Too Late To Die Young by Harry Taussig

The Record Store of the Mind Book Tour 2016

The Record Store of the Mind Book Tour 2016
17 Cities. 17 Special Guests.

                                                                     
"One of the most thoroughly enjoyable, informative, wise and good-hearted books ever written about music and the industry"
-- MOJO * * * * 4 STARS

"What pulls its disparate elements together is the accommodating warmth and wit of his writing and the wealth of great stories he has to tell"
-- UNCUT 8/10

Tompkins Square label's Josh Rosenthal will read from his new book, 'The Record Store of the Mind', w/ Special Guests :

April 2 - Deep Thoughts, Jamaica Plain MA w/ Sam Moss
April 3 - Feeding Tube Records, Northampton MA w/ Trevor Healy
April 4 - Albany Public Library, Albany NY w/ Mike Eck
April 5 - Rocket 99, Kingston NY w/ Peter Walker
April 6 - Secret Project Robot, Brooklyn NY w/ Kid Millions, Harry Taussig
April 7 - Brickbat Books, Philadelphia PA w/ Chris Forsyth
April 8 - Red Onion Records & Books, Washington DC w/ Bob Brown
April 9 - Atomic Books, Baltimore MD w/ Max Ochs
April 10 - Steady Sounds, Richmond VA w/ Diane Cluck, Mark Fosson
April 12 - Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill NC w/ Steven Weiss (UNC)
April 13 - Horizon Records, Greenville SC w/ Wes Tirey
April 14 - Downtown Books, Asheville NC w/ Wes Tirey
April 15 - A Cappella Books, Atlanta GA w/ Tyler Higgins
April 16 - Grimey's, Nashville TN - Record Store Day DJ set & signing
April 17 - Carmichael's Bookstore, Louisville KY w/ Nathan Salsburg
April 18 - Boxcar Books, Bloomington IN - A Bill Wilson tribute
April 20 - CityLit Books, Chicago IL w/ Mike Vallera

Media Inquiries

'The Record Store of the Mind' by Josh Rosenthal
Praised by The Believer, Oxford American, Boing Boing, Record Collector (5/5)......
ISBN : 9781625179135
Retailers : Available via Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Think Indie, Revolver

BUY IT

'THE RECORD STORE OF THE MIND' SPOTIFY PLAYLIST  

"Josh Rosenthal is a record man's record man. He is also a musician's record man. He is in the line of Samuel Charters and Harry Smith. In this age where we have access to everything and know the value of nothing, musicians need people like Josh to hear them when no one else can."
- T Bone Burnett

Grammy-nominated producer and Tompkins Square label founder Josh Rosenthal presents his first book, The Record Store of the Mind. Part memoir, part "music criticism," the author ruminates over unsung musical heroes, reflects on thirty years of toil and fandom in the music business, and shamelessly lists some of the LPs in his record collection. Crackling with insightful untold stories, The Record Store of the Mind will surely delight and inspire passionate music lovers ... especially those who have spent way too many hours in record stores.

Celebrating ten years in 2015, Rosenthal's San Francisco-based independent record label Tompkins Square has received seven Grammy nominations and wide acclaim for its diverse catalog of new and archival recordings.

ALSO :

> Check out the new Tompkins Square model guitar, built by Trevor Healy ! Video features William Tyler, Ryler Walker, Chris Forsyth and more.

TOMPKINS SQUARE 'IMAGINATIONAL ANTHEM' VOL. 7

TOMPKINS SQUARE RELEASES THE 7th INSTALLMENT OF 'IMAGINATIONAL ANTHEM', THE ACCLAIMED ACOUSTIC GUITAR SERIES, FEBRUARY 17, 2015

From Tompkins Square's Press Release:
'Imaginational Anthem Vol. 7' is compiled by 20 year old guitarist Hayden Pedigo, from Albuquerque, NM. Hayden has recently been featured in Vogue and The FADER behind his own recent album release, 'Five Steps'. Hayden's selections represent a mature and balanced cross-section across the modern solo acoustic guitar spectrum. As with previous volumes, this one truly represents the state of the art - an area of evolving musical expression that is very vibrant and healthy indeed.

Track Listing :

1.On a Slow Passing Through a Ghost Town-Chuck Johnson
2.Culverts-Sean Proper
3.Enchiridion-Norberto Lobo
4.Trees Return to Soil-Simon Scott
5.Sea Retreat-DBH
6.Araucaria-Jordan Norton
7.The Great North American Wilderness-Kyle Fosburgh
8.Something, or Oil Paintings-Christoph Bruhn
9.USA Self-Michael Vallera
10.Red Bud Valley-Dylan Golden Aycock
11.0/3-M.Mucci
12.Shadow Study at 6 am-Mariano Rodriguez
13.Olympic Peninsula Blues-Andrew Weathers
14.My Grandfather's 12 Gauge-Wes Tirey

Visit Tompkins Square

Daniel Bachman: Sept 6, 2013 Hopscotch Music Festival

Daniel Bachman
2013-09-06
Hopscotch Music Festival
Long View Center
Raleigh, NC USA

The awesome NYCTaper is at it again, bringing us twangin' strings and Daniel Bachman.

