Apples Meet Seamonster

(Art by Todd Webb)

Tonight's good news is that Todd Webb aka Seamonster is collaborating with Robert Schneider of Apples in Stereo on a childrens album to be released early next year. Schneider wrote the songs and Webb contributed to a comic book that will be included in the disc. Pitchfork ran a story about the disc this afternoon.

Webb/Seamonster is a Virginia Beach guy, by the way.

The following is what Seamonster posted about the project on a MySpace bulletin:

***************

hey guys!​
just a heads​ up that an aweso​me proje​ct i have been worki​ng on is being​ relea​sed into the world​ this janua​ry!​
my frien​d rober​t schne​ider recor​ded a super​ cool child​ren'​s recor​d which​ is being​ relea​sed in packa​ging with a comic​ book and color​ing book conta​ining​ art by me - it is calle​d robbe​rt bobbe​rt and the bubbl​e machi​ne!​

***************

You can test drive some of the songs and check out a few samples of Todd's artwork here.

In related news, Seamonster's MySpace page says he's opening for Jens Lekman at The College of William and Mary on Nov. 8. Wow!

The Power of One

(Photo of Phil Roebuck at The Boot by Jim Roberts)

Phillip Roebuck makes music of awesome, primal beauty. The plinky rattle of his $22 banjo and the blues rasp in his voice combine to make something special. But you should also take into consideration the fact that he sings and plays banjo while also playing a bass drum and tambourine that's strapped to his back. That last part would seem like a gimmick if Roebuck's one-man-band sound wasn't so powerful. I saw Phillip do his thing at The Boot this past Wednesday and I'm still thinking about how great it was. I had been hearing rumblings -- including one mention in a South By Southwest roundup a few weeks ago -- but I didn't really understand the force of his solo playing until I saw it in person.

It's not just a neat trick. The guy is really good at doing four things at once. He reminds me of The Avett Brothers -- if they were distilled to one person instead of three.

After his set, Phillip told me that he divides his time between Hampton Roads and New York City. His family is here. I guess the opportunities are there. I've read he's considered one of NYC's best subway performers.

The last time I heard Phillip play music, he was still in the powerpop group The Hollowbodies, a band with roots here in Hampton Roads. I may be mistaken, but the last time I remember seeing that band was at the East Coast Surfing Championships at Virginia Beach years ago. His strong singing and gift for melody always impressed me.

Hearing him again -- and applying his talents to a sort of punk-folk sound-- was wonderful.

I'm just catching up to all this, but it turns out that he's recorded four CDs as a one man band, the most recent two were recorded by rock production hero Steve Albini.

At The Boot show, I picked up his newest, "Fever Pitch" which has a copyright date of 2006. On it, Phillip sounds like some kind of weird backwoods hybrid: part hillbilly, part grizzled blues man, part rock 'n' roller. Most of all, though, he sounds good.

Back to the Blue Ridge

(Photo of Wayne Henderson from flatpick.ning.com)

Wednesday night, I saw a great set by one-man-band Phillip Roebuck at The Boot in Norfolk. More about that later.

Tonight, I want to alert you to a great folk festival that's happening Saturday at Ferrum College, hosted by the Blue Ridge Institute.

The musical lineup for the Blue Ridge Folk Life Festival includes several great names in Virginia folk, among them guitarist Wayne Henderson and the string band Ballard Branch Bog Trotters. See the full schedule here.

Don Harrison wrote to tell me that the Dazzlers, from Brookneal/Lynchburg will be part of the action on Saturday. "They are one of the 'lost' rockabilly acts we uncovered for the upcoming exhibit and they will getting back together to play the festival on Saturday," Don wrote. He was referring to an upcoming exhibit he's working on with the Blue Ridge Institute about the original rockabilly explosion in Virginia. I've heard some of the music, and it's hot stuff, so I'm expecting a great exhibit.

Also performing at Saturday's folk festival will be Jeffrey Scott, of Culpeper. Scott is nephew of the late legendary Piedmont Blues musician John Jackson, who was truly a treasure.

Big Apple Dreaming

I just looked at the long, long list of bands playing the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City, and I counted a total of four Virginia acts: Hot Lava, Ki:Theory, Skillz, and Sons of Bill. I'm hoping someone can look at this list and tell me who else from our dear Old Dominion will be getting it done in NYC. I'd like to think that out of 1,000 or so bands playing the event more than four would be from here. In any case, good luck to the foursome I know about. I have especially high hopes for Hot Lava who played The Boot awhile back and made a believer out of me.

