Artist of the Month, August 2010 : Graham Weber

Aug 1, 2010 Artist of the Month

I have read or heard Weber compared to the likes of John Prine, a young Bob Dylan, Todd Snider, and an early Wilco era Jeff Tweedy. All of those comparisons are fair enough but they really fall short of accurately describing Weber. All that needs to be said about Graham is that he is a great songwriter who has digested the catalogs of all the greats and came through with a voice and a sound all of his own.

Weber began his musical journey in his native Ohio early in this decade. Starting out a little later in life than some, he cut his teeth in various bands in the area before embarking on his solo career. After recording and releasing the mostly acoustic, Naive Melodies in 2003, Graham decided to make a bold move and departed Ohio for the overcrowded songwriting scene of Austin, Texas.

When I asked him a few years later why he decided to make this move at a time when he had begun to develop quite the following in Ohio, Weber replied, “I could have stayed and made enough money in Ohio as a medium sized fish in a small pond (I would argue that most of Ohio’s music scene is just a mud puddle, unfortunately), but I wanted to see if I could make an impact in the ocean that is Austin.” Quite the undertaking indeed, it did not take long for Austin to begin noticing that this guy was not just another wanna be Prine.

The Texas community seems to have embraced Weber and rightfully so. Long time Austin resident, Slaid Cleaves almost immediately took Graham under his wing and has served as a mentor since his arrival . Graham quickly made his move up to playing all of the best venues in the Austin area both as an opener for greats like, Snider, Guy Clark, Ellis Paul etc. and as a headliner.

I personally got turned on to Weber’s music on accident. I received a song swap that Graham had played shortly after the move to Texas with Adam Carroll and was completely floored by the depth of the songwriting that was coming from this unknown artist. After a little research, I was disappointed that he had come from Ohio and that I had never had the chance to see him here. At the time Naive Melodies was his only release so I bought it to see if this one live recording was a fluke or if this was the real deal.

I got the disc in the mail and put it in my car stereo that day, there it stayed for a solid two weeks. Although Weber himself is now disappointed in his debut, I to this day feel that it is one of my favorite records perhaps of all time. The emotional honesty that flows out of all the songs on this record serves as a great introduction to the seemingly complex simplicity that Weber has a way of portraying in almost all of his works.

Naive Melodies displays the heartache that Weber was feeling after a failed relationship, the insecurities of starting a new relationship and his biting sense of humor.This ability to channel such contrasting emotions is the thing that makes Weber stand out among his peers and makes a live show a must see appointment.

“Tight Rope Walking” is still one of my favorite songs in his catalog. “I know your nose caught the smell of whiskey, and I know I came in seven hours late, I can’t believe that you even missed me, tight rope walking that thin line between love and hate”, he sings in this song chronicling the difficulty of finding balance in a relationship.

Inspired by the late Johnny Cash and rapper Snoop Dogg (trust me it works just listen), “Late Show Someday” captures that animosity towards someone who has scorned you and infuses the anger with a sensational amount of humor. This song is completely over the top and that is exactly where it should reside.

I don’t think you can talk about this album and not mention “Oh Roberta” the song that so impressed Slaid Cleaves that he included it on his Unsung release, an album of covers written by his favorite unknown writers. Weber’s song holds its own against a collection of songs from really great songwriters. “Do you still see my silhouette when your lashes start to close, I’d like to know oh Roberta where have you gone?” is my favorite line in this song, sang to the one who got away.

Shortly after settling in Austin, Graham set out to record his first Texas album. With a lot more instrumentation, a great studio band and some impressive guest musicians the result was Beggar’s Blues. Hitting the streets in 2006, this release shows the growth Weber’s song crafting had undergone in just a short time and further established his ability to conduct the emotional roller coaster that is his albums.

Starting off the album is the fast paced, lyric filled “After All”. This song really represents Weber’s mastery of word play. “Self proclaimed soothsayers say they know what no one else knows” , it’s lines like that make this song memorable.

