Chris Brokaw and I played four great shows this past weekend in Montpelier, Brooklyn, Boston, and Yarmouth, Maine. The standout show was at the Knitting Factory where we picked an early set of John Hurt and Gary Davis tunes for a great crowd, and escaped minutes before the thrash-metal band Toxic Holocaust began their sonic barrage from the big stage! Chris and I will play some festivals in Italy this June, and we’ll be back in Europe in the fall for more shows. I’m also happy to announce that the first (and hopefully not last) Lawnmower release is finally out on Cleanfeed. Lawnmower consists of Luther Gray (Joe Morris Trio), Daniel Littleton (Ida), Jim Hobbs (Fully Celebrated Orchestra), and myself, and we’re hoping to do a few shows this spring to celebrate the release. Here’s a colorful review on All About Jazz that describes the project.
The sun…it burns!
Once again I feel like a jet-lagged vampire-zombie after 10-hour drives, late night sets, early-morning flights, sleeping upright in airports, and all the other delights that come with touring in Europe. But it was worth it: amazing shows, great hangs with friends new and old, and of course….the food, the wonderful, wonderful food. With the exception of Florence (we played the night of the San Remo finale), we had great turnouts just about everywhere, and the tour was a blast for all involved. Now I just have to work off those 5 extra pounds…
The Angel’s Message to Me is out just in time for our UK tour that starts this week! The record has been getting some play on BBC radio, a nice review on Delusions of Adequacy, and even a lukewarm 3-stars on the Sunday Times, written by standup comic/hipster Stewart Lee. More shows are in the works, so check back here soon.
Jan Plan, Brokaw/Farina Record, UK Tour!
I spent the month of January teaching a blues history course for Colby’s “Jan Plan”. That’s their name for squeezing an entire semester of work into one dark, frigid Maine January! It was intense for sure, and we explored almost 50 years of recordings from Sylvester Weaver to Lightnin’ Hopkins. My students did some fantastic research on topics like the Great Migration, the history of blues record labels (Chess, Paramount, Okeh, Bluebird, Vocalition, Victor), John and Alan Lomax, African-American worksongs, Senegambian music, Chicago’s Maxwell Street, early recording technologies, and just about everything in between. Of course we also did some deep, deep listening, and it was a privilege to hear the music of John Hurt, Charlie Patton, Leadbelly, Junior Wells, and other favorites through the ears of some very bright college students. Hope to do it again next year!
My music theory course at the University of Maine is going strong, but I switch gears next week when I fly to Europe with Glorytellers. We’ll hit Spain, Italy, and Southern France this month, and be back for the north in May and June. Also, Chris Brokaw and I finally mastered our record with Jeff Lipton at Peerless in Boston, and it sounds great! It’ll appear on Chris’ Capitan Records in the US, and on Damnably in the UK in March, followed by a UK tour! Dates for everything are posted to the right. It’s been about 6 or 7 years since I’ve played in the UK, so I’m quite looking forward to it…quite!
Silent No More
Long story short: Web site gets hacked in back July. I stare at the computer for hours trying to fix it, give up after much frustration, and swear to spend less time in front of the computer and more behind the guitar. Months go by. You send me nice emails inquiring about my silence. After slowly realizing how lucky I am that you actually care, here I am once again staring at a computer when I could be playing guitar. In any case, nice to see you again too, and a lot has happened since then. Where to start?
First and foremost, the new Glorytellers album called “Atone” is finally out on Southern Records (CD/LP/Download) in the US/Europe, and Afterhours (CD) in Japan. This one’s got everything I love: harmonizing guitars, vivid narratives, the supple rhythms of drummer Gavin McCarthy, and the clinical production values of engineers Andy Hong and Jeff Lipton, all wrapped up in gorgeous original artwork by Sonnenzimmer. It represents 2 years of work (much of it Andy’s), and I’m quite proud to see it finally hit. Here’s a 5-star review on the UK’s Rockfeedback, more kind words from the UK at the 405, and the Line of Best Fit, a recent interview at The Voice of Energy blog, and a recent interview/performance I did for ScannerFM in Barcelona. And this kinda-funny-kinda-sad BBC review came out of nowhere and just about says it all!
Atone was not without its birthing pains: apparently the first batch of CDs were pressed with someone else’s music in our package. Unfortunately they made it to Amazon before anyone caught it, and my label tells me there are still a few that escaped the dragnet. If you receive a bum Atone CD, contact me and I’ll forward your complaint to the appropriate parties. (Since the Karate 595 2xLP was shipped with the wrong song order listed on the jacket a few years back, I’ve became fine customer service rep.)
