Lys Guillorn

Lonesome Lists: Best of 2014 – Part 3

It’s that time of year, dearest readers! 2014 is almost at a closing. To celebrate the year in music, we asked an array of friends in the Connecticut scene for their favorite releases of 2014. As lovers of music, it’s always fun learning what other people are really digging! We gave two rules:

1. Five Releases with a short description
2. No Local Artists

Of course, with musicians being inherently rebellious, some people broke the rules! And who are we to censor. So, we decided to publish unabridged regardless. Here’s Part 3:

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Lys Guillorn

La Tunda – Live From Your Mother’s Attic!
https://latunda.bandcamp.com/releases
Crazy good, hard, badass power trio with dueling female vocals by Stephany Brown and Kriss Santala. CT’s answer to Sleater-Kinney. Brown and Santala trade off on ripping guitar and throbbing bass, while Andy Beetham brings a Grohl-like fierceness to the drumkit.

The Tet Offensive – Heaven’s Full of Monsters / Dumb
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/heavens-full-monsters-single/id863085815
I met composer/singer Brian Robinson at the Space Flea Market this May. He handed me a card with info on how to find his band’s single. I wasn’t prepared to lose my mind over how great it was, which I did the following day. The phrase “string quartet-powered rock band” didn’t adequately prepare me for how moving, beautiful, jarring, and strange it was. I hope for a full-length soon.

Allysen Callery – Folk Radio UK Session EP
https://allysencallery.bandcamp.com/album/allysen-callery-folk-radio-uk-session-2014-ep
Exquisite acoustic fingerpicking, mesmerizing songs/words/melodies with just a hint of moody electric guitar atmosphere added by Bob Kendall. “All in the Morning” is stunning, and hers is possibly my favorite version of “Blackwaterside.”

Julie Beman – Movie EP
https://juliebeman.bandcamp.com
I am in awe that Julie Beman’s songwriting emerged fully-formed just a few years ago. Her debut EP adds lush, layered orch-pop arrangements to the effervescent tunes, which are catchy, alternately poppy and pensive.

Mercy Choir – GGUITAR EP
https://mercychoir.bandcamp.com/album/gguitar
I am a huge fan of Paul Belbusti’s songwriting and Mercy Choir both solo and with a band, and indeed Paul is a good friend. That is no surprise to anyone. What may be a surprise is that I thoroughly enjoyed his least accessible record to date, especially “You And I March Across Geraldine.” The EP is scouring, ancient, inorganic, majestic.

Amity Wahl – If Not For Dreaming

Fink – Hard Believer
Each song seems to contain a certain amount of darkness to one degree or another, which definitely appeals to my taste. Overall, this album has a very chill, atmospheric quality. There is enough that is uplifting about the sound to keep it from becoming too grim or melancholy. A very good hanging out at home on a rainy day sort of record.

Dan Croll – Sweet Disarray
Gorgeous vocals combined with a wistful, plaintive sort of voice and electronic beats. You kind of want to give him a cup of cocoa and a kitten sometimes. He always seems to be longing for something just out of reach, which I suppose many of us are. I like the way he draws you into each song without being overtly emotional. Each song is more of a subtle nudge into his mental state rather than a shove.

Asgeir – In The Silence
Love all the quirky sounds and vocals this guy creates. I feel like each song contains something pleasantly unexpected at every turn, and each one is sonically different from the next.

Dreamcatcher – Wonderlust
I don’t know if there’s something in the water in Baltimore that keeps spawning so much good music, but here’s yet another amazing band out of the Charm City that caught my ear. This might be cheating a bit because it was released in December 2013, but I’m putting it on here because I didn’t actually discover it until a few months ago. These songs are like a modern take on the classic 90’s shoegaze-y sound that was so influential to me back in the day. Beautiful vocals, fuzzy guitars, good lyrics.

Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas – vinyl remastered release
Again, I’m worried that this might be cheating, but this album comes from a band that is one of our top influences of all time. This classic record was reworked and re-released this year, proving how absolutely timeless it is. God, those vocals… These songs will never stop being wondrous to me.

Ryan Adams – Nightbitch

Godflesh – A World Lit Only By Fire
If primordial
cave scratchings were audible,
this would be real close.

Blood Farmers – Headless Eyes
Riffs and atmosphere
from another place and time.
FUCK OFF NOWADAYS

Doombringer – The Grand Sabbath
Renounce your baptism.
Kiss the goat beneath the tail.
Deny salvation.

Phantogram – Voices
Give me nine pillows,
a bottle of anything
and a supple bum.

Perturbator – Dangerous Days
If the future is
a 1980’s arcade,
here’s the molester.

More cisgender haikus may be found in the wizened pages of Codex Obscurum zine, an oldschool, print-only display of arrogance und wanton heavymetals elitism hailing from New England: facebook.com/CodexObscurum

Maria Soaft – Forgotten by Friday

Jenny Lewis – The Voyager
One of my favorite albums from this year comes from child star turn indie pop queen Jenny Lewis. There was a lot of buzz for this album upon release and I had to wonder, what’s everyone’s deal with Jenny Lewis? It was then I realized she was my favorite little red head from “Troop Beverly Hills” and the former front woman of indie rock group Rilo Kiley. This album definitely lived up to the hype. Her tender voice and delicate electric guitar sounds canvas her honest heart rending lyrics. The title track propels the desire to be otherworldly while “Just One of the Guys” speaks to part of you that wants to belong in a way you never truly can. “I’m just another lady without a baby” And I love you anyways Jenny.

Lana Del Rey – Ultraviolence
I will say I didn’t immediately like Lana and her doe-eyed drunken damsel retro persona. Until I heard this album. I finally got it. She just does not give a fuck. Her lyrics are usually tangent thoughts strung together with vivid and ethereal details, her soft breathy reverb vocals surround you and entrance you and lay perfectly on the carefully crafted guitar tracks from producer Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys).

Tove Lo – Queen of The Clouds
A surprise favorite this year came from Sweden songstress Tove Lo. After falling for her radio hit “Habits (Stay High),” a friend gave me a copy of her album. I did not expect to love this album as much as I did. Perhaps it was the conceptual aspect of the album, which was broken up into three phases of love, The Sex, The Love, The Pain, which is marked with short sound bites. Perhaps it’s the driving piano and the pulsing beats. Or perhaps it’s the fact that she writes so frankly about love and sex and says things like “I can get a little drunk… but on good days, I am charming as fuck.”

Taylor Swift – 1989
I have to give it up to Tay this year for basically taking popular music and conquering it. She has always been on the pop side of things so this departure to a fully pop-tastic album was only a matter of time. While working with multiple successful songwriters and producers like Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic), Jack Antonoff (Bleachers), and Max Martin (everyone), this album was destined to be pure pop gold. Or should I say platinum. In the end though, I can’t help but like this girl and her girl power positive message.

1974 – 1974 and the Death of the Herald
Yes, I understand this album is local and released in 2013… But it’s still my favorite album of this year. What can I say, I drank the 74 Kool Aid and I’m ready for more.

