January 5, 1987
WYCE 88.1 FM
Grand Rapids, MI
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
January 5, 1987
WIDR-FM
Kalamazoo, MI
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
'Nice production. Very good band.' - Joe Puelo
January 6, 1987
WCUW
Worcester, MA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
January 9, 1987
WXDR
Newark, DE
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
January 10, 1987
KLSU
Baton Rouge, LA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
January 15, 1987
KWBU
Waco, TX
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
January 15, 1987
KHIB
Durant, OK
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
January 16, 1987
WEIU-FM
Charleston, IL
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
January 16, 1987
College Music Journal
Video Views
Alarming Trends, who have become infamous via their flying-fish-splattered 'White Cross' (Scorched Earth) clip, have a three-video comp. Besides the b/w 'White Cross,' the reel includes a performance clip, 'Without You Fine,' and the b/w 'Fabrications,' featuring the same type of imaginative graphics, but with much darker intent (Ronnie Cramer). - Mary Anna Feczo
January 17, 1987
KASR
Tempe, AZ
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
January 19, 1987
WYCC
Oxford, OH
Alarming Trends added to station playlist (#24)
January 20, 1987
WCAL
Grand Rapids, MI
Alarming Trends added to station playlist (#32)
January 20, 1987
WRST
Oshkosh, WI
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
January 23, 1987
WYCC 640 AM
Oxford, OH
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
January 24, 1987
WVSC
Johnson, VT
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
January 31, 1987
KWWC
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
February 1, 1987
WORB 90.3 FM
Farmington Hills, MI
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
'Great tunes!' - Jimmy Stoddard
February 2, 1987
CVC
Alarming Trends' White Cross appears in the top ten independent videos cited by the CVC national video report
February 2, 1987
Real George's Backroom TV
Clifton Park, NY
Alarming Trends' White Cross airs on cable systems in Clifton Park, Schenectady, Troy and Bethlehem
February 6, 1987
WDFH 91.1 FM
Dobbs Ferry, NY
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
January 24, 1987
KWCR
Ogden, UT
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
February 9, 1987
WDJM
Framingham, MA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
February 11, 1987
WLVR
Bethlehem, PA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
February 12, 1987
KLPI-FM
Ruston, LA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
February 13, 1987
KAOR-FM
Vermillion, SD
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
February 18, 1987
WCLH
Wilkes-Barre, PA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
February 27, 1987
WFBD-TV
Fort Devens, MA
Alarming Trends added to playlist
March 13, 1987
WESU-FM
Middletown, CT
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
April 22, 1987
Freereelin' Studio
1175 S. Lincoln, Denver, CO
Eight-track recording session:
Some People (short version)
Fever Dreams (instrumental version)
Alone With You
Lon's Deal
Engineer: Jeff Franek
April 30, 1987
Hands-On Recording
530 E. Alameda, Denver, CO
Recording session for songs from 'You Make Me Live in a Trailer' and 'The Lost Tape':
Out at Night
What Does Your Heart Say
Echoes in the Dark
Without You Fine
Dreaming Again
Producer: Ronnie Cramer, Engineer: John Burris
May 7, 1987
WBKX
Marquette, MI
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
May 9, 1987
Hands-On Recording
530 E. Alameda, Denver, CO
Recording session for songs from 'You Make Me Live in a Trailer' and 'The Lost Tape':
Out at Night
What Does Your Heart Say
I Fall to Pieces
Oh Jim Jones
Producer: Ronnie Cramer, Engineer: John Burris
April 25, 1987
The Broadway
11th & Broadway, Denver, CO
Aviators, The Things You Say (members of Alarming Trends and The Aviators)
June 17, 1987
Westword
Sound the alarm: Ronnie Cramer's longtime band, Alarming Trends, has a new five-song EP on the way (with a new version of 'Mangled Nerve Center'), You Make Me Live in a Trailer. 'What Does Your Heart Say,' a catchy, affecting folk-rocker sung by vocalist Rebecca Watson, softens the band's edge with acoustic guitar flourishes. AT also plans a 30-minute promotional video (Cramer is the best rock video craftsman in the area - his videos are always inventive and polished), with an all-star cast of local rock luminaries. - Gil Asakawa
also in this issue:
The plane truth: The Aviators, onetime rulers of the local scene, have dissipated into the L.A. smog.
