Blonde Redhead and Portastatic provide release

Innovative and creative is the way to go, according to indie punkers Blonde Redhead. Tuesday at the 'Sco the trio performed nearly two hours of melodic, crafted, experimental punk for an audience of 50.

Throughout excerpts from their current album, Vita Violenta,  as well as an upcoming 7-inch, the band never ceased to surrender their mysterious aura to the audience. Simultaneously shy in communication but extreme in musical expression, the combination kept concert-goers captivated.

The set began without warning, sweeping Obies off their feet into new realms of psychedelic noise. Dual guitarists and vocalists Kazu Makino and Amedeo Pace screeched their way through the first song with highly filtered instrumentation against Makino's screaming, little-girl vocals. Even without a bass, the end product was marvelous: a perfect blend of angry chordal merriment and the subtleties of Makino's sweet voice, all layered upon drummer (and Pace's twin) Simone Pace's energetic rhythm collisions.

Though on-lookers were eager to praise the band once the opening tune was over, Makino shyly said, "We were talking earlier and thinking that you really shouldn't applaud if you don't want to; it's phony." However, the audience continued to applaud and whistle with delight throughout the night. Given the pleasing content of the show, Blonde Redhead's fans were most definitely not applauding out of courtesy but approval.

Through countless numbers of experimental-sounding guitar riffs and alternating vocalists, Blonde Redhead served up a satisfying array of tight, unique works spanning from highly syncopated rock beats to more traditional indie efforts. "Water" possessed clean, short, in-sync male and female vocals spoken simultaneously with each gutsy guitar strum. Simone Pace, too, was spotlighted for this highly rhythmic number, shortly before Amedeo Pace and Makino closed the piece in a frenzied rush toward the amps, gently pushing into each other in attempt to get as close as possible for full distorted effects.

Other numbers were less physical. The band members stood still, reserved, as scrambled, new-wave effects on guitar took turns with often incomprehensible lyrics. Catchy melodies and standard head-nodding beats were numerous, as well as the occasional break down of drums loud enough to vibrate one's corduroys.

One particularly fascinating piece incorporated more than just the guitar and drum standards of its counterparts. "Egomaniac Boy" began with a recorded bell tolling in the distance; an eerie effect as the band on the dim-lit stage stood silently. Then, with Makino's beautifully high-pitched gasps of song, Amedeo Pace eventually introduced perplexing guitar melody in upper octaves while the drummer added keyboard harmonies and later worked in the drums.

It was exactly this kind of enigmatic unpredictability in Blonde Redhead's performance that made for such an incredible experience. They even ended without warning; Makino simply took off her flailing guitar strap and said, "Thank you for coming. That's all."

Then, in response to her audience's blank stares, she questioned shyly, "Oh, did you want to see some of our T-shirts or something?" and proceeded to dump the contents of several product boxes onto the stage. After several minutes of purchasing, Blonde Redhead asked if they might play some more, apologizing for the confusion since they "weren't sure if you'd like us." To the audience's delight, the irresistible trio performed two more songs, now with full-throttled confidence. And, adoringly, fans applauded in complete sincerity when the show finally ended.

In a sharply confident contrast, Portastatic began the show with the heart-wrenching honesty of alternative love songs. Superchunk guitarist Mac McCaughan was the sole member of Portastatic to perform on Tuesday; he is the founding member of this mixed-member group. He delivered the set through the most basic means possible: voice and acoustic guitar.

Though some show attendees may have been expecting additional members of Portastatic, it was not an unpleasant live act. Fact of the matter being that Portastatic has revolving members, it is not unusual that McCaughan did the show on his own. "It's always a surprise," McCaughan said of Portastatic's varying performances.

"You know how you read all those Superchunk reviews that say `Mac can't sing'? Now you know what they're trying to say," he jested mid-set. On the contrary, McCaughan hardly lacks talent.

Rather, he expresses it in a medium often foreign to the biased, punk-fed generation. He sings in a high register, which makes for an almost crooning effect, though his energy and honesty push his voice to incredibly loud volumes, creating his trademark Mac-style vocals so familiar to Chapel Hill scenesters.

In an interview a few hours before going on-stage, McCaughan discussed his solo appearances under the Portastatic name. "I like doing them," he said, "but it's also something I'm not very used to doing, and I sort of force myself to do it in hopes of someday becoming comfortable with the format." Amidst these random solo performances and the Superchunk commitment (his "main priority") McCaughan still manages to handle business at Merge Records, the North Carolina independent label he started with co-Chunker Laura Balance in 1989.

Despite all his aforementioned committments, McCaughen still managed to make it to Oberlin on a whim, proving he really is a nice guy. However, concerning the low-key content of his performance, Obies might not have been so polite had anyone else been on-stage.