Tag Archives: Andrew Lipke

Album Review: Chris Kasper – ‘The First Hundred Years Are The Hardest’

December 6, 2011 – 1:03 am

Chris Kasper
The First Hundred Years Are The Hardest
(Chris Kasper, 2011)

Track List:
1. Walking on Water
2. Blue It Be
3. Once You Start, Away You Go
4. Safe And Sound
5. Reason to Believe
6. (Little Parade Down) Baltimore St
7. Miss Augustine
8. Feast My Eyes
9. Every Now and Then
10. You Are What You Are
11. *Skipping Stones

‘The First Hundred Years Are The Hardest’ by Chris Kasper is said to be the final installment in the FlyingBoy Trilogy (FlyingBoy, Chasing Another Sundown). And if that is the case then it’s a very bittersweet end. ‘The First Hundred Years Are The Hardest’ takes Chris Kasper’s incredible singer-songwriter skills that is evident in all his previous works and broadens it to include a slightly more musically experimental side. So, what might have been a risk to many artists reveals itself as the pure brilliance in Kasper’s diverse sound. ‘The First Hundred Years Are The Hardest’ is a memorable listening experience that no ears should be deprived of.

‘The First Hundred Years Are The Hardest’ begins with the ethereal tones of “Walking On Water” that song has an effortless feel similar to the feel in “Safe And Sound”. “Blue It Be” is not only about the color blue but feeling blue (but the pulsing drum will wipe away any blues and make you want to dance). “Once You Start, Away You Go” starts off somewhat slow and mellow but breaks open with a rockin’ heaviness that is marvelous. Aww, “(Little Parade Down) Baltimore St.” has such an infectious melody adding that extra hint of beauty to the song. For now, “Miss Augustine” is my favorite track because I love that vocal effect, electric drum sequence and those all too important oo’s. Plus, “one day I may be stronger” is some lyrical optimism that we can all use. More, lyrical optimism can be found in “Every Now And Then” with “every now and then I build myself up from the ground.” But if we’re talking about those deep, thought provoking, intelligent lyrics that Kasper delivers we got to include “you are what you are even when you hide.” Man, sometimes I think Chris Kasper is a lyrical genius.

I honestly could go on and on about how awesome an album ‘The First Hundred Years Are The Hardest’ is but I’d rather just end this review here so we can all go and listen to this album and enjoy it. So, give ‘The First Hundred Years Are The Hardest’ a listen and I guarantee you’ll be blown away by how good this album is.

Also, since it’s that time of year with all these polls and whatnot I’d like to say that ‘The First Hundred Years Are The Hardest’ by Chris Kasper wholeheartedly deserved its spot on my list of Top 10 Albums of 2011. I just want to listen to ‘The First Hundred Years Are The Hardest’ again and again and again and…

[LISTEN] “Once You Start, Away You Go” from ‘The First Hundred Years Are The Hardest’ by Chris Kasper
[soundcloud]http://soundcloud.com/chriskaspermusic/once-you-start-away-you-go[/soundcloud]

Thank you to Chris Kasper, Andrew Lipke and all involved in this album – job well done!

Chris Kasper: website | Facebook | Twitter

Tags album review, Andrew Lipke, Chris Kasper, The First Hundred Years are the Hardest | Permalink | Comment (0)

Reviews

Live Review: Andrew Lipke and the Azrael String Quartet: CD Release Show at Tin Angel (9/24)

September 25, 2011 – 11:21 pm

The Tin Angel is a great music venue that takes pride in its listening room style. That’s all good and well, but it’s the patrons that form the audience that make a good listening room a great listening room. And last night the Tin Angel was an amazing listening room – the crowd was absolutely silent at all the important moments. It was phenomenal to see Andrew Lipke and the Azrael String Quartet play in a venue with an audience that had absolute respect for live music.

