Category Archives: Review

May 22, 2012 · 3:31 pm

Langhorne Slim and The Law – The Way We Move

Langhorne Slim and The Law

With the introduction of websites like PledgeMusic, musicians now have a way to help cover the costs of making an album.  The process is easy–fans pledge a certain amount of money to help fund the album in exchange for some type of band memorabilia or experience.  This new music business model  directly incorporates the fan into the album making process, thus spawning a symbiotic relationship between musician and fan.

Last year, Langhorne Slim and The Law decided to turn to their fans for help with their next project.  This move seemed more than appropriate for a band that has been known to break into jam sessions after shows and who’s lead singer often invites fans on stage while he performs.  Slim and The Law have been making direct connections with their fans for years, so when the fans were given the opportunity to pay it back with the PledgeMusic campaign, they didn’t shy away.  Over 450 fan pledges were made and the guys responded kindly with a brilliant new album, The Way We Move, which will be officially released by Ramseur Records on June 5th.  The overwhelming fan response through PledgeMusic exceeded the band’s original goal by over 50%–a striking testament to the quality of their craft and character.

Interestingly, I’ve discovered that Slim’s music doesn’t always ‘hook’ the listener until he/she sees him perform live, which is where he shines the brightest.  Whether on stage solo or with his band, Slim is able to use his powerful bluesy rasp and jovial, heartfelt lyrics to project straight into your soul with ease.   However, on his previous EPs and albums, this quality was somewhat lost in translation.  Fortunately, all 14-tracks on The Way We Move capture Slim and The Law’s live spirit and energy better than any other previous studio recordings.

This is the album you should play for the non-believers who just can’t seem to get on board the Langhorne Slim Express.  The upbeat, joyful title track alone is enough reason to pick up the album in its entirety.  Just try to play that song and sit still.  Impossible.  In between raucous tracks, Slim finds moments on the album to slows things down.   Among the slower tracks, Salvation evokes the fear of moving on with lyrics like I want to hold you but my hands are cold/I meant to catch you but I moved too slow/I hate to leave, but it’s time to go, while Coffee Cups chronicles the emotions that come with life on the road.  Well known as a hopeful romantic, Slim reveals his doubts and desires in love on several tracks including On the Attack and Someday.  Slim’s band–The Law–provides a menagerie of beautiful supporting sounds including banjo/keys (David Moore), drums (Malachi DeLorenzo), and upright bass (Jeff Ratner), as well as back-up vocals/yells on tracks like Found my Heart and Two Crooked Hearts.  The album closes with Past Lives, a crowd favorite at live shows that often involves Slim walking out into the audience to rub sweaty shoulders with his biggest supporters.  Perhaps this was the band’s way of ending the album with a big “Thank You” to all of the folks who helped turn a dream into a reality.  It couldn’t have happened to a nicer band.

Check out the video for their title track, The Way We Move:

Nothing beats a live Langhorne Slim and The Law show, so check out their website for tour dates, and pre-order their new album, too.

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April 3, 2012 · 9:05 pm

The Lumineers’ debut album released today

I first heard of The Lumineers from my childhood friend Marcie’s husband, Joe.  Growing up, if you wanted to find out about new, non-mainstream music, Marcie was your girl.  So, it didn’t surprise me that she married a man who shared her steadfast love for the musical chase.  Tracking down unique artists that don’t get radio play can be fun and rewarding, and those two have certainly perfected the hunt (and I gladly reap the benefits!).

Joe directed me to The Lumineers’ Daytrotter four-song set, and I was immediately drawn to front man Wesley Schultz’s soulful down-home voice.  Schultz’s rustic vocals were balanced by the boisterous hollers of drummer Jerimiah Fraites and the softer harmonies of cellist/pianist Neyla Pekarek.  Their lyrics were simple, but blew through me like a warm breeze through a hilltop willow tree — no resistance, complete surrender.  Their voices mingled effortlessly with the rhythmic stomp-clap cadence of their songs, producing a back-yard sing-a-long sound rooted in folk and Americana and pleasing to the ears.