“Love and Money” once again shows Weber’s sense of humor in this song about the impossibility of mixing the two things we need most in life. Along with Weber’s strumming on the acoustic this song features a killer horn section almost giving it a Vaudeville feel. It’s a departure from what he normally does and man does it work.

Inspired by his first Texas Independence Day, Weber wrote the amusing tale of trying to make it in the music business, “Stars and Circles”. While the narrator may not have what it takes to “make it” he is happy enough eking by in the Texas sun.

Perhaps my favorite track on the album is “Avenue A”. The story of a road weary musician trying to find a drink on a Sunday morning in Lower Manhattan. Weber’s vocals in this one really give the lyrics their depth and meaning. He almost sounds like this was recorded after a day like which is described in the song. “They won’t serve Bloody Mary’s til twelve hours til Monday, so I’m shaking and waiting on Avenue A” , the chorus pretty much sums up the song.

2008 saw the release of Weber’s most recent album release, with his most ambitious recording project yet, Door to the Morning. The production value on this one really ratcheted up the quality of the record. Employing more of a pop sensibility and a little bit of Rock n Roll feel, this album is Weber’s best yet. It’s always nice when a great songwriter begins to really find his way in the studio without losing what made him great in the first place and that is what Door to the Morning accomplished for Graham.

The opening track, “Snow in July” is the prime example of the improvement in the recording. Backed by a full band with great piano and organ parts, Weber is able to maintain the lyrical mastery while really delivering an upbeat rockin’ number. “Sometimes your friends turn to foes and it snows in the dead of  July” is just one of the great lines that Weber drapes over the musical backdrop the studio band lays down.

Following the upbeat feel of the opener, comes the piano and slide guitar ballad, “Candle So Close”. Included in this song are very good backing vocals by Graham’s wife, Michelle Keffer. You can tell those two have spent many a night singing together, because her voice beautifully compliments his tired drawl in this one.

My favorite song on this one is the acoustic and pedal steel based, “Bite Your Tongue”. This one finds Weber at his lyrical best in a song of a lover leaving.

In addition to the three studio albums I have discussed, Weber has released two live samplers that feature unreleased material and the in between song banter that makes his live performances so much more than just a guy with an acoustic guitar.

What amazes me about seeing Graham live is that he is constantly writing songs. Some writer’s see the process of writing a song as work and with Weber they just seem to fall out on the paper. He is consistently writing better stuff that he has already released. He is one of those guys you wish lived in the studio, because he forgets so many of the great songs he has written. One of my favorite things to do is request a song I have heard him play prior and see if he remembers it. If you go see him anytime in the future ask him to play “The Hooker and the Hitman” , an eight minute song of an unlikely love, and tell him Adam told you to do it.

Perhaps the most telling thing I can say about how great I think Weber is, is that I have had to purchase all of his records at least twice each because I have given them away to share them with others.  I found out that he is currently working on the follow up to Door to the Morning. Tentatively titled, Women, it is going to feature a mostly female backing band and harmony vocals in addition to a co-write with Slaid Cleaves. I know I am looking forward to this release which will hopefully come later this year.

Weber will making his first trip back to Ohio in two years in a couple months and I hope to catch a show or two and have him on the podcast. In the meantime you can visit his website www.grahamweber.com and find links to buy his records and such. Later this week I will post a live Weber show to download.

Here is a video of Weber playing “I’ll Take Texas” an ode to his adopted home:

Tags: adam carroll, Artist of the Month, bob dylan, Graham Weber, john prine, slaid cleaves, todd snider

Artist of the Month, June 2010: Michael O’Connor

Jun 3, 2010 Artist of the Month

Like many people before me, I first discovered Michael O’Connor as a guitarist.

I was listening to some live Slaid Cleaves shows and found myself drawn to the extremely tasty lead guitar licks I was hearing.

Inevitably, on all of the recordings Slaid would introduce O’Connor as the guitar player.

From there I went on to find out that over the last couple of decades O’Connor has lent his talents to many Americana legends including, Cleaves, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Susan Gibson, Adam Carroll and others. It became clear that if you were anywhere near Texas and needed a guitar player to add class and dignity to your record or live show you sought out O’Connor.

