Country/Folk/Bluegrass
Pharis and Jason Romero:
Long Gone Out West


Produced by: Pharis and Jason Romero
Released: 2013 www.pharisandjason.com

Pharis and Jason Romero first met in 2007 and started playing together. They both had quite a bit of musical background in performing and blended well as is evident in their music. Their first album together was released in 2007 and this is their second release as a duo. Along with making albums and performing they also teach in music camps and bluegrass workshops. For bluegrass lovers this album will be very pleasing. The musicianship and singing are excellent as is the song writing.

Seven of the songs are written or co-written by them. The production is also first class. The music features the traditional bluegrass instruments, guitar, banjo, and fiddle and the lyrics and melodies are also traditional. The lyrics by themselves appear to be on the down side, but the melodies and performing have a bright upbeat feel on most of the songs and the atmosphere of the album is light and upbeat.

It starts out with a song written by Pharis titled Sad Old Song:

 And the whole room dies down when you sing out a sad song

One little voice to carry the room along

But it don’t matter when the room dies down

The playing on the acoustic instruments is well done and has a good feel to it.  The songs are the old story telling type of songs about people traveling through the west, like Long Gone Out West Blues:

 Going out west for the mountain breeze

The high plains are killing me

Where the wild still roam and the trees grow high

It’s a long gone out west blues

Truck Driver Blues continues the traveling atmosphere with its bits of country real life lessons and philosophies:

 Feeling tired and weary from my head down to my shoes

Said I’m feeling tired and weary from my head down to my shoes

Got a low down feeling truck driver’s blues

Ride, ride, ride on into town

There’s a honkytonk gal a-waiting, and I’ve got troubles to drown

Never did have nothing, got nothing left to lose

Said I never did have nothing, got nothing left to lose

Got a low down feeling, truck driver’s blues

There is a break in the vocal numbers with Lost Lula and again with Sally Goodin which are banjo instrumentals and display some nice finger picking as do all of the songs.

If you like bluegrass I really think you will like this album.

[Greg Bennett]

Local
Americana/Country
Pretty Little Feet“The Mountain Runners”
www.prettylittlefeet.net

Allegra Ziffle and Matt Novak are Pretty Little Feet, a duo that hales from Bellingham, Washington.   To hear their music without that fact known one might think they were from the Ozarks or Appalachian hills.  There is a very old  thread weaving through this music, which is not only played & produced well, but is relaxing as well.

“The Mountain Runners” is music that was recorded for a film documentary about the Mount Baker Marathon of 1911-1913.  Having lived at the fork of the Nooksack  for a summer and fall, I feel for some reason I should have heard of this somewhere along almost a years worths of travels in that area.  But, alas not a morsel of memory is to be found in the memory banks.  One thing that is remembered well regarding that area of the state is that it could well be the Ozarks or Appalachian hills in it’s traditions.  This is a tight knit, ethnically diverse community up north on the border.  From it stems a long lineage of story tellers of their history, which is one of the aspects I loved while living there.  The weather, that’s another story for another review.

This project was engineered, mixed and mastered by Paul Turpin at Champion St. Sound in Bellingham.  Novak and Ziffle cover all the instruments recorded with Ziffle on Fiddle, banjo, accordion, vocals and clogging.  Novak covers guitar, mandolin, tenor banjo as well as vocals.

This reviewer would have appreciated the video component or partner with this work as it is apparent that these tunes are covering aspects of content, but alone there is a feeling that I am missing something.  That said, this is a well represented recording of music long forgotten and missing from today’s culture of instant messaging, this is story telling of a time long ago, but not forgotten.

If you like early music, before the folk, country, bluegrass, or any other label; this is the listen you’ve been waiting for.  Stories told, no frills, telling of tales with a simple yet compelling musical background.

[Christopher Brant Anderson]

Country/Acoustic
Randy Sharp, Jack Wesley Routh, Sharon Bays, Maia Sharp: Dreams Of The San Joaquin
Produced by: Randy, Maia, Jack

Released: 2012


www.blixstreet.com

This group of musicians and singers does not have a group name but is instead a collection of performers who have gotten together and recorded an album featuring all of them with all original songs. The performers are Randy Sharp on guitar, bass, mandolin, keyboards, programmed drums, and other instruments, Jack Wesley Routh on guitar, Sharon Bays on vocals, and Maia Sharp on vocals, along with a few other musicians adding instruments and background vocals. All of them sing and take turns on lead vocals.

