On his new album, “Bird Bones & Muscle”, J Shogren describes his music as 'Pulp Americana' - a singular conjuring of gut-bucket blues, deep-fried southern jive, Holy Ghost revival, polka night at the Grange, she-done-me-wrong hillbilly boogie and backwater bayou bump and swing. But instead of ghosting over sepia-toned museum pieces, Shogren’s music radiates a gritty immediacy, stick-to-your-ribs soul and genuine emotional depth that can only come from an encyclopedic understanding of the nooks and crannies of the what’s been recently called 'weird old America'. “Roots music,” according to Shogren, “reflects reality - a scruffy and gruff exterior sheltering the life and death interior that define us all”. Recalling everything from Dylan to Dr. John to Buck Owens to Leon Redbone to Tom Waits, Shogren shrugs and simply explains, “No veneer; just a coat of varnish to keep out the weather”.
If there is one thing that can be said of Shogren’s music, it is his ability to conjure - his ability to summon different times, different places, different waypoints in the American experience. Yet it’s often his lyrics that leave the most indelible impression. “I chose the title of the CD, 'Bird Bones & Muscle' to illustrate a notion of fragility living next to strength - how fragile and strong a person can be when lost in the wilderness within. How one can be both simultaneously and sequentially flying/falling, alive/comatose, breathing/holding your breath, usually at unpredictable/inconvenient intervals”.
On “Bird Bones & Muscle” Shogren is aided and abetted by three members of the well-respected Jalan Crossland band, including Crossland (banjo/guitar), Andy Phreaner (drums/percussion) and Shaun Kelley (bass). Mandy Bohlender and Dan Tinker provided the harmony vocals and vocal arrangements. “This was a full-on collaborative effort”, Shogren reports. “Fourteen of 15 songs were arranged with the band. So the music has more cohesiveness across songs than early work, even though the song themselves differ so very widely in authentic American styles. Jalan, Andy and Shaun are such pros and nimble musicians who know their instruments so well that they adapted their playing to the different styles of each song”.
It’s not hard to imagine Shogren, who splits his time between Centennial Wyoming and Stockholm Sweden, as the rugged back-country skier and the guy that can catch trout in a rain gutter (he can do both!), but what’s more impressive is Shogren’s day job. A professor of Applied Philosophy, Shogren has served as the King of Sweden’s special professor on environmental science, and as a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007. “It’s been a good job”, he winks. Shogren, to say the least, is not your typical, navel-gazing, journal-scribbling folk singer.
With such a busy calendar, why does a guy like Shogren chose to delve into the dusty and often abandoned corners of American culture with his songs? “The need to write songs is an impossible passion of mine”, he says. “Even after a dozen books and hundreds of journal articles, songwriting is the only serious form of expression/writing that works for me. Like most songwriters I write songs because I have to. Songs arrive in and out of the subconscious and sometimes you hang out with them, sometimes you don’t. A good idea sticks, a great idea kicks.”
www.jshogren.com
www.myspace.com/jshogren
Jack Tempchin
Jack Tempchin is from San Diego. He grew up in the folk era, singing and playing, performing mainly in coffeehouses.
Jack is the writer of many legendary songs, like “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and “Already Gone” by the Eagles, ”Slow Dancing” by Johnny Rivers, “You Belong To The City” and “Smugglers Blues” by Glenn Frey, as well as many, many others.
As well as writing hits for others, Jack has also recorded and released 6 highly acclaimed solo albums. The most recent one, “Songs”, is all Jack, and all new.
Jackson Browne
Singer-songwriter Jackson Browne has announced plans to embark on a world tour that will extend into the spring of 2009. The itinerary kicks off with a date at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC on September 15, a week prior to the September 23 release of 'Time The Conqueror', Browne’s first studio album in six years. The initial U.S. leg of the World Tour crosses the country through early November, and will be followed by tours of Japan, Australia and Europe. Tickets went on sale to the public on August 8.
Accompanying Browne on the road is his band of fifteen years: Kevin McCormick (bass), Mark Goldenberg (guitars), Mauricio Lewak (drums) and Jeff Young (keyboards, backing vocals). They have been with Browne since 1993’s 'I’m Alive', playing on 'Looking East' (’96) and 'Naked Ride Home' (’02) as well. For 'Time The Conqueror', they’re joined by new members Chavonne Morris and Alethea Mills, vocalists Browne met in 2001 when they were still attending Washington Preparatory High School in South Los Angeles and singing with Fred Martin & The Levite Camp. They are prominently featured on The Levite Camp’s debut CD, 2006’s 'Some Bridges', an album Browne co-produced, performs on, and which features six of his songs.
This lineup brings its incredible chemistry and collaborative energy to Browne’s forthcoming album, 'Time The Conqueror', set for release September 23 on Inside Recordings, the artist’s own independent label (with distribution through ADA Global). Produced by Browne and Paul Dieter, it’s the 13th studio album of his career, and his first set of new material in six years, following up 'Naked Ride Home'. The new album’s ten diverse original songs display the artist’s ability to address personal, inner-directed reflection and matters of social and political import with equal passion and intelligence – and eloquent lyrics – throughout.
Most recently, Browne released two live albums recorded at dates on solo acoustic tours in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia. The GRAMMY®-nominated 'Jackson Browne – Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1' (’05) and 'Vol. 2' (’08), both out on Inside, feature Browne alternately on piano and guitar, performing a diverse selection of career spanning songs. In his four-star review of this year’s Vol. 2 for Rolling Stone, Anthony DeCurtis wrote, “This is Browne at his best, engaging his audience, his own experiences and the world around him, all in songs that will not lose their resonance any time soon.”
For the upcoming U.S. leg of the World Tour tour, a limited number of premium tickets benefiting The Guacamole Fund will be available directly through www.guacfund.org; proceeds support non-profit organizations working in the public interest, in the spirit of Browne’s longstanding activism on behalf of peace, social justice, the environment and a nonnuclear future. Browne is also encouraging concertgoers to come with non-perishable food items for collection by food banks. With this call to engagement, Browne once again enlists his fans’ participation in World Hunger Year’s Artists Against Hunger & Poverty program.
Ever since his acclaimed 1972 self-titled debut album, Jackson Browne has defined a genre of songwriting and performing that is charged with honesty, emotion and personal politics. He’s been recognized with inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2004) and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame (2007), with recent humanitarian honors including the John Steinbeck Award and the Chapin-World Hunger Year Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award.
"Time The Conqueror" available here.
James Taylor
Greenpeace Canada is set to release an exclusive two-disc, re-mastered live recording of "Amchitka - The 1970 Concert That Launched Greenpeace", featuring Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and the late Phil Ochs. The concert, a fundraiser to protest U.S. nuclear bomb tests near Amchitka, Alaska sees a first-time release on 10 November. The CD is available exclusively through Greenpeace and all proceeds will benefit the organization.
