Gordon Lightfoot

[Live Music Alert: Gordon Lightfoot will appear Wednesday September 30 in the arena at the Civic Center in Fargo ND, 8-11:30 pm. Tickets: $46.00 and $36.00 purchased at the Civic Center Mon-Fri Noon-4:30PM or at ticketmaster.]

The first and only time I saw Gordon Lightfoot live was at a college show in Ohio in the mid-70s. It was a seminal moment for me as a music lover. I was surrounded by a group of local folkies who were making their own attempts at writing and covering the great songwriters of the day. These musicians soaked up Dylan, Leonard Cohen, James Taylor, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young and delivered their versions of this material to coffeehouse audiences in the area. This was music that said more than the fluffy bubblegum of the 50s and very early 60s. It chronicled events. It told deeper stories of love. It brought issues like injustice to an audience that might never have thought about those thing. And, it wove poetic words together in ways that spoke of intense thought and harder living.

And, it wove poetic words together in ways that spoke of intense thought and harder living.

Though each of my musician friends had a sampling of these covers in their repertoires, depending on their specific styles and their own personal tastes. It was the music of Gordon Lightfoot that always was present in every set by every musician. Everyone knew the words to “Early Morning Rain,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” and the “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

Moreover, my musician friends weren’t the only ones covering Lightfoot. His songs have been covered by established artists and emerging ones, often making their careers because of their renderings of his beautiful lyrics.

Born in Ontario, Gordon Lightfoot grew up singing in a local church choir and performing in local operettas and choir extravaganzas. When he was a teenager, he balanced track and field and piano lessons, while teaching himself drums, percussion, and eventually folk guitar, learning a lot of old Stephen Foster tunes. In the late 50s, he moved to California and studied jazz composition and orchestration at Westlake College of Music in Hollywood. Lightfoot’s stint at singing on demo records and writing and recording jingles exposed him to a broader range of music, eventually including Pete Seeger, The Weaver, and Bob Gibson.

When Lightfoot returned to Canada, he sang with The Swinging Eight, a choral and dance group, on a local country TV show. He appeared at local coffeehouses, testing out some of his own material and released a couple of singles in the early 60s that received some airplay in Toronto. Lightfoot started playing folk festivals and began to be recognized as a folksinger. During this time, he re-connected with fellow Canadians Ian Tyson and Sylvia Fricker.

“They came to see me at a bar that I was playing in,” Gordon Lightfoot said in a recent phone interview. “Ian got interested in ‘Early Morning Rain,’ in particular. Ian and Sylvia were quite instrumental in getting a couple of my songs to Peter, Paul, and Mary. Also, I got a management deal as well. They did a very unselfish thing there.”

Ian and Sylvia recorded not only “Early Morning Rain,” but also “For Lovin’ Me,” both of which began hits for them. Both of those songs were also recorded by Peter, Paul, and Mary, who took them to a broader audience. One of the other of these two songs eventually were recorded by Elvis Presley, Chad and Jeremy, Judy Collins, The Kingston Trio, Gorge Hamilton IV, and the Johnny Mann Singers. Other artists began to request Gordon Lightfoot songs. Ritchie Havens recorded “I Can’t Make It Anymore, and country music legend Marty Robbins recorded “Ribbon of Darkness” early in his career, and Leroy Van Dyke, who was famous for the country song, “The Auctioneer,” recorded “I’m Not Saying.”

Over the years, more and more artists have recorded these songs, bringing them to new audiences, often another generation. “If You Could Read My Mind” has been recorded by artists you would expect, such as Johnny Cash and Glen Campbell. But it has also been covered by Carroll Baker, The Bells, Johnny Mathis, Liza Minelli, Barbara Streisand and Andy Williams. Instrumental arrangements were done by Herb Alpert, John Arpin, James Last, and The Boss Brass. Unfortunately, I’m sure there’s even a Musak version.

But Lightfoot is generous himself. He recorded “Red Velvet,” a song by Ian Tyson, on his A Painter Passing Through album in 1998. That song was picked up for Tyson’s 2008 tribute album, The Gift: A Tribute to Ian Tyson.

Gordon Lightfoot has earned 15 Juno Awards (the Canadian Grammy) and has been nominated for 5 Grammys here in the US. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2003, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada, that country’s highest civilian award.

Twenty albums and 200 songs later, you would think by Lightfoot’s fifth decade in music, he would be eager to write new material. But this isn’t the path for this remarkable musical pathfinder. “I was under contract with recording companies for 33 years,” he said. “I was under pressure to write and keep recording all of the time…. I actually completed my entire contract with Reprise. I was contracted to do 14 albums from the time I started with them. I had two renewals during my tenure there. Before that, I was with United Artists….Since the pressure came off of being under contract, it’s kind of a relief not to have to live up to that….It’s really impractical to think that we might all of a sudden, as they say, catch a ‘big one.’ It’s not really my desire to do that.”

He does realize that other songwriters are still producing. “There are some who are very good at it: Bob Dylan and Neil Young. They keep putting albums out. The output is absolutely amazing with these guys, and they’re good albums,” he said. “I know them both of course. I envy them a little bit. Boy, that’s a lot of pressure.”

