Mr. Muddle's Befuddled Universe

Remember This Ember Season

Remember this face:

 
Remember this song:    ``Desert Stones'' 

Click n Play   

Remember these names:

• This Ember Season
• Lia (Ana Lia Perez)
• this befuddled universe

TO BE CONTINUED:
More music soon!

Technorati Tags: music, people

Remember The Ember Season.

Remember this face:

Remember this song:

``Desert Stones''

Click N Play

Remember these names:

The Ember Season

Lia (Ana Lia Perez)

this befuddled universe

TO BE CONTINUED: More music soon! Technorati Tags: music, people

Today's Playlist: Fifty-Two Card Pick-Up

Have you ever had a bad Millennium?

Photo credit: Sean Smuda

John Sebastian:	``Try'na Keep the Balls in the Air'' (Tar Beach, 1993)
Emmaline Muchmore:	``Coming Up For Air'' (Just A Cherry, 2005)

Click N Listen  to Emmanline Muchmore's ``Coming Up For Air''.

Emmaline Muchmore is pictured above.

I'm having a bad Millennium. How about you?

    I would've preferred Scat

I remember when my big brother came up to me and asked, ``Wanna play 52 Card Pick-Up?''

I thought, ``Wow, this is sooo, cool.'' (Actually little boys didn't think with words like ``sooo cool'' in those days, but I'm sure I thought something that expressed those very same sentiments.)

I was thrilled my big brother was going to play a card game with me.

Then my big brother proceeded to shuffle the cards over and over, while my anticipation grew and grew.

Finally my brother stopped shuffling.

I asked him, ``How do you play 52 Card Pick-Up?''

``Like this,'' my big brother said, and he took the deck of cards in one hand, and with his thumb, proceeded to fan the cards out across every inch of the room.

I asked my big brother if he was going to help me pick up the cards, and he replied, ``The dealer doesn't have to pick up the cards.'' He left the room.

    The return of big brother

These days it feels like someone has been playing 52 Card Pick-Up with my life.

Every day I add a new Number 1 priority to my to-do list, but I never seem to complete any of my old ones. My to-do list is so big, I use it to press flowers. When the phone rings, I jump under the table. When the doorbell rings, I hide in the bathroom.

I'm a mess. I've lost control. I have to somehow get my life back on track.

    What's a few train wrecks amongst friends?

In seeking the songs for today's playlist I wanted one song that could express my poor pitiful plight in a humorous way, and another that could either offer hope or distraction.

I immediately thought of John Sebastian's ``Try'na Keep the Balls in the Air'' for the first song. The song aptly describes the difficultly of trying to juggle more balls than you can handle.

The second song took a few minutes.

I have been so focused on new submissions lately, I almost forgot about one of my new ``old'' favorites. Then it came to me, the other song should be Emmaline Muchmore's ``Coming Up For Air''. Not only is the title perfect, but the lyrics ``Save me from myself, Drag me from the wreckage'' couldn't be more perfect!

But here's the best part: When Emmaline's on, I can dance myself silly, and forget my troubles.

So I'm gonna put on Emmaline, and dance myself silly. You can go to CD Baby, or Yahoo, or her website, and check-out her music.

PS - Don't call me, I'll call you. And, no wake-up call in the morning.

>>More>>>

Technorati Tags: music, people

Blame Sally in San Francisco this Saturday

Who: Blame Sally Contact: Email Website When: Saturday, 4 March 2006, 8:00pm, Doors open at 7:30pm Where: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House 953 De Haro Street at Southern Heights (top of De Haro St.) San Francisco, CA View Map

Sure lots of groups can play folk, rock, blues, pop, and jazz; some even Polynesian  and Latin rhythms—but only Blame Sally can play them all at the same time, and have it come out tasting marvelously delicious. Maybe that's why they're one of the seven groups in my FaV Five. (I know, I know, only in a befuddled universe can seven goes into five equal one.)

Now I've tried to be nice about this, but I've told you several times to go see Blame Sally. You know I speak truthfully and wisely. Yet many of you still haven't flown out to the Bay Area to see Blame Sally perform.

Heed my warning!

If you wait too long, and die before you have seen Blame Sally live, it won't be my fault, if the angels hang their heads and weep.

Technorati Tags: music, people

FaV 5 List Revisited

I've got a secret

Most people have secret thrills that can only be satisfied in private. I am no different. Can you keep a secret?

I've been told, I can trust you, so I have decided to add a musician to my FaV 5 List, but I won't tell you his name. I mean, why would I trust somebody with those eyebrows?

Below is the list of my top ``five'' personal favorite musicians as of 23 February 2006.

1. Blame Sally
2. John Cafferty
3. Kaki King
4. Kris Delmhorst
5. Sisters Morales
6. Sons of the Never Wrong
7. Tina Schlieske

Ok, so I still can't count. Keep calling it a ``baker's handful.''

CD Review: Swanyce's ENCHANTED

The Chart

Name:	Swanyce
CD/EP (Release date):	ENCHANTED (January 31, 2006)
Primary genre:	``They say `eclectic NEW AGE' but it actually cannot be put into a specific category'' (Swanyce).
Secondary genre:	Pop, orchestral, electronic, ambient, harp.
``Sounds like'' (Swanyce's list):	Vangelis, Enya, Karl Jenkins (from Adiemus).
``Sounds like'' (reviewer's list):	A chorus of enchanted nymphs.
Residence:	Milan, Italy / Sherman Oaks (Los Angeles), CA
CD availability:	US and CANADA, national release (but also exported worldwide: EUROPE, ASIA, RUSSIA, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA).
Ambition:	``I would very much love my music to be helpful in people's lives – i.e., share moments with people in their daily life: enter their homes and be with them, smile and cry with them, become part of a memory, be a friendly voice that, through music, gives minutes of shared joy or shelter from pain'' (Swanyce).
Website:	http://www.swanyce.com/
Email:	swanycemusic@sbcglobal.net
Rating:	5 + 1 pen Swan with cygnets (5=Perfect);   the cob is apparently off making his own music.

My Take

I can imagine what singer/composer Swanyce's life might have been like, if she been born in the Victorian Era, and had been a young woman living in the United States during the post-Civil War period. In this fantasy from a time long gone, Swanyce would marry a charming, handsome, and malleable man with very well placed connections. She would then proceed to work day and night until her husband was partnered in a railroad company. After that she would travel about the country building railroads, painting landscapes, and playing and composing music on either her portable harpsichord, or one of the many stringed instruments in her collection.

If my fantasy were true, people today would be studying Swanyce's compositions in music institutes. But fortunately for us, my fantasy isn't true, and we have the privilege of watching the genesis of Swanyce's art as it happens.

Swanyce is a multi-talented young woman in her mid-twenties who could succeed at any endeavor she might choose to pursue; for example, graphic design, linguistics, computer programming. I haven't known Swanyce long, but I have the impression that she's the creation of many ingredients: passion, brilliance, acciaio, and Cassata Siciliana*. She has chosen to pursue a career in music, because that is where her passion lies. (*Personal note to Swanyce: We both chose Cassata Siciliana independently.)

Swanyce has already had considerable success and recognition as a composer. Now Swanyce is venturing out into the dangerous and deep waters occupied by performers. She has compiled a collection of twelve songs, on a CD titled ENCHANTED that will be released on 31 January 2006.

I believe Swanyce's CD must gain some traction in its own niche market before it has a real chance of going mainstream. I assume Swanyce accepts that reality, and that is why she has signed with Bolero Records, whose customer base will likely be receptive to her music.