We also have a nice chunk of road time coming up: On November 7th we’ll share the stage with our pals Ida at Union Hall in Brooklyn. Then we’ll be out with Curtis Harvey for a couple weeks of Midwest/East Coast shows in early December. Curtis has a new record out on Fat Cat, and it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen him play, so I’m looking forward to the tour. Chris Brokaw and I will open Philly, NY, and Boston with our set of old-time/ragtime/blues tunes we’ve been chewing on for the past few years. (Those will soon be available on Chris’ Capitan Records.) Then in February of ‘10 we’ll be off to Spain and Italy with bells on, and later in the year to northern Europe. More on that soon. As usual, tour dates are posted here, at the Glorytellers Myspace page, and at the Southern Records Glorytellers page.
The last bit of news some of you may already know: my wife and I recently moved to a beautiful little New England town called Hallowell, 3 hours north of Boston. We live a few hundred yards from the mighty Kennebeck River, in the Hallowell Row House, a Federal-style worker’s residence built by Isaac Gage in 1846 that housed some of the area’s early textile workers. We made the move last July after Caterina finished her PhD and got a teaching gig at nearby Colby College. I’ve also been teaching a seminar on post-1958 jazz at the University of Maine, and I’ll teach a blues history course at Colby this winter. The pace is quite a bit slower than in Boston, and in many respects Hallowell reminds us of the small town in Northeastern Italy where Caterina and I spend a month or two each year. With the leaves changing to every shade of gold, Hallowell is also stunningly beautiful, and has provided a wonderful setting to work on some new music. So things are working out just fine up here. More soon….
“How much does the economy affect your job?”
as anyone else been getting this question lately? Those of you who know, love, or are yourselves musicians know that we face an “economic downturn” every time we finish touring on a new record, that we have to reinvent our careers on a yearly basis, that one year’s opportunities are rarely available the next, and that we’re usually facing some form of financial insecurity that others might consider intolerable. So in all honestly my answer would have to be “Not much.” This year doesn’t feel much different to me than the last 20.
But some folks have real problems, and as I’ve testified time and time again, I’m blessed to do what I do. I can’t complain even in this economy, as I managed to pull together the most extensive solo tour that I’ve done in about a decade. I’ll be playing, recording, and teaching throughout Western Europe for all of April and into May. I’ll be in Italy, Spain, France, Belgium and Germany sharing the stage with the likes of Mono and Ainara Legardon, teaching a few songwriting/guitar workshops, recording with Ardecore, playing one or two radio shows, and generally affecting the troubadour contemporain across the wonderful continent. I’ll return to fire up the Glorytellers machine again for a Midwest/East Coast tour supporting Joe Lally in June.
I also recorded some guitar tracks for a song on the upcoming David Bazan record, but it turns out the label decided to use the original version. But it was a lot of fun recording with TW Walsh, my buddy who mixed and mastered the record, and a week later TW asked me to help make a track for an upcoming Mark Mulcahy tribute/benefit record. We got together at Scott Cragg’s studio in Southie with Mulcahy’s bass player, Ken Maiuri, and banged out a psyched-out version of “Hate to Needy Need You”. TW, Ken, and Scott did most of the heavy lifting and the song came out sounding great. More info on that release coming soon…
As for the new releases mentioned below, some clarifications: “West”, the premier disk by supergroup Lawnmower, (Jim Hobbs, Luther Gray III, Daniel Littleton and myself) will eventually appear on Clean Feed, although probably not until later this year. The new Glorytellers record is called “Atone” and it will appear on Afterhours in Japan this summer, and tentatively on Southern Records in the US and Europe in the fall, no doubt followed by some solid road work. And I did finally manage to get my hands on “Still Life with Commercials”, the new Farina / Pupillio / Zerang disc that we recorded at least three years ago. There was apparently a lot of editing/overdubbing done to it since I heard it last, but I have to say that they did a fantastic job even though it was not at all what I expected. Also the artwork is gorgeous, and will hopefully entice a few impulse purchases.
That’s about all I’ve got for now. Please keep an eye on the tour dates to your right, and I hope to make your acquaintance at a show this spring!