Naturally — as I tend to do with all new music that moves me — I kept their Daytrotter sessions on repeat for quite some time.  Fortunately, their self-titled debut album was officially released today.  The eleven-track album can be streamed directly from the band’s website.  While tracks are riddled with vocal tones of Englishmen Rod Stewart and David Gray, New Jersey native Schultz successfully manages to take his sound and story in a fresh direction.  The listener’s journey through the Lumineers’ debut album is full of emotional ups and downs, as I am sure the band intended.  The opening track, Flowers in Your Hair, reminds us of how quickly time passes on the road to growing old.  Dead Sea speaks to love lost, while Ho Hey presents us with a hopeful heart.  Stubborn Love chooses the painful pitfalls of love over the emptiness of indifference, while Big Parade scoffs at the pomp and circumstance that envelopes our culture.  The Lumineers are storytellers, and their stories seem all too familiar to anyone who has ever suffered or soared in love — must be why I can’t stop listening.

Check out their new album, and jump on this bandwagon while there is still room.  Seats are sure to fill up quickly.

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March 28, 2012 · 1:44 pm

Music that Matters – Raleigh’s Racing The Cure Benefit

Brotherly Love

There are certain lengths that a friend will go to help another friend in need.  For Grayson Currin, this meant organizing and seamlessly executing the Racing the Cure Benefit for Oliver Gant, a one-night four-venue music event that raised over $45,000 to help a brave young boy fight the battle of his life (Read: Oliver Gant’s story).

Last Friday night in downtown Raleigh, over 1,700 music fans were treated to the sounds of North Carolina’s finest musicians–including The Avett Brothers, The Love Language, Bombadil, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Jack the Radio, Annuals, and The Old Ceremony–all in the name of charity.

The venues, ranging in capacity from ~250 to 800, provided music lovers with a more intimate environment in which to experience their favorite bands.  This was especially true for fans of The Avett Brothers, who currently sellout venues that hold several thousand.  The chance to see The Avett Brothers in a venue that holds 250 people drove some of their more diehard fans to start lining up at King’s Baracade as early as 9 o’clock Friday morning.  By the afternoon, the line of fans camped out in chairs neared the block’s corner.  Curious pedestrians inquired about the line and quickly learned about Oliver’s event.  I can imagine that soon thereafter, a feverish round of desperate texts and tweets were fired off by said curious pedestrians to track down the last few tickets floating around Raleigh.  This was an event not to be missed!

I was lucky, or crazy according to some, to have scored the first spot in line at King’s that morning.  Some people questioned my judgement, my employment status, and my priorities, but I didn’t care.  We should be using vacation days to support events that are rooted in everything good in our world–friendship, music, philanthropy, and community.  These are the things that matter in life.  The experience of connecting with other fans in line, meeting those closely connected to the cause, and standing center stage in front of Scott and Seth Avett while listening to their beautiful music, was well worth the time and energy I spent.  I’d surely do it again in a heartbeat.

Seth Avett

The brothers Avett, stripped down with only a guitar, banjo and microphones, took the stage around midnight.  The crowd erupted with applause and excitement as those homegrown, humble boys from Concord opened with their heart-wrenching family ballad, Murder in the City.   Family is an omnipresent theme at all Avett shows, and it was evermore present that night as Scott and Seth played and sang from their hearts to honor their friend Jed Gant (Oliver’s dad) and his family.  For these Avett boys, family extends far beyond one’s genetic code.  It is a pervasive term that leeches its way into the all of the lives they affect with their music, art, and generosity.

Scott Avett

What was supposed to be a 25-minute set, thankfully stretched into a 50-minute set with gems like When I Drink, January Wedding, Denouncing November Blue, In the Curve, Go to Sleep, I Killed Sally’s Lover, and At the Beach.  Scott and Seth gave every bit of energy they had and looked like they were having a blast doing it as well.  Half-way through the set, after thanking Jed for inviting them to be a part of such an important event, Seth said, “We’re gonna play one of the songs we always used to play back when we first met Jed many years ago.  This one’s called Cigarettes and Whiskey.”  The crowd went crazy as the brothers added their own Cabarrus County charm to this old country classic.  They quickly downshifted into a beautiful version of Doc Watson’s Look up Look Down that Lonesome Road.  Minus a few token cat calls, the audience had hushed to hear that Avett harmony, all while near or distant memories of love lost stirred deep within.  This is why The Avett Brothers have fans lined up at 9am for a midnight show.  Their music digs up raw human emotions that make us feel reborn and alive.  They make us remember what we’ve been through and look ahead to better days.

They ended their set with a song that has become a staple in their shows as of late–gospel hymn A Closer Walk with Thee.  What a fitting way to end a show of this magnitude–with grace, hope and faith.  To Grayson Currin and everyone else involved in making the Racing the Cure Benefit for Oliver Gant a success, thank you for promoting music that really matters and for supporting a cause bigger than all of us.  To the Gant family, our prayers are with you always.  Keep fighting Oliver!

