I saw Soft Stories up in Blakes in Berkeley November 1. I talked with bassist Sloan Denton and he, drummer Jeremy Robins and Nic Russo agreed to come on the show. I was impressed by their fresh open sound right off. Like a convertible with the top down on the open road. They sang five of their original songs: “Y”, “Toe Touch”, “Haunt Me,” “Devotion” and “Bronze Coat.”
On the show, when I asked about whether their open sound was intentional, Sloan said it was because they have only three instruments, but it’s not that, guys. Sorry! First of all, Soft Stories may have “only” bass, guitar and drums, but they are used in all manner of ways to create different feels and textures. So it feels like there is more instrumentation there than technically there really is. Plus both Nic and Sloan have unusual voices that catch the ear. Poet’s voices that articulate the lyrics in an organic way. They haven’t cultivated coarse rock star voices, though I suspect they could ratchett it up if they wanted do, but it would completely change their sound.
Nic and Sloan harmonize and blend; they use lovely false setto and they also use their voices as percussion like in Haunt Me. Also we all know that three guys can make a lot of sound, in fact a lot of bands specialize in making as much noise as possible. And these guys make some amazing “concert” sounds like at the end of Devotion by Nic where they jam out the song. But in general Soft Stories selects their sounds to match the poetry. They sculpture the sound and match it wonderfully to the words. Their music is very intentionally stripped down but is not self-conscious which is one of the reason it works.
Another reason their music works is that Jeremy Robins is an extremely capable drummer. He shows great control and restraint as he matches the mood of each song, while providing the driving beat that keeps the “convertible” on the road. The novel ways that Nic and Sloan arrange their instrumentation and their vocals might well challenge a less attuned drummer. Rhythms and moods shift quickly and Jeremy keeps it locked down. And Jeremy manages to squeeze a lot of different sounds out of his kit as well, so he brings fresh sounding grooves into the mix as well.
During Toe Touch I could not help but be reminded of the band Picture Atlantic and Nic Bartunek’s false setto and open voicings. Picture Atlantic’s CD Kleos is packed with classical Greek imagery and Sloan uses it with restraint in Toe Touch with his reference to Lethe, the river of Forgetfulness in Greek mythology. I’m sure it’s a matter of taste, but I admire the mining of deep material in the subconscience, in our shared collective conscience and rolling it out for us that both Picture Atlantic and Soft Stories does. Matching music with poetry and then arranging it carefully for us is what sets a band like Soft Stories apart.
Devotion is a complicated song, perhaps the most thought-provoking of the set. Packed with powerful imagery and a beautiful melody line, the song gives way to an unusual and satisfying breakdown at the end. My favorite line of the night: “There is beauty in Devotion but it doesn’t make it right.” The song poses an important question: how does what we devote ourselves to affect us and others? Who thinks about that? Artist do. And that’s why we need them in our lives.
Soft Stories gives their music away at thesoftstories.blogspot.com
Unfortunately, Myspace has started limiting the length of videos. So only the first twenty minutes of the show is available on myspace. The show can be seen in its entirety at http://keylargomusic.blip.tv.
The five young men that comprise the Sacramento Valley-based band Hero’s Last Mission delivered a tight set of five original rocking pop songs at the Media Center Studios, November 6. Brothers and band founders Luis and Lee Hurtado, bassist Quentin “Q” Garcia, drummer Julian Mendoza and Art Padilla on guitar opened with “Everyone Knows,” an uptempo piece sung to the person that everyone knows needs help except that person himself. With Lee’s vocals and Luis’ guitar riffs, HLM expertly builds this song up. Julian establishes the song with solid stick work and is joined by a beautiful solo from Art that pops up throughout the song, tying it all together. The brothers sing a chorus intro in close harmony and then the entire band plays strong cadences with counterpoint from Art and the song is off and running. A great build. The brothers weave amazing harmonies and throw in Luis’ and Art’s very competent guitar riffs for additional voicings. Add to that that each instrumentalist is mic’d for back-up and at any one time we have 10 parts weaving together into a lush sound.
Lee and Luis have the homefield genetic advantage. When the band drops out and the brothers perform a capella duets in songs like “Killin’ Me,” (second on the set list) their harmonies interweave beautifully in the quiet of the studio. And then Luis adds the third voice of his guitar solo to match the tone of the song. Finally the full band comes back in and builds the song back up for a very satisfying conclusion.
Their third song “Gone” is pretty much a signature tune for HLM. It combines all their strongest elements, kickin’ rhythm section, tight harmonies, guitar solos, and a brilliant stroke on the word “Gone”. The last word in the chorus, “Gone” is sung with no instrumentation utilizing their very tight harmonies, so effective and satisfying. The dynamic range of these five is amazing. They can go from hushed to fully amped in seconds. And Lee’s lyrics don’t take a backseat either. They are thoughtful, clever and packed with imagery.
