Jack James – Lights Off, Headphones On
free album (download) self-released 2009

[tags: folk, acoustic, singer-songwriter, FREE]

Listen while reading:

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You may have read about Jack James (hailing from Glasgow/Scotland) few days ago over at the Slowcoustic HQ (and I hope you did so) but as John contacted me to give a listen to his music, you will read about his debut album Lights Off, Headphones On here too. And for I’m always glad when young and talented musicians contact me I’m more than happy to follow the request even though I’m not in the mood to repeat the things said at Slowcoustic (because they are all true) wherefore this article is going to be rather short.

Jack James comes armed with acoustic guitar, harmonica and a raw but colorful voice playing singer-songwriter tunes in a good folk manner with lots of melodies and atmosphere. Slighlty influenced by country music (e.g. Visit) he sings through his songs even though not all of the tracks have that country flavor (I Am Ready Now or This Guy). If you are looking for hushed finger picking you may find you in the wrong place because John does not hesitate to play his guitar with a little portion of good aggression sometimes, adding a slightly americana moment to the music.

Listening to songs like Decisions or Burnsy Lang gives me a pleasant sensation and I can feel all he power that lies in the folk and singer-songwriter genre and it makes me happy to see new artists growing which promise to release some great material in the future – Jack James is one of them and you shouldn’t miss his noble offer and download his music for free from his bandcamp site. For more information about the artists, check out Jack James’ MySpace page and follow him on twitter.

Adrian Killens

Selected Demos 2002-2009

There’s something to be said for shunning the limelight, especially in this media-drenched, Li-Lo adulating society that values celeb column inches over actual musical substance.  Well, it can certainly be assumed that Adrian Killens won’t be seen dangling from the arm of any Hollywood starlets in the near future, yet judging from his recent release of ‘Selected Demos – 2002-2009′, there’s nowhere he’d rather be less than in the glare of flashlights or in Heat magazine…no, he’d much rather be in his bedroom, writing songs of such impressive quality, all the camera-hogging songsmith poseurs that litter Heat magazine’s covers can only dream about.

‘Prettyish’ is a quaint opener, but quaint in a really good way, with a chugging acoustic guitar carrying Killens’ scratchy vocal throughout the whole song, a lisping Marc Bolan with Evan Dando’s tongue.  The actual song is a paean to social embarrassment and not wanting to be seen as ‘uncool’, something that the world and his prettyish wife will be able to relate to; however, in releasing this collection of raw, intimate and self-exposing songs, appearing uncool is something Killens is clearly not worried about at all, and is all the cooler for it.

Giving way to the garage rock slacker anthem ‘22′, a song that could easily slot into Weezer’s back catalogue, ‘Selected Demos…’ takes the listener through a tribute to all of Killens’ favourite acts and artists, positing him to be a veritable jukebox of original takes on classic genres.  ‘Bored’ is pure Eels, circa-Beautiful Freak era; you almost expect a nonchalant voiceover from the big E man himself, describing everything that is wrong with youth culture in one continuous monotone.  With the fuzzed up spikiness of ‘It’s Only A Drink’, Killens then dabbles in shoegaze’, a DIY guitar tone lending the whole song an endearingly twee element as he desperately tries to justify him and his friends’ intoxicated antics.

‘Edinburgh’ is hilarious in all its potty-mouthed glory, as the song takes us through Killens’ blurry night out; searingly sarcastic, brashly decadent and wince-inducingly honest, ‘Edinburgh’ could not be more aptly titled.  Its travelling counterpart, ‘Amsterdam’, is quite possibly the most entertaining song about a prostitute since Roxeanne, with its hilariously confessional chorus, “I did something that I’ve never done before, I did some dirty Russian whore”; with English ambassadors like Killens, its a wonder why the tourist board haven’t confiscated his passport yet.

With the lack of proper production and the similar DIY musical style, one would expect the album to drag towards the end; however, this is not the case as the tunes continue to envelope you in their raw intimacy and honest humour, the home recordings simply adding to the sense of unity between Killens and his small, but loyal audience.

As Killens croons on the album’s penultimate track, ‘Maybe’, “Maybe, just maybe all my dreams will all come true, because my goals are so low, that all my dreams just have to come true.”  Ironically, if he aimed his sights higher, he may lose his talent for the perceptive understatement, so let’s be content with his bedroom musical meandering and hope that no one else discovers this hidden gem.

David Harfield

(http://www.roomthirteen.com/cd_reviews/10460/Adrian_Killens__Selected_Demos_20022009.html)

PREVIEW: WATCH Stefani Germanotta at an NYU talent show

Ragging on Lady Gaga is a sport many have adopted. It seems that she can’t do anything without catching a sizable amount of grief from the media and the general public, which – to be fair – is well deserved most of the time, given her lyrics about her “bluffin’ muffin,” her crazy outfits and the mere fact that’s she’s batshit crazy. While those are all valid reasons for critique, most people fail to grasp the fact that Lady Gaga is a real world version of a superhero. Alright, don’t panic, just hear me out.

