David Karsten Daniels’ Puzzling and Potent New Disc
Lord knows what it takes to survive in the music business these days, but thank God for songwriters like David Karsten Daniels. His new LP I Meant to Live Here Still is a dashing, courageous and arresting slice of baroque pop not unlike Rufus Wainwright and Judson Claborne. Opener “Come Light Your World,” is haunting and hymnal and opens more like a prayer than a pop song. “The Funeral Bell,” draws on inspired trumpet lines, and a celebratory chorus, while “October Airs,” is vocal acapella at its finest. The disc’s first half closes out with the brassy, semi-instrumental, “On Fields,” a stirring and hypnotic romp that’s artful, ingenue and downright irresistible. The second half is where things come apart. While the first half’s only hiccup was the off-putting mishmash “Die and Be Buried,” the disc’s latter stages are off-kilter and mildly alienating.
Sixth track “Through All The Fates,” possesses a narrative-driven simplicity that draws more on the verses than that of Daniels’ limp vocals. Truth be told, the California songwriter is an above average vocalist but nowhere on “Through All the Fates,” is that elucidated. The processional “Salmon Brook,” is another frolic through horn-inspired bacchanalia but never once is there a feeling that Daniels is bolstering his attempts as something worth coming back to. “Smoke,” sounds like an overture to a Hitchcock film but unfortunately gets too cluttered and busy for it’s own good. Calling it a hot mess is a bit of a stretch, but not by much. Thankfully, the disc closes with the gorgeous “Each Summer Sound,” and the winsome “Epitaph of the World.”
And yet despite all the foibles and missteps, I Meant to Live Here Still is resounding, celebratory and unabashedly potent. Sure he gets a bit wanton and makes a few too many mistakes, but how many times can one listen to “Hey Soul Sister,” without wanting to bash their head against a vanity mirror. So while pop music continues to get it all wrong, thank the lucky stars for daring, innovative folks like David K. Daniels. At least he gets it.
Country Music Comes to New York….Well Kinda
Over at my personal blog, I jotted off a quick note about how country music has re-entered my life with a bang. Then today, I got an e-mail from Matt Bjorke of Roughstock, who gave me the following details:
Within a two-day span, country fans in the New York metropolitan area will be able to enjoy two localized country radio streams programmed by terrestrial stations. Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters’ KKGO (Go Country 105)/Los Angeles announced today it will debut a GoCountryNY.com. Internet service starting July 3, programmed by Mike Johnson. That move follows news of WOR/New York’s July 2 launch of its own “The Elephant” Internet Country stream via www.WORcountry.com.
Hot damn, this is good news. No more having to park the car north towards the Long Island Sound and try and get Waterbury’’s WWYZ 92.5.
A Q and A With California Actor Thom Michael Mulligan
One of the unending joys of maintaing this blog is reaching out and finding under-the-radar talent. The independent California film Callous is one such example. Operating on a small budget, this gripping drama has placed well at a litany of lesser known film festivals in California and across the United States.
A piercing semi-autobiographical narrative about a single man raising his daughter and the child abuse that plagued his own upbringing, Callous is an all-too-important work that deserves a wider audience. Quite simply, it needs to be seen to be understood. While it’s certainly melodramatic, histrionic and at times a bit foolhardy, it’s not without its accomplishments. One of the film’s most alarming and inventive characters is a lecherous priest named Father Pete, who also serves as the stepfather of the film’s protagonist Garrett Blackfoot (writer-director Joey Lanai).
Pete’s sleazy ways serve more as an escape from his acid-tongued wife Tammy , played with startling clarity by Kari Nissena. Recently I had the chance to sit down with Mulligan and probe his mind about the film and the nature of the film industry. Head to the replies for this in-depth and detailed look at being an indie film producer and actor in the 21st century. Read more…
Monthly Nostalgia: Chuck Carrier
Whoops. Looks like we missed the month of June. That glaring omission just means we’ll have to post another before the close of July. Without further ado, this month’s nostalgic look back references Chuck Carrier, an Atlanta, GA singer/songwriter who emerged onto the national scene with his band Marathon in 2001. The group’s urgent, hyper-literate stab at radio-rock was inspired, original and deeply affecting. Anchored by Carrier’s husky, full-throated vocals, and buoyant choruses, the group sounded like a hybrid of Better Than Ezra and Tonic, Marathon were on their way to something special. But as is often the case, interest never caught on and Marathon lead vocalist Chuck Carrier set about crafting a niche as a solo singer-songwriter. With friends like Edwin McCain, Sister Hazel and the aforementioned Better Than Ezra, Carrier was well on his way to making a dent. When his sophomore album Songs for 27 hit shelves in 2005, a glorious career seemed as if it was already written. But sure enough Songs For 27 went absolutely nowhere and Carrier hasn’t been heard from since. Though one can hope he’s still crafting songs, that very fact may indeed be in question. So for now, here’s to Carrier and Marathon and armfuls of limitless potential. If only we could go back in time. If only.
Editor’s Note: The video quality is terrible, and the sound is mediocre at best, but it’s the best clip available that lets you hear his voice.
