from Showcase Chicago, July 1998, Vol. 6, Issue 7, page 13


Ralph Covert & The Bad Examples
The Two-Meter Sessions
Waterdog Records

This 1998 release by the Bad Examples was actually recorded in 1992, at VARA studios - the Dutch national radio station - during the band's first European tour. Recorded live using rented acoustic instruments, The Two-Meter Sessions brings an unusual intimacy to a CD. The songs are both familiar and refreshing, and the album takes its name from the title of the radio program, which in turn refers to host Jan (JD) Douwe's height, and to the size of his internationally known sound booth.

Included with the CD is a twenty page or so chronicle of the trip by Ralph Covert. Excerpts from his own personal journal punctuated with candid photos, and dedicated to the late John Duich, make this contribution enjoyable listening and interesting reading. Stories of the adventures behind the stage lights reveal antics and situations - going door to door in Gilse, a small Holland town, trying to find a telephone to do a live radio link interview with Chicago's Ed Tyll, for instance - which help to strengthen the connection between [audience] and performers, and they add a certain appreciation factor. The band may be famous, but they can miss their plane, too, and sometimes their showers don't work either.

The Two-Meter Sessions highlights Covert's songwriting craft skills; the lyrics are comprehendible on every cut, the first time through. Duich, along with Pickles Piekarski, lends vocals, guitar and bass and Terry Wathen pitches in on drums and percussion. A "must have" for any Bad Examples fan, this album would be a welcome addition to good music collection.

--Karen Martorano