ALBUM REVIEW: Sea Sick

 As Frank Zappa & The Mothers so cryptically stated it in one of their early songs, “What would you do if the people you knew…were the plastic that melted and the chromium too?” The only thing I can possibly imagine theoretically rising back up from the ashes of such a poetically offbeat dissolution just might be Brooklyn’s own neo-psychedelic trio called Sea Sick and their recent EP that explores a musical road far less traveled by most bands.

 

To put it mildly, Sea Sick is…well…complicated. Their music is the oddest amalgamation of intertwined sounds I have heard in a very long time. As their name might suggest, the combined emanations ushering forth from cuts off their EP kind of put you in mind of being caught in a boat in the middle of the ocean, while huge waves loft the craft upwards and downwards in an almost spellbinding motion that eventually has its effects upon your very equilibrium. In much the same way, this band’s sonic offerings–best described as layer-after-layer of sound waves coming at you–is definitely going to affect your inner-ear region as well…whether for good or ill. I find it pleasingly hypnotic.  Others might find it nauseatingly awful.  There’s no accounting for taste, I suppose.  However, objective analysis aside, musical taste has a lot to do with how one reacts to this band. Break out the Dramamine and do your own evaluation.

 

On the one side, this sampling is a fantastic example of just how dark and ominous a band can be, given the right conditions and creative tools. I’m tempted to call it goth-jazz-acid-rock-psychedelic, though certainly not “goth” in the traditional sense (whatever that is, if you can say it with a straight face), and certainly not traditional “jazz” either, other than mimicking its expansively-sweeping note runs, without necessarily honoring the sacredness of any given harmony rules.  “Psychedelic” fits for sure, and “acid-rock” is noticeably a building block as well, but Sea Sick is just not the kind of a band that can be solitarily labeled. Most of the material comes off sounding like a surrealistic cross between early Jefferson Airplane, free-jazz/art-rock fusion, and a vox/orchestral lean toward Cirque du Soleil-styled new age music.

 

And, as the infamous psychic noted in the movie Poltergeist, there’s definitely “more than one haunt in this house” too. To be specific, there’s exactly three: Jasmine Golestaneh (vocals, guitar), Geoffrey Lee (keyboards) and Sam Levin (drums). As counterparts, they amass a combined impetus that mixes together a pretty strange brew of both conflicting and complimentary concoctions within. It is noteworthy and quite remarkable how all three of these musicians manage to culminate in a triad of overwhelming blends, while still retaining a degree of individual presence in the mix that doesn’t upstage any of the other segments.  They absolutely exude more method than madness here musically, but the only completely unifying force behind their collection is the wafting and sometimes wailing vocals of Golestaneh, which are eerie reminders at various points of femme poet/singers like Nico, Grace Slick, Patti Smith, and to a non-pop resemblance, Deborah Harry and PJ Harvey.

 

On the flip side, Sea Sick does create true music qualities, and not just incoherent noise.  It’s just that the music they create effectively walks a very thin tightrope between purist musical forms and abstract art rock expressions. The band doesn’t seem to be focused on writing mainstream, or even underground, hit songs.  Instead, their focus is apparently upon motivating some type of right-brain, impressionistic hit with their listeners. The last artist I recall who was able to do this quite effectively was Jim Morrison, and there are certainly elements of his handiwork residing in Sea Sick.  Some people ask what “progressive rock” is.  Most reviewers are shy to define it, because the term is so misused. In my opinion, Progressive music, of any genre, is basically music that’s ahead of its time, often almost prophetically so.  (Since it is a somewhat elusive term to use in prospect, most wince from labeling content that way, except only in instances where some musical features seem to hint of possible new directions for a particular genre.)  Though few artists or bands rightly fit completely into this category, surely some of The Doors’ material was correctly so-called. Jim Morrison, among scant others, had this future-reaching poetic-musical gift. Now, Sea Sick doesn’t have this gift, but they sure do rehash and play off of Morrison-like artistry very nicely. However, there’s nothing really new delivered here, just a fine recapturing of formerly progressive elements.

 

I haven’t seen a live Sea Sick show except through internet videos, but from what I have heard online or from other people, these exhibitions are truly affairs that tap into the late-sixties-psychedelia, oil-gel-filtered arena in marvelous fashion. Regardless, even without all the onstage bells and whistles, Sea Sick’s music still succeeds in laying hold of the fingerprint of a fair amount of the Airplane-collaborated songs of the later “Sunrise” ilk, and the expressionistic appeal resident in The Doors’ “Strange Days” material that provided fodder for their art-immersed live renditions on tours. 

 

If you like artsy takes on the 60’s psychedelia period, set to intriguing female vocals and impressionistic lyrical poetry, then you’ll probably really enjoy Sea Sick’s music.

