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Stu Nunnery Interview 2 – A Return to Music

by TW on May 14, 2013

Not long after launching ClassicRockMusicBlog.com, I tracked down a long silent singer/songwriter from the 1970s named Stu Nunnery, who agreed to an interview. The circumstances of our connection can only be described as cosmic serendipity. During the 1990s, I found a copy of Nunnery’s self-titled LP in the dollar bin of a used record store in St. Paul, Minnesota. I had never seen the record before, but it looked interesting and I bought it. When I put the platter on my turntable, I was immediately taken by the music. Here was a set of songs and an artist that should have found more popular favor in the 1970s, in the same vein as James Taylor or Jackson Browne, but it was not meant to be — at least then.

Little did either of us know—or expect—that five years after our first chat and 40 years after his lone LP release, Stu would be making a full-fledge return to music. This includes the long-overdue release on CD of his lone solo LP from 1973, writing new songs with plans to record a new album and doing what Nunnery loves best —performing live.

2013 promises to be a busy and exciting year for Nunnery and his fans. Stu and I talked recently about his unlikely return to music, the path ahead and how you and I can become involved and help this deserving artist return to his craft.

When we first spoke in 2008, you had been out of music for many years due to some incredible circumstances. Can you recap the events that took you out of your art?

Sure, a successful career in songwriting, music recording, singing, advertising (jingles), acting and live performing ended precipitously in 1981 when I suffered a series of catastrophic incidents to the blood vessels of my ears and eyes that at the time appeared to make anything forward professionally impossible. I continued however on my own, not publicly to sing and play the piano on occasion, and in the early ’90s appeared as an extra in television commercials and in a few independent and feature films (Philadelphia, Age of Innocence, Lincoln and Seward [PBS]). I have not recorded or performed live musically since 1981.

Some five years later you’re fully back into music. What happened? Was there a specific day you decided to start singing again, or to play guitar or piano?

As they always say it was a confluence of things, The first piece was the interview you and I did in 2008 when I learned really for the first time that there was — however large or small — an international fan base and that my music had resonance even after all these years. The Internet changed everything, but for some reason I had not sought out my work on the web until then. Once the interview hit I spent a lot of time re-finding myself and my place in that world. People wrote comments after the interview and I followed their trail but all I thought then really was that perhaps I could put my original album on CD — as many had asked me to do.

Secondly I’d have to say it was the death of my sweetheart in 2010 that brought my own life ever more into relief and I began to feel again that the one thing life had not given me was another chance at music and if there was any way I could, I would return. After she passed away, I redoubled my efforts.

Third was the evolution of hearing and sound technology. For more than 30 years I had assumed that I had a distortion to my hearing that would not allow me to perform again, as I couldn’t seem to hit pitch correctly with the piano. The latest news is that some of that distortion I was hearing was actually coming from the hearing aid. There’s been a lot of research in the past decade and even hearing specialists did not focus until recently on understanding that hearing voices and music are quite different. And I’m not alone. Many musicians – some estimates are 30% of rock and roll musicians and 52% of classical musicians — have some hearing loss. With new technology I received in 2010 I began hearing tones I hadn’t heard correctly for three decades, and I knew at that moment that I could at very least record again. That was a revelation and a very startling one, happily so.

The thing I have missed most was performing live. I am a singer but more completely a performer and am very comfortable on stage — in fact have done a lot of speaking and one-person performances around the country these past many years. To be able to sing and to interact with audiences again was what I wanted most. After I knew I could hear better, I started working with a vocal coach again. I did not spend the past 30 years on the road, so my voice is in very good shape. After a few lessons she told me that all the facets of my voice were there and that nothing should prevent me from doing again what I once did well. It was a matter of matching what I had and can hear with the right monitoring and amplification technology. As in fact, all musicians are doing today.

On my birthday in February of 2012 a woman I was dating and I walked into a restaurant in New Hampshire for a birthday dinner and the room was quiet but there was a baby grand piano staring at me. My friend suggested that I sit down and play — she knew the owner and he agreed. I played — just piano no singing — for about 45 minutes and the room pleasantly and unexpectedly responded and people wanted to know who I was. I hadn’t played for anyone for more than 30 years and my sweet friend said to me, “You can do this again.” Yes, I thought, I can get a bar gig, but could I do this on stage with musicians and an audience?

The answer is yes and the pieces are coming together in steps as you and I speak again — very exciting for me.

It’s a confluence — a history in music that is appreciated by others, serendipity, and some life- changing occurrences, technological advances, and a passion that would never die. So hello again! There are not only second acts in life; there are thirds — and maybe even more.

In the process, did you work to relearn all your original material?

What I’ve done is brought my performances of that music up to date and added nuances and subtleties to the playing and singing that I have perfected over these many years. That will change the songs — the older ones and the newer ones — for the better: New stylings — pop, rock, folk, country, jazz, alternative for example, and different tempos, expanded and/or simpler phrasing. I’m very anxious to get back in the studio and up on stage again. I’m a better singer and vocal performer than I was at 24.

2013 marks the 40^th anniversary of your self-titled solo album, which is going to be reissued on compact disc for the first time. What took so long?

The reasons are in my response to your second question. All the processing I had to do to even believe I could move myself and my music to the next point. There’s 30+ years of bad road there. I had a lot to negotiate. Confidence played a role too. I was beat up at 29 at what should have been the beginning of my peak years.

Did you find the original masters or was it sourced from something else?

Perhaps not surprisingly I had always had in my possession the original master tapes for my first album. But those tapes had spent time in every kind of climate environment you can think of. By 1981, they seemed to have no value anymore to me though I held on to them. In 2012, after I began to see some light, I decided to get the tapes transferred to CD for later cutting, uploads and sales. My original engineer, Rick Rowe, suggested I work with Charles Harbutt at Long Tail Audio in New York. When I brought the tapes in, he felt he would probably have to “bake” the tapes, which involves putting them in a dry/low heat environment overnight to get them to at least be listenable. He didn’t promise the transfer would take. But he noticed as did I that the original piece of tape that held the master to the reel was still in place, suggesting that maybe the tape was in good shape. He was also pleased to see that it was Scotch tape which apparently has held up better over the years than its competitors. But when he asked me where I had stored them I had to laugh. I said everywhere from the Arctic to the Tropics and every place in between. He told me to call him the next day.

