Blogcritics Author: Brewed Fresh

Music Review: Ingrid Michaelson - Girls and Boys

Brewed Fresh — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:35:52 EDT

You�ve love Ingrid Michealson�s songs when you�ve heard them on TV and her new album does not disappoint.
If you’re anything like me, you are sick of all female singer-songwriters hopping on the Norah Jones imitation train and/or singing their broken hearts out in depressing “why doesn’t he love me?” ballads. That being said, Ingird Michaelson is neither of the above and her new album Girls and Boys delivers a refreshing and...

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

Concert Review: Dispatch at Madison Square Garden

Brewed Fresh — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 21:20:31 EDT

This past weekend, some 60,000 plus college kids watched history being made as Dispatch became the first unsigned band to sell out New York City's famed Madison Square Garden. While one night of maximum capacity is an incredible feat (next week's White Stripes concert isn’t even sold out, to give you some perspective), the underground Boston-based jam-band managed to do it for three nights in a row with each concert selling out in under a half hour. While this is worthy of buzz all by itself, the band deserves additional applauds: all proceeds were donated to a charity cause for Zimbabwe, making this not only a coup for the band, but for those in need. Consisting as a three piece, band members Chad Urmston, Peter Hemibold and Brad Corrigan, a.k.a.Braddigan, are all multi-talented and able to play each instrument. Forming in a dorm room in 1995, the group grew organically with little press hype and no major label. Instead they gained fans by word of mouth, concerts and Napster, making four studio albums and two live, selling over 600,000 copies. I myself, discovered them through a friend back in 2000 while shuffling through list of songs on their computer and was instantly addicted to the highly catchy grooves. Mixed with influences of reggae, rock, ska, folk, pop and funk, this metaphorical casserole of style has been noted by many as to the reason their music spread so quickly amongst college age fans. It has no defined borders and was and still is enjoyed from the Greek houses on campus to the hippie haunts of any college town.This broad fan base of youth was apparent in the crowd at MSG, where thousands of the 18-22 set converged together wearing everything from Abercrombie button ups to ripped jeans with peace sign appliqués, to shout the lyrics of the well known songs like “Bets in the Belfry" at the top of their lungs. What was surprising about the crowd however, was that even though the group has been broken up since 2004, they still attract so much attention from this age group especially when each band member has his own successful careers: Corrigan now plays as Braddigan, Heimbold as Pete Francsis, and Urmston is a member of State Radio. These Dispatch songs were the same I was singing back in college and to be honest, I thought that today's students would have moved on to something more current.Well, I for one am glad they are not and I am positive that those benefiting from their philanthropic activities and initiatives are as well. While being eco and socially conscience is the new black lately, Dispatch is, or a least seems, genuine in respects to their various initiatives. Books for Kids, Rock for a Remedy and Musicians on Call all collected donations for a night and Crocs gave 10,000 sandals to the children of Zimbabwe. Dispatch founded the Elias fund, a non profit organization for Zimbabwe after Urmston spent some time living and teaching there. The concert series was subtitled “A Concert for Elias,” which is also the name of a song, and all proceeds were donated to it and local charities.During the concert, powerful vignettes were shown on the screen between sets and during songs, featuring graphic images of the suffering in Zimbabwe along with shocking stats such as an HIV rate of 1 in 4 and a 90% poverty level. The band was joined on stage for the song “Out Loud,” by an African children’s choir and also later joined by an adult bongo group called Bongo Love. Despite the somber reasons for their coming together, the mood was joyous and the music euphoric.The set list was packed with fan favorites like “Bats in the Belfry,” and personal favorite “Running” which was performed during the middle of their set as the band stood on their first tour bus in the middle of the floor in front of a roaring crowd. Nearly everyone was into the groove, singing along and dancing. During the chorus of “The General,” one of their more popular songs, which tells of a General releasing his men, 20,000 voices carried throughout the venue shouting the chorus “Go now you are forgiven” over and over. In a time when the cultural climate is apathetic about the government and news of war and famine are pushed to the back pages of the newspapers to make room for blaring headlines of celebutante nipple slips and books about magic wizards, it was refreshing to see the communal conscious join together. While controversy over so-called “concerts for a cause” rears its head over big budget projects like Live Earth, the Dispatch concert was a reminder that music, at least for a few minutes, can truly create change or at least make that first step and create a change in attitude. To download music from the concert, see the video or find out how to help, please visit their MySpace page.

