FEBRUARY “AMPLIFIED ARTIST OF THE MONTH” – ED RANDAZZO

by Paul Simpson
PA Music Scene.com
February 2012

Show And Tell–due to be released on Valentine’s Day– is Ed Randazzo’s second album, and he’s enjoying the rush of being on a roll.  “I’ve never been happier in my life,” says the 33-year-old West Pittston resident, and his optimistic outlook is apparent in his CD’s opening song, “Jesus On A Red Flag.”   “There’s actually a church near me that has a red flag on its roof that just says ‘Jesus’ on it,” he says.  “It’s an image I’ve always wanted to use in a song.” 

Randazzo says it’s not a really about religion, but about finding sanctuary on the road of life.  “The man in the song is a drifter, an optimist…he’s quite taken with this little motel in the middle of nowhere, with its blinking neon sign: ‘We have vacancy, color TV, and Jesus on a red flag.‘  Words are exchanged, he’s offered a place to crash.  Something sacred happens, a bond between two people, a new friendship is formed.”  The cheerful ditty is my own hands-down favorite from the album, and I like it even more when he tells me that its jaunty blues harp track is there more-or-less by chance.  “Nik Allen just happened to be there, so we said ‘let’s try it.’”

Ed doesn’t use the word “serendipity” in our conversation, but the anticipation of pleasant surprises is what separates the optimist from the pessimist, the reason that there are “glass is half-full” people and “glass is half-empty” people.  The reason that there are “Sh*t happens and then you die” T-shirts and also “With all this manure around, there’s got to be a pony here somewhere” T-shirts.  “I don’t believe that anything happens by accident,” he says.  “Everything happens for a reason, I truly believe that.”

Serendipitous friendships have played important roles in Randazzo’s life, and deeply inform his music.  “The people in my life are at the core of this new record, my family, my teachers, and my friends–old and new–have all had a profound effect on me in my life and my music.  Even those who have not been so kind, they play a role too![Laughs].  Music is that gift that continually gets passed from one to another–it all goes back to people, and when you add music, you’ve got something called magic.”

Most recently, a chance connection and friendship with Bret Alexander–guitarist and primary songwriter for the long-lived regional powerhouse band The Badlees–led to a collaboration resulting in the 2010 release of Randazzo’s first album, See That My Grave Is Kept Clean, which received substantial airplay on Northeast Pennsylvania radio stations.  Alexander, who co-writes the melodies to Randazzo’s songs,  is also the proprietor of Saturation Acres Recording Studio, where he produced and recorded both of Randazzo‘s albums and accompanied him on guitar, mandolin, and other instruments. The new album highlights the duo’s holistic approach to recording by preserving a pair of short, whimsical out-takes of studio banter titled “Good Enough” and “I’m Thinkin’.”  “The studio itself plays an important part, there’s a certain ‘something’ that Saturation Acres has,” Randazzo says.  “Bret presses ‘Play’ and we go for it.  Most of this record, like the first one, is live.”

Randazzo’s voice is deep, rich, warm, masculine–he could do voice-overs for pickup truck commercials–so it’s interesting that when asked about influences, the first four singers he names are female.  When I tell him that “Jesus On A Red Flag” made me think of John Gorka, he laughs.  “Well, when I wrote it, I was imagining Dolly Parton singing it.  Currently I’m on a real Kate Bush kick, but the first voices that caught my attention were Natalie Merchant and Annie Lennox.” 

It was a serendipitous encounter with an Annie Lennox song that convinced him that he could perform.  “I was in a karaoke bar with some friends, and they coaxed me up on stage.  I sang ‘Why,‘ from Annie Lennox’s Diva album, and the crowd loved it.  When I sat down, I saw some people at a nearby table who actually had tears in their eyes. It gave me the confidence to think that maybe I had a gift I should share.”

Leaving the baggage behind and bringing one’s gifts to the world became the theme of one of Show And Tell’s most powerful songs.  “Who’s That Man?” is an expertly-rendered delta blues piece performed in call-and-response style with the backing vocals of Alexis P. Suter.  Arranged by Alexander and A.J. Jump, who play dobro and drums on the cut respectively, it is the album’s only overtly biographical song:

Who’s that man in that reflection, holding on to so much pain?

Holding on to a single thread, his eyes done gone insane….

That man is Eddie….that man is Eddie….

Eddie, gotta pick yourself up, gotta get off the ground and hold your head way up,

Get outside, and sing your song, sing it loud and sing it strong…

Wash that hair, and wipe those eyes, and leave your bags at the door,

Get outside, and sing your song, that’s what the world is waiting for,

Eddie….that man is Eddie….

Eddie….is me…

I ask what serendipitous accident brought Suter–a New York-based blues singer of some renown–to a small town outside of Scranton to perform on two of his songs, and of course, there is one:  a photographer friend from the next town over had done a lot of album shoots and knew a lot of singers.  Randazzo wanted an authentic female gospel/blues voice on “Who’s That Man?” The friend provided several names, but Randazzo only needed to hear the first one.  “After I heard Alexis, I didn’t even listen to the others, that was the voice I was after.  She came down fully prepared, laid down her track in one take, so we asked her if she had another song in her as long as she had come all that way.  So she stayed and sang on ‘Still Cry’ as well.”  “Still Cry,” also rooted in traditional blues, has just been released as a single.

