Live!
Who: Camper Van Beethoven When: 7 p.m. next Thursday Where: The State Theatre, Falls Church

Thursday, January 1, 2009

When the Police reunited and began touring last year, it was easy to wonder whether Sting needed to make a mortgage payment on the chateau. But for some bands, reuniting isn't about money; it's the chance to do a victory lap when the world catches up with their talents.

The appearance of indie rock cult heroes Camper Van Beethoven at the State Theatre next Thursday falls into the latter camp. A series of shows in the past year celebrated CVB's 25th anniversary as a band -- one that came together in 1983, split up in 1989 and left a mark that would influence a who's who of modern rock stars.

In the early 1980s, the rock labels "alternative" and "indie" didn't exist, but CVB's merging of punk, folk, ska and world music created a fresh sound that helped coin such terms. Singer-songwriter David Lowery's irreverent lyrics and Jonathan Segel's use of violin as lead instrument were a reactionary slap to a punk rock scene that claimed to have no rules but imposed strict ones on what could be considered cool.

CVB's absurdist anthems were humorous but with a serious aim, and although the group's early releases pioneered the "lo-fi" sound, its members would be the first to admit that there was no aesthetic decision to keep things primitive -- they simply couldn't afford to do it any other way.

The group's origins date to the summer of 1983, when Lowery and childhood pal Victor Krummenacher (bass) started playing music together and then moved to the Northern California college town of Santa Cruz, adding Chris Pedersen (drums) and Chris Molla (guitar) to the mix.

Greg Lisher (guitar) and Segel (keyboards and mandolin in addition to violin) came on in 1985, in time for the release of their debut album, "Telephone Free Landslide Victory." That record, including the signature track "Take the Skinheads Bowling," which Teenage Fanclub covered for Michael Moore's 2002 film "Bowling for Columbine," made the top 10 in the 1986 Village Voice Pazz & Jop Poll.

A second album, "II & III," and a third, self-titled release followed, as the band's freewheeling style and sometimes acerbic attitude made it a college radio favorite in the mid-'80s. A bigger budget and a larger studio allowed CVB to pursue more serious business for its major-label debut, "Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart," released on Virgin Records in 1988. The album got mixed reviews but has come to stand as a highlight of the decade's college rock scene.

After another Virgin release, "Key Lime Pie," in 1989, the band called it quits, and Lowery went on to form Cracker, which achieved greater commercial success (the song "Low" was a radio and MTV hit). But CVB's members remained friends and often guested on each other's projects.

In 1999, Lowery, Krummenacher and Segel oversaw a CVB rarities compilation, leading to a handful of live reunion shows. In 2002, the group issued the song-for-song version of Fleetwood Mac's album "Tusk," which CVB had recorded in 1987. In 2004, a new, politically themed concept album, "New Roman Times," arrived.

Last year, for its anniversary, the band released "Popular Songs of Great Enduring Strength and Beauty," an 18-song greatest-hits collection (on Cooking Vinyl Records) with beloved/bizarre tracks such as "The Day That Lassie Went to the Moon," "Take the Skinheads Bowling," "ZZ Top Goes to Egypt" and "The History of Utah." Virgin refused to sell the group rights to original masters from its last two releases for the label, so CVB re-recorded five tracks, including "Eye of Fatima (Parts 1 and 2)" and a cover of "Pictures of Matchstick Men."

When CVB headlined its silver anniversary show at the Fillmore in San Francisco on June 28, original members Lowery, Segel, Krummenacher and Lisher took the stage with drummer Frank Funaro (a veteran of gigs with Cracker, Joey Ramone and the Dictators).

Besides offering a chance to honor a long under-appreciated band, CVB's State Theatre show includes a bit of a regional homecoming as well. After forming Cracker, Lowery left California for Richmond, where he has produced albums for Joan Osborne, Magnet, Fighting Gravity and Sparklehorse through his Sound of Music studio. He also produced for the Counting Crows along with former CVB producer Dennis Herring.

Cracker has finished tracking songs for a studio album due this year. Word from the band's public relations contact is that it will be a more hard-rocking disc "with a bit of punk rock snarl in a Clash-like vein."

The contact also said, "I don't believe CVB dips into either Cracker or solo material during their live shows, but you never know when they'll break into a great Pink Floyd, Kinks or other cover song." Noted for a nearly note-perfect version of Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive," Camper Van Beethoven promises one thing: brash, unpredictable, eclectic rock fun.

-- MARIANNE MEYER

The State Theatre is at 220 N. Washington St. in Falls Church. General admission is $20, through the box office or at http://www.thestatetheatre.com. Doors open at 7 p.m. Food and a full bar are available. The venue phone is 703-237-0300.

Send your Live! suggestions to mariannemeyer@comcast.net. Please e-mail for the correct mailing address.