Right on the heels of Gone came “Baby, You Are Something,” another solid vehicle for HLM’s talents. This song won 3rd place in the 2009 West Coast Songwriters Song Competition. The band beat out all the other competitors in the Sac Valley Chapter of WCS to compete in the finals. Hero’s Last Mission is the first band in the 40 year history of WCS to place in the Competition. Sara Bareilles is a recent alumna of WCS, by the way.
The band ended their set with another solid rock tune,” I Don’t Know Why.” It is obvious how much all these guys enjoying playing and playing together. Q practically dances when he plays bass and his smile is infectious.
What I really like about HLM is that every band member is “all-in,” committed and emotionally invested. And they all get to sing! The tight harmonies sung by 5 voices are angelic at times, like a rocking Glee Club. Also, all five of the guys are personable, articulate and content. Our culture for some reason likes to promote the idea that musical artists live tormented and angst-riddled lives. These guys put the lie to any of that stereotyping. And what do they like to do in the spare time? Play golf and go wine tasting.
Maybe they’ll set us up with a wine tasting and golf tour with a concert every night! Sounds like fun. I’m in.
LaniGrooves aka Iwalani Venerable is an American Songwriter in the fullest meaning of the phrase. She pulls together different traditions and styles to create her own unique blend of funky indie rock, rhythm & blues, hip hop and rap. I have seen Lani play with as many as 9 players jamming out. In the studio on October 12, she had with her her regular drummer the understated class act Evan Bayless and the quiet and unassuming bass player Manny “Manteka” San Gabriel. Rafielo Baez played hand percussion and Von “Skywalka” Collins joined Lani on vocals in “No Other Life.” Lani lays down a fine patina over all of her songs — a relaxed groove that remains; even in the most challenging themes and lyrics, there’s an open invitation to unwind in her world.
Lani sang 5 songs, Lonely Girl, When I Wake Up, How Long, No Other Life, and Eagle Eye. There’s a recurring theme in her songs: finding the courage to come out of hiding and go for the life you are destined to live. Her poetry and her music trace her own journey so it’s at once personal and universal. Every one of the songs she sang had a rap breakout in the bridge where her strong foundation of poetry just poured out.
Lani says she was deeply influenced by Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. Comparing the two, however, the influence is primarily in the range of tools they both use for artistic expression and a broader vision of their relationship to life. Lani was a poet first and it’s clear Left Eye’s rap resonated with her.
In several of Lani’s songs like How Long and Eagle Eye, her chord progressions combined with the quiet but insistent rock beat, her syncopated melodies and her poetic lyrics, remind me of what I really love about Patti Smith. Patti was a poet first and coming at music from that direction creates an entirely different vibe. And maybe that’s the source of Lani’s unique sound that resonates for me.
She has chosen great back-up players. They are solid, and it’s obvious that Evan is an accomplished drummer. He matched Lani, phrase and mood, with great sensitivity. Very controlled with great subtlety. Similarly with Manny a good match, locking in easily with Evan and keeping the song rooted, but not a lot of showmanship. The opposite really. And Rafielo the same as well, quietly matching the song with a variety of hand percussion focusing primarily on the conga. Her work with Von was complimentary as well. He rapped the bridge on No Other Life and did some nice call and response with Lani.
Spending anytime with Lani, you come away with the impression that she is a beautiful person inside and out and that she is not done by any means. Check her myspace page and also catch her on blip and our myspace page.
Talking House Productions put together a stellar line up last Sunday night to celebrate the Preview of Luke Franks or the Federalists’ debut CD, The Way We Ran, new from Talking House Records this month.
David Luning, Zak Garn & John Luther
Soft Stories
Soft White Sixties
Luke Franks
I gather the band used to be “The Federalists”, but with some personnel changes due to the rigors of touring, and with Luke stepping up as the lead vocalist and the principal songwriter, the name change seemed the way to go and kicks in with this CD.
The band kicks off its November Western tour with a show on November 12 in Portland, Oregon. They’ll be back in town on Thanksgiving weekend for their official CD release party at the Rickshaw with Dizzy Balloon on November 28.
David Luning was our first guest in the Studio after our summer hiatus. Interviewing David under the lights and in front of the cameras felt pretty much like being in my own living room. He has an easy going, laid back personality that masks the smart, talented, and I’ll stop short of saying shrewd, songwriter underneath. He’s engaging. His original music is entertaining and plumbs intriguing depths. His singing voice has a riveting growling catch in it. And he’s found a couple of solid musicians to play with.
David has a background in the blues, classical piano, theater/show/film music, and hip-hop. He was attending college at Berklee in Boston, finding the weather abysmal when he came under the influence of two folk musicians he met there. And that’s when he did an about face and threw himself wholely into folk music. He wrote a couple of songs while back East and came back here to his hometown of Forestville to ply his trade in the folk circuit. And this was all just last year. I say all this by way of explaining that all this musical background has informed his folk music, so instead of getting a straight-forward derivative sound, you get some traditional-sounding songs with some heavy layering to it. There isn’t a trace of hip hop in his songs, or is there?
David opened the show with My Baby Blues on Wheels his homage to the broken down truck that he loves. That’s just a perfect fun-loving country song. His lyrics are amusing, conversational and draw you in for a confidential chat.
