by Max Vernon
1. Alexandra Drewchin- “Frankie Lee”:
I first met Alexandra on the 6 Train on my way to the Lower East Side for an open mic. She initiated a rather random conversation with me about ferns, baby elephants in Sri Lanka, and Roberta Flack. Needless to say, I thought she was insane and my New Yorker instinct told me to be wary and possibly exit the train car at the next stop. However, I also noticed she was carrying a guitar and so I suggested she come with me to the open mic. Although she couldn’t make it, I gave her my number and a few days later we met up for a jam session. Well, it just so happens that I’ve never met a musician I relate to more stylistically than Alexandra. She’s quite simply, a genius. In my mind when it comes to music, it’s Joni Mitchell and then everyone else. Well, a few days ago I found a clip of Joni Mitchell on youtube playing one of her first songs from the days when she was still Joni Anderson. She was 22, and though one could notice she was talented, the song itself was fairly unremarkable. At the age of 18, with the song Frankie Lee, Alexandra has written an instant classic. She recorded the song in one take, it is completely stripped down with no production, and it will blow your mind. I am so excited to see where Alexandra takes her music and grateful to have met a kindred music spirit.
It’s remarkable that bassist Julie Delano, and drummer, Sam Lazzara can create music as deep and melodic as it is while employing such sparse instrumentation. “Kiss Me” is moody, gorgeous, and entirely addictive. The play count on my iTunes is up to 14.
The cd is available at http://www.olivejuicemusic.com, and you can hear more amazing songs on The Leader’s myspace: http://www.myspace.com/theleadernyc.
3. Charles Latham- “Drown in the Tears of Your 20’s”
When I saw Charles Latham perform recently at the New York Antifolk fest, his unique lyrical perspective as well as his ability to wail some pretty high notes captivated me immediately. If this recording of Latham is a bit muffled, Latham more than compensates for this with his acerbic wit and gifted songwriting ability. In fact, I would argue that the unpolished recording suits Latham perfectly- it helps communicate the vulnerability, non-pretentiousness, and immediacy of his songs. In this song, “Drown in the Tears of Your 20’s”, Latham illustrates the progression of a bitter 20 year old into a 30 year old eating ribs with a bib, to a nostalgic forty year old balding and getting fatter, finally becoming a know it all fifty year old with children who hate him. Though this song, like many of the others on the cd has a slightly depressing cynical tone (in the sense that truth can be hard to swallow), listeners who harbor their own cynical views of society will probably end up finding Latham’s observations hilarious. More songs can be heard here: http://www.myspace.com/sircharleslatham.
4. Cheese on Bread- “Cornfields, Cornfields!”
A favorite of the New York City Antifolk scene, and of other arbiters of good taste, Cheese on Bread recently put out their new, incredible CD, “The Search for Colonel Mustard” after an exhaustive month long tour of Europe. Now, on my tenth listening through, I can’t remember the last time I heard something so purely enjoyable. “Cornfields, Cornfields!” Is a perfect example of what Cheese on Bread does best: the song is poppy, uplifting, catchy, and also incredibly intelligent and humorous. The song also has my favorite lyric of the moment: “Cornfields, cornfields, there’s so many cornfields. But they use all the corn in the cornfields to make corn syrup for Coca Cola. People keep saying what’s the big deal? But I’m so concerned about the cornfields, because the starving of the world get a raw deal when we waste all our vegetables on cherry soda.” More songs can be heard here: http://www.myspace.com/cheeseonbread.
5. Caleb Hawley- “Addicted to Youth”:
I almost don’t know what to write about Caleb Hawley, because I feel like no matter what I say I will not do him justice. Caleb is an incredible performer- in addition to being a virtuoso guitarist who studied at Berklee School of Music, he possess this incredible Stevie Wonder-like voice that seems to come from nowhere. Between his complex, yet very accessible sense of melody, and wacky sense of humor, Caleb Hawley has a completely unique musical perspective. The track, which was recorded in a studio down in Nashville, is incredibly lush and orchestral- Caleb hired a cast of equally talented session players, filling out the sound with incredible results. Listen to it at Caleb’s cd, Greatest Hits, can be found on iTunes and I strongly recommend it. More songs can be heard at www.calebhawley.com