock or extended solos. We just wanted to write a song with a good melody and clever lyrics, then just do it and get on to the next one."
The Cold was born when Radecker and UNO schoolmate Bert Smith discovered a common interest in groups like Blondie and the Buzzcocks. Soon, the two guitarists joined forces with bassist Vance DeGeneres (brother of Ellen), singer Barbara Menendez, and drummer Chris Luckette, who had earned local notoriety as a member of the Normals, a seminal New Orleans punk band. From 1980 to '82, the Cold played to packed houses in local clubs like Jimmy's and Jed's, and the band sold thousands of copies of its singles "You" and "Mesmerized". After some rocky times, the Cold parted ways for a while, then reunited briefly before breaking up for good in 1985. Today, many thirtysomething New Orleanians have nothing but fond memories of "doing the dance" at Cold shows.
The fact that old fans haven't forgotten the band inspired Radecker and the rest of the group to release an anthology 13 years after their breakup. Radecker says that he initially discussed the idea with DeGeneres, and they both agreed that it would be a good idea to put the music on disc, especially because fans- and even former band members - had a hard time tracking down the old tunes. But getting the material together was difficult because the master tapes from various Cold recording sessions were spread out across the country. Ultimately, DeGeneres located some in an Orange County studio where the band recorded its last disc, Major Minor, and Radecker found some stuff at a record manufacturing plant in Dallas. Combined with material that was stowed away safely in New Orleans, the recovered tapes made it possible to assemble Three Chord City.
During the process, Radecker had a chance to revisit some tunes he hadn't heard in years, and he says it was a satisfying experience. "The early stuff still does hold up. After you work on it for so long, as I did this summer, you become sick of it, but now that it's done, I can listen and say [it] does sound good. The songs do sound youthful, but there's no problem with that. They hold up for what they are - pop songs."
These days, Radecker works for a CD distribution company, Barbara Menendez is raising a family on the Northshore, Bert Smith is the director of the Jefferson Parish Animal Shelter, Chris Luckette is a working drummer in several area bands, and Vance DeGeneres is writing for television and living in Los Angeles. Career pressures - not to mention a good amount of water under the bridge - mean there probably won't be a Cold reunion any time soon (although Menendez and Luckette did join forces over the last two years in the group Babs, Guitars & Drums).
"The band was too tight and of its time" says Radecker. "You can do a reunion show, and it’s nice, but it won't be what it was. The music [on the disc] sounds just like it did when we recorded it. We were very young; we played music at 120 miles an hour. Frank Sinatra could sing his songs all his life, but you can't be singing 80,000 beats per minute when you're pushing 40."
By Rich Collins
(Gambit Weekly -- 12/23/97)
A new anthology spotlights the
city's first "new wave" band
No, you can't capture lightning in a bottle. But you can capture a rock 'n' roll phenomenon on a piece of plastic, and that's what the former members of the Cold have done with Three Chord City, a new 26-song anthology that explains why the group was a New Orleans rock sensation in the early 1980s.
The disc is a ticket back to a time when "new wave" music first seeped into the New Orleans consciousness and a handful of bands turned the style into electrifying live performances. It was a time when the only things that seemed to matter were catchy hooks and pure adrenaline. All the classic Cold tracks are on Three Chord City, and many are as charming as the day they were born. Looking back, it becomes clear that the band's first hit, "You", was a winner because it blended the herky-jerky new wave style with the slinky riffing of the city's legendary funk bands. "Mesmerized" is still as good a "strut song" as any. And the band's cover of the Petula Clark hit "Downtown" is perfect for caffeine addicts. In fact, the majority of the tunes are played fast, and they're over almost as soon as they begin. Which was the whole Cold philosophy, of course.
"When we started the band, everyone was into new wave, and the songs we liked by Elvis Costello and Squeeze were quick songs," says former Cold guitarist Kevin Radecker. "They got in and out, and for me that was always my favorite type. I never got into hard rock or extended solos. We just wanted to write a song with a good melody and clever lyrics, then just do it and get on to the next one."
The Cold was born when Radecker and UNO schoolmate Bert Smith discovered a common interest in groups like Blondie and the Buzzcocks. Soon, the two guitarists joined forces with bassist Vance DeGeneres (brother of Ellen), singer Barbara Menendez, and drummer Chris Luckette, who had earned local notoriety as a member of the Normals, a seminal New Orleans punk band. From 1980 to '82, the Cold played to packed houses in local clubs like Jimmy's and Jed's, and the band sold thousands of copies of its singles "You" and "Mesmerized". After some rocky times, the Cold parted ways for a while, then reunited briefly before breaking up for good in 1985. Today, many thirtysomething New Orleanians have nothing but fond memories of "doing the dance" at Cold shows.
The fact that old fans haven't forgotten the band inspired Radecker and the rest of the group to release an anthology 13 years after their breakup. Radecker says that he initially discussed the idea with DeGeneres, and they both agreed that it would be a good idea to put the music on disc, especially because fans- and even former band members - had a hard time tracking down the old tunes. But getting the material together was difficult because the master tapes from various Cold recording sessions were spread out across the country. Ultimately, DeGeneres located some in an Orange County studio where the band recorded its last disc, Major Minor, and Radecker found some stuff at a record manufacturing plant in Dallas. Combined with material that was stowed away safely in New Orleans, the recovered tapes made it possible to assemble Three Chord City.
During the process, Radecker had a chance to revisit some tunes he hadn't heard in years, and he says it was a satisfying experience. "The early stuff still does hold up. After you work on it for so long, as I did this summer, you become sick of it, but now that it's done, I can listen and say [it] does sound good. The songs do sound youthful, but there's no problem with that. They hold up for what they are - pop songs."
These days, Radecker works for a CD distribution company, Barbara Menendez is raising a family on the Northshore, Bert Smith is the director of the Jefferson Parish Animal Shelter, Chris Luckette is a working drummer in several area bands, and Vance DeGeneres is writing for television and living in Los Angeles. Career pressures - not to mention a good amount of water under the bridge - mean there probably won't be a Cold reunion any time soon (although Menendez and Luckette did join forces over the last two years in the group Babs, Guitars & Drums).
"The band was too tight and of its time" says Radecker. "You can do a reunion show, and it’s nice, but it won't be what it was. The music [on the disc] sounds just like it did when we recorded it. We were very young; we played music at 120 miles an hour. Frank Sinatra could sing his songs all his life, but you can't be singing 80,000 beats per minute when you're pushing 40."
