PUBLIC SERVANTS — (left to right) Larry Snell, Chris Manos, Mike Hood, Alex Spyropoulos, and Lou Fuiano. (Photo by Gregg Kirk)

By GREGG KIRK
Big Shout Magazine, February 1991

Recipe for Musical Goulash:

• One Chris Manos (guitar, vocals) a.k.a. Rude
• One Alex Spyropoulos (bass, vocals) a.k.a. Ali
• One Lou Fuiano (sax, vocals) a.k.a. True Lou
• One Larry Snell (drums, vocals) a.k.a. Ace
• One Mike Hood (horns, vocals) a.k.a. Mikey
• The musical stylings of rap, ska, funk, reggae, world beat, jazz, and alternative rock
• An explosive live delivery
• A will to survive
• A strong sense of public awareness
• A bulldog like tenacity
• A bottle of tequila
• A case of beer

Start with “skrap-stylin'” dude Chris Manos as a junior at Penn State in 1983, saute with influences such as Madness, the Clash, the Specials, and the English Beat. Mix with covers of said influences for two years, season with a few personnel changes over five years, and present tastes of this mixture to clubs from Boston to Texas while adding original songs along the way. Play several benefit concerts to inherit a name, add veteran soundman Chris Sullivan to help shape the sound and make it consistent, and introduce John Ware of Momentum Design to help with financial problems, art direction, and gnarley T-shirts. Simmer with the final ingredients of Ali, True Lou, Ace, and Mikey for about three years, never let the mixture cool, and it’s ready to serve.

Serving Suggestions: Add garnishes of tequila and beer on a week night in January at an apartment in South Philly, and try to live to tell about it — or at least try to remember enough to tell about it.

General Public

And so it was that on such a night last month, I found myself swilling beer, pounding shots of tequila, and trading war stories with the Philly band Public Service?! After seeing them for the first time in a showcase performance in Austin, TX at the South by Southwest Music and Media Conference last year, I never quite recovered from the incredible surge of energy that spilled from the stage that night. The impact of this performance left me hungry to find out more about the band and what was behind their manic intensity. Little did I know that the group was particularly “on” that night in Austin and it marked a crossroads for them in terms of a rise in their acclaim both nationally and locally. But while their renown has reached a fever pitch outside their hometown, there are a number of things perplexing the band.

“A Bad Nite in Philly”

“We feel like in Philadelphia we’re trying to promote a new, unique thing that the city has never had before,” says Manos. “And it really seems strange that it’s like we’re being ignored by the radio stations around here because we don’t get played by anybody.”

“Well, I don’t think we’re being ignored,” interjects songwriter and musical arranger Mike Hood. “It seems like this kind of thing — ‘Oh yeah, Public Service?! We saw them; they’re really great,'” Hood imitates an imaginary radio station employee. “Well, why don’t you play them?” he asks himself and then shrugs at the same time.

“We put out our tape Somebody Scream! in April, and ‘MMR played us one, ‘XPN played us one…” says Manos. “What are we doing that is less legitimate and less worthy of airplay than any band in this area — in the tri-state area? I mean, there are other bands that are getting continuous play, and I don’t know, maybe we’re not friends of the DJs. You know, if that’s what it takes… ” he trails off.

Don’t get the impression that the band has a sourgrapes attitude or harbors any resentment towards any local bands. In fact, the opposite is true. Each member has nothing but good to say about the entire scene. The fact that they work so hard and have amassed a substantial following and yet have reaped precious few rewards is a particularly tough pill for the group to swallow.

“I don’t know what it is,” says Manos. “But it’s so much harder to make a solid hit in our own city, and we travel outside of the city and it’s like we’ve brought something new and exciting to their market.”

“It’s not that we don’t have a big following here in Philly,” says drummer Larry Snell. “We do have a crowd that follows us around pretty much, and getting the people out is no problem. We can stand on our own.”

“And that’s a good thing,” Adds Hood. “But as everyone knows, having an enormous following does not a record label attract — hence the Daves. It’s a sad thing because there was an ass-kickin’ band.”