“We are pleased to offer this musical slice of history to Greenpeace supporters and music lovers around the world,” said Bruce Cox, Greenpeace Canada’s executive director. “This CD is a piece of musical magic. It contains never before heard songs, duets and chatter that capture the confidence and hope of the times. It carries a timeless message that change is possible.” The concert, which took place at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia on 16 October 1970, was organized by former trial lawyer and activist Irving Stowe. As co-director of the 'Don’t Make A Wave Committee', he raised enough money to send 11 peace activists by boat, christened The Greenpeace, to the Aleutian Island of Amchitka. The activists were unsuccessful in stopping the tests, but their voyage in 1971 marks the birth of the worldwide organization known today as Greenpeace.
“The Amchitka voyage would not have happened without the concert, and so we owe a debt of gratitude to Irving Stowe, and the talents of Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Phil Ochs for generating the momentum that ultimately launched Greenpeace,” continued Cox. “The activists that traveled to Amchitka set the example that has guided and defined Greenpeace: non-violent direct action to protect our environment and motivate societal change.”
The upcoming release features concert performances by then-rising Canadian star Joni Mitchell and a 22-year old James Taylor. Protest singer, Phil Ochs kicks off the CD. Earlier that year Mitchell had been named Top Female Performer of 1970 by Melody Maker magazine and Taylor had released his major breakthrough album "Sweet Baby James".
Of the historic concert, Amchitka emcee and Canadian broadcaster, Terry David Mulligan says, “The crew of ‘The Greenpeace’ took hold of our hearts and minds and pulled all of us along. As always, music carried the day.”
Get the background to this amazing story, right here.
www.james-taylor.asso.fr
www.myspace.com/amchitka
www.twitter.com/amchitka1970
www.facebook.com/pages/Amchitka/60751539970
Janet Martin
A native of Richmond Virginia, Janet now divides her time between New York City and Richmond when not touring in Europe or the United States. If not on touring Janet can usually be found writing, or in the studio - Her latest CD “Passage” will be released in Europe in early 2010. Currently a 2010 European tour is being scheduled to coincide with this release; this will be Janet’s seventh consecutive European tour. Her “Step Inside The Dream” CD was released early in 2008 to critical acclaim both in America, and on the European continent.
Janet’s guitar style took shape at an early age; a direct result of her early influences; from bluegrass flat-picking, to electric rock and blues. A bright new world opened up for her when she began listening to Led Zeppelin and Jimmy Page’s use of open tunings; Janet’s acoustic sound today is due in large part to her love of open tunings of which she is a master.
The flat picking prowess she possesses today along with her love of rock and roll sets her apart from most acoustic players; this amalgam of two styles is special; Janet sounds like no other player; male or female.
Her love of rock and roll radio and it’s melody driven songs led her to a songwriting and vocal style that today one can only describe as her own very unique sound; this could not be more evident than on her forthcoming CD, “Passage”. Her voice seems to speak directly to the listener; as if they were in the same room together; a very personal connection indeed. Janet is a multi-published writer with over 30 original songs.
Expressive, passionate and seductive describe her recorded voice; electrifying describes her live performance. Relax with her in the comfort of your home or while driving in your car, do see her live in concert, do spend time with her; experience her anyway you can.
www.janetmartin.com
www.myspace.com/thejanetmartinband
Those who long for the breezy soft rock sound that typified California rock in the early 70s will find Jeff Larson’s latest album, “Left Of A Dream”, a refreshing revival.
Like his pals, Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley, the duo that carries the America banner, Larson excels in creating lush, melodic sounds that are tailor made for radio and other forms of mass-consumption, an instantly accessible and agreeable approach that’s both assured and reassuring.
Not surprisingly, Bunnell and Beckley make their presence known here as back-up players and producers, reinforcing the America comparisons on such songs as “Anywhere She Goes”, ”Ghosts Of San Miguel”, as well as “Where Is Indio, CA?”. However, Larson doesn’t really need the superstar support (Brian Wilson collaborator Jeffrey Foskett also adds to the sunny ambiance); with several other stellar albums already under his belt, ”Left Of A Dream” merely confirms what fans already know, namely that he’s one of the best pop pundits out there these days.
Where others may rely on gimmicks or studio gadgetry, Larson’s forte is simply making memorable melodies. True to form, songs such as ”Wake Up” and ”Red To Rus” tug at the heartstrings and make an indelible imprint even on first hearing.
Chalk it up to the fact that he’s not on a major label, or that radio is simply too constricted to play mass appeal music, to explain the fact that Larson isn’t the major star he ought to be. Whatever the reason, don’t let it dissuade you. Simply put, ”Left Of A Dream” is one of the best albums you’re likely to hear all year.
"Left Of A Dream" available here.
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Jess Klein
A folk troubadour whose talents have been lauded on the national and international scene for almost a decade, Jess Klein writes songs that tell the story of the soul – from wrenching heartbreak to finding the strength to pick up and move on.
Now, on her seventh studio album, 'Bound To Love', Jess Klein has created an Americana gem that speaks to the troubadour in all of us. Inspired by a move to Austin in summer of 2008, she evokes the dusty roots of Texas songwriters and melds them into her own blend of spot-on, speak-to-the-heart lyrics, percussive guitar and a voice as sweet as it is strong.
Jess Klein emerged from the Boston music scene in 1998 with her independent release, 'Wishes Well Disguised', but it was her later releases – 2000’s 'Draw Them Near', 2005’s 'Strawberry Lover' and 2006’s 'City Garden' that would capture the attention of critics and fans worldwide.
The New York native picked up the acoustic guitar and started writing songs while living as a student abroad in Kingston, Jamaica in her late teens. Her first songs reflected a bittersweet culture shock as well as the warmth and musical vibrancy of these new surroundings.
Klein returned to the states, moved to Boston, and began performing locally. After independently releasing her first two albums, winning the Telluride Troubadour Songwriting Contest, and garnering several Boston Music Award nominations, Klein was spotted and signed to Rykodisc in 2000 by then-president George Howard. Her first release for Ryko, 'Draw Them Near', launched Klein on a worldwide tour where, among other highlights, her relaxed confidence and rootsy soulfulness wowed 70,000 attendees at the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan.
In 2006, Klein released the blues and Motown influenced 'City Garden' on indie label United For Opportunity. The album was given an impressive five stars by MOJO Magazine and described by Roots Music UK as having “The best roots sound of any album heard this year”. This album took Klein several times to the UK where she toured solo as well as with Erin McKeown. In 2007 Klein followed up with 'Live At Mo Pitkin’s House of Satisfaction', which featured some of her best songs in a stripped-down, live setting.
Ready for a major change, Klein packed her bags and moved to Austin, TX in 2008. There she immersed herself in local culture – taking up residence in a small community of long-standing Austin roots music staples. She began writing and testing songs out to small groups of fans at local club gigs, and in December 2008 she went into the studio to record her seventh studio album, 'Bound To Love'.
Recorded at The Aerie in Austin, TX with producers Mark Addison and Scrappy Jud Newcomb during December 2008 and January 2009, 'Bound To Love', shines as her most confident work to date. From jubilant anthems to delicate and beautiful moments, the running theme is moving to a new and better place – emotionally, geographically and more.
If 'City Garden' was Klein finding solace in Motown and old blues, 'Bound To Love' is self-remedy in Americana and country; it’s kickin’ up some dirt in the south and sweating out your worries on the back porch.
