Soil from Stone

I’ve never actually met Jennifer Grassman, and I’ve never heard her sing live. It seems kind of odd when I consider that we probably have upwards of a dozen friends in common. Someday I’ll have to rectify that discrepancy.

This is Jennifer’s second cd. Her first, At the Back of the North Wind, although quite beautiful, was also a little depressing. Lots of sad stories about wayward young women and missing children. Keep Silent contains the same enchanting voice , but with a completely different theme: happier and more Christmassy. Imagine that. A Christmas cd that sounds Christmassy.

The cd cover says it is “a collection of ancient carols.” That seemed a bit misleading to me. Some of them unquestionably qualify, but most are from the 19th century. I don’t consider that ancient. The photography–the artist, a large snake, an apple, and a Christmas tree–threw me for a loop at first. It’s very nicely done, but what exactly does the Garden of Eden have to do with the birth of the Savior? When I put it like that, the answer seems so obvious that I don’t know how I didn’t see it immediately. What finally clued me in was a quote from Genesis 3:15 printed on the next to last page of the insert. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Beautifully composed and accomplished, just like the rest.

I know it’s getting late to be pushing a Chistmas cd, but better late than never, right? Actually, a number of tracks are suitable for any time of year. There are the staples of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “O Holy Night,” “Carol of the Bells,” “Away in a Manger,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Silent Night,” and “What Child Is This.” But there are also some that might be less familiar.

• The title track, “Keep Silent,” is taken from the Liturgy of St. James. It’s somber tone and piano accompaniment is reminiscent of North Wind.
• “Lo How a Rose E’re Blooming,” a little brighter, is an old German hymn. Don’t let that scare you, though. Jennifer’s voice would make a funeral dirge sound good.
• “John’s Song” is based on John 1:1-14 and Isaiah 9:2. The lyrics and music are simple, but this song really shows off the artist’s talent.
• “Can This Be So” was written solely by Jennifer and has a lot in common with her earlier work. Chills, chills, and more chills. She is at her best when singing her own songs.
• “What Wondrous Love Is This” is a familiar tune with Irish roots, but the words were new to me.

Here’s a very cool bonus: This is a two disc set, but both discs, The Aria and The Oratorio, contain the exact same songs. What’s up with that, you ask? Me too. John Amelang, who did much of the production work, told me they wanted to do one set more traditionally, but they wanted to mix things up a bit as well. The second disc contains the same tracks with more innovative musical scores. The difference is often subtle, but is that backmasking in “What Child Is This?”

While I still prefer her debut cd for every day listening, this set is good enough that I’ve listened to it a dozen or more times in the last few weeks. If you like classical piano and vocals, you won’t be disappointed. You can buy both cds at her MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/jennifergrassman.

Technorati Tags: jennifer grassman, keep silent, christmas music

I have the fortune of being friends with a number of immensely talented individuals. Although I don’t have a lot of musical talent myself, I have friends who do, which is almost as good. I get the privilege of hearing their voices and music without a lot of obligation in return. Telling everyone else about their talents is the least I can do.

I realize that my readers might suspect my partiality, and they’re probably right to do so. On the other hand, although I might be biased, I’m not going to lie and say someone is great if I don’t really think they are. I wouldn’t be helping my friends if my criticisms were merely fluff.

I met Brad Shearhart and Marc Nesbitt a few years back. They were both involved in separate projects, trying to figure out where they belonged. (I’ll see if I can get them to tell you more about it themselves.) Sometimes it seems like the only things that connect these two men are their music and their common discontent with the way things are. While they will likely always be searching for their exact place in the world, Thread Atlas represents a major step in the right direction. It’s something worthwhile and permanent.

In any case, they make great music together. Their sound is difficult to date or categorize, but it’s not the typical rock music you hear on the radio. It’s raw and very real. You know that they sound just as good in real life as they do on the cd. (It’s true. I sat in on a jam session or two earlier this year.) It feels to me a lot like some of Common Children’s early work. Listen to these four clips. Maybe you’ll hear what I mean. (My apologies for the brevity and crappy sound quality of these clips, but I just used a recorder to rip them off my computer. Besides, if you want to hear the real thing, you should go buy the CDs.)

Thread Atlas – At a Soldier’s Request
Thread Atlas – Confessor
Common Children – Blue Raft
Common Children – Indiscreet

There is no pop on this self-titled, debut album. There is nothing to make you feel especially pleased with yourself and your self-actualizing, purpose-driven life choices. It’s dark and engergetic, like an almost calm river with something violent and disturbing that you can’t quite see in the depths, but there’s hope as well. I can’t tell you exactly what these songs are about any more than I can tell you the heart of another man. (Hmm. Maybe I can get them to talk about that, too.) All I can do is try to relate my impressions. The cryptic, stormy lyrics–as deeply personal lyrics often are–seem to reflect the hardships, victories, and seemingly uncertain futures of the artists’. Only one of the songs are within the acceptable duration range of radio play, which suits me just fine.

