"Most of the songs on 'EL MOODIO' are about things that I'd seen around me, but they also reflect what I was feeling at the time. We'd just had a child, and there was a lot of uncertainty about whether we could keep on as musicians working at the same level. It was time to resolve the situation for better or for worse; I'm Catholic, and Catholics don't like purgatory."

-- Rick Rizzo

 

        Formed in Chicago in 1983, Eleventh Dream Day uses aggressive guitar drone and starkly driven vocals to paint sonic tales of life in realistic shades of gray. with each successive release, the group has garnered press raves, mucho college and alternative radio action, and fulsome praise from fans.

        With the addition of guitarist Matthew "Wink" O'Bannon, the quartet has now recorded "EL MOODIO," their third Atlantic album (and fifth overall). Produced by Jim Rondinelli, whose credits include recording and mixing Matthew Sweet's breakthrough album, "GIRLFRIEND," "EL MOODIO" is a collection that speaks directly to the heart while rocking harder than the San Andreas fault.

        Inspired by such musical heroes as Television, Patti Smith, Dylan, The Band, and Lou need, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Rick Rizzo started out on his musical path relatively late in life. "I thought I was too old to start at 20, but in retrospect, that seems a little ridiculous " Rizzo comments. Beginning on the bass, Rizzo switched to guitar to facilitate his songwriting, teaching himself how to play chords by studying the songbook for Neil Young's "ZUMA."

        While visiting friends in Louisville, Kentucky, Rick met his future wife and bandmate-to-be Janet Beveridge Bean- "It was a punk rock house where a lot of bands rehearsed," Rizzo recalls. "It was one of those houses the police are always checking on; I remember it was always really cold in the winter."

        Janet is a Kentuckian and a natural timekeeper whose playing combines the silky aggression of Maureen Tucker with the funky backbeat of Al Jackson. Janet and Rick quickly hit it off, and they decided to move to Chicago, where they started Eleventh Dream Day Bean's versatile voice provides the yin to Rizzo's vocal yang, in the process giving Eleventh Dream Day much of its sizzle.

        Inspired by such guitar-wielding outfits as Dream syndicate, Rain Parade, and Mission Of Burma, Eleventh Dream Day added another guitarist, Baird Figi. After the band's increasing noise and feedback level drove out their original bassist, Eleventh Dream nay recruited Douglas McCombs, crystallizing the group's line-np for the next five years.

        Eleventh Dream Day made their recording debut in 1986 on a compilation cassette put together by Chicago radio station WNUR. A self-titled mini-album was released in 1987, followed by "PRAIRIE SCHOOL FREAKOUT," their first full-fledged album, in 1988. The album's rabidly favorable reviews and considerable college airplay piqued the interest of Atlantic Records, who inked Eleventh Dream Day to a worldwide recording contract.

        EDD's debut Atlantic outing, 1969's "BEET," stayed on the college charts for over five months, peaking at number two. The New York Times named "BEET" one of the year's ten best recordings, and Spin magazine enthused: "Eleventh Dream Day have a much more evolved grasp of song structure than many of their guitar-heaving contemporaries. - - these guys revel in their ability to write a good song."

        After a five-month tour of Europe and North America, Eleventh Dream Day headed south to record their next album, 1991's "LIVED TO TELL." The album was cut in a barn in Cub Run, Kentucky with producer Paul McKenna. Recorded with a minimum of overdubs, "LIVED TO TELL" was a top five CMJ album that, once again, drew press praise. "'LIVED TO TELL' concentrates on a wiry guitar-driven sound that invites favorable comparisons to Television and the Velvet Underground," lauded Rolling Stone.

        While Eleventh Dream Day was touring behind "LIVED TO TELL," Baird gave notice he was leaving the band. "Touring in a van just took its toll on him, and he decided to quit," Rick recalls. "It was all very amicable, and we're still friends."

        Fortunately and very conveniently, guitarist Matthew "wink" O'Bannon happened to be on tour with the group as a roadie. Wink had co-produced "PRAIRIE SCHOOL FREAKOUT" and was familiar with most of Eleventh Dream Day's material, so the mid-tour change-over was accomplished in one week, with a minimum of fuss- "Wink's a great guitar player," says Rizzo, "and personality-wise he's pretty amazing. Wink's the only person I know who can tell someone to tuck off, and they'll love him for it."

        Impressed by the sound that Jim Rondinelli got on Sweet's "GIRLFRIEND" album, Eleventh Dream Day enlisted his talents and headed for New York City's Sorcerer Sound to cut "EL MOODIO." "we really like to make experiences out of our recording sessions, Rizzo exclaims, "and when else would we get to live in New York City for a month?"

        Eleventh Dream Day's sharpest sonic attack to date, "EL MOODIO's tracks run the gamut from three-and-a-half minute coiled-spring pop tunes to feedback-drenched rockers that showcase Rick's and wink's blazing guitar chops.

        Standout songs include "Makin' Like A Rug," a fiery, uptempo tale of dysfunctional love and murder; "Figure It Out," a delicate ballad; and "After This Time Is Gone." Of the latter, Janet murmurs. "That's just a love song to Rick. It may be cliched in some ways, but sometimes that's the most honest way to say I love you."

        With "EL MOODIO," Eleventh Dream Day has taken its visionary music to the next level, and the mood of these times may Just be perfect for this acclaimed band to pick up a whole new passel of converts.

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