'Bound To Love' will be released March 9, 2010 on new model indie label United For Opportunity.
www.jessklein.com
http://www.myspace.com/jessklein
Jerad Finck
Washington-based pop-rocker Jerad Finck carries a bright, powerful musical flavor to fans, enlightening them with the sounds of rock'n'roll’s future. Finck’s sound is accessible and endearing but also forward-thinking, moving the music up a notch and setting a new bar.
Finck is embracing the new D.I.Y. direction of the music industry. He’s an indie artist who’s taking his music directly to the people using radio, press, television, online marketing and touring to connect.
Something To Believe In...
Some declare that we live in an age of cynicism but if you ask Finck, you’ll get another answer entirely. “Music gives me something to believe in”, he says. “It offers a direction for my life”. Music is always there, no matter how hard things get. And with Finck adding his input to the world of music, there’s new hope for pop and a new era in rock-n-roll.
Harmony...
One of the beautiful aspects of Finck’s engaging music is his focus on harmony. “I love harmony and see it as a lost art these days. I try to integrate harmony and melody with smart lyrics and catchy hooks”. And it’s a successful experiment. Finck’s music hits with delicious grooves, lush melodies and harmonies and lyrical intelligence. Fans can attest to the sharp songwriting quality this artist offers with each track.
Everyday Life...
The aspects of daily life provide a cornucopia of inspiration for Finck. He sees all around him the potential for song material. His keen eye for real life experiences imbues his songs with realism and emotional honesty. “Everyday life inspires me. It’s the experiences I go through and people that I meet that give way to all the songs I write”.
www.myspace.com/jeradfinckmusic
John David Souther
John David Souther was greatly influenced by Texan Roy Orbison, whose sound he tried to emulate. Following his move to Los Angeles in the late 1960s, he met a young guitarist from Detroit named Glenn Frey. They bonded over their Detroit roots and a common love of country and R&B music. In short order, they began working together while sharing a small apartment in Los Angeles' Echo Park area (their downstairs neighbor was Jackson Browne with whom both Souther and Frey would collaborate on numerous projects).
Shortly after meeting, Souther and Frey formed a folk duo called Longbranch Pennywhistle. Their lone album, released in 1970 on Jimmy Bowen's Amos Records, featured significant contributions from guitarists James Burton and Ry Cooder, fiddler Doug Kershaw, drummer Jim Gordon, pianist Larry Knechtel and bassist Joe Osborn.
After recording an eponymous solo album in 1972, persuaded by David Geffen, Souther formed the Souther Hillman Furay Band with Chris Hillman and Richie Furay. The group released two albums, but creative tensions and lack of record sales (not to mention Furay's discomfort with playing secular music following his conversion to Christianity) led to the band's demise.
Souther is probably best known for his well crafted songwriting abilities, especially in the field of country rock. He co-wrote some of the biggest hits for the Eagles, including "Best of My Love", "Victim of Love", "Heartache Tonight", and "New Kid in Town". He also wrote songs for several of Ronstadt's multi-platinum albums, including "Faithless Love" from "Heart Like a Wheel" and "White Rhythm and Blues" included in her "Living in the USA" album. He also recorded several notable duets with Ronstadt, including "Hearts Against the Wind," "Prisoner in Disguise," and "Sometimes You Can't Win." He wrote "Run Like a Thief," which appeared on "Home Plate" by Bonnie Raitt.
His biggest hit as a solo artist was his 1979 Orbison-influenced song "You're Only Lonely" from the album of the same name, which reached number 7 on the Billboard charts. A collaboration with James Taylor called "Her Town Too" from Taylor's "Dad Loves His Work" album reached number 11 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart.
He was a contributor on the "Roy Orbison & Friends - A Black and White Night" 1987 concert and video, sang The Platters' "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" in the 1989 movie 'Always' and sang the theme song to the 1989-1992 sitcom 'Anything But Love'.
"If The World Was You" is his first new album in 24 years. The album was recorded live in the studio with a five-piece jazz ensemble. It includes the 12 minute 56 second epic 'The Secret Handshake of Fate'.
Jock Bartley
Rock 'n' Roll is alive and well as rock music legends convene in the Colorado Mountains to record on a hot new CD - Jock Bartley, lead guitarist, songwriter and leader of '70s U.S. rock sensations Firefall, has just completed his debut solo CD entitled Blindside.
Bartley is best known for his inspired work on such classic Firefall hits as "You Are The Woman", "Just Remember I Love You", "Strange Way", "Cinderella" and "Mexico".
Recorded between January and August 2006, Blindside features guest appearances by such rock luminaries as:
*Richie Furay, former Poco member and Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductee with the Buffalo Springfield,
*Rusty Young of Poco,
*John McEuen and Jimmie Fadden of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band,
*Mark Andes from Spirit, Heart and Firefall,
*John Magnie from The Subdudes,
*Brian Nevin from Big Head Todd And The Monsters,
*Michael Travis of The String Cheese Incident,
*Jake Sproul of Rosehill Drive,
*Bob Harris from Warren Zevon, Frank Zappa and Axe, along with many other notable musicians and singers.
Songs from Blindside effortlessly span the musical spectrum - from rock to pop to blues, the album showcases Bartley's extraordinary songwriting talents. The tender, heartfelt ballad "Veronica So Fair" not only displays Jock's vocal prowess, but could quite possibly be one of the finest love songs ever written! The well-crafted pop-rock title cut, ‘Blindside,’ is the first single.
All songs on Blindside were written by the Firefall guitarist, who also produced the album. Another highlight of this exciting new CD is the positive message song "Call On Me", which was originally written in 1998 for Suicide Prevention. The song became an anthem of sorts for the cause and helped to launch the first national crises hotline, 1(800) SUICIDE. A portion of the proceeds from the sales and performance of "Call On Me" will be donated back to Suicide Prevention, helping to reverse the terrible national statistics.
Joe Cassady & The West End Sound
There’s an Americana scene emerging in New York City’s Lower East side just blocks away from where Bob Dylan first showed up with his acoustic guitar and where Joey Ramone tore through CBGB’s, that somehow embraces the spirit of both yet has the down-home feel that only the world’s biggest small town can provide. Out of this NYC Americana scene come Joe Cassady & The West End Sound with their Avenue A Records debut release, ‘What’s Your Sign?’
Called "an alt-country innovator in tradition without being derivative", Cassady’s debut on ‘What’s Your Sign?’ has already received considerable attention in the United States and Europe. It has received nationwide airplay on Americana/AAA radio in the U.S. as well as being featured by legendary UK DJ Bob Harris on his BBC2 radio show and named as both a USA Today and Soundstage! editor’s choice for one of the best CD’s of 2007.
Ken Barnes of USA Today writes: "Wasn't necessarily expecting good alt-country from a Manhattan band, but got it anyway. The songs' obvious intelligence doesn't get in the way of the solid, often enthralling music".
David J. Cantor of Soundstage! calls it, “an engaging collection of paradoxes. Driven by bass, guitar, drums, and keyboard and rich in instrumental breaks and introductions, it showcases some interesting lyrics. Sounding casual and spontaneous, it is also well rehearsed and polished. Wearing influences on its sleeve, it is still very original. It is reminiscent of late-'60s garage-band arrangements, yet advanced and expert recording and mixing replace that old-time muddiness with pleasing clarity”.
