Last week we featured a Simply Six from the group Summerfield and we're liking them a lot so today we present a video of their song "Everything."
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Music on the Couch This Monday
MUSIC ON THE COUCH
MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2011
10pm Eastern; 9pm Central; 8pm Mountain; 7pm Pacific
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This week:
REVEREND ROBERT
and
BIG JON SHORT
SIT ONTHE COUCH
SPECIAL BONUS:BRANDON SANTINI will join the show and allow us to share his new album
Songs Of Love, Work and Misery !
Reverend Robert (Bobby Reynolds) is a master of prewar blues. He has delved deep into the styles of Charley Patton, Robert Johnson and other delta blues giants.
In the past two decades he has become accomplished at many other early twentieth century styles including ragtime and early jazz, Hawaiian and Caribbean. He combines these styles seamlessly in a combination of infectious rhythm and an authentic acoustic sound. In 2004 he took first place at the National Slide Guitar Festival in North Carolina.
The Reverend is known for his true conviction, and powerful delivery. You can hear it on his latest CD Preachin' Blues.
I caught Reverend Robert's set at last years Biscuit and then we ran into each other on the street during the International Blues Challenge and I asked him to join me on the show and he accepted. I am excited to discuss his love of and his desire to keep alive the pre-war music.
Then Big Jon Short will join me. Big Jon comes to us from Couch Favorite Brandon Santini who has recorded with Bog Jon.
Armed with a suitcase kick-drum, National Reso-phonic Guitar, Lowebow cigar-box reso-hillharp, Reso-Ukulele and kazoo, Big Jon Short's high energy solo performances bring a foot-stomping show that taps into the heart of the songs, regional styles, and folklore of the Blues and its importance to American music.
A 2010 IBC semi-finalist he won the Lyon/Pitchford Cigarbox Championship. When not performing 200 shows a year, Jon works as a public school teacher and is heavily involved in Blues In Schools Programs and with Raising The Blues, Ltd, a non-profit that brings “interactive music to children with long-term medical or physical challenges at hospitals and treatment centers.” We will talk to Big Jon about his life and music.
A special bonus this week.
Pre-sale of the new, anticipated Brandon Santini album Songs Of Love, Work and Misery began last week and I asked Brandon to come on and talk to us about this project.
Long-time Music On The Couch fans know Brandon was the first musician to welcome me into the Memphis musical society and without his help, Music On The Couch would not be where it is today.
The new album is retro in its sound and look. Brandon enlisted many of his friends here in town to write and perform alongside and the result is a piece of work that is sure to put him on the radar for much success this year.
Come hear the new music and then go pre-order the album and get it autographed by Brandon!
We will take your calls and questions for both guests at 1.347.633.9400.
Come sit on The Couch and meet musicians you should know.
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
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For more information, send an email to musiconthecouch@yahoo.com
Friday, April 22, 2011
SImply Six: Summerfield
Summerfield are from Fayetteville NC.
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?
Summerfield: We knew we wanted to do this when we stepped out in front of thousands of people at the Dogwood Festival. This first time we ever played together, opening the festival with the National Anthem. We were both incredibly nervous before we stepped out on stage. The moment we started playing, however, all of that fear turned into confidence. To hear thousands of people cheer like they did in such a patriotic manner was amazing. That is when we both knew we wanted to do this forever.
2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?
Summer: Vanessa Carlton is my favorite I love her voice, piano playing, and lyrics. I also enjoy Toby Keith, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, John Mayor, Boys Like Girls, and Taylor Swift to name a few
Isaac: I am all over the place; I enjoy Zac Brown Band, John Mayor, Jennifer Hudson, and Thrice. Whatever is playing I’m down for it.
3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?
Summerfield: That would have to be getting boxes and boxes of our first album delivered to our doorstep. Nothing quite says you’re actually doing it like opening a box that is full of your own album copies. All of your hard work and dedication paid off just lying in your hands. That was a big moment for us both and it is still sinking in.
4. Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to? How much can music influence current events?
Summer: I believe music has the power to inspire. Music can be that extra push to get you through the day or even inspire you to make a difference in the world around you. We like to write music that has a purpose, usually based on the things we have experienced. Many times we have played charity events and have used music to benefit many worthy causes.
Isaac: Music for me holds a world of emotion. I believe in having a soundtrack to my life. I have a song for every mood and every circumstance. It affects the way I feel, think, and behave. I believe I’m not that different from everyone else. I believe we are all effected by what we listen to be it good or bad.
5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?
Summerfield: We are a grassroots kind of band. We are staying true to ourselves and our mission. Years ago grassroots meant getting your city to love you. Today with the power of social networking our grassroots movement means that we are connecting with fans all over the world. In a recent giveaway contest we were surprised to find we were giving away as many prizes outside of the country as we were in the country. While we are focused on our surrounding area, technology has allowed us to grow far beyond our reach. The ability to be a country-pop band in Fayetteville NC, and be sharing our music with someone over in the Netherlands is amazing.
6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?
Summerfield: Converse: they are retro yet current, fashionable yet functional and we both own multiple pairs.
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?
Summerfield: We knew we wanted to do this when we stepped out in front of thousands of people at the Dogwood Festival. This first time we ever played together, opening the festival with the National Anthem. We were both incredibly nervous before we stepped out on stage. The moment we started playing, however, all of that fear turned into confidence. To hear thousands of people cheer like they did in such a patriotic manner was amazing. That is when we both knew we wanted to do this forever.
2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?
Summer: Vanessa Carlton is my favorite I love her voice, piano playing, and lyrics. I also enjoy Toby Keith, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, John Mayor, Boys Like Girls, and Taylor Swift to name a few
Isaac: I am all over the place; I enjoy Zac Brown Band, John Mayor, Jennifer Hudson, and Thrice. Whatever is playing I’m down for it.
3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?
Summerfield: That would have to be getting boxes and boxes of our first album delivered to our doorstep. Nothing quite says you’re actually doing it like opening a box that is full of your own album copies. All of your hard work and dedication paid off just lying in your hands. That was a big moment for us both and it is still sinking in.
4. Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to? How much can music influence current events?
Summer: I believe music has the power to inspire. Music can be that extra push to get you through the day or even inspire you to make a difference in the world around you. We like to write music that has a purpose, usually based on the things we have experienced. Many times we have played charity events and have used music to benefit many worthy causes.
Isaac: Music for me holds a world of emotion. I believe in having a soundtrack to my life. I have a song for every mood and every circumstance. It affects the way I feel, think, and behave. I believe I’m not that different from everyone else. I believe we are all effected by what we listen to be it good or bad.
5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?
Summerfield: We are a grassroots kind of band. We are staying true to ourselves and our mission. Years ago grassroots meant getting your city to love you. Today with the power of social networking our grassroots movement means that we are connecting with fans all over the world. In a recent giveaway contest we were surprised to find we were giving away as many prizes outside of the country as we were in the country. While we are focused on our surrounding area, technology has allowed us to grow far beyond our reach. The ability to be a country-pop band in Fayetteville NC, and be sharing our music with someone over in the Netherlands is amazing.
6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?
Summerfield: Converse: they are retro yet current, fashionable yet functional and we both own multiple pairs.
