| Issue
#28
May/June ‘01
Do you have a
favorite
shirt? You know the one, the one that makes you smile every time you
put it on, the one
that makes everything all right, the one that just makes you feel so
good about life that
you’re bursting at the seams and you want to shout out to the
world that life is
beautiful and life is good, the one that erases every stressed out
moment and allows you
to bathe in the joy of the time at hand. After all, that’s
the reason you put it on
in the first place, right? That’s why it’s your
favorite shirt, that’s why
you choose to wear it, to make everything all right. Some people take
that favorite shirt
and tuck it away to wear only for special “one at a
time”, “over the
top” type events (like concerts, c’mon
you’ve never owned a favorite
concert shirt?), these are the everyday favorite shirts – the
shirts that helped make
the day special for one reason or another simply because they felt so
good – the
everyday shirts that have worn themselves so thin and fragile over the
years that they
must be preserved in order for them to survive (case in point, I still
have, but rarely
wear the last pair of Pro-Keds that I purchased just shortly before
they stopped
manufacturing them in ’78).
James
Velvet has shirts like this, and one of them
is music. James Velvet wears music like his favorite shirt, James
Velvet wears his music
everyday and it makes his life good. James Velvet exudes Rock-n-Roll
from every part of
his heart and soul and it shows. Like the smile brought forth from the
comfort of your
favorite shirt, Rock-n-Roll makes life good. James Velvet knows this,
shows this, and
wears it well.
Rock-n-Roll was
born in the 1950s and is now entering the very mature
generational half-century age. Rock-n-Roll is now 30+ years removed
from the teenagers who
still use it as a form of teen rebellion and angst. But what they
don’t realize is:
for the first time in history, the youth creating Rock-n-Roll have
parents that understand
where they are coming from. Their parents created Rock-n-Roll and now
it’s time for
the kids to understand their parents, the original Rock-n-Roll rebels
who expressed
themselves through the same artistic outlet. Sure, this type of common
thread original
freedom has been chronicled in the past with every general type cross
culture tie-in you
can think of, But this is Rock-n-Roll we're talking about, know what
I’m saying? And
if Rock-n-Roll has taught us anything over the last half century
it’s that musical
expression can break down communication barriers. It’s time
to realize that
Rock-n-Roll has not grown old; it has matured. And a matured
Rock-n-Roll can still kick
out the jams and allow people to feel good regardless of age.
“I
want to be 80 and still be playing guitar, still be
Rock-n-Rolling, Hell 100, it makes me feel that good. And, if my music
can make one other
person feel that same way, well, that’s what it's all about.”
James
Velvet told me this as we sat over a couple of brews at
a pub in New Haven,
Connecticut. Cut James Velvet and he bleeds Rock-n-Roll. James Velvet
carries the
Rock-n-Roll torch deep into the soul, creating and playing music that
captures the
essences of such artistic merit as writing songs the way John Lennon
would probably be
doing if he were alive, by playing Rock-n-Roll like Elvis Costello
would if he were still
playing Rock-n-Roll; James Velvet delivers the purity of Rock-n-Roll in
a Buddy
Holly-esque manner; he nods to Dylan; adores the Sex Pistols; and is
quick to note the
importance of Presley, Cobain and every regular guy with a PC, CD
burner and an artistic
vision.
Put on the
“Bones ‘n Clones”
CD and
while your pulling this favorite shirt over your head you can hear the
lazy downbeat chord
inviting you to relax and enjoy… “I Got a
Shirt” is the song that’ll
make you feeling so good so quick that by
the time James begins to introduce it - life is good. “Bones
‘n Clones”
never lets up after that. “I Got a Shirt”
Rocks with a toy piano. Now
that may sound trivial in a way, but when you take into consideration
that this is the
song that launches the most pure 28 minutes of Rock-n-Roll bliss that
will become to be
known as your favorite shirt of a CD, you’ll know from the
way that the toy piano is
jammin’ on the solo in the middle bridge, that
everything/anything else to come is
just going to add even more pure joy to the pleasure…
“Here/Today”
is the next track and it hits the
“Let’s get it on” tradition of
Rock-n-Roll dead center. Set against a
Motown funk a la Sly and the Family Stone, and War, it produces the
hip-thrusting dance of
the human sexual experience in such a way that by the time the final 2
words seal the
deal, we all can smile about some great personal journey. It also gives
us the Mantra for
the rest of the disc, and for that matter, the rest of our lives
– “The
moment we crave is this moment right here / The moment we lose, will
not reappear”
– Share the moment, Cherish the moment, Live the moment,
Enjoy the moment.
