Bill Kirchen: “Waxworks: The Best Of The Proper Years” (2020) Vinyl Review

In the summer of 2020, Bill Kirchen, known for his work in Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen, released the compilation The Proper Years, which contained three solo albums on two CDs. At that same time, a best-of compilation of tracks from those three albums was released on vinyl. Titled Waxworks: The Best Of The Proper Years, this record features songs from Hammer Of The Honky-Tonk Gods, Word To The Wise and Seeds And Stems, the tracks grouped together by album. The record’s liner notes include some thoughts on each of the tracks chosen for this release.

Side One

The first three tracks on the record are from Hammer Of The Honky-Tonk Gods, which was released in 2006 and features Nick Lowe on bass and backing vocals. This record begins with that album’s title track, a rocking, rowdy, fun number that mentions several other famous musicians, including Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings. Bill Kirchen continues in the country vein for “Get A Little Goner,” a totally delightful tune addressing a woman who broke up with him but continues to show up. Check out these playful lyrics: “If you’re gonna get gone, get a little goner/If you’re gonna move along, move a little bit longer/You think I want you back, but you couldn’t be wronger.” Plus, it features some nice work by Bill Kirchen on guitar. The final of the three songs picked from Hammer Of The Honky-Tonk Gods is “Rocks Into Sand.” In the liner notes, Bill Kirchen mentions how this song was written in response to those lunatics who wanted evolution removed from school curricula and replaced by creationism. It has a more serious sound. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Long before fish ever walked on land/Time was turning rocks into sand.”

The record then moves into material from his 2010 release, Word To The Wise, the most heavily represented of the three albums on this release, and one that features several special guests. That album’s title track is a fun tune with an old-time style, beginning with a delightful instrumental section featuring some excellent work on guitar. Then the opening lines are delivered as spoken word, like a conversation. And that conversation is between Bill Kirchen and Dan Hicks. Dan Hicks also joins Bill on guitar. And if the song couldn’t possibly become more enjoyable, it also includes some scat, which at one point moves toward yodeling. So, yeah, this tune has everything. The fun vibes continue with “Bump Wood,” a totally enjoyable boogie featuring some delicious guitar playing followed by an equally fun lead by Austin de Lone on piano. Then Elvis Costello joins Bill Kirchen on vocals for “Man In The Bottom Of The Well,” a slower, heavier number with an undeniable power, a thunder that rumbles up from below. It’s a seriously cool track to wrap up the first side of the album.

Side Two

The second side continues with music from Word To The Wise, beginning with “Time Will Tell The Story,” a tune dripping with cool, especially because of his guitar work. “And the howl becomes a whisper/Now turns into then/Time will tell the story/And the grass will grow again.” Maria Muldaur joins him on vocals for “Ain’t Got Time For The Blues,” the final track chosen from Word To The Wise for this compilation. This is another delightful track, a wonderful duet, the two sounding so good together. Austin de Lone plays both piano and organ on this one, and his work is another big part of this song’s appeal.

Then we get a bit of material from Bill Kirchen’s 2013 release Seeds And Stems, beginning with a playful country number titled “Truck Stop At The End Of The World,” a song that was also included on his 2001 album Tied To The Wheel. The end of the world has been on our minds lately again, as a third of our nation has become completely unhinged, and things are less than stable in other parts of the world too. But have we been giving enough thought to truck stops and truck drivers after the destruction (apart from those idiots in Canada, I mean)? Well, this song addresses that topic. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Well, there’s a mass of twisted steel where the cities used to stand/And there’s a foul green haze settled in over the hand/There ain’t nothing underneath that poison gas/But crusty old truckers, and we’re all hauling ass/To the truck stop at the end of the world.” That’s followed by “Womb To The Tomb,” another song in which trucks play a big part. It’s a strange waltz of death and doom, but also a helping hand. “The only trace of that trucker I saw was a ghostly light/And in five minutes flat I was up running right/I put a truck driver’s tape in the deck to settle my nerves.” I can’t help but love this song.

The album concludes with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A Changin’” that was originally included on Transatlanticana, which was released in 2016. This is a rocking version. Bill Kirchen mentions in the liner notes that he was present at the Newport Folk Festival when Dylan went electric. We are living in strange times. Remember the joke in Bob Roberts, “Times Are Changin’ Back”? Well, all of the twisted jokes about the right wing have come true. Scary. This song has a different vibe about it now, but its appeal is still strong, and Bill Kirchen does a great job with it.