Spotlight: King Cotton
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| Webpage: http://www.myspace.com/thekingcottonboys | ||||
| Location: Boise, ID, United States | ||||
| Description: Are y'all ready for some Southern Americana? This album features a sonic gumbo of southern-fried lyrics, slinky surf guitar lines, dirt road country, and indie rock n' roll. | ||||
| Biography: “Ain’t nothin’ left of them tenant shacks, there’s kudzu on the railroad tracks, Ain’t nobody out there breakin’ their backs, turnin’ that red dirt over…” This verse from King Cotton’s song, “Red Hills and Cotton”, is not the type of lyric one would expect to hear from a Boise, ID band; however, King Cotton is not your average Boise, ID band. Their music, dubbed “Southern Americana”, fuses southern-fried lyrics with slinky surf-guitar, dirt-road country-blues, and indie rock n’ roll. This genre-busting jumble provides the band with plenty of room to create and evolve as its songwriting continues to mature. Originally formed as the Billy G. Camp Band, the guys released their first CD (Don’t Stop the Carnival) in the fall of 2006. Upon the release of “Don’t Stop the Carnival”, the band became a local favorite by playing its sun-drenched country-rock at numerous venues and festivals throughout Idaho and in Oregon. In early 2009, after two and a half years of playing live shows in support of “Don’t Stop the Carnival”, the band took a temporary hiatus. Founding member, Grant Camp, used the hiatus as an opportunity to write new material and revamp King Cotton’s sound. After going through several line-up changes in late 2009, the band has finally settled into a happy place with a solid group of players and renewed energy. The band features: Jeff Logan, on drums and backing vocals; Grant Camp, on lead vocals and guitar; Ray Logan, on saxophone, keyboards, and backing vocals; Curt Wardhaugh on guitar and backing vocals; and Adam Young, on bass. King Cotton has high hopes for the future and is hell-bent on bringing a dynamic, well-honed performance to the stage. |
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Song of the Day
Today we feature Kelcy Mae's newest "Pennies in Hand" from her just released album of the same name.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Simply Six: The Movement Fam
The Movement Fam is originally from Australia.
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?
Notion: For me, I would say when I wrote my first full song and recorded it... "Feel It Comin'". I knew I really wanted to be an emcee and perfect this craft! It spoke to me in volumes! It was at the end of my only freestyling stage, to the beginning of writing my shit down stage, I had always written verses upon verses but never made a full song. Once I heard it back and sat with it for a while, it just made me realise I can make a "song" as opposed to just 'rapping' and I could really have something here.
Bekah: Absolutely! My very first time of stage was me singing at my sisters 18th birthday party in front of 250 family and friends. It felt right, I felt so comfortable and I knew from that moment on that music and my being on stage was something that I always wanted to do.
Cee: Music has moved me more than anything in life since as far back as I can remember. But as far as the moment that I wanted to be an MC, it was probably when I was around 15 and I put a proper rhyme together; that was when I knew I could do this as well, if not better, than the dudes I grew up idolising.
2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?
Notion: Lately, emcees such as J. Cole, Talib Kweli, Emilio Rojas, B.O.B., Royce & all the rest of Slaughterhouse, to cats like Cee-Lo, Melanie Fiona, & Jazmine Sullivan. It's the overall sound and feel that it bangs out that just gets the creative juices flowing. I'm talking about the beats, melodies and lyrics of all of the above.
Bekah: I will listen to almost anything. I do listen to a lot of Alicia Keys, India Arie, Melanie Fiona, Jazmine Sullivan - ALL the DIVAS :) and I like to check out local up coming talent too. Because I know how hard this industry is to crack so I like to show some support.
Cee: These days I listen to everything. Right now, I'm bumping cats like Collie Buddz, South Dakota soul rockers Showbaby, Alexisonfire, City & Colour, Classified, Laura Marling, Daniel Merriweather, Plan B, Adele, Raul Midon, Ben Harper, Jamie Woon, Ellie Goulding, British India, Jason Mraz, Shad…I could go on for days. Even though I'm an MC, I don't really listen to much Hip Hop any more.
3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?
Bekah: Every gig has its awesome moments. I don't really have a favourite. All my music memories are back in Melbourne. I have done two gigs in Canada so I can't comment on being here!
Cee: I'm very proud of releasing the compilation album 'The Soul Movement Originals' with Bekah. Even though it was just a compilation album, it's still a solid reflection of our career as a duo to date, and I'm really vibed we did it.
4. Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to? How much can music influence current events?
Notion: Absolutely, i think that music has an invisible power… or something like that. It can change moods and create harmony in anyone that truly listens and or feels it.
Bekah: Music is a massive influence to everyone. I love how music brings everyone together. And for those who have been blessed to be able to make music - I love being around those people. Everyone can appreciate it. There is also a lot of respect too.
Cee: Hells yes. Just like music is what moves me the most, it's the same for millions (if not billions) of folks on this planet. It's quite possibly the only universal language, and it's a method of getting across a feeling and an emotion rather than just a message. Music is essential to life as human beings.
5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?
Notion: With the likes of the social media giants, the internet and these applications and mediums have completely revolutionised it, in that, it has made it easier for people to communicate and reach that audience, wherever in the world, that they weren't able to before. We are a prime example!
Bekah: It has certainly made it easier for us all.
Cee: The technology that is available now has changed everything. We now own two separate studio set ups which we took to the other side of the world, which saves us thousands in studio hiring costs. And we can directly contact our fans via tools like Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc. It's made the field MUCH more competitive, and as it has broken down the barriers of entry to the industry, it's allowed a lot of garbage in that folks have to wade through to get to the good stuff. It's gotta be a positive thing overall, though.
6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?
Notion: Jordan 6's. They were my favourite shoes back in the day, although I never got a pair, every time i see them I just drool. I want people to do that when they see me.
Bekah: No idea. A comfortable pair...
Cee: A pair of black size 13 Chuck Taylor's. A tried and true classic that everyone can mess with.
Song of the Day
Continuing in the tradition we started yesterday we present another legend and Bessie Smith singing "Beale Street Mama."
