Corey Koehler - Never too Late

Another album that I've had forever that somehow has never been reviewed.  Well, not forever, but well over a year.  Must have listened to this album 15 times.  It's one of my go-to albums for certain moods.  Something rootsy, bluesy, singer-songwriter-y.  You know, something harder than my normal Cat Stevens, but not heavy rock.  Something earthy and powerful, yet acoustic-based.  Real authentic, country-tinged rock.

Yes, Corey Koehler is my go-to guy.

In truth, I don't know much about this cat, but I remember exactly how I got ahold of this little treasure.  I was scouting out websites/blogs to send our own Ripple releases to for review and press.  I don't recall which site Corey ran, but when I wrote him, he told me he was done with the site to concentrate on his music.  One thing led to another and the album was downloaded into my iPhone.

Where it's been ever since.

Let me re-emphasize that last sentence.  At the Ripple we get hundreds, sometimes thousands of submissions each month.  My iPhone is only a 16G.  That means I regulate the music on my phone like crazy.  Nothing stays on my phone (except Ripple bands) because I have to constantly be clearing space to download the next group of albums I need to review.

But Corey Koehler has been there for over a year.  And I plan on keeping him there.

First, is Corey's voice.  Thick and earthy, rough and textured, yet still smooth and killer emotive.  It's a voice that caught me right away.  And after listening to this album, I still haven't found a good comparison voice.  Sometimes I think Darius Rucker from Hootie and the Blowfish.  Don't let that turn you off.  Whether you liked Hootie or not, Darius had one helluva voice.  And so does Corey.

Next is the tone.  With that acoustic guitar strumming away, these songs rock to a good, steady beat.  Slide guitar tones fill the spaces perfectly, adding that electric flavor over the strum of the acoustic.  The slide gives each song a country grounding, but this isn't country.  It's just solid, earthy rock.  No boring, maudlin acoustic slow jams here.  Even the ballad, "Take this Ring" keeps me mesmerized with it's steady acoustic strum and heart-felt pleadings for a lifetime of love. 

Finally, we got the songs.  "Change the World" is a steady-rocking call for action.  A fight against apathy.  "You wanna change the world, you can't stand by/And just so you know man, it starts inside."  Corey's voice simply floats through this rebel wake-up call.  I've played this cut for lots of folks, including Pope, and it's captured each of us.  A should-be hit. 

"On My Way" follows next with the acoustic picking and slide intro.  Another call for action, a step away from the complacency of getting stuck in life.  This time, more personal focused on Corey's own feelings of resurrection.  Another killer melody, and sing-along perfect, which leads right into the already mentioned "Take this Ring."  A song so sincere in its emotion, you can almost hear Corey's voice choking back the tears.  "Minnesota Got Colder," is an ode to a lost brother.  "One Step at a Time," is a character sketch like Jim Croce used to write.  In fact, "One Step," boogies along with such an easy groove, I bet Jim would be proud.

"Perfect Ten" and "All the Girls" bring us to an end with a wry smile.  In "Perfect Ten" Corey chuckles as he realizes that his search for the perfect girl is just a fantasy while in "All the Girls" Corey gives one final middle finger to all the women who've broken his heart over the years.  Both songs perfectly are perfectly crafted and cook along over the beat of Corey's strummed acoustic.  Easily, I can hear these played live on a hot summer day, on a deck over looking a lake.  Cold beer in hand.

I don't really know where Corey stands with his career or goals, but damn if he hasn't put together one of those earworm records I can't stop listening to.  Check out his website if you want to hear it or track me down.  Ask me to pull out my iPhone.  Corey Koehler will be there.

--Racer

Nick 13 – Nick 13

This week was good show week, in town beginning on Friday we had Hank 3, City and Colour, Bright Eyes and Nick 13 with Brett Detar. I must say it was an fantastic week of shows. I'd like to say I saw them all but alas I really have no extra money this week, so I opted for the Nick 13 and Brett Detar show.
Let me just say, I am happy with my decision. Nick 13 and Brett Detar rocked my country/folk socks right off. At the show I picked up both the new Nick 13 album as well as the Brett Detar release. Both of which I will be signing the praises of in review form. Here is my review for Nick 13's self titled debut.

* * *

I am writing this review one day removed for seeing the Tiger Army crooner Nick 13 live in Dallas. For the last four years he has been hard at work on a solo album. For people who listen to Tiger Army it is very reminiscent of "Outlaw Heart" from Tiger Army's first, self-titled album. I've always love Nick 13's voice and have been (in)patiently awaiting to hear something new.  Finally this album has released and man is it awesome.

