Horse Feather’s Justin Ringle Takes Us ‘To The Races’ With Eric Bachmann

This segment has become one of my favorite things about Common Folk Music. Yeah, I like writing album reviews and features, but I love reading about the albums, books, movies, etc. that have influenced and/or inspired them as a songwriter. For me, getting to know a songwriter or musician through their written word and perspective is just as rewarding as listening to them pour their hearts out in song. And, not only do I learn more about them through pieces like “Songwriter’s Point Of View”, I’m often introduced to great artists.

In this “Songwriter’s Point of View”, Justin Ringle does both. As lead vocalist and guitar player for the popular indie-folk band, Horse Feathers, Justin is also the main songwriter. Known and praised for their ability to tell stories while skillfully setting the mood with their pleasantly sweeping and gently cinematic music, Horse Feathers and Justin are a genre favorite. At least, he is one of mine, and that’s why I asked him to contribute a “Point of View” and the following are his musings on Eric Bachmann’s To The Races.

Although severely tempted to write about Didn’t It Rain by Songs: Ohia, I found that after trying to listen to it again to write something for the task was proving to be a hair too ominous at the moment…But, needing to pay homage to such a great and personally influential record I figured I would at least mention it given the untimely circumstances relating to Jason Molina’s recent death. R.I.P.

I instead chose To The Races by Eric Bachmann. A record that has clocked in just as many spins and I have found to be equally seminal in my own weird idiosyncratic listening habits. I found To The Races around 2006 when my first record came out and I saw it included on a few of the same year end lists. I thought I would check it out with my first thought being that I was familiar with Bachmann since I was a teenager. I devoured The Archer’s of Loaf’s catalog with exuberance I credit to the flood of testosterone in my adolescent body and a growing obsession with marijuana, electric guitars, and vintage distortion pedals. Anyhow, I had missed his other project Crooked Fingers. I bought his new solo record, and, then, proceeded to listen to it consistently for the next 7 odd years.

Upon first listen I immediately connected with the songs and inherent mood created with the sparse production. Here was something direct and seemingly naked. It seemed like a necessary record. I say “necessary” in the sense that the whole thing sounds like it NEEDED to be made by him at the time. Without trying to sound cliche’ there is an underlying urgency, real, or perhaps imagined on my part, that pours out of the recording. When paired with whatever PR bio copy I had read about the making of the record and what was going on in Eric’s life at the moment, the vision seemed concise and clear: musician has problems, musician forsakes normal routine and life, musician goes rogue in van, musician makes record in a vacant coastal motel. A popular belief and model in contemporary music seems to revolve around this story. It’s a tale we have heard about extensively with Bon Iver’s cabin and all that. Forced seclusion/anti-social loner time = great records. It certainly adds to the mystique of the whole process but I have to argue that in the case of To The Races, I really connected with not just the music, but the story as well. Thematically, this idea of displacement and artistic vagrancy is covered widely in the album. This coupled with apparent drug/alcohol dependence, unrequited love, ephemeral relationships, hometown nostalgia, escapism, and a very clear picture of internal conflict is painted with perhaps the songs themselves acting as the only antidote and therapy.

“Ease my mind to find my way”
– “Home”

From the first listen there was no doubt in my mind that all of these things were stemming from very real experiences and here it is exposed to the world. With very little decoration or artifice to soften the blows it’s as if you get swept along on the same trip with the songwriter. But, he almost doesn’t want you to be there:

“I’m no good at riding side by side I travel lean”
– “Carrboro Woman”

This is brave stuff. I have attempted to be this direct as a songwriter and usually flinch. I have to create a certain degree of separation by fictionalizing something just so I can play the song more than ten times and not have a nervous breakdown. I don’t know definitively how autobiographically accurate this album is, but as a listener I’m certainly convinced or would like to believe that it is.