 

Sea Sick — www.seasickmusic.com   

MySpace — www.myspace.com/seasicksongs 

(Photo Credit — Sarah Wilmer — www.sarahwilmer.com  )

Album Review: Second Day Red – “Gallery Of Strangers”

 

After roughly five years of playing and performing together, Austin-based band Second Day Red has released a new bevy of engaging songs under the album heading Gallery Of Strangers.  Fronted by singer/songwriter Stephen Clarke, this five-piece group interacts marvelously with one another to unleash some very inviting and appealing material throughout.  Brimming with acoustic-guitar-based structuring and moderate-tempo rhythms, the additional backing of Drew Shafer on violin, Todd Wilson on keyboards, Roel Martinez on bass, and Frank Favacho on drums combines to deliver an extremely full, rich sound that immediately captivates listeners and masterfully compliments the sweeping dynamics propagated by Clarke’s primary, chord-strummed laydowns.  Somewhat reminiscent of groups like the Dave Matthews Band or U2, Second Day Red invokes solid alt-rock bases, upon which they build a variety of numbers dressed-up with creatively-injected runs and inter-marriages of keys and violin.  The end result is a wonderful mixture of ear-catching melodies with emotionally-charged harmonies.  Driven by the consistently-tight attacks of a pervasive bottom end and percussive treatment, the entire overall effect is further underscored by the gliding, yet sometimes syncopating, overtones of Clarke’s stylish lead vocals.  Sliding smoothly between straight-open and breathy releases, as a singer, he also possesses the unusual ability to jump back and forth between lows and falsettos like a Texas jackrabbit.  All this he accomplishes not only effortlessly, but also quite pleasingly.  In fact, it would have to be these falsetto spikes that will probably best earmark the band’s set-apart sound for future reference.  Add to these features the smart and meaningful lyrics attached to most songs, and you have a pretty cool combination…one definitely deserving of a major listen.

 

My personal dubs from the album are “Something To Breathe,” one of those bookin’ kind of acoustic-driven beat-back tunes that makes you just want to put the car on cruise control and truck on down the highway; “I’ve Been Out,” a fantastic market-targeted song that wraps freely moving vocals and harmonies around prevailing guitar riffs and violin backing; “Phoenix Tonight,” my personal favorite, that paints lyrical traveling-destination metaphors against a sonic canvass of impassioned singing and steadily-moving instrumental interactions; and “It’s Up To You,” another simple, yet earnest cut that begs for foot tapping, as it excellently plays off of a held-out, eight-beat chord change progression that gradually slides right into a relaxed, naturally-resolving chorus, all the while lyrically nudging the need for an initiated response; solicited, but not as yet received.

 

At a recent and somewhat rare outing in the Houston area, the band opened for Joe Bonamassa, and gave locals a taste of their onstage presence.  Frankly, it didn’t take long to realize that they had something really special. They’re all very talented musicians, sure, but they also know how to work a room, and they impressed a lot of people that night with the way they played directly into the audience with attention-grabbing forthrightness.  Churning out cut-after-cut from Gallery, they displayed a real proximity and empathy with listeners, almost a communal type of rapport that exults confidently from being on the same wavelength with the common interests of an audience, artistically inspiring differing emotive responses from each of the various styles and strains unveiled in successive songs. To put a fine point on it, Second Day Red is even more captivating in live performance than what comes across on their studio work…and that’s actually saying a fair bit, mind you.

 

So, if you like mid-tempo alternative rock, sans any hint of shocking sonic belts or layers of distortion, and your taste in music runs more in line with melodious, rhythmically acoustic-driven content that leans a tad more toward adult contemporary than harder fare, and you enjoy keyboards and violin as additive rather than mainstay elements, then you would do well to give Second Day Red a little test drive in the near future. If you’re ever in Austin, you can catch them pretty regularly at Momo’s, but you best hurry. I have a sneaking suspicion that a bigger spotlight just might be heading their way soon.

Herman’s Hermits – A Retro Reinvasion

    STAFFORD CENTRE — 10/25/08:

Blimey, mate! Last Saturday night at the Houston-area Stafford Centre was an incredible, retrofitted return to the musical influences that once resonated from the original British Invasion era in American rock music. Frontman Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits brought with him an entourage of fellow musicians to recapture moments from this previous mid-’60s style of pop-rock fare.

The set list from the show reads like a veritable radio city menu of Anglophonic music from this pivotal period. Noone (aka “Herman,” for the group), along with the present Hermits, though not critically acclaimed until far later (much like The Monkees and others), nevertheless scored a pretty enviable succession of some twenty Top 40 hit songs and seven gold albums during the brief period of time that England-spawned groups so affected the American music scene, spanning the gap between Elvis Presley’s more flamboyant rock-n-roll rhythms and the gradual evolution into psychedelic, Eastern-tinged, and harder-edged styles more apparent from the Monterey Pop Festival onward.

