Sunday Showcase January 10, 1988

Let's check out what was happening 32 years ago with this week's Sunday Showcase review. 

The biggest local music happening was the Nashville Music Extravaganza with 20 bands showcasing during the 3 day weekend. Notice how the Nashville skyline has changed with the cover photo. I was a fan of many of the bands spotlighted that weekend, but wasn't a fan of the NME itself. It seemed like a local copy of the CMJ Music Marathon in New York, but Austin's South By Southwest only began in 1987 and it's still one of the major music events every year, so what did I know back then. If the cards had fallen right the NME might still be going strong. 

What bands did I like the most on the Extravaganza list back in 1988? The Claimstakers were sort of the rock band equivalent of a sequel to the White Animals with Steve Boyd and Rich Parks carrying on together after the WA's broke up. I liked their alternative pop/country sound, but they didn't have the excitement of the White Animals. Dig Mandrakes were a good rocking combo with future renowned producer Brad Jones at the helm. Hocus Pocus were the renamed Lust which was discussed in last week's Sunday Showcase review. 

I loved Mr. Zero who were slightly ahead of their time with their rock and rap hybrid. I talked about them before in my profile on Nashville local legend Lee A. Carr. The Questionnaires were another favorite of mine and I guess Tom Littlefield's tune "Boomtown" was 3 decades ahead of its time. Tom was the person who turned me on to the Flamin' Groovies. I saw Rumble Circus often for some reason, but never could get into them. The Dusters were amazing to see live with their blues rock trio onslaught. 

I used to see Eleven 59 quite a bit in Murfreesboro since they were at M.T.S.U. with me. I bought one of their cassettes walking to class once. The Boilers were a power poppish group. Clockhammer seemed to open for everybody back in those days and I dug their Black Sabbath/prog metal sound. I didn't really dig Jet Black Factory too much back then, but really do now. The best of the bunch from this Extravaganza though is Raging Fire. Raging Fire were and still are one of my most beloved groups. They reunited a few years back and even put out a new album These Teeth Are Sharp which turned out to be really rocking. 

The Circle Jerks would be in town on this Sunday January 10th with an afternoon all-ages matinee and a 21 and up show later that night at the Exit/In. I believe local punks Tommyrot opened both shows. I did see the Jerks at the Exit/In at some point, but don't think it was this show. I had seen them in 1986 play Cantrells and it was a blast. No footage of this show, but there's a great video from a 1988 San Diego show to share.

Another other big show on the horizon is Def Leppard playing in the round at Municipal Auditorium with Tesla opening for them. I was a big fan of Def Leppard in the High 'n' Dry and Pyromania era, but Hysteria was much too pop and silly for me at the time. That said, the tune I ended up liking the best was the title song ballad so I'm posting a video from their Denver performance in 1988. A friend of mine got to be their guide on a tour stop in Nashville during the 90's and he said they were really cool cats, although he does really love puns so maybe he was just being punny. 

The Vienna Choir Boys would be at TPAC on January 17, 1988. Which sounded odd to me....perhaps a Mandela effect as I had always remembered them being called the Vienna Boys Choir. A little research shows they go by either name. 

If going to a concert was not enough maybe you could go cruise the Cumberland River and get some live music, food, and riverside scenery too. The Belle Carol had you covered no matter what age you were. Remember: Anytime Is Funtime!

An antique show was coming to Hickory Hollow Mall from the 14th through the 17th. 

January 13, 1988 saw auditions for a bluegrass quartet wanted for Tokyo Disneyland. Wow! That would have been a heck of a seasonal job!

These Sunday Showcase reviews are usually happy look backs to the past, but this week it gets dark. As in dark humor and death. First, one of the upcoming events is Sam Kinison live. He would be at TPAC the week after the Vienna Choir Boys. I loved Sam Kinison even if I sometimes found his jokes went much too far. Saturday Night Live is now an institution, but I think that his appearances on the 1985/86 season kept that show afloat. He had only 4 years left on this mortal coil when he came to town for this gig. I wish he was still here as it would be very interesting what he would say about 2020. 

The darkness continues as we look at the Top 10 selling pop records from the previous week in Nashville. No, it's not the malevolent presence of Debbie Gibson (later to record with the Circle Jerks) in the Top 10 that's dark. Just kidding about Debbie's malevolence. She's managed to escape this Top 10's curse for as of 1-12-2020 five of the artists on this list have died. Whitney Houston, George Michael, George Harrison, Michael Jackson, and Michael Hutchence all gone much too young. 

That's all for this week. Next week we're going to bounce back to somewhere in the Seventies. Before you leave enjoy this mega hit from the Top 10. I was working at Mazzio's Pizza in Murfreesboro and we'd get off very early in the AM (around 1 or 2AM), grab some beers and hang out with my co-workers at their apartment watching MTV and this tune was in high rotation back when they played videos. Good times.