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February 10, 2012 · 1:47 pm

Review: The Darkness @ The 9:30 Club, Washington DC

Photo by Nicole Geldart

When D.C., MD, VA, and NC residents heard that The Darkness, who hadn’t toured in the US in eight years, was slated to play a mid-week show at the 9:30 Club, tickets sold out almost immediately.  Fans (aka “Darklings”) had been hopelessly wishing on shooting stars for their favorite pop-rock-metal-pseudo-80’s band to reunite ever since their official break-up in 2006. Their dream had come true, and their day had arrived.

On this rainy Wednesday night in our nation’s capital, The Darkness definitely came to melt our faces off.  From Justin Hawkins’ high-pitched ear-thrilling shrill to his multiple wardrobe changes and impressive stage stunts (standing on his head on stage with legs in a spread eagle while singing, just to name one), this performance proved to be everything I expected and more — pure in-your-face rock-n-roll with a splash of British humor on top.

The D.C. crowd, on the other hand, left more to be desired.  Let’s just say they didn’t exactly bring their “A” game to the club.  Their lackluster response time and time again after each song brought on feelings of embarrassment and shame.  “Hey Justin, I’m from NC…we know how to react after a kick-ass performance!”  Was the D.C. crowd’s reputation of being “hard to crack”, true?  Or, where they just totally lame to not share in my excitement?  It had been EIGHT years people, and The Darkness is a ridiculously good, fun-loving band that rocks out and looks damn good in skin-tight leather jumpsuits doing it!  What’s the issue here?  When the lighting guy back at the sound board is jamming out harder than the majority of the audience…well..D.C. I think we have a problem.  I digress…

Justin Hawkins, guitarist and lead singer of The Darkness — along with his brother and guitarist Dan Hawkins, bassist Frankie Poullain and drummer Ed Graham — ransacked the stage with playful vocals, powerful guitar riffs, chest pounding percussive bass lines, and endless energy.  They opened with Black Shuck and followed with favorites like One Way Ticket, Get your Hands off my Woman, Love is only a Feeling, I Believe in a Thing Called Love, and Love on the Rocks with no Ice (entire setlist).  The momentum of the show was like that of a steam engine, ever building up speed and propelling the audience further and further into their “Darkness” world.  Even when J. Hawkins slowed down to chat with the audience, I hung on to his every word, hoping desperately not to miss any of his funny English quips.  Is it the accent or the delivery that makes Brits so damn funny?  Perhaps it is both.

Towards the end of the set, J. Hawkins jumped into the audience atop the broad shoulders of security guards and ripped into one of his epic guitar solos, all while being groped and high-fived by surrounding fans.  The energy on the ground floor of the 9:30 Club finally hit its stride as the crowd got an opportunity to get close to this modern-day rock god.  This was just one of many examples throughout the show of how humble and down-to-Earth Hawkins is.  He became even more likeable with his willingness to leave the safety of the stage and venture out into a sea of his fans.  Despite the mediocre audience response (in my opinion), the band finished strong and never let on that they weren’t getting back what they were putting out there–a sign of true professionals in the music industry.

The Darkness Tour continues on into the Summer throughout the US, Australia, and Europe.  For more information on the band, please visit their website.

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December 10, 2011 · 5:24 pm

My Favorite Gifts – Christmas Album

I often measure music by its ability to transport me to another place, whether it be traveling back through my memories or somewhere I’ve never been.  By this measure, among others, the music on My Favorite Gifts – Christmas Album is some of the best I’ve heard in a long while.

Upon first listen I was transported from neighborhood streets once alive with song and spirit to the lonely muddy banks of the Mississippi, from an upbeat Mexican celebration to the birthplace of Jesus, and from a smokey Irish pub in New York City to the bedroom of a little boy too eager to sleep on Christmas Eve.  Lyrically, each song touches on different elements of the season, including introspective reflection on the past, jovial celebration of holiday traditions, hopefulness, goodwill to man, the blessings of Jesus Christ, and even the role of organized religion in the commercialization of Christmas.

Released last month, My Favorite Gifts brings together the musical talents and creativity of Overmountain Men, The Avett Brothers, The David Wax Museum, Jim Avett, siblings David and Jessica Lea Mayfield, Paleface, Nick and the Babes, Mark Crozer, and The Wood Brothers.  This compilation leaves behind the overdone holiday standards and treats our ears to unique interpretations of those not-so-well-known songs, in addition to a few original pieces.