Record Track List

Side One

1. Hammer Of The Honky-Tonk Gods
2. Get A Little Goner
3. Rocks Into Sand
4. Word To The Wise
5. Bump Wood
6. Man In The Bottom Of The Well

Side Two

1. Time Will Tell The Story
2. Ain’t Got Time For The Blues
3. Truck Stop At The End Of The World
4. Womb To The Tomb
5. The Times They Are A-Changin’

Waxworks: The Best Of The Proper Years was released on July 24, 2020.

Grateful Dead: “Dave’s Picks Volume 41” (2022) CD Review

Grateful Dead fans have their favorite years (mine are, in order, 1973, 1977, 1970), and even favorite tours, regarding concert tapes. A tour that is either at the top or near the top of probably everyone’s list is Spring 1977. The Dave’s Picks series of Grateful Dead concert recordings kicked off with a show from that tour. And now the latest volume contains another excellent show from that tour – May 26th at the Baltimore Civic Center. This three-disc set contains the complete show, along with one song as filler (to help complete the second show from Volume 40).

Disc 1

The first disc contains the entire first set. It’s interesting right away, for it opens with a song the band often chose to wrap up first sets, “The Music Never Stopped.” And it’s a good, clear, crisp rendition, the band having energy right out of the gate. Hey, maybe it’s just me, but the “bumper crop” line always seems out of place. No matter, for this song has me smiling and dancing and ready for a solid show. And though it’s a first set opener, the band does jam at the end, and everything sounds just right, Jerry Garcia’s guitar bright and snappy. From there, they go into “Sugaree,” and right from its start it is clear that this rendition is going to be something special. Jerry’s voice sounds great, and the whole thing has a rhythm like a wave you just want to ride on right to the edge of the world and beyond, all light and warmth and joy. And I love what Keith Godchaux does on keys. But it is Jerry’s guitar that lifts things into higher territory. The magic is certainly present here. This track had me cheering in my apartment, nearly in tears at how good it is. This is the very thing that kept us going back night after night. And it’s only the second song? Holy moly!

Bob Weir then gives us a bouncy, fun version of “Mama Tried,” a rendition that will undoubtedly bring a smile to your face. “Well, this old barn is finally starting to fill up,” Bob says at the end. And he teases the folks who weren’t there at the start of the show. Man, imagine having a ticket to this show and missing that “Sugaree”? Insane. Donna Jean Godchaux then delivers her powerful “Sunrise,” a song from Terrapin Station, one I always felt a need to listen to with the lights off when I was growing up. The band played it live only in 1977 and 1978, and this is a good version, with a pretty ending. Jerry then gets everyone dancing around again with an energetic version of “Deal,” it all flowing so smoothly. They keep the energy strong with “Passenger,” another song from Terrapin Station, and another that was played a lot in a relatively short period and then dropped. I never understood why they dropped this one. “What is a man/Deep down inside/But a raging beast/With nothing to hide.” There are a lot of relatively short songs in this first set. It is Jerry’s voice at the beginning of “Brown-Eyed Women” that lets us know this song is going to be another of the set’s highlights. And indeed, this version has all the passion, pain and power you could hope for. That’s followed by “Looks Like Rain,” which feels like the right choice. Bob and Donna’s voices blend really well here at key moments, cradling us gently. “My landscape would be empty if you were gone.” I love how Donna repeats “Brave the storm to come,” a beautiful moment. This is a seriously wonderful version of this song, in large part because of Donna’s work.

Jerry then leads the band into “Jack-A-Roe,” which has an unusual start, developing a good groove. Jerry was so good at delivering these story songs. Bob follows that with “New Minglewood Blues.” I love when he tears into this one vocally, almost growling at certain moments. Well, the band began the set with a song that normally functions as a set closer, so why not close the set with one that is normally an opener? Yup, they wrap up the first set with “Bertha.” It is not a particularly fiery version, but does have a delicious groove, and it picks up energy as it goes.

Disc 2

The second disc contains the first few songs from the second set, as well as that one-song filler from 1990. The band kicks off the second set with “Samson And Delilah.” I always love that drum work at the beginning. What a great way to get things moving, the band seeming able to push through stone walls with its drive, its energy. Jerry then mellows things out with “High Time,” featuring some sweet, pretty work on guitar before the vocals come in. Those opening lines get me every time: “You told me goodbye/How was I to know/You didn’t mean goodbye/You meant please don’t let me go.” This is an excellent rendition, with some wonderful vocal work from Jerry and Donna, with beauty and ache in the delivery. “Nothing’s for certain/It can always go wrong/Come in when it’s raining/Go on out when it’s gone.” They follow that with “Big River,” getting everyone dancing again. I love when Keith is rocking those keys.

