BY: Sylvia Meyers

    "I thought I was going to hear some really awful shit.   Your CD blew me away," said Bobby Steele, Undead frontman and ex-Misfits punk guru, after meeting The Regressives at a listening booth at The Philadelphia Music Conference.  If it seems unlikely that unnecessary noise and The Undead get along on the same musical planet, perhaps it should.  But when ornery rock and roll clamor gets shoehorned into a musically thoughtful pop mold, the result is a tight, unapologetically melodic free-for-all whose drummer's right leg will put a whole in your head.

    The result is The Regressives, and it just might appeal to punks and popheads alike.

    So with a band philosophy somewhere between suprise-attack bursts of energy and infectious melodies, The Regressives have sold out their self-produced debut, Unnecessary Noise Prohibited.  Consignment deals in four states and gig sales from The Unnecessary Tour have made this possible.

    The trio is in the city with a music video shoot underway, an ever-broadening instate fan base and a mounting stash of new rock and roll begging to be recorded.

    Guitarist Jeff Venables says, "The new material explores to an even greater degree the playful dynamic element we aspire to master--a step away from Velvet Underground and one toward Jane's Addiction, without the grating vocals."

    To understand "playful," condsider the band's live attempt to avoid clich�s: a discordantly heavy cover of "Safety Dance," the occasional insertion of the "Enter Sandman" riff into "Moonshot Marigold," one of their more romantic origionals, and taking "roll call" at gigs, asking fans to respond "here" while playing the quiet "Do You Feel Like We Do" riff in the background.  Not that this is about covers.

    Regressives music, according to Jeff, "has to do with using simplicity as a weapon without whoring it."  Some people like to think of it as The Police meet The Kinks.  I tend to to think of Jackson Browne and Ozzy Osbourne doing shots together.

    The Regressives enjoy the pressure of providing a full and varied live sound with only three voting members.  Bassist GianCarlo Libertino says, "The bass can sometimes take the melody, or compliment it...and where songs might otherwise be sparse, I saw that we each just had more space to work with.  The rules broke down and it was totally wide open."

    Drummer John Schneider's take is less idealistic: "We strive to impress eachother, whether by writing interesting parts, altering old parts that may have grown stale, or seeing who can wear the loudest shirt on stage.  Jeff usually wins."  Schneider's rhythmic sensibility comes in part from carefully studying the complex percussion of Stewart Copeland and the bebop jazz drummers.  Jphn's creative absence of the snare allows the teasing moments that capture The Regressives at their best.

    With '98 concluded, The Regressives have pulled off a strikingly diverse array of live venues, including the hip hop/acid jazz club Izzy Bar, the acoustic dive intesity of The Jolly Roger, more than a few two-hour-plus marathon Desmond's sets, an SRO night at The Sidewalk Caf�, downstairs at Coney Island High and a steady stream of shows at The Elbow Room on Bleecker Street.

    In between, a music video was storyboarded for "Cover Girl Salute," an ironic tribute to fashion models to be shot in March, with NFU Film graduate Greg Levins directing.  Myriad Arts, the production company handling the video, also features Jeff Venables solo on the film soundtrack to White Walls, a short film recently completed by Jonathan Betzler.   The bands latest single, "Viagra Balls," is enjoying a radio push and can be ordered by e-mailing [email protected].

    What have The Regressives learned since moving here three and a half years ago?  GianCarlo proudly claims, "Live, I'm getting better at ignoring John," (we all need goals).

    "In the club scene," says John Schneider, "there's a scense taht if you're not angry at the world, the New York will embrace you.  That pisses me off."

    And what about Jeff?   Venables looks seriously as he says, "Never get your haircut at a place that also makes keys."

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