Highest highs

Tall Heights_ the duo of Tim Harrington and Paul Wright_ really found its sound little more than a year ago when it eased into a melodic acoustic setting that wove together pop and folk music influences. That natural-sounding pairing of Harrington's guitar and Wright's cello reflects a growing trend among contemporary artists to emphasize fine craftsmanship in both songwriting and playing _ music that is quiet but not soft.

Tall Heights, which returns for an encore performance in the Coppertop on Sunday afternoon, supplied a list of essential "folk-rock/acoustic-rock" listens that fits its own mindset:

"For Emma, Forever Ago" by Bon Iver - It changed the scene forever.  Production value and song structure alike, Justin Vernon paved the way for our EP, "Rafters," along with so many others (the video is of Tall Heights performing the song "Skinny Love" from this record).  

 

"This Empty Northern Hemisphere" by Gregory Alan Isakov- With some help from his friend Brandi Carlile, he just nailed it with this record.  His melodic structure and, at times, cryptic lyrics continue to influence us.  From "Big Black Car:" "Heartbreak, you know, drives a big black car, I swear I was in the backseat just minding my own."  

 

"I Speak Because I Can "by Laura Marling- So pleasantly British.  Her voice is softened margarine. 

 

"Shallow Grave" by The Tallest Man on Earth-  His song "The Gardener" fascinates us in the way its extremely major key and melody maintains a very dark quality (it is, after all, about a man who kills all who know of his infidelities in order to preserve a positive image of himself in his lover's eyes).

 

 "Fleet Foxes" by Fleet Foxes- This record brought reverb and beards back into the mainstream, and I thank them.

 

"Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen - Mood.  I feel that he makes me feel exactly what he wants me to feel in this record.  For my money, you can't beat the opening verse of Thunder Road: "Screen door slams.  Mary's dress waves.  Like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays Roy Orbison singing for the lonely, hey that's me and I want you only don't turn me home again I just can't face myself alone again."  He really just brings me there, and keeps me.  So good. 

 

Tall Heights hits the stage at 4 p.m. 

Talking big songs with Trebek

So the "essentials" lists keep coming in. Trebek, who returns to the Coppertop Friday night, weighed in on rock anthems _ you know the big songs that get fists pumping and heads banging. Singer Matt Dionne (shown tackling one of his picks in the video below) sent along these "essential rock anthems": 

"Faithfully" by Journey - Best ballad ever written.  The crescendos and decrescendos in the song pull the listeners in and keep them wanting more.  This song also has the best climax due to Steve Perry's flawless vocals.

"Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen - It just makes you want to punch someone from the first note on.  This song owns you and it is impossible to not love it  It is a simple structure, yet has technical aspects in it as well.  This is not your typical radio rock of today; it is what the radio should be seeking out, however.  

 "We Will Rock You" by Queen - Such a simple theme from a crazy dynamic band.  The point of the song is so basic, but with Freddie Mercury at the head of this ship it takes a great song over the top with greatness.  Hard to reproduce.

"Highway to Hell" by AC/DC - The importance of a simple riff is so ridiculously evident from the start.  Most guitarists can listen or learn this song and think, "Why can't I put something like this together?"  Get past the guitar riff and immediately recognizable drumming, and you hear the vocals kick in and you almost immediately clench your fist.

"Sympathy for the Devil" by Rolling Stones - A great song that features some cool drumming, backing vocals, messages, and overall vibe.   Great tune by an amazing band.

Tomorrow, Tall Heights provides some pointers on essential folk rock (and you may see some overlap from other lists).

View into the blues

Most doctors don't hold Saturday night office hours; Dr. Harp is not like most doctors.

This doctor_ known to some as Dennis Martin_ is a harmonica-playing veteran of the regional blues scene, and his Dr. Harp's Blues Revue has lit up both the Coppertop and music festivals at the mountain.