But Swanyce also needs to present her music in public forums, such as this befuddled universe, and offer her music up for sampling—much like the lady at the mall who stands in front of the confectionery offering samples of chocolates. Many people will rush by claiming they're too busy for chocolates. Some will say they don't eat chocolates. Some will sample a chocolate or two, then mumble a complaint, and rush off. Others will sample a chocolate, offer great praise, but then run off without buying any chocolates. But every once in awhile, someone will stop, try a chocolate, then go into the store and buy a box or two. And some of these people will become regular customers.

I know there are folks out there looking for someone like Swanyce. I hope a good number of of those folks will manage to stumble onto this review and ``sample'' some of Swanyce's ``chocolates''. The fortunate ones will choose to become regular customers.

My Bias

I admit that when I first heard Swanyce's music, I jumped up on the table top, and started marching about shouting, ``Bring on the cannonade!!! I want cannons, and thunder ... lightening and fire. I want marching bands with Sousaphones. Give me drama! Give me shock and awe!''

But then the caffeine wore off, and I took a nap.

Fresh from my nap, I took another listen, and I heard Swanyce's music in a totally different way. After turning down the world, and tuning in her music, I realized that Swanyce's music is, in fact, bustling with activity.

Later as I was leaning back in my chair, with a silly grin on my face, my daughter walked by.

My daughter then totally broke my mood with this impertinent query, ``You like that!?!''

Oh, well, one day, one convert. Swanyce, you did well this day.

The Bio

For Swanyce's early years (prior to 2000), see the interview.

The following is quoted from Swanyce's website with permission:

``Swanyce's musical career begins in 2000 when, after winning a songwriting competition in Genoa as best singer-composer, sends a demo to her future manager Paul Woolnough of Knight Records in Los Angeles. Paul gets very impressed with Swanyce's musical abilities and proposes her to collaborate with singer Jack Russell of GREAT WHITE for his solo project. So she writes the song "For You" which becomes Jack's title track in his cd. The record was produced by an all star crew including Billy Sherwood (YES) and Bob Kulick (KISS, WASP). "For You" was released in 2002 in the US, Japan and Europe and reached top positions in the R&R, ACQB and Billboard airplay charts.

``During the same year Swanyce moves to Los Angeles. In June 2003 Knight Records releases a limited edition of Swanyce's solo EP "In The Name Of Love" to support the "Station Family Fund" for the victims of the terrible West Warwick Fire occurred in the state of Rhode Island on Feb. 20th 2003.

``In September 2004 Swanyce receives a honorable mention in the international songwriting competition Songprize of Nashville (TX) and meets film music composer Vincent Gillioz (orchestrator in "The Grudge", "The Core", "Runaway Jury") who asks her to make some string arrangements in a project for Vitamin Records. The cd titled "A String Tribute To Sonic Youth" has been released on April 19th 2005 in the US and CANADA. Also, in August (2005) Vincent proposed her to write a song, "Game or Love", for feature film "AREF: the game of life" directed by Wissam Kabbara and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

``In October 2005, Swanyce signs a record deal with Bolero Records, an independent Los Angeles based record company that presents highly acclaimed flamenco artist ARMIK on its roster. Such a deal sees the national US and Canadian release of Swanyce's brand new album ENCHANTED, due January 31st 2006.

The Interview

TBU: I feel silly for asking, but could you explain your names?

S: No embarrassment, the name ``Swanyce'' sounds like the words ``Swan'' and ``ease'', and it actually comes from those two words' pronunciation. It's an invented name that I chose as my stage name. I picked ``Swan'' because I wanted to give the idea of respect, elegance and simplicity. And I picked ``ease'' because I would very much like my music to be helpful in people's lives, something precious to share with everybody, that could ``ease'' and keep pain away from the heart, if they are going through difficulties, at least I would like to communicate hope, peace, for a few moments. My real name is Mariaconcetta, which is of Sicilian origin.

TBU: Let's get my ``worse'' question out of the way. Some people have complained that Enya’s music is repetitious and boring. How would you respond to those complaints?

S: I totally agree with those complaints! I have been an Enya fan till The Memory Of Trees (1995), then I started to realize she stopped growing musically, and for some reason she is repeating herself. In several interviews she stated that she doesn't listen to other music but hers. If that's true, I think that'd be a possible explanation. It doesn't make any sense to me, I cannot even imagine myself listening to my music all day long (unless of course it's because I am working on it)! I love music (all kinds of music). I love to experiment, I love changes and improvements, I don't have schemes. Through Enya I have learned the technique of "multi-vocals", i.e., the technique to record one voice (mine) over and over (300/500 times) to create unique choirs. She gave me the initial input to start a career in the music field, I was totally fascinated by that technique which reminded me of Gregorian chants. I have studied hard to become a professional orchestrator and composer; to be able to improve and get total control over the music I write without limitations. If I want to write a polka, then I have to know the basis to do that, if I want to write an orchestral piece a la John Williams, I have to know how to write for a full orchestra, if I want some tracks in a song to be placed on the right stereo field or on the left stereo field, make a fade and sound as if they were recorded in the 70s, I have to be able to do that, and so on... whatever the challenge is, you have to be up to it.

People stop growing when they bury themselves in schemes, and they usually bury themselves in schemes when they don't have the basis and preparation to face a change.

TBU: Can you explain what you meant by a ``scheme''?

S: In this case, since we were considering Enya's specific situation, I used the word "scheme" to give the idea of rigid rules that are repeated and followed without (or with very little) flexibility options. For example, you write a hit, you sell millions of copies and you think you have the success formula in your hands. Then, you base all your new creations on that formula which, as a consequence, becomes a scheme. Obviously this will ultimately prevent you from writing something different and more unpredictable. That's what I meant.

TBU: I think most of the people I've interviewed have viewed themselves first and foremost as performers or entertainers, but that doesn't seem to be what you're saying. How do you view yourself ? Singer? Songwriter? Composer? Performer?

S: If music were a man, I would marry him! :-) From my personal point of view, I consider myself a huge music lover. From a professional point of view... let's see, that's a tough one... mmm I guess I would be a composer/orchestrator/conductor/harpist/keyboardist/singer/songwriter/sound engineer... no wonder I suffer from identity problems. ;-)

TBU: Can you describe a typical day?

S: Night is always the best time for me to work, it's a lot more inspiring and quiet so I can focus properly. I really love to watch out from the window when all is asleep, I love to observe and "recollect emotions in tranquility" (it looks like time stops, it's amazing, I love to catch that atmosphere and put it in my music). The bad thing is my family thinks I am a sort of vampire... eh eh :-)

TBU: Can you describe what you might do on one of your ``Vampire'' nights in Milan? (Throughout the interview, Swanyce was corresponding from Milan, Italy.)

