Eliza Gilkyson

Eliza Gilkyson - Beautiful World - 2008 - Red House

Eliza Gilkyson has always been a socially and spiritually conscious, if not overtly political, songwriter, and 2004's pre-election Land of Milk and Honey and 2005's post-election lament Paradise Hotel were meditations on hope, change, and righteous anger. Beautiful World appears in an election year, but the viewpoint is different: Gilkyson rises from the place of disappointment and grief to equanimity. With her road band and guests who include John Inmon, Cindy Cashdollar, David Grissom, Julie Wolf, and her brother Tony, Gilkyson pursues a path that is alternately confessional, grieving, hopeful (rather than optimistic), confused, broken, and compassionate. She invokes a diverse array of sounds, styles, and textures that move this set out from the predictable tropes of contemporary folk-jazz, roots rock, and even slinky keyboard affected ballads. Her new songs find beauty in some of the most unlikely places. What better way to begin a "political" album than with a love song? It's not ironic; it's revolutionary. Led by a fingerpicked National Steel, she sings above her band: "...Whole world's goin' up in smoke/Hard times comin', I ain't jokin'/Just tryin' to keep my heart wide open/...Feel like a kid from the inside out/All because I'm in love...." Horns walk the line between mariachi and Memphis soul, and accompany Gilkyson's delicate yet grainy voice. The song's radical notion is that love is always possible, and can survive anything. The poetic "Wildewood Spring" reflects weariness and the desire for rest along with its "urban survivors," "West Texas grads," "rednecks," and "hippies." She finds herself coming away with the courage of love rather than relaxation: "I remember the first time I knew I could love him/And this would be more than a vow and a ring/With the last rays of hope and the blue sky above him/He flung himself into the Wildewood Spring...." "The Party's Over" is a soft-rocking dirge: a true lament for the end of America as we know it, the song reflects the bleak dawn of morning at the Hotel California -- after Iraq and Hurricane Katrina. Frustration is at the center of acoustic guitars, bass, and Cashdollar's pedal steel on "Great Correction." The song's setting is at the corner of "ruin and grace." Though it spells out the karmic consequences of our behavior, it is also a paean with a glimmer of hope: "...It's the bitter end we've come down to/The eye of the needle that we gotta get through/But the end could be the start of something new...." The hardest rocking tune here is the scathing "Dream Lover." A dark and angry song about the truth of male desire, it's sung from the point of view of the abused -- but the protagonist is not going down; she's speaking the truth to her abuser instead. The theme of romantic love returns in "He Waits for Me." It's tender, full of gratitude in acknowledging the risk involved in loving another. The protagonist is on the receiving end of a love that expects nothing in return except that she be true to herself. It is the most exquisite piece here. Its power is subtle and gentle, but undeniable in the weave of acoustic guitars, atmospheric pedal steel, and sparse strings. Gilkyson's love songs have always been something to reckon with, but this one sets a new high watermark. When it's over, the listener will have confusing, conflicted feelings. The songwriter has done her job well. She doesn't place her songs above her listeners; she's down inside them; she stubbornly clings to the notion that hard-won compassion provides the eye of the needle that redemption slips through. © Thom Jurek © 2013 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/beautiful-world-mw0000787060

An exceptional collection of folk based songs from the Southern Californian folk singer/songwriter Eliza Gilkyson. All Eliza’s songs are about optimism and love and about the everyday emotions we all have to deal with. Her songs evoke feelings that everybody can relate to. She is a hugely underrated songwriter. Her melodies and lyrics are beautiful, but never “sugary” or “manufactured”. She is also a beautiful vocalist and excellent musician. All Music Guide called this album Eliza Gilkyson’s masterpiece and the free-thinking Utne Reader publication called it “one of the best folk albums of 2008”. Pop Matters said "Beautiful World should become a benchmark record for contemporary folk. Displaying humour, wit, and a winning charm. Gilkyson commands our attention. Listen”. Folk music on this blog is rare, but any music with real merit is always worth hearing, and this album is VHR by A.O.O.F.C. Listen to her “Pilgrims” and Hard Times In Babylon” albums. It’s a joy to hear this brand of intelligent and meaningful music which is written from the heart and is a million miles away from the plastic commercial trash masquerading as music today. BTW, never judge a book or music album by the cover! [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 114 Mb]

