Our favorites of 2009

YEAH! Our faves of 2009 (from Modern Acoustic, Issue 27)

FAVORITE CD
“I and Love and You,” the Avett Brothers; “Sea of Tears,” Eilen Jewell. The Avetts’ mountain music has just enough punky attitude. Yes, we realize the band’s sound has been scrubbed a little cleaner than in the past, thanks to legendary producer Rick Rubin, but “I and Love and You” still comes off fresh and exciting, and new to those of us who hadn’t been paying attention before. As for “Sea of Tears,” Eilen’s timeless voice gets backing from some of the most-kickass late-’60s and early-’70s guitar-based sounds from a band who appears to have totally found its groove.
(Read our album reviews: Avetts HERE; Eilen HERE)

SURPRISE CD
“Friend of a Friend,” David Rawlings Machine. Since we’ve been waiting six years, anytime there is new music from Gillian Welch and David Rawlings it is a surprise.
(Read album review HERE; check out Dave’s music HERE)

MEMORABLE CONCERT MOMENT
Regina Spektor blowing the shofar as part of her encore.

FAVORITE CONCERT PHOTO
Dragonforce guitar player Herman Li (see above)

FAVORITE CONCERT
Big Surprise Tour. We went to see Gillian and David. We also got to hear the Felice Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show and Justin Townes Earle – all together sharing the stage in one big hoedown. The highlight was a concert-ending full-on version of “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ’n’ Roll).”
(Watch our video HERE; read our CONCERT review HERE).

FAVORITE VENUE
House of Blues Boston. We have mixed feelings about this. We love small clubs for their intimacy and HOB is a corporate rock club that holds a couple thousand people. But we saw six shows there this year – from Regina’s Spektor’s pin-drop quietude to the jam-rock of Grace Potter -- and the sound was perfect every time. Even when there were nearly 15 musicians on the stage for the Big Surprise Tour, we could hear every instrument and vocal nuance. While you do have to stand most of the time, the sightlines are surprisingly very good. One thing: $6 for a can of Bud? That’s why corporate rock really sucks. A special shoutout to the Palladium in Worcester. We had never been there before and it’s a pretty cool place to see a show. (read our GRACE concert review HERE)

BEST TIME AT A SHOW
Regina Spektor at the House of Blues, Dragonforce at the Worcester Palladium. Anytime you can experience music with your kids, it’s a good time.
(read our REGINA concert review HERE).

FAVORITE QUOTE
Q. How would you respond to some critics saying that “Inhuman Rampage” is just playing fast at the expense of taste?
Vadim Pruzhanov, Dragonforce keyboard player: We love to shred and shredding is what we do. There are plenty of bands that play mid-tempo power metal whilst looking at their fretboards and not move at all. If it’s too fast, you’re too fucking old! (FROM SAVIORSOFROCK.COM)

FAVORITE NEW ARTIST
The Low Anthem. This R.I. band caught our attention with their song “Charlie Darwin.” We look forward to their next album. (Check out the Low Anthem HERE).

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Steve Earle. We’ve known about Steve for a long time. But after seeing him at the Berklee Performance Center, we realized he is the real deal, a folk singer with that political drive to keep going.
(READ OUR concert review HERE; Steve's Music HERE)


OTHER MEMORABLE CONCERTS
Jenny Lewis at House of Blues We knew Jenny had a great voice, but we were amazed that in concert she hits all the notes, whether singing a solo gospel number or fronting her full-tilt rock band. (Read our concert review HERE; check out her music HERE)

The Avett Brothers at the House of Blues We’d heard that seeing these guys live is a different experience than hearing their albums. And it is true. The energy level is ratcheted up to the point where you can’t help but dance. (Read our concert review HERE; check out their music HERE)

Kathleen Edwards at Paradise This was our second time seeing Kathleen. She puts on a great show, stomping around the stage and firing off funny stories about life on the road. (Read our concert review HERE; check out her music HERE)