Combine the influences of songwriters like Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt and Kris Kristofferson, with the poetics of Ezra Pound, Emily Dickinson, and TS Eliot and the classic roots rock sound of The Rolling Stones, The Band, and even a little Velvet Underground, and you have the formula that has led Joe Cassady & The West End Sound to consistently defy the expectations of fans and critics alike with their innovative interpretations of the Americana musical spectrum.
In the words of Midwest Record's Chris Spector: this is "an up and comer that's going to go the distance no matter what marketing handle they hang on the genre. Top shelf stuff in any bar!"
Joel Plaskett
'Plaskett makes his case to follow names like Young, Lightfoot and Cohen' - Chart Attack
In the late spring last year, Sir Paul McCartney asked Nova Scotian Joel Plaskett to open his show at Halifax common. Joel had just released '3' his third solo record to rave reviews ('This is a career defining epic' - Now Magazine) and had a summer of sold out shows ahead of him, including Toronto's Massey Hall. Six months later he would not only be up for the Polaris Prize (for a second time!), but also be nominated for 4 Canadian folk music awards, 'Contemporary Album Of The Year', 'Solo Artist of the Year', 'Pushing The Boundaries Award' & 'Best Producer'.
In the wake of receiving Canada's 'Best Solo Male' award at this year’s 'Indie Awards' and with the announcements of two Juno nominations one being 'Best Songwriter' for the songs featured on "Three". Joel has personally selected thirteen tracks from "3" for a special release in Europe this summer, called "Three to One".
Joel toured in support of the release in Ireland & the UK in May, including an appearance at this year’s 'Great Escape', and will be returning in July, where he has been asked to support Jools Holland on his outdoor summer concert series.
www.joelplaskett.com
www.maplemusicrecordings.com
www.myspace.com/joelplaskett1
Joel Rafael
On April 8, Southern California-based singer-songwriter Joel Rafael will release THIRTEEN STORIES HIGH, his first album of original material since 2000’s acclaimed Hopper. The disc comes out on Inside Recordings, the independent label founded by Jackson Browne and his management team; 
distribution is through ADA. It follows up Rafael’s two renowned albums saluting the songs of Woody Guthrie, ofwhose music he’s considered a natural and pre-eminent interpreter. Joel Rafael is also the recipient of the Kerrville Folk Festival’s 1995 “New Folk Emerging Songwriter Award.”
Blending troubadourial eloquence, timeless folk and timely political observations, THIRTEEN STORIES HIGH opens with its lead single, the forthright and simply-worded protest song “This Is My Country,” with backing vocals from Rafael’s friends David Crosby and Graham Nash. “I wish I had written this song,” says Nash, adding, “it’s so powerful and profound…a call from his heart to ours.”
Throughout, the album is driven by this directness. It’s also colored by Rafael’s plain-spoken delivery–as gentle as it is affecting–and wry, understated way with a moving lyric. In a recent piece on Rafael, screenwriter Bob Krakower described his singing style as, “a voice that sounds like a cross between Mercy and Vengeance,” continuing, “he walks and talks as if he came off the pages of a 1930’s Steinbeck novel…his is as authentic as any American voice you have heard in a very long time.”
That authenticity informs Rafael originals including the homespun yet elegant philosophical gem “Time Stands Still,” the resonant “Song Of Socrates” (inspired by the film The Peaceful Warrior) and “Reluctant Angel,” a meditation on sharing one’s gifts with the world. Highlights also include “Promised Land,” which he calls a, “to hell and back song,” the free-spirited folk ballad “Wild Honey” and “Missing Pages,” whose theme of resistance to fear-mongering echoes the album’s social justice message.
Two of the thirteen tracks are covers of other songwriters’ work – “Rich Man’s War” first saw the light of day on Steve Earle’s 2004 album The Revolution Starts Now. “Thematically,” says Rafael, “it was perfect for this record.” “I Ought To Know” is by longtime friend Jack Hardy, one of the forces behind the historic Fast Folk series (now in the Smithsonian). When he first heard Hardy perform it at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, Rafael says, “I was knocked out by it and knew I wanted to record it.”
Rafael has performed at that same Festival since its 1998 inception in Guthrie’s hometown of Okemah, OK, and will be a featured performer when it takes place there this year from July 9 through 13. Long renowned for his fluid interpretations of the legendary artist’s music, Rafael is also a member of the national touring cast of the famed Woody Guthrie revue Ribbon Of Highway, Endless Skyway.
Rafael’s recorded tributes to Guthrie, also out on Inside, are Woodeye (’02) and Woodyboye (’05), The Songs of Woody Guthrie, Volume 1 and Volume 2, respectively. Together, they present Rafael’s elemental takes on twenty-four Guthrie–and two Guthrie-inspired–compositions. Five feature music Rafael created for previously unpublished Woody Guthrie lyrics, given to him by Nora Guthrie, who directs the Woody Guthrie Archives and oversees her father’s legacy. Woodeye and Woodyboye, which contain guest appearances by Artho Guthrie, Jackson Browne, Jennifer Warnes and Van Dyke Parks, will be available in special bundled packages with THIRTEEN STORIES HIGH (and individually).
John Batdorf
John Batdorfs uniquely passionate vocals and guitar playing landed him his first major record deal back in the 70s with Atlantic Records, and he's continued to develop and grow as an artist to this day. As the song writing and lead vocal half of Batdorf and Rodney, John began honing his craft and developing his own style back in the early 70s.
After the breakup with Rodney, John did an album with a group called Silver and toured the country promoting their album at venues with the likes of America, Doobie Brothers, Poco and Hall and Oats. Fans devoted to his sound recognized Johns voice on several radio and television projects in the 80s when he worked as a top LA studio session singer. When he wasn’t touring with bands, or producing music for a variety of clients, he never stopped writing songs.
In the early 90s he partnered with fellow songwriter Michael McLean and released a handful of albums that captured a personal resonance John found with his universal songs of hope and inspiration. It’s as if with each stage in his artistic journey, he developed a greater understanding of the power music to impact our daily lives. Never one to stagnate creatively, John expanded his artistic palette from acoustic driven pop/rock to story driven melodies.
From 1996 to 2002 he worked as a TV composer for the hit series 'Touched by an Angel' and 'Promised Land'. Now into the second half of the new millennium, John has recorded a new CD with James Lee Stanley "All Wood And Stones" (a highly original take on early Rolling Stones songs, done acoustically with tight harmonies) along with his first solo EP, "Side One." His first full length solo CD, "Home Again" is an acoustic guitar and vocal enthusiasts dream come true!
Johns’ next CD, "Still Burnin'" teams him up again with Mark Rodney. The duo recorded a live show at XM Studios in Washington D.C. revisiting many of their great songs from the 70s. Also John and Mark have recorded two brand new songs in LA that are also included in the package. This marks the first new Batdorf and Rodney recordings since 1975!
Now in 2009, at last, after one year from writing to mastering, Johns' finest CD ever, "Old Man Dreamin'" is taking on the world!
