MARCY PLAYGROUND
Tramps, New York, March 23, 1998

Monday night's show confirmed this much: Marcy Playground plays as well as it records.Indeed, the band has been performing in New York clubs (its home turf), for several years now, amassing a dedicated following and the release of their self-titled debut on Capitol (originally put out on the now-defunct EMI Records), was cause for celebration. The success of the album's first single and video, "Sex and Candy," all studied cool and understated lust, placed them somewhere between alternative angst and pop know-how. But like the LP, Marcy Playground is less interesting than it first appears.

The crowd was a mixture of old fans and newcomers curious to hear a band whose single can't be escaped. Lead singer and main songwriter John Wozniak enjoyed hearing his lyrics echoed ("It's nice to play for people who know our songs"), but seemed equally pleased that so many people bothered to come see the band on Oscar night (after all, the suspense was killing us all). Wozniak & Co. played well, keeping the trio's arrangements tight, and reached into their deep well of songs to easily fill more than an hour's worth of show time. Such rockers as "Poppies" and "Saint Joe on the School Bus" got shouts of recognition; new and old songs, including "Pigeon Farm" and "Crazy Katie Nicotine Catch Work Lady," which had a country & western flavor vaguely reminiscent of Tarnation and the Mavericks, did more to show off the band's musical range.

But thrilling the show was not. Like its debut release, Marcy Playground entertained, offering a welcome momentary distraction, without leaving a lasting impression. The band dutifully bowed to the Northwestern gods on "The Shadow of Seattle;" Wozniak remarked that the song "went over really f---ing well in Seattle" in a tone suggesting just the opposite (it went over well this night.) And "The Vampires of New York" pleased those of us who recognized the resignation and boredom contained therein.

Yet Marcy Playground elicited little more than quick yelps of approval and half-baked attempts at body surfing. Certainly, the band has more to offer the general public than the catchy "Sex and Candy" and the ironic "Dog and His Master"? This was the last date of the U.S. tour, so we'll have to wait for the next album for the answer.

MARIE ELSIE ST. LEGER