Visit HERE to download the MP3 or FLAC of the show!!

Also: new stuff coming out soon

And old stuff HERE!!

Listen Hear! - Fingerpicking

Listen Hear! is a periodic (probably irregular) feature covering what I'm listening to these days.  Feel free to comment and let me know what you are listening to these days.

Here's a few of the new CDs I've been spinning lately.  At least...fairly new.  I don't always get stuff right away, but that's ok!

Michael DeLalla is a local guitarist.  You can visit his site, Falling Mountain Music.  Looks like he is working on a new tour.  He does tour pretty regularly and I would suggest you go see him, very entertaining.  His new CD, this is how i disappear is available at his site or CDbaby.

I'm so glad to see Mike Fekete put out another album.  I love his playing and his compositions.  Great to see his piece, "The Sacred Monster Blues" committed to this new effort.  I've heard it live a time or two, good stuff.  Check out Dakota Territory Blues at  mikefekete.com.

Ah, and then I have a duo of Tompkins Square releases.  TS has been busy lately and I'm behind on releases.  But these are the two that are spinning furiously in the player at the moment   And furious might be an apt description of some of the playing here!  Imaginational Anthem hits a surprising volume #5!  Who'd a thunk it?  It's not quite the line-up of newbies and unknowns that we were treated to in the initial IA.  But then isn't that to be expected by Vol. five?  Bill Orcutt gets the best song title award for "John Fahey Commemorative Beer Can."

Rounding out the duo is Daniel Bachman's Seven Pines.  Bachman is touring like a madman, even making two stops here in Colorado to my surprise, very exciting!!  So dig up his schedule and watch for him.  You can get the TS releases at http://www.tompkinssquare.com and widely at your favorite shop.

That's it for now.  I plan on this being a regular feature and I hope you dig it!
 

Don Bikoff - Celestial Explosion

Celestial Explosion due out on Tompkins Square on Feb 26th, 2013

"Actually John Fahey and I met on a few occasions and also corresponded sporadically. He did , in fact, record a number of my tunes but would not give me writers credit. That was John!"

  

     

Harry Taussig - Fate is Only Twice

It’s hard not to make comparisons to his first simply because it was 47 years ago.  It begs compare & contrast.  Nonetheless I’ll refrain from much of that.  If you have his old one you’ll like this one.  If you like this one and you’ve not heard the old one, you’ll like that one too.  Though they aren’t the same, there’s more similarity than difference.  This one feels old. Almost like this was recorded as the sophomore effort and released some 40 years late.  But while that one was dominated by ragtime pieces this one is not.  These pieces have more of a classical influence, some have a Takoma feel to them as well as a strong element of improvisation.

That earlier recording is no crisp, clean Windham Hill production effort and this one isn’t either, but much better while still retaining the dry, straight ahead approach to capturing the sound.  Nothing fancy.

Taussig’s playing is equally uncluttered and sparse.  Make every note count.  Make every pluck of the strings a worthwhile and apparent part of the whole.  Don’t play it just because you can.

Rondo in D starts off the work with a proper American Primitive feel reminiscent of the dark, simple feel so well established by Fahey.

Listen: Rondo-in-D-On-Southern-Themes

Electric Forest , Electric Trees begins as though Taussig was in the middle of the piece and the record button was just hit, an act of capture?  Perhaps.  The song feels improvised and thoughtful at times with returns to the main theme that includes some nice use of harmonics.

In the Corner of the Circle is a delightfully odd piece that seems to almost pick up where the last song left off.  Quirky timing, odd slide work and notes bouncing around like they can’t escape the corner of the circle.  One of my favourites.

Living in the City is the lone 12 string effort.

Perpetuum Mobile Revisited is a ragtimey piece much like his favored approach in the first release.

Fate is only Twice is the fitting title track of the album and closes this effort with a 7:12 minute harkening to the first release.

It’s great to hear Taussig’s meeting with Fate once again captured for our benefit.