Instead he called me earlier than we had agreed and told me that the CDs (a master and copies) were ready. He said that when he put them on just to listen they were in excellent shape and didn’t need baking — even after 40 years. I have the master CD, which now only needs mastering to clean it up digitally for replication and copies.

Do you have any favorite moments from that LP?

During recording, working (both on my album and in later sessions) with the “studio cats” (with all due respect), who just blew you away with their skills, taste and ideas. I didn’t even realize then who I was working with — some of them very early in their own careers who would go on to incredible heights — but read the names. I was very fortunate to have had these gentlemen taking me forward — their work lives on with my songs. What an incredible treat. And what a mind-numbing loss not to be able to have enjoyed their mastery again throughout the years following my first album. I’m very happy to say I am still in touch with a few of them and may engage them in my work forward.

As for songs, I’m pleased with them all given the time they were produced and my abilities — and limitations — at the time. Al Gorgoni, my producer, did a masterful job with a rather eclectic list of tunes, as did Paul Griffin, our arranger, and Rick Rowe, our engineer.

I especially am fond of “Your Rise,” “Diminished Love,” “The Lady in Waiting” — and they weren’t even the “hits” — “Sally From Syracuse,” “Madelaine” and “Lady It’s Time To Go,” and even “The Isle of Debris” which became a rock classic in parts of the country. That’s seven of the nine cuts that had a very extended shelf life.

For releasing a single LP you had some significant success.

We did. Two songs, “Madelaine” and “Sally from Syracuse,” made the Top 100 on the American Pop charts, “Sally” went as high as #67. “Lady It’s Time To Go” became the #1 record in Brazil during 1976, and was covered by both Nicky Hopkins and B.J. Thomas. And as I mentioned before, “The Isle of Debris” was a rock favorite at stations across the country and really found a home as a classic tune at KSHE in St. Louis. There were other songs that became “turntable hits,” meaning they received lots of airplay around the world. Not bad really for first release.

Did you see any royalties from your first outing?

Very little – nothing in fact from record sales and very little publishing money from all that airplay, even from in Brazil where I had a #1 record for a time. Yet today you can buy my singles and album on vinyl disc and even sheet music in many countries. I saw my album on Amazon recently for $49.98. These are dollars I will probably never see. It was the dark ages then, and artists signed contracts that gave too much away in front for a shot at the music business. Record companies that paid the recording costs and promotion costs simply promised royalties only after they recouped their costs – so most of us never saw an accounting. In sum, I came out of my “successful” recording experience with less than very little.

What are your hopes for the reissue?

They are simply to address the requests of fans, and to re-establish my visibility and musical identity, and, of course, to bring new people to me and my music.

Where will it be available for purchase?

The 40^th Anniversary Special Edition CD is being re-mastered and will be ready for mailing around the middle of June. We’ve set up a pre-ordering protocol available as soon as this interview hits the web. We can take your order right now!

You’re working on a collection of new songs for a new album. How did it feel getting back into writing after all these years?

I have never really stopped writing. For the past 30+ years writing has been the focus of much of my work — in between a host of odd jobs. I’ve worked as an activist and educator primarily around foods, farms, public health and local economies and have been written up in and written for every medium. All of that has facilitated my writing in whatever format for me. I will also be doing a lot of writing and performing for YouTube — music and performance videos, some advocacy work, and many others. As for writing music and lyrics, I’ve just had to shift my focus a bit to re-make those connections and it’s been very rewarding. I have a lot of material ready to be recorded. There’s more to say and a host of musical ways to say it. After performing, I’m always happiest writing in whatever form.

Was it harder or easier this time around?

My musical vocabulary is much larger than it’s ever been though I did not listen to a lot of music for many years. But I grew up during the hey-day of great singers and songwriters of the ’60s and ’70s, and that has left an imprint. Not harder or easier, but more compelling and infinitely more interesting. Trade secret: I also write for performance, not just records — so what sounds right to me are things that will fit inside a larger context in the studio and on stage. So I’m putting together a body of work for larger purposes, not just one knock-off after another. I love all styles of music and am writing in many of them. Seems to me it’s a writer’s paradise right now. I’m enjoying it.

How do your musical chops and voice today compare to when you were playing in the 1970s?

I have retained what was good, enhanced what I can, and am adding new touches that seem to fit me and who I am musically and vocally. Lyrically, I have a lot to say — always have — and am enjoying this platform again to say things in a unique way while riding on a wave of musical sounds.

The financial backing for recording this new album will largely be crowd-funded. What is your financial goal and what can fans do to help?

I’m building a patron base – much like artists and composers have done throughout history. I will also be crowd-funding some via the web. I will be selling CDs of my first album as well as new material on-line and wherever I perform after July. I’m becoming engaged in some other related artistic ventures (performance art, videos, PSA’s) from which I plan to generate revenues. I’d like to invite patrons, friends, fans and others who would like to join me in this next adventure by supporting my musical and performing arts forward. They can reach me through my Facebook Page and I will send them a personal invitation and a prospectus. Simply send me a personal message. I’ll get right back to you. With my thanks!

What are your musical plans for the rest of 2013 and beyond?

Moving the Stu Nunnery 40th Anniversary Special Edition CD and by mid-July, be back in the studio making new music. After that, live dates and other performance activities. In between, building the patron base, launching other artistic ventures, making connections, and being very, very busy – back at last doing what I was meant to be doing. And very grateful for it.

Stu Nunnery at the piano, 2013

You can pre-order the 40th Anniversary reissue of “Stu Nunnery” using the Paypal link below. Your support is greatly appreciated!

