Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band: “White Swan” (2013) CD Review

I was turned onto Susie Glaze a few years ago by Fur Dixon, who co-wrote one of the songs on White Swan, the new release by Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band.  This bluegrass band is based in Los Angeles and features Susie Glaze on lead vocals and guitar, Steve Rankin on mandolin, Rob Carlson on guitar, Mark Indictor on fiddle, and Fred Sanders on bass.

Susie has a strong voice, and she often sings in her upper registers. That is balanced out on certain tracks by backing vocals by some of the male members of the band. And on two of the tracks, she performs harmonies to their lead vocals. The first of those, “Me And The Eagle,” is a song written by Steve Earle, and sung on this album by Steve Rankin. It’s a really nice rendition, with some sweet playing on fiddle by Mark Indictor. (Steve Earle's original version appears on 2002's Side Tracks.)  The second is “Rockin’ In Your Granddaddy’s Chair,” a tune written and sung by bass player Fred Sanders.

The first track on White Swan begins with a fiddle solo, which is beautiful. This intro is the traditional song, “Si Bheag, Si Mhor,” and it’s a great way to open an album. A minute in, the band comes in to start “Mill Worker,” a James Taylor tune (originally included on his 1979 release, Flag, where it's title "Millworker"). I always liked the lines, “May I work the mills just as long as I am able/And never meet the man whose name is on the label.”

“Little Rabbit” is a really fun bluegrass folk tune written by Robert Ralph Carlson and Fur Dixon. Pick a partner and get up to dance to this one, especially to the instrumental section. I dig Steve Rankin’s work on mandolin. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “What happened to the young girl who was so free and wild/They ran her down and cornered her so she couldn’t run.” “Little Rabbit” is an excellent song, and is my favorite track from this album.

“Fair Ellender” is the only track on this release with a different band – Jon Pickow on mountain dulcimer, Peter Pickow on hammer dulcimer, and Kenny Kosek on fiddle. Susie Glaze begins a cappella, her voice soaring as if over valleys and plains and mountains. Her voice is perfect for this type of song. I hope she tackles more material like this. (This song was originally included on Singin’ The Moon Up.)

“April Fools” is an oddly catchy and kind of delightful tune with a bit of a jazzy feel. Written by Robert Ralph Carlson, this song begins, “I saw you in the spring parade/Flowers in your hair/Folks thought you were foolish/But I fell right then and there/So I put flowers in my hair too/Then I danced with you/That’s how I remember springtime/And two crazy April fools.”  Susie’s vocals on those opening lines have a bit of a 1960s pop feel (which of course is helped by the lyrics about flowers in their hair).

“The Dark Eileen” begins as spoken word, which is surprising. The spoken word section is from a poem by Robert Burns, titled A Mother's Lament For The Death Of Her Son. Susie jumps from the first stanza to the last: “Fate gave the word, the arrow sped/And pierced my darling’s heart/And with him all the joys are fled/Life can to me impart/Death, oft I feared thy fatal blow/Now, fond, I bear my breast.” This is the only song on which Susie has a writing credit (along with bandmates Robert Ralph Carlson and Steve Rankin). And it’s an interesting tune, with a different feel from the other songs – it has a certain understated power. Steve Rankin plays both mandolin and bouzouki on this track.

“White Swan,” the CD’s title track, was written by three of the band’s members – Robert Ralph Carlson, Mark Indictor and Steve Rankin. Here is a bit of the lyrics: “Son, you know it’s wrong/To kill what God made fair/Put away your gun/It’s a sin to kill the swan.” But it’s the instrumental sections I enjoy most. Susie plays mountain dulcimer on this one, and Steve Rankin plays bouzouki. The build and increase in pace toward the end oddly reminds just a bit of “Baba O’Riley” by The Who. Is it just me? It's probably just me.

CD Track List

1. Mill Worker
2. Little Rabbit
3. Evangeline
4. Me And The Eagle
5. Fair Ellender
6. Harlan County Boys
7. Rockin’ In Your Granddaddy’s Chair
8. April Fools
9. The Dark Eileen
10. White Swan
11. The Soldier

White Swan is scheduled to be released on March 19, 2013.

