THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME (NEW RELEASES) By Michael McDowell

EVERY INCH OF THE WAY: The beloved and legendary folk rock pioneers the Kingston Trio have released a superb and all new album, Born At The Right Time, which features sole surviving founding member Bob Shane on two of the tracks. Editor/Publisher Michael McDowell has the story below (Click on above image to enlarge).

CDs - NEW RELEASES
(REVIEWS ARE POSTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY ARTIST)

THE BLUES BROADS -
The Blues Broads (Delta Groove Music)

The notion of a supergroup consisting of veteran artists with extensive and impressive solo track records that were established elsewhere can be a mixed blessing. In some such endeavors, the results have exceeded expectations, as was the case when concept pioneers Billy Murray, Will Oakland, Steve Porter, John Bieling and William F. Hooley joined forces as the Heidelburg Quintet between 1911 and 1914 and produced some of the most enduring and impacting vocal harmony releases in the history of recorded music.

Conversely, there have been numerous other well intended ventures of similar intent that ultimately imploded because of a lack of a sufficient degree of altruism on the part of the respective participants. Such well meaning intentions have rarely factored into the results.

Happily, that is not the case with the Blues Broads, a supergroup comprised of four highly respected veteran artists whose individual mission statements contain enough common ground to make such an allegiance feasible, if not inevitable. Longview, Texas’ Dorothy Combs Morrison rose to prominence as the lead vocalist on the Edwin Hawkins Singers’ 1969 monster classic, Oh Happy Day (Pavilion PBS 20,001), which is widely regarded as one of Gospel music’s definitive masterpieces. Madison, Wisconsin’s Tracy Nelson also amassed an impressive legacy with both her 1965 Deep Are The Roots LP (Prestige PR7393) and while subsequently fronting Mother Earth, whose half-dozen releases for Mercury, Reprise and Columbia helped define the blues rock genre. Lubbock, Texas native Angela Strehli in turn built a sterling reputation via acclaimed solo releases for Antone’s, Rounder and A&M. Likewise, Louisiana’s Annie Sampson drew from her early church inspirations and went on to front the venerable San Francisco band Stoneground for a season.

In this live CD (recorded on 04 November 2011 at the Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley, California), Morrison, Nelson, Strehli and Sampson not only dispel any possible misgivings about their ability to successfully collaborate (which their cavalier moniker in part also serves to dismiss), but they do so with a rookie-like fervor that embraces their blues and Gospel roots. To wit, a sense of selfless camaraderie is evidenced from the onset, as each supports one another with considerable enthusiasm in various solo endeavors.

Of those, Sampson’s Bring Me Your Love is among the most engaging, with its genial Stax/Volt template that at times suggests the inspiration of Carla Thomas’ B-A-B-Y (Stax 45-195) and Sir Mack Rice’s Mustang Sally (Blue Rock B-4014). Strehli’s fascinating Two Bit Texas Town follows suit, with its inspiring references to the pioneering Nashville, Tennessee radio station WLAC-AM and its late, beloved air personality, John “John R.” Richbourg. In turn, her Judds-flavored Blue Highway speaks well for the group’s propensity towards genre diversity. Nelson likewise makes her mark with her self-penned, aptly titled set opener, Livin’ The Blues.

Collectively, the Blues Broads also excel at cover material, represented herein with spirited readings of Ike and Tina Turner’s River Deep - Mountain High (Phillies 131), Mitty Collier’s Walk Away (Chess 1953) and the Spinners’ Mighty Love (Atlantic 45-3006). Indeed, their demonstrable strengths at group harmony belie their relatively greater tenure as soloists.

Interestingly enough, Mighty Love indirectly sets the stage for the finale, in which the Blues Broads demonstrate a considerable anointing as a Gospel quartet. Their interpretation of the Soul Stirrers’ Jesus, I’ll Never Forget (Specialty 868) is rendered acapella, with all of the fervor and passion of the original. By the midpoint of the finale (the obligatory and most welcome Oh Happy Day), Morrison and her colleagues have served up a full blown revival, complete with altar call.

While, by definition, such collaborations (even the most successful ones) often proved to be short lived as a result of the ongoing extracurricular commitments of the various participants, suffice to say that for the moment, the Blues Broads have definitely raised the bar for any such subsequent endeavors. This deluxe package comes with a companion DVD that includes a cover of the Deep Water Reunion’s It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (Jerral S80-1186S) that is not included in the audio counterpart.

SECRETLY FAMOUS - The Reverend Jimmie Bratcher

(The RevJB)

 
In recent years, there has once again been a significant rise in the impact of blues music. As ambitious aspirants continue to try their hand at the genre, each likely does so while finding it increasingly challenging to bring something original to the table.

With this, his seventh album, the Kansas City, Missouri-based Reverend Jimmie Bratcher has taken decisive steps to not fall victim to pedestrianism. Secretly Famous primarily does so lyrically, with a candor that not only sidesteps the “woe is me” template indigenous to the genre, but that also rallies the listener to his cause by addressing less obvious concerns in the most universal manner, yet without concession.

To wit, 57 articulates the shortcomings of the industry in an outspoken manner not heard since Bob Seger dismissed out of hand the self-indulgence of post-Woodstock rock in Back In ’72. Likewise, the shuffle beat of Check Your Blues At The Door matter of factly endeavors to raise the emotional bar in a way that few (most notably Savage Grace co-founder and fellow Gospel/blues rocker Al Jacquez) have. Lest such overtures are assumed to be out of character, Bratcher herein underscores the point with the irresistible Bologna Sandwich Man, an ode to the attributes of nitrates in the spirit of Robert Johnson’s 1937 They’re Red Hot single (Vocalion 03563), complete with the potential for multiple interpretations.

To further confound expectations, Bratcher herein tries his hand at a pair of familiar covers. The John D. Loudermilk-penned Tobacco Road lends itself well to a straight blues adaptation, and indeed Bratcher’s interpretation is more in alignment with the 1963 Lou Rawls rendition than subsequent garage rock covers by the Nashville Teens and the Blues Magoos. And as a testament to his ability to further confound expectations, Bratcher takes the Addrisi Brothers’ Never My Love at an even slower pace than the 1967 single by the Association (Warner Brothers 7074). In the process, he disarms the listener to the point that even the relatively cut and dry arrangement is overshadowed by the sheer tenacity of the gesture.

