‘Songwriting is like creating a riddle and solving it’ A pre-Twangfest interview with Justin Wade Tam of Humming House

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Justin Wade Tam’s fledgling Humming House is an impressive bunch. Sporting an eclectic cast of members with a wide array of folky talents from soulful vocals to mandolin righteousness, Humming House has been impressing crowds with their playful blend of Irish, Americana and country-porch stomp leading up to and since the release of the self-titled 2012 debut record.

Like the band’s polished first two videos for “Gypsy Django” and “Cold Chicago,” the record (produced by Mitch Dane and Vance Powell) showcases Humming House’s propensity for innovation and experimentation as well as thoughtful songwriting.

This year’s Twangfest (running June 6-9) will be Humming House’s St. Louis debut. Those of us that have heard the band are excited and those that haven’t don’t know what kind of an extraordinary sound awaits them. I recently interviewed lead singer/guitarist Justin Wade Tam by phone about the formation of Humming House, songwriting, the contemporary view of Nashville, musical proliferation, live covers and the production of his band’s debut record.

Will Kyle: Can you talk about the jam sessions you hosted that led up to meeting future Humming House band members?

Justin Wade Tam: You’re talking about the Irish nights. On Sunday nights, we would do this thing called “Finnegan’s Folly” on Sunday nights. The story is that my wife did her Master’s in Dublin at Trinity College. She’s sort of Ms. Ireland around here, so we decided to host jam sessions where we just played Irish pub songs and drank Jameson.

We found an old songbook of Irish pub tunes and started playing them. There’d be anywhere between six to twenty people sitting around with stringed instruments singing along.

I found this very cool for Nashville, because people here are usually very serious about music, so having a situation where anyone could pick up and play three chords or sing along is refreshing. For most music people in Nashville, it’s almost always business related. The jam sessions were more informal.

Did the sessions reach critical mass?

The Irish nights sessions lasted about four or five months. It’s how we started playing with our mandolin player. He used to play in a bluegrass band, so he was able to join right in. After that the jam sessions morphed to be more about the band.

Seems like a natural progression. In your music I’ve noticed you often engage in multiple styles of music in one song, something I don’t see very often. One can hear stylistic movement in the course of one song. Was this a conscious decision?

We just write how we write. I know that’s vague, I mean, we intentionally nod to genre, but I’ve never set out to be like, “You know what, today I’m gonna write a rock song.” No, what happens just kinda happens.

Someone once told me songwriting is like creating a riddle and solving it. I like that, because you start out, but don’t really know what’s going on, so you have to sit back and say, “Well here’s what I’ve said so far, now how do I finish this story out?”

I see that same thing happening in other forms of composition, like poetry and short-form jokes. The artist has to take stock and figure out the next step.

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Posted by | May 24, 2012 | Interviews, Music | Comment 

Thursday morning music news: Goodbye to Robin Gibb and Donna Summer, hello to the Afghan Whigs and Metric

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RIP Robin Gibb. KDHX’s Matt Champion looks back on some classic originals and cover songs of the Bee Gees.

The Guardian digs into the archives for a brilliant interview with Robert Moog.

Listen to the amazing Caetano Veloso interpret the poetry of Augusto de Campos.

You probably saw Foo Fighters with Mick Jagger on SNL, but did you see the after-party?

In contrast, an animated Carrie Brownstein isn’t so sanguine about post-show hangouts.

Your eyes do not deceive you: Morrissey is a happy guy.

The Guardian looks back at the wider pop influence of the late Donna Summer.

Apparently, Atlanta rapper Killer Mike pays a lot of attention to his reviews.

Listen to a new single from Metric.

Watch a Beale Street funeral march tribute to Donald “Duck” Dunn.

Beach House issues a statement on the whole VW ad rip-off controversy.

The Austin City Limits Festival 2012 lineup is out.

The eternal debate rages on but vinyl really does sound better.

By market share, Sony is now the biggest label in the world.

Watch Afghan Whigs’ return to form on Fallon.