June 1987
You Make Me Live in a Trailer
Alarming Trends
Cassette SE-87406
What Does Your Heart Say
Out at Night
Without You Fine
Echoes in the Dark (Cramer/Staff)
Mangled Nerve Center
Producer: Ronnie Cramer
Engineer: Jeff Franek, John Burris
Cover Photo: Brad Okerlund
July 1987
Livewire
Alarming Trends You Make Me Live in a Trailer
What Does Your Heart Say is, in my humble opinion, the most commercial song on the tape. A little along the lines of Heart: romantic but sad. The song makes sense to me; musically and lyrically it feels right, and I like that. The other songs, Out at Night, Without You Fine, Echoes in the Dark and Mangled Nerve Center have a real new-wave-with-a-slight-punk-edge. They're all well written and very modern with a raw-almost-live sound. Keep your eyes on The Alarming Trends, they're worth watching for.
also in this issue:
Psychedelic Furs, Dick and the Chicks, Faster Pussycat, Bon Jovi
August 10, 1987
Comcast
Pontiac, MI
Alarming Trends added to rotation on Ground Zero Video
September 1987
You Make Me Live in a Trailer
Alarming Trends
12-inch LP.
Scorched Earth Records
What Does Your Heart Say
Out at Night
Without You Fine
Echoes in the Dark (Cramer/Staff)
Mangled Nerve Center
White Cross
Some People
I Wonder Why
Fever Dreams
Rude Seduction
Fabrications
Produced by Ronnie Cramer.
September 1, 1987
CVC
Alarming Trends' White Cross appears in the top ten independent videos cited by the CVC national video report
October 4, 1987
Teletunes
KBDI-TV
Ronnie Cramer and Aviators guitarist Dan Kenney host the show
October 5, 1987
Teletunes
KBDI-TV
Ronnie Cramer and Aviators guitarist Dan Kenney are interviewed by Rick Rock
November 6, 1987
Kingsman
Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY
Notes from the Subway
Alarming Trends is a Colorado based band that shows a great deal of promise. Their sound is supra-speed music with an in-your-face, all-over-your-existence beat. The group consists of Rebecca Watson on moody and seductive vocals, the powerful drums of Lonnie Ray, incredible, quicksilver-like bass of Michael Benson and the serious, but occasionally comical lead guitar of Ronnie Cramer.
You Make Me Live in a Trailer is a compilation of Alarming Trends' first two albums. The first five tracks on side one are from the original version of You make Me Live in a Trailer, released in 1987, plus a new instrumental titled 'X-15.' Side two is from their first album, Extended Play, released in 1986. Are you confused? Groovy.
'What Does Your Heart Say' and 'Some People' are actually kind of sweet in comparison to the slutty 'White Cross,' which really wipes me out. 'Mangled Nerve Center' starts off with a scream of involved 'pressure' and is close to the realization of psychomania (i.e. I loved it). 'Fever Dreams' has an enchanted entrance that is incredibly smooth in its execution.
This album is incredible. Watch out for Alarming Trends, they are going to be big. - Tammy Eisenburg
November 6, 1987
Kingsman
Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY
The Interview
Ronnie Cramer - the Mastermind behind Alarming Trends
Yes, this is indeed Alarming Trends week. After the CMJ convention, I finally got a chance to interview Mr. Cramer. He was an incredibly cool dude. I was to meet him at his hotel room at noon, but the trains did not move and I was late. Luckily, he was still asleep when I arrived. He opened his door and there he was - an incredibly tall guy with razor stubble and bloodshot eyes. He looked really dead, but was nice enough to humor me. And thus the interview...
