Hayes Carll fronts the Warren Hood Band at Johnny D’s in Cambridge, MA on June 11
Known for his clever lyrics and turn of a phrase, I didn’t know what to expect when I interviewed Texas singer-songwriter Hayes Carll. The man writes incredibly clever lyrics that can be awfully sharp-witted at times. And I had given him reason to be annoyed with me. I live in Boston, MA; he in Austin, TX and we set up a time on my lunch break from my real job for a phone interview. I called as scheduled, only in spite of working for nearly a decade for a national non-profit that had one of it’s primary offices just north of Austin, it slipped my mind the city is in the Central Time Zone, so I called an hour early. I sent a contrite text and nervously awaited a reply. Over the next couple hours and a business like exchange, we set up another interview the next day. I expected some sort of reprimand, a demand to keep the interview short, or at least a snide remark. I got none of that, only a gracious acceptance of my apology. It struck me that Hayes might be a nice guy. What a relief! I really needed this interview! Continue reading →
“Father John Misty” (Josh Tillman’s stage name), is a square-jawed, blue-eyed, wavy-dark-blond-haired model-handsome man who had everyone in the audience, men and women alike, screaming out how they loved him. Faithful to his irony-filled persona, he tossed out oddly sincere soundbites, such as “Everyone, thank you for all you do that’s good.” The audience, caught up in wanting to capture this sinuous creature singing in a such an enticing manner, held up a Milky Way of smartphones, trying to capture the moment for Instagram or YouTube. He snatched up a pink-cased one and filmed himself performing, to delighted laughter. Despite the sometimes disturbing images of his lyrics, the trippy voyages his songs take, the overall effect is so outsizedly comic that it’s impossible to take too seriously.
I don’t recall exactly where I first heard of Father John Misty. I believe it was in a recommendation from Spotify, or another cloud-based modern music jukebox. It was the songwriting that first drew me in, with lyrics that read like a miniaturized “Day of the Locust” that attracted me. Most of his subjects are religious or scenes of Los Angeles decadence. “I’m Writing A Novel” is a particularly hilarious satire of Hollywood’s abundance of screenwriters, casual relationships and a fast-moving blur of faces going past.
FJM singing at The Fillmore
What kept me coming back is his voice. Very unlike most rock performers, FJM has an excellent and powerful voice with a great emotional range but also technically fine, one that he uses throughout the song to support those witty lyrics. I read of it being compared to Roy Orbison, and while I don’t agree that they sound at all alike, I do think that he’s one of the rare performers whose flexible range is employed well without being showy. It’s often pointed out in biographic clips on Tillman that he was previously the drummer for Seattle indie folk group Fleet Foxes. That’d be where the resemblance ends. His energetic vocals and drum backing do not resemble that group at all.
Misty opened with “Funtimes in Babylon,” a country-toasted wistful ballad that showcased his lovely voice. That characteristic, a pensive and regretful song that combines an inner ache with a surface veneer of cheeriness, makes his songs so listenable over and over.
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Ride around the wreckage on a horse knee-deep in blood
Look out Hollywood, here I come
The final number of his set, “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings” begins with a hard and sexy drubbing from percussion, joined by a lick from the guitar, rhythmically coursing through images with hints of menace, finishing with the plaintive plea, “Someone’s gotta help me dig…” Well-received set that will help establish a solid fan base for this upcomer. Misty, who recently played a well-received set at Bonnaroo, seems destined to be changing the course of the current sound for a while.
Amnesty International is one of the most important human rights organizations operating in the world today, and it celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. Started in 1961 with a worldwide “Appeal for Amnesty” on behalf of individuals imprisoned for the peaceful expression of their beliefs written by British lawyer Peter Benenson, the movement now counts more than 3 million people worldwide.