He introduced the Third Wheels. John Luther, recently moved from New York, played a plugged-in, acoustic bass guitar which meshed well with David’s acoustic guitar. Zach Garn played a variety of percussion treats including a homemade foot tambourine. It was a bit of a shock to learn the Third Wheels didn’t exist two months ago. John and David met by chance, John decided not to return to New York, but to throw his lot Iin with David. And Zach whom David met through friends meshes well with the two guitarists. They sound like they’ve been playing together all their young lives.
John is just a solid, dependable bass player that sneaks in a few interesting and suitable licks here and there just to keep us all on our toes. Zach plays a kit that is low and close so you never see him reach for anything, so his work feels organic and loose. Excellent brush work here and there, matching David’s songs nicely.
So David and the Third Wheels went through four more of David’s songs: Humble Apologizin’, Always Gonna Be That Way, Northern California (which David performed solo) and Whiskey Bottle.
David’s songs are characterized by clever lyrics that turn around nicely: In My Baby Blues, the singer describes possibly the world’s worst truck in the verses, but in the chorus and as the song builds, you realize the singer loves his truck. The irony of Humble Apologizin’ is that the singer is apologizin’ like crazy “for the things I said when I was drunk”, but as eloquent and as appealing as his entreaties are, you just know instinctively no one’s accepting his “humble apologizin.” In Always Gonna Be That Way, there is no way this guy is ever going to find love, it’s “always gonna be that way,” and then surprise he meets someone who seems to love him and he prays that it’s “always gonna be that way.” Clever twists and turns in the lyric and just solid melodies. Singable, memorable and familiar but not stock.
Northern California is a lovely ballad of homesickness and (possibly) regret about screwing up once you leave the protection of home: “You gave me my wings and I stupidly fell from the weight of the halo.” A universal experience of coming of age beautifully expressed.
The final song Whiskey Bottle is a pretty straightforward country-esque song. The singer is proposing to the Whiskey Bottle since all the women he’s known and he painstakingly (and hilariously) lists them one by one and why they had all walked out on him. It’s such a simple idea! Why hasn’t anyone proposed to a whiskey bottle before in a song?
So the show wrapped and we were able to spend a little more time with the band. All three guys are very natural and down to earth. Which makes listening to David’s music all the more enjoyable — because of the men behind it.
David Luning will be opening for the Federalists’ CD release party on November 1 at Blakes in Berkeley.
You can see David Luning’s American Songwriter appearance on our blip tv channel. The show is currently running on Wednesday and Friday night on Comcast Channel 27 in the Midpeninsula at 9 pm.
Scott and I ran over to the Red Rock in Mountain View on October 9 to catch the Friday line up upstairs. The show kicked off with Paige Gibbons of the band Per Se. She did a solo act with her guitar because her sister Emily has gone off to college and her friend Rachel (sister of Nick of the amazing-ready-to-break-any-second band Picture Atlantic btw) was busy with another event. Paige enjoys singing the close harmonies with Emily and Rachel that are Per Se’s signature sound. However, Paige is fine on her own. She started off a little tentatively but then warmed up as she realized that the crowd was predisposed to like her — after all we’re there to hear acoustic originals. She sang 5 songs, written mostly by herself. And she covered an Ingrid Michaelson songs, “What if?” Which was not a surprise because Michaelson’s influence is subtley woven through many of the sounds we heard from Paige, particularly the song, “Here to Stay.” Paige is going for that fresh, cursive, unencumbered sound. Her lyrics are intriguing and paint wonderful images: “I wonder what you were thinking when your knees hit the bathroom floor” from the song “Cellophane” was nicely placed and evocative. Her voice is lovely and she can sustain high notes which actually strengthen the longer she holds them. She has a natural gift to be sure. However, she is one of many fine young singers who have come up through the Gunn High School choral program under the direction of the dynamic William Liberatore. A quick shout out to “Billy”. You can learn more about Per Se at their myspace page.
After Paige sang Vincent Do with Tommy Finn took the spotlight. Both on vocals and guitar. They sang six songs leading off with Vincent’s “You Are Free” followed by a few more of Vincent’s songs. Tommy sang “Change Your Mind” and then a couple more songs, finishing up with “Fade Out.” I’ve seen Vincent a few times now, and each time I’m impressed with how quickly he is developing his own style and he’s just a great guitarist. He has a calming, steady way about him even when he is singing about stressful, troubling topics. Great groove.