End Construction Reunion at Club Passim, February 24th

When I was in high school, one of my two favorites bands (the other being the Grateful Dead) was End Construction. This band is composed of, in alphabetical order, Brian Doser, Jim Infantino, Ellis Paul and Jon Svetkey. (Their last names spell “DIPS,” and their second album, which was never recorded, was going to be titled Dips In The Road.) I would see them perform every chance I got. And those shows were some of the best nights of music of my life. Each of those four singer/songwriters has such a distinct style and personality, and when they’d play together it was basically magic. 

They used to do a bluegrass David Bowie medley that was ridiculously fun. I loved this band so much that when I started a folk and acoustic radio program in Eugene, Oregon, I named it after one of their songs, “Dogs Run Free.” (That song still completely cracks me up.)

They stopped playing together in the early 1990s, each pursuing his own musical career. But they’ve done a few reunion shows over the years.  And later this month, on February 24th, they are getting together again for two shows at Club Passim in Cambridge, Massachusetts. If you live within five or six hours of Boston, I strongly recommend you go to these shows. There’s a five o’clock show, and an eight o’clock show. I’m seriously bummed that I’m going to miss them.

Besides the fact that these are four excellent singer/songwriter/musicians, there’s another reason to attend these shows. They are going to benefit a friend of the band, who needs help with medical costs.

Ellis Paul at Grant R. Brimhall Library in Thousand Oaks, 2-16-13

Music has always played an important part in my life. When I was 8 or 9, our class went to something called (as I recall) Project Adventure. During the day, we’d climb walls, swing on ropes and go on hikes. And at night, one of the counselors brought out a guitar, and we’d all sing. The two songs I remember the counselors choosing were Cat Stevens’ “Moonshadow” and Joni Mitchell’s “The Circle Game.”

Several years later I saw a film called The Strawberry Statement, based on James Simon Kunen’s book, and that movie opens with Buffy Sainte-Marie’s version of “The Circle Game.” From those opening moments, I knew I would love the film.  That song has really been important to me.  It’s always felt both sad and hopeful to me, a combination I love in music.

On Saturday, Ellis Paul performed at the Grant R. Brimhall Library in Thousand Oaks, California, and he opened his second set with “The Circle Game.” It was a sweet rendition, and was one of many highlights from the show.

He began the show by saying, “I’d like to introduce the band. Radoslav Lorkovic.” He’s used that joke several times, but it always gets a laugh. And of course it’s always great to see Radoslav play. He was on piano and backing vocals for most of the show, but also played accordion on a few songs.  Ellis then kicked off the show with a relatively new song called “Chasing Beauty.”

A little later in the first set Ellis and Rasoslav joked about performing in a library, about asking for audience participation in a place where usually folks are reminded to hush. Also, “This is not a drinking establishment.” Then, “We encourage drinking everywhere.”  They then did a seriously fun version of “Kick Out The Lights,” with the audience singing its part. This song featured some excellent stuff from Radoslav on piano.

They followed that with another fun, energetic tune, “Alice Champagne Palace.” And then Ellis told a great story about his new guitar, Guinness. He began that story by mentioning another guitar that he had seen at McCabe’s in Santa Monica, a guitar that he really wanted, but which was eventually bought by Neil Young.

Before playing “Woody Guthrie, Working Man,” Radoslav took out the accordion, to which the audience applauded, leading Ellis to laugh and ask, “When did accordions become sexy?”  “Woody Guthrie, Working Man” is a track off of Ellis Paul’s second children’s record, The Hero In You, which came out last year. He played another song from that album in the second set – “Chief Joseph.”

The first set ended with “Walkin’ After Midnight” into “Things Change” back into “Walkin’ After Midnight.” Near the beginning of the song, Ellis broke a string, and managed to change it during “Things Change,” the humor of which was not lost on anyone. Radoslav kept the song going on piano, and played an excellent solo, and Ellis had the string changed before the end of the tune.

