Oct 29 : "Don't Lose Heart" - Rue Snider (Brooklyn)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (July 27)

AN ORGANIC EXPERIENCE

A few weeks ago I went to Bowery Electric and saw Rue Snider and his band. That was the first time I saw them do a show. Dressed in what might have been a space suit, he did an exciting show featuring a lot of music from his very recently released new album "City Living".

I've been listening to his album since then, and I can say that it definitely lives up to its name. The songs cover a wide range of city life, not only about our own personal hopes and drama, but also a connection to and a rooting in what's outside our front doors. Listening to all eleven tracks envelop you and grounds you in time and place, covering a panorama of life in the city. The music includes everything from love songs to the political, and very interestingly, contains many references to local aspects of life in Brooklyn and New York (especially in track 10, "Wouldn't Be Summer"). While I lived in Brooklyn for many years and can relate to some of the specific place references, the story lines in the songs could be part of life in many cities and towns. It's truly a whole, organic experience. And one of the reasons that makes it so is also the inclusion of some of the broader macro issues that currently face our society as a whole, regardless of what city you might live in.

Decency Can't Dance Alone

What a horrific couple weeks we've had, with terrorist attacks in the form of attempted mail bombings and actual shootings at, of all places, a house of worship. It's times like these when we can feel overwhelmed. The media accounts leave us with too much of a sense of horror and vulnerability. And too small a sense of true healing.

It's times like these when we need the reassurances that, yes, there still are many good people out there, people who are ready to put themselves on the line to make the world a better place. We need an antidote to the divisiveness we too often hear from our country's current leadership.

And I definitely found inspiration from the last track on "City Living". When I first heard "City Living" a few weeks ago, this was the track that had the greatest impact for me. The right track for the right time. Its title is "Don't Lose Heart". It's beautiful and passionate and has been made into a video. Here is the video version of "Don't Lose Heart", with Rue Snider's background comments appearing further below:

I was very intrigued about how the song came to be and wanted to learn more of its background, so I asked Rue.

He explained that it had actually started out as a different song, but, as events in 2017 unfolded, felt that he had to rewrite the song to address the serious issues we're facing. Here's an excerpt from our email conversation last week.

The Women's March had happened. Trump was trying to ban Muslims. He was actively stripping rights away from minorities. My circle of friends and artists were outraged and beginning to take to the streets to protest. So I rewrote the lyrics with all of that in mind and "Don't Lose Heart" was born.

The single most important issue facing America in my mind is income inequality. I addressed that on my first record in a song called "Snowfall." That's the lens through which I was viewing all the other issues in the song as I was writing it. "The oligarchs smile/they traffic in fear to divide." The idea being that all this other stuff that's going on is a deliberate distraction to get us to take our eyes off the people at the top with the money who are pulling the strings. I was angry and the song addresses a lot of topics. The song is absolutely a Fuck You to the the President and every republican in power who supports his policies. But I wanted to be sure to end on an uplifting note, and I truly believe that many of the stands these powerful men take are designed to keep us fighting among ourselves so we don't pay attention to how they're profiting off of our subsistence and pain. The war machine cranks on because there is money to made from it. Not because of any principles or ideals. Guns remain legal not because of the second amendment, which most people on both sides of the debate understand wasn't designed to protect personal gun ownership but to protect the establishment of militias, but because there is a lot of money to made selling guns.

I mention Lucy Burns and Rosa Parks in the chorus to kind of hammer home the idea of women's rights being central to everything that's going on at the moment. I wanted to lend my voice to support women's equality.

I realize there's more nuance than what I'm describing, but I had to fit all of this into a 3 minute rock ballad. So "Don't Lose Heart." That's the story in a nutshell.

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I think the song's title, "Don't Lose Heart" can have two meanings. One meaning can be a reassurance for us not to lose hope. Another can be an admonition not to lose love for others, but to be in solidarity with them ... because decency can't dance alone.

Rue Snider doesn't have any other shows coming up in our area in the near future, but here is the click to his Facebook page, so you can keep up with what he's doing as well as to get links to the new album: Rue Snider on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

p.s. ::: I write about the live shows in the order in which I've seen them. Weird timing when this song came along.

Oct 26 : "Fall Protection" - The Silence Kit (Philly)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (OCTOBER 26!)

Philly Music!

EASING THE FALL

NEWS ::: NEWS ::: NEWS ::: NEWS ::: Philly post-punk band The Silence Kit just released a new album today, "Fall Protection"! Fans of The Silence Kit won't be disappointed; this is another great album! All of the familiar qualities of the band's music are there, coming from the deep and dark, and talking about the complexities of life and relationships.

I think the first time I saw The Silence Kit perform must have been back in 2006 or 2007. I'm pretty sure it was at Khyber. "Sea of My Discretion" was one of their most popular songs at the time. It came from the album "In Regulated Measure".