Rolling Stone interviews Ad Rock and Mike D about their late compadre MCA.

You’ve been waiting, hoping, praying to the darkness for this moment: The World Goth Day Awards for 2012 are in.

And if you’re a fan of LA post-punk you’ve been waiting for this compilation.

The Flaming Lips are going after Jay-Z’s record for most shows in the most cities in 24 hours.

Learn how a great music scene transformed the city of Denton, Tx.

Enjoy some extremely rare footage of the Doors circa 1970.

RIP to a great DJ: Hal Jackson has died at age 96.

The Austin Chronicle takes a close and depressing look at streaming music royalties.

John Lennon takes Miles Davis to the hoop.

Posted by | May 24, 2012 | Music, News | Comment 

Passion Fuels Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ ‘Carmen’

Widely regarded as the most popular opera of all time, Georges Bizet’s Carmen is not easy to perform or produce. The opera is a tour de force of emotions that requires a solid ensemble and a larger then life leading lady to make it connect with an audience.

Carmen is all about durability. Bizet’s 18th century masterpiece remains a potent, passionate and intense opus filled with heavy doses of hopelessness, despair, oppression, desire and vengeance. Carmen is a comic opera in four acts which features dialogue breaks interspersed in the production to move the story along.

Set in Seville, Carmen tells of the tragic downfall of Don Jose, a local soldier who abandons his childhood love after falling prey to the wiles of Carmen, a blisteringly seductive gypsy. To make things worse he abandons his post and goes to prison in order to protect Carmen. When he is freed he returns to Carmen only to find his passion spurned. Bewitched, batterred and bewildered Don Jose becomes enraged after learning that Carmen’s heart yearns for Escamillo, the most famous bullfighter in Spain. After some nasty turn of events he once again finds himself in big trouble.

Don Jose’s downfall is accelerated when he confronts Carmen in Pastia’s Bar late one evening. Their lover’s quarrel has dire consequences which become clearer as events transpire.  Tragically, Carmen receives a prophecy in Act Three which foretells that things are going to end very badly. Nonetheless she does her best to stay out of trouble.  Despite her charms, intelligence and raw toughness, Carmen cannot stop the passion, rage, jealousy and love swirling inside Don Jose. During Acts Three and Four the tension between them escalates, leading to a heartbreaking tragedy.

In addition to having the most familiar score in opera, Carmen remains popular opera because its themes of immortality, lawlessness and the plight of the working class resonates with audiences. This personal connection is just one of the reasons why Opera Theatre St. Louis’ production of Carmen is so thrilling.

Carmen opens OTSL’s 37th season while also serving as a homecoming for St. Louis native Kendall Gladen. Gladen, a stunning mezzo-soprano, has been a star on the rise for the last decade. Her return to St. Louis in the title role is nothing short of amazing. This production completely revolves around Gladen’s incredible voice and commanding presence. Her smoldering portrayal breathes new life into the opera, transforming it into the penultimate celebration of the femme fatale.

Adam Diegel is terrific (in his OTSL debut) as the doomed Don Jose. As a performer he is able to go toe to toe with Gladen. He gives Don Jose two distinct personalities and then plays off of them in an inner struggle filled with turmoil, pain and lust. His Don Jose is vulnerable yet filled with an inner rage that eventually becomes all consuming. In  making Don Jose so jilted, jostled and jaundiced Diegel adeptly balances several layered aspects of the character with precision, allowing him to give Don Jose a fresh depth and range.

Making his first appearance with Opera Theatre St. Louis since 2008 is Aleksey Bogdanov as Escamillo.  Onstage he owns the first half of Act Two. His solos are simply incredible. He vibrantly drenches Escamillo in extreme bravado and joyful boastfulness that provides enough rich detail to round out the character. Bogdanov’s onstage interaction with Gladen is dynamic. Corinne Winters is also terrific as Micaela, Don Jose’s forgotten love.