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Spotlight: Linda Welby
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| Webpage: http://www.lindawelby.com | ||||
| Location: Galway, ireland, Ireland | ||||
| Description: All songs written and composed by Linda Welby | ||||
| Biography: Musician, Songwriter, Company Director and Project Executive are all words which aptly describe Linda Welby, however on meeting this artist in person there is even more to learn about this extraordinary person that is now attracting the attention of media broadcasters up and down the country. A native of Loughrea Linda, a young mother of eight children, now resides in Roscahill, Co. Galway. Her album 'A Story to Tell' and more recently 'The Best of Times' is a collection of contemporary songs and music all written and composed by herself. Linda Welby has a very defined vision of where she is going and what is important to her in life. As a composer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist and singer, music has always been at the forefront for Linda. Linda's grandfather Paddy Doorhy was an accomplished fiddle player and played with the first Ballinakill ceili band. Linda's Dad, also Paddy Doorhy, played drums and toured extensively with many bands and noted musicians. Linda gets her musical inspiration from her dad, whom she regards as her hero, and has no hesitation in linking all her achievements back to this musical heritage. "My dad's a real inspiration to me". Linda's career is driven by her passion for adventurous meaningful compositions and in pursuing this passion her musicianship and mastery of arrangement are broadly appreciated in the music industry. Linda has always kept her head and her heart despite her consistent rise and has no need for elaborate vocal embellishments to get her message across. Linda's cool, clear, soulful voice has always worn its emotions in the open. Writing is also something that Linda has been doing for years "I was always a poetry writer and always loved words, even from a young age. So writing my own album came naturally". Linda, for many years, has had the uncanny ability of being able to very successfully manage raising a family, co-ordinating several work projects as well as dedicating time to continued education. It has to be asked, with eight children ranging in ages from twenty two to nine, a day and night job and the launching of a CD, just how does Linda find the time? "When I had three kids I wondered how I would ever cope, I was absolutely run off my feet, but it seemed to get easier as time went on. That's how it seemed to me anyway. I don't think I'm that busy," she laughs. Linda's pure interest in people is clearly evident in her very approachable and friendly manner. "I sing and play because I love it and I do feel that any success that I have had has not changed me as a person. I like to keep things as normal as possible in my life because that is just the way I am". Sheer simplicity is what keeps this fun-loving and very independent free spirit happiest. "My songs tell a story of real people in real times, stories that can be true for a lot of people not just me, I believe that is why people of all ages connect with them" The phenominal success of her single release "The Galway Fiddler" has surpassed all expectations with regular airplays on Irish radio stations throughout the country, north and south, as well as BBC Wales, BBC Oxford, BBC Manchester and also some radio stations in Canada and New York. For Linda it is a dream coming true, culminating in the nationwide release of her first solo CD on September 12th 2008. To radio listeners across the country as well as her legions of new fans, Linda Welby is fast becoming a superstar while at home in Roscahill she has never changed from being the down-to-earth affable and hardworking wife and mother. She has achieved the longest run by any artist of twenty two continuous weeks, as well as remaining at number one for eighteen weeks, in a major radio station record charts where listener requests dictate the content of the charts. Probably her crowning achievement so far is her recent visit to the USA to host a television show in a major Nashville television station which will be shown live on the internet worldwide, as well as radio interviews and three very successful live concerts. This coupled with her acceptance of an invitation to meet her life-long idol Pat Boone in Beverley Hills, Los Angeles really made this trip a memorable occasion. In recent times, Linda has had numerous successes with interviews on 32 Irish Radio Stations, 7 in Northern Ireland including three with the renowned Gerry Anderson on Radio Foyle and 6 in mainland UK, extensive Radio airplay on most Irish radio stations including RTE 1, Radio Ulster and Radio Foyle in Northern Ireland and many stations in the UK, Canada and the USA plus many Countries worldwide. She featured on RTE Nationwide Television and TG4 and won the award for Best Female Artist of 2008 on West Limerick Radio,The 2010 Texas International Artist of the year,2010 Youghal Songwriter of the year and many more... . Linda is a multi-instrumentalist playing Fiddle, Whistles, Accordion, Keyboards, Banjo and Drums Linda as a DJ now has her own Programme coming from Nashville every Tuesday night. |
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| Press Release: A Friend In A Million NEW ALBUM 3rd NEW SINGLE RELEASED (Oct 31, 2010) Bullet Records Welcome Linda Welby - BULLET RECORDS ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC GROUP TORONTO CANADA - EMG (Entertainment Music Group) (Oct 31, 2010) It Wasn't Meant For Me (The Texting Song) - NEW ALBUM 2nd NEW SINGLE RELEASED - Cashbox Review "A Story To Tell" - CASHBOX MAGAZINE Australian Sound Check Song Competition - Got Through to finals in Melbourne Australia - AUSTRALIAN SONG COMPETITION (Jun, 2010) PAT BOONE MAY 2009 After spending time with her and listening to her music, I can say Linda Welby is the genuine article. Everything about her is genuine. She's a singer, musician, recording artist, -- but so much more. She's a mother, a wife, a beautiful woman (I've seen her up close) and a true joy to know. I put her in the same class with Emmy Lou Harris and Joan Collins. Her songs are lovely, emotional, melodic and they spring from real life experience. I feel her heartbeat in everyone. She's the genuine article! -- Pat Boone Rafel Corbi March 27, 2009 It's been a really hard way for your Cd to travel from Ireland to Catalonia in Northern Spain, but we finally got it. And I just can say many thanks for sharing this piece of Heaven with us. I love mny kinds of music, but if could do one, I will love to be able to share with the world your words, your passion, your music... This is the review we will done next week on our pages.... thanks... Linda Welby is a singer, musician, songwriter and a piece of Heaven that God send to Ireland, and to the music world because He knew we need somebody with her special vision of what music needs, or better, what music should be. Stories from her album "A Story To Tell" that touch your soul, that you can feel down your skin, talking to you heart-to-heart, covering different musical genres, but being also in the original branch of irish country music. I love it, and sincerely think that there are very few albums better done that this Cd for Law Records. Visit her website at www.lindawelby.com New releases at www.europeancma.com - ECMA CHARTS(Rafel Corbi) (Mar 27, 2009) Irelands Eye SHOWBIZ NEWS FULL PAGE ARTICLE Mary Mooney - IRELANDS EYE - SHOWBIZ NEWS (May, 2010) MY RADIO PROGRAMME !!! IRISH CREAM OF COUNTRY www.nbrn.fm COMING TO YOU FROM NASHVILLE EVERY TUESDAY 5pm TO 7pm (CST) 11pm TO 1am IRISH TIME - NASHVILLE RADIO IRISH MUSIC MAGAZINE Nicky Rossiter A Story to Tell LAW Records LAWCD 0801 www.lindawelby.com An album of twelve original tracks by a relatively new name on the scene is an ambitious undertaking. Linda Welby is well up to the challenge she sets herself. From the opening track, The Galway Fiddler, she sets a scene and continues through the other eleven tracks, the vocal offerings in particular, to recount stories - as the album title alludes to. These are stories that are either well-acted or very personal and Welby presents them very well. The most enigmatic track on offer is A Lonely Lovely Man. This beautifully crafted and sung piece appears to give us a very sad story about a first love. I was almost tempted to break my first rule of reviewing and seek information outside that presented in the package. Linda is blessed with a wide versatility in styles. She can switch from very folk-oriented tales of the fiddler to tracks that fit very easily into the ‘Country and Irish’ mode. Her personal-sounding songs include two lovely family tributes, We Love you Mum and Dear Dad. Although these are written and sung with very obvious personal notes, I can see either of them being covered by other artistes and becoming mainstays of request shows. The singer/songwriter lists her influences as ranging from Sean Keane to Pat Boone and her output on this album certainly gives evidence of this. She is not corralled into a particular genre and as such will appeal to a very wide audience. In addition many of the songs have the strength to become hits for some established artistes. Linda certainly has more than one “story to tell” and she tells all of them with imagination and some wonderful musical backing including her own multi-instrumental offerings. Nicky Rossiter Nicky Rossiter - IRISH MUSIC MAGAZINE (2009) Northern Ireland Country Music Awards Received Recognition Award 3 Nominations NORTHERN IRELAND COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS (Apr, 2010) SECOND ALBUM 1st New Single Released Through You Ill Find My Way in aid of Autism Ireland Linda Welby - NEW ALBUM 1st NEW SINGLE RELEASED (Mar 10, 2010) Celtic Radio Comments: Linda Welby has brought together a beautiful mix of songs and melodies that will surely enchant you with her wondereous and exceptional voice. She has been described as an Emmy Lou Harris or Joan Collins. Contained in the album are songs that draw on Linda's life experiences and also display her musical talent of the fiddle - such as "The Galway Fiddler" and "Port Cait Dan (Jig)" - Five golden radio stars for a beautiful album, beautiful songs and a beautiful person! - CELTIC RADIO (2009) PHILADELPHIA NEWS By Lori Lander Murphy Linda Welby is raising eight children, manages holiday cottages, and runs bus tours in her native Connemara (she’s a licensed bus driver!). But don’t hate her because she’s beautiful and makes the Energizer Bunny look like a shirker. In fact, if you listen to her much-acclaimed debut CD, “A Story to Tell” – yes, she’s a singer-songwriter too—you’re probably going to love her. Just read the lyrics to “The Galway Fiddler,” the first release off the CD, a spirited tribute to buskers. "He said he had learnt from the birds in the sky Their songs each morn he'd play till he die He learnt to listen to the breeze through the heather And play to it's whistling in all types of weather." "I love to stop and listen to them entertain people and it's many times they have brightened my day," Linda told me recently. Though she admits she "never expected for a split second that it would take off or that it would even get airplay," its infectious country sound has even inspired new dance steps In Ireland. The CD is infused with personal meaning. Her songs are the consummation of a lifetime of writing poems that..... Lori Lander Murphy - PHILADELPHIA NEWS (Feb 17, 2010) Setdancing news Full Page Feature October, November 2009, Jan, June 2010 Issue. - SET DANCING MAGAZINE NEW SINGLE RELEASE Linda Welby has now realeased her New Single which can be heard on any of the Radio Stations around the country. The song is called The Galway Fiddler. The Album "A Story To Tell" will be on sale from the 5th of September and will be in all good record stores. These are songs she composed herself which includes a hornpipe and jig which she also composed. Linda has recorded at Greenfields Studios in Headford, Co. Galway. - NEW SINGLE "The Galway Fiddler" Galway Now Magazine Feature Cover, plus full feature on Linda Welby. http://www.galwaynow.com/index.php?id=97 - GALWAY NOW MAGAZINE FEATURE (Apr, 2008) Galway Voice Magazine Musician, Company Director and Project Executive are all words which aptly describe Linda Welby, however on meeting this woman in person there is even more to learn about this sensation that is now attracting the attention of media broadcasters up and down the country. A native of Loughrea, and now living in Roscahill., Co. Galway Linda Welby has a very defined vision of where she is going and what is important to her in life. As a composer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist and singer, Music has always been at the forefront for Linda. “ I love music and have a great interest in people with stories to tell of the older days of singing and music. I was brought up in a very musical house where local musicians would gather for song and dance sessions on a very regular basis. I love all the fleadhs and festivals and mixing with fellow musicians. I have been involved in bands since I was twelve years of age.” Linda’s grandfather Paddy Doorhy played with the first Ballinakill ceile band and was known throughout Ireland having won many musical awards. Linda’s Dad also played drums with accordion player Joe Burke for many years. Linda says, “Dad is totally my inspiration and hero”. Linda’s career is driven by her passion for adventurous meaningful compositions and in persuing this passion her musicianship and mastery of arrangement are broadly appreciated in the music industry. Linda has always kept her head and her heart despite her consistent rise and has no need for elaborate vocal embellishments to get her message across. Linda’s cool, clear, soulful voice has always worn its emotions in the open.Her goal is to continually offer something new and different. “I don't know whether you would call it ambition, but I certainly have a strong determination to suceed”. Linda’s other business interests include being an active board member and director of a well known private tourism company as well as having a CPC and full commercial bus licence. Also as a project manager of a Connemara Cottages Operation Linda is actively involved in many tourism related activities. Linda for many years has had the uncanny ability of being able to very successfully manage raising a family, co-ordinating several work projects as well as dedicating time to continued education. She has many qualifications including a Diploma in Adult Psychology as well as Musical Diplomas too numerous to mention. Linda’s pure interest in people is clearly evident in her very approachable and friendly manner. She volunteers on a regular basis in old folks homes and her music and songs bring joy to many people. “I sing because I love it and I do feel that any success that I have had has not changed me as a person. I like to keep things as normal as possible in my life because that is just the way I am. I am very lucky to be able to enjoy family life and to be also a part of a local community”. Who are your musical inspirations? “ My favourite singers, I have quite a few. I like all types of music including sean nos, traditional and continental music with Pat Boone and Glen Millar having a particular 1950’s influence on my style. My songs tell a story of real people in real times, stories that are true for a lot of people not just me, I believe that is why people of all ages connect with them” Many of the songs in this new collection are earnest ballads. “The song Mother is a dedication to my mum similar to Dear Dad some years back. Both are dedicated to my parents as I cannot express in words how proud I am of both of them as they did so much for us all”. “The Galway Fiddler is an interesting song as for me it represents the real talent that can be found on the side of the street that isn’t always showcased in the music industry”. “My Love for You: This song originally began as a poem I wrote when I was fourteen or fifteen”. “Ticking of the clock: Asks the question if you had the chance to turn back the clock, would you”? What does the future hold for Linda Welby? “I have a lot of goals in the music business. I have written a lot of songs, songs that are sentimental to me, some of which I have recorded and released on my new CD……..( name ) I am currently promoting my new CD which is a really exciting for me. I am very pleased with the outcome as the songs chosen for the CD are particular favourites of mine. Later in the year I will release a new album, songs recorded by one of my favourite artists. We have local as well as national events currently lined up so all in all this is going to be a very exciting year for me. This is my wish, this is what I always wanted to do, my absolute dream come true. What the future holds for me I do not know, It is a great surprise of this stage of my career to be branching out in new directions. A sincere thank you to everyone who makes it possible for me to live this dream and I hope our paths will cross along the way.” They say that when you are doing a job that you love you never work a day in you life. Well this certainly seems to be the case with Linda Welby. GALWAY VOICE (May, 2008) Share |
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Diasporighteousness: Blitz the Ambassador Brings the Pan-African Noise with Native Sun
A blindingly bright clarity drives Blitz the Ambassador. With a spot-on sense of flow, he name-checks Basquiat and Lumumba, evokes lovelorn sighs on Accra buses, émigré alienation, history’s shadows. All set to swirls of brass, distorted guitars, and the crackle and pop of old amplifiers.
With a lightning-fast mind, the political boldness of Chuck D, and the sixth groove sense of Fela Kuti, the Ghanaian-born, New York-based MC, composer, and producer unleashes psychedelic Afrobeat colors and triple-time rhymes on Native Sun (Embassy MVMT; May 3, 2011). The album was sparked in Accra yet forged in the African diaspora.
Native Sun—as both musical journey and a striking short film—unfolds from a kaleidoscope of perspectives, with help from a Rwandan sweet soul singer (Corneille on the track “Best I Can”), from sleek Francophone sirens (Les Nubians on “Dear Africa”) and from Congolese and Brazilian samba-loving MCs (Baloji and BNegão on “Wahala”). Blitz even got a boost—including an invite to play at a packed Central Park SummerStage show—from Public Enemy’s Afrocentric thinker and rapper Chuck D himself (whose shout outs grace “Oracle”).
Blitz grew up when the fierce promise of Afrocentric, intellectually discerning rap was at its peak. In the Accra of his youth, the golden age of hip hop lived on long after rap began to go (Dirty) South in the U.S. In barbershops and on well-loved cassettes, young people rallied around a fresh and defiant expression of their concerns and perspectives.
“When you hear young people have such a command, speaking so assertively about how they feel, it resonates with you no matter where you are,” reflects Blitz. “Especially if you live in a stricter society with strong social codes where young people’s voices aren’t heard, hip hop can be a major outlet.”
