I just went back and corrected the typos in the Blind Pig piece. I wrote it in a fit of excitement and, still out of my mind with excitement over the music, posted it without proofreading it. I know: those musicians and Blind Pig deserve better from me. My apologies.
Also, for those of you who have been posting responses, I'm brand new to this blogging business and just found them today. So, I did respond to them -- except the ones in Japanese, which I am not able to read. I was profoundly amazed and touched to find a seven entry conversation responding to something I'd posted, conducted in a language I'm unable to read. Thanks, and please, keep it up.
Finally, since this blog appears to be trending toward music, and since I want to keep the poetry discussions going, I'm thinking about starting a new, second blog devoted entirely to poetry. What do you think?
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Friday, April 30, 2010
Blind Pig Records
At one time, I’d buy whatever Atlantic Records put out. Anything on Sun Records tempted me and folk music on Electra was pretty much a must. Those labels, all independents at that time, had their own identity, their own characteristic types of music and for an artist to be associated with them was a sign of quality. I haven’t felt that way about a record label in a long time but now I’m falling in love with Blind Pig Records.
Blind Pig, a small but important indie blues label out of San Francisco, that issues two or three CDs a month and is putting out some of the most significant roots music in America today. Anybody who loves American – even examples of it that originate in Australia -- music should be paying attention. To make my point, I want to take a look at their releases from the last two months.
Peter Karp and Sue Foley
Peter Karp and Sue Foley are both well-known blues artists. They began emailing each other, discussing life on the road and pretty soon those emails grew into songs and the result is “He Said, She Said,” a duet album in which they explore human relationships. The songs are all over the map; they’re driving bluesy, rocking, light-hearted and funny. They’re also beautifully written. Both of these artists can write, they can both sing the rubber off of a truck tire, and they know how to dress up a song – they play acoustic guitars, electric guitars, classical guitars, harmonicas, bring in horn sections when they’re appropriate and they sound like they’re having the time of their life doing it. Peter Karp and Sue Foley demand to be listened to.
Popa Chubby
Last month’s other release was Popa Chubby’s “The Fight is On.” Though the label says it’s his first CD in two years, it appears that the prolific guitar-slinger puts out an album a month. Each release is thematic, ranging from salutes to Chicago blues to a two-CD tribute to Jimi Hendrix. This time out, we get the arena rock side of Popa Chubby. He salutes classic rock with a set of guitar-driven anthems. In the notes, he says the songs were built out of his fooling around with classic riffs and you can hear them in the playing, a little Zeppelin here, some Sabbath there, but Popa Chubby everywhere.
John Nemeth
This month, Blind Pig leads off with John Nemeth’s “Name the Day.” Nemeth, a harmonica playing soul singer, comes across as a man who has been internalizing rhythm and blues since birth. He’s at home with all of its forms, from the hard-charging, horn-driven uptempo shouters to the soft ballads. Retro-looking in tight suits, skinny ties and porkpie hats, Nemeth never comes across as a throwback He’s today and his writing, singing and playing are going to be key elements of tomorrow’s soul music. Take Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Ray Charles, mix them together and then add a shot of a brand new artistic touch and you’ve got John Nemeth.
Harper
Harper, who divides his time between Australia, his birthplace and Michigan, began as a blues singing harmonica wizard but on tour in Colorado a decade or so back, he met some Native Americans and was inspired to investigate the aboriginal music of Australia. He became proficient at the didgeridoo and soon developed a world music-based blues that incorporated native instruments and influences. It’s a fascinating sound and on “Stand Together,” his new album, he goes much deeper into it because for the first time, he is recording with his touring band, rather than a group of touring musicians. The songs range from ballads calling for peace to straight ahead rockers but the didgeridoo keeps it from being familiar. You’ll hear the blues in a new way.