Paul Belbusti – Mercy Choir/Rivener

Bill Patton – A New Kind Of Man
If I’m being truthful, this is the only album of this year I liked front-to-back, 100%. It’s a perfect little strange nugget of a record that perfectly articulates the (sometimes comical) affliction of boredom and ennui experienced by aging hipsters in 2014, this Year of Our Lord. So called “singer songwriter” music will never be the same (to me).

People Of the North – Judge a Man By His Fruits
This is an improvisational duo consisting of Kid Millions and Fat Bobby of Oneida. They’ve been a tremendous influence on my own music this year, particularly on my band Rivener. This 20 minute release is intense, scary, confusing, brutal, unrelenting, beautiful.

Sun Kil Moon – Benji
Mark Kozelek has invented a different kind of songwriting. Either fortunately or unfortunately, it can/will only work for him. Please, no one else try it. “Richard Ramirez Died Today Of Natural Causes” is my favorite song of the year. Tied with “Queen” by Perfume Genius.

Swans – To Be Kind
When you listen to Swans (particularly when you see them in concert), you wonder why there are other bands. They are the most everything band ever. Their performance at the Bowery Ballroom began with a 15 minute gong solo.

Tweedy – Sukierae
This sounds like an album written by a really good songwriter whose primary band has devolved into maudlin adult contemporary and therefore decided to make a too long album of breezy, fun, charming, and sometimes weirdly puzzling songs with his savant-drummer son because it felt good and there was no pressure for it to be anything particular. It sounds like that because that’s what it is.

Julie Beman – Chica Non Grata/The Dress-Ups/Julie Beman

2014 was a backward-looking year – I spent a lot of time studying Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, the Go-Go’s, Tori Amos and Lorde – trying to deepen my understanding of the piano, harmony, song craft, energy…

I bought only three new albums by non-local musicians in 2014, and one of them is, for me, great music to make omelets to, and I made some great omelets, but I didn’t become obsessed by it (Morning Phase by Beck).

The other two were a different story.

Strangely they’re both backward-looking, too. Nostalgic. But in a today way.

Ex Hex – Rips
I heard about Ex Hex on NPR and had one of those “”driveway moments” that so many people talk about. What was it about them? The first thing was philosophical/conceptual – Ex Hex is an all-female band! And they’re banging out 2-3 minute long power pop songs (the longest song is 4 minutes) which made my heart happy and gave me an excuse to let out a breath I’d been holding in all year about women and music and sexism. These songs are GREAT. They’re like sloppy, bopping party songs, but are also dirty, hooky and, dare I say it, shallow – about guys and break-ups and guys and breakups. I was all “Yes! I hear you! I’ve been there!” I love the writing, love how everything rhymes or near-rhymes, how tension and release are built into the words. Some sentences feel like they’re about to fall off a cliff, only to be rescued by the next line swooping in. And the delivery. Zounds! This is greatness.

Taylor Swift: 1989

NO! Don’t roll your eyes and stop reading. Don’t go all “Taylor Swift is everything that’s wrong about today’s music.” Don’t be all “Taylor Swift doesn’t write her own songs.” Don’t be all “Manufactured! Manufactured!” Don’t be all “She has no belly-button!” With the exception of the song “Welcome to New York” (let’s pretend it doesn’t exist), 1989 is pure, joyful, powerful pop. It’s polished and synthy and witty and layered and fun and talks about guys and break-ups and guys and break-ups AND she makes fun of herself like crazy in the first single “Shake It Off” while at the same time providing a great mantra for all of us living in the mega-cruel internet world.

My favorite song on 1989 is “Style“. It’s a perfect pop song. Perfect.

If you haven’t listened to 1989 because your brain goes straight to “I will never listen to this pop crap” you could get all brainy and listen to the production. It’s really great. Lots of early 80s sounds and synths and beats. Fun stuff for this Casio fetishist.

My future-self listened to these albums when I was a teenager. Or when I listen to them I become a teenager. Or maybe I’m still a teenager in a grown-up body and these songs make it incredibly clear that the brightest thread running through my life is about love and heartbreak and that while I’m 47 I’m still 17 and will be 17 when I’m 87. I still have the same interior voice. I still wonder about the same things.

Nothing’s changed. Everything’s changed.

Jennifer Dauphinas – Ponybird

There’s a movie in my head, and in each instant a soundtrack to highlight every frame. These are the albums I loved start to finish. These are the best moments of my journey through 2014.

James Vincent McMorrow – Post Tropical
It’s the first day of Summer vacation. July’s heat is starting to kick in. I’m resting between two crisp, white hotel sheets in Rockland, Maine, but I can’t sleep. I find an article in Rolling Stone magazine, which prompts me to download this album. That’s when I fall in love with “Cavalier”….

Antlers – Familiars
Fall starts to roll in with intersecting whisps of warm and cool. I’m knee deep in reading for the first semester. I forget about the change of season. Suddenly, the dark comes early, and “Doppelganger” becomes my favorite song.

Shakey Graves – And the War Came
I needed to be spiritually uplifted. I needed to be musically inspired. I needed another bearded man to crush about. I find this record and find my new love.

Glass Animals – Zaba
I’m in New York studying on the hottest day of the year. The train home takes me out of the city and through the marshes of the shoreline. The sun shines on top of the water like a floating treasure gold coins winking on the waves. Zaba drops thoughtful beats and delicate grooves.

Ryan Adams – Ryan Adams
It sounds like a Tom Petty album. I hate Tom Petty. I love this album. Every song is an anthem. I reconsider my stance on Tom Petty.

Tune Yards – Nikki Nack
My feet are pounding the pavement as I gain speed down the sidewalk. The sun bakes everything under its weight. I’m uncertain about the recent changes I’ve decided to make in my life. “Time of Dark” fills my earphones. I take it personally. Like a sermon. I witness Merrill’s unending genius. I climb the proverbial mountain to my own promised land.

Sharon Van Etten – Are We There?
There’s a tiny part of me that wanted to give up on SVE. I wasn’t sure she’d take enough risks. The radio pops on a live interview and performance. She talks about her broken heart. They play “I Love You But I’m Lost.” I’m a harmony junkie. I’m a heartbroken addict. I’m sold.

Eno & Hyde – Someday World
On a Sunday night, there’s a moment before bed when I linger longer to hear the peepers through the window screen. That moment comes often. This year it’s been accompanied by Eno, a familiar friend, and I reminisce of Eno Cale.

Diane Cluck – Bone Set
It’s late Spring. I call Becky Kessler on the phone. We agree to meet at the Outer Space and check out one of my all-time favorite songwriters together. She plays pristinely in the half-light, and drinks her own herbal concoctions from mason jars. She plays “Draw Me Out,” and I’m assured that we’re connected. Songwriter to songwriter. We end up hanging with her in the parking lot for a while, and her willingness to be accessible to fans.

Caribou – Our Love
It’s always there when you need it. Club kid flashbacks. It’s a toss-up between this record and the new Fly-Lo.