The second set was a bit shorter, and featured two songs from Ellis Paul’s Christmas album, City Of Silver Dreams, though – yes – it’s February. One of those songs, “Snow In Austin,” he’s been performing for many years now. At the beginning of that one, he played a bit of “The City Of New Orleans” and “Mr. Bojangles.”

He ended the second set with “Take All The Sky You Need” (one of my personal favorites) and “Jukebox On My Grave.”  The encore was “The Night Hank Williams Came To Town.”

Set List

Set I

1. Chasing Beauty
2. Rose Tattoo
3. Empire State
4. Kick Out The Lights
5. Alice’s Champagne Palace
6. Mary, Mary
7. Woody Guthrie, Working Man
8. Hurricane Angel
9. Walkin’ After Midnight >
10. Things Change >
11. Walkin’ After Midnight

Set II

1. The Circle Game
2. Snow In Austin
3. Chief Joseph
4. Christmas Lullaby
5. Take All The Sky You Need
6. Jukebox On My Grave

Encore

1. The Night Hank Williams Came To Town

Reason To Believe: The Songs Of Tim Hardin (2013) CD Review

 

A lot of folks are unfamiliar with the name Tim Hardin. But they know his music, thanks mainly to Rod Stewart’s version of his “Reason To Believe” and Bobby Darin’s version of “If I Were A Carpenter.” Actually, both of those songs have been covered by many artists. Because so many people learn of Tim Hardin through covers of his songs, it makes complete sense to release a compilation of artists covering some of his best material. Reason To Believe: The Songs Of Tim Hardin features thirteen tracks by thirteen different artists (although Hannah Peel appears twice, once as a solo artist and once as singer of The Magnetic North).

There is not a weak track here. And yes, that’s because of the material, but it’s also due to the interesting directions many of these artists take with these songs. A lot of these tracks are on the mellow side, yet are incredibly powerful. Check out Gavin Clark’s version of “Shiloh Town,” for example. And listen to that haunting vocal performance on Alela Diane’s rendition of “How Can We Hang On To A Dream.”  All of these artists let the lyrics drive the songs. That is, the vocals are not lost in the productions. Artists featured in this collection include Mark Lanegan, The Phoenix Foundation, Smoke Fairies, Okkervil River and Hannah Peel.

Most of the songs these artists chose to cover are from Tim Hardin’s first two albums. Tim Hardin died in December of 1980, of a drug overdose.

“Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep”

This interesting, and somewhat simple arrangement of “Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep” by The Phoenix Foundation has a sweet, pretty sound, with kind, nearly angelic-sounding vocals. This song was originally included on Tim Hardin 1. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “You promised me things that I need/But then the things behind it/Took away the chance forever/You’re telling me lies in your sleep/Do you think I’m not aware of what you’re saying.” I really like this rendition.

The Phoenix Foundation is a band from Wellington, New Zealand. They formed in the late 1990s.

“Reason To Believe”

“Reason To Believe” is, of course one of Tim Hardin’s most famous compositions. And on this collection, The Sand Band does an excellent country version. David McDonnell’s vocals have just the right amount of sadness mixed with hope. And Scott Marmion’s work on pedal steel is really good. Of course, this is such a great song, it’s hard to imagine anyone messing it up.

Tim Hardin included “Reason To Believe” on Tim Hardin 1. For the two or three people who aren’t familiar with this song, it opens with these lines: “If I listened long enough to you/I’d find a way to believe that it’s all true/Knowing that you lied straight-faced while I cried/Still I look to find a reason to believe.”

“Red Balloon”

“Red Balloon” is a powerful folk song that, as the liner notes suggest, is about heroin – “Bought myself a red balloon, got a blue surprise/Hidden in the red balloon, the pinning of my eyes.” This song has always made me sad. This version by Mark Lanegan features some seriously nice, raw work on acoustic guitar. Mark Lanegan is known for his work with the Screaming Trees and Queens Of The Stone Age, as well as for his solo career.  He had previously included a cover of Hardin’s “Shiloh Town” on his 1999 release, I’ll Take Care Of You. 