For those who don’t know, Andrew Lipke is an extremely gifted singer-songwriter, musician, producer, and composer. Tonight’s performance was to celebrate the release of Lipke’s new album, The Plague. Lipke began the show solo singing and playing an acoustic guitar. The first song of the night was a wonderful cover of Mary Bichner’s (Box Five) “Aqua Toffana”. Then Lipke played “Head Down Vagabond” a nice sounding brand-new, unreleased song. Lipke joked about how he’ll play non-CD songs for CD release shows. Lipke was joined by Krista Umile on cello for several songs. Sure, the cello is one of my favorite string instruments and hearing Umile play it is a breathtaking listening experience. After Lipke and Umile played a few songs together there was a brief intermission.

Then the show continued with Andrew Lipke and the Azrael String Quartet. The Azrael String Quartet consisted of Krista Umile (cello), two violinists and a violist. At some point, Lipke switched to keys for a few songs. The set ended with “It’s Over” which happens to be the last song on The Plague – very fitting. The encore was everyone singing happy birthday to Dana the violinist. Then Andrew Lipke and the Azrael String Quartet played a cover song – the title and artist have escaped me at this moment.

All in all, it was an excellent night of music and I was so happy to hear Andrew Lipke’s music live again – he’s one of my favorite artists. I got a chance to listen to The Plague and it is great. I’ll have to review that album sometime in the near future. Oh my, it feels so good to be surrounded by amazing music.

Tags Andrew Lipke, Azrael String Quartet, Box Five, live reviews, Tin Angel | Permalink | Comment (0)

Listen

Did you hear? Hezekiah Jones – “Borrowed Heart”

May 17, 2011 – 3:00 pm

<a href="http://wvmusic.bandcamp.com/track/borrowed-heart">Borrowed Heart by Weathervane Music</a>

I’ve been listening to Hezekiah Jones – “Borrowed Heart” since its release last month by Weathervane Music as a new Shaking Through episode. I first heard “Borrowed Heart” played on WXPN (88.5FM) and thought the song was irresistible. So, I downloaded the song and play it on repeat often.

“Borrowed Heart” is an absolutely beautiful song. It’s the voices of Raphael Cutrufello, Kiley Ryan, and Andrew Lipke that are individually powerful and undeniably breathtaking. The music on this track is stunning and that buzzing lap steel (provided by Brad Hinton) is mesmerizing. Excellent contributions by all the Jones’ involved in this song for giving it such a full and complete sound. “Borrowed Heart” is a welcomed haunting and a great listening experience.

It’s said that “Borrowed Heart” syncs exactly with a scene from Bride of Frankenstein (a 1935 classic). Wow, that really speaks to how creative and truly an artist Raphael Cutrufello is. Brilliant!

Shaking Through: Hezekiah Jones from Weathervane Music on Vimeo.

Hezekiah Jones: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Myspace

Tags Andrew Lipke, Borrowed Heart, Brad Hinton, Bride of Frankenstein, Did you hear?, Hezekiah Jones, Kiley Ryan, Raphael Cutrufello, Shaking Through, Weathervane Music, WXPN | Permalink | Comment (0)

Reviews

Album Review: Hezekiah Jones – ‘Have You Seen Our New Fort?’

March 30, 2011 – 10:57 pm

Hezekiah Jones
Have You Seen Our New Fort?
(Yer Bird: March 29, 2011)

Track List:
1. Airplane Window
2. Mind Malaise
3. Some Things To Help You
4. I Love My Family
5. Drawing Pictures
6. The Last Parade on Ann St.
7. Dean Helm
8. Cannonball (I’ve got a little room)
9. Lift the Shadow From This Heart
10. Traffic to the Sea

Yesterday was the official release date for Hezekiah Jones‘ newest album, ‘Have You Seen Our New Fort?’. I’ve had a vinyl copy of this release since the release show in February. ‘Have You Seen Our New Fort?’ is yet another absolutely wonderful album from Hezekiah Jones.