Magic Slim
You’re not going to hear the blues in a new way in Magic Slim and the Teardrops’ new CD, “Raising the Bar.” The veteran blues picker Magic Slim and his group have been called the last of Chicago blues bands. A master of Delta blues, he has traced the same Mississippi to Chicago path blazed by Muddy Waters and I’d say he’s currently at his creative peak if it weren’t for the fact that a lot of times in the past twenty years or so, I’ve said he was at his peak only to hear him get better. Magic Slim is a genius of the blues; he’s the man who keeps digging in a played out mine but keep coming up with new and fresh treasure. Magic Slim himself is a national treasure.
What do these artists, different and unique as each one is, have in common? They’re all on Blind Pig Records. That should send you a signal or two about this label.
Blind Pig, a small but important indie blues label out of San Francisco, that issues two or three CDs a month and is putting out some of the most significant roots music in America today. Anybody who loves American – even examples of it that originate in Australia -- music should be paying attention. To make my point, I want to take a look at their releases from the last two months.
Peter Karp and Sue Foley
Peter Karp and Sue Foley are both well-known blues artists. They began emailing each other, discussing life on the road and pretty soon those emails grew into songs and the result is “He Said, She Said,” a duet album in which they explore human relationships. The songs are all over the map; they’re driving bluesy, rocking, light-hearted and funny. They’re also beautifully written. Both of these artists can write, they can both sing the rubber off of a truck tire, and they know how to dress up a song – they play acoustic guitars, electric guitars, classical guitars, harmonicas, bring in horn sections when they’re appropriate and they sound like they’re having the time of their life doing it. Peter Karp and Sue Foley demand to be listened to.
Popa Chubby
Last month’s other release was Popa Chubby’s “The Fight is On.” Though the label says it’s his first CD in two years, it appears that the prolific guitar-slinger puts out an album a month. Each release is thematic, ranging from salutes to Chicago blues to a two-CD tribute to Jimi Hendrix. This time out, we get the arena rock side of Popa Chubby. He salutes classic rock with a set of guitar-driven anthems. In the notes, he says the songs were built out of his fooling around with classic riffs and you can hear them in the playing, a little Zeppelin here, some Sabbath there, but Popa Chubby everywhere.
John Nemeth
This month, Blind Pig leads off with John Nemeth’s “Name the Day.” Nemeth, a harmonica playing soul singer, comes across as a man who has been internalizing rhythm and blues since birth. He’s at home with all of its forms, from the hard-charging, horn-driven uptempo shouters to the soft ballads. Retro-looking in tight suits, skinny ties and porkpie hats, Nemeth never comes across as a throwback He’s today and his writing, singing and playing are going to be key elements of tomorrow’s soul music. Take Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Ray Charles, mix them together and then add a shot of a brand new artistic touch and you’ve got John Nemeth.
Harper
Harper, who divides his time between Australia, his birthplace and Michigan, began as a blues singing harmonica wizard but on tour in Colorado a decade or so back, he met some Native Americans and was inspired to investigate the aboriginal music of Australia. He became proficient at the didgeridoo and soon developed a world music-based blues that incorporated native instruments and influences. It’s a fascinating sound and on “Stand Together,” his new album, he goes much deeper into it because for the first time, he is recording with his touring band, rather than a group of touring musicians. The songs range from ballads calling for peace to straight ahead rockers but the didgeridoo keeps it from being familiar. You’ll hear the blues in a new way.
Magic Slim
You’re not going to hear the blues in a new way in Magic Slim and the Teardrops’ new CD, “Raising the Bar.” The veteran blues picker Magic Slim and his group have been called the last of Chicago blues bands. A master of Delta blues, he has traced the same Mississippi to Chicago path blazed by Muddy Waters and I’d say he’s currently at his creative peak if it weren’t for the fact that a lot of times in the past twenty years or so, I’ve said he was at his peak only to hear him get better. Magic Slim is a genius of the blues; he’s the man who keeps digging in a played out mine but keep coming up with new and fresh treasure. Magic Slim himself is a national treasure.