What better way to celebrate this milestone anniversary than with an album of songs by a man whose songs include the anthems “I Shall Be Released” and “Chimes of Freedom”? Bob Dylan has long been a supporter of Amnesty International, and Chimes of Freedom was also the unofficial anthem for the amazing Human Rights Now Tour, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1988. The collection is available now directly from Amnesty International, on iTunes, or at Amazon. I downloaded the digital tracks, 76 of them, for $19.99 and it’s the best $20 I’ve spent in recent memory. I’m not exaggerating. By and large it’s great music, but more on that in a minute. Let’s get some math out of the way first, if you’re budget conscious like me. I don’t buy much music these days. For the most part, I rely on a subscription service, Rhapsody, for my music. I only purchase music when there’s are really good reason to. This is worth buying, a bargain by any standards.
It is a 76 song digital download for $19.99, or 4 CDs for $24.99. Moreover, all profits go to help Amnesty International in its work. That’s well over 5 hours of music and the satisfaction of helping out one of my favorite causes, for the price of two album downloads on iTunes. Your average digital LP on iTunes or most other legal sites is usually $9.99 (increasingly $11.99) and it usually includes 10-12 songs. This is 76 songs. If that were sold at 12 songs per record , it would be 6 1/3 records. Nobody like fractions, so let’s just say this collection equals 6 iTunes LPs + 4 free bonus tracks. If Amnesty International were a record label and not a human rights nonprofit, they’d have known to more slickly market this collection typical price of $59.94, but tell us it’s on sale now for $19.99, $24.99 for the 4 CDs. Then we’d know we’re getting a bargain!
Of course it’s only a bargain if the music is good. It could contain twice as many tracks, but if you only like 9 of them, then you still don’t want to pay $20. So then, is it any good? Continue reading →
Singer / Songwriter Roger Kuhn will be at the American Indian Community House in lower Manhattan tomorrow, Friday, December 3, for a concert marking the release of “Every Year Around Christmas Time” a collection of original Christmas songs available at most online music outlets. (Click here for information on the show.)
The record marks a return to the studio for the farm boy from North Dakota, turned New Yorker, who’s now become a Boston resident since moving here with his husband in May, 2009. He has spent the last year reading, studying yoga, meditating, and enjoying married life off the road. But now “he’s got the bug again,” and the Christmas collection is just some of the new music coming our way. A new single, My Vow to You, is already available on iTunes.
In this video interview he talks about his childhood, becoming a musician, the importance of music in negotiating his identity as a gay man of mixed Native American and White heritage, his spirituality, his career thus far, and what is still to come. Continue reading →
The album, Junky Star, releases in three day on August 31st. The first single, “Depression“, is available now. I know this sounds like advertising, and it would be if I were getting paid. Hesperidine and natural extracts from Vein Protex tadalafil 10mg uk composition show a beneficial effect on blood circulation, preventing the formation of acidic crystals, improving digestion, curing weight loss and detoxification of liver are other advantages of using apple cider vinegar. Well, the quantity varies cialis 5 mg from person to person. 2. You should see overnight cialis tadalafil purchased here the reviews of the customers related on the website about the product. People who suffer from issues relating to premature ejaculation also experience mild problems with erectile dysfunction, and vice versa. cialis super active I’m just excited! I’ve heard most of the tracks on the record, and it’s going to meet expectation. Here’s one.
Here’s a little clip in which Ryan talks about the disc. Continue reading →
Ryan Bingham caught my attention shortly after the release of his first album Mescalito. It struck a chord with me and quickly became one of the most frequently played discs in my iPod. His new disc, Roadhouse Sun, is even better, and more overtly political, which I always like (assuming I agree with the politics, of course).
It’s hard to say why I like his music so much. It’s difficult to imagine an artist with a life’s experience more different than mine. Bingham spent time on the rodeo circuit riding bull before becoming a singer-songwriter.
Americana singer/songwriter Ryan Bingham was raised in rural Texas, where years of hardscrabble ranch work and competitions on the rodeo circuit would eventually surface in the dusty riffs of his country-styled debut, Mescalito.
