Posts Tagged ‘Bob Dylan’

REViEW : THE ABRAMS BROTHERS AT CENTREPOiNTE / NORTHERN REDEMPTiON & FAMiLY VALUES

Published by cctadmin on April 22nd, 2012

On Friday night a group of us went to see THE ABRAMS BROTHERS at CENTREPOiNTE here in Ottawa, and I just really can’t stop raving about these guys.  To be honest, I knew very little about this much-loved Canadian trio leading up to the show (proof I don’t get  out enough!), but there was no doubt they grabbed and held my attention for the entirety of their show.

Many of you might be familiar with THE ABRAMS BROTHERS and that makes perfect sense having learned they’ve been in the business for something like 11 years.  Consisting of brothers JOHN and JAMES as well as shaggy-haired cousin ELi, these boys have been recognized for musicianship BEYOND their years – delivering bluegrass, country and folk-rock with hints of pop sensibility.  I fell in love with it all; I mean there was no doubting the talent up on that stage – and of course they are all easy on the eyes and perform with such professionalism and energy.  And the harmonies - MY LORD – I live for music like that and found myself immediately hooked.  I wanted in!

I grew up on bluegrass, country, folk, pop and rock – but unlike THE ABRAMS BROTHERS, did not come from a musical family per se (not counting my dad and Uncle) and we certainly did not play together as a family unit.  In between songs, JOHN (gorgeous and well-spoken to boot) talked about the significance of music in their family history, and I found myself touched by that because you only have to see them perform once to understand how close they are – and how lucky they are to share in this bond.  I wanted them to adopt me !!! Begging me to question – Boys – can you use another member in your family act?  Perhaps, pseudo-cousin CC?   I’m very malleable and I’m sure I can find harmony with you! (P.S. I’m the one who took your set list, as pictured above…I’m bad, I know – but I needed some sort of memento.  Plus… I was sitting right in the front row, who could resist snagging a keep sake?)

THE ABRAMS BROTHERS are fourth-generation musicians with musical roots reaching back to their great-grandparents. And despite their age, veteran is certainly not a word out of reach given their credits. They’ve been touring together for almost a decade – and in the past few years, have become Canadian festival favorites.  In 2005, the Ontario-based group became the youngest Canadians to appear on NASHViLLE‘s iconic GRAND OLE OPRY.  They’ve toured Europe, and several times have performed for the Jacob’s Ladder Folk Festival in Israel. In 2006, the band received the DANiEL PEARL MEMORiAL violin, given to especially gifted young musicians.  These are just but a few accomplishments I discovered after checking out more on this trio.

Last year the band released Blue On Brown, an album of songs by ARLO GUTHRiE and BOB DYLAN. The record was a tribute to songwriters they had always admired – and although their show on Friday had several highlights, these covers were exceptional and had me closing my eyes, tapping my feet and forgetting all my troubles – which is just what the doctor had ordered.  I was seriously, and pleasantly surprised to find myself thinking “Heck, this is one of the first times in a while that I’ve enjoyed a show from start to finish”.  Even ARLO GUTHRiE, the legend himself, recognized the talent of this trio after he first heard them playing his own songs at one of his shows and thought they were “way too young to be playing that good. I know I will be hearing from The Abrams Brothers for a long time to come.”

Thank you boys for a great night of music – I hope to catch you again sometime in the future! Props as well to the opening act, DARRELLE LONDON, a sweet and lovely thing who played an intimate set on piano and ukulele – setting the right tone for the rest of the night.  She looked like a vision of a very young DOLLY PARTON in some ways, dressed in an adorable little red stage dress and blonde hair, singing sweet songs inspired by her own life as a young girl with a lot of dreams.  I really enjoyed her as well.

For more on these guys check out www.theabramsbrothers.com and this selected video below – which was a highlight moment of their Friday night show for me.