When she’s on stage at the VMAs, wearing her red face-mask-body-suit-dress (what the hell is that?), and talking about God and the gays, she’s the character we’ve all grown to appreciate (Poker Face was stuck in your head for a solid hour once, don’t lie), but when she goes home and puts on her PJs, she turns into her version of Clark Kent: Stefani Germanotta.
I was recently shown Lady Gaga in her non-Lady Gaga form, and was pleasantly surprised, not because of the songs (they’re..meh), but because of the secret identity we so seldom get to see.

– Isabel Alcantara, Photo Editor

Benjamin Shaw’s first EP is six tracks long. It comes in a brown sleeve with a drawing of a man and a piano. It also comes with the misleading term ’singer-songwriter’, which, frankly, is a horribly grey description. After all, Leona Lewis writes songs and sings them. ‘I Got The Pox, The Pox Is what I Got’ is an entirely different beast, but I don’t mean beast as in shaggy/saliva-dripping/googly eyes, I mean a Harpy-like beast – that is to say, it’s dangerous but completely seductive.

The EP kicks off with dust-scratching, flutes, just-a-little-too-piercing electronic whines and feedback – and you get the feeling instantly that you know this is what it’s all about. This first track is called ‘Thanks For All The Biscuits’ (of course it is) and is like listening to an inebriated cover on a very, very old amp at the end of a very, very long night. The vocals and mad layers are a signature very much Shaw’s own and even through all the twangy lo-fi noise you can tell he really knows what he’s doing. Mood can consider itself created – we’re only 2 minutes and 35 seconds in.

All the songs are drawn together by Shaw’s distinctive voice and his knack for disenchanted storytelling. He sings like a man in the depths of an abstracted dream, knowing he shouldn’t care about what’s happening around him but also aware that he does. His lyrics are delivered flat so they stick in your soul like a stake – in ‘The Carpeteer’, a song about  a woman, he sings “I’d like to hear my voice / Speak boldly without rhyme / But then I’d like to swing from rooftops / Sober all the while…” then a cheery ‘Hi!’ just dropped in, right at the end of the track. The cumulative effect is that even though he’s be spouting utter nonsense, we know exactly what he means. Favourite track? ‘When I Fell Over In The City’ – distorted folk instruments, thigh-slapping and an upbeat tempo that provides a release from the oppressive nature of the rest of the album.

The whole of Benjamin Shaw’s six track debut EP is completely uncomfortable. Every dissonant note, every disenchanted and broken vocal riff, every mild electronic overlay makes you think, feel, hurt, laugh, shift in your seat. It’s almost vampiric in it’s delivery, fuzzily beautiful and has a cathartic effect even after three, four, five listens. Benjamin Shaw is a one-man wall in a dark alleyway of sound, and I’ll be looking out for him.

9/10

01 – New Leaves
02 – Good Friends, Bad Habits
03 – A Trenchant Critique
04 – Never Been Born
05 – Amnesia And Me
06 – Brown Hair In A Bird’s Nest
07 – Too Scared To Move
08 – The Only Child Of Aergia
09 – Ugly On The Inside
10 – Curtain Call

Download: Depositfiles

While playing pool tonight at the Norwood Pool Hall a familiar drum intro played on the jukebox. I Immediately recognised this song as Jeff Buckley’s ‘Everybody Here Wants You’, the soulful, romantic crooning of a man in love with a flawless woman. There is something about this song that strikes me – it’s almost as if Buckley really shoudln’t be singing this type of music but he pulls it off incredibly. This isnt the only great track on his final unfinished album, Witches Rave, Nightmares by the Sea, Yard of Blonde Girls – they are all wonderfully crafted pop rock songs from arguably one of the greatest voices of our generation. RIP

“Refine your skills to support your instincts.”

My third revelation was this: I don’t have to wait for inspiration, genius or even luck to strike me with a song. Like other songwriters I will occasionally (rarely) write a song so swiftly that it passes through me like magic. That’s a wonderful gift, and many say that this is the definition of inspiration. But I learned that a well of inspiration is within me all the time. When I’m gardening, walking the dog, watching TV, driving, or reaching for the popcorn.

First there is the writing, dipping into the well of images and feelings, and then there is the editing, when the honesty of internal critic comes to my aid. In either phase, but especially in the editing, I sometimes have to work past the frustration, just keep writing, and other times I have to walk away and allow the well to refill. I just have to be awake and listening. I have to work at the discipline of “refining my skills to support my instincts,”  something Rosanne said, quoting her friend Linda Ronstadt. It’s an incentive to keep working, keep writing.