The first stand out track on this album is the song "Carry My Body Down". I love songs I can identify with. Nick 13 writes in a very cryptic way. His song can mean something different to almost anyone that listens. Two people may not make the same conclusion to what he is writing about. He is really the the only one who knows exactly what it is about. To me this song is about reflecting on the past and what happens when you die. Musically this song has an old country feel and sound(not that new bullshit country i.e Taylor Swift that people seem to like).

"How long can this journey go on? Will I find the place I'm meant to go?
Will dreams fall down around us, just like the weathered stone?
Another year has come and gone. Will my coat hold for one year more?
I think of how far I have come, and what's been left behind.

When will they carry my body down? When will they carry my body down?
Will they take it from the river after I've jumped right in and drowned?
Will they find it on the battlefield, on the spot I stood my ground?

I walk alone, I walk apart. Someday, I'll wander no more.
I search to find what I have lost and that which I've never known.
And when I find that I have gone across that river I know,
I'll take only my memories, and things that might have been.

When will they carry my body down? When will they carry my body down?
Will they cut it from a hangman's noose after the sentence has come down?
Will anyone be there to morn a villain's passing to the ground?

When will they carry my body down? When will they carry my body down?

When will they carry my body down?"


The fourth track on the album, "All Alone" is another one of my favorites. Nick 13's croons are accompanied by the backing vocal of "all alone" by his backing band through out  the song. It adds a little something to a great song. The steel guitar and awesome stand up bass are prominent in this song to. Overall, it's a great song and written very well. This is another one of those track I identify with. The lyric "oh where o where is my little girl, It's too much for me I gotta move along, It's too much for me I cannot stay I'm gone....All Alone in this world" really sums it up.

Also on this record, Nick 13 reminds us where he started. He does two "re-envisioned" Tiger Army songs. "In The Orchard" and "Cupids Victim". Both songs are great and do the original Tiger Army tracks more than justice. On "In The Orchard" Nick 13 slows things down and adds a bit of piano and we get a nice honkytonk version of "Cupids Victim".

You know I always find it funny when people say they like all music....except for country. To those people who say that, I think they just haven't heard the right kind of country. Stop listening to the radio and open your ears to the underground. Nick 13 gives us an amazing Americana/Country/Rock album. It is sure to be a favorite for psychobilly, punk and country fans alike. Good music makes everyone happy and this album sure does make me happy....and I'm usually known for being angry...ask anyone who knows me.

Nick 13 goes good with: Tiger Army, Old 97s, City and Colour, Brett Detar, Hank 3 (1 and 2), Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Townes Van Zandt, Willie Nelson

-Cicatriz

Mason Proffit – Wanted . . . Mason Proffit

Listening to Mason Proffit’s first album is akin to a gentle ride on horseback across the open plains of the Western United States. You don’t need to close your eyes too tight to imagine the soft breeze whispering lullabies through the low lying brush of sage, chaparral and mesquite; the rich aroma from the natural vegetation dancing through the air . . . the euphoric sensation of the vast open land, the call of nature, the freedom of space . . . the distant mountains, in all of their purple majesty, marking the horizon and a land of promise . . . various breeds of hawk and eagle performing an aerial ballet to the tune of the wind and the beat of your heart, their cries a serenade for the lonely traveler. Wanted . . . Mason Proffit is American folk music with a healthy dose of country and a pinch of rock n’ roll, and it’s a marvelous soundtrack for a life out West or for a mental getaway from the hustle and bustle of big city life.

Never a big fan of country music, I approached this disc with a little apprehension. What was an old metal like me going to find of great relevance in a country rock album? Well, as it turns out, I found a lot of things compelling about Wanted . . . Mason Proffit. First off, the mellowed out rock and the rebellious country tones transposed my being from riding a desk chair in suburban Southern California to that of one riding that aforementioned horse across the countryside. The escapism of the music is fantastic and the warm tones took me back to when I was a kid watching Bonanza with my grandfather, a time when I thought it would be so cool to be a cowboy. However, it’s the social commentary infused in the lyrics that grabbed my attention the most, drew me deeper into the music, and made me lean back with a smile and a glimmer of greater understanding. Ultimately, it’s the combination of the loner cowboy turning his back on society due the strength of his personal beliefs and ideals that became way too attractive to dismiss, and the music of Mason Proffit took on a whole new meaning.

