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Video Premiere: “On My Mind” by The Maytags
The Maytags, Des Moines, Iowa’s ruling retro-soul collective, will release The Secret Stash Sessions EP on May 9th, a follow-up to their stellar debut album, 2016’s Love Lines. Ahead of releasing their new tunes, the band has a brand new video for “On My Mind,” a track from the forthcoming release.
“This song is about a girl I used to date,” explains frontman Dustin Smith. “Even after not seeing each other for a long time she continues to return to my thoughts and my head—‘Darlin’, I told you not to come home, but you did.’ It’s a somewhat bittersweet experience that she’s always on my mind, but it’s also frustrating that I can’t quite figure out what it is that keeps us dangling in each other’s thoughts,” he reveals. “The imagery of the song was like she’s a thousand miles away but always right in front of my face.”
The song’s accompanying video, directed by Des Moines-by-way-of Los Angeles film director Jack Meggers, features a daydream-y, dancing librarian who may or not be imagining a fling with a lovely, Lindy Hopping lady. “Until now, The Maytags have only done live setting music videos. We really wanted to switch it up with the feeling of The Secret Stash Sessions—more playful, a direct story line, full color, and not so much about us as a band,” explains Smith, though the band playfully executes a prominent supporting role in the video. Be prepared for an unadulterated injection of pure sunshine.
Without further ado, Mother Church Pew proudly presents “On My Mind,” the new video from The Maytags:
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Interview: Imelda May
Irish musical force to be reckoned with and industry veteran Imelda May hops on the telephone for a chat, having just put her four year old daughter to bed; as she eyes the mess that is her post-dinner kitchen, she says, “I think women are fantastic, how we multi-task. We’re brilliant, I think we should all get a medal daily.”
May is definitely no stranger to the art of multi-tasking; over her two decade plus career, she has released four full-length records, toured the world, and started a family. Her fifth record, Life. Love. Flesh. Blood, released on Friday April 21st via Decca Records; written in the wake of a major life change, May approached the task of creating this one differently on all fronts. “I don’t feel it’s too much of a departure sound-wise, but I suppose it’s a departure from what most people know me for, what I’ve done over the last seven years or so, but I’ve been gigging for 26 years. I started out singing blues, and jazz, and country but I got known for punk, rockabilly, rock n’ roll, the direction I took later on because people told me not to do it, which is like a red rag to a bull,” she laughs. “I had plans for every other album, but I had no plans for this one. Life had changed a lot and I’d had a strange couple of years, great at times and difficult at times. I just wanted to write, and write, and write without knowing what the album was going to be like, and that was really liberating for me. I wanted to progress as a writer, and in doing so, I went back to my roots. Irish and American music are so closely related; for me, it fits quite comfortably together, like old friends. I like it.”
On Life. Love. Flesh. Blood, she processes the end of her 18 year marriage, though it’s not just an album about heartbreak. “Only about three of the songs are about heartbreak, but the rest are about everything else,” explains May. “That’s why I called it Life. Love. Flesh. Blood., because it’s about everything—yes, my marriage ended, but it’s also about guilt, regret, joy, desire, lust, sensuality, and letting myself be happy again. I was with someone for almost 20 years, and it’s nice to get to rediscover yourself,” she admits. “It’s a synapsis of a year in my life, it goes full circle for me, I put everything into it.” Though she had always written alone in the past, May took the opportunity to explore collaboration this time. “I wanted to learn and explore, and there are four or five songs I wrote with others,” she reveals of tracks like single “Black Tears,” co-written with Angelo Petraglia in Nashville. Always one to produce or co-produce her own records, this time, May handed over the reins to the legendary T Bone Burnett. “I’ve been a fan of his for a long time, and when I finished writing the album, I thought he’d be perfect, that he and my album would marry well. You can’t just work with someone because you’re a fan though, it has to be musically led, and this was for me,” she recalls. “He wanted hear the most basic demos I’d made, just me and my guitar, singing in my kitchen, and I was terrified, thinking ‘oh god, my guitar playing, how embarrassing,’” she adds with a laugh. “But, he had his reasons, he wanted to hear the rawness and where it came from. He was calm, he gave me space, and he let me breathe. I handed the reigns over to him, but he included me in everything.”
The album features guest appearances from the likes of Jeff Beck and Jools Holland, two artists who have been, as May describes, instrumental in her success. “They’ve both supported me big time. I’ve toured the States with Jeff Beck, we did the Les Paul tribute together, he asked me to sing on the Grammys with him, which was amazing, we get on so well. He’s a great friend,” she explains of the iconic rocker who contributes heart-melting guitar work on “Black Tears.” “Jools too, he gives me great advice, and it felt fitting to have them both on the most personal album I’ve ever made. They’re phenomenal.”
