From: owner-cageheads-digest@smoe.org (cageheads-digest) To: cageheads-digest@smoe.org Subject: cageheads-digest V1 #4 Reply-To: cageheads@smoe.org Sender: owner-cageheads-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-cageheads-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk cageheads-digest Monday, October 12 1998 Volume 01 : Number 004 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Welcome! [Jonathan Burak ] Re: Welcome! [kartalst@HUGSE1.HARVARD.EDU] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1998 21:16:52 -0400 From: Jonathan Burak Subject: Re: Welcome! kartalst@hugse1.harvard.edu wrote: > SO that's my Joel-story...what's yours? > I first came upon Joel Cage at one of Harpoon Brewery's festivals a few summers ago. I believe he had the stage for three hours. Not only did he play his own work but he covered many songs of Hendrix, Clapton, Page et al. My wife and I were quite impressed. JC can REALLY play/wail the blues, which is my music of choice. (I studied and played Hammond B-3 organ for many years as a hobby). I later e-mailed Joel that I had never seen one person with an acoustic guitar play with such power. I 've seen Joel play two other times -- at Passim's in 1997 and a small performance at Borders Books in Braintree, MA near where I reside. I wish I had introduced myself to Joel at that small venue but I had "melancholic shyness" that day. I'm looking forward to seeing his concert this week at Passim's. I dont see JC as a folk singer. I've never liked folk music with the exception of early Dylan and Arlo Guthrie. I am reminded about this description of James Taylor: "A rock star with his roots firmly embedded in folk." Joel is a songwriter of the likes of Taylor, and the late Harry Chapin. Neither Chapin or Taylor (or anyone I have ever heard in my 42 years) play as mean and brilliant acoustic guitar as Joel Cage. Also, some of Joel's rock ballad's and singing at the higher end of his range remind me of early Bryan Adams. Stress the word early in reference to Adams.. We sure could use more quality rock music in this world. All JC needs as I see it is a recording contract for a big label, some modest backup, a producer, and cross-spectrum radio play. Joel Cage is sort of like an acoustic Neil Young meets Stevie Ray Vaughan. I invoke Vaughan for fluidity of improvisation and apparant passion and comittment in performance. I think the kids today would really get into what Joel Cage has to say. He could have a career like Taylor or Chapin or Neil Young or Jackson Browne, even Clapton, if that's what he wants. Judging by the lyrics throughout the Last Hard Road album he certainly has paid a lot of hard dues to get where he is. One can not help but respect and admire that in an artist. Jonathan Burak Quincy, MA. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1998 21:55:20 -0400 (EDT) From: kartalst@HUGSE1.HARVARD.EDU Subject: Re: Welcome! Welcome, Jonathan! It's always so cool to hear different people's opinions and stories. Now, I have a question for you...for EVERYONE...one which has been on and off my mind... where do you draw the line with folk music? where do you come to a point where someone who is acoustic is just 'acoustic' and someone who is folk is 'folk'? do you think such a seperation is even necessaary? it's a really intriguing question, to be honest. at least, it is to me... one of the things that I have mulled over this questioning with is the singer Jewel. OK...so she;'s this super-duper-famous chyckie now, at age 24...she has a multi-platinum album (which has been out like forevern ow...), a movie which should be in the theatres somteime soonish (I think it's called "A Ride with the Devil"...by Ang Lee...), and she has her second album's release date in early-mid November...she also has her book of poetry out... ...she has considered herself folk...but she is also crossed-over into pop... where do you draw the line? on the one hand, traditional "folk" is really acoustic...i guess a lot of people would consider the traditional folk stuff that tells the folklore of a specific area...or even something that tells a story about the people (rather than making a political or social *statement* per sey...)...in our society there seems to be a lot of emphasis of "type" of music performed with instruments played... Jewel has many songs that are about love and hope...stuff that these days is pretty common, I guess...while she was on the local scene in San Diego, compared to the great volume of "alternative" bands in the area, she was seen as bein a "folk" singer... ...but then, onthe national scene, she falls into the "lillith fair type of music" scene...the singer/songwriter rockers...i guess...and she has started using a back up band more and more and more...and she sings various songs with an electric guitar now... where does she really fall? is there something transient between considering youself a folk singer and being a pop/rock singer? does categorization...which seems so prevelant in our society...necessarily have to be a part of it all? I am only using Jewel as on *example* of the types of questions that I consider....you could even take, if you are into that scene, a group like Green Day...that had, at least in the beginning (I don't know cuz i don't follow them...only what's on the radio...), a sound that was typical and sound-a-like of the "garage band" thing that was popular...and then, this past summer, I noticed on MTV while passing channels a Green Day song (which seems fairly popular...) that was the lead singer on an acoustic guitar...that had the sound that most people would attribute to something "folk"-y... should "folk" music be specific to the various singers & groups that tend to circuit around the music festivals or the "famous" venues, like Passim or, in NYC, placesl ke The Bitter End...and if you say that, then what about groups like the nields...gotta get over gretta is no totally a "folk" sounding album--it's more like barenaked ladies style... so I leave things open-ended from my POV. I don't know how to categorize or howto even *define* and draw seperations between diferent areas of music like this...which so many people seem to really use freely... ok the phone is ringing and i know it's for me...i gotta go...discuss nicely! stephanie * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Stephanie Maria Kartalopoulos * The Greek Poet Chyck kartalst@hugse1.harvard.edu This is my prayer for you: May the moon protect you with honesty, caring, and gentility. May the sun guide you with assertive perseverence. May the stars embrace you, bringing smiles to your faces and songs to your souls. And I hear your voice through the darkness-it's music to my ears. -J.Bruce ------------------------------ End of cageheads-digest V1 #4 *****************************