Interview with Taussig in 2006
Interview with Taussig in 2012
 
Buy it from Tompkins Square

Mark Fosson: Digging in the Dust (Exclusive Stream)

from the Fretboard Journal
In 1976, shortly after acquiring his 12-string Epiphone guitar, Kentucky-born guitarist Mark Fosson recorded a set of demo tapes that were eventually sent to John Fahey’s Takoma Records. Fahey liked what he heard and signed Fosson shortly thereafter, going so far as to book studio time for the musician. Unfortunately, Takoma ran out of money and was sold to Chrysalis before the album ever came out, leaving Fosson’s studio recording in its wake. The finished album wouldn’t be released until 2006 (as Drag City Records’ The Lost Takoma Sessions).

On June 26, 2012, Tompkins Square is releasing Digging in the Dust, the stunning 1976 home demos by Fosson that led up to that lost Takoma record. The guitarist recorded himself in his living room, using a reel-to-reel tape deck and a rented microphone. He performed ten original compositions and one arrangement of “Back in the Saddle Again.” Though today he’s known more as an Americana singer-songwriter, these tapes are a testament to Fosson’s unique talents on 12-string guitar. If you’re a fan of Fahey, Leo Kottke, Peter Lang or more recent virtuosos such as the late Jack Rose, we think you’ll love this collection of forward-thinking guitar instrumentals.

The Fretboard Journal is proud to be exclusively streaming this album in its entirety to readers and guitar enthusiasts worldwide. The stream will only be up for a limited time, so if you like what you hear, we encourage you to pre-order the album here (CD) or here (mp3). The album will be available everywhere on June 26, 2012. able everywhere on June 26, 2012.

Stream it HERE
 

Oh Michael, Look What You’ve Done : Friends Play Michael Chapman

Compiled by Michael’s wife Andru and Tompkins Square’s Josh Rosenthal, features artists who have shared a stage with Michael, or share a personal connection. These include some of his contemporaries like Bridget St. John, Maddy Prior, and longtime cohort Rick Kemp (Steeleye Span), as well as young guns inspired by Michael’s legacy.

Available May 29th

Track listing :

1. Black Twig Pickers – Life on the Ceiling
2. D. Charles Speer – Expressway in the Rain
3. Lucinda Williams – That Time of Night (LISTEN)
4. Thurston Moore – It Didn’t Work Out
5. Meg Baird – No Song To Sing (LISTEN)
6. Maddy Prior – The Prospector
7. Hiss Golden Messenger – Fennario
8. Rick Kemp – Vanity and Pride
9. Two Wings – You Say
10. Nick Jonah Davis – Little Molly’s Dream
11. Bridget St. John – Rabbit Hills
12. William Tyler – Naked Ladies and Electric Ragtime

William Tyler delivers a bouncy version of Naked Ladies and Electric Ragtime.

Nick Jonah Davis performs a solo acoustic of Little Molly’s Dream.  Davis is a talented fingerpicker and does a fine job on this one.

Meg Baird delivers her usual standard of excellence with No Song to Sing.  A fine blend of an acoustic base, ambient feeling and tasty electric licks all framing her beautiful vocal delivery.

Lucinda Williams’ cover sounds like it’s straight from her soul.  The ache and pain and pure emotion of this performance is 18kt gold.  A sparse, beautiful trip into That Time of Night.

Solid version of Fennario is delivered by Hiss Golden Messenger.

I'm very much enamored with The Prospector by Maddy Prior.

I must again proclaim my support for tribute and various artist compilations.  Many times in the past I have purchased compilations for just one or two artists presented on such releases only to discover many new and exciting artists that I have never heard of before.  You might find something new yourself!

Check out the extensive posts about Chapman over at Small Town Romance, at the end of the post is a guide to all of his releases.  

Buy from Tompkins Squa

James Elkington & Nathan Salsburg - Avos Youtubes

    

James Elkington & Nathan Salsburg - Avos

Avos starts off with Hospitality, probably one of its strongest tracks. The playing is crisp and concise and yet doesn’t feel as technically precise as to feel sterile. In fact the whole body of work has a comfortable feel to it that belies the technical skill that is going on concurrently. Fez and Guinness is a favorite of mine, call me a sucker for the beer and the violin? Either way it’s another of the comfort pieces on this effort.
 But just when the comfort is settling in the guys insert just an inkling of strange to keep you on your toes. Avos, is track seven and while there’s nothing too unsettling about the piece I’m also not sure I’m “getting” it either. At first it bothered me but now I’m a little more comfortable with it.
Actually, at the half-way point the guys do start getting a little flashy, at least for this effort. Believer Field takes a lot of elements and blends them for a great sounding duet full of pull-offs, arpeggios and jazzy chords. Ending up with a song that retains the feel of a beautiful melody along the way is tricky but they do it well.
Straight Up and Down is a tune that keeps things from straying too close to the norm. A very attractive tune with its sharp angles slipping into an elegant melody, really a joy for the ears!
On that note I need to mention that a lot of what makes this an excellent effort is the production work, very fine. This is a great addition to the small canon of guitar duet efforts. Work & Worry has an interesting review of this release and I encourage you to check it out if you haven’t already. Raymond Morin is one of the rare breed of guitarist that plays in this tiny niche, his perspective is unique.
Visit Tompkins Square to BUY.
Stream it at Fretboard Journal.
 

