Music on the Couch This Monday

MUSIC ON THE COUCH 

MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2011
10pm Eastern; 9pm Central; 8pm Mountain; 7pm Pacific
Archived on Tuesday morning and forever HERE

Subscribe Via

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Artist Of The Day Links, Music News Updates And More
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This week:
MATTHEW DAVIDSON
and
The Band
GRAND MARQUIS 
SIT ONTHE COUCH

Prior to this years International Blues challenge I learned of one of the entrants into the Youth Showcase. His name is Matthew Davidson and, at the time he was 12-years old. The evening he played I was there in the front row next to his beaming mom and dad.

Matthew held the audience’s attention as he stood alone with a mic and his electric guitar and played and sang, his skills evident to all in attendance.

He has played with Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Honeyboy Edwards. He has appeared at the Delta Blues Fest and the B.B. King Museum.

I will get to chat with Matthew and talk about this journey that began with a toy guitar at the age of three. We will also share some music from Matthew and his band and it is with a band that Matthew’s skills really shine.

Then I get to sit with the Ben Ruth (upright bass and tuba) and Bryan Redmond (vocals, saxophones), from the band The Grand Marquis.

Along with band members Lisa McKensie (percussion), Ryan Wurtz (guitar) and Chad Boydston (trumpet) they were finalists at this years International Blues Challenge and put on one hell of a show.

With a sound that hearkens back to the Nawlins speak-easys or 1950's Memphis, you will fall in love with The Grand Marquis. Swing, jazz, blues, you can call it what you'd like. I just call it great. I know there is a cool dancing show on while we are, The Grand Marquis could add the music for the dancers!

We will take your calls and questions for both guests at 1.347.633.9400.

The live interactive chat room opens 20 minutes before show time. Follow this link HERE and click on the Chat Now icon. Come hang with the fans and musicians who visit each week.

Remember, unless you take the two minutes to register, you will not be able to participate in the chat room or send me questions to ask our guests, but you will still hear the show.

So tune in on Monday evening or remember, you can always listen anytime after the show ends from the player HERE or check out Music On The Couch for additional artist information, and show recaps.

You can download to your iTunes and even subscribe to the show for weekly automatic downloads, from my iTunes page.

Thanks -
Vinny "Bond" Marini

---

Please patronize our Sponsors


 
 

Music On The Couch is offering sponsorships at this time. Each week our listening audience is growing. Share your product or service with our listeners.

Over 3,000 people have listened to MOTC in 2011!
Sponsorships as of April 1st are available for as low as $20.00/spot and offer graphic-link placement on the MOTC website, and our weekly email newsletter 
For more information, send an email to musiconthecouch@yahoo.com

Video Wednesday

Simply Six: Israel Nash Gripka

Israel Nash Gripka is from New York.

1. For many artists, they cite a defining moment for themselves when they knew they wanted to be a singer.  For many it was the appearance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, to another generation it was the Beatles’ appearance on Sullivan half a decade later.  Is there such a defining moment for you? 

I think it was my first performance of an orginal song.  I was in 7th grade singing this, well, 7th grade-minded pop song I had written.  Me and an acoustic guitar.  I thought, wow people dig this.  That was a rush and it was done for me.  I don't know where those recording went, but if you have them, we can negotiate.

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to?  Who are some of your favorites? 

I listen to a lot of Rolling Stones and Neil Young these days.  I have been amassing a pretty nice vinyl collection and have every Waylon Jennings record ever made.  I'm also really digging into Nilsson lately.  Timeless.

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?

  I think it is always important that moments like that are happening regularly.  You know, I don't want to have my best moment be 2 years old.  These moments are happening all the time, but one of the best ones yet was definitely recording the new record.  It was just the closest people in my life in an old barn in the Catskill Mountains in June.  Late nights, bonfires, beer, guitars.  I don't think it gets better than that.

4.  Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to?   How much can music influence current events? 

