Medleyville

Aaron Comess makes the most of his opportunities

Playing with The Spin Doctors has afforded drummer Aaron Comess the opportunity to explore the band environment and dynamic that attracted him to music in the first place.

But he's also had a chance to spread his wings as a studio session player and onstage sideman, backing the likes of Joan Osborne, James Maddock and Edie Brickell.

"It's the best of both worlds — and they're totally different worlds," Comess says. "It's been really cool the last 10 years to be able to get to do all this other stuff, and at the same time still keeping the band together."

With a laugh, Comess follows up by saying that "the stuff people get away with in bands, they could never get away with as a sideman." Working for another artist, though, "your job is to try and help them realize their vision and make their songs sound great, but at the same time not be a boring sideman.

"It's a fine line," he says, "so I think having that band experience has really helped me. I try to bring a little bit of that in when I work with somebody else while also respecting what it is they need and want."

In recent years, Comess has drawn from all of his past experience to record and release instrumental albums under his name. The first was Catskills Cry in 2006, and the latest is the textured, diverse Beautiful Music (Hey Boy Music).

"The last thing I want to do is make a 'drummer’s record,' " he says with a laugh. "I've studied; I'm very much into becoming as technically proficient on my instrument and as versatile as I can. But it's all coming from a musical place."

And it all typically starts from a place other than his main instrument. Comess says he wrote the melodies and chords for Beautiful Music on acoustic guitar and came up with most of the arrangements "before I even thought about the drums." Then he made demos at his Manhattan studio, which is where he recorded the album with guitarist Teddy Kumpel and bassist Richard Hammond.

"A lot of instrumental music has fancy melodies, and it's a medium to play a lot of fancy stuff, and that's the last thing I wanted to do," Comess says. "Now there certainly is some playing on the record that you could call complicated, but I feel that it's organic and musical.

"I don't care how simple or complicated something is, as long as it feels real and fits the music."

— By Chris M. Junior

Aaron Comess on tour (schedule subject to change):

* June 30: Rockwood Music Hall — New York (Beautiful Music record release show)

* July 3: Riverfest/Riverside Park — La Crosse, Wis. +

* July 12: Rockwood Music Hall — New York ++

* July 16: The Great South Bay Festival — Patchogue, N.Y. +++

* July 25: Bowery Ballroom — New York +++

* July 29: California Mid-State Fair — Paso Robles, Calif. +

* Aug. 5: Sheboygan Brat Days — Sheboygan, Wis. +

+ with The Spin Doctors
++ with Luke Dick
+++ with James Maddock

Posted by Medleyville at 02:37 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

A FAB TRIBUTE UNLIKE ANY OTHER

While the very concept of the “tribute” album has over the years become quite a scary one, a Beatles tribute can strike downright terror into the hearts of any who still value their sensibilities, let alone that hitherto-durable 214-song catalog.

Yes, as far back as William Shatner's 1968 stab at "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and even Ringo Starr have had their melodic legacies sliced, diced, half-baked, botched and certainly butchered by those both well-meaning and, well, just plain mean. Truth to tell, these days I find it increasingly hard to sit through that Bee Gees/Peter Frampton Sgt. Pepper's movie even with tongue deep in cheek.

But then there is London's own Jim Phelan, who, far from fearing Captain Kirk's "Lucy" upon first encountering her, took matters firmly into his own brave hands by launching not only an actual record label (Exotica) but an entire series of Fab Four compilations under the regal Exotic Beatles banner.

Its 18-year (so far) mission? To, yes, boldly go where no audio tribute of any sort has dared before. As in Maurice Chevalier, Mae West, Professor Stanley Unwin and Evening Standard art critic Brian Sewell casting their Mersey-coated throats alongside those of various hillbilly squirrels, metropolitan police choirs, Balsara's Singing Sitars and even Shang Shang Typhoon with their utterly Phil Spector-silencing "Let It Be."

And now, a dozen years and one hard-drive theft later comes Phelan's latest and possibly even greatest collection yet: Exotic Beatles 4 — Plastic Soul.

It is, I most humbly proclaim, the greatest Beatle (-related) album since Something New and possibly even All You Need Is Cash.