Eilen Jewell doing Loretta Lynn songs at Lizard Lounge We almost didn’t go to the show, but at the last minute changed our minds. And we’re glad we did. (Read our concert review HERE; check out her
music HERE)

OTHER MEMORABLE ALBUMS
Erin McKeown, “Hundreds of Lions” Erin has a spark, a wit, and a way with songs like no other. Take a listen to “(Put the Fun Back in) the Funeral” and “The Rascal” and try not to smile. (Read our album review HERE; check out her music HERE)

Regina Spektor, “Far” We thought we’d never love a Regina album as much as we did “Begin to Hope.’’ But, lo and behold, “Far” hooked us. It has so many great tunes full of her amazing vocal acrobatics. One listen to “Eet” or “Dance Anthem of the ’ 80s’’ and you’ll be hooked too. (Read our album review HERE; check out her music HERE)

Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson, “Rattlin’ Bones” Kasey is a nationally known folk-pop singer; Shane, her husband, is apparently known mostly in their native Australia. This album, a mix of folk, blues and bluegrass, really stands out for the way their voices meld into one. The best songs -- “Jackson Hole,” “The Devil’s Inside My Head” – are romping tunes filled out with some furious banjo picking. (Read our album review HERE; check out their music HERE)

Issue 27, Dec. 2009

I Survived Dragonforce
We all have have things we have lost tolerance for. Animated kids’ films? No more, thank you. Musical theater? Not unless our kids our in it. Costume parties? No invite necessary.
But it is good occasionally to step outside your comfort zone and take in experiences you don’t consider your style. Sometimes they even surprise you.
A couple of summers ago, we spent a weekend at a jam-band festival. We are not big fans of jam music but we were interested to see if the groovy vibes of the Grateful Dead era that we knew and loved still existed. (They actually do!) Did we come away loving the music? No. But we were more appreciative of the whole scene.
This year we put our mettle to a test by taking our son to a metal concert. Now the metal-est we get is Zeppelin and Hendrix, so this was a real challenge.
The question was not only would our ears be able to take the decibals, but would we be able to tolerate the music and the scene, which has never appealed to us.
So how did it turn out? You’ll have to read all about it in our review, but we will tell you we were pleasantly – and amusingly – surprised.
Something that might not surprise you is that we have picked our favorites for this year and they include albums by Eilen Jewell and the Avett Brothers. We have written about both bands in depth, reviewing both their albums and concerts. It makes us happy just thinking about them.
We had a great time at shows this year, seeing performances by Regina Spektor, Grace Potter, and the Avetts at the House of Blues, Kathleen Edwards at the Paradise, Steve Earle at the Berklee Performance Center, and the metal extravaganza with Dragonforce at the Palladium in Worcester.
Check out our annual list of favorites.
Finally, just in case you hadn’t gotten your complete musical fill from this issue, we offer a review of the new release from – gasp! – Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. It’s actually the first release from David Rawlings, with help from Gillian Welch.
Hey, at least they have finally released something new. And with it, we can slip back into our comfort zone.
Rich Kassirer, editor
To read the full issue, click HERE
To read our review of David Rawlings album, click HERE


MA5 - Songs
Song that helped us survive this issue:
1. “January Wedding,” “I and Love and You,” the Avett Brothers. A wonderful little ditty of a love song.
2. “Long Distance Runaround,” “Fragile,” Yes. Reaching way back to someplace way back in my brain.
3. “To the Dogs or Whoever,” The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter,” Josh Ritter. Still a blast to listen to.
4. “The Rascal,” “Hundreds of Lions,” Erin McKeown. Erin sure knows how to have fun – even when she’s mad!
5. “A Man Needs a Maid/Heart of Gold,” “Live at Massey Hall 1971,” Neil Young. A great solo acoustic version.