Shell Shocked

(MySpace photo)

I was disappointed to read the following MySpace bulletin posted tonight. I don't know the details, but it sounds like The Half Shell -- a long-time center of original band activity in Hampton Roads -- might be in trouble.

Here's the post in it's entirety:

********
tonig​ht could​ possi​bly be the last chanc​e every​one has to catch​ a show at the shell​.​ come out if you can and suppo​rt helpi​ng us stay open.​ it would​ be a sad sad day for the live origi​nal music​ scene​ in hampt​on roads​ to see it happe​n.​ this place​ is near and dear to my heart​ as well as all the bands​ and custo​mers we have had over the years​.​ it would​ very much be a perso​nal loss not just for mysel​f,​ but many of you. you peopl​e are the ones that helpe​d mold the half shell​ into what it is and i perso​naly thank​ you all for that.​ it has in a way helpe​d me becom​e the perso​n i am as well.​ so come suppo​rt!​ thank​ you from the heart​ - ben @ the half shell​

*******

Several of my favorite local bands have played The Half Shell repeatedly over the years. It seems to be one of the few bars in Virginia Beach that regularly books original, up-and-coming rock bands. If the place shuts its doors for good, it would be yet another blow to original music in the area. Despite the bleak-sounding post, I noticed the Half Shell MySpace page is still advertising a Nov. 1 post-Halloween party featuring Download, No Mercy for Martyrs and others.

Around the Way Jams

St. Cloud, MN

(Video courtesy of philliproebuck.com)

I'm watching the Obama-McCain slugfest right now, so I'm a bit distracted. But I want to bring two promising shows happening at The Boot to your attention.

On Oct. 22, a band from Oklahoma called The Uglysuit will play along with Phillip Roebuck, musician known locally from his days with The Hollowbodies. These days, he's doing a crazy, banjo-fueled one-man-band act. In 2003, the New York Press voted Phillip the city's Best Subway Musician, and he has since recorded three albums and has been touring steadily. I'm looking forward to Uglysuit, but I'm really excited about catching Phillip's set. I haven't seen him rock in many years.

On Dec. 5, Erin McKeown, a talented and stylistically varied songwriter will be stepping into The Boot. She previously played The Attucks Theatre as part of The Discovery Series. At this show, the wonderful Sarah Carter -- a local indie-folk artist, will open.

Super Friends Super Show

(SUN KING! photo from MySpace)

Those zany Magic Twig Community rockers from Roanoke have planned what's looking like a really good, free music festival in the Star City next month. The event will take place 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 8 at Elm Wood Park in downtown Roanoke.

The Magic Twig Community Super Friends Fest will include:
Root Stone Jug Band
Hot lava
Sound Houses
Reading Rainbow
Bastards of Fate
SUN KING!
The Young Sinclairs
The Sad Cobras

No-Joke Folk

(Toggle Switch photos of -- top to bottom -- Grupo Cimarron, Howard Tate and the fiddle traditions workshop)

Today I made a quick trip to Richmond to romp through the inaugural Richmond Folk Festival -- which is a free event happening this weekend along the downtown riverfront. Two previous Octobers, Richmond hosted big music festivals under the National Folk Festival banner. I admired those from afar. This year, I finally got to see it all up close.

Damn, it was impressive. Generally speaking, big music festivals can be a pain. Bands tend to play one short 45-minute set. Sound can be sketchy. Lines can be long. Crowds can be irritating. Parking can be a pain in the neck. But organizers at the Richmond Folk Festival have most of the logistics sorted out. I was able to park quickly, walk a few blocks to the festival area near Browns Island and bounce between six stages with few snags.

In less than three hours, I was able to hear:

1) Grupo Cimarron, a joropo band from Colombia. These guys were an eye-opener -- and very entertaining. I'm familiar with some Colombian folk styles, but not joropo. I turns out to be based on stringed instruments -- nylon-string acoustic guitars, harp and bass -- along with hand percussion and singing. The sound reminded me of flamenco guitar at times, but the rhythmic elements were very different. The band's two vocalists were both very strong and fun to watch. Carlos Rojas' group, for me, was a revelation.

2) Howard Tate, a 70-year-old, classic-style soul singer. Howard's music has been rediscovered recently and he was in fine form in Richmond Saturday. While he's not all that mobile on stage, his voice was powerful and precise. I heard him sing Randy Newman's "Louisiana 1927," as well as "Solid Ground" "I Learned it All The Hard Way" and "Ain't Nobody Home." That last song, Howard introduced saying "This is the first song that put me on the front line of music and I haven't looked back since ... except for the 30 years I disappeared." He also made it clear that he's thankful to have survived years of drug abuse and personal struggles to make music again. "I'm going to give God a clap for delivering me -- and I still have the voice," he said. "He'll deliver you, too."