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New Model Army – The Ghost of Cain

by TW on May 6, 2013

New Model Army – The Ghost Of Cain

An unlikely meeting of established classic rock cred and crusty U.K. punk anger directed at the establishment occurred with the release of the band New Model Army’s third album, The Ghost Of Cain on Capitol/EMI in 1986. With the inclusion of producer Glyn Johns, whose resume was already astounding at that time, the West Yorkshire trio, who to this day remain largely unknown outside of Europe, crafted a record filled with angrily-worded railings against the stifling atmosphere of Cold War Britain and the cold indifference of the Thatcher government. Few purchased this album on the Western side of the Atlantic, but those who did were blessed with the ownership of a document whose teeth have dulled little over time and which contains lyrics nearly as relevant as they were three decades ago.

Led by singer/guitarist Justin Sullivan and backed by longtime drummer Robert Heaton and newly-recruited teenage bassist “Moose” Harris, the group was fueled by the provocative words of Sullivan’s romantic partner Joolz Denby, who’s now a successful novelist. Anyone who did chance across this release was greeted by propulsive rock rhythms augmenting Sullivan’s/Denby’s political observations. Without those rhythms, Sullivan’s delivery may have sounded more like folk music from a man with a new amplifier to show off. The band is the thing that distinguishes this music from that of artists of a similar bent such as Billy Bragg. The songs “51st State,” “Poison Street” and “Lights Go Out” were featured prominently on college radio during the mid- to late ‘80s, sweaty, fist-pumping anthems all.

But it’s when Sullivan detours from this formula that we get right to the meat of what matters. “All Of This” provides a prime example when Sullivan employs his acoustic guitar and whispered, Roger Waters-indebted vocals as the main machinery behind his examination of the military industrial complex and what passes for Western foreign policy. Lines such as “Hold me tight, hold me fast/Standing here on the wrong side/Of this bullet-proof glass/There are no questions left for us to ask” illustrate the growing paranoia of those questioning the ugliness of “the will of the people.” His positioning of his audience alongside others wondering how representative government could go so wrong ensured an alliance with anarchists and squatters across their home continent.

With a skittering guitar figure punctuated by raw power chord blasts, “Western Dream” barrels right in to a list of the dazzling brilliance of distractions to morality offered up through the free market. With the tempo threatening to accelerate beyond the band’s control, Sullivan rejects all he sees in a chorus exclaiming “All lies, all lies/All schemes, all schemes/Every winner means a loser/In the Western Dream.” “Lovesongs,” which follows, shows Sullivan’s romantic side. This 6/8 shambler laments that the radio always plays love songs whenever his revolutionary gal pal is far away. That sounds a bit goofy when laid bare on its own, but fits in perfectly when cast amidst the venom he and that gal pal have been spewing forth elsewhere.

Although the record’s melodies are instantly infectious, if only in that a crowd could surely chant right along with Sullivan without memorizing his back catalog first, one song has stuck with me all these years – “Heroes.” The lyrics are pure condemnation of a previous generation, whose 20th Century actions, meant to solidify world peace and prosperity, have only led to the brutal domination of the haves over the have nots. The chorus summarizes: “You are not our heroes anymore,” and soon we’re also guilty of sloganeering. Then closing with the abrasive “Master Race” and its supremely growling electric guitar set to a driving drum beat, Sullivan’s anger stays at an all-time high. This time he’s questioning the trappings of Western society itself and how our daily rituals can be considered more advanced than those in lesser developed corners of the world. With uncontained frustration, he sings “Goddamn this master race/That we’re born in/Goddamn this howling wolf/that we’re serving,” as if he’s got his hands clenched firmly around the keystone of our hallowed halls and he’s ready to tear it all down with no notice.

So, you’re right, no actual revolutions were caused by the creation of The Ghost Of Cain, and the band’s political stance was the main factor in preventing them from securing visas to the U.S. to spread their views to some of the people who could most benefit from hearing them. But weirder, more polarizing albums have shown up over the decades, some with subtle societal leanings and others that found anger to be the antithesis of caution. This isn’t a punk album, but it does have a tripod set evenly on the corners of the lands where punk, classic rock and folk protest music intersect. Many other artists have tried to share material such as this only to find they’ve merely alienated strangers while preaching to the converted. But not New Model Army. The Ghost Of Cain is a remarkable record that succeeds because it contained the most important element found on any good collection of material – killer songs. Track this one down and then let me know if I haven’t spurred something revolutionary in your own record buying habits.

-Mark Polzin

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Neville Brothers – Yellow Moon

by TW on April 22, 2013

The Neville Brothers – Yellow Moon

With recording careers stretching back to the mid-1950s, the individual members of New Orleans’ Neville Brothers have found varying levels of success. But when united, vocalist Aaron, keyboardist Art, saxophonist Charles and percussionist Cyril made a bold bid for pop stardom in 1989 with the Daniel Lanois-produced Yellow Moon on A&M Records. Lanois, himself a native of The Crescent City, coming hot off the heels of success with Peter Gabriel’s So and U2’s The Joshua Tree, wanted to capture The Big Easy’s mystical history as a backdrop to The Neville’s sound. What resulted was perhaps the finest recording in which any members of the group had ever been involved, whether solo or with the family.

Augmented by Willie Green on drums, Tony Hall on bass and Brian Stoltz on guitar, The Neville Brothers uncorked Yellow Moon with a sigh rather than a pop on the Cyril Neville/Willie Green-penned track “My Blood” and a plea for Jah to look after the children of the African Diaspora now settled in the unsettling Western Hemisphere. The song is hand drum-heavy, as you might expect, as is the rest of the album, with each member of the group credited with additional percussion. As the song slowly reveals itself, it’s as if we’re parting the moss hanging from the trees to see the group perform. Lovely four-part harmonies are interwoven and Charles’ sax injects a quizzical counterpoint to the surging soul.