More Eilen Jewell, and other bits

I know I've blogged more about Eilen Jewell than about most bands... they may have to put me on the payroll soon! I can't help it. I think the band is great, and their new songs rock. Got a chance to see them a couple of weeks ago (that's how behind I am!) at Precinct in Somerville. I had not been there before. It's a small space under a restaurant that used to be a police station. As usual Eilen and the boys put on a fun show, running through a lot of the "Sea of Tears" album, a few from past albums and a great cover of the Yardbirds' "Putty (in Your Hands)" -- see the video below.
For more photos, click HERE


Another video is HERE

Another fun Eilen note: I recently downloaded the new iTunes 9. Afterward, when I was watching a quick tutorial on the new features, I noticed that "Sea of Tears" was one of the albums featured on the tutorial's playlist. Not bad pub for a small-label release!

A little shoutout to my friend Scott Duhaime and his band Tan Odyssey. The other night I ventured to Harvest Cafe in Hudson to hear the band in a stripped-down semi-acoustic performance. Now these guys all have regular jobs and don't get to practice, let alone play out, much. So this was a big deal and a fun night hearing their mix of originals and covers. A standout tune was their reworking of the Allman's "Whipping Post," done as a slow blues on acoustics. Pretty cool arrangement.

Finally, a couple of shows I'm definitely looking forward to: Regina Spektor next week at the House of Blues; the Avett Brothers also at HOB -- I've heard their new album, "I and Love and You," and it is a knockout. Look for a review of the album in my next mag issue (Late September); Grace Potter, also at HOB. Haven't seen her yet so I've gotta catch her...

Eilen Jewell sings Loretta Lynn at the Lizard

I love those shows that you hear about at the last minute and then, after much back and forth whether you should go or just head home, you decide to go to the show, and you are rewarded and proved to have made the right choice.
All of this happened this week when, after a little waffling, I found myself waiting in line at the Lizard Lounge to see the wonderful Eilen Jewell and band. I've written about her many times, including a review of her latest album, "Sea of Tears," which is still my favorite album of the year. (My review is here.)
Anyway, while waiting in line -- and waiting for my wife to meet me for the show -- ended up chatting with some really nice, equally excited fans as well as the always-smiling Johnny Sciascia, bassist in Eilen's band. In fact, Johnny informed me that the band just learned that one of its songs from the new album will be on HBO's popular vampire show "True Blood," which is really a big deal. He believed the episode will air sometime this month, so we'll have to watch out for that.
OK, on to the music: First up was the Brewer-Miller Band (or is that Miller-Brewer?). Whichever it is, they are something to hear. Two great local guitarists -- Lyle Brewer of Sarah Borges' Broken Singles and Jerry Miller from Eilen's band -- were backed by Eilen's drummer Jason Beek and Sciascia, and they basically kicked ass, trading leads back and forth for a set of country-rock tunes. Some of them I recognized, though I cannot come up with song titles here. All I could do was shake my head at the amazing sounds coming from the guitars. Miller has the classic country licks, while Brewer adds an extra southern rock twang to his playing.
A short break later, Eilen made her way on stage backed by her aformentioned band and proceeded to play 15 or so Loretta Lynn tunes. The band was billed as Butcher Holler, the town (actually Butcher Hollow) that Lynn lived in Kentucky. It must have been some contractual reason why they couldn't perform under their own name... not sure there.
Now, I don't know many (if any) Loretta Lynn tunes by name. I know Eilen covered Lynn's "The Darkest Hour" on "Sea of Tears," which was great live. But Eilen sang each of Lynn's tunes as if they were her own, and the band followed suit playing the tunes with class, and humor, and reverence. It was a wonderful evening.
The band finished off right around 1:30 a.m. with a couple of Jewell jewels including "Fist City," which is just a blast. Lyle Brewer joined the band for the final songs, and completed a great night. Spotted in the crowd: Sarah Borges and her drummer Rob Dulaney.
I didn't have my camera because I came from work, which was a damn shame. So here is a YouTube take on "The Darkest Days." Please check Eilen and her band out when you get a chance. They are awesome.