Since 2000, Lightfoot has been concentrating on doing concerts. “We have a wonderful repertoire, and we work with it very well,” he stated. “We’re doing 70 concerts this year.”

Lightfoot’s current tour started in April in Canada and has him and his band dipping into the US for several weeks, including a stint in Fargo on September 30. He will wind up his tour back in Canada at the end of the year.

Touring with him are veteran players, many of which have been with him for years. “Terry Clements is the lead guitarist. He’s been with me for about 30 years,” Lightfoot said. Assisting Clements are Rick Haynes on bass, Mike Heffernan on keys, and Barry Keane on drums and percussion. “They’ve all been with me a long, long time,” Lightfoot added. “I can work a long time with a group of guys like this. They are stellar musicians. I had many other musicians before them, though. I had another brilliant guitar player over a long stretch of time. That was Red Shea. He and John Stockfish were the original group. It was just the three of us on the concert tour. I increased that to five when we got the hit with ‘Sundown’ around1974 because we needed the drums. Now, we needed the drums anyway. We use a backbeat drums, of course. But drums can also involve a lot percussion and special effects.”

Barry Keane is a session drummer who is in much demand in studios in Canada. He and the other musicians also work with other artists and must clear their schedules for a tour with Lightfoot. “We have to plan well ahead and then remain in a state of preparation in the meanwhile,” Lightfoot explained. “We rehearse every week, just to practice the technique and the intonation, which is usually three or four hours on a Friday afternoon, when the week’s business is looked after.”

To produce the quality of that Lightfoot expects during a performance, he not only rehearses but works out. “I go to the gym regularly because I want to store energy and be able to stand up to the pressure of putting out those concerts every night because I really love it,” he admitted. “I like to feel the adrenalin flowing into things because it creates a kind of communication. To feel the way I do when I do the work, the concert, is a wonderful feeling. To have that communication—it’s almost tangible. I’m sure the audience can feel it, too.”

What Lightfoot and his band bring to a concert certainly will be a look at his work through the decades. “We will be dipping into the past all the way from album number one because we still have requests for ‘Early Morning Rain’ and songs like that,” he said. “Then we work all the way through to the very last album we made [Harmony, released in 2004 independently], which we do quite constantly. The rest of the show includes what would be most the familiar and then dip into some of the real good stuff that we use as backup material. We’ve got some good songs throughout the repertoire that I can rotate.” This way Lightfoot puts together two different shows, alternating on consecutive nights. “Each show is in a different order and each night I’m able to rotate perhaps 8 or 9 songs that we didn’t do the night before. Some of the songs, of course, I do every night, like the hit songs: ‘If You Could Read My Mind,’ ‘The Wreck of the Edmonton Fitzgerald,’ Sundown,’ ‘Carefree Highway,’ “Canadian Railroad Trilogy,’ ‘Don Quixote,’ ‘Rainy Day People.’ And the rest of it is the real good stuff that gets me that communication that I’m talking about.”

Yet, the pace is grueling. He is doing 21 shows in 26 days. “I find that to be a challenge,’ he said. “I’m ready, and we’ll be well prepared by the time we hit the Civic Auditorium in Fargo. We played there before many years before.”

Gordon Lightfoot also insisted. “We’ve improved a lot since the time you saw us in the mid-70s. We’ve improved a great deal.”

I have no doubt that Gordon Lightfoot’s appearance in Fargo next week will be polished and all that an old folkie could hope for—and more.

This month, I will be posting some information about some bands that are offering links for videos, trailers, singles, or even EP s and full albums for free download for a limited time.

Hobo Nephews - Teague Alexi

Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank

These boys have a trailer on their new website (www.consideritcorrespondence.com) that gives a peak at the film Moments and Truths that documents the making of their new album, Traveling Show, that was recorded in Brooklyn. The film, directed by Joshua Priestley, also shows footage of their tour across the country and is a bonus offering with their new CD. Accompanying the trailer is the title track of their album “Traveling Show.” This cut is one of three tracks featuring organist Marco Benevento. Other guest on the album are Jon Graboff (pedal steel player from Ryan Adams and The Cardinals) and Ryan Young, Erik Berry, and Dave Carroll from Trampled By Turtles.

Order Traveling Show at www.consideritcorrespondence.com

Music without the film is available digitally at CD Baby.

The EELS

The EELS

EELS OFFER FREE DOWNLOAD TO FANS UPON EXCLUSIVE VINYL RELEASE:
The MySpace Transmission Sessions is featuring a performance by EELS leader Mark Oliver Everett aka E. Watch footage of E being interviewed and performing 5 songs, and download the audio for all 5 songs FREE for a limited time right now, right here:
http://www.myspace.com/transmissions

The complete session including a 6th song, “The Longing,” was released on limited edition 12″ vinyl Sept. 1. You can get it here: http://eelstheband.com/stores.php

There’s lots of new EELS news, info and videos to check out at:
www.EELStheband.com
and:
www.myspace.com/eels

The Very Best CD cover

THE VERY BEST featuring EZRA KOENIG

“Warm Heart of Africa” is a new 7 inch vinyl single from GREEN OWL, a NYC-based record label started by artists for artists with the idea that great music can be sustainable—both economically and environmentally.