Lys Guillorn’s Lonesome Noise Residency, Day 5: Focus on Peter Riccio

The Sawtelles at Sully’s, 10/5/02 © Lys Guillorn

One evening in 2000, Elisa Flynn and I attended a show at Coffee, Please! in Danbury that featured Queens pop genius Damien Pratt. Opening his show was Peter Riccio from Plantsville, Connecticut, who Elisa suggested we approach to play drums in Jargon Society.

Peter Riccio studied percussion at Berklee and had played in Boston band Piewackit with Marykate O’Neil. Peter wasn’t playing drums at this gig, however, he was playing his own meaningful pop songs with his then-signature resophonic guitar. They were arrestingly rhythmic, sometimes spare, and sonically unique. I hadn’t ever seen a singer-songwriter play with a resonator. That evening began a years-long friendship and playing relationship.

Peter has played in many incarnations of my band, and for a while we were playing duo quite a bit. He’s an incredible musician, game for anything, generous, and very supportive. Peter makes witty connections between things that make more sense than they should, like saying his drums for (my tune) “Fine Tooth Comb” were like “Elvin Jones on thorazine.” Upon hearing “When I was a Tiger Lily”, he said it made him think of “Elliott Gould starring in a Margaret Sanger biopic”. I know exactly what he meant.

Peter began playing with his wife, Julie Riccio, and with his longtime friend, bassist Pete Brunelli as The Sawtelles sometime during our run as Jargon Society. Though Pete Brunelli is no longer in The Sawtelles, he and Peter play together in various projects including Fuchsprellen, Brunelli’s noise-jazz-free-improv group. I caught up with Peter before the Fuchsprellen gig at Best Video in Hamden, CT on August 28, 2014.

We looked through some old photos and chatted a bit about playing in The Sawtelles as a guitarist/songwriter.

Our first gig as a duo, Gasball Music Fest in Danbury, CT, August 2000, a month before the first Jargon Society gig

LG: What are The Sawtelles up to?

PR: The Sawtelles are at a really good place. I mean, we got three shows this week without booking them. I think we’ve been doing it so long it’s working by itself to a certain extent. And musically I’m having more fun playing guitar than ever, and I think I’m interesting myself when I’m playing when we’re playing live, which is good. Sometimes I’m surprising myself, and I don’t know if that’s due to us playing less gigs, because we’re playing less gigs than we had been.

Peter playing his Flying V with The Sawtelles at All I’ve Got is a Photograph at Cafe Nine, 3/22/2014

I also had switched to playing that Flying V which has even less — a guitar with one pickup and one volume knob makes you play differently. For me, it’s made me play differently in a good way. It’s like I’m playing the instrument instead of switching pickups to change the mood in a particular area of a song, I’m using the range of the guitar, either the high strings or the low strings to change the density of the part.

I think before what I would do, we would get to a certain point in the song — and it was never the same point in the song — and I would switch to a really bright pickup position. It would be like an ear break for me, and hopefully the audience. Where if we were holding an interval over the top of the song by switching the tone color of the guitar it would change the perception of that interval and how the voices sat on top of the rhythm section. That’s what I was going for before I pared down to this configuration. I would switch the pickups up — either really dark, medium, or bright — I would have the guitar set up that way and try to pick an instant in the song where it would benefit from switching tone, whether that ever come across to anyone other than me, I don’t know. Now I’m just doing it with playing.

The Sawtelles at New Canaan Farmers Market 7/25/09 © Lys Guillorn

LG: It’s a focusing of technique.

PR: Yeah. It’s good. It’s making me happy to do that. I’m also playing less. Earlier on, I think I tried to fill up more space with the guitar, and now I’m trying to leave more space. I’ll let a chord ring out, and if it’s just drums, the melody line and a harmony line, that’s fine. I think that came about by playing with bands that were doing that. I remember that we played a show at Two Boots with Cars Can Be Blue who were a duo, and The Lovely Eggs, a duo from the UK, and they were both doing that — long passages with just vocals and drums, and I thought maybe we could do that. I’m comfortable with that now.

LG: How would you see your playing as different from when you started off? When I first met you, you were playing resonator — what do you see as different between now and then?

PR: I was thinking that would be more acoustic-based thing, and coming from a drum background I liked the percussive aspect of the resonator guitar. They’re really plucky but not as much as a banjo — they had more sustain, kind of between acoustic guitar and banjo. I remember you told me that I played guitar like Grant Hart, which must’ve meant that drummers approach guitar in a certain way, and that stuck in my mind. It was a way to be loud enough acoustically to play with drums, and it reacted very percussively.

The reason I got out of that is when Julie started singing, the appropriate keys were moving up on the neck and most of the resonator guitars were 12 frets to the body, and having to fret 5, 6, 7… I have to reach up well beyond that and it was just impossible. That’s why those guitars got moded out and electric guitars came in.

LG: Do you ever pick them up anymore?

PR: I haven’t since we moved, but I keep one out. I did our Chip’s Unnamed Local Band show segment in our old house on a tricone.

I remember when we played Club Helsinki [in Great Barrington with LG Band and Sawtelles] at that point I was just getting into alternate tunings. I was carrying three guitars with me because tuning on the fly could be a disaster. We would have to just stop.

Now I can just navigate through without a problem. I prefer not to use a tuner. I prefer using a tuning fork, unless someone is playing with us. With Richard Brown now playing sax and guitar I have to use a tuner because we have to be on the same plane. If it’s The Sawtelles just as a duo, I can navigate through the tunings well enough, and if it goes a few cents sharp or flat over the course of a set it’s ok as long as it doesn’t go too far out of whack that it affect’s Julie’s weird perfect relative pitch situation.

LG: Do you think having a jazz background influenced the way you can improvise arrangements of your songs live?

There are the parts that we write for the song, then there are the parts that go on the record, the ornamental parts, and then there are the parts we think up on the fly as the song morphs over a hundred performances. It’s subject to change. I view Sawtelles songs as a group of sections that fit together. They don’t always go in the same order or the same way all the time, but only those sections will be played. They can fit together different ways depending on our mood or the gig.

When Richard [Brown] sat in with us for a couple of shows, he came in and when we were playing the stuff with somebody else, it made me realize how haphazardly sophisticated The Sawtelles are.

I think the jazz background definitely loosens things up to go in that direction. Just like this [Fuchsprellen]. It’s completely open-ended and goes wherever it goes. For here, I’m listening for bits and pieces to latch on to and/or steer, but in The Sawtelles it’s how the sections fit together for that particular performance. We don’t get bored that way. We have the luxury of doing that with only four elements to control — with one rhythm instrument and one harmonic instrument it’s easy to do that.

Do you ever feel the desire to do that? To improvise on the structure of your songs?

LG: We unintentionally do that sometimes.

PR: What about when you play solo?

LG: Only by mistake.

PR: So you feel the most comfortable when you write a song? Come up with its final structure.

LG: Otherwise I’ll forget the words. Yeah, if I start moving things around, I’ll forget what’s supposed to happen.

PR: I might play a verse completely blank without any melody. Sometimes Julie will sing the harmony parts, or somebody will jump in somewhere and the song comes back. It’s still the closed universe of that song, we’re not jamming around making up new parts.