Last up was Kevin Sullivan aka Westwood and Willow, an American Songwriter alumnus. His brother Sean of the band Pericardium backed him up on electric guitar, providing counterpoint to Kevin’s acoustic set. Kevin seems to be cranking out songs at breakneck pace. He delivered a seven song set, five of which I hadn’t heard, and I flatter myself I’m following the guy. The new songs all have Kevin’s signature rolling verses that come back to strong choruses. And he packs every song with double duty lyrics that take you down with him into his world of heavy but hopeful introspection. I like Kevin’s music because he’s not afraid to make you a bit uncomfortable or to tip his hand. He draws you in right beside him: “I’m down and out-I’m on the edge about-I cannot stand to see anybody happy… I don’t have the will to cry… just sleep tonight.” Does Kevin use the word “depressed” ever in the song? Very nicely done. He performed a fun little ditty inspired by a trip into the heartland where the outside world isn’t welcome. After getting an unexplained punch in the chest by someone who may not have completely understood the singer, Kevin sings in the chorus: “Nobody thinks straight. Why would I do that?” There is something very resonant about the way he delivers that line and the story he paints of the singer’s adventure. Other lyrics that jumped out at me: “The light will turn green”; “I can make trouble out of anything” and then “the ground is closer than you think.” This last example was in the final song of the evening which is a painful peek into troubling adolescent years. Kevin is daring in his honesty and is a gifted guitarist and vocalist into the bargain. His almost stacatto vocal style is offset by a lovely false setto which he seems to using more and more. The falset setto was lovely in the “green light” song.
You can check out Kevin’s American Songwriter show of course on our myspace page and on our blip tv channel.
A lot of folks have been asking me about West Coast Songwriters. I wrote an article about the organization’s September Conference for the October Newsletter. That article is extracted from this article… it will give you a feel about what it’s like go into total immersion with a bunch of songwriters for two days.
For songwriters who are looking for marketing leads, partners to collaborate with and tips on improving their craft, the West Coast Songwriters conference offers all of these things plus a large dose of inspiration — and sometimes an opportunity for deep reflection and soul searching! Held annually the second weekend in September at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California, the conference kicked off at Cibo Restaurant on El Camino in Palo Alto Friday night September 11. No host bar and dinner gave us all a chance to get reacquainted from last year, meet new folks and bend the old elbow with the many distinguished guests who fly in from all over the country or drive in from the greater Bay Area to serve as our faculty and mentors for the weekend. Most of the out of town guests were staying at the Creekside Inn, which is right there next to Cibo. And a few spilled over into other establishments along Palo Alto’s Motel Row. After Cibo shut down, there was the usual sneaking off to hotel rooms for the late night sing-alongs and song sharings.
So the conference itself lasted all day Saturday and Sunday with the wonderful Sunset concert Saturday night. My writing partner (that would be Scott)and I screened about 8 songs to industry pros for feedback and sat in on lots of song screenings. I found the judges respectful but also realistic as to the present commercial value of the songs they heard. That’s one thing you have to ask yourself over and over again. How commercial do you want to be? Who are writing for? Yourself or a larger market? Should you talk to pros if what you really want to do is write songs and play for yourself and your friends?
My favorite screening experience was with Nashville-based song plugger Penny Dionne. She listened to my song “Crazy Girl” in which I thought I was conveying the story of a beautiful rebel girl that everyone called crazy, but that the singer was secretly “crazy” about. Penny asked me, “What kind of crazy are we talking here? Shopping cart crazy? What’s she like exactly?” I stared down at my lyrics and realized they did not convey what I saw in my head. I had to laugh. Sometimes we are so close to our work we can’t see that we’re painting with the wrong words or with inadequate words. In fact upon careful review, I realized a lot of my lyrics needed to be punched up and clarified. Thanks, Penny!
My songwriting partner (that would be Scott) and I attended our two twenty minute one-on-ones (a steal at $20 extra each) with two industry pros who alternatively raked us over the coals, loved us, critiqued us, “inquisitioned” us and inspired us. We loved their valuable insight. And smarted a little, too. Another Nashville-based song plugger Antoinette Oleson listened through our CD of original “country” style songs. Her main criticism was that the lyrics weren’t bold enough, didn’t paint strong enough pictures. But she loved our hooks and thought we had some wonderful melodies and themes. But again, the melodies here and there sagged, and she gave great suggestions. And she praised our wisdom in not having paid for demos when the songs were clearly not ready. I didn’t want to hear the songs were not ready, but I also didn’t come there for the “soft pedal” either.
We then went 9 rounds with Jason Brawner who works with young artists to develop their talent. He ticked through our daughter’s catalog of original songs. He said the timbre of her voice was her strongest asset. And he could point out where in the songs it was present and was strongest. He pointed out that several songs needed to be sung in a lower key to capture that timbre. And he said why parts of the songs were not commercial but he also pointed out what was working. He suggested she work with a seasoned songwriter to craft them like Steve Seskin. He also gave us the name of two local producers who he thought could work with her in the studio to give her a great production. And he also shared with us the kind of commitment it would take on her part to get to the next level. Realistically she could do it, but she’d have to have a single mindedness of purpose. And maybe she’s not ready to go “all in”. It takes going “all in”. Jason gave us so much to think about, and again no sugar pill.
When I happened to run into Steven Seskin later, I talked to him about our meeting with Jason and Steve immediately took our daughter’s CD. That’s the networking part of the conference!