 

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MUSiC LOG/JOURNAL: The LiGHT of DAY

Published by cctadmin on November 25th, 2011

Last year offered me a lot of opportunities to accomplish some life-long ambitions of mine – mostly of which involved being able to extend myself to a community beyond my living room, musically speaking.  What with ‘THEY SAY i’M DiFFERENT‘ and DANNiEL OiCKLE’S ‘THE CORRUPTiON of FLESH’, and a few live shows under my belt – a personal/professional goal going forward has been to continue pushing myself creatively, but within the context of collaborating a lot more – as I find its’ one thing to play/sing/write alone – and another richer experience to feed off/inspire each other to far exceed yourself.

Speaking of which – last Wednesday I brought my buddy/fellow musician friend iSAAC VALENTiNE over to jam on our individual material.  iSAAC, already familiar with releasing his own music independently – has his sights set on recording tracks for his next release, and much to my enjoyment he has generously allowed me in on, at least one track – an original tune he wrote and composed called ‘Workhorse‘.

Building slowly ‘Workhorse‘ is a lovely tune, iSAAC taking lead vocals, surrouded in acoustic and slide guitar, as well as a harmony from yours true.  Wednesday in particular was a lot of fun, as it was time for me to add a third part harmony – resulting in a trio of vocals remicent of another TRiO: DOLLY PARTON, LiNDA RONSTADT & EMMYLOU HARRiS, respectively.  Now I’m no Dolly but what we did accomplish – is something just as fine with that VALENTiNE/CC twist.  Needless to say we’re both excited about the results – so do stay tuned for ‘Workhorse‘ as it continues to evolve.

While on the subject of recording, another CC project currently on the go, centres around a collaborative effort between myself and photographer/musician/songwriter DARREN HOLMES. Similarly to working with VALENTiNE, DARREN and I have been slowly but surely building tracks for a yet-to-be titled follow-up album to ‘THEY SAY i’M DiFFERENT‘.  This time ’round, my primary goal is to be a part of crafting something even more evolved as to me there would be no point in releasing more unless I’m able to grow and evolve.  Being able to do so in the company of like-minded artists is what feels best, so I’m thankful for Mr. DARREN HOLMES, indeed.

What I like most about collaborating with him thus far, is the loose nature of these sessions; which usually start with a cup of coffee and good conversation before we begin tackling tracks.  So far DARREN and I have begun working on several of his original songs, ‘All I Need‘ and ‘So Hard‘, in addition to a song I wrote called ‘Maggie Brown Eyes (Maggie’s Theme’).  Additionally, I’m about to start working on a collaboration effort between myself and local folk singer KETURAH JOHNSON – someone I’ve admired musically for some time (and who is also in the midst of recording a studio album) – and I’m only thrilled she is just as eager.  Something else that uber excites me are ‘Sailor Song‘ and ‘Nothing Matters‘ – two songs originally recoreded by Ottawa’s very own THE PEPTiDES – and written by none other than CLAUDE MARQUiS.  Finally, DARREN and I have been teasing out a beautiful banjo version of BOB DYLAN’S ‘I Threw It All Away‘, giving me the opportunity to interpret a song I’ve loved for years.  We see each other in these recording sessions on a when-we-can-afford-to basis.

All in all these endeavors provide those of us involved opportunities to play – so even if these tracks never see the light of day (and I hope they do), the experiences in recording alone have been rewarding.  Until then – or until there is more to report – stay tuned and keep well folks!  Check out the images below from Wednesdays session with iSAAC.

CC xox

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THE TiMES THEY ARE A CHANGiN’

Published by cctadmin on June 11th, 2011

Dear Viewers,

Recently I had the fortune of talking to a very creative and savvy friend of mine.  This friend is much more informed about how to communicate with society in today’s gizmo-happy times, particularly when you want to reach a lot of people and share a variety of things from music to photography.  Myself, I am a slow learner – but after much consideration I think I may developed some new and fresh ways to keep viewers of WWW.CCTRUBiAK.COM happy and entertained more frequently.  I would also LOVE to hear of any suggestions on what YOU may want to see more of so please share your suggestions!

So here is how it will look going forward:

MUSiC TRiBUTE MONDAYS : This is where I will continue to post anything pertaining to music that influences me; from my tributes to albums; songs; genres; singer/songwriters; cover art etc.  As of now I’ve been very sporadic in my tributes (BOB DYLAN, TANYA TUCKER, OLiVIA NEWTON-JOHN, LABELLE, CRYSTAL GAYLE, JUiCE NEWTON etc), but this will allow for more consistency.  I’ve really only touched the tip of the ice burg.