Side A of the single has the Afropop party hit “Warm Heart of Africa” that showcases The Very Best’s Esau Mwamwaya and a surprise appearance from Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend! Side B offers a previously unreleased song, “Yalira,” from The Very Best’s debut LP that came out August 25. The cover of the record is an exclusively commissioned painting from master artist BP Konon of the Ivory Coast and is printed proudly in Brooklyn with vegetable-based ink using windpower on 100% post-consumer paper.

You can hear full tracks at http://greenowl.com/theverybest

The Very Best with Radioclit also has a great free download at:

http://www.myspace.com/radioclit

Just scroll down until you see the Free Download Click icon on the album cover with the African animals on it. This is great Afropop!

JONAH SMITH’S LIGHTS ON OUT NOW

SELF-RELEASED RECORD FUNDED BY FANS, PRODUCED BY MALCOLM BURN

Lights On, the latest effort from singer/songwriter Jonah Smith, is out now via Smith’s own Voluptuary Records. Self-released, the album was recorded with fan funding, allowing Smith to bypass the need for a label. Lights On pulls from the deep well of American blues and many of its offshoots including soul, country and folk. Smith is supporting the record with a national tour.

[Live Music Alert: Jonah Smith will appear November 2 at the Flying Mango in Des Moines, IA, and on November 4 at the Dakota Jazz Club Minneapolis, MN.]

Smith’s fourth record, Lights On, is the follow-up to 2006’s self-titled effort. Hailing from Syracuse, Smith now resides in Brooklyn and continues to tour extensively across the U.S.

Smith is offering an alternate acoustic version of the album track “Mrs. Cooper,” not available anywhere:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/9uwxb0

Vic Chestnut CD cover

VIC CHESTNUTT

You can grab the track “Philip Guston” from Vic Chesnutt’s latest album, At the Cut, due out Sept 22 on Constellation Records:

http://cstrecords.com/releases/cst060/audio_files

OR You can get “Flirted with You All My Life” here:

http://cstrecords.com/files/08FlirtedWithYouAllMyLife.mp3

Constellation has also given away the track “Chain.” You can link to all three mp3s here:

http://cstrecords.com/releases/cst060/audio_files

The record features Chesnutt collaborating with Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto and members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Silver Mt. Zion.

[Live Music Alert: Vic ChestnuttNovember 19 Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis, MN]

This fall Vic Chesnutt will embark on a six-week North American tour in support of his latest CD At the Cut. The touring band features Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto and members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Silver Mt. Zion, all of whom collaborated with Chesnutt on the new album which is out September 22 on Constellation Records. At the Cut is the follow-up to North Star Deserter, Chesnutt’s 2007 collaborative recording with the same group.

At the Cut focuses on themes of cowardice, courage, mortality, tenacity, defiance, mourning, and memory. The opening track, “Coward,” was originally written for director (and Chesnutt collaborator) Jem Cohen’s Empires of Tin and premiered in a live performance by Chesnutt and his band at the 2007 Vienna Film Festival. Reflecting the broad stylistic range of contributors on the album, the songs on At the Cut span the musical spectrum from classic Vic Chesnutt solo acoustic tracks to the sweeping walls of noise and snarling, angular guitars trademarked by his many collaborators.

In the 19 years since Chesnutt’s debut album, he has made his mark by collaborating with a wide range of artists including Michael Stipe, Lambchop, Bill Frisell, Elephant Six mainstays Elf Power, Widespread Panic, and the Cowboy Junkies. Hailing from rural Georgia and confined to a wheelchair since an automobile accident at the age of 18, Chesnutt has released 15 critically acclaimed records; been covered by a number of artists on the tribute album Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation, including R.E.M., the Smashing Pumpkins, Madonna, and Sparklehorse. He was also the subject of the 1992 PBS documentary Speed Racer and appeared in the Oscar Award-winning film Sling Blade.

Motet CD cover

THE MOTET

Download their new album here:

http://www.myspace.com/themotetmusic

If you’re in Colorado, The Motet will be playing special sets of Sly and the Family Stone music Oct 28-30.

With its 6th release, Dig Deep, The Motet once again proves that it is a group committed to exploring and pushing the sonic envelope, while still remaining dedicated to the musical traditions that have defined their sound. A heavy-horned afrobeat influence countered with a textural blanket of electronica, this album showcases the talents and strengths of the cast of characters that drummer and producer Dave Watts has assembled. Keyboardist Joey Porter lays down the funk under the coursing melodies of saxophonist Dominic Lalli in pure Motet fashion, with the ever-driving beats of Watts’ masterful rhythmic production pushing the music through sonic peaks and valleys that tantalize and invigorate listeners. If you’ve loved The Motet for years or are just tuning in, listen up. You won’t be disappointed.

The Motet is known for its revolving musicians and a breadth of musical influences, and Dig Deep plays to the strengths of many former and current members. Bassists Garrett Sayers and Paul McDaniel both shine brilliantly on Dig Deep, adding the sonic drive that is characteristic of The Motet’s sound, which has steadily morphed and evolved over the last ten years. Sayers’ bass solo on ‘Guru’ is a perfect example of his technical virtuosity, and with this, Watts as a producer has captured a quintessential Motet moment. The title track ‘Dig Deep’ showcases another side of The Motet low-end, heavy-bass sound, with McDaniel laying down raw grooves in an open section that is peppered with Watts’ sonic explorations.

