The Seattle Times
March 12, 1991, Tuesday, Final Edition
SECTION: ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT; Pg. B2
LENGTH: 485 words
HEADLINE: JELLYFISH SWIMS IN A SEA OF PSYCHEDELIA
BYLINE: BY PATRICK MACDONALD
BODY:

Jellyfish and the First Thought last night at the Backstage.
by Patrick MacDonald
Times staff critic

     Get out the love beads, Martha, the '60s are back.
     "The Doors" movie is just one sign of the resurgence of the
psychedelic era. Last night at the Backstage a San Francisco band
called Jellyfish looked and sounded like something from a late-'60s
time warp. Even before the foursome hit the stage, the tone 
was set by the flowers - including big fake daisies - intertwined
on the microphone stands, the red and green Christmas-tree lights
strung on a miniature picket fence, and the silent machine that
wafted big wet bubbles over the audience.
     The band bounded on stage in Day-Glo costumes and silly hats
- including a red fireman's cap - and the very first notes brought
giggles from the packed crowd. It was the urgent, pounding,
melodramatic organ intro to Argent's immortal "Hold Your Head Up."
 The group played the song straight, all the way through, like they
really meant it.
     That sense of humor - so rare in rock - was sustained through
the whole set, right to the encore of Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own
Way," which moved the time element up to the late '70s. Joining
Jellyfish for the rousing closer were two members of Seattle'
s own favorite retro band, the Posies, Jonathan Auer and Ken
Stringfellow.
     Jellyfish lead singer/drummer Andy Sturmer kept comparing
Seattle bands to San Francisco bands, making the point that Seattle
has the better scene these days, as compared to the '60s when San
Francisco reigned supreme. "Seattle's got Soundgarden and the 
Posies," he observed. "San Francisco's got Nightranger and Greg
Kihn. . . . You have Mudhoney. We have Santana."
     Sturmer played drums standing up, joining the rest of the
group in a line across the front of the stage. Roger Manning played
keyboards and strong lead guitar, Jason Falkner played rhythm
guitar, and Chris Manning, Roger's brother, played bass. All four 
contributed to the vocal harmonies, which were in a Hollies vein.
     Those harmonies, along with Beatles-like harmonica and
Hendrix-like wah-wah guitar, helped create a sense of goofy
nostalgia that made Jellyfish instantly likable. The band is young
and full of potential, but it already has a strong sense of style
and a 
quirky individuality.
     Most of the tunes came from the band's debut album,
"Bellybutton," including the first single and video, "The King Is
Half Undressed." Among the other cover tunes were Badfinger's "No
Matter What" and a hilariously accurate rendering of Paul
McCartney's 
"Jet."
     The show opened with a tight, eclectic set by the First
Thought, which showed influences ranging from U2 to rap to Top 40
pop. The Seattle band created a little nostalgia of its own with a
cover of the Beatles' "She Said She Said."