After being introduced in their very own words, from their very own mouths, by none other than Tony Randall, Ed Sullivan and the Japanese Beatles themselves, we're immediately sent "Back in the USSR" via one Irishman, one Hungarian and one exquisite collection of Russian throat singers, all together now as Baba Yaga with an a cappella blend perfectly suiting this number through its Brian Wilson-esque splendor. Why, I shall never hear the first 2:43 of that White Album in exactly the same way again. And, hopefully, neither shall you.

Follow that with more than an hour of additional Northern Songs out of Siberia (Bugotak's coldly Kraftwerk-ian "Kon Togethy"), Singapore (a 1964 "Can't Buy Me Love" from folk star Shan Kuan Liu Yun, who obviously plugged in a year before Bob Dylan ever unpacked his Strat at Newport), Germany (candlemaker Klaus Beyer, who could certainly teach Giles Martin a thing or three about Beatles mash-ups!) and a whole invasion of further tracks from Russia (special note given to the bands 7B and Boney Nem, who treat "And I Love Her" to both techno and death-thrash makeovers which would cause at least one half of the Lennon/McCartney songwriting team to cackle in solidarity).

Let me just add that Exotic Beatles 4 also contains two versions of "Hey Jude” — one a Xhosa-language Bantu bossa-nova rendition; the other rendered by a severely alt.-mariachi Mexican marching band. Both versions, needless to say, I now prefer far, far more than the original Apple recording.

Garnish with a speed metal "Eleanor Rigby," a Dixieland "Here, There and Everywhere," "Day Tripper" (as interpreted by barking dogs from New Zealand) and then a sub-waltz "Yellow Submarine" that flawlessly incorporates snatches of the “Blue Danube,” tied all together with intricately inserted spoken-link segues courtesy of not only J, P, G & R but even the afore-mentioned Dylan (reciting "Hello Goodbye"!) and Michael Mills (the Minister of Youth and Evangelism at the Family Alter Chapel in Battle Creek, Michigan, warning us of the evils of Beatles backward masking), and we have an album of wild, wicked wonder which so easily deserves a place right there between Magical Mystery Tour and Meet The Beatles.

Needless to say then, Phelan is much more than just another B-maniac with a great big pile of CDs strewn across the living room floor. This is obviously a man who not only collects the records but also absconds with, absorbs, then totally abstracts and recasts them in ways that make every ear within shot simply boggle.

Hear for yourselves immediately then, not only on Plastic Soul, but each of its three excellent companion volumes as well.

Or, to put it even more exotically, "The Beatles Are Dead! Long Live the Exotic Beatles!"

— Musician/writer Gary Pig Gold is the co-founder of the To M’Lou Music label.

Posted by Medleyville at 05:30 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Guitarist Rob James recalls the origins of The Clarks

Rock 'n' roll bands form all the time on college campuses.

But not very many last 25 years, and even fewer go that long without changing their lineup.

All of the above applies to The Clarks, the hard-working and humble Pittsburgh-based quartet of singer/guitarist Scott Blasey, guitarist Rob James, bassist Greg Joseph and drummer Dave Minarik that’s been rocking America since the fall of 1986.

Over the course of eight studio albums (plus compilations and concert releases), The Clarks have built a solid catalog of mainstream, radio-ready rock, and highlights in their steady and respectable career have included the prominent use of Clarks songs in TV shows and movies (among them "Better Off Without You" on The Anna Nicole Show), plus an appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman in 2004.

In the days leading up to a June 25th show at Stage AE in Pittsburgh celebrating The Clarks' silver anniversary, James talked about how he joined forces with his longtime band mates, their first gig and the origins of the group's name.

* Higher learning's helping hand
James was a student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, which is about 55 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, when he met Minarik, then Blasey.

Rob James: "I lived in a dormitory with two buildings that were mirror images of each other. I lived in [one], and Dave lived in [the other]. Somebody was looking for me and knocked on his door by mistake: 'We're looking for that guitar player Rob. Do you know him?' 'Guitar player? I'm a drummer.' So he came over and left a note on my door. We hit it off pretty much instantly. He was very progressive for that era. In high school, he had played in marching band with Trent Reznor. He also played in a cover band with Trent and Trent's dad. So he came from experience.