In Conversation with Nick Jonah Davis

   

Nick Jonah Davis - Of Time And Tides

Nick Jonah Davis 

“Of Time and Tides - Guitar Recordings Vol II”

Review by Andrew Stranglen

“Of Time and Tides” is a collection of 11 songs that would have seamlessly meshed into the Takoma catalogue. Nick is a fine player who strikes the balance between player and instrument, letting the guitar guide him as much as he is guiding it.

Fans of the Takoma & Kottke/Lang/Fahey (and others!) tradition, will not be disappointed in this latest coup de gras by Mr. Davis. Track 7, “Nocturne” is dominated by the piano, assumedly also played by Nick Jonah Davis (or perhaps pianist Ed Earl, see ‘Guitar Recordings Vol I') with just a slight hint of guitar accompaniment alongside. Track 10, “A Broken Circle” explores accompaniment of a single shimmering chord, reminiscent of John Fahey’s improvising against the hum of refrigerators and the like.

I know something is good, when I get lost in the reverie of listening to what I am supposed to be reviewing. I found nothing to dislike in this new album by Nick. He hails from somewhere in Nottingham, U.K. This probably means some British folk influences, Renbourn and others, are present, but not overwhelming. As I previously stated, this album could pass for a Takoma ‘blast from the past’. Being a guitar player myself, I also know something is good if it makes me reach for my guitar. This it did, but I restrained myself from playing alongside or stopping the playback to indulge myself, until it was over.

“Of Time and Tides”’s sequence is flawlessly chosen. Sometimes that can mean the difference between an okay album and an excellent album. But in this case it probably would not make a great difference if you shuffled things around a bit. Never boring, very captivating is my diagnosis, ***** Five Stars!

Good job Nick! -Andrew Stranglen

You can find Nick Jonah Davis on MySpace and buy the vinyl release on Tompkins Square.

Podcast - Christmas Music & Jack Rose Tribute

In this first episode I play some tracks from the new Sean Smith Christmas release as well as tracks by Mike Fekete and Ragtime Ralph. The second part of the show is a tribute to Jack Rose where I play a wide variety of his music.

DOWNLOAD the show.

Show Notes

00:53 – Sean Smith – Christmas Time is Here, a Meditation from “Christmas”

03:14 – Mike Fekete – Silent Night, KAOS 89.3 Olympia WA broadcast

09:58 – Ragtime Ralph – White Christmas from “Vol. 4”

14:23 - Sean Smith – Christmas Morning (Improvisation I) from “Christmas”

15:32 - Sean Smith - Christmas Eve (Improvisation II) from “Christmas”

17:03 - Part Two – Jack Rose

18:20 – Jack Rose – Tex from BBC Maida Vale

31:55 - Jack Rose – Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground from BBC Maida Vale

36:01 - Jack Rose – Kensington Blues from Peel Sessions

39:16 – Jack Rose – Buckdancer’s Choice from split 7” on Funeral Folk (same cut as Dr. Ragtime CDr)

41:40 – Jack Rose – How Green was my Valley from split 7” on Funeral Folk

43:53 – Jack Rose – Knoxville Blues from Dr. Ragtime CDr



Credits, etcetera…
Thanks to Tompkins Square, Mike Fekete and Ragtime Ralph for permission to play selected cuts.
Jack Rose cuts are bootlegs or out of print.
Thanks to James “Tapeleg” Gralian for the voice over introduction.
Into and outro bumper music by Ragtime Ralph
Produced by J Scott Moore

Thanks for listening.

Tompkins Square Label 5th Anniversary Sampler

Hey folks, Other Music Digital Music is offering a free sampler download from the Tompkins Square label. 

From the site:

It's a fine, fine label, and we're excited to be marking their 5-year anniversary with this FREE, Other Music-curated download sampler, featuring 12 of our favorite songs from their great catalogue. Additionally, for the next two weeks we are offering every Tompkins Square album on Other Music Digital for the very low price of $5.99.