Another aspect to the record is that I enjoy its own sense of vocabulary. “Beast” is used often to imply negative connotations to characters, but is also used by the narrator in reference to himself (“I came upon a wounded beast/and I will try my best to be to you no burden, weight, or beast.”) Perhaps my favorite moment of the record comes in “Genevieve.” If there was ever a song that encapsulated the pain of loving someone who will never love you back it’s this one. Highlighted by the line: “What I cannot have I do not need.” This idea is also used in “Carrboro Women” with “what I want ain’t what I need.” These simple poetic assertions of internal conflict stick out to me. All of the above things act as little guides through the record. It comes off to me as one large piece of work or song with small mantras repeated throughout leading you along, reinforcing mood, and contributing to theme.

I love the songs’ sense of geography and place. There’s a sense the narrator has been somewhere (Spain – “Man O’War”), knows his home intimately (“Home”/”Carrboro Women”), and caps the record with a tandem of songs about leaving it (“Little Bird”/”So Long Savannah”). As one of my closest friends from North Carolina has said many times is that this record sounds like North Carolina to him. I that it is an accomplishment and it’s something I strive for in my own music.

Overall, To The Races has remained a consistent companion for long drives and a model for a very direct style of songwriting. At the risk of making comparisons it’s stylistic predecessor to me seems to be Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska. Another record I have poured over for many of the same reasons. In my humble opinion, To The Races has been criminally under appreciated which is not surprising given the climate of contemporary contextual music criticism which values the new so adamantly. It’s like the unfortunate evolution of jeans which seems unnecessary. We started with 501′s…and, now, we have bedazzled-graphic-stitched-straight-fit-whatever-the-fuck-available-in-10-washes. Do all the new choices with things like this enhance our experience or in some ways demean it? I will take the old regular-ass jeans. They work just fine. As a songwriter, To The Races stands as a testament that we don’t have to re-invent the wheel. All we need is a muse and some honesty and suddenly good things happen. Songs communicate things on so many levels and often less is more. It breaks down the walls between the listener and the real human experience we are all eagerly searching for, no matter if you are in front of the guitar or behind it.

Purchase Horse Feathers’ Albums
Purchase To The Races
Horse Feathers: Website; Facebook; Twitter; Myspace
Eric Bachmann: Website; Facebook; Youtube; Myspace

Jeremy Squires covers Jill Andrews’ new song “Rust or Gold”

Pull up a chair and let me tell you a short story about a song and serendipity.

Thursday night, I was sitting in my living room watching Grey’s Anatomy like I have for the past ten years, but for some reason this episode was slightly different.  Known for using “indie” music to soundtrack their episodes, I have grown accustomed to letting the music go in one ear and out the other acting like background noise, but on this particular episode (“Do You Believe In Magic?”) there was a song that made me sit up and take notice.  This gorgeous piano-driven ballad with this lovely, fragile voice hit me like a ton of bricks, so like the music blogger that I am, I had to know who this beautiful voice and song belonged to. I googled the lyrics I could remember, but to no avail causing me to go to bed completely unsatisfied and slightly mad.

Fast forward to the next morning. I’m sitting in my office and I get a twitter alert from everyone’s favorite blog, Slowcoustic, announcing that he posted a little blurb on Jeremy Squires’ cover of Jill Andrews’ new song “Rust or Gold.” Well, I thought I should read it and share since Jeremy has quickly become a favorite of mine, so I click on the link. Lo and behold, at the end of his little write-up, Slowcoustic says that the original version was just featured on Grey’s the previous night. So, not only do I have a favorite tune, I have a favorite tune sung by two very different artists. Both piano-driven and both delicate and wistful, but Jeremy’s lo-fi rendition with weeping dobro is more vulnerable and intimate. Knowing a little about Jeremy and his music, I know that his honest take on “Rust or Gold” is the natural product of playing all of the instruments making the song more candid and sincere, thus giving it another level of emotion.

Also, before I forget, Jeremy released a new original single last month. A fantastically forlorn and sensitive song, “Ghostlike” is a beautiful example of what is to come from this thoughtful and talented singer-songwriter. His new album, When Will You Go, is currently in the works and expected to be released later this year, so keep an ear to the ground and your eyes on the computer screen for more on Jeremy Squires.

