Ryan Dembinsky | ICT magazine

Posts Tagged ‘Ryan Dembinsky’

Bobby Long | 03.15 | NYC

April 2nd, 2010 | No Comments

Bobby Long :: 03.15.10 :: Mercury Lounge :: New York, NY

Bobby Long by: Lisa Serrano

In this uncharted realm of so-called new media – you know, the one that flipped the music industry on its head and continues to shake it by its very ankles until every last bit of loose change spills out of its pockets – there now exists a slew of ways to judge the snowballing momentum of a rising star. You can count hits on a MySpace page, fans on Facebook, views on YouTube, links on blogs, downloads on iTunes, Tweets, re-Tweets, and more. But there’s still one failsafe method that speaks volumes above and beyond any digital metrics for monitoring the growth and staying power of a new talent: Can they fill a venue on a Monday night in the rain?

In his latest unlucky streak of stormy visits to the Big Apple, the U.K.’s Bobby Long packed the Mercury Lounge to the gills on a dreary, stormy Monday and served a perfect supplement for the Day of Moon blues with his heart-achingly stripped-down songwriter fare with a finger-picking country bent and sung with a beckoning English accent.

I suspect few jam fans know much about Bobby Long as he does not fall neatly within those borders, but for anyone who cares to hear a captivating vocalist in the vein of Ralph McTell, Kris Kristofferson, or perhaps even a British John Mellencamp, give him a listen.

Over the course of this hour-and-change set, Long tested out new material, including “A Winter Tale,” “I Give Her Love,” “A Stranger Song” and “Hide Yours,” while working in old standbys like the popular “Bounty of Mary Jane” and “In the Frost,” all performed with great solemnity. Highlights included the introduction of a new arrangement of “Penance Fire Blues,” which built into a nice crescendo, as well as the rousing beauty of “Two Tone Lover.”

Bobby Long by: Lisa Serrano

Between numbers, he kept it light, joking before delving into “Who Have You Been Loving” that “this one’s for Tiger Woods.” Furthermore, he showed a generally increased comfort level and ease in his stage presence, taking the audience on entertaining anecdotal tangents, such as an endearing story of his grandfather’s time spent serving as a Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot.

Since his last visit to New York City, when he held court at the also jammed Bitter End in September, Long seems to have also improved markedly in his finger-style guitar playing. The majority of the catalog builds off relatively simplistic chord progressions, but he shows a remarkable knack for adding color via accent notes with his unorthodox two-fingered picking attack and construction of fuller, brighter chords than the standard singer-songwriter fare. Notably, he walks the line between country blues and the more uplifting traditional I-IV-V type structures, while taking the crowd energy through high peaks of heavy strumming howls and low valleys of quiet, whispered picking.

Interestingly, while no shortage exists of catchier singer-songwriters in the genre, Bobby Long possesses a rabid fan base, once comprised largely of females but the male portion continues to grow fast. This is surely due, at least in part, to his distancing, finally, from an earlier licensing success as he had a song placement in some movie that we’re not going to mention – it’s time to let it go. Still, the fans get it. They follow all the new material intently, sing-along with most every tune, and soak up even the most obscure cover choices.

There is something genuine and invigorating about catching a young musician in such a sweet spot, the point where the close knit, accessible feeling still exists but you truly feel that momentum building. Bobby Long currently sits comfortably on that perch. With his first proper LP due to drop later this summer and the rooms quickly growing, the chances for quiet, standing-room-only Mondays are likely fleeting. But look on the bright side; so is the rain.

Bobby Long :: 03.15.10 :: Mercury Lounge :: New York, NY

A Winter Tale, I Give Her Love, The Bounty of Mary Jane, In the Frost, A Stranger Song, Who Have You Been Loving, Penance Fire Blues, Hide Yours, and I’ll Hide Mine, Dead and Done, Two Tone Lover, Two Years Old

Bobby Long Tour Dates :: Bobby Long News :: Bobby Long Concert Reviews

JamBase | Longing
Go See Live Music!

Chico Hamilton: Living the Beat

February 16th, 2010 | No Comments

By: Ryan Dembinsky

Are people born with rhythm?

Chico Hamilton by Todd Boebel

Sitting down at the kitchen table inside 88-year-old jazz legend Chico Hamilton‘s midtown Manhattan apartment, chewing the fat about jazz music and his storied career as a drummer and bandleader – a career that includes holding court for jazz royals “Duke” Ellington and “Count” Basie, playing storied musical engagements with his school kid pal Charles Mingus, receiving a living legend of jazz award from the Kennedy Center, and recording on over 60 albums – likely marks one of those stories I’ll tell my grandchildren one day. Not only did Hamilton leave a musical legacy that virtually mirrors the history of jazz since the 1940s, but in just a short visit I learned that Chico just recently suffered congestive heart failure, yet continues to play shows with guys half his age and just recently put out an incredible new album titled the Twelve Tones of Love (released last April on Joyous Shout Records).

This question of rhythm came up about midway through the chat and Chico said, “Well they all got a heart. They all feel the beat of their heart.”

From there, he ordered me, “Put you’re your hand on your heart. Now take your other hand and keep the beat. Now sing this, ‘Do Do Do Do; Doot Doot,’” as he nodded along with the four quarter notes and two subsequent half notes. “Let me hear you sing it,” he said, chuckling as I sang through the beat. “That’s the oldest beat that I know of; that’s the bottom line of jazz. That’s The Charleston.”

I think I just took a music lesson from a living jazz legend. Check that one off the bucket list.

Composer

Chico’s new album, Twelve Tones of Love, sounds at once fresh, mellow, listenable, funky, and melodic – as fresh a jazz album as I’ve heard in ages – but Hamilton downplays all of these in a charismatic, albeit humble manner.