The idea for this album was born from a conversation between Bob Crawford (The Avett Brothers) and Dolph Ramseur (Ramseur Records) on December 26, 2009.  Crawford, who shared his thoughts via email, recalled the conversation.

“I knew at some point we (The Avett Brothers) would be asked to be involved in a Christmas album.  I wanted us to do it ourselves and with our friends first.  Dolph immediately said that it needed to be a project for charity.  At the time, our good friend and Avett tour manager Dane Honeycutt’s mother Vickie was fighting breast cancer.  Sadly, a few months later Vickie passed away and we knew then that we were going to direct the charity towards some cancer fighting organization,” he wrote.

Musicians quickly signed on to the charitable project.  Crawford and Ramseur, who produced the album together, encouraged artists to choose songs that were special and intimate to them.  This approach fostered the creation of a purely eclectic and original collection of Christmas music.

When I first listened to the album in its entirety I was immediately taken by how different the songs were stylistically.  Instantly, I could hear the care that was taken to choose songs that expressed each artist’s or group’s feelings about Christmas.  I wondered how the artists came to choose or write their songs.  To my delight and appreciation, most of the contributing musicians shared thoughts about the creative process with me via email.

David Childers on his song Rambling Door to Door:   “The subject of Rambling Door To Door is the group of boys I used to get together with on Christmas Eve to go caroling.  We were not the most well behaved, but we all loved it.  The character singing in the song is looking back almost 50 years to his youth.  He sees what was then, and he sees what is now.  The now is not as nice a place, but he can still sing to himself if no one else wants it.  There’s a joy in singing, but even more so in singing those songs that are of a short season or time.”

David Mayfield on On Christmas Eve: “It was a real treat and an honor being invited to be a part of My Favorite Gifts.  I’ve always wanted to do something for the holidays, but was sure I couldn’t do a standard any better than Bing [Crosby], so I was floored when Bob Crawford suggested John Hartford’s On Christmas Eve.  I’ve always loved that song and never would have thought of recording it.”

David Wax on La Rama: “The David Wax Museum delves into American and Mexican folk traditions.  We thought it would be a great addition to the Christmas record to take an unknown Christmas song from Mexico and arrange a bi-lingual version of it.  There’s a centuries-old custom of musicians carrying a Christmas branch (“La Rama”) between houses and playing this particular song in exchange for food and tips.”

Nick Bailey on Christmas Time is Here:  “Bob approached me and said he would like to produce a track for Nick and the Babes on the album.  The arrangement of the song is actually for a bunch of little kids singing.  It’s really high-pitched, so we had to do a different arrangement, but I still wanted it to sound like the song and be recognizable.  I picked the song because it has always been one of my favorites.  It is more of a sad and lonely, reflective song.  I think that when people get older, Christmas takes on a different meaning.  Sometimes it becomes more reflective…thinking less about presents and more about family.”

Jim Avett on writing The Brightest Star:  “I wrote The Brightest Star because I thought everybody else was going to write an original!  I had not preconceived anything…it just sort of came out.  I have a lot of gospel in my background so naturally the song reflects my feelings that all gospel, including Christmas carols, should be theologically correct, which I think this one is.”

Paleface on Fairytale of New York:  “Bob Crawford called me when we were recording our album One Big Party and asked if I wanted to be a part of a Christmas compilation that he was putting together.  I said of course and in my mind flashed on the Pogues song, Fairytale of New York.  It’s always been one of the best and most under-appreciated Christmas songs I’ve ever heard.  He asked me to think about what song I might want to do and we hung up.  When we spoke for the second time about what song I remember [Crawford] saying, ‘Dolph and I thought it would be great if you did Fairytale,’ without me having mentioned it to him yet so that was all I needed.  We had Stuart from Bombadil join us and had a fun afternoon recording it.  I remember saying that everybody should just relax and have fun cause ‘this song is so good its hard to mess up’.”

Mark Crozer on writing Next Christmas:  “The song itself has quite a long history.  I came up with the melody for it when I was briefly living in New York just after Christmas 2008. Then it sat around for a year before I was sitting down one day thinking I’d really like to write a Christmas song.  It’s been a crazy fantasy since I was a kid to have a festive hit in the charts that gets brought out year after year and becomes part of the Christmas tradition.  In the UK, where I’m originally from, the Christmas single is quite a big deal.  So, as I was sitting there I suddenly remembered the tune I’d written a year earlier and the words just came out in one go the way they do on occasion.  I wanted to write something that reflected the hope for better times ahead that I think everyone feels at this time of year.  It is a very hopeful song, but laced with a little of the irony that we Brits love so much.”

