Neon or flannel? Big hair or long hair? Van Halen or Van Hagar? Whichever your preference, it’s hard to escape the constant stream of retro trends, as evidenced by the current popularity of everything 1980s and 1990s.
Around 1997, swing bands were the big thing; before that it was disco and ’70s leisure suits. Around the 25th anniversary of Woodstock, you could see love beads and bell bottoms everywhere. Go to a store in the mall today, and you’ll see skinny ties hanging next to flannel shirts. Everything old is new again, and it always will be — as long as there are clever marketing people who recognize a trend when they see it.
Regardless of all that postmodern mumbo jumbo, there remains the fact that the music you grew up with will always hold powerful sway whenever you hear it. And that’s why there are two Bangor area bands currently vying for supremacy: the 80s-loving Rock Revelation, and the appropriately titled Smells Like the Nineties.
Both bands will play in the area soon, with Rock Revelation set for an 8 p.m. show this Saturday at Hollywood Slots in Bangor, and Smells Like the Nineties playing at Ipanema Bar and Grille in downtown Bangor at 9:30 p.m. Friday, June 25. Both bands also share as many similarities as they do differences. The big one? Chris Gagnon and Wes Delaney (lead singers of Rock Revelation and Smells Like the Nineties, respectively) were formerly in the punk band Dugen, who played in eastern Maine for more than 10 years until breaking up in 2007.
But that connection definitely doesn’t mean they don’t have a friendly rivalry for retro rock domination.
“It’s too soon for the ’90s,” said Gagnon. “It wasn’t even that long ago. You can’t be retro about something that was only 15 years ago. We’re all about self-indulgence and partying and having fun. We’re not all morose and whiny and oh woe is me, like the ’90s.”
“The ’80s was all flash, no substance,” said Matt Chabe, bass player for Smells Like the Nineties. “The ’90s put an emphasis on the artistic side. It tapped into an emotional core. It wasn’t just about, like, mindless partying.”
The style-versus-substance debate will rage on indefinitely. The main reason both groups formed was to pay tribute to the music — and have a lot of fun doing it.
“We played a couple of gigs at work events, and we all kind of said afterwards, ‘That sounded good and it was really fun,’” said Gagnon. “That was really all it took. It was too fun to not pursue it.”
For Chabe, Delaney and bandmates Rick Wright (guitar) and Scott Dufour (drums), it was a chance to relive the songs that made them pick up their instruments in the first place.
“I grew up in the 90s. That’s when I learned to play guitar,” said Chabe. “[The band] was an idea we’d been kicking around for a while, and then in October of last year we decided to get serious and go for it.”
Gagnon performs with a big lineup of musicians, including drummer Tom Libby, guitarist Lance Astbury, backing vocalist Heather Libby, keyboard player Kevin Bate and bass player Gaylen Smith. During their first shows, Rock Revelation pulled out all the stops, decked out in as many ’80s duds as possible.
“We wore mullet wigs for the first gig, but it was way, way too hot,” said Gagnon. “I run around like a maniac, so that wasn’t going to work. I almost got heatstroke. We definitely still dress up, though, and we encourage our audience to do so too.”
Whether it’s Nine Inch Nails or “99 Luftballons,” when you hear a song you know and love, you’ll respond.
“People really go crazy for those songs that they may not immediately think of, but they remember as soon as they think of it,” said Chabe. “‘Bullet With Butterfly Wings’ by the Smashing Pumpkins was huge. So was ‘Song 2’ by Blur. We’re going to learn ‘Possum Kingdom’ by the Toadies, which you wouldn’t initially think of, but everybody knows.”
Rock Revelation takes those hair metal and new wave songs and put their own spin on them.
“We convert songs like ‘Manic Monday’ into guitar rock, in addition to playing stuff from Poison and Guns ’n’ Roses and more obvious bands,” said Gagnon. “We like to put a little bit of our own stamp on it.”
It seems inevitable that the two bands will pit spandex against denim one of these days in a duel bill. The 80s-90s ultimate battle could be just around the corner.
“Anytime [Smells Like the Nineties] wants to play with us at Hollywood Slots, we’ll throw down the gauntlet,” said Gagnon.
“Oh, I’m definitely down with playing with them,” said Chabe. “Any time they want to pull out their Warrant and Winger, I’ll raise them two Pearl Jams.”
For information on both bands, visit myspace.com/rockrevelation1 and myspace.com/smellslikethenineties.