I learned that persistence pays off. This is hard work and it’s sometimes necessary to leave a trail of bread crumbs on the way in. I will probably have to sacrifice parts of my ego that I’d just as soon keep, like my pride. But it’s worth it!

Here are some of Rosanne’s closing remarks to the group. I’ll try to remember them while I’m gardening, walking the dog, or reaching for the popcorn. And writing songs, of course.

“There’s nothing more sacred to me than songs and songwriters. To cultivate [this] kind of listening helps me to listen to my own life. To listen to the small moments that might otherwise just go right by me. But if I’m listening I’m going to get it, I’m going to get to bring something back to my life. Part of it is about not being alone, connecting with other writers. [Writing is] such a lonely experience sometimes, isolating at the very least and lonely at its worst.”

“Your responsibility is to tell the truth. Not the facts, necessarily. It could be the facts, but it’s basically the truth. That means being a truthful person. You can’t tell the truth in your work if you don’t tell the truth in your life. So I encourage you to be scrupulous in your truth ethic, with yourself — scrupulous. Even when no one’s looking — especially when no one’s looking. Just for yourself. I encourage you to wake up more every day, even if it hurts. But keep waking up, even if your heart breaks a little more every step of the way. Keep waking up. Bring it into poetry for the rest of us because our hearts are breaking a little every step along the way, too, and we need the poetry, desperately. We need the songs.”

© Patti Witten

“Your responsibility is to tell the truth.”

Rosanne had said this more than once and it really struck me because of a problem with the song I’d chosen to play for the group. I had rewritten How Long ‘Til It’s Over so many times that it had little to do with its original subject: my frustration and sadness over a friend’s mental illness. I wanted to know if it was wrong to abandon the original subject and the feeling tone that inspired it. I suspected the song was now dishonest whereas in its original state it was just too painful. I also wondered if there was too little “furniture” in it, as Rosanne put it, things like the empty coffee cup, the flowers that were stepped on as he walked out the door, the scratch of her wool sweater. On the other hand I knew the song had potential with its memorable hook and singable chorus.

When my turn came my heart raced, my voice fled and I was unable to tear my eyes away from the fingerboard of my guitar!

No one questioned the song’s subject or meaning, but Rosanne pointed out a soft rhyme and a phrase in the first verse that tended toward cliché. She suggested deleting the bridge altogether, not because it was bad but because it was unnecessary. The practical function of a bridge is to build tension in the song so that the chorus following it provides an emotional payoff. Rosanne suggested that when the first verse reprised at the end, I cut it in half and go directly to the final chorus. It would have the same function as a bridge (or a pre-chorus) plus I could save some better lines from the unnecessary bridge and use them to replace the weaker lines in the first verse.

Violà, problems solved. I explained how I had rewritten it many times and asked if it was wrong to abandon the original feeling tone and subject. No, said Rosanne, think of this song as a gift from your friend. Violà, no guilt.

“The feeling tone releases the material.”

In one of several copies of articles Rosanne handed out to us, author V.S. Naipaul is quoted: “There was a moment, almost an hour in which I began to be a writer. Somehow I found the right tone, and the tone released the material, and it all came together, and I could see my way clear.” Finding the right feeling tone might be a way to end a dry period or to dislodge a block, and a way to do that is to mine dreams for material.

When we finished going through each person’s songs we began a free association writing exercise to do just that. Rosanne’s letter had also asked us to jot down a few dreams. The exercise wasn’t going to focus on events or feelings but on a significant object that appeared in the dream: a building, a piece of clothing, an animal, etc. We wrote our objects down on blank paper and quickly wrote words and phrases without stopping, referring to the object whenever we got stuck. “Just write!” Rosanne said,  “Keep writing until you reach a point where you feel ‘Ah-ha!’ Don’t think. Just write.”

Each person described their dream image and their “Ah-ha” moment. Mine was a wedding veil that seemed to be turned inside out, and my “Ah-ha” was in realizing that the veil was not inside out, it was falling away from me. I began to cry as I described it, great wracking, heaving, snorting, noisy sobs — quite embarrasing. I hated doing this but Rosanne said, “It makes us love you more.” Violà, no armor.

I wasn’t the only songwriter to discover emotionally charged territory during this exercise. Before we ended for the day, Rosanne made certain that no one left the room overly distraught. “It’s no wonder this business has it’s share of drug addicts and alcoholics, artists who lose themselves and can’t come back,” she said. “Pat Pattison, poetry and lyric writing teacher at Berklee College of Music, has said that our job as writers is to go where the images are, get one, and show it to our listeners.” Rosanne continued, “But we need to be able to come back safely from frightening or sad territory because, as the Buddhists say, our hearts break a little more with each step along the path.”