Spain Report
Just back from a whirlind trip to Castillon where I played the Tanned Tin festival with Chris Brokaw. We performed in a beautiful old-style opera theater that had wonderful acoustics, and we had a great time playing our twisted renditions of pre-WWII blues/ragtime tunes to appreciative festival goers. Predictably we consumed incredible piaella, chased our guitars around various airports, and stayed awake far too long. Truly a microcosm of past Euro-tours, but this one was much to short. In any case, thanks to Acuarela Discos for hosting us, and we hope to return sometime soon.
My Italian solo tour is shaping up, and the most recent dates are posted in the “Calendar” section to the right. We’re also starting to work on Glorytellers dates that will start in early March, so check back here for those in the coming months. We should be covering everything East of the Rockies in March and April, and possibly the West Coast later in the spring. Anyone interested in helping us with a show can contact Mahmood Shaikh via our Flower Booking page.
595, Karate’s new live release, finally showed up on my doorstep last week. It looks great, especially the 180-gram double LP! This interesting review from Popmatters caught my attention, as did this entertaining CMJ piece that references Jeff Goddard’s “down-and-dirty bass solo.” In my dreams! Even more entertaining is this amazing cover of Karate’s Number 6…if only our video budget had been that bloated.
New Releases
I’ve been looking forward to October because it will bring two long-awaited releases: First, Karate’s “595” will be released on Southern Records on October 23rd. This is a live set that was recorded in 2003 at Stuk in Leuven, Belgium. It’s one of the best live Karate recordings we’ve heard, both in terms of our performance and the sound quality. (In fact it sounds better than some of our old studio recordings!) We’ve been trying to get this record out for years but ran into a number of random delays, so it’s great to see it finally come to fruition. Ardecore’s “Chimera” was due out last april and has also been plagued by delays, but it has finally been released on Il Manifesto in Italy. Although I played on 5 or 6 songs during the sessions, I haven’t gotten my hands on the record yet, so I’m not sure how many of these actually made it to the release. In any case, from what I remember about the sessions, it’s sure to be a great record.
Tonight I play what will probably be my last blues/ragtime set of the year at The Plough and Stars in Cambridge. My tenure there and at the Independent in Somerville has come to an end for the time being, but it’s been a lot of fun and thanks to both venues for having me. On October 25th I’ll be back in Cambridge at the Middle East Upstairs opening for British folkies Tunng, who have a great new record on Thrill Jockey. Soon after Chris Brokaw and I will be heading to Spain to play the Tanned Tin festival near Valencia on November 4th, and I’ll be playing a week of shows in Italy in mid/late December to finish off the year.
Boston Rocks for Cal, Death Cab plays the Secret Stars, Farina plays the Minutemen!
We raised $2,500 for Cal Robbins last Friday and Saturday night, and had a blast doing it. Very special thanks to Ida, the Thalia Zedek Band, Mark Robinson, Neptune, Drew O’Doherty, Helms, Jodi Leo, and Chris Brokaw for volunteering their amazing performances, and to PA’s Lounge, Brad Searles, and my wife Caterina Mongiat Farina for all the help putting the shows together. The great thing about both nights was that all the bands were so happy to be a part of it that they put on amazing performances all around. Ida brought tears to the eyes of their long-time Boston fans, Mark’s uniquely wry humor put a smile on everyone’s face, and Thalia’s incredible voice made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Photos from both shows are here, and here, and there was even a story about Cal, Jay and Janet Robbins on NPR’s “All Things Considered” this past monday.
But my favorite part of the benefits was having the privilege to step on stage again with my pal Jodi Leo, as the second half of the Secret Stars. It was our first show in many years, and never did those 15-year-old songs feel so good as they did last Saturday. It a gift to see Jodi perform again, and to have a packed house at PA’s at 9PM, so thanks to all who came to see us. A strange love for the Secret Stars continues to manifest itself; Here’s Death Cab for Cutie performing “Wait” and the Italian band Perturbazione performing “Some Sinatra.”
Last week I also had the privilege going into Camp Street Studio in Cambridge to record the Minutemen’s “The Anchor” for “Stop Loss,” the new Kim Pierce film that will be released early in 2008. No telling if the song will end up in the film yet, but the film’s music supervisor and Mike Watt himself both seemed happy with my version (despite the fact that I botched some of the lyrics), so I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Anyone who knows me knows that the Minutemen are one of my all-time faves, so this was definitely one of the best gigs of the year for me.