Dr. Harp and his Blues Revue hit the Coppertop stage again Saturday starting at 8 p.m. Dr. Harp traces his career back to a stint touring as the harmonica player in Big Joe Turner's band. Most recently, Dr. Harp recorded an acoustic album with his band and produced a blues program for the public-access television station in his neck of the New Hampshire woods.

In keeping with this week's theme of finding out what music moves musicians, Dr. Harp provided a list of "essential blues" (no surprise that it's heavy on harmonica players):

Little Walter- "'My Babe.' That harmonica lick is really one of a kind."

Jimmy Reed- "He wasn't  just a great musician but also a great writer. I love his songs 'Baby, What You Want Me to Do,' 'Going to New York,' and 'Bright Lights, Big City.'"

Sonny Boy Williamson- "'Keep it to Yourself' is a great song but wasn't as popular here as it was in England."

James Cotton- "'Cotton Boogie.' That song was a big influence on rock 'n' roll. I was also influenced by the album 'Harp Attack' with Billy Branch, Carey Bell, Junior Wells, and James Cotton, and 'Hard Again' with Muddy Waters, Johnny Winter and Cotton.'"

Kim Wilson- "Even though  the Fabulous Thunderbirds were more of a rock band, I like what he did on  'Tuff Enuff.' As far as guitar players go, I like (original Thunderbirds' guitarist) Jimmie Vaughan. He has a nice clean sound."

Charlie Musselwhite- "I love the John Lee Hooker boogie influence in his playing."

Paul Butterfield- "'Born in Chicago' is such a great song. He played with a rhumba feel and really filled out the sound."

Take your picks

So this week, the Coppertop features artists who have already made a splash at the mountain. Chris Reddy, who was featured at the Wachusett Mountain MusicFest in September, is in the Coppertop Thursday. Trebek comes back Friday. Dr. Harp brings his blues band into the room Saturday night, and acoustic rockers Tall Heights do an encore performance at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

So rather than rehash some of what I've already told you about these musicians, I instead asked them about their favorite music. Reddy is an outstanding guitar player who has created a unique solo show that incorporates live looping. In short, he accompanies himself. The sample above is from Reddy's last CD "2 Sides 2 Every Story." As you can hear, Reddy has an ear for blending progressive and traditional strains of guitar work. So I asked him to supply a list of "essential guitar music," and this is what he came up with:

Jeff Beck:  "Still my favorite,  every recording and every show I’ve seen just makes me go 'wow.'  My favorite albums are 'There and Back,' 'Wired,' and 'Guitar Shop.'”

Eric Johnson: " 'Cliffs of Dover.' When I heard the second album by Eric, I knew he would be one of the greatest guitar players ever."

Van Halen: " " Mean Street,' from my favorite VH album ('Fair Warning'). Definitely my favorite guitar tone album from the good ol' days."

King's X: "Anything. Ty Tabor’s tone, technique, and song writing are soulful and technical."



XTC: "Anything. Andy Partridge and Dave Gregory were the best pop guitar team around for two decades,  the Beatles of the '80s and '90s."

Greg Howe: "Brilliant guitar player. Any guitar player who can cop his riffs should be able to handle anything."

Adrian Legg: "Changed my view of acoustic guitar and received the most standing ovations when he opened the first G3 show at the Orpheum with Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, and Steve Vai."

Steve Morse and The Dixie Dregs: "Best instrumental band I’ve ever seen, and I could listen to Morse play all day."

Pat Metheny with Lyle Mays:  "Some of the most beautiful music written. Every CD is an experience."

George Lynch: "Mind-boggling solos. Anything from Lynch Mob is a metal treat."

Allan Holdsworth:  "My favorite solos of all time are by this guy!"

Jimi Hendrix: "What can be said? Imagine what he’d be playing now?"

Hear for yourself how Reddy works these influences into his own music when he hits the stage at 8 p.m. Thursday.  Stay tuned fro more "essentials" this week.




 

Shaking it up

Listen to Fred Ellsworth and The House Shakers http://www.fredellsworth.com/

Guitarist and singer grew up playing country music, been a member of and leader for country music bands in the area, and even spent considerable time in Nashville honing his writing and playing in the nation's Country Music Capital.