On ‘Have You Seen Our New Fort?’ you can look forward to hearing powerful horn arrangements, beautiful piano playing, brilliant songwriting, Raphael Cutrufello’s pleasant voice, moving ballads, music styles ranging from big band, folk to pop and everything in between. “Airplane Window”, the opening track, is a very danceable tune as is the next track, “Mind Malaise”, and several other songs on the album. All the tracks on this album are terrific especially “Drawing Pictures” and “Lift The Shadow From This Heart” (got to love that violin) which are impressively great and front-runners for my current favorites.

“I Love My Family” and Traffic To The Sea” can also be found on Hezekiah Jones’ previous release ‘Bread Of Teeth’ but as different versions. On this album “I Love My Family” is given a hollower and more withdrawn sound than before. ‘Have You Seen Our New Fort?’ contains the sweet version of “Traffic To The Sea” because the version on ‘Bread Of Teeth’ is definitely the sad version. It’s nice to hear great songs reworked and given a new energy.

So, if you were already a Hezekiah Jones fan ‘Have You Seen Our New Fort?’ will foster a greater appreciation for Hezekiah Jones’ music. If this is the first time you’re hearing about Hezekiah Jones then you’ll find ‘Have You Seen Our New Fort?’ an excellent starting point in your Hezekiah Jones music collection.

Thank you to Hezekiah Jones, Raphael Cutrufello, Andrew Lipke, and all the musicians that worked on this album. Congratulations on an album well done!

[LISTEN] “Mind Malaise” by Hezekiah Jones from ‘Have You Seen Our New Fort?’

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Hezekiah Jones: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Myspace

Tags album review, Andrew Lipke, Have You Seen Our New Fort?, Hezekiah Jones, Mind Malaise | Permalink | Comment (0)

Reviews

Album Review: Ross Bellenoit – Eight Track Mind

January 23, 2011 – 9:57 pm

Ross Bellenoit
Eight Track Mind
(2010)

Track list:
01. Mysterious Child (Oh God!)
02. Heart of Creation
03. Now Is the Time
04. Wicked Love
05. Human Nature
06. Speak Clear
07. Different Crown
08. Don’t Tell Me
09. This Time Around
10. Borderline
11. Coda

Eight Track Mind is the debut album by Ross Bellenoit, a name that has been associated with many great artists (Amos Lee, Birdie Busch, John Francis, and The Sweetback Sisters – just to name a few) is finally taking his turn as a solo artist; testing his singer/songwriter skills. Eight Track Mind has a pop body, a rock and roll mind, and a folk soul which delivers a clever, and genuine effort by Bellenoit.

“Now Is The Time” has the most beautifully haunting backing vocals like a spirit calling from the other side. “Human Nature” might be familiar to some because of its WXPN airplay. “Speak Clear” starts out small and contained but soon breaks free with a near arena rock appeal. Wendy Gaynor contributes excellent vocals on “Don’t Tell Me”. And “you have a face unfit for your tongue ‘cause all that you’ve said isn’t all that you’ve done” are some notable lyrics heard on that track. Oh my, the pedal/lap steel (actually maybe it’s just an electric guitar with impeccable control) – anyways, it adds the most amazing layer to that track (and several others on this album) with so much feeling. “This Time Around” is the fun song of the album and features Suzie Brown, Birdie Busch, Zach Djanikian, Wendy Gaynor, Craig Hendrix, Chris Kasper, Andrew Lipke, Jaron Olevsky, Allison Polans and Adrien Reju on vocals providing an impervious wall of sound. Nate Gonzalez’s accordion playing on “Borderline” is impressive and joyous.

All in all, I think Eight Track Mind is a great debut album from Ross Bellenoit and proves him to be a gifted singer/songwriter, solo artist. I hope that this is only the beginning. Nice work by Jaron Olevsky (recording, bass guitar), Freddie Berman (drums) and everyone involved in this album. By the way, I’m definitely feeling the overall production quality on the album – it’s crisp.