Alarming Trends started in August of 1984. Since then, they have been playing all over the United States. 'We play colleges, bars, warehouses, and any place that asks us to show up with the guarantee of lodging, food and money.' These are three of the necessities of life, I suppose. 'If we play in a weird-enough place, people will show up since it's the only thing to do.' He describes his music. 'We play really loud. It's rock, and it's pretty fast. We're basically a post-New Wave guitar oriented, female vocalist sound.'
Ronnie Cramer with the help of his own label, Scorched Earth, does everything. He writes the songs and the lyrics, produces the albums, engineers the albums, makes the videos, and produces the album covers and the posters. He is expected to do everything! What fine fellow band members they are to leave everything up to Ronnie! It's all Ronnie's fault, however. At the University of Denver, he majored in Mass Communications and minored in Fine Arts, receiving his B.A. in 1985. his is what college does to an innocent student.
While working at an incredibly boring job at the local cable station, he decided to start Final Mix, a half-hour weekly set-up for which he tries to get all the things he'd like to see on television. Final Mix consists of 'weird film clips, rock music and art' of his own creation and the works of other artists and musicians.
Scorched Earth is a production company letterhead. It really consists of the four-track studio in his basement, his talent and his phone. He does commercials, industrial films and radio spots. The band, however, is his favorite part of his multi-faceted career.
The group is a pretty tight knit family that gets along well. The guys do have their differences, however. 'Occasionally I'm forced to strangle Lonnie Ray whenever we drive across country transporting the equipment. He sits and tells me drum stories for 1200 miles, 'Yeah, I once had this Ludwig set when I was 15 and I got these Zildjan cymbals...' and I'm like SHUT UP!' Ronnie continues, 'If you give him a chance, he'll tell drum stories until you drop!' Ah! The perils of the record business!
Although Michael Benson, the bass player, graduated from Colorado University, en enemy school, he is still loved. Rebecca Watson was obtained after she attended the last gig that Alarming Trends had with its original singer. She made a demo tape and was snatched up by the band.
Ronnie's plans for the future are very ambitious. First he intends to finish a thirty minute promotional film consisting of five or six songs strung together with a weird storyline. 'It's about two roommates who fight over food. They can't deal with each other, but live in the same house where all they do is watch television and eat. One of them is destroyed by 'some sort of alien life form' and the other just doesn't care. She takes her sandwich and eats it. Food and Destruction! Also lots of Watson's singing.'
Cramer gets his ideas from walking around at four in the morning in the cold. 'The weirder the situation, the better. Ideas such as hurling a fish, decapitating your buddies with a trout, or eating Cheerios out of a bathtub seem quite natural at 4 A.M.'
Ronnie is ready to record Alarming Trends' next album and is even prepared to listen to more drum stories. He would also like to make a full length film starring Watson. If he had more time, which seems to be in shortage, he would be doing more films, records and television. And it looks like he's going to be busy for a long time to come. - Laura Barbera
November 16, 1987
KRCC
Colorado Springs, CO
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
'I used to see your video on FM-TV/Teletunes and always wondered...now I know. Thanks.' - Lisa Rickenberg
November 17, 1987
WKFL
Lexington, KY
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 17, 1987
WLYX
Memphis, TN
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 17, 1987
KUOI
Moscow, ID
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 18, 1987
WDPS
Dayton, OH
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 18, 1987
KUMI
Cedar Falls, IA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 19, 1987
WIUS
Bloomington, IN
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 19, 1987
WBER
Henrietta, NY
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 20, 1987
WWSP-FM
Stevens Point, WI
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 20, 1987
KNLU-FM
Monroe, LA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 20, 1987
Student Echo
Chattanooga, TN
Alarming Trends You Make M Live in a Trailer
There is an alarming trend in music today - new bands, new ideas, and new music rarely make it to the record stores. One has to search out new talent by tuning in barely-audible college stations from far away towns, or go to seedy dives and slam dance one's way to the stage, or stay up until ungodly hours to catch alternative music and video shows.