The best known of the brothers, Aaron takes the lead on the title track, his composition. A creepy faux-reggae, the lyrics are the story of a man begging a supernatural satellite to keep watch over his wayward girlfriend. His fears of unfaithfulness are projected through the questions he asks of the moon. Aaron’s impassioned falsetto, his trademark dances between the lines of sorrow. Meanwhile, Art’s keyboards provide a bright contrast to the gloom and Charles delivers a solo straight from the aisles of a darkened, otherworldly carnival. Cyril later delivered somewhat of a signature tune for the group in the form of “Sister Rosa,” the tale of the legendary civil rights icon Rosa Parks. With the catchy refrain, “Thank you, Sister Rosa/You are the spark/That started our freedom movement/Thank you, Sister Rosa Parks,” it became a focal point of Neville Brothers live shows in the years to follow. And true to form with Cyril’s other creations, it focuses on aspects of ethnicity not highlighted as prominently since the mid-1960s. I could do without the dated ‘80s keyboard sound, but Hall’s bass adds a wonderful growling funk aspect that recalls George Porter, Jr.’s work with Art Neville’s previous outfit, The Meters.

“The Ballad Of Hollis Brown,” a Bob Dylan song which sent chills down this writer’s spine when first heard at a tender age, is hauntingly retold by Aaron as spectral slide guitar and Hall’s bass set the mood behind him. There’s no delicate way to reinterpret this tale of a desperate man’s actions towards himself and his family, but Aaron, the master interpreter of other’s songs, demonstrates the necessary build to the tale’s tragic conclusion. One of two Dylan covers handled by Aaron (the other being “With God On Our Side”) on the record, it’s a testament not only to the powers of Aaron Neville as a musician, but also to the widespread influence left by early Dylan material across many American subcultures.

Another standout moment on Yellow Moon comes with the brothers’ version of the A. P. Carter standard, “Will The Circle Be Unbroken.” The brothers trade verses when not supporting each other’s lines as guest Brian Eno cloaks the number in an atmosphere of shimmering synthesizers. Stark and emotional, it also provides some of the glue that helps hold the tracks together as one identifiable statement.

What’s evident on Yellow Moon is that The Neville Brothers really love performing with one another. There’s a bond that comes through kinship which is expanded when the boys become band mates and Daniel Lanois picked it up exquisitely when at work in the studio. And outside of material by Doctor John or The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, New Orleans itself is fettered in sonic form better than heard anywhere else. It’s a magical release that has dimmed little in the passing decades. The brothers still reunite on occasion, but they’d be hard-pressed to recapture the essences snared back during the disintegration of the 1980s.

-Mark Polzin

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Justin Furstenfeld of Blue October live in Minneapolis, Mill City Nights 2013

by TW on April 16, 2013

Blue October’s Justin Furstenfeld
April 12, 2013
Mill City Nights, Minneapolis

It was just last week in this space that I regaled my gratitude for the invention of the Storytellers concert format where musicians strip their songs down to the raw basics and tell the stories behind them. No more powerfully could that have possibly been accomplished than the April 12 show by Blue October’s Justin Furstenfeld, which was part concert, part therapy session, part apology to the universe for his rock star arc.

You know the drill — after years of gigging and modest success, a broke songwriter writes a love song for his girlfriend, which turns into a successful Top 40 radio song and propels his band’s career. He revels in excesses of all types, hurts people who were there from the beginning, writes a successful soul-bearing apology album, touring keeps him away from home, his ego inflates, excesses eventually catch up with him, things implode and the band side projects start to pop up in smaller venues. So many bands have been through a version of it.

But that’s partially why you don’t have to be a Blue October die-hard to enjoy Furstenfeld’s “Open Book” acoustic show promoting a book of his lyrics and writings. Even people who remember only a few Blue October songs from rock radio in 2003-2006, such as “Calling You” and “Ugly Side” from History for Sale and the platinum “Into the Ocean” and “Hate Me,” from Foiled, will be thoroughly moved by his self-described brutal honesty.

Not every rocker’s catalog has the lyrical density to stand up without any trappings — just his voice with some echo and an acoustic guitar or done practically spoken-word. He even accepted questions from the audience to take his connection with his fans even deeper and likely to keep the shows fresh. I don’t wish pain on any artist, but it sure does make for good records and powerful performances.

He confessed that it was intimidating to try and write sober, now that he’s kicked addiction again. Someone please reassure him that drugs don’t fuel expression; the acuity of feeling leads a person to need to make art and sometimes to indulge in substances that dull the pain for a while. Art succeeds because of its ability to work us through tension and conflict, for both the creator and the audience.

Not every artist can write an amazing “happy” record, but I’m sure Furstenfeld can still find things to be pissed off about or agonizing, even now that he’s found spirituality and cleaned up his system. The preview given of the band’s forthcoming work, a song titled “Not Broken Anymore” does bode well. More information and tour dates. The new album by the band (they are still together — this is just a side project) is expected August 20, 2013.

-Cathy Jones

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Neurosis – Given To The Rising

by TW on April 15, 2013

Neurosis – Given To The Rising

I’m pretty picky about my metal these days. Yes, there was a time when I wasn’t quite so discerning in my quest for volume and riffs. But there’s a lot of stale, repetitious crap out there that doesn’t do a whole lot to establish an identity for the artist. If metal is to be respected as an art form, it must push boundaries. Or shatter them, as in the case of Oakland, California’s Neurosis. When the constraints of both punk and metal began to inhibit the group’s full senses onslaught, they just stepped beyond. Although formed in 1985 as a hardcore punk group, there has been a steady transformation in the direction of down-tuned doom metal and then into something far more visceral, primal and cosmic. Their live show adorns the permeating sludge with a succession of haunting visuals, psychoactively nightmarish not gore-soaked. Establishing their own Nerot Recordings label, and incorporating a visual artist into the band’s roster over most of their run, the band retains full artistic control of their messages of thought-provoking ruin and despair. Hearing their ninth studio album, 2007’s Given To The Rising helped me realize that we metal fans hadn’t yet reached a dead end on the road to new dimensions of dark artistry.

