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CD Reviews Smokin' Grass-Take Yer Pick
Edited by Dean Budnick
By Paul L. Pearson, Ph.D.True to their name, Vermont-based Smokin' Grass takes bluegrass and combusts it into something different, yet pleasing. Their independent debut recording is a slow-burning upbeat mixture incorporating a variety of traditional styles-bluegrass, jazz, country swing, and blues-with a jam twist. Available from the Homegrown Music Net this hour-long collection of picking should keep you grinning if you are of the acoustic roots bent.
Overall, this band gets high marks for instrumental skill and for weaving a traditional acoustic medium into an electric setting. The instrumental tracks are the most appealing-the vocals as a whole may need some more time to develop, but bassist Mike Santosusso holds his own on the songs he takes the lead. "Opus #1" begins this disc on a drinking note, digging for change to buy a shot with a "Tequila" tease. This song has traditional country written all over it. The title track is a pleasurable instrumental romp. A Bob Dylan cover, "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" and the traditional "John Hardy" sandwich "Sweet Marie," an original that features some slick mandolin. Duke Ellington's "Caravan" shows another side of Grass and has a solid walking bass line with greek-flavored mandolin merging into a take on Rodney Crowell's "One Way Rider." Adam Frehm (dobro) and Doug Perkins (acoustic guitar) are certainly no slouches and pick right along with Koornick at every turn throughout this album, punctuated by Kingsley Turner's swinging backbeats on the first seven tracks. "Jillian" is a mellow groove with Santosusso on fretless and is very effective after the faster tracks. My favorite groove on the disc, "Some Funky Grass" finally lets the jam side of Smokin' Grass emerge. Santosusso's bass is funky while supporting and accenting the picking nicely-a well constructed song. "Desert Squaredance" is another good instrumental groove that again features mandolin until Perkins takes the lead on electric guitar. Tim Buckingham's beat is hypnotic in combo with the mandolin and the addition of extra percussion is added flavor. "Man of Constant Sorrow" is a more traditional, gospel-ish lament that ends the disc on a somewhat depressing downturn after the more jamming tracks.
Catch Smokin' Grass live at bluegrass festivals and venues throughout the northeast, south and midwest. The music promises a technically- superior stage show with some intricate acoustic jamming. "Take Yer Pick" is an enjoyable disc that should belong in the collection of anyone with similar influences and interests.
Tony Furtado and Dirk Powell - self-titled
Rounder Records 0456
By: Jesse JarnowThere's just something about traditionally rooted acoustic music that seems to repel pretentiousness. I think it's the fact that one naturally associates the instrumentation involved with down home rustic scenes of country innocence. Or maybe just "Deliverance". Either way, it's hard to get mad at a record that is made up of songs steeped in rural custom, be them newly constructed or freshly reinterpreted. As you may well have guessed by now, the self-titled debut (at least, in this pairing) of banjoist/guitarist Tony Furtado and pianistaccordionistt/fiddle player Dirk Powell is just such a record.
This is not revolutionary music by any means. But, by every means, it is just plain good music. The songs themselves are a right-down-the-middle split of traditional arrangements and original compositions (four by Furtado, two by Powell). In the end, one has a tough time differentiating between the original and the old. That's just fine. The melody of Furtado's first contribution, the Sloes of Pennybanc sounds so familiar that, upon, first listen - within seconds of the track beginning - I was consulting the liner notes to find out where I'd heard the damn thing before. I hadn't, except in imagined fragments of idealized previously non-existent music. So it goes. It, like the entire record, is derivative in the sense that it spoken in a language familiar but often unused.
There is a warmth in this music that accesses something within me, and that is really (for me) what places this disc above and beyond many releases. There is a certain tone, a blend in the instrumentation, that feels just exactly right. The only other record that I can think of, off hand, that manages to capture this consistently is "Uncommon Ritual" by Edgar Meyer, Béla Fleck, and Mike Marshall -- one of the more superb releases of recent years. The thing they have in common is neither the approach nor the specific material, but rather the way in which the instruments wrap around each other and carefully fill spaces left empty by the others. It sounds completely full, but never cluttered. Perhaps that's a sign of respect between the musicians - nobody is stepping on anybody else's toes - that leads to that communal coziness.
The first track on the Furtado/Powell release is a two song medley of Angeline the Baker > John Henry. The songs feature Furtado on slide guitar and Powell on old-time banjo. The acoustic slide guitar is something that is rarely utilized productively outside of blues recordings, where it is often used for its metallic hit-and-run abrassiveness. Here, Furtado employs it differently. Powell describes it best in his liner notes for the album: "[the slide guitar] allows for many things, like deep sustain and an enormous potential for the shaping of tone". The Angeline the Baker portion begins slowly, with Furtado's guitar creating a bed of sound as Powell's banjo darts in between. When John Henry kicks in, one realizes how absolutely perfect the acoustic slide guitar and banjo are for one another.
