Five Records with… Gordy Quist
Posted on | October 23, 2009 | 2 Comments
I talked to the talented Gordy Quist from the Band of Heathens last week, who recently released One Foot in the Ether, their second studio record and fourth overall. You can read a review of that record’s first single “L.A. County Blues” here. Five Records is an occasional feature of artists talking about the music that inspires them. Read more of these posts here.
“My aunt and uncle sent me a copy of The Jayhawks album Hollywood Town Hall when I was about 13 or 14 and just starting to play in bands. Although most of the music I was playing at the time was much heavier, that album struck me as both a songwriter’s album and a band’s album, which was something I was after.”
“Echo is one of my favorite Tom Petty albums, even though it’s pretty dark and didn’t have the hits that some of his other albums did. He’s an artist who has continued to write great songs, put out great records, and still tours with a great rock ‘n’ roll band.”
Orphans, Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards
“I was listening to a lot of Tom Waits stuff while we were in the studio making One Foot in the Ether. Specifically, the Mule Variations album and the triple album Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards. They’ve both got some amazing songs and interesting sonic textures and arrangements.”
“I wish I had written the song, “The Dirty South”, from the Gary Floater album A Hero Never Learns.”
“The Magpies are a band from Cleveland and they’re great live and they put out great albums”
Rosanne Cash – “Sea of Heartbreak”
Posted on | October 13, 2009 | 2 Comments
1. By now, Rosanne Cash’s new record The List has been pored over by critics, previewed by NPR, and released a week ago. Her renditions of songs from her father’s list of 100 essential songs provide new insight into classic American standards, with warm production by her husband, John Leventhal. One of these songs, Don Gibson’s “Sea of Heartbreak”, was also covered by her father on his second American Recordings release Unchained. The two versions of Gibson’s terribly lonely classic are very different, but both seem to serve the song equally well. Rosanne brings in Bruce Springsteen to assist on background vocals, while her father had Tom Petty (and the Heartbreakers) backing him on much of that entire record. As for whose version is better? That is up to you to decide.
2. Johnny Cash’s work with Rick Rubin stands as a testament to both artist and producer, with Cash’s strong baritone hovering over Rubin’s crisp, acoustic based arrangements. Petty’s drawled count-off leads into a jangly rendition with all the American Recordings’ hallmarks – triangle, layered acoustic guitars, and booming piano fills. Petty has always been underrated as a background singer, a role he displayed on Bob Dylan’s 1986 True Confessions tour, where he and his band opened for the legend, then served as his backing band. His thin tenor lilts over Cash’s recitation, while Benmont Tench’s organ provides a perfect warmth to the track. Rubin, who also produced Petty’s Wildflowers, provides a similar sound here, with the bright accompaniment a worthy foil to Cash’s unmistakable voice.
3. Leventhal and Rosanne take a different approach, with an airy keyboard and a twangy, reverb-heavy guitar providing the only accompaniment before Rosanne’s distinctive alto breaks the ethereal mood. Bruce’s voice is in full croon mode that he showed on Magic’s “Girls in Their Summer Clothes”, more deep-vibrato Roy Orbison than the gritty howl that Springsteen fans are used to. A change of chords on the chorus creates a descending, tension-building pattern that echo the narrator’s desperation. Springsteen’s solo turn on the bridge over a lightly strummed guitar makes it a true duet, rather than just a background cameo.
4. It is hard to pick a favorite of these two tunes. Rosanne’s version is more adult contemporary, similar to a rendition that Sting might turn out if he were prone to covering American classics. Her father’s version is more of an update of his traditional country sound mixed with the Traveling Wilburys (of which Petty was an integral part). Maybe both can be enjoyed without picking a favorite, but in case you haven’t heard either, listen to them below and let me know which version you favor in the comments.
Johnny Cash (with Tom Petty) – Sea of Heartbreak
Rosanne Cash (with Bruce Springsteen) – Sea of Heartbreak
Five Records with… Charlie Robison
Posted on | September 4, 2009 | No Comments
I had the chance to speak with Charlie Robison (who just released the impressive Beautiful Day) last week and talk to him about some of his favorite records. Five Records is an occasional feature of artists talking about the music that inspires them. Read more of these posts here.
“I remember being 13 and playing this constantly. It painted some unbelievable pictures – I wanted to write music and do the same thing.”
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
“Hearing “Refugee” for the first time was remarkable…I admire Tom most for his longevity. He and Springsteen are still making great music today just like when they first started out. To be able to be so consistently good for so long is incredible.”
“I listened to this while making Beautiful Day. I listen to all sorts of music that I’m not moved to draw influence from – Sinatra, Eminem for starters. It inspires me creatively. I listened to a lot of reggaeton, like Damien Marley while making this record and none of that shows up, but it pushed me to do what I do better.”
“This is a song I wish I had written — The mood it creates is so rich, the words he uses. Feels like you are right there creeping around town with him. This is the sort of music that made me want to write my own songs in the first place.”
“Terry has this brilliant way of parodying country music while celebrating it and including himself in it. He hit a pinnacle in the 90’s with this record and Human Remains, but it sort of got lost on the younger generation with all the new wave country singers. What a talent.”