“There’s no such thing as new music,” he says. “Somewhere, somebody played that same note. The only thing different is the rhythmic articulation. We still don’t know which came first, rhythm or movement. The freest thing that a human being can do is dance.”

In talking about his studio effort, I inquired if the title referenced the musical approach known as the twelve-tone method.

“Exactly. C, C#, and all the way up,” he says. “I do it because there ain’t no bad notes. Every note means something. It’s simple; you hear the sound, you play the note.”

Chico Hamilton by Todd Boebel

If only it was so easy. Hamilton has a way of describing music where you know he feels it in a way not everybody can. “You’re playing in all the keys,” he adds. “Keys don’t mean a thing. That enables you to play what’s called a moveable ‘do’ [as in do-re-mi].”

Prodigy

In his early days, Chico made a quick study to jazz and earned himself early recognition on the West Coast.

“When I was eight-years-old, my mother took me to the Paramount to see Duke Ellington and his orchestra. Back then, the orchestra stood in a pyramid and at the top was Sonny Greer. Man, he had more drums than a drum store. People just went nuts for him. He was the first real percussionist.”

At eight years of age, Chico experienced that cathartic performance and subsequently realized he had a unique talent. “Play me anything, I can play it,” he claims. The West Coast jazz scene took to Chico like a burr on wool and before long he was playing with his idols like Lester Young, Lionel Hampton, Billie Holiday, and George Jones. “Eight years later, I was in that exact same seat, playing with Duke at 16-years-old.”

Bandleader

Having tackled the drums and percussion with Ray Lewis authority, Chico stepped out front into the limelight in 1955 as a bandleader and he never looked back. This is a curious feat given the fact that Hamilton came from a largely self-taught background. Presumably, learning the drums and keeping time comes more naturally, but Hamilton evolved into one of the finest bandleaders of the day – many days for that matter – which comes as a direct tertiary of his dedication to the craft, his understanding of space, and the piecing together of different skill sets. Asked what makes a great bandleader, Chico responded diplomatically, “A better word is ‘good.’ What makes a ‘good’ bandleader? To be a good bandleader, you have to be a great sideman first. You can’t run before you can crawl.”

Continue reading for more on Chico Hamilton…

The freest thing that a human being can do is dance.

-Chico Hamilton

Photo by: Todd Boebel

Teacher

Similarly, almost from the get-go, Hamilton established not only a reputation as a virtuoso player, but also as a launching pad for aspiring jazz musicians. In fact, the seminal jazz bible, Ted Gioia’s The History of Jazz, attributes the late legendary alto saxophonist Eric Dolphy’s earliest successes and notoriety to his association with Hamilton.

Chico Hamilton by Todd Boebel

What drives Hamilton to make the effort to look out for the careers of younger musicians on the rise, while many musicians preoccupy themselves foremost with furthering their own careers?

“That’s just the way I grew up,” he says. “I got help from the pros like Lester Young and Joe Jones. Basically, I was self-taught, which is not easy. I’m still teaching myself new things. I still take lessons from time to time.”

This “what goes around comes around” attitude led Hamilton to become an original founding member of The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in 1987. Over 20 years later, while Chico rarely leaves the confines of his New York City apartment – equipped with a drum kit and keyboard parked in front of his living room television – he still makes the effort to teach an ensemble class at the New School. To this day, most of the players in Chico’s live band are former students from the program.

“What I stress when I teach is that it takes all kinds of music to make music,” he offers. “I don’t care if it’s country western or pop-rock, if it’s good, it deserves to be played and it deserves to be listened to.”

Film Contributor

Perhaps a tribute to the depth of Chico’s personality, which easily maneuvers a balance of quick wit, thoughtful emotion, and quirky philosophies, Hamilton has also enjoyed a long career adding his colorful contexts to the movie industry, contributing compositions, pre-recorded numbers for soundtracks, and even his well-worn face as an actor.

“There’s only been one producer/director that I actually liked and that is Roman Polanski. In the film Repulsion, we had 25 music cues and yet we only had a single discussion. For the rest, he was cool. The producers, they forget why they hired you.”

It’s funny, because you often hear how everyone in Hollywood wants a piece of the soundtrack and should have a say in the music, but Hamilton’s sentiments definitely mirror these notions.

“They ultimately become the music people. First, they want the music in a certain place, but then they take it out and put it in another place; the wrong place,” Chico states emphatically. “The interesting part about writing music for film is knowing where not to put music.”

Person

Chico Hamilton by Todd Boebel

To think that a jazz legend with over 70 years in the upper crust of music’s finest still gets hurt feelings may be mind boggling, but it’s also true. As a music fan, casual listener or even critic, sometimes we forget that we’re judging somebody’s life’s work, and it may well influence them.

“Every time I play – whether I sound good, bad, or different – I’m doing the best I can. You can’t please people as far as the music’s concerned,” he says. “I want to make something clear: I don’t play music for people; I play music for music’s sake. That way you don’t get your feelings hurt. I realize that I have been blessed to the extent that music is God’s will and God’s will shall be done.”

Hamilton returned to these themes a number of times throughout the course of our short visit. While a wise musical philosopher on the outside, the fact that he’s both a deeply emotional man and musician came across as clear as highway thinking.

“You know what my name is? It’s Foreststorn. Back when I was in the service, people kept looking at my name not knowing how to say it. So, people started calling me Chico. You know what Chico means?”

Doesn’t it mean boy?

“It means ‘little boy’,” he retorts. And there must be something to that, because 88 years later, Chico Hamilton still runs with the passion of a young boy, and frankly, it’s both inspiring and entirely contagious. We should all be so lucky to achieve such broad reach and versatility in our chosen field, and keep at it with the same unbridled furor after so many years – particularly when that field is music.

