Jul 21 : "Holes" - Nour Harkati (Tunis + New York)

IN A SPIRITUAL PLACE

A couple weeks ago I went to Pianos and heard Tunisian artist Nour Harkati open up the evening. He's a remarkable vocalist who started his show plyaing guitar as an accompaniment to his vocals. While his vocals were pronounced, his guitar had a quieter rhythm. The main force of the music was through the vocals.

Later he put the guitar down and finished the rest of the show playing keys.

Nour Harkati is from Tunisia and has come to the U.S. of A. only very recently. His album, "The Shift" was published a couple years ago and he says he wants to re-release it for a wider audience.

The instrumentals are mellow and spiritual, juxtaposed with vocals that are sharper.

I was interested in learning more about Nour and his music, so we've been talking back and forth by emails over the last few days.

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Bob: Was the show at Pianos your first show in New York? You recently came here from Tunis?

Nour: Yes! the show at Pianos was my first show in NYC and I'm so glad cause that was really a great show full of good energy and I know "Pianos" is one of the Classic authentic Venues in NYC. I arrived in New York on the 2nd of may.

Bob: How did you pick New York to come to?

Nour: I'm a Singer Songwriter and my inspiration come from traveling and meeting people so after Paris and Berlin Experience, I thought that New York would be my next step.

I used to live in Paris and Berlin, I've Worked with "LIVE NATION FRANCE" the Biggest Touring and Booking Companies in the world.

They Recommended to "Pianos" and helped me pick up that

Bob: Was getting the show and setting it up as easy as you expected?

Nour: Honestly, I did’ really expect that Energy, I was Stressed because I dont know many people in NYC and I don’t have a FAN Base here.

Bob: Part of your show had a guitar background; part had the keys as an accompaniment. Which do you prefer? Which did you learn first? Did you learn to play instruments first and then became a vocalist or the other way around? Or both at the same time?

Nour: I learned Guitar First and few years Later I started to sing and Write , I made an Album in Paris and a second album in Berlin Called the Shift after I Spent much time learning about Piano and Synths

Actually I’m working on an album with a Tunisian Band Called “Aytma” Really Good young musicians, the Album is called “Helwess” it means Paranoia in Arabic/Tunisian because after few years in Europe and I’ve realized that I love my language and I wanna connect to it with a depth.

The Album is coming out Soon (September / October) and we are going on a Tour together on November 2017.

Morocco, Cairo , Beirut , Dubai , Jordan , France.

Here’s the first Track we released together.

This song is talking about the epic we live in, lack of trust, lack of good values, talking also about the wild lost youth “the new generations”

Bob: Your accompaniments, both the guitar and the keys convey a strong sense of spirituality. But you also commented at the show that you wanted to convey a feeling of melancholy. Can you comment on that?

Nour: I want to express Melancholy, cause first of all I feel it everyday, I’m a positive person in the daily life but I m in a moment of my life that I want to export the Melancholy I have in me and make people feel it also not to make them sad just to invite them to connect to my world.

Bob: Do you hope to continue doing solo work in the future, or do you see yourself having a band or larger ensemble or maybe a little of both?

Nour: I would do both, depends on where I am or how I feel , but I love to collaborate with musicians , no matter the style or the nationality.

Thank you.

Bob: And thank you.

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A song that illustrates some of the stylings I was talking about above can be found in his song, "Holes" which is the third track on the album, "The Shift".

If you like his sound and want to hear him live, you're in luck. Nour will be doing a show next week, on Wednesday, July 26, at The Gallery at Casa Mezcal, on Orchard Street in Manhattan.

In the meantime, here is the link to his Facebook page: Nour Harkati on Facebook (CLICK HERE). And here is the click to his Soundcloud page, where you can listen to the whole album. Nour Harkati on Soundcloud (CLICK HERE).

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After listening to Nour's Soundcloud page, I checked out his video, and got back to him with one last question:

Bob: What's the story told in "Ayem"?

Nour: "Ayem" means "Days" I mean this whole Century not just Days and I'm expressing the struggle of life of the Youth in my Country and the small limited circle they live in.

I express melancholy most of the time in my music because in the daily life I'm a positive, funny person and I love to laugh and to have good moments, so I dont have time to share my Sorrow with others - I just do it through my songs and my texts.

Jul 01 : "Black Cadillac". - Looseleaf (Philly)

Philly Music!

Where blues and garage meet is Philly band "Looseleaf", or "Looseleaf Trio" as they were formerly called until they added on a couple new members.

They did a great show at Ortlieb's a couple weeks ago. Even had some brass in one of the songs (I seem to be encountering more occasional brass within the last year or two).

In addition to the blues, other genres made appearances in the show, but the basic blues and rock were the main thrusts. Here's a good example of one of their songs, "Black Cadillac", which was released in November 2015.