Issue 24, March 2009

WINTER THAW - Our CD review special Skating, skiing, sledding, snowflakes quietly descending on fields and trees, icicles sparkling in the sun ... shoveling, falling on black ice, heavy boots, gloves, hats, below freezing temperatures for a dozen days straight...
OK, you get my (snow) drift: Winter, as beautiful as it can be, is a long drag of a season. What is fun and even inspiring in November and December basically sucks by February and March – and don’t get us started about this past January.
But we New Englanders are a hearty sort (so they say) and we know how to make the best of the coldest, most miserable months of the year.
Yeah, for us it’s finding ourselves a warm club, a Guinness, and a killer band. Give us Johnny D’s on a Saturday night with Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles ripping it up on stage. Throw in some sweet potato fries and don’t bother sending out a search party.
We actually did that recently and we’re much better for it. The next day it was nearly 50 degrees and our whole attitude changed.
Hearing music thaws the brain. So this issue we set out to melt our winter blues with a slew of new tunes.
There are lots of new albums coming out, and some that have been out for a bit that we hadn’t caught up to yet.
Tops on our list is Eilen Jewell’s “Sea of Tears,” due in April. And Sarah’s new album, “The Stars Are Out,” is out this month.
Another group, who we have not seen live yet, is Sometymes Why, a trio of women who play in other bands we like. Their new album, “Your Heart Is a Glorious Machine,” is a treat. We also love to “find” albums by musicians who many have not heard of yet. So we are offering some info on the music of Seattle songwriter Ali Marcus; singer Marybeth D’Amico, who lives in Germany; and a Nashville group called the Bittersweets.
Take a listen, and come and find us when the snow melts.
To read the full issue, click HERE.
To read the reviews online, click HERE.

MA 5 - Songs
Songs that helped us survive this issue.
1. “Drunken Angel,’’ “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road,” Lucinda Williams. We don’t know why, it just always pops into our heads.
2. “Rain Roll In,” “Sea of Tears,” Eilen Jewell. Bringing back that great 12-string Byrds sound.
3. “Melt Your Heart,” “Rabbit Fur Coat. Jenny Lewis. Just a sweet tune.
4. “Mission in the Rain,” “Reflections,” Jerry Garcia. Makes us want to see California through his eyes.
5. “Goodbye, San Francisco,” “Goodnight, San Francisco,” The Bittersweets. Continuing our Bay Area jag.

Facebook, Sacred Shakers

I'm settling back in after finally birthing Issue No. 22, and am working on a bunch of new things before launching into the next issue. It usually takes me a good month of down time from the magazine to get myself psyched to start on the next one. But this time it's a little different because the end-of-year issue is always fun. Choosing favorites of the year is always difficult, but it's fun to go back and listen to albums that got you cranked up months ago, even if they've faded a little since. I've already started working on the cover, which is a little surprising that it came so easily so quickly.
I've also launched a Facebook page. I know, like I need another thing to keep updated. I like it though. It's more interactive than MySpace and I'm hoping to draw in more readers to the magazine as well as make some new friends. You can find me by searching for Modern Acoustic, or just click on the link at the right.
I'm also excited about seeing the Sacred Shakers in a week or so. If you've never heard of them, you may know Eilen Jewell. If you don't know her, well, then you've got some listening to do. Eilen is one of my favorite artists. She's got this twangy country sound and an incredible energy. Her band is great too, and they are joined by a host of top New England rockabilly players to make up the Sacred Shakers. The music is made of old gospel and country tunes with a danceable beat. It's awesome. They are playing a new Boston place called the Beehive, which I have not been to yet. So I'm psyched. Below is a clip of the Eilen Jewell band I took in the dance tent at the Green River Festival this summer. The video's a little unsteady because the floor was made of plywood and with people dancing I was being bounced along.

