AFTER 2-YEAR BREAK, BROKEN SPECTACLES COMES BACK IN FOCUS

Sun Sentinel – Fort Lauderdale

LOCAL ALL EDITIONS

Everybody get ready to give a great big welcome-back round of applause to a band that doesn’t see the world through rose-colored glasses. That’s because the band, Broken Spectacles, took two years off so the members could reassess, regroup and re-evaluate just what it was they were doing gathering glowing press and writing great songs, but playing themselves ragged and getting offered deals they didn’t want.

The time off was well spent. The key word, according to head Spectacle Ed Hale, is “autonomy. The only way to do it right is to do it ourselves.”

Are they ever. This band not only shoots their own videos, but Ed owns the studio, Jeeters in Hollywood, where the band holed up and recorded their self- titled debut album on their CDTV label to be released later this fall.

Jeeters is a full service studio with a repair shop, in-house promotions, a referral service, music lessons, video services and too much more. Why go anywhere else?

I gotta tell you, this 14-song release got deeper under my skin with each listen. It`s lushly produced, with intelligent and hard-to- shake melodies. For a young band (the members are all in their mid- 20s) these songs have age and experience written all over them. Ain`t it Hard and Nowhere are as good as anything on the market, local or national.

In addition to the music, the Specs have a full-out visual show planned for their July 30 debut at

Washington Square

. Four video monitors and half of the objects d`art in Ed`s house will be hanging out on the stage with the band. The guys played me a sample of the videos they will be screening, including pool frolicking, various computer-generated trippy patterns and even a drag show. Nice legs, Ed.

The lineup is Matthew Sabatella on bass and vocals, Dave Rubenstein on guitar and vocals, Donnie Jacobsen on drums, Andrew Fellerman on drums (yes, two drummers), Lisa “Noodles” Hayden on keys and the aforementioned Ed with the great gams on vocals and guitar.

I`m sorry I missed these guys the first time around, but I won`t miss out the second.

See you at the Specs!

Sandra Schulman has been staying up to catch the last band for years. Her column appears every other week. Send info to The Local Scene, Entertainment Dept., Sun-Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd.,

Fort Lauderdale, Fl. 33301.

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