And as much as I want to stay in bed and do nothing, I feel like I should be up and about doing SOMETHING.
But I'm drained.
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Get ready for another collection of Americana/Folk music. Where we last left off, I was talking about "The Boss".
With this entry, I thought I'd talk about one of my favorite American folk/protest singer: Harry Chapin. I discovered him in the 7th grade, while driving in the passenger seat with Mr Schemling to Yosemite National Park.
We were listening to Mister Mister and Harry Chapin. I loved the songs I heard so much that he made cassette tapes of some of his more famous songs like "Taxi" and "Cats in the Cradle".
There were other songs that I loved, of course. The epic "The Mayor of Candor Lied", original appeared on On the Road to Kingdom Come (1976). I have never seen that CD, but I eventually got the song from a 3-disc box set called Story of a Life.
It may have impacted me different when I was younger, but I have always imagined it to make a great movie: two love-torn lovers, a blackmail, and "a deal made in hell". There is a twist in the song, so you must listen to this all the way to the end when you find out why Coleen never returned from holiday.
Martyn Joseph later covered this song on his 1999 album, Far From Silent, which I didn't like it too much. He made a clumsy attempt at changing the lyrics at the end...
Incidentally, I was listening to some of his songs, you know, for old time's sake. In my modest collection of 70 Chapin songs, I have noticed that I often liked his live versions much better than the studio version. They are usually full of interaction and often the lyrics were changed. Check out the opening track "Dreams Goes By" from his Greatest Stories Live, it would've been amazing to see him live.
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MATT KEATING
mattkeating.com ♥ myspace.com
When I first saw that this was a two-disc release (23 tracks) for Quixotic, I must confess, I was a little overwelm. After I gave the first disc a listen, it went down really easy. Many of the songs are standard length (3 or 4 minutes), and they seem to be to be heartland rock. Although his biography would also lists him as "urban, indie rock". However, this quote from producer Gary Maurer really sums it up:
Reading on why Quixotic was split into two discs, Keating wanted to bring back the album concept. Think of "Disc 1" as "Side A" and you get the idea. Each side/CD is about fifty minutes of music (the album in its entirety is about an hour) and each side is design to play like a musical journey - with its mix of songs to keep you interested, to the slow and quiet song to end one side and ease you to the flipside. Many of the songs on his Quixotic seems to be about travelling and locations ("St. Cloud", "Louisiana", "Runaway Clown", "Now We're Home", "Road to Ruin", "Romeoville", "Valhalla Waltz", etc), you get the impression that Keating's been around. I believe he's refering to St Cloud, Minnesota, you can grab the free MP3 song from his website. I thought "Louisiana" was the best song on Side A, I especially love hearing this rocking music with its heartbreaking lyrics and its catchy chorus: "here in looooo-wee-zee-anna". Maybe it's just me, but it seems like Side B is about relationship ("Do You Want (To Not Be Lonely with Me)", "Before My Wife Gets Home", "Love Ain't"). Great songs, check out "As Much as You Can Bear" and "Love Ain't", these two songs really stood out for me. Before you know, the short violin/piano piece of "Valhalla Waltz" indicates the journey is about to end and the slow-paced, acoustic "Book of Changes" closes the album. Quixotic will be officially released July 7th, you can buy it directly from indiekazoo.com or the usual places (amazon, iTunes). It looks like he'll be doing a tour to support the album, so see him if you can:
07/10/08 The Living Room New York
07/12/08 Coffee East Easton, Maryland 07/13/08 The Tin Angel Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 07/14/08 The Galaxy Hut Arlington, Virginia 07/17/08 The Pour House Raleigh, North Carolina 07/19/08 The Bluebird Cafe Nashville, Tennessee 07/25/08 Horseshoe Chicago 07/26/08 Magdlaenas Tea House East Lansing, Michigan 08/12/08 The Cinema Bar Los Angeles, California 08/21/08 Comet Tavern Seattle, Washington 09/05/08 Village Tavern Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin 09/13/08 Common Grounds Lexington, Kentucky 09/14/08 The Milestone Charlotte, North Carolina 09/15/08 The Cave Chapel Hill, North Carolina 09/19/08 Housing Works New York 09/24/08 Frequency Madison, Wisconsin 09/28/08 Club Cafe Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