Julie Riccio: Sometimes we are. Vocals? During a song he’ll surprise me and come up with a new vocal part that he’s never done before. I’ll look over at him and he starts laughing and we’ll never be able to do it again. Some of the stuff we come up with that way is really good.

PR: You know me from way back — I would make a demo and I would give you the only copy, and you would be like, “What if you lose it?” and I’d say, “I’ll just do it again.” Something about me has always been like … I could just do it over. It doesn’t have to be the same way all the time. I’ve been that way my whole life, but especially since I’ve been recording myself.

LG: Anything you want rant about?

PR: In mulling things over, I’ve been on rants lately, but I think I’m changing. I think being a grandfather has toned me down on that, and I really honestly feel fortunate to have gotten this far with everything I’ve been able to do. [Paul] Belbusti [Mercy Choir] and I were talking about it. He was saying — who is representing the people who don’t necessarily have the courage or opportunity to come out of their bedroom? With more prevalent label support, maybe these people would be found somehow. The people that need the help may not be getting it.

But it just seems to be a time for making your own way. At this point in time, The Sawtelles are strictly and fanatically D.I.Y. It’s our code, my code now. So we record at home, we manufacture at home — CDs that are also handmade artpieces. It’s just our m.o.. What money we do make goes back to us and back directly into the process to buy more supplies or record new songs. We’re not sharing it and don’t have a stake in making money for anybody else, like a label. I don’t necessarily think I would turn down somebody else’s help. Like I said, it’s our code we work by.

It’s the time to think about now, for people to come out and do their thing their own way.

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More information about The Sawtelles can be found on their website and on Facebook.

Top photo: Peter Riccio at Dirt Floor Recording Studio during a Winged Victory recording session, May 5, 2013. Photo by Lys Guillorn.

— Lys Guillorn

Lys Guillorn’s Lonesome Noise Residency, Day 4: Jargon Society

Photo: Jargon Society © Catherine Vanaria

When I moved to Danbury, I was introduced to Elisa Flynn who had been in Freak Baby / Jet Jaguar. She had gotten airplay on John Peel’s show in the UK and played Riot Grrrl festivals. That’s indie cred. We started playing together and learning each other’s songs in 1999, and by 2000 we wanted to find a drummer. We put up a flyer that said “Atmospheric Yet Rockin’ Drummer Sought” with a list of influences.

One of the only respondents was an adequate drummer, but we decided not to invite him back after his audition for disparaging the Velvet Underground. Instant F, do not pass go, gettouttahere. Another fellow was good and we liked him and practiced with him a bit, but he didn’t stay.

Elisa worked with classical cellist Megan Luke, and though she had never played rock, she would give it a go. A jangly, slightly chaotic, but cool sound was evolving.

Somewhere in there, Elisa suggested we approach Peter Riccio to play drums. She knew him from bills they had played together when they were in previous bands. We saw him play at Seattle Espresso in Danbury opening up for Damien Pratt, and asked if he’d be game to come play with us. He had just finished a stint playing drums in Boston for Piewackit, but was beginning to play out solo on resonator guitar with his own songs.

Elisa chose the name Jargon Society after Beat publisher The Jargon Society. We played our first show on September 23, 2000. We were: 3 songwriters, 2 guitars, 3 voices, cello, drums–no bass. We called what we did chamber punk. I loved backing up Peter and Elisa on their tunes. It was great sharing writing — we could each build up our own repertoire slowly while still having enough for a set all together.

Peter said, “I don’t consider myself the only man in Jargon Society.” Though I was tickled, he meant that our gender didn’t define how we related to each other musically.

We made two demos. Our second demo was made twice — the first was engineered by Peter at his place and another was engineered by Sean Sheridan at Elisa’s house. Jargon Society’s most excellent moments never got captured on tape because they included paranormal brainwaves and skull rattling cello/guitar harmonics. My amp crackled like frying baloney. We pulled off things in practice that should’ve been cut to tape. We still had tape.

Jargon Society at Hat City Ale House, March 29, 2001

This photo was from the “hole in the cello” gig. A drunk dude knocked a mic stand into Megan’s cello, which was lying on its side waiting for us to play. That was devastating. However, we knew an excellent luthier and were able to calm down enough to play a furious set that burned with a pure blue flame. Might’ve been the second best we ever played. Todd Knapp, who had played drums in 76% Uncertain and Freak Baby, said we had a “New Zealand sound”.

Our best show was Ectofest, 2001 (thanks to Meredith Tarr for that gig) which was captured on VHS tape by Jere Smith. Ted Harrison, my former bandmate from American Pragmatists who was then playing with Lungs of a Giant even made it up from the city to see us.

Flyer for the “hole” gig

We played Gasball (an annual music festival in Danbury) in 2001 right after 9/11, and we were all kind of shell-shocked. Shortly thereafter, people stopped leaving the house to drink, and the bars we played were struggling to attract people to see live original music.

We had one gig after that in November of that year during World Series (which was late/postponed). Elisa and Megan had both moved to NYC, so it became harder to practice and play. Shortly thereafter, we all began our solo adventures in earnest.

Jargon Society is dead! Long live Jargon Society!

Here is one of my tunes from Jargon Society’s first demo

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Where to find more Lys Guillorn:

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Lys Guillorn’s Lonesome Noise Residency, Day 3: A Few Questions Answered

The movement from poet to songwriter. How did that happen? Did you take music lessons as a kid but not put the two together? (Julie Beman)

I took lessons on piano, banjo, guitar, and violin and wished I could write music, but didn’t find my way until I went to Fairfield University. I was an English major and wrote poetry constantly, while also playing guitar in bands. I always had musical ideas, but it didn’t really occur to me until then that I didn’t need to read music in order to be a songwriter. Playing by ear was always faster and easier. I was like a crab with one, huge, overdeveloped claw.

At school, I started performing solo at “acoustic nights” around 1992 or 1993 at folks’ townhouse-style on-campus residences and off-campus housing. I wrote a few songs just to have something beside covers to play. They were pretty much one-offs meant to be done once and not heard again. But they were fairly well received, and I liked performing them, as terrifying as it was. PJ Harvey and Patti Smith were lodestars as much as Galaxie 500, The Velvet Underground and The Beatles were.

I knew a few great songwriters who were creative lyricists—Tom Habetz (with whom I was in The American Pragmatists), Jamie Siwinski, and Jimmy Jude Cooney (who later went on to form Battlecats, Death to New England). Ted Harrison, who drummed for the American Pragmatists, was an excellent poet. They encouraged the earliest beginnings of my songwriting, mostly by example. Jamie also set one of my poems to music without changing the words or structure. That made me realize that it was already within the realm of possibility.

I grew up reading the beat poets, Ferlinghetti, Corso, Ginsberg. Shakespeare, Whitman, Rilke, Neruda, Sexton, Plath. Every brittle, dog-eared poetry collection my mother had when I was growing up. Everything I ever read in any grade school, junior high, or high school English class factors into my songwriting. The worst and best review I ever got said something about my lyrics being “high school goth girl poetry.” Well, yeah.

