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| September 25, 2004 - Pioneer Arts Center of Easthampton - CD Release Celebration for The New You | ||
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Brian
Says: I was sitting in a back booth of PACE with Niall and
Mark, sipping Merlot. I looked out at the growing crowd of people
milling about, many also enjoying a glass of wine and chatting. Tony Says: Songs performed at CD release: The New You
Jose Ayerve Says: Last night was the CD Release party for School for the Dead. The show was brilliantly organized and every detail was charming. The PACE center of Easthampton played host for the activities. They had to gut the theater seating that had been such a distinctive part of the venue. It's now a stage about 2.5 feet off the ground and a flat, but nice wood floor. The show started around 8:30pm and the Round-Robin portion of the evening came first. There were I think 12 openers for the show. And to the best of my knowledge here's the list in order of appearance - which was determined by audience members selecting large individual scrolls from a silver bucket/trash bin: Matt Hebert (Ware
River Club) Highlights include: everyone. It was a blast, for example, we heard new songs from Matt Hebert, Zeke Fiddler, Lesa Bezo, Dennis Crommett, and Philip Price. I got to hear George Lenker and Rick Murnane for the first time. Thane Thomsen did an old Figments tune called A Step Away, while Kevin O'Rourke showcased a song from the forthcoming Lo Fine record, Mark Mulcahy performed Cole Porter's Under My Skin, Chris Collingwood performed a song from the Hair soundtrack, and I got to play It's a Mistake (by Men At Work) on my charrango. School for the Dead were great, as usual. Their brand of pop is often quirky, but tonight it was more passionate, glorious (in the true sense of the word - meaning: not happy, nor sad, but elated.) And the new songs came off very well. I was especially moved everytime Henning's voice would start approaching that overdrive point, where all of a sudden, there was a whole new tone that was so exciting! The thing you have to understand about Henning, aside from the fact that he's one of Northampton's best songwriters, is the fact that he's got potential to do more than just pop. It's not that he's holding back his voice, it's more that he's still developing it. Right now, it's appropriate for singing poppy, catchy, and heavily syllabic lyrics, but what I'm trying to express is how if you listen closely to the tones in his voice, the more force he exerts behind his vocals, the more resilient the sound he produces. He's a tall guy at 6'2" or so, and he's got everything in place, in my opinion, to really tame the monster of a vocalist, who, for all we know, is just taking a short nap before exploding. There, I've gone and expounded upon the thing that excites me the most. Tony Westcott by the way, and for the record, is an absolutely wonderful guitar player, who reminded me once again, why I've always looked up to him since it became my responsibility in 10th grade to replace him as the guitarist for the Springfield Central High School Jazz Ensemble. Big shoes to fill, and I was merely a size 9 1/2. Brian Marchese is a madman on the drums and he left everyone in awe of his ability to go berserk without ever bashing, and all the while keeping time the way a true rhythm player does, by not letting go of the hi-hat nor the kick; riding em like a rodeo cowboy would do, while balancing his checkbook or trimming his nails amid the chaos. I have only wonderful things to say about Max. He'll be taking a little hiatus from SFTD while he and his wife have a child this winter. His laser-precise, bright and penetrating tones provide the fuel for their songs, and once I was able to convince the soundman to pay attention to the fact that the mix was, for lack of a better word, wrong, everything tightened up and the bass became even more of a unifying heartbeat. And, suddenly, Henning's beautiful acoustic was free to levitate the songs and guide us through the evening's lesson. I would love to write more, but alas, I must continue with some other time-sensitive work that I need to get done. Rick Murnane of Groupe DeVille Says: The magic came later that evening. I was back in Easthampton, participating in the CD Release Party for our friends, School for the Dead (you can click on the link over to the left, see?). There was a remarkable bunch of musicians who were picked to get up onstage and perform one song each by way of opening the show. It wasn't the average gig. This was a Happening. The performers were Mark Mulcahy, Matt Hebert of Ware River Club, Jose Ayerve of Spouse, Lesa Bezo of The Fawns, Zeke Fiddler, Philip Price of Winterpills, George Lenker, Thane Thomsen and Kevin O'Rourke, both of Lo Fine, Dennis Crommett of Spanish for Hitchhiking, Chris Collingwood of Fountains of Wayne, and yours truly. One of the delightful things about the evening was getting to hear this very talented group of people perform simply and alone, when normally these artists would be performing with a band wrapped around them. The mystery this time was finding out who would play, and in what order: names were picked in random order by audience members, who were asked to pull rolled-up pieces of paper out of a big metal tub. My turn came sometime in the last third of the list. I sang "You Don't Need Him Anymore" (from the GDV album Hold No Illusions), and it was the first time I had ever performed the song acoustically in public. I left the stage feeling like I had played well, and got several very nice things said to me afterwards. It's always nice to hear appreciative remarks from my friends, but another nice thing was making new friends, as many folks came up to me to extend a handshake and a complimentary remark. It was a splendid atmosphere. The people around here are a pleasantly supportive and approachable lot. Chris Collingwood performed "Frank Mills" from the musical HAIR. It was a whimsical choice, and I commented to him afterwards that it was a great pick for that evening. I had spoken very briefly with Chris once before at another show, but didn't expect him to remember me. He's a pretty famous guy these days, considering the success of Fountains of Wayne, and probably has strangers approaching him all the time. But instead, he said "Thanks, Rick. And your song was brilliant, too, by the way. My wife's a huge fan now." It was a very nice thing to say. And you know, it felt like being home hanging with these folks; it was good to be there with performers and friends alike, with an audience that was peppered with familiar faces as well as new ones, and with Sonia & David, who run PACE. The night was simply magical. And then School for the Dead came on and played. And they were really magical. And so is their new album, The New You. Go buy it. In fact, go buy it at Night Owl Records in Easthampton this coming Saturday night, before you cross Cottage Street to see GDV play the Brass Cat. Here's to more
magic, and maybe a little mystery too.
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