Today is a holiday of sorts - One Night Band's Eve. In lieu of a religious service, we're doing a super-duper 14 track C.D. on Songs featuring all participating artists. This is but a small sample - there's like 40-something musicians taking part.
As is the custom with C.D. on Songs, you can hear everything as I hear it. Instead of doing a piecemeal song-by-song link basis, I have just zipped all of the files up into a convenient folder. All for you. (HINT: It's down at the bottom). So take a read, take a listen and take a spin on down to the Middle East Downstairs tomorrow night and find out how this thing of ours works.
Jimmy Ryan - "What Kind of World"
According to his bio, Jimmy Ryan believes there's always room for the mandolin. And he means it. And he makes us believe it in "What Kind of World," a plaintive piece that features naught but Ryan and his trusty mandolin. Does this work? In a word - yes.
Whether or not you thought it possible, the mandolin takes on its own identity in "What Kind of World." The intimacy of Ryan's performance - both instrumental and vocal - makes this sound like it could be about the microcosm of one's personal "world" or the macrocosm of the entire world as we know it. Time seems to stop - or at least slow down - and Ryan masterfully plucks the strings, leaving almost a silent universe's worth of melancholy in between each note.
"What Kind of World" is a song full of questions - many of which have no true answer. Ryan shares these questions with us, perhaps not expecting a reply, but maybe just looking in the dark for a kindred soul.
Aloud - "Sometimes I Feel Like a Vampire"
(feat. Jen de la Osa and Henry Beguiristain)
Eric the Viking Vampire has been eyeing Sookie Stackhouse in a fairly lascivious manner as of late, and we have to wonder if he's eventually going to turn her. If he does, you can be sure that Aloud's "Sometimes I Feel Like a Vampire" will start playing over the credits immediately after Sookie sits up all pale and vampirey-looking and looks around like "What the heck?"
The Beatings - "All the Things You've Been Missing"
(feat. Eldridge Rodriguez)
Aloud is one of those groups that has the luxury of having two exquisitely talented vocalists in Henry Beguiristain and Jen de la Osa. This embarrassment of vocal riches means Aloud has to choose who's going to sing lead, but the two work together so well in this particular track that you barely notice the differentiation. Perhaps they have that whole "shared blood" thing going on, or maybe they have just had a long time to sing together, being immortal and all.
This song works in a weird medium-level gear, not driving but not dragging either - it's a solid walking pace. Aloud, as can be expected, is totally locked in musically. As can be further expected of them, the chorus is solidly rewarding, especially when the multi-part vocal harmonies kick in. When the two vocalists sing that "There's no holding us back now," in concert, we are obliged to believe them.
The Beatings - "All the Things You've Been Missing"(feat. Eldridge Rodriguez)
It certainly seems like a good deal of forever since we've gotten to hear something new from the Beatings. They have returned vigorous and as darkly triumphant as ever with "All the Things You've Been Missing" from next month's Late Season Kids, their first release in over three years.
The Beatings add a new dimension to their sound with the addition of "the fifth Beating" Greg Lyon, who takes over on keyboards and guitars. Lyon's piano part is front and center in "All the Things..." leading the charge and maintaining the energy of the piece.
As a group, the Beatings have different voices, both literal and figurative. One Night Bander Eldridge Rodriguez takes the lead on this track, and his voice is like a gloriously cracked window that distorts the image just enough. His voice is both capable of rising triumphant and falling deconstructed to the wayside. E.R. is a skilled vocalist in that he allows these ebbs and flows, willing to croon in the break and equally willing to tear himself to shreds in the anthemic coda.
Number 1 Dad& DJ Fred Mertz - "Summer Song"
(feat. Michael Potvin)
No matter what your musical cultural genre leanings, everyone - and we need everyone - needs an electronic party song in their life at one point or another. "Summer Song" is a late-night ride through a neon city in an expensive foreign automobile. The pulse of the drums sounds like not just one heartbeat, but a collective one that only really manifests at night.