In a direct attack aimed at the corporate world, Mason Proffit penned the album opener, “Voice of Change.”  Here it is, 1969 and the hippy movement has been in full swing for a few years, and Mason Proffit come out with a largely overlooked anthem that encapsulates many of the ideals of the entire generation. Looking for a world devoid of pollution created by big business, the suit and tie guy, the establishment, these country rockers took more of a punk rock stance that many of our modern, so-called hardcore maestros. On the initial spinning of this track, I found myself sitting, mouth agape as I heard this heavy strumming acoustic guitar accompanied by a mouth harp, but on subsequent listens, the sound became more natural and an integral part of the song. The whole band works in great unison on this tune, and apart from the striking chorus melody, the drum work provided by Art Nash is outstanding!

“A Rectangle Picture,” a song from the perspective of a kid drafted by the Army and sent to Vietnam, features some subtly chilling lyrics. Sung in a voice reminiscent of Roy Orbison, the vocal tone is dark while the music has an almost uplifting quality to it and would seemingly fit better in a jamboree setting. But getting past the cheerier vibe of the music and focusing solely on the lyrics, I can feel a weight of despair running this music. I love the way these guys use the symbolism of “a rectangle picture in an oval picture frame” to emphasize their feelings that the U.S. shouldn’t have been in Vietnam in the first place, as well as a more personal perspective of the drafted soldier sitting in a rice field feeling more out of place than ever before.

Not all of the songs on Wanted . . . Mason Proffit are socio/political in nature. “Sweet Lady Love” is simply about a guy working the river waterways and finding his love, and then settling down. Pretty straight forward, pretty simple . . . well, that’s until the protagonist of the tale kills a man and the two lovers have to live and love on the run. This tune, in particular, sounds an awful lot like Creedence Clearwater Revival, and it has one of the catchiest choruses on the album. The richness of the vocals are intoxicating while the heavily strummed guitars, textural slide work, and swampy bass lines create a warm and comfortable bed for the two lovers to lay their weary heads.

The standout track on the album, and the one that immediately made me stop to analyze the lyrics, is “Two Hangmen.” Man . . . this song is a stunner, bordering on epic! The song is a tale of, as the title indicates, two hangmen who actually turn out to be the heroes in this whole sordid affair. Rebels who started questioning the laws put in place by the government and who needed to be silenced by Uncle Sam. The symbolism throughout this tune is great and I love the parallel lines that they create, the hippies of the sixties in relation to the two hangmen, and how their free thinking was thought of as infectious and rebellious and unlawful, and how the two men eventually die as martyrs . . . like so many demonstrators at rallies who spoke out against the war in Vietnam. By the end of the song, the music is powered by the heavily strummed acoustic guitars as the two hangmen swing side by side from the hangman’s tree. Brilliant tune!

I wouldn’t say I’ve been fully converted to the ways of country music. I still don’t think that I can handle the depressing twang of straight country, but I also didn’t think that I’d ever drink straight bourbon and like it. So, for the time being, I’ll dip my big toe in the pond of country rock, stir it around a little before I dive head first into the deep end, y’know . . . wade through the kiddy pool until I learn how to swim with the big kids. Wanted . . . Mason Proffit has been a foot wetting process, and as I stand ankle deep in this vast pool of music, I stand with a big smile. The Kentucky-fried portions of the music didn’t annoy me and the poignant lyrics gave my mind something solid to chew on, and I’ve even gone as far as tracking down the bands follow up album, Movin’ Towards Happiness. In a time when the music world was getting three Creedence albums, the first two Led Zeppelin albums, Abbey Road, the first CSN album, The Stones’ Let It Bleed, and the first Santana album, (just to mention a few) it’s easy to see Mason Proffit getting overlooked. The great thing, though, is that the music is timeless and has the ability to touch the listener on several emotional levels. Best listened to while sitting alone next to an open campfire after a long days ride.  -  Pope JTE

Lost Classic - Down, Not Out – Down, Not Out

Thursday Night used to be jam night.  The boys would get together and break out the instruments, amplifiers and vocals.  Soon, we didn’t sound half bad - maybe 60% good.  Encouraged, we continued this musical play for a few years.

One of the guitarists, Jim, got into digital home recording studio technology.  Whether it was adding a new (or old) computer, a patch bay or shielding the pickups on a Stratocaster, Jim was, and is, always tinkering. He builds, markets and sells homes for a daytime job. His mechanical skills match his tinkering skills.