But Ellsworth likes his rock 'n' roll and blues, too. So he formed the House Shakers, a trio consisting of bassist Mike Sisto and drummer Rich Blake. The band is back in the Coppertop Saturday starting at 8 p.m.

"It's powerful, but tasteful," Ellsworth says of the skilled combo.

When Ellsworth brought the House Shakers to the mountain earlier in the season, the trio pulled out all sorts of tunes from the proverbial hat. One minute the band was charging through Tom Petty's  "You Wreck Me," and the next Ellsworth was feeling the blues on a Delbert McCLinton song.

"With the House Shakers, I don't put myself in any one box," says Ellsworth. "We cover a lot of bases, and these guys have been playing for a while, so we know a lot of songs."

As much fun as he's having playing with a rhythm section of the House Shakers' caliber, Ellsworth does admit how being in a trio proves to be a bit more demanding than when he plays in some of the larger country bands he belongs to.

But he found a good way to train for the job.

"I was doing a solo acoustic thing for radio station WKLB, and that was great practice. I was in front of a crowd for four hours, doing all of the playing and singing," Ellsworth says.

The House Shakers continue to be a growing portion of Ellsworth's music career. The band has made  a CD and continues to expand its turf. Which makes Saturday's gig an especially welcome one for Ellsworth, who lives in Westminster.

"I never get to play this close to home," he says.

Captain's log

Chris "Captain" Coombs has been performing in the Coppertop for as long as the room has been offering music.

"Back then it was Kelly and Captain," notes Coombs.

But for the past eight or so years, it's been Brian and Captain, and the acoustic duo returns to the Coppertop Friday at 8 p.m.

Coombs recalls the night he was playing in Fitchburg when Brian Bautor asked if he could sit in for a song. Batour kicked into a ZZ Top number, and that was enough for Coombs to throw in his cards with a new project.

The two stick to an acoustic format, but can cover a wide array of rock and even swing into hip-hop and country. 

"The growth in popularity for country has been the biggest trend lately," Coombs says. "And there has been an evolution in the country genre. It has a lot more rock and pop influence in it."

Coombs estimates that the duo has learned about 400 songs ober the years. And they mix old and new, knowing that the hot song today can easily cool off, while there's always an audience for, say, a vintage Van Morrison song.

"That's why they call them classics," Coombs says.

Rainy Day OK

Usually, word of a rainy day is not welcome up at the mountain. But in this case, we're talking about the band Rainy Day Activities, and these young dudes from Ashburnham and Westminster are well worth checking out.

Rainy Day Activities will pack itself into the Coppertop Thursday night at 8.The guitar-bass-keys-drums combo features Jordan Racine, Matt Pinault, Trevor Wolanske, and twins Henry and George Condon.

"Henry will only bring part of his drum set up, and we're not playing any of the heavier stuff," Racine says. "We'll keep it tame with some Allmans, Beatles, and Led Zeppelin."

Covering such bands, you'd think Racine was a child of the ''70s, which is hardly the case. He is a senior at Oakmont Regional High, and most of the others are also students there (Pinault graduated from Oakmont last year and now attends Fitchburg State University).

"My dad was always listening to music in the house. I must have been in 7th grade when I started discovering all of those bands," says Racine, who notes that he also likes contemporary bands ranging from Red Hot Chili Peppers to Zac Brown.

The roots of Rainy Day Activities go back to when Racine formed a duo with another student while in 8th grade. Growing into its current configuration, the band has found a foothold in several of the region's music rooms, and performs at various civic events and band showcases.

In addition to knowing a boatload of cover tunes, Rainy Day Activities puts to use theory it learned in music classes and writes its own songs.

"I'd say our own style is kind of crunchy," says Racine. "We're working on a new one now that has a Spanish feel, like a Santana song, and others have a sound like Dire Straits. We take the techniques of artists we admire and see what we can do on our own."

Not a bad activity at all.