Look into the Retro Future: 90's shoegazers Streamlined reunite

Listen Up Toledo  |  By Ryan A. Bunch  |  02/26/2015

This time of year is all about reflection. While hunkered down indoors hiding from the bitter cold and admiring the snow from a cozy distance we reflect in order to see ahead more clearly. Fitting with that theme, local '90s space-rock shoegaze outfit, Streamlined, will be dipping a foot in the nostalgia well this Friday. Featuring, among others, local rock scene staples including Todd Swalla, Lyndsay Styles, and Marc Williams, the timing of this particular Streamlined show is a bit serendipitous. For many years, and certainly - perhaps most strongly - in the '90s, Toledo had a solid local music scene and a knack for birthing genuinely fresh, exciting, and creative bands. That well has gone a tad dry in the past couple of years, and perhaps Streamlined's timing is impetus enough to take a look at where our local music scene is heading. But, it's not all about nostalgia or revelation. It's about celebration too, old friends and new fans alike gathering to center around a core of solid music that has the interesting fortune of seeing time catch up with its pace and a show that's simply about regrouping and letting yourself drift apart.

We caught up with band founder Todd Swalla and saxman Marc Williams about how the band got together, how it got together again, and fond memories of Toledo's iconic Boogie Records. Check out our chat below.

Streamlined reunites at Culture Clash Records (4020 Secor Rd) on Friday, February 27 for a BYOB happy hour show at 6pm. Free. www.thecultureclash.com / RSVP on Facebook

The band plays again on Saturday, February 28 at Ottawa Tavern (1815 Adams St). Doors at 9pm. Jura, Dark Red, and Daniken also play. www.otavern.com / RSVP on Facebook

So, tell me about the hey day of Streamlined - what was the band doing and when was it doing it?

Marc Williams: I'll tell you my version. This isn't really a reunion, more of an evolution. We're the tawny port of Toledo spacerock. It all started back in the early 90s with Saddam and... no that's The Big Lebowski. […] Not too long after I moved to The [Old West End] on Scottwood, I had the incredibly auspicious fortune to be Todd's neighbor; and I knew him from MC Habitat's live band at the time. He invited me to guest on some shows with Streamlined. I remember we played the Gorilla Gallery (a kind of pro to Artomatic 419 event), Hab's band & Streamlined morphed into sets. That was one of the cooler musical moments for me. Whenever that was, Streamlined was playing some intense sets. I had some of my first, "Oh shit!" rock n' roll moments, thanks to Todd's invite. Todd and I have been playing music together ever since, here and in the other Bay Area [San Francisco]. Todd started a Free Jazz, Ambient Electronic, project ("Can I get more didgeridoo in the monitor?!!?") that I also played in which wreaked some serious havoc, sonic and otherwise in the late 90s / early-aughts ... that is a worthy conversation for another time. I'd say that the more Streamlined Streamlined, the contemporary sound, is a result of the distillation of the AIC's drone based improvisation and the urge to not literally gaze at our shoes, but to actually rock, keeping just that bit of garage, and what now has become the retro future of the 90s shoegaze sound.

Todd Swalla: Streamlined started with Eric and myself in Ferndale after I moved there following the demise of the [Laughing] Hyenas and Autopilot around 1997. I moved back to Toledo in 98 and Bryan Ellis came calling after Glide broke up. It was a trade, I would play drums for the Riot Squad and he would play bass for Streamlined. Eric continued on guitar for a short while but couldn't really make the commute. Lyndsay was brought in on keys and Torey Freeman on guitar and then Karen Fowler (ex Autopilot) on vocals with Marc playing sax when he could make it. Karen bailed eventually and Courtney was brought in on Farfisa and Theremin and some vocals. Lyndsay and Torey bailed at some point with Brian shortly after. Enter Tony Lowe on guitar. The trio lineup really clicked and was very productive but Tony left after about a year being replaced by Noel Keesee which lasted about 6 months and that was about it. Courtney and I quickly regrouped with the Ruchus and formed Muschi.