In 2004-2005 Jim’s recording studio hobby coincided with the remodel of his home. Most of the work he did himself. The roof of the house, from the kitchen over the garage, is gabled.  This leaves a small room under a pitched roof above the garage.  Jim is 6 ft, 4 inches tall and cannot stand up straight in the room. The floor is heavily cushioned with carpet and there is a single window that opens to a second story view of the driveway. The roof and walls are strategically covered with acoustic foam egg crate tiles. The space is furnished with two chairs, an old sofa and a desk covered with recording equipment, mixing boards, interfaces, computers and other electronic wizardry.

In order to get to the studio there is a rope ladder to the top of the refrigerator.  Standing on the refrigerator the room is accessed via a short door behind and above the refrigerator.  To actually record in the space requires at least two people - one person in the kitchen and one person on top of the refrigerator to whom gear is handed so the ladder can be climbed.

As I understand it, Jim is friends with guitarist and singer Andrew Freeman.  Andrew Freeman, in turn, is friends with drummer and singer Eric Kurtsrock. Eric and Andrew formed the band Down, Not Out, a “High-Energy Acoustic Americana” band with bassist Brad Russell (who played with Rick Derringer and Pat Travers), mandolin player and violinist Chojo Jacques (founder of the “Waybacks”) and a slew of background vocalists to sing harmonies – Tim Hunt, Joel Streeter, Patrick Archer and Reggie Mack.  Pedal steel player David Trabue also joined in.

Down, Not Out wanted to record their first album. Jim told Andrew he could engineer it and showed him the small recording studio above the garage.  Andrew loved it and the studio became known as “The Loft.”

The album that was produced at "The Loft," “Down, Not Out,” is nothing short of phenomenal.  It is intensely intimate and highly reminiscent of the best of the acoustic Grateful Dead with its touches of bluegrass, folk, country and blues. Andrew wrote four of the tracks himself – “Plant A Tree,” “Distant Lullaby,” “Rear View” and “The River.”  He also co-wrote “Back To Me.” Additionally, “Down, Not Out” contains covers of “Hobo Song” by Jack Bonus, “If I Had A Boat” by Lyle Lovett, “Dig A Little Deeper” by R. Bowling and J. Emerson, “These Days” by Jackson Browne and “White Freightliner Blues” by Townes Van Zandt. 

The musicians that are known collectively as Down, Not Out are all staples of the Bay Area club scene. The last time I saw and heard the band from the album live was at Murphy’s Irish Pub in Sonoma.  However, I’m told Andrew and his friends continue to play every Tuesday Night at Giordano Bros. on Columbus at Broadway in North Beach in San Francisco.

Even if you do not have the opportunity to hear Down, Not Out live, try to find the 2005 album “Down, Not Out.”  It will be one that you will definitely cherish.


- Old School

Buy here: Down, Not OUt

An Electrifying Edifice of Ebullient EP's Featuring Breakers Broken, Braxton Parker, and Steven Casper & Cowboy Angst

Breakers Broken - Reset

Absolutely golden, shimmering pop.  That’s what Breakers Broken bring to their new E.P. Reset.  Harkening back to the glory days of true, gorgeously produced pop, Breaker’s Broken somehow manage to remind me of some of the best 80’s pop bands like Curiosity Killed the Cat mixed with, of all things, Michael Jackson.  Sounds bizarre but it’s a massively refreshing mix of pure unadulterated hooks and melodies, blended with dancefloor energy, and, dare I say it, fun.  Yes, music still can be fun.

“Last Man on the Planet,” is the standout here, blending some of the best, most Michael Jackson like vocals I’ve heard in ages.  Not derivative or Xeroxed, but clearly Jackson-esque in tone and phrasing.  Imagine if Jackson had one day fronted Level 42 at their poppiest, or Wet  Wet Wet and you’ll get the feeling.  Big synths, circular drums, dancing strobe lights and swirling lasers.  The short instrumental “How Novel,” keeps the energy rolling high with it’s big synth intro, undulating bass groove, scattering guitar, and intricate drum line, merging seamlessly into “When She Needs Me,” another blast of delicate, R&B infused, synth pop.  Boppy, bouncy, bountiful, complete with undeniable vocal hook and hum-along melody.  “Falling System,” brings on the white boy soul a la Vitamin Z and their addictive single “Burning Flame.” It doesn’t take more than a moment for the bass to find it’s groove, then the perfect tenor bursts in like sunlight streaming through a breakfast nook window.  The dubbed in rap of  "Girl Behind the Bar,” doesn’t work for me, sounding a bit producer forced, but there’s no denying the talent here. In truth, it’s been a while since anyone wrote pure pop like this, and Breakers Broken deserve to find an audience.

