This is haiku review of another all-time favorite book of mine by another all-time favorite author of mine. It is also one of the most well written and poetic novels I’ve ever read…
Away by Jane Urquhart
Irish girl Moira
Seaside inamorata
Frontier family.
Kat Edmonson – Just One Of Those Things (mp3) *
“Kittenish” jazz singer covers Cole Porter. From Kat Edmonson’s new album Take To The Sky, on which she successfully covers everyone from The Cure and The Cardigans to Gershwin and Lennon.
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of Shore Fire Media
*****
Alexa Woodward – Spoon (mp3) *
Unusually pretty, melodic banjo ballad from Woodward’s new album Speck. Recommended to fans of Abigail Washburn.
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of Pirate PR
*****
Spiral Beach – Domino (mp3) *
High energy femme pop-rock from Spiral Beach’s upcoming album The Only Real Thing, which is not yet available for purchase (check their site for news).
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of Girlie PR
*****
Shayna & The Bulldog – Expatriate*
Soft, atmospheric folk from the band’s new self-released album, which you can purchase at their site.
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of Pirate PR
I don’t usually post tributes or personal stories to this site, but it’s been an unusual month. The loss that I referred to a few weeks ago was the death of my 92 year old Grandma. This week my best friend’s grandmother (who was even more of a Grandma to me than my own) also died. I’m not the type to unload my emotions into a public post, and I don’t plan to start now. But I’ve been listening to the following song a lot and thought it would be nice to share…
I wish the audio quality was better. There are several YouTube videos of this song from various concerts, but this seemed the best of the lot (here’s another). Unfortunately, Rounder Records wouldn’t grant me permission to share even a live mp3, so this will have to do. “Grandmother Song” is from Vienna Teng’s new album Inland Territory. Here are the lyrics:
Grandmother Song by Vienna Teng:
“Oh girl you think you got time
You’re gonna get ’round to it way down the line
But one step, two step, you fall behind
So you better have a good plan
Oh girl you think you got time
You’re gonna get ’round to it way down the line
But I’m telling you no matter what you have in mind
You’re still gonna need a man
Take it from your grandmother I’ve been ’round
No one’s gonna take care of you
In that world you’ve got yourself into
All the good boys, oh baby they’re in grad school
Oh girl your story’s all wrong
Your dream’ll be a nightmare before too long
Turning thirty and still trying to sing your songs
Come on who do you think you are
Oh girl it’s too heavy a load
Your mama and your baba they are worried souls
How you gonna raise a family when you’re on the road
With some tattooed boy with a guitar
Take it from your grandmother I’ve been ’round
This music career isn’t real life
It won’t see you through to when you’re sixty-five
When the tide turns you won’t survive
You’ll sit on the banks and cry
Oh girl you’ve never know war
When they come in the night and knock on the door
You can go from the high life to dirty poor
And lose everything you knew
But the one thing they can’t take away from you
Is your mind and the education you’ve been through
O you find a man who understands that too
Make sure that he stays true
Gives respect where its due
Make sure he knows what he’s got in you
Because a woman isn’t just for cooking meals
Scrubbing floors, making babies
A woman’s got ambitions same as he does
Maybe more
When the sirens wailed and the bombs fell
We ran from the schoolyard into hell
And what we could’ve been time will never tell
’cause we never had your chances
The advantages that you’ve been handed
Take it from your grandmother I’ve been ’round”
Muruch has a new look!
Please let me know if anything seems out of place – it’s difficult to judge on my ancient computer.
Great World of Sound is bittersweet dramedy directed by Craig Zobel and starring Pat Healy. The film centers on Martin (Healy), a new employee at a record label who is partnered with flamboyant Clarence (Kene Holliday). Martin finds his enthusiasm for his new job fading as he finds himself struggling with the moral dilemma of swindling money from poor artists.
Martin’s qualms are initially calmed by focusing on the goal of helping unknown talent begin their musical careers. But it soon becomes apparent that the higher ups at his label make no distinction between truly talented singers and painful karaoke acts, as long as they are able to scam money from the pockets of the gullible.
