Verbow Strings Together Intriguing Blend

By JOHN ROOS

Nov. 22, 1997 12 AM PT

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

From the pelvic thrusts of Elvis to the glam-cum-goth rock of KISS and Marilyn Manson, rock ‘n’ roll has a history of embracing the unusual. With the Chicago-based quartet Verbow, the quirk lies in the source of its sonic fury: acoustic guitar and cello.

“Loud” and “aggressive” don’t describe an acoustic-powered band, with the exception of the Violent Femmes. Yet Verbow--featuring singer-guitarist Jason Narducy, cellist Alison Chesley, drummer Mark Doyle and bassist Luke Rothschild--produces gritty, occasionally discordant soundscapes of what the band calls “cello-charged rock.” An intriguing amalgam of alterna-pop melodicism and punk-edged bite, Verbow’s (rhymes with “turbo”) music frequently uses Chesley’s distortion-enhanced cello as its soloing instrument of choice. The group will perform Monday night at Linda’s Doll Hut in Anaheim.

Los Angeles-born Chesley met Narducy at a coffeehouse in Evanston, Ill., about four years ago. She was working toward a master’s degree in cello performance at Northwestern University. Narducy, who started his first punk band, Verboten, at age 10, was performing as a solo acoustic act. When the two struck up a conversation about music, they realized a love of the Who was not their only shared interest.

They decided to jam together. Chesley, 36, first appeared with Narducy, 26, to do four songs at a Chicago nightspot. They clicked, and the new duo Jason & Alison went on to hone its chops playing numerous live dates. In 1994, the duo independently released “Woodshed,” a promising collection of mellow meditations and harder-edged rock numbers.

Jason & Alison caught a break when Bob Mould, former front man of alterna-rockers Husker Du and Sugar, became one of its biggest backers. Impressed by the unique sound and style, he invited the duo to be the opening act on his ensuing solo acoustic tour.

Mould’s interest helped the duo attract industry attention that led to a major-record deal with Sony / 550. A rhythm section was added to form Verbow, and the group released its Mould-produced debut, “Chronicles,” in May.

According to Narducy, Mould’s involvement has been invaluable.

“He’s been an incredible source of inspiration to us, particularly in helping us gain more confidence,” Narducy said by phone from a Sacramento tour stop. “He believed in us. I mean, before we even had a record deal, he took us down to his studio in Austin, [Texas], to record our songs.

“As a producer, he was exactly what we needed too. He jokes now that he just showed up and pressed ‘record,’ but his input made all the difference. For instance, he taught me how to open up my throat as a singer and would find the perfect balance to keep the drum and bass patterns in unison. But at the same time, he kept his hands off. . . . He didn’t touch the arrangements or any of the lyrics. He really let us run with it.”

With “Chronicles,” Narducy said he and Chesley hoped to dispel the lingering misperception of Verbow as a folk group.

“Particularly when we were a duo, we were often [wrongly] labeled as this kind of quaint, folksy little duet,” recalled Narducy, who cites Pete Townshend, Cheap Trick and the Clash as key influences.

“It just seemed inconceivable to some people, particularly promoters, that an acoustic guitar and cello could fit under the category of rock ‘n’ roll. So we vowed to at least make the first couple of songs on the album a reply to that, and I think we succeeded.”

Several crunching rockers kick off “Chronicles” in noisy fashion. But another side of Verbow--slower-paced, a bit moodier and thematically involving--brings balance to the mix. Two introspective, imagery-laden songs (“Execution of a Jester,” “Slumbering Blue”) reveal the feelings of a lonely father on the road.

“It is hard for me to be on tour, away from home a lot,” Narducy said. “I have a 6-year-old daughter, and she’s old enough now that she’s beginning to read. I love reading to her before bed. She’s always on my mind, and I wrote ‘Slumbering Blue’ as a lullaby to her.”

Narducy understands that travel is the path to a larger audience.

“OK, so we’re a hip band in Chicago at the moment,” he said. “Then what? Now the challenge is to introduce our music to a brand-new audience, like when we head over to Europe in January and February. We’ve never done this much touring before, but there’s no getting around it right now.

“Besides, the live setting provides the opportunity to give songs an added dimension--or jolt. I’m not the type of songwriter that has a grand message that will change people’s day-to-day lives. But I like to think that while we’re onstage, the passion behind what we do gets communicated.”

* Bean Fight, Verbow and Orange Bang perform Monday at Linda’s Doll Hut, 107 S. Adams St., Anaheim. 9 p.m. $5. (714) 533-1286.