TRACKS / CREDITS

1 Emerald Street 3:45

eliza gilkyson: national steel guitar, vocal, whistling
mike hardwick: electric guitar
tony gilkyson: electric guitar
glenn fukunaga: bass
cisco ryder: drums, percussion
john mills: saxophone
patrick murray: saxophone
michael mordecai: trumpet
john mills: horn arrangement

2 Wildewood Spring 4:28

eliza gilkyson: acoustic guitar, vocal
mike hardwick: electric guitar
glenn fukunaga: upright bass
rich brotherton: cittern
elana james: fiddle
julie wolf: background vocal
mark hallman: background vocal

3 The Party's Over 4:22

eliza gilkyson: acoustic guitar, vocal
tony gilkyson: electric guitar
mark hallman: electric guitar
glenn fukunaga: bass
cisco ryder: drums, background vocal
julie wolf: hammond organ, background vocal

4 Great Correction 5:02

eliza gilkyson: acoustic guitar, vocal
mike hardwick: dobro
glenn fukunaga: bass
cisco ryder: drums
tony gilkyson: electric guitar
julie wolf: hammond organ

5 Clever Disguise 4:01

eliza gilkyson: acoustic guitar, vocal
mike hardwick: 12-string guitar
glenn fukunaga: bass
cisco ryder: suitcase, percussion
tony gilkyson: electric guitar
mark hallman: background vocal
julie wolf: hammond organ, accordion

6 Dream Lover 3:29

eliza gilkyson: acoustic guitar, vocal
glenn fukunaga: bass
cisco ryder: drums
robbie gjersoe: slide guitar
mark hallman: bouzouki, background vocal

7 He Waits For Me 4:33

eliza gilkyson: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocal
mike hardwick: electric guitar
cisco ryder: percussion
julie wolf: plucked piano strings
mark hallman: keyboards, acoustic guitar

8 Runaway Train 4:20

eliza gilkyson: acoustic guitar, vocal
mike hardwick: electric guitar
glenn fukunaga: bass
cisco ryder: drums
david grissom: electric guitar, baritone guitar

9 Beautiful World 6:25

eliza gilkyson: rhodes piano, grand piano
robert mcentee: electric guitar
julie wolf: keyboards
cordelia castillo: background vocal

10 Rare Bird 4:53

eliza gilkyson: electric guitar
cisco ryder: percussion, background vocal
mark hallman: nylon string guitar
robert mcentee: electric guitar
julie wolf: hammond organ
cordelia castillo: background vocal

11 Unsustainable 3:33

eliza gilkyson: vocal
john inmon: electric guitar
cindy cashdollar: pedal steel guitar
chris maresh: upright bass

