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Making Tracks
Loudoun groups striking chords in music circles: Those who are paying attention know that Loudoun County has become a magnet for the best and the brightest of metropolitan Washington's art world -- whether they be painters, photographers, actors, writers, dancers or musicians.
The secret may be in the very artistic topography of the county itself: a mix of the rolling countryside in the west, the powerful energy of the multitudes in the east, the haunting profiles of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance and the tranquility of the creeks and rivers as they meander through it all.
Regardless, the talent is here and has created a collage of patterns encompassing the far-flung magic of each of these disciplines.
Certainly among the most prominent are the musicians making their mark on the contemporary scene, playing for crowds large and small, at home and far away from home; playing in studios for the sound engineers and producers of CDs; and playing for each other simply because music is an extension of their souls and a reflection of their talent.
Three of these groups are The Woodshedders, Andy Hawk and his band, and Andrew McKnight and his loosely knit group of collaborators and musicians.
The Woodshedders
"Catch That Yardbird"
www.thewoodshedders.com
The official name of this Loudoun-based band is The Woodshedders Acoustic Gypsy Jazz Quintet. The official Web-site description of their music says their work is "influenced by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli's Hot Club of France, ... new old school hot club jazz."
To someone listening to "Catch That Yardbird" without this information, one would still recognize clear and quick banjo picking, intricate guitar riffs, a pervasive and resonant bass, the requisite twang and nasal vowels of old-time country, and fiddle strings singing loud and sweet. Sort of bluegrass meets jazz and takes Appalachia and old-time country along for a wild ride, a riotous mix of instrumental and vocal tracks.
The band members are Dwayne Brooke on guitar and vocals; Stuart Orser on guitar; Ryan Mayo on bass; Dave VanDeventer on fiddle; Aimee Curl, vocals; Morgan Morrison, vocals; and Jesse Shultzaberger on drums and DDE_LINK3skiffle trap DDE_LINK3. Special guests on "Yardbird" are Chance McCoy on mandolin and Stephanie Thompson on backup bebops.
Mayo, a resident of Lucketts, explained that everyone in the band has been playing music the greater part of their lives.
"Ultimately all of us have different experiences in music, different backgrounds, different genres," Mayo said. "There's classical, old-time fiddling, jazz and rock 'n' roll. What's working really well for this particular group of people are the good friendships. That's at the root of everything. music just becomes an extension of life and what kind of keeps us playing together is to have fun together and to keep playing together."
Mayo pointed out that creativity is difficult with just one individual involved in the process. It becomes something of a challenge when several different people are also contributing to the product. Mayo said all the members work at keeping things on an even keel.
The titles on "Yardbird" are quirky, fun and thought-provoking. They include "Valse a Vandalia," "Chop," "Vodka Before Breakfast," "Ginseng Swing" and "Watermaid."
The title song offers a Big Band accent with band members echoing and answering the lead singer and obviously enjoying every minute of it.
"The one thing we have in common is keeping focused on creating and having fun together," Mayo said. "There are no restrictions. It's a collective input. As long as we keep it really open, it works. We have an idea of this organic sound we're trying to create. ... Nobody gets overly egocentric. Ultimately it's about wanting to be good on an instrument and express yourself well and put all the other stuff aside. It's all about self-expression and sharing."
Andy Hawk
"Here It Is"
www.andyhawk.com
For those who are of a certain age, Andy Hawk's music might be compared to a gravelly voiced James Taylor, a pensive Arlo Guthrie. What is difficult to imagine until one has listened to Hawk's music is the mellow, complex sounds and thoughts that are uniquely Andy Hawk of Hamilton.
The song titles on "Here It Is" are a dead giveaway that Hawk is charting familiar territory but taking a fresh new path. "A Sunshine Waterdance," "Awkwardly at Ease," and "A Moment in a Bar in Nashville ( DDE_LINK1Linsday's Eyes DDE_LINK1)" evoke both the universal and the surreal. The music does not disappoint.