“Red Balloon” was included on Tim Hardin’s Tim Hardin 2.

“If I Were A Carpenter”

“If I Were A Carpenter” is probably Tim Hardin’s most famous song. It has been covered by a wide variety of artists of the years, including Johnny Cash, Bob Seger, Willie Nelson, Leonard Nimoy, Dolly Parton and Robert Plant. And it was a top ten hit for Bobby Darrin in 1966. On Reason To Believe, the Smoke Fairies do a seriously cool, somewhat heavy rendition of “If I Were A Carpenter.” I really like the work on keyboards in this version. Smoke Fairies are a British band formed by Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies.

“If I Were A Carpenter” was originally included on Tim Hardin 2.

“Lenny’s Tune”

Irish singer/songwriter Hannah Peel covers “Lenny’s Tune.” She has an unusual take on this song – it’s oddly part lullaby, and as such, it’s a bit eerie, yet there is a strange beauty to it.  This one begins, “I’ve lost a friend, and I don’t know why/But never again will we get together to die/Why after every last shot was there always another.” Lenny Bruce died of a drug overdose in 1966. This song is sometimes also called “Eulogy To Lenny Bruce.”

CD Track List

1. Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep (The Phoenix Foundation)
2. Reason To Believe  (The Sand Band)
3. Red Balloon  (Mark Lanegan)
4. Part Of The Wind  (Diagrams)
5. It’s Hard To Believe In Love For Long  (The Magnetic North)
6. How Can We Hang On To A Dream  (Alela Diane)
7. Misty Roses  (Snorri Helgason)
8. If I Knew  (Sarabeth Tucek)
9. It’s Never Happen Again  (Okkervil River)
10. If I Were A Carpenter  (Smoke Fairies)
11. Shiloh Town  (Gavin Clark)
12. Lenny’s Tune  (Hannah Peel)
13. I Can’t Slow Down  (Pinkunoizu)

Reason To Believe: The Songs Of Tim Hardin is scheduled to be released on February 26, 2013 on Full Time Hobby. It will also be available digitally starting on February 12, 2013.

Dustin Welch: "Tijuana Bible" (2013) CD Review

Dustin Welch’s second album, Tijuana Bible, is a wild collection of original songs with some great energy. His voice has something of the wise-ass in it, something of the prankster – but oddly without any bullshit – like he’s going to make up a story, but by the end, it will be the total truth.

There are moments when his vocals remind me a bit of other singers (such as Tom Waits on “Lost At Sea,” Tom Petty on “Across The Rubicon” and Lou Reed on “Goodbye”), but Dustin Welch still manages to have his own style, his own take on the world. And that’s what keeps us interested. This is an album that keeps the listener engaged throughout.

There is a good variety of songs here. “Things I Cannot Change” is loose, bluesy folk. Some tunes are closer to straight ahead rock, like “Across The Rubicon.” “St. Lucy’s Eyes” is a slower, mellower tune. “Sparrows” has something of a folk feel, but still with a full sound. That track’s instrumental section led by piano and violin is really nice. My particular favorites are “Ash & Iron,” “Lost At Sea” and “Tango Blues.”

“Ash & Iron”

Tijuana Bible opens with “Ash & Iron,” a song that begins with a seriously good groove, and then just builds from that. There is some nice work on guitar early on, and when the vocals first come in, they’re like a chant. This song has a power, and a great kick, but it’s Dustin Welch’s vocals that really make the song something special. They’re aggressive and intense, but with poetry as well as authority. Check out these lyrics: “Outside I hear the shutters banging in the howling wind/So dark the shadows are that close me in/Well, lately I’ve been feeling like there’s no one I can trust/Everything that I’ve got left I’ve left to rust.”

“Ash & Iron” was written by Dustin Welch and Kevin Welch.

