There are a couple of things you can expect from any Steve Dawson album: it’s going to be beautifully arranged and played, and definitely unpredictable. ‘Eyes Closed, Dreaming’ doesn’t disappoint on either count. It’s the third of Steve’s pandemic albums, with contributions pieced together remotely, a logical and necessary extension during lockdown of the studio practice of recording parts separately. It’s a tribute to Steve and all the superb musicians involved that the whole album feels like it was recorded by musicians playing in the same room. The arrangements on the album are trademark Steve Dawson with lots of layers of guitars and a whole raft of instruments that are unusual in any context but particularly in Americana arrangements. As ever, he makes it work, creating soundscapes that sound uncluttered while using multiple guitars, bass, drums, keyboards (including Moog and mellotron), strings, horns and even marxophone, vibraphone and pump organ.
Steve enjoys reworking other people’s songs with his own spin and there are four of those on the album, ‘Long Time to Get Old’ and ‘Guess Things Happen That Way’ get the swampy Southern rock treatment, while ‘Small Town Talk’ with its horns, nods in the direction of Muscle Shoals and ‘Let Him Go on Mama’ is a solo piece with Weissenborn backing that closes the album. There are also a couple of reworkings of traditional songs. These are all great versions that give Steve a chance to have a bit of fun and show his instrumental versatility, but the backbone of the album is the four songs co-written with Matt Patershuk.
Matt’s a hugely creative and poetic songwriter and the four co-writes are a good representation of the breadth of topics he likes to cover, from the nostalgic ‘Polaroid’, harking back to a pre-digital era to the wonders of nature expressed in ‘The Owl’. ‘Hemingway’ references, well, Ernest Hemingway, while ‘A Gift’ is about taking care of your family and showing pride in workmanship. Like all of Matt’s songs, they’re thought-provoking and occasionally spring a few surprises. As good as the rest of the album is, these four songs shine brightly.
Steve Dawson’s one of the many that accepted the pandemic lemons and made artisan lemonade by learning a completely new way of working and using the enforced break to create three superb albums. ‘Eyes Closed, Dreaming’ covers a range of styles from folk ballads through Americana to ragtime and Hawaiian music and Steve sounds convincing in all of them with his range of instruments, particularly the Weissenborn. And I almost forgot to mention that he has a great laid-back and soulful vocal style. You won’t get bored listening to this album.
‘’Eyes Closed, Dreaming’ is released on Black Hen Music (BHCD0098) on Friday March 24th.
Here’s a live studio video for ‘Small Town Talk’:
We’re still seeing and hearing albums created during the lockdown using remote technology; this one’s a bit different in that it’s the first of three albums recorded by Steve Dawson during the pandemic featuring songs that might otherwise never have been released. The ten songs on “Gone, Long Gone” reflect the eclectic nature of Steve Dawson’s work as a performer and producer. As a multi-instrumentalist and keen student of musical history, Steve brings a wide range of influences and musical knowledge to anything he does; his own album is no exception. Of the ten tracks, there are two contrasting instrumentals, showcasing Steve’s exceptional guitar skills, seven songs co-written with the brilliant Matt Patershuk, and one cover.
The cover is a song that everyone with any interest in music at all seems to love (apart from Rod Stewart, who apparently refused to sing on the Faces studio version of the song). Steve takes it at a very relaxed pace, building up to big harmonies in the chorus and showcase solos towards the end. It’s not quite as punchy as the original, but it’s an honest effort and a lovely homage. The two instrumentals demonstrate different facets of Steve’s work: his interest in Hawaiian music shines through “Kulaniapia Waltz”, creating an authentic feel with ukulele and steel guitar, plus the not-so-authentic pump organ while “Cicada Sanctuary” is a solo acoustic guitar piece inspired by hearing the noise of massed cicadas and being inspired to play something that fitted the mood. Both are very evocative mood pieces.
The remaining seven songs are the Matt Patershuk co-writes. Steve has always been wary of the collaboration process, but Matt’s a good friend and he’s a songwriter that knows how to write something that’s a bit different. The results are very impressive; “King Bennie had his Shit Together”, a fictionalised take on the life of Hawaiian steel guitarist King Bennie Nawahi, set against a backdrop of a jazzy bluegrass shuffle, tells an interesting story, cleverly pulling the listener into the first-person narrative of the tales of an old musician.
You can find historical musical references dotted throughout the album; the opener “Dimes” is a bit of fun that hints at Little Feat, “Bad Omen” and “6 Skeletons in a Car” (not as gruesome as it sounds) both have a brooding, menacing Southern groove feel while “I Just Get Lost” jumps into a chorus that strongly echoes The Beatles’ “Revolution”. You get the picture; there’s a lot of variety and you never quite know what’s round the next corner.
“Gone, Long Gone” is an album for people that want to actually listen to music, rather than passive consumers; the quality of the songwriting, playing and arrangement deserves much more than that. It’s out now on Black Hen Music (BHCD0096).
Here’s the official video for the album’s opener, “Dimes”:
Well, 2019 is certainly going out with a bang. In a period that’s normally characterised by back catalogue compilations and TV stars covering standards, the roots and Americana scene is still alive and kicking, particularly on Steve Dawson’s Black Hen label. “If Wishes Were Horses” is Alberta-based Matt Patershuk’s fourth album and it’s a very fine piece of work indeed. At first glance it appears to weigh in as a bit of a heavyweight with fifteen tracks, but it features four short instrumental fragments with the same leitmotif (more about that later), giving the album a fairly standard twelve-song running time.