Brewed Fresh lives, laughs, hustles, plays and attempts to survive in New York City. A music and art lover with passion, she freelances on these topics and others.

Matchbox Twenty Returns To The Studio

Brewed Fresh — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 20:48:35 EDT

It’s been half a decade since Matchbox Twenty's double platinum album, More Than You Think You Are, and I don’t believe anyone was holding their breath at this point for a new album. But just in case you were, go ahead and exhale. The foursome are back in the studio working on the upcoming Exile on Mainstream. A retrospective hit set that will include six new songs and 11 previously released tracks. Slated to be released on October second by Melisma/Atlantic and produced by Grammy winner Lilly White (U2, The Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews Band, Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads), the record will contain their first new material in five years and marks the premier time in which all members take an equal part in the process. "For the first time, we're all writing as a band," says lead singer Rob Thomas. "In the past, I would write all the songs and the guys would write all their parts. Now it's a band in the hand. We all fight it out... we fight over melodies and lyrics. It's completely unique from anything we've done before."Hopefully, this collaborative effort works in their favor, since sometimes the old saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” rings true. Thomas’ solo efforts have proved him a strong talent, collaborating with Itaal Shur on the song "Smooth" for Carlos Santana's comeback album, Supernatural. It was the album's lead single and earned him three Grammys for writing and performing on “Smooth,” including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. But then again, you never know -- there could just be another “3 Am” and “Mad Season” somewhere on the album. If not Thomas has plans to record a second solo disc next summer.

Brewed Fresh lives, laughs, hustles, plays and attempts to survive in New York City. A music and art lover with passion, she freelances on these topics and others.

Music Review: Bowerbirds - Hymns for a Dark Horse

Brewed Fresh — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 08:55:46 EDT

As summer weather hits and the walls of my office seem to shrink from the cold blast of ac above my head, my mind wanders away from my computer screen and I daydream of a time before responsibility and a concrete and cubicle filled existence in Manhattan. It seeds in me the desire to want to return to Ohio, run through the fields, and sit around bonfires with good friends. I want the freedom of a beautiful outdoors and the idealism of childhood. And yet, I sadly know that sort of innocence no longer exists, begging the question of whether it is because it no longer exists inside of me or that it simply no longer exists in the world. This sentiment has been searching for an outlet of understanding and release, along with a much needed dose of realistic optimism, for some time now and has finally, thankfully, manifest itself in audible form via the incredible music of the Bowerbirds.Made up of Phil Moore, Beth Tactular and Mark Paulson, this folksy North Carolina-based band brings simple Appalachian sounding melodies of leafy lullaby goodness, underplayed by the dark mysteries of nature and a balanced acknowledgment of the realties that ground them. The group came together organically, with Moore and Paulson moving from Iowa together. Tacular met Moore at the grocery store they were both working at and eventually the two fell in love, moving in together in an air stream trailer. Together they took to the road in a minivan playing coffee shops, street corners, and small clubs, with Paulson occasionally joining them. Their upcoming E.P. Hymns for a Dark Horse, put out by Burly Time Records, is due out on July 10 and is their second release following August 2006’s Danger At Sea. It is dedicated to “what still remains wild, on the earth, and inside us.”Brimming with harmonicas, accordions, violins, and acoustic guitar, each track flows from one to the next, blending together seamlessly and creating a distinctive style full of slow melodies disturbed by broken, jangular incongruent sounds. Their MySpace page describes their sound as “tiny pebbles being dropped into a fish tank,” and however odd that sounds, that pretty much nails its essence dead-on. Brad Cook and Phil Cook join them, playing upright bass and banjo respectively.Moore sings most of the songs with Tacular joining him in the choruses. The lyrics focus on all things living, all creatures great and small, as nature is personified and humans are one with the earth, Loons and snails speak words of existential wisdom, leopard frogs sing sweetly and people are likened to kindling and bur oak trees.The first song, “Hooves,” opens slowly, the notes building one pause after another as Moore’s voice enters singing the narrative “I was born on a full moon and nearly split her in two,” giving a beginning to a story of life and living that runs throughout the albums entirety. The song continues its sweet molasses pace only to be occasionally interrupted by a cymbal clash and a soft and beautiful chorus. The next song “In Our Talons,” has been a blogger favorite and focuses on our limited earth and its sacredness. Its pace is slightly faster and it sounds like something that was made for a Wes Anderson movie with Moore calling out the song of the warbler “'deet-deet-deet deet-deet-deet deet-deet, through the wheels of the interstate'" against a civilization overtaking nature. This track is followed by the amazing “Human Hands” which counters the previous message, by talking of unlimited love found in the wild in such a subtle way that they completely avoid the preachiness of any didactic pretension.My two favorites are “Bur Oak” and “Slow Down,” for their gorgeous lyrics that read like Gary Snyder poems and remind me that I need to break free from the chaos of the city a bit more often and allow myself to breath. On both songs, it is a snail, a proverbially sluggish creature, that gives them this zen. On “Bur Oak” the snail “asks us for our patience, and he asks what we have done for our souls lately.” On “Slow Down” the snail repeats the songs title, telling them just that. ” We’ll shed our skin because we know where it’s been and we know this hymn: Slow down. Lost, lost in this torrent, drowned in the deep of this oversweet porridge, blind to all the blood and carnage. Slow Down.”And you will most likely feel that slow calmness when you listen to Hymns for a Dark Horse. As a whole, it feels like a deep exhale. Allow yourself to be overcome by each song, let yourself feel the loose waves of optimism and pessism run through you as you are reminded that all of the stress and longing and emotional zig-zaging that each day bring is just life. And it is, after-all, okay. It can even be made beautiful when made into song. To pre-order Hymns for a Dark Horse visit the Bowerbirds Myspace Profile.