(photo courtesy of Ken Howard and OTSL)

Director Stephen Barlow has molded Carmen into a highly charged pulp noir extravaganza. This production, based on a revised translation, wows and awes before a single actor takes the stage. It opens with noir style film credits set against a black background on stage. The credits  frame this adaptation perfectly. Every director wants to leave their stamp on Carmen and Barlow’s production is no different. The opera has been lifted from the nineteenth century and transposed to Seville during Francoist Spain. Making the correlation between Bizet’s original work and film noir accentuates Barlow’s boldness and daring in staging this production.

Guided by Barlow’s steady hand, each Act in Carmen has it’s own distinct texture. Act One sets up the drama by focusing in on the tough life in Seville where vagrants, criminals and factory workers all scramble to make ends meet. Out of this daily grind comes Carmen, a fiery siren who turns heads and manipulates hearts to get what she wants. She is a woman that every man has eyes for but none can seem to possess. Acts Two and Three propel Don Jose’s fall from grace, culminating in an all out showdown in Act Four.  As each act unfolds it becomes more apparent that Barlow is building something dense and compelling.

Set and Costume Designer Paul Edwards augments this setting by adding 1940s era billboards and a fantastic nightclub set that perfectly sets the tone for the piece.  His costumes seamlessly blend gangster chic with fascist military uniforms and traditional gypsy garb. These costumes provide the perfect mix of color for emphasizing the characters and drama onstage.

Stage lighting from Christopher Akerlind bolsters the atmosphere by adding fresh dimensions to each set piece. He carefully mimics the noir lighting from films of that era for the stage, giving Carmen some additional seasoning.

Bizet’s music has always been Carmen’s calling card. Debuting conductor Carlos Itzcaray whips the St. Louis Symphony into a frenzy transforming one of operas more recognizable scores into a powerfully emotional experience as passionate as any of the action playing out on the stage above. His hands create orchestrations that convey equal amounts of exuberance and despair, leaving the audience utterly overwhelmed by the end of the evening.

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ production of Carmen is the perfect showstopper for opening their new season. This provocative  new interpretation never relents in dazzling the audience visually or emotionally. Carmen fires on all cylinders because the charismatic and talented cast (led by hometown hero Kendall Gladen) deflects the sensations of desire, revenge and betrayal onto the audience, creating an utterly mesmerizing (and emotionally draining) opera that must be experienced to be understood.

Here are the performance dates and times for Carmen.

 Friday, May 25 
8:00 pm, Thursday, May 31 
8:00 pm, Friday, June 8 
8:00 pm, Sunday, June 10 7:00pm,Wednesday, June 13 
1:00 pm, Saturday, June 16 
8:00 pm, Tuesday, June 19 
8:00 pm, Saturday, June 23 
1:00 pm.

All performance s are held at the Browning Mainstage at the  Loretto-Hilton Center.

For more information visit http://www.opera-stl.org

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by | May 24, 2012 | Culture, Local, Music | Comment 

Pan-African Notes: Sierra Leone’s Refugee Reggae All Stars Meet Mario Pascal @ 2720 on 5/30

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars @ the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival 2007 [with the late Idrissa 'Mallam' Bangura on bass; photo by Michael Kuelker

by Michael Kuelker

“Salone” means “Sierra Leone” in Krio, one of six languages on the new album by Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars. Radio Salone is a thrilling tour through reggae, soukous and cross-cultural polyrhythms, as well wrought and mood-enhancing an album as I’ve heard thus far in 2012.

SLRAS’s story is by now well known among those who follow contemporary world music, a narrative that bridges from refugee camps in the wake of Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war (1991-2002) to the international stage. Only Malian desert blues band Tinariwen can be included in a conversation about musical refugees who have broken through to the world renown. The band members’ lives as refugees and musicians were chronicled in a 2005 documentary which found a wide, responsive audience.  Their debut, Living Like a Refugee, followed in 2006.