We then get the encore from the show the Dead played on July 19, 1990. Yes, a significant jump forward in time. It might seem an odd choice, but what it does is complete the second show from Dave’s Picks Volume 40. That volume has two shows – July 18 and July 19, 1990 – all but the encore from the second night. So now we have it. This disc is really short, only thirty-two and a half minutes, so I wonder why they didn’t toss a little more music our way. Or, perhaps even better, an interview with Jerry Garcia or another band member from around that time. That would be an interesting way to fill the available space. Anyway, the track begins with the crowd singing “Not Fade Away,” reminding us that was the song that closed the second set that night. We get approximately three minutes of that before the band starts to toy with “U.S. Blues,” and then launches into it properly. And it’s an energetic, totally fun version.

Disc 3

The third disc contains the rest of the second set and encore from May 26, 1977. This is where the real magic is. It begins with “Terrapin Station,” which of course is stellar. The song was still relatively fresh at the time, but it already clearly had reached that upper level of magic where only a few special songs dwell year-round. This song never fails to transport us, and seems to do so with ease here. Interesting how it then eases out, softly, gently, kindly. And it leads to “Estimated Prophet,” a song also included on the Terrapin LP (wow, they played nearly the entire album at this show), and soon we’re grooving to Phil Lesh’s bass line, and the song opens like a flower bursting in colors, shades of reds and purples, while that pulse continues below and inside. I love that moment where it works its way up through and then explodes into light. Oh yes. Jerry’s guitar work bubbles up in delicious bursts and pops, and soon is leading us through a swaying passageway. The jam is cool, with jazzy touches, itself leading into “Eyes Of The World.” “Estimated” and “Eyes” were often paired in the coming years, the two songs always appreciated. The delightful groove of “Eyes” never fails to lift me up. The band is really together here, moving along, Jerry’s guitar swinging and always finding – or creating – the right path, and they’re only to the second verse. Though things are moving at a good pace, they are in no hurry, letting the song move as it will, particularly as it seems to have its own momentum, its own life. And the jam at the end is wonderful, dominated by the rhythm.

The drums then deftly move everything toward Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away,” letting that groove settle in, the guys jamming on it for a time before going into the lyrics. And after the first verse, these guys find that fire, and gain control of it, guiding it, directing it, creating a way forward with it. This version has a pulse, a heart. The beast can prowl and dance, though failing to tame itself, while bringing those around it under its control. Its arms spinning out into darker territories, tossing fire, then pushing space between bolts, lessening its range but going out to a different land, spotting it first, then spilling itself out toward it. A wizard there is off his nut, dazzled by his own new concoction, but then it is all pulled together again, the fire continuing beneath. The “Not Fade Away” vocal jam is cool, and then “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad” emerges, another delicious groove to keep the heart beating, the feet moving. The band is cooking, building in power. There is something of a strange ending, and the band jumps into “Around And Around” to wrap up the second set. Toward the end they ramp up the pace, going all out, and it’s fantastic. The encore is a powerful “Uncle John’s Band.”

CD Track List

Disc 1

1. The Music Never Stopped
2. Sugaree
3. Mama Tried
4. Sunrise
5. Deal
6. Passenger
7. Brown-Eyed Women
8. Looks Like Rain
9. Jack-A-Roe
10. New Minglewood Blues
11. Bertha

Disc 2

1. Samson And Delilah
2. High Time
3. Big River
4. U.S. Blues

Disc 3

1. Terrapin Station >
2. Estimated Prophet >
3. Eyes Of The World >
4. Not Fade Away >
5. Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad >
6. Around And Around
7. Uncle John’s Band

Dave’s Picks Volume 41 was released in January, 2022. My copy arrived on January 31st. This volume is limited to 25,000 copies. Mine is number 21,529.

Kevin Buckley: “Big Spring” (2022) CD Review

Kevin Buckley is a singer and songwriter who plays a variety of instruments, including fiddle, and is known for his work in Grace Basement. His new solo album, Big Spring, goes in a different direction, featuring mostly traditional material. Kevin Buckley did the arrangements, and also plays most of the instruments on these tracks, including fiddle, guitar, bouzouki, and octave mandolin. He is joined on various tracks by Alan Murray on bouzouki, guitar and vocals; Gerard Erker on banjo; Eileen Gannon on harp; Jon Ferber on guitar; Dan Lowery on guitar and vocals; Alex Sinclair on vocals; Eimear Arkins on fiddle; and Ian Walsh on fiddle. Many of these tunes are instrumentals, and feature some fantastic work on fiddle.

