Tag Archives: Music

Paramount – A Good Word to Describe Guster

18 Apr


Guster performs March 28, 2012, at The Egg. (Michael Janairo / Times Union

Ryan Miller of Guster introduced the concert at the Paramount in Huntington, Long Island, yesterday as an acoustical/comedy combination and he laid out the ground rules. They would play a set, take requests in the middle (but if you shouted out a song they would not play it), and then finish off; all while comedian Jeff Garlin would come on and off stage (and maybe even play a song with the band – because of prior curiosity I knew he would be doing a Neil Diamond cover). As Guster put it, they are modern music men. The interactive, crowd-friendly concert was proof of this sentiment. While mainstays Miller, Adam Gardner, and Brian Rosenworcel are pushing 40, they still relate exceptionally well with a young crowd, earning them the title of the “Ageless College Band” – but, come on, any Guster fan can tell you that in the band’s years of performing they have certainly superseded the “college” title in pure musical talent.

Like billed, the concert was truly a comedy/acoustic combination. Jeff Garlin was the emcee and his scriptless blend of comedy carried the beginning of the show (which also featured a comedian that he brought along with him from California named Matt Edgar). Garlin, who most now know from Curb Your Enthusiasm, is hilarious. While the crowd became restless (it took a while before Guster came on stage), I enjoyed his brash style of “I don’t give a crap” comedy and I thought he pulled off a funny set.

Guster came out with a two-person string accompaniment and knocked through “Backyard” and new hit “Do You Love Me” with normal Guster proficiency. I immediately was struck by the smoothness of the strings. Guster has sampled strings in their music before so the orchestral addition in the concert was not shocking. Guster’s unique blend of alt/pop with acoustic proclivity is set up well for strings (or other unique instrumentation).

The first set flew by. The band was producing tremendous sound from some sweet-sounding acoustic guitars, bass, keys, and Rosenworcel’s classic eccentric drum set. Then, as the crowd seem to be getting settled in, Jeff Garlin glided out on the stage (prompting a Ryan Miller-led improv and odd Garlin dance) and introduced the request portion of the show. On the piano laid a fish bowl and concertgoers were given the opportunity to write requests, questions, or covers, and give their scraps of paper to Jeff who would pick out pieces and tell the band the song to play. This, of course, led to some pretty funny interactions. A girl tried to bribe the band to play “Mona Lisa” with dollar bills. They declined (but took the money!) Someone asked “Who is the roughest lover,” and the band concluded it was relative newcomer Luke Reynolds.

Songs were also played. Excellent songs. “Airport Song,” “Amsterdam,” and “Demons” within a span of 15 minutes. The crowd buzzed and sang along (as well as throwing ceremonial ping pong balls at the band after “Airport Song”).

The second set brought my favorite Guster song, “Either Way” followed by another gem “Satellite.” Here is a version of “Either Way” from earlier in the tour.

The beginning is similar to the type of off-the-cuff humor that we experienced last night. You know what I loved about it. It was just so real. You almost felt that you were back in Tufts seeing Guster in their incipient stages. The venue was intimate but the humor reminded me of inside jokes I used to have with my band. The interaction was fresh and humorous. I believe everyone felt like they belonged and that is something Guster does so well at their shows.

“Either Way” is subtle. It is carried by excellent harmony blending with a strong acoustic melody. I love the note Miller hangs when he holds out way. The strings just add to the calmness of this piece. But, don’t be fooled, the song, while soft, is tinged with emotion and passion.

I want to also provide you with a video of “This Could All Be Yours” which was played at the end of the concert last night. This song, off of the newest release, is very poppy but, hey, I like it.

I said it last time I saw Guster in Ithaca and I will say it again. Some bands do not enjoy themselves when they are performing. Guster does. You can tell they genuinely enjoy what they do and appreciate fans for listening to them. The concert was positively affected by this happiness and it was a joy seeing them for the third time – makes me want to keep coming back.

Oh yeah. I almost forgot. Jeff Garlin performed a William Shatner-like rendition of Neil Diamond’s “Solitary Man.” Here is him performing it in Milwaukee on April 7.

