| Issue
#89
Sept.
'06
James Velvet
is a veteran of the music scene; while still independent, he has been
in the business
longer than countless big name super groups. While some may point to
this in a negative
light, it would only show their naivety of the cruel word of artistic
music. The music
business chews up and spits out the talented as fast as it steamrolls
over the
non-talented. It’s easy to run into wall after wall in the
music industry and finally
give it all up for a life of 9-5 day gigs. However, it is the artists
that stick around
and continue to create music for decades that have more to give than
the talented ones
that fall by the wayside. It is they who understand that the reward
isn’t the money
and fame (though will acknowledge that those would be nice), it is the
accomplishment of
creating art in a form that others can enjoy. If they can continue to
do that year after
year for as long as they can, well then, it is it’s own just
reward now, isn’t
it?
James Velvet
has been doing it for year
after year, for decades now. He is a true roots Rock-n-Roller, a garage
band junkie, a
folkie, a singer/songwriter. He’s been in bands, done the
solo thing, electric,
acoustic, and generally played with anybody that’s crossed
his path who is worth
sitting down to create music with. He knows his way around a studio and
a stage, he can go
from a power trio to a solo acoustic to a down home Americana
to straight out rip-roaring
rock.
Having done almost everything he has wanted
to musically, James decided to take a
different (for him) approach to recording his latest Album, Just Plain Jane and Other Modest Proposals.
Putting together two different backing ensembles and slightly altering
each to achieve the
sound he was looking for on each individual piece, James created an
amazingly cohesive
piece of music. Recording all-together-live in the studio with only the
bass electrified
the music reaches out as it’s reaching in. Crisp clean sound
recording with a
pristine mix brings forth the beauty of each unconventional instrument
as it produces the
ambiance necessary for each song.
On Just Plain Jane,
the opening song, we are
treated to Dick Neal on mandolin and Jon Peckman on djembe, backing
James’ average
tale of an average guy looking for an average gal to lead an average
life, truly in love,
for sure. The same team of Neal and Perckman also join James on 4 other
songs where we
find Neal picking Banjo and Dobro, while Peckman does the conga,
tambourines and wood
block.
Track 2, Mr.
HedgeYerBets, brings in Patsy O’Brian on
guitar and Jennifer Dauphinais on
Djembe/percussion. They also pair off on 4 more songs as well, along
with appearances by
Jahnny Bock (Harmonium), Joe Gerhard (violin), and Greg DiCrosta
(sliding trombone).
Ranging from Coffeehouse, Alt. Country, and Bluegrass,
to down-home Americana
all with
a basic rock-n-roll nod, these 11 songs flow from the speakers and into
your blood. They
have a welcomed sound of purity with a musical essence that
can’t be denied. Just
listen to the trio of Lost
(try not to be swept up in
James’
half-spoken, half sung, text style, lyric narration allowing it to fill
the spaces left by
the accompanying mid-tempo illumination of sounds), It Just Happens (an exercise
in traditional
medieval sound, spewing forth a tragic tale of psychotic murder and
mayhem – complete
with over-the-top backing vocals for that extra emphasis of chill), and
Whiskey
&
Cigarettes (a sincere homage to two of
man’s best friends and killers, set to
a tune that could have everyone at the bar singing along) and try not
to tap your foot,
smile and sing along too.
Limousine
Parade ’06 is James’ 3rd
version of one of his favorite
songs, and probably his personal best because he finally achieves the
“sound” he
was looking for. We can’t over look the song “about my favorite form of transportation
– the
Railroad train,” Ridin’ On A Train,
which takes us through
a trip(s) that James took, and this time he takes us along, again the
instrumentation
actually transports us on to the rails…
But, what would a James
Velvet album be
without a protest song? (What’s
So Holy ‘Bout) The Holy Land?
brings forth an anti-war stance that
cannot be overlooked, listen to this sincere message set to an
up-tempo, gospel style,
hoedown and realize that there are many people who are right to believe
that our nation
has no place in what surely has been deemed a “Holy
War” just to protect our big
business interests in oil (and money).
That being said, Just
Plain Jane and Other
Modest Proposals by James Velvet
is a
breath of fresh, crisp, clean sound in a landscape of cluttered massive
over-the-top
electrified noise that the major labels try to pass off as music. While
in a few years,
those superstars will be gone, giving way to the next batch. Meanwhile
the independent
James Velvets of the music world will stick around and continue to
create music for
decades. For they are the ones that understand that the reward
isn’t the money and
fame, it is the accomplishment of creating art in a form that others
can enjoy.
And that is it’s own just reward
now, isn’t it?
Just
Plain Jane and Other Modest
Proposals by James Velvet.
Is available now for: $9.98 +s/h*
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