Band of Lovers in their van with mountains in the distance

article by Greg Cutler for ArtsEarth

The photo of the band in their van with the mountains in the distance says it all.

Band of Lovers’ newest album speaks to the folk heroes of the sixties. Youth and vigor, loss and longing, adventure – these are all themes explored in this courageous album.

The beautiful vintage album art by Jason Gardinier, is a perfect illustration of the roads these artists travel and sing about; seeking freedom, independence, forging a new path in the world, and eventually coming home.

Back to Colorado is the song that sticks in my head the most. There are unexpected twists in the melody that continue to bounce around in my mind. Throughout the album, the two female voices (Sabina Beachdell and Liliana Urbain) are angelic; so different yet complimentary. While they are sweet and soothing, I feel that Dave Strumfeld’s unique vocal talents and emotions seem to leave a more lasting imprint.

Band of Lovers American Tour Album Cover

The album performs as a single entity (as an album should); each song blending seamlessly into the next. If you want to sit back, relax and enjoy the heartfelt song craftsmanship of a truly enjoyable acoustic/indie pop/folk band that plays tribute to all the folk bands that have come before, prepare to let yourself drift down a stretch of open highway cutting through the heart of America and feel all the feelings these songs have to offer.

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Thollem McDonas is a pianist, keyboardist, organist, composer, improviser, singer-songwriter, activist, author and teacher.

“Listening to Thollem McDonas play the piano is an astonishing experience. He has an innate ability to compose transcendent music using the piano as his expressive voice and to explore the depth and range of the instrument like no one else. Meeting At The Parting Place will take you on journeys across varied landscapes that flow effortlessly from one to the next — somehow emerging logically even in their unpredictability. Thollem creates a spectacular tapestry of different colored sounds reflecting his awareness, study and assimilation of countless influences. In Terry Riley’s own words, Thollem McDonas is ‘a true original’.”
— from the liner notes by Joan Jeanrenaud, Composer, Cellist (Kronos Quartet cellist 1978-98)

“Thollem is a modern griot who has absorbed sounds from every place he has visited, and, like a plant, he leaves seeds that find soil and grow as beautiful sound memories for the listener.”
— William Parker

Thollem McDonas – Meeting At The Parting Place | Odradek Records

1. Revelations of the sun
2. Facing west to the east
3. The improbability of now
4. The improbability of now – 2
5. And each other
6. And each other – 2

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“fearless experimentation … super-human handwork”
— Brad Cohan, NYC Jazz Record

“transforms 88 keys into texturally staggering ensemble.”
— Detroit Metro Times

“endless worlds of possibility”
— J. Lawrence, Columbia Free Times

“One of the most captivating pianists working today”
— Rui Eduardo Paes, Jazz.pt

“An attractively extreme viewpoint. Unreal linear explosions”
— Greg Burk, LA Times

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Friday, July 12: Daniel Rosenboom | Book of Omens | CD Release Party
Art Share L.A., 801 E 4th Place, Los Angeles, California

Featuring

• Daniel Rosenboom – trumpet and flugelhorn
• Vinny Golia – tenor saxophone, alto flute, contralto clarinet
• Jacob Vossler – electric guitar
• Tim Lefebvre – electric bass and FX
• Matt Mayhall – drums

ABOUT BOOK OF OMENS
Notes by Daniel Rosenboom and Gary Fukushima

Book of Omens is, in essence, a concept album inspired by an original shamanic myth about the cleansing and reforming of a corrupted universe. The album presents a new sonic zodiac, with 12 distinct chords representing 12 different symbolic “omens” or zodiacal signs, each chord governing the “harmonic astrology” for an entire piece, resulting in a suite of 12 pieces, bookended by a prologue and epilogue that state all 12 chords in succession.

As writer and pianist Gary Fukushima put it: “The music is cataclysmic and chaotic, a terrifying sonic prophecy of universal destruction and rebirth. The aesthetics are undeniably metal, but Book of Omens is also expansive and deconstructive, an illustration of time and space falling into irreparable catastrophe, with moments of incandescent beauty amid violent bursts of raucous groove lashing out in their death throes.”

