Fanatic is a music marketing company established by Josh Bloom in 1997 to build fan-to-fan connections between artists and the media. For 25 years, Fanatic has continued to help launch careers through the strategic advocacy of creative talent.
Controversial single is taken from Bern’s upcoming album
“Starting Over,” arriving March 1; Remastered reissue of 2001 masterpiece “New
American Language” out now.
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Dan Bern as photographed by Judd Irish Beadley
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Dan Bern | About
“He’s been one of my favourite songwriters and
musicians for the past 28 years.” — Roger
Daltrey of The Who
In addition to being a Jeopardy clue, Dan Bern has
written thousands of songs, among such other notable career and personal
highlights as writing songs for the Judd
Apatow film “Walk Hard: The Dewey
Cox Story,” and Jonathan Demme’s
film about Jimmy Carter (which Carter recognized Bern for when introducing Bern
to his wife Roslyn, saying, “This is
the fellow that wrote that song.”) Bern
has opened for The Who (Daltrey has covered Bern’s songs), is a member of the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and
taught tennis to Wilt Chamberlain.
The remastered, first-time-on-vinyl edition of New
American Language will be followed by the launch of a six-week Dan Bern tour in Atlanta. See dates
below. Starting Over, an all-new album of Bern songs is scheduled for release on March 1, 2024, via Grand
Phony. More info forthcoming.
Dan Bern is
available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom
at Fanatic for more information.
Glidecalls“Bible” by Dan Bern, “a piano-driven work of folk-pop that carries a chorus
that speaks to our current climate of divisiveness. Littered with pop culture
and political references, not to mention a colorful history lesson, the song is
both humorous and poignant in its lyrics and message.
“We also get plenty of grandiose rock and roll guitar,
making this the kind of clever piano-rock that would make Warren Zevon smile.”
Bern says, “In the midst of so much rancor and division, ‘no one in the
Bible was white’ was a phrase that I had seen somewhere, and it seemed worthy
of a song.”
About the upcoming new album Starting Over, Bern explains, “I started playing with
the Jane’s Great Dane guys out of
Boston after a snow blower incident that cost me a couple of fingertips and put
me out of commission as far as playing the guitar for a while.
“Then, In the middle of the pandemic, Jonathan Plaut, from the band, suggested
I come out to Connecticut and record some songs with them. I hadn’t been in a
room with other musicians for over a year! Those sessions led to a second
session, some months later, and eventually, Starting Over.”
Dan Bern is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.
“In a series of brisk, moving sentences… he begs God
to send him back in time, saving the good and destroying evil.” — The
Washington Post
Thirty albums into his
career, the genius tunes of Dan Bern finally hit wax as the revered
songwriter’s 2001 masterpiece New
American Language gets a remastered double-album reissue. US tour celebrating
New American Language continues
through Feb. 24
Today sees the reissue, in a newly
remastered edition, of New American Language, the 2001
album by acclaimed American songwriter, Dan
Bern. Surprisingly, the occasion marks the first appearance of a Bern album on vinyl, during a career
spanning more than 30 releases.
“Dan’s epic‘Thanksgiving Day Parade,’ literally took two years to record,”
says the song’s producer, Wil Masisak
in the liner notes of the upcoming reissue. “The sense that we’d made something
worth hearing coupled with the knowledge that we couldn’t have done this alone
or without difficulty was immensely rewarding.
“Unfortunately, the release date was set for Tuesday,
September 11th, 2001, and so it is that this incredible collection of American
songwriting seemingly meant for those who did their best to carry on after 9/11
finds itself a little lost to time.”
“With Dan Bern’s
large and acclaimed catalog, I have no idea how he has never had a vinyl
release,” says John Young of Grand Phony Records (Mike Viola, Trapper Schoepp), the label that will reissue Bern’s landmark album. New American Language is my favorite
Dan Bern album, Young says. With “fresh and vibrant” remastered audio, it is
literally clearer that Bern’s lyrics
“have proven to be prescient, as if they were written yesterday,” according to Young.
