New Bands Seek The Road To Nirvana

Meddaphysical, Green Apple Quick Step and Sweet Water, Saturday night, Moore Theatre.

By next year, we'll know if history was made Saturday night.

Three still-wet-behind-the-ears local hopefuls - Meddaphysical, Green Apple Quick Step and Sweet Water - strutted their stuff at a sold-out, all-ages KISW-sponsored show at the Moore Theatre.

Save your ticket stubs. Who knows? Maybe they'll be headlining Lollapalooza '93, or making their debut in the Top 10. Remember nobodies Nirvana?

Opening act Meddaphysical unleashed their straight-ahead rap-metal to a head-bobbing, feet-tapping crowd. They've been together for 2 1/2 years, and it shows: strong ensemble, clean rhythms and tough talkin'.

A muddy sound system slightly marred Green Apple Quick Step's moody start. True to their name, the promising Tacoma band's good intentions show green around the edges. Thankfully, they haven't succumbed to Big Label polish, especially when a naked man walked onstage.

Singer Ty Willman chatted nonstop, encouraging stage divers to keep the security guards busy. "Shifting" showed off Willman's promising vocals, although their cover of The Pretenders' "Precious" lacked bite.

But Green Apple Quick Step's sore, edgy sound and original approach to song structure proves that Tacoma doesn't deserve all those "Almost Live" jokes.

Being introduced as "the next Seattle band heading to the BIG TIME" didn't faze headliners Sweet Water at all. They act like pros already, having signed with the majors (Atlantic Records) for the three-song maxi single, "Roads Life Goes" and a spring album debut.

A dash of The Cult and '90s sensibilities spiced Sweet Water's unabashed ode to the '70s Southern rock/Zeppelin/Neil Young groove. They like anthems ("Everything Will Be Alright") and Boston-like harmonies ("King of '79").

A circus sideshow mentality possessed the blistering "Suck On," featuring the professional juggling duo Gentlemen Jugglers balancing precariously on towering unicycles and tossing bowling-ball pins onstage during the song.

Lead guitarist Dudley Taft's technically precise and fleet fingers flirted with the spotlight, but never overpowered the rest of the band's solid and very professional backup.

In an almost calculated carbon-copy move, lead singer Adam Czeisler seamlessly stage-dived into the crowd a la Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. A sea of hands bobbed Czeisler back onstage just in time for the final verse.

A little too slick, and a little too perfect. But Sweet Water's own stage dive onto the Big Time Bandwagon may become yet another Seattle band fairy-tale happy ending.