Our homework that night was to write at least two verses and a chorus from our dream exercise. I was eager to discover my song. While I was walking back to my room a rhythmic and melodic phrase came to me, giving me something to work from. I used that and several phrases from the free association, completing my dream song, Here Comes the Bride, in about four hours. More than half of that time was spent doggedly searching for it both lyrically and musically, finding the right tone and staying with it. When I played it for the group the following day some people were moved to tears. Rosanne said, “you’ve been given a kind of miracle.”  That’s how I felt, too.

The songs that we wrote from our dreams were amazing!  Stunning, scary, funny, stark and tender, some staying close to the free association images, others veering off in new directions.

Listen to Here Comes the Bride

Go to Part 3

© Patti Witten

Ginny Owens is offering a limited number of personal critiques in conjunction with her online songwriting class.

Here is how it works:
-You register for the online songwriting class
-You add on the personal critique option
-You submit your song in MP3 or Text format
-You get a 30 minute telephone call from Ginny
-You get an MP3 recording of your call with Ginny

REGISTER NOW

“There is nothing more sacred to me than songs and songwriters.” After two and a half days of immersion in writing and listening to songs I felt proud to hear Rosanne Cash say this to our intimate group of songwriters. But I also felt a responsibility to be worthy of it and the example set by Rosanne — hit songwriter and daughter of Johnny Cash, Grammy winner, multi-gold recording artist and author whose career took a brave turn with the release of Interiors and The Wheel in the early 1990s.

In 2001 I was among sixteen songwriters selected from over 200 applicants to attend another of Rosanne’s “Essence of Songwriting” workshops at Omega Institute in upstate New York. Many of us had participated in the workshop before and were good friends by now. It was my second time, and to borrow singer-songwriter Caroline Aiken’s words to an audience at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance conference, I felt like I had truly “found my tribe.”

It was a diverse group. Only a few of the nine women and seven men were professional musicians or songwriters; some were new to writing while others had been at it for decades. Some, like me, were just emerging as soloists while others wrote for bands; some had been having trouble writing, not writing much or not at all, and others wanted to simply be where writing and listening was the priority. Rock, pop, folk, country and more were represented.

We began by sitting in a circle of chairs in a comfortable room with an electric piano, many guitar cases, bright windows and lots of pillows. By the end of the weekend all of us would be sitting on the floor, lying on the pillows, sometimes in tears and often convulsed with laughter. I would have three revelations, would hear many intense, funny, and powerful songs, and I would write a song that would teach me a lot about myself as a person and as a songwriter.

Right away Rosanne said, “I cannot teach you how to write songs, I can only be with you as you try to discover your own voices.” She urged us to approach this experience with a beginner’s mind. “I have a lot of opinions about songwriting. A lot,” she said, explaining that her teachers — writers like Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell and Townes Van Zandt — held songwriting as the highest form of honesty, honor and self-respect. She questioned the notion that songwriting is a craft, the word craft suggesting the songwriter is not as serious as the poet or the novelist. She asked us to listen as closely to each other’s songs as we would want them to listen to ours.

After making the wry disclaimer “I’m not much for new-agey stuff,” Rosanne led us in a guided meditation intended to remove the internal negative critic. The negative critic is that inner voice which scolds this isn’t any good, you can’t finish that, this line sucks, you’re hopeless, etc. The useful part of the negative critic, said Rosanne, the part that is honest and faithful in editing songs, would remain behind.

I had my first revelation at this point. I recognized the negative critic: fear, self-conscious and familiar.

A letter from Rosanne sent to us a week or so before the workshop asked us to bring a song for feedback and copies of the lyrics for the group. It said, “Please do not pick a song you feel really good about, as tempting as it may be to show your best stuff. Rather, bring a song that you feel has a lot of potential.”

While we listened to the songs each songwriter had brought, we made notes on our copies of the lyrics, discussed specific points after each performance, and returned the lyrics with our comments back to the songwriter. Many of the issues raised were familiar, such as avoiding the use of words that evoked grand themes: love with a capital “L,”  Life, Pain, even My Heart, because they have become meaningless clichés with overuse.

We heard three songs that night. The topic of the first song was a grown son’s lingering grief for his mother. Rosanne liked this unusual subject but urged the writer to cut unnecessary adjectives and syllables. The second song had lots of minor chords in both the verse and chorus. Rosanne told us that in old-school country music the writer’s rule was to save your minor chord for the chorus. For this song she suggested doing the opposite. Either way, the tension built in the verses should be released in the chorus. We returned to this structural principle often.

I loved this song’s opening line (“this is the last drink where I swallow my pride”) and I hadn’t found anything to criticize until Rosanne made her suggestions. My second revelation: I could insist that a song rise to it’s highest obligation without sacrificing my joy in it.