Neurosis’s line-up has stayed fairly consistent over the decades, which just makes their sonic transition all the more amazing. Neurosis evolved through the will of the collective entity, not through the influx of ideas from replacement musicians. The band’s skeleton and guts, guitarist Scott Kelly, bassist Dave Edwardson, and drummer Jason Roeder, grew flesh with the addition of vocalist/guitarist Steve Von Till in 1989, and began clothing itself in the raiment of keyboardist/sampler Noah Landis in 1995. The role of the visual artist has been played by a few different cast members, but in 2007 was handled by Josh Graham. His incorporation of iphotographs of the incredible statuary found at Budapest’s Heroes Square contrasting against the drawn images of spectral ravens, eclipsed suns, and horrifically antlered equine creatures are chilling and unforgettable.

A good summary of the album’s sound is found on “Fear And Sickness,” which opens with a high, pulsing keyboard tone setting the tune’s eventual rhythm. The piece slowly unfolds and is reminiscent of Black Sabbath’s titular song, only instead of wondering about the black figure lurking in the shadows, we’re aghast that something has torn a hole in the sky and something worse is about to emerge. Kelly’s and Von Till’s guitars diverge with Kelly holding a more traditional Slayer-esque air and Von Till unleashing a demonic vacuum cleaner hellbent on tearing the carpeting from your floor. Longtime producer, Steve Albini doesn’t fail to deliver on the promise of “noise as is,” bringing stinging rawness to the ear. After a cacophony of Roeder’s meteor-tumbling-through-an-asteroid belt drum bursts, Kelly’s opening guitar tones are reprised as the strangled creak of a distress signal distorted across light years. Gripping.

“At The End Of The Road” arrives with the whir of a dormant machine, quiet borderline feedback, distant and meandering bass tones, and the churning menace of a twistedly distorted guitar. Roeder’s drums pound out the pace of a cautious combat unit scouring the hillsides for survivors of either army. Then Von Till’s voice cuts through the fog with a message fighting to escape the mists of the Underworld, growling and howling as if mouthed by Linda Blair. A bizarre Morse code bounces along while the meters are bleeding red. Before the mid-point of the eight minute monstrosity, we’re feeling the music more than hearing it.

A crunchier guitar approach is taken on “Water Is Not Enough,” while ethereal synthesizer mecha-pixies flutter in and out of reality and Von Till alternately mumbles and groans. The riff turns ultra-heavy, akin to a King Buzzo or Kim Thayil meltdown, before what sounds like a cello saws out a mournful breakdown leading to an eventual return to pummeling brutality and a glimpse at the buzzing mecha-pixie breeding grounds. “Distill (Watching The Swarm)” follows with a nine minute soundtrack to a shambling man-brute careening his way through a forest. Roeder’s control of the pace here is key, and he switches to demolishing his crash cymbals when the guitars get turned up past 10. Landis’ fluttering rotors, skittering skycraft, and chirping avians belie the guitarists’ desires to lay waste to the battlefield before them.

Listing 10 songs that top up over seven minutes in length on average, there are also moments of brief yet pure sonic experimentation, such as is found on the appropriately titled ninth track, “Nine.” The music bed may involve guitars, but if so, they’ve been altered so as to be unrecognizable. I suspect that Landis is responsible for most of the sounds found here, as we’ve already heard similar swirls of razored death and pulsing beacons from across the cosmos elsewhere on Rising. Von Till recites a poem seemingly from the lips of someone attempting to make sense of the past amidst the rubble of civilization’s and technology’s demise. Whispered and questing, the message ends abruptly, leaving the listener as confused towards the protagonist’s future speak as he is to our society.

Given To The Rising, like all Neurosis albums is a harrowing ride. But for those appreciative of highly creative expression despite or in addition to oppressive noise levels will sign up to take this ride time after time. The influence that Neurosis has had across the music industry is incalculable, but the band themselves cite artists as diverse as Joy Division, Milwaukee punk experimenters Die Kreuzen, and author Jack London as key to the development of their style. This album is still too new for us to determine how essential it will prove, but I’d gamble heavily that future generations will look to Given To The Rising with the same level of respect currently bestowed on Kill ‘Em All, 2112, Superunknown, and Master Of Reality.

-Mark Polzin

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Mike Nesmith, Fitzgerald Theater, St. Paul, MN – April 5, 2013

by TW on April 8, 2013

Mike Nesmith live at the Fitzgerald Theater
St. Paul, Minnesota, April 5, 2013

Take this opportunity to cross one item off your bucket list — Mike Nesmith is on tour. Fortunately, the intimate and historic Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minn., found its way to his spring 2013 tour dates list. This reviewer was not the only person in the crowd thrilled about the opportunity, however. One couple drove to Minnesota from Chicago for the show, and green wool hats dotted heads of the 20-somethings throughout the multigenerational crowd. The audience’s gratitude for the visit was loudly apparent, as an exuberant standing ovation greeted Nez the moment he stepped onto the stage. He seemed amazed, almost bashfully motioning to everyone to sit, so he could begin. Raucous cheers followed each song, especially “Joanne”/”Silver Moon,” to which he replied, “Holy smokes, thanks,” before going into the story behind the next tune.

Storytellers has to be one of the best things begat by VH-1, as Nesmith introduced his songs with the stories behind them. He explained, “These songs live like mini movies in my mind.” Of course they do; he pioneered music video. How amazing for folks in the audience to have new connections with songs that have been part of their lives for decades.

The show extended more than 90 minutes, but even doubling that might not have satiated the fans or thoroughly covered his nearly 50-year music career. He traveled through his catalog, beginning with “Papa Gene’s Blues” and “Propinquity” and extending through the recent “Rays.” He included a triptych from The Prison, as well as a salute to Red Rhodes‘ pedal steel playing in the encore, thanks to modern digital technology, where the band played along with a recording of Rhodes on “Thanx for The Ride.”

In the “of course he played that” category: “Different Drum,” “Some of Shelly’s Blues” and “Rio.” In the “I can’t believe he played that” category: “Cruisin’,” and any fans who’ve ever seen Elephant Parts have the image burned into their brain of the bodybuilder in the speedo walking down the Sunset Strip. Once you’ve seen it, you can’t “unsee” it. What a hilarious treat to hear in concert.