Filling a virtual void between the assassination of JFK and the eventual emergence of both the nuclear disarmament movement in the U.K. and the Vietnam War protests in the U.S., Herman’s Hermits was one of a host of English “beat” groups to transverse both the Atlantic and the radio airwaves from 1964-67. Some, like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who, and The Yardbirds, went on to carry their impact well into the ’70s and beyond.

At the same time, though, even now-lesser-known groups like The Beau Brummels, The Left Banke, The Hollies, Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders, Lulu, et al, made important contributions during this transforming interval, as well. Unlike many of their fellow Brits, the Hermits penetrated the charts repeatedly on both sides of the ocean, and their trademark “traditional nice guys” image and sound established for themselves a permanent link as a supportive influence during the versatile experimentation of sixties popular music.

From the very first song out of the gate, “I’m Into Something Good,” the band made it clear that the night was going to be very special. Truth be told, the music was only half of the act’s enjoyable content. Noone is really quite the entertainer, using personal stories and stand-up comedy to segue through to the next song, which would then serve as a further exclamation point along the way to the show’s final climax. His juggling of humor and singing was every bit as adept as his British accent is thick, and one could tell why this guy has been able to remain such a smashing success as a famous theatrical artist, too.

Replete with old “vinyl” days jargon and musical parodies of rehashed ’60s covers by The Monkees, Tom Jones, and others, the Hermits punched-in almost all of their major hits throughout the show, including “A Must To Avoid,” “Just A Bit Better,” “Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat,” and “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter.” The crowd came to its feet immediately for sing-along participation on “I’m Henry The Eighth I Am,” arguably one of the most recognizable repeated-one-verse songs in rock history. They capped off the night with an emotional performance of their much-anticipated signature hit, “Hush All Over The World,” which inspired in return a sea of swaying arms and handheld florescent glow sticks from the crowd to create a final hypnotic retro-effect to the show.

As a player thoroughly plugged into the former ’60s music scene, Noone retains a pretty unique perspective on it all. As he recalls it, “The period was best represented by musical camaraderie and the mélange of all the diverse American music. A glance at an early Beatles LP will show a collection of all the influences. Country, R&B, pop. Herman’s Hermits had the same influences, but were seven years younger than all the other Invasion bands and were always underestimated and thought to be un-cool. A night at the Duke St. James in London or the Bag Of Nails would find Jim Hendrix, Peter Noone, Georgie Fame, John Lennon, and others discussing music and laughing together…and I don’t see that much any more. I was the only British singer who refused to sing with an American accent, which set us up for screaming girls, which, in retrospect, was an excellent idea. All the other British bands had American accents and made films in which they ran away from screaming girls. We ran slower…and let the fast girls catch us. Once again, a sign of our brilliance.”

Remaining decidedly aloof from the ’60s subculture and political landscape, Noone and the group steered toward their own personal direction, trading fairly common “Eve Of Destruction” topics about languishing, disposable relationships, and drug use escapism for messages promoting a more hopeful and lasting outlook.

“Herman’s Hermits contributed nothing to music or culture,” Noone said, “other than to prove that having a great time and playing songs about real relationships and romance was a good idea, and could endure…preferring to live a long and happy life, facing my own reality.” Half-jokingly updating his nostalgia on being a teenaged artist back then, Noone continued, “I often reflect on the beautiful and naive themes of the ’60s, such as ‘all you need is love,’ and now I insert my own second line, ‘all you need is love…and an F-18.’ I am from a time when people in the music business became involved because they loved music (not fame) and I am still a fan of all types of music. As a kid, I unknowingly became a fan of Texas music…Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, etc…and I still wander around loving the world, the music, and people. So much for the misanthrope.”

Not only has he successfully outlived much of the competition (another part of his “brilliant” plan), but the present phase of Noone and company has also remained extraordinarily vibrant and exuberant, as was joyously displayed and celebrated in fresh fashion at the Stafford stop-over. Yes, even after all these years, Herman’s Hermits are apparently still very much hooked-into that good “something” that launched them so long ago, way back in the day.  ª

 

ALBUM REVIEW: Jadewood – In These Walls

Back in 2004, three local Houstonians were fortuitously brought together in one of their personal homes to experimentally mesh their musical talents for the day.  As a result, the band Jadewood was born, and the group has kept this name ever since then to remind them of the humble beginnings surrounding their upstart on Jadewood Street in Houston’s rough-and-tumble, humidity-infested atmosphere. After a couple of attempts at recording and marketing self-released EP’s, bandsmen Elias Sanchez (lead vocals/guitars), Saul Sanchez (backup vocals/bass) and Lee Cerda (drums) returned to the studio to produce their first full-blown album in 2008, In These Walls. The CD title is meant to symbolically envision the close-quartered room that they initially practiced in, and what transpired within these walls is showcased in this album debut.

