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Holly Conlan Serves Up Spunky Vocals

By Susan Ferrari

The Hotel Café is located a few blocks away from the iconic Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood. During a week when most of the music industry buzz was about the relative merits of the live performances at the Grammy Awards, it is nice to see that this comfortable venue for singer / songwriters continues to thrive, consistently showcasing good music with no added frills, just a great sound and a studio upright piano.

Holly Conlan’s nine song set on the evening of February 4^th, was no exception. Conlan, a Los Angeles native, and her band consisting of; guitarist Phil Krohnengold, bassist Joe Karnes, and drummer / producer Al Sgro, have played this venue regularly for the past year and they casually set up their gear on stage, while the crowd rearranged themselves between acts. As the band members from the previous act left the stage, Ms. Conlan, without any introduction, launched into her first song, as her voice and the piano instantly hushed the noise from the audience. Conlan’s piano accompaniment wove hypnotically

Our chief photographer Kirk Stauffer based in Seattle, Washington has put together his best of 2009 concert photos.© Please visit Kirk's website for the entire 2009 concert highlight photos.

Artist: Sass Jordan

Album: from Dusk 'til Dawn

The album from Dusk ‘til Dawn is the latest salvo from former Billboard Female Rock Artist of the Year Sass Jordan and it opens with her signature hard, edgy vocals on “What I Need,” which make it easy to understand why she once portrayed Janis Joplin in the off Broadway production of Love Janis.  The song is introduced with percussion, eventually accompanied by an electric guitar with simple up-tempo chords, leaving the listener completely disarmed, for when Jordan’s explosive vocals arrive on the scene proclaiming, “It’s time for me to shout out what I need / What I need from you.” At her Canadian album release concert in the fall, Jordan's performance of the song sent an immediate buzz through the packed out venue.

Brigitte Zarie Says Make Room For Me

When musicians such as Grammy Award winning trumpeter Randy Brecker and guitar virtuoso Jeff Golub agree to play on your album, that serves as significant validation for you as a jazz vocalist, and when you are able to collaborate on the songwriting with bassist and producer Neil Jason (John Lennon, Billy Joel, Bryan Ferry, Hall & Oates), then people better heed jazz chanteuse Brigitte Zarie’s advice to Make Room For Me, which is the title of her new CD.  Dubbed by this writer as “The Voice,” only to discover that her close friends had already applied that moniker to her, Zarie, possesses big vocals that fill up a room, in a great way, and without a conscious effort to reflect the past, she has created original standards and swing tunes, which breathe fresh life into a sub genre that seems to keep recycling the same tired songs, and no matter how great they are, you have to ask, just how many times can you listen to a plethora of jazz vocalists singing “Besame Mucho,” “Love For Sale,” or “The Girl From Iapanema?” 

When she told her producer Neil Jason that she wanted to create a big band sound, he replied “Of course you do,” no doubt thinking about what a major logistics and financial undertaking that represented, and how few artists other than Maria Schneider and Liz Callaway have even ventured down that recording path in recent days. Nevertheless, backed by an orchestra that includes the horn section from the Late Show with David Letterman the tandem of Zarie and Jason, with the assistance of sound engineer Tovi Rodriguez were able to create delicious tunes such as the opening track “See You Again,” which is introduced by Randy Brecker’s plaintive trumpet, as the duo conjures up images ....

Album: Stereo Night / Band: The Twilight Hours  / Rock

by Gabe Alonso

When I began researching The Twilight Hours, I naturally went straight to their website. Upon reading their bio to acquaint myself with these gentlemen, I found myself staring at a very tongue-in-cheek (I hope) explanation of just who Twilight Hours is - in the magical, mythical, and philosophical worlds. I learned that this Minneapolis based band is made up of John Munson and Matt Wilson. Their first album Stereo Night is (according to the duo) "a work of towering beauty and sensitivity...a work for the ages!" Let's see shall we?

One of the best parts of Stereo Night, is its efficient use of time and story. At just under 40 minutes, the album moves quickly and never truly lags.