[LISTEN] “Human Nature” by Ross Bellenoit from the album Eight Track Mind

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Ross Bellenoit: website | Facebook | Myspace

Tags Adrien Reju, album review, Allison Polans, Amos Lee, Andrew Lipke, Birdie Busch, Chris Kasper, Craig Hendrix, Eight Track Mind, Freddie Berman, Jaron Olevsky, John Francis, Nate Gonzalez, Ross Bellenoit, Suzie Brown, Sweetback Sisters, Wendy Gaynor, WXPN, Zach Djanikian | Permalink | Comment (0)

Shows

Philly Sings Philly – Tuesdays in November @ The Fire

November 2, 2010 – 8:00 am

Tonight (November 2, 2010) begins the month long, Tuesday night series: Philly Sings Philly at The Fire. Each Tuesday will feature a different bill of Philly artists covering songs by other Philly artists. The whole idea sounds very interesting and is bound to be a lot of fun. Looks like I’ll be spending my Tuesday nights at The Fire this month and I can’t wait!

The Fire
412 West Girard Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19123

Tue 11/2
Andrew Lipke
Wissahickon Chicken Shack
Dawn Iulg
David James
Jessica McDowell
Scott Silipigni
Susan Rosetti

Tue 11/9
Hezekiah Jones
Suzie Brown
Marc Silver
Chris Grunwald
Mason Porter
Ryan Tennis
Kiley Ryan
Ryan Williams

Tue 11/16
Chris Kasper
The Spinning Leaves
Sisters 3
Ross Bellenoit
Johnny Miles
Liz Fullerton

Tue 11/23
Cowmuddy
Brad Hinton
Shannon Pelcher
Allison Polans
Phil D’Agostino
Kevin Killen
Jack Byers

Tue 11/30
Joshua Park
Spirit and Dust
Psalmships
TJ McGlinchey
Reed Kendall
Matt Helm Scream
John Galla
Jaclyn Marie

Have a great Tuesday!

Tags Andrew Lipke, Chris Kasper, Cowmuddy, Hezekiah Jones, live music, Mason Porter, Philly Sings Philly, shows this week, The Fire | Permalink | Comment (1)

Uncategorized

Upcoming Show: September 18th – Andrew Lipke debuts ‘The Plague’ @ Tin Angel

September 16, 2010 – 10:00 am

When: Saturday, September 18 — 7:30pm

Where: Tin Angel [20 S. 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA]

What: Debut performance of Andrew Lipke’s long-awaited The Plague, a pop-infused modern song cycle of apocalyptic vignettes performed by Lipke and the Azrael String Quartet

TICKETS!

Multi-instrumentalist Andrew Lipke calls “The Plague” his most ambitious project to date—a pretty serious claim from a Barrymore-Award winning musician who projects consistently showcase extraordinary range. Whether slashing into hard rock, finger-picking through crisp Americana and or balancing menacing pop songs atop the heavy sighs of strings, Lipke’s genre-bending catalogue filters classical musical training as splintered through a love for rock and roll.

“This is going to be the first performance of new material I’m working on for my next record,” says Lipke. “It’s a collection of apocalyptic vignettes that have musical motifs that exist through string quartet parts written for each song.”

I was treated to a performance by Andrew Lipke with a string quartet during The Philly Folk Parade – May Residency @ The Fire this past May and it was an absolutely moving set. Needless to say, if you’re free this Saturday night I highly recommend you consider attending this show and witness Andrew Lipke’s musical brilliance in person.