Their voices harmonize beautifully and all are very good singers for their lead vocals. The style is an acoustic style with a country flavor to the music and is very well produced and arranged and performed. The songs have a romantic old fashioned feel to them. Some of them could have been performed by country western singers back in the fifties and sixties. There are also many songs and arrangements that fit in with today’s music. They all go well together make for a good cohesive collection.

In fact, the first song, Burn Day, sets the tone with a vocal performance that makes the song very pleasant to listen to. The rest of the album is the same way.

I was wide awake and waiting long before first light of morning

As the radio announcer promised – an almost perfect day

The skies are clear, the winds are down, no local weather warnings

As a song began he said the words I was hoping he would say

It’s a burn day. It’s a burn day

The subject throughout is about lost romances and lost dreams, but mostly lost romances, which is a common theme in most country music and probably in most music in general.

This is evident for example in Shores Of White Sand:

Here I go again

Back to that feelin’

Of no worthy cause

To carry me on

My heart’s been skippin’

Like a flat rock on water

And with each ripple

The further I’m gone

Some say I’m sinkin’

To the muddy bottom

Somehow I’m sailin’

To the shores of white sand

The Jack Wesley Routh/Randy Sharp composition Ridin’ On The Night Train is a song about a flight from justice that could be from long ago:

Well I lay my head on a southbound rail

Need a train comin’ down the track

I’m a wanted man since I jumped my bail

Ain’t no turnin’ back

Now is that the howl of the lawman’s hound

Or the moan of the midnight train

Will I fly away, or will my wings be bound

By a ball and chain

A tribute to their songwriting skills is the fact that three of them, Randy Sharp, his daughter Maia Sharp, and Jack Wesley Routh, have all written or co-written songs that have been recorded by such artists as Emmylou Harris, Reba McEntire, Marty Robbins, Bonnie Raitt, Cher, Trisha Yearwood, and Art Garfunkel and others. In fact, seven of Randy’s songs have been number one singles on the country charts. They have all been in the business for some years and it shows in the music they make together.

[Greg Bennett]

SingerSongwriter/Instrumental“Night Radio”  (EP)
Simone Dinnerstein & Tif Merritt
www.tiftmerritt.com
www.simonedinnerstein.com

Tift Merritt was born in Houston, Texas, but was transplanted in North Carolina where she was raised and completed her formal education in creative writing. From background checks, her father appears to be the major influence on her music, but that would be a bit simplistic.  With nine albums to her credit the influences covered are diverse and wide.  Merritt seems to have absorbed the best of folk, rock and country and somehow found her own voice within all that data.  She is a player working on piano, keys, guitar, harmonica and her distinctive vocal style.

Simone Dinnerstein is New York based, Julliard trained pianist with a deep classical background, making her mark in that world with her release of Bach’s Goldberg Variations.  She has three other classical releases to her credit and from a bit of background research and from listening it is easy to see why she made such a huge impression in that community of players and listeners.

From research material both artists are very much into collaboration, which in my world means listening to and honoring the tune at hand.  They met in 2008 and have been working on honing a new sound for both of the palettes.  Merritt has the Americana approach with her influences while Dinnerstein brings a sophistication and a beautifully played instrument to their collective table.

Six tracks fill this EP with a wide diversification of material. Two of the tunes are Merrits, “Still Not Home” & “Colors”.  There is a traditional cover of “Wayfaring Stranger” as well as “Night” a Patty Griffin tune.  Johnny Nash’s, “I Can See Clearly Now” is covered as well as Lady Day’s (Billy Holiday), “Don’t Explain”, which was arranged by the wonderful Nina Simone.