“Bones
‘n Clones” is full of these
moments “John
Alley” is an
intense song that shares Rock-n-Roll’s debt to classic
depression-era songwriting
with a half buried John Henry syntax and John Barleycorn tragic
influence. Spinning a
yarn/telling a tale against a ringing chorus of heavy acoustic guitar
duels it brings to
us the down home country twang that was born and grew up in traditional
folk songs. And,
the lead solo is so damn banjo played that to say it could sit next to
Bron-Yr-Aur on
Physical Graffiti the way it Rocks and makes the blood pump;
you’d be thinking me a CRAAA-Aaz-Zy
Man. When James stretches the final chorus by two
sustaining notes, were so far
gone that track 4 “New Language”
takes advantage of us by throwing in
obscure chord homage’s to JWH era Dylan, Lyrical reference to
The Beatles (a
perfectly placed gem that sustains itself in a witty and intelligent
story of romantic
relationships and how they can turn from misunderstanding), and an
ending that looks up to
The Music Machine, a band from the 60s psychedelic garage band
movement, (found on the so
beautifully chronicled -and spoken of highly by us here at IndepenDisc-
Nuggets Box Set)
and their song Talk Talk. I know there are a ton more in there, but
they’re buried so
deep into Rock-n-Roll history that it’s better left to find
as they reveal themselves
with each subsequent listen.
“Lately I Wake Up Dreaming”
comes in just after the midpoint and hits us in such a Rock-n-Roll
manner that the only
way I can bring some point of reference into how much artistry James
Velvet brings to the
music is to have you listen to it: Click on the song Title.
(I apologize to those who can’t access the streaming
RealAudio™ file and suggest
you buy a copy of the CD so that you can experience what everybody else
is experiencing
right now ;-) ß
see the
wink?).
The final 3 songs
wrap up the disc with as much aplomb as the first
half; offering a diverse Neil Young inspired cross-reference of music
history. I bet
Alejandro Escovedo would be envious of “She’s
Lonely”, and Bruce
Springsteen would die to be able to belt out “Long
Long” live on stage
with the E Street band ripping this amazing Rocker to shreds in front
of the 50,000 or so
fans that are definitely out there.
Finally “New
England” presents James Velvet’s
love and affection for the land he calls home. The song lends a
“Ya’ll come back
now” charm that builds to a genuine immigrant pub style sing
along with (again) the
various stringed instruments dueling at the center. Capped by the
“I’ve lived
before” mature angelic harmonies of another local New Haven
rock legend; Kriss
Santala, it is a perfect ending to a perfect disc. After hearing this
song you can’t
help to return, to put that favorite shirt on again, to smile, to feel
good, to enjoy
Rock-n-Roll, to enjoy life.
Put
your favorite musical shirt on,
Put on “Bones ‘n Clones”
by James Velvet.
Now available for: $9.98 +s/h*
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“Bones
‘n Clones”
is James Velvet’s first solo
release in 10 years, now don’t
think it’s been for lack of material, au contraire, James
Velvet hasn’t achieved
cult status as The Godfather of Rock-n-Roll
in Connecticut by idly
noodling around for 10 years between releases. No, James Velvet heads
the Renowned
Rock-n-Roll unit known as The
Mocking Birds.
Formed in ’92 The Mocking Birds
consist of James Velvet
(vocals, rhythm guitar), Johnny Java
(bass) Dick Neal
(guitar, slide guitar) and Jon Peckman
(drums) most of whom played on
"Bones ‘n Clones"; from their
standard last Saturday of
the Month gigs at New Haven’s Café 9
(The Musicians Living Room) to
various gigs opening for The Band, Marshall Crenshaw, The Kinks, Dan
Hicks and others,
James and The Mocking Birds have released 6 CDs of original Rock-n-Roll
music that
measures up to the best of ‘em, and the same can be said for
“Bones ‘n
Clones”.
*Shipping
&
Handling charges:
USA - $3.00
for the first 2 CDs
ordered,
Add $1.50 per each CD after.
Canada - $5.00 for the
first
CD ordered,
Add $2.00 per each CD after.
Everywhere else -$7.00
for the
first CD ordered,
Add $3.00 per each CD after.
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