And shortly, they will bring their hothouse of African music into St. Louis. SLRAS will be nine dates into a long summer tour when they perform on Wednesday, May 30 at 2720 (2720 Cherokee). Loyal Family Promotions is taking great pains to inform everyone that this is an early show, with SLRAS going on from 9 – 10:30 p.m. Mario Pascal plays at 8 p.m. and Vladimir ‘The Mad Russian’ Noskov brings his Iron Curtain Hi Fi for an hour of roots reggae vinyl starting at 7 p.m. and as much as he can get between sets.

On Saturday, May 26, Mario Pascal will be my guest on “Positive Vibrations” for music and conversation. The program will feature as much SLRAS music as the FCC will allow as well as other African reggae, classic Jamaican roots and a sprinkle of brand new tunes. “Positive Vibrations,” co-hosted by Professor Skank & the I, airs every Saturday from 9-11 p.m.. Mario will be on the mike at 9:15; later the same evening, he plays at The Pulse (2847 Cherokee).

A St. Louis-raised son of Haitian parents, Mario Pascal is a reggae/world beat artist whose original music and vision are a perfect blend for the May 30 show. He says that the May 30 event is at heart a concert about pan-African unity.

“Definitely, it’s a blessing to be a part of this show because in my opinion it brings forth the whole purpose and reasoning behind reggae music,” he told me in a telephone interview this month.

photo of Mario Pascal courtesy of Mario Pascal

“Staying with Rastafari culture in general, to me it’s a gateway to the infinite pool of African consciousness, you know what I’m saying? Reggae music is a bridgeway because it is at a riddim and a pace that everyone can feel. And through that, especially with a band like Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars, it brings you into a whole nother sense of being in terms of understanding their struggle and where they came from and how they even came together to make music.

“And when they came together to make music, what is the music they chose to play? Reggae music. That’s a testament of the art form of reggae; it’s a testament to what it does as far as liberating the people in terms of mind; and it’s a testament how culture really, to me, is where the true battlefield lies. How can we liven ourselves up? It’s not through technology, it’s not through drugs, it’s through the music.”

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Posted by | May 23, 2012 | Music | Comment 

Five Reasons You Absolutely Have to Catch the Mighty Diamonds @ 2720 on 5/25

Mighty Diamonds - the classic original model

 

by Michael Kuelker

Bringing their trademark luminous harmonies, The Mighty Diamonds return to St. Louis on Friday, May 25 at 2720. The evening also features Zion & the Lion Roots Band plus The Iron Curtain Hi Fi with The Mad Russian and guest Michael Kuelker.

You might be unaware of the show or vacillating on whether to get off your couch or take off of work and go and if this is so, you are being put on notice.

1. The Mighty Diamonds represent reggae at its finest.

Roots knotty roots. Donald ‘Tabby’ Shaw, Fitzroy ‘Bunny’ Simpson and Lloyd ‘Judge’ Ferguson joined forces in 1969 in the Trenchtown section of Kingston, Jamaica – in other words, at the epicenter of reggae very early in its development.

They hit with a few singles before entering Channel One studio, which became a frothing source of bubbling riddims anchored by Sly & Robbie, aka The Revolutionaries. Some of the most memorable riddims in reggae came out of Channel One between 1976-84, and The Mighty Diamonds were one of many artists who did career-defining work, with I Need a Roof (1976), to name just one album, standing solid in the annals of roots reggae as a classic.

Catch the Channel One Mighty Diamonds action in a brief documentary film clip 1 and clip 2, and dip a few times into their mighty catalog through the years, then let’s hustle to the next point in my argument.

1976 – “Shame and Pride”

1978 – “Brothers and Sisters”

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Posted by | May 21, 2012 | Music | Comment 

All Aboard for Fun Times: St. Louis show highlights for 5/18-5/20

All Aboard for Fun Times Train

commons.wikimedia.org

The Alejandro Escovedo show at Off Broadway Wednesday was exceedingly wonderful, diminished only by the inconsiderate and inappropriate behavior of some of those in attendance.  
 