In addition to screenings and one-on-ones, we also took classes on making “it” stronger. It being things like lyrics, melody, hooks, performance comportment, marketing, co-writing, you name it. Performance coach Steve Memel took volunteers from the audience and had them sing a bit of their song. After working with them on technique, magically their performance was stronger within just a few minutes. Things like opening your eyes, picking one person to sing to in the audience per lyric line, tricks on getting past your mistakes so that you don’t lose focus, making sure you are comfortable, that the mike is placed right, realizing the audience isn’t going to be aware of a mistake unless you make a face or get distracted. Steve was truly amazing.
I poked my head in on one of the business sessions and one on the nuts and bolts of song writing. I caught one of the interviews with an industry legend – Mike Pinder of the Moody Blues and then had dinner with a mixed group of peers and mentors. One of the appealing things about the WCS conference is that it is small and intimate and that you have access to the people you want to meet. Furthermore the conference is located in the beautiful hills so there is a relaxed vacation atmosphere that you couldn’t quite duplicate if you were in the middle of LA.
Just walking around for two days with other songwriters was inspirational. Spending that much time with people who are so like me and doing what I am doing was affirming, like coming home. Listening to the songwriter/artists performing their own work live in the quad all day long plus the lunchtime concerts added to that feeling of songwriting immersion that can really feed your soul deep down if you are open to it.
Finally new this year was the band showcases where bands performing original songs could get a long session with engineers, producers and other professionals, and get critical feedback. Bands doing original music have found a place in WCS as evidenced by the presence of Hero’s Last Welcome on the Sunset Concert stage.
I was grateful to sit down and relax at the Sunset Concert Saturday night after feeling “plugged in” all day as I ran around trying not to miss anything.
Executive Director Ian Crombie opened the evening for us and was given a spontaneous standing ovation when board member Tami Mulcahy crooned a “thank you Ian,” from the audience. So after Ian tried to deflect any praise away from himself as quickly as possible as is his way, he introduced the winning artists of this year’s West Coast Songwriters Competition FINALS to sing their a couple of songs including their winning song.
First up was fourth-placed Emily Rose with her amazing country ballad, I Still Leave the Light On. Next was second place Sam Cosio with his intimate electric guitar singing his placing song Pour Me a Glass. Next up was Michael McNevin, the writer and performer of this year’s #1 hit song: Scarecrow. Last was the band, HERO’S LAST MISSION. Lee Hurtado his brother Luis Hurtado, Quentin Garcia, Art Padilla and Julian Mendoza took third place with Luis’s original song Baby You are Something.
After the four top placers performed, Ian handed over the mic to hit songwriter and industry luminary Andre Pessis with his inimitable, refreshingly almost politically correct patter. Andre alternately introduced and roasted the “lifers” of WCS who kindly performed for us that night.
We were treated to performances by a string of hitmakers, starting with WCS co-founder Michael Silversher, and then we heard 1000 Songwriting Ideas author Lisa Aschmann, Foothills College professor and songwriter Jim Bruno, Monica Pasqual of the band Blame Sally, George Merrill of Boy Meets Girl Music and finally the amazing Steve Seskin. Each one of these performances passed the give-me-chills test.
I blogged about the entire concert on my “American Songwriter Show” myspace page, if you want more details.
The second day we were back for breakfast and coffee in the quad. And then at 10 am Sunday it all began again – more classes, screenings, one-on-ones and sitting in on interviews with industry luminaries. By Sunday I was feeling pretty much like everyone there was in my extended family. I was swapping business cards, CDs and checking out possible co-writers to bring in to strengthen our songs, particularly the lyrics!
The day and the conference wrapped with an intimate concert featuring Steve Seskin with Jim Photoglo. They sang their original songs and took a few audience requests. Jim’s rendition of his and Gary Burr’s “Silence is King Around Here” had the room in pin drop mode and the audience sang along with Steve’s “This is My Day.”
The WCS conference signaled the end of the WCS season with the presentation of the winning songs in that year’s song competition. But the Conference really was only the beginning as just around the corner, the next season of competitions begins. And all the other events that WCS puts on in support of the craft of songwriting start up as well — song screenings, Works-In-Progress, master classes, etc. So when I left the conference I didn’t feel it was over, I felt it was just another beginning for me. But I wasn’t ready to write a song. I was exhausted and encouraged and discouraged. So I went right home and wrote a song with Scott, called “If I Had to Write a Song Tonight I’d Cry.” You can listen to it on our Key Largo Music Myspace Page. We had a lot of fun writing it.
Last night, I finally made it over to one of Anton Schwartz’s House Concerts that he holds several times a year at his loft in Emeryville. I’ve known Anton for years and have a cache of his CDs. He is a sax artist, a composer, arranger and a teacher as well.
Last night, Anton shared the stage with a touring trio out of New York: Sylvia Cuenca on drums, Jared Gold on organ and Ed Cherry on Guitar. The three play as a “package” in New York and consequently effortlessly stay locked in with one another. They bring an organic sound to their arrangements so that even when it sounds like the song might unravel, the trio swings right back in at the last minute and you realize they never lost the thread in the first place. So that makes for some exciting music.
