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Modern
Modern Acoustic
Acoustic
Josh
rocks
The music magazine for really cool people
Wonder what it
takes to make
a new album?
Photographer
Jon Strymish
takes us inside the
recording studio
with Josh Ritter
and band, where
it’s all work ...
and some play.
MAY 2005 - Volume 4
FROM THE
EDITOR
First, my apologies for taking so
long with a new issue, but I think
you will find it to be a real treat.
As you’ve probably realized by
now, we here at Modern Acoustic
are big Josh Ritter fans. Those
that have had the opportunity to
meet him I’m sure will agree
that he’s as good a guy in person
as he is on stage. He is also a
songwriter of great depth and
has a keen sense of humor.
So we are happy to offer a
behind-the-scenes look at Josh
and his band while recording
their upcoming album at Bear
Creek Studios in Woodinville,
Wash. And to provide us with the
visuals, we are proud to introduce
the photography of Jon Strymish,
who traveled to the Great
Northwest to capture the band in
action. Jon’s photos, which focus
mostly on music happening
around the Boston area, will
hopefully grace many issues of
Modern Acoustic in the future.
You can see more of his work at
www.strymish.com. Please check
it out.
We have also procured a short
but insightful interview with Josh
that is sure to answer all those
nagging questions you had.
Now, we realize one of the
rules introduced when Modern
Acoustic debuted was that there
would be no celebrity interviews,
?
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Visit
www.modernacoustic.com
and download past issues
2 MODERN ACOUSTIC
PHOTO BY ADAM KASSIRER
but forgive our sins here. I think
you will enjoy what we have to
offer.
Finally, take a look at four more
of our new favorite acts –
Andrew Bird, Hem, Joseph
Arthur and The Anomoanon – all
who are willing to take their
music to eclectic new places.
And that’s what we here at
Modern Acoustic are going for as
well.
Rich Kassirer, editor
Modern
Acoustic
Vols. 1, 2 & 3
PHOTO BY JON STRYMISH
LIVE
SHOT
Sarah Borges performs at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, Mass. , on April 2.
MODERN ACOUSTIC 3
Josh rocks
A
t Modern Acoustic we are not
afraid to ask the tough questions –
the “real” questions – fans would
like to ask. So we got ahold of Josh
by email and grilled him...
Has signing that big record deal with
V2 changed you in any way?
I hope not.
Would you care to comment on the
rumors that you’ve been seen hangin’
with J.Lo recently?
I will when she does. ... Has she?
If the Stones called and asked if they
could cover “Kathleen” would you
grant them permission?
In a rock ’n’ roll heartbeat.
How do you explain your rise to fame
in Ireland compared to that of the US?
Better beer?
To me, Ireland is proof that if you work
hard and love what you do, great things
come along. I try not to ask why, and try to
do my best with what I’ve been given.
You caused quite a stir among your fans
with the beard. Any plans for your next
fashion statement?
The beard is scary enough.
There’s talk you’re a maniac with the
wah wah pedal. Any chance you’ll be
picking up the ol’ electric for this
album?
I think there is a huge chance. Sometimes
the music just isn’t loud enough.
Photos
by
Jon
Strymish
4 MODERN ACOUSTIC
Some of the stories that you tell in
concert seem a tad, well, far-fetched.
Is your life really that weird?
I actually think those stories are closefetched. I think my life is far weirder.
Sometimes I wake up in the morning and
a pack of wild dogs is waiting for me.
Other days, things are less exciting. The
road is an invitation to strange occurences.
Each day you’re in a new place, new people show you around, you sleep in strange
hotels. I could tell you some stories about
Knight’s Inn that would make your blood
run cold.
Any hints to what the new album will
be called?
All I know is that I’m looking for a title
that will be as amazing as the
record will be.
MODERN ACOUSTIC 5
STYLISTICALLY DIVERSE, THESE MUSICIANS AREN’T
AFRAID TO TAKE THEIR SONGS IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS
the
road les
s
tak
en
HEM The band’s album “Eveningland” is an odd mix of alt-countryish songs
backed by string orchestral arrangements – which actually works. Singer Sally
Ellyson has a wonderful voice that holds it all together.
ANDREW BIRD Violin-based rock? Bird’s “The Mysterious Production of
Eggs” is eclectic and vastly interesting.
JOSEPH ARTHUR His “Our
Shadows Will Remain” is dark
and dense. It’s a moody album you
have to be in the mood for.
THE ANOMOANON This relatively unknown Baltimore band’s
album “Joji” has been compared
to ’70s era Neil Young/Crazy
Horse-Grateful Dead. The groove
is ressurected and it sounds surprisingly fresh.
6 MODERN ACOUSTIC
Time is on their side
Albums that have stood the test of time.
“Give It Up,’’
Bonnie Raitt, 1972 –
Before she “smoothed
out,” Bonnie had a
bluesy, rockin’ sound. On
this album, she is at her
best both singing and
guitar-playing, and her
band in-cludes a happening horn section.
Standout songs include
“I Know” and “Love Me
Like a Man.”
“Nebraska,’’ Bruce Springsteen, 1982 – Just Bruce
and his acoustic guitar. An amazing album recorded on a 4track in some motel room. These are more stories than songs,
about some of the most down and out people you’ve never
met – killers, troubled
police officers, and various low-life citizens. Very
depressing, and extraordinary.
“In a Silent Way,’’
Miles Davis 1969 –
Perhaps the first-ever
jazz-rock fusion album.
There are only two songs
on the entire album, and
they meander their way
into your consciousness. Everyone who played on this recording – Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Joe
Zawinul, among them – became huge names in jazz fusion.
“Dixie Chicken,’’
Little Feat, 1973 –
This album is still a
blast, even more than 20
years after its release.
Lowell George was at
his best, and the musicianship of the group
was astounding. The title
track was a hit but the
rest of the album rocks
as well.
THE
LISTS
Lively up yourself
My favorite live recordings – including bootlegs!
(in no particular order)
Josh Ritter – at Memorial Hall in Shelbourne Falls,
Mass., 11/23/03 – Show opens with “Girl in the War,” a
superb soon-to-be-released new song. Many witty comments
sandwiched between great band performances.
“The Allman Brothers at Fillmore East,” 1971 – This
one’s a classic. A seven-song album that seems to go on forever. Great guitar jams, with Gregg and Duane at their best.
Grateful Dead – Orpheum Theatre, San Francisco,
7/18/76 – The group in its heyday. The first set is good, but
the second set, where one song bleeds into the next, is a
knockout. Especially
great is “Let It Grow”
into “Wharf Rat” into
“St. Stephen” into “The
Other One” back to “St.
Stephen.” Amazing.
Bob Marley’s last
concert, Pittsburgh,
Pa., 9/23/80 – It wasn’t
long after this show
that Bob Marley died of
cancer. There is a sense
of sadness in the performance – as the band must have known about his condition
– despite some very uptempo versions of Bob’s best songs,
including “Jammin’ ” and “Redemption Song.”
Bob Dylan and the Band, “Before the Flood,” 1974 –
Dylan rearranged many of his classics – including “Lay Lady
Lay” and “It Ain’t Me, Babe” –
and the Band, as his backup band
helps rip them up and spit them
back out. The Band is also given
space to do their own thing. One of
my all-time fave albums.
“The Last Waltz,” the Band’s
farewell concert on Thanksgiving
1976, featured an amazing array of
guest musicians from Eric Clapton,
Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Muddy
Waters and Bob Dylan.
MODERN ACOUSTIC 7