The compilation of songs joined together on this CD is a full-dozen quality set of installments worthy of your listening time. Characteristically, the influences apparent from the incorporated musical styles range widely from alternative grunge to classic rock to even moments with a somewhat seventies-accoustic-folk-pop feel.  For the most part, the combined album summarizes itself with a sound reminiscent of Lifehouse, a favorite band that the group often tributes in cover songs during live performances. It is a thoroughly melodious offering, filled with lighter-to-moderate acoustic-based alt-rock leanings, and garnished with a considerable amount of catchy lyrical phrasing.

The harmonies cast in this mix are truly beautiful.  Elias Sanchez releases many vocal sections in very talented fashion. Despite his slightly pinched-off, relatively nasal quality throughout, he combines with Saul Sanchez to form a unique meld, kind of like Seals & Croft did years ago. It all comes off sounding a bit different, but in a magnetic sort of uniqueness. Hey, if slightly different voices worked for Tom Petty, Neil Young, and Bob Dylan, then why not Jadewood?  Both vocally and instrumentally, the band exudes a wonderful chemistry together.

The first two songs on the album, “All Along” and “Beautiful”, are radio-friendly cuts seemingly targeted toward alternative-pop audiences. As with most of the tracks, the lyrics are geared either toward upbeat, positive-attitude themes or explorations into lover’s laments. The latter of these two definitely displays the group’s penchant for taking a smooth and rudimentary legato style and dressing it up masterfully with simple, but intuitive poetic thoughts. One of the most attractive elements of Jadewood is the way they creatively capture and describe a combination of natural human instincts and retrospective insights in very open, unguarded, and almost adolescent purity of terms. They use an unabashed, unveiled naïveté to stylishly exhibit many of the more secretive qualities subconsciously masked within each one of us.  I really admire their ability to tenderly open up the chamber of the soul and poetically reveal the affairs of the heart and mind.

To my ear, the best stuff comes a bit later in mid-album. “Stranger” is an acoustic-backed piece with a great chorus section…one that I found to be the most memorable from the collection. The addition of an extended bridge and atmospheric supplements of instrumentation give it a very pleasing, lighter-sided Creed resonance. It’s companion number, “Survive,” veers slightly more toward a Three Doors Down string-picking base, embellished artistically with wafting two-part harmony and virtual-orchestration in the background.

My personal favorite is “Misery.” It’s one of the songs that departs markedly from swathing soul-soothes to produce a set of rather haunted strains of minor-effected chord patterning that gradually builds into a percussive chorus filled with yearning-soaked vocals.  The lyrical theme involves a self-realization of the effects of a destructive relationship, and how its possible unintentional nature on one side doesn’t necessarily quash the questionings of sanity in view of the resulting misery produced. The intro wording is impeccable: “/Just once I’d like to hear the sound of my own voice/Instead I’m overwhelmed by the noise/This darkness is upon me and I’m right within its sight/It’s killing me inside/I’m not ok, I’m not ok/With what you’ve done to me/.”  The music and words together generate a splendid and very appealing composite.

If your taste includes lighter alternative or moderate alt-pop, and runs the spectrum of Lifehouse, Vertical Horizon, Three Doors Down, or many of the 90’s groups like the Gin Blossoms, then you’ll probably enjoy giving Jadewood a listen. 

 

(Self-Released; Jadewood — http://jadewoodmusic.com  – MySpace– http://www.myspace.com/jadewoodmusic )

ALBUM REVIEW: Autovein – Bullets And Bruises

Just two words: “Loved it.”

 

St. Louis-based Autovein’s debut album, “Bullets And Bruises,” is the end result of a great many twists and turns of both bad record label timing and sheer fortitude in pushing forward to actually bring it about. Originally signed by Columbia Records in 2004, a restructuring at the recording giant in 2006 edged them out and eventually landed them, rather fortuitously, right in the lap of Denver-based Outlook Music, who finally got the first offering out of the can in early 2007. Ever since then, vocalist/guitarist Bryan Roach, bassist Zack Alexopulos, guitarist Chris Capaletti, and drummer Ben Miller have been racking-up live acts supporting its release, and the relative airwave successes from a couple of songs off the album. These tunes–opening track “Bullet In An Angel” and mid-collection piece “Save Me”–continue to be the forefront numbers spearheading the one-dozen batch of largely Alternative Rock material.