Chico Hamilton will perform two shows on Saturday February, 20 at Bohemian Caverns in Washington, DC. Tickets available here.

Chico Hamilton EPK

Chico Hamilton | MySpace Music Videos

JamBase | The Beat
Go See Live Music!

Them Crooked Vultures | 02.08 | NYC

February 11th, 2010 | No Comments

Words by: Ryan Dembinsky | Images by: Dino Perrucci

Them Crooked Vultures :: 02.08.10 :: Roseland Ballroom :: New York, NY

Jones & Grohl – Them Crooked Vultures :: 02.08 :: New York

Despite being a supergroup comprised of rock royalty best known from the southern California desert, the United Kingdom, and Seattle, when Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal), Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) took to the Roseland Ballroom with Them Crooked Vultures on Monday night, it felt decidedly New York City. To be clear, we’re not just talking about a skinny Jim Carroll nodding off in a booth at Max’s Kansas City or a Lester Bangs taking stealth pulls of Romilar at CBGBs. Rather, we’re talking about that weird mix of wise-beyond-their-years high school kids, ultimate fighting champions with razor sharp facial hair, unstoppable hipsters, and the occasional girl that congeal together to form the unmistakable smell of Slim Jims – that kind of New York City.

Both band and fans alike shook off their Super Bowl hangovers, including Grohl, who according to frontman Josh Homme “drank JÃ¤germeister until 5:30 in the morning. He’s such an alcoholic,” and still rattled the very foundation of the always-overcrowded ballroom.

From the get-go, the Vultures played one jam-heavy rager after another, hardly letting up long enough for inhabitants of the stuffed sausage floor to catch a breath or grab a drink to cool down from the visceral hot mustard being liberally applied. The band kicked it off right, as the evening’s second tune, “Scumbag Blues” – the best cut in their catalog – reached epic proportions with John Paul Jones showing his most dexterous bass work and quickly putting to rest any potential complaints that we’re reviewing just another indie band here at JamBase. All night, in fact, the band could have easily been classified as a jam band if only they weren’t so jaw-droppingly loud and heavy.

Homme & Johannes – Them Crooked Vultures :: 02.08

Beyond “Scumbag,” the band essentially tackled its entire catalog, which comes as no surprise as said catalog encompasses only one album, though they did perform the unreleased tune “Highway One,” which serves in part as a slight oasis from the pulsating loudness and a vehicle for Jones to morph an effected mandolin bluegrass run into a slick rock riff. Other highlights included the giant climax of “Warsaw or the First Breath You Take After You Give Up” and Homme’s Zep-esque blazing lead riff on “Elephants.”

Make no mistake, Grohl and Jones hold the star power, but Homme serves as the frontman. And while some criticize Homme for not stacking up to the likes of JPJ or Grohl, Homme’s strait-laced, square appearance and whimsical personality serve only to focus the attention on the music. Of course, his vocals do not resonate anywhere close to the likes of a Robert Plant or a Kurt Cobain, but his searing guitar work does and he makes for a charismatic bandleader.

Homme joked amicably before going into “Mind Eraser, No Chaser” that when the band played Saturday Night Live two days prior, in classic rock fashion, he slipped in three expletives without the censors even noticing before highlighting, “This one’s a song about being tricked.” Homme continued to incorporate good comedy throughout the evening.

As for Grohl, it’s almost worth the price of a ticket just to witness one of the most passionate drummers in the business at work. There’s something about seeing that trademark breakneck hair flipping in person that feels like a must in every diehard music fan’s concert scrapbook. Furthermore, you really can’t get the full sense on a record of his uncanny ability to lead a jam from “meander” to “climax” by pounding at the same fill, adding extra hits when needed and working a pair of cymbals the size of an elliptical orbit, without seeing him in the thick of it.

Dave Grohl – Them Crooked Vultures :: 02.08 :: New York

Guitarist Alain (Eleven and a Desert Sessions veteran), who turns the touring band into a quartet, serves sixth-man duties so-to-speak, adding largely rhythm guitar and trading subdued licks and solos with Homme, but he also adds a more notable dimension at times. In particular, the band flourishes when he steps to the Clavinet and takes the band away from thrashing and into the heavy funk, again most successfully on “Scumbag Blues.” He also showed off his desert rock chops when the three members proper left the stage, giving Johannes the spotlight for a unique guitar solo perfectly suited for a Joshua Tree walkabout.

Last but not least, JPJ really shines in this band, not only on bass but also on keys, mandolin, keytar and a crazy ass custom made bass slide. What’s particularly compelling about Jones in this mix is how he consistently steals the show, effortlessly and without the spotlight as he works with Grohl to build a thundering rhythm section. At other times, he’ll stealthily blaze through virtuoso chops on any one of his instruments, where you almost forget to notice him, until you do.

Finally, the lights made a subdued, but notable contribution. A backdrop of white diamonds provided a base setting, but the use of shadows and darkness set the tone. At times, the lighting director projected huge silhouettes of the musicians on the walls to each side of the stage; a nice alternative to the excessive lasers used by most lighting directors these days.

Given the nature of the beast, it’d be easy to size up Them Crooked Vultures for what they are not, namely Led Zeppelin or Nirvana, but that would be slighting. Josh Homme, Dave Grohl, and John Paul Jones exhibit honest to goodness chemistry – like Bangs and his cough syrup, NYC and its melting pot – this band is its own thing. Against the odds of a Monday night show on the day after the Super Bowl, Them Crooked Vultures put on a rock clinic and New York City took notes.

Them Crooked Vultures tour dates available here.