Crawford on I Thank God and more:  “Seth [Avett] heard it from a Sam Cooke recording. We had already kicked around the idea of other, more traditional songs.  I Thank God is very unique while maintaining one of the key themes of the Christmas season which is thankfulness for the blessings of God.  I am also honored to work with the Overmountain Men.  David Childers is one of the greatest song writers of our time. I think he and Jim Avett could write an album of Christmas songs that would redefine the genre.”

The creative process of writing or adapting, and recording holiday favorites for My Favorite Gifts was augmented by the fact that the album would contribute to a cause much larger than those involved.  Many of the artists tied to this project were close friends to Vickie Honeycutt and remain close to her family.  So it seemed only fitting when Crawford and Ramseur decided that all album profits would be donated directly to the Vickie Honeycutt Foundation.

The Vickie Honeycutt Foundation, which was formed shortly after her passing, honors “a woman who served as a beacon of compassion for so many.”  Honeycutt, a graduate of UNC-Greensboro, taught at Mt. Pleasant High School in her native Cabarrus County for 32 years, and was known for her caring nature and dedication to help others succeed.  According to the website, the foundation’s goal is to provide assistance to “teachers and educators battling cancer so that their sole focus can be on recovery.”  With charity at the forefront, several artists openly expressed what it meant to work on such a special project.

Mo, drummer for Paleface, responded, “It’s pretty awesome to get to be on the same album with so many greats, and it’s a true honor to get to celebrate with them the memory and life of a dear friend’s mom who was so sweet and caring to all.”

Suz Slezak of The David Wax Museum echoed Mo’s sentiments.

“It’s always special to have the opportunity to support causes we care about with our music. We were also touched to be included in such a stellar line-up of bands, many of whom we listen to on a regular basis,” she wrote.

Mark Crozer, who is likely a new name for fans of this grouping of artists, was also very moved by the direction and purpose of the album.

“When I learned that it was to be a charity album for such a good cause  I was even keener to be involved.  Teaching has been in my family for generations and I have dabbled myself.  I’ve also lost friends and family to cancer so I wanted to do something to help raise funds for projects that support people living with cancer.  I think the Vickie S. Honeycutt Foundation is a truly wonderful organization, and I’m so thrilled to be part of this project.  It’s also a thrill for me to be in such distinguished company as The Avett Brothers, Jessica Lea Mayfield, The Wood Brothers and David [Childers] of course.  It’s a great album and pretty diverse which makes it even more interesting,” Crozer wrote.

As a “lifelong friend” of Vickie’s, Jim Avett was “honored to be a part of anything to do with her and her family” as well as “to be included in a compilation CD with such talented creative people.”

Collectively, My Favorite Gifts is a wonderful work of art that will please the senses, revive the true spirit of Christmas, and benefit those in need well into the future.  It is a Christmas album with far more substance than Santa, making it easy to enjoy all year-long.  It is a must-have so please visit your local record store or amazon.com/iTunes to purchase My Favorite Gifts for yourself and your loved ones.

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December 6, 2011 · 9:42 pm

Pixies’ Dootlittle: Lost Cities Tour takes on Greensboro, NC

The recently reunited enigma that is the Pixies embarked on their highly anticipated US Doolittle ‘Lost Cities’ Tour this past month.  The premise of this reunion tour was to perform in cities where they had never performed, and to play their most popular album “Doolittle” in its entirety.  Chosen cities were partially based on fan input, and Greensboro was the only one in North Carolina to make the cut.

On November 8th, fans came out to the War Memorial Auditorium in Greensboro to experience perhaps their first and potentially last live Pixies show.  The audience was peppered with a handful of college-aged fans, but the majority was made up of men and women who were likely college-aged when the Pixies came together as a band in the late 1980’s.  It was during this pre-Nirvana era that the Pixies hit their musical stride and began to influence the evolution of rock and roll.   Over the years that followed, they developed a cult following despite their short stint at the top.  That night in Greensboro many of their original fans, now in their thirties and forties, brought along their own teenaged kids so that they too experience the Pixies.

