I’m committed to supporting and writing about the music of David Wilcox. At times I find his music a little too sensitive and refined. But then again his voice is a wonderful instrument, his guitar playing as good as any other singer songwriter, and his songs often a marvel of simplicity and honesty.
So when something new comes up I usually get to it asap. David’s new record on What Are Records? is called Open Hand. David and his band recorded it mostly live in the studio and put it on analog tape (no pro tools or studio witchcraft). The results are organic and warm. If you have room in your heart for James Taylor or even Jack Johnson I’d encourage you to check out the songs of David Wilcox. Buy it here. Two songs from the new record:
Sometimes I labor over a post wondering if the music is good enough, if the artist is “legit” enough or simply if I care enough. That’s not the case with a Richard Shindell post. The man is clearly in the upper echelon of the folk world. And his stature and music has only grown since his move to Argentina. With each new release he continues to blend the culture of Buenos Aires with his original homeland of New Jersey, it’s an odd, beguiling combination.
It’s been too long since his last record of original songs though. His covers record South Of Delia tided us over for a time with it’s reinterpretations of classics from Bob Dylan, Woody Gutherie and Bruce Springsteen (and new classics from Josh Ritter and Jeffrey Foucault). The new record is called Not Far Now (Signature Sounds) and Richard describes how he knew it was time to record a new album below:
“There are various subtle indications that it is time to make a new album,” he explains from his adopted hometown of Buenos Aires. “Like when my fans start looking at me funny, when I’ve run through every puzzle at every level in the sudoku book, or when my children start to ask me what I do for a living…”
The song I linked to is about a mule. Apparently it’s a song that Richard has been performing live and that people respond to for the obvious reasons:
“Of the eleven songs on this record,” Shindell reflects, “there are three that have shown up pretty regularly in my live sets during the past year or two. People seem to like ‘Clara’ the most, as do I. This is perhaps explained by the fact that Clara is a mule, and people generally like songs about mules.”
I don’t think of Steve Forbert (here, here and here) as a lighthearted or particularly funny songwriter, but this new song from the upcoming LP The Place And The Time is just that. It reminds me more of a Loudon Wainwright song than a classic Steve Forbert tune.
Pre-order an autographed copy here from Steve Forbert.
{Abbreviated post due to a nasty intestinal bug – you don’t want to hear the details!}
It’s been a couple of hours since I received an email announcing Tom
Brosseau’s new record Posthumous Success (on Fat Cat) and a link to a song off of it. I held back on posting it despite Tom being one of my favorite singer-songwriters because I figured it’d be all over the blogs by now, but still no sight of it.
There’s talk that this new record will be darker, different, fuller, richer but it sounds to me like classic Tom Brousseau. Crystal clear picked and strummed acoustic guitar accompanied by upper register vocals that make his simple blues songs seem almost otherworldly. “Favorite Color Blue” is so quiet in fact that you can hear the cars streaming by in the instrumental introduction. “Big Time” on the other hand features the bigger, bolder sound that the press release describes but it’s in the seconds before the drums kick in that the song has emotional weight. The drums are merely a distraction from Tom’s voice, guitar, and lyrics.
Tom’s got three shows so far during SXSW. Here are the dates. I’ll be at at least one of them (don’t want to appear to be a stalker!).
20 Mar Creekside 3pm SXSW
20 Mar Hilton Garden 9pm SXSW
21 Mar Longbranch Inn 215pm SXSW
“When I was seventeen my Dad brought me home John Prine’s first album and it became my private religion for a while. I learned to play the guitar by learning his songs, and my Dad and I still play them around the table after supper. They’ve kept me company for years, in hotel rooms and foreign countries, on stage and away from it, telling the truth in beautiful and unexpected ways. This is a record I always wanted to make.”
The quote above reflect Jeffrey Foucult’s feelings on John Prine and form the basis for his new Prine cover record, but they could probably be the feelings of anyone who has heard Prine’s songs. I imagine that every Prine fan has a story about how his records or songs affecting them or changed them in one way or another.
These songs were recorded with friends (David Goodrich, Mark Erelli, Kris Delmhorst, Peter Mulvey) in the president’s office of an old bank. They’re lofi folk songs performed with an ease and relaxed manner that is uncommon in this age of studio trickery. Shoot The Moon Right Between The Eyes came out Feb. 17 on Signature Sounds. Order it here.
Instead The Forest Rose To Sing is the new record from Austin singer-songwriter and poet Danny Schmidt. I add that “poet” tag to separate Danny from the hundreds of singer songwriters and folk artists toiling away in near obscurity whose songs never rise above the mundane and ordinary. As I (and others) have said before Danny is one of the great songwriters working today. Add to that the fact that he plays guitar effortlessly and jawdroppingly well makes anything he does potentially great.