 

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Art Garfunkel, A Hairdresser And Me

Columnist Mike Barbara, Jazz Editor for Riveting Riffs Magazine

When I was growing up in Queens, NY during the 1960’s, we lived next door to this wonderful older couple from Ireland, who made us feel so welcome, after we had moved out to “the country,” from our home in Brooklyn. She was a hairdresser who worked in New York City, and she often spoke about one of her famous clients, Art Garfunkel.  To put this into perspective, at this particular point in the ‘60’s (Paul) Simon and Garfunkel were on the top of the charts and were considered to be two of the hippest guys on the planet, and because they both from Queens they were also considered to be god-like! While I was always polite, to our neighbor, I do remember thinking that there was no way a cool dude like Art was going to a hairdresser….but, nearly every time the subject came up, she insisted that he was her client.

Album: The Resistance / Muse

 Reviewed by Natalie Pinkis

Flying down the 101 towards LA, I put in Muse’s new CD The Resistance to prepare my notes.  It was a six hour drive.  I listened to the album the whole way.

Muse has always been the prefect ‘slip-into-a-mood’ music for me.  Their songs are hypnotizing; it’s easy to get swept away.  That’s probably why not only can you turn on the radio on any given day and be guaranteed to hear a Muse composition, but you will also hear them on soundtrack after soundtrack.  They seem to be one of the few prominent bands left that equally value both the instrumental accompaniment and the lyrics.  The Resistance; a kind of Coldplay meets the Killers meets the 80’s with a little classical piano thrown in, epitomizes just that.

 

Lal Meri at the Zanzibar, Santa Monica, CA

By Susan Ferrari

The proof that three is a divine proportion was in evidence on Friday night when the Los Angeles based trio, Lal Meri, played a set between DJ’s at Zanzibar in Santa Monica. The combination of vocalist Nancy Kaye, Ireesh Lal on electronic keyboards and trumpet, and Dmitri Mahlis on oud created a wash of acoustic/electric sound that was mesmerizing and beautiful. The oud is a Middle Eastern pear-shaped stringed instrument much like the Western lute. The music was a combination of world music and down-tempo trip hop beats, synthesized sound, and microtonal melodies that went well with the exotic atmosphere of the club.  Behind the band on stage, a painter calling himself Wisdom Art created a constantly changing visual counterpart to the music, using water colors on glass to make portraits of female figures.

The set began with the song “My Ocean,” with the enticing lyrics “Fly away with me, take a little trip.”  Nancy Kaye, who goes by the name Rosie in her other role as a jazz singer, plays the temptress on stage with her ethereal vocals and languid movements. There was some feedback at first in the mix, but that got fixed by the second song. “Bad Things,” was the darker side of the portrait, with lyrics such as “Look at all those bad things you made me do, I could say I was sorry but it wouldn’t be true.”  By the third song, “Give Your Light,” the smell of incense was wafting through the room along with the electronic

Monika Herzig

Reviewed by Mark Pedigo

* Other traditional tunes on the CD include “O Christmas Tree,” and “Silent Night,” both of which originated in Herzig’s native country Germany.  Another more traditional song “The Coventry Carol.,” begins with a brass chorale, which is overtaken by a swiftly running and smoking hot jazz quartet.

* The most interesting arrangement from this collection of songs is a reharmonization of John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over).”

* In this spirit, Monika Herzig’s delightful Peace on Earth definitely belongs on everyone’s Christmas CD short list.

 

 

Katrin Has Her Soul Wide Open

By Joe Montague

 Like most things that comprise the album Soul Wide Open, the new CD from Katrin Roush, who prefers to go by just her first name, the up-tempo first track “Steppin’ Stones,” tells you a lot about the Massachusetts based artist who has kept putting one foot in front of the other and kept rising above difficult circumstances that life sometimes put in her way.  “One Year’s Time,” perhaps the most poignant and personal song on the record, talks about going through life changes that the singer / songwriter did not think that she could bear and the uplifting chorus, one of hope, speaks to the need to keep moving forward, to rising above the pain and emerging on the other side, not necessarily the same, but rediscovering who we are at that moment and who we can be.