With Secretly Famous, Bratcher, who divides his time between his musical pursuits, pulpit ministry and his role as president of Ransom Ministries, has demonstrated that a bit of out of the box thinking can still go a long way. In the words of one of this collection’s stand out originals, It Just Feels Right.
 

SHAKIN' OUR SOULS - 

The Doughboys (Ram)

During the 1970s, there were a number of artists who had risen to prominence during the previous decade, survived the relative musical doldrums of the early 1970s and went on to be even more productive (aesthetically and otherwise) in spite of those circumstances. To their ongoing credit, such visionaries as the Guess Who, Herman’s Hermits, the Beach Boys and Stevie Wonder all turned out some of their best work during that period.

Even more remarkable are the veteran bands who have persevered to the present day with their respective creative muses unabated. For example, first generation garage rock legends Mike and the Ravens and Question Mark and the Mysterians have both performed live and recorded prolifically throughout the past decade. In turn, the Monkees, the Rolling Stones and the aforementioned Beach Boys all toured successfully in 2012, with each band continuing to deliver at optimum level in every respect.

One group of garage rock pioneers that has likewise outpaced that which initially defined them is the Doughboys. After accruing a faithful following as the Ascots, the Plainfield, New Jersey-based band changed their name to the Doughboys and released two singles (Candy, Candy / Everybody Knows My Name and a formidable version of the Tony Bruno classic, Rhoda Mendelbaum, coupled with You’re A Pip, Mister Hip) for the late Larry Uttal’s Bell label in 1967.

With the departure of lead vocalist Myke Scavone in 1968, the Doughboys persevered briefly as a trio. Scavone, drummer Richard X. Heyman and bassist Mike Caruso carried on into 1969 as Cool Heat, and the band then embarked upon a protracted sabbatical. Lead vocalist Myke Scavone then worked for a season with renowned producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz. He eventually went on to front Ram Jam, while drummer Richard X. Heyman embarked upon a highly prolific solo career.

Since reuniting in 2000 (and with Gar Francis having succeeded founding lead guitarist Willy Kirchofer, who passed away in 2005) the Doughboys have firmly re-established themselves as a continuous and engaging presence on the concert stage. Since 2007, they have also released several albums of all new material, of which Shakin’ Our Souls is among the strongest and most accessible to date.

Accessible in that that the band at last no longer appears to have the need to emphasize an assertive persona. Whereas such earlier efforts as Is It Now? and the aptly titled Act Your Rage seemed (for all of their attributes) intent upon touting the band’s penchant for aggressiveness, Shakin’ Our Souls thankfully dispenses with any such pretenses. Therein, the band simply does what they have done best from the onset, which is create primarily original and engaging first generation garage rock.

However, that is not to infer that the band has undertaken a more passive approach in their delivery. To that effect, Francis’ Rush On You meshes the one-two punch of Paul Revere and the Raiders’ Steppin’ Out (Columbia 4-43375) with the vocal urgency of the Remains’ Barry Tashian for maximum impact, without the aftertaste of derivativeness that has dogged like minded efforts by others.

In turn, Heyman’s hard driving One More Time sustains the momentum with a frantic delivery that belies his penchant for a more lavishly arranged template, as suggested in a number of his solo endeavors. Conversely, his brooding Route 22 closes the set with an undercurrent of mystery that heightens the anticipation for a sequel. The appropriately named title track even demonstrates the band’s potential within the Northern Soul genre; an attribute that would no doubt serve them quite well in future releases.

Throughout the proceedings, the Doughboys were assisted in various capacities by such like minded greats as Goldie And The Gingerbreads/Ten Wheel Drive co-founder Genya Ravan, as well as the Grip Weeds’ Kristin Pinell and Kurt Reil (who also co-produced this project with the band at his House Of Vibes studio). Former Paul Revere and the Raiders front man Mark Lindsay also contributed backing vocals and a saxophone solo on It’s A Cryin’ Shame, which most assuredly does the legacies of both band and guest artist justice.

Indeed, it is Lindsay, with the benefit of more than a half century in the forefront of rock and roll, who offered the most astute observation in the sleeve notes: “If this thing had come out in ’65, there would have been one h—– of a battle of the bands. ” Most assuredly, with the release of Shakin’ Our Souls, the Doughboys have once again demonstrated enough musical acumen to keep them at (in the words of one of Heyman’s solo tracks), a Vantage Point High. 

TEXTURES AND PULSATIONS -

Bob Gluck and Aruan Ortiz (Ictus)

 
For much of the twentieth century, filmmaker, kinetic sculptor and Christchurch, New Zealand native Leonard Charles Huia “Len” Lye broadened the horizons of his chosen areas of interest through consistent experimentation. With respect to the latter field, Lye achieved his primary goal by incorporating motion into what had previously been considered primarily a stationary medium.

In much the same manner, composer, arranger, keyboardsman, professor and Rabbi Bob Gluck has herein endeavored to bring a relatively untested dimension into electronic music. He has done so by drawing from the conventional maxim which suggests that the mission statement of a given instrumental work should be adequately depicted in its title.

With respect to Textures And Pulsations, Gluck (who doubles on piano and Moog Synthesizer for this project) and collaborator/keyboardsman Aruán Ortiz have stated their case by suggesting that color can be articulated and/or described through sound. As a result, they have titled six of the eight improvisations accordingly.

While the incorporation of colors (as either a noun or as an adjective) into song titles is a long established practice within jazz and related circles (Rhapsody In Blue, Little Brown Jug, Black Orpheus, Red Wagon, Kind Of Blue, etc.), each of those earlier endeavors represents a relatively more structured work, with a defined template serving as the foundation for the respective mission statements.

This is not to infer that Gluck is a stranger to such endeavors. To wit, his 2011 Returning CD with the Bob Gluck Trio for the FMR label demonstrated at least an affinity for (if not downright solidarity with) the more cohesive expressions of the idiom, and even suggested through such tracks as That’s All You Got? and There’s No There There a penchant for levity that is so often in modest supply in such an atmosphere.