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Bhi Bhiman Can Make Any Music Lover Go Crazy (in a good way)

17 Apr

Bhi Bhi "is the" man

The English lexicon is immense. When I write reviews of artists I try to enlarge my discourse in a manner that is not grandiloquent. I hate repetition in adjectives and verbs, and I love experimenting with language. Yes this makes me a word nerd (a werd), but I embrace the title. The reason I begin this new artist profile with a statement on language is because I want to introduce you all to a great word related to the artist I am profiling. It is elysium. You can swap it out with Shangri-la, Zion, Canaan, Utopia, or, simply, Heaven. Let’s say your wandering around this network we like to call the internet and you come across a taste of elysium. Well, damn, you want to share whatever it is like wildfire (or perhaps keep it all to yourself – but I learned early that sharing is caring so here you all go). The little taste of music heaven is a Sri-Lankan-American folk/blues artist named Bhi Bhiman. And Mr. Bhiman can do this.

A lot of reality television shows – specifically one that has the creator of the piece as a judge – looks for the “Voice.” So what characterizes a voice? I think that the first necessity is for it to stop you in your tracks. You can be going a mile a minute trying to complete 20 different tasks, but, for at least the first time you listen to it, the voice forces you to drop what you are doing and just listen. It is quite heavenly in its relaxation properties. Consider it like a hegira. The “voice” contains a super-rich fullness that is whole and striking. It is clear and booming. The “voice” is very difficult to come by (only some truly have it). Good news for all of you. Bhi Bhiman has the “voice.”

Listen to the power. Listen to the vebratto. Listen to the soul. I am not overexaggerating the point. Bhiman takes “Crazy” and literally destroys the song. He picks it apart (similar to how Cee Lo sings it) and destroys its contents to the point that you don’t even hear the lyric anymore, you just hear him.

Okay, you are all saying. Sure. He can cover a great song. But this is Cee Lo. What about his original stuff? How does his voice work when you get him to perform some of his own songs? I’ve got some more good news.

Bhiman’s solo material is like what would happen if you combined the folky goodness of a David Bromberg/Tim Buckley with the southern soul of Otis Redding and then mixed in some good ol’fashioned early blues. Put all of that in a blender and turn the blender on puree. Ta Dah. Bhi Bhiman. His songs range from a humorous folk originality to sagacious note-shattering fosoblu (folk/soul/blues). Let’s start with the former.

Kimchee (kimchi) is a Korean fermented vegetable dish and Bhiman in “Kimchee Line” takes a pretty tradition blues riff and, well, sings about kimchi as if it is a vegetable train (sort of).

“Well I went up on the mountain
To see if I could fly
Went down to the sea, lord
And the sea was dry
So I picked a pickled pepper
From the Leader’s Tree
I got some prawn and oysters
For the Vitamin E

I’m on the kimchee line
Its radish time”

It is cheeky humor, a funny mix of traditional blues and a true eat your vegetables message. Bhiman is efficient on the acoustic guitar, lightly plucking the rhythm that guides the song. His voice clearly shines (like it does in all of his songs) and, don’t forget, it’s “cucumber time”

Included here is the full version of “Guttersnipe,” loaded with the excellent bass of Ben Tudor, moving percussion of Gabe Turow, and effective key-work by Sam Kassirer. The itenerant song features a simple chord progression that helps accentuate Bhiman’s croon. A guttersnipe is a street urchin (which Bhiman pays ode to in the song). The chorus of the song is just Bhiman demonstrating his fantastic chops to the listener. His drop down from his vocal limits back to his comfort zone is so difficult and done to such perfection. At around 4:15 the song darkens and you feel for the poor guttersnipe that Bhiman sings of. You feel the song and that is incredibly important to success. Bhiman is a modern troubador, a true “voice,” and one that you should keep an eye on for this point on.