Brewed Fresh lives, laughs, hustles, plays and attempts to survive in New York City. A music and art lover with passion, she freelances on these topics and others.

Jack Johnson in Studio to Work on New Album

Brewed Fresh — Thu, 7 Jun 2007 18:15:01 EDT

This summer isn’t all about catching the Big Kahuna for surfer boy songster Jack Johnson. The cute laid back California boy is completing a new, bamboo-floored eco-friendly studio in LA for his label Brushfire Records and has recently begun work on his fifth full-length album, with plans to release it in early 2008. The album is being produced by JP Plunier, who also worked on 2001’s hit debut Brushfire Fairytales, which featured personal and fan favorites “Sexy Lexi” and the somewhat oddly worded, yet jamming groove “Bubble Toes.” Long time band members Merlo Podewski and drummer Adam Topol are joining Johnson once again, along with new member Zach Gill on piano and accordion. Johnson told Billboard ”I’m excited because the first record we did, we basically got the band together for that record. JP introduced me to Adam, and Adam knew Merlo. We went in and did the record in six days, and we hadn’t played live as a band. So it’s kind of exciting to get together with JP now that we’ve been playing for so many years.”I think its exciting too, Jack, especially if it is anything like your previous albums. For those of you not familiar with his work it is a soulful, mellow blend of easy breezy surfer tunes. He released his first album in 2001 and followed it with 2003’s critically acclaimed On and On. In 2005 he released In Between Dreams, yet another winner. He has plenty of younger fans as well, being responsible for the soundtrack Johnson's Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George. It debuted at #1 on the on the Billboard charts and included guest appearances by G. Love, Harper, Costa, and Kawika Kahiapo. If you don't want to listen through each album, make sure to hop on itunes and download "Bannana Pancakes," "Taylor," and "Bubble Toes," which should give you a pretty solid idea of his style.

Brewed Fresh lives, laughs, hustles, plays and attempts to survive in New York City. A music and art lover with passion, she freelances on these topics and others.

