Elenowen finds their ‘Voice'

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In the decade since Nicole and Josh Johnson got together, much of the cultural landscape has shifted, but the married duo caught up and now might be heading toward big things.

Back then, serious musicians didn’t appear on reality shows, most folk-leaning duos didn’t care much about their looks, and folky male/female duos didn’t have mainstream success. But reality shows have become a reality, fashion has become re-integrated back into music after years of neglect, and the biggest hurdle facing the Johnsons’ group, Elenowen, today might be fighting The Civil Wars for ticket sales or Taylor Swift opening spots.

The follow-up to their debut album, Pulling Back the Veil, is a self-titled EP, released on May 29 in an effort to keep building their fanbase as they work on their sophomore collection. The EP is their first release after a relatively successful stint on NBC’s popular singing competition “The Voice,” where their initial audition made both Blake Shelton and Cee-Lo turn around in their novelty chairs.

They return to the intimate Uncle Slayton’s on Friday as headliners, having previously opened for The Vespers there last August. “It seemed to be a really cool space,” says Josh, noting that it serves their interest in connecting directly with the audience. “When we first started, we were doing more folk/Americana with a pop element, via the indie singer-songwriter route. And then when we were on the show ‘The Voice,’ a lot of people thought we were country. We never really wanted to be, that wasn’t who we actually were inside, but we thought we’d give it a shot on the show and recorded some songs, and just kind of realized what was most natural for us was the singer-songwriter, indie folk-rock sound. We’re still trying to figure out what that is and learning as we’re going, honing our craft.”

Both of the pair, who initially met as teens, pursued music independently for a while but found their niche working together. Much of their current work includes detailed songs about the ups and downs of relationships, even when they co-write with Nashville hired hands.

“On the first record, when we were making it, it was an experiment. I had songs I had written, Nicole had songs she had written, and we wanted to make it one cohesive sound. That’s why a lot of the songs are pretty different, because they were written separately,” says Josh in response to a comment about how the first album veers at times between big productions and smaller-scale acoustic performances.

“Now we’re writing more as a duo; it’s more of a one-person sound with more of an emphasis on the small and acoustic. There’s still that dynamic of pop in the music, but we’ve pulled it together better than on the last record.”

But in case she ever needs it, Nicole has a back-up plan: stylist.

“Fashion is right up there with music for me. It’s a passion, and I love it; I hope to be doing more with clothes and styling,” she says. “It’s nice to be able to put together looks for Josh and I … it’s fun!”

Josh credits Nicole with expanding his horizons when it comes to fashion, joking, “Now, I’m dressin’ all by myself!”

Fashion aside, they’re continuing to sharpen their sound while writing the important follow-up album, hopefully arriving early next year.

The pair hasn’t started living like pop stars yet. They continue to live in Nicole’s parents’ basement, as they have spent most of the past couple of years traveling. “All last year, when we got off the show, we spent a lot of time in the studio, and really building the sound that we want to build our career around,” Josh says. “If we’re gonna be on the road, we’re not gonna pay a mortgage on a place we’re not living in. It’s not worth it.”

Elenowen with Parker Cottrell
Friday, June 8
Uncle Slayton’s
1017 E. Broadway
uncleslaytons.com
$8; 9 p.m.

c. 2012 LEO Weekly

Sanctifying funk with The Lee Boys

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The Lee Boys are a bit of an anomaly on the jam band and Americana circuits, even though there’s little more American than a family band jamming on traditional music inspired by the church — and set to a rockin’, funky beat. The Miami-based Lees (three brothers plus three of their nephews) play a style called “Sacred Steel,” brought to the public by Arhoolie Records and popularized by Robert Randolph. They’ve become close with The Allman Brothers Band and The Del McCoury Band, among others, and perform in Louisville on Tuesday. Guitarist Albert Lee shared the word with LEO.

LEO: You guys play a lot of festivals, and with many different types of bands. Do you think those crowds know what you’re often singing about?

Alvin Lee: Yes, they most definitely know what we’re talking and singing about.

LEO: Do any young rock ’n’ rollers ever tell you to leave the church in church?

AL: Not really, ’cause we are about spreading a message through our music, not really preaching religion, so we can appeal to a broad-range audience.

LEO: What’s your relationship with the McCourys like?

AL: They are like our brothers from another mother. We really connected back at Del Fest three years ago, and Ronnie came on stage with us. Ever since then, we bonded like brothers. Playing festivals and shows together, we call it Sacred Grass, where bluegrass meets Sacred Steel.

LEO: You’ve been fortunate to have played with so many great groups and at events like “Conan” and the Kennedy Center. What are your favorite memories?

AL: Well, we have really been humble about our whole musical career. One of our greatest memories was playing Merle Fest some years ago and having this guy standing on the side wanting to jam with us; we didn’t know who he was, and my manager was telling us to let him jam, and the crowd went crazy when he came on. Later we find out it was Bob Weir from the Grateful Dead.

... We also opened up for Little Richard and B.B. King. Next for the Lee Boys, we just signed with Warren Hayes’ label, and we have our new CD coming out late summer/early fall.