The show kicked-off with an eerie black and white movie played on the stage’s backdrop.  Jerky images reminiscent of old horror films flashed onscreen before the crowd, who was by that time on standing and eagerly awaiting the band’s entrance.  When Black Francis (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass and vocals), and David Lovering (drums) took the stage, the entire auditorium erupted.  With what seemed to be a permanent smile, Deal took the lead as emcee between songs with her own quirky style.  The boys didn’t add much to the between songs banter, unless provoked by Deal.

After playing a few B-side songs, they proceeded into “Doolittle”.  Favorites like, Here Comes Your Man, La La Love You, and Hey sparked audience participation.  The wave of bobbing heads in the crowd pulsed in time with Deals’ bass lines as Francis let out his patented frenetic and powerful screaming vocals.  These beautiful outbursts were carefully counterbalanced by Deal’s airy and angelic back-up vocals.  Projected animated images and text, and timed stage lighting changes throughout the show created an experience that likened itself to a type of musical purgatory, keeping the audience stuck somewhere between a dream and a nightmare.

The Pixies finished their “Doolittle” set and gave a somewhat believable on-stage farewell, complete with bows and waves into the balcony.  After a good five minutes of chanting and clapping from the crowd the Pixies returned for two encore sets, which included a total fog white-out version of Into the White.

Despite the band’s well documented struggles over the past few decades and the fact that they haven’t released a new album in years, their musical cohesiveness on stage remains intact and impressive.  Their performance in Greensboro was energetic and euphoric, and left fans pondering the notion that maybe, just maybe, the Pixies will start making music together again someday soon.

Check out more pictures from the show here.

To learn more about the Pixies and their music, visit www.pixiesmusic.com.

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August 24, 2011 · 10:44 am

August Music Mindblower

photo by Jonathan Furmanski

Band documentaries give us fans an intimate glimpse into the daily lives of our favorite artists, and allow us to feel a little bit closer to knowing them personally.  Whether on tour, in the studio, or at home, these behind-the-scene videos can represent artists as being “just one of us” or perpetuate the notion that they are larger than life.  I recently watched a documentary about the Pixies reunion in 2004, nearly 10 years after their sudden breakup.  While I am moderately familiar with their story and music, this movie candidly revealed the waxing and waning dysfunction that underlies the group’s impressive cohesiveness on stage and unyielding fan appeal.  Interviews in separate hotel rooms and tour buses drove home the fact that these 4 artists have little to nothing in common minus the fact that they once wrote songs together.  Now they just perform together and then go their separate ways.  As I watched I began to feel emotionally connected to their stories, almost sorry for them.  I suppose that was the whole premise of the documentary, so BRAVO to the directors!  Thanks to them, I am a bit more prepared now for my first Pixies concert in November!

FYI: Netflix has a ton of music docs that can be streamed with just the click of a remote control button. Check them out!     

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May 27, 2011 · 4:54 pm

Debut Album Review: Alexander

Alexander The Great

Amidst a busy touring schedule last year, singer/songwriter Alex Ebert (frontman for bands, Ima Robot and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros) took a break from his baker’s dozen feel-good-hippie-music-act to create an eloquent and eery solo album fittingly entitled, Alexander.  Ebert’s solo sound is thankfully a departure from the pop-punk-emo tunes of Ima Robot.  Instead, the ten tracks on Alexander fall more in line musically with the stylish makings of ESMZ.  Ebert’s musical influences appear obvious to any listener with even a shallow understanding of music history, and lucky for us he picked some of the best from decades past.  Timeless tones of Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, The Beatles (later years), Bob Marley, and even Johnny Cash meander their way through these tracks, all the while feeling fresh and new thanks to Ebert.  Rarely do I listen to an album in a first sitting and enjoy it in its entirety, but such is the case with Alexander.

Most tracks are carefully laced with echos of ghostly background vocals that somehow find a way to complement an upbeat snap-clap cadence of each song’s message.  At moments, especially during the first track, Let’s Win!, it felt as if Ebert was the Pied Piper and I trustingly filed in behind other listeners to join his traveling circus.  I suppose that is one of the best ways to set an album’s tone and get the listener on-board.  Contrary to what listeners may initially assume, Ebert didn’t recruit his 12 ESMZ band members to play the instruments on this debut solo album.  Rather, he retreated to his bedroom between shows to play each and every instrument (including all vocals) himself.  The seamless melding of vocals with an arsenal of instrumentation is easy on the ears and light on the soul, perhaps leaving the listener a bit closer to enlightenment.  I suppose that is Ebert’s Pied Piper mentality again…lulling his audience into a peaceful trance.  Hey, in an ever more stressful world, it works for me.  Like other musicians who have taken on the enormous feat of creating a canon of songs entirely on their own (a certain Timothy Seth Avett as “Darling” comes to mind…), Ebert can now reflect on his first solo project with pride.  Do yourself a favor, take a listen and get enlightened.