Blitz and his brothers and friends became avid fans of groups like Public Enemy, one of the few major hip hop names to tour Ghana. Blitz began memorizing raps verbatim to impress the cool kids at school, making up words where he didn’t catch the lyrics, studying the flow of masters from Rakim to KRS-One.
Yet Blitz was surrounded by a profusion of other music in Accra, from the highlife swaying at a nearby soccer field to the kora and drums played for chiefs and sub-chiefs. Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson, and local reactions to rock and funk all made their mark, spinning on the sometime unreliable family record player.
It all came together, resounding in his head after Blitz left home and began to feel his way toward his own voice and sound. He figured out how to launch a blazing rap in 6/8, a favorite Afropop time signature heard on the track “En-trance,” or effortlessly blend the beauties of scratching with hardcore interlocking melodies (“Akwaaba” and “Victory”). He shifts between Twi, West African Pigeon, and English, between good old R&B and Ethiopian funk jazz (“Native Sun”), without losing a beat.
“It’s easy to throw a bunch of elements together, but you have to find points where they intersect,” Blitz explains. “You have to create something so that you can’t tell where the hip hop begins and where the Afrobeat ends, and where highlife stops and future beats start. You have to create a world of equal parts.”
Refracted by life in the diaspora, the sounds Blitz became increasingly drawn to—starting on mixtapes in college and continuing with his live instrumental hip hop outfit Stereotype—crashed up against the commercial reality of what his favorite music had become.
With the DIY skills of hip hop’s old-school outer-borough instigators and decades of lo-fi innovators across West Africa, Blitz crafts his tracks from scratch, singing reference tracks for every trombone and background vocal, often laying down thirty or more lines for each song. “I don’t have any music theory training. I have no idea what I’m doing,” Blitz laughs. “That means I do things that a trained composer would never do. That’s when it gets interesting.”
This “outsider thinking” also led Blitz to make a short film with director Terence Nance as a companion expression for the album, a shorter take on the larger whole that Blitz fears might get lost in the IPod shuffle. Filmed in Ghana with a cast of 55, it maps the transformation of a boy from marginal village orphan to master of his destiny, with a poignancy and panache rarely seen in music videos.
“Native Sun the album is a journey backwards, back through hip hop, the Caribbean soundsystem culture that preceded it, back to its African roots, with the final kora,” notes Blitz. “The film looks forward, to what could be. Both are about the longing for home we feel in the diaspora, and about letting go of old notions and embracing new ideas. The sound in itself speaks to that.”
With a lightning-fast mind, the political boldness of Chuck D, and the sixth groove sense of Fela Kuti, the Ghanaian-born, New York-based MC, composer, and producer unleashes psychedelic Afrobeat colors and triple-time rhymes on Native Sun (Embassy MVMT; May 3, 2011). The album was sparked in Accra yet forged in the African diaspora.
Native Sun—as both musical journey and a striking short film—unfolds from a kaleidoscope of perspectives, with help from a Rwandan sweet soul singer (Corneille on the track “Best I Can”), from sleek Francophone sirens (Les Nubians on “Dear Africa”) and from Congolese and Brazilian samba-loving MCs (Baloji and BNegão on “Wahala”). Blitz even got a boost—including an invite to play at a packed Central Park SummerStage show—from Public Enemy’s Afrocentric thinker and rapper Chuck D himself (whose shout outs grace “Oracle”).
Blitz grew up when the fierce promise of Afrocentric, intellectually discerning rap was at its peak. In the Accra of his youth, the golden age of hip hop lived on long after rap began to go (Dirty) South in the U.S. In barbershops and on well-loved cassettes, young people rallied around a fresh and defiant expression of their concerns and perspectives.
“When you hear young people have such a command, speaking so assertively about how they feel, it resonates with you no matter where you are,” reflects Blitz. “Especially if you live in a stricter society with strong social codes where young people’s voices aren’t heard, hip hop can be a major outlet.”
Blitz and his brothers and friends became avid fans of groups like Public Enemy, one of the few major hip hop names to tour Ghana. Blitz began memorizing raps verbatim to impress the cool kids at school, making up words where he didn’t catch the lyrics, studying the flow of masters from Rakim to KRS-One.
Yet Blitz was surrounded by a profusion of other music in Accra, from the highlife swaying at a nearby soccer field to the kora and drums played for chiefs and sub-chiefs. Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson, and local reactions to rock and funk all made their mark, spinning on the sometime unreliable family record player.
It all came together, resounding in his head after Blitz left home and began to feel his way toward his own voice and sound. He figured out how to launch a blazing rap in 6/8, a favorite Afropop time signature heard on the track “En-trance,” or effortlessly blend the beauties of scratching with hardcore interlocking melodies (“Akwaaba” and “Victory”). He shifts between Twi, West African Pigeon, and English, between good old R&B and Ethiopian funk jazz (“Native Sun”), without losing a beat.
“It’s easy to throw a bunch of elements together, but you have to find points where they intersect,” Blitz explains. “You have to create something so that you can’t tell where the hip hop begins and where the Afrobeat ends, and where highlife stops and future beats start. You have to create a world of equal parts.”
Refracted by life in the diaspora, the sounds Blitz became increasingly drawn to—starting on mixtapes in college and continuing with his live instrumental hip hop outfit Stereotype—crashed up against the commercial reality of what his favorite music had become.
With the DIY skills of hip hop’s old-school outer-borough instigators and decades of lo-fi innovators across West Africa, Blitz crafts his tracks from scratch, singing reference tracks for every trombone and background vocal, often laying down thirty or more lines for each song. “I don’t have any music theory training. I have no idea what I’m doing,” Blitz laughs. “That means I do things that a trained composer would never do. That’s when it gets interesting.”
This “outsider thinking” also led Blitz to make a short film with director Terence Nance as a companion expression for the album, a shorter take on the larger whole that Blitz fears might get lost in the IPod shuffle. Filmed in Ghana with a cast of 55, it maps the transformation of a boy from marginal village orphan to master of his destiny, with a poignancy and panache rarely seen in music videos.
“Native Sun the album is a journey backwards, back through hip hop, the Caribbean soundsystem culture that preceded it, back to its African roots, with the final kora,” notes Blitz. “The film looks forward, to what could be. Both are about the longing for home we feel in the diaspora, and about letting go of old notions and embracing new ideas. The sound in itself speaks to that.”
SImply SIx: Brett Ryan Stewart
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 sucha defining moment for you?
Absolutely. It was upon adopting my older brother's vinyl collection when I was about 12 years old. The first time I spun Neil Young's Harvest I was sold. I also discovered The Who, Pearl Jam, and Simon & Garfunkel around this time, and that sealed the deal.
2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?
It's a really vast canvas for me. I go from Leonard Cohen, to Tool, to Elliot Smith, to Mozart. Throw a little Sinatra in there and we've got ourselves a party!
3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?
Every time I get an email from someone who tells me my song brought them to tears, or inspired them, or simply gave them peace. That's what it's all about. The rest is details.
4. Do you believe music can change the world or is just somethingto listen to? How much can music influence current events?
It's both. My preference leans towards to the former. Not to say that the lighthearted tunes don't have their place, but I tend to connect more with the stuff that gets down to your core. I believe it can change the world. But I'm not talking about topical, "start a revolution" kind of music. That's fine too, but real change comes from within, not without. So for me, when a song cuts through to your very being, extracting your demons and presenting them before you, fully exposed in the light where they can't survive... that's when it changes the world.
5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?