Songwriting creates something bigger in synthesis than the meaning of the words or the music alone.

I think you’ve said that once you started songwriting you knew that was your path. How did you know? How did that feel? (Julie Beman)

A year or two after I graduated Fairfield, I was living back at home with my folks. I started taking voice lessons again with Archee (Jill) Moffatt, in Monroe, Connecticut, with whom I had studied in high school. One week she challenged me to write a song by my next lesson. So I sat down and wrote “Legendary Cowboys”. I didn’t know what the hell kind of music it was, but it was mine. Slightly ridiculous, existential, lo-fi, a little twangy.

“Legendary Cowboys”, Lys Guillorn s/t final album version (not the 4-tk version)

My brother had given me his Tascam ¼” cassette 4-track and explained how to use it over the phone, so I 4-tracked it and thus began my career as a singer-songwriter and home-recording engineer.

I had no idea what I was doing technically, but I loved writing and 4-tracking. I bought a Gibson Minuteman amp with a spring reverb for $100 and both sang and played through it. I kept my amp and mics set up in my room all the time, and I’d move frantically between instruments and play all the parts.

Knowing that I could sit down and get out what I had in my head was extremely gratifying. I had spent most of my late adolescence, hearing music in my head and not knowing what to do with it. Finally, I learned how to trust my subconscious enough to do what I needed to do and just write whatever song showed up. I felt less lost being able to integrate a bunch of my interests into a finished product.

When did you know you were a lifer? (Rob Loncto from The Danbury Lie)

This question has been on my mind for a couple of weeks. My thoughts return to my earliest, most terrifying gigs, with my hands shaking and voice gone wobbly.

My first gig playing a full set of my own songs was at the Tune Inn in New Haven in June of 1998, with Jay Kapell on drums, under the name Good Citizen Star. That terror was absolutely exhilarating, and the attention was addictive. Hearing my voice amplified through the venue, purely soaked in reverb, I felt eleven feet tall. Serotonin. How novel.

4-tk demo of “She Goes” from the tape that got us that gig (very lo-fi dub)

If anyone wants to do further archive mining, for some odd reason:
Tape Warble: The Storm is on the Television (recollection of American Pragmatists by a friend of the band)

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Where to find more Lys Guillorn:

lysguillorn.com
Bandcamp
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Lys Guillorn’s Lonesome Noise Residency, Day 1: Meet the Band

Lys Guillorn & Her Band at Best Video 08/13/14 © Hank Hoffman

I’m Lys Guillorn, the singer-songwriter-guitarist-multi-instrumentalist of Lys Guillorn & Her Band. At the moment, we’re a trio, with my brother Michael Guillorn on bass and Peter Riccio (of The Sawtelles) on drums.

In 2013 we made Winged Victory together at Dirt Floor Recording Studio in Chester, Connecticut. More on that tomorrow.

I’ve been writing and playing music and making art since I was very young, but my horizons expanded in 1995 after learning how to use a Tascam Portastudio cassette 4-track which was a hand-me-up from my brother, who had graduated to more sophisticated equipment. These days I demo in GarageBand, but it’s less necessary for the songwriting process.

I prefer live music played by my peers to nearly anything else. I saw Dave Hogan, Jamal Ford-Bey, Elisa Flynn, Mercy Choir and Fuchsprellen play this week. Mercy Choir is tight as hell full-band. Earlier in August, I saw Shellye Valauskas Experience, The Tet Offensive, The Dress-Ups, Rick Murnane, Seth Tiven, , and Borts Minorts. It’s been a really, really good month.

If you use Spotify, here’s a huge, crazy Spotify playlist I made of way too many songs and yet not nearly enough songs. And they’re all willy-nilly, just like Jukebox Mind.

—

Peter Riccio at Dirt Floor, May 2013 © Eric M Lichter

Band Member: Peter Riccio (Drums)

I’m going to dedicate another post of our LN residency to Peter, so we’ll keep this fairly brief. We’ve been playing together since 2000, when he was recruited to play drums for Jargon Society, the band Elisa Flynn and I founded in Danbury. We also started playing duo gigs with full sets of my own material around the same time.

Peter is one of the most thoughtful musicians and human beings I have ever had the pleasure to know. He applies a different approach than straight rock drums and distills a mixture of far-out influences into something fairly delicate that can turn raw when it needs to. He can also play cleanly and slowly, which is sometimes necessary for the dirgecore avant-twang that sometimes comes out of our holy soundholes.

LG: I’m going to introduce the band. What do you want me to say about you?

PR: I also play in The Sawtelles and Fuchsprellen.

In the past, Peter played in Jargon Society, Sanity Assassins, The Differents, Piewackit, among others.

LG: What are you listening to?

PR: Currently I’ve been listening to Dub Reggae Essentials on the Hip-O label.

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Michael Guillorn at CT Film Fest, 2010 © Mark Savoia

Band Member: Michael Guillorn (Bass)

I’ve been playing with my brother since I was just out of Trumbull High School, when we were both in Fran Scianna’s group, Dana in Wonderland. Mike played bass and I played keys and electric violin and sang a little.

Mike’s also a kick-ass drummer/percussionist, and when he was going to school at Trinity College in Hartford, he played drums with Dr. Zeus. I was impressed with one particular Dr. Zeus gig I saw where Mike played the kit with a stick in one hand, while he played the congas with his other hand. The dude knows how to multi-task. He’s been known to play Christmas carols on scientific lab equipment. That’s so Guillorn-y.

He’s been a regular member of my band since 2006 when he moved back to the area after a stint in Ithaca (after a stint in Knoxville).

LG: What can I say about you in our band profile thingy?

MG: Please use the following: Michael Guillorn is a scientist. He agrees with Joseph Fink who once wrote “Well, we have all been scientists at one point or another in our lives.”

LG: What are you listening to right now?

MG: FKA Twigs, Azealia Banks, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Prince and the Revolution – select cuts from 1999 and Purple Rain, and the Menahan Street Band (with and without Charles Bradley).

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Where to find more Lys Guillorn:

lysguillorn.com
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Lonesome Interview: Paul Belbusti of Mercy Choir

Photo credit: Stephen Maler

By: Christopher Aloysius Mariotti

Paul, thank you for taking the time to join me this morning. Let’s start off with Mercy Choir: what made you choose this concept as opposed to releasing music as Paul Belbusti?

Well, the first “solo” record I did was a Paul Belbusti album and the title was “The Mercy Choir.” That was about ten years ago. After that record, I decided to call the entire project “Mercy Choir.” There are a few reasons why, and I still go back and forth about whether or not it was a good idea. My name is kind of a mouthful. That had something to do with it. Let’s just say having a band name is more flexible

That said, you’ve transitioned to having a live, full band. Tonight you get to show it off in Hamden, at Best Video. Talk a little about the gig, and explain the difference in dynamic to having a band perform your songs with you as opposed to performing them alone. Is this an experiment for you?