Randazzo considers himself a roots musician for the most part–”I know that folk and blues fit my voice best”–and most of the album’s songs fit this description.  “House On The Hill” is an ethereal lament of life’s disappointments, which Randazzo sings with a ghostly intensity.  “Let Me Go” is a lean, angry rebuke of an ex-lover. 

There are some outliers though, perhaps most notably the title cut, “Show And Tell.”  I’m not sure to what category this little gem of a love ballad belongs, so I’ll make one up:  1960s Slow-Dance Music, think: “Tell It Like It Is”.  Randazzo croons on this one: 

Baby, meet me by the river,  hmm-mmm, and set down your load.

Meet me, in the darkness, yeah, no one will know.

I offer my shoulder, I give you my hand,

Tell me your troubles, I’ll be that man

…you could run to…

Appropriately, this track features the multi-talented Alexander on Hammond B3 organ and Fender Rhodes electric piano to set just the right romantic 60s Starlite Room atmosphere.  The other anomaly is “You Give Me,” for which Alexander creates a Mediterranean vibe with Spanish-style guitar and castanets.

This latter song is notable for another reason as well: according to the album notes it is dedicated to “Vic Chestnutt (1964-2009).”  I didn’t know who Vic Chestnutt was, but soon found that I probably should have (what did we do before Google and Wiki?).  Vic Chestnutt was a well-regarded singer-songwriter who had been seriously injured in a car accident at age 18, and lived the rest of his life as a paraplegic, with only limited use of his hands.  Chestnutt died on Christmas Day, 2009, from an overdose of muscle relaxants.  According to Chestnutt’s Wikipedia entry, “In the 2009 interview with Terry Gross, while discussing the song ‘Flirted with You All My Life’, he said, ‘You know, I’ve attempted suicide three or four times. It didn’t take’”.  Randazzo’s song dedicated to him contains the line “My body is crooked, and so is my heart, we enter, we exit, we all do our part.”

I had decided that I wasn’t going to mention the fact that Ed has cerebral palsy–unless I found a specific cue somewhere in his work.  “Who’s That Man?” was close, but not quite; plenty of generic things cause people to feel depressed.  I kept listening.  Show And Tell is only 35 minutes of total run-time, but its nine songs feel much longer, in a good way.  There’s a lot there, many layers of the onion to peel back. 

Somewhere around my twenty-seventh listen I thought I had found it, the context that would warrant broaching the subject:   The “crooked body” line from his song “You Give Me.”  The dedication to Vic Chestnutt.  The choice to put the nursery rhyme “There Was A Crooked Man” to music and use it to close the album.  I Googled to learn the origin of the nursery rhyme, and was stunned to find that There Was A Crooked Man had also been used as the title of an anthology of poems by an influential lyric poet named Lex Banning (1921-1965)–who had cerebral palsy.  Eureka.  I decided I needed to ask Ed about all this.

Ed was impressed with my detective work, and understood my ambivalence about mentioning his condition.  “Yes, I do sometimes refer to myself as crooked.  It’s funny you mention this, because just today, Bret and I were in a TV studio for an interview and performance.  The staff were all very nice, but they kept asking me if I needed to sit down every thirty seconds.  I was like, ‘No, I’m good, thanks.  I’m fine, not tired at all.’  People mean well, they just aren’t quite sure how to react.  Some people who’ve heard me sing are pretty surprised when they connect the voice to the  physical appearance.  I get really into my songs when I perform, sometimes it makes my muscles cramp and freeze up.  I can get spastic.  It’s not cool and sexy like your typical front-man thing, but it’s just the way it is.  It’s not like I can hide it.”

I ask him what influence Lex Banning has had on him.  “Who?  Never heard of him.”  Surprised, I explain, thinking he must have misunderstood me, but no–he really has never heard of him.  Now it is his turn to be stunned.  “That’s crazy!” he exclaims.  “That almost freaks me out!”  But he quickly turns philosophical, and the omni-present optimism returns.  “If you hadn’t found out about this guy Lex Banning,” he muses, “you wouldn’t have called me, and we wouldn’t be having this interesting conversation.  See?  Everything happens for a reason.  I don’t believe in accidents.”

 Ed’s Website:  http:www.edrandazzomusic.com

“This is a long time coming” said Les Houck founder of 2nd Story Blues who began the process for starting his own Blues centered 501 c 3 in March of 2011. “I spoke to a consultant who urged me very strongly to make sure there wasn’t an existing 501c3 in the community doing the same or similar thing. I thought about that for a while and it made sense so I asked around and found out about The Woman’s Blues Alliance. I have always been a big supporter of the Lehigh River Blues Jam but to be honest I just thought Bev Conklin did that on her own because she has a big heart”

In the coming weeks the Blues community can look forward to some exciting things. The Women’s Blues Alliance web site is being overhauled as a fully functional content management system and there are plans to launch in the first quarter of 2012. Announcements are forthcoming on the first local show to be hosted by the newly formed alliance and contract negations for the first national Blues act are almost complete.