As a whole, Bullets is a fantastic album. Autovein’s strong suit, among many other qualities, is creative versatility within their genre choice.  There are clearly a wide variety of musical influences readily apparent from close listening. Even though the lion’s share of the cuts are moderate-to-hard examples of Alternative-based content, there is hardly any song that doesn’t also exhibit freely moving ranges that bring in some elements of Progressive or even Pop leanings. The dynamic extremes in this bundle is also quite notable. Not only are there louder and softer songs, but also a number of songs that punch-in volume-extremed passages within them. Like I said, there’s very few common denominators present that would ultimately characterize or classify the band concretely. For the most part, their overall style leans heavily toward the new millennium melodiously-infused post-grunge attributes that now fuel a good many of the more mainstream alt-rock groups on the market today.

Another thing that I found fascinating about the set was its tendency toward resembling a “concept” album. Haven’t really seen much of that lately. Yes, there are “bullets” and “bruises” found throughout, in ever-referenced lyrical content pointing to topics surrounding the impassioned nature of a one-way-or-another wounded, or wounding, soul.

My personal dubs from the album are “Quitter” and “Useless.” Both are set to rather unusual chorded note flows, often with somewhat dischorded accenting, and along with their clever lyrics, come off with some pretty hooky attraction. The latter track also stands-out as an artistic odd-man-out in the set. Replace Roach’s vocals with Ty Tabor and add acoustic strums in the milder portions, and this song would sound just like King’s X, particularly the riff progression undergirding the whole thing. “Drowning” is also an excellent piece, combining some earlier post-grunge characteristics with almost punkishly-repetitive, consistently-pumping chording patterns. Another song worth noting for its sheer beauty is “Here With You.” It’s a very smooth, simple number, and a great break in the album’s majority-driven content, especially the way the group has combined some slow-dance features with slowly drawn-out legato vocal syncopation.

At this writing, Autovein is about halfway through the recording phase of a second album at Music Creek Studios, under the co-helm of good friend and producer James “Ziggy” Stull of Saucy Jack Recordings. Though they’re presently being about as tight-lipped as a clam about the title, according to lead singer Bryan Roach the new material promises to be “a little less alternative and a little more anthemic.” It will be interesting to see just how far a field Autovein goes to intertwine its alt-based thematic structuring with neo-ballad building blocks.  For now, I’m quite sufficed with the first prototype.

In the final analysis, if you like music elements that weave their way periodically cherry-picking from styles like Nickelback, Nirvana, Bush, Green Day, or even the slightly breathy rasp utterances of Chris Cornell, then you’ll probably like this album.

 

(Outlook Music label; Autovein – www.autovein.com  – MySpace – www.myspace.com/autovein

ALBUM REVIEW: Ivoryline – There Came A Lion

 

 

Ivoryline’s new Tooth And Nail label release, There Came A Lion, is their full-album debut, underscored by the success of a previous EP and over two years of extensive touring.  Homebased in Tyler, Texas, Ivoryline features Jeremy Gray (vocals), Scott Socia (guitar), Dusty Kittle (guitar), Robert Woodward (bass), and Wes Hart (drums).  This largely undiscovered quintet from the Lone Star State was fortuitously launched into more prominent view after being included in the Vans Warped Tour in 2006.  The group prides itself on creating music simply for the love of music itself.  In this vein, Lion seeks to portend, rather than pretend, the sincerity of the band’s honest approach toward reproducing their musical impressions among the droves of listeners now being drawn more increasingly to their art.

As a collection, the album is a thoroughly relentless release of high level energy.  The pace hardly lets up at all, as song after song of crafty guitaring, pounding rhythms, and attention-grabbing vocals weave their way pervasively through a set of rock-patterned anthems to form a combined fabric of pretty uniform texturing.  The only odd-man-out selection is the last track, appropriately entitled “The Last Words,” a beautifully melodic piece that could have rather served as a mid-set cut to break-up the prevailing drive of the remainder of the album.

You don’t have to get very far into the album before you realize that, not only do the band members love rock music, but they also seem particularly whetted to the power pop/ pop-punk sub-genre style.  They’ve pretty-much wrapped themselves completely around this solitary musical area.  Almost formulaically so.  Now, whether that’s a great thing or a terrible thing will largely depend upon whether you like a good bit of versatility or experimentation out of a band.  Personally, I have to give them substantial credit for their ability to do a fantastic job of doing that one thing very well…even though it may indeed be but one encapsulated thing.  As far as this isolated page of the script goes, they’ve certainly dotted every ‘i’  and crossed every ‘t.’  Maybe they were just playing it safe.  Maybe not.  Whatever the case may be, as a full-fledged maiden voyage, this emphasis has definitely worked for them.  The collection succeeds in standing on its own merits, and contains some very interesting moments.

One of the stand-out features of this album is Jeremy Gray’s vocals.  They consistently cut-through to the forefront with vivacity and passion.  Combined with backing vocals, Ivoryline produces some of the most atmospherically expansive and explosively melodic harmonies I heard recently.  The complimentary buoyancy created between vocals, guitar riffs, and percussion attacks is stylishly sophisticated and comes across quite succinctly in the final pan mix.