The album opens with “Sweeney’s Wheel,” an instrumental tune written by Jackie Daly. I think something in my blood connects to this kind of music. The moment it begins, I feel better about the world. It never fails to raise my spirits. It feels so natural, so uplifting. The idea that all of life is a dance is strong in this type of music, and it makes me want to be more engaged in the world. Mostly it makes me wish I were on some great green hill overlooking the ocean. Kevin Buckley plays both fiddle and guitar here, and so is jamming with himself. He plays both fiddle and guitar on “Ryder’s Block” as well, but here is joined by Alan Murray on bouzouki, and by Gerard Erker on banjo. And while this might have the sound and vibe of a tradition number, this one was composed by Kevin Buckley. There is a sweet joy to his playing, particularly the work on fiddle.

“The Blackest Crow” is the first of the album’s three tracks to feature vocals. Alex Sinclair and Dan Lowery provide the vocal work here, their voices sounding so good together. And not content with just playing fiddle and guitar, on this one Kevin Buckley also plays bouzouki and octave mandolin. This song is also known as “My Dearest Dear.” “If ever I prove false to you/Bright day shall turn to night.” That’s followed by “Hardiman The Fiddler,” a short, pretty instrumental track featuring Kevin Buckley on fiddle. Joining him on this one are Alan Murray on bouzouki and Eileen Gannon on harp. Then we go into a completely wonderful, magical, sweet jazzy realm with “Marcelle Et Marcel,” a tune written by Manu Galvin and J.J. Milteau. On this one, Jon Ferber plays guitar, delivering some absolutely delightful work. Yet it is the fiddle that is the focus, and Kevin Buckley lifts us up, spins us around, and overjoys us with his playing. This is one of my personal favorites.

Kevin Buckley sings on “Never Tire Of The Road,” which was written by Andy Irvine. He also plays bouzouki on this one. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “And the dark road leads me onward/The highway that’s my code/The lonesome voice that I heard in my head said/Never tire of the road.” This song also contains nods to Woody Guthrie as he sings “California to the New York island” and “You’re bound to lose, you fascists, bound to lose.” Let’s hope he’s right. The mid-term elections will be here before we know it, and those maniacs on the right aren’t disappearing. That’s followed by “The Queen And The Cook.” On this traditional number, Kevin Buckley plays all the instruments – fiddle, bouzouki and guitar. This tunes moves at a more relaxed pace. He plays those same three instruments on “La Rubia,” this time joined by Eileen Gannon on harp. This is another delightful number that takes us to another time, another place, which is so appealing these days. This tune has a false ending, then enters another section.

Kevin Buckley’s rendition of “City Of Savannah” features some cool, jazzy work on guitar by Jon Ferber. This one has a sudden ending that caught me off guard the first time I heard it. That’s followed by “The Belles Of St. Louis,” a fairly short instrumental track which is all about fiddle. Kevin Buckley performs this one solo. Then we get “Miss Bailey,” the last of the album’s tracks to feature vocals, which are provided by Kevin Buckley and Alan Murray. Alan Murray also plays bouzouki. Dan Lowery is on guitar. This is one of those great, sad tales. “Seduced a maid who hung herself one morning in her garters.” Of course, it should be “hanged,” not “hung.” In some versions the line is “I am a gay deceiver,” but in this version Kevin Buckley sings “I am a bold deceiver,” which makes us think of “Whisky In The Jar.” The album concludes with “Ships Are Sailing,” which features a whole lot of great work on fiddle. Kevin Buckley plays both fiddle and guitar, and is joined by both Eimear Arkins and Ian Walsh on fiddle. Alan Murray plays bouzouki and tenor guitar.

CD Track List

1. Sweeney’s Wheel
2. Ryder’s Block
3. The Blackest Crow
4. Hardiman The Fiddler
5. Marcelle Et Marcel
6. Never Tire Of The Road
7. The Queen And The Cook
8. La Rubia
9. City Of Savannah
10. The Belles Of St. Louis
11. Miss Bailey
12. Ships Are Sailing

Big Spring was released on February 22, 2022.

