Live Show Review

New Haven Advocate Music Notes 12/19/02...  Ronnie Neuhauser and his various "styrocultural" projects have been mindboggling area music-groovers since at least the early '90s. The Advocate's own Jennifer Dauphinais was drawn to Neuhauser's latest show, at the intimate Neverending Books space, and filed this report:

"I grew up around musicians, and I consider myself a pretty well-rounded fan, but I never got into Bitches Brew era Miles Davis (I tend to like his mellow ballads), though I genuflect at its place in music history. So last Friday I went to see Styrocultural Antidote at the Never Ending Bookstore knowing that I'm not a fan of that wacky geometric style. And it was hard for me to stay grounded among the graphic flitting of audio fractals that filled the room. The bass provided smooth, intense undulations like creamy pie filling, while group leader Ronnie Neuhauser's palette of effects made the guitar speak in tongues. They'd make a rapid shift or change just as I had gotten hold of the previous groove. These three guys are undoubtedly talented, and I couldn't figure out why they don't have a bigger fan base--like a national one.

"I kept a curious eye on the kids jumping around in the book-stocked part of the store. I kept catching the kids impersonating Ronnie by playing air guitar with their eyes closed and teeth clinched, waving their heads around. But they weren't self conscious at all about being noticed. If we were in a barely lit room, I might have done the same. It would be fun to see these guys play a large venue with a dance floor. Maybe then I would be able to move through the music and understand its feelings better."

Reviewed By Jennifer Dauphinais