Calling Out Utah - In Defense of Emo

Brewed Fresh — Sun, 3 Jun 2007 09:19:03 EDT

Be afraid. Be very afraid. Yesterday newscasters in Utah suffered an extreme bout of ridiculous stupidity, gullibility, and fear mongering. If you still inhabit your parents home and live in this state, please carefully guard your parents. Be alarmed if they display any of the following symptoms and behaviors of having watched the “Emo segment” on the ABC 4 news: grounding, forbidding use of the internet, unprovoked prodding into your musical tastes, and a ransacking of your iTunes. The segment opens with the two anchors stressing the importance of the “investigative report,” on Emo culture done by Reed Cowan. Suicide and self mutilation are brought up, along with statistics to add a quantifiable dose of fear. A warning is given to viewers to be prepared because some of “what they are about to see is disturbing.” And disturbing it is, if only because people may take it seriously.This unintentionally hilarious segment smacked of satire and parody. It would have been a clear front runner for placement on a “Best of” DVD had it been aired on Saturday Night Live. Watching it, one can’t help but anticipate the moment when Andy Samberg runs into the shot al la the great ‘50’s docu-drama “Marijuana” and throws himself out of a window after listening to My Chemical Romance.But sadly, this was not parody.The report begins by stating Emo as “sadness, rage, and pain.” It came from the internet and can be found all over the web, as well as in music and even Spider-Man 3. A video montage of Emo imagery follows and includes visuals of broken hearts, eyeliner and a page of words defining generalized negative emotions including “agony” with the "g" written backwards as if Emo also causes dyslexia. Reed Cowan warns in dramatic voiceover to “not react with fear,” because “advanced” Emo kids cut themselves and may commit suicide. Sounds kind of serious, right?Cowan then goes on to discuss fashion and a picture of an orange striped polo shirt pops up, thus incriminating everyone from the preppy-jock on the football team to even my sixty year old father. Next, a pair of jeans that look like they could be from the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen collection for Wallmart are shown, decorated in pink and neon green cartoon flowers, accompanied by the warning that Emo boys may wear “girl pants.”Are you laughing yet?He also brings up “the Emo Quiz,” which allows takers to see if they are in fact, Emo. This is a cute little addition to the report and belies the lack of research done. Type in “Emo,” “Emo fashion,” and even “what is Emo?” onto Google, or even www.EmoGoogle.com and the same sponsored link comes up. What is this link? TheEmoQuiz.com, natch. I decided to take this quiz to provide proof that I am not Emo to avoid any potential backlash from parents in Utah who may be led to believe my statements are a part of a larger emo conspiracy (although I will admit that in my day, I did listen to R,E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts” an inordinate amount of times). It is obviously tongue-in-cheek with questions like “How tight are your pants?” with answer options including “So tight I think I am going to cry,” and “Tight enough to chafe a little.” The apparent lack of seriousness was completely lost on Cowan who reports the question “What color best describes your state of mind” and its answers “Black (like my soul” and “Red (like my blood)” with the utmost gravity. Screen shots of the quiz itself play on the screen followed by a shot pulled from Wikipedia, notably the most mistrusted information site on the web. You almost have to hand it to this guy for utter stupidity. I am guessing he does not have kids. If he does, my condolences. Finally, parents in Utah, please read carefully: Emo is not about self mutilation. Emo is about music. It stands for emotional and should not be discouraged. This is your children expressing themselves, dealing with their problems through song, identifying themselves to a group in a healthy way, and discovering their feelings communally through a musical genre which is not on the fringe of some dangerous subculture spawned by evil internet minds, but instead birthed from ‘80’s punk and accepted in mass culture to the point of being seen everywhere on the internet and included on the soundtracks of billion dollar Hollywood blockbusters. Emo is, in comparison to your day, the new folk music and vilifying it as your parents did the so-called hippie generation is just plain alarmist and misinformed.For everyone else, please enjoy a good laugh at the ABC 4 website.

Brewed Fresh lives, laughs, hustles, plays and attempts to survive in New York City. A music and art lover with passion, she freelances on these topics and others.