I’ve usually found the source of such distractions to be young (and assumed they were products of deficient rearing by an over-indulgent and/or inept parent or two), but most of the bad actors within earshot for this were grey-haired (perhaps they’re the boorish parents of the younger miscreants).

A housekeeping note: since my estimates on show duration are, at best, a guess, I’ll now mostly list times for the door (if available) and start time (about which venues are frequently flexible).
 
A hectic week wraps up, with showcase/festival options in abundance:
 
Friday, May 18
 
Tower Groove Records Showcase
El Leñador  3124 Cherokee  8 door/9 start  $5  Smoke-free
 
Although it was made available during the Record Store Day celebration in April, this weekend marks the official release for the TGR sampler, a two-record (with a download card for us binary types) collection of songs from many of the musician collective’s members.  
 
Tonight’s show offers sets from the Feed, Accelerando, Bunnygrunt, Warm Jets USA, Sleepy Kitty and Maximum Effort.  
 
I don’t have time to opine on each act, but you can visit the TGR site for bios.
 
The door and start times on this are guesses; get yourself some tasty tacos if you arrive too early.
 
The Educated Guess with the Emperor Norton Orchestra / Lisa Houdei
Off Broadway  3509 Lemp  8:30 door/9 start  $10 (+2 under 21)  Smoke-free 
 
This is a welcome return from TEG (who’ve been absent for some time), a large-ensemble art-pop outfit that took on the ambitious task of composing an oratorio, “West Skyline Drive,” and pulled it off, the album was nominated for an RFT Music Award. This is a full show with the ENO (strings and brass).
 
I couldn’t locate info on LH.
 
Saturday, May 19
 
The Folk School of St. Louis presents their inaugural St. Louis Folk & Roots Festival at Atomic Cowboy (4140 Manchester), running 2-12.
 
Ten acts will appear on three stages, with the evening wrapped up by a farewell visit from Springfield, Mo. country/folk/bluegrass/gospel/rock purveyors Big Smith, who will soon disband (scheduled to play 10-12).
 
Admission is $15 for this all-ages show. Tickets and more info on the lineup can be found here.
 
Show Me Show(case)
Plush  3224 Locust  door 6/show 7  $5 (18+)  Smoke-free
 
This showcase features acts that have appeared in videos on the Show Me Shows website.
 
Bo and the Locomotive, Dots Not Feathers, Pretty Little Empire, Last to Show First to Go, Netherfriends, Trotting Bear and Little Horn fill the bill.
 
Tower Groove Records Showcase
Off Broadway  3509 Lemp  door 8:30/show 9  $5 (+3 under 21)  Smoke-free
 
Tonight’s edition offers Magic City, Old Lights, Ransom Note, Beth Bombara, The Hot Liquors, Death of Yeti, Demonlover and Peck of Dirt. 
 
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Posted by | May 18, 2012 | Local, Music | 1 Comment 

Album review: Tracie Bennett Sings Judy: Songs from the Broadway Production of End of the Rainbow

The theatrical subgenre of celebrity impersonation has always been an odd duck. It’s easy to do badly, damned difficult to do well, and gets the impersonator little respect in any case. In fact, duplicating a performer’s on-stage persona in a way that will allow audience members to suspend disbelief and react as they would to the original is quite a challenge, especially when the performer in question is well represented on audio and film/video.

Judging from the praise she has received for her performance as the late Judy Garland in Peter Quilter’s play with music “The End of the Rainbow”, Tracie Bennett has risen to the challenge. In the New York Times, Ben Brantley praised her “electrifying interpretation”. The Huffington Post’s Mark Kennedy) said she was “so stunning that she manages to raise the dead”. Others have had similar praise for her performance even when they have found the play itself a bit monochromatic.

I haven’t seen the show, but judging from the original cast recording now available on Masterworks Broadway, Ms. Bennett has eerily captured not just the sound of Garland, but more specifically the sound of Garland towards the end of her career, when drugs and drink were taking their toll. To quote the Times again:

“In her terrifyingly manic, Ritalin-fueled “Come Rain or Come Shine” you hear not only the music but the rage that produces it.”