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April 19, 2011 · 7:27 pm

Debut Album: Middle Brother

Not cool dude, not cool.

Musical masterminds John McCauley (of Deer Tick), Matt Vasquez (of Delta Spirit) and Taylor Goldsmith (of Dawes) have joined forces to turn out what I think is an upbeat yet heartbreaking, return-to-your-roots debut album.  The self-titled debut for this trio, Middle Brother, steals the best qualities from each artists and melds them into a collection of tunes that ticks back and forth like a metronome between upbeat, gritty rock, to melodic and soul-bearing ballads (Rolling Stones Interview).

Before listening to this album, I was only familiar with McCauley and Deer Tick, so I wasn’t completely sure of what to expect from the other two members.  I was secretly hoping that McCauley’s raspy, beautiful voice would be the lead on all of the songs.  While his voice graces the lead spot on 5 of the 12 tracks, I enjoyed hearing the variation in song and tone with Vasquez and Goldsmith singing the lead as well.  I am not sure if the lead singer is the primary songwriter, but the emotion, connection, and personality of each song seems to fit the lead vocalist.

As is true with most albums, there are songs that I instantly love, some that will eventually become favorites, and a select few that I am always bound to skip while listening in my car.  While I am no expert on the creation and playing of music or finding the hidden meaning in lyrics, I am an expert on what I like and don’t like, so here is my initial impression of each song:

1. Daydreaming (McCauley lead vocals):  The intro to this song make me daydream of my boyfriend waking me up on a Sunday morning by playing these delicate cords, but the second that McCauley’s voice hits my ears and he starts talking about being hung over, the imagery shifts to a picture of him in his torn Levi’s and cotton t-shirt, slumped in an old 70’s orange velvet chair playing his guitar and staring out the window, hair messed up, cigarette embers burning away in the ashtray as smoke rises up and clouds the sun beams that break through the window into his small, messy bedroom.  This is one of my favorites on the album.  The harmonies are beautiful, and the lyrics sketch out a ‘day in the life’ of the writer who is left lonely, daydreaming about the girl who he may never get.  The music is simple, as it should be, and the story is one to which we can all relate.

2. Blue Eyes (Vasquez lead vocals): Is it just me, or is Tom Petty singing on this track?  Vasquez has a Petty quality to his voice that drums up images of The Traveling Wilburys, although I am not sure who McCauley and Goldsmith would be (perhaps Dylan and Orbison, respectively? ha!).  This is a sweet chasing love song about a gruff, foul-mouthed musician who got a taste of the best, lost it, and wants it back.  Funny how some guys can’t seem to see what they have until it’s gone.  VIDEO

3. Thanks for Nothing (Goldsmith lead vocals):  According to Goldsmith, this is a song for anyone who has ever felt like “damaged goods” after getting out of a relationship.  Although the pace slows down a bit, I enjoy the soulful sad tone in Goldsmith’s voice.  It makes me believe he’s writing from personal experience…one that most of us have felt at one or more times in our lives.  I enjoy how McCauley’s gritty voice can complement Goldsmith’s in the harmonies, and then Vasquez chimes in for the “Oooooooooh”s.  The best line of the song (“Now the only girls I meet all look for hearts that they can fix, when mine is more like a kid that has gone missing“) so effortlessly portrays a common scenario in love, where a hopeful girl finds a guy who is broken but not ready to be fixed, and thinks SHE will be the one to turn his life around.  All too often, these girls get hurt, fail, and move on to the next heart to mend.  This song makes us recall the fresh feeling of heartbreak, and remember how sarcasm and resentment often accompany our disappointment and feeling of being left with no silver lining. VIDEO

4. Middle Brother (McCauley lead vocals): This song picks up the pace again, and transports the listener to a dusty, old saloon, where McCauley is sitting on a rickety stool, playing and singing joyously about never living up to the expectations of others, yet hanging on to the hope that someday he will.  In the dark corner of the bar a hunched over drunkard in a ragged shirt and vest bangs away at the keys of an old upright piano, giving the rock-n-roll an old-timey feel.  Perhaps the lyrics resonate with those who have been the middle child…never measuring up to the eldest and never as cute and innocent as the youngest.  The tone of the song is feel good and upbeat…a great song for driving with the top down.  Unfortunately, a part of me gets a little depressed for McCauley and the absence of approval.  VIDEO

5. Theater (Vasquez lead vocals):  This is probably my least favorite song on the album.  I think it’s just the pace…melancholy, drab, and slow.  Honestly, I usually hit the skip button on this one.  The take away message seems to be that this life won’t tell you nothin’…nothin’ but lies.   Next.