Albums I Received Week Of February 20 – 26, 2022

These are the CDs I received the week of February 20 – 26, 2022:

• Hoodoo Gurus: “Chariot Of The Gods”
• Hurricane Ruth: “Live At 3rd And Lindsley”
• Jeff Tuohy: “Hudson Delta”
• Gary Brumburgh: “Full Circle”
• Mercedes Nicole: “Constellation”
• Kevin Buckley: “Big Spring”
• various artists: “Space Opera”
• Michelle Malone: “1977”
• E.G. Phillips: “Alien From An Alternate Earth”
• Jo Harrop: “The Heart Wants”

Disturbing The Peace: 415 Records And The Rise Of New Wave (2022) Book Review

The independent record label 415 was launched in 1978, focusing on new wave and punk music. The label’s motto was “Disturbing the peace,” 415 being the police code for a disturbance, as well as the area code for San Francisco, where the label was founded. In Disturbing The Peace: 415 Records And The Rise Of New Wave, author Bill Kopp details the history of that label, the people who started it, and the artists who released albums on it, capturing an exciting time in music. Bill Kopp writes with an obvious passion for the music, as well as with knowledge. This is his second book, following 2018’s Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett To The Dark Side Of The Moon. He has also written the liner notes for several CD reissues, including albums by Larry Coryell, Brotherhood and Dave Mason. The information and anecdotes in this new book come in large part from interviews conducted by the author, interviews not only with 415 Records co-founders Howie Klein and Chris Knab, but with many of the artists whose albums were released on that label. There is a foreword written by Joel Selvin, who sets the scene, giving us a taste of San Francisco in the 1970s, and showing where 415 Records fit in. The book also contains a lot of photographs, including many of old concert flyers, which I find particularly fascinating.

Bill Kopp begins with some biographical information on Howie Klein, though keeping it in relation to music. As freshman class president at Stony Brook University, he was in charge of booking bands to play at the college, including The Fugs. There is a surprising connection to the psychedelic music coming out of San Francisco, for Howie Klein was a DJ at the college station, and he played tapes of those bands sent to him by concert promoter Bill Graham. Bill Kopp doesn’t spend too much time on that part of Howie Klein’s life, moving swiftly to his relocation to San Francisco, and providing information on Mabuhay Gardens (or, The Mab), a restaurant that became a music club at night. One of the photos, by the way, shows a concert calendar for this venue, including gigs by Dead Kennedys and Rave-Ups. Must have been a great time. Bill Kopp also talks about the influential San Francisco radio stations, and how a radio program led to the forming of 415 Records.

There is a lot of information on the bands that released albums on the label, starting with The Nuns. Each band – or, rather, each release – gets its own short chapter, which is cool. And the book progresses in chronological order, so we get a sense of how the label progressed. Being an independent label, the records described here are from the beginnings of the careers of these artists, and there are interesting anecdotes about how some of these bands formed. For me, one of the most fascinating bands mentioned here is SVT, a group that includes Jack Casady on bass. Yes, Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna. How had that group escaped my attention? That’s something else I love about this book, getting turned on to more bands. I have a feeling my record collection is going to grow as a result of reading this book. Speaking of which, Bill Kopp writes, regarding an interesting parody single, “For what’s worth, Chris Knab says he has ‘a box full of them’” (p. 88).  Well, all right! How do I get one sent my way? Another record I absolutely must get my hands on is The White EP by Pop-O-Pies, mostly because I need to hear (and own) their rendition of “Truckin’.” The description of one of their live sets is hilarious: “Callahan would then invite the audience to shout out song requests. ‘He would say, “okay,”’ Bowen laughs. ‘And then we would play “Truckin’” again! Some would laugh and some would yell, but we always got the crowd riled up’” (p. 184).

The book includes several chapters on the compilation 415 Music, one for each of the bands on it (those not previously mentioned, that is). One thing that is interesting about that release is that some of the bands included on the record hadn’t put out anything on the 415 label before it. By the way, that compilation’s cover is also the cover of the book. Also especially interesting is the chapter on The Units. I love Scott Ryser’s thoughts on punk: “Punk wasn’t relegated to a guitar, black leather jacket, tight pants and safety pin uniform or a three-chord guitar pattern. Punk meant being creative, anti-establishment, funny, daring, provocative, innovative…and most importantly, original” (p. 155). The wildest anecdote from the chapter on The Units is that the band played at two Danielle Steele birthday parties. That is so weird. That is a name I would never have expected to come up in a book about punk and new wave. The chapter on Roky Erickson And The Aliens is also fascinating, and it features memories from Stu Cook, who produced Roky’s album (sometimes having to get him out of a mental institution to record his vocals).