What do these artists, different and unique as each one is, have in common? They’re all on Blind Pig Records. That should send you a signal or two about this label.
Friday, April 23, 2010
The Best Singer-Songwriter You've Never Heard
Her name is Krista Detor and, though she plays most of the major folk festivals and has a serious following in Europe, it's safe to say that most American listeners have no idea who she is. She's been played on NPR and the other noncommercial stations but her marketplace profile isn't very high.
Which is a shame because she's fabulous.
Maybe it isn't a shame. Maybe she's just too good for radio.
I reviewed her second album and her third, the world's best Christmas album, for Rambles and fell in love with her music. I said then that she can't really be categorized, which might have something to do with her lack of big time commercial success. If you don't fit neatly into an established genre, radio doesn't know what to do with you and Detor is not going to be pinned down.
A piano-playing singer-songwriter, she appears to belong to the folk-rock school, but if that's the case, she attends a school with a mighty wide-ranging curriculum. She's bluesy, folky,jazzy, an ironic chanteuse, a depression era diva -- she's not only all over the map, she is the map.
In short, she's an original. Her songs are startling, with fine lyrics and unusual tunes. She's fond of dressing the tunes with trombones, saxes, banjos and dobros -- in the same song and the accompaniments give her work a sweet, postmodern feel.
Her voice is the story. Detor doesn't seem to sing at all. She never oversings, never shows off her marvelous voice at the expense of the song. What she does is tell you a story in a low, intimate, husky voice that appears to be directed just to you.
A new album is scheduled for release this fall. I recommend you be standing in line when it comes out. I know I will be.
Which is a shame because she's fabulous.
Maybe it isn't a shame. Maybe she's just too good for radio.
I reviewed her second album and her third, the world's best Christmas album, for Rambles and fell in love with her music. I said then that she can't really be categorized, which might have something to do with her lack of big time commercial success. If you don't fit neatly into an established genre, radio doesn't know what to do with you and Detor is not going to be pinned down.
A piano-playing singer-songwriter, she appears to belong to the folk-rock school, but if that's the case, she attends a school with a mighty wide-ranging curriculum. She's bluesy, folky,jazzy, an ironic chanteuse, a depression era diva -- she's not only all over the map, she is the map.
In short, she's an original. Her songs are startling, with fine lyrics and unusual tunes. She's fond of dressing the tunes with trombones, saxes, banjos and dobros -- in the same song and the accompaniments give her work a sweet, postmodern feel.
Her voice is the story. Detor doesn't seem to sing at all. She never oversings, never shows off her marvelous voice at the expense of the song. What she does is tell you a story in a low, intimate, husky voice that appears to be directed just to you.
A new album is scheduled for release this fall. I recommend you be standing in line when it comes out. I know I will be.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Carole King's Really Rosy
The Nutshell Library
The other day, Helene called me from her office, wanting to know the name of the Carole King song about the boy who would only say, "I don't care." She wanted someone else to hear it. As soon as she mentioned it, I felt an overwhelming craving to hear not only the song but the entire album again.
The album is called "Really Rosy" and its the soundtrack from an animated TV special done by children's book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak back in the Seventies. The special took his four book set called the Nutshell Library, a tiny boxed set three inches tall and two inches deep that contains four of his best works: "Alligators All Around," "Pierre," "Chicken Soup With Rice," and "One Was Johnny." Sendak mashed these book up with his "Really Rosie" title and created one magical half hour of kid's programming and animation, for which King created a soundtrack by writing tunes to his words.
"Alligators All Around" is an alphabet book. "Chicken Soup With Rice" teaches the calendar, while "One was Johnny" is a counting book. "Pierre" can best be described as a wild card. Sendak subtitles it a cautionary tale with a moral; he might just as well call it a hilarious tale that subverts itself all over the place.