Longtime fans of The Motet will be happy to hear Jans Ingber’s voice on ‘Push,’ a track that was born from an improvisational moment during the band’s New Years 2009 show. Last featured on The Motet’s 2000 release Play, Beth Quist’s soaring vocals are highlighted on the Fela Kuti track ‘Kalakuta Show’ and the tune ‘The Luxury of Doubt,’ a collaborative effort with Watts. Throughout Dig Deep, percussionist Scott Messersmith adds his signature textural rhythms, anchoring the evolutionary sound of the band in its Afro-Cuban and West African roots. His contributions are particularly salient in the afrobeat tunes ‘Mighty’ and ‘Roforofo Fight.” Guitarists Mike Tiernan and Zivanni Masango both add their talents on Dig Deep, as do Danny Sears on trumpet and John Stuart on baritone saxophone. With this mix of talented musicians contributing to the album, it is no wonder the album sounds as good as it does. But at the helm is drummer Dave Watts, simultaneously embodying the roles of bandleader, musician, composer, and producer. It is Watts’ creative imagination that drives Dig Deep, mixing recorded and sampled tracks that seamlessly carry the music forward throughout the album. As a drummer, Watts has been called “the human metronome.” His sense of timing and polyrhythmic understanding is what has made him a force in the live music scene for over twenty years.

Dig Deep is his most in-depth exploration into production work thus far. Watts has amply represented the layered electronica-funk vibe that has begun to characterize The Motet’s sound over the last few years, and he has truly “dug deep” to bring you Dig Deep.

Seepeoples CD Cover

SEEPEOPLES

Apocalyse Cow Vol 2 Available as a Free download at www.seepeoples.com

SeepeopleS is proud to announce the release of their long-awaited 4th full length album, Apocalypse Cow Vol.2. Over two and half years in the making, the release is a landmark in the evolution of SeepeopleS’ unique sound and a return to the hybrid rock and electronica sound that made their second album, The Corn Syrup Conspiracy, a true underground classic. The album started being released FOR FREE on September 4th as a musical financial bailout (you’re welcome America). The 12 track version of the album will be available for download for six full months until the hard copy 17 track version is released in early Spring 2010, in time for the band’s 10 year anniversary.

Formed in Boston in 2000 by songwriter, Will Bradford, the band relocated to North Carolina, which has been home since 2004. While SeepeopleS has undergone numerous line up changes over the years, the sound has always remained the focused vision of Bradford. The current members Will Bradford, Matt McDonald (formerly of Perpetual Groove), Ben Wells, and Adam Chase (formerly of the Phish cover band Strange Design and pop act Black Eyed Susan) are a heavy hitting lineup.

Though SeepeopleS featured many musical guests on their albums, including members of Morphine, Spearhead, Parliament/Funkadelic, and Tim Reynolds, Apocalyse Cow Vol 2 was recorded solely by the band with additional strings and backing vocals.

The band is also currently in production on a music video from Apocalyse Cow Vol 2 for the first single, “Modern Times.”

Norfolk & Western

NORFOLK & WESTERN

Listen to a stream of Norfolk & Western’s new album, Dinero Severo, on their website:

www.norfolkandwestern.org You do have to sign up but you also get access to their videos.

[LIVE MUSIC ALERT: Norfolk & Western tour with Mirah, Sept 30, the Aquarium, Fargo, ND and Oct 1 at the Cedar Cultural Centre in Minneapolis]

Dinero Severo was recorded both in Portland OR and in Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain, making it a most uncommon album. The band is now streaming the record in its entirety for a limited time on their website, www.norfolkandwestern.org. The past year has been an extremely busy one, as Norfolk members have been and are continuing to play and tour with M. Ward, Jolie Holland, Mirah, and Loch Lomond. Now that everyone’s back from their respective tours, Norfolk & Western will reconvene and hit the road this fall supporting Mirah. News about the album’s official release will be announced at a later date.

Norfolk & Western is Rachel Blumberg (drums, vocals, piano, mellotron, organ, omnichord, percussion, orchestra bells), Dave Depper (bass, vocals, piano, mellotron, guitar, organ, farfisa, banjo, dulcimer), and Adam Selzer (vocals, guitar, mellotron, harmonica). The are assisted by guest artists: Raúl Pastor-Medall (bass on “Hiding Home” and harmonica on “This is a Number 5”), Alia Farah (vocals on “Hiding Home”), and Adam Shearer (vocals on “The Long Goodbye”).

If you’re not familiar with Norfolk & Western, don’t think you’re going to hear an Americana group or even a world music. This is fuzz-busted mellow rock.

Noah & the Whale

NOAH AND THE WHALE

NPR All Songs Considered and podcast downloads at

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112812083

Noah and the Whale is a new ambient rock group with moody vocals from the UK. They also have a film, The First Day of Spring, whose title is taken from one of their songs, will be released in the US on October 6. A special screening will be held at Bryant Park Bowl in Minneapolis on October 8 at 9:30 pm.

