Categories
CD Reviews

Album Review: Leyla Fences’ “Itty Bitty Twang Twang”

 

Texas born and bred singer-songwriter Leyla Fences is tired of today’s country music so she decided to do something about it. Since the songs she heard on the radio didn’t relate, she wrote some that would.

 

“I found myself listening to today’s mainstream country and feeling two things,” Leyla said. “One, that it didn’t sound like country music anymore and two, that even though songs today might still portray everyday life, it’s mostly only the happy, picture-perfect parts. I sure wasn’t hearing songs that I could relate to based on what I was living at the time so I decided to write about those experiences – even though they didn’t all have fairytale endings.”

 

All 14 of the tracks on her sophomore release Itty Bitty Twang Twang were written or co-written by Fences and portray the heartache and pain felt after a breakup, being cheated on and trying to move on. Embodying traditional country music, Fences blends her sassy style with a comedic touch.

 

Itty Bitty Twang Twang kicks off things right away on the tongue in cheek “Get the Truck Outta Here.” The song tells the tale of an ex trying to come back into one’s life despite having a new wife. With a distinct country twang that recalls Loretta Lynn, Fences is well on her way.

 

“You took me for a ride/Drove me half out my mind/Now you’re cruising back this way/Honey, I ain’t got the time,” Fences sings with catchy fiddle and steel guitar accompaniment.

 


 

Next track, “Something Right” switches gears as Fences finds herself lucky in love. In awe that her lover has decided to stay, her quirky lyrics tell a unique story. “I guess I must have done something pretty darn right in another life…Yes, I must have done some amazing Mother Teresa-like deeds/I must have done something right,” she sings. Not your typical honey-coated pop-country lyrics, Fences’ memorable writing style leave a mark on the listener.

 

“Pretty Lies” brings to mind another singer with a distinctive approach: Gretchen Wilson. Telling the heart-wrenching tale of catching her love red-handed with another, Fences won’t stand for it. Alongside a steady percussion beat, wavering steel guitar and compelling piano and fiddle features, Fences’ laments and moves on.

 

“What I Do” continues to mourn the end of a relationship with slowed instrumentals and Fences’ emotional singing style while “Too Far Gone” livens things up with fast-paced electric guitar and soulful background vocals. On “The Next Time” Fences gets out of her own situation and offers advice to a friend who has lost the passion in her love life. She should heed her own advice in her next track, the rollicking “How Things Have Changed.”

 

Eight tracks in and it’s evident Fences has quite the amount of heartache to get over. “Just a few more tears in my beer and I’m gonna be all right,” she sings on the twangy “One More Honky Tonk.” Meanwhile, “I Wonder” follows suit and is a relatable song in which Fences can’t help but think of what went wrong in a past relationship and whether her ex ever wonders about her.

 

While the soulful, piano driven “Pain Relief” quickens the pace alongside Fences’ sultry singing, “The Cards” slows things right back down. As “Trophy Wife” and “We’ll Just Figure It Out” close the album Fences’ talent continues to shine. Not shy to reveal her true emotions while exemplifying true country music icons like Loretta Lynn and Gretchen Wilson, Leyla Fences is one country artist to watch.

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Artist of the Week Band of the Week

Band of the Week: The Kin

 

Currently readying their debut major label release, I chatted with The Kin after a recent performance in New York to talk musical robberies, their upcoming self-titled album and what they liken their music to. Made up of brothers Thorald and Issac Koren from Australia and New York drummer Shakerleg, the guys filled me in on just what to expect from their new music and Rockwood Music Hall weekly residency.

 

“[Our album is] going to be a real mix of everything we’ve written in the last year,” Issac said. “We took a year to stay in New York and play every week at Rockwood. We just wrote as much as we could.”

 

Playing every Thursday at Rockwood Music Hall at 9:30, their weekly residency allows the band to test out new material on the audience and see the crowd’s response. “It’s really helpful to see what people think,” Issac said. “We’re really proud of it. We’re really excited to get the songs to people.”

 

As far as their decision to play at Rockwood, Issac said the venue is “just so human.”

 

“People come and go and the sound is good. It’s inviting,” he said. “Great music comes in and out. We feel like a part of a happening. That’s what New York is about: pockets of community. The Kin is all about that. It’s about finding a tribe. Rockwood promotes all of us for that.”

 

Thorald further shared the band’s wishes for their new album.

