Exile in Dunganville

(The following column first appeared in the Charlotte Folk Society January 2007 Newsletter)

by Dennis “Cuz” Frost

It’s unbelievable, but as I write this, we are bearing down on 2007! Last year was another stellar year for roots music in Charlotte and surrounding areas and there is no reason to think next year will be any less amazing. I suppose my highlight of the year occurred back in late April at Merlefest 2006 with a set I caught on the hillside stage hosted by Bay area musicians, The Waybacks.

By the middle of the set they were joined on stage by Bob Weir, Sam Bush, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings and the proceedings had reached an energy level between the musicians and the crowd that I’ve only experienced a few times in my life - it was pure magic! This is probably the premier Americana/roots festival in the country and is highly recommended. Although the crowds keep some folks away, you will not find the diversity of acoustic music anywhere on the planet. Hey, it’s right up the road in Wilkesboro!

2006 was another great year in Charlotte, not only for catching national acts, but for the diversity of local and regional music available right here in our own backyard. The area music scene just keeps getting stronger by the year through the support of you, the listening audience. I think a New Year’s resolution worthy of consideration, in addition to losing those ten holiday pounds, is to support more local music. After all, these are your friends and neighbors!

By the same token, try to catch as many of your favorite national roots artists as is affordable. I don’t know about you, but not too many of the folks I listen to sell a bunch of CDs and most make their living on the road. Think of it as investing in art.

Speaking of recordings, there are a few out there that caught my ear in the past month. About every few years “The Dawg” (David Grisman) reconnects with his bluegrass roots and briefly abandons the “Dawg” jazz he’s become famous for through the years. Such is the case this time around with The David Grisman Bluegrass Experience. Although this band has been burning up the Bay area music scene with standing room crowds for several years, this is the first time this incarnation has been heard on disc. Highlights here include the Carter Family classic “Engine 143″, Charlie Poole’s “Baltimore Fire”, and the hippie classic, “Old and in the Way”. These tunes have the feel and freshness of being played under a big old oak tree at your favorite spring festival.

The next disc has been out a little bit, but is becoming a favorite with each listening. If your cup of tea is a fusion of old time, mixed with a bit of jug band nuance, you may enjoy the new one from Old Crow Medicine Show called Big Iron World. This is not a slick recording, but it is definitely a passionate one that mixes fifty-year-old covers and originals with ease. Produced by David Rawlings with a guest appearance by Gillian Welch, this one is just plain fun.

Last and certainly not least is an odd recording from J.J. Cale & Eric Clapton called Road to Escondido. I guess I say odd because of the fact that while Clapton has been in the spotlight his whole life, Cale has seemingly spent a career seemingly trying not to be famous. (He may tour every seven years or so if we’re lucky!) Well, this go round J.J. Cale is in the forefront & Clapton appears in a supporting role as Cale has written all the tunes but two on the disc. This one has that smoky, deep-fried groove that has become a J.J. Cale trademark throughout is career - a keeper.

That’s about it for this month as we are in the doldrums of the year in terms of new releases. That will all change next month as January typically has avalanches of new releases for the body and soul - I can’t wait to share some with you. Happy New Year to each and every one of you & remember those resolutions!

As someone who prides themselves on having the pulse of the local music scene, I have to admit I dropped the ball somewhere along the way. North Carolina native Chuck Brimer has been writing and playing tunes for quite a while now. Now if I can only figure out what time machine and decade this guy came from, I’ll feel better about myself.

Brimer’s latest record I’m Gonna Be Your Hero offers thirteen songs that sound to be inspired by music recorded from the 1950s through the 1980s. Brimer creates music grounded in the past, yet sounds timeless in the year 2007.

Brimer’s music can not be summed up in one word or phrase. Once you think you have figured the answer out, he changes the questions on the next song. Is he rockabilly or honky-tonk? Is a tender balladeer or a rock ‘n roller?

One thing I do know is that Brimer writes pop music - - but not just any pop music. I call it smart pop. Writing smart pop music takes a lot of skill. It goes way beyond finding a catchy hook. Brimer finds a way to weave intelligent well-crafted lyrics into his melodies and instrumentations to create infectious catchy tunes that you’ll be humming long after you are finished listening to his record.

However, the bottom line is that this is a fun record. Brimer won’t leave you feeling down. With all of the negative news floating around each day, we all need a record that will pick us up after a bad day. Brimer has created that kind of record. And that in itself makes Chuck Brimer my hero.

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More information and samples of Chuck Brimer’s music can be found on his website at www.chuckbrimer.com.

When is the best time to shop at Wal-Mart?

Simple - when American Idol is on.

Coincidence? I think not…

The cliché states that if you are in a rock n’ roll band, you have to have started in the garage. Not so if you are a member of the Shelby, North Carolina-based band Mama Said. Their band got their start in the kitchen. Little did they know at the time they had all the right ingredients to put out great rockin’ roots-based music.

Mama Said founders Helen Owen and Phil Ruff knew their music was too good to keep in the kitchen. They released their first full-length album of tunes in 1998. Eight years later would prove to be a pivotal year in the life of the band when they signed a record deal with the Colorado/Nashville-based Americana Records. In November of 2006, Mama Said released their third album Turn It Up.