So how is the music on today's new album changed from my first time seeing them at Khyber? There have been changes in the instrumentals as well as the vocals and lyrics.

One of the unique qualities of the band when I first heard them was Pat McCay's vocals. They were always very much front and center, more than you would experience with other bands and their lead singers. The instrumentals were plain and stark which enhanced the materials in the lyrics and vocals as the characters in the songs tried to deal with their introspection and sometimes anguish.

Moving forward to 2014 with the release of the album named "Watershed", we hear fuller instrumentals complementing the vocals, but the vocals were still the main front and center. There was much more complexity in the instrumental arrangements including some faster beats.

And fast forward to "Fall Protection", the album being released today. This album continues and builds upon the more complex instrumental arrangements that we heard in "Watershed". One song with a unique structure is "Worry".

As a general broad brushstroke impression of the new album, I think the arrangements and sound mixing as a whole have the prominence of the vocals receding ever so slightly. The instrumentals are moving forward. They're more than just the background accompaniment that we heard in 2007. In this album the instrumentals are out there demanding attention on their own.

Another difference and broad brushstroke impression that I observe in "Fall Protection" revolves around the content of the lyrics themselves. While the characters in a number of the songs are still experiencing complex and tumultuous life situations, the characters in the new songs at least see a few options in life (which is why I subtitled this writeup "Easing the Fall"), whereas the characters in the earlier songs felt less hope and maybe fewer choices (retroactively in comparison might have labeled their writeup "Freefall"). The characters in the new songs have a realization that a less drastic alternative to what they're facing might exist. (But, don't worry, Silence Kit fans, it's still dark!)

I think the the best example on the new album that illustrates that transition in attitude or awareness is in the song, "Can We Skip This", which is the fourth track on the new album. Take a listen :::

Here is the link to the album where you can hear and download all eleven songs ::: "Fall Protection" by The Silence Kit (CLICK HERE).

And, while the band doesn't have any shows coming up in the next few weeks, here is the click to the band's Facebook page, where you can keep an eye on everything! The Silence Kit on Facebook (CLICK HERE)".

Oct 03 : "New Town" - The Rungs (Brooklyn)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (May 2018)

JOURNAL OF THE MONTH

Suppose you could do a "re-start", to go to a new place and start out completely fresh, and leave behind all the old stuff that you'd just as soon forget. It takes strength to make such a move, but you could do it!

That was the question posed to the audience as Mandy of The Rungs opened up the evening at Bowery Electric last Thursday. And that's the theme of The Rungs' song, "New Town", which was the first song they played that night. Throughout the show, Mandy sprinkled in little stories and anecdotes between each song. Very engaged with the audience, talking to us like we had been her close friends for years! Stage presence definitely a few notches above lots of the rest!

I liked the band's show at Bowery Electric, but it was a thinned-down acoustic version of their music. But listen as the Brooklyn three-piece plays a more full-bodied version of "New Town". This is on the first track on their May, 2018 album "Mandy's Song Journal" :::

So what's "Mandy's Song Journal"? A very interesting concept, for one thing. Mandy explained that, partly as a manner of self-discipline, she decided to write at least one song a month and keep it in a song journal. Here is her online description of it :::
In May I decided to start a creative challenge for myself by committing to write and record a song, or demo, each month. I’ve titled this project my ‘Song Journal’ because sharing these rougher demos feels like opening up a journal. Home to the b-sides, the experiments, and the explorations outside of my comfort zone, the journal tunes are currently available to stream on Youtube and purchase on Bandcamp.

Thank you for listening,

❤

Mandy

If you would like to see more of the song journal, here is the click ::: Mandy's Song Journal (CLICK HERE). ... The Rungs don't have any other show coming up in the next few weeks, but here is the click to their Facebook page, where you can keep an eye on what they're doing::: The Rungs on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Sep 26 : "Ambient Guitar to Tape" - Sam Seeger (New York)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (August 2018)

SUPERB DESIGN

NEWS ::: ::: ::: Sam Seeger has just published an ambient guitar video. Wow, this is a change from his normal hard-hitting rock. We normally see Sam with his band and hear him taking some swipes at the surveillance state. In addition to being a change in genre this video is also a change in that it's entirely instrumental. If I had been blindfolded, I never would have guessed that the artist in this piece was Sam; this is a true sign of his versatility.

I asked him about all this :::

Bob: What made you decide to do an ambient video?

Sam: My father needed some ambient music for a free APP he developed called GoView 360 Yoga.

Bob: Is this a singular exploration, or are you looking towards changing or expanding your genre? Bringing the other band members along with you on this exploration in the future?

