Volume 3, Issue 21
October 11 - October 24, 2001

Music

SIMPLE SOUNDS

Michael Tomlinson paints serene landscapes with music

Michael Tomlinson is the type of musical artist whose work can remind us that in the midst of our hustle-bustle -rock 'em -sock 'em world, we can find serenity, grace, and hope. He's a storyteller in the grassroots sense, creating landscapes of sound with a voice and guitar instead of a brush and palette. His music is calm and beautiful, simple and personal. His latest and eighth CD, Watching the Storm Roll In is filled with melodic, meaningful stories of unity, friendship, patience, hope, love and sorrow.

"Artists hold a vision for humanity," Tomlinson said. "I believe music is healing and causes us to move into our selves and feel. That's my work. . . .writing music and putting my heart into it." In his 15-year career, Tomlinson has endured both personal and professional upheaval. Much of his writing stems from personal experiences and the statement of what he's seeing, thinking and feeling. "What moves me about people is when they are expressing their feelings and telling the story. I try to tell those stories through my own music."

Ten years ago, Tomlinson dissolved his recording contract with Polygram/A&M Records. He had built a national reputation, gaining radio airplay on KBCO and selling out venues like the Paramount Theater here in Denver and the Greek Amphitheater in Los Angeles. Four records into his contract, he walked away. "I was weary of the business side to all of this." Tomlinson said. "I was disappointed in the deals and the money I made versus the money the label made per record. Corporate take-over was going on all over the place, in records and radio. I was sick of meeting with attorneys and pouring over fifty-page contracts about deals I knew they couldn't honor."

Today, Tomlinson's success comes through personal connection with his fans and audiences. As he weaves an independent path through the music business, he sees how much more fulfilling it is to be a creative, self-supporting artist. His mix of folk, jazz and bluesy ballads earn him accolades from all over the world. He frequently receives e-mail from listeners explaining how certain songs have touched their lives and hearts. "I think people get a sense of hope from my music," Tomlinson said. "I try to get to a place where there is hope in life. Music can an absolute magical journey." --Judy B

See Michael Tomlinson Saturday, October 13 at Swallow Hill Music Hall, Denver, at 8 p. m.; Sunday, October 14 at Black Forest Community Center at 3 p.m.; or go to www.michaeltomlinson.com for music and additional info.

EIGHT-STRING JAZZ

Jazz mandolin project brings unorthodox approach to traditional instrument

The Jazz Mandolin Project returns to Colorado bringing with it "After Dinner Ja'ms". "I get a lot of inspiration from other people's music and a lot of it has come from classical music," said Jamie Masefield, founder of The Jazz Mandolin Project. Known for his highly unorthodox approach to a rather traditional instrument, this mandolin player- composer and self confessed musical oddball sheds some light on where his creativity springs from. "There is an awful lot of borrowing going on... and hopefully if you are an original mind, everything you borrow, just because of who you are... it'll change... You might hear some great classical line but at the same time you have been listening to some band and hearing how they do this trademark thing that you just think is so cool. Next thing you know you are combining your interpretation of the classical tune, a part of the classical tune and what this contemporary band does and you are gluing them together and nobody could ever figure out that sounds like this and that sounds like that. It changes too much, gets edited... it morphs." The Jazz Mandolin Project also continues to morph over the years with Jamie at the center since 1993. JMP's most recent studio album, Xenoblast, and its debut on Blue Note Records saw the group consisting of Jamie on mandolin, Chris Dahlgren on bass and Ari Hoenig on drums. The JMP touring group this time consists of Danton Boller on the stand up bass and Jon Fishman on drums.

It was during his college years at the University of Vermont that Jamie first met Fishman and the other musicians of Phish. "Those guys were all running around doing their stuff. Actually, I met Mike Gordon first. I came back from classes and he was playing a banjo in the hallway of my dorm and so I dumped my books off and went and got mine and we sat there in the hall and had fun picking," Jamie said.

What else is Jamie doing to have fun? "I have a vegetable garden. I am a wicked green thumb growerÉ I go mountain biking and rollerblading and a little bit of fly fishing and then just practicing. Being at home writing tunes, listening to music. I am trying to write a Mexican mariachi tune and so I have this CD of recordings of parades in Mexico. It is all authentic stuff. It is not commercial," Jamie said. One gets the feeling talking to Jamie that although he has other hobbies they never really distract him too long from creating music.

"Right now we are working feverously to put out a special CD that we are just going to sell on the bandstand.... We did a lot of recording in January.... After dinner, we would just have jams for the fun of it and we would play for hours. We just went through all of these jams and made up another CD that I think we are just going to call 'After Dinner Jams. ' It's got a lot of really great moments. They're all improvised and the way we were playing, we weren't playing as if they'd ever come out on an album so we are kind of hooting and hollering and laughing. It sounds more like a party."

The Jazz Mandolin Project will be playing in Denver at the Gothic Theatre on Friday and Saturday, October 26th and 27th and at the Aggie Theatre in Fort Collins on Sunday, October 28th. For more information visit www.jazzmandolinproject.com

--Jessica Vogelgesang

BEAT DIET

Photo By Soren McCarty

2 Social Distortion, is one of the last from the punk rock class of 1979. Southern California's Blues based legions of Punk played a sold out show at the Ogden Theater on September 30th. Playing the hits as well as showcasing some great new songs, the boys tore it up as only they can. Despite the steep ticket price a good time was had by all. Look forward to a new CD in the spring. GO-GO was there. For the sorry, ticketless masses who couldn't get into the show, here is the set list and a framable picture of the portly Mike Ness. Special Go-Go kudos to Jim from the Ogden for procuring us the Social D. set list--we love rock-n-roll memorabilia

ORANGE PEEL

EXOTICA EROTICA BALL

In the beginning of the twentieth century, the surrealists staged the Beaux Arts Ball. In the middle, Truman Capote hosted the Black & White Ball. Before the end, Andy Warhol's Factory partied. And now, in the first year of the twenty-first century... friends of the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art and Celebrity Tattoo are extremely proud to present the eleventh annual Exotica Erotica Ball.