So much electronic music is woefully more electronic than music. One might hear the electronic bleeps and bloops and immediately take "Summer Song" for another disinteresting robotic ride. One would be quite wrong - "Summer Song" has some mechanical parts to its makeup, but there is something undeniably organic to "Summer Song" - if one listens close enough through the headphones, one can hear the song breathe, as it inhales and exhales. From the solid "New Year's Day" style acoustic piano chords to the humanity of the vocal (at least before the vocoder part, that is), "Summer Song" has a life of its own. Leave the day to "Margaritaville," because "Summer Song" will own your night.
Destruct-A-Thon - "9 Squares"
(feat. Duncan Wilder Johnson)
Sometimes, there's no kidding around. Sometimes you need to reach over to the tuning pegs and switch gears into Dropped-D territory. It seems like Destruct-A-Thon lives here, judging by the sounds of Michele Morgan's molar-rattling guitar part that opens up "9 Squares." Morgan thrashes, gnashes and smashes her way through this track, a constant presence in the mix that sounds like a gang of demons brushing their teeth with Brillo pads.
The thunderous bass/guitar/drums arrangement serves as fiery and dangerous vehicle for the dynamic and layered vocal performance of One Night Band-er Duncan Wilder Johnson. Johnson's voicebox is like a manual transmission of metal. He can cruise along through the verses in near deadpan, occasionally downshifting to a growl (listen for it in the chorus) and switching up to a high-level roar. Johnson's vocal dynamics flow up and down naturally - he's not all screaming goat-horns and not he's not asleep either. If he is, we can rest assured he is having very strange dreams.
MEandJOANCOLLINS - "Crime of the Century"
(feat. Bo Barringer)
We gave MEandJOANCOLLINS the Google test. Local band versus famous Hollywood person who makes her own sunglasses, jewelry and God knows what else. What's the first hit? Why it's MEandJOANCOLLINS vocalist and One Night Band participant Bo Barringer on the floor of PA's Lounge in his underwear. The "real" Joan Collins is #2).
What does this mean? Who knows. We're not here to sell you sunglasses or make fun of Bo Barringer's purple underwear. We're here to tell you that MEandJOANCOLLINS is a new-wave trip on a flashy bus that makes plenty of familiar stops before the big finish. The guitar tone is almost brittle, taking quick two-chord stabs at the song while Barringer assumes various vocal new-wave poses, backed by a fuzzy, articulate bassline that at times echoes the guitar, and at other times ventures off on its own journey.
"Crime of the Century" has a solid thumping beat - eased back enough to dance to, but quick enough to get the skinny ties swinging in the breeze as the necks to which they are attached whip wildly back and forth in time with the beat. While the song could get by on style alone, it is this beat which powers it over the finish line and into the realm of new-wave coolness, pants or not.
Andy Santospago - "My Delivery"
This is not Mr. McFeely's Speedy Delivery. There is nothing speedy about this song, and if that's a problem, you should probably go ahead and get out. Andy Santospago even politely asks for "some time to get my bearings," and if this is how it sounds when he takes his time, then he should be takin' 'er easy all day, every day.
There's a Randy Newman-esque quality to Santospago's whole deal here - with the exception of singing like a bullfrog. Santospago's vocals are both easy and breezy - sometimes he lets out some extra breath at the end of the phrase, some times he lets just the right amount of time slip by before starting the next phrase, but he always lands just so in a soft bed of tinkly piano, lazy guitar, big old bass and some unpolished brass.
Listening to this song will possibly make you feel a little drunk. Or like you are in a hammock. Possibly both. The gentle swing of "My Delivery" delivers on its own pace, and will happily leave the box on the back porch, provided you lead a signature pinned to your hammock or a big old glass of iced tea.
St. Helena - "E Chord Song"
(feat. Magen Tracy)
We're going to give St. Helena a musical pass by not bringing them up on charges of false representation - this song is in E flat. You can try playing an E chord along at home, but you are most definitely not going to enjoy the results. Not one bit.
It is a much better idea, then, to sit back and allow St. Helena to play "E Chord Song" for you. The name of the game in this song is both theme and atmosphere. You learn almost everything you need to know about the theme in the opening acoustic guitar chords that greet you at the door. The mixed male-female vocals, usually an awkward part in any song, work due to the gentle delivery of both sides. St. Helena does not seek to overpower the listener any more than the ocean seeks to overpower the shore - both are allowed to coexist and leave their marks on one another.