But for the project at hand (which was recorded live on 25 October 2011), the ambitious duo has taken to the road less traveled, with remarkable results. The opener, Blue, decidedly sidesteps the more conventional depictions of the term in a musical setting; electing instead to portray that often invoked color as an uneasy coalition of various hues, each vying for prominence within the overall scheme. That the dynamic tension persists throughout much of the piece's nine minutes and four seconds indicates that such categorization remains a theory awaiting confirmation.

No such fanfare is necessary at the onset for Yellow On Red, in which the two relatively less imposing shades explore one another’s strengths and weaknesses in a cat and mouse like setting. Nonetheless, the proceedings again escalate and conclude in a stand off, which infers that the dynamics of the darker of the two can be at an impasse with the seeming relentless optimism of the other. Not surprisingly, the third track, Red is the most clearly defined, with the like minded Green following suit. Both are counterbalanced handsomely by the intervening elements of consternation found in Black And White and Green In Blue.

Interestingly enough, in its peripheral quest on the part of its creators to assert their individualism, Textures And Pulsations may not even necessarily align itself with the devotees of the works of such masters of improvisation as John Coltrane, and Ornette Coleman. However, in their resolve to maintain such a determined mission statement, Gluck and Ortiz may have inadvertently struck a chord of solidarity with a much wider musical demographic. For in doing so, they have succinctly made a case for standing in accord with the universal theme of striving for excellence. And, in the words of one of Gluck’s earlier accomplishments, that is the History Of A Mystery that seems intent upon striving for a happy ending.

CALL ME A NERD! - Jonathan Grossman

(4 The Moon) 

Since the late 1940s, the Newark, New Jersey-based Peter Pan Records has persevered as the premier outlet for music that is aimed specifically at a very young demographic. With the great Vicki Kasen as musical director, Peter Pan in its formative years produced a number of endearing seven-inch 78 RPM singles, including the irresistible Chocolate Train (Peter Pan 513), and Bobby Dixon and Johnny Swift’s beloved and sublime Apple On A Stick (Peter Pan 2297).

Not surprisingly, the label’s earliest releases have continued to inspire a much wider audience, which includes many musicologists, musicians and record enthusiasts. In the ensuing years, artists as diverse as the Tokens’ Phillip “Phil” Margo, Kingston Trio co-founder Donald David “Dave” Guard, the Chenille Sisters and Monkees drummer/lead vocalist George Michael “Micky” Dolenz have each followed suit and produced worthwhile original music and related material that was intended primarily to enrich the musical experience of that same target audience. As expected, their works in turn resonated well with their own respective circles.

The latest established artist with impeccable and extensive credentials who is trying his hand at this deceptively difficult genre is the Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, composer, arranger, and Cornell University alumnus, Jonathan Grossman. Herein, Grossman has applied his decades of experience (which includes extensive tenure as front man and resident visionary of the band Dogwood Moon, as well as composer of various musical works for the CBS television series, Joan Of Arcadia and NBC’s much missed comedic/adventure hybrid, Scrubs, amongst others) to eleven originals that musically draw from such ambitious inspirations as the harmony drenched second generation garage rock of Kyle Vincent and Jeremy Morris, as well as the best first generation garage rock.

That such noble endeavors could be deemed “deceptively difficult” is most assuredly not a reflection of Grossman’s undeniable capabilities. Rather, it is the fact that he has ventured into such relatively uncharted territory and made a significant impact with such lofty inspirations serving as his template. Both research and personal experience served him well in that respect.

“I want to address those minds that don’t need to be changed, but rather informed and nurtured to grow in a healthful direction”, Grossman has said.

“I want to help instill self-confidence and leadership in children at the very age when they are establishing their social position in the world around them.”

Grossman has herein driven his point home with affirming commentaries on such universal themes as encouragement, fellowship, leadership and individual creativity. To that effect, the celebratory, quasi-Three O’Clock atmosphere of the title track best articulates his mission statement, with its variation on the familiar “nyaa nyaa” chant in the chorus. Likewise the curious Monkees/Joe Jackson hybrid, Monster, which serves to placate any unchecked expressions of apprehension borne of adventure, while raising the bar musically. In turn, the Plimsouls-flavored one-two punch of Best Friend and Who I Am both succeed admirably in building a bridge between assertive personalities, while encouraging and/or mandating solidarity within peer circles.

Much of the success of Call Me A Nerd! must also be attributed to project producer and musical collaborator, Willie Aron. No stranger to long time readers of Blitz Magazine, Aron initially made his mark as lead guitarist of the Art Students (with rhythm guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter Jeff Davis, bassist/songwriter Steve Wagner and drummer Ken Straus, who was replaced by Robert Blackmon), later known as the Balancing Act. Aron also concurrently plied his trade with the short lived Blue Monday, and went on to collaborate in various capacities with such acclaimed legends as Van Dyke Parks and the late Phoebe Ann “Phoebe Snow” Laub. Most importantly for the project at hand, Aron also brought to the table his own experience within the genre, having co-produced the February 2007 Rounder Select label’s My Green Kite album by Peter Himmelman.

“I met Jonathan Grossman at an ASCAP event a couple of years ago, had an instant connection with him, and enlisted him to engineer a children's music project I started working on with my friend Todd Lawrence, called Paisley and the Firefly", said Aron. 

“Jonathan was so taken with the music that it inspired him to write his own kids record. He asked me to help him produce a record that celebrates and promotes children's self-confidence and uniqueness. The title track, Call Me A Nerd, intends to embrace the ‘nerd’ label as positive, rather than pejorative.”

Part of that “instant connection” to which Aron has alluded refers to a mutual affinity between him and Grossman for a more cerebral approach to music. That in turn brought into the picture the impact of the work of some of rock and roll’s most celebrated artists, in the process broadening the project’s target demographic significantly.

“Our primary influences on this record are the Beatles, Beach Boys, Kinks, and Harry Nilsson”, said Aron.

“We wanted to craft a record that did not pander to kids' tastes exclusively, but rather, to make a record that could be enjoyed by people of all ages. My respect for Jonathan's talents and vision is such that I have set aside time from my busy life as a film/TV composer and record producer to perform with him as a member of the Nerdz".

With Call Me A Nerd!, Grossman and Aron have succeeded admirably in that respect. Just as Grossman has encouraged his ever expanding audience herein with I Believe In You, suffice to say that the sentiment is reciprocal.