ABIGAIL WASHBURN
abigailwashburn.com ♥ myspace.com
Abigail Washburn wants you to know that she's a "banjo pickin' girl" on "Banjo Pickin' Girl", what sounds like a different take on a traditional song. There's plenty of banjo picking on this album, but this time she has an orchestra, The Sparrow Quartet (Bela Fleck, Ben Sollee, Casey Driessen), to back her up. To be honest, I first heard of her writing about her celloist, Ben Sollee, but looking at her discography, she was already well-established as a bluegrass/folk banjo musician. I've been bicycling to work and I put on her latest album, Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet (just released in May) to listen to, and this Chinese song came up that made me stop on the trail. I had to open up my iPod to look at the song title: "Sugar & Pie". At first I was confused, then I thought maybe it's gaelic or something, it possibly couldn't be Chinese? I later found out that she actually began her music career playing throughout China, doing a ten plus dates with a group of friends. She recalls:
In addition to "Sugar & Pie", I was pleasantly surprise that she has other Chinese songs on the album, "Taiyang Chulai" and "Journey Home". If you're wondering, she does sing in English, be sure to check out "It Ain't Easy", "Strange Things", and "Kangding Qingge/Old-Timey Dance Party" (it looks like the song is based on a traditional Chinese song, but the lyrics are old-fashion English). It looks like she is doing a ton of dates, be sure to check out her live to see the marriage of Traditional American music and Chinese folk songs. If she's also playing with The Sparrow Quartet, you should keep an eye out for Ben Sollee, his music have had very positive reponses from W♥M readers.
07/10/08 Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua Bayfield
07/11/08 Winnipeg Folk Festival Winnipeg, Manitoba 07/13/08 Vancouver Island Musicfest Vancouver, British Columbia 07/14/08 Benaroya Hall Seattle, Washington 07/15/08 Aladdin Theatre Portland, Oregon 07/17/08 Boarding House Park Lowell, Massachusetts 07/18/08 Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival with the Sparrow Quartet Ancramdale, New York 07/19/08 Vancouver Folk Festival Vancouver, British Columbia 07/20/08 Vancouver Folk Festival Vancouver, British Columbia 07/26/08 RockyGrass Festival with the Sparrow Quartet Lyons, Colorado 07/27/08 Calgary Folk Music Festival with the Sparrow Quartet Calgary, Alberta 07/28/08 The Myrna Loy Center Helena, Montana 07/29/08 Wilma Theatre Missoula, Montana 07/30/08 Sacajawea Center Salmon, Idaho 08/01/08 Kaslo Bay Park Music Festival Kaslo, British Columbia 08/03/08 Dunegrass and Blues Festival Empire, Michigan 08/08/08 Grand Targhee Bluegrass Fest w/Sparrow Quartet Alta, Wyoming 08/09/08 Edmonton Folk Music Festival with the Sparrow Quartet Edmonton, Alberta 08/10/08 Regina Folk Festival with the Sparrow Quartet Regina, Saskatchewan 08/23/08 San Francisco Music and Arts Festival San Francisco, California 08/29/08 Moe Down Turin, New York 08/31/08 Hookaville Thornville, Ohio 09/11/08 Memorial Hall Chapel Hill, North Carolina 09/13/08 Dominican University PAC River Forest, Illinois 09/14/08 Turner Hall Milwaukee, Wisconsin 09/15/08 Guthrie Theater Proscenium Minneapolis, Minnesota 09/16/08 Barrymore Theatre Madison, Wisconsin 09/17/08 The Music Mill Indianapolis, Indiana 09/19/08 The Ark Ann Arbor, Michigan 09/20/08 Parrish Auditorium Hamilton, Ohio 09/27/08 Dosey Doe The Woodlands, Texas 09/28/08 Austin City Limits Music Festival Austin, Texas 10/01/08 Fisher Center w/Sparrow Quartet Woodstock, New York 10/02/08 Town Crier Cafe Pawling, New York 10/03/08 First Parish Church Cambridge, Massachusetts 10/04/08 Flynn Theatre Burlington, Vermont 10/05/08 The Community Theater Morristown, New Jersey 10/10/08 Portland Art Museum Portland, Oregon 10/17/08 Ferst Center for the Arts Atlanta, Georgia 10/19/08 Lake Eden Arts Festival Black Mountain, North Carolina |
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STEVEN ALVARADO
stevenalvarado.com ♥ myspace.com