Tour Dates:

Thursday 4/19 – Bowery Ballroom – New York City
Show @ 9PM sharp

Friday 5/4 – Oberlin Folk Festival – Oberlin, OH

Saturday 5/5 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
Show @ 8:30PM

Saturday 6/9 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA
Show @ 8PM

Sunday 6/17 – Clearwater Festival – Hudson, NY

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Beaming with The Widest Smiling Faces

25 Jan

Aviv Cohen

Aviv Cohen is a throwback. He is a consummate musician with a keen ear, laid-back skill, and an innate knowledge of what makes good music. It is always so refreshing being introduced to a musician who knows what they are doing and Aviv – who is the sole employee of the band The Widest Smiling Faces – has good reason to grin.

Aviv, who is based in Brooklyn, NY, has just released his second album Me and My Ribcage, and it features 12 tracks of ambient folk with a hint of medieval sampling and excellent guitar work. Most importantly, the music is light and breezy – like the sunny, cool New York afternoon that is just outside my window as I type this. It is a pleasure to listen to Aviv’s graceful melodies and you can tell that he – and Chris Wojdak, who added textures and assisted with arrangement, on the album – took care to make sure that the layers and sounds remained smooth.

The title track, “Me and My Ribcage” is the opening song on the album.The first minute of the song sends you soaring through light, immaculate clouds, into a denseless, gravity-less atmosphere. The weightless guitar sings a peaceful melody which at the one-minute marks pauses and leads into a soft acoustic guitar and Aviv’s low-fi, tender vocal. His vocal is actually a bit abstruse. I don’t know what to make of his calm vocal. It’s as if he is living in a different time, as if he recorded this back in 1930 – every word vibrates – similar to the way that John Darnielle plays with his voice even thought it is quite different. I actually do get a bit of the Elephant Six feeling as well.

British Progressive Folk groups like The Amazing Blondel played medieval-esque music back in the late 60s and early 70s, and the beginning riff of “Two Lips” followed by the multi-layered, accented vocal feels like this. I catch a little of Syd Barrett in the vocal. I also absolutely love the feeling I get when I listen to this. It is eccentric music – almost psychedelic (more in the Elephant Six way than the late 60’s way). Aviv is also a proficient lyricist and I would like to highlight the ending of the song:

“And two words sting my eyes with doubt brushed under skin and out of mouth (and down) he lied to feel our beating hearts it pulled us back to where we started.
In a way I had to grin we cut the hands from off of it and all his fingers red with stain will lead us to a house unfaded on the reeds.”

Poetic and well done

I am including “Lazy Boy” as my last sampling of Aviv’s music. I love the fullness of this song. Aviv’s music is relaxing and an absolute pleasure to explore. I suggest you take a listen to the entire album which is available here.

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The Top 10 Songs of the 2011 – The Countdown Begins Tomorrow!

19 Dec

As the title of this post suggests, the top 10 songs of 2011 countdown begins tomorrow. I am pumped. Last year was the first time I counted down the top 10 songs of the year (the previous year I did a decade in rock round-up poll – “Smooth” took the crown of best rock song of the 2000-2009 decade, but I chose “Devils and Dust” by Bruce Springsteen and I defended that choice here).

I had an excellent time compiling the top 10 songs of the year and profiling each of them in a daily (except Sunday) format. Every post category takes a back seat to this countdown. Interestingly, but not surprisingly (I guess then it really isn’t that interesting), it was quite tough to put together this list. Before I did my research, I had a preconception that this year in music was weaker than 2010. While 2010 saw such releases as “Home” and “King of Spain,” 2011 has songs like – NOPE! You are going to have to wait for the top 10. Patience is a virtue.

Inevitably, though, some songs missed the top 10 list by a smidgen. Last year I did a top 11, but, come on, that’s just an excuse for not being able to choose. This year I got the list down to 10 excellent songs ranging from electro-psychedelic to jazzy throwback (only clue I am giving out). But like I said some songs missed the cut. I am going to post these songs with a brief statement in this semi-preview post. And, as you will see, these are strong songs and, given some more time to think about the list, one or two of them may have been on it.

Remember, this list of 10 is completely based on my personal discretion. Yes, I admit, I am not a fan of most rap. I tend to favor Indie/Rock. These genre preferences do impact my decision making. If you think that Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” is the song of the year, you will most likely dislike this list. I am not discounting the song. It is #1 on many end-of-the-year lists and an enjoyable song for individuals with different musical inclinations. I do, however, urge you to follow this list. There are some gems that are universally enjoyable – in my opinion of course. If you want a little basis on how this is done please take a look at last year’s Rundown where I outlined the entire 2010 countdown.