THE THINGS I NOTICE NOW - Anne Hills

(Appleseed)

Chicago, Illinois native Thomas Richard “Tom” Paxton has long enjoyed accolades as a composer of refreshing candor. His vast and diverse portfolio has caught the attention of such immensely respected artists as folk visionaries the Kingston Trio, Harry Belafonte, the Highwaymen, Arlo Guthrie, the Chad Mitchell Trio, the Weavers, Dave Van Ronk, the Seekers and Limeliters alumnus Glenn Yarbrough, as well as country music legends Bill Anderson, Hank Locklin, the Carter Family, Doc Watson, Hank Snow, Charley Pride and Johnny Cash, plus garage rockers the Vejtables, the Fireballs and the Move, and veteran vocal greats Bobby Vinton, Nana Mouskouri, Herbert “Tiny Tim” Khaury, Val Doonican, Pat Boone, Bobby Darin and Dion DiMucci.

Not surprisingly, Paxton has also excelled as an interpreter of his own material. He received numerous accolades for such career highlights as his How Come The Sun, Peace Will Come and New Songs For Old Friends albums (all for Reprise), which featured such memorable and vividly executed fare as I Had To Shoot That Rabbit, I Lost My Heart On A 747, Jesus Christ S.R.O. and Hobo In My Mind.

The reason that Paxton’s vast catalog has been able to sustain its impact for more than a half century is twofold. One aspect is the vivid and universal imagery depicted in his work, evidenced in abundance in You Should Have Seen Me Throw That Ball with its classic couplet, “Bills come due, write a check and send it through; Hope it clears, haven’t cleared a check in years”.

The other is the fact that Paxton has rarely (if ever) let the prototypical wistfulness of his chosen genre supersede his determination to speak to the challenges of day to day life in the most realistic of terms, with one eye on the idealism that (at least for him) never seems to come to pass. The protagonist’s ongoing impasse that was so sublimely depicted in the Kingston Trio and Fireballs’ monster classic interpretations of his signature composition, Bottle Of Wine most assuredly underscores the point as well as it can be underscored.

All of which provides a fitting setting for the project at hand. As Paxton’s long time colleague and recurring collaborator, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh native and Interlochen Center For The Arts alumnus Anne Hills has brought to the table her own rich and diverse musical and cultural experiences. Likewise, hers is a vision of idealism tempered with reality, making The Things I Notice Now an ideal pairing for Paxton as composer and Hills as interpreter. 

To that effect, The Things I Notice Now astutely sidesteps the road well traveled, which has already been commemorated via the efforts of the aforementioned pioneers, as well as Paxton himself. Instead, this latest Appleseed release focuses upon Paxton compositions which emphasize subject matter that resonates with universal solidarity, and which presently impacts each artist.

To wit, Time To Spare somewhat unnervingly articulates the saga of waning optimism (“I was going to write a novel, you were going to be a star” and “Nobody wished us anything but well”) in the face of an all too familiar reality check (“But the music started changing”). The consequences of those changes and their impact on an individual’s aspirations begin to surface at the onset, in the encore presentation of Icarus (which was resurrected from 1971’s How Come The Sun).

Ultimately, those developments are best articulated in the title track (“I’m sittin’ on my window seat, just watching my day walk by; there’s a lot of people I should meet, if I could find a reason why”), whose unique (to this endeavor) smooth jazz template (with sympathetic trombone by Hills’ fellow Interlochen alumnus, Chris Brubeck) does much to depict any attempts to regain lost momentum as an exercise in futility. Even the third of three Paxton duets herein, When Princes Meet survives the transition well, from its initial appearance on 1973’s New Songs For Old Friends to the project at hand, suggesting that humankind at large has learned and/or discerned little in the interim.

“(Paxton) has the ability to perceive and share the deep psychological and broad sociological complexities of the human condition three to four minutes at a time”, Hills observed in the sleeve notes. Indeed, as one who in 1973 asked, Who’s Been Passing Dreams Around?, the answer to Paxton’s own question lies within the twelve tracks that he and Hills have so succinctly rendered here. If, as they suggest, Hard Times Are Here Again, they nonetheless continue to press towards a resolution on Redemption Road quite well.

BORN AT THE RIGHT TIME - The Kingston Trio

(Kingston Trio Music)

When band co-founder Nicholas Wells “Nick” Reynolds and key interim member John Coburn Stewart both passed away within months of one another in 2008, some of the long time devotees of the Kingston Trio questioned how the band could persevere. After all, they reasoned, lone surviving original member Robert Castle “Bob Shane” Schoen had been sidelined from active participation as the result of a heart attack suffered in March 2004. Furthermore, the band’s initial guiding light, Donald David “Dave” Guard had passed away in March 1991 at age 56, after a bout with lymphoma.

However, what the naysayers generally failed to realize was that Shane, Guard, Reynolds and Stewart had created a legacy that was resilient enough to withstand numerous personnel changes throughout the decades. To wit, upon Shane’s retirement from the road, long time banjoist and guitarist (and, in his own words, “de facto leader”), George Grove (who has been with the band since October 1976) rose to the occasion and successfully sustained the momentum with a lineup that includes Win’jammers and New Christy Minstrels alumnus Bill Zorn (who had previously worked with Shane and the late Roger Gambill as part of the New Kingston Trio in the early to mid-1970s, and who also succeeded founder and resident visionary Louis “Lou” Gottlieb in the Limeliters upon the latter’s passing in 1996), as well as fellow Limeliters veteran Rick Dougherty.

With Shane continuing to attend to the band’s business affairs and legacy from his Arizona-based headquarters, Grove, Zorn and Dougherty have since largely devoted themselves to live performance; admirably sustaining the Kingston Trio’s impeccable track record in a concert setting. There have of course been recordings issued by the band’s current line up, including the superb Christmas collections Glad Tidings and On A Cold Winter’s Night, as well as the deluxe CD/DVD collection, Live From The Yuma, and the frustratingly out of print 2005 release, Still Goin’ Places. Shane, Grove and Zorn have each also released their own solo projects, to considerable acclaim.