 ”By joining forces and leveraging the talent and resources from both WBA and 2nd Story Blues, we will be able to provide more to the Blues community in our region.” says Bev Conklin founder of The Women’s Blues Alliance. The new relationship represents the next logical step for two groups that have great passion and vision for preserving and promoting one of America’s only truly indigenous musical art forms… THE BLUES.

Woman’s Blues Alliance 

www.wbainc.org

2nd Story Blues

www.2ndStoryBlues.com

On Saturday, February 11 2012, students from the Uptown Music Collective will team up together with students from area schools, and the staff of the Community Arts Center, to present the Purple Heart Project, a fundraising concert for Wounded Warriors. All proceeds from this concert will go directly to the Wounded Warrior Project to help them and their families empower themselves and put their lives back together.

As our country finishes withdrawing its troops from Iraq and begins the same process in Afghanistan, we are left with the aftermath of over 10 years of war. In those 10 years over 30,000 of our nations servicemen and woman have been wounded in the line of duty.

The Wounded Warrior Project, founded by several veterans and friends who were moved by stories of the first wounded service members returning home, began by providing comfort items to these wounded service members from Afghanistan and Iraq. The organization, which started small, has grown into a complete rehabilitative effort to assist warriors as they recover and transition back into civilian life. Tens of thousands of Wounded Warriors and caregivers receive support each year through WWP programs designed to nurture the mind and body, and encourage economic empowerment and engagement.

“I think it’s important that we learn from the mistakes of Vietnam, where returning soldiers were blamed as much as our government was, for that unpopular war,” said Dave Brumbaugh, Executive Director of the Uptown Music Collective. “No matter what your feelings may be about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, we as a nation should honor, support and take care of our nation’s veterans who were willing to put their lives on the line when our country called”

The Purple Heart Project will feature over 40 students performing rock songs with a patriotic or related message, from artists such as Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, James Brown, Richie Havens, Crosby Stills Nash and Young and more. There will also be a raffle and other fundraising events during the course of the evening with all proceeds going directly to The Wounded Warrior Project.

Established in April of 2000, the Uptown Music Collective (a 501c 3 non profit school of music) has developed a reputation as the premier source of music education in the area, with an enrollment of over 125 students. Offering private lessons at all levels on guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and vocals, as well as classes and workshops in music theory, songwriting, and styles such as the Blues, Jazz, Classical and Rock. The primary age range of the Collective is 10 – 18 yrs old, but is open to all ages and levels.

Along with private lessons, the UMC offers a myriad of programs including its flagship Performance Program. This program educates students about the ins and outs of major and minor performances, including direction, production, preparation and technical aspects of the performances. The student leaders for this performance are UMC student, Nuria Hunter, a senior at Williamsport Area High School and Collin Lakatos, a junior at Williamsport Area High School.

Over the past two years the Collective has used their performance program to help raise money for charitable causes and organizations. Previous charity fundraising concerts have included, Youth for Haiti in which all proceeds raised went to Direct Relief International to help the people of Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. Also, the students raised money for the local nonprofit, the Children’s Development Center, with their performance entitled,Reaching beyond Limits. Each performance raised over $5,000.00 for the intended charity. “Teaching our students the power of music to create change and the importance of giving back to the community are both cornerstones of what the Uptown Music Collective endeavors to do,” stated Brumbaugh.

Tickets for the performance are $10.00 in advance and $15.00 at the door with the proceeds benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project. Tickets are available at The Uptown Music Collective (848 West Fourth St., Williamsport) and The Community Arts Center Box Office (220 West Fourth St., Williamsport) as well as Alabaster Coffee (410 Pine Street, Williamsport) and K & S Music (1116 West Southern Ave, South Williamsport). Media sponsor for this event is Backyard Broadcasting. For more information about, The Purple Heart Project: A Fundraising Concert for Wounded Warriors, or the Uptown Music Collective, check out www.uptownmusic.org/mediaroom or call 570-329-0888.

WINTER JIBBERJAM
“A Millenium Music Conference Jam Showcase”
February 17-18, 2012
2 nights of music featuring 10 Bands
Radisson Penn Harris Convention Center
1150 Camp Hill Bypass
Camp Hill, PA
7pm Doors, Shows 8pm-2am Friday & Saturday
$15 advance per night, $20 DOS per night
Adjoining hotel!5 Bands per night!
GA, all ages, full bar for 21+
+SOUND EFFECT AFTERPARTY TBA

Jibberjazz.com

Lineup:

THE HEAVY PETS
SISTER SPARROW & THE DIRTY BIRDS
Turbine
Dr. Slothclaw
The Happy Dog
Hog Maw
Muppet’s Titanium Stardust Machine
Wahoo Skiffle Crazies
Cheers Elephant
Elemental Groove Theory
Conference Info:
MILLENNIUM MUSIC CONFERENCE

INFO:
A Jibberjazzers unite and break the boredom of winter for a 2 night jam showcase @ The Millenium Music Conference. Event takes place inside classy ballroom with adjoining hotel. Come out and support Jibberjazz and the Millenium Music Conference. Let’s fill up this ballroom in February! Music 8pm-2am, Friday and Saturday nights. All ages, full bar 21+

TICKETS: $15 advance per night, $20 DOS per night
Friday, February 17 

TICKETS: Saturday, February 18thOr call 717-221-1124 to charge by phone

HOTEL:
Radisson Hotel Rooms $116 Multiple Occupance
or Call 717-763-7117 and ask for Millennium Rate MUSIC CONFERENCE INFO:
http://www.musicconference.net/
Jibberjazz is proud to be a sponsor of this Millennium Music Conference Jam showcase.