It's such a great mix that one is almost disappointed when he hears that it's the only track on the album that applies it. That is, until one hears how well the rest of Furtado and Powell's concoctions fit together. Powell's cajun-style fiddle on Lonesome John is an excellent dancing partner with Furtado's banjo. Appalachian and Cajun traditions are, on paper, highly compatible. Indeed, it is not an uncommon fusion to make. However, it is a combination that often sounds tonally hollow. Generally, the primary instruments in both genres do a wonderful job skirting about the higher frequencies but rarely seem to provide a deeper base. This is no better characterized than by the pairing of La Valse de Frank Roi > the Wandering Aces Special. The first half of the medley features Powell on solo accordion. It is infectious, but doesn't fill the gut. When Furtado and guest percussionist Brain (from San Francisco oddball rockers Primus strike up, the music is suddenly given a wonderful depth.
In short, this album is a quiet pleasure to behold -- at times mellow and mournful, at times raucous and joyful, but always fulfilling.
Big Sugar - Heated
By Chip SchrammThere's something exciting about trying something you've never experienced before. Just like going to a restaurant and tasting a dish which overpowers you with a mixture of foreign spices, Big Sugar provides wildly contrasting elements in their latest release, Heated. The influences of the Canadian power-trio aren't too unfamiliar, if taken out of context. The way in which they mix those elements, namely reggae, dub, hip-hop, and grinding rock and roll, might leave the listener with a satisfying, albeit surprised feeling. Throw in some well-timed saxophone and harmonica and what you have is, well - Big Sugar. The vocals themselves are loud and passionate for the most part and the band almost gleefully manipulates them with a pocket-full of effects in the studio Not for the faint of heart, Heated has already gone gold in Canada where it was released back in the fall of '98. Capricorn records released Heated in the U.S. only recently and seems to have added yet another formidable act to their burgeoning camp. If Big Sugar's dedicated Canadian following spills over "south of the border," they stand to make quite an impression on the emerging groove-fusion scene.
The album opens with a little Jamaican jive and proceeds straight into "Where I Stand," a song that shows off the talents of each band member equally. Gordie Johnson attacks his double-necked guitar and worries it like a dog might chew on a bone. Kelly Hoppe aka "Mr. Chill" rides underneath the current of the groove and provides some haunting harmonica work on the track. The roots of the dub influence come from Garry Lowe, a life-long reggae bassist. These influences permeate all of the tracks, though more notably on the later parts of the album. Curiously enough, the band includes no drummer in the official lineup but borrows four different drummers and percussionists for the 12 tracks on the album.
The lyrics on Heated are self-empowering with strong allusions to sexual nirvana laced with a shiny, psychedelic tinge. The vocals on songs like "Better Get Used to It," "The Scene," and "Girl Watcher." would be pretty solid even if they weren't inflected with a varying range of studio effects. While plenty of modern musicians tend to over-produce their albums and use vocal distortion in an attempt to cover the fact that they can't sing, Johnson and Hoppe utilize tricks to solidify their sound, not fray it. They even get some support from Warren Haynes, a man who knows quite a bit about driven vocals and thrashing guitar, on "Let It Ride." New Yorkers might remember the association between the musicians from Gov't Mule's most recent CD release party at Irving Plaza. Both Big Sugar and Derek Trucks were on hand to help celebrate.
"Cop a Plea" and "Round and Round" pair razor-sharp guitar licks with cascading vocals in a combination oddly reminiscent of Humble Pie or Lenny Kravitz's early works. The breadth of musical influence that the three members of Big Sugar bring to the table lends itself to all sorts of comparisons. Garry Lowe really shines on the last few tracks of the album. "Let It Ride" and "Turn the Lights On" are both deeply rooted in reggae rhythms and basic dub beats. The latter song is already a club favorite in Canada. The groove of these tracks is infectious, growing on the listener after repeated exposure.
At the end of the day, Big Sugar is in total control of every chord, chorus and effect they employ. This is what makes the album work. While most music fans in the U.S. probably haven't heard of Big Sugar yet, they do have four other albums to their credit, most released only in Canada. Their experience pays off big time. Heated is an excellent album overall. Unlike some modern jambands whose long extended soloing prevents them from gaining the radio airplay or media coverage they deserve, Big Sugar is able to pack quite a wallop within a neat little package. This may be the first time U.S. readers hear about Big Sugar, but it definitely won't be the last.
