{"id":1964,"date":"2020-09-05T19:33:58","date_gmt":"2020-09-05T19:33:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/?p=1964"},"modified":"2020-09-05T19:37:26","modified_gmt":"2020-09-05T19:37:26","slug":"ftv-a-daystorm-records-double-header","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/?p=1964","title":{"rendered":"FTV: A Daystorm Records Double Header"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0While the live music industry has been in a COVID-19 induced coma, artists have gone to great lengths to fill up their empty calendars.\u00a0 Some have spent the time pumping out socially distanced\u00a0 events on various media platforms while others have hit the studio.\u00a0 Whether these have been low tech phone affairs or higher tech outings with more reliable equipment, all have helped keep our minds off the pandemic.\u00a0 I, for one, am looking forward to the light at the end of the tunnel.\u00a0 We aren\u2019t there yet, not even close, but when we are able to get back to whatever the new normal will be, the return of live music is just one of our greatly anticipated joys.\u00a0 Artists are using this unfortunate pause in their livelihoods to create new music and our good friend from <\/span>Daystorm Music <\/b>in Milwaukee, <\/span>Gary Tanin<\/b>, took sometime to send WOAS-FM a couple of prime examples.\u00a0 As long as Major League Baseball is back in their COVID-19 shortened season, borrowing a bit of jargon seemed a perfect way to present this double shot of new music.\u00a0 From the tunes I have heard during the first five months of the shutdown, none are better than <\/span>Jack Spann\u2019s<\/b> new single and the twelve new tracks <\/span>Peggy James<\/b> has crafted in this time frame.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jack is Back! (and just in time)<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The whole stay at home, wear a mask, social distancing aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic are annoying, but they do not particularly upset me.\u00a0 Not nearly as much as the dent this has put in the music industry.\u00a0 Be it on the artistic or consumer end of the stick (not to mention venues, merchandise, equipment sales and so on), this was not what any of us signed up for.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As the end of August approached, Daystorm Music\u2019s Gary Tanin provided just the kind of lift I needed to face the months ahead.\u00a0 It arrived in the form of Jack Sann\u2019s new CD single <\/span>Jesus of New Orleans.<\/i><\/b>\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>Good old Jack!\u00a0 Rather than let the pandemic get him down, he gathered a few friends, reached into his colorful subconscious mind and produced the funkiest dance track I have heard in ages.\u00a0 <\/span>Jesus of New Orleans<\/span><\/i> features Jack on a variety of instruments (lead vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar, and bass) and his old buddies <\/span>Cecil Robbington<\/b> (drums and percussion) and a long time friend from St. Louis, <\/span>John Covelli<\/b> on Trombone (among others).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The single (with both the dance mix and radio edits included on the CD) and a full production music video were rolled out on August 15, 2020 in both CD and Digital formats on <\/span>Big Boo Records <\/b>and <\/span>Daystorm Music<\/b>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The first two minutes of the video had me furiously tapping my toes as colors swirled across the screen and \u2018Jesus\u2019 cavorted with two female companions.\u00a0 They jumped, jived, spun, and grooved\u00a0 to the infectious beat.\u00a0 The transition between part one and the jazzy sax featured in the second segment gave my eyes, ears, and mind a brief pause to absorb where Jack was going with his story…then he revved up the engine again.\u00a0 The funky guitar is just as mesmerizing as the beat.\u00a0 Halfway home, things break off into an interesting sonic landscape with accompanying (and colorful) video images to match.\u00a0 The stream of consciousness collage that occupies the middle to three quarter mark of the video is mind-bending!\u00a0 About the time things seem to grind to a stand-still, Jack\u2019s <\/span>Rub-a-dub dub <\/span><\/i>face melt segues into some true Nawlins fueled trombone Jazz (move over <\/span>Trombone<\/i><\/b> Shorty<\/b>!) and eventually a piano – trombone interplay that would make <\/span>John Baptiste <\/b>proud.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I do not want to sell anyone short so make sure to stick around for the credit scroll at the end so all the creative people involved get their due.\u00a0 There will be no COVID blues for me or anyone else who hears or sees (preferably both) <\/span>Jesus of New Orleans<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0 Keep the tunes coming, Jack!\u00a0 {Jack was last covered in <\/span>FTV:\u00a0 Propaganda Man – <\/span><\/i>7-3-19}\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Peggy James – <\/b>Paint Still Wet<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It was one of those \u2018kismet\u2019 moments that put Peggy\u2019s new CD <\/span>Paint Still Wet<\/span><\/i> in my ears back in early July.\u00a0 I had sent a quick \u2018hope you are well\u2019 email to\u00a0 Gary Tanin at Daystorm Records and his reply lifted my spirits instantly.