Buy Book of Omens Online

• iTunes
• Amazon.com
• Bandcamp.com
• CD Baby.com

COH featuring Little Annie | We Dream In Colour Series (2012)

by Andrew M. Reichart, Published: 2012-03-09

COH feat. Little Annie, “I’m Curious Yellow”

Apply the verse, spooky piano, you can’t say delicate and subtle as best I can in wouldn’t accuse a, so I’d say the insanity. That being it is that I’m case of my own audience for this experience, understand why two times I listened me would like it: certainly be the last two. I’m inclined to there’s unusual principle of “If and some very something nice…” noise work. I instances like this fan of idiocy or best way to articulate said, for me, in the not the intended personal, subjective piece. I can certainly I’m glad that the someone other than to this track will almost.

[Burroughs cut-up]
___

COH feat. Little Annie, “46 Things I Did Today (2011 edit)”

Characteristics of vocal music lately I’ve a major reason I and foe alike on to “I’m Curious Yellow” “glitch-hop” vocals side. The few heavily sentences are and shuffled and frankly badass. Or few words are on this one. But for me, the meaning the music is fuckin’ least valued. This is perhaps remarked to friend so prefer this track my fondness on the other where they’re clearly discernable cut up and stuttered tight and edgy and cropped such that no Little Annie delivers clearly discernable. Most of all I’d have to say of the words is gnarly and intense of the

[Burroughs cut-up]
___

COH featuring Little Annie | We Dream In Colour Series
tourette 024 – yellow 7″ | limited to 300 copies

Robin Storey and Dead Voices On Air #3 (2012)

by Andrew M. Reichart, Published: 2012-03-02

Robin Storey and Mark Spybey, “With an Ear and a Why”

Subterranean soundscape and flitting voices of alien spirits whispering in darkness, crooning to one another, grumbling, humbugging, snoring, pleading. Some king of angels now make themselves known, having overseen events heretofore. One of these angels is a Vangelis fan. Their hounds sniff around the holes to the underworld, giant bees buzz. Fade out.

[automatic writing]
___

Robin Storey and Mark Spybey, “With a Why and an Ear”

The “why” perhaps why the distinction some intellectual titles to these concern, the seem to imply a sensory or sensual or gimmick in music and music process, different this piece is an taking precedence to its counterparts representing soundscape and dynamic or abstract in intensity, thereby perhaps the the emotional aspect of in the making. Musically, tracks? They interesting contrast clever game; providing a similar the songwriting, but mellower principles utterly altering in each case. More bugs.

[Burroughs cut-up]
___

003. Robin Storey and Dead Voices On Air, “With An Ear And A Why”
tourette 027 | limited to 350 copies

Edward Kaspel and Dead Voices On Air #2 (2012)

by Andrew M. Reichart, Published: 2012-02-24

Edward Kaspell and Mark Spybey, “The Bowles Given Self-Loathing by Numbers”

From the bomb shelter we retreat into the aetheric plane where houris stand frozen in mid-dance-move…. But the bomb has struck, sending astral shock waves and temporal-reversal eddies through the aether – but thank god we find ourselves safely in a 60s London psychedelic underground venue, with a stratosphearic snare and syrupy organ and hypnotic vocals singing us to safety. Or no? Is this paranoia taking over, acid gut, nervous tickle of body and mind? Where are we really?

[automatic writing]
___

Edward Kaspell and Mark Spybey, “The Bowles Given On Air”

We enter upon the platonic ideal of spooky – again with the soundscape. But with the vocals and piano we have a soft eruption of sad enter in to dominate the scene, still framed in spooky but the pathos of keyboard tone color and lyric taking center stage. But with repetition, the voice’s apathy becomes unignorable, and it is revealed as an animatronic automatom from the year 1899, in a glass box with a penny slot, its paint chipped, its gears in need of grease.

[automatic writing]
___

002. Edward Kaspel and Dead Voices On Air,”The Bowles Given”
tourette 026 | limited to 350 copies

Simon Fisher Turner and Dead Voices On Air #1 (2012)

by Andrew M. Reichart, Published: 2012-02-17

Simon Fisher Turner and Mark Spybey, “MzMzLaLaLa Sing Song Sing”

I found my way into a dry corner of the vast plain from “Echoes,” out beyond where the calls of the mome-raths can be heard. Ran into Nick Drake’s gray ghost sitting on a rock strumming, didn’t look happy, didn’t look sad. My phone rings and it’s MzMzLaLaLa. She sings me a little qawaal she’s working on and it almost lines up exactly with what Nick is playing, weird. I get a call-waiting and I’m like hang on, but La is like “Wait I’m not done.” It’s my girlfriend. She doesn’t live a message but calls back again. But I ignore it and keep listening to La.