The new record has several songs that will stand the test of time and others that are sleepers that will grow more potent with age. On the new record Danny tackles the question and value of money on several songs. For instance “Better Off Broke”, with it’s lyrics of “You’re better off broke with soup in your belly. Than sittin’ there hungry round a pot of gold”, addresses the age old question of whether money will make you happy. That same theme pops up again on the bank robbery gone bad tale of misfortune “Two Timing Bank Robbers Lament”. Money on a global stage comes into play on one of my favorite songs on the record in “Southland Street”. It’s the story of the rise of industry in the US complete with it’s fall after production moves south and then east. I know that sounds a little dry but the song is at once deeply personal and at the same time universal.
The emotional heart of the record has got to be “Grandpa Built Bridges”. As Danny describes it this is a song on how our urban and technologically advanced culture no longer is in touch with ancient cultures and the ways those cultures dealt with death and dying. Here’s a stanza or two (all of the lyrics as well as a short description of each song can be found here):
Grampa buried dignity when he got old
Like a killer and child now for seven long years
But he wets his own britches if he’s not told
But he used to build bridges, they would light em up at night
Grampa built bridges, they were delicate webs
With ridges and valleys joined hand in hand
When Grandma went empty the last of her days
He told her she’d come and could go with grace
Instead… is out on March 10 on Red House Records and can be pre-ordered here now through Amazon. Danny Schmidt’s official showcase is at The Driskill Hotel on Thursday, March 19.
Here’s one of the sleepers on the new record. It came to life with incredible force this weekend at the house concert we hosted with Danny Schmidt and Pokey Lafarge.
The ratio of male to female artists has always been skewed about 5 to 1 in favor of the guys here on Songs:Illinois. I’m not sure what the reason is for that but I’m pleased to follow up yesterday’s post on Sarah Sample with today’s on Antje Duvekot. Antje Duvekot is a rising star in the folk world. The songs from her breakout record, 2006′s Big Dream Boulevard, really resonated with fans and industry types alike. Her new record, The Near Demise Of The High Wire Dancer, is her second studio release, was produced by Richard Shindell, and has guest appearances by John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky and Victor Krauss.
Antje’s vocals owe much to Dar Williams and Ani Difranco, but her songs are fully her own. They are generally not simple tales of love gone wrong but are more intricate affairs. Her followup is due out March 17 and is on Black Wolf Records. This label is way too small (a MySpace page with 7 friends) to make a dent, so I just hope the team behind Antje have a way to get the word out about this record.
The Concrete Blond song “Joey” should probably be left well enough alone. It’s such a heart-rending song that I think it can only been done justice by the cigarette and whiskey ravaged voice of lead singer Johnette Napolitano. To try to make it into a song with beautiful harmonies and gently strummed guitars is really missing the point. The women in Sometymes Why (members of Uncle Earl, the Mammals, and Crooked Still) may have a fine record on their hands but it’s hard be too excited after hearing this song.
The new record, Your Heart Is A Glorious Machine, out in March on Signature Sounds.
You’ve gotta wonder sometimes where the next generation of folk musicians are going to come from. Who, of that younger generation, really cares about the deep roots of folk music? Well, Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers is a good place to start. These youngsters call Boston their home (fitting since for decades much of the great folk music has come out of New England). More astute observers of the neo-trad movement than I have proclaimed these Berklee School Of Music students as the future of the sound. They mix Appalachian roots music with Scandinavian folk and rhythms from around the world.
I suspect these songs are just demos, they are a little rough around the edges, but you can clearly tell that the musicianship and the wealth of musical ideas are present. If you’re lucky enough to be attending this years Folk Alliance you’ll have a chance to see them live.
Here’s a little song from Sandman The Rappin’ Cowboy’s new record Rough Notes From Otter Cove out now on Bicycle Records. Sandman is Chris Sand a westerner who grew up on an Indian reservation in Western Montana. His music combines old school hip hop, folk and western cowboy motifs.
“Addie Paul” describes a fleeting and unfulfilled romance in the age of Facebook, Twitter and the like where we continually connect and reconnect with people from our past. We hope and romanticize that these people from our past will somehow come back into our lives and change them for the better. But we all lost touch for a reason and perhaps we can’t/shouldn’t ever go back
You can buy it here. This should tide you over until tomorrow’s big honky-tonk Friday post.
“25 Mexicans” is a song of border crossings, illegal immigration, and the living conditions of Mexican Nationals that strikes up thoughts of Woody Guthrie, John Prine and Tom Russell. As performed by Phil Lee it shares both the cadence and the lyrical themes of some of those great singer-songwriters. It’s a pretty amazing song and one that adds to the great week of music we’ve had already on Songs:Illinois (here and here).