This has obviously been a hot topic for a few years now. Just like a hammer, you can use it to build or destruct. The choice is in the beholder.
I'm hopeful that we'll continue to progress towards proper and fair use of emerging technologies. I learned to embrace it a long while back. With this new album, "Tilt" we decided to only sell and promote it online. As a result we're able to reach our audience across the globe, to places we might have never gotten to tour!
6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?
Stilts.
The Mother of Exile: Azam Ali Sings From Night to the Edge of Day
“The birth of my son was bittersweet,” singer Azam Ali reflects. “He would never meet a large part of his family. And he was not alone in this: So many children are born in diaspora, so innocent in all this. Yet they suffer the consequences of turmoil in the world.”
Ali unfolds the complexities of exile and love, motherhood and motherland in her striking, sophisticated exploration of Iranian, Turkish, Lebanese, and Kurdish lullabies, From Night to the Edge of Day. The Iranian-born, Indian-raised vocalist makes traditional and newly composed songs smolder with dreamy longing, with the grief of exile in a conflict-riven world, and with a keen edge of hope.
This profound something is rarely about mere soothing. Traditional lullabies, with their latent darkness and emotional complexity, are not really for children, as Ali’s decidedly “grown-up” treatment of them testifies. They attempt to cope with difficult lives and the harshness and sorrow of the world, with loss, exile, and pain.
They scintillate under the influence of Ali’s unique vocal abilities and aesthetic, honed on three solo albums and during a career that has spanned all genres. Ali has collaborated with everyone from Mickey Hart to System of a Down, with musicians from Nine Inch Nails and King Crimson. She has appeared in film scores including 2007 box office smash, 300. She has taken global sounds in new directions as part of Niyaz, with help from producer Carmen Rizzo (Seal, Coldplay).
And as Ali sang to her son, cradlesongs became urgent pleas for an end to politically induced suffering in her native region. Lullabies flourish where the highly personal intersects the intensely political, flowing out in what Ali feels are “invisible waves” of quiet communication between adult and child. Ali kept singing the melody of that first night with her son, slowly crafting it into “Tenderness,” a bank of lush, warbling sound that rises from a dreamy drone and evokes love, loss, and longing.
Lullabies began coming to Ali out of the blue. Friends returning from Iran brought her a collection of traditional lyrics, including texts in Farsi dialects that became tracks like “Mehman (The Guest).” Other friends from across the Middle East sang her classic favorites (the Turkish favorite “Dandini”) and obscure gems (the rarely-heard traditional Turkish song, “Neni Desem”). Her close friend, Palestinian oud player Naser Musa, spontaneously wrote a stirring lullaby for Ali’s son, after speaking with Ali about her project (“Faith”).
Rich with strings, unexpected bursts of Middle Eastern percussion, and contributions from virtuosic players like Musa, Ali’s songs nestle dreamy layers of vocals in contemplative soundscapes that evoke both the softness and sadness of night. Yet this emotional and sonic world has a drive that goes beyond the pulsing drums of tracks like “Dandidi.” Ali has thoughtfully chosen lullabies from minority communities across the Middle East, such as Iraqi Kurds (“Lai Lai”) and the Azeris of Iran (“Shirin”), in a plea for peace and an end to conflict. “You go to the Middle East, and the West is blamed for everything. However, many of our problems stem from our own way of thinking, from cultural divisions, interethnic conflict,” Ali explains. “No matter what culture you are, we are all the same at the core. Lullabies communicate this. And that perspective alone can change a lot of things.”
“To do this project, I worked with Kurds, Azeris, a Palestinian Christian, Iranians from all over,” recounts Ali. “You could write a book about each one of them, about their difficulties in life and their diaspora. It was a profound experience for me as person.” Despite oppression, war, and exile, Ali heard “hope and the belief that good will always come out in the end” in the traditional songs and in the musical contributions of her friends.
It is this ray of light that gives Ali’s voice and arrangements their edge and elegance. “From childhood, we are fed all these ideologies that end up shaping the way we view the world,” she says. “If our parents and society could feed us more enlightened ideology from childhood, it would have such an effect on how we grow up and see people.”
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Simply SIx: Susan Cattaneo
Susan Cattaneo is from New England.
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?
The moment that set into motion my desire to be a singer actually didn’t happen at a concert of a star performer but happened closer to home. I am as the youngest of four kids, and the sister that is closest to me in age is a talented singer of musical theater. She is six years older than I am and was my idol growing up. Watching her up on stage and being swept away by her voice was my inspiration and created the driving force behind my desire to be a singer and performer.
2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?
I love listening to a wide range of performers in lots different genres. Some of my favs include Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Little Big Town, Emmylou Harris, Kim Richey, Peter Gabriel and U2.
3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?
When I went in to start recording my latest cd, one of the first songs I worked on was Just Like It Was Texas. The track was a full-blown country ballad with lots of instrumentation, and I went into the studio and sang it in a brash, strong and powerful way - woman as “survivor” of love. As I was driving around with the rough mix in the car, I confess I hated the way the song sounded. It was coming out harsh and strident, and I even thought of dropping it from the album.
Then, one day, I sat down with the lyrics and tried to remember why I had written it. The hook had come from an old boyfriend’s love letter that began with, “Dear Susan, You drove cross my heart just like it was Texas”. Remembering this, I decided to change my entire approach to the song and make it a quiet and simple love song. We pared back a lot of the instrumentation, and I re-sang it in a gentler, more intimate way. As a singer, I am always thinking about singing properly, with as much technical proficiency as I can muster. This time, though, I interpreted the song not for perfection, but for emotional connection. The song came to life for me at that moment, and it transformed the way I sang all the other songs on the album. This moment has changed the way I perform these songs live as well. I feel like it’s opened up a whole new world of connecting to my music and therefore, my audience, and I am so grateful for the experience.
4. Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to? How much can music influence current events?
I think the power of music is immeasurable. I most definitely believe it can change the world. I was recently reading a book on the ways that music can be used as pain therapy, and how people’s recovery from an operation can be quicker and less painful if music is part of their recovery program. I think music can motivate and comfort. It can set the mood for any occasion, and I think it can speak for causes in ways that speechmaking and politics can’t. A personal experience: When 9/11 happened. I was nine months pregnant with my daughter, and we had lived in Manhattan for eight years before moving to Boston, so watching those events unfold in our old home town was particularly hard. I had a lot of conflicting emotions - here I was welcoming new life into the world, at a time when so many lives had been lost. I remember hearing Springsteen’s The Rising soon after, and that album beautifully translated my feelings of grief and hope. I listened to it a lot during that year and found that it contained light as well as shadow, which echoed how I was feeling and comforted me at a time when I needed it.
5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?
In my opinion, technology has been a godsend as well as a curse to the music industry. On one hand, technology has given artists the ability to record songs and reach out to the people globally through sites like Facebook and Twitter. Also, technology has given us the ability to make our own quality music at home instead of having to rely on a studio every time.
On the other hand, as a teacher and lyricist, I am seeing a shift to produced tracks that may be finely crafted sonically, but that have minimal lyric content or creativity, and I’m concerned that this is more than just a current trend.
As an artist, I confess I have been reluctant to join the techo- world, but I do find many ways to make it work for me. First of all, I probably should have been a doctor, because my handwriting is atrocious, so once I could write and edit lyrics on the computer, it changed my world. Also, I love the ability to create a song and get it in some recorded form immediately. I also really like being able to write from a drum loop and to manipulate music to expand or contract sections and then be able to play them back immediately.