[narrative fiction]
___

Simon Fisher Turner and Mark Spybey, “MzMzLaLaLa for Peace”

How do we be for peace in this world ruled by war biz. Do find personal peace in a retreat into George Winston. Or do we advance into paths of penetrating insight that risk an inadventent retreat into navel-gazing. Or do we advance in full voice with diversity of tactics, smashing the fourth wall with a wall of sound, mouths open like Black Bolt, like the Eye of Shiva, to command a new world into being upon the ashes of the old. Or do we wind up calling to one another in hope and resignation out in the wind.

[political prose-poem]
___

001. Simon Fisher Turner and Dead Voices On Air, “MzMzLaLaLa”
tourette 025 | limited to 350 copies

Society for the Preservation of Faerie Arts presents: Faerie Archives, Vol. 1 (2009)

by David Leikam, Published: 2009-07-28

Regan, The High Priestess has released her third and most ambitious album to date with Society for the Preservation of Faerie Arts presents: Faerie Archives, Vol. 1 (2009). In this album, it is clear of Regan’s development in music composition and song over her previous music releases, Sellisternia (2002) and OakSong (2006). As a concept album, Faerie Archives: Vol. 1 is lovely and delicately well balanced that gives you a unique sense of an otherworldly existence, of faeries?

Unlike Sellisternia that propelled you into a set of song based tracks with a strong electronic beat to the forefront of the ear and her more cabaret styled effort, OakSong in 2006. Faerie Archives, Vol. 1 is deeply rooted in the acoustic realms and lulls you into a pleasant world of mystery and intrigue drawing you down the path to the next track, at times unconsciously.

This album begins with a lovely track entitled Droplets that properly introduces the album as you venture into the world of faeries as “archived” by the Society for the Preservation of Faerie.

Michael Mazochi's Volume 1 : Until My Teeth Turn Into Sand (2008)

by David Leikam, Published: 2008-01-30

Michael Mazochi, currently residing in the Los Angeles, CA music scene and with his latest third album, Volume 1: Until My Teeth Turn Into Sand … presents a masterful musical exploration that sounds of a traveler from present dipping into a bygone era, when the singer / songwriter was king on the charts and in the hearts of the mainstream consciousness. Familiarly original, with a comforting intimacy, and playful feel, Volume 1: … reverberates with the styles of country, folk, blues, and rock along a raw edge of punk / alternative that speak through on occasion. Michael crafts his songs of passion and observational love into a genuine expression of original viewing that ignites the imagination and memories within, like a good old friend visiting after a long absence. Invoking the music styling of Johnny Cash, Nick Cave, and Bob Dylan. Michael rises to the ranks on a sure footing with guitar and harmonica in hand, ready to speak his soul.

Volume 1: Until My Teeth Turn Into Sand … is a 15 track album that starts out with Introduction, a two-minute instrumental track that sounds like a train traveling down the line on a moon lit evening, entering a world of time spent here and there. Lately I, invites the listener into a joyous romp with chorus and cheers in foreign lands and the friends made along the way. Georgia Line, steps up the pace with steam and a bluesy wailing harmonica, preaching a song of women. The Tide Of Earthly Deed, one of the highlights of this album and a personal favorite with its lush and plaintive voicing that stay with you pleasantly like the company of a dear friend with delicate guitar workings intertwined throughout. The Old Rails, calls to the listener to take notice of the happenings that came before with a straightforward tale of travel through the heartland alone but with many friends along the way. To Set You Free, pleats to heartache and loss with lyrics as “My lungs are wearing lines into my face …” When Will It End, is a rocking observational onslaught with band (the Widows) asking why … “Kids carry guns as they shoot out the sun. So they blacken their ties to the holiest one.”

Volume 1: Until My Teeth Turn Into Sand … is a masterpiece album that needs to be taken notice of and one of the best I have heard in the last few years. Michael Mazochi, is said to be working on composing a rock opera next, an artist to definitely watch and listen for, playing live or in the studio.