3) A session featuring fiddlers from several different groups playing the festival. I came in late so I didn't get to hear everybody get introduced, but I know that Michael Doucet from Beausoleil and James Cheechoo, a Cree fiddler from Ontario, Canada, participated. I believe the fiddlers from the Irish group Liadan were also part of the action. Hearing these diverse fiddle styles helped me see subtle differences and similarities. This is the kind of thing I love about the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the mall in Washington. Great to hear it a little bit closer to home.

Chocolate in C'Ville

(CCD photo courtesy of carolinachocolatedrops.com)

I've been waiting for years for the chance to see the celebrated Carolina Chocolate Drops. My best opportunity is coming up Oct. 25 in Charlottesville when CCD will perform at Paramount Theater. If you haven't heard of the Chocolate Drops, they're an African-American folk trio that celebrates the nearly extinct sound of black old-time string bands. There's a bit of a black banjo revival going on right now that's wonderful. Otis Taylor -- who is playing Norfolk next month as part of the Discovery Series -- is part of the movement. His latest disc is titled "Recapturing the Banjo" and includes contributions from Guy Davis and Alvin Youngblood Hart.
Getting back to the Charlottesville show, the Chocolate Drops will play as part of a great weekend of roots music at the Paramount. On Oct. 26 Wayne Henderson, Elizabeth LaPrelle and Lee Sexton will play together. For ticket information, go here. Warning: The shows are painfully expensive. The Chocolate Drops show is $40.

Big Bull, Big News

(Fight the Big Bull photo by Jake Lyell)

Listening to Public Radio's "Fresh Air" last week, I heard the host introduce an album review by saying something like, "In this age of global culture, there's no telling where the next great jazz band will come from." I was prepared to hear something about a fusion act from Indonesia or Uzbekistan. So felt a sense of giddy confusion when I heard the words "Richmond, Virginia" leap from my radio.

It turned out to be a positively glowing review of the new disc by Fight The Big Bull, "Dying Will Be Easy."

You can listen to the entire episode of "Fresh Air," here, but Kevin Whitehead's review starts like this:

********

"Ambitious jazz musicians used to have to relocate to big cities with reputable scenes: to learn from elders, collaborate with peers, play on big stages and meet potential financial backers. But the adventurous nonet known as Fight the Big Bull formed in an age of widespread jazz education and instant global communication. That zeitgeist may explain how a nine-piece group from Richmond, Va., could score a breakthrough gig in Chicago, well before it issued its debut on a Portuguese record label. The generation gap may also shed light on how Fight the Big Bull has made some of today's most exuberant and relevant improvised music."

**********

Fight The Big Bull is one of several projects from songwriter Matt White. His band The Great White Jenkins has strong connections to Norfolk -- maybe why his bands tend to play here.
Your next chance to see Fight the Big Bull here is Oct. 24 at The Boot.

Real in Richmond

(Lee Sexton photo from Flickr.com)

The Richmond Folk Festival -- happening Oct. 10-12 along the downtown's riverfront -- has booked a terrifically wide-ranging bunch of bands and artists this year. Highlights include Lee Sexton, The Itals, Dan Tyminski, E.U., Dale Watson, BeauSoleil, Ledward Kaapana & Mike Kaawa, and Howard Tate. I didn't make it up to the Commonwealth's capitol for the last few years -- when the event marched under the banner of the National Folk Festival. But I heard from several sources that the whole thing was fun and well run. Read more about the festival here.

Local Heroes

Is it just me, or does Montgomery Burns bear a resemblance to Dick Cheney? Monty's a bit skinnier, but beyond that, I think they're separated at birth.

In honor of Burnsy (my favorite "Simpsons" character, ahead of Police Chief Wiggum and The Comic Book Guy) I'm linking to a message from The Alfredo Torres Debacle about excellence on the Hampton Roads music scene.

He begins his post by writing:

"Wake up people!!!!!! You have no idea what the local music scene holds. You have no idea of what is going on with the talent that is currently walking the streets of Hampton Roads. You don’t know what is slipping through your fingers even as you read this."

Read the whole post here.

But, in essence, Torres is sounding a call to action on behalf of local musicians. He specifically mentions Pawn Shop Lifters, Rylo, Shifty, The Nerve Scheme and Freedom Hawk among many others.

Word.