Jibberjazz.com

 “What It Is” showcases local talent and Charlie Phillips’ knack for knocking it out of the park -

by Frank P. Rakaczweski
PA Music Scene.com
February 2012

What It Is – the third album out from PA native Charlie Phillips and one that proves that when a good thing isn’t broke, it doesn’t necessarily require fixing.

Phillips, an almost 15 year veteran of the local music scene, has been compared in the past to his many of his own personal heroes, both musically and personally, and after spending time with the 12 tracks that make up What It Is it’s easy to see why. Starting with the classic rock anthem “Grace of God” – Phillips shows that he has a strong talent for emulating the same sounds you’d hear in the arcades and record players of the 70’s. “Grace of God” starts the album off with a rollicking drum beat and an instantly danceable riff before breaking down to the verse, chorus, and verse formula seen in many older jams, complete with those powerful, electric solos that seem just as at home here as they would on a Cream album. It’s a glove you’ve worn before you’ll find, but one that fits incredibly well nonetheless.

From there, the album takes a sonic detour down the often lonely, often beautiful, roads that you’d ride by when turning on your very favorite radio station and each one hits each note and beat perfectly. From the sad-but-hopeful ballad “Little Things” and “Just Not Ready Yet” to almost ELO-b-track sounding “New Day”, the mood of the album falls and rises like the waves and crests of any relationship. It’s that one thing that Phillips seems to be able to perfectly capture in each song he releases off the record, the relationship he wants to earnestly share with the listener.

It’s easy for so many artists to simply write, record and release a slew of songs that while catchy, sound more like products than actual artistic output. With Phillips, however, each track he shares seems more like a gift, a friendly conversation or a brief but sincere story you’d want to hear from someone you haven’t seen in too long.  And while the album may not push the envelope, we mostly have our friends around because of the history we share with them, and with Phillips every track listed is just one more great memory.

Tracks to check out:

Grace of God
Master Scheme
What It Is

For those looking to add this fantastic album to their collection, check out the Charlie’s music for preview and purchase at CD Baby and iTunes.

Announcing the line up for the FIRST EVER – “Rock the Lumbar – All Tribute Band Concert” at the Stone Elephant in Olyphant, Pa. on February 25th 2012. This is the first in a series of 4 tribute shows lined up for 2012.

So c’mon out…  Wilkes Barre/Scranton area has never seen anything like this!  These shows will be the biggest shows in NEPA for 2012. 

Here is the line up for February 25th!

RUNAWAY… Bon Jovi Tribute from Iselin, N.J.

ASIZ…Rush Tribute from Wilkes Barre/Scranton, Pa.

BEAUTIFUL DAY…U2 Tribute from Wantagh, N.Y.

THE IDOL KINGS…Journey and Mellencamp Tributes from Wilkes Barre/Scranton, Pa.

BLACKOUT…Scorpions Tribute from Kings Park, N.Y.

Last but certainly not least..
CA/CD…AC/DC Tribute from the Lehigh Valley, Pa.

by Paul Smith
PA Music Scene.com
January 2012

(Photo credits: John Deas Photography)

The roads to Southern California can be littered with broken dreams but “Freeway”,  the opening song on the EP from The Trace, offers a much more positive spin. The upbeat sound and matching lyrics provide a dual story line about the baby steps in a band’s journey to success and about the same stage in any relationship.
 
The Trace (formerly known as Sandlot Heroes) is a four-piece rock band from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania that consists of lead singer Dan Kastelnik, lead guitar Chris Morrison, bass player Jake Lare, and drummer Ans Gibson.

by Frank P. Rakaczewski
PA Music Scene.com
January 2012

 ”I feel almost guilty. I think, my God, I hope no one comes and busts me for this.”

David Crosby said those immortal words when he was asked about performing his music live. For too many artists there is a giant divide in the music they create with the freedom of the studio compared to the spontaneity of playing in front of their audience. Some players, like the Beatles, eventually found the recording space to be the best place to employ their art. For musicians who make that choice, their fans had no option but to wait with bated breath for their records to hit the streets to get the chance to share the experience each song would bring with it.

For those lucky enough to see Charlie Phillips play, it’s almost impossible not to feel sorry for them.

“In the beginning, a lot were just friends, then, people just started showing up.”

Charlie Phillips, a 15 year veteran of the PA music scene, seems almost surprised to see the gigantic following his music has.  His most recent show at the Burlap and Bean Coffeehouse in downtown Newtown Square attracted so many fans, so many eager music lovers trying to get a chance to hear the often mellow, often jaunty songs Phillips sings that the venue had to man the front door and stop admitting newcomers to the show. Yet that didn’t stop them. Fans of Phillips sound not only packed the house from wall to wall, but also lined up in cheerful masses despite the cold outside the venue. With the powerful classic rock-tinged tunes coming through the glass doors before them, it was hard not see why.