Interestingly enough my first looks into who O’Connor was did not unearth his solo work. Thank the heavens for Slaid Cleaves’ 2006 release Unsung, an album of cover songs that featured two tracks by Mr. O’Connor. On an album filled with finely crafted songs, O’Connor’s “Devil’s Lullaby” stands out in my opinion as the best song.

So now I had to know what else was out there from this guy. I found his website (yeah I know how difficult right?) and saw that he was about to release a new album, his second. I went ahead and bought his first release, Green and Blue (2000) that was produced by Ray Wylie Hubbard.This record was very bluesy and rough. The highlight for me is “West Memphis Blues”, a pretty straight forward blues tune.

After that, I kind of forgot about O’Connor for awhile. Green and Blue got lost amongst the records that I hadn’t listened to enough and then I downloaded a live show featuring O’Connor in a song swap with Adam Carroll. Finally I got to hear O’Connor sing the songs from Unsung along with a ton of other tunes that I had never heard before. O’Connor’s songs once again stood up against a great songwriter’s. On this show there are acoustic versions of songs from Green and Blue as well as most of the songs from his second release Giants From a  Sleepy Town (2007).

Well, I began obsessively listening to this show, especially the O’Connor songs on it. I contacted his wife who does his booking and attempted to have him come up here to do a show, which unfortunately did not work out. A couple of years passed and Carroll and O’Connor released the best album of the 2010, Hard Times.

With the new record being released, I had to get my copy of Sleepy Town finally as well as Hard Times. There was 7 years between the release dates of Green and Blue and Giants From a Sleepy Town and in that time, it seems that O’Connor found his voice in the studio. The songs on this album are phenomenal and the sound is great. I do not mean to disrespect the efforts of his first record, but this second release is amazing.

Among the highlights on this release are the aforementioned “Devil’s Lullaby” which features some of the greatest imagery I’ve ever heard in a song. “The sirens wail and the church bells chime, Sounds like the Devil’s Lullaby”, sings O’Connor in this one. Another absolutely stunning song on this record is the Tom Waitsish, “Trampoline”, which details the struggles of a working musician in a graphic nature.

I can’t sing the praises of this album enough, the songwriting is superior and it’s always refreshing when an artist is recorded in a manner that lends itself to the songs. It definitely seems that O’Connor grew into his own in the time between albums.

After I  listened to O’Connor’s second solo effort a few times, I moved on in an excited manner to Hard Times (2010). Here was an album that could not disappoint, two excellent songwriters collaborating on a collection of new songs with a common theme, gulf coast losers.

I was right this album is great, by far the best thing released so far this year. Once again, O’Connor’s skills stand out. He and Carroll co-wrote 9 of 11 songs on the record with the remaining two songs featuring one of them singing a cut from the others previous record.

The two of them take turns singing lead on the record, and in my opinion O’Connor drew the high card when he sang, “Bernandine” the story of a gambler praying to the patron saint of gamblers and addicts. O’Connor once again channel’s late 70′s Waits on the track “Throw a Nickel” which is also one of the better tracks on a great album. O’Connor also does a great job on the Adam Carroll penned “Highway Prayer” from Carroll’s release Old Town Rock and Roll.

Over the years O’Connor has solidified his spot amid the Texas music scene first with his superior guitar playing and more recently with his excellent solo work. While I am happy that it seems he will continue to appear as a sideman, I  hope that he focuses more of his time on his songwriting career. Whatever he does be sure that I will always pick up any album with his name anywhere on it.

You can learn more about Michael O’Connor and buy all three of his releases on his website, www.michaeloconnormusic.com.

As a bonus here is a download of the song swap I mentioned earlier in the post: Michael O’Connor and Adam Carroll 03-20-2007 . Just right click save link as.