“The Perfect Storm” feels tense from the beginning and gains energy until it decompresses in the middle and then winds up again. A couple of lines gave me chills: “Leaning up on his left side was a tribute to another man. Precise angles were bound together, fastened with iron bands. In a few places the wood was cracked as the nails were forced through the wood. Torn apart, the wood outlasts the man…” It’s a good song but seems to leave the listener wanting something. I don’t know what, though.

“At a Soldier’s Request” sounds like a spiritual soldier looking for his commander. “Lead me. I’m following. Tear this flesh that clings to this life, anything to open up my eyes. Someone to catch me, someone to lead me…There’s no stopping those that know…” This is a good song with lots of passion from start to finish.

“Apostrophe” is an instrumental with a bit of an accoustic-electronica feel to it, if there is such a beast. It really picks up in the last half, though.

“Intercession” is another instrumental. It reminds me of a conversation Marc and I once had in the rain. Marc, Brad, several other men, and I had spent most of a weekend together. It was fun and relaxing, then it was intense and exciting, then it was introspective, angry, joyful, and back to relaxing again. Toward sunset, we stood partly in the rain and partly under a porch roof while he told me something of his spiritual journey over the past few years and of the small part that I was privileged to play in it. I can almost hear the rain and Marc’s voice in this song.

“Confessor” is haunting and–like the rest of the album–dark, but ends on a note of hope. “She’s feeling the weight of the world, and the world’s getting colder….She’s managed to find within herself the very thing that she hates…” But later, “She’s come to find the meaning inside.”

You can listen to and buy individual Thread Atlas tracks at their MySpace page: ThreadAtlas.com. You can also buy the whole CD, but you might have to go to a show to get it. That’s great if you’re in the Brenham area, but, guys, what about the rest of the country?

I couldn’t find a web site for Common Children, but you can buy their CDs at Amazon.com. In my opinion, Delicate Fade and Skywire are their best collections.

Technorati Tags: thread atlas, common children, alternative Rock

As Poison is on the classic rock station, and The Eagles are on the oldies station.

Technorati Tags: music, oldies, classic rock

Beth Preston will be playing at The Laughing Goat in Boulder this Tuesday at 8:30. She’s worth the time if you can make it.

The Laughing Goat is becoming a habit with me. The pomegranate green tea is alright, but the jasmine is better. I also liked last week’s art work better. The stuff that was on the walls this week? I wouldn’t have put it on my walls. Just FYI.

I went to hear Ryan Madson, but I was pleasantly surprised by Beth Preston. She has a unique style of play and a great voice to match it. There were a couple of problems I noticed right off: The volume was too high, sometimes making her words difficult to understand. She also spent too much time switching guitars, especially during the first set. I thought she seemed to be deliberately hiding her obvious natural beauty behind cultivated plainness and goofy, ill-fitting clothes.

By the time her second set was underway, I had to ask myself, What else would she wear? How else should she look? With her dazzling smile and infectious cheeriness, it all just seemed to fit. Glam would have detracted. We would have seen less of Beth, and that would have been a shame.

Ryan was pretty good too, but maybe a bit less polished. Maybe that was just nervousness owing to a table full of family members at front center. Like Beth, Ryan has a unique style, but his uniqueness is more vocal. While Beth’s voice was too loud for the small venue, Ryan’s was sometimes too quiet. I didn’t care much for the fast and slow changes of “Drive with Your Eyes Closed” but other songs were excellent. “Lullaby” featured some pretty fancy fingerwork.

Both artists were worth the trip, and I came away with a great experience. And two CD’s to boot. Ryan gave away autographed (OK…hand-labeled) copies of his latest, unreleased and untitled CD. Beth had CDs for sale, and gave hugs for free. Neat.

Ryan is local, so you can count on him playing somewhere nearby sometime soon. Beth is visiting from California, but she’ll be playing several gigs in the area this week. Ryan and Beth, along with Acoustic Rosh (also good), will be playing at Cafe Soleil on Saturday. You can check out Ryan’s schedule and music at http://www.myspace.com/RyanMadson, and Beth’s at http://www.bethpreston.com/.