“Yeah, I have a lot of friends. And tonight was really fun. But it’s the first Friday of every month. No cover, all ages. It’s a party.”

Phillips, with his easy walk, easier speech and short-stemmed rose sticking from his jacket pocket, seemed in equal portions a rock star and a good, good friend. So much so that even after his show had ended, he stayed until the almost everyone had left and greeted every person who walked by with a sincere smile and signature for their copies of his record. The vibe of the night was less of one of a concert and much more of a gathering of great friends who have had the pleasure of knowing each other for so long. Yet it’s not just his fervent followers that Phillips encouraged to attend his shows, but equally other local musicians.

“I’ve been playing at the Burlap and Bean the first Friday of every month and I’ve been doing it for about 4 years. The main thing, actually, is that I have a different opening artist every night. And I try to get people that aren’t really gigging a lot.”

This extended even to his live show, as his new stage and album violist was one he met only months ago before as an opener to one his famed shows.

“The viola player, well, I knew Andi, we knew we needed some strings on the new record, and Andi came in and did it. There was going to be a cellist who couldn’t make it tonight. I met Andi about maybe 6 months ago. She’s a world class violist. I like a diversity of sounds.”

It was also the audience that Phillips got into the show, stopping between songs to offer not only musical anecdotes and guest singers but actual trivia questions, ones his fans were quick to answer. Phillips, as a reward for their knowledge, after wisely making them visibly hide their smart phones, offered up copies of his latest album, What It Is. The crowd, as the saying goes, went wild.

The songs Phillips and his band played ran the gamut from wild, rock anthems to quieter ballads in almost the same breath, even closing the night off with a powerful rendition of one of his personal inspirations’ hit songs, the Beatles “Back In The USSR.” Yet as each song eased its way into the room, the overwhelming sense of kinship extended not only to the audience who cheered him on fervently, but to the players that he shared the stage with. Long time local musical sensation John Childers, lead guitarist and vocalist for the band, played with impossible aplomb and seemed to be in perfect tune with Phillips every step of the way despite the unorthodox origin of their encounter.

“Al (the drummer) is in another band, ZorroGato, and we’ve been playing for a bit. I’ve known Bluffer, the bass player, since I was 11. There’s a friendship, is what there is. I always remind people to have fun.  John Childers I actually met at bowling. And we’ve been playing together for about four or five years.”

In this day and age, where music is readily available at the touch of a download, so many artists seem like far-away and untouchable icons to the everyday folk who work, dance, sweat and sing to their songs. It is armed with this real knowledge that I can say that musicians like Charlie Phillips and company are so vitally important to the PA music scene, if not that of that of musical culture in general. It’s a welcome and powerful change to be able to not only share the scene with your heroes, but to have them equally share yours.

The music and stories of Charlie Phillips can be found at http://www.reverbnation.com/charliephillipsmusic and http://www.charliephillips.com/index.html

Photos by Frank P. Rakaczewski

JANUARY “AMPLIFIED ARTIST OF THE MONTH” - MARIA DUBIEL

by Katie Kelly
PA Music Scene.com
January 2012

For the past few years, local songstress Maria Dubiel has been playing her original tunes to crowds of highly attentive, captive audiences. I’ve had the distinct pleasure of being in the audience several times and consider myself a huge fan. The most recent being at the Women Who Rock Concert, a benefit put together by Weekender Magazine staffer Rachel Pugh, The River Street Jazz Cafe and various local businesses. A fundraiser for the Domestic Violence Service Center, the show was packed with members of the community offering their support for the services provided at the center. Maria was generous enough to offer her talent for the evening. While she was preparing for her set, the crowd noise was extremely loud, but when she sang her first note – heads turned, eyes focused, and the bar fell silent. I turned to my friend, a classical guitar professor at Wilkes University, and saw his jaw drop at her staggering guitar skills.

Her debut album, Goin’ Back is raw and captures the same energy that she brings to her shows. The songwriting is excellent and anyone who’s ever been in love, had a broken heart, or has good taste in music will love it.

I had the pleasure of picking Maria’s brain on the subjects of songwriting, the new direction of the music business and what’s in store for her future.

PAMusicScene: Your style is described as percussive yet I can definitely hear other qualities in songs like “Love Heal My Heart” such as strong intermixed blues riffs layered upon ornate chord changes. Even live, I realize it’s only you on the stage yet it sounds like there’s 2 guitars and a hand drummer up there with you.  You’re delightfully unique, but can you cite any influences?
Maria Dubiel:  Thanks for your kind compliments about my playing style. I really am what I called a “self-inflicted” player. (She smiles) My way of saying self-taught. As a kid starting to play I listened to so many different types of music and guitar players, singer/songwriters, and bands. I’m sure there is probably some influence from all of them. Of course, I can cite all the usual suspects like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt.  But I also listened to old rockabilly and country too; people like Johnny Horton caught my ear – even Conway Twitty. I loved the riffs and style of 80’s pop bands like Crowded House and of course Fleetwood Mac. Marshall Crenshaw had a great rockabilly/pop type of style I really liked.  However, Shawn Colvin is one of my favorite singer/songwriters and I really love her playing style. As for why I play like I do or sound like I do, I think more than anything it comes from years of doing solo shows in crowded venues that could sometimes be noisy and I wanted to keep the crowd’s attention and sound as “big” as I possibly could and try to keep a lot going on to make it interesting since I didn’t have a band backing me up. I do use a lot of alternate tunings to keep it interesting and I tend to drive the rhythm with a percussive attack from my right hand. Lately I’ve used a Porchboard bass for some songs to add a kind of kick drum beat which I play live along with what ever I’m doing on the guitar. That adds a little bit extra too.