One look at Steven Alvarado's cover artwork for Let It Go, an album that was released in April 2008 from Mott Street Records, I thought it was a tribute to Bob Dylan's The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, but completely opposite: without a girl, presumably sadder, a little more modern, and his back to you. One listen to the album, it definitely feels like good-time American folk rock. I love the interaction of electric blues guitar fighting against the acoustic guitar on the brilliant opening track, "Get This Far". Even the lyrics seems to be duking it out and full of contradictions: "I'm outta gas, I got no car, I never thought I'd get this far" Many of these songs are short, but catchy, pop-rock-oriented songs, perfect for the radio. The few exception does stick out, for instance "Nobody Knows", a slow burning depressing song. What Alvarado does best here is give such a descriptive setting:
Somebody throw him a lifeline, it sounds to me as if he's committing suicide here! Fortunately, there's more happier songs makes up for that depressing one. Check out "New York", a song dedicated to Alvarado's friend and poet Aaron Smith. The song lyrics also lends itself to the title, "Let it Go". Let It Go is out now, you can pick it up directly from CD Baby. He's planning on doing a European tour in and around September 2008, I'll be sure to mention it if I hear anything. |
JJ APPLETON
jjappleton.com ♥ myspace.com
I'll tell you right off the bat: I love green packaging. JJ Appleton's Black & White Matinee
comes in a recycled cardboard, down to the soy ink that was used to
print the cover. This short six-track EP was recorded in Finsbury Park, London last year, 2007. Now, I'm under the impression that Finsbury Park is festival (live music), but listening to all the songs, the sound quality is too good to be live. Maybe he's just that good? I especially enjoyed the pianos on "Coming Back Alone". The lyrics on "You're Sweet On Him" does get a little repetitive... yeah we get it, "you're sweet on him." I think the song that you guys will really enjoy is "Today Today Today", it's very easy to get into and it reminds me of The Beatles. Kudos to the songwriters: JJ Appleton & Stephen Lironi You can catch those two, as well as Ged Lynch on a few selected dates for the month of July:
07/10/08 Puck Doylestown, Pennsylvania 07/30/08 McCarren Park Summerstarz Event - Greenpoint/Williamsburg New York I believe you can download all the songs on his website, but I recommend the Earth-friendly packaging for Black & White Matinee. So pick up a physical copy from your favorite CD Baby and, of course, if you wanted higher quality downloads, there's always iTunes. |
These articles takes me very long to produce because they are essentially five articles in one, so expect a final Americana article one this week.
Links:
www.weheartmusic.com
Seriously, is everyone in New York City in a band? The sheer number of musical acts to come that one city is staggering. However, given the filthy, overcrowded, damnear horrific condition of the Rotten Apple, it only makes sense that so many would turn to music to liberate them from the putrid reality of their surroundings.
The Forms' music is a perfect example of that escape-from-reality sound. The Brooklyn-based quartet of Alex Tween, Matt Walsh, and Brendan and Jackson Kenny have garnered a great deal of positive press for their debut album Icarus and self-titled follow-up--both produced by the legendary Steve Albini himself. For a band that's been together since 2000, their output has been scarce, but always high-quality. In many ways, The Forms sound rather like a cross between Coldplay and prog-rock, producing melodic indie rock in all manner of odd, nonstandard time signatures--which may be somewhat offputting to some listeners, but stick with them: the sound will grow on you. Even if the time-signatures are rather alien to pop music, the melodies are strong and easy to follow.
Unlike many The Forms focus first and foremost on songwriting, not on musical virtuosity, and this is apparent througout their self-tilted second album. "Knowledge in Hand" opens the album with a defining statement of the band's somewhat psychedelic, largely distortion-free sound, with a groovy layering of piano and guitars to back up a powerful lead vocal. "Bones" and "Blue Whale" are both stirling examples of shimmery pop-rock that recalls the glory days of 4AD while featuring a distinctly modern sound (mainly created by Albini's clean and no-nonsense production, which hasn't changed much since the 1980s, though it now clearly partakes of modern studio technology). At 3:50 long, "Blue Whale" is the longest song on the record, with most of the other tracks measuring only three minutes in length. This musical economy actually serves the band's melody-driven quality well, as there is no sonic "filler"--like extended guitar solos or bridges--in any of their songs.