“National treasure” is an overused phrase to denote
somebody whom Americans acknowledge as important. Someone whose contributions
to the American fabric are numerous, never in doubt, but rarely at risk.
Bern and his work is something more ingrained than what “national
treasure” can measure. What Bern has
offered throughout a 30-album and counting career speaks to something deeper in
us than any two-word workaround for actual criticism could define. Bern’s work takes those risks, and New
American Language is his career’s most precarious statement. In a world
filled with plenty of “safer” controversial subjects to write about, Bern could do that if he felt like it.
We are better for his decision not to.
Listen to “Love
Me Back To Life” via Twangvillehere
or at link above!
“This song started with the drum beat, which is
essentially the groove from ‘You Can’t
Hurry Love’ — such an iconic old soul groove. Lyrically, I wanted to write
a song about how amazing my wife is! Previously, I’d spent too many albums
writing about heartache, and I wanted this one to reflect where I’m currently
with the love of my life. One of the things I love about soul music lyrically
is that not everything has to be so heavy-handed.
“It’s not that the lyrics don’t matter; it’s just that
they’re a part of the greater aim of giving you that good soul feeling. One of
my favorite parts of this song is the amazing string playing (arranged by my
friend Nick Seeley). The strings
still give me goosebumps when they come in on the second verse. And that sax
solo by the excellent Preston Lewis
on the outro is phenomenal!
“Using Motown
as a guide for this track, I knew I wanted to make it big and sweeping. Those
early Motown hits are so expansive
with the band, background vocals, horns, percussion, and strings. And it’s
almost reminiscent of Phil Spector’s
‘Wall Of Sound’ approach.
“This track has 14 musicians on it. I had so much fun
building the whole arrangement. We started with the rhythm section (bass,
drums, percussion, guitar, and keys) playing together in the room. Then, I
overdubbed the lead vocals and then the backing vocals with that call and
response. I then added the horn with the amazing sax solo on the outro. Then,
finally, the strings. But everything fits together. We were very intentional
about each layer complementing and supporting the whole groove.” — Chris J Norwood
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Chris J
Norwood & The Knockdown Dragout | Live
KXT 91.7’s Local Show Presents: Chris J Norwood & The Knockdown Dragout at The Kessler Theater on Fri.,
Feb. 9.
If the photographic evidence accompanying The
Knockdown Dragout (Gastonwood
Music, Feb. 9, 2024) is any
indication, then Chris J Norwood is
a beaten man.
Beaten, maybe… But not out!
As Norwood
sings on “The Knockdown Dragout” —
the ensemble, album, and first single all share the same name — he is a
fighter:
I know it don’t look good
They got me up against the ropes
I ain’t no light weight kid
I got the fight, the will, the hope
The “will” and “hope” part comes in as the
Dallas-based songwriter — and now bandleader, commanding a Stax-inspired ensemble cutting tracks live on the studio floor in
the same building where Willie Nelson
made Red
Headed Stranger — leaves behind his acoustic guitar to make the album
of his dreams.
“I have wanted to make this record for a long time,” Norwood says about a passion so strong,
he parted ways with his record label to be able to see his vision through. “If
you were to come over on a Saturday afternoon, Otis Redding is what is playing on the stereo.”
The
Knockdown Dragout cover the Redding classic “Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa (Sad Song)” in a joyous rendition that sits
perfectly alongside Norwood’s
originals.
“I had to
include an Otis cover,” Norwood explains. You can’t help but
feel good, and that’s what I love about soul music. Even the sad songs make you
dance.”
Norwood had become tired of sadness.
“I’m disillusioned with the ‘sad bastard’ scene of
singer-songwriters that I found myself a part of,” he admits. After releasing
two records that reckoned with darkness and personal tragedy, Norwood wanted to make an album that
was “just fun.”
