David Leicht and Raymond Morin, both contributors to Work & Worry, have created a new video for the song “Capitano”, from their 2010 CD/Tab book release Petrifidelity. The clips were filmed at Morin’s home and at the world-famous Sharp Edge beer dispensary. Check it out below!
There are still a small handful of Petrifidelity books available. Visit here for more info!
Breakfast For Dogs, Don Ross’ first solo guitar outing since 1999’s Passion Session, brings just enough innovation to familiar grounds, making it a disc worth hearing. It may seem that Ross’ relaxed virtuosity modulates within the boundaries of his comfort zone, but the range he is capable of exploring is actually quite broad. The tunes on this album are delivered with an unwavering enthusiasm for the instrument, and his connection with the novelty of the guitar is a theme that moves the listener through these tracks. What differentiates this collection from albums by some of Ross’ peers is that it doesn’t aim to be merely a podium for “gee-whiz” technical prowess, like the worst of Leo Kottke’s albums, but is an honestly played record, one that doesn’ t hide its weaknesses or carry a crutch.
The obsession with rhythm on this set of tunes has arguable merit. On one hand, the persistent 4/4 beat that most of the songs are anchored by, such as on “From France to India” and “Crazy”, provides a rhythmic underpinning closest to ragtime, with syncopated beats in the bass. On the other hand, the treatment of the melody and overall playing style is colored by a funky, almost disco feel, and so a song that might flourish were it given the chance to walk on its own two feet comes off as smarmy and cloying, with a snappy backbeat like so much mid-90’ s pop rock. Continue reading
Kenn Fox is a fingerstyle guitar veteran from Wisconsin, and his new CD Malakai’s Rainbow finds him working in an easy going, contemporary style. The tracks are all original instrumentals, alternately melancholy and breezy, and the sound of the disc has a modern acoustic sheen, with occasional reverbs and delays, and blended acoustic and pickup signals throughout.
This record is named for Fox’s grandson, who was born last June with a congenital heart condition. The opening title track is Fox’s tribute to the boy, who has already fought his way through multiple open heart surgeries. The song is bittersweet, mostly loping arpeggios with a few nice melodic turns. Second track “The Return” begins like an inverted “Layla”, and I mean that in a good way… Fox patiently lays down a sparse melody over a mix of picked and strummed chords, with a memorable melodic transition to the “B” section, and some nice descending notes in the bass. The middle of the song finds the guitarist digging into some down-tuned strumming, resulting in a less interesting, sort of Alice In Chains vibe, before returning to the initial themes.
As the album goes on, Fox mostly repeats the approach of the first two tracks, with only a little variation in tempo and feel. Songs like “Marion”, “Across The Sea”, “The Wisdom of Trees” and closer “Eyes of a Child” all mine the same emotional terrain, with slow, clean picking, and some skeletal melodies buried in the pretty arpeggios.
by David Leicht Today, Three Lobed Recordings releases Steve Gunn and John Truscinski’s fine debut album, Sand City. The LP features four instrumentals, recorded live at Black Dirt Studio in New York City’s northern exurbs. Percussionist Truscinski is known for his work with the Ecstatic Peace!-affiliated “drone/scrape” trio, X.O.4, and guitarist Gunn for his contributions to the acid folk group, GHQ, as well as his solo work. While Gunn’s recent albums have delivered heavy doses of acoustic blues, on Sand City he works in the open-tuned modal style of improvising that’s become prevalent in today’s folk guitar underground. Examples of this style of playing are scattered through Steve’s previous work, including the vibrato-heavy electric guitar solo, “Jadin’s Dream”, from Boerum Palace (2009). Continue reading
Acoustic renaissance man Stefan Grossman has had a busy year, to say the least. He’s been doing his fair share of globe-trotting, with various concerts and workshops taking place in England, New Zealand, Japan and the US… including a high-profile appearance at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Blues Festival outside of Chicago this summer. Somehow, Grossman has still managed to keep cranking out new CD and DVD releases via his Guitar Workshop, from blues and ragtime guitar instruction, to the latest installments in the Guitar Artistry DVD series, to a group of indispensable CD reissues of classic Kicking Mule albums. This new release schedule hasn’t been easy to stay on top of, but with such a wealth of acoustic guitar music to dig into, this writer certainly isn’t complaining! Continue reading
WORK & WORRY 