PAMusicScene: Your album, Goin’ Back seems to touch upon the theme of heartbreak; would you say it’s easier to write about heartbreak or easier to write a love song?
Maria Dubiel: I guess it depends on the person. For me, as for a lot of artists, I think heartbreak inspires a little more angst and maybe writing becomes more prolific as well as therapeutic. So yeah, I suppose it’s a little easier for me to write the sad stuff. However, some of the heartbreak or sad lyrics can be set to an upbeat tune such as in “One Love” or even “Goin’ Back” which is kind of about heartbreak but then has a positive theme as well – going back to perhaps a better second time around. “Only You” from the album is a pure mushy love song. (She smiles) It really is a song about that feeling you have when you know someone is “the one” and it’s an all consuming feeling.

PAMusicScene: Can you tell me a little bit about producing this album? Where did you record? Did you have a producer?
Maria Dubiel: The album has a bit of a funny back story. I completed the entire project from start to finished product in hand in about 60 days; recording, artwork, mixing, mastering, and pressing. It’s not something I recommend doing. It happened that way because at the time, I was about to start a mini tour through New England and I also had some major music conferences coming up and I needed a product. I also am a pretty bad procrastinator, so the best way for me to be sure I finally got this done was to put myself under a ridiculous deadline. So because of time and budget and circumstance, I ended up self producing the album. I would prefer to have a producer to guide the project, but it wasn’t in the cards. Three of the tracks were recorded at PureSound Records in Olyphant, PA and the other two, “One Love” and “Love Heal My Heart” were actually older one take demo tracks I recorded at Sound Investments Studio in Scranton. With some great mastering from Ben Blakesley at SongMastering.com, we were able to make the project sound coherent and fluid as if it was all recorded at the same time and in the same studio.  I guess I sort of did things a bit backwards with my approach; usually an artist’s first CD is full production, a band, lots of full instrumentation, then later on they put out an “unplugged” or acoustic type album of their material. I wanted my first record to be more organic and representative of what I do live. There are only sparse overdubs and I actually play all instruments and do all the vocals. My next album will most likely be the opposite – fully produced with a bit more going on. Still acoustic in feel underneath, but with more happening.

PAMusicScene: What are your thoughts on the new direction/collapse of the traditional music industry? Are you still open to the idea of a major label?
Maria Dubiel: I think the new DIY format that has emerged in recent years where indie artists are concerned, is a refreshing and positive thing in some aspects. The collapse of many major labels has made it a more favorable environment for artists to produce, promote, and distribute their own music. I think eventually there will be no big labels anymore, it’s all a matter of time. Although the reality is that a music artist does not make all that much money from music sales, especially digital downloads which pay very little to the artist. The bulk of income is still generated through live performances and that holds true for huge artists on major labels as well as small indie musicians. So the advent of digital downloads and DIY indie distribution has both pros and cons. On one hand an artist can now get national exposure and distribution that was once only available to major label artists, but on the down side -  people are moving more and more toward digital product and buy less and less actual physical CD’s. So an artists generates even less income from their recordings. Not to mention the loss of sound quality in an MP3 compared to a wav. file such as on a CD.

As for am I open to the thought of a major label? ( hmmm….) I suppose yes I still am, especially if they are willing to provide the financial support and promotion for touring and airplay etc. It could still be a good thing, especially for an unknown artist.

PAMusicScene: How do you feel being an independent (DIY) artist has helped your career and more importantly your creative process?
Maria Dubiel: I suppose it’s given me the inspiration to put out a recording that would not have happened any other way and also the freedom to decide what KIND of record it would be. I guess being a DIY artist has also afforded me some of the exposure that was not available in the past, like distribution through iTunes, Amazon.com, CD Baby, etc….as well as airplay on internet and terrestrial radio stations that I never would have seen otherwise. So it has allowed me to reach a much broader market. As for the creative process, I think it has allowed me to be true to who I am as a musician without the worry of having to fulfill the demands of a major label contract, when it comes to what type and how much material I put out. So I feel like I have a lot more creative control.

PAMusicScene: Do you feel the Pennsylvania original music scene has changed or evolved in the last 10- years or more?
Maria Dubiel: Yes the original music scene in PA has definitely changed and evolved in the last 10 years or so. I think people are more open to hearing original music even in a club setting. We are seeing more open mic nights coming back to the area and even some singer/songwriter showcases that are a breath of fresh air. I have been pleased to say I have participated in some great original music events like the Steamtown Original Music Showcase in Scranton and the Millennium Music Conference which takes place in the Harrisburg area. Also a newer festival for original music is the Launch Music Conference/Festival which is a showcase/seminar hosted in Lancaster. So there’s definitely more going on to promote original music in recent years. There is even a singer/songwriter series being held at New Visions Studios and Gallery this month (January 27th) that I’m playing at, I’m really looking forward to it.

