The Parlor Sessions Profile: Jason Myles Goss

FB_profiles_JasonToday’s Parlor Sessions Profile is of Jason Myles Goss, a songwriter with uncanny ability to step outside of himself and write songs from another point of view that ring utterly true. He’s a storyteller whose songs can transport us into the boxing ring, to the boardwalk on Coney Island, to a fishing boat in Maine, to name a few places.

In describing the influences on his most recent album Radio Dial, his website states:

…in his latest collection of songs, Jason displays a broad range of influences, from the stark and eclipsing lyricism of Gillian Welch and A. A. Bondy, to the lush, melody-driven, pop/rock ambitions of Ryan Adams’ “Gold” and The Wallflowers’ “Bringing Down the Horse.”

I do hear that, but I’d add there is something Springsteenesque in his ability to evoke the working class so empathetically in his lyrics.

He’s now based in Brooklyn, but he grew up in Hopedale, MA, and in 2003 at the age of 21, when he was selected as a finalist in the first Newport Folk Festival Songwriters’ Contest, he was the youngest finalist by 10 years. It’s one of a number of awards and accolades he’s received.

Yesterday I posted the responses of Andy Zipf to a series of questions about the Parlor Sessions Tour. I asked Jason Myles Goss, another of your four musical “hosts” in the Parlor the same questions. His answers make me think maybe he’ll be the comic relief in the minivan.  They’re followed by a video of “Black Lights,” one of those evocative narratives songs I mentioned in the beginning of this piece, from his most recent album Radio Dial. Continue reading

The Parlor Sessions Profile: Andy Zipf

6ffb9660a4c311e3b886125b351fb865_8The Parlor Sessions Tour, set to begin in 5 days at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC, sounds like it’ll be my favorite kind of show.  It’s 4 singer-songwriters playing together in small venues and interacting with one another.  In addition, as Andy Zipf puts it, “We really want to bring the audience into the experience.”  Yesterday I posted a short interview with Dean Fields explaining a little about about the tour.  Today I’m posting the first profile of the 4 artists who’ll be traveling in the Parlor Sessions minivan, starting with Andy Zipf, not because I’m going in reverse alphabetical order, but simply because his responses were the first I found when pulling the four responses up on my computer.

It seemed an appropriately random way to choose which to write first for a tour that doesn’t have a clear hierarchy of acts.  This will not be 4 acts playing in order of ascending importance, building to the headliner, but rather a “mutual admiration society” as Dean Fields called it. Watching artists interact is always interesting, and it’s another reason to come see this show.

So who is this guy with a name so full of consonants?  He’s definitely someone who believes music can have a lot of power. Continue reading

The Parlor Sessions: Coming Soon to Your Town

1343Something that’s been getting a lot of play on my iPod lately is the free 12-song sampler for The Parlor Sessions Tour featuring Dean Fields, Andy Zipf, Jason Myles Goss and Eliot Bronson. It’s a 12-song sampler by four young singer-songwriters who are heading out on tour together June 5-15, making stops along the East Coast from New Hampshire to Georgia.  I knew Dean Fields, who’s been profiled in this site, and am a big fan, but Eliot, Jason, and Andy were new, delightful discoveries for me.  I’m a sucker for a good song and, one after another these tracks pulled me in.

You can hear the artists for yourself over the course of the next four days. Each day I’ll be posting a brief profile of one of the artists, along with a track or two and a brief Q&A, or you can download the sampler yourself at any time.  Of course I’ll be at the show here in Boston, so look for a report on that, too.

In today’s post, however, we’ll look at the tour itself. The Parlor Sessions is a great name for a tour by this kind of singer-songwriter, playing these kinds of venues.  It evokes Continue reading

Concert Gallery: Nickel Creek and The Secret Sisters

Gallery

This gallery contains 48 photos.

On May 1 the Boston show of a long awaited reunion tour of Nickel Creek at the House of Blues and The Secret Sisters opened.  It’s not my intention to review the show, but I’d like to make three quick … Continue reading

Season Ammons is Living Her Dream

Season Ammons, Courtesy of the artist

Season Ammons, Courtesy of the artist

Texas-born, Florida-based, singer-songwriter Season Ammons has been making music in front of an audience since the once shy child found found her voice in a middle school choir.   When she was just 17 she moved to Nashville to pursue her dreams.  She had some brushes with quick success, such as being advanced as a finalist for the USA Network show Nashville Star in 2004.  Ultimately she wasn’t chosen, yet she refused to give up doing what she loves and kept building a following.