Technorati Tags: ryan madson, ryan.mad.son, beth preston, inside fire, the laughing goat, live music, music, boulder

The Laughing Goat really is a great place to hang out. The staff is always friendly and helpful, and the fare isn’t too bad either. The jasmine green tea goes great with the vegan poppy cakes. Fern and Reaca weren’t there tonight, but the beautiful barista and her artistic sidekick were a more-than-adequate substitute. I ordered a cafe florentine when I first arrived, but the whipped cream really makes a mess of my ‘stache, so–no whipped cream. Instead, the aforementioned artisan added a flourish of swirls and streaks in white foam and chocolate.

I went to see the paper stars who were every bit as good–and better–in person as the demos on their MySpace page. The whole band wasn’t there, but the L.G. stage would have been ridiculously cramped if they were. Tres Altman opened the night solo singing and playing acoustic guitar, then was joined by Scott Parker Mast on drums and Daniel Pettys on electric guitar. After a few more songs, Julia Sanders (*sigh*) added her voice to Tres’.

Tres has a fantastic soulful voice that was a perfect match for his sad songs of loves lost and opportunities missed. At first, I thought they could use a little more variety in both subject and style, but they branched out as the night progressed. Tres said the night felt low key, so they played slower versions of songs that they would normally play louder and faster. The L.G. is a very small, intimate place, so I was grateful. Loud has it’s place, but it’s not ten feet away.

Daniel, Scott, and Julia (*sigh*) kept to the background most of the night, supporting Tres’ acoustic instead of drowning it out. There were a few songs on which they came to the fore. Once or twice Daniel’s playing really reminded me of some of the 77′s work on Sticks and Stones, which, in my opinion, is still their best stuff ever. Much of the time, I had a hard time hearing Julia’s voice, but I detected a distinctly country timbre.

They all did a great job, and I will definitely try to see them play again.

Technorati Tags: music, the laughing goat, the paper stars, Tres Altman, Julia Sanders, Daniel Pettys, Scott Parker Mast

Saturday (2/24) I went to the Rock N Soul Cafe in Boulder to hear WadiRum. The RnS is a nice place: a coffee house, with a decent menu (sandwiches, teriyaki, desserts, tea, and coffees) and good sound. Parking is kind of tight, though. I showed up early, but still had to park in the back. They also carry a selection of books and cds, including Bibles and gospel stuff. There was a copy of Sterns’ Complete Jewish Bible set prominently on a bench near the door.

The show opened with Jeff Brinkman, a friend of the band, playing guitar and singing solo. He’s great at both, easily the rival of John Mayer or Maroon5. “Flicker” was my favorite, but everything he played was good. If he had a cd available, I would have bought one right there. Unfortunately, he is as yet unrecorded. He’s working on putting together a band (as if he needed one) and might try to record something then.

An aside: One nice thing about small venues like this is that there’s a real sense of community. Half the people there know each other, and most of them are musicians or artists of some kind. At one point, Jeff mentioned that he could really use a soft pick that he had forgotten. Immediately, someone in the back offered him one of hers. For all its faults, Boulder is such a great place for music. It seems like there is a coffee house or pub with live music on every other corner. If you could shoot all the Big Brother wannabes and ditch most of the creepy vegan crowd, Boulder would be a really, really cool place.

Jeff played for about an hour before WadiRum took the stage. I’m sure somebody has come up with a name, but I don’t know what it is. If I had to put a label on their music, it would be acoustic-folk-jazz-pop-blues. A bit unwieldy, though. Cool things about WadiRum, in no particular order:

1. The drummer, Adam Randall, didn’t overpower everything else. There’s a real danger of leaving small venues partially deaf, because the drummer pounds away with no regard to the audience or the other musicians. Sometimes they’ll turn everyone else’s mikes up to compensate, but that just compounds the problem. Maybe all drummers should spend some time playing in a worship band to learn some control. WadiRum’s drummer contributed to the band’s sound instead of dominating it. He might have been a touch too quiet now and then, but most of the time he was right on.
2. Jill Pilon can not only sing, she’s cute too. From her appearance and demeanor, I’d guess she isn’t likely to pull a Spears-Aguilera-Anderson total meltdown anytime soon. Good for her! (And for the band.)
3. Wes Michaels and his cello is super cool. Cellos can create such an atmosphere in a song! You put one in your band, and you will definitely gain a few points in my book.
4. Jesse Varner, the bass player, wears a beard as all real men do.
5. Stewart Erlich can sing too, and he has one of the biggest sets of biceps I have seen on a music stage. Tim Capello might have him beat, but I’ll still try not to piss him off. He’s funny, too.

For an encore, WadiRum gave a great rendition of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” with Steve Miller’s “Fly Like an Eagle” stuck right into the middle of it. Excellent stuff!

Stewart Erlich – Vocals, Guitar
Jill Pilon – Vocals, Guitar
Jesse Varner – Bass
Wes Michaels – Cello
Adam Randall – Drums

Rock N Soul Cafe
WadiRum