However, the bulk of the non-Christmas material in the aforementioned group efforts is comprised largely of live renditions of beloved classics from the Shane, Guard and Reynolds or Shane, Reynolds and Stewart incarnations of the band. All well and good, of course, as that material rightfully continues to define the Kingston Trio’s legacy. Yet despite the considerable talents as musicians and songwriters of the band’s current line up, there had been little opportunity to emphasize their capabilities in that respect.

That is, until now. The aptly titled Born At The Right Time at last affords Grove, Zorn and Dougherty (as well as Shane, who appears on two of the album’s fifteen tracks) the opportunity to showcase their respective musical personae admirably.

As was the case with the release of the Monkees’ groundbreaking Headquarters album (Colgems COS-103) in May 1967, the Kingston Trio herein are not so much interested in deviating from the band’s trademark sound as they are in enhancing it. To wit, the gripping Blackleg Miner (a late nineteenth century Northumberland chronicle of a labor dispute that continued to resonate with many a musician in the ensuing years) provides a strong minor key template for Zorn’s urgent lead vocal, as well as the highly dramatic harmonies of Grove and Dougherty.  Likewise, Dougherty’s melancholy La Migra takes the precepts of the late Woodrow Wilson “Woody” Guthrie’s sobering Deportee (Plane Wreck At Los Gatos) and provides a timely (and thankfully, somewhat less tragic) reminder of its ongoing impact. John Stewart’s Jasmine (from his 2006 The Day The River Sang album on Jim Musselman’s Appleseed label) even gets a faithful and inspired reading here, serving as a timely reminder of the composer’s ongoing impact upon both the band and the world of music at large.

True to form, Born At The Right Time also acknowledges the band’s trademark wry sense of humor. Not surprisingly, Shane provides the key moment in that respect with his self-penned Every Inch Of The Way. Rescued from an abandoned 1992 session and enhanced in 2012 with overdubs by Grove, Zorn and Dougherty, Every Inch Of The Way is a playful recap of the Kingston Trio’s history that stylistically recalls the band’s endearing Ah Woe, Ah Me from their 1964 Back In Town album (Capitol ST-2081). Shane herein also drives the point home with the album’s closer, the wonderfully screwy, fifty-eight second romp, Turkish Delight From The Dardanelles. Dougherty and his colleagues echo those sentiments quite inspiringly in the album’s mid-tempo lead off track, A Much Better View Of The Moon, with key lyrical moments such as, “If the news is bad, I’ll watch cartoons” speaking volumes in that respect.  

Born At The Right Time also includes its fair share of middle ground, highlighted by Grove’s tropically-themed dreamscape opus, Cheri, as well as their sublime interpretation of Bud and Travis’ co-founder Travis Edmonson’s If I Were Free (whose resemblance in this interpretation to the Kingston Trio’s Mason Williams-penned If A Had A Ship from their May 1965 Stay Awhile album on Decca DL74656 was probably intentional and indeed most welcome).

However, in keeping with the Kingston Trio’s ongoing sense of adventure, Born At The Right Time also presents a seeming dichotomy that has already generated considerable dialogue from the faithful. The band’s earliest albums regularly featured highly inspiring and impeccably executed Gospel material such as Good News, When The Saints Go Marching In, You Don’t Knock, Glorious Kingdom and Tell It On The Mountain. Grove, Zorn and Dougherty herein have endeavored to sustain that momentum with May The Light Of Love; an all-encompassing, David Roth-penned clarion call that nonetheless maintains enough solidarity with Scripture to reasonably deflect any possible concerns in that respect.

All of which makes the inclusion of the late Hamilton, Ontario-based composer, Stanley Allison “Stan” Rogers’ Barrett’s Privateers a bit of an anomaly at the onset, given that its lyrics include a familiar two-word example of invective that is widely regarded as anathema to the perspective espoused in May The Light Of Love.  Nonetheless, the answer to this seeming impasse can be found in the sleeve notes to the 1964 compilation, The Midnight Special by the legendary folk rock visionary, Huddie William “Leadbelly” Ledbetter (RCA Victor LPV-505). Apparently anticipating similar concerns for the inclusion of Ledbetter’s Whoa Back Buck (the lyrics of which also featured that same example of invective), the sleeve notes of The Midnight Special included a caveat which suggested that Ledbetter’s invocation of the term ultimately served to highlight a set of historical circumstances, and therefore was not to be dismissed as mere profanity. As such, given that Rogers’ work espoused a similar perspective, the reasoning employed in Ledbetter’s case likewise applies here.

Born At The Right Time also features the work of the Kingston Trio’s long time bassist, the Seattle, Washington-based Paul Gabrielson. The overall package is highlighted by the inclusion of a bonus group picture card, as well as a clever front cover that depicts the group in a rotating television screen, with Grove, Zorn and Dougherty on one side and Shane, Guard and Reynolds on the other. It is a fitting depiction of not only the unwavering brilliance of the band’s mission statement, but of the determination of the current line up to continue to do that mission statement justice.

GRIMACE - Peter Lacey (Pink Hedgehog) 

It has been said that good things come in small packages.

That often quoted maxim (which is reported to have been coined by a doctor in the process of delivering a baby) most certainly also applies to the groundbreaking 1927 Vitaphone motion picture, The Night Court. Directed by Chicago, Illinois native Bryan W. Foy and starring the great Carl William Demarest (who was concurrently filming The Jazz Singer with the legendary Asa “Al Jolson” Joelson) as the wisecracking (“Was he dead? If he wasn’t, he told me a lie!”) defense attorney, The Night Court chronicles the saga of a police raid on the Paradise Night Club, in which both patrons and performers are brought before a judge on charges of disturbing the peace and other offenses (including “Murdering the Black Bottom”, in reference to a choreographed routine). The latter group was then ordered to reproduce their respective stage performances for the purpose of determining whether or not the results would be deemed risqué by the judge’s standards. The Night Court features several superb musical interludes, including Dottie Lewis’ endearing I Ain’t That Kind Of A Baby and the utterly stupendous, recurring instrumental, When Erastus Plays His Old Kazoo, as well as a surprise turn of events in the final scene.

To be certain, The Night Court had all of the elements in place for the making of a great motion picture, which it most assuredly is. But that attribute in and of itself would not be remarkable, if not for the fact that director Foy’s work as a whole clocks in at a mere nine minutes.