\u00a0 Gary replied, \u201cWe are doing well.\u00a0 I was just thinking about you.\u00a0 Peggy James has been working on a new album.\u00a0 Would you mind taking a listen?\u201d\u00a0 We last discussed Peggy James in this space when we reviewed her 2018 release <\/span>Nothing in Between<\/i><\/b> {FTV:\u00a0 Peggy James 6-6-18} so the only thing I could tell Gary was, \u201cSend it!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Peggy James is one of those artists whose music could be labeled many ways, so let us just say she is a gifted singer-songwriter.\u00a0 There might be a touch more country twang in her songs than some other pop-country artists, but she is capable of delivering many different styles.\u00a0 At times she reminds me of Joni Mitchell (both vocally and lyrically), otherwise she pretty much does her own thing.\u00a0 James writes great story songs and it is impossible not to nod along with the pace and rhythm of her music.\u00a0 Here is a brief blow by blow of the twelve tracks on <\/span>Paint Still Wet<\/i><\/b>.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>This is so hot off the press that I have no other information about the players involved other than <\/span>Peggy James <\/b>and producer <\/span>Gary Tanin.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Track 1 – Let\u2019s Fly Away <\/b>– From the opening strum, this song displays how to orchestrate a radio friendly single. \u00a0 Before the end of the first verse, James has delivered on her promise to <\/span>\u2018Take you where the fireflies shine\u2019 <\/span><\/i>on a warm summer night.\u00a0 The minimal tremolo guitar and picking support the lyrics very well.\u00a0 It is a solid opening track with understated drumming at the foundation and a beautiful violin lead break.\u00a0 Her vocal style is uniquely her own but yet Peggy sounds familiar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Track 2 – Wiser <\/b>– Peggy has the ability to make her voice sound wistful without it sounding wispy.\u00a0 A strummer\u2019s delight with minimal percussion, <\/span>Wiser<\/span><\/i> is a lovely song.\u00a0 When her voice climbs at the end of the chorus to verse bridge, the sighing quality of her voice can only be described as \u2018lovely\u2019.\u00a0 As with her last album, it takes time to absorb all the musical elements.\u00a0 I also find it takes several listening sessions before the impact of the vocals becomes more apparent.\u00a0 Peggy James has a way with casting imagery from words!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Track 3 – Holdin\u2019 Hands<\/b> – After the change in rhythm and tone presented on <\/span>Wiser<\/span><\/i>, the arrangement of <\/span>Holding Hands <\/span><\/i>goes back to something more similar to <\/span>Let\u2019s Fly Away.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>The echoing background vocals and steel guitar are crystal clear.\u00a0 The drum and bass tones are perfect for this kind of jangly tune.\u00a0 <\/span>The Byrds<\/b> meet a 1960s girl group and magic happens in <\/span>Holdin\u2019 Hands<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0 Name checking <\/span>The Beatles<\/b> hints at Peggy\u2019s inspiration here.\u00a0 It also features a nice slide guitar break.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Track 4 – San Antone <\/b>– I hadn\u2019t even looked at the title yet, but the opening chords of <\/span>San Antone<\/span><\/i> popped the word \u2018southwest\u2019 into my head.\u00a0 The lyrics say \u2018<\/span>If you ever get to Texas, try and stop in San Antone\u2019 <\/span><\/i>but the stylish guitar throughout the song makes you feel like you are already there.\u00a0 This is a traveller\u2019s tune that tells the listener exactly what kind of impression San Antone left on James\u2019 soul.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Track 5 – Can\u2019t do Lonely Anymore<\/b> –\u00a0 Time to change up the pace and James offers up a slower honky tonk blues.\u00a0 I can almost picture a 1920\u2019s cabaret singer working in front of a smokey club audience.\u00a0 All the elements are there:\u00a0 the tinkling piano, the strummed guitar, soft hi-hat and drums beats with a soulful guitar break.\u00a0 I don\u2019t mean to say it sounds \u2018dated\u2019, it just wasn\u2019t a style I expected.\u00a0 <\/span>Can\u2019t do Lonely Anymore <\/span><\/i>\u00a0is a great track that showcases her chameleon-like vocal abilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Track 6 – Sailor Knots<\/b> – Perhaps being locked up a home spurred Peggy to write about being somewhere else.\u00a0 <\/span>Sailor Knots<\/span><\/i> is another example of how she is able to write tracks that aren\u2019t propelled by percussion, but still move.\u00a0 The ethereal background vocals that come in around the 2:00 minute mark are, again, lovely.\u00a0 James’ technique of echoing certain phrases makes sure you are picking up the rich imagery she has created.\u00a0 <\/span>Sailor Knots<\/span><\/i> has an irresistible pulse to it.\u00a0 The tempo change as the song nears 4:00 minutes closes the song very nicely.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Track 7 – Lighter Than a Feather<\/b> – \u201c<\/span>You were once dead weight now you\u2019re lighter than a feather\u201d <\/span><\/i>is a wonderful way to get the listener\u2019s attention.