Tags Andrew Lipke, Azrael String Quartet, The Philly Folk Parade, The Plague, Tin Angel | Permalink | Comment (0)

Reviews

The Philly Folk Parade – May Residency @ The Fire: Final Night (May 25, 2010)

May 28, 2010 – 3:11 am

Last week’s (May 18^th) Philly Folk Parade, hosted by Chris Kasper, was a flawless flow of music like a prefect parade procession. The show began with the relentless, face-melting rock of The Doublewides – that band is musically impressive and extremely entertaining. Then a switch to the back room for a fine solo set by Marc Silver. And back to the front for Birdie Busch’s set which was a duo with Ross Bellenoit – sweet, sweet folk music and no complaints here. Stage switch to Brittany Ann – I’m not familiar with her music but it sounded great – nice touch with the harp. Then it was time for that night’s host: Chris Kasper, an amazingly talented singer/songwriter who was joined by an equally talented group of musicians for a truly outstanding set. The final set in the back room went to Hey Nude Friend I’m Tired, an interesting collaboration between Michael Baker (The Spinning Leaves) and Todd Henkins (The Great Unknown). Cowmuddy, a definite must-see artist, closed the show with a great folk rock set and good times were had by all.

This week’s (May 25^th) Philly Folk Parade show was extraordinary. I’m almost positive that I’ve seen Wissahickon Chicken Shack at least once before but I’m afraid I wasn’t paying much attention then. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed their music for their sound is a bit too diverse for me to even begin to classify but it’s great. Up The Chain (only 2/5ths of the band: Reed Kendall and Philip D’Agostino) played a nice set in the back room. Then back to the front of the room for Andrew Lipke with a string quartet. Lipke is an excellent singer/songwriter and hearing his music performed with such beautiful string arrangements was spectacular. The great music continued with a super set by The Matt Helm Scream – if you don’t know that band you ought to. Jim Boggia followed with a wonderful solo set that made me realize I should see Boggia live more often. To the back room again for Daniel of the Moonlight who played what sounded like traditional folk songs something quieting fitting for this parade. I have nothing but respect for Hezekiah Jones (Raphael Cutrufello) because he truly is an exceptional singer/songwriter and I was so excited to see how the final set was going to play out. Well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many Joneses on stage at once. So, as the set went on it seemed like another Jones took to the stage and added to the harmonious wall of sound. Wow, I couldn’t have thought of a better ending to The Philly Folk Parade May residency at The Fire – perfect!

A huge thank you goes out to The Philly Folk Parade for making Tuesdays in May such memorable, music filled nights – a music lover’s dream come true!

Tags Andrew Lipke, Birdie Busch, Brittany Ann, Chris Kasper, Cowmuddy, Daniel of the Moonlight, Hey Nude Friend I'm Tired, Hezekiah Jones, Jim Boggia, live reviews, Marc Silver, The Doublewides, The Matt Helm Scream, Up The Chain, Wissahickon Chicken Shack | Permalink | Comments (2)

Reviews

The Blinkin Lincoln: 1 Year Anniversary Celebration (11/28/09)

November 30, 2009 – 1:03 am

On Saturday night I went to The Blinkin Lincoln to witness the 1 year anniversary celebration show that included: Andrew Lipke, Zach Djanikian, Cowmuddy, and Chris Kasper all on the same bill. The show began with Andrew Lipke performing an incredible solo, acoustic set. Zach Djanikian and band (Jaron Olevsky-bass, a drummer, Andrew Lipke-keys, for a few songs) followed with a good set and although I’m not too familiar with Djanikian’s music I really enjoyed listening to it. Then it was time for Cowmuddy and band (Chris Kasper-guitar, Freddie Berman-drums, and Jim Stager-bass) and that was one great set. Not only do I like Cowmuddy’s (Michael McShane) music but it’s always fun to see what random bits of wisdom he might share with his audience. Last, but by no means least, was Chris Kasper who performed a solo, acoustic set that was so amazing. Kasper even played a few brand new songs (with Freddie Berman on drums) which was a nice treat. Needless to say, it was a fantastic night of music at The Blinkin Lincoln and the perfect anniversary celebration. So, happy 1 year anniversary to The Blinkin Lincoln and I wish you many more.