The first half of the film contains an excellent balance of humor, poignancy, and drama. Sadly, though, the latter portion loses its spark as we’re pulled into Martin’s growing discontentment. The ending seems weak compared to the beginning, but it’s worth watching the entire movie for the stellar performance by Kene Holliday as Clarence.
Son Volt – Down To The Wire (mp3) *
Soulful, solid roots rock circa 1995 from Son Volt’s upcoming album American Central Dust, to be released on July 7th.
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of Toolshed Media
Catherine Maclellan – Take a Break (mp3) *
Mellow femme Americana akin to Melissa McClelland or Eilen Jewell, from Cartherine Maclellan’s new double album Water in the Ground.
*mp3 provided by & posted w/ permission of True North Records
Lee Harvey Osmond – The Love of One (mp3) *
Languid, jazzy folk with a dark undertone from Lee Harvey Osmond’s upcoming album A Quiet Evil (which featuring Margo Timmins of Cowboy Junkies). To be released on July 7th.
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of Killbeat Music
Patrick Wolf’s The Bachelor will be released by Nylon Records on August 11th. The album blends the uptempo electronics of Wolf’s previous release with the dark troubadour sound of his earlier works. Funded by fan donations, The Bachelor was originally intended to be a double album. It will instead be released as a single disc, followed by a forthcoming sequel. The album features guests Tilda Swinton, Eliza Carthy, and Matthew Herbert.
The first portion of the album builds on the creaky electronic style of The Magic Position, while other tracks – such as “Count of Casualty”, “Vulture”, and “Battle” – explore a harder industrial sound.
Many of the album’s lyrics express Wolf’s cynical view of love and marriage. This theme is most apparent in the haunting electro-piano title track, which culls its lyrics from the traditional Appalachian poem “The Turtle Dove”. “The Bachelor”, as well as “Damaris”, sounds like Antony covering songs from Wolf’s debut.
There’s a lovely Celtic element to the dramatic arrangement of “Thickets”, and “The Sun Is Often Out” recalls the plaintive, eerie wails of “Ghost Song” (my personal favorite of Wolf’s catalogue).
Overall, I think Wolfs’ done a solid job of staying true to the delicate style that initially drew fans to his music while also experimenting enough to keep the sound fresh.
Patrick Wolf – Vulture (mp3) *
*mp3 provided by & posted w/ permission of Biz3 Publicity on behalf of artist
Young at Heart is a heartwarming, bittersweet, and highly entertaining documentary about a senior citizen choir in Northampton, MA who cover pop, rock, and punk songs by bands like Talking Heads, Sonic Youth, Coldplay, The Clash, and Ramones. Director Stephen Walker moves between scenes showing the choir’s rehearsals and stage performances, interviews with the aging singers, and impressive music videos featuring the group.
I reviewed Friday night’s Mountain Stage concert for a local newspaper, so I won’t be posting a full review here (though I’m seeking out the albums to review in future).
It was the best concert experience of my life so far! I recommend Lil Ed & The Imperials to fans of Black Joe Lewis, Shemekia Copeland to fans of Mavis Staples, and the amazing Buddy Guy to everyone. Guy had the presence and talent of Jimi Hendrix, Elvis, and Odetta combined. An hour of him was not enough for me.
Here’s a bad cell phone pic I snapped of Shemekia Copeland during the concert – I was too enthralled with Guy to think of capturing him on film:
Here’s another mp3 from Melissa McClelland’s new album Victoria Day. “Seasoned Lovers” is a duet with singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith.
Melissa McClelland – Seasoned Lovers (mp3) *
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of Girlie PR
The Voyage by Philip Caputo
Banished boys at sea.
Survival of the fittest.
A Gothic epic.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley:
Man who would be God.
Sad creation abandoned.
Doomed to wander. Lost.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville:
Call me Ishmael.
Ahab’s white whale heart of Hell.
Obsessed depths of death.
Inspired by the contest that I won on The Paul & Spike Show, I’m starting a new series of “Haiku Book Reviews” on Muruch. The first haiku, which won the contest, is about my favorite book of all time:
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Ludicrous mankind.
No damn cat, no damn cradle.