There are trailers and clips on their website: http://www.myspace.com/noahandthewhale

Steve Kimock

STEVE KIMOCK

You can get a bunch of live show downloads of Crazy Engine and a number of other projects Steve Kimock has on his website: http://www.kimock.com/frames/index_home.html Look under Tunes.

Crazy Engine appeared at 10KLF this summer, but unfortunately Steve Kimock (in any format) won’t be in the region for some time. Not just a gifted guitarists, Kimock has drawn talented musicians around him, producing all manner of music with elements of classic rock, jazz, prog, and rhythm & blues, with the kind of soul only someone with his experience and depth could pull together.

His latest project, aptly named Crazy Engine, is a mix of old and new. The line-up includes the legendary Hammond B3 player Melvin Seals, known for his twenty years with the Jerry Garcia Band, as well as Kimock’s own son, John Morgan Kimock on drums. Not without merit, the twenty-year-old drummer has organized a number of self-released albums earning him a record deal with Rope-A-Dope Records by the age of 18. Rounding out the quartet is accomplished singer-songwriter and cello player, Trevor Exter, who was plucked out of the NYC indie music scene to fill the roll of bass and vocals. This arrangement of seasoned players and talented youthful musicians blends with Kimock’s innovative mind for music – and foretells a merge of his vintage appeal with a modern twist, to befit music lovers of all types.

Look for an extended in-depth feature on Steve Kimock later this year.

Drink Up Buttercup

DRINK UP BUTTERCUP

Drink Up Buttercup, a Philadelphia-based four-some with some very British invasion influences, just signed with Yep Roc Records. In celebration, they are giving away the single “Even Think,” a fast-paced fist-pumper, driven by frenzied organ arpeggios and swelling vocal harmonies reminiscent of the sound of Brian Wilson re-imagining The Velvet Underground’s White Light/White Heat – all recorded and mixed in less than 24 hours. It is a rare lo-fi gift for their fans because it is sonically unique from their other recorded material. This giveaway is just a taste of what’s in store when their full length album comes out in early 2010.

The B side is an all new alternate version of the live performance fan favorite “Heavy Hand.”

The double-sided digital single can be downloaded for FREE at Yep Roc’s site:

http://www.yeproc.com/news.php?articleId=6261

An ultra limited-edition as a 7-inch single, which is for sale, will feature a cover of the Buzzcocks classic “Why Can’t I Touch It.” You can buy that for $5.99 while supplies last.

]]> http://www.refrainmagazine.com/2009/09/september-free-downloads/feed/ 0 http://www.refrainmagazine.com/2009/09/venue-spotlight-southgate-lounge/ http://www.refrainmagazine.com/2009/09/venue-spotlight-southgate-lounge/#comments Sat, 19 Sep 2009 23:36:57 +0000 Janie Franz http://www.refrainmagazine.com/?p=1302

The Southgate Lounge on North Washington in Grand Forks ND has been serving patrons for 35 years. Their expanded facility was done after the Flood of 1997 and offers more tables for enjoying a brew or cocktail and some great food. The owner Tom Montgomery also is serving up some great local music to add spice to his already great recipe for a good time.

“We’ve had live music for quite a few years now,” Montgomery says. Most bands play on a Friday night, but some weekends Montgomery books in a band for two nights. “We run a lot of theme parties. We have those on Saturdays and then we’ll have bands on both nights, Friday and Saturday,” he says.

Grand Forks has been blessed with several venues that play danceable music, including Southgate. Big Daddy’s, for example, has recently started booking in blues bands a couple of times a month. “It’s tough to have bands every night. You need a wide variety of bands that fit your image,” says Montgomery. “That’s hard to do in a town this size.”

But there are bands here that play locally as well as a number of regional touring bands that play the circuit of Grand Forks clubs. “If they’re not playing here, they’re at Charley Brown’s or at the Diamond,” Montgomery says.

But Southgate, however, has made it a priority to select local bands to play on its stage. Sometimes Montgomery, who does the booking for the club, takes a chance on new, emerging talent. “We see what’s out there,” he says. “Hopefully, new bands will keep popping up and we like to give them a try.”

One of those new talents was Whiskey Vaccine, a rock band, that played Southgate’s service party that was held outdoors. “They did a fantastic job,” Montgomery adds.

He also booked the horn-heavy jazz band Downtown Horns when it first formed. “They do a different variety of music,” Montgomery says, and that’s important to his customers who who broader tastes in music. “Most people have been in every bar in this town, and they know the image we have at Southgate. We’re not going to hire somebody who plays Metallica the whole night,” he explains. “We have different bands that do different styles of music, and we try to fit them in with what our party theme is. Different styles of parties need different music.”

Montgomery finds these bands usually by word-of-mouth recommendation or from local bands contacting him. “ We strictly do our booking in-house here,” he says, and welcomes new ideas. “If you hear of any new bands, give us a call. Our eyes and ears are always open.” But he would really appreciate contact information if you have it. “Somebody can recommend a band and it’s sometimes hard to make contact. They give us the name, but we don’t know how to get in touch with them.”

Currently, the Southgate Lounge is booked up through January, plugging in a couple of bands this month and more to follow with all of the holidays coming up. Fire will be playing September 25. Check Fridays on the Refrain calendar. New dates will be added as they come in.

