A Musical Life

Tony Scherr / Video and Stuff

2008-02-06T23:26:00.000-05:00

You know how there are some sounds that never have to change, they just stay fresh no matter how many times you hear them? (unlike passing fads, absorbing their birthdates like cartons of milk)

I've been seeing Tony Scherr's solo project for quite a few years now, watching his band members come, go, and rotate, but his sound has never wavered. With his slow and tastefully played country guitar, thick emotional lyrics, and the backing of creative & supportive sidemen, it never goes old.

I met up with some friends last night, Mark and Rob, to watch the set at Living Room. Supporting him were is brother Peter Scherr on bass, Michelle Casillas on guitar, Chris Brown on Hammond, and Anton Fier on drums. The band was smooth, never rushing, and seamlessly responsive to his spontaneous approach to the music. The band alternated between slow shoe-gazing tempos & bouncier oldschool country feels, occasionally halting to bring it down to the softest volume possible with great dramatic effect.

[Sorry for the old man rant for a sec, but this is the kind of music that the new rock kids need to see, to understand how rock can be made louder by playing quietly. Does that make sense? The softer their quiet moments, the harder their loud moments. darn kids...]

Tony still remains relatively unsung in his public recognition, even though he's long been supported many well known musicians, Bill Frisell (Tony's an accomplished bassist), Willie Nelson, Norah Jones, Ani DiFranco, and on and on. You might not realize how many time you've heard Tony playing guitar or bass on other people's music. As with most great musicians, his concentration seems set on the music instead of the business, a crime for all those who haven't witnessed his shows, but gift for those around him. Check the video below for a taste!

If you live in New York, keep your eye on the Living Room schedule and drop by for Tony's next set. It only costs a beer and the tip of your choosing.

-Ethan White
easytracksnyc.blogspot.com
myspace.com/easytracksnyc

Brass & Gomi

2008-02-06T02:56:00.001-05:00

It was a Super Tuesday recording session at DJ Gomi's place today.

The track I put keys down for a couple weeks back was ready for some more layers, so Gomi brought down 3 serious pro brass cats.

OK, to be perfectly 100% completely honest, I didn't make it in till the ending bit.. but there wasn't much reason for me to be there other than to snap these couple photos. Trumpet player Tony Kadleck had already composed and scored horn parts and, along with Saxophonist Tom Timko and Trombonist John Wheeler, they played them down bright and poppin.

I mean I barely even spoke. I've grown accustomed to being at the controls, but when you're not the producer you kinda just chill.

More Gomi to come as the track progresses. Happy post election day to yaz, may your candidate win*

*only if your candidate was my candidate

lovee

Lackawanna and the Peekaboos

2008-02-05T02:32:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday the 2nd I pulled myself outta the house and met up with Tarrah at Banjo Jim's, a little corner bar on 9th and C, to check out Adam Levy & Jason Crigler's band Lackawanna.

I thought we'd be late, but of course, we were early - just in time for a cigar smoking puppet / ventriloquist act.. seriously not my thing. We did a speedy 180 right back out the door and gave her 20 minutes to finish up.

I'm glad we returned to check out the music though. Lackawanna features some amazing musicianship, Adam Levy (center) has played guitar extensively with Norah Jones, Tony Mason (center) and Jason Crigler (left) are both regular band members in the cream of the singer songwriter crop in NY, and Jonathan Maron (right) is one of the founding members of Groove Collective, and has played bass with peeps like Meshell Ndegeocello and Maxwell. These guys basically tore up that little joint to a very happy crowded room, Adam and Jason's country blues chops complimented nicely by Tony and Jonathan's funky foundation. Adam Levy appears to be in charge of Banjo Jim's Wednesday nights if you wanna see this quality biz up close!

Sunday morning was my turn to play a little. I was hungover, but it didn't matter, I was playing reggae classics and originals with the Peekaboos rhythm section. We were tightening up for a show this Friday at the Tea Lounge in Park Slope.

The Peekaboos are bassist Rob Jost's creation (upper right). Rob has really gotten himself inside Jamaican ska, rocksteady & reggae bass, it's so right and real. & man! I can't get enough funky reggae keys, that's all I need. I'm thankful my close friend Rob has asked me to to be a part.

Another old friend and roommate Tewar (lower right) and Teddybut (upper left) surrounded my ears in stereo while my boy Robby DP (upper left), kept the beats good and dirty. The thing was flowing so nice we played through 20 some songs in about 2 hours!

I'm looking forward to adding with percussion, BG vox, and horn section at the show this Friday. YEEOOWW!

Enjoy your week!

lovee

Tarrah Reynolds Rockin @ Rockwood

2008-02-04T01:49:00.000-05:00

Do you know Tarrah Reynolds?

I was at the intimate NYC songwriter stronghold known as Rockwood Music Hall last Monday, January 28th, for an intimate set with Tarrah and her band, Brian Satz on acoustic bass, and Sebastian Guerrero on cajon.

Those that know me know Tarrah is the love of my life, but with all the non biased energy I can summon, I'll tell you I'm truly blessed to have witnessed her talent on so many occasions. She's real and she's doing something new - how many musicians truly play from their heart and create original music? In the name of inspiration, you should see her play.

Here's my best attempt at describing. (How do you describe something all its own???)

