Guiding Mission of Burma:
Mark Kates Orchestrates Seminal Punk Trio's Reunion Tour
By Susie Davidson
Advocate Correspondent
Under an avalanche of media notice, Mission of Burma, inarguably
Boston's most heralded band out of the late 70's-early 80's pre-alt rock era,
synonymously blew through area venues last week.
Commencing with a Jan. 10 rehearsal gig at 608 (formerly Lilli's)
in Somerville, the post-punk trio of guitarist Roger Miller, bassist Clint
Conley and drummer Peter Prescott, with Bob Weston replacing Martin Swope on
sound/tape loops, delighted fans who had waited twenty years to hear their
multifariously raw and piercing, uniquely complex riffs and vocals just once
more.
Many, this writer included, were transported back to 1983 at the
Bradford Ballroom, where Burma's farewell gig etched its place in Boston's rock
history and signaled an unofficial end to the delerious, initial local
rebellion against tired 70's gobbledygook and superficial, vapid disco.
Outlining bare-boned backdrops at beloved hanging holes such as the
Underground, Rat, Cantone's and the Channel, captured in fanzines like the
still-published Noise, caught on the airwaves of college radio, Boston's scene
struck a perennial chord that will never die in the hearts of the still-black-clad,
now-40-somethings who remember when.
But behind the sentiment and the thrills, the NYC gigs where fans
Moby and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth joined in, the TV spots, all the
writeups and the upcoming London April whirl lies the invaluably integral role
of manager and Lexington native Mark Kates.
“My first real job in the music business,” says Kates,
“was working with Mission of Burma at Ace of Hearts Records;
they’re my first and greatest musical inspiration. These shows blew away
my highest expectations, each one greater than the last.
“To be able to revisit one of the great experiences of my
and many other peoples' lives,” he continues, “is a rare
experience; to have it be so great is almost unheard of. We have all shed tears
of joy, and hopefully the documentary that is being made will insure that
Mission of Burma lives forever.”
“Mark called me last fall,” recalls guitarist Roger
Miller, “just when Burma was deciding to regroup. I knew that if he was
involved, things would be maximized in the best way possible. He has the
peculiar blend of qualities that allow him to grasp the business end of things,
yet retain his belief in music itself without getting warped. In 1983, we
referred to him as 'The Poet of Promotion'."
Kates worked in Los Angeles for Big Time, after leaving Ace of
Hearts in 1985. He started Geffen Records’ alternative promotion
department in 1987, he says, “and helped found the DGC label before
moving to Artists and Repertoire (signing artists and helping them make
records). "I signed Beck, Elastica, Jawbreaker, and Alabama 3 among others
and A&R'd Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Teenage Fanclub, Hole….”
Ultimately he started Boston label Fenway Recordings (housed at
Joan and Arthur Wolfson’s Artcraft Richdale Associates building in Cambridge),
“which is either a brilliant or insane idea. After putting our house on
the block and temporarily relocating to Wellfleet I checked in with the Burma
boys just in time to add my two cents to the possibility of them reuniting.
Once I was given the chance to get involved I made sure that it happened. But
never could I have dreamed that they would play to nearly 6000 people over two
weekends in Boston and New York, let alone with the fury of the old
days.”
“‘Inexplicable’ is the word Mark came up with
for our reunion,” says Miller. “Playing the music is the easiest
part. It's as if the three of us picked up right where we left off 19 years
ago. The relentless interviews, meetings, schedules, etc. did start to make me
dizzy, though.”
At 608 and the Paradise, MOB, all of whom sing, plowed through
Burma classics such as “Fame and Fortune,” “That’s How
I Escaped My Certain Fate,” “Max Ernst,” “Academy Fight
Song,” “This Is Not a Photograph” and “That’s
When I Reach for my Revolver” with aplomb to the point of utter, glorious
freneticism.
“I attended Sunday School and was Bar Mitzvah'd at Temple
Isaiah,” says Kates. He recalls the late Rabbi Cary Yales: “He was
an inspiration to my whole family, and was taken from this world far too
soon.”
Back to music. “At WBCN, I volunteered for the listener line
at age 16 and completed an internship while attending George Washington
University. So many familiar faces are intact there, including Oedipus, Steven
Strick, Albert O, Shred, Bradley Jay, and Bill Abbate.
“My goal with Fenway Recordings is to establish a local yet
world class music operation, like Newbury Comics, Aerosmith, the Don Law
Company, and WBCN.” He is also releasing Clint Conley's new band
Consonant. And MOB? Nobody truly knows, including themselves. But with Kates at
the helm, magic happened and for thousands, dreams really did come true.
<mkates@fenwayrecordings.com> wrote:
Susie-
Here goes.
I have been lucky enough to return to this area after many years
in Los
Angeles. I moved there after leaving Ace of Hearts in 1985 to work
at
Big Time, a fledgling independent label that never really got
going
despite great acts like Love and Rockets, the Hoodoo Gurus, and
Boston bands Dumptruck, Christmas, and the Turbines. I joined Geffen Records in
1987 and was there for an incredible 10 1/2 years, I left at the end of '97 to
run Grand Royal Records which gave me more administrative experience than I
ever counted on, and the opportunity to work on their multiplatinum "Hello
Nasty" album which was an unforgettable experience. It also gave me the
confidence to start my own label in Boston
>
> mk