Well, I don't know if music can change the world, but I do think it is much more than something to just listen to.  I hope my music can affect people.  Kind of like individual reflections or movements.  I really want people to feel the music more than they hear it.  That's what exacts change, I think.  And it might not be a global change, it might just be an individual change, but to me, that is just fine.

5. How has technology affected the music industry?  How has technology affected your career as a musician? 

Technology is real and I think a lot of people had been complaining about its adverse affects when the real discussion that some innovative people said was 'hey, this technology thing and global connection idea is cool, how can we use it?'  Sure, illegal downloads will happen and software makes it easy for anyone to make a record, but technology is not the white elephant in the room anymore.  Harnessing it to connect to your fans, giving them cool opportunities, special content, all of that.  Technology makes that happen.  Companies like Topspin and other innovative people are on to something really good.  

6.  If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?

Cowboy Boots. They look good all the time.

 

A Hawk and A Hacksaw Take a CERVANTINE Route to Another Place and Time

http://www.worldmusicwire.com

A broomstick and duct tape. That is what the curious Americans used for a mic stand. In a humble house with no running water deep in the Romanian hinterland, they were recording with Fanfare Ciocarlia, one of the world’s top brass bands. A Hawk and A Hacksaw have also found themselves playing with Roma on the streets of Amsterdam and out on the Jaffa road, performing to both Hassids and Palestinians; in a sculptor’s tree house outside of Budapest; and at a Jewish wedding in Pittsburgh where a young boy stared transfixed at the band, ignoring the party revelers, until—with no explanation—tears streamed down his face.

On first glance, the desert mountains of New Mexico don’t seem like an obvious home for a band that specializes in its own blend of music from the former Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, and Romania. But as the new albumCERVANTINE reveals, there is more to the connection than the untrained eye can see. On the title track, the group explores the mariachi influence on Romany brass that flourished thanks to the Latin American soap operas popular across Eastern Europe. “Europeans inspired Mexican brass and now Mexican brass inspired Europeans,” says band founder, accordionist, and percussionist Jeremy Barnes. “In New Mexico, we grew up hearing all this brass music, hearing mariachis.”

There is something connecting what may seem like distant points on the map: The Balkans and New Mexico, thanks to an odd tie Barnes and band mate and violinist Heather Trost felt on their travels. “Northern New Mexico is a beautiful ecosystem of cultural clashes and mixings, that really remind us of the Balkans and Transylvania,” says Trost. “There are very few ‘cultural climates’ like this in the world, and I think it's something we try to reflect in our songs.”

Whereas other American groups are simply “from the U.S.,” when AHAAH tour in Europe, they are often promoted as being from New Mexico. "Many Europeans think that New Mexico is its own nation, and sometimes I wish it was. It often feels that way,” says Barnes.

While the music comes off sounding rooted and traditional, the treatments simultaneously evoke specific places while bending time. AHAAH uses an old two-track recorder to give their recordings a timelessness; suggesting a historic feel deep in memory, even though the compositions are new or arranged in entirely new ways.

The piece titled “Española Kolo” evokes the kolo, or “circle,” the national dance of the former Yugoslavia, with the ambience of a New Mexico town. “It’s an area with a bad reputation,” says Barnes. But beyond that façade is a town and river valley with a completely unique culture. "There are lots of low riders and they are proud of their identity.  Many New Mexicans are afraid to visit Española, just as many Europeans won’t go to Serbia. I thought we should pay homage to the good that comes from both places,” says Barnes.  “A lot of these Serbian songs have completely Mexican melodies over the top of a kolo. Sometimes we get the reaction ‘You’re from New Mexico; what are you doing playing this music from Eastern Europe?!’ But there is a connection to be made.”

The AHAAH sound reached many a listener’s ear when they recorded with Beirut on the breakout album Gulag Orkestar in 2006, but their subsequent three recordings (and the new album in particular) is a move further East to the asymmetric rhythms of Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Greece.  On “No Rest for the Wicked,” listeners may have trouble distinguishing certain accordion melodies from electronics, or may become intrigued by the desolate sounding string-on-string Roma violin trick that closes the track.  