Finally, Glorytellers will kick off our summer tour at PA’s Lounge on August 6th, and we’ll be heading out to Chicago and down to DC. But before I split, I’ll be back at the Independent in Union Square on Sunday July 29th, and at the Plough and Stars in Cambridge on Thursday, August 2nd. Both shows are free, both places have great menus and friendly atmospheres, so please stop by and have a pin
In the presence of…
Who ever thought I’d share a record with the likes of Mike Watt, Money Mark, Mark Mulcahy, Superchunk, Will Oldham, Devandra Banhart, Jim O’Rourke, and Petra Haden? Guilt by Association on Engine Room Recordings is a compilation of covers performed by all of the above and your’s truly! Engine room asked us to rework a favorite guilty-pleasure pop song, and the resulting compilation features Watt doing BOC’s “Burning for You,” O’Rourke reworking the Spice Girls’ “Viva Forever,” Superchunk taking on “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child, Will Oldham wrestling with Miriah Care’s “Can’t Take That Away,” and me taming “Two Tickets to Paradise” by Eddie Money. A unique concept to say the least. I’ll also be playing at the Guilt by Association record release party at TT The Bear’s Place in Central Square, Cambridge on August 27th. I’ve set up a 2-day benefit concert for my pals J and Janet Robbins, who’s son Callum Robbins was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. It’s July 13th and 14th at PA’s Lounge in Somerville, and features Neptune, Helms, the Brokaw/Farina Duo, Drew O’Doherty, Thalia Zedek, Mark Robinson, a rare Boston performance by Ida, and a one-night only Secret Stars reunion! Needless to say this show is not to be missed, so spread the word!
To top off a great summer, my new band Glorytellers will be on tour in the Northeast/Midwest US in August. Tour dates are posted at the Glorytellers Myspace page, and will be posted here soon. This tellers incarnation features Josh Larue and Gavin McCarthy, and we’ll be heading from Boston to Chicago and then down to DC, so please come by. I’ve also been having a lot of fun playing locally, and will continue to play the first Thursday of every month at the Plough and Stars in Cambridge, and the last Sunday of every month at the Independent in Union Square, Somerville. Both shows are FREE, and I hope to see you there!
New release on Atavistic
You may remember some recent braggadocio about a recording that I made with Nathan McBride (bassist w/Ken Vandermark, Pandelis Karayorgis) and Luther Gray (drummer w/Joe Morris Trio); Well after a year-and-a-half, the record has finally seen the light of day. It’s called “Almanac” and it’s Volume 4 of Atavistic’s “Out Trios” project, a series of trio recordings by the likes of Steve Shelley, Nels Cline, Jeff Parker, Lee Renaldo, and Tom Rainey. I’m very proud to have made this recording with two of my favorite improvisers, so please give the CD a spin!
After dry spell of Boston shows this year, I now have two upcoming local solo shows, both strangely at the same venue a block from my house, PA’s Lounge in Somerville MA. The first one on September 23rd w/Mark Robinson’s Flin Flon I detail below, but I forgot to mention that my old pal Aliza Shapiro is the promoter. Under the guise of “Truth Serum,” Aliza has been organizing great events around Boston since as long as I remember. You can see what she’s up to at the Truth Serum Web site. The second show will be on October 15th, part of the NEST (North East Sticks Together) festival that aims to present local music in a non-commercial environment. So many New England festivals seem to degrade into weird, corporate “Battle of the Bands” formats, so I’m looking forward to seeing what this NEST business is all about.
I also played two more Italian shows with Ardecore before heading north to my home-away-from-home here in Pordenone. The first show was at a great outdoor venue called “Piccolo Bolognetti” in the center of Bologna, and it was truly the best Ardecore show I’ve played yet. We were crowded together on a small stage, but the sound was great and at least 500 Bolognese turned up. For whatever reason it all came together and we played loud and tight, and sounded more like a tight rock band than we ever have. The next night in Monte Rotundo, a small Roman satellite town, we somehow found ourselves playing to an older crowd (many over 60!) on a stage located inside the walls of the city’s police headquarters. A strange show for sure, but stranger shows probably lie ahead for this band. After this, an abridged version of the band went off to Sardina for a couple shows, but I headed North for a break. All in all it was a great summer con i miei amici romani, and I hope to see them when I return to Italy December.
If you’ve been here before you know that I generally try to keep my personal life separate from my work, but I must testify that the next time you hear me typin’ at GF.com, I will be a married man! After 6 wonderful years w/my long-time sweetheart (who I met in Padova in 1998 at Karate’s very first Italian show), we will exchange rings on September 2nd at the church in the center of Pordenone, the city where she was born and raised. Needless to say, I’ll be offline for a few weeks, but I’ll post more when I get back to Boston mid-September.