The quartet with Anton as guest front man performed two sets of some originals but mostly covers for about 40+ fans. They opened up with a classic interpretation of Ellington’s In a Sentimental Mood. There was absolutely nothing to complain about and lots to praise. It was a real vehicle for Anton’s lush saxophone, reaching and pulling just the right note and bending it, so reminiscent to me of the great Johnny Hodges. This is a classic Ellington song, deceptively simple yet tricky to make it sound that good.
The second tune was an arrangement of the Beatles’ In My Life. Somehow their jazz arrangement produced a perfect mirror to the original rock ballad. And then the solo section in the middle really broke from the song. Solos were high energy, sometimes at an almost frenetic pace – which ironically fit the arrangement. And I thought, whoa, where is this going and right when I was about to be taken completely out of the dream, they reigned the tune right back for the turnaround. Masterful rendered.
The third piece It Ain’t Necessarily So by the Gershwin brothers showcased Sylvia on drums. I was pretty much stunned by her opening solo, a series of fills that were so cleverly put together that they matched the mood of the song. So that when the band layered in to build the song, the process felt organic and natural. And then Cuenca switched to the more robust sound of standard jazz drums. Anton kept injecting tiny allusions to Wayne Shorter’s Witch Hunt, which was such an entertaining surprise and seamlessly added. At the end of the song, the instruments dropped out and Cuenca circled back to where she had begun. Another nice satisfying “bookend” moment for the listener. By the way, Cuenca taps the side of the cymbal with her perpendicular stick. I was fascinated by how many different sounds she got by “per cussing” all areas of her kit.
The fourth song, Armstrong’s Sleepy Time Down South was a strong vehicle for the entire band, but Jared Gold seemed to steal the song with classic organ style. He plays the Hammond Xk-3 and maintains an excellent left boot bass line on the pedals. He specializes in the laying down chords with thick harmonies. Jared has a fairly expressive face, which is fun to watch. It twists and turns with the chords he is playing. As the soloists took their turns, I experienced another one of those wild-ride sensations that I kept having on and off all night. As a song builds, if it starts to head off in a direction that the audience does not expect, tension is the obvious result. Too much tension and the artists’ bond with the audience can break, but stretch us to the breaking point and then release the tension and the audience really is putty in their hands. That’s what being a pro is all about. Not everyone can build a song that way. These four made it sound simple.
The fifth and sixth songs were two originals by Gold. The Cusp and Times Are Hard on the Boulevard. The Cusp was a ballad that couldn’t quite be a ballad as it was on the cusp. And it was a fun song to listen to. The song breaks loud and almost raucous, but then the soloists each take more reflective turns and your lulled into forgetting the opening, until the band builds it right back up and you’re back where you started. But instead of having song-identity confusion, I was left with thinking, yeh, life’s like that song.
The final song of the first set, Times Are Hard on the Boulevard is a classic cityscape piece. The mood was jazzy funk as each instrument modeled sounds of the city as the song opened with the full band. The solo section took us away from the cacophony of the city to maybe a park or a side street where things aren’t quite so chaotic, and then we turn the corner and we’re back on the boulevard. More great tension, release and tension again.
After refreshments at the break and some mingling with the musicians, the audience settled in for the second set which opened with The Spirit Speaks, an original song by Ed Cherry the guitarist. This mellow song ushered in a complete change in mood. I felt myself physically relax. The ballad was a wonderful vehicle for Cherry who plays a custom made electric guitar that has many acoustic features. At the break, I had asked him about the guitar. He said he had it made to his specifications by guitar builder Victor Baker in Philadelphia. To match Cherry’s lush picked and strummed melody, Cuenca used mostly jazz fills and organist Gold played laid back accent chords. It was a low-key trio piece. Just lovely.
The next song was a none-too-conventional but still satisfying rendering of Jobim’s Brigas Nunca Mais. Cuenca really drove the truck on this one, which was good because each player was playing his part on the edge. The entire song for me was another one of those moments of building the tension up and up until I wonder if they’ve taken it so far, they can’t recover. And right when I think they’re driving the song right off the cliff, they rein in and change direction back to the safety of the lush opening. Very satisfying.
The quartet then played the musical opposite of Brigas Nunca Mais, Moonlight in Vermont by Karl Suessdorf. Cherry opened the song with a quiet lush guitar solo, soon joined by Anton for a mellow duet suitable for a church, then Cuenca’s brushes creep in and the ever-animated Gold slides in gently and we have a full sound of possibly one of the loveliest melodies in the repertoire. Anton and Cherry swing back and forth in a call and response. Then the song builds with the organ pulling the load and then release back down to Anton and Cherry taking us out together. A lovely moment that gave me chills.
The next song was a playful, original song by Josh Gold. Splat strings together quite cleverly a series of disjointed melodic segments into a unified theme which then gives us a clear central rising note in which all members pull together to create that sense of take-off. The “splat”. Just a fun song to listen to. And the musicians made it look fun to play.