Buy here: Breakers Broken - Reset





Braxton Parker - CD Preview EP


A while back, my esteemed partner, The Pope, wrote of Loomis and the Lust, as a band nearly indescribable in style, poppy yet rocking, rough yet polished. In the end, The Pope gave up on trying to find a label and just settled for rock and roll.  Now, just a few weeks later, Braxton Parker comes charging down that same multi-intersecting rock and roll highway.  Blessed with an ear for a melody that would make the writers in most pop punk bands drool with envy, Braxton Parker bursts out with a punchy, crunchy, but definitively poppy brand of rock and roll.

Debuting here on his 3-song EP, Braxton effortless unleashes his rock savvy and definite charms.  “City Lights,” is a full-on, charging rock rave-up, with chiming, circular guitar lines.  Punky in style, this isn’t punk, and God, it isn’t pop emo.  In fact, listening to the glory of the bridge and the catchy-as-catchy-can-be chorus, it’s clear this is a pop song.  Just one infused with more power and passion and energy than we’re used to from most watered-down bands.  In fact, somehow, Braxton manages to defy all decade generalizations in one song.  In some aspects it sounds as clean and AM friendly as some of the jauntier tracks from the seventies, yet some of the guitar lines seem to echo so much of the eighties early Athens scene.  Still the energy is clearly post-Green Day of the nineties, and the tone is pure now.  I’m not sure exactly what to call it, so I’ll just steal my partner’s line, and call in rock and roll.  Pure, fun, hooky, rock and roll.  “Not Yet,” brings a little more crunch and muscle to the guitars, driving the song like the best of the early 80’s powerpop bands.  Braxton’s vocals are a great blend of snotty and full of sneer, while still being incredibly harmonious and sweet.   And once again, he proves he knows his way around a hook.   And somehow he manages to write a chorus is sweet and nasty all at once.  It certainly is powerpop, but more expanded, less condensed and tight than that genre implies. 

Buy here: Braxton Parker



Steven Casper & Cowboy Angst - Topanga Ranch Motel

Roots music, at its finest, has the ability to conjure up images of dusty places, wooden-floored bars, beer swilling patrons, and endless, empty horizons.  On this, his third release, Steven Casper & Cowboy Angst manage to bring all those images to life, and more, mixing in the plaintive yearning of a broken heart, and the motoring muscle of some southern-fried boogie rock.  Steven's voice is distinctly weathered and whiskey soaked to bring this songs to vivid and weary life, while the band cooks along behind him, a southern band in full flight.  Effortlessly, these guys spice up their dusty country with the chops of southern rock, or mix their rocking with heaps of rootsy flavor.  Guess it depends upon your perspective.

What doesn't depend upon perspective, however, is the quality of the songwriting and the performances here.  "Through with You," graced by some excellent, near haunting violin, truly elevates off the disc.  Steven's voice is perfectly worn, and soars as he tells the tale of this broken love.   The band churns around behind him, tossing in some tasty licks and beautiful dual guitar and lead runs.  "Takes me Back," does just that, taking me back to the hot and dry summer days of my youth.  Beginning with a gorgeous acoustic passage, the longing in Steven's voice is infectious as he reminisces on days long lost.  "I Want to Know," ups the boogie in true beer-swilling roadside bar fashion, while  "Down Home Girl," motors on down the highway riding a chugging southern riff, some stellar guitar work, and a violin frenzy.  Beautiful, ageless stuff.

--Racer

Buy here: Topanga Ranch Motel

Breakers Broken




Braxton Parker



Steven Casper

A Sunday Conversation with Old Californio

When The Pope and I first heard the incredible new album "Westering Again," by Old Californio, we were speachless. Literally. I was on the road that day and we were on speaker phone, and neither one of us could dream of the words to capture the simple, dusty beauty of that gem. Finally Pope said, "It's like you're in the mountains above the desert, and you're walking on a dusty trial, and the sun is high in the sky, and the world is expansive. Imagine that's music."

Yep, I agree. So it was our true joy to have Old Californio's scribe, Rich Dembowski come join us on the Ripple red leather interview couch and spread his views on music.


When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkle, the first time I ever heard Kiss's "Detroit Rock City," it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphany's since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and revolutionary to your ears. What have been your musical epiphany moments?