In a few short days, May will take her show the road, wowing audiences across the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States with her powerhouse vocals and captivating style. “I love writing, I love learning, and I work my ass off. I never studied music in college, but I learned it in clubs, and bars, and pubs, the way my heroes did,” she says. “It’s the best education I could’ve gotten. I can’t wait to get back out there.”
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Video Premiere: “Tidal Wave” by Roger Street Friedman
In January, singer/songwriter Roger Street Friedman released his masterwork, Shoot The Moon, via Rock Ridge Music; brimming with hook-laden, emotionally resonant rockicana, the 54 year old cohesively stitches together reflective vignettes from his real-life experiences, in a stunning display of vulnerability and bravery. “When my dad passed away in 2004 it really hit me that this was not a dress rehearsal,” shares the Sea Cliff, New York-based artist. “When you turn 50, you start to hear about or lose people that are your own age. It gives me the sense that I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Now, Friedman is excited to release his new video for album track “Tidal Wave;” animated by Brandon Huza, the video brings to life the song’s message of conciliation, peace, and hope for a brand new day. “The idea behind the lyric of the song is that, throughout history, to every movement there is a counter movement,” he explains. “There is so much negativity in the news and the world right now, stories of hate and war, and yet also there is amazing beauty and stories of kindness and heroism. The idea is that a movement towards love and hope can sweep over the planet and bring us to a more peaceful coexistence between people of all races and religions and between humans and the planet… and the tidal wave of love will usher in a brand new day.”
Friedman will be sharing Shoot The Moon with audiences regionally, and through appearances at select festivals. Reflecting on this era of fevered creativity and late-in-life self discovery, Friedman says: “You can’t rush the process. You can polish and chip away at the sculpture, but the evolution of the art takes the time it takes. For me, it feels fabulous to be where I’m at. I just have to stay open to the inspiration, and pour my heart and soul into the work. The rest is up to the universe.”
Without further ado, Mother Church Pew proudly presents “Tidal Wave,” the new video from Roger Street Friedman:
TOUR DATES:
APR 28 FRI – Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 – New York, NY
APR 30 SUN – Atwood’s Tavern – Cambridge, MA
MAY 12 FRI – Oak Room Tavern – Sea Cliff, NY
JUN 8 THU – Garcia’s – Port Chester, NY
JUN 22 THU – Today in Nashville, WSMV-TV (NBC affiliate) – Nashville, TN
JUN 22 THU – Bluebird Cafe – Nashville, TN
JUN 27 TUE – Neighbor’s – Nashville, TN
JUL 7 FRI – Sea Cliff Beach Summer Series – Sea Cliff, NY
JUL 26 WED – The Space – Westbury, NY (Performing with the Sea Cliff Summer Strings)
AUG 9 WED – Middlesex Bandstand Summer Concert Series – Middlesex, VT
AUG 11 FRI – Mocha Maya’s – Shelbourne Falls, MA
AUG 13 SUN – World Cafe Live Upstairs – Philadelphia, PA
AUG 20 SUN – Morgan Park Summer Music Festival’s Third Annual Folk Festival – Glen Cove, NY
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Interview: Neon Moon
Josh Bohannon, born and raised on country music in a Georgia map dot, was more afraid to stay in his small hometown than he was to leave—and leave he did, choosing the polar opposite setting to pursue his musical dreams. “I moved to Los Angeles to do rock music, was in rock bands, metal as well,” he recalls. An opportunity arose to move to Nashville with a band for a year–and only a year–so he took it. “When I got here, the band broke up almost immediately. I was like, ‘Well, I’m going to be here for another 11 months, I might as well make the best of it,” he says. Josh started going to writers’ rounds, and reconnected with his passion for songwriting. “I found my way back to country when I moved here,” he adds. “Country is where my heart is.”
At the same time his band called it quits, he met his musical partner and future wife Noelle, who grew up playing piano and belting out Aretha Franklin songs. “I thought she was much better than the band I moved here with, and prettier too,” he laughs. “She had her own thing going on, but we started writing together, and I played with her when she’d perform her stuff. We decided to join forces and make it an official thing.” The pair embarked on a year long co-writing journey, and penned one song every week. “We were writing for other people, but we weren’t sure that some of these songs would have a home outside of us doing something with them,” he explains of the deeply personal tracks. “We wanted to do something different in the country world.” The Bohannons chose their five favorites, plus one more written to round out the tracklist, and created an album, 6:53, set for release in June.