Continue reading for more pics of the Them Crooked Vultures in New York City…

Here’s a sweet clip of the band performing “New Fang” on ACL:

JamBase | Carrion On
Go See Live Music!

Justin Vernon & Steve Kimock | 01.21 | NY

January 27th, 2010 | No Comments

Words by: Ryan Dembinsky | Images by: Greg Notch

Justin Vernon & Steve Kimock :: 01.21.10 :: Merkin Concert Hall :: New York, NY

Justin Vernon :: 01.21 :: NY Guitar Fest

A day trip out to the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria would provide the ideal prerequisite for the New York Guitar Festival’s Silent Films/Live Guitars series. The delightful multimedia museum hosts a particularly relevant hands-on exhibit, whereby visitors pony up to computer editing stations where they are given the opportunity to experiment with well known movie scenes by selecting between various musical selections to set the feeling for the scene.

The lesson comes across, clear as day, that while the scene remains the same, by applying soundtracks from vastly different musical genres, the tone and overall feel of the scene changes dramatically. Interestingly, what each amateur music supervisor quickly discovers is that there really exists no right or wrong in selecting the music for movies. To an extent, it can be said that a chase scene, for example, requires a composition with some degree of tension and up-tempo driving beat, but this can be as effectively conveyed via bluegrass or percussion and sparse keyboards as with gritty, hard-charging rock.

To that end, the New York Guitar Festival presents brilliant programming whereby they invite prominent guitarists to compose entirely original, custom scores to accompany timeless silent films. In essence, this makes for an interesting study in how different musicians – and different minds in general – interpret the feelings that a film evokes.

This particular week of the month-long series at Merkin Concert Hall played host to two virtual polar opposites in Steve Kimock (accompanied by his son John Morgan Kimock on drums) and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver (accompanied by Chris Rosenau, his longtime mentor and bandmate from Volcano Choir). As expected, both duets took wildly different approaches to their scores, but interestingly, both refrained almost entirely from playing the cartoonish, reactionary, sound effect-laden type of playing – a la Batman – that we might expect given the slapstick nature of the subject matter, with Kimock accompanying Buster Keaton‘s Cops and Vernon holding court for Charlie Chaplin‘s One A.M. and Easy Street.

Steve & John Morgan Kimock :: 01.21 :: NY Guitar Fest

To begin the performance, John Schaefer from WNYC’s Soundcheck introduced Steve and John Morgan Kimock, followed by a brief Q&A session with Steve, whereby he elaborated on his approach to the piece. As expected, Kimock professed that he and John Morgan planned to take a more improvisational approach to the subject matter, having pre-composed some general themes and segments but coming at it largely without a net.

The most convincing parts of the Kimock segment came via the bookend music that began and ended the film, where John Morgan played a simple melodica melody alongside a Wes Montgomery-esque jazz piece by Steve that resulted in a mood-setting French jazz theme. For the rest of the roughly 20 minute film, Steve stuck with a chord-based jazz guitar feel, altering his tempos and offering the occasional departure based on plot events, but for the most part John Morgan took care of the action, offering comical crashes, thuds, and thumps to reflect Buster Keaton’s mishaps.

By contrast, Justin Vernon and Chris Rosenau explained that they composed and wrote out their piece, collaborating for over a year on their particular scores. Musically, they took a wholly different route, opening up the first of their two films with Rosenau employing an EBow – a guitarist plaything that utilizes vibrations to emulate the bow of a stringed instrument – to create a snake-charming Middle Eastern theme to set the tone. From there, they kept their heads down and created sonic lasagna, layering heaps of effects, harmonics, looping violin plucks, and sweeping ambient chord progressions. Beautiful.

Rosenau & Vernon :: 01.21 :: NY Guitar Fest

The Vernon and Rosenau performance came across particularly astonishing given the nature of the narrative found in Charlie Chaplin films. One A.M., for example, highlights as Vernon joked, “Something we are both intimately familiar with,” namely struggling to make it to bed after an evening of inebriation. The plotline essentially consists of Chaplin falling down the stairs repeatedly and bumbling endlessly with a Murphy bed. Clearly, the natural temptation would be to cater to these mishaps by including playful trills and comical wah-wahs to acknowledge Chaplin’s repeated failures at achieving the most basic of tasks. Instead, the pair composed a beautiful song that could easily find a home on a Built to Spill or Pavement album. One chase scene did cater entirely to the action, delivering a wonderfully tense and action-packed segment that proclaimed, “You better run, man!”

Despite his reclusive nature since his rapid ascent to indie royalty, Justin Vernon came across as the nicest of guys, offering sincere thanks to everyone who came out to see this unique event. The pair clearly took a lot of enjoyment from working on such a fresh project, noting “how crazy we must have looked when anyone walked in to see us sitting right up in front of the TV with all of our guitar gear watching silent movies.”

Hopefully for Bon Iver fans, material of this ilk makes its way into the catalog – or perhaps that Bon Iver fans seek out some Volcano Choir – as folks who know Vernon more for his strum-oriented folk guitar playing will be amazed by his technical proficiency, specifically his skill with a pedal board.

The joy of the New York Guitar Festival came only in part from seeing two of today’s preeminent musicians in an intimate setting, but more so from taking the opportunity to think about the ways people convey different emotions with music, and ultimately thinking about how you yourself would approach it. This New York Guitar Festival program marks one of the truly fresh ideas in live music today, and frankly, it’s addictive. The post-show conversations with friends that come from seeing music in this context earn the price of admission alone. Visitors one week will no doubt want to return the following week, and the following week, and the week after that.

More information on the New York Guitar Festival, including the remaining schedule, can be found at newyorkguitarfestival.org.