Elsewhere on “Mana Thelo Enan Andra,” listeners are treated to an outsider’s view that breaks down barriers between nationalist distinctions between Greek and Turkish music. The song features the rembetika stylings of Chris “Papalazerescu” Hladowski’s Greek bouzouki (lute) and Issa Malluf’s Turkishdoumbek, alongside the voice of Stephanie Hladowski. ”She sounds like she could be from the Smyrna, singing in the 1920s, I don’t know how she does it.”

When AHAAH plays big cities like New York, expect to see a cross-section of Central and Eastern Europe represented in the audience. The Turks will sing along to the classic song “Uskudar,” whose melody has traveled from country to country, so others will hum along too. “It turns up in Greece, in Bosnia, and elsewhere. And as a Klezmer tune, it’s called ‘A Terk in America,’” says Barnes.

A Hawk and a Hacksaw have never been about ethnographic reenactment or folk purity. “We want people to explore further after they hear us,” Trost reflects. “We’re doing what we love, and we want people to like it on its own terms. People are hungry for things beyond Western pop and we are a part of that exploratory process.”

Simply Six: Rosehill

1. For many artists, they cite a defining moment for themselves when they knew they wanted to be a singer.  For many it was the appearance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, to another generation it was the Beatles’ appearance on Sullivan half a decade later.  Is there such a defining moment for you?

For me, it much more than 1 experience. It was driving around with my mom listening to late 80’s, early 90’s country music. It was what I was brought up on and made me want to sing and perform country music. Every time I hear that era of country music, it takes me back to thise cherished moments.

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to?  Who are some of your favorites? 

Mumford and Sons, Avett Brothers, Waylon, Dylan, Old George Strait and Garth Brooks

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live? 

Getting to record with Radney Foster. It was amazing to see and hear a legend work songs in the studio. Such a great experience.

4.  Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to?   How much can music influence current events?

               

When music is combined with a cause people are passionate about it certainly has the power to lead revolutions and be a root of change.  Music has the power to stir emotions and unite people which are the key factors in starting down the road to change and while the songs themselves may not change the world, the people they inspire can.  

5. How has technology affected the music industry?  How has technology affected your career as a musician?

                

The digital age has made music much more accessible to people and has taken away the geographical restraints that previously existed.  Today if someone in the northeast wants to listen to Texas music they just jump online and there it is immediately. The open access has also flooded everyone with so much music by so many talented musicians that separating your music from all the background noise and getting people to notice what you are doing is much more difficult.  You have to find new and inventive ways to get through all the filters people use and get to the type of people who you know will truly enjoy what you are doing.

               

6. If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?

A good pair of boots!

Music on the Couch This Monday

MUSIC ON THE COUCH 

MONDAY, MARCH 21, 2011
10pm Eastern; 9pm Central; 8pm Mountain; 7pm Pacific
Archived on Tuesday morning and forever HERE

Subscribe Via

iTunes
Artist Of The Day Links, Music News Updates And More
Follow Music On The Couch 

This week:
LUCY HAMMOND
and
JP CORWYN 
SIT ONTHE COUCH

\

From the Pacific Northwest comes the soulful blues of the Lucy Hammond Band.

Ms. Hammond will join me on The Couch to discuss the journey that has brought her to where she is today.

Lucy began performing at the age of 6 and eventually became a force on the Portland music scene in the 1980's. She then retired to have a family.

Now back and singing the blues we will discuss her upcoming EP "Proof" and the road she is taking to get it released.

 

Then I am excited to sit with JP Corwyn, an alternative rocker with a taste for acoustic rock.

Born with a degenerative condition, he has been legally blind since birth. He declared he wanted to be a musician at age 5 and has fulfilled that dream now having released two albums and an EP.

A native Long Islander, JP now lives in Seminole, Florida, JP has a sense of humor about his condition as evidenced by his 2010 release, "The White Cane Conspiracy".