Their band, Neon Moon, recently released “If I Knew,” a new single from their forthcoming record; the song, with its twang and swagger, firmly resides in the alt-country corner of the Americana realm, and that’s just how they like it. “Country fans feel a little disconnected from what’s on the radio today,” Josh says. “Our goal was to make something they could listen to and feel connected again to the things they used to love about listening to country music.” Adds Noelle, “This is only the beginning.”
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Live Show Review: The Band Of Heathens
Twenty minutes before showtime, the stage at the Basement East was already ensconced by fans waiting for The Band of Heathens. In the Nashville music scene, where being fashionably late is the norm and tour managers often usher a lurking crowd closer to the stage, it was a pleasant surprise to see the Heathens faithful already packing the venue. With a simple sound check eliciting hoots from the waiting fans, a packed audience roared when the full quintet took the stage.
The group splits singing duties between co-founders Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist–Jurdi’s oft stoic delivery contrasting with his powerful vocal delivery and Quist adding a free flowing bluesy country feel. Keeping the energy high while working through an impressively tight setlist, the group rarely stopped between songs, instead calling out to the crowd during riffs and solos. One of the rare breaks in the music was used to share the background for the pro-marijuana legalization track “Green Grass of California” from their recently released album Duende. The song was inspired by some of “their farmer friends on the west coast” and spawned a smoke filled music video which was premiered with both music sites and High Times, the aficionado of all things weed–“Our parents were very proud,” Quist quipped. The song itself, a Grateful Dead-meets-honky tonk twang-inspired jam, had the crowd swaying along. The band’s country roots also shined on their tender, acoustic guitar led version of “Ruby,” a song from the Americana all-stars Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch.
It’s impossible to isolate The Band of Heathens into a particular musical niche–blues, rock, country-rock, southern rock–they are all there. At times the influences shine independently; other times they are melded into one happy genre-bending sound, which is the hallmark of Americana music.
Nearing the end of the set, but with the crowd still pushing for more, The Heathens used an extended, anticipation-building lead-in to their fan favorite “Hurricane,” spurring a boisterous sing-along. The band used the song as a showcase of their southern rock and blues influences–wailing guitar paired with soulful organ. From the night’s inception, it was clear that the crowd’s expectations were high–a challenge that was surpassed by the rocking quintet from Austin, Texas.
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Review: Moonsville Collective – Moonsville II EP
At the crossroads of country folk and string band music, you’ll find the jammy picking sound of Moonsville Collective. Setting an ambitious goal for 2017, the band is releasing 20 new songs over the course of four albums; Moonsville II is the second offering in the series from the California quintet.In 2013, Moonsville Collective broke from its more traditional string roots and started working on a more progressive style. Moonsville II plays homage to the group’s heritage, featuring mandolin and a healthy dose of banjo, but it also showcases their exploration of the country aspects of Americana with plaintive dobro, soulful organ, and plenty of guitar twang—combined with well-crafted and memorable lyrics, the album makes the most of its five track playlist.
Like their music, the band’s touring has seen a marked transition over the last couple of years. Where they used to be road ramblers, they now find themselves spending more time closer to home, with their record release parties for the four 2017 albums taking the place of their normal live showcases. Many of Moonsville II’s strongest offerings carry an air of beauty captured through adventure, be it with a reminiscent eye to the past or with a bit of longing for the future. While their string band roots run deep, Moonsville Collective does not hide behind its music. In storytelling, it’s the details that paint the picture. Lyrically, they use their entire canvas to immerse the listener into the portrait—something on full display in album standout, “New Orleans.” The band opens a window into a lover’s heart, a place where only beauty shines, even in a stained and scarred city like NOLA. “Rumblin and Tumblin,” through its southern-style country rock guitar and bright mandolin, provides a hopeful touch to the underlying theme of separated loves dreaming of homecoming, a song that draws easy style comparisons to a more optimistic Zac Brown Band.
Moonsville II is an upbeat, string-driven, lyrical tapestry merging the best parts of storytelling country and traditional folk influences. It has me eagerly anticipating the forthcoming releases in the Moonsville series while basking in this album’s Americana vibes.
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Interview: Travers Geoffray
Travers Geoffray has music—and New Orleans—in his DNA. “My grandfather was a musician in New Orleans, so was my great-grandfather who came from France to New Orleans,” he explains. “My dad wasn’t a professional musician, but because of our family history, he wanted to make sure music was a part of our education.”