The album cover for Soul Wide Open pictures Katrin, as nature brought her into this world, without clothes, behind a sheer sheet and leaning forward. The photograph by Jonathan Lucas is tasteful versus being sensational or voyeuristic. Katrin says that the cover art reflects who she is and her music.

“I was trying to think of a way to convey what my music sounds like and also capturing a little bit of my inner spirit. Jonathan Lucas came up with the front cover art and I was a little bit leery, because I was like ‘What do you mean that I am going to stand behind a sheet and I

 

 

Drawing of Eric Bibb by San Diego celebrity artist Patrick Carney. Please visit Patrick's online gallery by clicking here

 

The Lovely Bones

By Barry Benintende

Saying Peter Jackson knows how to direct a movie is similar to saying Michelangelo knows how to paint a ceiling; both are accurate statements that fall far short of the whole story. The Lovely Bones is Jackson's most recent film and it would be an understatement to say that it is incredible. That however, does not mean this is an easy movie to watch. The Lovely Bones is equal parts tough and rewarding.

Based on the Alice Sebold best-selling novel, Bones the movie is one of the most anticipated films of the year. Most of the comments prior to the film’s release were positive, but the movie also received plenty of advance criticism for not showing the rape and murder of a 14 year-old girl as it was depicted in the novel.

 

Hooked On 8mm For Life

ByErin Brown

I shower every morning at 5:30 am and the best part is that I can see the marquee for the Viper Room from the shower window. I like looking at the lineup each day and it is always a little more exciting to see the show that you are attending! Couple that with an 8mm Christmas gig and you have one happy camper! 8mm consists of producer / guitarist Sean Beavan, his wife and vocalist Juliette Beavan and drummer Jon Nicholson. Trios can be hit or miss, but 8mm is solid and Juliette Beavan is absolutely entrancing, as she performs with a seductiveness that is only topped by the chemistry that exists during the duos with her husband Sean.

The vibe in the Viper Room was old school; almost like a speakeasy, with low lights and loud chatter, and as the curtain lifted on 8mm, even my jaw dropped at how stunning platinum blonde Juliette looked, dressed in a slinky, yet festive red dress . 

If you were sitting in the audience, you were probably thinking, ‘I hope that her voice does her justice,’ and you would not have been disappointed.   

The trio began with Christmas classics such as “Christmas Time Is Here,” and renditions of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” and an amazing cover of the holiday favorite “Baby It’s Cold Outside," ......

 

Fashion Icons

By Jessica Harmon

The fashion icon;  where would the world be without that individual? Designers create, and boutiques sell.  But who inspires us to buy?  Every now and then, a shining star comes along, and one whose presence is so powerful that we are drawn to him or her like moths to a flame.  We want to look like her, talk like her, live like her, but most importantly, we want to dress like her.  Over the years, there have been far too many to mention, however, I want to take a few moments to focus on a few of the brighter lights that have shone.

“I never think of myself as an icon.  What is in other people’s minds is not in my mind.  I just do my thing”.  -Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn was a rare gem,  a perfect picture of style, grace and compassion and I can think of no other human soul exuding more class than she.  Audrey was an icon not only for fashion, but for life.  Though her time in the spotlight occurred over half a century ago, her timeless style is still mimicked in today’s fashion.  Coco Chanel may have invented the “little black dress,” but Audrey breathed life into it.  In the realm of casual sportswear, do not think for a moment that you would have ever stepped into a pair of slim, cropped pants had it not been for the doe-eyed starlet. For 2010, start your wardrobe off right with a pair of slim-fitting Cuffed Stripe Pants from Gucci.  The slim silhouette and cropped leg is very reminiscent of a young Audrey Hepburn, and the pants would probably hang in her closet if she were a young starlet today.  For a more literal translation of her classic black choice, La Via 18 has a darling pair of Stretch Sateen Capris in a luxurious Italian

 

How Do You Like Them Apples?