A “knockdown dragout” is a phrase I used to hear my
mother use,” he explains of the album’s statement of purpose, which also
addresses his relationship with the music industry. “It’s essentially a fight
between two people that is particularly bad.” Norwood’s decision to leave his label to make this album was
actually amicable, but even civil closure smarts.
The same goes for Norwood’s
surprise genre switch-up.
“I wanted to write some songs that I could actually
sing to Carrie and dance in the
kitchen to,” he says,alluding to one of
the album’s standout tracks, “Dancing In
The Kitchen,” a love song to Norwood’s
wife.
“Finally! Songs that are about me!” Carrie Norwood, who also
appears on the record as one-half of the background vocal duo, The Knockouts, jokes.
“Being
a Knockout comes with attitude and
sass,” she says. “The world is pretty crazy right now, but there is still love
and goodness to sing about.”
After listening to the celebratory songs on The
Knockdown Dragout, Norwood’s “will” and “hope” win this bout
by unanimous decision.
The Knockdown Dragout by Chris J
Norwood & The Knockdown Dragout arrives Feb. 9, 2024 via Gastonwood
Music.
Chris J Norwood is
available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom
at Fanatic for more information.
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Chris J Norwood & The Knockdown Dragout | “Dancing In The Kitchen”
Watch the video for “Dancing In The Kitchen” via Adobe & Teardropshere or at links above!
“You can hear Norwood channel that intensity in his performance, bringing a punk rock lineage to his R&B. ‘Dancing in the Kitchen’ is a reprieve on an album that chronicles Norwood’s victories and defeats, but we get the sense of a determined drive to keep pushing through it all.” — Adobe & Teardrops
“‘Dancing In The Kitchen’ is a love song for my wife Carrie that is true to where we are at in our lives. We have been married for over a decade, and we have small kids, so if there is going to be romance, we have to make it happen. Dancing in our little tiny kitchen after we put the kids to bed and have done the dishes is as good a place as any for romance!
“I wanted the video to feel like a fly on the wall. The video is about the most accurate portrait of our love for each other as possible. The other part of the video, where you see me playing into the spotlights, is a nod to the Otis Redding video ‘I've Been Loving You’ from the Monterey Pop Festival 1967.” — Chris J Norwood
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Chris J Norwood & The Knockdown Dragout | “The Knockdown Dragout”
See the video for the eponymous cut “The Knockdown Dragout” at Americana Highways, listen viaGlide Magazine (or use the links above!)
“Swaggery and enjoyable... Bluesy glory characterizes this song from the start. Playing together in the woodsy studio helps bolster this song’s Stax-style intent.” — Americana Highways
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About The Video | “The Knockdown Dragout”
“We had a lot of fun and that is something I wanted to showcase with the music video,” Norwood says. “When I first started dreaming up this project, it was important to record in the same way my favorite Stax and Motown records were recorded. All the musicians playing together in a great sounding room with vintage gear.
“Audio Dallas immediately came to mind and was the perfect studio for us. It’s got such a storied history, with so many great records made there. It looks virtually the same as it did in the 70s.
“In a lot of ways the studio was like another member of the band. There’s a reason why records that are made this way sound the way they do. There’s a joy and a camaraderie and a vibe when you make music with your friends.” — Chris J Norwood
First single taken from
new Alberta & The Dead Eyes full-length “Give Or Take” is available for
permanent absorption now; Dave Boone quit 15 years of smoking, so listen!
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Dave Boone of Alberta
& The Dead Eyes as photographed by The Dead Eyes
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Alberta & The Dead Eyes | Live
02/03/2024: Seattle, WA @ The Rabbit Box Theater (Info)
Listen to “Spiff,” the first single from the upcoming
album Give Or Take by Alberta
& The Dead Eyes via Treblehere
or at the link
above.