Phil Lee is an unsung “real” country artist from Nashville. He’s had two previous critically acclaimed records. The new one, So Long, Its Been Good To Know You, was released towards the end of 2008 and rocketed to #1 on the Euro Americana Charts where it sits to this day. From the two songs below you can hear how he effectively mixes folk, rhythm and blues, blue-eyed soul and country.
I had a post all lined up for this morning, but then found this new song from the forthcoming Anti- Records release of A Stranger Here by Ramblin Jack Elliott. Here’s a contemporary of Bob Dylan’s who took a different path. Instead of co-opting his music for the marketplace Ramblin’ Jack Elliott remained true to his rural folk blues roots.
On his new record produced by Joe Henry the sound is altered slightly with weird atmospherics and creepy percussion added to the mix. Joe Henry always brings his own lush sound to a recording project and the same is true on A Stranger Here. I’m not sure what Anti- hopes to achieve commercially with their current roster of Betty LaVette, William Elliott Whitmore, and Mavis Staples but I like the direction they’re going in.
There have only been a handful of timers in 4 years that I have not posted an mp3 along with a post. Today’s post joins that short list. And that’s only because I couldn’t get clearance to post the title track from Diana Jones’Better Times Will Come due out in April on Proper American.
When I first wrote about Diana Jones’ music back in 2007 I had no idea at the time that it would stick with me for so long and affect me so much. Her voice is a study in regret and her music blends all the best of old time folk, gospel and blues. On the new record she’s joined by guests Mary Gauthier, Betty Elders and Nanci Griffith. You can listen to a stream of this song on her Sonicbids page here. It’s just about the perfect tonic for these times we’re in.
Here’s a video of Diana and band performing “Better Times Will Come” at the Station Inn in Nashville:
No 2008 “best of” wrap-up would be complete without mention of Joe Pug. His debut EP from out of nowhere impressed this writer and many more influential blogs. But its best selling point are the rave reviews from ordinary folks up at the Cd Baby page for the EP. Read them here and buy the disc as well while you’re there.
Here’s my favorite rave review from Cd Baby courtesy of Stuart McClure:
Dylan comparisons aside, Joe Pug is Malcolm Holcombe’s son, Danny Schmidt’s half brother.
Here’s my original post from April:
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It would almost be impossible for me not to post the music of Joe Pug. He fits the Songs:Illinois demographic so well it’s like some computer program spat him out. He’s young, he’s just releasing his debut, he writes poetic songs, he lives in Chicago (for goodness sake), is clearly influenced by Dylan/
Young/Springsteen and has a record release show coming up at Schubas.
His debut EP is called Nation Of Heat and is being released on May 13. I’m sure you can pick one up at the Schubas show on the 3rd however.
On both the songs below Joe eschews verse/chorus/verse and instead lets loose a barrage of stream of consciousness that somehow is devoid of pretension and cliche.
Alright moving along then. Here’s something from February of this year that even at the time I knew would end up on my year end roundup.
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For me, and with my particular tastes, I’m comfortable saying that the new record by Austin-based singer-songwriter Danny Schmidt is the best of the new year. By now Danny’s got a recognizable and distinctive vocal delivery and I love it. His songs are as literate, and can be as funny and clever, as anyone else in the songwriting racket today.
I’ve written about his upcoming record, Grey Sheep, here, but frankly I did so too early. His record has a Feb. 19 release date and at the time of my initial mention there was nowhere to pick up this great CD. But now there is. Buy it here via his label, Waterbug, now.
“Company of Friends” with it’s simple message of friendship being the most important force in life has quickly become one of my favorite Danny Schmidt songs. If there was any justice in this world (and if the song could be encapsulated in a 30 second clip) “Company of Friends” would be all over Grey’s Anatomy or playing during the end credits of the next big romantic comedy out of Hollywood.
Joia Wood is the featured female vocal on this song. Paul Curreri (aka Mr. Devon Sproule) did wonders with a production job that at times is simple and lets the playing come through, and at other times is a little bit more atmospheric, which is well suited to the lyrics.
Bonus “cover” song from Paul Curreri and Devon Sproule from the free online ep – Valentine Duets
I’ve lamented before the unreliability of CD new release lists. Self-released records, despite all the hullabaloo about how that’s the next big thing, are most likely not listed anywhere on the net. That’s the case for the new record by Kesang Marstrand. Her new record Bodega Rose is more accomplished and more enjoyable than the bulk of the music I usually encounter.
Kesang lives and records in Woodstock, NY. So it’s probably been hard not to be influenced by the folk traditions of this now mythic location. But her music, at least lyrically and sometimes musically, is more of a travelogue than an ode to her hippy hometown. There’s an exotic nature to her songs that goes far beyond just her unusual name. She seems as comfortable with jazz as she does with folk, which gives her music an appeal similar to that of Norah Jones. And that’s clearly an appeal that is wide and deep. And I have tremendous respect for music like this; music that is beautiful, delicious, effortless and almost floats on air.