PAMusicScene: What does the future have in store for you? I’m sure we’re not the only ones hoping for another album.
Maria Dubiel: Well, for right now, I’m taking a little bit of a hiatus. I’ll still be around playing here and there I’m sure, but taking some time to get back to writing some new material and re-working my live show a bit. I also would like to get in to the studio and start to work on at least one or two tracks I have in mind for hopefully a new album. As for when that will will be released…hmmmm…..maybe I need another ridiculous deadline!

Maria will be performing live with Ed Randazzo on January 27th at New Visions Studios and Gallery as a part of their Singer/Songwriter Showcase.

Her debut album, Goin’ Back is available for immediate download at:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mariadubiel

For more information:

www.facebook.com/MariaDuBielMusic
www.reverbnation.com/mariadubiel
www.sonicbids.com/mariadubiel

by Paul Simpson
PA Music Scene.com
January 2012

If you’re like me, when you showed up at WXPN’s World Cafe Live for their “Free At Noon” show last Friday (12/30/11), you didn’t really know that much about Charlie Gracie either. The first guy I saw in the upstairs lobby when I walked in was the husband of an old high school friend I hadn’t seen in years, who brought his college-age son along. I said “So you know who Charlie Gracie is?” He said no, he had never heard of him before WXPN started playing his new CD-single “Baby Doll” recently. I had to admit I was a newbie too. I vaguely knew who Charlie was, but had never seen him perform before. Thank you, WXPN—you are a wonderful resource.

I first heard of Charlie Gracie a few years ago from a friend who had started playing gigs with him. Rocco Notte, former keyboardist of The A’s–a group that enjoyed a solid five-year run as Philadelphia’s premier rock band in the early 80s–describes Gracie as “a kind of missing link” between vaudeville and the modern era. “He’s a consummate musician,” Rocco tells me, “but he’s first and foremost an entertainer. The guy lives to be onstage. That’s what he’s all about and that’s where he comes alive–he’ll play anywhere, anytime, as long as someone wants to see and hear him. You’ve got to be on your toes to play with him though, it just evolves as it goes along. He
doesn’t always let the musicians know what’s coming next.”

A few minutes before noon, WXPN radio host Helen Leicht comes to the podium and begins warming up the crowd. “Free at Noon at World Cafe Live” is a joint project between the University of Pennsylvania’s highly-regarded FM music station and National Public Radio; this show will be broadcast live on NPR affiliate radio stations across the country. Helen tells us what cues to expect when the program is about to go live, and has us practice our cheers and applause. “C’mon, is that as loud as you can get for a South Philly guy?” she cajoles. I’m reminded of the early days of live broadcasts, where Charlie Gracie and his contemporaries got their starts on programs such as “American Bandstand” and Alan Freed’s TV specials; Helen’s crowd-rousing seems perfectly in context.

The band members take the stage and set up. Two of them are Philly old-timers themselves–although not quite of Charlie Gracie’s vintage. Bassist Terry Bortman knows something of the vicissitudes of the music business, having been Notte’s bandmate in The A’s. Drummer George Manney has, like Bortman, been a working professional since the 60s, and has parlayed his vast experience and his meticulously garnered collection of local rock memorabilia into a second career as a documentary filmmaker. Manney is the de facto historian and docent of the Philly rock scene, and I’m interested in hearing his thoughts on performing with a living Philly legend. I don’t know the guitarist, Bob Jackson, but later learn from Terry that “the young guy in the band” is from “the old neighborhood”–specifically, Gracie’s old South Philly neighborhood. Helen Leicht gives us our cue, and the program’s theme song blasts: A few bars of Elvis Costello’s “Pump It Up,” and we are live and on the radio.

So who is this Charlie Gracie fellow who has filled this large room with people, fully two-thirds of whom are probably seeing him for the first time? Leicht introduces him over the fading Costello music by ticking off a resume befitting a man who has spent more than sixty years as a performer without ever needing a day job: Rockabilly Hall of Fame, Philadelphia Music Hall of Fame, Great Britain Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame. Suddenly, there he is–resplendent in a tailored crimson sport-coat as radiant as the glow on his beaming face. Man, does this guy have a smile! And does he ever look happy! Just looking at him makes me feel happy, something I sense is shared by the crowd around me.

I immediately understand Notte’s vaudeville allusion when Gracie begins the show with a bit of schtick about his age. “Yo!” he shouts to the cheering audience as he waves and then bends down to plug into his board. “And I can still bend down!” he says triumphantly. It’s the first of many such self-deprecating age gags, despite the fact that this dapper, debonair gentleman looks far haler and heartier than many people in the audience decades younger than his 75 years. “How the hell are ya?” he asks with a chortle, then fakes a rather good clipped English accent: “I say old chaps, are we ready to rock’n’roll?” He then pretends to have forgotten to turn his amp on. “Ya see,” he quips, “when I started playing guitar they didn’t have amplifiers.”