The Show
I don't remember the show very well; I saw it with my kids when it aired and then it disappeared into the ozone layer that contains old TV shows and, to the best of my knowledge, was never seen again. A shortlived VHS was released, went quickly out of print, and a DVD has never been issued. What I do remember is that Sendak oversaw the animation and directed the show, so that it was in his style and accurately presented his world. It centered on a group of kids in a working class neighborhood of Brooklyn and their adventures, both real and imaginary. It was a creative triumph and should have become a classic.
The Music
The soundtrack album did become a classic. It has never been out of print and the children's librarian in my library tells me that it is one of the most in-demand albums in libraries across the country. I know in my town if you want to get it out of the library, you've got a six week wait. It can, however, be found in the kid's departments of all the chain book and record stores and can be downloaded on Itunes. If you have kids, it is an essential purchase. If you don't, it is still well worth having.
It is Carole King at her most exuberant. She takes the songs seriously but still packs them with more energy and fun than you'd think a Carole King CD could produce. She knows that in this instance especially, the song is much more important than the singer, so she concentrates on letting the song speak. She acts the songs, becoming the character of Rosie and lets her voice wail and moan when Rosie
acts out a horror picture, becoming formal with the Shakespeare. It's a great performance. The fact that her backup singers are her kids makes it even more fun.
The conclusion
Here is what I'm thinking: everybody, no matter what their age, should read Maurice Sendak at least once a day and everybody, no matter what their age, should own this CD and play it all the time.
The other day, Helene called me from her office, wanting to know the name of the Carole King song about the boy who would only say, "I don't care." She wanted someone else to hear it. As soon as she mentioned it, I felt an overwhelming craving to hear not only the song but the entire album again.
The album is called "Really Rosy" and its the soundtrack from an animated TV special done by children's book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak back in the Seventies. The special took his four book set called the Nutshell Library, a tiny boxed set three inches tall and two inches deep that contains four of his best works: "Alligators All Around," "Pierre," "Chicken Soup With Rice," and "One Was Johnny." Sendak mashed these book up with his "Really Rosie" title and created one magical half hour of kid's programming and animation, for which King created a soundtrack by writing tunes to his words.
"Alligators All Around" is an alphabet book. "Chicken Soup With Rice" teaches the calendar, while "One was Johnny" is a counting book. "Pierre" can best be described as a wild card. Sendak subtitles it a cautionary tale with a moral; he might just as well call it a hilarious tale that subverts itself all over the place.
The Show
I don't remember the show very well; I saw it with my kids when it aired and then it disappeared into the ozone layer that contains old TV shows and, to the best of my knowledge, was never seen again. A shortlived VHS was released, went quickly out of print, and a DVD has never been issued. What I do remember is that Sendak oversaw the animation and directed the show, so that it was in his style and accurately presented his world. It centered on a group of kids in a working class neighborhood of Brooklyn and their adventures, both real and imaginary. It was a creative triumph and should have become a classic.
The Music
The soundtrack album did become a classic. It has never been out of print and the children's librarian in my library tells me that it is one of the most in-demand albums in libraries across the country. I know in my town if you want to get it out of the library, you've got a six week wait. It can, however, be found in the kid's departments of all the chain book and record stores and can be downloaded on Itunes. If you have kids, it is an essential purchase. If you don't, it is still well worth having.
It is Carole King at her most exuberant. She takes the songs seriously but still packs them with more energy and fun than you'd think a Carole King CD could produce. She knows that in this instance especially, the song is much more important than the singer, so she concentrates on letting the song speak. She acts the songs, becoming the character of Rosie and lets her voice wail and moan when Rosie
acts out a horror picture, becoming formal with the Shakespeare. It's a great performance. The fact that her backup singers are her kids makes it even more fun.
The conclusion
Here is what I'm thinking: everybody, no matter what their age, should read Maurice Sendak at least once a day and everybody, no matter what their age, should own this CD and play it all the time.