THE WOODEN SOLDIERS

The Wooden Soldiers — Paul Rieder, Greg Di Gesu, Matt Guzda, and Paul Marangelo (later replaced by bassist Claude "Matt" Coleman, Jr., who later drummed for Ween) — were a great live band and a significant New Brunswick presence in the mid- to late-1980s. They made records, toured America, and received national attention in the indie press. Their debut EP, (hippies, punks, and rubber men), seemed to put them on the brink of something, which unfortunately never materialized. The Rutgers Daily Targum over-described the Soldiers as "folk-electro-crazed-beatnik-hippie-punk-underground-heavy metal-disco-gospel-blues-acid rock." I didn't hear much heavy metal in their sound, except in their show closer "Attitude Problem," which began "I woke up in the morning and I thought I was Lou Reed" and closed with an approximation of "White Light/White Heat". More typical was a Feelies acoustic-electric buzz with fancier chord progressions. Had they arrived ten years later, they'd belong to the movement popularized by the Dave Matthews band. But what saved the Soldiers from blandness was a wiseguy sense of humor and irony (they said of their live act, "So good, it's like a play by Lanford Wilson or something!"), and the propensity to rev the volume to 11 lest the hippies get too comfortable (the Soldiers attracted more hippies than punks).

I have many Wooden Soldiers flyers, which were often posted in Targum Productions. Superbly designed by Rieder, and demonstrating the aforementioned humor and irony, the one that resonates with me is the not-at-all-ironic "Coffee & Cigarettes," illustrated by Bruce Carl Meyers.

[CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE]