From: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org (jangle-poets-digest) To: jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Subject: jangle-poets-digest V8 #61 Reply-To: jangle-poets@smoe.org Sender: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk jangle-poets-digest Wednesday, October 25 2006 Volume 08 : Number 061 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [JP] [Fwd: Kennedys] [JanglePoets@aol.com] [JP] Re: Songs of the Open Road [JanglePoets@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 14:45:28 EDT From: JanglePoets@aol.com Subject: [JP] [Fwd: Kennedys] Hey everyone: This was published in the Washington Weekend magazine's Riffs column Sept. 28. - -- Jay - -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Kennedys Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 12:49:13 -0500 From: Jay Votel To: For Pete and Maura Kennedy, Sept. 30 brought a CD release concert and chance to reconnect with friends. The first couple of folk rock will be performing selections from their latest disc of covers, "Songs of the Open Road," at Vienna's Jammin' Java (www.jamminjava.com). The official release date for the disc was Oct. 3. It is the Kennedys' second disc on the Appleseed label. Mr. Kennedy, a guitar slinger who grew up in the Washington region, produced the disc and plays an effervescent mix of guitars, electric sitar, banjo, bass, keyboards, percussion and even ukulele, along with providing harmony vocals. Mrs. Kennedy, originally from New York state, adds guitar and lead vocals. The couple recently relocated to Northampton, Mass., following a few years of living in Greenwich Village. Mrs. Kennedy says the artistic community west of Boston offers a good home base for their touring lifestyle. The couple formerly called Reston home. Although the Kennedys are known more for their jangly original tunes, their concerts are often liberally seasoned with crowd-pleasing cover songs, ranging from the Beatles and Bob Dylan to George Gershwin and Charlie Byrd-style bossa nova. "We've been playing a number of these live for years," Mrs. Kennedy says, so when it came time to start planning material for this disc, "we thought it might be a good idea to put these out on one album." The songs also provide some insight into what influences the Kennedys. Three come from Southern California country-rock origins: "Eight Miles High" and "Gypsy Rider," credited to Gene Clark with co-authors David Crosby and Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, as well as "Sin City," a Gram Parsons song written with Chris Hillman and performed with the Flying Burrito Brothers before both artists teamed up with the "Sweetheart of the Rodeo"-era Byrds. "Pretty Girl Why" is a Stephen Stills song from the same vein. Two of the songs are from the late Dave Carter, "Happytown" and "Gypsy Rose." Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," Jimmy Webb's "Galveston" and John Stewart's "Jasmine" are given the Kennedys treatment, too, as are Mahalia Jackson's "I'm On My Way" and Nanci Griffith's "Late Night Grande Hotel." The Kennedys met while both were backing Miss Griffith on tour in the early 1990s. Although two of the songs have the word "gypsy" in their titles, there's no prevalent open-road theme to the selections, except, Mrs. Kennedy says, "there's a certain freedom that these songs evoke." "Maybe people will take this album out on the road and it will be their road music," she says. Check out the Kennedys' Official Home Page: http://www.KennedysMusic.com/ Fab photos, the Official tour diary, dashboard Buddha haiku, groovy merchandise...what more could you ask for? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 14:46:43 EDT From: JanglePoets@aol.com Subject: [JP] Re: Songs of the Open Road I've really enjoyed this album for the past 3 months or so. I knew about half the songs really well, but others were completely new to me. The disc finally made it's way out of my car a few weeks ago - only because I drove my husband's truck one day and he's kept it since then. I've also had the pleasure of recommending this album on another music list that I'm on. A couple people have since bought it and are enjoying it. One person had never seen TK before and went to see them in part because of my recommendation. He liked them so much, he's planning to see them again next week! With regard to your question, Frank, I find it a little disconcerting when singers change the pronouns in songs. I really don't care for Shawn Colvin's cover of the Police song "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" because Shawn changed "she" to he." Maybe it's just because the original was so well known to me. Theresa - ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Frank Hartge" > To: "Jangle" > Subject: [JP] Re: Songs of the Open Road > Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 11:06:10 -0400 > Bruce, the ol' JanglePoets list has been pretty quiet lately, hasn't it! > > I have been listening to the new album quite a bit, and think it is > terrific. > (Of course, I think ALL Pete and Maura's stuff is terrific!) > > One of the best things about listening to covers of songs, in my view, is > that > it often prompts me to go seek out the original version. With the advent > of > iTunes, this is much more easily accomplished than it once may have been. > I > have a playlist set up featuring the original version, then TK's version. > Makes a nice listening experience. > > I feel they "out-Byrds-ed" the Byrds on Eight Miles High. That track just > rings out! > > Pretty Girl Why has always been a favorite Steve Stills / Buffalo > Springfield > track, and this version is wonderful. Galveston is strong. > > And I think Maura's singing on Gypsy Rose is especially strong. It's an > interesting contrast to Tracy Grammer's approach, which is a bit more > gentle > and slow. > > The whole record is terrific, and probably the most full expression of > their > "jangly guitars" to date. > > Here's a question.... How should female singers handle songs that are > written > from a male's perspective? On this record, Galveston, Pretty Girl Why, > Raging > Eyes and Gypsy Rose are notable examples. Tracy Grammer did Solitary Man > recently on one of her records. In a concert I heard her say that her > mother > thought it odd, but Tracy explained that a good song is a good song, and > the > gender of the interpreter shouldn't matter. I agree. Anyone feel > differently? > > I'm looking forward to TK's swing through the Mid-West the next couple of > weeks. We're hosting them this Friday at a house concert, and plan to see > them > in Cleveland, Detroit, and maybe one other venue. > > This week marks the tenth anniversary of our first Kennedys show on Oct > 26, > 1996. I'm curious if anyone on this list has an earlier experience? > > Frank Check out the Kennedys' Official Home Page: http://www.KennedysMusic.com/ Fab photos, the Official tour diary, dashboard Buddha haiku, groovy merchandise...what more could you ask for? ------------------------------ End of jangle-poets-digest V8 #61 *********************************