Into the Groovy #53 - "Vera Blue"

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Into the Groovy #53 takes us to Washington D.C., where the industrial band Chemlab formed in the mid-80's. Led by vocalist/guitarist Jared Louche (who was the band's only constant,) Chemlab played a guitar-heavy, rock-based brand of industrial music. Their debut album Burnout at the Hydrogen Bar is, as far as I'm concerned, an industrial classic, and their 1996 release East Side Militia wasn't none-too-bad, either. A highlight of East Side Militia is "Vera Blue," which is a far cry from the muscular metal/industrial sounds of the rest of the record. It was a long time ago, so I don't remember where I read this, but "Vera Blue" is supposedly based upon a gun runner that the band knew. The song also contains a made-up word, which Louche was known for doing when real words wouldn't fit his lyrics. In this case, he came up with "Andricon ." Don't let the industrial tag scare you away. "Vera Blue" is a bit more subtle than your normal, noisy industrial tune.