Every single track is a viable offering, with no throwaways.  The influences range from Jimmy Eat World to numerous similarities with either a harder-hitting U2 or the chops of a much more melodious Green Day.  There are also many musical allusions to sub-genre partner Anberlin and lead vocalist Stephen Christian.

My picks for selected cuts are “All You Ever Hear,” with its metaphorical heads-up on listening only to enticing liars outside your window; “Bravery,” a harder-rocking tune that explores the ironic element of courage inherent in leaving; and “Parade,” a rite-of-passage celebration for new starts, set to double-picking guitar arpeggios, stimulating drum syncopation, and revved-up vocals.  My personal favorite is “Be Still And Breathe,” which combines great switching high hat and snare quadrupling with very memorable vocal harmonies and lyrics.  The acappella intro and hooky words and tune really set the song apart from the pack.  This song also soared to #1 on the Radio & Records Christian Rock National Airplay charts (a regular Tooth And Nail touchstone) within three weeks of the album’s release.

Though I have not heard the band live, I have read at least a couple of enthusiastic reviews giving them special mention in large, multi-band lineup shows.  If this lends any credence to the idea that their live performances are on a par with their studio work, then Ivoryline might very well be an excellent band to catch live when they pass through your area.

Live: John Fogerty Gets Cowboyed-Up At Houston Rodeo

Almost every year from its inception, the Houston Rodeo usually includes at least one show that is more rock-oriented.  That must-have ticket for this year was John Fogerty on March 12th.

 

As expected, Fogerty wasted no time dealing out cranked-up versions of songs from the huge catalog of past hits that he has amassed for forty years. Bowing just slightly to the countrified atmosphere resonating throughout the 40,000+ audience in attendance at the Reliant Stadium, he leaned his set list in favor of providing some of the best songs complimenting this genre from his Creedence Clearwater Revival days and his ongoing solo ventures.

 

“Green River,” which he dedicated to his youth, was first out of the gate, and set the tone for revving-up the crowd for the rest of the night.  “Good Golly Miss Molly,” “Up Around The Bend,” “Born On The Bayou,” “Lookin’ Out My Back Door”…the nostalgic installments just kept right on coming, blow-after blow.  Fogerty even strapped on his stylish baseball-bat-shaped guitar to flaunt one of his biggest solo hits, “Centerfield.”

 

 During breaks between several songs, Fogerty shared some insight on the original inspiration surrounding each piece.  “Who’ll Stop The Rain,” for instance, was penned in response to attending the rain-soaked, impressively-persevering Woodstock concert of late sixties fame.  In a lighter, country-flavored moment in mid-set, he donned a cowboy hat to sing “Broken Down Cowboy,” reflecting on “those bad old days” that he said made this song one of his personal favorites.  As anticipated, the whole place wildly cheered when Fogerty rolled out “Midnight Special” and smiled widely as he belted out the verse making reference to Houston.

 

Jettisoning back once again to the days when CCR was at its height, Fogerty climatically strummed-out “Have You Ever Seen The Rain,” invoking wafting sways, joyously up-stretched arms, and perhaps a few misty eyes too, from those grateful to be there to participate in it all.

ALBUM REVIEW – Dug Pinnick – Strum Sum Up

Dug Pinnick – Strum Sum Up

 

by Bill Reed 

Local progressive rock icon Dug Pinnick is at it again, having completed a new solo project recorded at Blacksound Studios in Los Angeles, Strum Sum Up, released last November 20^th. The famed bassist and lead vocalist for King’s X has teamed-up with fellow Houstonian Walter “Wally” Farkas, formerly of Galactic Cowboys, to put together a new collection of fresh original material amply representing the latest phase in Pinnick’s ongoing songwriting.

From the very onset of the first cut, Perfect World, the album feverishly unleashes the hard-driving sonic belts and sublime lyrical wit listeners have come to expect from the previously-aliased Poundhound artist. Most songs that follow are a relentless smorgasbord of prog-metal installments, some extended into reprised jams, with just the right admixtures of funk and groove to nail it all down with Pinnick’s unique signature.

As with most of his solo creations, the lyrical content brims with his philosophical and introspective observations. Unlike many songwriters, Pinnick unveils his inner self rather freely through his music. The result is largely a compiled mosaic of emotionally-charged pieces of self-expression. In this vein, Life Is What You Make It and Smile are pretty straightforward numbers-melodious journeys into his life explorations and existential advice. Standout contrast songs, Dynomite, Hostile World, and Cross It contain both paradoxical angst and fervent determinations-the superb and explosive Dynomite being the lightning rod track on the album, and Cross It serving as a Hendrix-riff-styled, super finale. By far the longest and most fun song of the set is Coming Over, a highly-funkifized, almost bohemian reveling over the definitive nature of funk itself. The mid-jam section of this song features a highly-distorted, wah-wah enhanced vocal that invokes imaginations of  a screaming Little Richard being backed by Frank Zappa and the Mothers Of Invention.