A section of the book deals with the Columbia Records period, though continuing with bands getting their own chapters. These bands, in part because of their popularity, get a little more attention than some of the other groups. After all, Romeo Void’s “Never Say Never” is probably the most well-known of all the tracks mentioned in this book. Romeo Void, Red Rockers, Translator and Wire Train each have multiple chapters devoted to their releases. We learn quite a bit about the history of Red Rockers, and there are some wild anecdotes concerning Wire Train. Just as interesting is how Howie Klein came to make the deal to align 415 Records with Columbia. His logic is hilarious: “All these major labels are shit. Why fool around? The way to do this is to just pick the worst label of all and go with them” (p. 224). The last section of the book then deals with the end of 415 Records, and includes a chapter detailing post-415 releases on CD, which is great and helpful for folks like me, eager to add this music to our collections.

Disturbing The Peace: 415 Records And The Rise Of New Wave was published on February 14, 2022 through HoZac Books.

Sarah Borges: “Together Alone” (2022) CD Review

The new album from Sarah Borges, Together Alone, was put together remotely during the pandemic, just as its title suggests. Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, who plays several of the instruments on these tracks and co-wrote a couple of the songs, describes the process in the album’s liner notes. It’s wild how innovative musicians became during this time in order get their music out there, and how much was accomplished via phones and computers. While this album is not credited to Sarah Borges’ band The Broken Singles, Eric Ambel not only performed on the group’s last album, Love’s Middle Name, but also produced it. He produced this new album as well. And Broken Singles drummer Phil Cimino plays on a few tracks of this album. Also joining Sarah Borges on this album are Rob Arthur on organ and piano, Keith Voegele on bass and vocals, Keith Christopher on bass, Ryan Rogers on drums, John Perrin on drums, Keith Robinson on drums, and Diego Voglino on drums. This album features all original material, written or co-written by Sarah Borges.

Sarah Borges opens the album with “Wasting My Time,” a title that certainly speaks to our time when things were shut down. The song’s first line, however, is “Don’t tell me that I’m wasting my time.” This track features a solid, somewhat slow groove that matches the persistent ache that most of us have felt. “Been a while now since I’ve seen my friends/Don’t know when I’m going to see ‘em again/Without them around it’s harder to pretend/That I know where I’m going.” I’m sure those lines will ring true for a lot of folks. Rob Arthur plays organ, and Ryan Rogers is on drums on this track. That’s followed by “Lucky Day,” which has something of a punk vibe and energy as it begins. John Perrin plays drums on this one. A song for everyone who is still waiting for his or her lucky day.

“Wouldn’t Know You” has a great bar band sound. I know that restrictions have lifted in many places, but I just haven’t been ready yet to go drinking inside a bar. But the sound of this song is making me miss it even more. I can’t wait to dance to a song like this, a Sam Adams in my hand. Interesting, since this song is about trying to get a friend to pull back from heavy drinking and hard living, and Sarah Borges herself has been sober for several years. Yet, there it is, this song has that sound that makes me want to enjoy a beer. Go figure. “Last one leaving, and the first to stumble into a bar/If anyone needs you, they know for sure where you are.” There is some great energy to Sarah’s vocal delivery. This one was written by Eric Ambel, Sarah Borges, and Keith Voegele. Keith Christopher plays bass on it, while Keith Voegele provides some vocal work. Phil Cimino is on drums. Then “Something To Do” also mentions drinking, right in its first line: “Hiding out in the bathroom ‘cause I’ve had too much to drink.” It also mentions seeing a phone number on a wall, “For a good time call.” Do people still do that? The lyrics also refer to the Willie Nelson song in the line “Another bloody Mary morning of the week.” But the lines that really stand out for me are these: “Maybe that’d solve my problems/‘Cause I have more than a few/Maybe that’d make them more/But at least I’d have something to do.” Eric Ambel plays 12-string acoustic guitar, electric slide guitar, percussion, strings and Mellotron on this one. Keith Robinson is on drums.

“Rock And Roll Hour” has a totally fun vibe and groove. Rob Arthur delivers some wonderful stuff on both organ and clavinet. That’s followed by “She’s A Trucker,” a steady rocking number about getting a job as a trucker. I read earlier in the pandemic that there was a shortage of truckers, and that they were looking for new drivers. And I believe it, particularly as I was stuck in traffic the other day as a clearly inexperienced trucker spent close to ten minutes trying to back her rig into a lot, blocking all four lanes in both directions. This track features some good work on guitar. Then in “13th Floor,” Sarah Borges sings about taking the elevator to the thirteenth floor, tempting fate, even using a broken mirror. “When you’ve just been looking for an image of yourself/And the one that’s staring back is somebody else.” Keith Voegele is on bass, and John Perrin plays drums on this track.

