A couple of weeks ago I started the new recording project in earnest.  I tinkered for three days with mic placement, various recording techniques and a TON of takes on two songs.  Net net, I don’t think I have any stuff that will make the final cut, but the mix is below.  I am hoping that you will listen with a critical ear and give advice on what’s working and what’s not.  These are big, lossless WMA files, so you’ll probably want to download to your hard drive first and play from there:

Nothing Left to Lose
It’s Not You It’s Me

Both started as live takes with acoustic guitar and lead vocals.  I used a couple of C1 Studio Project Mics, close mic-ing the vox and setting the guitar mic about 36 inches back.  This led to a lot of bleed in both mics, but I greatly prefer the live takes over tracking.  The mix includes some EQ and slight reverb to compensate for the dead room.  No other effects added.  My goal is a warm, intimate sound.  Note that this isn’t mastered, so it will sound softer when compared to a normal commercial track.

Feel free to post feedback here or drop me a note.  Thanks!

• Ralph Stanley is 82 years old and a bluegrass legend.  He walked out on stage with a big bandage over his forehead from an early morning fall, but he still put on a great show.  It reminded me of the music we saw at the Mountain View folk festival when I was a kid.
• Justin Townes Earle’s show was polished – he obviously picked up some great experience touring with his dad.  I like the latest album, too.
• I still think the Fleet Foxes’ encore was one of the coolest I have seen.
• Neko Case can do no wrong with me, but I definitely think the experience on the floor of the Warfield is superior to the balcony.
• I almost skipped Junior Brown show and that would have been a big mistake.  Don’t let the hat fool you, he’s a spectacular blues guitarist.
• I really hope that Gary Louris and Mark Olson continue to make music together.
• The Patty Griffin show was actually Patty, Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin and Buddy Miller trading mostly acoustic songs.  Highly emotional concert at the Mountain Winery – I love this stuff!

I don’t have many shows planned for the summer, but I’m very excited about the Old 97’s Family Show at the Fillmore in July.  More on that later…

Clem Snide – Hungry Bird

I had never really listened to Clem Snide, but when NPR posted With All My Heart from Hungry Bird I had to take a closer look.  I love the sparse arrangement of this heartbreakingly beautiful song.  The rest of the album is equally good.  Turn up the volume when you listen to Me No.

Eilen Jewell – Sea of Tears

I read about Eilen Jewell on songs:illinois, a blog where I’m finding more and more of my music lately.  This album has got balls.  I love love love the rockabilly\surf electric guitar all over these songs.  Every so often Eilen will belt out a guttural growl that just kills me.  Check out Sea of Tears and her cover of Shakin’ All Over.  It’s really fun to listen to this music.

More to come soon…

Rhett Miller has written one of the perfect songs – Question (from the Old 97’s Satellite Rides).  Without using words like marriage, propose or ring, Rhett paints a moment when a man asks that question "you say yes to once in your life."  It’s beautiful and intimate and makes the heart soar.  And all in under two and a half minutes!

I’ve played Question at a half dozen weddings and it never fails to impress. 

The Old 97s are playing at the Fillmore next month.  It looks like Rhett and Murry will be opening with some of their solo stuff before the band comes out.  See you guys there.

To the uninitiated, Townes is the guy that wrote Pancho and Lefty.  To the Texas music community, Townes is the stuff of Texas music legend.  He reportedly dreamt an entire song, teaching himself the chords and lyrics in his sleep.  He’s been covered by Willie & Merle, Lyle Lovett, Cowboy Junkies, Norah Jones, Allison Kraus and Robert Plant and countless others.

But I never really got Townes Van Zandt.  I figured out why this week.

A lot of folks hear the lyrics first.  I always hear the performance first.  I can listen to a song 100 times before I ever really listen to the lyrics.  If the melody and the groove don’t grab me, I’m unlikely to listen again.  I’ve listened to Townes’ albums and even saw him play once in Houston, but his performances didn’t draw me in enough to get to the heart of the songs.

All that changed with the release of Steve Earle’s Townes.  Steve’s performance brings outs the best in Townes’ songs.  I’ve heard Townes’ recordings of Brand New Companion several times before, but it took Steve’s rendition to make me hear the beauty in it.  The same can be said for every song on the album (Lungs, Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold, etc.).  Highly recommended. 

And when you’re done devouring Earle’s album, go watch the documentary Be Here To Love Me – a heartbreaking tale of artistry and addiction.

Now I’m going to dust off all of my Townes albums and give them another spin.

Why so impressed?  Jenny Lewis is right in my wheelhouse – guitar driven pop\rock music with the slightest hint of twang and strong vocals.  She really knows how to use her voice, switching between a belted groove to a whispered growl with ease and her phrasing has you hanging on every word.  The band was superb.  I was especially impressed with Farmer Dave Scher, who appears to be the master of all instruments that are cool.  For the most part he played a lap steel guitar (which I hope to be my next instrument purchase) but he also broke out a strat, an electric autoharp (the Omnichord), keyboards, some kind of device with a tube that he stuck in his mouth and background vocals.  Impressive.

Here are some songs from Rabbit Fur Coat.  Go buy it now:

Run Devil Run
The Big Guns
Handle With Care

The Sadies opened.  I’ve seen them before (backing Neko Case) and am a fan.  Dallas and Travis Good are both excellent guitar players and put on a great show.  Mostly though, I hope that one day I find myself in a social situation where it is acceptable to wear a western suit like the ones they sport at their gigs.

 
Saturday, June 20 from 7:00 – 9:00 PM 
Epicenter Café
http://www.epicentercafe.com/
764 Harrison Street, between 3rd & 4th Street
San Francisco, CA 94107

I suspect I’ll be able to sneak in a cover or three at this one.  See you soon in SOMA!

Come see Robin, Eric and me play all acoustic, all original music at the Bazaar Cafe on Sunday, June 7th.   The details:

Sunday, June 7 from 6:00 – 8:30 PM
Bazaar Café
http://www.bazaarcafe.com/
5927 California Street, between 21st & 22nd Avenues
San Francisco, CA 94121

Here’s some of Robin and Eric’s stuff from their new CD:

Unrequited
You and I
Hangman

Listen to the rest of the CD here.

See you at the Bazaar!

Tuesday, May 19th at 9 PM
The Rusty Nail Open Mic
1100 Constance Street
New Orleans, LA
Sign up at 8, I’ll play sometime after 9

See you there!

The lead singer did one of the cooler things I have seen in a long time.  For the encore he went off-mic, stood out front on the lip of the stage and belted out a completely acoustic, unamplified song.  The two thousand person room went silent and let him do his thing.  Magic.  I’ll have to remember to do that when I play the Fox!