Issue 22, Sept. 2008

Summer Picks: From festivals to clubs – even to Symphony Hall! – we were there
Summer has come and gone again, bringing its share of hot days and sultry nights. It also brought – as usual – great opportunities to catch live music at outdoor festivals and indoors at steamy clubs.
Our purchase of a new and more powerful camera also brought hopes of better images from these shows. While we’re still trying to figure out all the features of the camera, we were able to capture some of the great moments of what we saw.
We made two trips to Western Mass., one to catch the Great American Hoedown known as the Green River Music Festival, one of our favorite festivals. There we caught up with Crooked Still, now sporting a new lineup that includes cellist Tristan Clarridge and fiddle player Brittany Haas; we also caught Mavis Staples, the Greencards, and Lucinda Williams (a first for us!); plus a fabulous after-hours set by the foot-stompin’ Eilen Jewell band.
On our second trip out west we took in the Swell Season, the amazing Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, as well as Josh Ritter playing solo as the opener. The show was intimate and warm despite downpours scattered throughout.
And speaking of Mr. Ritter, his performance at Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops orchestra was a real treat. He and his band, decked out in suits, were in top form for the occasion.
We also visited clubs like T.T. the Bear’s, a great college hang, to see young and hip Thao and her band, the Get Down Stay Down. You actually don’t go to see and hear her, you go to take part in her show as she bounces, bounds, and bobs along to her songs and you have little choice but to follow suit.
We stopped into the Bank of America Pavilion (not one of our favorite venues) to catch the amazing Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, who mixed ’70s-style guitar jams with alt-country accents to soaring effect.
We’re breathless just remembering all the fun we had this summer and can only hope that the fall will be half as fun.
To download the new issue, click HERE. To read CD reviews in the issue, click HERE.
To view photos, click HERE. For videos, click HERE.

MA5 - Songs
Songs that helped us survive this issue.
1. “You, Me & the Bourgeoise,’’ “Honeysuckle Weeks,” The Submarines. What? An upbeat, bouncy song? Impossible.
2. “We Both Go Down Together,” “Picaresque,” The Decemberists. They go down, we follow.
3. “Shady Grove,” “The Pizza Tapes,” Grisman/Garcia/Rice. Spontaneous and just plain fun.
4. “I Envy the Wind,” “Essence,” Lucinda Williams. Great to hear this song live at Green River.
5. “Modern Trick,” “Diamonds in the Dark,” Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles. In honor of guitarist Mike Castellana, who is leaving the band in favor of family. Hopefully, we’ll hear from him again soon.

Come on home to Green River

A few of my favorite things from the Green River Music Festival last weekend in Greenfield, Mass.: shrimp gumbo; the very cool light-up dancing guys walking through the crowd during Lucinda Williams' set; Crooked Still's new lineup; and Eilen Jewell closing out the night in the Dance Tent.
For those who have never gone to Green River, it is a great little music festival. It has a great family atmosphere and the lineup is usually filled with a mix of bluegrass, alt-country and folk acts. This year, the Saturday mainstage lineup included folkie Caroline Herring, the Greencards, the awesome newgrass band Crooked Still, Los Straitjackets, Mavis Staples and Lucinda Williams. There was also a dance tent where lesser-known acts played (more on this later).
Highlights for me: Crooked Still, which has a new lineup that includes a gorgeous fiddle player and a new cellist, are amazing. If you have a chance to see them, do. A couple of clips of their set are HERE and HERE. I wish I got video of their slowed-down version of "Come on in My Kitchen" because it was a highlight. Mavis Staples is a soulful piece of singing history. She told stories of her days with Martin Luther King and sang with passion
And Lucinda Williams, who I had never seen before, is a pro, no doubt. Her set featured some new rocking tunes, plus a few songs from each of her past albums. A clip of "Drunken Angel" is HERE. While I'm not a huge fan, I do love her "Essence" album, so it was nice to hear some of those tunes including "I Envy the Wind," which she said she doesn't play much but apparently there was a wedding held earlier in the day at the fest and that song was requested. Lucinda ended the night with a rousing version of "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)." She also really dug these light-up walking puppets (click HERE to see bad clip I took) that were going though the crowd. At one point between songs, she just kept saying how cool they were. It was funny.
Finally, we ended our night in the Dance Tent with Eilen Jewell and her band performing. Clip HERE. (Sorry for unsteady footage, but the floor was plywood and the people dancing kept me bouncing.) If you've never seen her, you've got to check her out. Her swinging band is a blast, her songs sound like they come from another era.
See you all next year at Green River.
To see the rest of my pics of the festival, click HERE.