The third song described a sexual assault. Rosanne commented on how difficult it is to write about “issue” topics without sounding self-righteous. The story was harrowing but the song offered redemption in the chorus, “a baby changes everything.”

There were thirteen more songs to hear the next day plus a writing exercise. But before that there was the traditional late night song circle. It was good to be back in the tribe!

Go to Part 2

©  Patti Witten

So yes, this is one of my favourite albums from this year. I find it rather difficult to review, but I’m gonna try it.

Dan Mangan is 26 year old, Vancouver, Canada based singer-songwriter. Think about classical singer-songwriter stuff, but this time with an ‘edgy’, poppy folk touch with some rock influence too. Though his last album ‘Nice, Nice, Very Nice’, takes this principle to the next level. He has previously released the album ‘Postcards and Daydreaming’.

Let’s continue to the review. The first word that pops up in my mind about this album is ‘intelligent’. In all aspects, this album is intelligent. The compositions, the lyrics, the vocals, they’re all just well thought out. He never seems to fall for the typical singer-songwriter clichés, mainly because his lyrics are so bright.

Lyrically, this is one of my favourite albums. Mangan writes pretty literal texts, they’re filled with honest and observation. And the observations are good, really good. He also uses some great metaphors now and then, better than Ben Folds in his best years(and some of Folds’ are REALLY good). Filled with emotion and honest, the texts never become a cliché like song. There’s always a raw edge, some unexpected words, a great metaphor or some silent that keeps you listening. So a huge compliment to his skill of lyric writing.

Also, if you look at the compositions, the first thing in my mind is ‘intelligent’. They’re diverse, but the songs still remain an album. They might sound pretty easy at a first listen, but after a while, you might notice that these are some pretty decent tunes too. Great melody lines, various instruments, backing vocals, duets, it’s all on this album. Silent spots at the places where they should be and filling a song with instruments where it should be. Some of these songs are nearly perfection, like you would here on an Andrew Bird record. For example, ‘You Silly Git’ would fit perfectly on the latest Bird album (with different lyrics of course). Though, the rest of the stuff probably wouldn’t fit at all. ‘Robots’ is one of the best pop songs I’ve ever heard. It’s catchy, it’s a great composition, it keeps repeating in your head, it got everything to become a massive hit. I have to say that a lot of his songs keep repeating in you head, without getting annoying at all. ‘Basket’ is one of those songs that rips your soul into a billion tiny pieces and makes you cry on a first listen (or at least me). While ‘Some People’ makes you want to dance.

Another remarkable thing about Dan Mangan is his voice. It just keeps my attention all the time, it never gets boring. It’s a rich, full sounding voice, with a little raw edge.

Compared to his first album ‘Postcards and Daydreaming’, he did really grow, in all aspects. Looking at the composition, lyrics and vocals, it’s a really strong album. Mangan got potential to become one of the new, big singer-songwriters in this world. Especially if he continues the path he’s following now. I don’t know if he can grow much more, but if he could, I think I might have found some competition for Andrew Bird for my spot of favourite musician. His songs are easy to understand, no difficulties or strange compositions. They’re basic and intelligent. And that makes this album a wonderful album, and one of the better ones made this year, and definitely the best in the (indie/folk/pop-) genre.  

[9.3/10]

Morning. From yesterdays monster Spotify update comes a very good new album by Swedish singer-songwriter Andi Almqvist. Give this album a try. You won’t be disappointed. Oh, and enjoy!

(More finds to come later today.)

Andi Almqvist – Glimmer

Out in the Dead Sea
Floats all lovers
We are closer to Heaven
Than any others

Hello again. From todays monster Spotify update: the new Tom Waits live album. Enjoy!

Tom Waits – Glitter And Doom Live

It’s funny to say that Bethany Dillon’s all grown up because she’s only 21.  Still, when listening to her latest album, Stop and Listen, Dillon’s maturation as a singer/songwriter is obvious since singing her first record deal at the tender age of 14.  Now married to Shane Barnard of Shane & Shane fame, Dillon presents an album that she says is deeper than anything prior.  Yet it is every bit as beautiful as her previous work.

In this Take 5, Bethany Dillon talks about marriage, growing up in the music industry, and her new album, Stop and Listen.  For more information on Bethany Dillon, visit her online at bethanydillon.com.

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You’re a singer/song writer married to singer/song writer Shane Barnard of Shane & Shane, which makes for a unique marriage. How are your lives affected by tour schedules, recording schedules and the like?  How do you find ways to connect?

Honestly, it works out really well for the most part! It probably seems like we’d never see each other, but since our jobs book things far out in advance, we can block out time to be home together or on the road together. I’ve been opening for them, and will be this winter on their Christmas tour along with Phil Wickham. We’ve also been getting really involved with our local church, which has been awesome! That’s a new thing for the both of us, and it’s made it possible for us to be home more and get plugged in.