S: Well, I guess I would transform myself into a bat, go out and look for some fresh blood! :-) eh eh, just kidding. Jokes apart, as a lot of recording artists do, night is my favourite time to work because you can focus more. Silence is a lot inspiring, it helps you to listen to your inner self voice. I am very grateful for having the chance to experience this. I write and develop my music in my studio in Milan or in my studio in Los Angeles (my two little kingdoms:-) and there are several stages I usually go through when composing. The first step is inspiration, and that's very sudden, unplanned. It can be an idea, an image, a sound, etc. Then it grows inside me until it pushes me to write it down, it can be compared to a baby that wants to be born and asks you to help her out. The second step is the choice of the instruments and it's always a surprise. I can choose a piano, a harp, a flute, an orchestra or a synth, it depends on what I want to express. Sounds and instruments are like ingredients in a pie, if you want a cheese cake, then you have to use cheese and sugar, you can't use garlic and tomatoes. For example, if I want to write something delicate/moving, then I will use a harp and a solo flute with a string orchestra playing in the background, if I want to write an exotic mix, then I will use marimba, xylophones, steel drums, etc. The choice of lyrics in my songs is determined by the same reason. If I want a strange/ancient atmosphere song then I will use Latin lyrics, if I want a ``pop" song I will use English, and so on. The third step is writing the music and/or lyrics and pre-mixing. If I am writing an orchestral piece or a song with choirs and several instrumental parts, I will write and pre-mix a ``mock-up". A mock-up is a ``draft" that has to sound like the final and real recording. This helps a lot to get rid of bad arrangements so when you start recording the real decisive tracks you already know how the ensemble will sound like. The fourth step is the final recording and mixing. The fifth and conclusive step is cleaning and mastering.

TBU: So, Swanyce, in your official biography your life begins in the year 2000. Apparently you sprung forth full grown from a Swan's egg! Can you tell us about your life before the year 2000? Where you were born, your family life (parents, siblings?), educational experience, early exposure to music, etc. You know, all the usual stuff: felonies, misdemeanors, crimes against humanity.

S: Eh eh, it will be a pleasure.

I was born in Catania in 1980, Sicily and no, I have no connections with the mafia :-)

My parents divorced when I was 9 and I have lived with my mum and my brother till 2001 when I moved to Los Angeles. I grew up a ``painter" for I started to draw since I was 3 years old. Everybody wanted me to attend the fine art academy, I remember my art teacher had a heart attack when I told her I was going to attend both a foreign language school and the Music Conservatory in Milan. I loved English and I loved Music and my mother gave me the chance to choose. Drawing was not my choice, even if I was a "prodigy" for everybody else, I just didn't want to do what others expected me to do with my life. Even if I was a teen, I knew what I wanted and my mother decided it was time for us to move to Milan and give me this chance. And there, I have studied really hard to graduate from two different academic schools at the same time: the Music Conservatory and a 5 year foreign language school to specialize in English, Latin, French and Spanish. My study efforts were the only way to show her how grateful I was. It was also a challenge to myself which gave me the basis to follow my biggest love in life: music.

TBU: So given your environmental heritage and genetic pool, how do you explain your pleasing disposition and your workaholic behavior?

S: Well, I am compelled to specify that my childhood was a tough tough one. My father had a very violent temper, that's why my mother divorced and my brother and I have been living with her. Music was my secret shelter, gave me hope and strength, to survive those terrible scenes. When, as a child, you have lived in a ``cage" where violence is your daily bread so that you just can't afford to be a child, and then they give you freedom, like my mother did, believe me, nothing stays the same. You can react in two ways: 1) you can get depressed or violent; or 2) you can do your best with what you have been given and do something good in this world. I chose option number 2. And since music gave my life back to me, I will devote my life to music, so that I can bring the same hope/joy I was given, to others.

TBU: Swanyce, in addition to being a fluent linguist, excellent singer, skilled musician, marvelous composer, beautiful woman, and charming person... you also appear to be very proficient at managing your career. The biography on your website states you made a demo CD after a song contest and sent it to your future manager, Paul Woolnough, and then Paul Woolnough hooks you up with Jack Russell, for whom you write the song that becomes the title track to his CD. This all seems like a dream come true, but I can’t help but feel that some details crucial to a complete story are missing. Can you fill in the details of your journey from a contestant in a song contest in Italy to the composer of a title track song in the USA? I think your answer might serve as an example to help other musicians become better managers of their careers.

S: I love this question Tim. Do you believe in fate? I believe in what Machiavelli said ``we are 50% responsible for our own destiny because of our actions, while the other 50% is left to fortune and events". I focused on the 50% that depended on my actions, trying to give the best I could. What I did is I prepared a package/presentation. In December 2000 I received a letter from a National song constest in Genoa, where they said I was a finalist and I was invited to perform in a theater together with the other 9 finalists. For this reason I prepared a promo cd with three compositions (one song and two instrumentals). I spent some money to have it professionally done (photographer, make up, clothes, cover design, and industrial manufacturing in Austria). This CD was meant to be distributed as a free promo during the price-giving ceremony of that contest. A few months later I prepared a simple package including the same promo CD I used in the contest, a brief bio with good graphics and a presentation sheet. I sent the same package to 7 managers all over the world (I found them over the Internet). The strange thing is that I was focusing on creating contacts with UK and France but with great surprise the answer came from overseas through Paul Woolnough (Los Angeles) who was Great White's manager at that time.

But to make sure everything was going to work, I decided to make a trip to LA and meet my future manager in person. We discussed and he asked me if I had a song that was suitable for Jack Russell. During that time I honestly had no songs available for Jack to listen to. BUT I had to give an answer and get this chance! So I took a song of mine titled ``Leave-takings" and in one night I arranged it in a pop-style. It was an unexpected experiment for me, a tremendous challenge for I had never written pop songs. I added a drum line, a bass line, a guitar line and changed the rhythm pattern. I immediately looked for Great White songs where Jack had sung so that I could understand his best vocal range, and I arranged the harmony so that a male singer like him could sing on it. The day after I came up with a new pop version of ``leave-takings" made suitable for Jack's voice and musical orientation. I had to give them something they couldn't refuse, it was my only chance. And I made it (I still can't believe what happened!), Jack loved the song immediately, his eyes were shining, and he started recording vocals the same day I gave him the demo. So the song ``For You" was born and he even chose it as his title track. I did my 50% by giving all the best I could, the Heavens did the rest :-)

TBU:  That's a great story! I'm glad I asked.

Regarding your first question: Do I believe in fate?

I was raised in an environment where believing in ``fate'' was essentially sinful behavior, so we would almost have to discard that word before we could discuss the subject.

Regarding your Machiavelli quote, and your interpretation of it: I would say I pretty much agree with Machiavelli, if (and it’s an important if) you throw out the percentages, and just say the percentages are unknown factors.

In US lingo, you might say, ``You play the cards you’re dealt, but some plays 'em better than others.'' So using that terminology, I would say you've been dealt some bad hands, and some good hands, but you've played them all well.

But let’s get back to music. You also have a SwanyceScoring.Net website. Can you tell us about Swanyce Scoring?

S: With pleasure. Unfortunately in the music business it is very easy to get ``labeled". Take film composer Vincent Gillioz (orchestrator in The Grudge) for example: his highest wish is to score drama/comedy feature films, he is very talented and has a huge background, but since he has been scoring horror movies mainly, he has been labeled as a horror film composer and it's very hard for him to get considered for other projects. It's tough. He is my friend and we have collaborated together, and through his own experience, I've come to realize that I strongly needed to keep separated websites and separated presentations. If you are a composer/orchestrator and a singer/songwriter, then you have to separate the two, especially if you're still in the early stages of your career. A bad label means a bad career. That's why I created ``SwanyceScoring.Net" and its target consists of music business professionals looking for professional composers/orchestrators/arrangers for film,tv,media and other projects. Right now, it's under re-construction because I am expanding contacts and I felt the old version didn't fit anymore. Instead, my official website as an artist is www.swanyce.com. You put the artist on one side and the professional on the other, just like water and oil. I can provide you another practical example: when I introduced myself to Vincent Gillioz (at that time he was looking for a composer/orchestrator to collaborate with him on a string quartet project), I gave him the SwanyceScoring.net website address for him as a pre-screening, he replied and chose me. I could not present myself as a singer/songwriter/artist. Yet, in my credits, I added that I write songs and sing as a plus.