Odyssey is the theme of this year's event, and rumor has it that NASA is planning to outfit the Boulder Theater with actual shuttle launch gear for the occasion. Deejays Mixmaster Flow and Ivy are already in Alabama undergoing intensive turntable training in order to adequately prepare themselves for the Exotica cockpit. Anti-gravity experts Motion Underground Elite, Christy Harris, and Philadelphia's Untouchables will also be on hand to assist patrons with the transition.

Additionally, photon light projections will be provided by Urban Ink, interplanetary installations by Concept Object, and the cosmic space lounge by Veronica Scarpellino & Nesting Design. Even if you don't believe your eyes, Mountain Lion Digital can produce physical photographic evidence of your extra-terrestrial erotica journey.

For most of you space travel virgins out there, this will probably be your first experience leaving this planet's atmosphere and your stomach may not be ready to handle consumption and digestion. For the rest of you veterans, complimentary liquid and solid concoctions will be served all night long in thegalactic vip lounge with an exotic dancer named marta who may appear edible but isn't.

Tickets to the Exotica Erotica Ball are available from the Boulder Theater box office at 303-786-7030. for further information on the event, visit it in cyberspace at www.bmoca.org

--orange peel moses

CD Review

LIVE " V"

Live is back. This is a band who found great success in the 90s by focusing on lead singer Ed Kowalczyk's unique voice and his ability to pen beautiful melodies amidst rock n' roll mayhem. The fifth album, aptly titled V, has a new edge, a new attitude. In post-grunge popular rock music, Live has embraced the harder, more aggressive Limp Bizkit approach to songwriting without imitating or (thankfully) sounding like LB. Guests on the record include Tricky and Adam Duritz (Counting Crows).

The surprise hit is an engaging track, "Overcome," a string-laden ballad which became an anthem for relief and healing after the September 11th terrorist bombings (the album was released September 18). More typical of the band's material is "Simple Creed." It contains all the Live-isms, including-but not limited to -a great melody, catchy guitar hooks, Kowalczyk's emotive vocals, lyrics about humanity and the search for being "better," and a few religious references. Also embedded in the entire record is a renewed energy, a sense of fun, a sprinkling of quasi-electronic sounds, the plea to keep digging within ourselves to help out humanity's calamities, and a lot of rock and roll. A --Judy B.

CD Review

JET BLACK JOY

Take a big bowl and mix in equal parts Kiss, AC/ DC, The Cult, STP, Danzig and just a dash o' punk; stir vigorously and VOILA! You now have Jet Black Joy.

This little miracle of life came to us from the seeds of Bryon "Black" Bean on drums (formerly of 40th Day), vocalist Jimmy "Jet" Yelenick (Negative Man fame), Jason "Nuclear J." Rathman on bass and Mike "Biggie Joy" Smith on the guitar (both originally in Flannel). This CD is packed with upbeat, rock 'em sock 'em tunes that run the gamut from the late '70s styled "You Got It", through the 80s flavored "Kama Sutra" and "See Red", and then on to the '90s track "She Said".

Yelenick is extremely comfortable in his own skin while singing up on stage, as though he grew up with a microphone in his hand. It's always nice to listen to a singer who can actually carry a tune. Jet Black Joy's music flows naturally and doesn't come off as forced. The guys all do their part and blend together as one sound, not bits, parts and pieces of noise thrown at you. And Jet Black Joy is willing to go against the ever-lame "clique" syndrome of Denver, where only CERTAIN bands play at CERTAIN types of bars with a CERTAIN crowd; these guys play all over town with a wide variety of bands. Definitely worth checking out live (Friday November 2nd @ 15th St. Tavern) and on disc. Rock on, boys! A Sally Miller

CD Review

MARCY BARUCH AND THE UMBRELLA BAND " CLEARLY"

Marcy Baruch releases her second CD, Clearly, this month. Baruch takes her music-making seriously, and has carefully crafted an inviting record and a tight band that reflect her talent for songwriting, lyrical phrasing, and melody. In the world of adult-contemporary music (i.e. Michael Bolton, Celine Dion), the norm is schlock, not rock. Kudos to Baruch for having the sense to actually remain contemporary.

Her voice is strong and warm. It can move easily from the up-tempo title track to an expressive ballad in "For Purnel Goode." Baruch's songwriting contains an authentic quality woven throughout the record that is, simply, nice to recognize. The stylistic range tends towards a pop country music flavor (Faith Hill) in both texture and instrumentation. Baruch enlists pedal steel and lap steel guitars, cello and violin as appropriate accents. The songs that lean toward rock or straight pop, like "Mercy Mercy" are diminished by how well the folk and country styles come through, especially on "This Road" and "Simple Is Enough."

A surprise is the blues-filled "Road to Westcliffe" to which Baruch deftly adjusts in mood and statement. This track, one of many, showcases the strength of the Umbrella Band featuring Denver musicians Dave Shapiro (banjo/ guitars), Scott Surine (bass), Todd Moore (drums/ percussion), Joe Green (cello) and Christopher Filley (keyboards). B+ --Judy B.