You don’t really hear that in Garland’s recordings from the period, in my view. But then, this isn’t an attempt to duplicate those recordings. It’s a look (albeit fictionalized) at the pain they masked. And on that level I think it works perhaps a little too well. At times, it’s difficult to listen to—not because Ms. Bennett has done her work poorly but rather because she has done it so very well.

The album consists of songs from the Broadway production of the play, fleshed out with new recordings by Bennett and members of the on-stage band of Garland classics not in the stage version, including “Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart”, “San Francisco” and “When The Sun Comes Out” (full track list below). If you’re a Garland fan you’ll probably want to add this to your collection; ditto if you have seen and enjoyed the show. For the rest of us it’s an interesting curiosity. The CD is available from the usual music outlets. You can also purchase the MP3 version at iTunes.

Track list:

  1. I Can’t Give You Anything But Love/Just In Time (Dorothy Fields, Jule Styne, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Jimmy McHugh)
  2. I Could Go On Singing (E.Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen)
  3. Smile (Charles Chaplin, John Turner, Geoffrey Parsons)
  4. Medley: The Bells Are Ringing For Me And My Gal/You Made Me Love You/The Trolley Song (Joseph McCarthy, Ray Goetz, Hugh Martin, George Meyer, Edgar Leslie, Ralph Blane, James V. Monaco)
  5. Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart (James Hanley)
  6. The Man That Got Away (Ira Gershwin, Harold Arlen)
  7. Come Rain Or Come Shine (Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen)
  8. When You’re Smiling (Mark Fisher, Joe Goodwin, Larry Shay)
  9. Somewhere Over The Rainbow (E.Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen)
  10. San Francisco (Walter Jurmann, Gus Kahn, Bronislaw Kaper)
  11. When The Sun Comes Out (Ted Koehler, Harold Arlen)
  12. Get Happy/By Myself (Ted Koehler, Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz, Harold Arlen)
Posted by | May 17, 2012 | Album Reviews, Culture, Music | Comment 

Thursday morning music news: Loretta Lynn taps Zooey, Jay-Z has Obama’s back and Duck Dunn and Chuck Brown pass on

Donald "Duck" Dunn. Photo courtesy of flickr.com/photos/kenf/548589354 / Ken Ficara

The bottom of soul just got so much less deep. Donald “Duck” Dunn has passed away at the age of 70.

Congrats to one of the best blogs ever: NYCTaper has turned 5.

Jay-Z declares support for gay marriage.

KDHX’s Robin Wheeler interviews New Orleans duo Quintron and Miss Pussy Cat.

Lady Gaga fans push back against Islamists in Indonesia.

Dude! It’s John Waters. Pull over!

Watch what happens when you ask a bunch of cute British kids to review Skrillex.

Listen to Roseanne Cash on the life and music of Bobbie Gentry.

David Arnoff talks about his remarkable punk and post-punk photography.

The season finale of “Saturday Night Live” will feature Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire and Mick Jagger.

Whether you knew or not, these 10 female producers are running the show.

The new Animal Collective album is called “Centipede Hz” and will be out September 4.

RIP Chuck Brown, the Godfather of Go-Go.

Yep Roc turns 15 and throws a party I really wish I could attend.

Vanity Fair connects the dots between Winnie the Pooh, the Rolling Stones and real estate.

The Voice chats with Victoria LeGrand of Beach House.

Watch the Wainwrights, McGarrigles and Roches pick their favorite songs from their families.

Leonard Cohen wins the Glenn Gould Prize and gives the money away.

DJ Shadow makes an excellent use of Facebook’s Timeline.

Listen to a new B-side from the Walkmen.

Admit it: If you were Loretta Lynn you’d probably want Zooey Deschanel to play you too.

What’s on Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s iPod?

Maybe lazy eye will finally put an end to the emo swoop.

Posted by | May 17, 2012 | Music, News | Comment 

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