TBU: Swanyce, you have a lovely and well designed website.

At first I assumed you could not have done your own website, because no one could be that talented—it would cause such an imbalance in the world, we might end up with wars in the Middle East and genocide and disease in Africa, and I don’t think you’d want that kind of responsibility.

But I digress...

Now that I know about your art background, I have to ask if you did, in fact, do your own website (or should I say websites)?

S: Yes, I love design, animation, photography and technology. Though my biggest passion and priority is music, I can't hide the fact that my past as a ``painter" has influenced my being. I guess I combine music and visual art in a totally natural way, probably because I think they work together like a husband and a wife, and their union gives terrific results (the message gets amplified). "Pictures suggest Music as Music suggests Pictures", that's my motto. Pictures give shape to music and music makes them alive. I like to be the one that has total creative control behind my websites, I can choose what to communicate and how to communicate it (what technologies to use - ie static or animation - html, flash or swish - etc) and it's amazing, now I am realizing the huge freedom I enjoy. That's why I am always eager to improve and learn: knowledge gives you freedom. Plus, websites today represent your greeting card: images, colours, speed and information are the first thing people notice, so you have to do a good job in order to attract the visitor and get him to stay. If I want to give a certain impression, for example I am a flower store, then I can't place a Brad Pitt picture in the middle of the main page (unless he is the official sponsor of the company:-). It's similar to the choice of the instruments in a music composition, where pages are the "tracks" and their structure is the ``mixer".

TBU: Who took your photos, friend or pro? They’re wonderful in how they bring out your inner beauty. Who ever took them did a terrific job.

S: All the photos you see on www.swanyce.com were taken by Margherita Nobile. She is my lovely mother and best collaborator. I usually choose the poses, the expressions, the clothes and sceneries, because I always follow a specific design I have in mind, while she helps me a lot with light, focus, fantastic reliable support and great suggestions ;-)

(Click on the above photo to view larger image.)

TBU:  Your ``Mum'' is a great photographer.

I would guess you might be something like Mrs. Muddle — she works 50-80 hours per week, then to ``relax'' she quilts. When you studied painting, did you have a preferred medium? Is, or would, painting, or the graphics arts, ever be something you would do as a hobby to relax?

S: I used to draw portraits first (charcoal), then I started painting landscapes, especially sunsets and bucolic scenes (I used tempera). Since 2001 the mouse has replaced my brush and I prefer to devote my spare time to animation (Flash and Swish), to graphic/web design and to web marketing studies (I love to learn new technologies). Flash Professional is my favourite software and is a very exciting powerful tool because you can create your own animation and be the director, the screenplay writer, the composer, the graphic and visual effect designer.

TBU: Did you do the cover for your CD?

S: Yes. I drew inspiration from both a Maya Angelou's Life Mosaic card and the pose in a painting by Alan Murray. My record label loved it and decided to keep it as the official cover. Then they changed a few things on the inside of the booklet and some additional graphic design was done by Barbara Babilonia.

TBU: Well, let's leave the graphic arts, and get back to music. What technological wonders do you use to add that famous ``ethereal'' sound to your voice that everyone talks about. Or, perhaps, you're an angel who has come down from Heaven?

S: Can I blush :-) No, no angel here, just a lot of work.

TBU: Using ``In the Name of Love'' as an example, can you take us through your process after you do the initial recording of the voice track? Of course, don’t reveal any of your secret Italian sauces!

S: Well, taking "In The Name Of Love" as an example song, I usually write both lyrics and music together. Some writers prefer to write lyrics first and then add music or vice versa. I love to do both things at the same time, and it's difficult to separate the one from the other for me. When I write lyrics, I write a melody and an accompaniment simultaneously, so it's a lot easier when adding the other layers. I usually accompany myself to the harp or to the keyboards, just to help the vocal melody and the harmony that goes with it. Then I sit before my workstation and start to ``orchestrate" (i.e., adding layers for both vocal choirs and instrumental parts). I write vocal harmonies as if I were writing for a choir, I play it and I add it to the main voice. If the arrangement works, then I replace what I played as a choir, and I start recording my voice several times. Usually, in a choir, there are 4 lines/parts that make up chords (Bass, Tenor, Alto and Soprano). I follow the melody line of each part (for example the soprano) and I sing it 30/50 times. By singing it so many times I create a first group of voices. Then I create a second group (for example the alto), a third group and so on until I put the groups together and I create a choir. The same may happen with instruments. If I want to create an instrument that doesn't exist, then I mix up several sounds like ingredients until I create something unique (just like an original dish recipe). All this process takes weeks, and just one song requires more than a month to be mixed properly (more than 300/500 tracks to distribute in the stereo field!) and be ready for mastering.

TBU: I choose ``In The Name Of Love'' because I heard the song grew out of a personal experience. Can you tell us about it?

S: I started writing ``In The Name Of Love'' the night between February 20 and 21, 2003. I was in Sherman Oaks at that time, and I will never forget how, early in the morning of the 21st, while doing a break, I turned my TV on and saw those terrible scenes: a horrible fire broke out in West Warwick, Providence—in the state of Rhode Island. I was totally shocked, they were talking about a band, Great White, who did pyro inside of a small club that caused a disaster. You can imagine how I felt. 100 young people died that night, I still can't forget the images, I just can't. I had met Ty Longley (who was Great White guitarist at that time) a few months before, and my ex-manager, Paul Woolnough, introduced us because he was organizing a possible unplugged tour with Jack Russell (a sort of a trio: harp, guitar, voice—to promote Jack's solo album ``For You''). Ty was one of the 100 victims who died in that inferno. I have been visiting the website www.angelsofrhodeisland.com almost everyday for several months after that night, I read the stories and profiles of every single person who had been lost. They were great folks. I have tried to express all those feelings through the music and lyrics of "In The Name Of Love". So this song is dedicated to the families and people of Rhode Island involved in ``The Station'' tragedy. It talks about the unspeakable pain of a loss, but is about hope and strength for all those who have survived.

TBU: Events such as that fire are so sad and tragic and often emotionally numbing, but music can so often help us through.

Whew! Let's try to think of a happy subject.

I know! Will you be writing a wedding march in the near future?

Normally I wouldn't pry into someone's personal life, but you being Italian and all, we have to bring up the subject of love!

S: eh eh, I don't have wedding plans yet, while regarding the possibility of writing a wedding march... actually I never thought of that, but I've always wanted to write a song or composition that will stay forever in a couple's memory. Anyway thanks for the suggestion! :-)

TBU: If there's no wedding in your immediate future, where can interested men and women folk send photos and prospectus? (Should we talk dowry at this point? No, I guess not.)

S: Folks may send comments, ideas, questions about the music to swanycemusic@sbcglobal.net, or post and share their thoughts publicly on the Guestbook: www.swanyce.com.

TBU: Have you made plans to promote your CD?

S: I think Bolero Records, the record company that is releasing my new CD ENCHANTED, will surely take care of that.

TBU: I did have one last question about when you were going to color your hair purple, and start wearing long, silken gowns with puffy sleeves, but we're out of time, so I'll save that question for next time.

Thank you so very much Swanyce! And good night Mrs. Muddle wherever you are.

The Songs

These songs need to speak for themselves.