Continue reading for more pics of the New York Guitar Festival…

Steve Kimock
Steve & John Morgan Kimock
Steve & John Morgan Kimock
Chris Rosenau
Chris Rosenau & Justin Vernon

JamBase | Inspired
Go See Live Music!

Ha Ha Tonka: Ozark Pride

December 23rd, 2009 | No Comments

By: Ryan Dembinsky

Ha Ha Tonka

So often in the fickle societies presiding over the realm of new music, the breakthrough of a band comes largely from the innovation of a new sound. Springfield Missouri’s Ha Ha Tonka fall into this “new sound” camp, but there’s more to their appeal than just being new. The band has experienced a rapid ascent in the indie rock world by crafting intellectual music with wiredrawn detail, incorporating numerous references that not only provide listeners with aural pleasure, but require active participation as they effortlessly lean on literary classics and paint a portrait of dust bowl toil.

On their latest studio effort, Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South (released June 16 on Bloodshot Records), their second full-length under the name Ha Ha Tonka, the quartet takes inspiration from a broad range of scribes and screeds, and in large part from Harold Bell Wright‘s turn of the century novel, The Shepherd of the Hills, which forms a bit of a backbone for the record. The novel tells a tale steeped in Ozark Mountain folklore, rich with backwoods characters, like outlaws, ghosts, mountain men, and Southern belles, all of which embody the Ha Ha Tonka spirit – and hence, the “new sound.”

“The Shepherd of the Hills is one inspiration behind the record. We didn’t really set out to make a concept record based entirely off of that particular novel,” lead singer Brian Roberts explains. “We drew from several sources, ranging from authors mentioned in the lyrics like Dostoevsky and Thoreau to The Grapes of Wrath, Joel Chandler Harris and even Mark Twain’s essay ‘The United States of Lyncherdom.’ I feel that these all had an equal impact on the overall feel we were striving to achieve. However, The Shepherd of the Hills does come the closest to capturing the very essence of the Ozarks. It’s a great read and one that I highly recommend.”

How does this Ozark lore translate musically? Tonka’s sound deviates from song to song, often containing chugging locomotive rhythms, finger-picked chord progressions, and multiple juxtaposed changes. To be clear, this music is no run-of-the-mill I-IV-V “Americana” schlock. In particular, lead guitarist, Brett Anderson excels in creating distinct, crop-dusting guitar riffs, opting for darker, more colorful melodies, which often form the bedrock of the material and almost always deviate from the obvious.

Ha Ha Tonka by Bristin

The band consists of a two guitar (or sometimes keys), bass, and drums lineup, but another rarefied differentiator is that all four members possess the ability to sing capably, providing four part harmonies on call, perhaps taking note from one of their musical heroes, R.E.M., and the cogent harmonies between Michael Stipe and bassist Mike Mills.

“I believe that any band, when starting out, strives to be the bands they idolize. You can’t help but want to re-write the songs that you love,” says Roberts. “If only we could re-write ‘Nightswimming’ or ‘Losing my Religion’ then I’d be completely satisfied.”

Ha Ha Tonka also has a tendency to be compared to Kings of Leon – in fact to a bit of an absurd degree – but the band really emphasizes their use of Ozark backwoods influences over straight ahead rock.

“We are fans of the Kings of Leon and have heard those comparisons as well,” acknowledges Roberts. “Hopefully, our sound comes closer to straddling the fence between indie rock and O Brother, Where Art Thou? than Kings of Leon’s does. At any rate, I can think of worse bands to be compared to.”

On the heels of 2007′s Buckle in the Bible Belt, an album that made a number of “best of” lists and garnered hefty critical praise, a stellar follow-up in 2009′s Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South, which is racking up even more press and attention, Ha Ha Tonka feels the growth, but continues to trudge on with humility.

Ha Ha Tonka

“Glowing write-ups don’t automatically mean you’ll be shifting millions of records, selling out venues or contracting rabies from random chicks, but they do help a band at our level a lot,” says Roberts. “A good review from a respected publication can definitely help you reach a larger audience.”

Inevitably with Ha Ha Tonka, within moments of hearing the band, the question arises as to why the name? Despite the use of the iconic dump truck in the occasional piece of merch, the name also pays tribute to the Ozark Mountains, and specifically to Ha Ha Tonka State Park.

“Naming a band is usually a difficult process and it was no different in our case,” says Roberts. “We eventually settled on Ha Ha Tonka due to the fact that we wanted something that represented our native Ozarks and hadn’t been used by any other band.”

The quirky name continues to pay off in full. In fact, the band actually formed eight years ago in 2001 under the name Amsterband. However, they subsequently changed names to Ha Ha Tonka in 2007 and it has been uphill from there. A story we all know too well, part of the reason for the change had to do with the fact that Amsterband pigeonholed them into the jam band scene, hence they opted to switch to a name that more embodied the Ozark sound.

Since then, the band has gone on to experience numerous highlights, from positive mentions in Rolling Stone and signing to Bloodshot Records to touring with notable acts like Ben Kweller and the Old 97′s, but one in particular stands out to Roberts. “When we were asked to play Lollapalooza 2008, we couldn’t believe we were lucky enough to share the bill with such acts as Radiohead and Wilco,” he says. “It was a blast and the schwag was incredible.”

Much like My Morning Jacket with Kentucky or Bright Eyes with Nebraska, Ha Ha Tonka’s Missouri state pride disarms listeners and endears them to the Ozarks, its characters, and their stories. Now as Ha Ha Tonka spread their southern mountain sound, the rest of the country is along for the ride. And with such engaging tales and a relaxed down home vibe, one can’t help but want to be a fly on the wall of the van as they roam the land. Well maybe just a fan in the crowd.