Owen and Ruff handle most of the writing credits on the new record with the exception of one tune - one in which they cover Desmond Dekker’s big hit “Israelites”. Whether the band is playing Americana or “Jamericana”, their musical approach is organic in nature; crafting top quality songs using a variety of styles and instruments.

Mama Said has left the kitchen and is now out serving up great rockin’ roots flavored tunes to a venue near you. Sit back and enjoy. And don’t forget to give your compliments to the band.

How many bands do you know in today’s musical landscape that has an actual mission statement? Not very many would be my guess. Of course, like most rules, there are always exceptions. That exception is a band that goes by the name of Volatile Baby.

This all-female trio, comprised of Brenda Gambill, Allison Modafferi, and Gina Stewart, has been plugging away in the Charlotte music scene for a few years now. Their friendship is strongly grounded in their collective love of the arts. That’s actually how they met.

All three women worked in theater together long before making music became a topic of interest. It just so happens that the music and harmonies they create are simply byproducts of their strong friendship.

Volatile Baby released their first full-length album Traveling Light on Silver Meteor Records in May 2006. The album contains eleven tracks and even features a guest appearance from country great Carlene Carter on the first track “50 Miles of Elbow Room”.

When you first listen, it’s the vocal harmonies that grab you first. However, once this album grabs you, it won’t let you go. As you go in for repeated listens, you can really appreciate the instrumentation that permeates the album. String instruments (cello, violin), the clarinet, harmonica, and the auto harp fit nicely with the piano and guitar arrangements.

Their website clearly identifies their mission statement for all to see. It reads “to lift spirits and vibrations of the room with music, lyrics and vocal harmonies at each performance”. With the release of Traveling Light, I think the girls can agree they’ve accomplished their mission.

While I may have taken a break from posting my thoughts and musings, another cat just down the road from me has decided to do the opposite.  Michael Evans is a relatively new columnist at Charlotte’s Uptown Magazine and is writing a music column for them each month.  I can’t think of anyone more passionate or qualified to write about the state of our strong music scene in Charlotte than Mike. 

Please check out his latest column on the Americana music scene in the Charlotte area in the November edition of Uptown Magazine.  

• For me, Christmas doesn’t truly begin until after my birthday (December 2nd for those of you who wants to send a gift). So you can imagine how annoyed I was to walk into a Subway on the first Sunday in November only to realize that Lite 102.9 was playing all Christmas music. Whether it was a special Christmas music weekend, or they had made the switch for good, I (along with four Subway employees) were none to pleased.

• Radio stations switching formats to all Christmas all the time is not a surprise by any means. Radio stations all over the country do this very thing. Hearing Christmas tunes in early November is bad enough, but to make matters worse, an old man sitting behind me decided he had to hum along with it. Maybe Charlie Brown was right. Christmas is getting too commericial…

• Looking for great workout music, I was told Saturday night from a female body builder that Rocky IV takes the cake. If it can help Rocky train in the middle of a Siberian winter, then it should be able to do wonders for us all. After all, our goal is to probably drop a few pounds, not fight Ivan Drago.

• I am crazy about the new vanilla frosty at Wendy’s. What’s strange about that is that up to this point I have never really cared much for the “original” frosty much, nor have I had a strong craving for milkshakes. I’m hoping it’s just a phase.

• I used to pride myself on the fact that I was a chips guy. If I had to choose between chips or a cookie, I used to go for the chips. Salt was king, and sweets always took a backseat. Over the last year I think I have switched to the other team. I have turned into the John Kerry of junk food.

• Speaking of junk food - my brother’s friend “Elijah”, had a strong craving for a cinnamon bun from CinnaBon on Saturday. I thought that was strange. CinnaBon hasn’t crossed my mind in at all in the last twenty-some years. Are they really worth craving? (Don’t tell Wendy).

So after posting WXPN’s listening generated Top 885 Artists of All Time list, I thought to myself - who would I choose? Not knowing what criteria they used to determine the list really doesn’t matter that much. After all, this is my list right?

I guess I could grade them on their overall body of work, or the impact their music had on me in my short 30 years on the planet. I could also look at prior favorites and see if they still make me feel the same way I once did about them.

There is pivotal music in our lives. But maybe it meant more at that time then it means today. I can love a group, for example like REM for a period of time, but do I still feel strongly about them today? In the case of REM - that would be a no. I like them and I have several albums of theirs. But in the overall picture - do they warrant being in the DunganNation Top Five?

So after 24 hours of long and hard thinking - I have come up with my list:

My Top Five Artists of All Time:

1. U2
2. Johnny Cash
3. Ben Folds
4. Bob Dylan
5. The Jayhawks

Agree or disagree? Who is in your top five?

If you could rank your Top 885 musical artists of all time, who would you choose? Sounds like a pretty daunting task doesn’t it? Well, Americans love countdowns, and WXPN-FM 88.5 (Philadelphia, PA) was at it again doing their annual Top 885 Countdown recently. This year it was all about a body of work - no one hit wonders allowed!

1. The Beatles
2. Bob Dylan
3. Rolling Stones
4. Bruce Springsteen
5. U2
6. Led Zeppelin
7. Grateful Dead
8. Neil Young
9. Pink Floyd
10. Joni Mitchell

Guess who was #885?