P.S.: If you like what you hear, please be sure to check out all of Jeremy’s albums. They’re well worth it. I guarantee you’ll become a fan.

Jeremy Squires: Website; Facebook; Twitter; Bandcamp

Shaker Steps and Common Folk Music Presents Tim Eriksen and the Trio de Pumpkintown

On this installment of the Shaker Steps posts the boys have gone and done it again with their live video of the incomparable Tim Eriksen.

There are very few artists in the same league as Eriksen and fewer who possess the credentials and praise. Known for his interpretations of American traditional music from New England to Southern Appalachia, Eriksen embodies the music he studies. An ethnomusicologist and teacher, he has done research on music in New England and the Sacred Harp tradition. He has also taught courses ranging from American Balladry to Bollywood at prestigious institutions like Dartmouth College, Amherst College, and Smith College just to name a few; however, Eriksen is better known for his work in films like Billy Bob Thornton’s Chrystal and his contributions to the 2004′s Cold Mountain.

Combining his haunting vocals with instruments like the banjo, fiddle, guitar, and bajo sexto (a twelve string Mexican acoustic bass), Eriksen creates music that is distinct and inspired while remaining familiar yet foreign. His ability to play and utilize these instruments and his incredible knowledge of world music produces the essence that is the melting pot of American music.

In his chilling Shaker Steps video, Tim Eriksen and the Trio de Pumpkintown open up with the intro “Brethren Sing” in the Sacred Harp tradition, then move into the hair-raising and mystic “Follow The Birds.” Filmed in a courtyard of a church in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, which also runs God’s Pantry food bank, I couldn’t imagine a place more fitting for this ethereal performance.

Tim Eriksen: Website; Facebook; Youtube; Myspace
Shaker Steps: Website; Facebook; Twitter; Youtube
God’s Pantry: Website; Facebook; Twitter

Alex Culbreth and the Dead Country Stars – Heart In A Mason Jar

It has been a while since I’ve written anything and I’ve been promising this fella I would for months, so here it is…Finally!

I’ve been a fan of Alex Culbreth since his days fronting the Virginia trio, The Parlor Soldiers. Now with The Dead Country Stars, Alex is rockin’ the full-band with a new roots and Americana sound on their debut album Heart in a Mason Jar. Released last year, Heart in a Mason Jar is a confident and solid thirteen song collection showcasing Alex’s distinctive voice and strong songwriting abilities. Kicking the album off is the title track, “Heart in a Mason Jar.” It’s an undiluted and bold song about a toxic relationship and a great introduction to the band and their dynamic sound. The second track, “Drinkin’ Bout You” is a well-written yet typical country tune with a sense of humor, while Culbreth knowledgeably and skillfully tells the story of an aspiring country singer in the personal “I’m Going To Nashville.” And, starting any party is the fun and catchy beat of “Mercy Me” followed by the heartbreaking ballad “Daisy.” An unusal tale of friendship between a patient at the Brooklyn Psychiatric Ward and his imaginary friend, “Daisy” uniquely and lovingly deals with the struggles of mental illness. Then, Culbreth’s songwriting talents shine in the hoedown-turned-protest song “Let’s Send the Politicians Off To War.” Somehow Culbreth is able to make a potentially cheesy song into something that just works.

Heart in a Mason jar is one helluva a coming out party for Alex Culbreth and The Dead Country Stars. It’s a magnetic, energetic, and impressive album that catapults Culbreth into something bigger and bolder leaving anything he did with The Parlor Soliders feeling like a distant memory.

Stream & Buy Heart in a Mason Jar
Alex Culbreth and the Dead Country Stars: Facebook

Songwriter’s Point of View: Justin P. Lewis takes a trip to the “Bible Belt” with Diane Birch

It’s always interesting for me to get a Songwriter’s Point of View piece because they usually give me some insight into singer-songwriter and the person, and sometimes they help me discover music I wouldn’t otherwise choose on my own. Such is the case with Justin Paul Lewis’s choice — Diane Birch’s Bible Belt.

