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 Eddies at Biola, 1990 |
FredFredFred 
Normal Noggin
Registration Date: 02-20-2007
Posts: 5
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I'm working on a Biola history project, and just wrote an entry on the Swirling Eddies. It's not supposed to be comprehensive, just a "what the Eddies have to do with Biola" quick piece. The main reason I did it was to post a review from the student newspaper of the famous 1990 Eddies show at Biola. Thought you might enjoy this. And if anybody has anything to add to it, let me know. Documentable info is preferred, but personal memories are also fun.
Fred (FredFred)
"out there havin' fun in the warm California sun"
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The Swirling Eddies are a Christian band based in Southern California
whose first live concert[1] was at Biola on March 9, 1990. The show was a
double bill, with the Eddies opening for singer Randy Stonehill.
The band is largely a pseudonymous side project of Daniel Amos, a band
active since 1974 under a variety of names. While Daniel Amos had
developed into a serious band with thoughtful lyrics, the Swirling Eddies
were always more of a joke. Their first album, 1988's Let's Spin, was
released as part of a "Guess The Eddies" promotion in which the band
members all took on ridiculous fictional names (Camarillo Eddy, Berger Roy
Al, Spot, Arthur Fhardy, Gene Pool, Hort Elvision).
The concert at Biola was in support of their second album, Outdoor Elvis
(1989). The band played a few other shows at the Troubador in West
Hollywood, at Randy Stonehill's 20th anniversary concert (May 12, 1990),
and at the Cornerstone festival in Illinois (June 29, 1990). The band
referred to the Biola show as "The Amos 'n' Randy 'n' Eddie Tour," an
allusion to the popular "Amos 'n' Randy" tours that Daniel Amos and Randy
Stonehill had done in the late 1970s.
The Swirling Eddies 1990 concert at Biola has become legendary among
Eddies fans. The many rumors about it include that lead singer Terry
Taylor was dressed in drag for at least part of the show, that drummer Ed
McTaggart wore an ill-fitting bath robe, and that the band encouraged
dancing (in violation of Biola's dancing policy). The title track of the
first Eddies album, "Let's Spin," is a likely concert opener and includes
a resolution to "dance in the streets 'til the cows come home and there's
revival in the land," to "do the shimmy shimmy shake, the shing-a-ling,
and the missionary stew, and ... the cha-cha too," plus a celebration of
"doing curlies on the floor" and "dancin' to the righteous rag." There was
an unusually long intermission between the Eddies' set and Stonehill's,
with conflicting reports about what happened offstage during that time.
Another rumor is that the Eddies were banned from Biola after the show.
The entire set list for the show is not known, but the Eddies only had two
albums worth of songs in 1990 and the set list for the June performance at
Cornerstone is known ([ http://www.danielamos.com/concerts/cstone90se.html ]http://www.danielamos.com/concerts/cstone90se.html).
According to a review in The Chimes, the Biola set included "Let's Spin,"
"I've Got an Idea," "Driving in England," and "Hide the Beer, the Pastor's
Here." "Hide the Beer" is a song about the hypocrisy of ignoring serious
sins while being scrupulous about things like alcohol use and R rated
movies. It ends with the refrain "Hide the Beer" being sung as the names
of Christian colleges are shouted out. "Biola!" is the first name shouted
in a long list that includes Bethel, Westmont, Calvin, Asusa Pacific,
Moody Bible Institute, Multnomah, and many others.
Mark Joseph's review in the Friday, March 16 issue of The Chimes does not
make the Eddies portion of the concert sound as wild or subversive as the
legends would have it.
Concert Roars with Eddies and Stonehill
By Mark Joseph The Chimes, Friday March 16, 1990, Pages 4 & 6
Biola’s social board coordinator Steve Porter was expecting a normal sized
crowd for last Friday night’s concert at Chase Gymnasium –which in Biola’s
case means 500 people, 600 tops. What he got instead was a jam-packed
crowd of enthusiastic fans who had come to see one of today’s hippest,
‘artsiest’ bands open for one of the founders of Christian music.