“A fly on the wall would probably just complain about the smell,” quips Roberts.

JamBase | Ozarks
Go See Live Music!

The Avett Brothers | 9.29 | NYC

October 1st, 2009 | No Comments

Words by: Ryan Dembinsky | Images by: Maria Egan/theavettbrothers.com

The Avett Brothers :: 09.29.09 :: Envoy Enterprises :: New York, NY

The Avett Brothers

An interesting phenomenon occurs when a band breaks through and outgrows its loyal fan base. The rare opportunity arises where they try their damndest to play an intimate show that mimics their early days, yet pre-show conversations tend towards a comparison of who caught the band at the smallest venue, which fans are there for the first time, and how much better it would be if the crowd was all true fans.

On Tuesday night, when The Avett Brothers performed a largely unknown New York City release party for their latest effort, I and Love and You (released September 29 on American Recordings – stream it here), to maybe 150-200 diehard fans and friends at the tiny basement bar called Envoy Enterprises, the evening predictably began like the above scenario. Yet oddly enough, once the music began peoples’ guards dropped. What previously felt like a crowded floor verging on a traffic jam opened up into a friendly chatterbox of new pals with a purpose, i.e. getting to know each other’s connections to the band, talking about what they wanted to hear and cheering like Premier League hooligans.

Praises for the new album were sung, yet not as boomingly as by the music press. While being hailed as a ‘Best of the Year’ candidate by the rags (not ridiculous by any stretch), many folks frankly seemed to say, “It’s pretty and all but I like it when they rock out.” Well, that was just before the show. As much as this sentiment rings true for some of the newer material in the album format – where no shortage of love themes and a smattering of piano-driven ballads take the place of raging banjo strums – even the heartfelt pieces emanate bursting energy in the live setting, particularly when Scott Avett gets behind the drums. Moreover, they did rock out, particularly on the harrowing imagery-laden rager “Slight Figure Of Speech,” hollering the line, “I cut my chest wide open.”

The locale should have come as no surprise to Avett fans as Scott showed his artwork at the bar back in 2008 – as was the case on this evening – in the upstairs floors of the space, which function as an art gallery, while the basement played host to the bar and stage where the Avetts performed. After the show, the band retreated upstairs to chat and sign posters.

The Avett Brothers

A small show like this invites interplay with the crowd, and despite the obvious need by the band to play a hefty dose of new tunes from the new album – this being a release party and all – the crowd did not hesitate to request no less than 450 favorite songs. The highlight of this interplay came after a “Chesterfield” shout out, which I believe is just a town and not an actual song. Confused, the Avetts took the banter in stride, commenting about the time they spent in Chesterfield recording A Carolina Jubilee, which led to the fan favorite “Pretty Girl from Annapolis,” which then segued into “Mary,” by the Avett’s old touring friend Langhorne Slim.

“Kick Drum Heart,” the standout catchy tune from the new album, came early in the set and earned a warm reception. This song sounds a lot like Matt Costa’s “Mr. Pitiful” and will indeed become a mass appeal staple, but may perhaps be less well received by longtime fans. Frankly, the Avetts possess heavy-duty followers, so this may become more a symbol of the major label changeover than a fan favorite. Nonetheless, the song sounds whimsical and uplifting.

Other standouts included the I and Love and You track “Ten Thousand Words,” which highlighted some honest to goodness guitar soloing and the newer-than-the-new-album tearjerker “Skin and Bones,” with gorgeous cello work by Joe Kwon and Scott Avett rocking on drums.

“I wanna fit into the perfect space; feel natural and safe in a volatile place.”

The Avett Brothers know how to work a crowd. After stomping through a smattering of old and new tunes and joking that they were excited to have finally played Madison Square Garden, the band silenced the crowd with a heartfelt “Perfect Space” that said everything about performing at an unquestionably populous yet not-quite-irritatingly small venue. The crowd packed the place. My neighbors and I joked about this being the first time New York City brought out all the tall people to a show. While most fans probably saw little more than the ornate neck of Bob Crawford‘s stand-up bass peaking out over the tops of heads, the room felt overwhelmingly cheerful.

Despite the New York locale, The Avett Brothers took a pass on the title track off the new record with its Brooklyn hearty nod, but performed a much longer, more passionate than expected, free private show. Guess the New York crew will have to wait until Terminal 5 on October 17 to hear “I and Love and You,” but The Avett Brothers proclaimed their love of the crowd and the crowd gave it back. With Rick Rubin‘s producing credit and an undeniably catchy overall feel, their major label debut will likely grow the Avetts out of their small town britches. However, with this intimate fan “thank you,” they proved that they could never grow out of their skin.

The Avett Brothers :: 09.29.09 :: Envoy Enterprises :: New York, NY

Laundry Room, January Wedding, Paranoia In Bb Major, Kick Drum Heart, And It Spread, Slight Figure Of Speech, Skin and Bone, Pretty Girl from Annapolis (with Mary), Ten Thousand Words, Perfect Space

The Avett Brothers are on tour now; dates available here.

JamBase | Brotherly
Go See Live Music!

Burning Spear | 07.30 | Brooklyn

September 9th, 2009 | No Comments

Words by: Ryan Dembinsky | Images by: Julie Collins/Rose Mountain Photo

Burning Spear :: 07.30.09 :: Prospect Park Bandshell :: Brooklyn, NY

Burning Spear :: 07.30 :: Brooklyn

When it comes to firing up a crowd, there exist few things capable of eliciting that peak level of excitement and crowd noise like a cool surprise guest, a rare bust-out tune, a streaker or a jaw-dropping virtuoso performance. Well, perhaps one other rarity draws out this type of momentous roar: an old man breaking out in furious dance moves.

