speed of dark

Joyce Raskin and Chick Graning of Scarce

I have a quick answer to the hypothetical question, "Which CD would you save if the house were on fire?" Easy: it would be Deadsexy by Scarce. Almost everything else could be replaced, but this album, released in 1996, is pretty...well, scarce.

Check Amazon, for example. Only a few used copies are offered. iTunes has only the wonderfully manic "Sideways" and "Crimea River," which they have misspelled. Such a sad state for a band that, according to a reviewer I happen to agree with, has been "unjustly ignored and criminally underrated." I have hoped for a long time that that album might be rereleased. Now things are happening that might make it possible.

You can read elsewhere the story of Scarce and how, just as they were set to begin a tour to support the U.K. release of Deadsexy in 1995, all plans were side-lined by singer-songwriter Chick Graning's brain aneurysm. Although Chick survived, the momentum and the chemistry of Scarce were gone. Fellow band member/songwriter/bassist Joyce Raskin--who is also a fine artist whose paintings grace Scarce's covers--has just published her personal account of those shattered dreams, Aching To Be, available at Lulu.com.

I might be able to replace that CD with one of Amazon's, but I can't easily replace my other copy --the one with the tracks that were on the U.K. release of 1995. This CD has the word "advance" on it, but it has no CD insert and was in a plain CD cover with no identification. I still remember the cold, skin-prickle feeling I got when I found it in a 99-cent bin in a used-CD store. It felt like finding a diamond on the sidewalk.

Scarce was formed by Graning, Raskin, and drummer Jud Ehrbar in 1993. Ehrbar left to pursue his own projects, and was replaced by Mike Levesque during the sessions that produced the first album, and then by Joe Propatier for the U.S. CD. The band's sound grew out of the rich mixture of old-rock founders (Stones, Dylan, Byrds) and dynamic newer artists (Patti Smith, Elvis Costello, Nirvana, and the Pixies).

Chick's lead guitar style honors Hendrix and Page. Scarce seems to combine the raw energy of the Ramones and Iggy Pop with Seattle grunge, but they somehow manage not to sound like anyone else. I've seen the word "flayed" used to describe Chick's hoarse vocals, a good description. The mind-shredding, cymbal-laden onslaught is tempered by Joyce's cool harmonies. The result is relentless and exhausting rock at its very best.

On the U.S. CD, "Honeysimple" is the first track; ending with Chick wrenching ascending screeches out of his guitar that propel the listener directly into the see-saw insanity of "All Sideways," a song so full of exuberance, it doesn't have to make sense. This is a brilliant choice in song order that was not employed on the U.K. record for some reason. "All Sideways" was the first Scarce song I ever heard, and I've been hooked on it ever since, but together the two songs are a knock-out double-punch.

"Rains of Kansas" flows down the great American river from the heartland to its end at New Orleans. This is such a fine song, with Chick's and Joyce's vocals weaving around and around each other--I included it in a road trip mix awhile back.

Joyce's low-key vocals add to the suspense of the ominous lyrics of "Summertime," which Chick punctuates with searing guitar licks that accelerate to a thrash-fest ending.
"She's bringing summer flowers to cover up the storm
And leading him to the window as he falls down
He's leaning out all the way down
Fooled once is fooled twice
You want it so easy, it's just that it's so hard"
Summertime -- (alternate link)

"Glamourizing Cigarettes" contains some of my favorites of the album's lyrics, spit out almost as fast as Chick can growl them, accompanied by mesmerizing guitar:
"Once again her mind is my parking meter
Once again it seems I'll have to pay just to get to see her.
And once again it's good to know I get to run
And once again the fly becomes a pill that soon becomes the sun
And I been driving through a life of cheap regrets
Pale daze sent you away
I'm chasing my last bets
It's a joke now
I hope all of you choke
You hardly ever smoked
I dreamed of glamourizing cigarettes."
Glamourizing Cigarettes -- (alternate link)

The opening chords of "Days Like This" ring out like a bell while Chick relates the difficulty of maintaining closeness on a long-distance call: "Everyone knows you can't kiss on the phone."