All songs composed by Eliza Gilkyson

BIO

Folk singer/songwriter Eliza Gilkyson was born in Hollywood, California, the daughter of folk-pop singer/songwriter Terry Gilkyson (1916-1999). Her father wrote and recorded "The Cry of the Wild Goose," which Frankie Laine covered for a number one hit in 1950, as well as the 1953 Top Ten hit "Tell Me a Story," recorded by Jimmy Boyd and Laine. As a performer, he was co-credited with the Weavers on the 1951 Top Ten hit "On Top of Old Smoky." With Richard Dehr and Frank Miller, he was a member of the Easy Riders. The three wrote the 1953 Top Ten hit "Mister Tap Toe" recorded by Doris Day, and they wrote and provided backing vocals on the 1957 number one hit "Memories Are Made of This" recorded by Dean Martin. The same year, as Terry Gilkyson and the Easy Riders, they scored their own Top Ten hit with the self-written "Marianne," and they wrote Laine's Top Ten hit "Love Is a Golden Ring." They also wrote the 1960 Top Ten hit "Greenfields" recorded by the Brothers Four. Terry later was employed by the Walt Disney company to write songs for and sing in its films and television programs, and his composition "The Bare Necessities" from the 1967 movie The Jungle Book earned him an Academy Award nomination. Growing up in Hollywood, Eliza sometimes sang on her father's demos and soundtracks, along with her brother Tony Gilkyson, who later became a member of the rock bands Lone Justice and X and performed on her records. Though uncredited, she can be heard singing with her father in the Disney TV movies The Secret of Romney Marsh (1964) and The Legend of Young Dick Turpin (1965). (She also had a sister, Nancy Gilkyson, who became an executive at Warner Bros. Records and sang on her records.) In her late teens, she moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she raised a family and released her first album, Eliza '69, on Mont Clare Records. (Her son Cisco Gilliland [aka Cisco Ryder and Cisco Gilkyson] later became the percussionist in her backup band, and she also had a daughter, Cordelia Castillo [aka Delia Gilkyson], who later sang on her records.) Her second foray into recording was her 1979 LP Love from the Heart, released under the name Lisa Gilkyson by Helios Records. Over the next several years, she moved to Austin, Texas, then back to Los Angeles, then to Taos, New Mexico. Again as Eliza Gilkyson, she signed to Gold Castle Records and released Pilgrims in 1987. The label marketed the album as a new age recording, a tag Gilkyson later rejected. She followed Pilgrims with Legends of Rainmaker (1989), which featured her cover of "Greenfields," and a duet with Bonnie Raitt on her own composition "Rosie Strike Back," a rock & roll song decrying spousal abuse, which had already been recorded by Rosanne Cash on her 1987 album King's Record Shop. Unfortunately, Gold Castle went bankrupt, and Gilkyson was without a record label for several years. In 1993, she was signed to Private Music, which issued Through the Looking Glass that summer. She next co-wrote eight of 14 songs and sang and played on harpist Andreas Vollenweider's album Eolian Minstrel, released in November, then toured with him. She moved to Europe and got divorced from her husband of 14 years, leaving her American career behind. In 1994, she released an album called Undressed overseas on Revelizations Records. She returned to the U.S., settling again in Austin, and reintroduced herself to her homeland with Redemption Road, released in September 1997 on Silver Ware. "Prayer 2000," a song from the album that she co-wrote with Mark Andes (formerly of Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne, Firefall, and Heart), was later covered by Priscilla Herdman. In 1999, Gilkyson formed her own Realiza label and issued Misfits, a collection of previously unreleased archival recordings. She then signed to the independent folk label Red House Records for a new album, Hard Times in Babylon, released in October 2000. The opening song, "The Beauty Way," co-written with Andes, was later covered by Ray Wylie Hubbard. Lost and Found followed in April 2002. Three months later, she teamed up with Ian Matthews and Ad Vanderveen for the trio album More Than a Song, released by Perfect Pitch. Her next Red House solo album was the politically oriented Land of Milk and Honey (March 2004), featuring the previously unrecorded Woody Guthrie song "Peace Call," with backup vocals by Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patty Griffin, and Iris DeMent, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Album. In July 2005, she self-released RetroSpecto, a collection of rare and out of print material. Paradise Hotel, her fourth Red House release, appeared the following month. Your Town Tonight, Gilkyson's first live disc, was released two years later, followed by Beautiful World in May, 2008. In 2011, Gilkyson joined labelmates John Gorka and Lucy Kaplansky under the banner Red Horse and released an eponymous album. © William Ruhlmann © 2013 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/eliza-gilkyson-mn0000796833/biography

Stephen Bennett

Stephen Bennett - Alert the Authorities - 2008 - Cimirron/Rainbird

Nine covers of old standards and three originals by the master of the harp guitar, Stephen Bennett. This guy is talented beyond belief. That talent doesn't include his vocals! Stephen has said that "I am delighted to proclaim that no pitch altering technology was used for this project. To make it still sound ok, I have intentionally de-tuned the guitars so that you don't notice now bad the vocals really are...one does what what one must...". We believe you Stephen. Thousands wouldn't! Listen to Stephen's "Reflections" album, and check out his sensational "Beatles Acoustic Guitar Solos" For more great acoustic guitar, check out Laurence Juber on this blog

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. The Garden Song - Tray Eppes 2:48
2. Tuxedo Junction - Hawkins & Feyne 2:49
3. It's Only A Paper Moon - Arlen & Harburg 2:38
4. I'm Beginning To See The Light - George, Hodges, Ellington, James 2:19
5. What A Wonderful World - Thiele & Weiss 4:43
6. Hernando's Hideaway - Adler & Ross 3:03
7. It's You I Like - Fred Rogers 2:42
8. Mind's All Troubled Blues - Reverend Gary Davis 3:38
9. Dumpster Love - Stephen Bennett & Steve Taylor (some lyrics) 3:22
10. On The Occasion Of Our Anniversary - Stephen Bennett 3:11
11. Just Like You - Pete Wernick 3:30
12. Thanks - Stephen Bennett 4:32