“You Got Me On The Boat” is another solid rock song, this one written by Sarah Borges and Keith Voegele. It is about the Outlaw Country Cruise, which took place in February of 2020, just before the pandemic shut everything down. The lineup for that event included not only Sarah Borges, but groups like NRBQ, The Yayhoos and The Mavericks, all of whom are mentioned in the song. By the way, John Perrin, who plays drums on two of this album’s tracks, is the drummer for NRBQ. “And if I learned anything in those years/It’s when the music’s playing, it takes away life’s hurts and fears.” Yup, that’s what I’ve found as well, and that’s why music has been even more important the last few years. “You Got Me On The Boat” is followed by “Pretty Christine,” which has a vibrant country rock sound. Rob Arthur plays piano on this one. The album wraps up with its title track, “Together Alone,” which begins in a mellower place. Its opening line, “I know I ain’t seen you for a couple of years,” applies to basically everyone we know during the pandemic. It’s a song about distances between people, about memories and longings, and yet has a hopeful bent. I love her passionate vocal delivery. “And I just paid the rent with a dollar to spare/And all of the time I was thinking of you.”

CD Track List

1. Wasting My Time
2. Lucky Day
3. Wouldn’t Know You
4. Something To Do
5. Rock And Roll Hour
6. She’s A Trucker
7. 13th Floor
8. You Got Me On The Boat
9. Pretty Christine
10. Together Alone

Together Alone was released on February 18, 2022 through Blue Corn Music.

Wesley Stace: “Late Style” (2021) CD Review

Wesley Stace is a singer and songwriter who for many years performed and recorded under the name John Wesley Harding, but who is now recording under his real name. His most recent album, Late Style, features original material written by Wesley Stace and David Nagler. David Nagler also plays keyboards and acoustic guitar, as well as providing some backing vocals. Also joining Wesley Stace on this album are Brian J. Campbell on saxophone, Danny Cao on trumpet, Prairie Prince (of The Tubes) on drums, Mauro Refosco on percussion, and Chris Von Sneidern on electric guitar and backing vocals, with Kelly Hogan and Nora O’Connor (both of whom sing with The Decemberists) also providing backing vocals. Wesley Stace, in addition to recording and performing, has written several novels and has taught creative writing, so it should come as no surprise that this album’s lyrical content is a major part of its appeal. On certain tracks, he delivers keen observations about our current social climate, and does so with the necessary and appreciated dash of humor. The music itself mixes pop and jazz elements, and has its own cool style.

The album opens with “Where The Bands Are,” which is an original song, not a cover of the Bruce Springsteen song of the same name. This track has a delicious, jazzy groove, and the lyrics are addressed to someone who likes to be backstage hanging out with the musicians, rather than being out front during the show. I personally like a little of both. When the music is on, I want to be out in front, enjoying it. But between bands, well, I prefer to be backstage, where often the alcohol is better (and free), and where the bathrooms are much cleaner. “And it’s like an apartment, much nicer than yours,” Wesley Stace sings here. Totally true. I was once in a bathroom backstage that was nearly the size of my apartment, and even had a couch in it. However, it did not take me long to learn there is not a lot of action backstage, something it seems the person this song is aimed at doesn’t quite get. When I was in my early twenties, I got a backstage pass for a Grateful Dead concert, and I expected all kinds of wild goings on. Nope, nothing of the sort. All the magic is in the music. This track is a total delight. I love that moment at the end, where the person finds himself or herself alone, because the musicians are on stage.

“Everything All The Time” also features jazzy elements and some sweet backing vocals. Ah yes, the romance of the silver screen is mentioned early, in relation to the reality of the damn little screens “In every hand including mine.” Another line that strikes me is “Every extra is an extrovert,” in part because I used to work as an extra, and I recall just that sort of thing. This song is about how we are able to access everything all at once (like binge-watching a television series, rather than waiting a week for the next episode), and looks back fondly at a time not so long ago when we weren’t inundated with news and with reports from friends and acquaintances about their every movement, a time when a person could relax and easily shut out the world for a bit. The world’s daily pace can be exhausting. “And who recalls the slow news day?” he asks. “Everyone knows everyone else/When too many friends isn’t good for your health.”  I think we all would like to step back. And yet here we are.