"Sing Me Stella" doesn't sound like the Mississippi blues it celebrates, but the lyrics invoke Chick's southern roots and the dark drama of the crossroads where Robert Johnson bargained away his soul and of Stanley's bellow in "A Streetcar Named Desire."
"Oh my lover
You know what you are
Someday you're gonna
Kill that poor guitar--
Sing me Stella!"

"Freakshadow" describes early morning in a hectic city: Trashcans crash, sweepers weeping, sweeping last night's ash away...I am wide awake and throwing sparks...", ending with the declaration, "I wouldn't miss a minute of this!".

"Sense of Quickness" is a song on the verge of twitching out of its own skin, with hurky-jerky vocals that leap in and out of falsetto. The album calms down at the beginning of "Obviously Midnight," but soon winds itself up to a frenzied finish.

The U.K. version had the same number of songs (12), but four of them did not appear on the U.S. release: "(Call Me) Karona Khrome," Joyce Raskin's naughty/sweet "So Thrill Me," "Girl Through Me," and "Given." Apparently these songs were determined not to be relevant to the band after Chick's near-death experience; I'm just glad I didn't miss out on having them all this time.

"(Call Me) Karona Khrome" is just amazing, especially because of its eerily prophetic lyrics:
"Oh my god, it's at the door
Get my head up off of the floor
I'm given to catastrophes
I'm given to my own rewards"
(Call Me) Karona Khrome -- (alternate link)
So, Thrill Me -- (alternate link)

My descriptions cover only the recorded music. Scarce's live shows have been described as truly electrifying experiences. They performed in outlandish ballroom costumes: sequined dresses for Joyce and a gold lamé tuxedo for Chick. Both were well known for for being very animated on stage--just look at the photos.

Scarce MySpace | Fansite | Guitar tabs
An informative BIO by Scarce's manager, Leslie Aldridge, dated Feb. 1996
Deaksexy U.S.: lyrics| Deadsexy U.K.: lyrics

Scarce Update:

Life goes on, and true artists keep creating art.

Speedy Consuela is the hip-hop/dance/funk music project of Joyce Raskin, her brother Steve, her husband, and her sister-in-law on Fort Knox Recordings. Joyce also has two little daughters and has written her book about Scarce, Aching To Be.

Joe Propatier plays drums with Brooklyn band The Velocet. They will be playing shows this fall in the New York and Washington D.C. area.

Chick Graning has continued performing as a solo artist, and he recorded an album, M.T., in 2001 and songs last year with The Skinwalkers-- "Between My Teeth" and "Ded Bleaux." He has not lost his chops. Download songs from live performances on his web site, including covers of "Jealous Guy" (John Lennon) and "You Shook Me" (AC/DC).

My favorite is "merci" from M.T., with these lyrics:
"Been down on the farm team
For maybe half my life
Made good friends of gravity
Till it became my wife"
Chick Graning: merci from M.T.
Chick Graning's MySpace | Chick Graning's Homepage |
Buy at CD Baby, iTunes, and eMusic

Back To the Future...

The time may have finally arrived for Scarce to get off the farm team and get up in the big leagues where they should have been long ago: the band has reformed to play their first show together in over ten years, and they plan to record an album of new songs, hopefully to be released in 2008. This interview with Chick and Joyce from yesterday's The Phoenix has more details about Scarce's story and the sense of "unfinished business" that is driving this reunion.

Joyce wrote me they had their first rehearsal with Joe on drums yesterday, and it felt great to be playing together. Graning states in the Phoenix article that "“It went a lot easier than it should have, and the harmonies were better than they used to be.”

If I were anywhere in the vicinity, I'd be there:

Oct 6 2007 - TT The Bears, Cambridge, MA

If you get to go to this, please tell me about it. I'm so jealous!