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’Tis the Season for New Hampshire-made music When coronavirus-related restrictions took hold late last winter, stages across the Granite State went dark. Musicians unplugged, loaded-out and went home. Some began streaming performances online. Others slid the guitar case under the bed. Against all odds, some released new music. Here are a handful of New Hampshire artists who have new music perfect for gift-giving this holiday season. by bill burke
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When Liam Bliven rolled back into Kingston after living away for a time, it felt welcoming and natural — a sense he communicates in his uplifting, shifting “Coming Home,” a proggy
instrumental ode to returning to the Granite State. “It came to me right when I was moving back from Florida,” the soft-spoken multi-instrumentalist says. “It’s a pretty straightforward song as far as the music goes. It’s in a major key, so it’s happier sounding than what I normally write. It felt like coming home.” Bliven, a constantly shifting, slippery, challenging guitarist, gives the track a Joe Satriani/Eric Johnson vibe, playing all the instruments and recording it in his home studio. Playing every part (guitar, drums, bass, assorted soundscapes) is a
theme not uncommon in his music — aside from when he collaborates with world-renowned musicians. On “Conversations,” he brought in keyboardist Derek Sherinian of Kiss, Alice Cooper, Dream Theater and Sons of Apollo fame. When Bliven goes, he goes big. “That one’s all me except for Derek, who is a ridiculous keyboard player,” he says. “Which probably explains the number of plays I’m getting on the streaming services. He kills it.” On “Conversations,” another mind-bending instrumental, Bliven goes on a breakneck tour from Latin rhythms (with a tasty nylon string
Chamberlain, and New Hampshire bandmates Dan Glynn and Jarrod Taylor, among others. “It was pretty cool because I went into the studio thinking it would just be my band, just four people,” Drake says. “But it turned out that we ended up working with some great musicians because there were so many people coming in and out of that studio.”
Audrey Drake was halfway between New Hampshire and Nashville when inspiration struck. Drake, a singer-songwriter from Holderness, was on an extended tour, during which she hoped to write a handful of songs. That’s when “The Next Best Thing” popped into her head. “In 2009, I went on a six-month
tour across the country,” Drake says. “My hope was to write a bunch of songs. I wrote one — and that was it.” That one song, which eventually became the title track on her new CD, “The Next Best Thing,” was enough, apparently. A collection of songs featuring Drake’s shimmering, soulful vocals and lush harmonies, the CD — Drake’s second — is a powerhouse lineup from a songwriter confidently flexing her creative muscles. Drake began recording the album in 2015 at The Recording Coop in Gilford, which was relocated and evolved into A Day in This Life, in Portland, Maine. She brought a few friends along, including renowned Canadian multi-instrumentalist J.P. Cormier (who has played with Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash), Nashville mandolin player and guitarist Charlie
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Pick a single: “Listen to ‘LA.’ It has a feel that gets people going. I feel like the energy of it makes people feel good. It has great energy and the message is powerful — follow your dreams and don’t give up.” Buy it: It’s available on amazon.com and iTunes. Stream “The Next Best Thing” on all streaming services. Learn more: facebook.com/ audreyjdrake, website coming soon
lead) to stop-and-start melodies that trip between major and minor keys, to slashing through some harmonic minor modes that Bliven has an admitted affection for. “Yeah, that one might be more of a musician’s track,” he says. Pick a single: “Definitely ‘Conversations.’ I think the production is better, but I think playing-wise it showcases a little more versatility with the Latin solo and then the heavier rock solo. It covers more ground.” Buy it: iTunes and amazon.com Learn more: facebook.com/ ResonationProductions
When he was growing up in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, Zach Benton never really knew, or cared, what was conventional. And that’s what makes this musician/ author/entertainer/sci-fi storyteller so unique. “I’ve never been into trends,” says Benton, who is more commonly known by fans as Melodious Zach.