Check it out.....
www.myspace.com/johnbatdorf
www.sonicbids.com/JohnBatdorf
John Carrillo
From the moment in his parents' living room, when he strummed his first air guitar chord on his tennis racket while The Who's "Live at Leeds" blared from his dad's stereo, John Carrillo, at the ripe young age of 14 knew he wanted to be a performer. His wish came true many years later when he stepped onto a real stage for the very first time at Quon's Karaoke Bar in Orange, CA, to sing "Mr. Tambourine Man". John hasn't left the stage since.
Since that day he has performed all over Southern California at countless coffeehouses, bars, bookstores, weddings, corporate events (no Bar Mitzvahs yet!) and venues such as The Coach House, The Grove and The Orange County Fair.
He released his first album, "John Carrillo", in 1998. The album, produced by power pop guru Michael Simmons was featured on KLOS' Local Licks radio program. A song from the album, "Civic Pride", was also showcased on NPR's Car Talk.
Although heavily influenced by classic 60's pop groups such as The Beatles, The Byrds, The Who, The Everly Brothers and Simon & Garfunkel, John's music also invokes sensibilities of latter artists such as Elvis Costello, R.E.M., Fountains Of Wayne, Death Cab For Cutie and The Shins, to produce his own unique brand of quirky, yet accessible brand of pop music.
From a radioactive girl, to a pesky possum, to the second best girl in the bar, John's songs are inhabited by an eccentric cast of characters that invite the listener to share in their sometimes surreal, sometimes melancholy, yet always thought-provking, adventures.
In 2001, John released his second album "A Wink To His Career" which featured among others, guest appearances by Lonnie Jordan (War) and Bob
Boulding (The Young Dubliners). The album, produced by Dwight Yoakam alumni Shawn Nourse, showcased John's vocal talents, as well as his rapidly developing songwriting skills. In late 2001 John was named one of the top local artists of the year by The Orange County Register. In 2002 the album was named one of the best Do-It-Yourself albums of the month by Performing Songwriter Magazine.
John's third album, "Von Karma", which features performances by bass-guitar legend, and Wrecking Crew-member, Carol Kaye, was released in late 2006.
John is currently the host of Orange County's most popular open mic night, Thursday Night at The Gypsy Den in Santa Ana as well as John Carrillo Presents Songwriters Night at Alta Coffee in Newport Beach.
His music can also be heard on a variety of television shows including: Two-A-Days (MTV), Disney's Great Escapes (The Travel Channel), Man vs. Food (The Travel Channel), The Next Food Network Star (The Food Network), Driven (VH1), Made (MTV), Room Raiders (MTV) and Breaking Bonaduce (VH1).
www.johncarrillo.com
www.myspace.com/johncarrillo
John Pinamonti
“Pinamonti displays a proficient and alluring storytelling gift... wry, detailed stories are deftly drawn and winning” - Performing Songwriter Magazine
John Pinamonti is known for his songwriting, instrumental prowess, and eclectic interpretation of American music. Long a stalwart of the Brooklyn roots music scene, he grew up in California, Texas and Oregon, spent years playing and touring the U.S. and Canada, and has recorded and released 5 CDs, the latest being "End Of Smith". He continues to perform throughout the New York area.
www.pinamonti.com
www.myspace.com/pinamonti
Singer/songwriter John Vester lives in Venice Beach, California.
He grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he started playing in bands when he was about 16 years old.
He moved to California when we was in his twenties.
He went to the Grove School of Music in Los Angeles, played in bands and soon started writing his own material.
His first CD entitled "My Heart Is In Your Hands" was released in 1998.
His second CD "Half A World Away" was released in 2002. "Half A World Away" is a 12 song project, co-produced by Michael Lennon (from the band Venice) and John Vester.
June 2004 saw the release of John’s third CD, "Things I Wish I Would Have Said", a 17 song project.
All 3 of John Vester CD’s continue John's strong trademark - Simple, straightforward, picture-painting style of songwriting.
Both “Half A World Away” and “Things I Wish I Would Have Said” were co-produced by Michael Lennon and John Vester. 2007 will see the release of John’s fourth album, “The Devil’s Playground”, with contributions from Michael Lennon, Mark Lennon,
Kate Markowitz and Greg Leisz - Stay tuned!
Jon Strider
Jon Strider, a 5th generation, native Californian, began performing music in the (San Francisco) Bay Area, emerging with an artistic destiny shaped by the cultural and artistic upheavals of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. As the father of a form of music described as "rhythm'n'folk", Strider has synthesized the rock and acoustic worlds, a hybrid of storytelling, grooves and keen empathy.
Strider’s latest album on New Sky Records - ‘Fresh Tracks’ - takes his West Coast/Austin/Nashville-influences to amazing new heights of singer-songwriter brilliance. A true tale of an American immigrant. Scandinavia bound. Songs of love, hope and disillusion, hearthache and joy. Helped by rising star producer, Amir Aly, the album’s breakout hit single, “Apple Pie Song”, is a slice of pure pop perfection. Indeed, everyone of these “Fresh Tracks” is a sonic delight.
Strider has toured the world, recorded 6 solo albums, produced dozens of other artists, found a radio audience, built recording studios, scored films and television shows.
Jon is also a dynamic, hardworking and captivating live entertainer. His 400+ original song catalog, brims with a colorful life, fully lived.
Credits: As a keyboardist/back-up vocalist :
Eddie Money, Larry Graham, Van Morrison, Mink Deville, Chuck Berry, John Lee Hooker, Dan Hicks, Boz Scaggs
As a producer/singer-songwriter/session musician, Jon have produced or co-written or recorded with the musicians from the bands of :
Paul Simon, Elton John, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Lucinda Williams, Dwight Yoakam, George Thorogood, Steely Dan, Tori Amos, John Hiatt, Little Feat, Delbert McClinton, Allman Brothers Band, Whitney Houston
Joni Mitchell
Greenpeace Canada is set to release an exclusive two-disc, re-mastered live recording of "Amchitka - The 1970 Concert That Launched Greenpeace", featuring Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and the late Phil Ochs. The concert, a fundraiser to protest U.S. nuclear bomb tests near Amchitka, Alaska sees a first-time release on 10 November. The CD is available exclusively through Greenpeace and all proceeds will benefit the organization.
“We are pleased to offer this musical slice of history to Greenpeace supporters and music lovers around the world,” said Bruce Cox, Greenpeace Canada’s executive director. “This CD is a piece of musical magic. It contains never before heard songs, duets and chatter that capture the confidence and hope of the times. It carries a timeless message that change is possible.” The concert, which took place at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia on 16 October 1970, was organized by former trial lawyer and activist Irving Stowe. As co-director of the 'Don’t Make A Wave Committee', he raised enough money to send 11 peace activists by boat, christened The Greenpeace, to the Aleutian Island of Amchitka. The activists were unsuccessful in stopping the tests, but their voyage in 1971 marks the birth of the worldwide organization known today as Greenpeace.
“The Amchitka voyage would not have happened without the concert, and so we owe a debt of gratitude to Irving Stowe, and the talents of Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Phil Ochs for generating the momentum that ultimately launched Greenpeace,” continued Cox. “The activists that traveled to Amchitka set the example that has guided and defined Greenpeace: non-violent direct action to protect our environment and motivate societal change.”