On the Oregon Trail

My search for great music goes far and wide, and recently we found our way to a website out of Oregon called opb.org. I'm not sure what it stands for but it's an independent music channel, which is set up to serve Oregonians looking for cool music. But of course being on the Internet, anyone who wants to hear their songs can sign up for free. What's really cool about obp is that they feature in-studio interviews and performances and post them for listening. Among those performances are our faves Kathleen Edwards (below), doing a great all-acoustic mini-set; Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter; Eilen Jewell (inset); and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Check out all the in-studio guests here. Enjoy!

Issue No. 16, July 2007

BEYOND LABELS: New Albums, New Recording Companies, But These Four Artists Stay True To What Moves Them

Labels.
We’ve been thinking a lot about them lately. It’s just a fact that everyone gets labeled: He can’t hit a fastball; she’s reclusive and unreachable; they are a punk band.
We even label ourselves, and then – if the creativity hits us – we try to break away from that label.
A few may have noticed the subtle change of the label on the front of Modern Acoustic last issue. Where it used to pompously profess “A music magazine for really cool people,” we now claim to be a magazine about “Music and music-related issues that matter.”
Why the change?
To be honest, the “cool people” kicker was merely an inside joke – a way to keep from taking ourselves too seriously. It actually served as a reminder that when we write reviews or pick our favorite album of the year that our opinion is just that. And while we may not be fond of, say, Norah Jones’ music or Springsteen’s output with the E Street Band, it does not mean that they are without merit. It is just an opinion.
In the end we thought our “cool” label might insult people who did not know or like the music within. So we’ve changed – although we promise to continue not taking ourselves too seriously.
As far as the albums reviewed in this issue, we do have a label for them: outstanding. We’ve been waiting for new albums from Sarah Borges, Josh Ritter, Lori McKenna, and Eilen Jewell for some time, and they all deliver.
And what ties them all together is that – you guessed it – they are all on new record labels.
The great thing is that while we think we know what we’re getting from these musicians... well, you’ll just have to give them a listen. Because despite what you’ve heard from them in the past, they will surprise you.
Which means of course they can’t be labeled.
Click HERE to read our reviews of Sarah Borges' "Diamonds in the Dark," Josh Ritter's "The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter,'' Lori McKenna's "Unglamorous," and Eilen Jewell's "Letters From Sinners and Strangers."


OTHER ARTISTS IN THIS ISSUE: Gillian Welch (left), Jennifer Kimball, The Last Town Chorus (below), Ali Marcus, God Fearing Aetheists, The Bowmans, Peter Janson, Erdem Helvacioglu, and Laura Molinelli.
FOR MORE OF MY
CONCERT PICS, click here.

MA5 - ALBUMS THAT HELPED US SURVIVE THIS ISSUE
1. “Lonelyland,’’ Bob Schneider. As soon as hot weather rolls around, we have to crank up this album.
2. “Live Dead,” Grateful Dead. Ditto, even 40 years removed from their heyday.
3. “Letters From Sinners and Strangers,” Eilen Jewell. This new album is great to play on humid summer nights
4. “Black Sheep,” Martin Sexton. We’re seeing him at the Gathering of Vibes fest in August.
5. “Sky Blue Sky,” Wilco. Not a huge fan of the band, but I’m trying. This is a good one.