Music Review: Matt Wertz - Everything in Between

Brewed Fresh — Mon, 21 May 2007 08:16:24 EDT

Summer is finally here and the search for light, feel good, mood lifting music to match the good weather is on. Enter Nashville via Missouri singer Matt Wertz whose newest album Everything in Between offers up folk poppy melodies that make me wish I had a car so I could play it loud with the windows rolled down or had plans for a trip to the beach. If anyone wants to take me to the Hamptons, I promise to bring this cd. This is Matt’s third release and he has a pretty large fan base, especially within the Christian music scene, which makes sense considering its light cleanliness. Themes of love and love lost run throughout with sentimental tender breeziness reminiscent of early John Mayer and Howie Day. Described as a “pair of worn in jeans” on his bio, his sounds are familiar and comfortable in a way that you can just feel good in.His curly hair and fresh face adds to the whole wholesome persona, but his press pics, which show him in a navy tee, white jacket and Nicole Richie-sized white sunglasses seem a bit too L.A., too touched by pr and ultimately too contrived. Because of this, I was surprised to discover that, to his credit, Matt has shied away from major labels saying on his web site “I love being independent. If I succeed or fail, it’s not based upon someone else’s decisions, but my own. I like the freedom and ownership that comes from keeping things small and in house.” Everything in Between jumps start with the toe-tapping “Way I Feel,” which brings catchy riffs and easy lyrics. The next track, “Carolina” continues to amuse with playful, folksy country sounds. He never makes clear if he is singing about a girl or the geographic place, but it doesn’t matter because your too busy bobbing your head to really care about the meaning. The head bobbing continues on “Heartbreaker,” a standout, highly danceable song that sounds a lot like Hall & Oats “You Make My Dreams Come True.” Another standout track, “5:19” is sure to be loved by the Abercrombie & Fitch wearing set and finds Matt getting a bit more serious, slowing down slightly to belt out words inflicted with emotion of longing for love and a phone call. Those Christian fans I mentioned early, will not be disappointed. "I Will Not Take My Love Away," a pretty sounding soft lullaby, expresses God's faithfulness, and "Capitol City" tells of an unconditional love that is left ambiguous enough to be attributed to the Lord. This roundly generic lyricism is a smart move and gives these songs the ability to be enjoyed by all religions and beliefs. As a whole, the album flows together well, remaining consistently poppy and bubbly. There is nothing unpredictable or truly amazing, making Everything in Between something that is just simply fun. Get in your car, roll down those windows, and pump up the volume! Or, just a reminder, I am still free this summer if someone wants to bring me to the Hamptons.

Brewed Fresh lives, laughs, hustles, plays and attempts to survive in New York City. A music and art lover with passion, she freelances on these topics and others.

Music Review: Paul Duncan - Above the Trees

Brewed Fresh — Tue, 15 May 2007 22:07:16 EDT

Paul Duncan's new album Above the Trees was released by Hometapes on May 1 and since that date I have been listening to it again and again and again. Obsessively. Rich with texture and a trailing narrative, it's the kind of music that you won't get sick of, or rather can't get sick of because it laps over you, envelopes you and lets you live inside of it. And the living is good.This is Paul's third release, following 2003's To An Ambient Hollywood and 2005's Be Careful What You Call Home, and his first outside of a home studio. Written in a three month period and recorded in just one week with engineer Tim Iseler in Chicago's Soma EMS studio, Above the Trees features a soaring symphony of guitars, violin, cello, drums, clarinet, pedal steel, piano, trumpets, and ghostly synthetic noises creating depth and layers throughout each track.Often compared to Smog and Bonnie Prince Billie (Will Oldham), Paul's voice levitates and hovers above each orchestral composition, the lyrics forming short stories told with a lexicon focused on natural imagery. Red eagles taking flight, branches being thrown into the fire, lake waters attacking shorelines, and a shepherd being called in from the field make up the characters and scenery drawn upon the eerily sonic sounds, painting images of a dark Thoreauian countryside.This isn't just good fiction. Born in Texas and schooled in Savannah, GA, the current resident of Brooklyn has true southern roots and an ability to blend them with rock and folk styles to create a distinctive sound that remains authentic. Playing NYC's Mercury Lounge last week, Paul took the stage looking like a down-to-earth guy in corduroys and a blue button down and took swigs of Jim Beam in between songs, sharing his bottle with the crowd. So when he sings lines like "a bird in my belly is singin bout Texas / while my aunt Sue Ellen is sleeping with crosses….I've plenty of keepsakes – not many memories / I've paid for my passage – I'm leaving on Tuesday," on the "The Lake pt.1," the sentiment comes across genuine as his voice softly rises above the pedal steel and B3.This sentiment is carried throughout the tracks and ties the album together, while the unpredictable musical composition keeps it exciting. On "High in the Morning," he balances between musical interlude and lyrics, growing louder as it goes on, and deeper in depth with the buoyant sounds of the cello. He sings "We walk to the shoreline to the end of its reach / and talk about towns that haunt you and me." On "Red Eagle," a true showcase of Paul's talent and the album's opening track, the listener is amazed once again by the intensity of the play between soft and light sounds.Listen to "Red Eagle" and "The Lake Pt. 2." Be prepared to not want to step away from your computer.Above the Trees is truly the kind of album that you listen to on repeat, tell friends about repeatedly and check back with them more than once to make sure they have actually listened to at least one song. You may even resort to putting your phone to your speakers and making them listen to it, because you know in the end they will thank you.