"One day, [we agreed to meet up] at this fraternity party to talk about music and have a beer. There's this great music playing: Echo and the Bunnymen, U2, R.E.M., The English Beat — you name it. … this guy in the fraternity was making these mix tapes for these parties, and it was pretty well known as the cool party to go to if you wanted to listen to new music.

"It turns out it was Scott. Dave and I met him — a tall, good-looking guy with very good taste in music and passionate about music. So we asked him if he wanted to sing in a band. He gave the impression that he could be a singer. It was definitely more about the image that he had and the people he knew, but we had no idea if he could sing.”

* Covering the basics
The first band that James, Blasey and Minarik played in was called The Administration, which lasted about one semester.

James: "We made a connection with a bass player who lived in the town of Indiana. And we had a saxophone player in the band who also sang, and he may have played a little bit of keyboards here and there.

"We were very tentative about how this was going to sound, so the first song that we played was The Psychedelic Furs' 'Pretty in Pink.' Right off the bat, the band was kicking it — the saxophone player on that first riff. And here comes Scott, doing a perfect Richard Butler.

"We played a couple of fraternity parties, then summer came around, and the bass player moved off and the saxophone player graduated. Scott and I went to Ocean City, Md., for the summer. I had toyed with the idea of coming back to Pittsburgh and playing with some guys I knew from high school when Dave sent me a letter with a picture of his new drum set, saying, 'Come on, man, let's get the band back together.' "

* Joseph joins and a rehearsal ritual begins
James suggested Joseph, a friend from high school and onetime band mate, to fill the vacancy on bass.

James: "[Greg] was working at a copy shop. I said, 'Hey, I got some guys. We played some music together for a semester. What do you think?' And he just about jumped over the counter.

"I can't remember the first Clarks rehearsal. I'm pretty sure it was on a weekend at IUP. I had dropped out of college at that point; that was after my sophomore year, so Greg and I drove up together on weekends to IUP. Dave and Scott were both still [students] there.

"That became the ritual for months and months. Greg and I would go to our day jobs: I worked at a record shop; he was still at the copy shop. He'd pick me up, and we'd drive up to Indiana, which is only about an hour and 15 minute from Pittsburgh. We’d sequester ourselves in a basement and buy a case of Old Milwaukee.

"At first it was a lot of cover songs. But Scott had written two songs over that summer when we were down in Ocean City. That was the impetus for having some songs, and from there, it built."

* From a field to a frat

James: "I remember the first official gig [with Joseph] being at a fraternity [in the fall of 1986]. We were originally supposed to play this festival out in this field. We got there in the afternoon, and they still didn't have the PA up and running. And we just looked at each other and said, 'There's no way we're getting on here.'

"So we went back to IUP's campus, and it was still early enough where we knocked on a fraternity door and said, 'Hey, we need to play a gig.' And the guy [who answered] ended up being this guy who worked years later at a club in Pittsburgh. He said, 'Let me go check with the brothers.' He came back and said, 'Yeah, you guys can play.'

"We played for nothing — I think they gave us beer. But it was our first gig. We had one microphone, and that meant for me to sing harmonies, I had to stand on a milk crate. Some of the songs we played were 'Like Wow — Wipeout!' from the Hoodoo Gurus, 'The Walls Came Down' by The Call and probably 'Radio Free Europe' by R.E.M."

* The story behind the name

James: "The thing that's fuzzy for me is I can't remember if the Clarks name came before that gig. That came about because we submitted ourselves for a [band competition], and we needed a name. And we had struggled with this name thing.

"We had talked about several names, and the name The Clarks came up because there were names like The Smiths and The Joneses. So that was sort of the thing I was thinking. And there are a lot of people named Clark in Pittsburgh, so that’s where the name came from."

— Introduction and interview by Chris M. Junior

The Clarks are (from left to right) Greg Joseph, Rob James, Scott Blasey and Dave Minarik

Photo by Duane Rieder

Posted by Medleyville at 05:27 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The Postelles, The Japanese Popstars, Spring Offensive

* The Postelles — The Postelles (+1 Records)
Ten years after the release of Is This It, the first Strokes album, comes the self-titled debut by fellow New Yorkers The Postelles, who sound like their scrappier and happier younger brothers. Giving a stamp of approval of sorts is Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr., who had a hand in producing some songs on the album (out now), which features lean, compact tunes about budding and bumpy relationships. Highlights include "123 Stop," "Boy's Best Friend" and "Hey Little Sister."