In addition to the GAG couples and the chickens who couldn’t get up the
courage to ask anyone, there was a sprinkling of who’s who in Christian
music throughout the audience. In the back was singer/musician/engineer
extraordinaire Mark Heard diligently taping Stonehill’s music for an
upcoming live record. In the audience among others, were Cindy Cruse of
the Cruse family, Sandi and Heather Stonehill, Frontline recording artist
Rick Elias, and Frontline execs Mike MaClane and Tony Shore.
The Swirling Eddies, formerly DA, Da, and Daniel Amos, opened up with
their eclectic mixture of dance/punk/new wave rock and roll. Their concert
attire was the usual stuff, form fitting skirts and bathrobes, the former
of which were probably intended for females.
I confess I lost these guys sometime after 1976 when the song “Shotgun
Angel” made you proud to be a Daniel Amos fan. There were a few “Eddies”
in the audience though, most notably a few who danced circles around the
gym and convulsed on the floor, but for the most part the audience
reaction seemed to be polite at best.
The Eds did manage to connect on two songs though. “Let’s Spin” saw a fair
share of audience members doing the spin, while “Hide the Beer The
Pastor’s Here,” a cult favorite, found some singing along.
Other tunes included “I’ve Got An Idea,” and the group’s first number one
hit “Driving in England.” When the band’s set was over, the audience broke
into applause that didn’t seem to be aimed at an encore.
After a 30-minute intermission, it was Stonehill’s turn to try his blend
of eccentric humor and gritty music via an all acoustic set. From the
opening guitar strains the 20-year veteran rock and roller won over the
audience with his acoustic renditions of classic Stonehillian cuts like
“King of Hearts,” “Good News,” “Hymn,” and “Shut De Do.”
For the more recent Stonehill fan there were several cuts off of his
latest record “Return to Paradise,” including “Stand Like Steel,” and
“Starlings.” Unlike the opening act, Stonehill was called back for an
encore by an obviously appreciative audience, and the artist responded
with among others, the cuts “Turning 30,” and the energetic “What Do You
Want From Life,” off of his “Wild Frontier” album.
Although some expressed disappointment at the Swirling Eddies performance,
while others professed to have been stumbled, generally the reaction
appeared to have been positive to the concert as a whole. Coordinator
Porter was particularly delighted at the great number of off campus people
who showed up. “I was happy to see them because it gives them a chance to
see what Biola is all about,” he said.
As for the long delays before and between shows, Porter said he was
unhappy but placed the responsibility on his and his staff’s shoulders.
From many standpoints this was probably the most successful concerts in
recent Biola memory. Certainly it was from a financial and turnout
standpoint. The one faux pas may have been the combination of Stonehill
and the Eddies whose fans tend to be poles apart in musical tastes. For an
Eddies fan the Stonehill show may have been a drag and vice versa.
Hats off to Porter and all the others who worked hard to bring this show
about, and kudos to the artists who rejected Russ Taff’s philosophy of
selling T-shirts for $22, charging a measly $12 for their T’s.
References
? Vertigo: The Swirling Eddies Spinning Vortex Fun Club Volume 1, Issue 2
1990 [1]
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04-02-2009 00:16 |
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joey
Platyhelminth
Registration Date: 01-08-2003
Posts: 7,231
Location: the biggest fans are often the biggest critics ... sometimes taken as complaining ... get used to it. :P - mountain fan
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 RE: Eddies at Biola, 1990 |
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i was going to LIFE Bible college at the time..... maybe 15 minutes away, and i'm just wondering why nobody told me about the show at the time? 
me and probably a dozen friends from LIFE would have went....
oh well....... carry on 
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04-02-2009 09:06 |
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sondance
Ceremonial Kernel
Registration Date: 05-04-2006
Posts: 1,815
Location: sittin' on the dock of the bay
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while it is not clear what he/she/it is,
it is certain that Berger is not suededyonyopitiousgnhhhxxxck!
any photos from this concert?
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04-02-2009 14:34 |
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Audiori J
Administrator
Registration Date: 11-27-2004
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Location: "Clowns to the left of me! Jokers to the right! Here I AM stuck in the middle with you." - Stealers Wheel
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heh... Stonehill and eddies fans are worlds apart? They have been a big part of each others music over the years.
