Happy Saturday! Ben Plotnick and I are playing an acoustic show at Cornerstone Music Cafe today at 3:30...hope to see you there! Also, Craig Learmont has given our album a review. Check it out! : Pear - Vinyl review Its going to be difficult to be objective with this review. I am heavily biased having known Denis Dufresne for over two decades. My first encounter with Denis was seeing him play the violin at Safeway, as I was a clerk and we worked together for several years. We both studied at the Medicine Hat College Conservatory of Music and Dance; him with Bill Van Der Sloot, and me with Cameron Watson. They say that to master something, you need to spend at least 10,000 hours practicing and working at it. I can say that with great confidence, Denis far exceeds this figure. I have had the pleasure of working with Denis both on stage and in the studio. I recorded his fiddle supergroup, Barrage, live for the Medicine Hat Sandfly Festival, I worked on his Denis Dufresne and his Acoustic Eels record at MuzikHaus in Three Hills, played for that CD release show at the Medicine Hat College, recorded several demos prior to his Pear release in Nashville, and also performed with him at the Big Valley Jamboree. Before we proceed with the record review, let me go on record that Denis Dufresne and his Acoustic Eels is by far the most musically rewarding project I ever worked on. So much so in fact, that the band rehearsed for three solid days before going into the studio!! Vinyl is NOT Barrage leftovers. Vinyl is NOT a Nashville interpretation of another talented Canadian artist. What Vinyl IS, is the record Ive been waiting for for a LONG time. DDAHACE is extremely eclectic. PEAR is slick and radio friendly. VINYL takes the best of both records and puts them together into a blend that upon first listen is almost unsettling. What am I listening to?? These guys defy the common genre stereotyping that handcuffs so many groups. Once you find the formula, you stick to it because its safe. Not so in this case. I think the reason I like this record so much is that each listen becomes more pleasing than the last. When I hear the opening riff of Vinyl, I can hear Denis smiling as if to say How you like me now? The usage of record scratching seamlessly merges everything we love about new grass with a tip of the hat to hip hop without sounding campy or predictable. This is bold, this is adventurous! The usage of parallel phrasing is very well executed throughout, and the modulations are unpredictable, yet incredibly hooky and memorable. All of the material on this record is very personal. You can tell that Denis and Lynae mean what they say. These are not Nashville written cookie cutter hits, these are testimonies to Lynaes childhood in the Pacific Northwest, Denis instrumental experimentation (Jochanan and the Giraffe), and the magnificent Texas swing tribute to the tongue in cheek Ill Love It, complete with twin fiddles dancing over diminished seventh chords to a satisfying ending. This record comes to a very beautiful close with Dance of the Chicken Snails and Star (When You Wish). DOTCS was originally recorded on the Acoustic Eels record, and this rendition adds more string textures, including a very warm bowed double bass, which I loved. Because Denis voice has a very unique tone, (high tenor) it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between his voice and Lynaes, but this isnt a bad thing. Having one talented musician/vocalist in the family is one thing, having two is another! Apparently, Vince Gill heard Lynae play violin when she was younger, and said Give me a call when you turn 18. While she never did, I am glad things turned out the way they did. The vocal production on this project is top notch, and I love the multi-layered background vocals throughout. A tip of the hat needs to go out to Russ Broom, guitar authority and producer extraordinaire for guiding the sound and direction of Vinyl. Kudos to Denis and Lynae for making this wise decision. I will be one of the first in line to get my copy, and I suggest you do the same. If you get a chance to see Pear live, please dont hesitate to do so. History has proven that you will regret it if you dont. Anxious to buy, Craig Learmont MuzikHaus Records
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 17:57:09 +0000
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