The Southgate Lounge is a full service bar and casino with drink specials and a full menu. Montgomery has been serving food there for the past 12 years. He also offers a couple of really great meal deals. “On Thursday nights, we have our 99c burger,” he says. “It’s the same burger that we run everyday with lettuce, tomato, and onion on top.” They also offer great Tips and Toast and their Southgate Lavosh.

Finish your work week by listening to a great local band at the Southgate Lounge or come in during the week and enjoy their great food and drinks.

Live Music Alert: Heatbox, Crosstown Lounge, Grand Forks ND, Wednesday Sept 23, 10 pm, $5 and a free beer.

Heatbox

Aaron Heaton, aka Heatbox, has a dynamic new sophomore album out. A 12-track disc of good stuff, System brings more of the vast talents of this Minneapolis beatboxing artist. For the last six years, Heaton has been charming audiences through the region, often leaving them slack-jawed at what he’s capable of doing with one mouth, a mic, and a looping station. This one-man show previously was only available live or in his debut recording Entertainment.

Unlike a lot of other beatbox artists, Heaton has been able to capture not just the beats and not just sounds or musical instrument copies ala Bobby McFerrin. Heaton also produces some of the most silky vocals, backing himself up with rich harmonies, that before could only be found in brothers groups like the Ames Brothers or in some very well rehearsed vocal groups like the Nylons. System clearly shows how Heaton can combine all of that into a rich mix that sounds like a vocalist accompanied by a backup band and singers. This incredibly talented performer is able to do it all with incredible finesse and musical accuracy.

Singing since he was ten, Heaton soon found a place for himself in Minneapolis school choirs and doing a lot of musical theater. He performed with the funk/rock/blues band City Collective, adding not only his rich singing voice, but his vocal beats. Quickly admitting he plays a number of instruments badly, Heaton, however, can hear all of that inside his head.

System CD cover

His new album System offers his usual mix of genres. Sometimes, there’s that silky doowop sound of the 50s with tight, blended harmonies. Sometimes, there’s hip-hop. Sometimes, there’s jazz and reggae. Sometimes, there is indeed the fun and eccentricity of Bobby McFerrin. In addition, you’ll hear beats and other kinds of percussion, including quiro, as well as horns and keyboards. Sometimes, you can even hear a guitar thrown in. But mostly, you’ll hear these incredible vocal harmonies.

The first album, Entertainment, was released in response to fan demand, wanting something they could listen to when they couldn’t make it to a Heatbox show. They clamored for his “Bitches from the Milky Way,” a song that really isn’t offensive even though it keeps using the word “bitch,” but Heaton, with his boyish charm, desensitized the word and soon has audiences singing along. There were love songs and fun songs and songs that just stretched his creativity.

System, which came out this spring, has a dozen new songs that cover all of the above. His “Remembering Me” echoes the 50s doowop he’s known for. I’ve seen him live layering a song like that, putting down the instrument tracks instrument by instrument, looping them while he laid each background harmony, and then singing over the top of that. And, amazingly, it wasn’t boring seeing and hearing him do that. It was like watching a painter paint a portrait, sketching it out, blocking in colors, and adding detail.

The vocal blends are incredibly accurate and, of course, his lead work is effortless. But the instrumentation isn’t corny. It’s just there, sounding incredibly like real musical instruments.

“Man Vs Machine” and “Suburban Dessert” dip into hip-hop, but “Suburban Dessert” has an undertone of the Diamond’s “Little Darlin’” while sounding very 21 st century urban.

“Satisfied” is a lovely R&B tune, and “Good Kinda Usin’” is a strict 50s number and done so slickly. His “I Need a Jack and Coke” is a Zappaesque rendering done only as Heatbox could—and must make a great club offering. “Pizza Funk,” done in a huskier vocal register, is a tip of his hat to “Bitches from the Milky Way,”only with a touch of those silky background vocals.

Then there’s “4 Turntables,” a pure DJ offering, but done with vocals, and “Another Plan I,” a pure “instrumental” that’s very tastily done.

“Enter Balgator,” however, must have a tiny bit of some electronic help, but don’t quote me on that. The cymbal tink could be synth generated, but that is so out of Heaton’s expertise I doubt he would have done that. This track could be a fun video game soundtrack.

The album ends with “Goodbye Outro,” a sort of boy-band combo of oohs and ahs, that is so smooth. In addition, as in Entertainment, System offers a track of what Heaton calls “Heatbox Tricks” This is a collection of beats, sound effects, and other of his signature vocal spins.

What I have appreciated so much from watching Heatbox is that he has led me into a deeper experience of trance, hip-hop, and electronica in a way I never would have done otherwise. It is definitely the warmth of his sound. It’s organic, coming from a human being. This affects me more positively than just purely synthesized or computer-generated music, even though the sound of a lot of it is similar.