   

An Interview with Pat O'Connell

(Photo by Michael Lenzi)

All week Delta-Slider will be running interviews with artists from the Imaginational Anthem Vol 4 release.  Today we are talking to Pat O'Connell.
 Considering the critical acclaim that this series has garnered, how do you feel about being included in this 4th volume?
  It’s a thrill to be included on this. The comps are very well done. Actually, of the four, Vol. 4 is my favorite. Seems like there is more consistency between each track. In compilations, I prefer that to lots of variety. For example, on the previous comps, you go from 12-string guitar to banjo to lo-fi blues-to hi-fi jazz, long tracks, short ones, etc, etc. This volume sounds like 10 performances that are very aligned with each other.

Your compositions are very melodic. Do you think part of that comes from your background as a songwriter?
  Yes. For me, the melody is the thing that really conjures an emotion. When I used to write rock songs, the melody always came first and was more critical than the lyrics.

You've said that you don’t play the dissonant sounds that are in vogue right now among many solo guitarists. What is it about that that doesn’t appeal to you?
  I don’t think it is entirely because it doesn’t appeal to me. In fact, some of my favorite guitar music I listen to has plenty of dissonance. For example, John Fahey had that amazing ability to play something that is going along nice and pretty then he just slips in a blue note or a minor chord or something unexpected that is sort of twisted, but genius at the same time. I always try to achieve stuff like that but rarely succeed. I don’t know, when I start playing stuff that’s bluesy or discordant, it starts sounding to me like I’m playing outside of my skin or something. Like that’s not what I’m meant to do. It’s hard to explain.

You used to sing, why the transition to instrumental? Do you sing or perform any songs by some of your influences, for example the blues players?
  Me? Sing blues? I don’t think so. Simply put, I just don’t have a very good singing voice. When I used to sing in a band, the hardest part was just trying to sing in tune. Recording vocal tracks was a nightmare for me. I kind of faked my way through it and actually managed to come up with some decent stuff once in a while. Believe me, nothing moves me like hearing a great vocal performance, but I guess I finally just decided that it wasn’t worth the effort. I don’t think that had anything to do with starting to play instrumental guitar though. It was just a nice coincidence that I started to get into finger picking. Suddenly I could satisfy my urges to compose, without the roadblocks of vocals and lyrics.

Looking in from the outside, I see a guy that went from a 90's rock band to a solo guitar instrumentalist. How did you get from A to B? Or was that part of your playing always there?
  Like many others, it all started for me as a teenager with Rock and Roll and songs I heard on the radio. Then, as time passed I simply kept exploring, constantly checking out different music, of any genre really. Some stuck, some didn’t.
But when I found something I liked, I kept digging deeper, reading liner notes of albums and finding who influenced that artist then seeking out those influences and so on. Just soaking everything up like a sponge and developing my preferences. For example, you’re 16, just got your driver’s license, driving around and you hear a Tom Petty song on the radio and everything is great. Sounds familiar, right? Well, maybe you go to Kmart and buy a Tom Petty cassette and read in the liner notes how he was influenced by Bob Dylan. So you borrow a Dylan album from a friend, read the liner notes and he mentions Miles Davis or Leadbelly. You’ve never heard of either of these characters but the names sound cool so you wonder and keep searching, and on and on. This isn’t what happened with me but that’s the basic idea. Exploring. But to be more specific, you may recall there was this sudden buzz about Nick Drake maybe 10 or 15 years ago. So I checked him out and was quite blown away and bought the box set. His finger picking is incredible to me and it may have been what started me thinking about trying to focus on playing acoustic guitar. Once you start down that path it can keep you busy for a while. There are just countless artists to explore and the nice thing is it’s all relatively obscure. So when you discover something new you have that feeling like it’s your little secret.

I think you have mentioned to me that you like your solo guitar to be just that, solo. No overdubs, simple recording methods…can you comment on that?
  When it comes to finger picking acoustic guitar, to me, it’s just by design a solo form. Adding other instruments just distracts from the intimacy. From a composing standpoint, I like the idea that with just one instrument, you are very restricted. There’s only so much you can do. So the challenge (and the art) is to play something that moves a listener within those constraints. I’ve messed around with drones and banjo harmonies, harmonicas and other stuff but they usually seem arbitrary. Don’t get me wrong I love duets and small combos. But with the type of picking that I do, which is basically like a version of Travis-picking, solo is the only way that works, for my ears.

Do you think you will ever go back to playing in a band? Or: Do you think your solo playing will ever be anything more than solo? In others words, do you see yourself going down the road that so many of the new solo guitarists have gone down: adding percussion: synth, or whatever?
  I’m not very interested in adding percussion or synth for the reasons I mentioned in the previous question. As for other solo guitarists doing this, I haven’t heard an example of this yet that I’ve enjoyed. But hey I’m sure some folks dig it. So no, my solo playing will most likely be just me and a guitar. Will I go back to playing in a band? Absolutely. But I will most likely play bass guitar. That’s really what I’m more comfortable with. Been listening to a lot of 70’s funk and soul records lately. I’d like to find a band like that. Although Albuquerque is not exactly a hotbed for that sort of thing.