No, there’s been a few different full band lineups. Mercy Choir is a constantly changing entity with a revolving door. I play solo much more than with a band, because assembling a band takes patience and time and I don’t have a lot of either. But this current lineup is probably the most fleshed out and most competent band I’ve ever done my songs with. These guys are pros and very experienced in playing in bands, so really the biggest dynamic shift is the way I play. When I play solo, I play my guitar in a way that fills a lot of space. Now i have to squeeze myself in and find my place. It’s a challenge. I’m enjoying it more than I expected. Tonight’s show will be fun. I like Best Video as a performance space because it’s a proper listening environment as opposed to a rock club. It gives us a chance to be a little more detailed in our arrangements because it’s worthwhile to do so. When I play loud bars, I tend to just play loud and fight the crowd noise.

How did you find the current lineup: friends? Friends of friends? Word of mouth? I’m always forever fascinated with how people end up connecting.

I met Tim Goselin in college and we’ve been playing music together on and off for over a decade. He’s a masterful guitarist, bassist, singer, and composer and I’m lucky he’s always enthusiastic about working with me. He was also the leader of the great New Haven Surf Rock group The Northshore Troubadours. Now, he’s in a fantastic group called The Henchmen. Sachin Ramabhadran played drums in the Northshore Troubadours with Tim and I’ve always admired his drumming and work ethic, so I asked him to play. I play drums myself and I’m very picky about it, so I’ve had difficulty finding the right fit, but Sachin is up for anything and he’s beyond competent. Chris Zollo and I used to work together and he’s played in various incarnations of Mercy Choir and I’m so happy he’s with us now. He also plays in a band called The West Rockers which is one of New Haven’s most original sounding bands. Chris is a mad scientist. He can play the piano like an organ and the organ like a piano. He teaches synthesizers lessons about how to properly synthesize. He’s the fresh tomato and mozzarella on my prosciutto sandwich.

Right on. I’m looking very forward to the show tonight, to see how all this comes together! Now, you had an incredibly prolific 2013: three LPs as Mercy Choir, a collaboration with Connecticut songstress/cowgirl Lys Guillorn, and a split EP with Xrin Arms. You even had your first child somewhere along the way. And then possibly flew to Switzerland to learn clock-making. And then possibly swam to Australia to find the dingo who took the baby. And then possibly gave Atlas a bit of rest and held the heavens for some time. I mean, all in a day’s work, yeah?

Funny that you mention clock-making, because I’ve recently become interested in watches, much to my wife’s chagrin. But yeah, I like to keep things moving. This year, writing and recording is going a bit slower, but I am working on three different records and they’ll all be out at some point. Today someone on facebook called Mercy Choir “one of Connecticut’s most under-appreciated artists” so until I can get that status upgraded to “one of Connecticut’s most appropriately appreciated artists” I have to keep cranking out work.

February saw you release PPIANO, which is a record quite unlike anything you’d done. What was the impetus for creating those music pieces?

I don’t know if I have a great answer for that except that abstract, instrumental music is part of what I do, and I happened to have an album’s worth of electronic piano based music, so I put it out. I realized that’s not the most beloved aspect of what I do, but I can’t care about that. I’m working on an instrumental guitar album, called GGUITAR that should be done soon. I feel sorry for artists and bands who censor themselves because they’re afraid something they’ve made doesn’t fit into the box they or someone else has put themselves in. Life is too short

I’m glad you said that. Because you certainly don’t shy away from writing any particular type of song. Some of your songs are short, sometimes acting like meditations. Do the ideas come to you in bursts, like little fever-dreams?

They can. I haven’t been writing as many short songs lately, but I think short songs are important as songwriting exercises and can be tremendously satisfying to listen to when done properly. I have a song on my last record called “Calamity John” and it’s one verse and one chorus and then it ends. Why repeat? If you want to hear the chorus again, you can just replay the song. I get a kick out of it. But you make a good point when you call them “meditations.” I like that. I also like “tone poems.” I’ve heard short songs referred to like that before. Miniatures. Brevity is its own art form. It’s something to play with.

I think if Nick Cave had a baby with Syd Barrett, said baby might have written something like “Old Devil Cockatoo.” Your songs vary quite much. Is there an easy way to describe your songwriting approach to someone unfamiliar with your work? How do you know if you want to write a tone poem, or flesh it out into something more complex?

I’ll leave describing my work to someone else. As for knowing whether or not i want to flesh something out, 9 times out of 10 it’s premeditated. When I wrote “Old Devil Cockatoo” I knew I wanted to write a song with a lot of verses. I could have said what I wanted to say with that song in one verse and a chorus though. I just wanted to write a long song. So again, I a lot of times have the framework settled before I even start the writing. I’m working on a seven song album right now. It won’t suddenly take a left turn and have eight songs on it. I’ve already decided it will have seven.

So, what remains for Mercy Choir in 2014? I have a feeling nothing will quite tether you to write a record that’s anything but challenging.

Well, I want to play live as much as possible with this lineup because i don’t know how long it will last. As for recording, I’m working on a few things. Keep hitting refresh on the Bandcamp page. Maybe I’ll make some t-shirts. People seem to like t-shirts.

I’m quite the fan of t-shirts, I’m not gonna lie. So I really like that idea. And buttons. Those always seem to go fast at shows.

I’ll be selling the shirt off my back and the buttons on my pants tonight at Best Video.

I’ll make sure to bring my wallet. Paul – thank you. It’s been a great pleasure meeting with you today. Best of luck with the gig tonight and with the rest of 2014!

The pleasure’s all on this side of the table, trust me.

Mercy Choir is playing at Best Video in Hamden on June 25. Details can be found here. To learn more about Paul and Mercy Choir, you can visit Bandcamp, Facebook, and the Mercy Choir website.

Lonesome Preview: The 2014 Willie Nelson Birthday Bash

To say that Willie Nelson is a legend is a bit of an understatement. Songwriter, performer, actor, activist, Nelson is a true American icon. On Friday, May 9, nine CT musicians come together at Arch Street Tavern in Hartford to celebrate his music and one of his causes. The 2014 Willie Nelson Birthday Bash is not only a celebration of the life and times of Nelson, but of his work with local, independent farmers. Nelson, of course, is one of the founders of the Farm Aid franchise that’s raised millions of dollars to help independent farms stay afloat in the face of the dreaded factory farm system. All proceeds on Friday night from The Willie Nelson Birthday Bash will benefit the Connecticut chapter of NOFA – the Northeast Organic Farmers Association. Great music for a great cause indeed. If you need any other reason to be there that night here’s nine of them:

Krizta Moon – Phenomenal singer/songwriter from the burgeoning Northwest corner of CT. Check out her cover of one of Willie’s dear friends…

Andy Wakeman – Wakeman is a young guy with an old soul and that’s reflected in his brand of country-infused folk.

Hannah Fair – One of the best young voices to come out of CT in a long time. Hannah Fair has already performed at the CT Music Awards and done a Daytrotter Session and we’re not even positive she’s old enough to drink yet.

Frank Critelli & Mark Mirando – Critelli and Mirando are CT music vets whose collaborations never get stale. Critelli has a new album due out soon and advanced listens have been very, very promising.

The And Band – You fancy your country mixed with a little punk rock? Then you’re in for a treat because these “cowpunks” are going to light up the stage.