After hearing Dug Pinnick guest sing on an especially bluesy extra encore song at a recent Joe Bonamassa concert, keyboardist Rick Melick told Pinnick, “I can tell you’ve been to church before.” That he has. And Pinnick draws upon his gospel-soul-rock music background in the album to include some very jazzed-up vocal adlibs-everything from quickly glossing rollercoaster slides to the gravelliest of freakish screams. Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of this newest release is getting to hear Pinnick temporarily divorced from his collaborations with King’s X again. Alone, both his contributions and personal differences in musical direction are more readily apparent. Not only does he play one of the multi-layered six-string guitars on this recording, but he is beautifully set against background vocalists quite different from Tabor and Gaskill. While diehard King’s X fans will find favor with Angel, which has an arrangement more reminiscent of the famous group’s trademark sound, all others are thoroughly just Dug Pinnick, pure and simple.

Strum Sum Up is replete with cutting-edge effects and remarkable stereo recording mix imagery, revealing even more subtle intricacies upon multiple plays. It is sure to be a keeper for prog-rock CD collections, and there are several songs on it that will no doubt find there way into many a personal music playlist.

Pinnick recently reflected, “I finally realize that people just want to dance and have a good time.” In perhaps a somewhat heavy-handed way, the new album definitely scores big on that count.

ALBUM REVIEW – 1000 Miles From Home – Collusion

1000 Miles From Home: Collusion

 by Bill Reed

Collusion, a recent six-cut EP from Dallas-based band 1000 Miles From Home, features Zac Carrington (lead vocals/guitar), Jeff Widman (guitar/vocals), Eddie Castillo (lead guitar), Chris Bender (bass) and Keith Mitchell (drums). The bandmates originally hail from different US cities in all geographical directions. This group itself, like their current city of choice, functionally exists as a veritable hub that has brought together a very impressive pool of day-job-working musical talent.  They regularly describe themselves as just five regular dudes playing regular music that you can really get into.  Humility aside, if you actually buy-into this idea pre-listen, then get prepared to be greatly surprised. I found very little about the band or their music that I would consider all that plain or (ugh!) usual. In fact, I would dare say that they’re probably one of the better unsigned bands I’ve heard in quite a while. Their six-pack of a preview collection should prove to be a real gem for hard rock music fans who enjoy tunes that skirt the area between very early grunge and post-alternative content.

  

The album pretty-much explodes into motion like a Texas thunderstorm with “The Man,” a double-bassing, heavily back-beated hard rocker that jumps right out at you in a hefty, Nickelback-ish barrage. It includes a slice of great lead guitar work, reminiscent of steely-edged seventies arena rock frettings. This first track, seemingly alluding to stalking voyeurism or a close cryptic facsimile, excellently sets the tone for the rest of the album. As maintained throughout all of the remaining material, it also introduces the group’s inclination toward mixing upbeat instrumental scoring with rather angst-filled lyrical focus. This curious combo, as contradictory as it sounds, invokes a weird sensation in effect: you’re pumped-up by the pounding tempos, but somewhat sympathetically and subliminally heart-string-tugged by the vocalized poetry at the same time. Such a contrasting element would be a rare move for any band, yet stylishly pulled off here. Another rather odd characteristic of 1000MFH is the way they meld the presence of vocals and instruments together in the mix.  In essence, while the instrumentation is belting you in the face like a punching bag, the vocals are elegantly soothing out your blow-wearied brow. Even when singing loudly, the melody comes off as a relatively smoothed-out compression of energy.  The total sum of all of these contrary aspects actually fits together very nicely, like the top and bottom reaches of a sine wave form…in this case creating a sonic sample that’s quite pleasing, though perhaps a bit unconventional.  Somehow they’ve managed to round-up all this non-conformity into a fairly universally-patterned, multi-song motif.

  

The next installment, “Explain The Explanation,” my personal fave, charts a slightly different course, kicking-off with a moderately rolling, flowing rhythm, offset by twinned guitar riffs acting as a musical metronome in the background. By the time you’re wafting along with an acoustic that strums in to carry the verse, you’re abruptly ushered right into a relentlessly-hammering chorus. I still find myself mentally replaying the catchy melody in it, even now. The words are etched-in too: “All that’s left in my head / I remember one thing, I missed what you said / All that’s left to be said / Was her faint breath misread.” Be warned: if this gets airplay, the whole country could become thusly affected by this hooky song.