How does your rock background in rock affect your playing now? Or does it?
  Most pop and rock & roll songs are 2:50, have a little hook and have verses and choruses. If you break down most of my songs you’ll find that they are structured the same way.

Who's the most famous person in your cell or email?
  My Aunt. She’s famous for her tuna casserole.

If you could sit down and jam with any musician dead or alive. Who would it be?
  Grant Green

How did you learn to play your style?
  First, I just kept trying to learn how to play tunes off the records. Trying to copy tunes like Creole Belle, Freight Train, John Henry, Vastopol, stuff like that. Of course, nowadays, there are also so many instructional books and DVDs and tablature on the internet. I take advantage of those things as well. Anyway, as you become comfortable copying other people’s tunes it’s natural to start trying variations so you can play them your way. Then of course, you start trying to create your own tunes, but it’s really using all that stuff as a guide. I was finding that what I liked best was playing picking patterns as opposed to a looser more freestyle picking. I love when a pattern is developed then you just put slight variations in it to see what happens. Once you get it down, it doesn’t take a ton of dexterity, like for example playing a ragtime piece. It’s kind of easy, yet the hard part is arranging it into a good tune. Also, the open tunings are a big part of my style as well. Picking patterns work best for me in open tunings.

Is the 12 string guitar or a slide piece something we’ll ever hear from you? Or are you mainly interested in the 6 string?
  I enjoy playing slide and I’ve recorded a few tunes. So yes, that’s a good possibility. 12-string however is a different story. I’ve dabbled, but I just can’t get used to it. Also, I tend to change tunings a lot and the thought of tuning a 12-string does not sound appealing.

How did your musical career start?
  I only had a “career” in music for a few years back in the 90’s when I was with Number One Cup. It started when we signed our record deal and ended when we broke up.

In the arena of solo guitarists, who is an important player to you?
  The most important must be John Fahey. He pretty much sums up everything I like about solo guitar.

How important is Ray Kane’s work to you?
  Of the Slack Key players, he is probably my favorite. He leaves a lot of space between the notes and never tends to get too “sappy”, which some slack key guitarists are guilty of. Also, his tunes for me are easier to copy than other slack key players because they are relatively simple and there is such clarity in the picking. So I learned a lot from him.

It sounds like Hawaiian Slack Key style influences your compositions. Is that accurate?
  Absolutely. I love that stuff. It is to Hawaii what country blues is to the rural south. Sort of a homegrown folk style that gets passed down to each generation. If you listen to it a lot and then learn some of the tunes yourself, it can easily seep into your own compositions.

Future projects we should know about?
  I’m working on recording some traditional guitar tunes. Hopefully I’ll feel like assembling them and releasing something some day.

Be sure to check out Pat O'Connell on CDbaby
Pat is also on MySpace

Leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of IA4 on CD.  I'll pick the best one on Friday.

And don't forget that you can buy IA4 on vinyl, very limited edition and well priced.  Get it HERE

Probably much shinier than this old thing.

BUY Tompkins Square from EMUSIC

An Interview with Mike Fekete

All week Delta-Slider will be running interviews with artists from the Imaginational Anthem Vol 4 release.  Today we are talking to Mike Fekete.
When I met you on your last tour you mentioned having a strong opinion about guitars for solo guitar, would you like to expand on that? Maybe start by telling me what you play...
  I play a Taylor 312ce which I bought new in 2000, right around when I started playing solo guitar. It's been my main guitar since then. I think that what I was talking about when we met was about solo guitar records, not about guitars themselves.

I am curious about what attracted you to solo guitar.
  What I'm drawn to most is the idea of seeing how much can be expressed by one person within the constraint of one instrument.

You have some pretty long pieces, how much do you improvise during live performances? While recording?
  When I play live I like to connect pieces together and improvise the segues. As far as improvising within the actual compositions, I do change the amount of times I repeat certain ideas, but I rarely do anything like improvise a melody. I never improvise while recording.

You seem to go on tour regularly lately, is that something you enjoy?
  I like everything about it. It's always interesting to see how the music resonates differently based on the geography. Also, I'm a big fan of driving long distances alone, and touring with this kind of music provides many opportunities for that. The only hard part I can really think of is trying to talk about it without sounding cliché.