MUSICIANS

Stephen Bennett - Acoustic, Harp, Slide, & National Guitar: Clarinet on "I'm Beginning To See The Light"
Jimmy Masters - Upright Bass on "I'm Beginning To See The Light"

BIO

Stephen Bennett is an extraordinary musician, an acknowledged master of the harp guitar, a challenging teacher, a gifted composer, and a performer of astounding sensitivity. The Toronto Fingerstyle Guitar Association calls him “the Jedi Master of Fingerstyle Guitar”… Stephen has traveled the world and performed with the best. From California to Maine, Texas to Tennessee, as well as around Europe, Canada, Australia and Japan, Stephen has played all sorts of venues and events. He has released 20 recordings of music, along with a couple of DVDs, books and other instructional materials – and he’s always working on something new! The testimony of those who hear Stephen is that his work is the product of both mind and heart, intellectually challenging and emotionally satisfying – - and it is deeply personal, even as it is universal. Listeners have a feeling that they have stepped into the world of the musician, and for a short moment in time, there are only the two of them there. Says one reviewer: “With his ear near the body of the harp guitar, Mr. Bennett gave the impression of a father cradling a newborn baby . . . His performance was imbued with heart and grace.” The producer of a Texas music Festival writes, “Stephen’s music draws the listener in. He has the ability to make you feel as though you are a part of the music he is making. From France: “Stephen’s compositions are so beautiful, filled with great emotion and great sensitivity. He is one of those musicians who serve the music, and only the music.” “When I first heard him playing a few years ago in France, I felt like I had been pushed into a different world, where the lost emotions come back to your heart and make it beat in a different way. What Stephen can do, and few artists have this gift, is to speak directly to your heart and to move your best feelings!” Pierpaolo Adda, music journalist and festival promoter, Italy.“The image of Stephen Bennett embracing his harp guitar is the one that tends to linger. The fact that Stephen is only too happy to champion the cause of the harp guitar may inadvertently obscure his abilities on the six-string instrument. In what is becoming known as the Golden Age of Guitar Luthiery, it’s easy to overlook the fact that this is also the Golden Age of Guitar Playing. With six strings or more, as one of the most original and prolific composers and arrangers for the guitar on the current scene, Stephen Bennett is clearly a part of the latter heritage.” S. Rekas – Mel Bay Publications Stephen is also is the founder of the Harp Guitar Gathering, an event that celebrated its seventh season in October of 2009. The HGG seeks to celebrate all things harp guitar as it brings players, luthiers, scholars and fans together for a weekend of performances, workshops and camaraderie.Whether playing his great-grandfather’s harp guitar, slide on his National resonator guitar, or a standard six-string, Stephen Bennett is a musician to hear. His music has won awards and critical praise. In live performance and on record, his diverse musical influences and interests are joined in a life-long love affair with the sound of guitar strings. © 2009 Harp Guitar. Conforms to W3C Standard XHTML & CSS 2.8.6, http://truefiretv.net/sites/harpguitar2/?page_id=51

MORE ABOUT STEPHEN BENNETT

Stephen Bennett is one of the greatest performers and songwriters that we have ever had the pleasure of knowing. His music moves and inspires us to no end. Guitarist Stephen Bennett was born in Oregon, grew up in New York and has lived in Virginia for the last twenty-five years. Since his 1987 win at the National Flatpicking Championship, held in Winfield, Kansas, USA, he has come to be known as a guitar master, one who consistently garners critical praise and audience enthusiasm for his recordings and live performances. He is the only person to ever win awards in both flatpicking and fingerpicking styles in the nearly 30-year history of the National Guitar Championships. His arrangement and performance of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite has been played on radio stations around the United States and is regarded in some quarters as the alternative version. As one of the world's only performers on the too long neglected harp guitar, Stephen has created arrangements of classic tunes and composed new music as well. Three of his harp guitar compositions have been included in compilations on the Narada label, with the latest due out in March of 2001. Three other of his pieces have been licensed by the Bose Corporation. Stephen performs regularly around the US and recently in Europe as well, including a recent performance on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion. Armed with a standard six-string, an old National steel resonator guitar, his harp guitar, a broad repertoire, and thirty-five years of guitar playing experience, Stephen Bennett engages his audiences with an entertaining show of first-rate musicianship. © http://www.pick-uptheworld.com/featuredartist.html