It amazing that you’re only 21 and you’re releasing your fourth album, Stop and Listen!  I love that God has put such a powerful call on your life.  Was it difficult to “grow up” in the record industry?

You know, I’ve really loved my journey… It’s been abnormal to be sure, but I am so grateful for it. I never really felt cheated out of my childhood or anything like that- life was always normal and not about music, you know? When I was signed at 14, I was really excited about it, but at the same time I had to go home and baby-sit my little brothers, unload the dishwasher, clean my room, all of that. So, my growing up was different, because I spent a lot of my time in airports and tour buses, but nothing really dramatically changed about who I was or what life looked like. I credit a lot of that to my parents! They are very wise people and helped keep me grounded and level-headed through the transition to doing music.

You cited Get Up and Walk as your “most confessional” albums to date.  What makes the album so raw?

I think by “confessional”, I just mean its the most honest group of songs I’ve ever written. I think it has a lot to do with being newly married while I was writing for this record. Everyone says that you see an accurate picture of who you are once you get married; the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s very true! Especially as a believer, once I began to notice a ton of pride, selfishness, and insecurity in my heart, the Gospel became sweeter and sweeter to me. I feel like the songs all come from that place, whether it’s about spending time in His presence even in busyness, or humbling myself, or considering others more important than myself, it all flowed from that place of realizing my depraved, human heart has been redeemed and changed by Jesus. And that’s about as raw as it gets!

“Reach Out” is my fave song on the album, maybe because I love the Bible story it is based upon.  How did you come to write this song?

Thank you! I love that story, too. The story is found in Mark 5, about a woman who’d had an issue of bleeding for twelve years. Because of the culture of that time, she was an outcast, living alone outside of town, with really no hope for a cure. One day, Jesus was in her town and she snuck into the crowd to see Him. He was on His way to a man’s house to go heal his daughter, and in the chaos of the moment, the woman with the disease reached out in hopes that she’d even touch the hem of His garment and be healed. It’s such a stunning picture of Jesus’ power and His compassion, and of course she does get healed, but her heart has always challenged me. Her story paints a picture of what it means to have an urgency for Him, a willingness to risk everything, and taking advantage of His nearness. I want to have a heart like hers!

Usually on the last question, I ask something silly.  What is something that happened recently that made you laugh so hard you cried?

Wow! I’m trying to think… Well, I did marry the funniest person I’ve ever met! Shane does a ton of voices, silly faces, tells stories like nobody else. I think one of the funniest things about him though is that he’s funny when he’s just being himself. For instance, I’ll catch him looking at himself in the rearview mirror in the car making faces. I’m not sure if he really realizes it most of the time, but it’s a pretty common pastime for him. I should just record a day in the life of being Shane Barnard’s wife, and you’d understand how funny my life is! I love it!

It’s a fine line in the music blogosphere – nobody wants to come off as a cheerleader for a particular artist or band, yet there are some acts who inarguably deserve a lot of attention. Jenifer Jackson is no stranger to regular readers here. But even by her rigorous standards, her show at the Rockwood on the nineteenth was transcendent, the best one she’s done – in New York at least – in a long time. And there have been some good ones in between, just to go the music index above and you will see plenty. Is this overkill? Not if you consider how the much ink the Village Voice gave the Ramones in the summer of 1977, or how much press Coltrane got back in the 50s. That’s not an overstatement. Jackson and her bandmates pianist Matt Kanelos  (who leads a fine Americana-rock band of his own) and drummer Billy Doughty gave a clinic in tersely, wrenchingly beautiful songcraft, Jackson’s vocals gentle but with the steely resolve that underscores the intensity of the emotion in everything she writes.

Kanelos gave notice that he was in particularly bluesy, soulful mode right from the start, beginnining with the psychedelic ballad The War Is Done, from Jackson’s 2001 Birds cd. Good Times Roll (her original, not the B.B.King standard) was hypnotic, even mesmerizing, Kanelos playfully working a glockenspiel in tandem with his lefthand rhythm. The understated frustration anthem Words got a particularly propulsive treatment; by contrast, the hopeful ballad Spring (yet another unreleased gem) was lush and sultry, Doughty playing the lead line on melodica.

The angst-driven existentialist anthem Maybe, pondering the point at which it might make sense to let hope – of whatever kind – fall by the wayside was driven and insistent, part post-Carole King riffage, part sprightly post-Bacharach pop, part countrypolitan. Wherever the song led, the dark undercurrent beneath the catchy, glistening pop surface was always there.