Tags: adam carroll, Artist of the Month, michael o'connor, ray wylie hubbard, slaid cleaves, susan gibson

Lists : Five Debut Albums That I Love

May 24, 2010 Lists

This list is in no way comprehensive nor is it in any order. These may not be the best debut albums of all time or even my favorite ones if I gave it a lot more thought. They are however five debuts that blow me away every time I hear them. Sometimes an artist or band just gets it right the first time around.

1. Steve Earle : Guitar Town (1986)

Earle comes out of the gate with an instant classic, Guitar Town, what’s crazy is that he was already 31 when this record was released. This record was over ten years in the making as Earle honed his songwriting chops hanging out with Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark.

Before this album, Earle worked in Nashville writing songs for other as so many writers do and had recorded another album that was not released. However, when it finally hit the shelves it helped make Steve the next big thing as it rose to number one on the country album charts.

Within its ten tracks are so many great songs. Highlights for me are the title track, “My Old Friend The Blues”, and “Daddy’s Little Rock n Roller”.

2. Todd Snider : Songs From the Daily Planet (1994)

I am so conflicted with this album. I love every song on this record, even the songs that have become the cliche Snider songs to like. While some of the album versions of the songs are great a lot of them leave something to be desired. I think the record company people tried to make Todd sound entirely too pretty and that would be a theme on a few of his albums and they don’t capture the raw energy of Todd with his then band the Wrecks or the emotion he plays with solo.

Having said all of that, this is still a great record to listen to. The songs that are nailed here are phenomenal and the ones that could have been recorded differently are still great songs. Snider is one of the best writers working today in my opinion and he let that shine through right from the beginning.

Of the songs that are great on the record, my favorites are “Turn it Up” (because sometimes you just have to rock out), “Somebody’s Coming”, and “Spoke Like a Child”.

3. John Prine : John Prine (1971)

Got to love when one of the “Next Bob Dylans” becomes the first John Prine. I’m not sure if there is another debut album that contains so many classic songs. With his unconventional delivery, Prine released what I feel are some of his best songs on the first go round. Many of these songs would go on to be covered by everyone under the moon and to me the best versions can still be found on this gem of an album.

As for favorites on the album, how can you go wrong when you have “Angel From Montgomery”, “Sam Stone”, “Far From Me”, “Illegal Smile” and “Paradise” and that only makes up half the record?

4. The Counting Crows : August and Everything After (1993)

This record may not seem to fit among the others, but I love it just as much. Ever since its release I have been listening to it on a regular basis and it never gets old. Unfortunately they have never released a record as good as this one again. I have liked just about all of their albums, but they seemed to get progressively worse the farther away from August they got. Their newest release however did break that pattern slightly.

Back to August and Everything After though. From top to bottom the songs on this release are pretty depressing but, extremely well written and they sound incredible. It’s one of those records where I never skip a single song while listening and that is rare even from good ones.

My favorite tracks follow each other back to back in the middle of the album. “Perfect Blue Buildings”, “Anna Begins”, and “Time and Time Again” make for a great three song run.

5. Adam Carroll : South of Town (1998)

The most recent release of this list, South of Town is the first look into what is becoming a great career for Adam Carroll. I love this guy’s writing and his style. He has a way of writing things that sound really poetic and at the same time common. The way he strings words together is beautiful and then he delivers the songs with an aw shucks sound that is often times behind the beat and just comes off sounding amazing.

There is definitely a reason that he is becoming one of the most covered artists to come out of the Texas music scene recently and that reason is prominently displayed on this record. A lot of these songs appear again on his live records as well, but you get a great feeling from the down home recordings found on the studio versions.

Listening to this again last night, I  decided my favorite tracks on it were “Smokey Mountain Taxi”, “Cane River Blues”, and “Home Again”. If you are not familiar with Carroll go and buy this and all of his other records immediately.

That’s it for this list, while most of you probably own these records or at least know of them, hopefully you will revisit them after reading this. This list was fun, I think I will continue it some other time, feel free to comment with some of you favorite debuts if you feel the urge.

On another note, look for the first edition of the Broken Jukebox podcast early this week. It has been recorded and will be up soon.

Tags: adam carroll, counting crows, john prine, Lists, Steve Earle, todd snider