He switches his amp off stand-by, agilely strums a quick progression, then holds the old Guild X-350 up to the lights. “This guitar is older than most of you folks here,” he laughs. It’s the same instrument he wowed British teenagers with in 1957. The man must take as good care of his axe as he takes care of himself. Then the banter stops, and it’s down to serious business.

His casual stance becomes muscular, and suddenly the old gentleman is the macho personification of a rockabilly guitar-slinger as the band launches into “I’m Alright,” a song dedicated to his friend, the late Eddie Cochran. “You know you got to go, but you don’t know when, so keep on rockin’ till the very end…don’t you worry ‘bout me, I’m alright.” Pretty much Charlie Gracie, in a nutshell.

Gracie’s next song is a story in itself, and he shares it with us in a brief intro. In the fall of 1956, “I was just a young kid about to turn 21, after five or six years of recording with no real success, I thought I was going to have to drive a truck for Sears and Roebuck. Then in December I went into the studio, recorded this song, and by March of 1957 we knocked a fella by the name of Elvis out of the box for a couple of weeks and took the Number One position.” The band launches into “Butterfly,” the song that replaced “Don’t Be Cruel” at the top of the charts, sold more than three million copies, and put Charlie Gracie on the path to rock’n’roll history.

There’s a wonderful poignancy in seeing veteran Philly rockers like Manney and Bortman backing Charlie Gracie in this live broadcast. Most people of a certain age remember The Beatles’ 1963 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show as the beginning of the “British Invasion,” the night that launched 10 zillion American rock bands. Charlie Gracie beat The Beatles to the show by seven years, and it was his new hit song and his Ed Sullivan appearance that placed him in the vanguard of the American Invasion of Britain in the 50s that, in turn, inspired the British youngsters who reintroduced American teens to their own country’s music in the 60s. It’s quite a cultural transplantation.

Buoyed by the success of “Butterfly,” Charlie Gracie embarked on a tour of Britain that made him an enduring legend in the United Kingdom. He expanded his repertoire to include such late-50s hits as “Fabulous,” Ninety-Nine Ways, “Cool Baby,” and others, performing at such legendary venues as London’s Palladium and Hippodrome–the first solo American rock’n’roll act to hit the English stage. Only Bill Haley and The Comets preceded the trail he blazed. Terry Bortman attributes Gracie’s enduring fame across the pond to the greater European sense of historical perspective. “We’re impressed by two-hundred-year-old buldings,” he says, “but they think in terms of thousand-year-old structures.” Charlie himself just says: “They still know how to rock’n’roll over there.”

“Fabulous” is the third song of the set, and Gracie mentions with understandable pride that it’s one of Paul McCartney’s favorites; Sir Paul has recorded it and performed it live on numerous occasions, perhaps most notably at his roots-based “Return to the Cavern” concert in 1999. Gracie didn’t write the song, but it was he who first brought it to young British ears as a top-ten U.K. hit. George Harrison was quoted in a Billboard Magazine interview about Gracie, saying “it was his big electric slap-back echo that was brilliant.” Van Morrison and Graham Nash have also cited Gracie as an early influence in their careers.

In the end, it is such historically conscious musicians who most appreciate Gracie’s musicianship and contribution to the genre. Terry Bortman notes that “when people my age were first starting to play, we had The Beatles, Clapton, Page, Hendrix to emulate. Who did Charlie have? When he started playing rock’n’roll, it didn’t even have that name.”

Bortman has been performing with Gracie on-and-off for about ten years, and I wonder what single thing he would like newbies like me to know about Charlie. He doesn’t hesitate: “Charlie is as good a boss to work for as he is a performer. He doesn’t let any of the little complications compromise the band relationship, nothing phases him. He’s just a pleasure to be around and work with.”

George Manney agrees, and adds: “ He also tells great stories off stage and on stage and I never get tired of hearing them. Hell, if Charlie breaks a string on stage, he’s got a million stories or jokes to keep the crowd pleased. Charlie is the ultimate entertainer. What is really interesting about playing with Charlie live… we NEVER rehearse. When you do a gig with Charlie, it is always by the seat of your pants. You have got to be on your toes musically or you are OUT.”

I see a bit of this as the live performance ends. Charlie closes with another of Paul McCartney’s favorites, “Guitar Boogie,” a rip-roaring rockabilly flash instrumental. Helen Leicht signs off of the live broadcast portion of the show, and then the band, of course, performs an encore for the venue audience. And then another. And then another. As they are about to quit, and George Manney is packing up I see Charlie call for yet another. George grins and shakes his head at Terry as they set back up, and I’m reminded of another great quote I saw about Charlie Gracie, from the April 2000 issue
of the British music magazine “Now Dig This” :

“…And what can you say about Charlie Gracie, some 43-years after he blew away a bunch of awestruck school kids at the Manchester Palace? Just try to imagine the effect of an over-amplified Guild blasting out “Guitar Boogie” on 13-yr. olds probably seeing their first real Rock ‘n’ Roll guitar man. Well, I have never tired of seeing him and he is still fresh as a daisy and the same friendly, dapper gentleman he always was.”

Gracie’s new CD For The Love Of Charlie has just been released, and he advises us to buy a copy–”We need the money,” he laughs. But don’t you worry about Charlie Gracie, he’s alright.

**  Photos courtesy of Irma Cope **