Red House Records (2008)

Listening to commercial radio in the New River Valley is often an unbearable experience. I occasionally listen in the car, but at home I just have too many options. There’s Pandora and LastFM, among others, on the computer. And as part of my DISH Network package, I have SIRIUS music channels. One day while listening to SIRIUS 30 The Coffee House, I happened upon Eliza Gilkyson, who immediately caught my attention as something interesting, refreshing, and unlikely heard on commercial radio—at least around the NRV. (more…)

Vaskaleedez Records
2007

When I was a kid, it wasn’t cool to like country. It was the music our parents listened to, and therefore we couldn’t have anything to do with it. By the time I hit college, I was open-minded enough to give country music a try. One of the first bands I took a liking to was a group called The Desert Rose Band, which was led by Chris Hillman. (more…)

Pinecastle Records (2007)

Southwest Virginia, as we all know, is full of great musicians. Of course, a lot of mountain music is so ingrained in the culture of this area that many never even think about recording songs, it’s just something in their blood. But The Dixie Bee-Liners from down in Washington County have produced a CD, which is newly released.  (more…)

Proper Recordings
2008

Sometimes, a lone singer with a banjo is the most powerful voice you’ll hear. So it is with Tim O’Brien’s Chameleon. The multi-instrumentalist plays it all himself, accompanying his voice on guitar, bouzouki, banjo, mandolin, mandola, and fiddle. O’Brien sings a collection of songs that could change your life if you listen to what he’s saying.

The production (shared with Gary Paczosa) is simple and straight, and sounds like you’re in the room with O’Brien. The acoustic space fills with songs that could only come from America, right here, right now.

The “chameleon” is put forth by O’Brien as an abstract notion of how we change to fit in. This metaphor for change and deception surfaces throughout.

Tunes such as “Red Dog In The Morning,” “World Of Trouble,” and “Phantom Phone Call” invoke O’Brien’s mountain music heritage. The latter’s outright declaration that the mobile phone is a threat to the human race casts the danger as biological rather than technological.

The title track sings of the sun and moon as all-seeing orbs privy to the things we keep hidden. Here, O’Brien addresses the chameleon directly. “Megna’s” and “Red Dog in the Morning” recall a life and time that, while not really that long ago, seem far away and unattainable. The respite of these songs is warm and wistful.

“The World Was Made for Everyone,” “When in Rome,” and “World of Trouble” put a lively spin on some pretty damn bad things. The first title references “This Land is Your Land,” satirizing the idea that the world was created just for America. The second uses a common cliché to get its work done, avoiding the chameleon altogether by doing little to mask itself as a cautionary tale to Americans (O’Brien included). The Cotton-Eyed Joe quotation in “World of Trouble” is not to be missed.

“Safe in Your Arms” returns to sanctuary, the refrain reminiscent of protestant hymnody. The song tells of that safe place we all seek so that we can dream. Some of us have it, and more of us need it. Next, the song “Crooked Road” could be taken as a passing reference to Old Dominion’s bluegrass heritage, a road that O’Brien walks; but here, he sings of another path he treads, one suggested by these songs, one that is not easy. But he does not walk alone.

The need for love is reprised in the album closer “Nothing to Say.” Here, O’Brien reassures the listener that our problems are not new to the world. Coming to terms with how history sees us can be harsh, but O’Brien offers hope by invoking Christ’s message from the Sermon on the Mount, “Give love and get in love, that’s all it’s about.”

John Hildreth lives in Giles County, teaches at Radford University, and plays in the contra dance band Dot Dot Dash.

Trashbox Records (2008)

Another in a line of emo-flavored rock bands, God or Julie has put out a solid CD in This Road Before.

The group consists of the brothers Johnson (Adam and Jon Paul) along with Matt Hogan and Aaron Stern. Jon Paul plays guitar and keys, sings lead, and carries the bulk of the songwriting load. Though blues was the first music that the Johnsons began playing, Jon Paul strays far from typical blues storytelling to create lyrics more emotive and enigmatic. (more…)

Forward Moving Records (2007)

Like the old adage of judging a book by its cover, apparently you can’t judge a CD by its cover, either.

Open Door by Emily Brass has been available for about five months, but we just got our hands on a copy in advance of her show at Awful Arthur’s in Blacksburg on March 7. When you see a blonde with a sax on the CD cover you might assume it is a jazz record. It’s not—though some jazz influences, along with a lot of other influences, are found in Brass’s music. (more…)