The soft swing of "E Chord Song" occasionally switches to a surging, building chorus (over a Bb - we again caution you to not attempt to play an E chord). The chorus is a teaser for the apex of the song, when the waves crash and St. Helena allows a little whitewater to show. By then it's fine; we're all soaked up in the sound and ready for more.
Black Fortress of Opium - "Crack and Pool Reprise"
(feat. Tony Savarino)
Regardless of how much one enjoys opium, would one really want to travel into a Black Fortress of one? If so, what sort of music are they playing in those hazy, hallowed halls? One has to believe that it sounds a lot like "Crack and Pool Reprise," an instant-atmospheric system that takes listeners on a slow-moving caravan through odd structures full of weird beings and vibrations.
The sounds of "Crack and Pool Reprise" remain constant, but they waver in and out of the trip, as if our travelling companions dissipate and then manifest themselves again and again. We find ourselves in the company of several guitars, some droning, some more adventurous. An eerie female voice permeates the mix, sounding both oddly comforting and a little unnerving, like an elemental spirit that may or may not turn on us at any time.
The unnerving essence of this music comes from the fact that it sounds like it was created eons ago and is just echoing across the void. The tones, crashes and clatters sound clear as day yet of unknown origin. Plainly stated, this song is a trip through the ancient unfamiliar; a place we can imagine but can't fully visualize. While this piece has more substance than your standard piece of run of the mill psychedelia, it is fully - and excellently- weird enough for almost anyone.
Sidewalk Driver - "Dancing With Her Friends"
(feat. Tad McKitterick)
A good chorus can and will get you everywhere. The chorus to Sidewalk Driver's "Dancing With Her Friends" might get them free admittance to Disney World, the upcoming Winter Classic and the Oval Office all at once.
It's a simple thing really; your standard I - V - VIm - IV trip through the chords, but the band works the hell out of these four chords. Vocalist Tad McKitterick does this weird thing where it's not how forcefully he sings, but how he plays with the words like a cat plays with its own favorite catnip toy.
McKitterick sings as if he really, really enjoys this melody to the point where singing it is an act of self-gratification. When McKitterick hits the glorious third iteration of "DANCE-ING..." you feel it. And anxiously wait for the next go-round. McKitterick sings like a man chemically dependent upon the chorus, an addiction he soon passes along.
Ad Frank and the Fast Easy Women - "Winterthru"
(feat. Ad Frank)
As one could tell from the album art, this Ad Frank is pretty well put-together. It should come as no surprise that "Winterthru" is a flawless arrangement of mostly electronic sound layered over a foundation of deeply human feeling.
This entire track is about duality. The theme of the song is one of oldest in the book: love and love lost. The sentiment is fairly simple - "I'll be missing you." While the statement seems almost childish at first, Ad Frank delivers this message with a mature dignity that makes this sound less like a "woe is me" song and more like an objective statement. Despite his purposed detachment, one gets the idea that he probably pouts when he thinks no one is looking.
Frank broods and sighs throughout the song, all the while fully acknowledging/purposefully ignoring the electronic cartoon snowflakes gathering on his shoulders. This makes for a delicious scene of a song; add some sleighbells and it might be this year's "Last Christmas," so we hope that Ad Frank takes note for the inevitable holiday edition of C.D. on Songs. All we can do is hope.
Apple Betty - "Go To You"
(feat. Kerri-Ann Richard)
If there's one thing I love about Boston Bands, it's when they sound like Boston bands. The second One Night Bander Kerri-Ann Richard starts singing about her heart and "when you play your guitar," you can tell that she is officially From Here. Apple Betty is more Boston than almost any other Boston Band (though maybe not more so than Boston, because let's face it, they are named Boston).
The appeal of Apple Betty is in their straight-up approach. Guitar chords on the eighth notes, drums with a slightly surfy tilt, and the direct, dry nature of the vocals all create a straight arrow ready to shoot the apple off anyone's head within range.
