Matt Gresham

OK. It’s guitar fetish time (give me a break, I haven’t done this for a while)

Matt Gresham is quite an amazing guitarist. If you don’t like guitars then I would move along BUT if you do , check this guy out.

So the quick version of the bio – he’s 20 years old, been gigging for over 6 years, have a couple of albums out, a third in the pipeline, plays up to five gigs a week and has a huge following

Some hype from the website…

Pulling from influences which stretch back over the past half century Matt has a truly individual original sound with a positive message. He has a joyful, infectious and exuberant style which floats his audiences from soul to the packed dance floor. Spine-tingling vocals soar above Matt’s band which combines bass guitar, percussion and drums to intensify the dynamic feel of the catchy melodies and driving rhythms.

BUT skipping over all that, he was in Melbourne this week and I was lucky enough to hear him doing a live to air performance on 3RRR. ( I missed him playing at The Lomond Hotel on Thursday though)

I was even luckier to remember to press the record button.

Here are the three  songs he did.

Weissenborn guitar

First up was “Gracetown”, his reworking of the Paul Simon song played on his Weissenborn guitar. Glorious sounding guitar and just wonderful playing. There are bits sound just like he’s channelling David Lindley. I so want one of these guitars, and the talent to do it justice would be kinda cool too – I digress.
Gracetown –

Friends was the last track he did and it’s one of his own. This is also played on the Weissenborn guitar and is rapidly becoming my favourite.
Friends -

Just to show you he can also play a “normal” guitar, here is  “Give Some Good”.  Another original and damn he is a spiffy guitarist.

Give Some Good –

So there you have it, three live tracks as well as the material he has over at www.myspace.com/mattgresham

Highly recommended ( and I am seriously envious – I’ll get over it).

Stornoway

Unlike the members of Stornoway Jools and I have been to Lewis, and I thoroughly recommend the trip to to the band. But I digress… we are here today to recommend Stornoway (thats the band) to you.

According to their web presence….

The band consists of an Ornithologist, a wannabe Russian translator, a South African Pirate Captain, a human radio and a kitchen sink. They were first united in a snow-encrusted garage in Oxford and have since attracted the attention of Dr & Mrs Killjoy the neighbours and their android children. None of the band have ever been to Stornoway. But Brian once got to within 37 miles of it.

For me their songs are haunted by a Celtic feyness, they seem to harken back to other times and other places. Have a listen to “Here Comes The Blackout” or “Fuel Up” over at www.myspace.com/stornoway, they are both wonderful songs and I might add both still on my MP3 player after several months.  The melodies are insidious as is the apparently simple production and instrumentation.  But don’t kid yourself, this is wonderfully crafted pop / folk. The vocals are lavished with such attention, you can’t help but hear the lyrics and stories the band want to tell.

And they are good stories… Highly recommended

Website at www.myspace.com/stornoway

Here is their ReverbNation player

Kiss The Mistress

Kiss The Mistress caught my ear by surprise. All the more so because they don’t have a guitarist. I truly find their music quite startling.

The tune “Priddy Pookah” which romps along in 7/8 time, is a prime example. This puppy slips and slides , the ideas wander in and out and it never sits back and lets you get complacent. I gotta tell you I really love this one. Head over to www.myspace.com/kissthemistressuk and have a listen.

Here are their bios…

JOHN RAMIREZ
John’s unique style of playing crosses the boundaries between melodeon and accordion, and has strong roots in his earlier rock band experiences as a young ‘un. His pulsating pumping bellows takes the music out of folk niceties into places where squeeze boxes seldom go! He frequently gathers curious onlookers going “how does he do that?”

GINNY DAVIS
Ginny started playing folk ‘cello as a teenager with a ceilidh band until she was replaced by a set of bass pedals! Throwing off her classical discipline at college she explored improvisation and jazz voice. She finally returned to her youthful passion for folk music and combined voice and ‘cello, which took considerable amounts of practice! As well as the usual ‘cello qualities, her playing also includes dirty bass lines and ‘cello slapping that makes full use (or sometimes abuse) of the instrument range

ROY JONES
The brilliant young musician Roy, plays with a maturity and flair rarely found in one so young. Influenced by the great John Joe Kelly, he has developed his style to include more unusual time signatures on both cajon and bodhran. A frequent show stealer, he usually has a cluster of adoring fans around him after each gig asking for lessons! He is well known in East Anglia having won awards for best young folk musician at national folk festivals

Kiss The Mistress performing live at High Barn, Braintree in March 2008. The tune is Geamparua a Bulgarian Wedding Dance. Bad video, good audio.