Merritt’s first track commences with a lone guitar riff as well as a stark, clear, distinct vocal clearly showcasing her roots in Americana.  With the second track the duo sets in for the upcoming tracks.  What I like in Tift’s vocals is a vulnerability that she is willing to share with her listening audience.  Dinnerstein’s piano gently embellishes her approach and lyric.  Simone listens and adds to, never distracting from the tenderness or the tale, which is a much underrated attribute in music these days.  The inter play between the vocal, guitar and piano is a delicate balance that is glaring in the tender ballad of “Colors”.  “Wayfaring Stranger” is again handled with care as it gently appears with Merritt’s vocal and guitar.  This track appears to be a solo cut, if Dinnerstein is working on the track her pads are almost invisible.  Griffin’s tune is the first to highlight the piano and vocal, which works beautifully.  Patty Griffin must be proud of the representation and care given to her work.

Nash’s tune is lightly approached with guitar and vocal.  As Dinnerstein enters with her piano the tune transforms from a pop anthem to a wonderfully balanced piece somewhere between folk and a tune played in a dimly lit club somewhere between the second or last tune of a set. I like the smoky feel it gains with the piano.

If these two artists continue to hone and listen to their hearts and risk with material like this cut, there could be a long career ahead for both artists with this vehicle.

[Christopher Brant Anderson]

Country/Americana/Singer-Songwriter
Walt Wilkins
“Plenty”Ride Records
www.waltwilkins.com

Wilkins is from Texas, after a ten year stretch in Nashville he ventured back home to the rolling hills of West Texas, found Austin, wrote and co-produced this release.
What strikes me with the first few bars is the easy laid back feeling of someone in control of their material, vocally as well as being at home on guitar.  The first tune, “Just Be” is as smooth as a baby behind, very relaxed and assured of the message and mood the tale it weaves.  Walt Wilkins lays back on the vocal work and allows the production its due.  There is a very warm quality to his vocals with a dash of earthiness or throatiness that works for the artist.

“Ain’t It Just Like Love” the third track continues Wilkins exploration of the heart of a young man.  Wilkins is a fine writer and appears to have taken something with him besides Nashville dust.  His tunes are hooky and filled with lush backing vocals that work well with his production values.

This product came out of Jumping Dog Studios in Austin, co-produced with Ron Flint.  There are some great players backing Wilkins.  The bass work is split up between Flint, Bill Small and Dick Gamble.  Pianos & organ are handled by Flint and Patterson Barrett.  Electric guitars are covered by Corby Schaub, Brett Danaher, Marcus Eldridge, Scrappy Jud Newcomb and Brian Langlnais.  Lap steel guitar is masterfully played by Corby Schaub and pedal steel work is handled by Kim Deschamps, Mike Daly and Lloyd Maines.  Strings were furnished by Warren Hood.

Wilkins finds his groove early on in the project and doesn’t vary much on the theme of a young man dealing with the ups and down of love, life and self-realization.  There’s something of an old soul found in his word riffs and approach to a very old art form.   Wilkins also, it would seem, has been influenced by the rock world or his co-producer was as there are hints of the best of some of rock standards from the early 1970’s through its demise in the later part of that decade.  But, make no mistake Wilkins is a student of the national treasure that is country music.

All in all a great listen and a great production from an artist that is in the game for the long run.  There are twelve self-penned tunes with that distinctive Texas vibe.

[Christopher Brant Anderson]

Singer/Songwriter “In This Present Form”
Jon McAuliffe


McAuliffe is a veteran writer and player from the East coast.  Jon has worked the road and publishing companies since the mid 1960’s and like any working musician has been involved in many bands, either fronting or as a supporting player. The consistent fact is that McAuliffe is a songwriter.

Details or PR are in short supply for the product, but it does not diminish the music held within.  “Gotta Get Back to Memphis”, the second track following the first track quickly illuminates the years of influence McAuliffe has drank in during his years working in the industry.  The lyric and delivery vocally are significant signs of a man that has honed his skills.  The guitar work he displays are precise and another obvious account of time in on the craft.

McAuliffe has a rock vibe, but influences in country, folk and jazz are apparent in the work as well.  At his best, Jon McAuliffe is a great story teller.  His writing is crafted around amazing arrangements of some great players.  I’m not sure who he’s using within the ensemble, but another apparent factor is that he has drawn deep from his well of players over the years and brought the best to this project.  The work was carefully produced by Seth Connelly, Connelly took care in his production and mix values to insure the singer’s stories and vocals were always shinning through.