That's what makes the alternative music scene fun. It also creates a lifestyle which feeds the scene. How else could the amphetamine-inspired underground hit 'White Cross' have such messageless appeal?
Probably it's because Alarming Trends, the Denver band that speeds its way through 'White Cross' and other similarly disturbed songs on its new album, live the underground life.
You Make Me Live in a Trailer is the album, Rocky Mountain artsy lowlife is the scene Alarming Trends both helped build and was built by.
In the true spirit of the underground scene, Ronnie Cramer (the Trends' combination PR/guitar man) has successfully packaged his group on a low, low budget. Cramer, the creative force behind the band, writes the songs, produces the videos (doing clip-art animation on his kitchen table), and provides the raw, drug-punk image and sound the Trends have adopted.
The album's 12 tracks run the gamut from the acoustic flavored 'What Does Your Heart Say' to thrash-velocity paeans to burnout like 'Mangled Nerve Center.' Most tracks lean towards onomatopoetically schizoid spoken-word punk songs, but vocalist Rebecca Watson's voice is equally affecting when she actually sings.
No, Alarming Trends are definitely not a 'message' band - they are a black-and-white, wild west version of the Talking heads, and they are the sort of rock 'n' rollers who could easily tiptoe around Tipper Gore's bouffant-fascist mentality and influence the young minds of America. I'd pay money to catch them live. - Chris Gilligan
November 20, 1987
WNEK-FM
Springfield, MA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 22, 1987
WCWM-FM
Williamsburg, VA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 22, 1987
KSCU
Santa Clara, CA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 23, 1987
KTEC
Klamath Falls, OR
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 23, 1987
KSPB
Salinas, CA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 24, 1987
WKDT
West Point, NY
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 24, 1987
KEOL-FM
La Grande, OR
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
'A very honest sounding record with minimal gloss and studio trickery. The guitars in the background give an almost ethereal quality - a signature sound. Overall, an amazing record. The guitarist must be from the Glenn Phillips/Leigh Stevens school.' - Mark O'Neill
November 24, 1987
KMLA
Santa Rosa, CA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 24, 1987
WKSR
Kent, OH
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 24, 1987
KRUI
Cedar Rapids, IA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 25, 1987
WVMW-FM
Scranton, PA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 25, 1987
University Press
Station to Station
Alarming Trends You Make Me Live in a Trailer
Why review an independent label release like 'You Make Me Live in a Trailer' by Alarming Trends? Because it's a good album.
Alarming Trends is a Denver-based rock band with an edge that has been around since 1984. It's members are Rebecca Watson, vocals; Ronnie Cramer, guitar; Michael Benson, bass; and Lonnie Ray, drums.
What makes this band special is that its hard-edged, driving music is mixed with a sultry voice in the person of Watson.
Witness 'What Does Your Heart Say,' a five-minute masterpiece that just won't go out of your mind.
Also, 'X-15' is a ballad that showcases Watson's vocal styles.
But don't count Alarming Trends out of the rock arena. 'Out at Night,' 'Without You Fine' and 'White Cross,' a song about amphetamines, are all worthy of the title 'rock 'n' roll.'
Cramer, who is the catalyst of the band, describes the music as '...like little movies without pictures' - and that they are.
'Out at Night,' where the album's name comes from, is a woman's argument about her husband's neglecting her, and Cramer describes 'Without You Fine' as the sequel.
But there are other songs on the album that defy easy definition, such as 'Echoes in the Dark,' 'Mangled Nerve Center' and 'Fever Dreams,' but they are just as good.