“Matter of Time”

The group has resolved to stick to their guns in the face of these things, and they’ve adopted the “good things come to those who wait” philosophy. The glue that keeps them together is the fact that the pleasure from group songwriting and live playing are in themselves rewards, and that keeps each member uncannily happy.

“Our sound is really starting to come together,” remarks saxman Lou Fuiano with unbridled enthusiasm. “Everyone in the band is becoming much more comfortable and locked in with what each of us is trying to do. It’s GREAT! When we get together, it’s exciting to see it happen.”

One of the more remarkable things about the line up is that not only do they write the music as a group, they actually collaborate on lyrics as well.

“It comes in different forms,” says Fuiano of the creative process. “Like sometimes the ideas might be very developed. A lot of times when Mike brings a song in it’s pretty developed. But other times Chris will bring in something, or Larry will bring in something and we arrange the horns around the rhythm they write.”

“A lot of the newer songs that we’re working on, we’re collaborating on them from start to finish,” says Manos. “I think the reason that we’ve been able to collaborate on lyrics is that because in the last year and a half that we’ve been together, the band has been experiencing all of these different experiences together. Once we start talking about these things, it’s like this vibe starts generating in the room. I swear you can almost feel it. It’s like everybody’s feeding off each other, and one thing will lead to another. Sometimes these songs write themselves just by us brainstorming and spewing stuff out.”

“It’s easy to work this way because we’re not like a band of egos,” says bassist Alex Spyropoulos. “We never say, ‘No, I wanna do it my way.’ Whenever we get pissed off we’ll talk about it, and it’s up front. The worst thing in a band is to have all of this shit smoldering underneath.

Musical Goulash

“The group is really about everybody getting together and taking the music to a higher plane,” says Manos. “The sum of our efforts is far greater than what I think each of us could do individually, and that’s not to say say about any of the talents of the people that are in the band. It’s so weird. I can’t explain it, and I don’t ever want to try to, but when this band comes together, it’s like the force is with us… (laughs). I don’t know how to say it any other way. I can come up wit an idea, and I’ll express it to these guys, and at the end of the practice, it’s a song. I feel so lucky I’m involved with these cats.”

And what about their trademark diversity of musical styles?

“It’s in ‘ere!” laughs Fuiano, mocking a popular spaghetti sauce ad.

“It’s musical goulash,” says Manos. “If you told somebody about Public Service?! the first thing they would say is ska. I think if you listen to Somebody Scream! that’ll change your mind tremendously. It’s a curse but it’s also a blessing. If you’re a person who listens to music and feels like being challenged by some really creative people, Public Service?! is a band you should at least go see live because we’ll run the gamut of musical styles from A to Z, and then backwards, and the upside down, and then while we’re in the air… (laughs).

“Our marketing ploy is to present alternative ideas but with a bit of accessibility,” he continues. “There are some bands who do it who are real dissonant that if you’re in tune with that wave, you can get it. But if not, you look at them like it’s smelling a little funny. When we first started playing, people were walking around like, ‘What the hell are these guys doing?’ Now if people see us they don’t say that anymore. They say, ‘Why aren’t you guys signed yet?'”

“Rude Awakening”

So whey aren’t they signed yet?!

That seems to be the big question mark with the exclamation point for the group.

“I think the main drawback is we don’t’ really have a person that is promoting us yet,” admits Manos. “We do have a couple of people waiting in the wings. We released our cassette less than one year ago. Obviously this is the kind of thing that doesn’t happen overnight. I think that maybe with just a little bit more perseverance people may actually see Public Service?! get a record deal. It’s my dream to get this group signed by May. If it can happen, that’s the best thing we can do, and if it doesn’t, then we’ll just keep going from there. The main thing is Public Service?! ain’t goin’ away. It ain’t goin’ away. We’re going to be here forever.”

“Chris is talking about raising a family so they can carry equipment,” laughs Fuiano. “Well be around for a long time.”

And afterall, doesn’t a good helping of goulash stay with you for a while?