Lys Guillorn Band – Her Winged Victory album was one of our favorites last year. Now Lys Guillorn is hitting the stage with a full backing band and fresh off a killer performance at the Meriden Daffodil Festival.

The Backyard Committee – Big things are brewing for this band and for good reason. In a state littered with some truly amazing alt country/Americana acts, The Backyard Committee are one of the best around.

Them Damn Hamiltons – Connecticut’s masters of the new American Gothic. Their brand of Americana is a dark, noir brand of influences that coalesce into something rootsy yet ethereal.

Elison Jackson – Fresh off being nominated in multiple categories for this year’s CT Music Awards (including song of the year for “2009” which will be performed at The Bushnell on June 10), Elison Jackson cap the night off with an electrifying blend of what they have dubbed “stoner soul” and “Garage folk.”

Guide to the Music of the Meriden Daffodil Festival

In connection with our six-part preview of this year’s Daffodil Festival, we’ve consolidated all the original acts into one concise post for you. Review it, Print it, Take it! Happy concert-going, friends!

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The last weekend in April is one of the best weekends on the calendar. Why? The Meriden Daffodil Fest. Over the course of two days and three stages, roughly 30 Connecticut bands will play for absolutely free. You can’t beat that. But like all festivals, trying to figure out which bands you are going to take in can be difficult, especially when multiple stages are going simultaneously. We here at Lonesome Noise are here to help. We present our six-part series highlighting the bands playing the Daffodil Fest stages. Each part will focus on one particular stage on one particular day. Happy listening…

Date: Saturday, April 26

Stage: The Jeff Crooms Welcome Stage

The Foresters (10:30 – 11:15)

By far the youngest band to play the Daffodil Fest, with an average age somewhere in the 12-13 year old range…that’s right. Middle school aged. But if you’re a fan of infectious pop punk that will have you skanking old-school style then make sure you get to the fest early on that Saturday. These kids are going to kick off the Welcome Stage with a bang.

Mercy Choir (11:45 – 12:30)

Mercy Choir is the brainchild of Paul Belbusti. His output under the Mercy Choir moniker is as eclectic as it is prolific…and it’s a lot of both. From ambient noise pieces to poppy indie folk, the Mercy Choir catalog really does run the gamut. Seeing Mercy Choir perform as a full band is a rare treat and is sure to be one of the highlights of the entire festival.

Violent Mae (1:00 – 1:45)

Violent Mae comes to the Daffodil Fest by way of their win for Best New Band at the 2013 Connecticut Music Awards. Their powerful brand of indie rock woke everyone up at last year’s Daffodil Fest (where they made a surprise debut as the slot was scheduled to be a Becky Kessler solo performance). This year we all know what to expect and that’s 45 minutes of one of the best live bands CT has to offer. Check out this video of Violent Mae performing in a cave…they even sound great inside caves…

Happy Ending (2:15 – 3:00)

New Haven’s Happy Ending has been rocking CT stages for a long time and their brand of garage rock meets post punk still plays as fresh today as it ever did. Their first album, Have A Nice Day!, was originally released back in 1983. But don’t let their long history fool you because their brand of psych-infused indie rock is still as engaging as it was 30 years ago.

Amy Lynn & The Gunshow (3:30 – 4:15)

You better bring your dancing shoes on Saturday afternoon because Amy Lynn & The Gunshow are going to have you moving. Their brand of soul blends in elements of rock, funk and jazz or as they put it, “Horns, Soul and Sass”. Their debut album drops on April 29. If we’re lucky they’ll have some copies in advance for purchase. Check out the video for the track “Clearly It’s Me”.

Grand Cousin (4:45 – 5:30)

Before they were international indie superstars, MGMT was a band from Wesleyan who played the Daffodil Fest. Will Grand Cousin be the next in a long line of Wesleyan bred bands to ‘make it’. Possibly, so make sure you see them on Saturday at the Daffodil Fest. Their brand of indie rock, complete with the occasional falsetto vocal, is downright infectious. Check out the video for the track “Take You Out”.

The Backyard Committee (6:00 – 6:45)

New Haven’s The Backyard Committee are downright righteous. Their brand of Americana/roots rock has a fantastic sort of indie rock aesthetic to it. It’s like Bob Dylan, Son Volt, and early Band of Horses all rolled into one phenomenal package. Simply put, these guys are absolutely not to be missed. Here’s the recently released video for the track, “Festival”.

Mark Mulcahy (7:30 – 8:30)

For the second year in a row Mark Mulcahy graces the Welcome Stage at the Daffodil Festival. Mulcahy is nothing short of a Connecticut music scene legend. The former Miracle Legion and Polaris front man has seen his songs appear both on the silver screen and network television. Don’t miss your chance to see Mulcahy and his talented backing band as the sun is setting over the park and right before the night sky lights up with fireworks.

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Date: Saturday, April 26

Stage: Bandshell Stage

Jennifer Hill & Co. (12:45 – 1:30)

CT music scene veteran Jennifer Hill brings her brand of pop-infused rhythm & rock back to the Daffodil Fest this year. With her voice and piano front and center, and a cavalcade of talented musicians rotating around her, Hill will prove to be a lunchtime spark at this year’s festival.

The Big Fat Combo (2:00 – 2:45)

Big Fat Combo are stalwarts of the Meriden Daffidil Fest and one of the reasons why is because they always get asses shaking. Their brand of rock n’ roll is a throwback, mixing elements of surf rock and the blues with rockabilly and a style that screams 1950’s greasers. One of the live acts that always brings some of the most fun and rollicking sets to the Daffodil Fest stages. Here’s a clip from a performance at Best Video in Hamden:

The Manchurians (3:15 – 4:00)

The Manchurians can best be described as raucous. Picture the British version of the Delta Blues and you’re probably close. Toss in a little Paul Butterfield Blues Band and you get even closer. Shredding guitar, rip-roaring harmonica and a rhythm section that isn’t afraid to step out front are all there for the taking. The Manchurians are another band that makes a stop at the Daffodil Fest an annual affair. If you like your rock n’ roll giving a nod to Chicago by way of Mississippi then make sure you check these guys out.

Pocket Vinyl (4:30 – 5:15)

New London’s Pocket Vinyl take the concept of ‘mixed mediums’ to a whole new level. While Eric Stevenson sings and bangs out soulfully rich tunes on piano, Elizabeth Jancewicz is busy painting gorgeous, original pieces of art. It’s a unique and fascinating way to take in live music and not to be missed. Pocket Vinyl have spent the last year or so touring pretty extensively so their Daffodil Fest set is not going to be one you should miss. Besides, you may luck into a beautiful piece of artwork as well! Check out the video they did for the track, “Don’t” from last year’s Death Anxiety album.

Fight The Fear (5:45 – 6:30)

Appearing at this year’s Daffodil Fest courtesy of their win as Best Overall Band at the 2013 Connecticut Music Awards are Fight The Fear. Super catchy, pop-centric, rock n’ roll that has a wide appeal to fans of all ages. Drawing from a vast well of pop and rock influences, Fight The Fear, are electric in the live setting and front woman Gabrielle Lakshmi absolutely owns whatever stage she steps on. Their appearance on the Bandshell Stage should be a fun one. Here’s a video they recently released of the song, “The Green Eyed Monster” off their 2013 album, No Sugar Added.

