album review: Dane Waters

Dane Waters
Dark Waters
SELF-RELEASED



Music can have such an odd effect on memory. Though Julee Cruise is hardly a household name today, chances are many would instantly recognize her voice from the “Twin Peaks” soundtrack. The only song I remember from my wedding reception was hers. It’s a sound not heard often enough, and it’s the first thing one might hear upon entering these Dark Waters. The well-trained local vocal champ, who has collaborated with many of Louisville’s best artists across multiple genres, has finally released this, her first (almost entirely) solo effort, and the freedom afforded here suits her well. The album is a haunting, lush collection of minimal soundscapes that probably work as well in a spa as they do in a gallery or an intimate nightclub. Some of the mostly one-word song titles give a fair approximation of the mood here: “Winter,” “Blue” and “Dream Again” deliver on their promise — but just because she sounds mellow doesn’t mean she’s not fierce and mighty.

c. 2011 LEO Weekly

album review: Supertruck

Supertruck
Supertruck
SELF-RELEASED



I wasn’t really lucid in the ’70s (but then, who was?), but I am a student of music history. Such a time was fertile for what we now call classic rock and Southern rock; it was the best of times and the worst of times for each. Louisville’s Supertruck has clearly done some of the same homework, and knocks out a promising collection of boots-wearing, truck-driving rock that should help establish them as a band to watch. Though cuts such as “Whiskey Cut Tea” and “She’s a Drinker” might make them sound predictable, there’s more going on here than just drinkin’ anthems. While lyrically they fall short of Skynyrd’s best story songs, and singer Jordan Humbert’s everyman vocals can’t match the beauty of Dickey Betts or the grit of Gregg Allman, Supertruck’s guitarists, Sturdevant and Jordan Humbert, kick out jams more than worthy of the Outlaws or the Marshall Tucker Band. A fluid rhythm section and extra touches of piano and fiddle help flesh out some good ol’ listening.

c. 2011 LEO Weekly

Foxy like a craze

The Foxery invade Headliners on Tuesday, Dec. 20, to celebrate the release of their new album, Life Is Still Beautiful. LEO asked Travis Beck about their year.

LEO: What changes and opportunities have you gone through this year?

Travis Beck: This year has been quite full of changes and opportunities, and has probably been our most busy year to date. First off, this is the first full year with our current bassist, Mike Stewart, so it’s been a growing opportunity for the band to develop with a new bassist. He has been a wonderful creative influence on all of us, and has really fit perfectly into the direction we have taken with our music. This band has always been a sort of brotherhood, first and foremost, and Mike has been a wonderful addition both musically and as a friend and brother. In the last couple months, we have also been working in a second guitarist, Dean Bryant, and I am so excited to see where he takes us musically, going forward. He has been great to have around.

We have been blessed to play on some pretty cool shows this year, such as opening for Ra Ra Riot and Pomegranates, and those bigger shows have really helped us to gain a strong stage presence. It’s been a wonderful year for all of us, and I think we have grown a ton. I know I can’t wait to continue growing and developing with these guys in the years to come.

LEO: Who are your favorite local bands?

TB: There are quite a few bands we would call brothers right now in Louisville, and new ones seem to be coming up pretty regularly, so that’s cool. Sadly, our closest friends, Young Lions, are breaking up, but we certainly hope that they all continue with making great tunes. Other bands we are close with and love are Via Animo, Anwar Sadat, Fork in Socket, Brain Trust, Jovian and Jubalson, who also will be joining us onstage at our CD release at Headliners.

Learn more at thefoxery.com.

c. 2011 LEO Weekly

Former Thieves’ First World Blues

LEO spoke with Former Thieves vocalist Matt Schmitz a couple weeks ago as the band was enjoying nice weather while touring the West Coast. The Cedar Falls, Iowa-based band has spent most of the year touring behind their No Sleep Records release, The Language That We Speak. This show will pair them with two Louisville bands also signed to the Southern California label.

LEO: You’ve been here already twice this year, at ear X-tacy and Krazy Fest.

Matt Schmitz: Yeah, it was cool. We love Louisville.

LEO: Our record store, ear X-tacy, just closed down after 26 years.

MS: I just read that the other day! That’s a bummer, man.

LEO: Are you hearing those stories everywhere you go?

MS: Not so much. The ones that we’ve played, everything’s fine so far, but that one — that was a real big bummer. That was a really cool record store, and everyone that worked there was super, super nice. The show we played there last March was awesome.

LEO: You’re playing a house show here.

MS: Yeah! The Chestnut House, we are so excited about that!

LEO: Do you play lots of house shows?

MS: That’s how we started. We basically played living rooms, basements — anywhere we were able to play. Since then, it’s been mostly venues, so when we can get back and play house shows and get back into that environment, we’re really excited about it. It’s going to be a nice change of pace to go from playing on big stages every night in front of a lot of kids who aren’t 100 percent sure who we are, to playing in a basement with a bunch of bands we really, really like.

LEO: And you’re friends with the bands here.

