Underground '60s pop and retro revival merge at 'Sco

We've all heard the phrase, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." So what, then, would be the effect of two enormous pop-infested fruits, worming with sound and all the vibrance of indie rock guts? The Silver Apples, with Apples in Stereo, give the Oberlin community a taste of their own medicine this Monday at the 'Sco, meshing a combined 30 plus years of innovation in the underground pop scene.

Monday's show presents an interesting clash of two generations of underground pop: the attractiveness of one band who thrives on reliving the '60s, and another who actually lived them the first time around. Ask your mom and pop: maybe they caught the Silver Apples at the Filmore in '69. Their debut album was in the Billboard top 100 for ten weeks, but after a few more, the Silver Apples nearly went unheard of for nearly a quarter of a century.

Their music, however, did not go unnoticed. Last year saw the release of a Silver Apples tribute album, and the band itself gained new members - Xian Hawkins and Michael Lerner - in addition to veteran Simeon.

The Apples in Stereo, on the other hand, are very now. With their recent release Tone Soul Evolution, the band has been garnering press from Spin, Rolling Stone, DetailsÊand Ray Gun just to name a few. Structured around pseudo-retro and fuzzy melodies, the Apples in Stereo take space rock to its outermost limits.

An interesting common thread, both of Monday's bands share the bond that new technology hardly overides classic pop music. The Silver Apples have shocked many with their raw, stripped-down fuzziness. One stumped rock critic once wrote, "What's amazing is that they make absolutely mind shattering music with all this junky equipment." The Apples in Stereo, too, thrive on defying modern technology with a Ask your mom and pop: maybe they caught the Silver Apples at the Filmore in '69. return to the roots; their last release was recorded entirely on 4-track machines.

While both the bands visit the campus on short notice, the true hipsters of the scene should spread the word. A band as old as the Beatles, along with a band who will happily open the evening with unappologetic faux-nostalgia, is slated for the Monday post-Fourth Meal slump. Experience the night of the Apples, and get your recommended two servings.

The Silver Apples and Apples in Stereo play the 'Sco Monday, Nov. 10 at 10 p.m. $5 OCID, $7 others.

What are you staring at?: Lunch bunch Apples in Stero open for the Silver Apples Monday Night at the 'Sco. (photo courtesy by SpinART)