  

The EP rounds-out with “Betrayal,” with its repetitive intro-riffs that exude a softened punk/power pop chemistry, the even darker-emoted “Confiding In Pylons,” with its cadence-filled percussion under-girtings, “When You Go,” a very interesting cross of Green Day-type arrangement with pseudo-emo sounds,  and “Long Drive To Texas,” apparently a sonic-poetic take on vacant mind journeys taken during boring highway travels.

1000 Miles From Home may have a bit more of a trek ahead of them before they can officially say they’ve actually arrived home. Be that as it may, they already display an amazing array of talent and songwriting ability for a group of musicians in the entry-level trenches.  I have a sneaking suspicion that they have far more musical range under wraps than what is displayed in the narrow groove of rock content that they’ve shown so well on this first recording showcase. We’ll see. I’ve marked my calendar to hear them when they come to Houston, and I recommend you do the same when they’re in your neck of the woods. In the final analysis, I just couldn’t help it. I found myself hopelessly becoming an unwitting party to this band’s musical collusion. 

(Wrong Way Records/CCEZ publishing label; 1000 Miles From Home — www.1000milesfromhome.com)

America – Stafford Centre – November 16, 2007

America Returns: Here & Now 

by Bill Reed

 Gifted song writers don’t quit writing songs just because some people say that most of their hits are far behind them. Two of the founding members of classic rock group America, Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley, demonstrated that they are the epitome of that axiom, bringing material both old and new to their sold-out performance last Friday night at the Stafford Centre. Preceding America, Austin-based Stephen Clarke and his band opened the show, unveiling a creative set of alt-pop-rock pieces that have been gaining him greater local notice lately.

America’s set was a very enjoyable mix of nostalgia and newness. Hits like Ventura Highway, You Can Do Magic, Tin Man, and Sister Golden Hair were creatively injected amidst newer songs like Chasing The Rainbow and Ride On. The group even included a cover of The Mamas & The Papas’ California Dreamin’. Always mellow to gently rhythmic, each of America’s numbers flowed lushly through fairly simple pop chord patterns, augmented occasionally by a bridge or drops into minors for effect. The vocals and backing choruses remain comparable to past contemporaries Neil Young, Christopher Cross, James Taylor, or early Eagles or Doobie Brothers.

Early-on, I Need You, with its cleanly-raked acoustic guitar intro and beautiful vocals, was one of many songs during the evening performed in nearly flawless four-part harmony—a rare treat. One of the best songs of the night was Sandman, which markedly departed into much harder musical territory with a fantastic electric guitar jam duet, spearheaded by Bunnell and lead guitarist Michael Woods. For many in the audience, the closing encore, Horse With No Name, was an emotional flashback to the glory days of the group’s origins, and a fitting end to a night filled with such moments.

In one of several comedic breaks between songs, Beckley assured the crowd that even old 8-tracks brought by fans would be autographed after the show. He made it clear, however, that America’s music should be properly categorized. “These aren’t oldies,” he cautioned. “They’re classic rock. There is a difference.” Citing a former fan’s suggestion that the only real difference was that the artists were still alive, Beckley and Bunnell agreed, “We’re going to stick with that.”

America really doesn’t want to characterize their newfound popularity swing as either critical acclaim vindication or an artistic comeback. Bunnell forced a surprised look, “A comeback? We didn’t go anywhere! It was the audiences that came back.” Truth be told, it has been nine years since their last album. Still, it seems that their new stuff, like their tour stop at Stafford, is being very warmly received and appreciated by a growing crowd of listeners.

Coming off the heels of the January 2007 release of America’s sixteenth studio album, Here & Now, and their recent induction into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the lighter folk-rock songwriting duo hopes to refuel a new resurgence of the popularity they enjoyed during their heyday in the early 70’s. Though the likelihood of this is rather slim, their chances are certainly bolstered by the fresh comeback production helmsmanship of Fountain Of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger and Smashing Pumpkin’s James Iha, who have successfully aided in recapturing the clean trademark sound of America that made them famous in the first place. The two-disc album, divided equally between brand new songs and live versions of past hits, is metaphorically reminiscent of the dichotomy of opinions surrounding the band’s lack of past critical acclaim. Though some former critics may not have fully appreciated the pioneering directions of such soft rock acoustic songwriters back in “the day,” many now seem willing to revisit the contributions made by groups like America to the evolution of modern music. Rather than merely diluting 60’s folk into bland, commercialized arrangements, America consistently produces refined, hook-heavy melodies that smoothly take root in the memory of a wide variety of music listeners. Through it all, Bunnell and Beckley have remained artistically unabashed. Their Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1972 was only a precursor to the more than seventeen gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums garnered since then.  

Following a tradition established early-on, most of their album names start with the letter “H.” In retrospect, the “H” must stand for “Hang in there.” It’s definitely the one thing they’ve been able to do to absolute perfection. It all began years ago with a ride on a nameless horse: and it’s anyone’s guess how it will all end, because it appears that the journey is far from over yet.