Electric guitar – Lair of the Green Knight

Music Review: Driftwood Fire – How to Untangle a Heartache

Hey there!

Since college, I’ve been entranced by the chanteuses of modern folk and Americana, especially those who prefer playing acoustic instruments. (Nothing wrong with electric guitars, but I find it harder to actually hear melodies and voices when the volume is cranked.) Among some of my favorites are the Indigo Girls, Shawn Colvin, and Brandi Carlile. Each of these not only has an amazing voice, but understands the power of strong songwriting, layered harmonies, and how to play the right instrument for the right mood.

I love adding new artists to my list and it’s definitely grown and changed over the years – moving from more rock-n-roll to bluegrass, Americana, and folk as I get older. All it takes is a lick, a verse, or a bit of harmony that leads me to discovering more about a new voice or musician…

But it’s hard to argue when you’re pointed to musicians who went to school at your alma mater and are based in the college town you called home for five years. Lynn Scharf (singer, guitarist) and Charlotte Formichella (multi-instrumentalist) are known as Driftwood Fire and they call Fort Collins, Colorado home. And though it’s been a long road for them from inception to album, How to Untangle a Heartache has a purity about it that makes it a joy to listen to.

There are qualities to Lynn’s voice that reminds me of Brandi Carlile in “Let it all go”. With Charlotte’s opening pick line… “Don’t break my heart / it’ll never mend / we’re starting something / and we don’t know how it ends / just drive me someplace I’ve never seen / so late at night I mistake / you for a dream / and kiss me real slow / and just let it all go…” It’s a song about doing what feels good even if we know better. And sometimes, life is like that. There’s an honesty there that shines through.

“Apalachian Hills” has a haunting quality, sort of like something Sarah Jarosz would sing. It tells a story about a place chased by its past and showing through to the present. Here there’s a simple arrangement that lets the guitar, banjo, piano, and voice easily express the sadness of the place. Between the Civil War, silver miners, and other folks seeking their fortunes – leaving many dead in the fields, forgotten by time. Though not cheerful, again – there’s an honest appreciation for the history of a place without overblowing it with loud electric guitars.

The simple strum and lead guitar at the beginning of “One Thing Left” reminds me a Big Head Todd and the Monsters song… But again, it’s the lyrics that bring it alive. “You wrote a letter / apologizing / for your absence / not realizing / that only hurt me / I read it slowly / shaking like a bird fighting with the wind / shocked I was all alone…” This is almost a country song with the Americana showing through. But that “one thing left” to tell you – is that I’ve moved on. I keep repeating that there’s an honesty in the music and the words, but that’s what it is. A simple message – you hurt me, but I got over it.

Love can definitely hurt – but at least when poets and songwriters survive it, it’s “food for songs” as Del Amitri once said. Thank goodness Lynn and Charlotte have managed to work out their heartache in song so that we can enjoy the fruits of that musical therapy. Definitely check out Driftwood Fire’s How to Untangle a Heartache if you’re looking for something new in the Americana/Folk vein for your collection.

Check out the Driftwood Fire home page for more information about the album or their ongoing tour.

This article first appeared at BlogCritics.org here.

–Fitz

Driftwood Fire – How To Untangle A Heartache (roughstock.com)
Brandi Carlile (musicoutsidetheumbrella.com)

Music Review: light at eventide – Erika Chambers

Hi again!

Occasionally I’m approached by an artist directly to do a review. But only rarely do I listen to the first 10 seconds of a song and immediately reply to say I’ll review a CD.

In mid-August, Erika Chambers dropped me an e-mail and asked me to take a listen to her new album light at eventide. What she actually said, which peaked my curiosity, was that if I liked Crooked Still (and I love them), I just might like her album. She was right. I know it’s cliche, but in this case I’m convinced that she has a voice like an angel.

She describes herself as an indie Americana artist out of Nashville, whose songs are always private and personal, written in the quiet of her mind. Inspiration comes from hymns, mountain songs, family, people she meets, a news story, or the experience of her own life. In her bio on her website she writes that her songs aren’t fancy – recorded wherever she can find equipment and time. And quite honestly, I think that gives her music a “real” quality that’s sometimes tough to find in soundproofed professional studios.

It’s obvious that she has numerous folks in her corner. She days – “Often, I paid my producer by taking him out for Mexican food. He literally worked for beans.” But I think all the support from family, friends, fellow vocalists and instrumentalists has paid off. Though it took Erika nearly four years to complete light at eventide, there are some simply stunning songs on it that she and all of her collaborators should be proud of.

As I said earlier on, I was captured by the first few seconds of the first song on the album – “freedom song/birmingham” – which deals with some of the darker history and violence of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. It opens with her voice singing gospel-style, which simply gives me chills every time I hear it. “I stand on ashes where once there stood a home / here lived my family but now I stand alone / you told my papa to move us out of town / but he was a stubborn man who always stood his ground…” The rise and fall of her voice tells me she believes in what she’s singing as she tells the story of a woman who forgives the man who killed her family. And that’s just the start of the album. Powerful music, amazing voice, and a story that evokes raw emotion is a great way to kick things off.