There is no pretense or posturing in "Go To You" and this makes the song instantly likeable - almost on a personal level. This song doesn't care what your hair looks like; heck, it might not even care if you have holes in your t-shirt. "Go To You" is at its core a love song, and it sounds like they love us just the way we are, and the feeling is mutual.
John Powhida - "Good Start"
We're used to seeing Jon Powhida stylin' and profilin' onstage with The Rudds. "Good Start" is a pure J-Po original, featuring the lanky frontman singing lead - from behind the drumkit. This must be quite a sight, as Powhida is approximately 8 feet tall, but he does it nonetheless and guess what - he's pretty good at it.
"Good Start" features all the bombast we're accustomed to hearing in one of this gentleman's performances. Everything in this deceptively short track has that extra amount of swagger dialed in, from the 1-2 swing of the main guitar part to Powhida's vocal asides. It's hard to tell if Powhida is addressing us personally or singing to an arena full of screaming, J-Po-thirsty fans, and it feels like a complete song despite its short clock time of a scant 1 minute, 37 seconds.
Powhida is like some weird local hybrid of David Lee Roth and Ric Flair, except without the failed morning radio show and professional wrestling title belts (as far as we know.) Like DLR, he places an indelible personal stamp on every song, and like Ric Flair he appears incapable of appearing in any forum without shouting "Woo!!!!" every one minute, give or take three seconds. But that's OK, because "Good Start" is so bloody good, we're Woo!!!-ing right along with him.
Muy Cansado - "Telemundo"
(feat. Chris Mulvey)
Has Chris Mulvey been watching too many Spanish language soap operas? He, bassist Lisa Libera and drummer David Fine seem quite taken with the language and, in this song, watching television. In fact, they love television so much they have written a rip-roaring song about watching it, and Mulvey sounds - to put it lightly - very excited.
One of the hallmarks of a Muy Cansado song is Mulvey's scream-sing vocal delivery. He roars, he wails, he occasionally glances at a melody in his singing and thinks "...Maybe." There's a weird croony quality at the same time to all this madness, as Mulvey puts little bends and twists on his vocals from time to time. It's almost as if Mulvey has found some way to lend voice to his wild subconscious, all he has to do is tilt his head to the side at a certain angle and let it out.
Bassist Lisa Libera serves as the voice of musical reason; her background vocals lending their own melody and an extra dimension to the song. The big ending finds Mulvey letting loose with primal roars as Libera persists in a gentle and melodic series of "ooh-ooh-ooh's." Muy Cansado somehow manages to keep it all together, all while seeming total out of control.
The Motion Sick - "The Owls Are Not What They Seem"(feat. Travis Richter)
Maybe it's the Twin Peaks inspired song title. Maybe it's the weirdly off-kilter harmonics 0f the backing organ. Maybe it's the foreboding chorus, which promises us that they're not going to let us run and there is, in fact, no escape. There's something vaguely menacing/eerie about this long-titled song from The Motion Sick.
As a group, The Motion Sick is like the Jimmy Stewart of local bands in that they are self-effacing EveryMen that you find yourself pulling for from the start. There's something slightly askance, but you feel some empathy with these fellows. This song is certainly no It's a Wonderful Life, it's more like Rear Window.
One thing that keeps them in our good graces is their knack for melody and chorus that keeps us listening even when they threaten us with unlawful imprisonment. The pace is just right for head-nodding and the melody is just in reach enough to make this an ultimately accessible song on all fronts.
Want to submit your band's song to C.D. On Songs?
To be reviewed in a C.D. On Songs column:
- Be a Boston-based band/artist.
- Email a single mp3/m4a/etc. (or a download link to one) to cdonsongs (at) gmail (dot) com, with the subject line "C.D. on Songs" (DO NOT send us a bunch of songs and make us pick, we will ignore you). We require a file – not a streaming link.
- Include album cover art if you have any. If you don't, a band photo or logo is acceptable.
- We will assume that we have your permission to make the song downloadable on Boston Band Crush (readers will want to hear it, after all).
- If that's not ok with you, say so and provide us with a link to the song on an embeddable player like ReverbNation – something we can include in the post (and not just link to).
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