Now, on to the songs that missed the cut.

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“Shell Games” by Bright Eyes

“Shell Games” by Bright Eyes is track two on The People’s Key, which was released in February of 2011. Bright Eyes, of course, is the brainchild of singer/songwriter extraordinaire Conor Oberst. The album, Bright Eyes’ eighth, was the definition of a solid release. The best song on it is “Shell Games,” a fast-paced lyrical tour-de-force (with even a mention to Sisyphus!).

“At the architect who imagined this
For the everyman, blessed Sisyphus
Slipping steadily into madness
Now that’s the only place to be free”

The song features a Bell X1-like 80’s style chorus, staccato piano chords, and Oberst’s passionate voice. Well done.

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“Shake it Out” by Florence and the Machine

“Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” by Coldplay

I’m grouping these two songs together because I share similar feelings for both. Supposing I had a little more time with these songs and their respective new albums, they both may have found a way onto the list. These singles are classic releases for both of the bands and both songs are good. I enjoy them both. They are just not top 10 worthy, in my opinion. If I was doing top 10 albums of the year, though, both of these new releases would have found there way onto that list.

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“Black” by Rome

And leading the best album of the year list would be Rome. This superior collection of songs from odd supergroup Danger Mouse, Daniele Luppi, Norah Jones, and Jack White is a mix between modern production, spaghetti western, and pure, unadulterated awesomeness. “Black” is one of the better songs off of the album. The album as a whole is wonderful. It is a true listening experience. Taken independently, though, the songs are either instrumental wonders or cool singles. Cool but not top 10 worthy

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Digging Deep – The Roots of Punk/Psychedelia

1 Nov

Are you in a psychedelic mood? Well, if not, let me get you in one. The Deep is a perfect example of an obscure classic rock band, one that has been often overlooked by fans of the protopunk and psychedelic genres of music. The band achieved virtually no success (unlike their Cameo-Parkway label mates Question Mark and the Mysterians who scored big with their 1966 hit “96 Tears”) and are rarely mentioned in today’s discussions about inspirational 60s bands. The Deep is categorically underrated and this is unfair. They only released one album (under the name The Deep) and it is quite possible that The Deep were more of a studio band; they did not tour to support their only release Psychedelic Moods. But that one album should have provided the band with a little more popularity.

The Deep was formed in Philadelphia during the mid-60s. Greenwich Village folk musician Rusty Evans (Marcus Uzilevsky) took on the role of lead guitarist and singer-songwriter. Past him, the identity of the rest of the band members is shrouded in a bit of mystery. We have names, but nothing is confirmed. Actually, folk musician David Bromberg is thought to have played on the debut release, but the tracks which he played on are unknown.

Psychedelic Moods does have one claim to fame. It was released in October of 1966. *Disclaimer* – this next comment is subject to an ongoing debate. The Blues Magoos’ Psychedelic Lollipop was released on November 1 of 1966 and The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators by the 13th Floor Elevators was released later in November. The Deep is thought to be the first band to employ the word psychedelic on an album name. Neat, right? It may or may not be true. Who knows? But it seems plausible. That is not why I think they should have received more attention. Why should they have? Their distinct blend of protopunk and psychedelic music was fuzzy, warm, infectious, and ahead of its time. That’s why.

“Color Dreams” is a great example of an experimental band. You can tell that they are mixing a concoction of psychedelic and garage rock/protopunk. It is tasty. The song’s base is a normal riff and vocal. Layered on this foundation, like moussakka, is a soft portion of strange noises, light piano, and muddled voices. In 1966, this psychedelic experimentation was fresh and exciting. The Deep was one of the first bands to capture this sound.

“Trip #76” is a repetitive piece that plays with a basic, somewhat shrill guitar riff. It reminds me a lot of music that the psychedelic band Love produced around the same time. Drawn-out poetry, repetitive riffs; garage psychedelia at its finest and earliest!

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