Brewed Fresh lives, laughs, hustles, plays and attempts to survive in New York City. A music and art lover with passion, she freelances on these topics and others.

Music Review: Chris Garneau - Music for Tourists

Brewed Fresh — Mon, 9 Apr 2007 18:11:44 EDT

Brooklinite Chris Garneau’s full-length debut Music for Tourists, took a year and a half to complete and was released in January by Absolutely Kosher. Piano laden and driven by his soft, tender voice, one is instantly overtaken by his fragility and vulnerability. Song after song resounds with sparse melodies, that when paired with Garneau’s whispering vocals, seem fit for a dream world, his voice taking spectral flight into the air and wavering between a whisper and a breathy staccato. He is commonly compared to Sufjan Stevens and Regina Specktor while the influence of the record's producer, Duncan Sheik, is clear in its unabashed emotional honesty. The album draws the listener in with emotional narratives waxing from despair to what could be considered severely understated light heartedness covering topics such as self doubt, eventual death, and Hamburg Helper. What first drew my attention to Garneau was the song “Relief,” which recalls a past relationship that unfortunately didn’t work out. The lyrics “I love the way you dance / we can work well out/ don't you miss your chance / the pain will all grow out” tugged at my heart strings and as he goes on to state “I will be the same / I'll be the samegoodnight” my mind couldn’t help but wander into memories of past loves I hadn’t thought of in years. The video, shown on his MySpace page is set at a diner full of lost souls and tyrannies and seems so dissolute that it almost made me want to write lost friends of mine a letter (or at least look up a few while logged on to the stalker friendly site). The most buzz the album received was from the hidden track, a piano cover of Elliott Smith's "Between the Bars.” Some hate it for taking a favorite and changing it while others love its original spin. I am in the later group, finding that Chris stays faithful to the sparse style of Music for Tourists, making it a lovely way to enjoy a beautiful song in a new way.However, this sparse style can get in the way when listening to the album as a whole. While alone each song stands as a beautiful creation that sparks emotion, when listened to together Music for Tourists, blends together with similar melodies and Garneau’s minimal vocal range allowing the listener's mind to stray from the things he is singing about to such mundane topics as what to eat for dinner. For example, on “Black and Blue” Garneau almost induces tears when he evokes a Jeff Buckley tone singing “We hurt the same / the same black and blue / I want to catch my death of cold / cos i'm scared I'm growing old / don't return the love I give/ your still my favourite.” Yet this tear was held back as the emotional floodgates were put back up as the next track began in the same slow and sullen way and I was lulled into a numbness that left me thinking about the project I left unfinished at work.I had the pleasure of seeing Garneau on Tuesday night at New York’s Mercury lounge and was hoping that his live performance would draw my focus a bit more. He was joined by three cellists and a drummer, yet most of the set featured only the piano’s slow melancholy. His band mates had bland expressions and it was hard to determine if they were pensive or just plain bored.That isn’t to say that he isn’t wonderful live. His voice is just as ghostly and ethereal and his small stature and angelic good looks add to the delicate nature of his music. At times his voice did rise above a library appropriate level giving a glimpse of a remarkable talent just waiting to break through. It reminded me of camping: the moment when the fires flame starts and it is so small and so warm you stand there watching and wishing it to blaze into a monstrous bonfire. I almost wanted to shout “Sing Chris, sing like your playing a concert for the hard of hearing,” but I controlled myself out of respect for a singer who most certainly will mature into a great talent, and of course, anyone in the crowd who may suffer an auditory challenge.My final conclusion: Like a good piece of cake, Music for Tourist is good on the first bite but leaves you feeling a bit queasy if you eat the whole thing. It’s a wonderful debut and a great album to listen to on shuffle. He shouldn’t be missed live either but expect to leave feeling a bit downtrodden with no solid explanation of why -- whether it's because you want to take him home and make him sing loud or because those moments when he captured your attention made you crawl into the dustier corners of your mind.Set List1. Castle Time2. Relief3. Black & Blue4. Saturday5. So Far6. First Place!!!7. Hymn8. Baby’s Romance9. Not Nice10. Blue Suede Shoes11. We Don’t Try12. Sad News13. Halloween14. Between BarsUpcoming Tour DatesWed, 5/12/07 - Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk Music (8pm) Wed, 5/16/2007 - Washington, DC @ The Rock and Roll Hotel