MS: Yeah, we’re best friends with the dudes in Xerxes. We’ve known those guys for years now. They’re one of our favorite bands. We’ve done some touring with them in the past. They’re on the same record label we’re on, and Frontier(s) is playing, too — we’ve never played with them before, but they’re on No Sleep Records as well, and the old singer from Elliott’s in that band, which we’re all big fans of, so we’re really stoked to see them play.

LEO: What inspires you when you write lyrics?

MS: It’s a big blend of issues. I have a habit of putting myself in a really uncomfortable position, in public — like, for instance, I’ll go into a coffee shop, or into a really crowded bar, and listen to people’s conversations. It really brings out a lot of issues. Most of our songs are about the ups and downs of the reality of how people are, the good side and the bad side of it. It’s been really cool to grow as a writer. When we started out, it was pretty one-dimensional. Since the last full-length, I’ve really gone in some new directions. We’re working on a new EP now, and we’re trying to spread out a little bit further with ideas, so it’s cool.

LEO: You sound like a reporter or a critic.

MS: Yeah, I think “critic” is the best term to use, because you’re putting yourself 100 percent out there, and surrounding yourself with stuff that’s really annoying or repetitive in people’s lives, just picking stuff apart and finding an issue, then trying to go a lot further … When we were working on this last full-length, a year ago, we’d been on tour for a long time, then we had to get home and finish up all these songs. We had a bunch of songs, but I had to really get down and finish all the words for them. We were getting down to the wire, so I basically had to go somewhere and pile through everything, so that’s what happened. “I’ll just go to a coffee shop and see if this works.” And I realized, “Wow, everyone here sucks!” I got a lot better material as I put myself in that scenario.

Former Thieves
with Frontier(s), Xerxes and Lay Down & Die
Sunday, Dec. 18
Chestnut House
714 E. Chestnut St.
facebook.com/FormerThieves
$5; 7 p.m.

photo by Tim Dodd

c. 2011 LEO Weekly

Josephine Foster’s little life

Outsider folk-artist Josephine Foster has traveled from her native Colorado to Chicago and on to Spain, exploring different facets of her music — as a solo artist, or with Born Heller and other combos, creating music that runs from the contemplative to the raucous. Arthur magazine’s Jay Babcock called her “A Grace Slick for the 21st century — and that’s all grace, no slick.”

LEO: You draw on many different historical eras to inspire your music. Do your non-musical hobbies or tastes inform your musical education? Or do you just seek out music from earlier periods as a music lover?

Josephine Foster: I am a music lover. One influential hobby when I was very young was being a water-ballet swimmer. Listening to crystal clear music from underwater speakers and dancing in synchronized motion with other girls was very magical. I chose LPs from the public library — Bach, The Beach Boys, Mantovani Orchestra, television-Western theme music — and made spliced compilations that flowed together into a three-minute routine. Then I choreographed very wild water dances to this music. Sometimes there were lightning storms and you would be watching the flashes of light as you came up for a breath, and the music was above and below the water. This activity led me to listen to many types of music, especially thinking of dance, and it was very influential on my imagination.

LEO: Have you learned anything from teaching music to others that you’ve applied to your own music? Do you study with any teachers yourself?

JF: One thing I feel reflected in my music directly, especially, was working with children, very young children — I prefer ages 3 and 4. To me, (that is) the age of a most fascinating aperture of that imaginative child state. They did affect me a lot, and some of my children’s songs I wrote to invite them into spontaneous improvisations within song. I did study with teachers, various ones, in my days of aspiring to an operatic career and, boy, I learned some good things, and sometimes got extremely confused. Hopefully I didn’t confuse too many people when I was a voice teacher, but being confused might be the nature of it. Learning to sing is not for everybody; I think it’s a Western modern activity, at the heart of it a healing process to unite divided, confused people. Some people have an intuitive flow with their voice and body, and others have psychological barriers reflected in their voices, which ideally a teacher can help out with. I love to teach singing and accept students to this day.

LEO: Ukuleles have become trendy recently, but you’ve been playing them for a long time. Does it make you happy or sad to see Eddie Vedder clutching a uke?

JF: Ukuleles are fantastic. My brother just picked it up, even. To me, any trend involving actually playing an instrument is a very, very good thing.

LEO: Some find your music romantic, some find it spooky, and some say it’s both. What do you hear?

JF: Well, I hear all those things, and other things, too. I am a romantic, for sure! Romanticism has its inherent shadow side.

LEO: Your husband is from Spain. Where is the best environment for you to make music?

JF: I’ve lived there for the past five years. The best environment for making music is with resonating people and even animals, and within acoustical reverberent structures, whether from architecture or nature.

LEO: What’s next for you?

JF: More songs from Spain, more of my own songs, and new collaborations from Nashville to New Mexico.

Josephine Foster with Parlour and Dane Waters
Friday, Dec. 16
Zanzabar
2100 S. Preston St. • 635-9227
myspace.com/josephinefoster
$10; 9 p.m.

photo by Jessica Knights

c. 2011 LEO Weekly