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04-02-2009 15:18 |
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servantsteve
Disjasked Lerna
Registration Date: 07-02-2002
Posts: 4,168
Location: Ole Virginny
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| quote: |
Originally posted by Audiori J
heh... Stonehill and eddies fans are worlds apart? They have been a big part of each others music over the years. |
I read that too and had the same reaction. I imagine if you thought of SE as a stand alone comedy act you might come to the conclusion that it attracts a different crowd, but in the context of historical Christian Progressive music, it's hard to separate DA and TST from Stonehill and Norman. Adam Again's 10 songs could have been done by Stonehill.
That would have been a fun concert to attend.
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04-02-2009 15:51 |
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sprinklerhead
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Registration Date: 12-11-2003
Posts: 1,290
Location: Austin, TX
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Was 1990 really the first Eddies show? Let's Spin was a few years before that, right? I was able to catch one of the shows at the Troubadour in 1990. That was a lot of fun for me and a few other fans in the audience but most of the people had no idea what was going on. It seems strange to me that 1990 was the first year they did shows as the Eddies.
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04-02-2009 18:08 |
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Audiori J
Administrator
Registration Date: 11-27-2004
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Location: "Clowns to the left of me! Jokers to the right! Here I AM stuck in the middle with you." - Stealers Wheel
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Yes it was, they played;
March 9, 1990
The Eddies performed their first concert in La Marida, California at Biola University with Randy Stonehill. The show was dubbed the "Amos n' Randy n' Eddie tour". Over the next couple of years, they performed they're next two shows at the Troubadour in Hollywood. (Source: Tom Gulotta)
They also played Cornerstone 1990 as part of the "Amos n' Randy n' Eddie tour".
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"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence." ~ Robert Frost
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04-02-2009 20:02 |
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wakachiwaka
Ceremonial Kernel
Registration Date: 07-26-2007
Posts: 1,209
Location: Glendale, CA
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Might double-check the I.D. of the drummer - Dave Raven was the Eddies' usual timekeeper (of course it's always possible Ed filled in for a show here and there).
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04-02-2009 20:10 |
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tchandler
Daniel Amos
Registration Date: 03-22-2002
Posts: 1,061
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oh man this brings back great memories. (as most of you know, although berger is an actual, real person, due to some, uhh, mental difficulties, he's never been able to play live and i've always had to sit in for him. ) yes, it was dave raven playing drums at biola....
good lord that was a fun show
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04-03-2009 14:55 |
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tchandler
Daniel Amos
Registration Date: 03-22-2002
Posts: 1,061
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i'm curious -- is there anyone out there who happened to see Rob Watson (as Arthur Fhardy, of course) dressed during an Eddies show as Hiawatha?
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04-03-2009 15:07 |
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Audiori J
Administrator
Registration Date: 11-27-2004
Posts: 7,728
Location: "Clowns to the left of me! Jokers to the right! Here I AM stuck in the middle with you." - Stealers Wheel
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Gene Pool loked like he belonged in the Alps... I remember Spot wearing a sweater with the hood up and pulled so tight just a small portion of his face showed. Hort had on a furry sheep-like vest... I have some more pictures somewhere.
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"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence." ~ Robert Frost
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04-03-2009 17:14 |
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wakachiwaka
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Registration Date: 07-26-2007
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| quote: |
Originally posted by jyroflux
I was at one of the Troubadour shows. Tim wanted to punch a guy from another band who jumped up on stage. I don't remember exactly what the guy said, but it was not flattering to the Eddies. |
I imagine one must be pretty thoroughly immersed in the more "progressive" Christian music culture to truly "get" what the Eddies were all about. Satire and parody don't generally play well to audiences who know little about what's being spoofed in the first place.
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04-03-2009 23:48 |
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Mountain Fan
Ubique Epoque
Registration Date: 10-09-2003
Posts: 14,224
Location: NC, Alive and Kicking, BOBD
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| quote: |
Originally posted by wakachiwaka
| quote: |
Originally posted by jyroflux
I was at one of the Troubadour shows. Tim wanted to punch a guy from another band who jumped up on stage. I don't remember exactly what the guy said, but it was not flattering to the Eddies. |
I imagine one must be pretty thoroughly immersed in the more "progressive" Christian music culture to truly "get" what the Eddies were all about. Satire and parody don't generally play well to audiences who know little about what's being spoofed in the first place. |
ain't that the truth. 
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04-13-2009 12:17 |
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