* The Japanese Popstars — Controlling Your Allegiance (Astralwerks)
A threesome from Northern Ireland, The Japanese Popstars specialize in electronic dance music that occasionally touches the same territory as Depeche Mode and Kylie Minogue (two artists whose recordings they've remixed). The hypnotic, textured Controlling Your Allegiance (due June 21) is the group's second album, and it marks the first time vocalists — some of them well known — have been featured. A spacey Robert Smith of The Cure is a good fit on "Take Forever," and Jon Spencer (he of Boss Hog and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion fame) leaves an evil mark on "Destroy," the first single.

* Spring Offensive — Pull Us Apart (Burning Building Records)
A mathematician going senile over his work, a shipwrecked person composing his final message, a man being forced to eat what's in his wallet: These are not typical subjects for rock songs, but Spring Offensive makes them work on Pull Us Apart (due June 21). This quintet from Oxford, England, makes music that's intriguing and intense, as well as serious and studious (think The Walkmen and World Leader Pretend), but they also know how to craft a good hook. "Every Coin" is the best of the bunch.

— By Chris M. Junior

Posted by Medleyville at 01:39 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Karen Waldrup enjoys challenge of Bravo TV series

It's one thing to meet one of your inspirations. It's another thing to perform in front of that person on a TV show.

Nashville, Tenn.-based singer/songwriter Karen Waldrup did just that when she played the song "My City" for host/judge Jewel and others on the new Bravo series Platinum Hit.

The 24-year-old Waldrup checked in following the first episode of Platinum Hit, which aired May 30th.

Medleyville.us: How did you learn about Platinum Hit, and what were some of the steps you had to take to get selected for the show?
Karen Waldrup: "I first heard of Platinum Hit from a co-writer friend of mine, Sandy Ramos. She sent me an e-mail and mentioned I may be interested in auditioning. I typically just sign up to audition without even thinking of it when it comes to music stuff. Most of the time, you don't have much to lose.

"So, I got online and signed up for the Nashville audition. Then a music mentor of mine, Mark Bennett, and my Internet manager, Julian Bankston, also told me about the show. I knew since three different sources had informed me about it that it would probably be a cool thing for me to do.

"On the day of the auditions, it was so hot in Nashville! I almost did not go to the audition because of the heat and the long lines. Julian called me up on the phone. He said, 'Karen, where are you for this audition?' And I replied, 'I am not standing in the heat all day for that today, Julian, it's too hot.' With a certain tone in his voice, he said, 'You are obviously not that serious about your music.' Within a few hours, I was on Music Row in line to audition. I am so glad and thankful that he pushed me to go. It was meant to be."

Talk about working with fellow contestants Nick Nittoli and Jes Hudak on "My City." What was your contribution to writing this song? And what was going through your mind as you performed it with them on the first episode of the show?
Waldrup: "I loved writing with Jes and Nick for the first episode. They are both amazing songwriters, and it was a pleasure to work with each of them. When writing this song, we all really contributed equally and had a really amazing co-write. It played out well considering that we won! I remember not wanting to write with Nick, but as soon as we got into the room, the creative flow started flowing and we made it happen.

"It was so much fun performing it as it felt so natural up there with Jes and Nick. They are both amazing writers and musicians on guitar and keys!"

You count Jewel as one of your inspirations. Did you cross paths with her off-camera, and if so, what did you talk about?
Waldrup: "Jewel is one of my biggest inspirations! We got to hang out a bit off-camera on the show, and she told stories of her life and how it was when she was up-and-coming. She told one story about her inspiration for 'Who Will Save Your Soul' and how it came from a hitchhiking trip. She has such a peaceful and open soul."

What was the biggest lesson you learned from the first episode?
Waldrup: "The biggest lesson I learned from the first episode was to be really careful with what you write. We fortunately won, but they were pretty hard on us regarding every single piece that went into the song. I had to step it up in the songwriting world as far as being more careful about each word I placed in the songs. And the time crunch didn't help! It was very challenging, and the first episode helped me understand the importance of writing clearly and with meaning. I feel I am a much better writer from being a part of this first Los Angeles episode."