 

“We’re hoping to make an expansive amount of fans that don’t know us yet. They can expect explosive, fun, dirty, pretty songs. We just want each song to be an experience,” he said. “The album’s going to bring out the voices and uniqueness of the drums and hopefully it’s going to translate [our live show].”

 

 

The album is due for release early next year, but the band’s upcoming single “Gemstone” can be expected in October.

 

“It’s certainly the closest to a live, driven album,” Issac said. “Now we’re listening to them, what could be the songs on the record. We had 50 now it’s down to 25. It’s virtually like giving away your babies.”

 

So how do they narrow down the 25 tracks to 12?

 

“We let the audience at Rockwood decide,” Issac confessed. “The songs that get the most requests and the ones they demand us to play again.”

 

But that’s not the only reasoning.

 

“A song not only has to be strong but has to sound great on a recording,” Thorald said. “Some we love playing live but haven’t translated on the recording.”

 

When the Kin aren’t busy putting the final touches on their album they take part in something they call musical robberies where they take their show to unexpected patrons at restaurants throughout the country.

 

 

“It came out of our love of fun robbery movies and thieves and Shakerleg’s subway days when he’d rally people around his drumming,” Thorald said. “I think we came out of it with a fun idea. It was a way to catch people when they were a little bit scared and play with their senses a little bit. That’s something we’ve always loved to do.”

 

The Kin alternate between what they call musical robberies and musical heists.

 

“You can either do a real robbery where no one – not even the owners of the place — knows and we get kicked out,” Issac said. “Or it’s an inside job which we call a heist where the owner coordinates it. The patrons don’t know so it’s a heist.”

 

“And then we have dinner with thieves where we rob people at a 5 star restaurant setting,” he continued. “We just want to mix it up. The way we play music, we want to mix it up.”

 

Drummer Shakerleg had a whole other way of explaining things.

 

“I think what we’re trying to accomplish in a live show is that feeling that you get when you step on a piece of gum and you can’t get it off and you’re actually happy that that particular piece of gum is on your shoe,” he said. “That’s the sound we’re going for.”

 

Catch the Kin live in New York every Thursday through September at Rockwood Music Hall.

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Features

Artist to Watch: Tristan Prettyman

(credit: Lauren Ross)

 

I’ve been lucky to interview some of my favorite bands over the years and with that, get introduced to many new artists who I’m now a fan of. Most recently, Tristan Prettyman.

 

Last month, I wrote about my time interviewing her for CBS Local. I’ve stumbled on her music in the past and even interviewed some of her friends and tourmates like Anya Marina and Joshua Radin but for some reason never gave her a good listen. When I received an advanced copy of her upcoming album Cedar + Gold at work I was floored. It’s very rare that an album hits you so immediately but hers did just that.

 

In preparing for my interview I had her album on repeat at work and my subway rides to and from home and the emotion showcased throughout is undeniable. Possibly a lofty comparison, I can’t help but liken her release to Adele’s 21. The heartache showcased throughout is evident on each of the album’s 12 tracks.

 

Songs like “I Was Gonna Marry You” call out her ex fiance (Jason Mraz) in vivid detail while the hilarious “The Rebound” closes the album on a high note. She recently filled me in on the story behind her first single “My Oh My.” Detailing the cat and mouse game some relationships can be, Prettyman said:

 

“The whole song is this journey through your first love and breaking up and thinking you’ll never see him again and there’s no chance and then they come back into your life. And you’re like, ‘Oh man, I still like you. What’s the deal with that?’”

 

For my complete interview, visit CBS. Stay tuned for more from my chat with Tristan and be sure to pick up a copy of her album Cedar + Gold due in stores September 25.

 

Categories
Song of the Week

Song of the Week: “Pontoon”

(Credit: Williams + Hirakawa)

 

I have to be completely honest: I never knew what a pontoon was before I saw Little Big Town’s music video. Growing up in Jersey with a pool in the backyard, we never went to the lake. I never even heard the word pontoon in context until their song.

 

Earlier this week, I interviewed the band for Billboard and I surveyed my co-workers to find out if they were familiar with this mode of transportation. Turns out everyone knew what a pontoon was except me. Not quite sure if I should admit this to Little Big Town, (my sister said no) I decided I might as well– but waited until the very end of our interview.

 

The band were good sports and didn’t seem too alarmed. In fact, when preparing for their CMT performance earlier this summer in Las Vegas they said most of the people they talked to there never heard the term either.