The final song Time’s Up, another original by Gold featured Cuenca. Which is good because it’s another high energy fast pace piece that requires a stern drummer. The gate opened on this one, all four horses went flying, kicking up the mud and churning their way out of the gate. Anton tossed in a bar of Fascinating Rhythm which was quite whimsical, because this song has a fascinating rhythm. You get a brief respite in the middle and just when you start to relax, un uh, it’s time to race for the wild finish.
Time’s Up segued right into some classic blues, which was a nice way to sew a button on the evening. We opened with a song that showcased what Anton is famous for – lush thoughtful tones that bend magically but never break.
The really GOOD NEWS is that you can catch this quartet TOMORROW, Sunday, September 20 at the Pink House at 2 pm in Saratoga.
I better get this posted and bulletined so a few of you can have a chance to hustle on down there.
Find out more about Anton and Sylvia Cuenca and Jared Gold and Ed Cherry on their websites.
If you love songwriting, Saturday at the West Coast SongwritersConference is a little like speed dating.
Scott and I attended the Saturday session of the conference today, heldat Foothill College. We had two one-on-ones where we were raked overthe coals, praised, loved and judged all at the same time. Yes, anindustry pro will tell you what he or she loves, hates, what works andwhat doesn’t work for him or her. And you have to decide if it feelsright or not. What your response will be. You show your songs, getfeedback, attend classes on making “it” stronger — whatever your “it”is, there’s a seminar on it… lyrics, melody, hooks, performancecomportment, marketing, co-writing, you name it. And you get to hearsongwriter/artists performing their stuff live in the FC quad all daylong. And you can catch an interview with an industry legend. Andthen at the end of it all, you go and hear some of the bestsongwriters singing their own work. The Sunset Concert is theemotional climax of the day.
Executive Director Ian Crombie opened the evening for us and thankedthe usual suspects board members and volunteers. Then he was given aspontaneous standing ovation when board member Tami Mulcahy crooned a”thank you Ian,” from the audience. Ian really needs to work on hisability to accept praise. He is way too eager to deflect it on tosomeone else so while I’m on that subject…
Ian and Joanie Crombie are fast becoming living legends. They are theheart of WCS and have pretty much set the tone of the love affair I andothers are having with WCS. They are generous to a fault with theirtime. Ian’s quiet professionalism and visionary leadership has beenthe primary driving force behind WCS since the amazing Silvershersfounded the organization 30 years ago.
So after Ian’s opening remarks, Ian introduced the winning artists ofthis year’s West Coast Songwriters Competition FINALS to sing theirwinning songs.
First up was fourth-placed Emily Rose with her amazing country ballad,I Still Leave the Light On. Great imagery, hooky and with a passionatedelivery. Very satisfying song.
Next was second place Sam Cosio. Sam has a really intimate electricguitar style replete with slow chromatic bass lines, played like anacoustic guitar. And his songs, particularly the placing song, Pour Mea Glass are performed in Sam’s signature style. There is somethingintimate, stark and cryptic about Sam’s music. It’s stand outdifferent.
Next up was Michael McNevin, the writer and performer of this year’s #1hit song: Scarecrow. He’ll take the song to an unexpected yetsatisfying resolution. The story line is simply elegant. The narratorcompares himself to a scarecrow and his lover to a bird who alights onhim. She flies fast while he watches the corn crow. Some unusualmajor triad color chords give it a unique sound. Simple but amazing. He also performed a wonderful country ballad, This Town’s Gonna Changeabout modernization coming to a one-horse town. Lovely. Poignant. Mike was accompanied by a stand-up bass player who also sang harmony. Mike has the talent and the words and the music and the arrangement andperforms with heart. That’s what makes you #1.
Next up was the band, HERO’S LAST MISSION. These five young men whotook 3rd place at the competition — Lee Hurtado his brother LuisHurtado, Quentin Garcia, Art Padilla and Julian Mendoza — have got themagic mix. For a rock band, they play a very transparent style. Thereare two acoustic guitars and close a capella harmonies and yet theyrock. They sang their award winning Baby You are Something and alsoanother “hit” Gone. And they are so tight. The sound is very clean. I got a chance to talk with them during the day. They are really niceguys, too.
After the four top placers performed, Ian handed over the baton to hitsongwriter and industry luminary Andre Pessis with his inimitable,refreshingly almost politically correct patter. Andre alternatelyintroduced and roasted WCS “lifers” who kindly performed for ustonight.
Co-Founder of WCS Michael Silversher kicked it off for us with I AmThe Wind, currently placed in a children’s science show on PBS. Hebrilliantly, parodied Bob Dylan in the second verse. You HAD to bethere. He also sang Mathew Street, an homage to the roots of theBeatles inspired by Michael’s visit to Liverpool. His performance andthe song were moving and timely as the Beatles new video game andre-mastered releases hit the market.
1000 Songwriting Ideas author, Lisa Aschmann, led the audience in asong she has recently placed with Rikki Scaggs. The chorus is perfectfor a round. So we all got to sing Ricky Scaggs future hit. How coolis that. Lisa then sang her beautiful Healing in the Hands of Time.Both songs have an emotional core that is so raw it hurts. That’sgood songwriting.