The Clips

Click on the MP3 player below to hear two Swanyce songs: ``For You (orchestral version)'' and ``In The Name Of Love'' (Macromedia Flash plug-in required).

Triflings

I can't do an interview with Swanyce every week.

The Rating

Swanyce's ENCHANTED CD receives a rating of 5 plus 1 pen Swan with cygnets (5=Perfect). The cob apparently wandered off to make his own music.

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Photo credit: Margherita Nobile
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CD Review: Julie Frost's The Wave

Summary

Julie Frost is a ``Shining Star''

The Table

Name:	Julie Frost
CD/EP (Release date):	The Wave (2002)
Primary genre:	Rock/Pop
Secondary genre:	Singer/Songwriter
``Sounds like'' (Emmaline's list):	``A chocolate covered orgasm'' (J.F.).
``Sounds like'' (Reviewer's list):	Heaven on Earth
Residence:	Chicago, IL
Playing region:	Midwest / East Coast
Ambition:	``International superstardom'' (J.F.).
Website:	http://www.juliefrostmusic.com/
Email:	juliefrostnews@hotmail.com
Rating:	5 birds + 1 stolen heart (5=Perfect)

My Take: Breathtaking

The very first time I listened to Julie Frost's song, ``The Wave,'' it knocked me out. You see, I first listened to ``The Wave,'' immediately after  listening to Shelley Miller's ``Hurricane,'' and the combination was a breathtaking musical one-two punch. Shelley Miller had me staggering on the ropes, then Julie Frost came and laid me out cold on the mat. I had to drink two glasses of orange juice, and eat half a box of Wheat Thins, before I could get my blood pressure back to normal.

About a decade ago I realized I had this musical itch I couldn't scratch. I hunted and hunted for salve, and finally concluded Rickie Lee Jones might help me; but, alas, Rickie Lee Jones couldn't reach that special spot.

But then, as soon as I began listening to ``The Wave,'' I knew Julie Frost was the female singer I had been seeking.

My Bias

Julie Frost stole my heart. (Figuratively speaking, that is, Mrs. Muddle has my real heart all locked up and hidden away somewhere.)

The Bio: Nurture helps nature

Families that sing together... Julies Frost's interview with Dennis M. Kelly of the Chicago Music Guide tells it all,... pretty much anyway.

The Interview

The interview this week comes in two parts. The first part is the normal written Q&A. The second part is a recorded telephone interview. At the end of the Interview section you'll find an MP3 player (Macromedia Flash required) that you can use to ``play'' the recorded portion of the interview. Note that the recorded interview contains five song clips, so by listening to the interview you you'll have an opportunity to both ``meet'' Julie Frost, but you'll also have the opportunity to listen a portion of five of her songs. So in about twenty-four minutes you will be able to learn a great deal about Julie; plus the interview is divided into five sections, so if you have to run off, it should be easily to start up again near the point where you stopped.

    Written Interview

TBU:  I enjoyed your ``sounds like'' answer. It was clever, sexy, and humorous, but it was also a tad rebellious.  Is there a rebel under Julie Frost's surface?

JF:  Rebellion is intrinsic to great art.  It's a rebellion against the mundane,  the practical, the surface, the urge to fall asleep in life...  I feel great  art wakes us up on the deepest levels.  Therefore, I've never heard of any great artist who's life wasn't full of obstacles, who didn't sacrifice, who  didn't have to fight hard.  I'm not claiming the great artistry, just all  that other stuff.  I confess, I'm growing weary of peoples attempts to  categorize me in familiar terms, asking me to describe myself as pieces and  parts of others.  I understand it though, it doesn't offend me in the least.  ``What do you sound like?'' is a difficult question that hasn't gotten any easier.  So, I made it fun.  Whether my music sounds like a chocolate  covered orgasm is up to the listener, but it's a great goal I'm going to work towards anyway... Oh, hell yes!

TBU:  Danny Shaffer worked with you as producer and engineer on your album. On his website, Danny Shaffer comes across as an impressive and talented person, and in several interviews you have spoken highly of him. How did you and Danny Shaffer hook up, and what was it like working with him?

JF:  Danny Shaffer is a brilliant, emotional, complicated, funny and intense man  I admire much and care about deeply.  I met him when I produced the Songs for Wiggleworms CD for the Old Town School of Folk Music, and we have been  musical collaborators ever since.  Working with him is humbling and fun and  frustrating and full of great highs and deep lows.  Its one of the best  things that ever happened to me in my whole life and that's about all I have  to say about that.

TBU:  What experiences have you had that have contributed to your development as a writer of lyrics?

JF:  Big question.  Mercy. Well, one thing that contributed to my development  would be the way I have been devouring music, books, and art from an early  age.  As a kid, as soon as I got home from school I remember putting on whatever record it was at the time, putting the record sleeve/lyric sheet in  front of me, laying on my stomach on the floor and studying that music like  it contained the meaning of life.  It often did. It's the same thing with  books and movies.  If I love a book, which is rare, I'll read it several  times and share it with everyone I can.  When I love something, I strive to  know it intimately.  It becomes a part of me and changes me.  The first  album that comes to mind:  "Synchronicity".  The first book:  "The Lion, the  Witch, and the Wardrobe".

Another necessary thing would be actually coming to believe that I was a  creative person.  I recognized great creativity in people around me and  admired it greatly. I thought it a gift you were born with, or weren't born  with, and I wasn't.  That made me sad, but it felt so completely true.  It  made me feel destined for law school or something.  Now THAT is funny.   Nobody would ever meet me and say, ``Now, that chick would make a great  lawyer!''

Ever.

So, the first song that ever ``came to me'' came during a period of great  mourning, of great withdrawal, of great searching and of great cleansing.  I  basically cried and worked and cried and meditated and cried and wrote.  I  didn't write songs, I wrote everything.  Did I mention crying?  For me, song  writing has crying in it.  I was living alone in the big city of Chicago,  working as a waitress and a massage therapist, in my very early 20's.  I was freeing my stream of consciousness from the perfectionism and other lies  that had been shackling it.  It was exhilarating and hurt like a bitch.  I  did this journaling exercise, "just write, keep the pen moving, no judgment,  no censorship, just write."  And I did this, for longer than you would  believe a person could, for hours a day for months.  And then all of a  sudden a verse came out of the clear blue nothingness, out of the true story  of a true thing that had really touched me...

Are all of these keys to
doors I have walked through?
or maybe my closets I just can't get clean?
here in the gallery of the things that have made me...
amidst all these pictures of the places I've been

I'm just looking at you
and I want this moment photographed
and on my wall
forever

it goes on, and now I've become one of those annoying self-important artists  who quote themselves so I'll stop. Yuck.  I'm just trying to tell the story  because it was my first real song.  It just came out like that...the whole  song.  It felt like a good friend I wasn't expecting but who know me really  well and I hadn't seen in a very long time had popped by.  ``Well, hello there!''   I wasn't trying to write in rhyme or verse it's just that I had  found a rhythm inside of me, and it was just mine, and it made me happy.

And yes, it was work. So much work.  It's soooooo much work to clear  yourself of the things that separate you from the truth within you, from the  art within you.  But it's soooo worth it.  It's sooooo much work to craft  the blobby inspiration that bursts forth when it comes into the full grown  thing that you sing for people.  It's like raising children.  They come  through you and they look a little like you. Yet, they aren't you and they  aren't yours, they are their own things with their own destinies in the  world.  But to get out into the world, they take from you all you have to  give.  And that is how it should be.  They leave you spent and happy.