“The song carries a swampy groove with a bit of a
mid-1970s tint to it a la peak Fleetwood
Mac, but with a rich backing of organ and layers of vocal harmonies that
rise into a brief moment of transcendence that fades nearly as soon as it
arrives. But vocalist Dave Boone’s
hollers and yelps make the path to and from that climactic chorus just as fun.
— Treble
“False hope or pure will sums up this song quite a
bit. The narrator never lets on too much here one way or the other. An edge of
confidence makes one believe both characters (the narrator and whomever they
are talking to) will get out of whatever they are in.
“The last line, ‘We know
what we’re in for this time.’” Yeah. I have some confidence there; I still
don’t know if I believe it. I know I want to by the end of this tune. I think
that’s the whole point of this song. Even the bass part mimics that sentiment,
swimming back and forth from root note hard rhythm to kind of solo counter
melody.” — Dave Boone, Alberta & The Dead Eyes
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Alberta & The Dead Eyes | In The Press
“Just as interested in the past as the future.” — Various Small Flames
“It’s a joyful, playful sound built on the blues.” — Alt 77
“Covering ample stylistic ground... It’s a winner from
the first.” — Neufutur
Alberta
& The Dead Eyes is the
giant-sounding band that in reality is the majority work of one real-life
carpenter, David Boone (or D. Boone as he often signs off, evoking
another literal and figurative giant of musical history, D. Boon of The Minutemen.)
In fact, Boone’s
songs contain that same ramshackle joy and conversational, inclusive tone that Boon’s do. It’s the sound of a natural
talent letting it fly.
“I’m a carpenter by day and sometimes even by night,” Boone says. “A fine carpenter at that,
but a better musician.”
You may want to leave the page now to find out more
about Boone, but don’t bother. He
made the right choice. The choice that none of us made and many wish we had. Boone is nowhere to be found on social
media.
He lets the songs do the sharing.
Alberta
& The Dead Eyes will release its
new 11-song album Give or Take on March
15, 2024. The album is preceded by “Ghost Kitty,” a four-song EP of additional songs, out now.
The songs on Give or Take represent a man in
withdrawal from a two-packs-a-day cigarette habit that went on for 15 years.
“Mama, did it fuck me up more than I expected,” Boone confesses. “I wrote the entire
record pretty much curled up in a ball.”
Grieving his relationship with nicotine while
composing, Boone kept company with
his influences, numerous and varied. So numerous and varied that mentioning a
handful isn’t going to help you any more than looking for Boone online will.
“I love Billie
Holiday. And The Stooges. And The Band. And Outkast. And Duke Ellington.
And Cole Porter. And David Sedaris. And Bill Watterson. And the Detroit
Pistons. And John fucking Prine.”
Boone doesn’t mention The
Minutemen, but likely would, if prompted.
“I mean Jesus, should I keep going?”
Get it?
The thing about Boone
as musician that isn’t likely is how much Boone
as carpenter makes it into his music. He doesn’t mention the Grateful Dead either, but the steadfast
focus that underpins Boone’s
freestyle nature is kinda Alberta &
TheWorkingman’s Dead Eyes.
“I’m a complete ‘no one is coming to save you’ type of
person,” he explains. “Keep your head down and do your job. Musician schmoosician. Do what your
supposed to fucking do. Write good songs. Play good shows. Show up on time. Be humble and be fucking nice.”
A real-life carpenter keeping it real-life real.
Refreshing.
It should be even less surprising now that musician Boone rejected Instagram squares for
T-squares just like he painfully swore off smokes cold turkey for the clean
lungs that arrived with the songs, or as Boone
sees it, he arrived to them.
“The songs are just there, hanging out, waiting for
someone,” he says.
Now that someone is you.
Alberta
& The Dead Eyes will release its
new 11-song album Give or Take on March
15, 2024, preceded by “Ghost Kitty,”
a four-song EP of additional songs, out now.
Dave Boone of Alberta
& The Dead Eyes is available for
interviews. Contact Josh Bloom
at Fanatic for more information.