If you like the sound of their music and want to hear them live, you're in luck. They'll be doing a release of new work, "Friends", at Milkboy on July 14. Here is the click to their Facebook page so you can check them out ::: Looseleaf on Facebook (CLICK HERE)

Jun 20 : "Waking Up" - Close Talker (Saskatoon)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (April 2017)

BLOCKS OF TEXTURE

Last Wednesday I went to Ortlieb's and saw Canadian band "Close Talker" open up the evening.

At first listen to their web music before I went to the show, there was something about the music that was a little unsettling. Maybe yes or no in the lyrics, but, deeper than that, in the foundation or the structure of the songs themselves. I'm talking about the texture or feel of the instrumentals. My "getting into the song" was interrupted by quick changes or stops in the textures.

On some of the songs there would be an intro that created one sense or feel followed abruptly by a verse that evoked something completely different. An example of this is in the song "Okay Hollywood", where there is a very lush and haunting intro for ten seconds, followed abruptly by a first verse that is more minimalist. While you can hear this contrast in the recorded version, it was even more pronounced in the band's live show. The abruptness of the transition rather than a smoothly-flowing change is one reason why I think of this as a "block of texture", which has a specific beginning and end.

Another reason why I see the music's structure as being in blocks is that, at several points, either between verses or interludes, the music almost stops! If only even for a split section, but it is definitely a dividing line. An example is in "Waking Up", near the 1.06 marker.

These blocks are also created by some abrupt changes in tempo and/or volume. Also in "Waking Up", listen how there is almost a break to silence at 1:56, and then the feel suddenly becomes softer and quieter. While music in general may have intros and verses and refrains and interludes, it's the segmenting or divides that help make this band's music unique.

"Waking Up" is the sixth track on the band's new album, "Lens", which was just released in April!

As I listened to the band's work on line and saw their wonderful show at Ortlieb's I kept thinking of their music in terms of these "blocks"; not every song has them, but enough do that I perceived their overall body of work in these terms. Due to these blocks and the changing textures, I found it sometimes hard to experience a particular feeling about an individual song all the way through, but, at the end of their show, when they had just played their last song and were ready to pack up, I felt that I had a pretty good feel for their work as a whole. Very intriguing structures. I liked their show.

Close Talker doesn't have any other shows coming up. The Philly show was one of their final stops on a world tour. However, you can see what they're up to by checking out their Facebook page. Here is the click ::: Close Talker on Facebook (CLICK HERE)

Jun 08 : "It's Alright". - Sam Seeger (New York)

BAND OF SIBLINGS

My main reason to go to Pianos that night was to hear Sam Seeger and his band. I had seen them at Goldsounds in Bushwick a few months before and was eager to see them again. The Pianos show was great; they didn't disappoint. At Pianos they played some new work and a lot of their standards.

Sam told me that he started playing music when he was twelve, and, from then until now, one of his dreams and goals is to have a "band of siblings". And that's exactly the way he's worked things out. His current lineup features both sister, Lily, playing rhythm guitar, and brother, Max, playing bass. (And Sam's girlfriend, Rosie, playing drums).

One song that stands out in their collection is "It's Alright." It's a song that has only those two words: "It's Alright". The first time I heard it, it seemed like a very upbeat and innocuous song; as I was first becoming acquainted with the band I had just been listening to their Soundcloud stream without looking at any of the accompanying artwork. However, as I later started to listen to the band's total body of music more intensely as well as took a closer look at their original artwork, I came to realize that the band has a more cynical and cautionary look at life and society, and there was more behind the two-word lyrics that I originally thought. I later saw the art next to the song showing a thumbs-up from the grave while being told "It's Alright". In some of the band's other work, such as "Drumbeat of the Apocalypse", the theme is resisting some of society's sweet words that try to lull us into submission. Here is "It's Alright", which was released last August :::

Sam Seeger and his siblings have no other shows coming up soon in our area, but here is the click to their web page, where you can keep an eye on what they're doing next ::: Sam Seeger web page (CLICK HERE). And here is the click to their Facebook page ::: Sam Seeger on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Jun 02 : "Lorimer". - The Pendulum Swings (Brooklyn)

Big Band Entertainment! Loved their show. A big surprise at last Wednesday's visit to Pianos was Jason Trachtenburg and his big band "The Pendulum Swings". Eight band members including a whole brass SECTION! While I knew that there were multiple band members in the outfit, my new computer wasn't up and running til right before, so I was barely acquainted with most of the bands playing that night.

Yes, there's a brass section! They had a tenor sax, alto sax, trumpet, and trombone. And rounding out the outfit is a bass guitar, drums, an accordion, and Jason doing vocals and guitar. The band has a smooth musical style as well as stage presence. Jason's persona took over the room.

They played a good collection of songs including "Lorimer", which is one of their standards and was featured back in 2013 in a You-Tube video, which is right here :::

In addition to leading "The Pendulum Swings", Jason Trachtenburg is doing food videos. From last month, here is "Vegan Miso Lemon Tahini Dressing".

The Pendulum Swings doesn't have any other shows coming up in our area, but here is a click to their Facebook page so you can watch for the next date ::: The Pendulum Swings on Facebook (CLICK HERE).