Around this time, my stepfather said something to me that changed my life.  It sounds so simple, he just said,  "Anything you do a lot, you are going to  get better at."  Huh.  That's all there is to it really.  I'm by no means a  prodigy, but I did apply myself because finding that song felt like coming  home.  It felt like who I really was.  Finally.

The other news is I have to keep becoming who I really am everyday.  So I  decided I was gonna keep on writing until I got good at it, and then get  better. And please believe me, I've written a lot of bad songs, especially  at first.  I cringe at the thought of some of them.  I'm cringing right now.    But just like a proud mama, they're all my kids and I love them just the  same, even the goofy ones.  Even the ones that never made it past the scrap  of paper I jotted them down on.

There is a great satisfaction in saying exactly what you mean to say exactly the way you mean to say it.  This interview is NOT an example of that!:)

TBU:  Would you say you were either depressed or homesick for Vermont, when you first came to Chicago?

JF: Let's see.  No, I would not characterize that period as a depression, nor as homesickness for a place.  Maybe a home sickness for a feeling of being at home with myself.

TBU:  When you write your songs, do you use piano or guitar?

JF:  I always use guitar. 

TBU:  Typically, do words or music come first?

JF: There is really no typical.  It can happen all at once, first one, then the other; one of my favorites is when I wake up and remember it from a dream like I wrote it there.

    Recorded Interview

Click on the MP3 player below to listen to the recorded telephone interview with Julie Frost (Macromedia Flash player required). Five song clips have been inserted into the interview.

Note: At the beginning of the recorded interview, I state that the interview was recorded on January 21, 2006. The interview was actually recorded on Friday, January 20, 2006.

The Songs

``The Wave'': Lovely song; brings back swell memories.

``Life After You'': Thank the gods for Mrs. Muddle.

``Shining Star'': Is ``you know who'' getting a pep talk?

``Candy'': Somebody was sleeping in my big brown Volvo, and there she is!

``Little Piece of the Sky'': Dorothy was right about one thing.

``Raindrops'': I'd like to see B.J. Thomas try this one.

``Mary's Song'': Sometimes your closest friend can be your sister.

``Pretty Girl'': Wood rot behind the facade?

``The Kiss'': Stop the world, if just for a day.

``I am Yours'': Reckless abandon of propriety quietly pursued in a secluded room.

    Summary: A lifetime body of work in a debut CD.

The Clips

You can listen clips of all the songs at CD Baby.

And, as I mentioned above, there are clips of five of the songs included with the recorded interview.

Triflings

The world needs a lot more Julie Frost music!

The Rating

Debut CDs don't get any better than this. It is perfect in every way. I have no complaints, except I'm impatient for more Julie Frost music! My rating is 5 birds plus 1 stolen heart.

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CD Review: Emmaline Muchmore's Just a Cherry

Photo credit: Sean Smuda

Summary

Emmaline Muchmore provides something for everyone, and legs that go from here to there.

The Chart

Name:	Emmaline Muchmore
CD (Release Date):	Just A Cherry (November, 2005)
Primary genre:	Pop, electronic
Secondary genre:	Rock
``Sounds like'' (Emmaline's list):	Annie Lennox, Fiona Apple, & Nikka Costa
``Sounds like'' (reviewer's list):	Annie Lennox (voice), Shirley Manson from Garbage (electro-pop styling, see ``Androgyny''), & Taylor Dayne/Donna Summer (diaphragm)
Residence:	Minneapolis, MN
Playing region:	Mainly local/regional
Ambition:	``To constantly improve as a singer and songwriter, and to get my music heard by a lot more people in a lot more places'' (E.M.).
Website:	http://emmalinemuchmore.com/
Email:	info@emmalinemuchmore.com
Rating:	6: Flockin' Unbelievable!

My Take

When I received an email from Emmaline Muchmore just before Thanksgiving, I thought, ``Oh no, not another Minneapolis singer.''

You see, at the time I was completing work on my Turn It On with Ali Gray series, and I had recently done reviews on Patrik Tanner's Soft and Tina Schlieske's Slow Burn CDs. Frankly, I was beginning to feel a little like a character out of Fargo, and I wanted to give my Minnewegian dialect a rest.

But then I went to CD Baby, and after I listened to song clips of Just a Cherry, I realized I was destined to become a huge Emmaline Muchmore fan. In a short while I had my own personal copy of the Just a Cherry CD.

Then later, while I was listening to Just a Cherry, I became hopelessly addicted to Emmaline Muchmore's music.

In a nutshell, Emmaline Muchmore performs pop and electronic music. She has a singing voice that occasionally sounds like Annie Lennox, the electro-pop styling of Shirley Manson (Garbage; see ``Androgyny''), and powerful pipes that equal Taylor Dayne or Donna Summer. And to top everything off, she's got legs that don't quit!

My Bias

It is well-known that I love women with big voices who can slide back and forth from silky-soft to brassy-bold with the ease of a trombone. Well, as a vocalist, Emmaline Muchmore was created right to my spec. Additionally, she has taught me that there's a place in my musical heart for electro-pop and dance. (Maybe I never quite got over Miss Donna after all.)

Someone once said, ``Music genres never really die, they just hide in plain sight.” Oh, it was me at dinner last night. (Can your wife, parrot, and adult children groan in four-part harmony?)

The Bio

Emmaline Muchmore is a Twin Cities native; that is, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN.

She became involved in the music scene during high school. Prior to going on her own in the year 2001, Emmaline fronted two bands: (a) an all-girl rock band called Interstate Judy that played live in the mid to late 90s, and (b) an 80s cover band called A Fixx of Seagulls that still plays large festivals a few times a year.

In 2001 Muchmore released her first CD, Inviolate—an alternative pop CD combining hip-hop grooves, analog synths, vintage guitar sounds and female vocals.

In September 2002 Emmaline learned she was pregnant. At the time she was just beginning her second CD (Just a Cherry). On her website Emmaline states that this was ``shocking but thrilling news.'' It did delay the production of Just a Cherry by two years. Also—just to keep life interesting, and disrupt the production schedule—the Unknown Alloy recording studio has moved three times in the last three years. (Unknown Alloy is co-owned by Muchmore and producer Todd Mikkelson.)

Just a Cherry was released in the November of 2005, and is receiving extensive radio play on Internet radio, while also making headway in about a dozen local markets.

The Interview

TBU: Let's go right to the heart of the matter, and start with your CD inserts. First, let me say I love the sassy photos of you with the hat, boots, and coat. They'll probably be worth the price of admission for most guys.

When you pick outfits for photo shoots, do you go for what's personally fun and funky, or are you going for a particular image? I don't have any fashion sense, but some of your clothes seem retro.

EM: All fashion these days is completely retro—all the good stuff from the 60s–80s is back. It seems like a complete free for all where you can mix and match all your favorites.

I'm definitely going for fun and funky when deciding what to wear for photos or shows. It also has to look gorgeous and flattering.

TBU: In the photo on the back cover, what is that on or in your tongue. Please, tell me it's not a piercing! Could it be a cherry?

EM: That thing on my tongue is indeed a cherry, tied in a knot.

TBU: I'm puzzled by the CD title, Just a Cherry. What does the title mean?