I hope the major media pick up on Kesang. I bet she has an amazing story to go along with her beautiful songs.
Here’s a song off of her debut Bodega Rose. Buy it now though CD Baby here.
P.S. And completely unrelated. Why are critics picking on Quantum of Solace. I thought the pacing and the story was interesting. I love a good tale of revenge and this one had that in spades. I guess because it’s following on the heels of the best Bond film in eons it’s getting a bit shortchanged. But I like it as much or even more than it’s predecessor.
Just a quick note to say the semi-bi-annual quarterly Songs:Illinois house concert is this Sunday night somewhere on the outskirts of Chicago. The lineup is a Guaranteed good time. I can say that because we’ve had the honor of having Rachel Ries and Anais Mitchell play for us a year or so ago. It was really a magical night and I’m expecting the same or better since they are touring behind a joint ep they issued on Righteous Babe called simply the country ep.
As of 5 minutes ago I’ve also added Hayward Williams as the opener. I’ve tried to get him to play before but never could put it together. This time the stars aligned so he’s going to open the show up. Hayward’s debut record, Another Sailors Dream, was produced by the great Peter Mulvey. Critics have called that record “fantastic”, “a masterpiece” and “the first major score for 2007″.
Hit me up here (cbonnell @ gmail.com) for an invite and directions.
Speaking of house concerts: one of our most memorable (and shortest) was by singer songwriter Joe Pug. At the time he was a relatively unknown commodity so we gave him a shot at a doing a couple songs opening for Michael Fracasso. Now he’s practically a made man and I wish he would have just played and played.
My Old Kentucky Blog has a new video series called Laundro Matinee and this week he’s featured on it (along with a noisy cricket). Here’s two unreleased songs plus a video of Joe doing his signature song “Hymn 101″ from his new EP.
One of the big events in the Songs:Illinois family is our the trip to the circus in 4 days. I know it’s 4 days away since my sons have been counting down since day twenty. If I played them this song they wouldn’t get it. They don’t see that the circus is also a sad, nearly tragic place. Even the best ones are constantly under attack from animal rights groups, the performers live the lives of gypsy’s, and it’s a commercial rat-trap with worthless toys and gadgets for sale around every corner (they love that part).
I wrote about Rachel Harrington’s new record City of Refuge in September and I’m still struck by the song “Housewife’s Lament” and now I’m awed by this one too. Rachel Harrington’s song “Under The Big Top” uses the high wire act as a metaphor for life and just hopes that someone will be there to catch her when she falls. You can order City Of Refugehere.
It’s shocking that when I do a search on Elbo.ws for an artist that I’ve written about in the past and discover that I’m still the only one to have profiled the band. Jonathan Byrd is one such artist. He’s a known commodity in the Americana world but apparently that doesn’t translate well into the blog world. His most recent record delved into his southern roots and is titled The Law And The Lonesome. Jonathan describes it thusly:
“The ghost of Townes Van Zandt meets Hank Williams on the high plains. Several early listeners have told me that if “No Country For Old Men” had a soundtrack, it would be The Law and the Lonesome.”
I can’t describe it any better, but I can share a track off of it. Buy it now on CDBaby here (in fact if you want to read more about Jonathan Byrd’s tortured life and his slow and steady ascent to the top of the sing/songwriter circuit click on the link above).
“Houston Window Blues” is one of his more traditional numbers; it’s not as thoughtful as some the other songs on the record but it’s a bunch of fun.
P.S. Austin singer/songwriter Matt The Electrician performs tonight in Chicago at the Horseshoe on Lincoln. I can vouch that Matt does a great live set.
It makes complete sense to me that last year’s punks will be this year’s protest singers. The medium might be radically different but the message is often the same. Punk music is raw and angry and lyrically simple due to the age and makeup of the band members but these young punks grow up and want to express themselves more completely. Good resent examples are AA Bondy, the Nightwatchmen (Tom Morello of Rage and Audioslave), Eddie Vedder and now Tim Barry formerly of Avail.
Tim lives in “Red State” Virginia so on the new record you get a mix of political and social messages. Songs explore the views of the military fighting in Iraq to the scourge of Oxycotin on the rural population. Tim Barry is making as many strong political statements on this record than any I’ve heard lately. If this is the next generation of folk singer then bring it on. The new record is called Manchester and was released on Nov. 4. You can buy it here.
Glad you found me at my new url. Songs:Illinois is committed to writing about music that is under-appreciated and unique. I've found that the music I write about shares a couple of traits. And they are: lyrical integrity, musically diverse, and written/performed by compelling characters.
Most songs found here are free and legal and have been provided by either the artist or label. If for some reason you'd like to have a song removed, please email me at cbonnell (at) gmail.com.