Geoffray,who was raised in Virginia, began writing his own tunes at the ripe old age of 12, and fell in love with the sounds of Professor Longhair, James Booker, and Dr. John, those prolific purveyors of New Orleans piano blues and boogie woogie. When the time came to choose a college, Geoffray headed to Tulane; upon his arrival, he hooked up with some local musicians, and immersed himself in the musical heritage of the Crescent City. “It felt easy, it was addictive. I was in the practice rooms at college, punching out this kind of music,” he recalls. “It just made me feel really good.”
On April 14th, Geoffray released a solo album, Highway Kings, after a long career with revered jazz band, Mississippi Rail Company. The album was produced by Grammy-winning gospel/bluegrass vet Michael Latterel (Jim Lauderdale, Rhonda Vincent) at Nashville’s House of Blues Studio, a change of scenery for the artist—in more ways than one. “I ended up recording the album in Nashville because I needed to step away—New Orleans has its own quirks, just like every city. It’s so tourist-driven though, that the music that happens there is very ‘up’ and you feel pressure to always keep the party going, playing long sets late at night, and that wasn’t very conducive for me going deeper to explore places I wanted to explore musically,” he reveals. “Maybe half the record is definitely music that would be hard to play in the venues there because the songs are too slow. I stopped performing for a while to get the record done, I didn’t want to have the pressure of putting those kind of sets together. It helped me define myself as a writer and a performer. It was scary; things were going well, and to kind of leave it behind was scary. This new record is less in that style, though that New Orleans style never really leaves me, and it permeates what I write. It’s like it’s in the humidity here,” he laughs.
“I started writing the title track about two years ago, and that inspired everything else on the record. From a literary and film point-of-view, I’ve always been obsessed with road stories, everything from Dumb & Dumber to The Grapes Of Wrath,” he explains of the album’s road-centric theme. “Traveling is the American story, moving from one place to the other. Even if you’re not on the road, there’s a spiritual journey that happens when you’re coming to new realizations. I wanted to explore the literal theme of being on the road, as well as the idea of traveling from one point-of-view to another.”
Geoffray is currently on a tour which includes a stop at Nashville’s The Basement on Sunday, April 23rd, as well as a spot on the main stage at this year’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, in support of Highway Kings. “It opened up my musical style, I wrote songs unlike those I’d written in the past,” he continues. “The process of making this record was a helpful journey, I’m a better musician than when I started it. I’m more grounded. I like the journey,” he adds. “I’d like to think I’m about the destination, but I think I just like being in the car.”
For Nashville show information: http://thebasementnashville.com/event/7300095/travers-geoffray-w-weston-hill-beau-james/
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Album Review: Pickin’ On Nirvana – The Bluegrass Tribute Featuring Iron Horse
Through touring and modern day word of mouth (social media), the bluegrass band Iron Horse has attracted a diverse following. With a slew of tribute albums applying classic picking and twang to works outside of the bluegrass genre, the band has established itself as being reliably unpredictable, which earns credibility in today’s musical landscape. After taking on artists ranging from Metallica to The Shins to Guns & Roses, the group now tackles the sacred sounds of my youth with Pickin’ On Nirvana.What sets Iron Horse apart from other one-off covers and tributes is their loving approach to each artist’s catalog of works. While many of Nirvana’s hits are included, it’s not a “best of” album–songs were clearly selected because they worked within the bluegrass style and the band could evoke the same emotional charge as Kurt Cobain and company did with the originals. I was excited to find one of my Nirvana favorites, “Pennyroyal Tea,” included in the track list–the ominous deep stand-up bass and mandolin capturing the depressive heart of the song. It’s impressive that the bluegrass version of the song has an even darker aura than the original–a credit to Iron Horse’s ability to expand on the underlying work.
It’s a hard task to be bright or uplifting when honoring the often morose works of Nirvana; the songs were written by a troubled soul for fans that embraced angst. Unfortunately, an all too real depression inspired many of Cobain’s original songs, a bleakness even deeper than we realized prior to his tragic death. However, Nirvana had a knack for ironically taking gloom and mashing it up with hard rocking guitar riffs, which allows Iron Horse to work in some toe-tapping, uptempo tracks like “In Bloom” and “Sappy.” Their version of “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle” substitutes lively banjo picking for angry guitar growl, yet still captures the base repulsion for bureaucracy and societal power.
The album pays strict emotional homage to Nirvana’s themes while creating something fresh. There is a duel genius brought out by Pickin’ On Nirvana: Cobain’s skill in crafting timeless works and the magical bluegrass approach of Iron Horse in honoring the classics.