EM: ``Just a Cherry'' is actually a bit of a boast, tinged with a little sarcasm. It's part of a longer lyrical line that I came up with for a big rave-up bluesy song I'm working on. The chorus resolves with the line ``just a cherry on the top of my super sundae'' and it refers to how no matter what gets thrown my way I'm not phased by it, and how I handle it actually becomes a badge of honor—something to be proud of. The title also works with the fact that after I had my ``surprise'' baby I think a lot of people weren't expecting to see another record out of me, and yet here it is, bigger and better than the last one. Just a cherry on the top of my super sundae, baby!

TBU: I'm always delighted to see a musician take her voice as a serious ``instrument'' worthy of development and training.

In a 2003 interview you did with Steven Nathan, you mentioned that you are formally trained on clarinet and piano, but self-taught on guitar and vocals. You also mentioned that you have been ``strongly influenced by such female vocalists such as Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald, June Christy, Lauryn Hill, Eryka Badu, Gwen Stefani, Dolly Parton and Anita Baker'' (Steven Nathan, Getgigs.com, January 2003).

You may be a self-taught vocalist, but clearly you found yourself a very good teacher!

What advice can you give would-be vocalists who are attempting to teach themselves how to sing?

EM: I'm not sure you can be taught how to sing. But if you've got the basic ability, which everybody pretty much discovers when they're a kid, then you can work on improving what you've got. I've learned that you need to know your strengths and weaknesses. What makes you unique? What type of music that you sing seems to have the most impact on your listeners? Go with your strengths—not everyone can be a screamer, or soulful, or whatever, so work on doing whatever it is that you do that makes you different and special.

As a kid I drove my siblings crazy because I sang to everything on the radio. I sang all the time! Turns out not only was it fun but it was also good practice. I would also suggest taking any opportunity you can to sing in front of an audience. The more you do it the better and more confident you'll become. It also helps you define your own singing style, and hopefully moves you away from mimicking your idols.

As far as technique, one thing that has helped me become a technically better singer has been working as voice talent for educational and commercial clients for a number of years. I guess this has been my vocal instruction, because that type of work has allowed me to strengthen my ability to control my breathing and has improved my phrasing, which has translated into better singing. I would think that any public speaking, work in radio, etc. would also be helpful in this regard.

TBU: Anita O'Day and Ella Fitzgerald are both well-known for their scat singing. Is singing along with the recording of a scat singer roughly equivalent to doing scales in a formal vocal lesson?

EM: This is coming from someone who has never had formal vocal lessons (for better or worse), but here's my take: learning your scales are the work you do and the foundation you build on so that you can have the freedom to create and improvise with your instrument. Singing along with a scat singer is a good way for a singer to get to know their way around a piece of music, for sure, and it's a great workout for your vocal chops. But it seems to me singers that scat are injecting so much of themselves —their own style and personality—into the vocal that singing along gets you more of a lesson in style and improv than music theory.

Even if you're not crazy about scat singing, the talent that it takes to do it well is undeniable—it requires incredible creativity and confidence and you have to know the song inside and out. I love listening to it for the same reason I like to listen to a lot of jazz —it's very free-form, creative, and out there.

TBU: Earlier you mentioned you siblings. How many brothers and sisters did you have?

EM: 4 brothers, 1 sister—I'm the 5th.

TBU: That's curious. Ali Gray also came from a large family with lots of brothers. I'll have to start a survey!

Were you in high school band?

EM: I played the clarinet in high school band through the 9th grade.

TBU: My two sisters played clarinet, and they're only ok singers. My dad played clarinet, and he couldn't hit middle C with a sledge hammer. I guess playing clarinet isn't your secret to success.

Were your parents musical?

EM: My parents are professional listeners.

TBU: Darn, I thought I had invented that profession.

And speaking of the fact that I'm not a musician, maybe you can explain some of the things I hear in your music.

In some of your songs (Siren Song, for example), it sounds almost like you have sampled voices being faded in and out to obtain an organ-like effect. How do you get that effect?

EM: No sampled voices—it's all me with different types of effects on the vocal and some finesse from the recording engineer.

TBU: The Just a Cherry CD has just about every imaginable genre. For example, there's dance, pop, country, rock, Electrolux, and maybe even letgo-Eggo. This mix of genres is cool by me, but have you ever considered swamp-grass?

EM: Anyone listening to the new CD will notice the variety of songs on there.  I figure people will either dig that or be bugged by it.  Maybe it would be smart for me to focus on a particular genre, and if a producer came along who wanted to do a record with me that's most likely what I would do because it would be more commercially viable.

But the thing is I love all types of music and when I sit down to write a song all different types of music and sounds come to mind.  I enjoy exploring different ways of expressing myself and seeing what I can come up with in the studio—seeing if I can get down what I'm hearing in my head.

If a particular song of mine somehow got to be a hit I would probably try to focus more energy in the direction of that type of sound.  But in the meantime I'll just keep writing songs that I feel like writing.

Oh, and I totally love dance remixes!  I would love it if someone wanted to do a huge production dance remix of one of my songs.

TBU: I apologize if I'm demonstrating my ignorance in the way I ask this next question.

Your songs are filled with tons of little- and medium-sized noises that seem to provide the same function of guitar hooks and riffs, in that they keep things fun and lively. I assume many, if not most, of these ``noises'' are created with sampled sounds. When you decide on what samples to use, do you use a trail and error approach, or do you start with a preconception of the type of sound you're after?

EM: No sampled sounds—what you're hearing is either a synthesizer, a guitar, a drum machine, or a vocal.

But the answer to your question is:  both approaches.  Sometimes I know exactly what type of sound I want to hear in a particular spot and try to get that.   A lot of times I rely on Todd's expertise in the studio—he'll experiment with sounds for a while, then run them past me and we'll start tweaking from there.

The Songs

Emmaline Muchmore has put together ten songs that are multilayered both lyrically and musically.

I won't attempt to interpret her songs. The magic and the mystery is in ``the stew.'' I suggest you go to CD Baby and stream the Just a Cherry song clips for awhile. I recommend  CD Baby, because they have two-minute song clips—not the usual 30 second clips, which are totally useless (but don't get me started on that subject!).

In dance songs, it's not easy to develop a story or idea through the use of the traditional verse/chorus format, so Muchmore ``lays down'' the lyrics as one might lay down tracks. She starts with a simple concept or metaphor to establish a mood, then she adds additional layers. For example, in ``Distorted'' Muchmore begins with a mythical past, then moves to the present, and finally speculates on the future. While this is all going on, she takes the opportunity lyrically to make a few comments and observations about the state of life in the world today. Personally I haven't delved too deeply into her lyrics, I'm way too busy getting my ``groove on''!

That segues to my three major tenets about lyrics.

Lyrics should stay out of the way.
Lyrics must add to the mood.
Keep lyrics simple. (Even if an audience is listening carefully, they may only be hearing a small number of words.)

Going through the songs I listed five or six as dance tunes, and three or four as pop and one as being ``a little country and a little rock n roll.'' (Obviously I'm not quite sure whether one song is pop or dance. Or, it could just be Emmaline's take on where Western music went.)

Mr personal favorites are ``Siren Song,'' ``Magpie,'' and ``For You.''

``For You'' is a song Emmaline wrote as a mother to her own child. My plan is to feature ``For You'' in my Great Song series in the very near future.

Mosquito Media in the UK has chosen the song ``Let 'Em In'' from Just a Cherry to be on The Greatest Music You've Never Heard, Vol. 2, (see a review of it at www.rockpulse.co.uk).

The Clips

Go to  CD Baby, as soon as you finish my review!

Triflings

Got none. I'm a happy camper this week.