6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?
Definitely, a pair of black ostrich Lucchese cowboy boots. I think they’re hip, sexy, classic yet honkytonk…all adjectives that I hope apply to me and my music!
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?
The moment that set into motion my desire to be a singer actually didn’t happen at a concert of a star performer but happened closer to home. I am as the youngest of four kids, and the sister that is closest to me in age is a talented singer of musical theater. She is six years older than I am and was my idol growing up. Watching her up on stage and being swept away by her voice was my inspiration and created the driving force behind my desire to be a singer and performer.
2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?
I love listening to a wide range of performers in lots different genres. Some of my favs include Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Little Big Town, Emmylou Harris, Kim Richey, Peter Gabriel and U2.
3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?
When I went in to start recording my latest cd, one of the first songs I worked on was Just Like It Was Texas. The track was a full-blown country ballad with lots of instrumentation, and I went into the studio and sang it in a brash, strong and powerful way - woman as “survivor” of love. As I was driving around with the rough mix in the car, I confess I hated the way the song sounded. It was coming out harsh and strident, and I even thought of dropping it from the album.
Then, one day, I sat down with the lyrics and tried to remember why I had written it. The hook had come from an old boyfriend’s love letter that began with, “Dear Susan, You drove cross my heart just like it was Texas”. Remembering this, I decided to change my entire approach to the song and make it a quiet and simple love song. We pared back a lot of the instrumentation, and I re-sang it in a gentler, more intimate way. As a singer, I am always thinking about singing properly, with as much technical proficiency as I can muster. This time, though, I interpreted the song not for perfection, but for emotional connection. The song came to life for me at that moment, and it transformed the way I sang all the other songs on the album. This moment has changed the way I perform these songs live as well. I feel like it’s opened up a whole new world of connecting to my music and therefore, my audience, and I am so grateful for the experience.
4. Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to? How much can music influence current events?
I think the power of music is immeasurable. I most definitely believe it can change the world. I was recently reading a book on the ways that music can be used as pain therapy, and how people’s recovery from an operation can be quicker and less painful if music is part of their recovery program. I think music can motivate and comfort. It can set the mood for any occasion, and I think it can speak for causes in ways that speechmaking and politics can’t. A personal experience: When 9/11 happened. I was nine months pregnant with my daughter, and we had lived in Manhattan for eight years before moving to Boston, so watching those events unfold in our old home town was particularly hard. I had a lot of conflicting emotions - here I was welcoming new life into the world, at a time when so many lives had been lost. I remember hearing Springsteen’s The Rising soon after, and that album beautifully translated my feelings of grief and hope. I listened to it a lot during that year and found that it contained light as well as shadow, which echoed how I was feeling and comforted me at a time when I needed it.
5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?
In my opinion, technology has been a godsend as well as a curse to the music industry. On one hand, technology has given artists the ability to record songs and reach out to the people globally through sites like Facebook and Twitter. Also, technology has given us the ability to make our own quality music at home instead of having to rely on a studio every time.
On the other hand, as a teacher and lyricist, I am seeing a shift to produced tracks that may be finely crafted sonically, but that have minimal lyric content or creativity, and I’m concerned that this is more than just a current trend.
As an artist, I confess I have been reluctant to join the techo- world, but I do find many ways to make it work for me. First of all, I probably should have been a doctor, because my handwriting is atrocious, so once I could write and edit lyrics on the computer, it changed my world. Also, I love the ability to create a song and get it in some recorded form immediately. I also really like being able to write from a drum loop and to manipulate music to expand or contract sections and then be able to play them back immediately.
6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?
Definitely, a pair of black ostrich Lucchese cowboy boots. I think they’re hip, sexy, classic yet honkytonk…all adjectives that I hope apply to me and my music!
Spotlight: Twenty Four Thousand Dollars
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| Webpage: http://www.twentyfourthousanddollars.com | ||||
| Location: Austin, Texas, USA | ||||
| Description: Trudging through a world riddled with abandoned bicycles, broken down jalopies and piles of unpaid parking tickets, Twenty Four Thousand Dollars has still managed to accumulate an impressive cannon of songs. | ||||
| Biography: Trudging through a world riddled with abandoned bicycles, broken down jalopies and piles of unpaid parking tickets, Twenty Four Thousand Dollars has still managed to accumulate an impressive cannon of songs that reflect the many heartaches, wonders and absurdities of life on a wild and weirdly crazy planet. Their uncanny and unpredictable combination of two no-nonsense Texan musician, alongside two carpetbagging delinquents kicked out of New York City for not doing their hipster homework, has been the secret recipe that has made Twenty Four Thousand Dollars' sound so unique and appetizing. At times influenced by country singers like George Jones and The Louvin Brothers, while at other times influenced by rock 'n' roll bands like The Kinks and The Replacements (with a little old school soul ala Stax and Motown added for flavor), Twenty Four Thousand Dollars stands alongside their predecessors as a band that has examined and expanded on the spectrum and language of American music. MORE ABOUT TWENTY FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS Kevin Egan: Former member of New York Punk bands Beyond, 1.6 Band and The Last Crime He’s also the Author of The Umpteenth Times: YEAR ONE and the theumpteenthtimes.com Stewart Cundy: has played with various Austin singer-songwriters and artists such as John Deery Band, Wake Eastman, Raquel Orsini, Hank T. Hunt, Daniel Link, Ron Rogers, Colton Cerny, and many more. He has performed at most venues in Central Texas including the Armadillo World Headquarters, Soap Creek Saloon, Austin Opera House, the Hole in the Wall, the Saxon Pub, Egos, Momos, the Cactus Cafe, Juniors, Threadgills, the Watertank, Angels, Poodies, the Rattlesnake Inn, Johnny Finns, Carlos n' Charlies and opened for such acts as B.B. King, The Police, Lou Ann Barton, Omar and the Howlers, Rusty Wier, Reckless Kelly, Ray Benson and Redd Volkaert. Stewart has just released his solo Christmas CD titled Twang the Halls Jack Smith: Has been playing drums for years, he’s also currently playing with the Pissant Farmers Rob Porta: Has been out of the music scene for 17 years, the last band he played for was along side Kevin in Beyond. After working as an art director in NYC he moved to Austin in 2007. Kevin’s new songs inspired him so much he had no choice but to return to playing Bass. |
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| Press Release: "Now on iTunes" - Twenty Four Thousand Dollars |
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Spotlight: Boy Without God
Classic records from the last fifteen years are often marked by bizarre combinations of influences: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is a mix of junkyard marching band, fuzz guitar, and abstracted lyrics that are equal parts God, sex, nightmare and holocaust; Yankee Hotel Foxtrot blurs Wilco's melancholy, country-tinged indie rock with thick clouds of electronic noise; For Emma, Forever Ago blends autotune and acoustic guitars so seamlessly you'd think they had always been together. The list can go on and on.
God Bless The Hunger (June 21, 2011), the new release from NYC via Boston songwriter Gabriel Birnbaum under his Boy Without God alter-ego, follows in the footsteps of these new classics, combining forceful pop songwriting in the singer-songwriter tradition (John Phillips, Van Morrison) with extended forms, complex orchestration (Joanna Newsom, Nico Muhly), and the wilder side of jazz and improvised music (Albert Ayler, Charles Mingus). The result is a major work: an album that fuses its own set of unusual influences into a powerful whole. It's a record with musical depth and emotional impact, both relevant and timeless.