[Purchase Pickin’ On Nirvana: The Bluegrass Tribute Featuring Iron Horse, set for a special vinyl Record Store Day first release on April 22nd with a digital release to follow April 28th: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/pickin-on-nirvana-feat-iron-horse/id1205010084]
For more information on CMH RECORDS’ PICKIN’ ON series, visit:
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Album Review: The Suitcase Junket – Pile Driver
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”—no one knows that better than Matt Lorenz, a.k.a. The Suitcase Junket, who has taken trash to make musical treasure, and beautifully displayed it in his forthcoming album, Pile Driver, out April 21st.Lorenz has assembled 12 tracks showcasing his bluesy, fuzzed-out guitar—also a dumpster find—along with a host of junky creations, some of which include a drum pedal outfitted with a baby shoe, suitcases, chicken bones, a cigar box, and a boxer bell. What’s most intriguing about The Suitcase Junket is, however, that Lorenz is a one-man-band; I’ve had the jaw-dropping pleasure of seeing him perform live, and while his recorded music is spectacular, you can’t fully appreciate the wonder of The Suitcase Junket without acknowledging Lorenz’, well, coordination, but also his ability to render soul-shaking sounds from found objects.
After the first droning notes of album opener “The Next Act,” which features a wailing Lorenz and some dirty, stanktastic guitar licks, he hits that boxer bell, and I’m down for the count. He fully explores the expansive elbow room under the all-inclusive Americana umbrella—from hot and sweaty blues on tracks like album standout “Evangeline,” to Chuck Berry-esque rootsy rockabilly on songs like “Jackie,” to New Orleans-tinged swagger on “Swamp Chicken,” he manages to gracefully and cohesively dance between each realm.
Lyrically, Lorenz makes the usual stops at the front doors of love and loss, but his unique phrase-turning gift makes old subjects seem new. “She had nice sweet potatoes, and cornflower hair, strawberry mouth, and a peach under there/I said ‘I could just eat you up all night,’ now I’m down on the ground ‘cause the girl’s got fight,” he soulfully sasses in foot-stomper “Evangeline,” about a love interest that gives him a run for his money (with extra emphasis provided by the boxer bell). “Overwhelmed and underpaid/Trying to hold onto our faith/That what we built will hold us up/We emptied out our loving cup,” he sings about the plight of the worker in “What Was I Gonna Say,” and optimistically encourages an open-minded and creative approach to life in “Seed your Dreams.”
The Suitcase Junket’s “Swamp Yankee” style moves something deep inside me; his music is utterly American, reflecting beauty handcrafted with elbow grease and ingenuity, but it’s also consummately human. Lorenz reminds us that, like his instruments, no matter how broken we are, or whether we’ve been discarded by the mainstream, we are still remarkable, useful, and most of all, valuable.
Purchase Pile Driver, out April 21st via Signature Sounds: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/pile-driver/id1206958354
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Live Show Review: Lillie Mae at Third Man Records
The Blue Room at Third Man Records is a fascinating blend of technology and intimacy– a collection of the finest acoustic designs and recording equipment with a small club vibe, the perfect setting for rising artist Lillie Mae to open up about the creation of her new record, the Jack White-produced Forever and Then Some. Even with the show sold out well in advance, family, friends, and fans waited in line to be up close while Mae celebrated her first solo album.
Mae has performed on stage since she was three years old, paid her dues in honky-tonks, and established her bona fide country roots with her family band. Now, with the spotlight focused on her, it is clear that Mae has grown through her experiences and is genuinely grateful for the opportunity to share her talents. On a stage as powerful as the Blue Room, it was refreshing to see someone grounded and thankful, with her family ties firmly in place, as her brother Frank Rische played lead guitar and her sister, Scarlett, added bluegrass twang on mandolin.
Forever and Then Some, like prior Third Man country albums, is rooted in traditional strings and the storytelling soul of the genre. The songs’ backbone are classic with guitar, fiddle, and banjo, and a hint of cowgirl inspiration with Mae adding a modern and angelic twist.
More than anything, the show proved that Mae was likely born with a violin in her hands; while many recognize her from her string work and vocals on Jack White’s Lazaretto tour, in the Blue Room, something magical happened when she picked up her fiddle. She was electric–her voice rang out, she glowed on the stage, her grin filled the room. It’s not just how well she plays, it’s the euphoria in her music that had the room rapt in every note and every accompanying word. The night featured several off-album instrumental diversions with the band (sometimes joined by Nashville guitarist Craig Smith who was featured on the album) whipping up a picking frenzy and Mae more than matching the effort on fiddle.
For both Lillie Mae and her fans, the night was a celebration of past, present, and future. Her work and sound honors the traditions of country music, her album release highlighted her accomplishments as an artist, and for her fans, it was a chance to be part of the next steps on her journey.
Purchase Forever and Then Some: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/forever-and-then-some/id1206149440
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