LEO: How much time do you spend on the road each year? What are your family lives like?

AL: Well, we do about 100/120 shows a year. Two of us are married and the rest are not. So, four of us do this full-time, and my other two brothers have full-time jobs. But we all have very supportive families. Also, our boys and other younger nephews are training up in the tradition as well, so the legacy will be passed down.

LEO: How much brotherly bickering goes on?

AL: Well, as much as expected from three brothers and three nephews. But, at the end of the day, we love each other and — for the most part — get along.

LEO: How was your experience playing in Thailand? Is that the farthest place music has taken you?

AL: Yes, it’s the farthest so far. It was a different culture, but you can tell that music is the universal language. Everyone received us well and got into it.

LEO: I was very sorry to read about your sister’s passing. Would you be willing to discuss how you’ve all been dealing, and if music has helped at all?

AL: Yes, it’s been hard. She was the youngest girl in the family and the mother of the bass player, Li’l Al. But our music has really helped us all heal, and we know she is smiling down upon us and now resting in a better place.

The Lee Boys
Tuesday, June 12
Uncle Slayton’s
1017 E. Broadway
uncleslaytons.com
$10-$12; 8:30 p.m.

c. 2012 LEO Weekly

A ‘Bullseye’ for your ears

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New radio program targets pop culture

When Jesse Thorn was in college, he made a decision that would determine the direction of the rest of his life (so far). Fortunately, he didn’t drive drunk into a shopping mall or knock up a one-night stand … he became the host of a non-commercial radio program, “The Sound of Young America.”

“When I named it, as a 19-year-old, it was sort of a jokey reference to how we were anything but ‘The Sound of Young America,’ what with being on a college radio station in Santa Cruz at 7 o’clock in the morning. And it was an allusion to the legendary slogan of Motown Records. An allusion that, it turned out, absolutely no one got.”

Today, at 31, Thorn and his program have evolved from an anything-goes collection of whatever worked into “Bullseye,” a weekly, nationally syndicated hour of interviews and reviews. As a host, Thorn, too, has grown. While he also stays active in sketch comedy in his current home of Los Angeles, his skills as an interviewer have earned comparisons to “Fresh Air” host Terry Gross — and, simultaneously, Conan O’Brien.

One way “Bullseye” differs from other NPR-type programs is how it revels in some of the freshest, most up-to-date pop culture talk, especially for those 40 and under. Unlike “Fresh Air,” a listener is often likely to hear a discussion of hip-hop, or a review of video games. Still, Thorn and his staff are just as excited about legendary figures like comedian Bob Newhart or filmmaker Werner Herzog as they are about inventive keyboardist Robert Glasper or absurdist comics Tim & Eric.

“It’s funny, I think that to some people, our guests are epically legendary,” Thorn says. “To many, they’ve never heard of any of them. We always go for the best guests we can book, rather than the best-known guests we can book, and so we end up with people like Glasper or Herzog — who are absolutely revered, but to a narrower group of people. My hope is that if you bring together enough people like that, the audience starts to trust you.”

Thorn adds, “My favorite comments are the people who write and say, ‘I started listening because I heard my favorite person in the world was going to be on your show, but then I tried listening to some folks I just like, and then I started listening to folks I hadn’t heard of, and now I’m obsessing over their work.’”

“Bullseye” is also available as a free podcast, part of a very mini media empire Thorn has established under the banner of Maximum Fun, which includes four other podcasts and annual fan conventions. “At parties, though, it’s easier just to say, ‘I’m a public radio host,’” Thorn says.

LEO: Programs like “This American Life” and “Bullseye” suggest a direction that public radio should be evolving toward, as the older generation … uh, you know, dies off … but it seems like we’ll have a gay president before NPR’s stuffy image has been completely changed. Do you agree? Do you have a solution?

JT: I think that (“Life” host) Ira Glass and his brilliant team inspired a new generation of public radio talent in a way that the “Car Talk” guys or Robert Siegel, wonderful though they are, weren’t going to. (I genuinely love the “Car Talk” guys and Robert Siegel, don’t get it twisted.)

We’re just seeing the fruits of that now, really. “Radiolab” is a great example — there’s no doubt that (host) Jad (Abumrad) was inspired by Ira, but he took his background in music and combined it with Robert Krulwich’s experience as a brilliant, innovative science reporter and made something so special and new. Or Roman Mars, who makes this perfect little show about design called “99% Invisible.” Or Nate DiMeo, who makes a spectacular little narrative show about history called “The Memory Palace.” Or the folks who are making “Planet Money,” and changing the stylebook for news reporting in public radio, which is most of what public radio does.

The big difficulty is still finding the money and airspace. I think that’s tougher. It’s a very diffuse system, and very risk-averse, and kind of stuffy. But it’s a lot better than commercial radio. I mean, yeesh, have you listened to commercial radio?

‘Bullseye’
Fridays at 8 p.m., WFPL-FM, 89.3
maximumfun.org/shows/bullseye

c. 2012 LEO Weekly