How is George Winston important to you?
  He has everything to do with me being a solo instrumentalist. It was his solo piano album, Plains, that first made me want to play solo instrumental music. He also produced and released--on his Dancing Cat label--the compilation, Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Masters, which was the first guitar record to have a big impact on me. In addition, I recently found out that he was responsible for providing the previously unreleased first half of Fahey's, America, for the 1998 CD reissue--which is my favorite Fahey album and the most influential on me. He told me that he was going through a used record bin in Los Angeles and he came across a double LP in a blank sleeve and the only thing written on the label was "John Fahey" which was in what he recognized as John's own handwriting. It turned out to be the original test pressing of America, including the first half, which at that point nobody really knew existed. George has influenced my music in many different ways, and I've also gotten to know him personally a bit, and through that relationship have been inspired by his deep kindness and generosity.

Considering the critical acclaim that this series has garnered, how do you feel about being included in this 4th volume?
  I'm a big fan of the first three volumes, and of Tompkins Square in general, so it's a total honor. Also, I personally think this new volume is a solid addition to the series, and I'm very proud to have been a part of that.

Tell me about your connection to Pat O'Connell. Have you met other members of the compilation?
  I got in touch with Pat after hearing him on the Fahey tribute, Revenge of Blind Joe Death. We began communicating and discovered that we both grew up in Ohio, and literally right down the road from each other. The more I got into his music, the more I could see how much we come from the same place musically as well. What I'm drawn to most about Pat is his strong sense of melody. He currently lives in New Mexico, and I'm in Washington State, and we still haven't met in person--although I've enjoyed getting to know him via email. We've been trying to meet up in Ohio to do some shows, but we haven't been able to work it out yet. The only person on the compilation that I've actually met is Aaron Sheppard. I first met him at a show I was doing in Santa Cruz. I played with Sean Smith in San Francisco the night before and Sean had been raving about Aaron--so based on that I invited him to come up and play during the set break. His playing was so impressive that it turned into a long break. I invited him up after my second set as well. Afterward, he told me it was only the third time he had played in front of an audience. One thing I really love about Aaron's playing is how articulate the rhythm of his right hand is. Besides being a great guitarist, he is also one of the nicest people I've met. We did a show together down in Portland not too long ago, and I hope to do more performances with him in the future.

Future projects we should know about?
  I put out four EP's between 2001 and 2006 which were all limited release, and are currently unavailable. I'd like to make them available again, and that'll probably be my next release. Also, I have most of my next album written, and I'd like to have that out sometime in 2012. I like to sit with music for a quite a while before I record it.

Be sure to check out Mike Fekete on CDbaby
Mike is also on MySpace, and Facebook.

Leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of IA4 on CD.  I'll pick the best one on Friday.

And don't forget that you can buy IA4 on vinyl, very limited edition and well priced.  Get it HERE

Probably much shinier than this old thing.

BUY Tompkins Square from EMUSIC BUY Mike Fekete from EMUSIC

Imaginational Anthem Vol 4 - Tompkins Square

I think the most important function of a compilation CD is to introduce us to new artists. I’ve come to count on that in fact. I will often give a compilation a chance if there is one artist on it that I recognize, with the hope that the others will pan out.
IA4 does not disappoint. I’m already familiar with roughly half of the gentlemen on this release. But the other half are unknown to me or I’ve heard them mentioned around but haven’t hunted them down yet. So a compilation is always a great way to get me motivated to search out the new sounds presented to me.

This week Delta-Slider will feature interviews with three of the guitarists on the IA4 release, Aaron Sheppard, Pat O’Connell and Mike Fekete.

The excellent radio show, Sideways Through Sound will feature the IA4 release this week.  A happy coincidence.  It's an Australian show but it streams online and you can d/l the shows too, so check it out.

Here are some links to the artists of IA4
Chris Forsyth
William Tyler has this excellent release, The Paper Hats
Sam Moss has a lot of releases that you should be listening too!
Nick Jonah Davis has a fantastic release that appears to only be available on eMusic.
Pat O'Connell on CDbaby!
Tyler Ramsey
Micah Blue Smaldone will be touring with Cian Nugent soon! 
Mike Fekete on CDbaby!
Aaron Sheppard on MySpace
C Joynes on Myspace

Buy the CD at Tompkins Square, or get the vinyl while they last.

The interviews start tomorrow so stick around!

And one more thing,  leave a comment on this post or any of the posts this week for a chance to win a copy of the IA4 CD.  I'll pick the best comment on Friday.

Beyond Berkeley Guitar

This release is the follow up to the 2006 Tompkins Square release of Berkeley Guitar. This time Sean Smith expands the concept with more guitarists from a wider region geographically as well as musically.

I have to admit that I wasn’t too impressed with this disc the first time I gave it a spin. Or the second or third. But the compositions have grown on me. I suppose that I was taken a bit off-guard by the expansion of styles and Smith notes the danger of such an endeavor. I’m very partial to the Takoma style and I don’t have the background that many of these artists have in electronic music. They are obviously coming from a different place than I am musically. And I’m sure that affects what I hear. To me, the electronic/solo acoustic connection is a mystery.