A doomsday satire.
Pirate Love – Laughing Gas (mp3) *
Rowdy but catchy punk-rock.
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of The Musebox.net
The Decks – What You Said (mp3) *
Retro surf rock meets The Raveonettes.
The Decks MySpace (Buy)
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of Pirate! PR
The Pains of Being at Pure Heart – Young Adult Fiction (mp3) *
Pretty, noisy indie-pop.
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of Forcefield PR
Spinnerette is a new band led by former Distillers vocalist Brody Dalle. Their self-titled debut will be released on June 23rd, and their catchy femme rock sound is slightly reminescent of Celebrity Skin
Spinnerette – Rebellious Palpitations (mp3 removed) *
*mp3 provided by & posted w/ permission of Cornerstone Promotion
Spinnerette – Baptized By Fire (audio stream)
I have an extra copy of The Continental Divide, the debut full-length album by War Tapes, to give away. I posted their “Night Unfolds” mp3 last week and the rest of the disc is just as good. I really like this kind of dark, retro “indie” rock, there are elements of The Smiths, Sponge, and even Billy Idol, often fleshed out with a modern arena rock style. See contest details below, along with an mp3 from the CD.
The Prize:
1 copy of War Tapes’ The Continental Divide CD
The Rules:
Comment to this entry with “War Tapes” and your email address. You can also email me to enter, but comments are preferred. All new comments are moderated to avoid spam (which is also why you must include the name of the band in your comment), so it may take a day for your comment to appear if you haven’t commented on Muruch before.
Note: This contest is only open to residents of the continental United States (sorry, but I’m paying postage on this one), but all contestants must enter with a valid email address and the name of the band in order to qualify. The winner of the contest will also be required to provide me with their full name and postal address for shipping purposes.
The Deadline:
The contest will end on Tuesday, June 30th. The winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email.
Go now go! And tell others.
War Tapes – Night Unfolds (mp3) *
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of label
Chicken Ain’t Chicken is the debut full-length album by Sweetback Sisters, and it will be released on June 30th. It can only be called a country album, though there are definitely elements of folk, jazz, and even funk thrown in. The strength lies the honeyed harmony of the gals and the twang-blues ruckus of certain songs, but the weakness seems to be found in songs that get a little too quirky for their own good.
The first portion of the album is charming and captivating, starting with the jaunty Western swing of “Cowboy Girl” – which has a surprising and brief burst of male opera vocals that reminds me of Joss Whedon’s “Grr Argh” logo. The pretty ballad “Virginia” follows, then there’s a funky cover of Roger Miller’s “My Uncle Used To Love Me But She Died”.
Unfortunately, something about the songs in the middle just started to irk me. At first I thought it was simply that I’ve burned myself out on country and folk (I’ve been listening to more rock lately), but I love the last few songs so I don’t know…even on repeated listens tracks 4-11 just grated on my nerves.
But then the sweet vocal harmony of “The Sweetest Gift” and the hyper honky tonk finale “You’re Gone Again” won me back over. So I can’t say I like the entire album, but I adore the songs that bookend it.
Sweetback Sisters – Cowboy Girl (mp3 removed)
Classic Sinatra II was released by Capital Records on June 2nd, and features 20 classic Sinatra songs from 1954 to 1961 as well as one previously unreleased recording. If there’s a Sinatra review on Muruch, it’s fairly certain to be a guest post by my Irish husband and Sinatra expert, Brendan…
Brendan says:
If you buy one Sinatra album, it should really be Classic Sinatra
In this reviewer’s humble opinion, there is a wealth of material that could have been included in place of many of these mediocre choices. What is “High Hopes” doing in this collection? It simply doesn’t belong among Sinatra’s best. I think “Learnin’ The Blues”, “When the World Was Young”, and “Here’s That Rainy Day” could have been dropped, too. Even many of the better songs in this collection can be heard on the superior Sinatra at the Sands, a set of songs that doesn’t lag in the middle as this one does.