Live Duo -- Box Set Returns to Their Roots
by Michael Braude"Unplugged" recordings were all the rage a few years back, but rarely (if ever) did a band completely forego their amps for such outings. On "Live Duo," Box Set has done precisely that. Jim Brunberg and Jeff Pehrson, the two singer-songwriters that are at the heart of the electric band, give their mates some time off and relive their early days at the start of this decade when they played coffeehouses as an acoustic duo. The music was recorded with nothing more than the two guitarists and a bunch of microphones over two consecutive nights at the Noe Valley Ministry, one of San Francisco's premier acoustic music venues. The twenty-two song double disc plays like a two-set show, complete with between-song banter, with a pair of studio tracks added to the end. Selections include previously unrecorded material (both old and new) as well as songs recorded by the full band. The guitar work, while not flashy, is excellent, and the vocals (Brunberg's baritone and Pehrson's tenor) are outstanding, the harmonies even stunning.
The opening track, "Sunup," is one of only two collaborative songwriting efforts from the duo. It is a vibrant song that will have your toe tapping and your body swaying as the lyrics depict an intrusively cold darkness ("the sky was gray and black," "she . . . left me frozen there") pushed aside by the warmth of a revealing light. This cut gets "the show" off to a rousing start, and the two discs reveal one gem after another with moods ranging from youthful and exuberant to world-weary and introspective. "Backstroke" soars with the unjaded hope ("ahead were only bluer skies") of a young man striking out on his own for the first time. "I Owe Something," Brunberg's ode to his mother, is a personal and heartfelt number whose attacking chords complement lines like "You patched the hole where I put my fist/And when I fucked up, you kept no list."
"X-mas '95" is a celebratory gift to an adolescent sibling that extols the virtue of opening one's heart to another. The anthem "Long Black Ribbon" is one of my favorite cuts. From the harmonics in the opening chords to the crescendo entry into the final chorus, this song is a classic with verses like: "You are a sculpture built of solid iron steel/Like the Titanic, life's rough rolls you barely feel/You roll them over and you fight to keep your steady keel/Let me remind you: one piece of ice can break your wheel."
"Therapy Song" is an aggressive tune that wryly depicts a relationship gone bad with everything from subtle sarcasm ("You dyed your hair a lazy shade of blonde") to malicious mischievousness ("We poured glue on each other's favorite records/And switched the covers") to outright anger ("So I took an ax to your little yellow bike"). Pehrson's bittersweet ballad, "Valentine," features Brunberg on mandolin, the straining tones of which echo the strain of the overly comfortable relationship described by the lyrics. "We've logged a million miles/Of fortune hunts and faded smiles/Until we never disagree ... Can you still stand the sight of me." Closing out the first disc, "Back To You" bounces down the lengthy road home detailing the Herculean efforts undertaken ("work a year in June") to get there, and the infectious song overtakes the crowd which joins in at the end of a couple of choruses.
The second "set" opens with a couple of solo numbers. On "One Step," Pehrson's plaintive tenor and delicate guitar work reveal an individual who (for better or worse) avoids the passage into adulthood, remaining "one step ahead of being a man." Classical guitar with a Latin feel is the hallmark of Brunberg's "Argument," a simple tale of how quickly one's perspective can change as the overriding importance of a lover's quarrel pales in the face of a fatal accident: "Strange how the slain lay silent/There in all the fuss."
The ghosts of Simon & Garfunkel and Crosby, Stills & Nash haunt the ballad "My Night On The Floor." Greenwich Village and the death of Joe DiMaggio are featured in this drifter's wistful tale of lost innocence ("the Clipper just left town/In a Radio Flyer with the handle turned around"). The main musical theme also is reminiscent of the New York folk duo while the bridge suggests Crosby & Nash harmonies and Stills' guitar stylings. "Poets" questions the long-held belief that creative genius stems from suffering and depression. "Just how dark does it have to be/Light is the noose/Before the inside flames/Break loose."
The "show" ends with a declaration of certainty. "Something," the final live cut, is an anthem featuring some intricate guitar interplay that details the agonizing one often goes through before realizing you are where you should be. "Why'd I have to go through hell/Just to know this thing for certain?" One gets the feeling that the musicians themselves have been down this road, questioning whether or not they are following the right path. The chorus leaves no doubt. "This is something that I'm sure of This is something that I love." The musicians' faith in this conviction is clear; it is strong enough to feel confidence in releasing a double-live album. As listeners, we have to decide whether or not that confidence is warranted. By combining superb guitar work and marvelous vocals (both individually and together) with passionate, witty, and inspired songwriting, Box Set has earned my confidence.