However, this brevity also works against the music, in some cases. Many songs do not end, but simply fade out after the three-minute-mark as if the band just doesn't know how to bring them to a conclusion, so they just keep playing while Albini pulls the master mix fader down to zero. I wonder just how well this stuff translates live: if you can't figure out how to end a song, what do you do after the final verse is sung--just quit playing? And though none of the developed tracks themselves have any musical filler, there are two tracks, "Borges" and "Blue Whale (outro)" that, at less than a minute long each (the latter is only seventeen seconds long), seem to serve no purpose whatsoever on the record. They're not even sketches of songs. Quite frankly, I think they're simply studio outtakes the band decided to throw on the album just for the hell of it.
Nonetheless, The Forms is a very good listening experience whose etherial chords and atmospheric vocals will certainly open up a gateway in your mind to a prettier place. If your reality is bleak and crummy as any Brooklyn street, The Forms will gladly take you along to a much better realm.
Sadly, they have no live dates listed.
Links:
theforms.org
myspace.com/forms
Yesterday, after spending the week with my sister and her boyfriend, we were on the long drive back to my mother's house. We started talking about the impressions we form of other people. Literally, what we take away from them during the time we have been in their company. Not the surface level impression of general likability, but the deeper layers that give us the general sensation of compatibility with our own patterns of behavior.
My sister's boyfriend gave me his interpretation of who I was when we were first introduced. Notably, he commented that I seemed to be the type of person who was very firm, very solid in knowing what I believe and what I know to be true for me. Paraphrasing briefly, he told me that I was someone who seemed most at peace and content when left to my own space...and that I seemed to grow uneasy or unsettled after too long a period with clusters or large groups of people.
His assessment was correct.
Today's daily newsletter in my mailbox from the DailyOm included my horoscope. Here's just a brief snippet of the message today:
...Your house, apartment, or even your bedroom can become a sanctuary that nurtures your soul and allows you to reconnect with your inner self. Freed from outer-world distractions, you can take care of personal chores, spend time pursuing enlightenment, or simply putter around the house. Home may offer feelings of comfort and contentment that you can’t find anywhere else... - DailyOm, Cancer Horoscope, July 5th
I chuckled. After I got home last night I was full and pleased to have spent time with my baby sister, my little jewel. But I was also eager to go home and re-orient my space to what I needed it to be. I burned sage through each of the rooms while in prayer, I followed it with sweetgrass to replace whatever had been removed with lightness and comfort. I burned sandalwood oil, I sat quietly and soaked it all in. As much fun as I had with her...I was off kilter, having immersed myself in so much energy that was not my own. I couldn't hear myself. And I get cagey and anxious when I cannot feel my own spirit in the company of other souls.
I believe a soul's spirit leaves a resin wherever it's been. You can feel it when you walk into a room and you experience an immediate shift in your disposition. From happy to anxious or indifferent to angry. Sometimes it's good. Like when you walk into your grandmother's home and you immediately feel a sense of peace and groundedness that washes over you like sunshine. Sometimes it can be jarring, like walking into a room where an argument occured and you suddenly feel filled with tension and conflict. We all leave an imprint on the space we've been in. And It can be difficult at times to distinguish your own feelings and moods from another. Some are more sensitive to it than others.
The more souls you have entering your space, the more you take in and process. Whether you consciously want to or not. Sometimes, it is simply too much for me to take in. Many times, I simply don't want the energy that's being offered to me. After having lots of traffic in my home or disruption to the order in which I do things, I grow eager to go through this little "orienting" process to settle my space. Once I cleanse away the lingering effects of the energy others have brought into my home, I can then get back to clearly feeling my own. I can get back to my center.
Today, I have no desire to leave the familiar, nurturing confines of my own home. I wish only to replenish myself so that I can resume going out into the world clearly hearing my own voice in a crowd of millions. My prayer for you, is that no matter where you are or who you are with...you can always find, hear and embrace your own incredible energy.
My nephews and niece are the cutest!
The boys are turning 7 this summer! The oldest niece is turning 8!
I'll stop right there before I really freak out! hee hee
Hope everyone had a great July 4th.
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