Heatbox is definitely an artist to give a listen to, but, more importantly, see Heatbox live. You won’t believe your eyes and ears!

http://www.heatboxmusic.com

http://www.myspace.com/heatboxrcb

Ian Tyson

Live Music Alert: Ian Tyson, Shooting Star Casino, Mahnomen MN, Thursday Sept 17, 8 pm. Tickets: 800-313-7469

To sample Ian Tyson’s albums and to download a couple of free songs from his new album, go to:

http://www.stonyplainrecords.com/Web/artist.asp?id=444

The 60s Canadian folk duo of Ian and Sylvia was my first introduction to the talent of Ian Tyson. His teaming with his future wife, Sylvia Fricker, who became his ex a decade later, was musical heaven as they blended his deep voice and her delicate tones. During those early days, they recorded Tyson’s legendary “Four Strong Winds” and “Someday Soon,” as well as Fricker’s “You Were On My Mind.” These three songs became classics.

Ian and Sylvia

Though that marriage of singing talent drew fans both in Canada and the US, it was Tyson’s songwriting that proved him a staple of folk music the world over. For myself, “Summer Wages” has to be my all-time Tyson favorite. His work has been covered not only by folkies but country artists. Bobby Bare, Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, Tanya Tucker, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Judy Collins, Gordon Lightfoot, and Neil Young have all recorded Tyson songs.

After his breakup with Sylvia, who began writing and playing with her own band, Tyson fled to his ranch in the foothills of the Rockies south of Calgary, where spent his time raising horses and following the rodeo circuit. He became a Canadian country artist, writing about ranch life and life as a rodeo rider, eventually hosting his own Canadian TV show, on which Sylvia Fricker performed with her own band in an episode. Tyson continued to write and record, earning numerous Juno Awards (the Canadian Grammy) and the Order of Canada.

In the mid80s, his second wife Twylla urged him to record a cowboy album, mainly as what he called a “musical Christmas card” for their friends. That album, Old Corrals and Sagebrush, became an instant hit as Tyson discovered a whole new audience of cowboy enthusiasts. What is ironic is he still wrote about the same things he always did. Several albums followed and relentless touring across Canada and throughout the United States.

In 2006, CBC Radio declared “Four Strong Winds” the number one Canadian song of the 20th Century.

A year later, Stony Plain Records released a tribute album in anticipation of Tyson’s 75 th birthday in 2008 and fifty years of performing. The Gift: A Tribute to Ian Tyson presents 15 artists who proudly recorded their favorite Ian Tyson songs.

1. Four Strong Winds – Blue Rodeo

2. M.C. Horses – Corb Lund

3. Blue Mountains Of Mexico – Jennifer Warnes

4. What Does She See – Chris Hillman

5. Red Velvet – Gordon Lightfoot

6. The Gift – David Rea

7. Range Delivery – Cindy Church

8. Smuggler’s Cove – The McDades

9. Some Kind Of Fool – Amos Garrett

10. Old Cheyenne – Tom Russell

11. Someday Soon – The Circus In Flames with Buddy Cage

12. Will James – Ramblin’ Jack Elliott

13. You’re Not Alone Anymore – Stewart MacDougall

14. Summer Wages – The Good Brothers

15. Moondancer – Jeff Bradshaw

16. Bonus Track – Interview with Ramblin’ Jack Elliott & Buddy Cage

Yellowhead to Yellowstone cover

Tyson’s Yellowhead to Yellowstone and other Love Stories (2008), on Stony Plain, his label for several years now, comes three years after his last album, Songs from the Gravel Road. The years between though two albums shows a marked change in Tyson’s vocal instrument, but continues his never-skipping-a-beat songwriting skills. An attempt to override a cranky sound system at the outdoor Havelock Jamboree in Ontario caused permanent damage to the deep, velvet voice all of us have come to associate with Ian Tyson. He has since learned to use what he has to deliver his songs. Losing the deep end of his vocal range, he has kept the top end, making his voice sound gravely and well-lived. Audience, however, seem to set aside his delivery, which can sometimes be more like speaking a song than singing, and concentrate on what he has to say. Tyson says, “They seem to pay more attention, now, to the lyrics and the stories in the songs.”

No matter, the changes in Ian Tyson’s performances, his songs will always remain strong and will continue to tell the stories of Alberta and the disappearing cowboy, as well taping into his personal emotions.

Tyson has also just finished writing a book, La Primera: The Story of Wild Mustangs, which came out March 10 this year. It is a rendering for young readers of his classic song in words and paintings by equine artist Adeline Halvorson, but will appeal to horse-lovers everywhere. The book (and song) tell the history of how horses came to North America. Included in the book is a section of historical facts about wild mustangs and a CD of Ian Tyson singing “La Primera.”

Live Music Alert: American Legion, Fargo, Saturday Sept. 5, 9 pm-1 am

When a petite blond piano player sat in with the veteran Grand Forks band FIRE a few years ago, they didn’t realize how her presence would help shape the course of the band. Maggie Oakland, originally from Valley City, has been involved with the Arts since she was a child, drawing and painting— playing piano, absorbing an uncommon amount of music and skill along the way. At one point in her life, she did a stint in New Orleans, playing piano for tips, making enough to keep her eating and her rent paid. But work and furthering her education in Grand Forks soon crowed out a lot of time to perform. Still, the lure of the keys and the stage was there. In 2001, she started dropping in on the Tuesday night jam sessions at the Diamond Lounge in Grand Forks, hosted by a local band, The Whackers. It was there that she met Dave Oakland, who was not only a member of The Whackers but a long-time member of FIRE.