Musically speaking, the highly prolific Brighton, Sussex native, Peter James Lacey has in turn done much within a minimal time frame with his latest release, Grimace. The five original tracks therein tell the tale of the fictitious couple that managed the Smile store, which is depicted on the front cover of the Beach Boys’ landmark album of the same name.

True to form, Lacey has done so with inspired originals that do his inspirations justice in abundance. Taking a cue from The Night Court, Lacey has managed to paint a rather vivid musical portrait in slightly more than eleven minutes.

Lacey’s admiration for the Beach Boys has long factored significantly into his own material. To that effect, in his 2011 Pink Hedgehog label album, We Are The Sand, he drew inspiration from every album from Pet Sounds to Fifteen Big Ones to produce duly inspired originals.

“My first solo albums are saturated in all things Wilsonian, especially from the Smile to Holland era”, Lacey told Blitz Magazine, shortly after the release of We Are The Sand.

“The reason was simply that I could pour songs out of this particular mould, almost easy as breathe!”

Then, as now, Lacey was aided and abetted by his long time colleague, Beach Boys collaborator Stephen Kalinich (co-author of the forty-five second transitional narrative, One Night), as well as journalist David Beard (who also contributed to We Are The Sand and who herein worked with Lacey on Closing Time and The Time Of Our Lives). The fact that all concerned are particularly well versed in matters concerning Smile serves to support an atmosphere of spontaneity and creativity, without resorting to parody and/or slavish emulation.

Lacey’s solo contributions in particular serve to fine tune his mission statement. Taking its cue (both structurally and thematically) from the Smiley Smile staple, Wonderful, the opening track, In A Golden State Of Mind furthers the concept with its suggestions of respite at day’s end, in the wake of a job well done. The enhanced illustration works on a number of levels; not the least of which is how it promotes an ongoing inspiration for others to benefit from its universal theme of satisfaction derived from putting one’s God given talents to good use. That the Heyday segment of the Heyday/Slump/Closing Time medley in turn reiterates that train of thought with its parallels to the 20/20 album’s Cabinessence more than underscores the point.

“My first reaction was a sense of completion, all ends tied up”, said Lacey.

Indeed, as was the case with the greats that have inspired him, Lacey got directly to the point in a relatively modest amount of time, yet managed to state his case well enough to inspire and fuel analysis and constructive dissertations for decades to come. And like the vaunted band whose work prompted this concise landmark, it can safely be said of Lacey that He Gives Speeches and the results are Wonderful.

FALLING SLOWLY -Nine Times Blue

(Renegade Recordings)

During his initial forays into the recording studio in the early 1950s, country music giant George Jones came prepared with all of the prerequisite passion and enthusiasm that would come to define his career. However, his earliest sessions did not go as well as expected. Thankfully, Jones’ producer, Harold W. “Pappy” Daily wisely assessed the situation and posed the following question to his aspiring client:

“George, I’ve heard you sing like Roy Acuff, Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell. I just want to know one thing. Can you sing like George Jones?”

The Atlanta, Georgia-based Nine Times Blue (Kirk Waldrop - lead vocals, guitar; Greg King - guitar; Jeff Nelson - bass; Jason Brewer - drums) has likewise amassed an impressive list of inspirations. To wit, their name is derived from the classic Michael Nesmith-penned track that was initially intended for the Monkees’ 1969 Instant Replay album (Colgems COS-113) and finally released the following year by Nesmith and the First National Band on their groundbreaking Magnetic South album (RCA Victor LSP-4371).

In turn, Nine Times Blue’s music has earned favorable comparisons to the Plain White Ts, the Plimsouls and the Smithereens, each of whom apparently made a significant impression on them during these sessions. To be certain, Falling Slowly is an album that is rife with enthusiasm for their collective inspirations, fueled by an obvious desire to articulate that enthusiasm in their own work. In that respect, they have succeeded admirably.

To that effect, Nine Times Blue has many of the fundamentals in place (ambition, enthusiasm, musicianship highlighted by the prerequisite jangling guitars, subdued vocals with subtle harmonies, and the like). They execute those fundamentals competently and have built a respectable following in short order as a result. They have also demonstrated herein their mettle as competent lyricists, evidenced succinctly in their Herodias / Salome reference in I Can’t See You (“You won’t be satisfied until you serve my head on a platter”), the self-depreciating Silent Words (“Please don’t see me as your psychiatrist”), and in the highly perceptive (and likewise somewhat Biblically inspired) Grace (“I tried to be the one to stay by your side, but you turned around and crushed my soul with your frustration”).

Even so, as was the case with George Jones, the band’s interests will ultimately be best served by taking those aforementioned inspirations and using them as a stepping stone towards further developing their own identity in the studio. Thankfully, based on the evidence at hand, such a move is apparently already well underway. The aforementioned Silent Words leads the way with a strong Byrds/Long Ryders-inspired template (which, interestingly enough, is executed in a subdued manner) that stands on its own merits. Conversely, Serena comes off as a playful send up of Richie Knight and the Mid-Knights’ cover of the Sevilles’ Charlena (J.C. 116) on Arc 1028, reassuring that the band’s collective persona is not one dimensional. The ironically titled Fun And Games provides suitable middle ground with its astute reflections of an impasse in a relational dialogue. In the process, it serves to underscore the band’s relative strengths with the mid-tempo approach.

By no means is any such fine tuning a cause for concern, as such circumstances are common in first time ventures for many bands. Based on the evidence at hand, it is likely that Nine Times Blue will progress in that respect with each new release. As the band itself might infer, with So Much Time ahead of them, it is Crazy To Think otherwise.

INTO YOUR EARS - The Ripe

(Get Hip)

As garage rock enters its fifth generation, up and coming bands are demonstrating greater signs of musical diversity in their endeavors to carry on the collective vision of the pioneers of the genre.

One such band is the Austin, Texas-based quartet, the Ripe. Comprised of vocalist/guitarist Jake Garcia, second guitarist Jorge Muñoz-Cobo, bassist Gian Ortiz and drummer Nick Yaklin, the Ripe’s debut for Get Hip Records sports a dozen engaging originals that owe as much to the Plain White Ts and Kyle Vincent as they do Love, the Kinks and Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders.