Rich Dembowski: When I was a kid my mom would take me to Catholic mass, the congregation would sing hymns and my mom would join in. I remember being overwhelmed with the power of all these voices – my mom’s especially. To hear her sing so powerfully and forcefully left an indelible impression on me. At home my parent’s record collection was mainly big band, so I became aware of jazz, Duke Ellington especially, early on. To this day Duke Ellington’s "Queen’s Suite" is an epiphany for me – that and "the Portrait of Mahalia Jackson." My first rock and roll epiphany was when I was 12 - Jason Chesney, our bass player, gave me a cassette with The Beatles Rubber Soul on one side and Revolver on the other. Once I heard that I was in for good


Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?

Rich Dembowski: The idea comes first. Something that resonates in me and makes me contemplate my consciousness or state of being. Then to investigate what that is. If it’s something I read or heard then I might start with lyrics and wait for the line, syntax and meaning to drive a melody and chord structure, to wrap the music around the thought. If it’s a feel or emotion then it usually starts with the music, timbre or tone – in other words, start with a riff or a chord and wait for the words to fill the feeling. It’s really all the process – the interpretation of self.

Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?

The motivation is intrinsic. The process of writing a song fills me up. But, once I’m up and running and chasing an idea then I look around for ways to express it. Most often the things that help me get back to myself are literature (other thoughts), visual art (other images), geography and mythology. I can use these things to relate back to myself and see and hear what I’m thinking or being as I go through time.



Genre's are so misleading and such a way to pigeonhole bands. Without resorting to labels, how would you describe your music?

Western, but not in terms of genre or geography, more the spirit of the west. The sound of searching, going further, that has in it all the colors of the places you’ve been.


What is your musical intention? What are you trying to express or get your audience to feel?

The idea is to create a sonic and visual image or environment of feelings, ideas or emotions that have left an impression on me – to say that these are the colors and sounds of my experience, here in this place now. And, if it’s done right, to have it be both specific and vague enough to be interpreted or participated in – for the listener to go “oh yeah, you meant this, or whatever”.


In songwriting, how do you bring the song together? What do you look for in terms of complexity? Simplicity? Time changes?

I just try to serve the song. Sometimes it’s simplicity, sometimes it’s complexity – but, whether it’s musical complexity in terms or meter or melody or rhythm or lyrical abstraction – I’m just trying to serve the song through authenticity.


The business of music is a brutal place. Changes in technology have made it easier than ever for bands to get their music out, but harder than ever to make a living? What are your plans to move the band forward? How do you stay motivated in this brutal business?

I think our sort of mission statement is to make ourselves accessible to as many listeners as possible as purely as possible. Musical purity and honesty come first. So, if people hear us or find out about us through gigs only or records only, or CDs or the internet, or word of mouth or whatever - we want to be able to be as self reliant and self contained as possible. The music comes first and numbers are second to the idea.

We’ve really done everything ourselves, everything’s been done in house, so we really only have ourselves to answer to. It has left everything creatively at our discretion; there’s been no outside pressure to do this or that. We can make the music we want to make, as we see and hear it – the only pressure comes from ourselves. We figure the music will speak for it’s self one way or another, so, the big thing is just making people aware that the music is out there, getting the word out. We’re gearing up to get out into the rest of the country and take this music on the road –connect with new audiences in a live and tangible way.

Where do you see you and your music going in ten years?

That’s too big a chunk of time to grapple with… but, I’m sure we’ll be making music one way or another.

What makes a great song?

As a writer any song that satisfied all the criteria for allowing the song to become it’s self whether you like it or not. As a listener, it just has to speak to me – it’d be tough to nail down any sort of specifics.

Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?

I can’t remember other than it was written on an electric bass without an amp and made me feel great.


What piece of your music are particularly proud of?

Usually the song I’m the most happy with is the one I just finished. I guess because it speaks closely to who and where I am at that time. Of course, as time goes on and I get further away from the song, it’s meaning and the way I see it changes.


Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?

Either records or CD’s, it just depends on the mood.


We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new music. When we come to your town, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?

Poo Bah’s is a great spot in Pasadena. They used to be in an old Bungalow up on Wilson with weird R. Crumb like plaster figures and statues everywhere and a whole lot of dust. I think each of us in the band probably bought our first records there. They moved over to a spot on Colorado now and most of the dust is gone. Penny Lane also has a great selection of new and used vinyl too. Both are within a mile of each other so they’re both easy to hit up.

www.myspace.com/oldcalifornio