There are some highlights on Classic Sinatra II – “Angel Eyes”, “Too Marvelous for Words”, “From This Moment On”, “The Tender Trap” (though my wife prefers James Nesbitt’s version), “All of Me”, “Pennies From Heaven”, and “I’ve Got a Crush on You”. But overall, I think there are several compilations – The Capitol Years, The Capitol Singles Collection, Portrait of Sinatra, The Very Good Years, and even some Harry James & Tommy Dorsey recordings – that surpass the quality of Classic Sinatra II and better represent what I personally view as essential Sinatra songs.
Frank Sinatra – Pennies From Heaven (audio stream)
Frank Sinatra – High Hopes (audio stream)
Frank Sinatra – This Can’t Be Love (audio stream)
Frank Sinatra – All of Me (audio stream)
Please excuse the mess on the home page. The new Wordpress update deleted my layout, so it will take a few days to fix. Thanks!
University of Calypso is the new collaboration of Trinidad’s “steel pan master” Andy Narell and Calypso singer-guitarist Relator (Willard Harris). The album will be released on June 23rd by Telarc Records. The songs pay homage to the incorporation of jazz into vintage Calypso music.
University of Calypso features fifteen covers of classic compositions by Lord Kitchener, Lord Melody, Mighty Terror, Roaring Lion, and Spider, as well as originals by Relator himself.
The concept of the collection was inspired by Lord Kitchener’s experiments with jazz and Calypso in the 1950s, particularly his “Bebop Calypso” ode to Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. This jazz influence is most apparent in the cover of “Pan In Harmony”. Most of the other tracks have the upbeat, rhythmic melodies of Calypso music.
What I like most about the album is the lilting chime of Andy Narell’s steel drum – especially in “Sugar for Pan”. But not to be overlooked is the lighthearted rap style of Relator’s vocals in songs like “Food Prices”, which is seamlessly blended with the Calypso sound of the music.
Andy Narell & Relator – Gavaskar (mp3) *
*mp3 posted w/ permission of Telarc Records
In addition to Up!, another thing that raised my low spirits last week was Conan O’Brien’s debut as host of NBC’s The Tonight Show – during which I rediscovered my love of all things Conan. I was a fan of Conan’s old show pretty much from the beginning (not to mention I was once awakened by the sound of the tv and found one of my cats sitting on the remote, watching Conan O’Brien), and was worried that he would abandon his quirky charm to appeal to the broader Tonight Show audience. But with a few exceptions, that hasn’t happened yet.
Conan O’Brien’s new Tonight Show digs are certainly more polished than his previous set, and the return of former sidekick Andy Richter (who I like as a comedic actor, but find annoying as an announcer) has sadly pushed my beloved Max Weinberg back into the limited role of bandleader. In recent years, Max had become Conan’s new sidekick and their chemistry was much more entertaining and natural than the forced banter between Conan and announcer Andy during these new monologues. But he did give Max and fellow bandmate La Bamba some brief camera time this week, so maybe this will be a temporary complaint.
Otherwise, though, Conan seems to be remaining true to what made us love him in the first place. He has restrained his quirky moves in the monologue so far, but occasionally does his hippy shake for the camera and throws out his “Keep cool, my babies!” catchphrase to the audience. But while such signature elements have faded a bit, the content of Conan’s jokes and the ease of his delivery are sharper than ever. And what could easily have become a cringe-inducing mix of live jokes and pre-recorded skits (in which I still enjoy the Conan/Andy comedy duo) has instead resulted in a very well blended variety show. I’d say O’Brien is closer to Carson than Leno ever was.
What’s been entertaining you lately?
I hope to publish some album reviews soon, but in the meantime wanted to mention a couple of things (other than my Lost DVD
Up! was my first 3D movie experience and I loved it! It was The Wizard of Oz
My only real gripe about the film is that it was a little too long – and I say this only because the silly animal characters in the middle of the story detracted from the the poignancy that bookended the movie…and also because the non-action scenes were kinda blurry due to the 3D effects. Yet I still think it’s worth seeing in 3D just for the scenes of the house and balloons, which were spectacular.
Otherwise, the film was charming, funny, pretty, uplifting (no pun intended), and unexpectedly emotional. Michael Giacchino’s score
What’s been entertaining you lately?