Released in April 2012, Into Your Ears was recorded at the Circo Perrotti Studios in Gijón (Xixón) in the municipality of Asturias in northern Spain. Each of the twelve tracks in this collection take their cue from the band’s numerous inspirations and bring to them a fresh perspective that speaks well for their commitment to enhancing the garage rock experience.

To wit, their bombastic opener, Be Adventurous lives up to its title, with a full on assault of an arrangement that soars somewhere inbetween the Tornadoes’ Telstar (London 45-LON9561) and Love’s Seven And Seven Is (Elektra EK-45605). Neverending happily sustains that momentum; containing as it does a few brief asides to the Cherry Slush’s 1968 monster classic, I Cannot Stop You (U.S.A. 895). Conversely, the aptly titled A Good Thing Found brings with it an undercurrent of singularity of purpose with the Plain White Ts’ Hey There Delilah (Fearless 714753008625), which suggests that the Ripe is not averse to building a diverse musical portfolio.

Interestingly enough, the horn-sweetened (courtesy of Miguel Herrero) Orchestra adds a bit of Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass’ The Lonely Bull (A&M 703) to the inspiration of Ritchie Valens’ arrangement of Malagueña (From Valens’ In Concert At Pacoima Junior High album on Del-Fi DFLP-1214) by way of Love’s Alone Again Or (Elektra 45-45629), with the band delivering accordingly in exuberant fashion. Yellow Phone even strikes a chord of solidarity with Abba’s S.O.S. (Atlantic 45-3265), which reiterates the Ripe’s commitment to maintaining a diverse mission statement.

In turn, Oubliette demonstrates the band’s penchant for the dreamscape template in true Kyle Vincent fashion, complete with a high drama arrangement that irrevocably states its case for the band’s determination to diversify as much as possible within their self-appointed musical parameters. The Ripe has even produced a video for the aforementioned A Good Thing Found, which showcases the essence of their genial musical persona quite succinctly.

While the Get Hip label’s releases often defer to the demands of garage rock purists, thankfully label president (and Cynics co-founder) Gregg Kostelich nonetheless endeavors to diversify the label’s catalog as much as possible within those parameters. In that respect, with this debut offering by the Ripe, he has indeed A Good Thing Found.

A MORE PERFECT UNION (WITH LORRE WYATT);

PETE REMEMBERS WOODY - Pete Seeger (Appleseed)

In 2008, Pete Seeger released what many presumed would be his swan song, the acclaimed Pete Seeger At 89 album for Jim Musselman’s West Chester, Pennsylvania-based Appleseed label. Given his unprecedented seven decades in the forefront of folk music, those who voiced such concerns reasoned that Seeger had more than proven himself, and had earned the right to scale back his work schedule accordingly.

True to form, Seeger has not only confounded such expectations, he has exceed those of even his most ardent supporters. Following the release of Pete Seeger At 89 (which was selected by Blitz Magazine as one of the ten best new releases of the year in the Blitz Awards For 2008), Seeger again joined forces with Appleseed to oversee the release of the archival Live In ’65 album in 2009 (which was also included in the Best Reissues/Anthologies category in the Blitz Awards for that year). In 2010, he sustained his momentum with the all new and engaging Tomorrow’s Children CD, again for Appleseed.

Most recently, Seeger has once more outdone himself with the release of not one, but two all new collections. The first of those, A More Perfect Union sublimely personifies his trademark propensity for benevolence, tempered with encouragement and empowerment; directed to a degree as it is as musical therapy for project collaborator and one time colleague, Lorre Wyatt. With the title a play on words that was in part inspired by the preamble to the United States Constitution (which opens with the words, “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union”), A More Perfect Union celebrates a renewed (or, in Seeger’s case, reiterated) sense of purpose brought about by God’s grace and sheer determination.

For Wyatt, that determination was the result of a major health setback. In 1996, he suffered a stroke, which impacted his ability to either sing or play an instrument. Thankfully, Wyatt has since recovered to the point that he is now able to resume those activities. As such, A More Perfect Union underscores how the two artists turn to one another for strength and support. In the processing, they have enhanced their respective individual strengths, as articulated metaphorically in their upbeat Old Apples.

To that effect, the instantly memorable opening track, God’s Counting On Me...God’s Counting On You is a brilliant illustration of the New Testament passage, James 2:14-26, which concludes in verse 26 that “faith without works is dead”. As Seeger and Wyatt have come to realize and espouse from personal experience, while the Lord is of course omniscient and omnipresent, He has nonetheless prevailed upon those who profess faith in Him to take action when others are in need, rather than merely offer verbal encouragement (verses 14 - 17).

True to form, A More Perfect Union also contains its share of uncompromising commentaries. This Old Man Revisited draws from the familiar 1870s folk song, Jack Jintle, which was most famously revisited in 1959 by Richard Steven “Ritchie Valens” Valenzuela as The Paddiwack Song (from the album Ritchie on Del-Fi DFLP-1206) and by one-time Seeger labelmate Mitchell William “Mitch” Miller that same year as The Children’s Marching Song (Columbia 4-41123). Herein, Seeger and Wyatt use it as a template for their observations on the consequences of military conflict; articulated in a manner that is certain to resonate with a wide variety of perspectives on that often disputatious issue. In turn, Strange Lullabye (which features Seeger in a most impacting acapella performance) drives the point home by highlighting the potential consequences of war on the most vulnerable members of society.

To their ongoing and considerable credit, Seeger and Wyatt herein nonetheless do not envision themselves as self-appointed voices of the proletariat. Instead, the pair takes into consideration the blessings of a rich diversity of perspectives (which is sublimely illustrated in Wonderful Friends, which had previously appeared on Pete Seeger At 89). This self-depreciating personal assessment is most brilliantly articulated in Howling For Our Supper, in which Seeger and Wyatt are taken to task by the family dog and cat for devoting all of their energy and resources on universal causes, while neglecting the needs of their own households. It is wisdom borne of experience, and a lesson that certain aspiring social commentators would do well to heed. Not surprisingly, the ten minute set closer, Bountiful River drives the point home succinctly and in the process states the case for James 2:14-26 about as well as it can be stated.