“Lost At Sea”

“Lost At Sea” has a wonderfully twisted, haunted feel to it, like a carnival teetering on the edge of damnation. Dustin Welch sounds a bit like Tom Waits, the way he just delivers a lyric with a force while seeming not to worry much about the “correct way” of doing things. Here is a bit of the lyrics: “My head is filled with blood/The voices ringing in my ears are those of every woman I have loved/But I will not set foot upon the mountain/Though I know it must be such a sight to see/Well, I will turn my face the wrong direction/This would be a good day to get lost at sea.”  And the violin really adds to the special sound of this track.

Nathan Singleton provides backing vocals on this song. “Lost At Sea” was written by Dustin Welch and Jeremiah Nelson.

“Jolly Johnny Junker”

“Jolly Johnny Junker” is more of a rock tune, with a steady beat and a bit of a brighter feel. It’s perhaps the instrumental sections that are my favorite moments of this one. Kayla Welch provides backing vocals on this track. “Jolly Johnny Junker” was written by Dustin Welch and Mark Germino.

“Goodbye”

There’s a bit of Lou Reed in Dustin’s vocal delivery on “Goodbye.” This is an oddly uplifting and comforting song. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “I hope your journey is safe, my friend/And paradise is where it ends/Oh, the pain in our hearts, it won’t go away/I know I’ll miss you every day/And I know that we’ll all meet again/Though I don’t know where and I don’t know when.” My favorite sections, however, are the instrumental moments - the violin over that steady snare actually sounds pretty.

“Goodbye” was written by Dustin Welch and Zander Cox.

“Tango Blues”

“Tango Blues” has a seriously cool instrumental intro that sounds from another time and place, and makes me fall for this song immediately. Bukka Allen plays accordion on that intro.  There is then an abrupt change as the song kicks in, and it becomes a wild and intense beast. This one really wowed me. It has an impressive force.  This song is totally delicious.

“Tango Blues” was written by Dustin Welch, Jeremiah Nelson and Jedd Hughes.

“Tijuana Bible”

The album concludes with “Tijuana Bible,” the CD’s title track, which has a really interesting sound. There is this cool relentless drive to this song. I absolutely love the piano lead section, and the way the violin builds beneath it.  It’s enough to get you dancing, but there is also something dark about it, which will affect the way your body moves. Yeah, I dig it.

“Tijuana Bible” was written by Dustin Welch, Rolf Heitmann and Jeff Botta.

CD Track List

1. Ash & Iron
2. Lost At Sea
3. Jolly Johnny Junker
4. Across The Rubicon
5. Party Girl
6. Goodbye
7. Sparrows
8. St. Lucy’s Eyes
9. Tango Blues
10. Things I Cannot Change
11. Tijuana Bible

Musicians

Musicians appearing on this CD include Dustin Welch on lead vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo and gut-string guitar; Jeremy Nail on electric guitar and backing vocals; Trisha Keefer on violin; Scotty Bucklin on piano, keyboards and accordion; Steve Bernal on bass and backing vocals; and Eldridge Goins on drums, percussion, acoustic guitar, synth and backing vocals.

Nathan Singleton provides backing vocals on “Lost At Sea” and “Across The Rubicon.” Drew Smith provides backing vocals on “Party Girl.” Kayla Welch performs backing vocals on “Jolly Johnny Junker.” Bukka Allen plays accordion on the intro to “Tango Blues.”

Tijuana Bible is scheduled to be released on February 12, 2013 on Super Rooster Records.

Cloud Cult: “Love” (2013) CD Review

Cloud Cult had its late-night television debut on Last Call With Carson Daly. A friend and I were at that taping, and that was my introduction to this wonderful band. Since then, I’ve immersed myself in several of Cloud Cult’s recordings. And yes, this is the kind of music you want to immerse yourself in, sink into, and explore. This band has its own particular sound, creates its own universe. The sound can be dense and intricate, gorgeous and moving, but always, always interesting.