FiLM TRiBUTE TUESDAYS : Similarly I will do my best to post tributes to the films/actors/actresses/directors/genres that again, have inspired me over the years.  Up to now I have done short features on PAPER MOON (1974), KLUTE (1971), CARNAL KNOWLEDGE (1971), LADY SiNGS THE BLUES (1971), THE ROSE (1980) and THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAiRO (1985) but there are many more films to be discussed.  Any thoughts from you?

ANYTHiNG GOES WEDNESDAYS : On a day like Wednesday I say anything goes – so I may feel like doing a tribute/feature on anyone from a LOCAL ARTiST, to an exceptional SUPERSTAR from our times who has relevance to me and my own sensibility.  To date I’ve featured Ottawa-based photographer DARREN HOLMES, DEEDEE BUTTERS as well as STONEY MARTiNS and the OUTSiDERS – but keep your eyes open for future features on THE PEPTiDES, AKSHAY TYAGi, DANNiEL OiCKLE, DAN ZiEMKiEWiCZ and more.

QUOTABLE THURSDAYS : I am often inspired by the words of wisdom that can come from anyone as relevant as LADY GAGA to as everyday as the LiTTLE OLD LADY WHO SAT ON THE BUS NEXT TO ME.  Here is where I wish to share these words of wisdom with you.

PHOTO FRiDAYS : Here I would like to post any image or photograph of my choice, be it one of my own or by any given photographer, living or dead.  For all the years I spent pouring over TiME, ROLLiNG STONE, VOGUE, LiFE, iNTERViEW – there are millions of photos I find striking and inspirational – so let me share them with you!

Again – don’t be shy and let me know if any of you have ideas or suggestions on how to spice up CCTRUBiAK.COM.

Catch you on the flip side!

CC

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MUSiC : NASHViLLE SKYLiNE, BOB DYLAN, 1969

Published by cctadmin on February 16th, 2011

Once I had mountains in the palm of my hands
Rivers that ran through every day
But I must have been mad
I never knew what I had
Until I threw it all away…

-Bob Dylan

NASHViLLE SKYLiNE is Bob Dylan’s ninth studio album, released by Columbia Records in April 1969.

The album marked a departure for Dylan, who had previously been known for his poetic folk music and rock n’ roll.  NASHViLLE SKYLiNE, displayed his complete immersion into COUNTRY MUSiC – and out of it came a brilliant album.  Along with the more basic themes, simple songwriting structures, and domestic feel, it introduced audiences to a softer and more affected country crooner in Dylan.

NASHViLLE SKYLiNE was definitely a departure for the folk and rock music Bob Dylan became famous for in the early 1960’s.  When I discovered this 1969 album it quickly became one that I had playing for months.  Every song was a favourite.  Dylan was and remains a poetical genius, yes, but so many incredible songs of his earlier career get overshadowed in the face of his monster hits.  I Threw It All Away is not a political anthem.   It doesn’t provide any kind of social commentary.  It is however, a song that I wish I could have written.  Rather, I should say it feels like a song that could have been written for me.  Yet don’t we all feel that way about certain songs?  That’s the joy of music, after all.  Ultimately, Dylan is being confessional when he croons “Once I had mountains in the palm of my hand, And rivers that ran through ev’ry day, I must have been mad, I never knew what I had, until I threw it all away”.  A critic who once put it extremely well offers that that he gives “a glimmer of honesty from a person who has taken love for granted, squandered its rewards, and lived to sing about it.”  And this is what most appeals to me; the universality that we have all experienced at one time or another.  Or not, if we have been so fortunate.  I have been in those shoes.  I have made that human error of taking something or someone for granted.  And I have lived to sing about it. And it is because of this I connected to it in a way that solidifies it as a standout.  Period.  To be sure, as difficult as it can be to look back on something and realize that you ‘threw it all away’, the song is not all gloom and doom.  There is an implication that a lesson was learned and that there is hope.  That hope can be all we need to get by sometimes.

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