Alarming Trends is not a hardcore band, but it has a hard edge - a hard edge worth listening to. - Bryan Murley
November 26, 1987
WUTS
Sewanee, TN
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
November 26, 1987
WNMC-FM
Traverse City, MI
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
'Fuzz guitar power with strong songs and distinctive vocals.' - Kevin Tomaszewski
November 29, 1987
KUCB
Boulder, CO
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
'I loved this one so much we pushed it into heavy rotation with my personal blessings.' - John White
December 1987
KUOI
Moscow, ID
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 1987
KGNU
Boulder, CO
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 2, 1987
WORB
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 3, 1987
El Paisano
Midland College, Midland, TX
Group makes alarming debut
Alarming Trends, A Denver-based quartet, has just released their debut album, You Make Me Live in a Trailer, and it's a winner.
The group's focal points are writer-guitarist-producer Ronnie Cramer and sultry vocalist Rebecca Watson. Cramer, a film student, and Watson met in the art department of the University of Denver.
So what does Alarming Trends sound like? Sparse, guitar-based melodies and tight garage-band rhythm form the backdrop for Watson's amazing voice, which manages to sound jazzy, withdrawn and punked-out at the same time.
The songs, rather than being odes to teenage love and parties in the pop tradition, concern gritty themes in general: betrayal, disordered mental states, isolation - a sense of being ditched downtown by the one you thought you loved.
However, the band, especially in numbers like What Does Your Heart Say, White Cross, Fabrications and Out at Night does have a great pop sense and writes catchy melodies to grab your attention. Other songs, like Mangled Nerve Center, are more aggressive .
Alarming Trends sound akin to Concrete Blonde, an LA-based rock band, or Berlin, with the keyboard removed and more guitar added. I like it a lot. - George Reed
December 3, 1987
WUNH
Durham, NH
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 3, 1987
The Globe
Point Park College, Pittsburgh, PA
Alarming Denver band sets rock trend
'If I drone on too much, let me know,' Alarming Trends guitarist Ronnie Cramer said. Even if he did 'drone on,' the leader of the Rocky Mountain region's hottest band certainly did not make boring conversation.
But that's getting ahead of things. After all, Alarming Trends may be the hottest thing since sliced bread in the Western part of the United States, but they're still largely unknown east of Kansas City. Not for long, however.
Cramer is a man for all seasons when it comes to his band, which he once described for a music magazine as a 'post new-wave female vocalist.' he not only writes most of the band's material and plays guitar, but also heads its label, Scorched Earth Records, and shoots and directs its videos. And this is in his spare time.
In 'real life,' Cramer is married and heads the Scorched Earth Production Co., which is responsible for a weekly cable television program, 'Final Mix.' A video anthology of music videos and film clips, the program currently is seen in Denver and parts of Colorado.
'I'd like less of a work load and maybe a secretary for myself,' he said, 'I guess because I'm interested in so many things it's natural for me. If I had an assistant it would be great.'
Still, Alarming Trends is a quartet and not a dictatorship, and Cramer said the rest of the band, vocalist Rebecca Watson, bass player Michael Benson and drummer Lonnie Ray, will get around to becoming more active in the creative aspect of Alarming Trends.
'Seventy-five or 90 percent of the stuff we play I've written,' Cramer said. On the band's first full-length record, 'You Make me Live in a Trailer,' Cramer wrote 11 of the disc's songs. He co-wrote the 12th with a former bandmate.
If I have an idea for a verse, I always ask them if someone could come up with a chorus or bridge,' he said. 'We are an original music band and Watson is going to get around to it (help writing music). I've got this tape with 60 songs with no lyrics, and I've asked her to come up with anything for any of these.'
And it's not like the rest of the band doesn't have any musical talent. Far from it.
Rebecca Watson is a classically trained pianist who has experience as a jazz vocalist. 'I always say add some piano or lyrics, but she never gets around to them,' Cramer said. 'She's really good on the piano, but she's never jammed with us. She's not used to improvisation.'
