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]

Bluegrass/Folk
The Quiet American (Aaron and Nicole Keim): Wild Bill Jones
No Producer Listed
Released: 2013


http://quietamericanmusic.com/

The Quiet American is the name of a duo made up of a husband and wife by the names of Aaron and Nicole Keim. The instruments they play are too numerous to mention. They include many traditional bluegrass instruments like guitar, banjo, lap steel, and many others, some Aaron built himself. He spent time in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon where he worked as a luthier for Mys-Moe Ukuleles. Prior to that he lived and performed in Colorado with a band called Boulder Acoustic Society, after which he went back to basics and old time folk music. Nicole is a musician and artist and met and teamed up with Aaron in Oregon where they both shared a love of old traditional folk music.

The Album starts out with upbeat bluegrass tunes, Apple in the Fall, Give the Fiddler a Dream, Come Walkin’ with Me. Posey’s Song has the feel of an old Irish folk song from long ago and is sung by Nicole to a mythical character named Wild Bill Jones, whose tale is told in the song Wild Bill Jones.

The duo also includes old fashioned bluegrass style gospel music such as Keys to the Kingdom:

“I’ve got the keys to the kingdom

Please unlock the door

I’ve got the keys to the kingdom

The world can’t do me no harm.”

Some of the songs are written by the Keims and some are traditional songs arranged by them and three are by other authors. One of the more well known traditional songs is Gallows Pole:

“Lover did you bring me silver

Lover did you bring me gold

Lover did you bring me anything

To keep me from the gallows pole

You didn’t bring me silver

You didn’t bring me gold

You just came to watch me hang

Hanging from the gallows pole”

The album is supposedly about the old West character Wild Bill Jones but most of the songs could really be about anything in history and about the old West in general. The musicianship is excellent and the sincerity and feeling is evident in their treatment and performance of the music. They display skill and background with their instruments and include a few others on three of the tracks on bass, fiddle, harmonica, and guitar. The album comes across to me like a very romantic journey through the old West. It is filled with upbeat bluegrass, old time gospel and ballads like What Are They Doing In Heaven Today. The music is entirely acoustic and would appeal to those who like old guitar and banjo folk music.

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]

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]