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REVIEW this Tommy Alexander, Basement Soul (JENKE RECORDS, CD, DIGITAL DOWNLOAD)
For a guy who’s been a central figure in seven or so records with various projects since 2011, and who’s helped birth countless other recordings through his collective/label Jenke Arts, it’s surprising that Tommy Alexander’s new record, Basement Soul, marks only his second full-length solo effort. The 12-track album, recorded at Ryan Power’s Stu Stu Studio, has a distinctly more produced and polished sound than Alexander’s previous solo works — Bogart the Ghost, a 2012 full-length album, and the 2011 debut EP Maybe One Day. While those earlier recordings were largely driven by Alexander’s vocal and instrumental musings, Alexander’s latest feels focused and fleshed out. You can tell he took his time. The opener, “Joshua Tree,” is a fingerpicking, bluesy folk tune that matches Alexander’s warbled voice to wandering lyrics. It’s a classic “on the road” track that positions him traveling highways and
byways alone and allowing the landscape to reflect his own thoughts back to him. Alexander sings, “So I packed my bags and I headed west / with something strange burning in my chest / Do you relate to the crow that flies? / Bringing songs from above and a sun that shines / Life is a trip when you’re running down a highway of dreams / With nothing for miles but the Joshua trees.” Basement Soul is as intimate and earnest as Alexander’s earlier work. But it’s also more experimental, signaling that he has found his footing and is now willing to take a few risks. Two tracks stand out stylistically. “Catalina” injects a bit of summertime reggae into the otherwise rustic, weekend-at-thecabin mix. The ominous and surprising appearance of a singing saw — courtesy of Johnnie Day Durand — in “Dreams to Dance” makes it a slightly spooky number that forgoes the comforting vibe of the rest of the album. Still, these choices show that Alexander is a thoughtful practitioner of his craft who knows what works but isn’t afraid to infuse it with something new. While his strong vocals and light guitar touch permeate the entire album, Alexander also has a little help from his friends — nine of them, to be exact.
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Many of his pals contribute multiple instruments and none disappoints. “Nobody’s Cryin’” has a particularly lovely stretch of Tucker Hanson’s longing violin. Other contributors include bassist John Rogone, drummer Simon Plumpton, pianist Randal Pierce and multiinstrumentalist Eric Segalstad, among others. The ensemble effort suits the collective ethos that Alexander and company practice at Jenke Arts. With Alexander’s honest vocals and a talented crew weaving its own sounds throughout the album, Basement Soul is yet another solid piece in the Jenke catalog, as well as Alexander’s own body of work. Basement Soul by Tommy Alexander is available at tommyalexander.com and Pure Pop. Alexander plays a release party at Signal Kitchen on Tuesday, August 5.
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THE GRIFT
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Josh Panda & The Hot Damned
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Dj Gagu birthday bash
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FUNKWAGON
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Afinque
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primate fiasco
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hot neon magic
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The Modern Grass Quintet, Bellwether (SELF-RELEASED, CD, DIGITAL DOWNLOAD)
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07.30.14-08.06.14
living but ultimately serves as a love letter to life in the country. In his easy, pleasant tenor, Greene reminisces about playing his guitar for “rich folks and fools” in the “dirty, gray city,” before finding an oasis, and eventually a home, “up in the woodlands of sleepy New England.” Mandolinist Stephen Waud takes the lead on “Gallows Pole,” a dark, rustic tale of a murderer who escapes the hangman’s noose by framing another man. It’s a clever and chilling twist on the classic murder ballad, one made gloomier by the band’s sinister arrangement. Since their debut, MGQ have shuffled their lineup. Gone are fiddler Joe Cleary and banjo ace Steve Light, two of the area’s most highly regarded bluegrass players. Filling those immensely large boots are mandolinist and banjo player Adam Buchwald and fiddler and resophonic guitar player Todd Sagar.
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On their self-titled 2012 debut, the Modern Grass Quintet introduced local audiences to a new strain of bluegrass whose roots run to the origins of the genre yet bloom in the light of more contemporary influences. The seminal works of Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs is always fertile and foundational soil. But this band fertilized its sound with influences ranging from the newgrass stylings of Jerry Garcia and David Grisman to the gothic folk of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, and even the Beatles. The result was a record that honored bluegrass tradition while adopting and adapting new inspirations — which itself has become a certain kind of bluegrass tradition. Retooled and reinvigorated, MGQ are back with a new album, Bellwether, that pushes that fusion of classic and current aesthetics. The record opens on bandleader Andy Greene’s “Home From the Mills.” It’s a lively cut that puts a twangy spin on city
Both prove eminently capable. And it seems they also bring a more traditional approach to the band. On instrumental tunes such as “Free at Last” and “Stomping Buck,” MGQ delve even further into the history of the genre than on the band’s debut. Both songs have SCAN THIS PAGE a whirling, British Isles-style flair — apt WITH LAYAR reminders of the genealogy of bluegrass SEE PAGE 5 music. But MGQ’s calling card remains the band’s savvy blend of old and new. The highlights on Bellwether are those songs in which that tack is most ingeniously employed. The instrumental “Spider Bridge” veers into melodic newgrass and is a fine collective showcase — as is the Sagar-led “Too Late to Classify.” “Dance With the Bottle” is a rambunctious barn burner that, with electric instrumentation, would be an equally effective alt-country tune. And “Doing My Time” features another sly writing turn from Waud, not to mention the album’s most fiery picking. Bellwether by the Modern Grass Quintet is available at CD Baby, Amazon and iTunes.
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