The upcoming release features concert performances by then-rising Canadian star Joni Mitchell and a 22-year old James Taylor. Protest singer, Phil Ochs kicks off the CD. Earlier that year Mitchell had been named Top Female Performer of 1970 by Melody Maker magazine and Taylor had released his major breakthrough album "Sweet Baby James".
Of the historic concert, Amchitka emcee and Canadian broadcaster, Terry David Mulligan says, “The crew of ‘The Greenpeace’ took hold of our hearts and minds and pulled all of us along. As always, music carried the day.”
Get the background to this amazing story, right here.
www.jonimitchell.com
www.myspace.com/amchitka
www.twitter.com/amchitka1970
www.facebook.com/pages/Amchitka/60751539970
Josh Rouse
“I know it’s kind of funny, this Midwestern guy doing Brazilian songs in Spanish,” says Josh Rouse about his new studio album, 'El Turista'. “I don’t know if it fits, but I like the way it feels.”
Unexpected and utterly sublime, this sultry song cycle will shuffle seamlessly in tandem with 'Getz/Gilberto' and 'Graceland', albums as boldly surprising in their eras as 'El Turista' is in this one. The record marks a new direction for the critically acclaimed cult artist, while offering the musical sophistication and emotional depth Rouse’s devoted constituents have come to expect from him thanks to a consistently enthralling body of work highlighted by the modern-day landmarks '1972' (2003) and 'Nashville' (2005), both of which are generously sampled on the marvelous 2008 Rhino retrospective 'Best Of The Rykodisc Years'.
The new album bears the distinct influence of Spain, which the Nebraska native made his home five years ago with his Spanish wife Paz Suay; the couple and their first child now live in Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast. On 'El Turista', Spain serves as the point of origin for a globe-trotting musical journey that touches down in Cuba, Brazil and Africa, as well as Nashville, where the bulk of the tracks were recorded with Rouse’s longtime producer and close collaborator Brad Jones, and the couple’s former home of Brooklyn, where the seeds of the record where sown and some of the songs dreamed up.
The opening instrumental “Bienvenido” seductively sets the scene, so balmy you can practically feel the Mediterranean breezes caressing your skin. The swaying “Lemon Tree” and “I Will Live on Islands,” with its percolating Afro-Cuban groove, recall Paul Simon at his most expansive, though the latter track’s rhythm was inspired by the Congo music anthology 'Roots of Rumba Rock 1953-1954'. “Duerme” (a.k.a “Drumi Mobila”) and “Mesie Julian” were both recorded by the revered singer/pianist Bola de Nieve, who was known as the Louis Armstrong of Cuba, though Rouse’s take on each sounds uncannily like a Joao Gilberto bossa nova from the ’60s.
“Valencia” and “Las Voces,” for which Paz provided the requisite colloquialisms, are vibrantly redolent of city life in their hometown. The gentle “Sweet Elaine” could have been on '1972' if not for its double-time Latin beat and billowing strings. “Don’t Act Tough” is graced by a Jim Hoke sax solo that splits the difference between Stan Getz and Roxy Music’s Andy Mackay. Rouse even manages to find a place for the Civil War-era American traditional song “Cotton Eye Joe,” though you’d never guess its origin from this lush, dreamy treatment. And yet, despite these wildly diverse sources and reference points, 'El Turista' is miraculously cohesive, as seamless as Michael Phelps’ racing suit.
What’s more, Rouse sings en espanol like a native Valencian, at least to these American ears. “I’ve been speaking Spanish here every day, all day, for five years,” he points out, “so it’s become pretty natural. And being a musician, if you have an ear, you pick up the details, the accents, so you’re not speaking like Sam Elliott in Spanish.” He punctuates the quip with another soft laugh. “My Spanish friends here get a kick out of it. They say it sounds great, but there’s still an accent, and I’m hoping it’s the same charm that you hear when a foreign singer sings in English.”
Part of this naturalness comes from Rouse’s level of comfort in his present surroundings. “I was drawn to the Mediterranean, everything about it, from the food to the pace. Except for the ocean, the lifestyle is not that different from the Midwest. It’s kind of slow — no one’s in a rush to get anywhere or to get anything done, so that felt like home. Although Nebraska is beautiful, the weather here is a lot nicer eight months out of the year. And living by the ocean has definitely had an influence on what I’m doing. I’d pick up a guitar and the chords would have a tropical feel, because that’s the climate here — it feels right. I know it’s kind of funny, this Midwestern guy doing Brazilian songs in Spanish. I don’t know if it fits, but I like the way it feels.”
So where did the inspiration come from for this totally surprising record? “I didn’t have any kind of clear vision of what the record should be,” Rouse confesses. “I was just searching, looking for a new direction. I wanted to do a jazz record, but I can’t really play like Bill Evans, so I shot that idea down. A couple of years ago, my wife put this Bola de Nieve record on and I said, ‘Wow, what is that?’ I hadn’t heard anything like it. I’d never come across any music here in Spain that inspired me enough to really do it, so hearing that record was a breakthrough for me. Cubans sing so well in Spanish; the syllables have such a nice sound, almost as if it were in Portuguese. So it was hearing that and going, ‘OK, I can do this.’ Bola de Nieve has been dead for a while and he’s still pretty much undiscovered; I figured he was a good guy to get inspired by.
“So I did a cover version of ‘Mesie Julian,’” he continues. “From there I started experimenting, trying different things. Brad and I started off with ‘Don’t Act Tough,’ which is like a modal jazz thing that keeps the same chord cycles going over and over. Then we did the instrumental ‘Bienvenido,’ and when we laid it down, it hit me how different it was from anything I’d done. So we started on that path, and then we got together with Sam Bacco, a Brazilian percussionist, and put some of that in there. At one point, Sam said, ‘It’s like dinner music, then — wow — here comes the party.’”
Another wrinkle involved linking up with the oral tradition. “Those old folk songs end up mutating as they get passed from person to person,” says Rouse. “I’d been doing my thing for a while — which I guess I’m still doing — but I wanted to look back 50 or 100 years or even more, dig through these really simple songs and melodies, and try to put my own twist on them.”
Josh dollies back to add another layer of perspective: “After the last record, I felt like I needed a break. I just wanted to record songs without thinking about releasing a record. Whenever I got together with Brad and put some things together, I kept saying the whole time, ‘OK, I’m not making a record.’ And then, over a year and a half, as we kept laying things down, I started to think, ‘Wow, this might work.’”
Does it ever. From the sultry bassline and languid piano notes that open “Bienvenido” to the final hovering chords of “Don’t Act Tough,” it’s readily apparent that 'El Turista' is one of those special records — a wholly original, utterly beguiling work that creates its own magical cosmology. If ever a term “instant classic” applied to a record, it’s this one, as you’re about to discover.
“I’ve made records in the past and thought, ‘A lot of people might like this,’ but that never really happened during this record. I mean, I want people to hear it, but I really made it for myself. I wanted this one to sound like something that was completely my own taste, something that would fit in my record collection, maybe next to Vince Guaraldi.” There’s that laugh again. “So in one sense it was a selfish record, but it’s also the most adventurous thing I’ve put out, in terms of variety. It’s a directional shift from what I’ve been doing, but it feels like a stepping stone as well. From here, I can go in a lot of different directions.