21 Questions With Need to Know Producer Shelley Lewis
If this blog hasn’t given you enough reasons to tune into public broadcasting, then perhaps this very post will. Of all the many programs that are worth watching (and trust me, at least 80 percent are) none are worth it more than the Friday evening news program Need to Know. I recently had a chance to catch up with producer Shelley Lewis and probe her mind into what it takes to put together this first-rate news broadcast. Head to the jump to read her answers. Read more…
Flynnville Train Gets Rugged on Redemption
Lord knows country music is a flotsam affair, but one band recently jumped on my radar. The hard-driving, beer-swilling, gritty quintet Flynnville Train barreled across my desk with their latest disc is a definite ode to rough-and-tumble, guitar-driven energy that’s polished, professional and very much worth coming back. to. Though the disc is chock full of a few gems (”Turn Left,” “Home,” “33 Steps”), none are better than the should-be chart-topper “Preaching to the Choir,” a near-perfect four minutes of platitudes and utopian statements that should dominate airwaves.
If the name is new to you, here’s a quick back-story. The band’s self-titled was released on Toby Keith’s ShowDog Records and was a gem of an album with songs penned by the likes of Scotty Emerick and Craig Wiseman. The disc even charted two U.S Billboard Hot Country singles. Though they’re less George Jones and Conway Twitty and more Lynyrd Skynyrd and Georgia Satelittes, these Hoosier boys have something worth coming back to.
Live From the Artist’s Den Returns for Second Season
One of last year’s best series was PBS’ Live From the Artists Den. The inaugural season featured live performers playing in historically significant and intimate venues. This year’s season kicks off on Tuesday, July 6, with Ringo Starr performing at the Egyptian Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with Ben Harper and The Relentless 7, Joan Osborne and Priscilla Ahn as his backing band. The one-hour concert is a smash and an absolute must watch.
The rest of the season includes performances by David Gray, Dierks Bentley, Booker T., Bettye LaVette, Corrine Bailey Rae, The Black Crowes, and Tori Amos. The Amos concert has also been released as a full-length DVD by the Artists Den and is available for purchase. Having also viewed the Amos DVD, I can assuredly say it’s arresting, absorbing and of the highest quality. Definitely recommend it. Taking things even further, the Artists Den have also released a 10-song collection of signature cuts from each artist’s performance to accompany this season as well. It’s veritable media explosion! Get into it.
Listen to Bronze Radio Return
One of my favorite records of last year was Old Time Speaker by Connecticut’s Bronze Radio Return. The band plays a crisp, effortless blend of roots-rock not unlike fellow Connecticut natives The Alternate Routes. While browsing their Myspace to catch up on their touring schedule, I ran across this EPK. It’s one of the better ones I’ve seen and I’m hoping it generates some steam from you devoted users.
Casey Shea Unveils New Album and New Video
Elephants from Casey Shea on Vimeo.
Brooklyn’s Casey Shea has released his new album Love is Here to Stay. A video for the new track “Elephants,” is available here. Directed by Ryan Stober with effects by Robert Morris, the video is entirely CGI aside from Casey Shea himself. Beginning in a rather picturesque graveyard, the video follows Casey along a dream sequence as he explores his own mortality. Not like my opinion counts, but it’s one of the cooler videos released this year. Anyone agree? Disagree? Thoughts?
To listen to a song from Shea, head here.
Hot Hot Heat’s Uneven New Album
Future Breeds, the latest disc by Vancouver’s Hot Hot Heat is a puzzling, quirky and downright frenetic disc. Laden with hissing synths, bleating horns and a cavalcade of razor-sharp guitars, it’s jittery, hyper and highly melodramatic. Produced by lead singer Steve Bays, the disc does offer two of the band’s finer songs to date, the splashy single “21@12,” and the undeniably infectious, “Jedidiah,” but aside from that there’s not too much at work here to really make one scream from the rooftops. Steve Bays certainly likes to yelp (”Times a Thousand”) and howl (”Goddess on the Prairie”), and that combined with the fizzy, amped up energy (”JFK’s LSD”) is in some ways a return to form, but the disc could certainly benefit from some restraint. Case in point the chaotic opening track “YVR,” and the squelchy “Zero Results.”
While Future Breeds is easily their noisiest (and liveliest) album since 2002’s Make Up the Breakdown, the disc still fails to notch any crisp or indelible hits save for two or three. And while hits don’t entirely make an album worthy of repeat listens, one would hope there would at least be a dozen rich and deep cuts to cement this as something special. Instead, Bays and crew pile on ample amounts of fizziness, funkiness and downright oddity. If there is any redeeming factor about Future Breeds it’s that Bays tackles some heady lyrical material, discussing serial killers, urban crime and suicide. But as valuable and interesting as that is, that’s entirely the problem with the execution of Future Breeds. The whirling, whizzing sonic landscape does very little to support the vital importance of each of these songs. Should songs with such gravity and kinesis be this glossed over?
Five albums and more than a decade into an entertaining and albeit charismatic career, Bays and crew sound more confident, more comfortable and more satisfied than at any point in their career. In the end, maybe that’s all that really matters.