Her most countrypolitan ballad, After the Fall (also from Birds) got the benefit of an absolutely psychedelic, hypnotic, percussive jam out. She wrapped up the set with two new ones – a chorus-driven, Mary Lee’s Corvette-style Americana pop hit, another that matched early 70s radio pop to a sweaty Philly soul groove, and a particularly wistful, gently lovely take on the unreleased 6/8 ballad The Beauty in the Emptying, whose title pretty much speaks for itself. Doughty again took the lead on melodica, enhancing its gentle resilience. Wow. What a show. You’ll see this on our Best NYC Concerts of 2009 list in about a month.

The Rockwood has been Jackson’s home for awhile but now that she’s back, who knows where she’ll be next – watch this space for upcoming dates.

My Dyslexic Blog Post #10

My Music, My Men

Carl Chambers is mostly known for his 1982 #1 hit, “Close Enough to Perfect” made famous by the band Alabama. Carl is one of those good ole boys with lots of talent and southern style. Luckily for me, I grew up two blocks away from Carl’s house & his “OutHouse Studios“. I use to be that annoying little girl that would hang out during his bands rehearsal and kept asking questions. He recorded my 1st all original album, as well as other recording projects throughout the years. Carl is like a 2nd father to me and holds a very special place in my heart! I’m so very thankful for all the kindness him and his family have shown me.

Visit: http://www.dizzyrambler.com
Carl Chambers on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/dizram

Joe Spann, I met thru Carl Chambers. My 1st memory of him was when I was a child & use to sing down at Carl Allen’s Catfish Cafe in Auburndale, Florida. The place was filled with bluegrass and talented musicians. Every Thursday night Joe and Carl would play and jam and I’d be right there amazed by how incredible they both were. During my late adolescents, Joe acted as my musical psyciatrist and recorded my “wanna-be” alternative rock album. That album was full of emotions and expereinces that only my music could help me unleash. Later, we went on to record my 1st acoustic album, “You Don’t Know Jack.” Joe is not only an amazing musician, producer, & songwriter… he is a wonderful friend too.

Connect with Joe Spann
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/joe.spann
Myspace:  http://www.myspace.com/joespann

My big brother Kevin Nowak is one of the biggest musicial influences in all my life. He tought me my 1st guitar chords and my very 1st lick – “On The Trail” from the movie The Three Amigos! Before I even knew anything about guitars I use to sneak into his room and I’d always put his tuner pegs face up in the same direction. I didn’t know till years later all I was doing was making the guitar extremely out of tune. That would explain why he’d get so freaking mad at me (giggles). We are one of the same or as I like to call it the ”Same Diffenence”. He currently is based out of Gainesville, Florida where his band “Liquid Limbs” just released “ORQUID” their debut album.  Even though he may not know it, he means the world to me in so many ways. Each time I see him perform it puts fire underneeth my skin and gives me more drive to do the best in music and life.

Connect with Kevin Nowak

Website: www.LiquidLimbs.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1254360473

Check out some of Kevin’s solo tunes:

Dreams ♫  Instrumental ♫ Your Sunshine ♫

Sean Buban first brought us Emma’s song for Emma Watson on Harry Potter and now he’s just playing in his studio and recorded another video for fun!

Every Breath You Take.

A nice song to dance too.

sean buban idea girl consulting

The love story between Harry Potter and Hermoine Granger with video clips of Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson.

harry potter and hermoine granger daniel radcliffe emma watson idea girl consulting sean buban

Singer and Songwriter Jimmy Wayne will compete in week 12 of the Best Buy Fantasy Football Challenge.

Singer and Songwriter Jimmy Wayne will compete in week 12 of the Best Buy Fantasy Football Challenge.

Best Buy, the nation’s leading consumer electronics retailer, has announced that Singer/Songwriter, Jimmy Wayne, will compete in week 12 of the Best Buy Fantasy Football Challenge.

Jimmy Wayne’s favorite team is the Pittsburgh Steelers and are my pick because of where they have come from. They came from a tough background and were the underdogs. It makes winning the Super Bowl that much more rewarding.

Every week, Best Buy provides the opportunity for fantasy football fans to compete against a celebrity opponent to win entries into the weekly sweepstakes.  Prizes include a 50” Plasma TV, a laptop computer, an Xbox 360 console and a portable satellite TV.

To participate in the Best Buy Fantasy Football challenge, simply go to www.BestBuyFantasy.com and choose your players from the drop down menu on the home page.   You can change your roster as often as you like during the week, except for 15 minutes before the start of each player’s first game.  For every point by which your team beats Ortiz’s team, you will receive one entry into this week’s prize drawing.