I believe that they are looking for a guitarist and whoever they get, he is really going to be really really good. Even if they never add one, trust me Highly Recommended is just an opening bid.

Websites at www.kissthemistress.co.uk/ and www.myspace.com/kissthemistressuk

Da Camera

I hadn’t been to Magnatune for a while ( along while as it turns out. But I was looking something baroque-ish (don’t ask) and found Da Camera: Celtic Renaissance/Baroque Ensemble, who as it turns out , were just what I was looking for.

Da Camera is a versatile ensemble, crossing the line between ‘early’, ‘folk’ and ‘contemporary’ music. Their programmes range in repertoire from the passamezzi of the 15th century, via traditional Celtic and English music, through the baroque, to newly-commissioned works. Three new works have been commissioned by them to date. All members of the recorder family feature alongside many different sizes of viol with harpsichord or organ accompaniment.

They have just recorded their first CD on their own Da Camera label of Scottish and Irish Baroque and Traditional music, entitled A Celtic Celebration. The first track of the album is Carolan’s Concerto and it just wonderful, light bright and infectious. I have always loved it since the first time I heard it played ( it was a band I was mixing for, just whistle and guitar)

But the track that really hooked me was The Fairy Queen (it’s track two), it shows the depth of talent that this band has, and this is the track I ended up using on the MP3 player.

The album is a gem and Magnatune have this spiffy little player that will let you hear it all.

A Celtic Celebration by Da Camera

Highly recommended (as is Magnatune – they have a whole bunch of new material to check out)

Website at magnatune.com/artists/da_camera

Paper People

Paper People, don’t know what to make of them. A bunch of guys from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland who began by jamming on an old mandolin.

The tracks are raw, lacking in polish and badly mixed. The vocals at best are impassioned, the level of musicianship leaves a lot to be desired but and I can’t stress this enough, they have a spark that cries out loud and proud “perfection is over rated”.

Yes, despite their shortcomings they have got something that makes you sit up and listen to their songs. Take for instance Mood Indigo which can be heard on their MySpace site. This is a schizophrenic little number the has a really pretty mellow groove building up to a raunchy electric guitar solo.

From their website:

The Paper People have evolved, from a few mates jamming with their granddads antique out-of-tune mandolin, to battle of the band competitions, gigs, promotions and album recordings. The thing’s that inspire the band’s songs are girls, life experience, and life experience with girls. But the generality of the bands songs come from the world as they see it from a musician’s point of view, which of course, may seem a little obscure. Not everything in life is about making money, it’s about what you experience and how you express it, it may be in the form of an art work, or a poem, but in The Paper People’s case, it’s all out, in-depth expressive alternative rock music.

Sweet Nothings is another standout track that really shows their potential. I’m unable to verify if they are still gigging but I hope they are.

Vetiver

Vetiver is an American folk band headed by songwriter Andy Cabic and often joined by Devendra Banhart, cellist Alissa Anderson, drummer Otto Hauser, violin Carmen Biggers, guitarists Kevin Barker and Sanders Trippe, bassist Brent Dunn.

AND

They are really really really annoying. I have been listening to them for a couple of weeks now and I can’t make up my mind whether they are merely good or brilliant.  A friend of mine put me onto them and I really don’t know whether thank her or not. Sorry folks, but you are going to have to sort this one out for yourself.  Head over to www.myspace.com/vetiverse and play anything you find there.

I am 99% sure they are brilliant – and if you like Devandra Banhart or Vashti Bunyan  you will probably like them.

If you like Devandra Banhart or Vashti Bunyan  you will probably understand what the problem is, the different styles, directions and unexpected twists. It’s like driving along a wiggly coast road – you have no idea what is coming next but it’s usually breathtaking. Sometimes flat but usually just brilliant.

The band is named after the grass, vetiver. Their music has been described as ‘surreal’, ‘lullingly pleasant’, ‘tender and accessible’ and ‘quirky and warm’.

Try this video…

Throughout the band’s existence, Cabic has toured the world extensively both in his own right as leader of Vetiver as well as serving as guitarist and singer with his longtime friend Devendra Banhart’s various touring ensembles. And, in January 2009, in a personal and professional highlight, he will be producing Vashti Bunyan’s forthcoming new album.

Highly Recommended

Websites at www.vetiverse.com/ and www.myspace.com/vetiverse

Glen Hansard is the lead singer with the influential Irish Indie rock band called the Frames who have been around since 1990. He also has an ongoing collaboration with Czech singer and multi-instrumentalist Marketa Irglova called Swell Season. It is from this collaboration that the 2008 Oscar winning song Falling Slowly comes.