“I sat in once or twice with FIRE for just for fun,” Maggie said in a recent interview. “ Then, I suggested that maybe with a piano player, they could do some other material that other bands can’t do like the Doors and ‘Great Balls of Fire’ and things that rely on the piano. We tried it, and I started doing it very part time, only when they played in Grand Forks. I did that for awhile. Initially when I started, I did it for free. Then, things kept moving in that direction where eventually it got to rely on the piano a lot. We do a lot of the Doors and ‘Annigoda Devita,’ and ‘The Wall’ that rely heavily on the keyboard. We do ‘Paradise by the Dashboard Lights,’ too.”

Dave and Maggie

Maggie became an official member of the band in 2004, and eventually married Dave Oakland, FIRE’s guitarist two years later. Since then, the band has been touring up and down the Valley, playing what people want to hear. “We played at the Labor Club in Valley City, which is about two hours away, earlier this year and plan to return there in October,” Maggie said. “That’s about as far away from Grand Forks as we would ever want to travel, and we try to keep most of our jobs within an hour or so of Grand Fork.”

Even with a small touring radius, they are in demand. “We do classic rock mainly, but we do an awful lot of country and oldies, and a little bit of newer material,” Maggie said. “We have two types of songs: Songs that we like, and songs that are popular. The songs that are the most popular are almost never the same songs we especially like ourselves, so that’s a real balancing act. To some extent, we have to do music that’s somewhat complex and genuinely interesting to us to keep us going and to keep our sanity intact. But the simple, less sophisticated songs that have been around forever that everybody knows: Those are the songs that pay the bills. People want to kick back and have fun in most of the venues where we play. If they wanted music that was intellectually stimulating, they would go buy tickets for the orchestra!”

Gary

Gary Langheid, a Grand Forks native and the bassist and lead vocalist for FIRE, founded the band in 1984. It was the last of a long list of bands that took Langheid all over the country. After teaching for two years in East Grand Forks, Langheid launched his professional musical career, playing guitar and trumpet and singing with the blues rock band, The Other Culture, in the late 60s. He was picked up by the touring band Train in the 70s and did gigs in Chicago, Milwaukee, Winipeg, and cities in

Mississippi, and, of course, Grand Forks. For that band, he played bass, guitar, trombone, and flute, as well as sang. Later, he joined the Dave Dudley Revue in Biloxi, MS. Coming back to the region, he played in Midnight Special and the Patterson Kane Band. His final big touring band, Infinity, took him to Miami to play at the Fountainbleau Hotel and Coconut Grove, as well as gigs in MS, AL, WV, and many other Florida venues including the Plantation Yacht Harbor in the Florida Keys. FIRE was just a natural outgrowth of all that experience when Langheid wanted to settle down.

George

The band’s drummer George Hayertz  was born in Garmisch, Germany to a military family, and lived in many states before settling in Grand Forks where his father decided to retire. He has played with many bands in the Red River Valley including: The Fabulous Cornerstones, The Impacts, Fred Black and the Cadillacs, Four Wheel Drive, and Ridin’ High. He also was in Train and the Patterson Kane Band that Langheid had been with. “I started providing the back beat for Fire in 1989,” Hayertz said. “Currently, I am also doing substitute drumming for various bands in and surrounding Fargo-Moorhead, when not working with FIRE, along with playing drums for Cool Daddy Productions Digital Studio, where I am currently starting work on a CD of original material by producer, Rick Bergenheier,” Hayertz said.

Dave

Dave Oakland replaced the original FIRE guitarist in 1985. Growing up on a farm near Sarles, ND, Oakland started his first band when he was about 12, playing with his cousin and some friends, at school dances and eventually at some private shows at local halls. When he came to UND, he formed Lone Tree, a trio. “That band was a staple of the ‘Golden Hour’ keggers, fraternity parties, and bars in East Grand Forks, MN, where the drinking age had recently changed to 18,’ Oakland said. “Lone Tree lasted a couple of years and was a good learning experience for me. I was exposed to a lot of different music for the first time, like bluegrass, folk, and the genres that eventually became my favorites–blues and southern rock.” He later joined Clockwork, a 5-piece cover band that toured the region, and eventually Deliverance. He left that band to join FIRE, a band that toured as three-piece for 15 years. “With Maggie on keys now, we can do a much wider range of material than we did as a 3-piece, and she shares in the vocal duties as well,”Oakland said. “ And, as many are quick to point out, ‘She’s a lot better to look at than you guys!’”

Though the members of FIRE would love to tour further out. It just isn’t possible right now. “Three out of four member of FIRE have full-time day jobs,” Maggie said, “so we can’t go on the road for weeks at a time like the big stars.” Maggie herself is a Serious Mental Illness Case manager at Northeast Human Service Center and is working on a Master’s degree in Counseling at UND. She also is the President of the Greater Grand Forks Inter-Agency Forum board of directors and also the President of the Community Agency Networking Association in Grand Forks.

Catch FIRE at the American Legion in downtown Fargo on Saturday Sept. 5. The party starts at 9 pm.

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