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sea wolf – wicked blood.mp3

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

Like mostly everyone who is into The Swell Season (Glen Hansard of The Frames with Markéta Irglová), I got into them via the movie ONCE.  They came through Eugene after I had moved to town, but before I had gotten into them.  My brother made me watch it when we were home for my other brother’s wedding (July 2008), and I suppose I should thank him for that.   With The Swell Season’s original 2009 Strict Joy tour date press release, they didn’t have a Eugene date, but I’m glad they added one…

The opener was Doveman’s frontman Thomas Bartlett.  He played about a half of an hour of whispy piano tunes.  He seemed slightly shy, rarely looking towards the crowd… but maybe that’s just his style or how the piano was set up for him.  Due to his whispy vocals, he struck me as similar to Jeff Hanson or slimmer, beardless Sam Beam of Iron & Wine – but on piano.  He’s worked with The Frames, Swell Season, Antony & the Johnsons, Laurie Anderson, Arto Lindsay, The National, and Yoko Ono in the past – so that put him in my “he’s cool” book.  Songs he played included “Angel’s Share ” (about whisky), “The Burgundy Stain” (about wine), and a medley to the Footloose soundtrack.  The Footloose songs were fantastically mournful and sad.  Classic!

The show opened with Glen and Markéta coming out and crouching down in front of the center mic.  I wasn’t close enough to see if someone was playing the electronics / keyboards, but they started out with “Fallen From the Sky” – staying crouched down for the whole song.  Luckily that didn’t continue for the rest of the show (or my continued photos would have been lame).

After the initial song, the band came out.  The band was made up of the rest of The Frames, Glen’s band that was the precursor to Once and The Swell Season.  I’m very rapidly becoming a serious fan of Glen’s vocals… which I suppose means that I need to get The Frames’ back catalog.  Vocally Glen reminds me a lot of my buddy, Ashley Peacock.  Most of the set was Glen on vocals, but Markéta covered lead vocals for “If You Want Me,” “Fantasy Man,” and “I Have Loved You Wrong.”  As far as most powerful vocal performance… I’ll have to go with “Say It To Me Now,” where Glen played solo and off microphone.  A few songs later, Glen was killin’ his guitar on Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks,” and he shredded at least a couple of strings – luckily his roadie was on top of things and brought out a replacement guitar right away.

Setlist: just over 2 hours

• Fallen From The Sky
• Lies
• Low Rising
• In These Arms *a fave of the night*
• The Rain *a fave of the night*
• The Moon
• If You Want Me
• Fantasy Man
• Say It To Me Now (Glen solo, off mic) *a fave of the night*
• Leave
• Lay Me Down
• Astral Weeks [Van Morrison]
• The Blue Shoes (Colin solo violin song)
• I Have Loved You Wrong
• Once *a fave of the night*
• When Your Mind’s Made Up *a fave of the night*
• Encore: Falling Slowly *a fave of the night*
• High Hope (new song)
• High Horses
• Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy
• It All Falls Down (with Doveman)
• Red Chord [The Frames]
• The Parting Glass [The Clancy Brothers]

After leaving the venue, I bet everyone thought they got their money’s worth… a great show, great vocals by Glen & Markéta.  While I know this was a break-up record of sort, I’m glad that they’re still able to work together.  And while it may be a long shot, I hope they do continue to work together in the future.

many more pictures below

The “Low Rising” video directed by Sam Beam (from Iron & Wine):

The Swell Season’s new record, Strict Joy, is better than the Once soundtrack, if you ask me.  You can get it at Amazon below:

The Appropriate Linkage:

• The Swell Season’s Site
• The Swell Season on MySpace
• Jason Segel guesting with Swell Season (in L.A.) (youtube link)
• The Frames’ Site
• The Frames on MySpace
• Doveman’s Site
• Doveman on MySpace
• McDonald Theatre

Check out more tour dates below.

~Dan – np: Pearl Jam – Backspacer

THE SWELL SEASON & DOVEMAN PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

Higher Resolution (8 pics)

Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (30 pics)

Tour Dates
1 – Milwaukee, Wisc. @ The Pabst
2 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ Clowes Memorial Hall
3 – Toronto, Ontario @ Massey Hall
4 – Montreal, Quebec @ L’Olympia de Montreal
6 – Boston, Mass. @ Berklee College of Music Performance Center
7 – Providence, R.I. @ Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
8 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Merriam Theater
9 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
12 – New Orleans, La. @ House of Blues
13 – Houston, Texas @ Warehouse Live
14 – Dallas, Texas @ Palladium
15 – Austin, Texas @ Paramount Theatre
17 – Mesa, Ariz. @ Mesa Arts Center
18 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Wiltern
20 – San Francisco, Calif. @ The Paramount
22 – Seattle, Wash. @ The Paramount
23 – Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre
24 – Portland, Ore. @ Crystal Ballroom
25 – Vancouver, B.C. @ Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts
27 – Boise, Idaho @ Egyptian Theatre
28 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ Jeanne Wagner Theatre
29 – Denver, Colo. @ Ogden Theatre
30 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Uptown Theater

December 2009
3 – Chicago, Ill. @ Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University
4 – St. Louis, Mo. @ The Pageant
5 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ State Theatre