“Tear Down Every Wall”, track five has a great gospel feel to it and again highlights McAuliffe’s talents as a writer and vocalist.  There is an economy in the writers use of the language coupled with the production that is lost on many of the younger artists I hear these days, but time has been McAuliffe’s friend. Whatever his influences are or have been, he takes from the best of them and rolls his work into an authentic style that is pretty amazing for an indie artist.  His use of country, folk and rock to embellish his lyrical approach to his subject matter is amazing. His other great assets are his steady vocals and willingness to risk.  He can range from straight ahead rock tunes to very tender ballads.

“In This Present Form” is in the present, but illuminates a professional who has forged his own destiny in the industry and  takes no back seat or thought to what is currently an industry  that looks toward the very young to exploit for a decade and move on to the next cash cow.  Jon McAuliffe has been doing this thing awhile and will continue to walk his own road musically, which is a very good thing.

The product is a great listen and some of the best singer/songwriter chops I have had the pleasure to review.

[Christopher Brant Anderson]

SingerSongwriter/Americana/Country
Ralph Boyd Johnson“17239 Street SW”
www.ralphboydjohnson.com

Mr. Boyd hails from north of the border, Canada, but to listen to his work one would think he was born and bred out of one of the southern states that he emulates in his writing, certainly his vocal approaches and pedal to the metal enjoyment to the art form of country music.

The production was recorded at Airway Studios in Calgary, Alberta and was produced by the artist and Danny Patton.  The ten tunes all penned by Johnson are deep in the tradition of country with a bid of a nod to rockabilly and slightly leans towards the world of rock.  The production values Johnson and Patton have arrived at are another nod to the time and reverence they hold with this music.  I’ve said it before; there must be something in the water up yonder that gets DNA deep as this is another Canadian artist that has found his own footing in deep rooted soil.  

Lyrically Johnson is spot on in the country tradition and weaves great stories as did the early country artists well he dips his cup and drinks long from.  There is a sense that he found the spot where others were swilling a bit of beer for the poor old me side of his stories or historical side of life for the fun side of his tales.  He has a very earthy feel to his work, at times he out countries, country music.  Make no mistake, Johnson is a great mirror to the roots he is revealing to his audience and perhaps himself.  I like the theatrical side of his work; he takes risks more than most in the arena of what is labeled country these days.  In fact this might be the first country album I have heard in a long time.

There are some great players on this project as well as a great mix with mastering to be proud of.

Johnson’s rhythm section is comprised of Duris Maxwell on drums & Tim Williams and Glen Rowley on percussion, while John Hyde is behind them holding it down on bass.  His pieces are augmented by

Kathy Cook on mandolin , Bill Oryniak on banjo, Cedric Blary adds wonderful textures and solos on clarinet and Bruce Lienen fills on the fiddle give an authenticity to the work.

This is a fun romp that is never boring, and illuminates how the deep south and it’s country music has infected the world.  This is Johnson’s second release; it is filled with humor, reverence and glares in his appreciation of the art form he has mastered.  The toe never stops tapping and he can make a listener laugh, think and tear up all in the breath of one tune, and there’s ten to enjoy.





[Christopher Brant Anderson]

