Psychedelic indie rock veterans to grace the 'Sco

Appropriately enough, the underground kings of psychadelic indie-rock, The Bevis Frond, will be making the progressive haven of Oberlin College the only stop in Ohio on their U.S. tour. Sporting an arsenal of musical instruments including the Mellotron, Theremin, electric dulcimer, Vox organ, and guitar, The Frond meanders through a slew of moods and textures, indulging its whims in countless solos and "keyboard noodling."

Now backed by ex-Camel drummer Andy Ward and bassist Adrian Shaw of the '80's metal-fusion band Hawkwind, Saloman's Frond promises to deliver what Alternative Press descibes as an entertaining "concoction of fuzz-guitar fugues, folky arrangements and spacey, extended jams."

Adored by independent music magazines from Magnet to Alternative Press, 50-something London native Nick Saloman's brainchild, The Bevis Frond, has been in existence - in one form or another - since 1968, when it first performed creative renditions of Cream and Jimi Hendrix songs. Since then, the band has put out a mountain of material to rival that of even Guided By Voices' 225 recorded songs. The Bevis Frond has 14 records to its name - including the newest, Son of Walter, released in 1997- and have appeared on 24 different compilations.

Also similar to Guided By Voices, The Bevis Frond has a range of sounds and styles, running the gamut from the 19-minute "Tangerine Infringement Beak," to the more poppy and manageable "Lights Are Changing." The latter of these two songs found Saloman playing his first gig on U.S. soil, paired with indie-rock crooner Mary Lou Lord, after her repeated requests to cover Frond tunes.

This first gig, which circulated as a benefit for Saloman's magazine, The Ptolemaic Terrascope, became Terrastock, featuring such artists as Bardo Pond, Flying Saucer Attack, and Papas Fritas. It was dubbed a "three-day orgy of brain-bending music," writing The Bevis Frond into music history.

The Bevis Frond appear at the 'Sco on Monday, Apr. 6 at 10 p.m. Admission is $4.