JP will sit on The Couch and discuss his career and listen to his music.

Please join me as I sit with Lucy and JP and introduce y'all to musicians you should know.

We will take your calls and questions for both guests at 1.347.633.9400.

The live interactive chat room opens 20 minutes before show time. Follow this link HERE and click on the Chat Now icon. Come hang with the fans and musicians who visit each week.

Remember, unless you take the two minutesto register, you will not be able to participate in the chat room or send me questions to ask our guests, but you will still hear the show.

So tune in on Monday evening or remember, you can always listen anytime after the show ends from the player HERE or check out Music On The Couch for additional artist information, and show recaps.

You can download to your iTunes and even subscribe to the show for weekly automatic downloads, from my iTunes page.

Thanks -
Vinny "Bond" Marini

---

Please patronize our Sponsors


 

Music On The Couch is offering sponsorships at this time. Each week our listening audience is growing. Share your product or service with our listeners.

Over 4,000 people have listened to MOTC in 2011!
Sponsorships are available for as low as $20.00/spot and offer graphic-link placement on the MOTC website, and our weekly email newsletter 

For more information, send an email to musiconthecouch@yahoo.com

Music on the Couch This Monday

MUSIC ON THE COUCH 

MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2011
10pm Eastern; 9pm Central; 8pm Mountain; 7pm Pacific
Archived on Tuesday morning and forever HERE

Subscribe Via

iTunes 
Artist Of The Day Links, Music News Updates And More
Follow Music On The Couch 

This week:
CHINUA HAWK
and
jsin 
SIT ONTHE COUCH

Chinua (Shin-wa) Hawk might not be a name you recognize, but he has been performing his music around the world for over 10 years and has worked with some of the biggest names in the business.

Chinua has performed with Celine Dion, written songs with and performed backing vocals on Wyclef Jean’s CD “The Preachers Son”. He has also worked in the studio with Kanye West and Talib Kweli "Just to Get by".

Chinua’s work has been used on the T.V. show “Joan of Arcadia” , the movie “First Sunday”, and Dave Chapelle's " Block Party."

I get to sit with Chinua and discuss his youth and where he is moving toward today. We will also hear music from his latest release, "Sunflower: Revisited" and find out how his college tour is going.

Then from Toronto, Canada, jsin will sit on The Couch.

The Montreal native released "Born" in late 2009. It draws from a diverse selection of musical genres including electronica, trip-hop, punk and pop, while staying firmly rooted in the grit, guts, and glory of one of early Guns N’ Roses. Coupled with producer Vikas Kohli, the partnership has produced an album that refuses to stay within a narrow definition of rock.

How did jsin get to where he is today; working on his second album, acting in films and taking vocal lessons to expand his range? We will ask those and other questions and listen to music from "Born".

Please join me as I sit with Chinua and jsin and introduce y'all to musicians you should know.

We will take your calls and questions for both guests at 1.347.633.9400.

The live interactive chat room opens 20 minutes before show time. Follow this link HERE and click on the Chat Now icon. Come hang with the fans and musicians who visit each week.

Remember, unless you take the two minutes to register, you will not be able to participate in the chat room or send me questions to ask our guests, but you will still hear the show.

So tune in on Monday evening or remember, you can always listen anytime after the show ends from the player HERE or check out Music On The Couch for additional artist information, and show recaps.

You can download to your iTunes and even subscribe to the show for weekly automatic downloads, from my iTunes page. 
Thanks -
Vinny "Bond" Marini 

---

Please patronize our Sponsors



 

Music On The Couch is offering sponsorships at this time. Each week our listening audience is growing. Share your product or service with our listeners.

Over 3,000 people have listened to MOTC in 2011! 

Sponsorships are available for as low as $20.00/spot and offer graphic-link placement on the MOTC website, and our weekly email newsletter 

For more information, send an email to musiconthecouch@yahoo.com

Video Wednesday

Today we feature G Love with a song produced by the Avett Brothers.