— Introduction and interview by Chris M. Junior

Platinum Hit airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo.

Karen Waldrup on tour (schedule subject to change):

* June 7: CMA Fest: Wild Beaver Saloon — Nashville, Tenn.

* June 10: Bull & Whistle — Lebanon, Tenn.

* June 18: WhaBah Steakhouse — Bowling Green, Ky.

* June 21: Dan McGuinness — Cool Springs, Tenn.

* June 24: Eagle Nest — Buchanan, Tenn.

* June 25: The Breakers of Swan Bay — Buchanan, Tenn.

* June 28: 12th and Porter — Nashville, Tenn.

* June 29: Bunganut Pig Pub & Eatery — Franklin, Tenn.

Posted by Medleyville at 02:49 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Best known as the longtime leader of the Detroit-based band The Von Bondies, singer/guitarist Jason Stollsteimer is devoting his time and energy lately to The Hounds Below. While Stollsteimer did a lot of passionate, melodic shouting on "C'mon C'mon" (the Rescue Me theme song) and other Von Bondies tunes, he takes a different vocal approach on the five-song Hounds Below EP, which is available as a free download through the site Bandcamp and includes a cover of The Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?"

Stollsteimer recently checked in to shed some light on his latest venture and what the future holds.

Medleyville.us: According to the press materials for the new Hounds Below EP, the band was formed in 2008 when you wrote a group of songs that dealt with "previously unexplored emotional territory." Would this territory be your divorce? And are any of those '08 songs on the new EP, or were they written and stashed away as a form of private catharsis?
Jason Stollsteimer: "Yes, the songs on the EP — which came out in 2010 — are both old/new, and also some deal with the idea of loss of friendship, getting old (laughs). I like to use music as much as I can as a form of therapy. Alcohol was never a good listener."

When writing those divorce-related songs, how much editing did you have to do to keep from revealing any specific or sensitive details, and to avoid including any typical breakup lyric clichés?
Stollsteimer: "I didn't do much masking with the lyrics. It was how I felt at the time. The feeling of wanting to start a family was slowing fading away. I didn't want to become bitter and noncommittal, so I used songs as my outlet."

You've said that doing the Hounds Below material allows you to use your more "natural" and "normal" singing voice. In what ways did that impact the way the melodies were written?
Stollsteimer: "I grew up listening to the rock 'n' roll classics like Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, Elvis [Presley], Otis Redding … So back in 1998, when I first started singing, I had no thoughts of trying to convey my vocals in that ring of singers. But now after 13 years of being in bands, it's time to try — at least vocally (laughs)."

Did these songs come very quickly, like "C'mon C'mon" and other Von Bondies material, or did you take your time — or maybe even have to labor over certain parts?
Stollsteimer: "Most of them came very fast. It's always been my style of either it works or it doesn't. Lyrically, it was the same — a constant steady stream of ideas."

Talk about your cover of The Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?" and how it fits in either stylistically or thematically with your original songs.
Stollsteimer: "Well, the Pixies cover was just one of those things that just happened. Our newer songs are more in that vein of style. And it's the f-ing Pixies — who doesn't love that?"

After your tour ends, what are your recording and touring plans for the rest of 2011, either with The Hounds Below or The Von Bondies?
Stollsteimer: "Von Bondies are done for now. The Hounds Below will be touring for most of June and August — recording in July. Then who knows what the future holds for us?"

— Introduction and interview by Chris M. Junior

The Hounds Below on tour (schedule subject to change):

* June 4: KOBO — Columbus, Ohio

* June 7: Caledonia Lounge — Athens, Ga.

* June 8: Pinhook — Durham, N.C.

* June 9: Mojo — Newark, Del.

* June 10: Tritone — Philadelphia

* June 11: Union Hall — Brooklyn, N.Y.

* June 12: Mercury Lounge — New York

* June 14: Northern Lights — Clifton Park, N.Y.

* June 17: Bakery Lofts — Detroit

Posted by Medleyville at 10:54 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)