In a phone interview she told me that when she finally released her first studio recorded CD, tellingly titled “I’m Alive,” she intended to make a statement.  The self-produced disc what her way of asserting that she was in the music business to stay.  I wanted to announce that I’m here, I’m doing this full time, and I wanted to show people what I could do.” As an independent artist responsible for every aspect of the project from the songs and sound to the packaging and marketing, there was a lot to do and a lot on the line, and she had to learn fast.   Continue reading

She Deserve a Google Doodle

Audrey Hepburn Google Doodle from May 4, 2014

Audrey Hepburn Google Doodle from May 4, 2014


Today’s Google Doodle celebrates Audrey Hepburn, a worthy choice to be sure.  She was one of the most respective actresses of her time, ranked by the American Film Institute as the third greatest female screen legend in the history of American cinema, she is one of the few people to have won an Grammy, Tony, Emmy, Oscar, BAFTA, and numerous other accolades for her work as an actress.
She was also a fashion icon, but she may be most worthy of honor for her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.  She first did work for UNICEF in the 1950s, but it wasn’t until 1988 that she began work in an official capacity.  She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992, only a year before she died of cancer at the age of only 45.
She’s a worthy subject of honor, to be sure, but I’m curious what criteria Google chooses.  Around this time two years ago the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace launched an effort to ask Google to dedicate a Doodle to Pearl S. Buck.
To defend the status quo, Gillespie must accept that the vote of some will be courted more than others, that specifically situated constituencies will garner a disproportionate interest from candidates, and that it is acceptable for a candidate who does not muster the plurality or majority of the votes to be elected President. generic viagra online Discover More Here In some cities, there are clinics that specialize in tadalafil uk price hair loss treatment in the year 1997 by FDA. Do not take your medicine more often than directed, you can take it whenever you cialis pills australia needed. It is a must for these people to face this particular issue into their sildenafil cost life. Continue reading

One Reason Why I Enjoy My Job.

bannerBelow is a something that originally appeared in the MIT Libraries Libguide to Islamic Architecture that is maintained by the Aga Khan Documentation Center @ MIT.  The archive it describes is fascinating.  I’ve just replaced it with something new, but I couldn’t bear to just throw this out completely, so I’m recycling it here.  To find out what I archive I’m featuring now, you’ll just have to check out the Archnet portion of the Libguide.  It’s got a lot of interesting resources, most of it compiled by our Program Head and our Visual Resources Librarian, though I try to hold up my end. Check it out and let us know what you think. 
Continue reading

Bikes of Santa Fe and Albuquerque

I just got back from vacation in New Mexico, but I confess I kind of slacked off when it came to photographing bicycles.  I missed some good opportunities, especially in Albuquerque where most buses has cool bikes on the racks on the from of the bus.  There are also a fair number of cyclists on the roads, but I Dilation of the genital vessels makes space for blood canada viagra buy to accumulate in the penis and pulls the blood in the soft muscles penis and heart and thus cures the dysfunction in a shortest period of time. Normally sports persons take insurance policies for these kinds of see description cialis 40 mg situations. This levitra pills online is accomplished by writing a simple programming function that searches through every web site listed on a search engine for a certain period of time, after that you have to pay for some fun with a full day of headache. So things almost get generic cialis online djpaulkom.tv to a dead grey sketch. usually don’t photograph these because it’s hard to get a good shot of a bike with a rider on it that’s in motion.  I didn’t have my bike and I wish I had, because it definitely seems like a bike friendly place.
See New Mexico Cycling, Santa Fe Bikeways and Trails,  and Cycling in Albuquerque.

Gallery: Inside the Studio for the Making of Will Dailey’s National Throat

Gallery

This gallery contains 22 photos.

National Throat, Will Dailey’s 4th album, will be released to the general public soon, but two of the songs from it, “Sunken Ship” & “Castle of Pretending” are already available for free on NoiseTrade as part of on a 20 … Continue reading