“footprints” is another song that left a mark on me. Telling the story of a family stuck in the snow in Colorado and the brave act of a husband and father trying to save them. And though he didn’t make it to get help, his footprints led searchers back to where the family was and they were saved. “My true love did what only true love does / my children know the man their daddy was / and I pray someday my sons will choose to step into their fathers’ shoes / and they may stumble and they may fall / but his footprints will deliver us…”

The arrangement for “footprints” takes a powerful tale and pairs it with electric guitars, a driving beat like deliberate footsteps in the snow, and some harmonies that simply have to be heard to believe. There’s a power there that builds like the power that builds each time a tale of heroism is told, kicking this tune into overdrive. Erika is joined by Blue Mother Tupelo on this track, which adds layers of experience to the tale and her own expressive voice.

The last song of the eleven on the album I’ll talk about is “light at eventide”, which features Eric Paslay in a duet. Talk about quiet power. A single guitar with a simple melody meets a string bass, a drum beat, and strong harmonies that never once threaten to overwhelm the message of the song. And the words… “twilight sun through the trees / bowing low on its knees / diamond stars one by one cease to hide / burdens weigh on my breast / I will lay them now to rest here in the light at eventide…” It’s a prayer to know she’s not alone. “Chase the shadow from my soul / fill the sky with rays of hope / so I know I’m not alone…”

I’m not a religious person, but there’s a purity of spirit that echoes through these songs telling stories with hope. We all can probably use a bit more of that in our lives.

But don’t let me steer you wrong here. The rest of the album is amazing as well merging bluegrass, hymns, folk, and blues in ways you might find surprising. There’s humor, hope, and humility here in the rhythms, melodies, and words. In some ways, her talents remind me of Eva Cassidy – as though she has an old soul and can use her connection to that to tell stories that transcend her own experience.

For a sampling of some of her tunes, check this out:

I definitely encourage you to check out light at eventide when you get a chance. It’s an amazing album I’ll be listening to while I wait to see what else Erika can throw at us next. Give her a listen at the album’s website where you can stream it for free and check out her webiste at ErikaChambers.com.

This article first appeared at BlogCritics.org here.

–Fitz

p.s. Please check out her website and stream the album. Erika deserves all the support we can give her!

Music Review: The Book of Aylene – Goodbye Picasso

Hi again…

When a passionate, talented artist finds another and things click, it’s kismet. That good fortune over the last three years has led songwriter Chris Dreyer and guitarist Scott Taylor to create some amazing music as the band Goodbye Picasso in New York City a few years ago. The band’s first album is The Book of Aylene (TBoE), which releases August 24, 2010.

TBoE tells the story about a musician who gets the girl, gets a great gig, and starts the downward spiral of drugs, relationships, and finally – losing the gig. Thankfully I was told this isn’t autobiographical in nature, which is awesome. In an age of overly engineered albums, it’s nice to find a concept album that is simply that… a concept seen through the arc of a series of tracks.

I’m positive there are many influences on the record, but as I listened I was reminded of groups from the 1970s, like Van Morrison and Simon & Garfunkle. The country influences aren’t far behind either, especially in the last song – “The Devil, The Bottle, and Me.” The hand of a storyteller was hard at work throughout the album, with a simplicity and honesty in words and melody providing a deep landscape upon which to layer some sweet instrumentals.

Though I love the faster, more upbeat or bluesy tunes on the album more than the ballads, the mixture meant styles changed across the album to reflect the tone of particular songs through the story arc. Everything from a rockin’ blues tune to acoustic strings and almost a wild west sounding piano can be heard as the tales progress and he falls further down the rabbit hole…

My favorite song on the entire album is the nearly drunken blues song “I Don’t Want Nothin'” with some riffs between saxophones and lead electric guitar that just sell the lyrics that much more. The musician is losing his girl, and he knows it. “Don’t call me superstitious when I catch you watching her / With your dirty little secrets of the places that you were / And you can play it cool / Or act the fool / It all looks well rehearsed / You’ve been talking me in circles, as if somehow I’ve not heard…”

But songs like “Lick the Thumb, Turn the Page” really define the struggling artist’s goal to find a way to be discovered playing gigs in some small town. “My drummer’s friend’s in A&R / He seems to think we could go far / It’s much harder than it sounds / Being no one in this town…” Playing to and for people through those initial years, “All these evenings that I’ve spent / with all these people I’ll forget…” The virtual blur of names, faces, places, and gigs has to wear on a musician’s soul.

[amazon-product align=”right”]B003V5C6SA[/amazon-product]And “The Song That Says Goodbye” tells the story when the musician really figures out that he’s losing it as things start falling apart. This is a ballad, almost. But it sounds more like he’s making excuses for himself until the end of the song, when he realizes he’s slipped too far and maybe his girl should keep her distance… “I kept on accusing everyone else / For these consistent bruises I gave myself / Is it real when you realize no wealth? / And you were best off losing with someone else…”

I could go on all day writing about these songs and the words therein. The tales embedded capture the manic cycle and downfall of a musician losing his battle with fame and fortune. When you add the beautiful musical compositions and soulful vocals, TBoE reaches a whole new level of introspection and sorrow as the musician hits rock bottom.

If you are looking for something new – something truly artistic and enjoyable from a group we should all get to know better – be sure to check out Goodbye Picaso’s The Book of Aylene when it’s released on August 24, 2010. It’s going to be a hard album to follow up after the invevitable national and world tours that will follow. I only hope that the band doesn’t read their own lyrics and start down this path of self destruction!

For more information about the band, their touring schedule, and lyrics for The Book of Aylene, be sure to check out GoodbyePicasso.com.

This article first appeared at BlogCritics.org here.

–Fitz

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