Foothills College professor and songwriter Jim Bruno was up next. Hedelivered his song about regret called We Were Blind, a movingmishandled relationship song and an heartbreak song using theCalifornia Rain as a metaphor for heartache.
Monica Pasqual of the band Blame Sally sang two personal songs from herupcoming solo album. La Tierra in mi Sangre (The Earth is in myBlood) about her Spanish roots and Terrified a song she wrote at a darkperiod in her life struggling with a loved one’s chronic illness. Monica drew tears tonight.
George Merrill then gave us two songs, accompanying himself on piano:Climbing a charged and intimate song dealing with anticipated recoveryfrom despair: Waiting for a Star to Fall was the hit that pretty muchput George on the map. And guess what, it still delivers with the samefreshness and impact it did upon release, a true hit. And George’sdelivery was emotional, personal and engaging. The entire row infront of me either had their eyes shut, heads nodding to the beat orwere furiously dabbing at their eyes with sleeves.
Right when I was ready to throw in the towel, consummate songster SteveSeskin took the stage, after surviving Andre’s ongoing playful ribbing. Steve can really put over a song. He sang a killer break-up songthat he recently co-wrote. The hook lyric was “My love for you isn’tgoing to die before I do.” I heard that line and I was going for theKleenex. And then Steve sang another poignant song about taking abreak to find yourself after a relationship ends. An upliftingheartbreak song? Yep, this is it.
The evening wrapped with Ian’s closing remarks. I was pretty sure Iknew what a hit song was when I left the auditorium. So I ask myselfthe question that I’m sure others in the audience were askingthemselves: Do I have what it takes to follow through and take mysongs to the next level? I don’t know if I’m a hit-maker, but after aday with WCS, I feel inspired to try.
As a member of West Coast Songwriters and co- manager of the East Bay Song Competition for WCS, I was excited to attend the FINALS for the annual song competition held Monday night at the new Freight and Salvage in Berkeley – which by the way is gorgeous with amazing acoustics. The ten competitors had all won best song of the year in the WCS chapters in which they had previously competed. Winners came together from Hollywood to Portland and the chapters in between to sing and play for us.
The Master of Ceremonies was artist/songwriter Greg Lamboy. He’s a dynamic member of the WCS board and he’s head of all the Song Competitions. WCS executive director Ian Crombie gave a short address. We are still so proud that Ian was named one of the “top fifty innovators, iconoclasts, groundbreakers and guiding lights of 2008″ in the December 17th issue of Rolling Stone magazine. After Ian spoke, Greg ushered to the stage one of the night’s judges, award-winning songwriter Steve Seskin. Steve kicked it off for us by singing three original songs. Steve delivers with such impact and is always inspiring to listen to. The other judges were indie producer and engineer Michael Rosen and Thom Maslow internet entrepreneur, founder of music-based start-up Yormo.com.
After Steve got the crowd warmed up, one by one the songwriters came up and sang for us. It was not an easy choice for the judges. It sure was not easy for me as I listened to what sounded like potential hit song after potential hit song.
The judges did make their choice, however –
The winning song was “Scarecrow” written and performed by the Bay Area’s own Michael McNevin who had competed and won in the East Bay Competition held on August 1 at the old Freight. 2nd place went to Hollywood’s Sam Cosio for his song “Pour Me A Glass.” And 3rd Place went to Hero’s Last Mission, a band from Sacramento for their song “Baby You Are Something.”
On any given night, any song could have won; that’s why we have three judges from different areas of the business and they have to come to consensus.
The other competitors were: Woody Hawkins who won in Manteca for “Deception.” Andrew Solomon who won in Martinez for “Leap of Faith”. Mark Keller who won in Petaluma for “To Be Gone” Dan Weber who won in Portland for “That’s What Midnight is For” Liz Riley & Sia Mozaffari who won in Saratoga for “Wake Up In Love” Julia Bordenaro who won in Sebastapol for “Know Who You’ve Become” Emily Rose who won in San Francisco for “Just to Let You Know”
In the audience, I noticed many of the usual suspects – board members of WCS, teachers and coaches, WCS faculty, WCS faithful and fans. It was quite a surprise for me to run into Steve Suen, owner of both Biscuits and Blues and The Union Room in San Francisco. The last time I saw him he judged for one of the East Bay Competitions earlier in the year. I was even more surprised to learn that Steven joined WCS and will be coming to the conference next weekend at Foothill College.
Steven liked what he saw at the Freight when he was a judge for WCS and now he’s looking to strengthen his connection to local songwriter/artists and bands performing original songs. That’s the kind of organization WCS is, you just get drawn in by the amazing talent of its members and by the truly good guys that run the front. Top down, starting with Ian Crombie, Joanie Crombie and a great board of directors presided over by Michale Edell, WCS is THE supporting organization for regional songwriters (and now) bands to get critical feedback and access.
It was a great night for WCS and I am looking forward to the Conference September 12 and 13 at Foothill College. Check out the WCS website for more details.
See the winning song on the West Coast Songwriters Youtube Channel.