Reviewed by Mike O'Cull

Flavor is the real key to success when it comes to singer/songwriters. It’s nice when they have a great voice or are excellent instrumentalists, but what it comes down to at the end of the day is how interesting a given performer can make the sum of their influences. Caroline Herring is a good example of the positive side of the flavor equation. A product of the Austin, TX music scene, Herring is equal parts modern, post-Joni Mitchell folk and Gillian Welch-ish old school Americana, which sounds like a set of influences that would pull a performer in conflicting directions, but Herring makes it work very well. On her latest release, Golden Apples Of The Sun, she displays different sounds on

Amy Regan: Gonna Get Better

By Joe Montague

Having conquered the east coast, with regular performances at New York City venues such as the Rockwood Music Hall and The Living Room, rock singer / songwriter Amy Regan, was in Los Angeles last week filming a television commercial, that will play nationwide, and in which her folksy song “Carry On,” is featured, but that is all that we can tell you for now, because she made us promise to keep the rest of the details a secret for now.

Demonstrating just how quickly the music industry is changing, Amy Regan is riding the success of her EP released two years ago and she is just this month (February) going back into the studio to record her debut full length album. Prior to Christmas, she had a singles release concert at the Rockwood Music Hall at which she unveiled two singles, one of them being the acoustic pop “Gonna Get Better,” which Riveting Riffs Magazine’s writer Gabe Alonso described as a song that sees Regan “digging in and leaving her fans wanting to hear more.” The second song which Regan introduced that night was “Keep You Warm,” a bittersweet song that evokes a strong emotional response from the listener, as the singer realizes her relationship just is not working anymore.

Eric Bibb Is "Turning Pages"

By Joe Montague

It would seem to follow that on an album with the title Booker’s Guitar, that there would be a song with the same name, however, what is surprising about blues singer / songwriter /guitarist Eric Bibb’s new record being released today (January 26^th) is that for this particular song, the master storyteller played a guitar that once belonged to the Mississippi Delta blues iconic singer / songwriter Booker T. Washington White, who also just happened to be a cousin of B.B. King.

“A fan came up at the end of a concert and he said, ‘Thank you for your music, I’ve always appreciated what you do, and I am so glad that you are carrying on a great tradition that I have loved for years. By the way, I happen to own the guitar that used to belong to “Booker” White and if you would be interested in seeing it, and playing it, or even being photographed with it, I could meet you.’ That is the way a friendship with this person developed. The song “Booker’s Guitar,” is actually played with Booker’s guitar,” says Eric Bibb.

 

At The Corner of Art and Soul

Celebrity artist Patrick Carney, better known to his close friends as Patty or Pat, is well known for his paintings and pen and ink drawings which represent a who’s who in the music industry and which have been collected by, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger, among others. He attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, studying with such renowned artists as Robert Israel and Milton Glaser. It is however, neither Carney’s subjects, nor his education that have made his artwork some of the most sought after pieces by collectors; it is his skill with the brush and the pen that have attracted people’s attention, and it is his skill with people that continually builds upon his already loyal fan base. One does not need to know of, or know personally Patrick Carney for long, before you become keenly aware that he believes strongly in giving back to the community and others, to detect his sincerity as he offers words of encouragement to others, and to become aware that those who call him “friend,” speak first with words of praise about his character, before the conversation shifts to discussing his art.

For all that Patrick Carney is, on the surface, his rise to becoming known as one of the world’s truly outstanding artists, might very well be every parent’s worst nightmare, or at least on the surface, when he comes out with statements such as “When I look back at being expelled (from grade four)  it was a blessing in disguise. (he chuckles) I have never liked rules, whether it was rules around life, rules around painting or rules around speed or what have you. I have always been one to challenge all of that.”

Had this writer not already become somewhat acquainted with Carney through mutual friends and highly respected San

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