Lonnie Ray was a 'typical rock drummer, jamming with Led Zeppelin on a tape with his headphones on.' Both he and bassist Benson were in another band called Aluminum Beach before hooking up with Alarming Trends. Benson was 'essentially a guitarist when I met him, but he switched to bass when Aluminum Beach needed one.'
Cramer's experience goes back ten years when he 'decided to get an acoustic guitar and a Neil Young song book. That's how I learned to play, from a Neil Young song book.'
He later became interested in music theory and found it seemed to apply to all instruments, not just guitar. He soon picked up keyboards and bass. His new-found talents were applied to the soundtracks he was making at the time for his films. Eventually, he did some tapes of instrumentals on which he played all the music. 'It was kind of self-indulgent to do,' Cramer admitted.
As for his interest in films, Cramer said that goes back to when he was a 'teeny kid and some neighbors had an 8mm, really ancient camera. Technically, it was really horrible.'
That was about 1970 and as he grew up, his interest never flagged. Continuing through high school and college, it seemed 'the further along I got, the better the equipment was.'
Alarming Trends came along in 1984, when Cramer, Benson and Ray got together to record music for Cramer's films. As their repertoire grew, so did their desire to play live. He said the name 'Alarming Trends' didn't address any particular trend in particular, because there were a lot of alarming trends.
Another female vocalist sand a few times before leaving the band. Within a short period pf time, however, Watson joined.
Although Cramer is the driving force behind the band, Watson is the star. 'I don't mind her getting the attention; she's much more attractive than me. I've no qualms about being behind her.'
One area Watson is prominent in is the band's videos. She has the center stage most of the time, and the rest of the band appear only momentarily, if at all.
In the video for 'White Cross,' she shares the spotlight with a trout. But this is no normal trout, because it beheads several people in the film and flies.
The band's live sound, Cramer said, is much like the record except it's 'very loud' and drenched with 'guitar feedback. We have a tendency to play faster on stage.'
Alarming Trends plays about 50 dates a year in the Western part of the country, although Cramer said he would like the band to get more Eastern and Southern coverage. Expanding its horizons is rough now, because all the band members hold steady jobs.
But in the area where currently they are well known, Alarming Trends has been received well. There was one exception, however.
'We had this gig in a college town called Fort Collins, which is about 60 miles north of Denver. Somebody obviously knew who we were because they invited us up to play the weekend,' he said.
The band went up expecting a college crowd, but instead got 'Walpurgis Night. It was just hell, like Altamont or that Blues Brothers movie. that was the only negative response we've received,' Cramer said.
Besides expanding its listening audience, Cramer said he'd like to see the band make a film about music. 'Not a documentary, but something like 'Knife in the Water' or 'Repo Man,'' he said. 'It would have live performance, but it would be some sort of strange film hybrid. It would be weird and wacky.
'Now if I can only convince the others to get involved.' - John Schuck
December 3, 1987
The Globe
Point Park College, Pittsburgh, PA
'Trailer' sounds Alarm
What do you get when you mix late '70s Pretenders with early Berlin and add a touch of Blondie? The answer is Denver's Alarming Trends.
Although the band has been around since 1984 and have two six-song cassettes out, the Trends are only now getting national exposure with their first full-length album, 'You Make Me Live in a Trailer,' on Scorched Earth Records.
The 12-song album opens with the gently rocking, folk-flavored 'What Does Your Heart Say,' a cut which ignites toward the end.
Following this is 'Out at Night,' the song which gave the album its name. In it singer Rebecca Watson snarls, 'You make me live in a trailer.'
What 'Trailer' shows is a competent, talented band. The guitar work of Ronnie Cramer, who writes most of the band's material, goes from an angry buzz saw to moody reeds on the smoldering album.
Holding up the rhythms, bassist Michael Benson and Lonnie Ray do quite well. On several songs Benson handles the duties that might otherwise be filled by a rhythm guitar on his bass.
Most of Cramer's lyrics have to do with psychotic wives/lovers who become Edgar Allen Poe-like ghouls to their mates. Watson's vocals, which go from near-chants to spine-chilling warbles, add to the macabre feel of the album.