Why the reunion this time around?

Todd Swalla: When I was planning my birthday bash in 2013 Eric suggested we jam out on an MC5 song at the party. Lyndsay agreed to join us and Marc as well. After that, Eric and I decided to get the band back in action and in 2014 we played the OWE fest and 2 other shows. Scumbros records released a 7" in 2014 with tracks taken from the Tony sessions, another 7" from those sessions is due out this year on Jett Plastic with an album of new material to follow.

The kind of hazy "shoegazey" music Streamlined did has really only recently crossed over into the "mainstream." Why do you think it took so long for the music to catch on? In your opinion, why is this music from the 90s still even relevant today?

Marc Williams: I'm not sure that the music from the 90s is still relevant today. I wouldn't say that it's irrelevant either, particularly to hardcore fans, but I also think that that sonic architecture is a jumping off point for new interpretations and developments, which we are doing. The Pharaoh Sanders / Alice Coltrane spiritual jazz tones are an addition to the electronic drone and garage rock mix. Just imagine that you got to see The Stooges open for Sun Ra back in the day and decided to start a band at the Ann Arbor Jazz Fest in 1971. This is that band, but 40 odd years of other things that have influenced us, including MBV, Slowdive, etc. […] Plus we have Eric and Wade bringing so much of their expertise and experience, and now K.C. St. John who was a space rock phenom in his own right back in his Chicago days with Tom Spacey playing theremin and keyboards.

Todd Swalla: This last year saw many of the bigger Shoegaze bands get back together, MBV, Slowdive, Swervedriver, Ride etc... Kids are buying these records now and going to these shows with their parents! I can't explain it but maybe people's taste's caught up with music finally. I wouldn't say it's gone mainstream but it certainly is enjoying a recurring popularity. […] This music is kind of timeless which may explain why it's still popular and enjoying a sort resurgence. The Newgaze term has been thrown around describing newer bands in the genre. This is all very interesting to me.

What would be the ultimate Toledo music reunion show?

Todd Swalla: My ultimate Toledo reunion would be the Necros of course! But it'll never happen.

Mark Williams: My ultimate Toledo music reunion would not be a show, but to have all of my favourite venues open at the same time and I could go see all of my favorite stuff. Rusty's 1st and foremost with Leon Cook, Ike, Stubblefield & Gene Parker, then both City Lounges and Harry's Martini Bar with Chris Neal and Andre Wright in the Timko's basement, Longhorn when it had better wooden furniture and The Spraggs, asses and elbows at Frankie's with ska shows, Todd breaking records with a mallet at Bottlerocket and then throwing them at people, me opining for the Morphine guys in The Underground, seeing the early Faux Pas at Black Cherry, getting straight up raided by The Man at that abandoned place on Adams right across from City Paper, practicing with Todd in the basement of what became Bozarts and sharing space with that action painter Johnny "The Giant' Watson, Leo Phillips with The Expression Session giving that girl an oral pedicure on stage at Mickey Finn's before Gil Matera's Party Dream, opening for Sleepytime Gorilla Museum at Finn's, Open Mics where they turned Bailey's Beverage Center into a bar, The CAC, 50 Cycle Hum at Whit's End? Carol's Time & Place.

There is some significance in this taking place at Culture Clash; in 50 words or less, give me your favorite Boogie Records/Culture Clash story.

Todd Swalla: Being the only punk rockers in Toledo around 1978 we were constantly made fun of by the hippie pot smokers at Boogie Records. We're were definitely a novelty to those folks. They would indulge us by ordering the records we requested while snickering at us at the same time. Boogie back then was essentially a head shop that happened to have records. The bongs eventually disappeared.

Marc Williams: I could ride my bike to Boogie Records during lunch when I moved here from Florida in the 7th grade; Huffy Sigma.