“I’m a decent songwriter,” Rouse acknowledges. “I can make up a melody. It’s like cooking: you can mix different ingredients together and if the base of what you have is really good, it’s gonna turn out good whether it’s electronic or blues or funk, or whatever. It’s just being inspired by something new. That’s what I have to do to keep going—I have to find new music, get into new things and give it a try. The Rhino compilation came at a perfect time. There’s that body of work; this seems like a good time to go do some different things.”
What’s Spanish for “Vive la difference”?
www.joshrouse.com
www.myspace.com/joshrouse
Jubal Lee Young
Jubal Lee Young's songs are reckless, deep and spiritual, meticulously crafted and delivered by an amazing voice that can go in a heartbeat from a falsetto whisper to a lions roar.
The only son of singer-songwriter Steve Young (‘Seven Bridges Road’, ‘Lonesome Onry and Mean’) and Terrye Newkirk (‘My Oklahoma’, ‘Come Home, Daddy’), Jubal grew up around the best of the 70's and 80's Country, Folk, and Bluegrass artists, who happened to be his parents amazing circle of famous and infamous friends.
Those influences are certainly there, but there is a decided edge that comes from listening to a lot of stuff that rocked, too.
Young has experienced life’s darker sides, yet transcends them in his songs. Along the way, he came up with a unique sound that encompasses the diverse styles of the musically fertile Southland, but with a genius for intelligent lyrics and wry humor that is altogether fresh.
Jubal Lee Young has learned from the greats, first- hand, right there at the kitchen table. You can hear it.
He’s the real deal.
Jude Johnstone
There is an intelligence and sophistication to Jude Johnstone’s music that makes her stand out. Nowhere are these attributes more evident than on Johnstone’s fourth CD “Mr Sun,” from BoJak Records. “Mr Sun” continues with the jazzy/blues musical rhythms found in her last project “Blue Light,” while maintaining her trademarks of emotional depth, passionate vocals and haunting melodies. Johnstone’s level of artistry continues to grow with “Mr Sun.”
In the creative atmosphere of Mad Dog Studios in Burbank, CA, while recording “Blue Light,” Johnstone’s inspiration intensified creating a flood of new songs, which became “Mr Sun.” The chemistry of working with these compelling musicians motivated Johnstone to record the new songs immediately. Musicians David Piltch (upright bass), Danny Frankel (drums, percussions), Freddy Koella (guitar), and Marc Macisso (sax) who worked on “Blue Light,” remained for the recording of “Mr Sun.” In addition, premier musicians Dean Parks, Mark Goldenberg (Guitar), Jon Ossman (upright bass), Daniel Savant (muted trumpet, flugelhorn) and background vocals by Stephen Bishop and Maxayn Lewis topped off a select group of performers that contributed to these recordings. Johnstone was the producer, played keyboards, chimes and wrote all the songs.
The 2002 BoJak Records release of Jude Johnstone’s debut CD “Coming of Age,” included her songs covered by Bonnie Raitt ('Wounded Heart'), Stevie Nicks ('Cry Wolf'), Johnny Cash ('Unchained'), Jennifer Warnes ('The Nightingale'), and Trisha Yearwood ('Hearts in Armor'). It was featured on NPR’s Morning Edition and reached #6 on Amazon’s Best Seller’s List. Johnstone’s 2005 CD “On a Good Day,” generated impressive media buzz leading to Johnstone’s national television debut where she performed the title track on CBS’s The Early Show. “On a Good Day” attracted guest vocal performances by Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Rodney Crowell and Julie Miller.
"Mr Sun" available here.
Judy Collins
Folk icon Judy Collins will release her new album 'Paradise', on June 28th, 2010, on Wildflower Records. The collection of songs selected for Collins’ latest project reinforces her lifelong commitment to quality songwriting and worldwide reputation as one of the finest interpretative singers in any genre. 'Paradise' is a collection of songs with universal themes, desires, and cries of a human being searching for paradise here on earth. There are 10 heartfelt songs with tales to tell about finding love, losing love, personal freedom and redemption. Collins teams up with the legendary Joan Baez and Stephen Stills on two tracks.
'Paradise' provides a modern take on the times, with brand new renditions of archetypal songs made fresh with Collins’ striking arrangements and intimate, breathtaking vocals. The material here is drawn from great sources such as Jimmy Webb, Tom Paxton, Joan Baez, Tim Buckley, and Stan Jones, to name a few. The duet of Collins and Baez singing “Diamonds and Rust”, Baez’s 1975 hit single, is stunning as you listen to their angelic harmonies revealing sincere feelings on the complexity of love in haunting words and melody. And, with the often-recorded Tom Paxton song “Last Thing On My Mind”, Judy Collins pairs up with Stephen Stills to create a fresh and sweetly melodic track, beautifully weaving their complementary voices together with soft and jangly guitars of a song reminiscing a couple’s breakup. The poignant duet from these two former lovers, singing “I could’ve loved you better, didn’t mean to be unkind, don’t you know that was the last thing on my mind” make for a wonderfully lilting and bittersweet tune.
Renowned for her activism and performing socially relevant material Collins’ 'Paradise' includes the recording “The Weight Of The World,” by emerging artist Amy Speace, an anti-war song with powerful and personal lyrics. Singing about a brother unthinkably heading off to fight, Collins’ voice is a plaintive, universal cry of the unspeakable senselessness of losing a loved one to war. We can feel the weight of her world in the intimacy of the song’s lyrics, resonating with “The weight of the world, too heavy to lift/So much was lost, so much was missed/It doesn’t seem fair that any boy or any girl/Should have to carry the weight of the world”.
'Paradise' concludes with a song of hope and wonderment as you listen to Collins’ enchanting recording of the#1 movie song of all-time, “Over The Rainbow”, Her recording of this song is also included on a CD insert to her new children’s picture book project, also titled “Over the Rainbow”.
www.judycollins.com
www.myspace.com/judycollinsmyspace
Jump4Joy
Welcome to the wonderful world of Jump4Joy! High energy music and great entertainment performed during constant touring. Standing ovations in New Orleans, Moscow, London, Havanna, Marseille and Seoul.....
The band :
Ulf Sandström is a groove oriented piano and organ player with a soulful voice. He wants to entertain you, and will weave a web of verbal bridges until he succeeds. "Mighty" Bo Gustafsson is a power-honker on the tenor sax. His roots in jazz and ska music shine through when he picks up the alto. Bo and Ulf have toured a century, and perform like one entity.
Kenneth Björnlund and Surjo Benigh have performed together over fifteen years as one of the tightest rhythm sections this side of the river Styx - Strong, yet flexible, like silicone lips on a Las Vegas showgirl.
A constant evolution :
Jump4Joy is a constant experiment, where Ulf & Bo bring their very special humor and energy as a duo or quartet to club gigs, concerts, festivals, theatres, burlesque shows, dance events, corporate events, symphony arrangements and gospel choirs.
www.jump4joy.se
www.youtube.com/ulfsandstrom
www.myspace.com/jump4joyulfsandstrom
Justin Currie
When Del Amitri’s singer-songwriter Justin Currie released his first solo album, "What Is Love For" in 2007 he described it as ‘eleven thunderously dreary dirges’! Fortunately, not everyone agreed with him, and the album won accolades from critics, fans and fellow artists, as a thing of dark and starkly honest beauty.