Overall, the show was a joy for any fan of Nesmith’s long and varied solo career. Information on the few remaining dates can be found on his official site. Any Monkees fans shouldn’t miss the chance to attend, just because of the rarity of the event — if you can find tickets, that is. Many shows are sold out.

Cathy Jones

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Richard Thompson – Sweet Warrior

by TW on March 27, 2013

Richard Thompson – Sweet Warrior

Veteran singer/guitarist Richard Thompson is enjoying a bit of a career resurgence with the release of his latest album, Electric. Coincidentally I’d recently made a decision to fill some holes in my collection by acquiring material he’d released since the late ‘80s. Up for discussion today is his 2007 collection, Sweet Warrior, licensed for U.S. release by the Shout! Factory label. As I’d listened through the album’s 14 tracks, I felt as if I was reconnecting with an old friend as I was quite into his music during my college days some mumble-mumble years ago. His alternately ridiculously witty and heart-wrenchingly moving lyrics and his incomparable guitar skills intact, Warrior is as perfect a jumping on point as any for those uninitiated to the Cult of Richard. I’ll draw attention to a few of its selling points.

Richard Thompson, whose career stretches back to the late ‘60s as a founding member of the incredible British folk rock ensemble Fairport Convention, had had enough of being under contract with record labels. His runs with Polygram and Capitol in the US produced evidence that executives didn’t really get how to market his music. Though often critically acclaimed, he largely failed to connect with an audience for his unique style. While his records sometimes see release on his own Beeswing Records these days, he’s aligned himself with the like-minded New West label for Electric. Prior to that, he’d funded his own recording sessions and then licensed the product to various companies for releases to specific global markets. The well-respected Shout! Factory, which now concentrates more on their DVD and Blu-Ray releases, licensed Sweet Warrior for U.S. release. It’s a bitch when musicians have to struggle with the business end of things, but Sweet Warrior saw Thompson finding a temporary solution to having a major label breathing down his neck and creating unnecessary pressure during his creative process.

The first thing to know about Richard Thompson’s amazing guitar talents is that his playing, whether acoustic or electric, is dissimilar to that of British veterans who’d grown up listening to American blues records. Thompson honed his abilities in a folk music setting and his approach is very identifiable. When plugging into the amps, his guitar sound can tend towards the angular and employs precise picking. His acoustic playing is warm and inviting. The second fact to reckon with is that Thompson’s voice is not what you might consider typically “beautiful” or “dynamic.” While his music doesn’t require the leap of faith necessary to get past shortcomings comparable to those of Bob Dylan, he does sound more like your next door neighbor, who happens to be a much better singer than you’d ever imagined he’d be. Thirdly, Thompson is a man who’s unashamed to wear his heart on his sleeve. His ballads, the lyrics often centering on a doomed love or relationship torn apart by unpreventable circumstances, are shattering. His rockier numbers often shine a light on the silliness of human behavior and Thompson is quite willing to skewer anyone whose actions betray their high-mindedly stated intentions.

So Sweet Warrior offers no great surprises, but it does deliver material that fits right in with the best Thompson has offered over the decades. Witness “I’ll Never Give It Up,” one of several songs whose lyrics deal with a churning disgust with the lack of direction or completion of the Iraq War, features a brilliant Thompson solo and a vague lyrical target who sees “red, white, and blue” as he creeps around and unconscionably pulls stuff that pisses Thompson off. As a transplant to Los Angeles, Thompson has every right to criticize the actions of his adoptive government. He’s not naming names, but you know who’s irking him. He’s tastefully supported by longtime cohorts, Michael Hays on rhythm electric guitar, Danny Thompson on acoustic bass, and drummer Michael Jerome.

A mid-tempo tear jerker is revealed on “Poppy-Red,” a tale of a man who’s been torn in half by the death of his woman/partner/friend. The key changes, straining the limits of Thompson’s voice on either end, add to a lyric straining for a release from this grim fate. He’s joined on the chorus, as in many places elsewhere on the album, by the beautifully complimentary harmony vocals of Judith Owen (Note to trivia buffs: the wife of Spinal Tap/Simpsons man of a thousand voices, Harry Shearer). Bassist Taras Prodaniuk offers relief to Danny Thompson here and Richard Thompson contributes a harmonium line for texture. Later on, the sharp crack of a snare drum launches the white guy reggae of “Francesca.” Woe to any woman named in the title of a Richard Thompson song and this “Francesca” is no exception. Thompson asks who dragged her name through the dirt and left her the whore of the world. “Francesca” may likely be symbolic of some thing or person for which Thompson feels sorrow, and he sings accordingly despite the honking tenor sax courtesy of Joe Sublett and Thompson’s own bright organ fills.

Much has been written on the song “Dad’s Gonna Kill Me,” a lament from the point of view of a soldier questioning his actions and fate while serving time in Baghdad (the “Dad” in question). But the song that really captures the sense of being stuck in a doomed situation is the epic “Guns Are The Tongues,” told mostly from the point of view of a woman who seductively convinces young men to sacrifice themselves via car bombings to strike blows in an ongoing guerilla war against an occupying force. Stretching out over nearly seven-and-a-half minutes, “Guns” serves more evidence of Thompson’s focus on conflict across the globe and how the lines of nobility are blurred during warfare. After all, what good is growing up as a folkie if you can’t deliver a series of good anti-war protest numbers? Thompson delivers in spades on this topic across all of Warrior. Here his elegant mandolin and hurdy gurdy, with the fiddle playing of Sara Watkins, round out the sound of ceaseless conflict and sadness.

The album’s closer is “Sunset Song” and a lyric regretting the abutting of a caring woman’s caress against an uncomfortable social setting forcing the song’s subject to leave town. This is probably as close to a folk song as anything included on Warrior and it’ll deliver the same chill down your spine that you’ll feel from some of the more stripped back numbers by Jethro Tull, such as “Dun Ringill.” Thompson sticks to the lower end of his vocal range, where he seems most comfortable, and his warm tones perfectly capture the sense of sorrow during the protagonist’s departure. Thompson’s acoustic guitar is animated and deliberate, while his accordion playing merely urges the tears to flow more freely.