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Date: Saturday, April 26

Stage: The Food Tent Stage

Paul Brockett Roadshow (11:45 – 12:30)

If you are looking to do some line-dancing at the Daffodil Fest this year your best bet might just be the country-twinged rock n’ roll of the Paul Brockett Roadshow. New London county’s contributions to the realm of Americana and roots rock has been immense over the years and the P.B.R. are no exception. A truly excellent country-fried power trio. Check out this video from the CD release party this past December at The Oasis Pub in New London:

River City Slim & The Zydeco Hogs (2:30 – 3:30)

When you’ve got Zydeco right in the band name you probably have a good idea of what to expect. Sounding like the floated straight up from swamps of Louisiana, River City Slim & The Zydeco Hogs get people moving and dancing at every show they play. They’re a high-energy outfit blending roots music with elements of the blues, rock, and of course zydeco.

Tracy Walton (4:00 – 5:00)

Coming down out of the Litchfield hills is CT music veteran, Tracy Walton. An extrememly accomplished bass player, Walton started playing under his own moniker a few years back. His brand of roots rock is Americana meets the blues. Walton is in the process of penning a brand new album. He’s likely to treat us to some of his newest creations so his set is not to be missed. One of our favorite songs from his last album was the track, “Walls”. Check out the video here:

The Lonesome Sparrows (5:30 – 6:30)

To say that James Velvet has been a staple of the local music scene here in CT is an understatement. The New Haven vet is nothing short of a local legend having been playing in varying styles of bands for what seems like forever and a day. Yet with each project Velvet hits the refresh button and still creates unique and engaging original compositions. The Lonesome Sparrows are one of Velvet’s current projects and feature a group of local pickers playing a rootsy brand of folk music. The Lonesome Sparrows are a great addition to the Food Tent stage as they’ll be serenading the early dinnertime crowd with some acoustic love.

Greg Sherrod (7:00 – 8:00)

Quite possibly the most soulful act of the entire festival is New Haven’s Greg Sherrod. Sherrod and his band play a fantastic mix of soul music, funk, the blues and R&B. He’s somewhat of a throwback hearkening back to the late 70’s/early 80’s when radio stations and smokey clubs were filled with the kind of soul music this man is producing today. Check out this original tune, “Ray of Hope”.

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Date: Sunday, April 27

Stage: Jeff Crooms Welcome Stage

Lys Guillorn Band (11:45 – 12:30)

There’s a very good reason why Lys Guillorn’s most recent album, Winged Victory, made one of our writer’s top albums list from 2013. Guillorn is a little bit country and a little bit folk but a whole lot of storyteller. She’s a great enough songwriter that she can perform solo (see the video) or with a backing band and sound fantastic either way. She’s somewhat of a musical savant as she played what seemed like dozens of instruments on her latest release. No telling what she’ll bust out on stage.

Steve Elci & Friends (1:00 – 2:00)

Every year the Daffodil Fest tries to supply some family friendly entertainment. That includes a set by some playing “children’s music”. Here’s your chance to get the kids dancing as well.

Goodnight Blue Moon (2:30 – 3:15)

Winner at the 2013 Connecticut Music Awards for Best Folk/Traditional Band, New Haven’s Goodnight Blue Moon are an absolute force to be reckoned with, especially in the live setting. Performing as a six, and sometimes seven, piece band on stage, Goodnight Blue Moon fill a room (and in this case a park) with an amazing array of Americana. Simply put this band is one of the acts you absolutely should not miss during the Fest. Check out the video for their track, “Captain’s Church”.

The Mighty Soul Drivers (3:45 – 4:30)

Bringing together some of the most established musicians in the CT Blues scene, The Mighty Soul Drivers are about to embark on the recording of their debut album. Featuring original tunes and sprinkling of soul music gems, The Mighty Soul Drivers are a high-energy act that should close out the Welcome Stage weekend with a bang.

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Stage: The Bandshell Stage

All Riot (12:30-1:15)

Every year there’s that one band that comes out of nowhere that we get introduced to thanks to the Daffodil Fest. This year that band is Meriden’s All Riot. Their infectious blend of indie rock, post punk and alt pop is a refreshing addition to this year’s lineup. Last year it was Breakthrough Frequencies that woke up the Bandshell Stage crowds milling around waiting to get on the rides. This year it will most likely be this band that does it.

Coconuts (1:45 – 2:30)

Are they a comedy act? Are they a parody band? Are they both? We’re not really sure what to make of these guys but we’re intrigued…

Farewood (3:00 – 3:45)

Meriden’s Farewood might be the band that we’ve written about the most on this site. Their ethereal blend of 90’s alt rock mixed with shoegaze and post-rock elements really transcends conventional labels. They are one of the hardest working and most underrated bands in the entire state. Do yourself a favor and get over to the Bandshell Stage on Sunday afternoon to catch these guys. In lieu of some upcoming video footage will be bringing you from Farewood, check out this live footage from their last Daffodil Fest appearance…

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Date: Sunday, April 27

Stage: Food Tent Stage

Oh, Cassius! (10:00 – 11:00)

If you’ve been reading some recent reviews on this site, you’ll know how much we loved the upcoming Oh, Cassius! debut album. John Torres and Meredith DiMenna make beautiful music together. They put the emphasis back into both “singer” and “songwriter”. If there was ever, ever a reason to be up early for live music on a Sunday morning Oh, Cassius! provides a pretty good one. Check out the lyric video from the track, “Carpenter”, off their upcoming release…

Them Damn Hamiltons (11:30 – 12:30)

Them Damn Hamiltons play a dark brand of indie-infused Americana that conjures up distinctly New England like images. Stone walls, picket fences, and a cold nor’easter blowing down from Canada way while the Autumn leaves tumble through the apple orchard. Their “gypsy swagger and sea chantey stomp” make them a formidable live act and one certainly not to be missed at this year’s Fest. It’s highly recommended that you bring your dancing shoes to the Food Tent Stage on Sunday afternoon.

The Summer Edeen Band (1:00 – 2:00)

New Haven’s Summer Edeen is a young talent with a big voice and bright future. She’s got a pop sensibility to her music that should appeal to a wide array of festival goers. We assume by the name that she’ll be playing with a full backing band which will be a departure from the videos up on her YouTube channel. We look forward to seeing what that will look and sound like.

Daffodil Fest Preview – Part IV

Date: Sunday, April 27

Stage: Jeff Crooms Welcome Stage

Lys Guillorn Band (11:45 – 12:30)

Steve Elci & Friends (1:00 – 2:00)

Every year the Daffodil Fest tries to supply some family friendly entertainment. That includes a set by some playing “children’s music”. Here’s your chance to get the kids dancing as well.

Goodnight Blue Moon (2:30 – 3:15)

The Mighty Soul Drivers (3:45 – 4:30)