'Transfused' songs, performances rival The Who's 'Tommy'
The Olympian July 14, 2000
by Tucker Petertil

'The Transfused' soundtrack (YoYo, P.O. Box 2462, Olympia WA 98507)

If you haven't made it downtown yet to catch "The Transfused," what are you waiting for? I caught the opening night performance of this local punk rock opera last week and was blown away.

"The Transfused" follows a group of mutant punks from a toxic future as they try to transform their world. Through three intense days they struggle through numerous subplots, misguided egos and corporate greed toward an era of renewed hope.

The project has been in production for six months, and the ongoing buzz about it has brought in talented people from coast to coast to learn their parts or help with the production. The result is a play with songs and performances the equal of The Who's "Tommy."

But while the impressive stage design by Olympia artist Nikki McClure has the look of Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" and the actors' costumes recall "The Island of Dr. Moreau" crossed with the "Road Warrior," the music is really the most exciting aspect.

"The Transfused'" soundtrack was composed by Nomy Lamm and The Need (Rachel Carns and Radio Sloan) and has been released on CD by local label Yo
Yo. The self-described "carnival metal" music flies in the face of most of today's popular music and comes instead from the world of show tunes and rock operas
such as "Hair" and "Jesus Christ Superstar." Just listening to the CD soundtrack by itself, it's fairly easy to follow the story even without having seen the full production.

First thing you notice is that it's much more melodic and dynamic in feel than a hardcore onslaught of punk rock. Audiences don't have to worry about stage divers
landing in their laps, though ear plugs might be a good idea.

The next thing you notice is the quality of the voices, both as soloists and choruses. These are impressive vocalists, most notably Andras Jones, Beth Stinson and Nomy Lamm, and the band that supplies the instrumentation (The Need plus Donna Dresch) is also excellent in its variety and accompaniment.

Some pieces have jaunty organ parts straight out of Kurt Weill's music for the "Three Penny Opera," while others are set off by a heavy grinding of guitars and drums. There are slower, introspective pieces that consist of just a vocalist accompanied by a piano, and, of course, there are repeated themes and big call-and-response choruses. The finale, "The Power Station," is especially forceful. It's the kind of song that builds and builds - one that you never want to end.

While the CD stands very effectively on its own, for the full effect see the show - there's nothing like theater to immerse you in a different reality.