Matt’s songs tend to simplicity on the surface, while tapping into universal truths about life, love, work and loss, but he likes to look at things through a different lens, lyrically and musically, creating a patchwork quality to the album, which is knitted together by the four short instrumental fragments (titled “Horses” and representing wishes). Each of these fragments weaves a different arrangement around a common melody; all are atmospheric with a cinematic quality using a variety of instruments and textures to create the links pulling the album together. “Horse 1 (For Bravery and Good Fortune)” is an interesting mix of Dick Dale and Ennio Morricone topped off with some very Sixties-sounding organ lines; the other wishes are equally enigmatic.
The album is packed with intriguing and memorable songs across a range of styles from old country to sweaty blues and it’s difficult to pick favourites, but let’s give it a try. The two songs telling stories of Ernest Tubb and Albert King (“Ernest Tubb had Fuzzy Slippers” and “Velvet Bulldozer”) are beautifully-drawn evocations of different stages in the musician’s journey. “Alberta Waltz” highlights the contrast between what people do to live and how they escape from it – ‘Dancing is for dreamers and lovers and fools’, while “Circus” describes a world where the everyday routine is grotesque and fantastical, but people still fall in love and get married. And let’s not forget “Let’s Give This Bottle A Black Eye”, which could only ever be a country song in the Merle Haggard vein.
“If Wishes Were Horses” is a satisfying complete album, featuring a great bunch of songs, superb arrangements and a voice that works perfectly across a range from slow country ballads to greasy Southern Blues. Matt Patershuk deserves to be much more widely known.
The album is released in the UK on Friday November 29th on Black Hen Music (BHMCD0090). In the meantime have a quick look at these videos:
This is a perfect example of why we love this feature so much. Allan reviewed Matt’s excellent album “Same As I Ever Have Been” recently and when we gave the very prescriptive brief of ‘five of absolutely anything’, this is what he came up with. After almost two weeks (and six years), High Fives is still living up to its hard-earned reputation.
Matt Patershuk
Year End High Fives – Top 5 places to have a beer near my house
I live near the hamlet of LaGlace in the Peace County region, Alberta, Canada. For reference, I am about an hour’s drive east of the start of the Alaska Highway, and 5 hours northwest of Alberta’s capital city, Edmonton.
Fig 1 – The middle of nowhere.
I realize that these places are a little out of the way of most of you reading this fine publication. That being said, I hope this window on my corner of the world holds some interest for you; and, if you’re ever in the neighborhood, drop me a line and we’ll go for one together at one of these fine establishments.
Disclaimer: I am not a journalist, and there’s a good chance that there are some factual errors in some of the stories below. The GIST is 100% true.
1) Beaverlodge Hotel
Beaverlodge holds the record for the world’s largest beaver.
Fig 2 – “Don’t worry, she’s made out of fiberglass.”
I love this spot. Nary a sliver of daylight penetrates. The carpet is a mysterious red, black and beige pattern renowned for its stain camouflage capabilities. There’s a spiral staircase leading to the hotel rooms above, and the shingled roof above the bar is a thing of beauty. Not much has changed here since the 70’s. It’s quiet, unpretentious and they serve Lucky in a bottle.
Bonus points: Chinese Restaurant in the same building.
2) Rolla Pub
Patti’s family has owned the Rolla Pub for a long time. The building is the old hotel that was put there when the residents of the town thought the railroad was coming through at the turn of the last century.
Fig 3 – Patti behind the bar. (Photo credit rollapub.ca)
The barroom is the de facto town museum. Nearly every square inch is covered with photos and mysterious artifacts from the town’s past. Patti is happy to give you a personal tour and knows the story behind each item. You’ll be discovering new treasures all night.
Sometimes you’ll catch a band. Independent and local music on the jukebox.
3) Hart Hotel
This beauty is located near the start of the Alaska Highway in the town of Pouce Coupe (French for Cut Thumb but named after Chief of the Beaver Nation, “Pooscapee”). It’s perched atop a hill, there is a beautiful view of the Bissette Creek valley. Built around the turn of the century by a rich older Irish Business owner, his young bride made her way across the ocean upon its completion only to find out he had died during the journey (I think? – I had had a couple of Luckys when I got the tour).
The bar is full of life size chainsaw carvings of some of the memorable patrons from over the years, including one who sadly hung himself.
Figure 4 – Yep. (Photo Credit runningdownourdream.blogspot.ca)
Quiet and cool, full of interesting local history and it’s got wood heat. High five.
4) Hythe Legion
I like all of these places because a corporate restaurant interior designer would faint if they ever walked into them. They are far from sterile, and you can feel the personality of the folks who’ve applied their hand to making them comfortable.
The Royal Canadian Legion is the veterans’ club of Canada. They are in nearly every town in the country and sport friendly pubs filled with military history and memorabilia. I always have a sense of reverence, respect and awe when I walk in to any of them. You could stop in any of them across our country and be very happy. I encourage you to do so and raise a glass to the fine men and women of Canada’s armed forces.
5) My Roof.
This technically breaks the rules of this exercise because it’s not near my house, but indeed right on top of it. I like to pour a pint of Old Speckled Hen or Newcastle Brown, walk across the top of the sturdy deck railing, and heave myself on to the roof above the kitchen. The view of Saskatoon Mountain and the changing fields of canola, wheat and hay gives a man a lot to look at while having a quiet think all by himself.
Great in the summer. Wouldn’t recommend it in the winter.
Hope you get to enjoy a cold one at one of these fine spots one day.
Happy New Year,
Matt