Dar Williams – Buzzer (mp3) *
A darker tone and faster pop tempo than the folk singer-songwriter’s past work.
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of label
Kim Lenz & the Jaguars – Touch Me (mp3) *
Funky, peppy, femme rockabilly.
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of Girlie PR
War Tapes – Night Unfolds (mp3) *
Catchy “Gloom pop” somewhere between The Killers and White Lies.
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of label
Smithsonian Folkways is offering a free download of “Paraguarí” by harpist Marcelo Rojas for a limited time. Rojas is joined by guitarist Alfredo Gryciuk and bass player Ariel Burgos on this lovely and unusual cover of the traditional polca. The track is featured on the new Smithsonian Folkways release Maiteí América: Harps of Paraguay, a collection of classic compositions performed by Paraguayan harpists.
Marcelo Rojas – Paraguarí (mp3) *
*mp3 hosted by Smithsonian Folkways for a limited time
Sharon Van Etten – For You (mp3) *
Languid piano folk-pop with a voice like Cat Power or Jolie Holland, from Van Etten’s album Because I Was In Love (to be released May 26th).
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of Toolshed Media
Caitlin Crosby – Imperfect is the New Perfect (mp3) *
Throaty-voiced pop-rock like a softer Pink. From Crosby’s album Flawz.
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of Cornerstone Promotion
Emilie Mover – Brand New (mp3) *
Jaunty but soft and pretty melody, from Mover’s album Good Shake, Nice Gloves.
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of The Musebox
This past weekend was an eventful one for me with La boheme on Saturday night in Charleston, and a concert by Pianafiddle on Sunday afternoon in Daniels, West Virginia.
Daniels is a small town on the outskirts of Beckley, WV. Pianafiddle performed a free show at the Daniels Bible Church (which doubles as a small music venue) as a gift to the community in honor of their manager, Benny. Despite the parking lot and venue being packed, I managed to grab a pew in the second row with a great view of the stage. I arrived only a few minutes before the show started, thanks to my complete lack of navigation skills (I got lost).
I briefly introduced myself to Adam DeGraff and Lynn Wright (a.k.a. Pianafiddle), then got out of their way so they could begin. They played several selections from their albums Bach to Bluegrass and Or Something Like That! (my #9 of 2008), as well as a couple of new covers.
One of the many things that made the live performance even more interesting than the duo’s recordings was the way the two musicians played off of and challenged each other. This was an element of their improvisation that the audience wasn’t always aware of. For example, DeGraff revealed after their rendition of “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (which he dedicated to his cynical classical teachers) that Wright had attempted to trip him up by changing the tempo and the key of the tune from what they normally play. The two men obviously have a lot of fun playing together, and their chemistry made the performance even more entertaining.
A fan favorite and highlight of the first half of the concert was the lovely ballad “When I Grow Too Old to Dream”. Then DeGraff’s five year old daughter wowed the audience by jamming with the two gentleman on “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” – she played the central melody while Pianafiddle improvised around her.
In between songs, violinist Adam DeGraff told various anecdotes about touring, took questions from the audience, and shared the story of how he met pianist Lynn Wright in a local Walmart.
My personal favorite part of the concert was their improvisation of “Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto”. Adam’s classical training was most apparent then, and he played his fiddle with lightning speed. They rounded out the first set with a buoyant montage from “Fiddler On The Roof”.
After the intermission, the duo launched into a beautiful rendering of “Tennessee Waltz” (a song I hope they record on their next album!). A comical “Alley Cat” followed, after which Adam said he’d been instructed by Lynn to make his fiddle “meow like a sick cat”.
I had been hoping that Lynn – who is known as “The Ragtime Reverend” in his hometown – might play a Scott Joplin number and he dished out a jaunty take on “The Entertainer”. I wonder if I’m the only one who associates that particular tune with childhood memories of the local ice cream truck…
The second half of the show closed with “Beethoven’s Orange Blossom”, which grows from a slightly jazzy intro of “Fur Elise” into a genre-hopping conglomeration of jazz, blues, classical, and country. This was followed by a slide show of photographs from the band’s cross-country tour.