Anyway, the CD starts off great with the promising young Aaron Sheppard. I found Sheppard on MySpace some time ago and was reminded of him by Mike Fekete recently. They met during Fekete’s latest tour through the area. Sheppard is a guy I will be keeping my eye on and I’m looking forward to a Gnome Life release.

“Dream of a Distant Summer” starts as a quiet piece that builds in intensity until the notes are like the blinding Sun as it shimmers on a rippled pond. Richard Osborn has great chops, but the improvised composition begins to fall apart near the end. Nonetheless I’ve come to enjoy this piece.

Trevor Healy deftly veers the feel back toward Takoma-country with his 12 string work. This one is strong on melody and Healy takes his time. Like I said, merely veering towards Takoma, this isn’t Kottke.

Chuck Johnson completes the return with a very nice Takoma-style performance full of pertinent pauses and nuances that really make this piece work.  Tompkins is offering this as a free mp3 downlod.  "A Struggle, Not A Thought"

Sean Smith checks in with cut #5. As is usual with Smith, he doesn’t disappoint. Modern American Primitive as I have come to expect from Smith. This one lasts eleven plus minutes but you don’t notice it.

Lucas Boilon’s “Studies Of The Oak As Pertaining To Drudic Rites Of Passage” is almost longer in title than the piece itself. However, Boilon’s playing turns out to be a rather compelling performance recorded in his living room.

And wrapping things up is Ava Mendoza. I applaud the intention by Smith but I just don’t see how this piece of music fits into this concept. It’s jazz. Now, before anyone gets bent out of shape that I’m not gushing over Mendoza’s inclusion in this project (as many are) and suggests something foul: I have taken lessons from three very good guitarists over the last few years. Two of them women, specifically: Mary Flower. So don’t even…ok? I just don’t think it fits into the concept, no reflection on her playing or style.

That wraps it. If you are looking for old-school Takoma playing, look elsewhere. If you want to expand your listening and discover some new musicians, look no further.
 
I highly suggest that you pop over to Work and Worry this week. They have scored an interview with each and every one of these artists and will be running one a day all week.

Ben Reynolds - How Day Earnt Its Night

Ben Reynolds tries to be everything to modern finger picking on his latest release. In some ways it is successful in that he takes on several of the common niches within the current genre. On the other hand, you may feel that just as you were getting into one feel, he is headed off into another direction.
The CD kicks off with a couple pretty straightforward tunes. Skylark (Scorner of the Ground!) is a Scottish-tinged, melodic piece. Up next is the surprisingly upbeat (for the title), Death Sings. I would say this is a very nice Takoma style piece. Good stuff, very melodic with Reynolds staying clear of the field of dissonance.
But not for long…Next up is The Virgin Knows. A little bit more than a hint of Eastern/Raga comparable to a Jack Rose long rambling piece, though he never gets as weird as the weirdest Rose. The piece is sort of flirting with the Eastern melody while thumbing in the West. Interesting combination.
Risen reminds me of the Hymns that Fahey used to put at the end of his albums. Though this one isn’t at the end nor does it make you feel like “the end” is near. While Fahey went for the gloom, Reynolds chooses to skip the gloom while maintaining the stately feel that Fahey was so good at projecting.
In the middle of it all is the nearly 13 minute title piece, How Day Earnt its Night. Though it took me a listen or two to warm up to this one, I would say this is a very successful attempt at the long form style that Blackshaw et al have made their careers on. Reynolds guides us through three sections of the song, transitioning to each in simple and effective ways.
I can hear a nod to his fellow country men in the picking of many of these tunes, the opener and again in England and Kirstie it is noticeable.
And then we have what may be the aptly titled, All Gone Wrong Blues. I’m not too sure about this one, but I must disclose that I’m not a big fan of the harp unless it’s played through an overdriven amp on the South side of Chicago. So let’s just leave it at that.
Clocking in at 42 minutes is a bit disappointing. These days I like to see us get at least 50 minutes for our $12-15.
I’m always interested in info about the tune, inspiration, the guitar used to record it. This is a very simple packaging offering none of that. I suppose sometimes artists like to keep that to themselves, or perhaps it adds to the mystery of the music and therefore the interpretive experience by the listener.
Head over to his MySpace album page where you can hear nearly every tune before you buy.

Make sure you head over to Tompkins Square and browse the other excellent offerings. Tompkins has James Blackshaw's early releases, Max Ochs, Peter Walker and of course the Imaginational Anthem series.
BUY Ben Reynolds from EMUSIC