Tandem

Steve and Kristi Nebel

Icebird Record Company

www.sknebel.com

 With the release of ‘Tandem’ I found an opportunity to interview Steve and Kristi Nebel. The album from Icebird Records, Steve’s label, contains many, but by no means all of my favorite Nebel compositions.  ‘Wish You Were Here Waltz’ is a lovely beginning in a generous collection of original songs.  This is a pleasant, lyrical love note, like a warm letter going out to someone who is missed, “…how I wish you were here.”  I have been at performances where these songs were sung with such intensity that I got those chills. The guitar line is simple and responding to the melody line.   ‘Great Grandfather’ begins with the guitar strains of Elizabeth Cotton’s ‘Freight Train’.  The strength of his story song is personal connection to relatives. Steve’s grandfather and great grandfather were both railroad men with his great grandfather assigned to the roundhouse in Everett at the turn of the century.  Grandfather had the awful task of fishing the other’s engine and body from the Stillaguamish River where it had left the bridge. One of Steve’s first projects and bands was with the Madrones, with Kristi and J.W. (John) Sparrow. Steve and Kristi had traveled to an old railroad hotel in Canada so close to the tracks; they made recordings of trains out the hotel window. Those recordings wound up between audio tracks of an album of train songs Thunder On The Highline.  ‘Jesse’ starts with the classic harmony mix between Steve and Kristi. ‘Jesse’ is based on a mostly true story of two local brothers who decided to seek work overseas.  Jesse went to work for an electrical contractor in Afghanistan and was promptly kidnapped by the Taliban. But these Taliban had an addiction to watching the X files and one evening while they watched, he simply slipped away until he found respite at an American army base. There is a serious beginning, but not without humor.  To get there Steve’s writing takes you through poverty, unemployment, loss of house and finally estrangement. ‘Papa’ begins with folk guitar and Steve’s voice, “Papa always said he’s take it with him…those times weren’t easy, but he did alright.”  The conflict between father and son is clear but forgiving. Father and son had experienced war and that shared suffering made the relationship somehow acceptable to the son. Steve and Kristi have long been supporters of causes like United for Peace for Pierce County. As a Vietnam Veteran, Steve is quiet but steadfast about his convictions. ‘Alternate Universe’ has some clever rhymes and timing. I especially like the rhyme between “fit” and “make sense of it,” (emphasis on ‘of it’). “I’ll be returning to carbon and gas, nobody gets out of here alive.”  ‘County Durham’ is Nebel’s ode to North East England, “When I dream, I dream of Durham…”  This is a sing-able and memorable fable of sea captain long at sea. ‘Angels of the Road’ has held me captive since I first heard it. The recording is good, but the intensity of this song sung live puts it over the top.  “It’s only fate, something that you know. When the world has given up on you there’s a place where you can go…”  Kristi’s beautiful voice is always powerful on this haunting poem.  This tribute and thanks to friends who rescued them from a night of unavailable hotel rooms near London. Steve and Kristi were stranded twice on the Alcan highway and that isolation is in there with everything else.  The Nebels began their odyssey of trips to England in 2000 when Mike Freeman suggested they look into all the clubs in the UK (Mike Freeman and Tania Opland play frequently in Europe). ‘Would You Hold My Hand’ has a wonderful hook, like many of these songs it will stick to your ribs. Steve’s guitar work is simple, perhaps understated and melodic. Kristi plays electric bass mostly, but in the early days when the boys in the band bought an upright bass, she was the only one who could figure it out.  With a background in family singing, barbershop and experience in the special travel choir from the University of Idaho her voice stands out. ‘Whistlin’ in the Rain’ is a song of unemployment, dashed hopes  “…two doors down from hell.”  ‘If Peace Will Come’ is strong statement from two people who have marched and demonstrated against all wars everywhere.  ‘Big Floppy Hats’ is a warm approach to conflict—who could be mad at someone who wears a goofy hat and oversize pants. “Everyone would wear a big floppy hat….”

Steve Nebel feels he was a rank amateur at the beginning and wrote at least 100 songs during college. They’ve paid dues which Steve sees as an effective means to learn the business and get your chops.  There are nine CDs available from their website and all have some notable reviews. Next on my wish list is Bohemian Outback (2002). Also intriguing: are Caught In The Balance (1981), Taking Off (1993), Out Of The Tangled Years (1994),  Birds Of Winter (1998), Nobody’s Hero (2003), Big Red Smile (2004), Sum of 2 Parts (2005), and  Raven Speaks (2008).

Still more albums are out there, even if not officially released, like Kristi’s country swing Detour album. A Baltimore radio show of the same name uses her version of this old chestnut for it’s theme. Steve’s dream was always to be a songwriter on the road and now with 7 trips to the UK under their belt they epitomize that working couple who write and sing about it too.  Other well-known Northwest musicians who have been a part of their bands and lives are David Michael and Thaddeus Spae. I’m able to catch them now and then at the Antique Sandwich Company in Tacoma.  These two work in tandem and not always on the main highway, but if you can find yourself at any of their shows you won’t forget it.

[J.W. McClure]