Despite my love for Richard Thompson’s work, the nature of his approach mandates that enjoyment comes through an acquired taste. For those that he’s won over, there’s a wealth of material in his catalog that seldom falls short of the mark of excellence. Sweet Warrior thus provides a solid introduction for the newcomer and one more success for the longtime fan. Yet with as many quality collections under his belt, Thompson has rarely presented a single release that spans the entirety of his capabilities as handsomely as this record. I’m hearing great things about Electric, but I’m very glad that I started gathering up the missing pieces by acquiring the underrated Sweet Warrior first.

-Mark Polzin

Richard Thompson on Letterman

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Hunters & Collectors – The Jaws of Life LP and Payload EP

by TW on March 25, 2013

Hunters & Collectors – The Jaws Of Life LP and Payload EP

I’m always in search of records that flew under the radars of the music-loving masses. Today’s blog entry deals not just with an unsung album, but an unsung band as well – at least as far as music lovers outside of Australia are concerned. We flip through our calendars and travel back to the early to mid-80s where an amazing and original band called Hunters & Collectors are trying to spark some magic with their third album, 1984’s The Jaws Of Life. The group is evolving beyond their early attempts to emulate machine music using typical rock band instrumentation. Funk and soul are entering the studio, but the hands at the controls once more belong to the legendary German sonic constructor, Conny Plank (Can, Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, Eurythmics, Ultravox, Neu!, Devo). Recorded in 1984 at both Plank’s studio and the band Can’s studio in Germany, The Jaws Of Life became one more record that failed to reach an audience open to the group’s bass guitar-dominated rhythms, a tight horn section, and the rough-edged vocals of guitarist/leader Mark Seymour.

Hunters & Collectors’ love of Krautrock is exhibited right up front in their name, taken from a song on Can’s 1975 album, Landed. Thus the band seemed to almost anticipate the will of Plank during their studio sessions. The meetings were very productive, but the results were a bit beyond even the grasp of American New Wavers and MTV fans. Despite having a reputation as one of the best live bands in Australia, the group eventually disbanded in 1988, after a few minor hit singles hit the airwaves.

Early material from the group didn’t easily find its way into American record stores. All of it is long out of print on their original Australian label, White Label Records, but Liberation Music has re-released The Jaws Of Life on CD in Australia and New Zealand and tacked on the 1982 Payload EP as a bonus. That’s right, you’ll have to pony up for an import copy if you’re interested in tracking an unopened version of this album down.

If I’ve got you fired up to look into this band’s work, here’s what you can expect on The Jaws Of Life and Payload. John Archer’s bass guitar is going to rule your world! Every song is solidly anchored in his aggressive approach and the vocals, horns, guitar, and keyboards are merely aural dressing. This is most evident on cuts such as “The Way To Go Out,” where Archer’s line and the clickity clack of Doug Falconer’s drums pave the way for woozy slide guitar work and the gang leader chanting of Seymour. The near jazz syncopation of his vocals belies the quick 4/4 from the rhythm section. The song sounds like it’s on the verge of an explosion, and the tension is heightened with the chicken scratch of Seymour’s rhythm guitar. The brass players’ sound, steered by longtime French Horn player, Jeremy Smith is bright and full.

“It’s Early Days Yet” churns along again at the behest of Archer, while Falconer’s drumming becomes more intricate. The guitars serve more as percussive rhythm makers where the occasional jangle breaks stride to make way for the horns and some more slide guitar. Seymour pleads and protests in and around the cacophony. The LP’s original closer, “Little Chalkie” finds the guitars dripping and oozing down around another stand out Archer bass line. Seymour’s desperate voice, now seemingly aware of his situation’s growing hopelessness, is drenched in echo and loses its bite – intentionally.

Payload’s four cuts are all killers and the EP has nearly as many exciting moments as all of The Jaws Of Life. “Droptank” especially shows a group attempting a minimalist, mechanical method to their funk. Archer’s bass and Falconer’s steady bass drum are the spine for the guitar, vocal, and keyboard appendages. And keyboards are definitely brought to the fore at the sacrifice of the horn section. But Seymour comes across as less focused: a wailing soul whose lament is echoed by a copycat synthesizer. The last track, “Lumps Of Lead,” is also somewhat keyboard-heavy. But Archer’s bass line, while still dominant, has dropped back and keeps to a more careful path. He’s not hitting on every single beat as on other songs. Put him together with very jagged and slashing guitars and you’d mistake this for a Gang Of Four track!

Hunters & Collectors didn’t register with me upon first listen. I remember their bizarre video for “Talking To A Stranger” being shown on MTV in the early days, before MTV started to get stupid. The band didn’t catch on with me until years later when their Human Frailty album was a hit on college radio in my Music Director years. Shortly thereafter, the band’s star burnt out. Any music collector has a list of several similar artists, who weren’t widely known except to the lucky few. Add this band to your list and give a listen to their earlier work, if at all possible. If you were at all into the sound of the German bands who’d worked with Conny Plank, you’ll find The Jaws Of Life right up your alley. While Hunters & Collectors were a much more organic ensemble than most folks that Plank produced, you’ll see huge similarities stemming from the artists’ late 20th Century industrial age angst and disassociation from and mockery of the foibles of mankind. Rock music as intellectual art statement? Yes, you’ve experienced that before, but never exactly like this!