Living alone since his mid-teens, Bingham shuttled back and forth between Southwestern border towns and relatives’ homes, often sleeping in his truck after nightly rodeo gigs. It was during those treks that he began entertaining friends with the guitar, an instrument he’d learned at the age of 17 from a mariachi neighbor. Drawing inspiration from Bob Dylan, Marshall Tucker, and Bob Wills — all of whom populated the jukebox of The Halfway Bar, a roadhouse owned by Bingham’s uncle (whose musical tastes influenced those of his nephew) — Bingham fashioned a road-weary sound that soon piqued the interest of a barroom proprietor in Stephenville, TX.
–Bio on AOL Music
Maybe that biography is exactly why it appeals to me. There’s a sense of authenticity when he sings about hard times.Last night I saw him play live at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, MA.
Jonny Burke
It was great, but before I talk about him I want to say a few words about his opening act, Jonny Burke. When the young, slender, almost waifish, Burke came out with his super tight-fitting jeans and shoulder length, dirty blond hair I thought to myself, oh no! What are we in for now? What is this pretty boy rocker going to play? Did they bring a bad Kurt Cobain rip off to open? Or worse stil, maybe we’re in for bubble gum pop in the style of one hit wonders Hanson! If I hadn’t wanted a good seat I might have actually skipped the opening act. Maybe I am going to wish I should have.
I was wrong. Burke was great. Born and raised in New Braunfels, Texas, on 35 between Austin and San Antonio, just outside of the latter, he grew up on music in that area so steeped in the Texas musical tradition. It kind of hard to characterize that tradition because it is really varied. Just take a look at the artists from the region. Burke, himself, in his MySpace biography, claims to have been influence by Chuck Berry as a boy, and that it was his meeting with Townes Van Zandt that really changed his life. Progesterone and infertility treatments are both required to bring about the fertilization of the egg. viagra without prescription next page This product needs to be stored properly so make sure that you store the pills properly that is it should be stored away from attain regarding viagra online for sale youngsters. Reasons for these can be buy levitra vardenafil either physical or psychological. You best prices for cialis can use these herbal remedies without any fear of side effects to cure sexual weakness. Burke learned his lesson well. He’s a talented songwriter, and engaging performer and he put on a great show. He won me over and I’m pretty sure he won over the crowd, as well. We were lukewarm at first, and he had to prove himself. He did, because he seemed to care that he did, like all good Rockers do. Indeed, waiting in line for the bathroom between sets, a woman came down who summed it up nicely. “That was a great surprise,” she said.
As for Ryan Bingham, he also exceeded my expectations. Oddly enough, that was a little bit of a surprise, too. I love his music, but I had checked out his live YouTube videos, and they are bad. The sound is terrible and performances recorded in such a way that the crowd noises are the only thing you can really hear. YouTube videos are often no friend to the artist. Then I had seen him on Austin City Limits and it was a good set, but just not overwhelmingly exciting. To be sure, live music is always better experienced live, but it was more than that. I had a very hard time convincing friends to go with me to the concert, so I was worried.
Well, the show at the Iron Horse was fantastic. I think a lot of it has to do with the venue. Bingham is at his best in a small venue where he can engage with and feed off the crowd. It was such an exciting show. He began the show with an acoustic guitar and harmonica and a quiet start. Then he really rocked the house. It was great. Ryan is an interesting performer. When he interacts with the audience he comes across as shy and unassuming. But when he steps behind his guitar and microphone, he’s larger than life. The songs are powerful and the band tight.
Incidentally, The same musicians played with Jonny Burke: Matt Smith – Drums and Percussion Corby Schaub – Electric Guitar, Mandolin, Kettle Drums & Background Vocals Elijah Ford – Bass
If you ever have the chance, check him out live. You won’t regret it.
For your enjoyment, here’s the first single from Roadhouse Sun, Snake Eyes.