The Rating

It has taken so long, people were starting to say that I would never give out a 6 (5=Perfect). After all, how can a CD be better than perfect? Well, it is easy, when the CD is flockin' unbelievable from beginning to end.

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Great Song: Shelley Miller's ``Hurricane"

“I can smell tornado.”

That’s what I said to myself, as I went out to get the newspaper New Year’s morning. There had been a hard, cold rain all night. But by morning it was warm and blustery. The smell of tornado was in the air. The fact that tornadoes almost never touch down in Northern California is a small blessing, given our floods, mudslides, earthquakes, and firestorms.

Some people can smell rain coming. Some can smell snow. I smell tornado.

I had thought that all Midwesterners grew up with the knack for smelling tornado, but eventually I learned I was wrong. I guess it’s either a matter of noting details. It’s perhaps why some folks will walk through the woods and see the deer grazing in the meadow, and others won’t.

I guess I developed my nose for tornadoes when I was a toddler (about 1950). Whenever there was a Tornado Watch, Mom would give me a stern admonition telling me to stay in the yard.  (Did I mention my Mom was from Kansas?) Mom would also play the radio loud all day, so — no matter where she was — she could hear the Tornado Advisory Announcements.

(Of course, my Mom didn’t need to worry. If you give a tornado a choice between a bunch of brick houses up a hill, or some nice trailer parks down in the valley, the tornado will take the trailer parks every time.)

Like Pavlov’s Dog, it wasn’t long before I could associate the smell of sweet, pungent air that is frequently present before tornadoes with the Tornado Advisories on the radio. So maybe I just developed this knack, because I’m more susceptible to classical conditioning than most.

(One could say that when warm and cold air systems crash into each other, updrafts are created, which draw huge amounts of pollen into the air,... but what’s the fun in that?)

At this point, you might be asking, is this long prologue going somewhere? Or is this just another bridge to nowhere?

In my own stumble-bumble way, I’ve been leading up to how Shelley Miller helps us use all of our senses to set the scene in her stories. In her song ``Hurricane,” Shelley Miller skillfully combines the emotional impact of music with the imagery of lyrics to create a mood that paints an indelible picture in our minds.

The song begins with a short, moody, mellow, melody. It follows with the line ``pale blue of the pilot light.” Almost at once, we’re in a dark, melancholy place.

The song continues with Miller’s `` lonesome cowgirl’’ voice being carried along by a slow, sad melody provided by Greg Shultz’s pedal steel guitar and the steady rhythms of the drum beat.

Above all this Kara Kulpa’s short fiddle melodies pass by from time to time like ominous clouds passing before the moon just before sunrise.

We soon learn that Miller is singing about a character who has arrived at the ``last stop for a hurricane.” Someone who  will wear ``out [their] welcome to prove [they] couldn’t get in the door.’’

Miller is singing about a readily identifiable character. (Most likely a little bit of you and me.) I think most folks will see part of themselves in this song's central character. I know I’ve been a pathetic fool more often than I'd like to admit — acting too foolish to ``have the sense to pick up [my] sticks and go home’’; foolishly keeping ``secrets on the back of the shelf’’; feeling like the big idiot who was ``the last heart standing at the edge of the bay.’’

But isn't recognizing a problem the first step to recovery? Didn't someone once say that half the battle was just recognizing that you were a pathetic creature unworthy of redemption?

Well, as I progress on my twelve step program as a recovering fool, I will frequently stop by Shelley Miller’s MySpace.com site to listen to ``Hurricane.'' Unfortunately at this time I can't get a personal copy, because ``Hurricane’’ hasn’t been released, yet. However, ``Hurricane'' will be on Miller’s next CD, which will be released this spring. (Look for a review here about mid-April.)

Until Shelley Miller’s next CD is released, (a) you can listen to a clip of ``Hurricane’’ by clicking on the player below; (b) you can listen to a full stream of the song on Shelley Miller’s MySpace.com website; and (c) you also can download a live acoustic ``living room’’ version of the song here at Shelley Miller’s website.

I’m not sure where I will be while I wait for Shelley Miller’s next CD, because I smelled tornado again this afternoon. I guess I will head for high ground, and  “find a little spot to hide [my] dreams.”

If you don't see a Flash MP3 player directly above, click here to hear ``Hurricane."

Technorati Tags: music, people

***   ***   ***
While I was writing this story, I sent Shelley Miller an email. I asked her permission to link to her two listings of ``Hurricane.'' And, because I was having trouble getting started, I asked her to conjure up a muse for me. You can read Shelley Miller's reply by clicking on the image below.

Great Song: Greg Brown's ``Blue Car"

One time Greg Brown ticked me off.

I asked for steak and potatoes, and Greg Brown served marzipan.

Let me clarify. I'm talking Marshmallow Peeps. Like Peeps – that fill the mouth, but not the stomach – Greg Brown put out an album of songs that left me unsatisfied. In this case, Brown's music didn't relieve my hunger pains.  Even after giving the CD numerous listens, I found no relief.

I ended up storming around for days kicking furniture and turning over flower pots. I felt foolish for trading hard-earned money for something less satisfying than a Fluffernutter sandwich.

Now people often say that mileage varies, and others claim they will walk a mile for a Camel.  Also, one family may want a Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington over their mantle, while another thinks a velvet Elvis is just groovy. Besides, stores wouldn't sell so many Peeps, if somebody wasn't buying them. Also, all the reviewers said The Poet Game (1994) was as sweet as a new `64 Dodge, so I'm certainly wrong. Or am I?

I know that Greg Brown fans are probably getting a little hot under the collar right now. If you're a Greg Brown fan, and you're on the verge of a conniption, I hope you will take a deep breath, and cut me some slack. My problem may be overly inflated expectations, caused by Brown's huge talent and musical legacy. I hope you will hear me out.

Try as I might, I can't stay annoyed with Greg Brown!

Eventually Brown's ``Blues Go Walking," and he writes a meaty song like ``Blue Car." Then, all is forgiven – the unspoken Covenant is restored.

``Blue Car" could be a marvelous bluesy song about a fellow driving down a mountainside in an old blue car that's got a loose clutch and questionable brakes. He's on his way to say good-bye to his lover  – he realizes it was a love that ``just aint meant to be." And he says ``when I get back upon the moutain, I'll close my door against the wind."  He will park his blue car, and he ``might fall down the mountain, but [he] will never fall in love again."

Yes, ``Blue Car" could be about fellow driving down a mountainside. The theme to ``Blue Car" and ``Pretty One More Time" could be oh so similar, or not.

``Blue Car" is on Greg Brown's Covenant CD. You should be able to find both the song and the CD in most, if not all, the usual places.

Covenant also includes Brown's ``Rexroth's Daughter'' (lyrics)— the typical reviewer's pick. ``Rexroth's Daughter" is a most likable song. Good steady beat. Danceable, too. But I don't quite get its meaning. And that bothers me, because the song mentions Michigan, and I thought I was somewhat of a Michigan maven. After all, I did have three years of Michigan history in elementary school.

[26 JAN 2008] Yesterday I received a ``postcard'' from one of my many fine readers; all brilliant, charming, sexy, and handsome, they are. This distinguished personage pointed out that soundclips for ``Blue Car'' and numerous other Greg Brown songs could be heard here.
Since I seem to be in the recommending mood,... if you are looking to purchase individual songs, I would give my highest recommendation to ``Blue Car'', ``Pretty One More Time'', and ``Blues Go Walking''.

Hyperlinks updated 15 JAN 2008

Technorati Tags: music, people