I feared Pianafiddle’s set might seem simple and dull in comparison to the WV Symphony performance I attended the previous night, but that was not the case at all. Pianafiddle’s concert was one of the best live performances I’ve ever attended, and I’m happy to hear they’ll be back in Charleston soon.
I don’t have any audio or pictures to post from this particular performance, but check out this post for links to Pianafiddle’s YouTube videos and their official site for tour dates.
The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra performed The Rome H. & Bessie Walker Opera Theater production of La bohème at The Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences in Charleston, WV on May 16th, and I had the privilege of attending.
I consider myself a fan of opera music, but I had never been to an actual opera before. So I was initially disappointed to learn this would only be a semi-staged production. In the program for the event, conductor Grant Cooper courteously explained the reason behind the limited production – namely the financial strain a full opera would have imposed on the symphony during this economic downturn.
Fortunately, the lack of costuming and set design did not detract from the power of the opera at all. Rather, the absence of visual distractions seemed to emphasis the beauty of the music and the power of the singers’ voices. And the WV Symphony’s impeccable instrumentation provided the perfect accompaniment for the singers without taking away from the action on stage.
I tried to familiarize myself with the history of Giacomo Puccini’s four-act opera in preparation for the performance. The libretto of La bohème is partially based on the novel Scènes de la vie de bohème
La bohème tells the story of a group of poor artists living in 19th century Paris, and centers on the relationship between poet Rodolfo and seamstress Mimì. Their turbulent love is only part of the story, as it is revealed that Mimì has tuberculosis. Those of younger generations are probably most familiar with the characters and plot of La bohème as the basis for the musical (and subsequent movie
La bohème’s Mimì is of course Rent’s Mimì, and poet Rodolfo corresponds with musician Roger. The painter Marcello in La bohème was split into the two characters of Mark and Joanne (who is also partially based on La bohème’s state councilor Alcindoro) in Rent. La bohème’s seductive singer Musetta is Rent’s Maureen, musician Schaunard became Angel, philosopher Colline is Tom Collins, and landlord Benoît is Benny. Even the songs of Rent were born from scenes in La bohème – such as the candlelit meeting of Mimì and Rodolfo that obviously inspired “Light My Candle”.
I include these parallels between Rent and La bohème in hopes of drawing younger fans to the opera. It seems most people I know turn up their nose at the mere mention of “opera”, because they think it’s boring or they believe it’s beyond their comprehension. I must admit that learning the similarities between Rent and La bohème provided cliff notes for me, which enabled me to easily follow along with the opera even though I don’t speak Italian (though the Symphony was kind enough to project English subtitles above the stage). And the Symphony’s modernization of the costumes and setting of La bohème made it seem even more like its Broadway counterpart.
Jeffrey Springer was the perfect choice for Rodolfo. His deep and robust voice reminded me of John McCormack or Placido Domingo, which are not comparisons easily found these days. Jeffrey Madison as Marcello, Steven Stull as Shaunard, and John Shuffle as Colline also gave competent performances, and all of the male singers revealed their comedic talents in the opening scene of the final act.
Charleston’s own Roger Lucas portrayed the toy vendor Parpignol, while the crowds in The Latin Quarter marketplace and Café Momus were composed of singers from the Appalachian Children’s Chorus and WV Symphony Chorus. Tim Jerome revived his role as Benoît, who he played in director Baz Luhrmann
Yet it was unquestionably the female leads who owned the stage. Vicki Fingalson played a very vivid Musetta with a confident strut, glittering hot pink dress (and matching stilettos), and gravity-defying trills.
Barbara Shirvis’ magnificently understated performance as Mimi held the audience captive throughout the entire evening, particularly her aria “Mi chiamano Mimì” and her stunning duet with Springer of “O soave faciulla”. Her powerful, pristine, and utterly pitch perfect voice filled the auditorium and soared from floor to rafter without even a hint of shrillness.
Shirvis was the subject of several gushing conversations I overheard during intermission. And she immersed herself so deeply into her character that I heard several sniffles in the audience during Mimi’s final scene. I was shocked to read in the program that this was her debut performance as Mimi, because she seemed as comfortable in the character’s skin as if she’d been inhabiting her for years.