Now Currie returns with a second album, "The Great War", which delivers a bracing set of original compositions that break yet more creative ground – And should further cement Currie’s place as an ambitious and versatile solo artist.
"The Great War" finds Justin delivering some of his most compelling work to date, with such memorable numbers as "The Way That It Falls", "At Home Inside of Me" and the epic "The Fight To Be Human" overflowing with catchy melodicism and vivid wordplay, while "A Man With Nothing To Do", "Can't Let Go Of Her Now" and "You'll Always Walk Alone" offer a trenchant mix of romantic idealism and hard-won experience.
"I didn't want to repeat what I'd done on 'What Is Love For'," Currie states. "'What Is Love For' was intended as a very introspective record, and it was so sad and dark that I didn't really expect it to get any airplay. But 'The Great War' is much brighter and more accessible; there are actually three or four positive love songs on there, which is unusual for me. This time, I wanted more major keys, and more variety in the tempos. I don't write a lot of up-tempo songs these days, so it took me a while to write enough to be able to get the kind of balance I wanted.
"I also used the device of making little jokes out of the songs", he continues, "so quite a few of the songs on 'The Great War' have punchlines that completely reverse the assumed meaning of the song. I find that enormously satisfying when it works. A famous poet, whose name I forget, said that a poem must always have a little revelation at the close — a quiet epiphany — and I see no reason why songs can't sometimes do the same. Why repeat to fade? Why not end on a handbrake turn, a slap in the face or a 'reveal'? I tried to make the entire album do this, so that the last line of the last song is an unmasking".
Justin Currie has plenty of experience in defying musical expectations. He was still in his teens when he co-founded Del Amitri in his hometown of Glasgow. Between 1982 and 2002, the band evolved from resourceful D.I.Y. indie combo to international hitmakers, releasing six much-loved studio albums before amicably parting ways.
"It's a big difference being a solo operator", Currie observes. "What you lose in companionship, support and input, you gain in creative control. But most of the elements of what I do haven't changed all that much. I'm still looking for melody and lyrics that I can feel something from, and trying to put them into the standard structures of the rock or pop song. I love those structures; to me, the verse/chorus/middle-eight thing still seems filled with endless unexplored possibilities".
"The Great War", which was recorded and mixed by frequent Del Amitri associate Mark Freegard, features Currie on lead vocals and various instruments, along with a talented group of players that includes ex-Del Amitri guitarist Mick Slaven. Currie considers the album's title to be "a nice broad and flexible metaphor", adding, "Album titles are hard; you have to find something non-specific that still somehow suits a collection of songs. I noticed a few common references to struggle and conflict in the lyrics. I don't think there's a single song on the album that the title doesn't resonate with in some way".
The combination of uplifting tunes and darker lyrical themes has long been a recurring motif in Currie's songwriting. "Del Amitri were often described as 'bittersweet' for that very reason", he notes, adding, "Do I do this deliberately? I don't know. I am an enormous devotee of pop melodies, from Cole Porter to Amy Winehouse, Smokey Robinson to Buzzcocks. Lyrically, more often than not, I seem to gravitate towards the ambiguity of feelings, the struggle with motivations and doubt in relationships, self-loathing and disappointment — somber things sometimes, but with a scintilla of hope, or at least catharsis. As a songwriter, I use melody to make all of this less maudlin, hopefully, and to create tension”.
"I love to undermine a lyrical conceit with a contrasting tune", Currie asserts. "I like to sew doubt in the listener's mind. Does he mean these things? Is this song actually as melancholy, defeatist or cynical as it seems? Or is this guy a romantic who's optimistic about the consoling power of love?”
"If I have a mission as an artist", he concludes, "it would be to get a little more poetry into the great warehouse of rock music. All I can do is get it out there and fight to be heard; that's the great war."
Justin Rutledge
At the mouth of the open sea, there are three ships on the horizon — one of them is on fire. Black plumes of smoke rise from its charring masts like a mountain’s shadow across the dawn. Perhaps those on board are tossing their lean prayers to the wind like holy matchsticks before thrusting their bodies overboard into the furiously silent ocean. Perhaps several hundred miles away a girl brushes a lock of hair from her eyes as she regards the indolent waters. Perhaps she turns, slowly making her way back to a house where the windows are always broken, away from a blackening horizon, towards the hurt of a dawn through a curtain. These are The Early Widows.
Justin Rutledge returns with 'The Early Widows', a stoic collection of songs that rehabilitate the heart and illuminate the dark. Produced with intense fragility by Hawksley Workman, Rutledge’s fourth album is an arrestingly moving and lyrically meticulous piece of art, penned by one of the most progressive songwriters at work today. Shouldering an electric guitar instead of his trademark acoustic, Rutledge infuses the new material with a newfound conviction and drive. 'The Early Widows' also includes songs co-written with literary giant Michael Ondaatje, and award-winning songwriter Darrell Scott from Nashville.
Each song is like an undisturbed room in which a wounded echo reclines. ‘Be A Man’ is a mantra sung by a mirthless poet at an AA meeting; the rallying drum cry which begins ‘The Heart Of A River’ calls for metropolitan migration; the weathered, blustery scrub of ‘Snowmen’ responds with a longing for spiritual hibernation, with a refrain that escapes the shadows of condo towers. Like the birth of a dawn through a curtain, 'The Early Widows' is a study in light and shadow, with words that move like a pilgrimage towards one’s ear. 'The Early Widows' was recorded live utilizing two drummers, Gary Craig and Blake Manning, with Bazil Donovan (Blue Rodeo) on bass, Burke Carroll on pedal steel, David Baxter on electric guitar, and Jesse Zubot on violins. In addition to this stunning ensemble of musicians, the album features the soaring and explosive voices of gospel choir, The Faith Choral.
Signed to Six Shooter Records, Justin Rutledge’s albums garner impressive amounts of critical acclaim. Between his debut, 'No Never Alone' (2005), his sophomore release, 'The Devil On A Bench In Stanley Park' (2006) and third album, 'Man Descending' (2008), Rutledge has earned a Juno nomination, a Galaxy Rising Star award, countless year-end critics’ picks, the title of Toronto’s Best Local Songwriter (N.O.W. Magazine), a spot on the 2008 Polaris Prize Long List, and a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination. Justin has shared the stage with artists such as Blue Rodeo, Dolly Parton, Martha Wainwright and Great Lake Swimmers.
www.myspace.com/justinrutledge
J Shogren
Jack Tempchin
Jackson Browne
James Taylor
Janet Martin
Jeff Larson
Jess Klein
Jerad Finck
JD Souther
Jock Bartley
Joe Cassady
Joel Plaskett
Joel Rafael
John Batdorf
John Carrillo
John Pinamonti
John Vester
Jon Strider
Joni Mitchell
Josh Rouse
Jubal Lee Young
Jude Johnstone
Judy Collins
Jump4Joy
Justin Currie
Justin Rutledge