On 'Echoes in the Dark,' the Trends travel through a nightmarish journey - complete with primal screams - through the dark passages of the mind. 'mangled Nerve center' is a killer thrash piece.
Closing side one is the instrumental 'X-15,' a science fiction-flavored tune reminiscent of the neat music often backing low budget films or a Japanese space cartoon. But Cramer is a film maker.
Throughout 'Trailer' there is a sleek European feel. For a comparison, listen to Berlin's 'Metro.'
But the album does have some problems. First, Watson's voice, at times, sounds like it is merely placed unharmoniously over the music. This is especially true on 'Without You Fine' and 'White Cross.'
Second, some musical portions of the album sound like they were recorded over phone lines. Thanks to the band's collective talents, however, the Trends overcome these problems.
On 'Some People,' Benson and Cramer deliver a musical one-two punch, and Watson purrs the lyrics completing the knockout; 'I Wonder Why' is a Pretenders-like, tear-it-up track and 'Rude Seduction' is kind of like Berlin meets '2112'-era Rush.
With a dance beat and plenty of musical hooks, Alarming Trends ought to lure people in this part of the country to its side. The band has a certain feel to its music, unlike the current trend of wimp and cover pop on today's radio - which is alarming. - John Schuck
December 4, 1987
WDNR
Philadelphia, PA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 4, 1987
WUTS
Sewanee, TN
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 4, 1987
WCSB
Cleveland, OH
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 4, 1987
WSHL-FM
Brockton, MA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 5, 1987
WLNT
Lansing, MI
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 6, 1987
WMLN
Milton, MA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 7, 1987
KHSU-FM
Arcata, CA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 8, 1987
KSMC
Oakland, CA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 9, 1987
WESU
New Haven, CT
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 11 , 1987
KUNM
Albuquerque, NM
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 11, 1987
The Independent
Durango, CO
Every once in a while, a band comes along that is so new, so fresh, so different, that listeners are taken by storm. Denver's Alarming Trends are one such band. The group took me by storm.
The Alarming Trends are led by Ronnie Cramer, a virtual jack-of-all-trades. Cramer founded the band's label, Scorched Earth records, and produces other bands that are signed to the label, like The Things You Say and Bitch Bitch Bitch, both from Denver. Cramer also produces a weekly television program that is seen along the Front Range. The show, entitled Final Mix, features music, art and culture, three of Cramer's favorite pastimes.
Although Cramer handles the technical side of Alarming Trends, the band's vocalist, Rebecca Watson, is the shining star. Her vocal range is diverse, being as emotional as Patty Donohue yet as piercing and alarming as Siouxsie. Throughout all of tracks, she portrays sheer sultriness.
The rhythm section of Alarming Trends can't be forgotten either. Drummer Lonnie Ray and bassist Michael Benson have been together since 1983, and joined Cramer's band in 1984. Ray's style at times resembles a young Stewart Copeland during his early Police days, while at other times he simply lays down a solid beat. Benson is solid, too, yet is rough enough around the edges to give the Trends a rocking sound.
It isn't really possible to assign the Trends a single sound - they're just too diverse. Cramer and his mates blend various reggae and acoustic sounds on the album's first cut, 'What Does Your Heart Say.' Later in the tune, Cramer blends in with near-thrash guitar, which makes this cut one of my favorites on the LP.
Watson's vocals on the second song, 'Out at Night,' as well as Benson's eerie bass line help create a number similar to many techno-punk efforts by bands such as Skinny Puppy.
Cramer, who wrote music and lyrics for all of the album's twelve songs, did an impressive job creating a cynical atmosphere for Watson on the third track, 'Without You Fine,' as well as the next effort, 'Echoes in the dark,' The macabre screaming echoing in the background blends well with Cramer's bluesy guitar solo - perhaps his most spirited work on the album.