As for the venue…The Clay Center’s 1,883 seat Maier Foundation Performance Hall may be small compared to other auditoriums in the city, but the vertical design is perfect for an opera. Because the structure of the auditorium puts height ahead of width, every seat has a good view of the stage and the acoustics are superb.
Cameras and recording devices were prohibited during the actual performance, but I took pictures of the empty auditorium during the orchestra’s rehearsal before the program. And I found the following public domain (a.k.a. free and legal) recording of Puccini himself singing “Che gelida manina” from La boheme at Archive.org:
Giacomo Puccini – Che gelida manina (mp4) *
*public domain recording hosted by Archive.org
I didn’t catch the first wave of reviews of Melissa McClelland’s Victoria Day, but it’s far to good to ignore and I can’t resist an album that bears my name. Much like the Canadian singer-songwriter’s previous release Thumbelina’s One Night Stand, the new songs layer murky lyrics with jaunty arrangements and feature the instrumentation of her husband and producer Luke Doucet.
I received Melissa’s album during what I would call a musical slump – a stressful time when I felt no inspiration or motivation to listen to music, let alone write about it. Everything I tried listening to at the time sounded boring or depressing to me. I can only describe what I felt when I first heard the opening notes of Victoria Day as “refreshment”. Suddenly I remembered why I love music so much, and why I feel the need to write about it.
Melissa’s voice has the soft, smooth purr of Norah Jones or Melody Gardot, but the songs on Victoria Day have the sultry swagger of Maria Muldaur. This is especially true for the opener “A Girl Can Dream” and the twangy blues-rock number “Glen Rio” (which I first posted last month). If you like this song, you will love the album…
Melissa McClelland – Glen Rio (mp3) *
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of Girlie Action PR
Melissa McClelland Official Site
Duke Robillard’s Stomp! The Blues Tonight will be released June 2nd. Stomp! The Blues Tonight finds Duke livening up his bluesy sound with splashes of swing and jazz. The disc recalls the early days of the bluesman’s career in the 1960s as a founding member of Roomful of Blues, including a horn section composed of his former bandmates: saxophonistss Doug James and Rich Lataille, and cornet player Al Basile.
Ol’ Duke and I go way back, though he doesn’t know it. Duke performed at the very first Mountain Stage show that I ever attended in August 1997, which also happened to be my first proper concert. Robillard shared the stage with Joan Baez, Sinead Lohan, Dar Williams, and Laura Love. I would also credit Duke for my love of the blues, a genre I was only vaguely familiar with before his set that night.
I’ll get the negative out of the way first. Stomp! The Blues Tonight contains several tracks featuring guest vocals by singer Sunny Crownover, which seem dull in comparison to Duke’s solo tracks. Her voice isn’t bad, but there’s just something bland about her tone that doesn’t mesh well with this particular genre of music.
However, the rest of the album (particularly the title track) is infectious and full of life. The songs bounce around through blues, jazz, swing, and boogie woogie – sometimes within one song. It sounds like it was as fun to make as it is to listen to.
The liner notes include track-by-track comments from Robillard.
Duke Robillard – Stomp The Blues Tonight (mp3 expired) *
*mp3 posted w/ permission of Stony Plain Records
Duke Robillard Official Site
Duke Robillard MySpace
Stony Plain Records
Jim Byrnes new album My Walking Stick was just released this week. While other singers are quick to capitalize on any previous claims to fame, the press release for this album doesn’t even mention Byrnes’ acting career. I personally know him best as watcher Joe Dawson on Highlander the Series
Most of the album rests comfortably in Jim’s signature blues-roots combo style. But the soulful rendition of Irvin Berlin’s “My Walking Stick” allows Byrnes to croon, and it’s a surprisingly good fit for his gritty but solid voice. Now I want to hear the man record an entire album of standards. He also experiments with a bit of doo-wop on “Lookin For A Love”, and covers The Band’s “Ophelia”.
Jim Byrnes – Walk On Boy (mp3) *
*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of Killbeat Music