6. Portland (McCauley lead vocals): This song shifts back to our rocking drifter McCauley, now with a So-Cal, Mexicali vibe.  Images of a hitchhiking trio come to mind…trying to make it to a show on the West coast.  They get picked up by an old leather-faced farmer in an beat-up Chevy pick-up.  As they are transported as far West as possible, the boys find themselves singing and playing in the truck bed, as dust billows from below the truck tires.  As they travel along, they come across the characters who help create the stories in this song.

7. Wilderness (Goldsmith lead vocals):  Goldsmith raises the bar on this song.  As the sweet strum of the guitar opens the song, I am immediately reminded of McCandless’ travels depicted in “Into the Wild“.  I wonder if Eddie Vedder would agree.  The song depicts a common struggle between charting one’s own path and being influenced by the path and thoughts of others.  It is the shortest song on the album, but it’s packed with lyrics that make you listen to it over and over…and endlessly question your own imbalances in life.

8. Me, Me, Me (McCauley lead vocals):  That old torn and tattered upright piano player makes an encore performance in this song, but this time he channels some Little Richard.  Mix that in with a Chuck Berry-like guitar solo, and you have a song that is sure to get you moving.  I can’t quite tell if McCauley is pleading with his lover to leave her dishonest and shallow man, or if that man is actually him.

9. Someday (Vasquez lead vocals):  Apparently Middle Brother also has a troop of female do-wop background singers hidden away somewhere…very reminiscent of Little Shop of Horrors…FEEED ME SEYMOUR!  The ladies swooning in the wings lend this psuedo-love song some swagger, while Vasquez’s lyrics tell the well-known tale of the guy who should care about the girl in front of him, but can’t seem to drum up the desire to seal the deal completely.  Without apology or remorse, Vasquez  sings, “I’d love to give every part of my best.  Maybe someday I’ll just give you the rest”, implying that if he can’t give it all, perhaps what is left will suffice.   Is he a hopeless romantic who wants to find his way to love, or just a typical alley cat who can’t seem to choose between the tabby down the street and the calico next door?

10. Blood and Guts (Goldsmith lead vocals):  While I have no idea what singing with Blood and Guts means, Goldsmith has some great lines in this song (“I’ve got a friend who speaks but doesn’t talk.  And I can play the part all right but I didn’t make it up“.  “If you’re breakin’ my heart, you won’t get no help from me”).  He seems to struggle with reinventing himself and moving on in the wake of  heartbreak, and his anguish and disappointment translates clearly through both his somber tones and bouts of yelling.  I just wish I knew what the hell Blood and Guts meant.

11.  Mom and Dad (McCauley lead vocals): This may as well be called “Middle Brother: Part 2″.  His efforts to make his parents proud fall to the wayside and his life as a limit pushing, burnin’-the-candle-at-both-ends rock star takes over.  While I can imagine that these lyrics depict the lifestyle of a large portion of touring rockers, I can’t help but think that McCauley takes it to another level.  After watching the Rolling Stone interview, it’s apparent that he’s not used to being awake during the day and he’s seen his fair share of crazy nights.  However, somewhere between the loose women and free shit, perhaps McCauley is expressing a sliver of regret for not speaking up when he felt his life begin to tailspin.

12. Million Dollar Bill: Appropriately, the closing song gives each of the guys a chance to collectively bleed their hearts out for us one last time.  Each man conjures up a way to stay in the heart, mind, and life of the woman who left him behind.  But rather than dwell on the pain that accompanies the loneliness of lost love and wish her the same pain, in their absence they plan to create a better life for her in the future.  It’s a somber song with a wish for redemption.  The last verse ends somewhat abruptly, making me want one more harmonious chorus from the boys.  I guess that is the sign of a good song.

While I know my attachment and affection for each of these tracks will shift with time, I can confidently say that this album will be one of my top Summer soundtracks.  My interpretation of the lyrics are merely just visions that my mind creates while I am listening to their songs, and likely have nothing to do with the true meaning behind the words.  To sum it up…I give those boys an A- for their first effort, and hope to see them play these tunes live, very soon.

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