| Issue
#43
Nov. '02
The
last time we saw Uncle Carl,
he and the band were throwing down their funky jazzed laced R&B
right in our own back
yard of New Haven, CT. Driving up from Brooklyn, NY to play an IndepenDisc
sponsored show at Café 9, “Uncle
Carl” Vreelend
(guitars, vocals), Ivan Bodley (basses,
backing vocals), Rich
Kulsar (drums, toys), and Mark Mancini
(piano, organ) tickled
the crowd with their unique style of serious grooves bubbling all
around the half-serious,
half-mocking vocals of a Schoolyard clown who although has gotten older
and wiser to the
world, still hasn’t let go enough to grow up completely
– and that’s what
endures us to Uncle Carl.
That
night Uncle Carl previewed several songs
to be on the follow up
CD to 1997’s self-titled debut. Of course that Friday night
at Café 9
was almost 2 years ago and we wondered when (if ever) we might be
privileged to hearing
those songs on Disc. It’s ironic how usually just when things
slip your mind they
have a way of showing up at the most unexpected time. It might have
been 2 years ago but
when we popped “Bring Me Your Children”
– the newly
arrived CD by Uncle Carl - into the CD
player we instantly remembered
what transpired, which seemed like ages ago:
Uncle
Carl took the stage that night and mixed a bit more
harder
Rockin’ edge songs into their repertoire of low down, cool
beat, ultra hip, blues
style grooves and he/they do the same here. Opening with two songs of
their usual blues
beat style -“My Heart Is Yours”
works off a heavy down
beat focusing on Uncle Carl’s
bourbon soaked, cigarette singed
vocals and witty lyrics. “Unless I
Get What I Want,”
returns us to the adolescent left in all of us as Mark
Mancini’s
organ punctuates the seriousness of the childishness.
With
“Special,”
“When I Get My Big Break,”
& “Before
He Sends Me To Hell,” (where our
narrator cracks the big guy in the
jaw) Uncle Carl changes the Rhythm of
R&B to Rock, and they’re
off on a blues journey that gets down to our bones and slides us across
the floor.
But
the stand out here is "Paris
Blues".
Brilliantly highlighting the seasoned chops of all the band members it
starts with Ivan’s
bass bouncing us around until Mark’s
piano & Rich’s
drums join in for the jaunt, and what a jaunt it is! Incorporating
authentic Parisian
style accordion playing Uncle Carl tells
a tale of heartbreak and sorrow
– having just been dumped by his girl for another, he
retreats to Paris where broke
and lonely he fills his time wandering the museums and singing for
meals, even though he
can not speak any French. And, through it all he encourages us to sing
along with the
simple, yet alluring, refrain of: “La de Da de Da,
La de Da, La de Da.”
And sing along we do.
Above
and beyond all, that tells us all we need to know about Uncle
Carl;
“Bring Me Your Children”
entertains us with sold musicianship
parlaying a smooth mixture of jazz club R&B with a Rock tilt
wrapped around
semi-serious lyrics that give us tales slanted to the humorous side of
life and it’s
up and downs. So throw this CD on as you mix another cocktail and
remember that the
“Children” Uncle Carl
wants brought to him is the Child that
remains in us all.
Bring Me Your Children
by Uncle Carl
is available now for: $6.98 +s/h*
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*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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