I have never heard of Diane Birch until Justin’s PoV today and I’m grateful to him for pointing me in the direction of this album. Since buying the album, I have enjoyed every minute of its soulful, piano-driven tunes and Birch’s vocals that range from powerful to playful to gentle but always emotional and beautiful. And, as I listen to Bible Belt, I can hear Birch’s influence on Justin in the slight similarities of their respective releases. However, Justin’s friendship and collaboration with Ben Sollee on Rinse, Repeat, Rewind has helped expand the creativity of the EP giving it its eclectic and experimental sound. I am also aware that comparing the two releases and artists is like comparing apples to oranges, although I’m not that sure they’re really that different (beside the obvious).

Now that I’m finished giving a convoluted comparative study on two different singer-songwriters, I’m pleased to bring you Justin Paul Lewis’s Songwriter Point of View where he discusses Diane Birch’s Bible Belt and why it’s one of his favorite albums. And, for those of you who know, know that Justin’s song “Salt” has been on permanent repeat and know how exciting this particular piece is for me. And with that said, I hope that you discover Justin like he has helped me find Bible Belt.

It was 2009 and I was not far from graduating college at the University of Louisville. Every night I would stay up late writing mini-thesis papers on racial and gender based sociological theory, and drinking coffee and beer until my eyes twitched. Often times I would stream music from the desktop computer or turn on the radio in the other room (why I did not move the radio into the office I have no idea). It would usually be dialed into Louisville’s public radio station, WFPK.

I will never forget one particular evening while listening through the walls, I heard a song that caused me to spring up out of work and sit on my bedroom floor in anticipation to hear who the hell was singing it. I was enthralled. It had such a classic sound that I thought maybe it was an old B-side from someone in the 70s. It had a depthness to it that I wanted to reach by hearing more and more and more. For the first and only time that I know of, FPK did not mention the artist’s name. I was trapped into not knowing who this person was for a few days. It literally had me going music crazy.

Exactly two days later, I heard the song again around the same time of day. I ran into the bedroom, shut the door, and sat in silence awaiting to fix this itch I had with this mystery singer. As soon as Laura Shine, the DJ, announced it was Diane Birch’s “Nothing But a Miracle,” I wrote it down on my college notebook and went to the record store to buy her album the next morning. Snagging that record that morning was honestly as necessary as the coffee I drank to get me there.

Now there are tons of great artists and albums that I could talk about here. Bill Withers, for instance, is a prime example of someone that I have admired for most of my musical career. I could write a few chapters on his songs “Use Me” and “Heartbreak Road,” but Diane’s record Bible Belt is one that I feel could use some verbal love. I feel as if I talk about the classic greats with a lot of my friends a lot of times. Bill Withers, Led Zeppelin, and Radiohead (if you want to call them classic) are always spitting out of my mouth more than most current music, because I have always been extremely picky with current music. It’s not that I don’t appreciate or listen to a lot of the “blogosphere” bands — I really do. I have just only found a few that have pushed me into musical crazyness. Diane’s record has had me saying “I could listen and try to mimic this” for years.

I think the first thing that really caught my ear with Diane was the “soul.” I discovered her in a time when I was attempting to listen to music that would make me cool and fit in with my music savvy friends. Obviously what Diane does as a singer and songwriter is very cool, but it is nothing odd-ball or “I have created my own weird music themed Tumblr blog” worthy. It is just straight honest soul, and that what I just love about this record. Each song is simple, straightforwad and just rips into one funky emotion over and over.

Lyrically I have the same feelings. The simplicity in her words makes each song so powerful to me. The opening track, “Fire Escape,” is a great example of her lyrical simplicity:”Goodbye my love, I’ll be seeing you when my lights go, when I put my head on my pillow, I’ll think of you.” It’s almost as if she took an old love/heartache letter and broke it into pieces to make a song. There is no beating around the bush. And I like that. A lot.