They’ve become known for their live shows, where they have artists paint to the music. And no, they’re certainly not the first band to do this. But theirs is the kind of music that lends itself to this sort of exploration and interpretation in other art forms. The paintings are then auctioned off, so fans can take home a singular souvenir of the concert.

Cloud Cult is also known for its environmentally friendly CD packaging. The case for Love is made of 100% post-consumer recycled paperboard, and the plastic CD tray is made from recycled plastic with at least 35% post-consumer materials.

All of that is wonderful. But of course what is most important is the music. Love features some excellent material, my favorites being "You're The Only Thing In Your Way," "Good Friend" and "Meet Me Where You're Going." All of the songs on this album were written by Craig Minowa.

“You’re The Only Thing In Your Way”

Love opens with a beautiful, sad tune titled “You’re The Only Thing In Your Way.” This is a seriously strong track, and is one of my favorites. It begins like a folk tune, with acoustic guitar and vocals, his voice right in your ear as he sings “Drive, baby, drive, until your trouble’s gone/Run, baby, run, until it all goes numb.”  This one really hits me, in part because of the lines, “Nothing here can get in your way/You’ve come too far to care what they say/Now you’re the only thing in your way.” But of course sometimes that’s the toughest, most formidable obstacle. I absolutely love this song.

“It’s Your Decision”

“It’s Your Decision” begins with strings, sounding gorgeous. This song starts slowly, with the lines “Will you sink today/Or let it float away/It’s your decision.” Then there are wonderful touches on piano as the song builds with the drums – until it bursts to another plateau. It has a great, powerful build. Turn this one up, let it sweep you up in its arms and carry you. “I’ve got work to do/Disarming land mines/If I hold it in, I’ll just blow up again/My trigger finger’s twitching.”

“Love And The First Law Of Thermodynamics”

“Love And The First Law Of Thermodynamics” is a really interesting instrumental track that takes you on a journey. Close your eyes, and see what imagery it evokes for you.

“Good Friend”

“Good Friend” is probably my favorite song on this album. I seriously dig the drums on this track. They kick off the song with a great, powerful groove. The lyrics are good as well: “We are not broken ones/Just shattered pieces of the same bright sun/Trying to figure out which way to run/And we can’t do this alone/All I need is a good, good friend/To get me through this.” And this song itself has a friendly feel to it. It is a song to make you feel closer to the rest of humanity, a sort of reminder that our basic needs are the same. It’s a song to remove all the layers of nonsense we coat ourselves with.

“Meet Me Where You’re Going”

“Meet Me Where You’re Going” is another of my favorites. It has a friendly folk feel, with positive lyrics like, “Every day with you I say I do/And it means so much more each time.” This is a song to raise one’s spirits and bring people together. It’s a sweet love song, with a pretty a cappella section where the voices blend well together.

“Sleepwalker”

“Sleepwalker” features some cool percussion to kick it off. The song is a call to those who sleepwalk through their lives to wake up before it’s too late. Craig Minowa asks, “Where is your passion? Where is your wonder? Where is your thankfulness?” The song soon explodes with a heavy energy, and even has some techno elements. It then becomes quiet, intimate again – “Where is your joyfulness? Where is your empathy?” It’s a fantastic song.

“The Show Starts Now”

Love concludes with “The Show Starts Now,” which features the line “I want to be the guy who lives in the moment, not so lost in my mind.” That’s a line I can relate to. It turns out not to be all that easy, at least as I’ve found it. “The Show Starts Now” also has some wonderfully aggressive drumming.

CD Track List

1. You’re The Only Thing In Your Way
2. It’s Your Decision
3. Complicated Creation
4. 1x1x1
5. All The Things We Couldn’t See
6. The Calling
7. LoveAnd The First Law Of Thermodynamics
8. Good Friend
9. Meet Me Where You’re Going
10. Sleepwalker
11. It Takes A Lot
12. Catharsis
13. The Show Starts Now 

Love is scheduled to be released on March 5, 2013 through Earthology Records, the band’s own label.