The Trends definitely thrash out on 'Mangled Nerve Center,' just as the title suggests. The rhythm duo of Ray and Benson excels on this track, and with Watson's piercing vocals and Cramer's reverb-backed guitar, the band succeeds in achieving yet another sound.
Side A concludes with an instrumental piece entitled 'X-15.' Ray, Cramer and Benson all shine here. Although the band is the first to admit that Watson is their feature attraction, the talent of each of her bandmates is shown here. Even if it doesn't rival Zeppelin's 'Moby Dick,' it is still an ample piece of raw instrumental talent.
The first cut on side B, 'White Cross,' was the band's first video clip. he video, a true alternative to the blandness of MTV, features the band members getting decapitated by dead trout. The song is truly progressive. While the rest of the band is solid on this track, drummer Lonnie Ray jams.
Watson's vocals are softer and more melodic on 'Some People,' yet the sound of the band is still tough. The Trends that ballads don't have to be whimpy and tender to be pleasant. Ray is solid on this track, too, and Cramer's rhythm guitar chords are effective. Although Benson's bass is limited to the background on this number, its presence is still felt.
Another featured song on side two is 'Fever Dreams,' a second ballad. Cramer's guitar is absolutely psychedelic here, but is overshadowed by Watson's most impressive vocal effort. Her voice is truly lovely here. Ray and Benson provide the solid beat once again.
Michael Benson's bass is turned up for 'Rude Seduction' and he seems to be enjoying the limelight, pounding out a dominating bass sound. The hearty solo by Cramer doesn't hurt this cut, either.
The band's second video clip, 'Fabrications,' rounds out the album. Although the song isn't as catchy as 'White Cross,' it is still a worthy effort. The band meshes well here - Watson is sultry, Cramer is rough, Benson and Ray are rhythmic.
I can only recommend this album. Although I'm a fan of male-dominated classic rock, I tend to be bored with it from time to time. 'You Make Me Live in a Trailer' never bores. The Trends should finally put Colorado on the musical map. Check them out sometime. - Christopher J. Aaland
December 14, 1987
WFIB
Cincinnati, OH
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 15, 1987
KXCI
Tucson, AZ
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 16, 1987
WNDY
Lafayette, IN
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 17, 1987
KBCC
Bakersfield, CA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
'Really liked it. Audience responds to it! Great stuff!' - Jeff Chaucer
December 23, 1987
Westword
Danny Kenney, former guitarist for the Aviators, has teamed up with original Aves drummer Bob Sawyer and longtime Alarming Trends leader Ronnie Cramer (on bass) to form a new band, The Things You Say. The group debuts December 26 at The Broadway, 1082 Broadway. - Gil Asakawa
December 26, 1987
The Broadway
11th & Broadway, Denver, CO
The Things You Say (members of Alarming Trends and The Aviators), Last Shreds of Decency
December 26, 1987
Billboard
Album Releases
ALARMING TRENDS
You Make Me Live in a Trailer
LP Scorched Earth SE-87406/$8.98
CA SE-87406/$8.98
December 28, 1987
WRHU-FM
Long Island, NY
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 29, 1987
KFSR
Fresno, CA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 30, 1987
WYCC
Oxford, OH
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
December 30, 1987
KSSB
San Bernardino, CA
Alarming Trends added to station playlist
'Wild guitar sounds in 'Fever Dreams.' R. Watson has a voice that compliments the various artistic qualities of this band. Great stuff.' - Scott Stierl
December 31, 1987
Rockpool
Station to Station
Alarming Trends You Make Me Live in a Trailer
(Scorched Earth) has some light harmony-laden pop. Rebecca Watson has a sweet voice and croons interestingly. She never gets low enough for my taste (I have a problem with sopranos) but she harmonizes well and the guitars play textures against each other. This is the band to play if your audience has trouble with more grinding noise. 'What Does Your Heart Say,' 'White Cross' and the instrumental 'X-15' are the best pop. - Megan McLaughlin