For a mere three bucks suggested donation, thousands of Brooklynites witnessed the 63-year-old Burning Spear, aka Winston Rodney, do just that in the shadows of the Grand Army Arch at the Prospect Park Bandshell. After an instrumental introduction by his amiable, massive backing band that cycled through a number of familiar Spear songs, the big man himself waltzed onstage covered in mountains of grey hair and got right down to it, driving the crowd bananas with his acrobatic marching. He subsequently instigated a slow building African Nyabinghi jam on his hand drum setup, which was not all that unlike the tympanis from your local high school marching band, and led his group through a festive evening of roots reggae that got the crowd singing along with his message.

“Talk to me people. Talk to me!”

Burning Spear played the perfect host for a gorgeous summer night in what had to be one of the most celebratory installments of the Celebrate Brooklyn series. Spear brought out an exceptionally diverse crowd, both in terms of race/ethnicity as well as interest level. For every hardcore fan there were probably two fans more interested in hanging out with friends and tilting back a few beers to celebrate their borough and the arrival of the weekend. Both sects were shown a great time, and with tons of space for all the serious folks were not bothered by the mass of quasi-interested attendees.

Musically, Spear and company kept a good portion of the crowd dancing and singing as they mixed up deep, funky reggae jams, extended drum movements and some crunchy guitar solos.

For being one of reggae’s biggest stars and preachers of Marcus Garvey’s self-reliance philosophy, Burning Spear’s catalog lacks big hits to the degree of say Peter Tosh, Toots or even Gregory Isaacs. To this extent, it seemed the casual concertgoers lost interest towards the end of the show, but for the more clued in attendees, highlights were plentiful. Spear treated fans to popular tunes such as “Slavery Days,” a bouncing pop take on “Nyah Keith” and the patriotic “Red, Green, and Gold” for the abundant Jamaican audience.

“Do you want more original reggae music?” cried Spear.

Burning Spear :: 07.30 :: Brooklyn

Despite the popularity and critical acclaim of Spear’s 2008 Grammy winning release for best reggae album, Jah Is Real, the setlist contained a sundry mixture of the catalog, not at all focusing on the newer material. In fact, only the title track “Jah is Real,” got the nod off the new(ish) album with the remaining time devoted to old familiar numbers. Either approach would have been fine as Jah Is Real makes a strong case to be considered his best yet, but given the festive, albeit abbreviated, performance in front of such a large crowd, fans seemed ecstatic to hear the oldies.

The highlight of the night came with the opening song of the three song encore as the impassioned crowd belted out the lyrics to “Columbus” in unison, a tune that bluntly rips the idea that Christopher Columbus discovered America. Burning Spear finally closed down for the night with the fitting “Postman,” with its lyrics citing, “I should go home, yes, Jah,” to a thunderous hurrah.

Due to the outdoor setting and Prospect Park rules, the show wrapped up quicker than a normal performance, but not before Spear demonstrated his passion for both his craft and his beliefs as he emphatically sang and danced his songs of Jah, freedom, self-reliance, unity, spirituality, Diaspora and the love of reggae music. A night like this makes it lucidly clear why people have so much Brooklyn pride. Brooklyn is not simply an indie rock borough full of the bearded and hip; it’s also a borough of diverse cultures that place value on music, art, positivity and good times, and Burning Spear led a mighty fine celebration of all of these.

Continue reading for more photos of Burning Spear in Brooklyn…

JamBase | Irie
Go See Live Music!

Davy Knowles & BDS: Breathing Deep

August 12th, 2009 | No Comments

By: Ryan Dembinsky

Davy Knowles

By now, the story of the skinny white kid from the Isle of Man is old news. Word has spread fast about Davy Knowles and his band Back Door Slam, the young seminal blues prodigy who, despite his fresh-faced appearance, U.K. accent and quiet demeanor, routinely lights up rooms with his bellowing vocals and hair-raising guitar solos.

Nothing has changed in that department. In fact, Knowles’ star continues to rise as he sets the gearshift for the heart of the sun, but otherwise a lot has changed. With the new album, Coming Up for Air (released June 16 on Blix Street Records), the supporting tour in motion, and a continuing line of high profile dates on the horizon, Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam may claim to be “coming up for air” but you certainly wouldn’t know it.

“Throwing my heart to a stranger was never something I could do” (from “Amber’s Song”)

The new album shares a producing credit with a rather recognizable name, Peter Frampton. Having heard from a mutual friend that Frampton was interested in doing co-writes on new material, Knowles jumped at the opportunity to collaborate. As with so many things in the music business, it’s a name dropped here, a meeting there and next thing you know Frampton took the reins, producing essentially the whole thing, save for a couple tracks self-produced by Knowles.

In the end, it took about a year before Frampton and Knowles wound up in a room together to talk about the co-writes and their goals for the collaboration, but things really took off from there. “We wrote three songs together and I asked him if he wanted to produce those tracks and he agreed,” Knowles says. “Naturally, as we were talking through what we wanted those tracks to sound like, I realized that is what I want the whole album to sound like.”

Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam
(l to r) PK, Knowles, Barci

Working with a longtime hero, the age discrepancy presented no impediment to Knowles and Frampton hitting it off. “We’re really good friends. When you’re working with someone on something as personal as music, it’s so important,” Knowles says. “He is just such a really nice guy.”