You can find out about ordering "Live Duo" and get information on Box Set's upcoming duo tour by visiting www.boxset.com.
Ashbury Park - "Down By The River"
by Martin AcasterA common complaint I have heard, with regard to many bands within the increasingly overpopular phenomenon that is the world of groove oriented jamming, is that the vocals of (fill in band name here) are average at best. In firm agreement with this assessment is my belief that if a band should come along with the vocal prowess to match its instrumental story telling, their sky would be their proverbial limit. The improbable reality of a modern day jamband being a mainstream crossover, getting nationwide airplay, might come to pass, if such a band had a vocalist with a rich, resonant, yet cowboy smooth voice. That band may be alive and well in Portland, Oregon.
Ashbury Park is the biggest fish presently swimming in the Portland local jamband puddle. Recent Ashbury Park performances have run the gamut from a 420/Earth Day Festival in April, through numerous club dates around the Pacific Northwest, and back again for this past weekend's Oregon Country Fair. Throughout this spring/summer tour Ashbury Park has been treating both new and old fans alike to a healthy dose of good clean musical fun. Since the band prides itself on their live experience, it is only natural that their first CD release should be a "live" album. Although not indicated as such on the cover of the CD, "Down By The River" is 100 per cent live Ashbury Park, capturing eight original tunes recorded during a show at the Mount Tabor Theater, February 3rd, 1999.
The feel of a typical Ashbury Park show translates well to the compact disk format. Opening with a pair of odes to ethereal beauties of days gone by, the band invites us into the family, with Eric "Big E" Schweiterman telling us tales of love, loss and living life for all it is worth. "Isabelle" evokes images of a latter day desperado on the run from the man. While waiting for his partner in crime, he instead meets a beauty who transcends time. They spend a glorious night in the desert in love. Sadly, with the new glow of the dawn in eastern sky, he must leave her behind to preserve his desert rose from a life of crime. "Delilah" on the other hand recounts the adventures of an untameable fox, a free-spirited girl who would never fall. Never fall in love, never fall for a line, never fall into bed with just anybody, Delilah would never fall.
Once hooked by the artful story telling and catchy Allmanesque hooks of the first two songs, the listener will be taken for a ride on the back of the three song medley of "Down By The River >> Inspiration >> Mexico Way". Musically "Down By The River" bears an eerie resemblance to the Doors "Riders on the Storm", perhaps suggesting that the spot under the bridge where the hobos live is the final resting place of the mysterious killer on the road. The jam into "Inspiration" lulls us into a sweet San Francisco psychedelic groove that (in the words of Roy Lee Heart) "harkens back to the days when Jerry sang us sweet lullabys and we danced until our eyeballs dropped out" imagine if you will the Doors jamming with the Allman Brothers on a version of the Greatful Dead's "The Other One" and you have a clear picture of the tone and style of this jam. "Inspiration" flows seamlessly through space and time back into the dusty desert southwest down "Mexico Way". If there are cowboy hippies, this is the music I would picture them playing round the campfire as they pass the peace pipe on a starlit night in the Sonoran Desert. I don't know what it was the cowboy hippie was looking for (perhaps "Inspiration"), but I'm glad he found it laying beneath the hay.
"Monroe Avenue", is another character study penned by Big E featuring a loose rocking arrangement that treads a line between Guns N Roses Patience, Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up In Blue" and (if possible) a bluesy polka. Rather than extolling the virtues of another brazen beauty, this song tells the tale of a veteran street performer down (on his luck) on the boardwalk off of Monroe Avenue. Defeated by the indifference of the passing crowd the man wept as he played. Searching for inspiration to go on, his gaze falls upon the all knowing eyes of the story teller. Reborn, the old man played his old ongs of life and the wages of sin with new passion and fire in his heart.
"Wouldn't Want To Be No Buddha" is a short, jazz-pop groove which dismisses being any of the more well known religious icons, prophets, martyrs and Beatles of the last 2000 years as a bad idea. Sensible enough, since most (if not all) of those named in the song were subject to some form of persecution and or death merely for expressing their views and opinions. Given the dark theme of the lyrics, the rollicking upbeat tune they are layered upon is somewhat out of place.
The instrumental "Waiting For Words" which closes out the CD is a gorgeous melodic tapestry woven from musical threads as disparate as The Dead's "Fire On The Mountain" and the Drifters "On Broadway". Clocking in at about nine minutes in length, Ashbury Park could keep me waiting for words for much longer if they promised to play this song while I wait.
"Down By The River" is available now at the Ashbury Park websiteas well as at their shows throughout Oregon and Washington in the coming months. Buy It!
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