Brewed Fresh lives, laughs, hustles, plays and attempts to survive in New York City. A music and art lover with passion, she freelances on these topics and others.

Music Review: Landon Pigg - LP

Brewed Fresh — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 00:46:40 EDT

Landon Pigg is one rock star who earned my esteem before I had ever heard him sing or seen him perform onstage. It's an odd name - the type of name that gets you beat up and relieved of your lunch money as a kid in the school yard. Or, on a completely unrelated downside, it gets you mistaken for a character in a children's fable. Point being: It is decidedly not the type of name to light up a marquee. Yet as displayed by a solid if less than spectacular album simply titled LP, Nashville native Pigg has risen above his unfortunate name and is forging the way ahead to proving himself at the most a rock star and at the least a pop heartthrob in the making. Released in 2006 by RCA, LP is laced with mellow sounds and sad, melancholy lyrics sung in a high, but to his credit, not whiny voice. On his website he notes a spectrum of musical influences from the soulful David Mead and Rufus Wainwright, to Radiohead, Zeppelin, and even the Beatles. Last week Pigg performed for an intimate crowd at Skylight studios in New York at an event for Rolling Stone and Johnny Walker. The rainbow of labels had been enjoyed by attendees for an hour when a long haired Pigg took the stage looking somewhat like the middle Hanson brother, complete with boyish good looks and a striped cardigan. Pigg took off crooning into the microphone with emotion, his head occasionally turning completely sideways with his eyes closed and a pained expression on his face. The emotion was palpable in the timbre of his voice and the crowd stood three deep, bobbing their heads in unison for the first song. Yet at the end of the night, the crowd dissipated, acknowledging that "yes, it was a good show," but not something worth staying out past midnight on a weekday.The reason is that while Pigg's music is good, a good deal of it sounds very similar. The melodies are safe and somewhat predictable. Lyrics are undoubtedly the driving point of the record and tend to run the spectrum from truly great to downright generic. One lyric high point is on Last Stop where he gets a little bitter and sings, "I write a million songs about the weather/But when it comes to you/I pick up all the pieces of the chords I didn't use/Pick them up and glue them back together/I sure hope this will do/Here's a piece of trash I cleaned and polished just for you." Yet he returns to the tried and true again and again like on "Keep Looking Up" in which he evokes birds, clouds and stars all in one breath. This sort of high and low reveals Pigg as a talent that may blossom in time. Heart-on-the-sleeve sappiness pervades but with good deal of attractiveness. The style is more quite suitable for long rainy nights and hours of self pity over the loss of a significant other. In the song "Can't Let Go," the lyrics are ripe for Kleenex and Ben and Jerry's: "And then we saw our paths diverge/And I guess I felt OK about it./Until you got with another man,/And then I couldn't understand/Why it bothered me so./How we didn't die we just/Never had a chance to grow."Partnered with his good looks, this sort of vulnerability gives Pigg that quality which women fall over swooning for. A girl ran up to him in the middle of a song and hugged his feet. No one could blame her as he played "Sailed On" and let loose the love weary lyrics, "Please don't trouble yourself/I only want your love." You sort of can't help but want to take him home and snuggle.My final conclusion: LP is somewhat predictable, with that sense of familiarity where you feel like you may have heard it before. Fans of Daniel Powter and Travis will love this album. It's not groundbreaking, but it's a good debut and promises a good deal more to come. I'd love for him to give me a call in two or three years.

Brewed Fresh lives, laughs, hustles, plays and attempts to survive in New York City. A music and art lover with passion, she freelances on these topics and others.