 

So, boat makers everywhere have Little Big Town to thank for teaching us all what a pontoon really is. Their fastest selling single to date, the group is providing pontoon awareness all the way up the country charts.

 

Join Little Big Town in the water below and stay tuned for my interview with them!

 

Categories
Features First Person

Gaslight Anthem Lands No. 3 Spot On Billboard Hot 200

 

If you’ve been following You Sing I Write at all over the past four years then you know of my love for New Jersey punk rockers the Gaslight Anthem. In fact, it’d be fair to say that my obsession runs deep.

 

In college I worked with drummer Benny Horowitz at Rutgers University’s award-winning newspaper The Daily Targum. It was during that time that I realized my dream career of becoming a music journalist. I knew he was in a rock band but I was too into my pop music and boy bands to pay any attention. Fast forward to an internship and later freelance work at Rolling Stone in 2008 when Gaslight Anthem were featured in the magazine as a breaking band.

 

I still remember that day so vividly. Looking at the photo of Gaslight Anthem and thinking, “That looks a lot like Benny. What does the caption say?” It read Benny Horowitz. When I went home I IM’d everyone on my buddy list from college to see if they knew anything about his band, a group that was compared to Bruce Springsteen.

 

No one knew of Benny’s blossoming rock star career. So, I went to my closest record store to investigate (Virgin Megastore RIP) and bought a copy of The ’59 Sound and Sink or Swim. I instantly fell in love with the music, the stories and imagery in the songs.

 

 

Benny being featured in Rolling Stone was HUGE. It meant that it was possible and attainable to follow your dreams and make things happen. I knew I wanted to be a music journalist from the first time I watched Almost Famous and the first concert I covered in college for that very same paper I worked with Benny at.

 

Sometimes all it takes is one success story close to home to make you realize you NEED to pursue your dream. Seeing Benny succeed was a confirmation. If he can do it, so can I. What do I have to lose?

 

After numerous failed interview attempts I finally interviewed Benny on the phone this year, just days after I attended the taping of their music video for “45” in Asbury Park. As luck would have it, my recorder didn’t work. But for some reason it didn’t matter. It was as if we just needed to have a conversation one on one to learn each other’s back story. I told him exactly what I just wrote (in fewer words), and he revealed that the day he joined Gaslight Anthem he told himself it’d be the last band he would play in. If it didn’t work out he’d just have to settle for that boring 9-5 job and live in the suburbs.

 

“I think that’s why you hear that desperation on Sink or Swim,” he told me.

 

He and some of the other band members felt that the album might be the last album they ever made so they gave it their all. It’s funny how sometimes in your darkest hour something grandeur can be created.

 

 

Benny has gone on to become a member of my favorite band and even directed their latest video for “Handwritten.” Frontman Brian Fallon reflected on this in a recent interview, saying, “It was a cool experience to be directed by your friend who you’ve known for 6-7 years. You’re watching him blossom into another facet of his personality.”

 

That’s exactly how I feel seeing Benny rock all the big stages on a nightly basis.

 

So now you know where my obsession of Gaslight Anthem comes from. It’s something even bigger than their music. It’s knowing that it’s possible for dreams to come true firsthand.

 

The boys continue their ongoing success having landed No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot 200 chart this week for their latest album Handwritten which is the chart’s highest debut with 40,000 sold. I have a feeling this is just the beginning for them.

Categories
Concert Reviews Features

You Sing I Write’s July Wrap-Up

 

July was a month of many live concerts for me. Here’s a breakdown of 5 of my favorite acts to keep on your radar.

 

Neon Trees

 

I caught Neon Trees’ sold-out set at Webster Hall earlier this month and can’t remember seeing a band rock this hard in quite some time. You might recall the band’s catchy breakthrough hit “Animal.” Having recently surpassed one million downloads for their latest single “Everybody Talks,” the band is poised for arena stardom.

 

Frontman Tyler Glenn had the audience captivated throughout the entirety of their set. Whether he was telling quirky stories about his songs, dancing in circles while swinging his mic chord around his neck, or stage diving into the audience only to crowd surf his way back to the stage, he sure knows how to work a crowd.

 

 

Conor Maynard

 

I admit I was a bit skeptical before attending Conor’s industry showcase a few weeks ago. Dubbed by some as Britain’s Justin Bieber I wasn’t quite sure if this pop act would hold up. Turns out he did. While his dance skills aren’t quite on par to Bieber, his latest single “Vegas Girl” was stuck in my head all night.