\u00a0 Beyond the sentiments about \u2018<\/span>soaring on the wind<\/span><\/i>\u2019 are so many interesting musical elements that this track actually makes you feel a little light headed.\u00a0 With all the heavy stuff going on in the world right now, this is a balm for the soul.\u00a0 The combination of drums, swirling string like effects and background vocals added in just the right measure make this a great song.\u00a0 I am not sure if Peggy has listened to the band <\/span>Lucius <\/b>but the drum work on <\/span>Lighter Than a Feather<\/span><\/i> reminds me a lot of their style.\u00a0 This is a song that evokes a host of emotions from both the musical arrangement and the lyrics.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Track 8 – Head Over Heels<\/b> – The lead guitar style here reminds me of <\/span>George Harrison<\/b>.\u00a0 Toss in a soulful harp lead (yes, I seem to find a lot of soulful moments in the album), and a whole list of artists who would love to cover this track comes to mind.\u00a0 Anyone who has ever gone <\/span>Head Over Heels<\/span><\/i> will be able to relate to the lyric.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Track 9 – Nothin\u2019s the Same <\/b>– A different beat, more great guitar.\u00a0 Slow calypso?\u00a0 The shimmery guitar break over syncopated drums and bass make me want to dance.\u00a0 The lyrics are about change and James is able to make the story sound more introspective than maudlin.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t about the current pandemic, but the central thought of <\/span>Nothin\u2019s the Same<\/span><\/i> could be applied to what the world is going through.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Track 10 – Fallen Star <\/b>– Cue the jukebox.\u00a0 There isn\u2019t a C&W beer joint in the world that would not put this tune in rotation.\u00a0 From the rimshot clops to the swaying guitar rhythm, <\/span>Fallen Star<\/span><\/i> really brings out the country cry in Peggy\u2019s voice.\u00a0 The southwestern vibe of the guitar break is terrific.\u00a0 Not sure if this is <\/span>Jim Eanelli\u2019s<\/b> guitar work, but whoever it is, they know their way around the fretboard.\u00a0 James sings about San Diego, but maybe she was still thinking about San Antone?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Track 11 – Scarlet and Gold<\/b> – Now how does one interject a little <\/span>Elton John<\/b> into a track like this?\u00a0 The beat and lyrics again pick up the album\u2019s pace a bit.\u00a0 The \u2018Ahhs\u2019 that bridge the verses scream \u2018<\/span>Yellow Brick Road<\/i><\/b>\u2019 and this isn\u2019t meant as a criticism.\u00a0 <\/span>Scarlet and Gold<\/span><\/i> is an original tune and having it remind me of a classic album like <\/span>YBR <\/span><\/i>puts the song writing on a pretty high pedestal. There are multiple candidates for \u2018singles\u2019 on this album and this is one of them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Track 12 – Gettin\u2019 Serious<\/b> – The most distinctive style change on this album comes in the form of <\/span>Gettin\u2019 Serious<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0 It sounds like a live recording, but without album notes, I can\u2019t say that for sure (remember, the classic \u2018live\u2019 version of <\/span>Get Ready<\/span><\/i> by Rare Earth was cut in the studio with the crowd noise added later).\u00a0 The thumping drums and rhythm guitar are the driving wheels and one could see this at either end of a concert as an opener or show closer.\u00a0 As with many of Peggy\u2019s arrangements, there is a lot going on in the background but none of it distracts from the song itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

If it was recorded live prior to everything shutting down, it got a good crowd reaction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Paint Still Wet<\/span><\/i> is Peggy James\u2019 second winning record in a row and it is set for a September 18, 2020 release on <\/span>Happy Growl Records<\/b>.\u00a0 She would be a wonderful addition to the 2021 Porcupine Music Festival when we get the world back in shape.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0These will stand as two of the most creative musical adventures to come out of this strange time.\u00a0 It has been a long several months and we can use all the distractions we can get to muddle through the rest of 2020.\u00a0 Many thanks to Gary at Daystorm for sharing this great music by Jack and Peggy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Top Piece Video – Jack Spann’s newest technicolor tune.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0While the live music industry has been in a COVID-19 induced coma, artists have gone to great lengths to fill up their empty calendars.\u00a0 Some have spent the time pumping out socially distanced\u00a0 events on various media platforms while others have hit the studio.\u00a0 Whether these have been low tech phone affairs or higher tech […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,11,8,6,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bands-musicians","category-education","category-from-the-vaults","category-new-music","category-woas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1964"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1964\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1967,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1964\/revisions\/1967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}