“Doing what I could for someone else, didn’t know that I was saving myself” (from “Saving Myself”)

The biggest step forward for Knowles & Back Door Slam – including the name change with Knowles’ name now on the “door” – was rooted in a very tough decision. Knowles parted ways with former bandmates and lifelong friends, Ross Doyle (drums) and Adam Jones (bass). While at face value, this looks like a business decision straight out of Almost Famous (“Frankly, your looks are becoming a problem”), but having seen the new band live, it’s clear that this was the right decision. Obviously, any decision to part with original band members will rub some people the wrong way, but this new band with Steve Barci on drums and PK on bass is better. There is a lot more interplay and a noticeable uptick in jamming as opposed to what used to be a band all about Knowles with a heavy burden on near-nonstop soloing.

“It’s so important to keep learning and keep progressing,” Knowles offers. “It is not at all about the caliber of musicians. Just look at Cream, they were the best band in the world. I think it is important to learn from as many different people as you can. The sound of the band and on the album hasn’t changed too much, and no disrespect to Adam and Ross, but this has really opened a lot of doors. I think you just have to crack on, keep your head down and don’t look back too much.”

It’s almost ironic that the band name now highlights Knowles as opposed to simply Back Door Slam, because the live show actually involves a lot more input from the other members, particularly with the advent of a keyboard player. The band doesn’t have a solidified permanent keyboardist in the lineup, but Benmont Tench (longtime member of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers) played on most of the album tracks and the band has been implementing keys on the road, bringing Ty Bailie out for the live shows. “I always wanted a keyboard player. I love playing with a keyboard. In fact, the only reason it was ever a three-piece in the first place was because we couldn’t afford to bring out a keys player,” says Knowles. “It sounds really strange, but it actually creates a lot more room. Having someone to fall back on means I don’t have to always keep playing.”

Continue reading for more on Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam…

The sound of the band and on the album hasn’t changed too much, and no disrespect to Adam and Ross, but this has really opened a lot of doors. I think you just have to crack on, keep your head down and don’t look back too much.

-Davy Knowles on his new band

Photo of Davy Knowles by Rod Snyder

“We all need someone to lean on” (From “Keep On Searching”)

Davy Knowles with Chickenfoot

Over the course of Back Door Slam’s short career and rapid ascent, Knowles has not only garnered the attention of some longtime linchpin musicians and wise elders of the music business, but these stalwarts seem genuinely drawn to him. Having supported a veritable who’s who of classic rock, hard rock and blues celebrities including Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, The Who, Kid Rock, George Thorogood, Lynyrd Skynyrd and even a couple jam vets like Gov’t Mule and the Greyboy Allstars, Knowles has come up through the ranks with a lot of advice from sages who have been around the block.

You really get the feeling that Knowles has not only learned a lot musically from such monumental mentors but also a great deal about the way the game is played and what to avoid. Behind the scenes, it is immediately clear that Knowles and Co. are surrounded by good, professional people who understand all the facets to taking Knowles to the next level. Being just 21-years-old and on the road nonstop in a foreign country, it would be easy for a young musician to get sidetracked with partying and letting early success go to his dome, but this is a well-oiled team who keep the focus on the music. In fact, so much so that he even likes reading criticism. “If you stop listening to criticism, then you might as well just give up,” he says.

“So far away from the green you came from” (from “Country Girls”)

Despite his small town Isle of Man heritage, Knowles’ career remains steeped in the U.S. For the foreseeable future, the tour dates are pretty much all located in the States. Sooner or later, one can only assume that Europe will latch onto the sound of Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam, but for now the focus remains on the home of the blues. “It’s where the music came from,” Knowles says, “and it’s so big! You can never exhaust it. Plus audiences seem really into it.”

Davy Knowles

In terms of the sound, both on the new album and on stage, Knowles continues to trailblaze. For starters, he switched up his guitar. We joked about a video in which Frampton and Knowles are riding in the car together and Frampton laughs about finally getting Knowles to try out a Les Paul after years as a Fender devotee. Turns out, he’s moved on yet again. “I’ve grown to be pretty picky about guitars,” Knowles says. “Right now, I’m playing a Paul Reed Smith, and I absolutely love it. I’m a bit of a gearhead. It definitely takes the pressure off when you have good sound.”

Furthermore, the songwriting is growing more diverse and exploratory as well. Interestingly, the songs co-written by Frampton actually sound the most like existing Back Door Slam material, but the album takes on a decidedly fresher, more diverse approach with some slower, almost bluegrass material on “Amber’s Song,” a George Harrison homage in the vein of “Hear Me Lord” complete with Frampton and Knowles blitzing one another on dueling guitar solos, and a standout duet with Jonatha Brooke on her tune “Taste of Danger.” Believe it or not, the best songs on the album are not even blues. However, Knowles is quick to retort, “Rock & roll, classic rock, country – it’s all built out of the blues.”

The lyrics since Back Door Slam’s debut, Roll Away (2007), have improved markedly as well. Opting more for storytelling and reflection on tough experiences as opposed to simply filling in space between guitar solos, the new songs take on noticeably more life than on Roll Away. After all, this is blues music, which require some hard times for authenticity. “This stuff, lyrically, I thought about it way more,” says Knowles. “I tried to approach it more methodically and concentrated harder. Roll Away was the first thing I ever wrote, so I am very new to it.”

“Coming up for air, only God knows where” (from “Coming Up for Air”)

Following a solo acoustic tour as the opener for Jeff Beck, as well as recent band dates at Rothbury and the Mile High Festival, Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam are currently on the road with maybe the most random super-group in rock history, Chickenfoot (comprised of Joe Satriani, Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith). Chickenfoot’s self-titled debut reached number four on the Billboard charts, so clearly randomness sells.

Given the obvious signs that Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam have no intention of slowing down, is it perhaps ironic that the new album is titled Coming Up for Air?

“Even though there is a brand new album out, I don’t stop,” replies Knowles. “I love doing it. And the more you do it, the better you get.”