-Mark Polzin

Hunters & Collectors The Jaws of Life LP and Payload EP

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Queens of the Stone Age – Rated R, Deluxe Edition

by TW on March 15, 2013

Queens Of The Stone Age – Rated R Deluxe Edition

Though now thought of as being extremely prolific, guitarist/vocalist Josh Homme was really first introducing himself to a much wider audience with the sophomore release by his band Queens Of The Stone Age. Issued in 2000, the album’s cult status had grown large enough that label Interscope felt justified in celebrating Rated R’s 10th anniversary with a deluxe edition. In addition to the CD’s original 11 tracks, there’s now a bonus CD containing 6 B-side cuts from various promotional releases for Rated R and another 9 songs from the band’s 2000 set at the UK’s Reading Festival. It’s a generous package and well-deserved. Rated R is a spectacular album from the unlikeliest of sources.

Crawling from the ashes of the deflated stoner rock band, Kyuss, Palm Desert, California’s Josh Homme served duty as a touring guitarist for Seattle’s volatile Screaming Trees before deciding on a need for his own creative outlet. After a start-stop stuttering of releases on independent labels, the band signed to major Interscope and unleashed Rated R on a world largely unfamiliar with Homme’s stoner rock roots. Produced by Homme and Masters Of Reality mastermind Chris Goss, the album charts several disturbing and unexpected courses over its duration. The weak are immediately culled from their audience with Track 1, the infamous “Feel Good Hit Of The Summer.” With the only lyrics being a list of the most popular of recreational drugs, “Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, Marijuana, Ecstasy, and Alcohol,” occasionally broken up by the reminder, “Co-co-co-co-co-cocaine,” Walmart saw fit to remove the CD from its shelves. A loss, then, for the Walton-loyal as the track, like the rest of the album, reveals a subversive brilliance only previously hinted at. “Feel Good” uses the best single note groove since the solo on “Cinnamon Girl” and never urges drug use. It merely serves as a demented backdrop to the extracurricular activities sure to be enjoyed by some of the band’s audience as the summer begins. Bonus points are given for asking Judas Priest’s lead shouter Rob Halford to lend background vocals. And who can deny the exquisite sarcasm of the song’s title?

If this wasn’t enough to entice further listening, one of the best heavy pop songs ever conceived followed on its heels. “The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret,” employing a remarkably difficult yet seemingly simple vocal on the chorus and tasteful layers of extreme guitar distortion. It easily ranks in my list of the Top 10 best songs ever recorded, it’s that devastatingly good. Screaming Trees’ percussionist Barrett Martin caps the mood with a positively creepy vibraphone part throughout.

Josh tested his drumming abilities in a precursor to his role in later combo The Eagles Of Death Metal, while bassist Nick Oliveri stepped to the microphone, on “Autopilot.” Nick’s stint with the group was very memorable and he’s been asked to contribute additional vocals on the Queens’ latest studio project due out later this year. While he’s usually the guy screaming rather than singing, he displayed a mellower side on this song that shows him to be competent, though less talented than Homme. Backing vocals from Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan add excellent support behind Oliveri. With the players back in their normal positions, including Nick Lucero on drums and Dave Catching on piano, “Better Living Through Chemistry” uses a minor key drone for the vocal line while Martin once again adds vibes and also additional percussion. Homme’s voice and guitar are both, thankfully, given the royal treatment while he continues to outdo himself.

The quirky and intriguing “Monsters In The Parasol,” featuring original Queens drummer Gene Trautmann and a bizarre lyric describing some sort of psycho-sexual hallucination, is another left-field pop rocker. Lanegan contributes lead vocals to “In The Fade,” which is a cross between the more bombastic moments of The Trees and an effects-heavy, bass guitar-dominated new wave track. Homme’s guitars are at their most Tree-like here and it feels like an off-hand homage or wave goodbye to the brothers Van and Gary Lee Conner. “Lightning Song” continues with the surprises as Homme sits down to the piano, Martin returns on percussion, and Dave Catching straps on the 12-string guitar for an odd instrumental. The feel here leans on Led Zeppelin as they forecast “Kashmir.”

The B-sides on Disc 2 continue to show that Homme has moved well beyond the jamming, sun-baked dirges of his stoner rock past. The high points come as two covers, The Kinks’ “Who’ll Be The Next In Line” and the dusty, new wave gem, Romeo Void’s “Never Say Never.” The band seems to be having the most fun on “Never” as Homme deftly lays out harmonics and also uses his guitar to emulate the original song’s sax line. Oliveri, meanwhile contributes baritone guitar and “asshorn” while the late Natasha Schneider of Eleven lends “fourths.” What was at first a naughty song, banned from or edited for radio, is somehow made even naughtier by Homme’s faithful treatment.

The live set is somewhat disappointing only because it ends just as the Queens are really picking up steam. From the moment the drums set up for “The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret” to the band’s crushing and show closing, 10- and-a-half-minute version of the early Queens cut “You Can’t Quit Me, Baby” to the encore “Millionaire,” a screamer of a song from Homme’s Desert Sessions side project and featuring Oliveri on lead vocals, the band is virtually aflame. Homme demonstrates a comfort with the material by playing slightly with the vocal to “Lost Art” and then really lets loose with his guitar on “Quit Me.” The live mix is wonderful, despite the cavernous echo on the drums, and Homme’s honey-sweet voice comes through loud and clear.

If you are a classic rock fan and you think that nothing has been released in the past quarter century that’s worthy of your notice, think again. Josh Homme continues to amaze and entertain with each successive project and nearly everything he’s involved in is worth seeking out. Start your search with Rated R in the most complete package showcasing Queens Of The Stone Age material during their explosion into the greater public’s awareness. After one listen, come back and tell me if I’ve steered you wrong.

-Mark Polzin

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Wishbone Ash – Live at The Iridium, 65 photos from Arnie Goodman

by TW on March 11, 2013

Click on the image of Andy Powell above to see all 65 photos from Wishbone Ash‘s recent gig at The Iridium. Awesome photography as always by Arnie Goodman.

Wishbone Ash Live at The Iridium, 65 photos from Arnie Goodman

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Blue October’s Justin Furstenfeld April 12, 2013 Mill City Nights, Minneapolis

Neurosis – Given To The Rising

Richard Thompson – Sweet Warrior

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Blue October’s Justin Furstenfeld
April 12, 2013
Mill City Nights, Minneapolis