Sam: I don’t think they’d be willing to come along on such a journey. But I am finishing up a new song with Rosie and Max that emerged out of an ambient loop. Planning on releasing that next month with a music video.

Bob: The latter part of the video includes a “tape” of the first portion? I see at about 2:26 you reach out to adjust the equipment but the music is still playing. Slide guitar? Is because of your hand contraption or is there a real thing called a slide guitar? Not familiar with this term.

Sam: I basically made a long ass loop and kept adding layers throughout the video, as my guitar ran through three amps—each with different effects trailing out. And it’s a regular old guitar—the “hand contraption” in question is the slide.

Bob: That’s all your artwork in the background?

Sam: A couple of the paintings are by me, the rest are by my mother Holly Whitstock Seeger, my aunt Mindy Seeger, as well as Max and Rosie. Each wall in my studio is completely covered with artwork by family and friends.

Bob: Are you aware that everything in that room appears to be angular? Only curved lines appear to be the curved stems of the stemmed-eyed monster in the pic to the left.

Sam: Haha—gets a little less angular on some of the other walls. Maybe they’ll be featured in the next in-studio video.

Sam: Thanks Bob!!

Bob: And thank you, Sam!

One of the things I find intriguing about Sam's videos is that they seem to be set in very interesting rooms. In looking at the room in this video, at first glance I see all the straight angles of the equipment, all crisp and clean, and then after a second look I see the more complex wall hangings and artwork. I had a similar reaction when I saw the room in his "Drumbeat of the Apocalypse" video, first noticing the square-windowed doors, and then, with a closer look, seeing the carpet's intricate patterns. When you watch Sam's videos, you not only get good music, but superb set design as well!

I've heard Sam and his band perform twice, once at Goldsounds in Bushwick and then more recently at Pianos in Manhattan, and I'm looking forward to hearing them again. While Sam doesn't have any shows planned in the next few weeks, here is the click to his web page where you can follow what he's doing ::: Sam Seeger's Web Page (CLICK HERE).

Family is very important to Sam, and it's truly unique that he always tries to bring along their participation in his efforts in one way or another. Here is the click to Aunt Mindy's art work. Mindy Seeger's art work. And his Mom also has a website. In addition to paintings, her artwork is commercial including graphic design and website design: Holly Whitstock Seeger's page. And brother Max has The Mayor Of Bad News, which is his own band. Sam and Rosie hope to join Max in some of his upcoming work to be released soon.

Sep 23 : "Canary" - Duane Swierczynski (Philly)

Philly Book!

I'm eager to find those long commutes ... ... partly because I'm a member of a book club! Just finished reading "Canary", by Philly author Duane Swierczynski.

"Canary" is a fast-paced crime novel with an interesting ensemble of characters but telling its story focussing on two people: "Sarie Holland", a 19-year-old college student, who, while driving a new boyfriend to allegedly pick up a laptop he left at a friends house, is apprehended by "Ben Wildey", a police officer who is trying to make a name for himself on the Philly police force, and who has been watching that very house because it is really the house of a drug kingpin.

While I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crime novels, I would give it a special recommendation to anyone who lives in Philly. BECAUSE THIS STORY TAKES PLACE IN PHILLY! It takes place in Philly at many familiar places and areas we Philadelphians see each day. It's got Khyber, the El, Roosevelt Blvd., movie theaters under I-95, Melrose Diner,, as well as the crooked Dr. near Drexel. ... ... ... and many more. And it's got detailed real descriptions all the way down to the color of the formica tables in the diners! Yikes!

Here's the blurb from the book's cover. It's dangerous enough when an ordinary college girl turns confidential informant. Even more dangerous when she's smarter than the killer, kingpins, and cops who control her.

Honors student Sarie Holland is busted by the local police while doing a favor for her boyfriend. Unwilling to betray him but desperate to avoid destroying her future, Sarie has no choice but to become a "CI"--a confidential informant.

Philly narcotics cop Ben Wildey is hungry for a career-making bust. The detective thinks he's found the key in Sarie: her boyfriend scores from a mid-level dealer with alleged ties to the major drug gangs.

Sarie turns out to be the perfect CI: a quick study with a shockingly keen understanding of the criminal mind. But Wildey, desperate for results, pushes too hard and inadvertently sends the nineteen-year-old into a death trap, leaving Sarie hunted by crooked cops and killers alike with nothing to save her--except what she's learned during her harrowing weeks as an informant.

Which is bad news for the police and the underworld. Because when it comes to payback, CI #1373 turns out to be a very quick study

This story has an interesting ensemble of characters who tell the story from different perspectives, but a main focus is the relationship between Sarie and Ben.

If you would like to get a copy of "Canary", here is the click to the FLP site where you can find available copies or "place a hold". Get "Canary" at FLP (CLICK HERE).