Those performing on this CD are Hawk on vocals, acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, bass, percussion, harmonica, mandolin and water sounds; Marnie Hawk, backing vocals, piano; Gary Rudinsky on electric guitar; Anthony Schneck, electric guitar; Patrick Holbrook, electric guitar, bass, drums; Chuck Bordelon, bass; Sean Cunningham, piano; Kelly Gaitten, backing vocals; Jake Robey, acoustic guitar, vocals, Andy Belt, backing vocals, acoustic guitars, keyboards; and Jan Russo, classical guitar.
Hawk predicted that he would be 80 years old, strumming away in the rocker.
"Writing is something I've done for almost 30 years," he said. "It started as the dark and desperate poetry of a 16-year-old -- I couldn't play a note until my early 20s -- and ultimately led to songwriting. It started off as an almost therapy-like activity. I needed to do it. As I've aged, I've been able to write more for the sake of the song. 'Sunshine Waterdance' is a good example of that."
Hawk indicated he, like the members of The Woodshedders, does not let ego get in the way of the music. When he began putting this CD -- his fourth ?together, he decided to bring in people he believed could play much better than he could.
"I played what I had to, but I knew certain songs needed something I couldn't provide," he explained.
Hawk is not, however, immune to praise, he just prefers it subtle and sincere.
"I am always blown away -- and surprised for some reason -- when someone mentions liking a certain song," he said. "It's hard for me, because I'm so close to it, to see how my stuff and 'real' stuff are the same. It always means a lot when I'm playing out if someone requests an original."
His ultimate goal, surprisingly, is to write songs for other people to sing.
"I think my voice is passable for rock and roll, but it's not great," he said. "I'd love to hear someone with a great voice sing my stuff."
The next CD, Hawk said, will definitely have blue overtones.
"I like that old '50s-sounding stuff like Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, Chuck Berry. Great feel to it. Of course, I still feel that the Beatles cannot be touched. They, by far, are my biggest influences."
Andrew McKnight
"Something Worth Standing For"
DDE_LINKwww.andrewmcknight.net DDE_LINK
Andrew McKnight lives with his family -- his wife, Michelle, and their infant daughter, Madeleine Rose -- in an old farmhouse along one of the rambling roads of Philomont. The house, the surrounding woodlands and an old stone bridge just up the road are a perfect match for McKnight and his music.
For this is music that whispers and recalls the themes of times past. There are gentle entreaties and strong condemnations. These are lyrics that both soothe and unsettle. These are songs that bring a new energy to the tradition of Tom Paxton, Woodie Guthrie, Robert Johnson and Pete Seeger.
Joining McKnight who does the vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, are Chance McCoy on banjo, fiddle and mandolin; Jim Baird on upright bass; Jesse Shultzaberger on drums; Jon Carroll, keyboards and accordion; and Pamela Temple, harmony vocals.
"I was having trouble writing. Everything either sounded angry or trite. I lead a blessed life. Where was this anger coming from?" McKnight remembered thinking.
However, strong emotions are the stuff of strong music, and McKnight, a veteran recording artist who plays all over the country, was more than ready to meet the challenge.
"I tried to transcend polarized viewpoints," he said. "I wanted these songs to recognize the common ground we share."
This goal is being realized. McKnight reports on his Web site that "Something Worth Standing For" was No. 1 on the music charts at WGDR in Plainfield, Vt., during the last week of February, and No. 8 for the month. The CD was the 12th most played in March on the FolkDJ listserv and database, a sampling of more than 150 shows and hosts in the States and around the world. "Safe Home" was tied for 17th on its song airplay chart.
The tracks include instrumentals and vocals in almost equal measure. There are the sweet a capella harmonies of "The Wind Whispers Your Name," an anthem to those fallen in battle. He gently alludes to the terrors and hardships of those escaping brutal and corrupt governments, hoping to find sanctuary in the United States, in "These Shoes." He offers "Hour of Darkness" as an ode to those suffering from depression. Like Willie Nelson in "Gravedigger," McKnight, in his way, faces head-on the fact of mortality.
In "Surveillance," he parodies the out-of-control paranoia that has led to unconstitutional surveillance of private citizens. Finally, McKnight definitely echoes the southern Mississippi soul with the title song, "Something Worth Standing For."
In fact, it could be said that soul and conscience are two invisible components of the entire CD.
Contact the writer at ecarlton@timespapers.com
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