Profile:Leslie Spit Treeo By Gary 17

So much has changed for her and fellow band founder Pat Langner in the past few years, you'd think she'd want to take time to catch her breath. No way. There's another number to do, a new drummer to break in, the latest album (14-song CD/tape Hell's Kitchen) to promote and a newer one to finish recording and release, a weekly acoustic open stage to host, a forthcoming move to new quarters, a new issue of the band's newsletter to get out, a new manager to stir things up and a gazillion projects on the go.

Though many look upon the duo as beaten victims of a bad recording deal, and others may believe they "couldn't cut it" with the big boys, the truth is that Hubert and Langner are essentially just doing what they've always done, and what for only a relatively brief period had they lost touch with doing ~and not because their hearts weren't in it but because they were being held prisoners by their contract. They're making their music the way they feel it and the way their fans love it.

Their latest album, Hell's Kitchen is about exactly that, a return to the sound that first drew the notice of the industry that almost killed it.

"We were going crazy," Langner says of the period toward the end of their relationship with recording giant Capitol/EMI. "They weren't letting us make music! We were being shuffled around from producer to producer and had all these managers telling us what we should be doing. The producers were just walking out because it was all so ridiculous. Finally we had enough and we decided to walk too."

Bands who'd cut off their right arm for a six album deal with an outfit like EMI might have a hard time understanding why anyone would give up all the opportunity (not to mention tour support, television exposure, DISTRIBUTION and other perks of such a deal for the uncertainty and poverty of going indie again.

"It just came down to being able to do what we wanted to do, to make music," Langner reiterates. "We had songs coming out that we wanted to record and release and nothing was happening. What's the good of a deal like that?"

The decision, made nearly two years ago now, seems to have been a bellwether for the industry as a whole, however. Every time you read the music press these days you read about bands turning down offers from majors to stay or sign with small indie companies, where perhaps the cultural fit is more equal. Now the group, revamped, and back up to five members again with the addition of guitarist Lonnie Totman, bassist Drew Birston and, the newest member, drummer Vince Montagano, is poised for a new rise to prominence along a less dramatic but rock steady path that is theirs alone and allows them to be themselves.

It hasn't been a bed of roses during these two years, however. The pair have gone back to busking with a vengeance ~not particularly out of love for it but as a way to pay the bills. They gave up most of their possessions before a planned move out west suddenly caved it, and are living these days in rooms above the Cameron House, where, while the quarters may not be sumptuous, they at least feel at home. They're still reacquiring furniture and the other stuff of life and are grateful for the gift of a cast-off couch an eager fan recently offered.

So the money thing's been tough, and getting Hell's Kitchen released on their own Tag Records label last year was no easy project. But get it released they did, and what a blessing that is. There are so many great songs on this album that there's no point in going through them and saying this one's great for this, this for that, etc. The entire album's a winner and extremely danceable. I'm already looking forward to the next one, a co-production between Tag and Dark light Records, the label of their new manager, Serge Sloimovits, who they chose themselves this time. ("As soon as we reported to EMI they just introduced us to this guy and said 'Meet your new manager,'" Langner recalls of their days in record company hell.)

Part of their plan for the next phase of their career, I'm happy to report, is a reconnection with their acoustic roots with their weekly Friday 6:30-8:30 open stage event at The Cameron. I was proud to be the very first guest performer at the inaugural night because it brought back memories of how I first met the couple and departed group founder Jack Nicholsen at the Free Times Café? in 1987 of early '88 and how they used to play the open stages I hosted in the city then. I was one of their first fans I was one of their first fans and remain a steadfast one and particularly like to hear them acoustic, though I gotta say the band totally rocks and some of the new stuff just has to have the full treatment to really be experienced. (Fortunately you can catch that live Saturday, April 22 and The Horseshoe ~come ready to dance!)

As another aspect of their indie homemade promotion approach, they're also doing something that more and more bands are doing: publishing their own newsletter. Desktop publishing makes this easy and reasonably cheap and their Spit News is a particularly readable example of the genre. They'll also soon be getting their music posted on The Internet [see also article on Enigma & The Internet on pg.6] and are considering a couple of touring possibilities.

After consultation with Sloimovits they've decided to return to their original Leslie Spit Treeo name to capitalize on its recognition factor, the one sustaining benefit (along with, presumably, some royalty cheques, meagre as they may be) from their experience with EMI.

Revitalized, revved up and ready to soar; Hey everybody, Leslie Spit Treeo's back and better than ever. More Info:

• Hell's Kitchen (liners and lyrics)
• Band History
• Excerpts from Hell's Kitchen (An article by Pat and Laura)
• Spits on the Street
• Hell's Angel
• Surviving the Music Business Freefall