The track is from the 2007 album Swell Season and their personal story inspired Once “the modern day musical set on the streets of Dublin. The film tells the story of a street musician and a Czech immigrant during an eventful week as they write, rehearse and record songs that reveal their unique love story”. The songs were written by the pair and they also starred in the movie.

A couple of places to find their music:
The Swell Season on Myspace
The Swell Season website
Worth a listen, recommended.

Brock Zeman

Brock Zeman is another one of those artists that I have no idea how I found him, I am just glad I did. His song “The Train In Me” off his album “$100 DIFFERENCE” is a gem. It sounds like John Mellencamp and Steve Earle should have written it.

Brock is another American story teller (ironic as he’s Canadian but let’s not let geography mess up a good story, they are next door neighbours), and he has a lot going for him. What appears to be a ton of good songs, with great stories, really memorable melodies and a very cool sense of humour (Listen to “Killer In The Corn” over at his MySpace site- the solo alone is priceless).

Hype from the site…

Over the past five years Brock Zeman has elbowed his way into the independent music world. The 27 year old singer-songwriter of Carleton Place Ontario has already released 6 albums and toured Canada and the US extensively averaging 250 to 300 dates a year. His signature roots style, has been praised by critics for the maturity of his vocals, the depth of his storytelling and his impressive live performances.

He was first discovered by Canadian Country Hall of Famer Keith Glass (Prairie Oyster) who went on to produce his first 4 releases. By the time of his 5th released Brock was picked up by Busted Flat records out of Kitchener Ontario, and in the past five years Brock has become known as one of the most prolific, hard working artists to fly under the radar.

Here is a video of a house concert performance of “The Train In Me”…

There are more songs over at brockzeman.com/ and www.myspace.com/brock_zeman. Head over and have a listen, it’s really good stuff.

Highly Recommended (and I love his guitarist Dan Walsh as well)

UPDATE

I spotted a couple of live recordings over at Archive.org, there is a concert from November 2008 at  Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, Texas
The band line up was Brock Zeman Acoustic Guitar, Vocals – Dan Walson Acoustic Guitar, Vocals  – Blair Hogan Bass, Vocals

This is fabulous stuff. Have a listen www.archive.org/details/brockzeman2008-11-16.matrix.flac or stream it. Just be aware its over two hours of concert.

They are from Austin, Texas and play a brand of American traditional music inspired by bluegrass mixed liberally with elements of European folk and the traditional American string band.

They are loose and lovely, raucous and rude; watch The Electric Mountain Rotten Apple Gang play Sally Ann live as they busk at the Maker’s Fair.

Their website is at www.myspace.com/electricmountainrottenapplegang where you can here more songs and view other videos by this band.

The Electric Mountain Rotten Apple Gang is Adam Kobetich- vocals, clawhammer banjo, three finger banjo, Amanda Kitchens- vocals, accordion, guitar, Patric Fitzsimons- vocals, mandolin, Daniel Edwards- flattop guitar, vocals and clawhammer banjo, Andrew Pressman- doghouse bass, vocals and Sick!- fiddle, backing vocals (Can’t work out if this last bit is a person or a comment, so we will leave it there – enjoy. Jools)

Old Man Luedecke

This is what they had to say…

Old Man Luedecke lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia and works all over the huge country of Canada, from the Yukon to Vancouver. In the tradition of solo banjo men and women of days gone by like Doc Boggs, he sings his songs accompanied only by his loving five string, foot stomps and the occasional yodel. His songs are melodic gems blending old time sensibilities with an unusual vision and poetic sense. His music belies someone more than slightly ill at ease with modern life and he performs with a gentle and endearing charisma, stories littered with a canny oblique humour. Almost a sly entertainer with a hint of contemporary vaudeville about him and he plays a mean claw hammer banjo clearly derivative of the old time and Appalachia. His latest album Proof of Love is winning him a whole new legion of new fans in his homeland and has slotted beautifully into a young market hungry for new growth from old roots.

OK what they forgot was, he is infectious and his music is just wonderfully uplifting. For a guy who sings his songs accompanied only by a five string banjo, foot stomps and the occasional whoop he is just amazing.

When I headed over to his MySpace site at www.myspace.com/oldmanluedecke I was truly lucky, the song it came up on was “I Quit My Job”. This is just one of those perfect folk songs. I really suggest that you head over an have a listen

Here is a video from Youtube, bad sound but it will give you an idea…

Old Man Luedecke and The Junes are playing on Thursday 19 March 8.30pm. at The East Brunswick Club

Recommended (even more so because of the banjo)

Websites at www.myspace.com/oldmanluedecke and www.oldmanluedecke.ca/