Dan pre-ordered the latest album this past spring. As usual, I am more cautious. I always prefer the old instead of the new, the past over the present, the mature cheddar rather than the mild. I have this innate feeling of suspicion every time new albums from my favourite bands or singers loom on the horizon. Can they match up to expectations after the brilliance of past releases? Can they incorporate varying musical influences without compromising their style and individuality? I haven’t even bothered with the last but one Iron & Wine album, Kiss Each Other Clean. It’s just too different; and yes, I am resistant to change!

So Ghost on Ghost arrives, and almost immediately Dan starts listening to it constantly. Initially, I am not impressed. Lyrically, Ghost on Ghost is Sam Beam, both in the flowing poetry and the whispering vocals. Musically it’s a different kettle of fish, and this is what I’m struggling to come to terms with. My favourite Iron & Wine album is The Creek Drank the Cradle; and the smooth structured 70′s style of Ghost on Ghost feels so far from the raw, earlier Americana. The contrast between these two is stark. It’s like that jolt of shock I’d have if I opened my closet one morning to discover that the worn hippie dresses hanging there have been replaced by trendy trouser suits. Or the consternation you’d experience returning to your simple, rural log cabin at the end of the day to find an enormous RV parked in the spot where your wooden shack used to be.

For me, a grudging appreciation of Ghost on Ghost doesn’t happen until I hear most of it performed live a few weeks ago at an Iron & Wine gig in Manchester. Dan and I sit motionless on the front row and watch this cohesive show play out in front of us, featuring a talented band. The sounds of the new album’s songs are impressive when performed live: smooth, fun, jazzy, verging on easy listening music but slipping back to folk whenever you start to worry. The best part of the gig by far is when the band exits the stage, leaving just Sam Beam with his Taylor. Here he gives us the Iron & Wine “buffet section”, as he calls it. This acoustic interlude is a contrasting breath of fresh outdoor air in the midst of the smoky sophisticated perfection that characterises the evening.

Ghost on Ghost is a bearded festival-goer who’s cut off his locks and donned a business suit. This is earthy but somehow posh Americana, no longer wistful or longing but fully in control, a tiny bit tatty around the edges yet polished shiny clean. It’s too bland to deserve the experimental tag, but it is good quality, diverse music and will no doubt appeal to a wider crowd than earlier albums did. It’s the latest installation in Iron & Wine’s patchwork musical journey, and Sam Beam isn’t finished yet. I do wonder where he will go from here. I can’t help but hope that someday he’ll move away from the jazz club and return to the woods.

A short study of the interesting contrast between past and present:

“The Trapeze Swinger” – 2006

–Erin Maley

Buy Ghost on Ghost
Iron & Wine: Website; Facebook; Twitter; Youtube

The sun melts beyond a distant shore as golden fingers weave their way on the forest floor, touching nooks and crannies for one last time. Droplets gather in pools of mead after they’ve languished long on nuts and fruits. Upon first encounter you are hit with boldbrashness, playful intimacy and profoundly satisfying mixture of old world and new world styling’s tempered by a sparkling approach.

Exotic spices from the East round out this global journey to joy. Get on board. This Monkey’s bound for glory! Strong and sensual, this golden Belgian-style ale glows with goodness.

The End Men – CXCW Showcase

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The End Men: Website ; Facebook; Twitter
Popa’s Tunes
Beer and Groping in America

Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Wes moved to Asheville, North Carolina to pursue music and study Philosophy. A place that allows him to connect with his Southern ancestry through storytelling, Asheville is just one of the few inspirations for his music. Influenced by philosophers, authors, singer-songwriters and musicians like Leonard Cohen, Townes Van Zandt, and John Fahey, as well as his childhood spent where the Rust Belt, Corn Belt, and Bible Belt meet, Tirey’s latest EP, I Stood Among Trees, clearly reflects Wes as a man and artist.

Sharing the same name with a poem he wrote, I Stood Among Trees is an example of expert songwriting using vivid imagery coupled with exquisite fingerpicking, which is the hallmark of a talented songwriter and the beginning of respected career. And, as I listen to his EP and watch this video, I am reminded of a young Bob Dylan with a hint of Leonard Cohen and a few philosophers thrown in for good measure. So, it’s easy to hear that down-to-earth scholar who wrote these simple yet intelligent and thoughtful songs, thus making Wes the model of great American songwriting.

And, as an added personal note: Although I know Derek isn’t leaving and hasn’t exactly left me, because there are many more opportunities to collaborate and work together, but I just want to take this chance to thank him for all his work on CFM, and, most importantly, his friendship. I’m so lucky to have a like-minded comrade to share this love of music, and I’m pleased as punch with the success that Shaker Steps has had with both Derek and Mark at its helm.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.