I could go on and on about this record and how it has helped me evolve into the performer and songwriter I have become today. The song “Fools” got me into 1976′s favorite album, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, her gorgeous album cover inspired the use of Mickie Winter’s up close black and white shot of me for the Rinse, Repeat, Rewind photoshoot, and her performances at Bonnaroo got me up way too early before Ben Sollee and I trucked back home that same day. I really appreciate these songs and what Diane does, and I hope you will check her out, often.

Stream & Buy Rinse, Repeat, Rewind EP
Buy Bible Belt
Justin Paul Lewis: Website; Facebook; Twitter
Diane Birch: Website; Facebook; Twitter; Myspace; Youtube

Wooden Wand – Blood Oaths of the New Blues

For reasons I can’t quite understand, a feeling of overwhelming intimidation washes over my body and mind anytime and everytime I think about writing a review for Wooden Wand’s new album, Blood Oaths of the New Blues. I can sit here and try to hash out all of the reasons, but the main one is, Wooden Wand, aka James Jackson Toth, is a damn good songwriter and musician. Yeah, sure he’s a nice guy, but nice guys can be intimidating when they’re this talented. And, like a true artist, it’s artistic expression and music that flows through Wooden Wand’s body like blood, so it’s this same lifesource he shares like a blood oath to whoever is listening.

Described as “the Sunday morning ‘wake and bake’ album” on Fire Records‘ website, Blood Oaths is everything you would expect from an album with such a description — heady, smokey, weary, warm and soothing. Opening with “No Bed For Beatle Wand/Day This Long,” a lengthy and meandering song that builds anticipation for the tracks that follow. The alt-country ballad “Supermoon” has a textured soundscape that hums, writhes, and ripples around heartbreaking lyrics and the weariness in Wooden Wand’s voice. While the tone changes to ominous in “Southern Colorado Song” with its arrangement that wonderfully captures the sound of the inevitable in a nowhere-left-to-run situation. It tells the true story of the Dougherty Gang, a group of siblings who went on a multi-state crime spree that started in Florida which included a bank robbery in Georgia and ended with a police shootout in Colorado. Wooden Wand musically summons the feelings of fear, panic, and a nothing-left-to-lose mindset that makes “Southern Colorado Song” a genius piece of storytelling and an album highlight.

Blood Oaths for the New Blues is and will be one of the masterpieces of 2013. It’s a Wooden Wand benchmark, but a benchmark that will most likely be surpassed by his next album. A terrifically prolific songwriter, I have no doubt that Wooden Wand will continue to amaze and entrance listeners with genre-bending music. And, as we all know, “prolific” doesn’t work for everyone (especially when it pertains to songwriting), but since Wooden Wand is insanely brilliant it works for him. It’s this brilliance that makes me as a listener feel like Wooden Wand is now my blood brother sharing a piece of himself in every song on this album and every album that came before with the personal and eternal promise of good music. And, I think it’s safe to say that this blood oath will not be broken.

Buy Blood Oaths of the New Blues
Wooden Wand: Website; Facebook; Twitter; Fire Records

Sam Gleaves – A Little While in the Wilderness

Photograph by Susi Lawson

It’s now time for me to settle in for the night and get comfortable, so I thought I would play something a little more traditional. On nights like this, the music of the Appalachian mountains brings me comfort and blankets my soul like my favorite tattered quilt, and that is exactly what Sam Gleaves’ does on his new album A Little While in the Wilderness.

Hailing from Wytheville, Virginia, Sam Gleaves is a young man with an old soul and an expert musician. His second release, A Little While in the Wilderness, is a shining example of traditional Appalachian music. Gleaves’ supernatural ability to musically timewarp bringing this bygone music into the present with a youthful nod is astonishing. His understanding of the music comes through easily and echoes the past generations showing a talent well beyond his tender age. His ballads and gospel songs beautifully celebrate the rich culture, traditions, and history of this particular region of the Appalachians making A Little While in the Wilderness a glorious tribute to these ancient mountains and its people.

Buy A Little While in the Wilderness
Sam Gleaves: Website; Facebook