 

 

Delta Rae

 

Nominated as one of Rolling Stone‘s Women Who Rock acts, Delta Rae proved just why they were selected at their Bowery Ballroom performance. Spot-on harmonies, electric guitar features and foot-stomping rhythms impressed and they had the entire room silent during their more stripped down and poignant ballads.

 

 

The Kin

 

After seeing The Kin perform before Lights Resolve at Rockwood Music Hall last month, I knew I had to witness their entire set. Made up of two brothers from Australia and a New York subway drummer named Shakerleg, their story is intriguing. Brothers Thorald and Issac Koren have an uncanny sense of channeling and interpreting each other and with that each song embodies impeccable harmonies.

 

 

the Head and the Heart

 

I’ve lived in Brooklyn for two years now but have yet seen a concert at Prospect Park, until last Friday. When my co-worker told me the Head and the Heart were playing a free show I knew I had to go. And I’m so glad I did! I’ve been hearing good things about the band for years but never got a chance to see them live. I loved how they alternated singers throughout their nearly hour set, having concertgoers always surprised at what would come next.

 

 

What shows have you seen this summer? Any recommendations of acts to catch live? Let me know in the comments!

Categories
Song of the Week

Song of the Week: “(Kissed You) Good Night”

 

I’ve had this song stuck in my head for days. It has the classic country storyline of yearning for that crush in the eyes of both the guy and the girl and the video brings the tale to life for the listener.

 

The lead single off Gloriana’s sophomore release, A Thousand Miles Left Behind due in stores Tuesday, is a personal and relatable track and was inspired by real life for one of the band members.

 

“A lot of the songs on the album are written from the point of view of the person I would like to be,” Tom Gossin said. “’Like on ‘(Kissed You) Good Night,’ my alter ego comes in and does what I’m afraid to do in real life. It’s ultimately a song about not ending up with regrets because the worst thing is to look back on something and think, ‘I wish I had done things differently.’”

 

The trio’s latest hit recalls another three member country act — Lady Antebellum. With their alternating male/female lead vocals and memorable harmonies the single continues to climb it’s way up the charts. If “(Kissed You) Good Night” is any indication of the band’s upcoming album, it will no doubt be a solid release. I’ll be interviewing Gloriana next week so be sure to let me know if you have any questions and leave them in the comments!

 

 

I’ll be interviewing Gloriana next week so be sure to let me know if you have any questions and leave them in the comments!

Categories
Features Q&A

James Valentine On Maroon 5′s Racy Lyrics

(credit: Jeffrey Staab)

 

It’s no secret that Maroon 5′s songs are filled with suggestive lyrics. In fact, their latest release Overexposed features a parental advisory on the cover for explicit content.

 

Guitarist James Valentine admits he’s more reserved than frontman Adam Levine and explained just why he doesn’t mind taking the backseat during concerts and interviews and why Adam’s the perfect man for the job.

 

“Adam loves just to make people uncomfortable, that’s kind of one of his things,” Valentine confessed. “That’s just a part of his personality. That’s a lead singer sort of thing. That sort of charisma or fearlessness is necessary to be out there in front of the band and to sell those songs.”

 

 

For my complete interview, visit CBS.

Categories
Song of the Week

Song of the Week: “More In Love With You”

 

I stumbled upon Jason Reeves’ latest music video last week and instantly fell in love. Light acoustic guitar and delicate strokes of the guitar blend perfectly with his soft vocals. Nelly Joy’s guest vocals only add to the beautiful ballad. I have a feeling this will wind up as a wedding song for many couples. What do you think?

 

Related Links:
• Q&A: with Jason Reeves
• Jason Reeves Talks SXSW
• Artist You Should Know: Jason Reeves
• The Vespa Experiment Recap
Categories
Song of the Week

Song of the Week: “45”

 

Last month, hundreds of dedicated fans of New Jersey punk band the Gaslight Anthem waited outside of Asbury Park’s The Stone Pony for their chance to be in the band’s music video for “45.”

 

Avid fans are often willing to camp out for days to meet their favorite band and Gaslight Anthem didn’t take this lightly. So, they decided to treat fans to an hour concert in addition to the music video shoot.

 

“We’re going to do ‘45’ about a million times but we’re going to mix it up with some other songs too so just bear with us,” said Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon to fans during the band’s music video shoot. “You suffer a little today and then you get yourself in a video forever!”

 

For my complete behind-the-scenes take of their music video shoot visit CBS.