There was nothing Sunday-sized about the crowd at SPACE last weekend, when Michael T. Fournier and Zeth Lundy took turns reading from their books, both part of Continuum Press's 33 1/3 series. The series, which so far features 67 volumes with 67 different authors, covers music albums in around 150 pages or less.
The two organized the evening when they discovered that they had both written volumes, and both live in Maine. To all outward appearances, that was the only connection to be made between their vastly different subjects. After all, Fournier wrote about 1984's Double Nickels on the Dime by The Minutemen, while Lundy covered Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life (1976). Lucky for the PBR-sipping seated crowd, Lundy started his talk by pulling it all together.
"Punk music is made by or for the underdog, the disillusioned. You can term soul music that way too."
He then went on to describe the more political aspects of Stevie Wonder's lyrics. Fournier later turned things around by sharing the dorkier aspects of the Minutemen.
After each revealed some of their research, and read passages from their writing, local punks Huak took the stage to play a set of Minutemen cover songs, which clearly pleased Fournier.
"I think of [Huak drummer] Mike Cunnane as the kingpin of Portland," he said.
With the average Minutemen song lasting around 80 seconds, the set was short, but a perfect way to round out the evening, and provide clear examples of the points of Fournier's presentation. The only thing that could have made the evening more complete would have been a set of Stevie Wonder covers. Instead, Huak entertained the crowd with one original before calling it a night.