A Multitude in Solitude: Master Indian Classical Musician Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh Channels the Multifaceted Voices of the Veena on Mysterious Duality

http://www.worldmusicwire.com

Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh picked up the phone one day and had an epiphany. “I heard myself responding to different calls differently, using multiple voices and personalities,” the world-class veena player explains. “When you talk to your son, husband, teacher, colleague, or your student, with each role, your intonation changes so much. So I thought, ‘Why not make the veena do this?’”

Jayanthi’s moment of insight became Mysterious Duality: Just Me, an elegant, powerful exploration of the many sides of India’s national instrument, with its overtones, unique resonances, and dozens of strings. A seventh-generation musician with decades of training, performing, and recording of Carnatic (South Indian) classical music to her credit, Jayanthi was perfectly poised to create a set of pieces that allowed the veena’s multiple qualities to emerge.

The urge to show the veena in a new light came when Jayanthi played a festival in France several years ago. The promoter, new to Indian music, listened to a CD of Jayanthi accompanied by traditional percussion and was delighted—but confused. “He said, ‘The music is awesome. Now, which one’s the veena again?’” Jayanthi recalls with a chuckle. “I could relate to where he was coming from. The sitar and tabla have been presented in many beautiful ways, and people worldwide recognize their sound. I knew I needed to present the veena’s grandeur of tone in all its purity. I needed to make an album with just veena.”

Jayanthi understood that a solo veena album would not capture the full breadth of her instrument’s expressive and sonic possibilities—its rich bass, percussive facets, sympathetic strings, and delicate upper range. So she headed to the studio, telling the engineer to brace himself as she laid down track after track of different rhythmic and melodic elements, turning to the two dozen veenas she owns to find just the right sound.

After seven overdubs, she found the perfect balance between the elements, and the process suggested what material she should explore using her newfound approach: “Once I had the formula right, I had to figure out what to play.”

The pieces that emerged once Jayanthi found her footing move from contemplative layered arpeggios to energetic, complex melodies, from percussive bass grooves to dancing, shimmering tones (“Multiple Duality”). The effect is welcoming to the listener unfamiliar with Indian classical music, yet strikingly appropriate to fans of straightforward classical performance.

Jayanthi’s music resonates beautifully in multiple ways thanks to her long experience. “My background helped me approach these pieces with poise and dignity,” she relates. “I didn’t want to rush anything, especially on tracks like ‘Wandering in Dimensions,’ and took them step by step.”

The tracks draw on her deep knowledge of Carnatic music’s system of rhythmic cycles (tala) and melodic patterns (raga). “Indian music has this treasure house of melodies, or ragas that are created using a particular set of notes in particular order. Scales don’t become ragas until they have life breathed into them,” Jayanthi notes. “But that creativity has a boundary, as well as a particular emotion. It’s as if you have three colors to use in a painting. You can still paint anything you want, even if you only use three colors.”

This bounded creativity shines in pieces like “Strings with No Ends,” a slowly accelerating tanam, or improvised work that’s “melodically rhythmic and rhythmically melodic,” as Kumaresh puts it. Or in pieces composed by Jayanthi’s youthful nephew Abhishek Raghuram or by her violinist husband R. Kumaresh. Both work primarily on other instruments, bringing an exciting freshness and challenge to her endeavors. “If I’d had composed everything myself, I would have focused solely on what might sound nice on the veena,” she reflects. “Abishek, for example, composed melodies without thinking at all about my instrument.”

The process of recording also revealed new facets of the veena, something that Jayanthi has relished bringing to her live classical performances. The high-quality recording and mastering uncovered microtones and resonances Jayanthi had never heard so distinctly before, elements she now plays with in concert.

It also brought out a bolder dimension of Jayanthi’s musical personality. “Before this album, I would wonder when I played the bass strings in a particular way if I was sounding too much like an electric guitar,” she muses. “I always felt a bit shy. After making this album, though, I found it was very cool. Now I love it.”