She composes her lyrics with a poetic style similar to Joni Mitchell, but with a thicker sense of emotion like Sade or Roberta Flack on her moodier songs, or like 70's motown (think Stevie) at her soulful moments. But somehow it's still acoustic folk music. Her self taught style of finger picking is reminiscent of African guitar, but her harmonies mix modern classical harmonies with soul, in a way that is both beautiful and hypnotic. Bandmates Brian & Seb groove with her, never stepping in the way of the songs, supporting her with simple funky rhythms, all the time grinning, singing, and occasionally stopping to snap their fingers. Her lyrics can be deep, touching on some of her hardest moments, but the rhythm section keeps the mood jumping. The contrast is special.

Check em out! She'll be at Soloman's Porch in Brooklyn on Feb 28th with the stunning Imani Uzuri!

Tortured Soul's New Set & In The Studio With DJ Gomi

2008-01-18T23:00:00.000-05:00

I don't know my deal, I been popping awake by 9 every day this week. Maybe I'm still jetlagged, somehow, from New Year's in Seoul and Manila with my band, Tortured Soul, but normally I sleep my 7 hours at a rather shifted phase, starting at 5 am.

Well at least I was bright eyed and bushy tailed for our rehearsal at 1. It's too bad the the guy at the rehearsal space on avenue b was still passed out somewhere, not answering his phone or buzzer. So the three of us caught up on the street, drinking watery coffee and discussing album release plans & shirt and tie accessories, breaking periodically to press the buzzer again. We did get in after about a half hour, and worked on new bits and pieces for the Brooklyn show next month - that is, whenever Jason's amp didn't flip into deafening white noise.

Christian was happy to see the same napkin covered in dried pizza sauce he saw the last rehearsal, still lying by his drum stool.

Our sound guy Hiro stopped by to say hello, he's been in Japan for the past month mixing some Japanopop music. He brought us all lucky charms from a temple in Okinawa

Today I met DJ Gomi, FINALLY. I remixed his song Glad I Found You last fall for release on Blaze Imprints, but this was the first time we actually hung out. I dropped by his slick pad in midtown to work on a track for his next album due out on Columbia Japan. He rolled a beat and I put down some harmonies, bass lines, etc. The demo's off to Barbara Tucker, let's hope she digs it cuz that would be the boooommmmbbb

big love!

Blog O Schmear

2008-01-18T22:00:00.000-05:00

EEEYOWWWW!! Welcome!

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is as written, and my life is music. There's not much more to me, it strangely sums me up. That's why I hadn't jumped knee deep into this blogobiz everyone is so geeked on lately. What's so exciting about a guy getting up in the morning, making music for about 16 hours, then going back to sleep?

--------

Dear First Time Reader,

Well.. I received a notice last year, postmarked from a court in Philadelphia, the bad news kind with serrated "bend and tear here" edges. The paper was dutifully filed in the same pile reserved for unpaid bills and unreadable IRS notices, and long since forgotten, when, in a sober moment this week I came across it again.

In my haste I had ignored the fine print - a judgement in my favor! A class action suit brought against credit card companies for overcharging on foreign transactions meant money was earmarked for, yeah, yours truly.

Money is good. We like money around here. They didn't ask much of me in return, just my name and address... and uhh, an estimate of how many days I had been out of the states in the past 9 years.

Wow. Music has brought me to every continent. I feel so fortunate, but the memories are blurred.

So I started to count.

There was the week-long tour to Brazil, where the promoter nickeled and dimed us start to finish. A week starting in Singapore eating my way across town from the long stands of hawkers to the tourist ridden Raffles followed by a drive up through Malaysia and it's endless rows of Palm Oil Farms, to Kuala Lumpur's strange nightlife and monkeys hissing at gawking admirers at the Batu Caves. 10 days in Spain, drinking canas in Madrid, eating paella in Valencia, up to the crazy beach concert in San Sebastian. Italy.. how many times have I been to Italy? Twice? There was the quick trip to Milan, then the long trip through the south of Italy with our crazy loudmouthed road manager, exploring castles in Napale, ending with the show inside the winery in Catana. Wait, 3 times, I forgot the weekend out to Rome. Indonesia. Twice. The first time when I got a flu and the band left me part-way home to sweat it out in a hotel in Taiwan. And the second time they had made phone cards with the band promo picture on one side - the year between the two trips apparently perfect timing to blow up a live house band in Jakarta.

England, how many times?? Twice to the manic Southport Weekender party at the ugliest rainiest nastiest resort you've ever partied your ass off at, Manchester, Leeds, London, London, and London umpteen times. Didn't I go over to Europe for a month once? I remember driving through the Baltic States with two old Lithuanian drivers chattering the whole way and getting the us all sick to our stomachs. The trip to eastern Hungary where I drank too much Unicum with a group of local headbangers and found myself throwing up in a train ditch wondering which way my hotel was.. The show in Berlin that was still going on when I woke up in the morning; crazy Berliners partying through the morning next to the Berlin Wall. Two trips to Istanbul where the ultra hip Turkish kids strangely reminded me of New York, coexisting with Muslims carrying on in ancient style. Cape Town where I spent a weekend watching amazing African music that will never come to my continent & I had that blowout screaming match with the promoter as he threatened to cancel our flight home. That's the trip where I ate worms. (don't ask)

I know I'm forgetting something. Korea. France. Ireland. Norway. Does Canada count?

All these lost memories and fading details cinched it for me on the blogosmear. It's time to write shit down and take a moment and present the special bits and pieces from my days for you (if yer innerested), and frankly, for my own cluttered brain-o-sphere.

Maybe my grandchildren will read this blog, think long and hard... and become accountants.

By the way, if you're curious, what the hell did I do to forget the kind of shit I shouldn't forget, well.. I don't honestly remember. But I'm pretty sure I didn't inhale.

With love,

Ethan