Then in “Your Bright Future,” Wesley Stace sings, “It’s all a big mess/Better put your bright future on hold.” This track has a great, prominent bass line, and features some pretty touches that have a sense of magic about them, like from an electronic harp. The first time I listened to this album, I had to tell my girlfriend about these lines: “Who are these people?/Who let them in anyhow?/You say they’ll be leaving/Well, honey, how about now?/I’m too old for this shit.” This track has a seriously cool vibe. The style and delivery remind me at times of some of the later work of Leonard Cohen. Of course, that might also be in part because of Wesley Stace’s talent for writing excellent lyrics. Then, with “Hey! Director,” he takes us again to the set of a movie, the main character of the song being an actor, with several questions for whoever it is that is in charge of this crazy scene. “I wonder if this film will be what it was meant to be.” I wonder that too. I love the jazzy work on guitar. And, yeah, if you’re wondering, there is a direct reference to Cecil B. DeMille. And he mentions extras again (these days they are referred to as “background actors”): “If the shoot don’t kill you, the extras will.” Toward the end he decides, “I can’t believe you talked me into this so easily/I’m going back to music/It makes more sense for me.” This isn’t the first time Wesley Stace has sung about movies. On his album The Name Above The Title he has song titled “The Movie Of Your Life,” in which he sings, “In the movie of your life, they’ll get some real jerk to be you.”

“Come Back Yesterday” has a different vibe, a pop rock song with something of a mid-1960s feel, though the lyrics are about certain people in the present (people many of us wish would disappear to the past). “You want it all to be all about you/And even that isn’t enough/So eat your words and delete your account/You’re old and in the way/Oh, come back yesterday.” As a side note, I always thought the bluegrass group Old & In The Way had one of the best band names, and wish they’d recorded more. “Come Back Yesterday” is followed by “All The Yous,” which has a bossa nova vibe and some surprising lines, such as “You have so many lovers/I think that maybe one of them is me.” I love when a line catches me off guard. Then “The California Fix” has a playful vibe, apparent right from its start. I appreciate the baseball reference in these lines: “I thought it was over/It was just the beginning/The very first inning.” This song also contains a line from Woody Guthrie’s “Do Re Mi,” one of my favorite songs about California: “California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see.”

“Well Done Everyone” is one of my personal favorites. I love the sarcastic title of this song. Really, that line could be uttered at the end of basically every news report these days (sarcastically, of course). This song begins with some good work on drums. Check out these lyrics: “We’re no longer safe from the rays of the sun/Well done, everyone/There’s always a cowboy out waving a gun/Well done, everyone/So much for progress, I hope we’re all pleased.” People are awful. Not all people, of course, but many more than I would have guessed like eight years ago. The cheerful vibe of this song is just perfect. The song ends on an optimistic note (that I’m not sure he or anyone believes): “But we won’t let ourselves get distracted again/It’s late, but we’ll get it done/Well done, well done/Well done, everyone.” That’s followed by “The Impossible She,” in which he again refers to the movies: “You could make your movie without interference.” “Do Nothing If You Can” is a title that stood out the first time I glanced at the track list. Some great advice, right? “Don’t overwrite/Don’t get so excited/Here’s a plan/Do nothing if you can/Don’t go on all night/Don’t shine your light so bright.” The song is a smooth, jazzy pop number, a strange tune for the days of the pandemic when we couldn’t do all that much, at least not the regular stuff we wanted to do.

“Just Sayin’” is another delightful, fun number with a catchy groove and some wonderful work from the brass section. But of course the lyrics are the main draw. Here is a taste: “I open the door and that makes you nervous/I’ll tempt you once, then I’ll be on my way/Because I go where I feel like going/And I stay where I feel like staying.” Another line that stands out is “It’s good to see your price tag on display.” The album concludes with “How You All Work Me,” a playful song from a songwriter to his audience. “You make me write songs/Look, I’m writing one now/They sometimes take days/But I manage somehow/Then you accuse me of being highbrow/It was you who demanded I made my voice heard/How you all work me.”

CD Track List

1. Where The Bands Are
2. Everything All The Time
3. Your Bright Future
4. Hey! Director
5. Come Back Yesterday
6. All The Yous
7. The California Fix
8. Well Done Everyone
9. The Impossible She
10. Do Nothing If You Can
11. Just Sayin’
12. How You All Work Me

Late Style was released on September 10, 2021 through Omnivore Recordings.