Although he remains one of the most beloved and gifted intellects and humanitarians of the previous and current centuries, Seeger of course was not supernaturally endowed at birth with such attributes. True to the observations of James 2:14-25, his is an ongoing legacy that was developed by a lifelong hands on approach to both education and action. The son of composer/musicologist Charles Edward Seeger and concert violinist/Julliard professor Constance de Clyver Edison Seeger and elder brother of renowned folk musician (and current Appleseed labelmate) Peggy Seeger and New Lost City Ramblers co-founder Mike Seeger, Pete Seeger was enormously blessed during his formative years by being able to draw from his family’s experiences in refining his own musical mission statement.

After ending his studies at Harvard in 1938 (prior to graduation), Seeger embarked upon a period of musical growth. In 1940, he relocated to Washington, D.C., where he worked as an assistant to the legendary musical archivist, Alan Lomax, the son of pioneering musicologist John Avery Lomax. The elder Lomax was of course instrumental in the development of the career of folk music visionary Huddie William “Leadbelly” Ledbetter, whose landmark 1945 concert film, Three Songs By Leadbelly was produced by Seeger.

In March of that year, Seeger was introduced at Will Geer’s Grapes Of Wrath benefit concert for agricultural laborers to vocalist, instrumentalist and songwriter Woodrow Wilson “Woody” Guthrie. The Okemah, Oklahoma native became a lifelong friend and mentor to Seeger (and in 1941 a musical collaborator with Seeger, Millard Lampell and Lee Hays in their groundbreaking folk group, the Almanac Singers), and is of course the focal point of the two CD Pete Remembers Woody project.

In 1954, the beloved acoustic era pioneer and visionary, Herman “Will Oakland” Hinrichs recorded an audio documentary album, Jubilee, which remains available in the CD configuration on the Archeophone label. Therein, Oakland recalled in remarkable detail his role in the development of the recording industry in the 1890s and early 1900s; a first person account that is without peer within the genre.

Likewise, Seeger’s Pete Remembers Woody is a triumph that supersedes any like minded earlier endeavors by others by virtue of the fact that his is a first person account. With occasional musical interludes by the Vanaver Caravan, Work O’ The Weavers (a band inspired by Seeger’s work with the groundbreaking folk quartet, the Weavers), David Bernz, Steve Kirkman, the Almanac Singers, Woody Guthrie’s singer/songwriter son and one-time Seeger collaborator, Arlo, and Woody Guthrie himself (in a duet with Gilbert Vandine “Cisco” Houston) amongst others, Pete Remembers Woody inadvertently takes its cue from Oakland’s Jubilee album in its highly detailed, spell-binding, first person accounts of Guthrie’s unique journey as a folklorist, activist, musician, composer, vocalist and uncompromising individualist.

Throughout the proceedings, it is apparent that Seeger remains in awe of Guthrie’s individualism and sense of adventure. To be certain, only Seeger could do such an account justice, and he does so in meticulous detail that ultimately enhances his own legacy as much as that of his subject matter.

Sadly, Guthrie succumbed to Huntington’s Disease in October 1967 at age fifty-five. But like Seeger, his the impact of his contributions to the world of music continues unabated. And with the release of Pete Remembers Woody and A More Perfect Union, we are also reminded how immeasurably blessed we have been and continue to be by Seeger’s efforts. In the words of one of the standout tracks from Pete Seeger At 89, It’s A Long Haul, and one that Seeger continues to undertake with class and without compromise.

NEW YORK MINUTE -

The Jay Willie Blues Band (Zoho)

 
Whether it has come via what Petula Clark once termed A Sign Of The Times or by mere happenstance is little more than conjecture. But the fact that there has been a marked upswing in worthwhile new releases by blues bands in recent years is certainly a welcome development.

One of the most noteworthy efforts in that respect is the latest release from the Connecticut-based Jay Willie Blues Band. Comprised of guitarist Willie, bassist Bob Callahan and drummer Bobby T. Torello, the Jay Willie Blues Band is the latest in a series of signings by New York’s Zoho label in an effort to further diversify an ambitious artist roster that already includes such respected veterans as Bonnie Bramlett, the Persuasions and first generation garage rock greats, the Pretty Things.

Owing as much to straight ahead rock as conventional blues, New York Minute brings to the table a flair for such diversity that has at times been in short supply within the genre.

“I have a collection of vinyl records from my youth”, Willie explained in the project’s sleeve notes.

“(I) recall the anticipation and excitement of not only hearing the music without any previous sampling, but reading the liner notes and getting more personal with the artists whom I so admired while the music was in the forefront.”

To wit, New York Minute opens with the mid-tempo, aggressive Hollywood. Co-authored by Torello and featuring guest lead vocals from Leiderdorp, South Holland native Marlou Zandvliet, Hollywood owes a bit more to first generation garage rock and Sport label-era Andre Williams than it does the blues. Conversely, Hollywood is followed in succession by the title track, which takes a basic Chess Records blues template and does its best within two minutes and forty-one seconds to acknowledge all of the elements indigenous to the genre without succumbing to redundancy.

From there, New York Minute is an invigorating amalgam of those influences and more, from the wordplay-happy, shuffle beat, Chain Smokin’ (not to be confused with the similarly titled January 1967 Bob Seger and the Last Heard B-side on Hideout 1014) to the purist interpretations of McKinley “Muddy Waters” Morganfield’s I Can’t Be Satisfied (Aristocrat 1305), Saint Louis Jimmy Oden’s Goin’ Down Slow (Bluebird 8889) and Jimmy McCracklin’s The Wobble (Mercury 71412). The band even asserts a revisionist perspective with spirited renditions of the Isley Brothers’ 1969 hit, It’s Your Thing (T-Neck TN901) and Torello’s engaging Watch Pocket, which evokes the basic magnetism of Canned Heat’s 1970 tribute to a tribute cover of Wilbert Harrison’s Let’s Work Together (Sue 11) on Liberty 56151. Likewise, the occasional guest contributions on harmonica from Jason Ricci do much to underscore the overall exhilaration of the proceedings.

Although blues music in general has long been hamstrung by its inherent limitations, much has been done in the present decade through the efforts of bands such as this one to rectify the situation. To be certain, to paraphrase of one of Jay Willie’s originals herein, New York Minute presents the Best Side of artist and material as well as can be expected, and then some.