Birnbaum, once a young jazz saxophonist riding the Chinatown bus to NYC to perform at avant-jazz hotspots like Tonic and the Tea Lounge with musicians twice his age, taught himself the guitar in his late teens and began churning out secret no-fi symphonies, recorded alone in a bedroom and posted online under the pseudonym Boy Without God. Like the back catalogue of Dave Longstreth of The Dirty Projectors, these albums are as inventive as they are difficult, mingling acoustic guitars and harsh digital noise, pop melodies and dissonance.
God Bless The Hunger is a massive step forward, out of the bedroom and into the studio. The album was recorded to tape at The Soul Shop, an all analog studio in an old piano repair facility in Medford, Massachusetts, with the help of a dozen other musicians (including members of Boston luminaries Debo Band, Hallelujah the Hills, Sleepy Very Sleepy, and Faces On Film, a group of like-minded musicians who have clustered around the studio). While some lo-fi artists struggle with the higher musical demands of increased fidelity, Birnbaum's immense orchestrations have always cried out for clearer recording, and they come into their own here under the bright aural light of magnetic tape.
The album displays a startling array of styles, unified by the warm, expansive sound of the studio and anchored by Birnbaum's expressive baritone, a powerful voice that draws frequent comparisons to Bill Callahan and The National's Matt Berninger. There are echoes of Sam Cooke and the Brill Building in the album's most accessible moments: the soul pop of “Sha La La” and the twisted version of the “Be My Baby” drumbeat that begins “City Kids.” But even in the few instances when Boy Without God nods to the past, the band never traps itself with wispy nostalgia, opting instead for celebratory lushness and explosions of energy.
From these touchstones, the album strides into more unexplored sonic territory: the slow, unstoppable, rubato build in “Love Letter” leads to climax after climax (including a guitar solo that sounds like Crazy Horse covering The Mahavishnu Orchestra and a saxophone solo that sounds like Dewey Redman sitting in on baritone with Godspeed You! Black Emperor), capturing the gut-wrenching intensity of love that can never quite be conveyed in words, and then coming down to earth with one unbelievably direct, sweet, final verse. “Can't Concentrate” is a slowly unfolding gem with harmonic invention and lyrical complexity that call to mind Joanna Newsom. But even this comparison falls short as the song splinters into a chaos of glockenspiel and chiming piano and then contracts into a gorgeous, honeyed vocal harmony.
Birnbaum's lyrical holy trinity consists of sex, love, and death, and the lyrics on God Bless The Hunger revolve around all three, bucking current trends of mood-setting vagueness with artful directness. What other songwriter today would not only sing “I want to take you home and tie you to the bed” but make it sound sweet? “The Snow Speaks” is both a 6/8 soul jam and a meditation on impermanence and aging (with the snow metaphor echoing James Joyce's The Dead, one literary reference among many). The title track is a celebration of overpowering desire, set to a Velvet Underground stomp gone insane. And yet none of these reference points are necessary to feel the urgency of the album. This is music about being human. It is music with something very real at stake.
To celebrate the release of God Bless The Hunger, Boy Without God will be posting their first Daytrotter session and heading out on two US tours, the first of which will be kicked off by a tremendous album release show in New York. In addition to the unveiling of the physical form of the album, which will be a series of screened posters accompanied by digital downloads, the show will feature locally made food and drink, live music, and a multimedia art installation inspired by the record and featuring work from lauded artists such as Ty Williams and Devin Tepleski.
God Bless The Hunger (June 21, 2011), the new release from NYC via Boston songwriter Gabriel Birnbaum under his Boy Without God alter-ego, follows in the footsteps of these new classics, combining forceful pop songwriting in the singer-songwriter tradition (John Phillips, Van Morrison) with extended forms, complex orchestration (Joanna Newsom, Nico Muhly), and the wilder side of jazz and improvised music (Albert Ayler, Charles Mingus). The result is a major work: an album that fuses its own set of unusual influences into a powerful whole. It's a record with musical depth and emotional impact, both relevant and timeless.
Birnbaum, once a young jazz saxophonist riding the Chinatown bus to NYC to perform at avant-jazz hotspots like Tonic and the Tea Lounge with musicians twice his age, taught himself the guitar in his late teens and began churning out secret no-fi symphonies, recorded alone in a bedroom and posted online under the pseudonym Boy Without God. Like the back catalogue of Dave Longstreth of The Dirty Projectors, these albums are as inventive as they are difficult, mingling acoustic guitars and harsh digital noise, pop melodies and dissonance.
God Bless The Hunger is a massive step forward, out of the bedroom and into the studio. The album was recorded to tape at The Soul Shop, an all analog studio in an old piano repair facility in Medford, Massachusetts, with the help of a dozen other musicians (including members of Boston luminaries Debo Band, Hallelujah the Hills, Sleepy Very Sleepy, and Faces On Film, a group of like-minded musicians who have clustered around the studio). While some lo-fi artists struggle with the higher musical demands of increased fidelity, Birnbaum's immense orchestrations have always cried out for clearer recording, and they come into their own here under the bright aural light of magnetic tape.
The album displays a startling array of styles, unified by the warm, expansive sound of the studio and anchored by Birnbaum's expressive baritone, a powerful voice that draws frequent comparisons to Bill Callahan and The National's Matt Berninger. There are echoes of Sam Cooke and the Brill Building in the album's most accessible moments: the soul pop of “Sha La La” and the twisted version of the “Be My Baby” drumbeat that begins “City Kids.” But even in the few instances when Boy Without God nods to the past, the band never traps itself with wispy nostalgia, opting instead for celebratory lushness and explosions of energy.
From these touchstones, the album strides into more unexplored sonic territory: the slow, unstoppable, rubato build in “Love Letter” leads to climax after climax (including a guitar solo that sounds like Crazy Horse covering The Mahavishnu Orchestra and a saxophone solo that sounds like Dewey Redman sitting in on baritone with Godspeed You! Black Emperor), capturing the gut-wrenching intensity of love that can never quite be conveyed in words, and then coming down to earth with one unbelievably direct, sweet, final verse. “Can't Concentrate” is a slowly unfolding gem with harmonic invention and lyrical complexity that call to mind Joanna Newsom. But even this comparison falls short as the song splinters into a chaos of glockenspiel and chiming piano and then contracts into a gorgeous, honeyed vocal harmony.
Birnbaum's lyrical holy trinity consists of sex, love, and death, and the lyrics on God Bless The Hunger revolve around all three, bucking current trends of mood-setting vagueness with artful directness. What other songwriter today would not only sing “I want to take you home and tie you to the bed” but make it sound sweet? “The Snow Speaks” is both a 6/8 soul jam and a meditation on impermanence and aging (with the snow metaphor echoing James Joyce's The Dead, one literary reference among many). The title track is a celebration of overpowering desire, set to a Velvet Underground stomp gone insane. And yet none of these reference points are necessary to feel the urgency of the album. This is music about being human. It is music with something very real at stake.
To celebrate the release of God Bless The Hunger, Boy Without God will be posting their first Daytrotter session and heading out on two US tours, the first of which will be kicked off by a tremendous album release show in New York. In addition to the unveiling of the physical form of the album, which will be a series of screened posters accompanied by digital downloads, the show will feature locally made food and drink, live music, and a multimedia art installation inspired by the record and featuring work from lauded artists such as Ty Williams and Devin Tepleski.
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