Robert Ward: The Crucible

Robert Ward.  The Crucible.  Opera performed at the Kent State University Stark Theatre, Canton, Ohio.  Kent State University Stark Theatre: http://www.stark.kent.edu/academics/depts/thea/

Robert Ward

Led by stage director Brian Newberg and music director and pianist Judith Ryder,  Kent State University vocal faculty members, guest artists, and vocal graduate students collaborated in a vocally, musically, and theatrically compelling performance of Robert Ward’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera The Crucible on June 7th to 9th at the Kent State University Stark Theatre. The performance was a fitting memorial for a composer who was labeled a “traditionalist” during a time when traditionalism was anything but mainstream.  Ward (1917-2013) was a Cleveland native, attending John Adams High School before moving on to the Eastman and Juilliard Schools of Music.

Commissioned by the New York City Opera and premiered in 1961, The Crucible, which is the best-known of Ward’s five operas, is set to Bernhard Stambler’s adaption of Arthur Miller’s well-known 1953 play. Loosely based on historical facts, Miller’s play is ostensibly a dramatization of the Salem witch trials, but beneath this veneer is a thinly-veiled analogy of the hysterical distrust of the McCarthy era, the consequences of which Miller himself suffered personally. The play reveals a twisted societal paradigm in which slander, suspicion, and the evil spirits of past infidelities are used as psychological weapons in a quest for power and possession, a paradigm in which integrity is punished and deceit rewarded. The title suggests the intense “heat” to which members of this society are subjected and the inescapable situations in which they find themselves. The timelessness and universality of the complex paradoxes explored in Miller’s play have made it a classic of American theater repertory. Ward’s operatic setting has become one of the best-known and most-performed 20th century American operas.  

Although rooted in tonality, Ward’s setting of Stambler’s textually thick libretto is harmonically and contrapuntally dense and vocally demanding. Chromaticism, dissonance, and driving melodic and harmonic motion propel the drama forward, creating an aura of irresolvable tension. While the melodic writing is lyrical and idiomatic, it also includes angular leaps that follow the inflections and drama of the text. Judith Ryder’s interpretative insight, coaching expertise, and pianistic strength and sensitivity resulted in a musically seamless, deceptively effortless musical performance.  Director Brian Newman’s creative yet spare, efficient staging provided an effective contrast to Ward’s restless, thick orchestration, juxtaposing the stark asceticism of the Puritans with the complex web of fear and confusion that lay below their surface culture of simplicity,  order, and respect for authority.  

Operatic protagonists are often sopranos and tenors, while mezzo sopranos and baritones are more often cast in roles that include deception and deceit. Perhaps to illustrate the dangers of societal stereotyping, Ward reverses the operatic fach stereotypes. Baritone Brian Johnson gave a vocally and dramatically commanding performance of the stern but emotionally complex John Proctor who, like the Christ of the Passions, sacrifices himself for the good of his society. Tenor Daniel Doty played the paranoid and power-hungry Reverend Samuel Parris, Abigail’s uncle. Melissa Davis’s crystalline light lyric soprano voice belied a deceptive, seductive, frighteningly determined Abigail Williams, while the upright and uncompromising Rebecca Nurse, who in the end chooses execution over dishonesty, was played by mezzo-soprano Denise Milner-Howell. Soprano Laurel Seeds’ insightful portrayal of Proctor’s anxious wife, Elizabeth, invoked sympathy for Elizabeth’s emotional distance from her husband.  Baritone Robin Rice convincingly succeeded in transforming Reverend John Hale from a self-congratulatory, overzealous witch-craft expert to an empathetic but sadly impotent supporter of the accused. The vocally and dramatically versatile soprano Lindsey Leonard captured Mary Warren’s shifting emotional instability.  Tenor Tim Culver’s penetrating tenor radiated a sense of unyielding authority to the steely, self-assured Judge Danforth. The large cast also included strong performances by Mary Francis Miller as the frightened slave, Tituba;  Kenneth Kramer as the greedy and conniving Thomas Putnam; Lara Troyer as his hysterical wife,  Ann Putman; Alfred Anderson as her husband, Francis Nurse, an enemy of Thomas Putman;  Jim Gray Smith as the honorable Ezekiel Cheever; and Alfred Leonard, Dan Weisman, Megan McConnell, Megan Radtke, Maureen Thomas, Rebecca Seiler, Lauren Paulis, Jenna Stolarik, Jennifer Kirchner, Mark Miller, and Collin Rowe as Puritan community members. The ensemble was supported by Judith Ryder’s masterful and accomplished performance of the piano score.  

Dawn Sonntag

May Additions to the Collection at the HCL

May Additions to the Collection at the Hiram College Library

Although the Library doesn’t publish its usual A Fistful of Music newsletter, listing all the items we’ve added to the collection, during the summer months, we have been adding items that will appear in the September issue.  Here are some older Northeast Ohio CDs:

Pop/Rock:

Susan Cowsill.  Just Believe It.  (Yes, from the Cowsills family, for those old enough to remember them.  Susan was born in Canton, later became a member of the Continental Drifters, then put out several solo albums.)

The Margot Catcher.  The Line is a Dot. (Alternative/emo/grunge is how they describe themselves on MySpace.)

Dan Miraldi.  Thirsty.  (We reviewed his Sugar & Adrenaline, but this was his first album)

Public Outcry.  Funny Time’s Over.  (A metal band from Dover)

St. Agnes’ Eve.  Emotional Eclipse.  (We’re not sure if these folks are from Massillon, but they recorded there.)

Folk/Blues:

Michael Grady.  Still Gone.  (Just Michael, his voice, and his guitar)

Walkin’ Cane.  A World of Blues.  (Austin “Walkin’ Cane” Charanghat plays Delta-style blues; these are concert recordings from festivals.)

Jazz:

Tom Knific Quartet.  Lines of Influence.  (Tom teaches at Western Michigan University, but has lots of Cleveland connections, including son John, who appears on the album, and lives and works in Northeast Ohio.)

Dave Morgan.  The Way of the Sly Man.  (Dave teaches at YSU.  Folks on the album include Jack Schantz and Jeremy Haddad.)

Classical:

The Cleveland Orchestra, with Franz Welser-Möst.  Strauss, Haydn, Ravel, Brahms.  (A varied program, from 2001)

Highlights from the Cleveland International Piano Competition, 2003.  (Includes pianists Kotaro Fukuma, Soyeon Lee, konstantin Soukevetski, and Andrius Zlabys)

The Grand Wazoo

Django Billy in Concert at the Blue Rock Café

Django Billy.  In Concert at the Blue Rock Café, May 24, 2013

Django Billy:  https://www.facebook.com/events/438968486190700/

Blue Rock Café:  https://www.facebook.com/bluerockcafe

I don’t get out nearly as much as I used to, so it was a real treat to head over to Hudson’s Blue Rock Café for the debut of a new band that bills itself as playing a combination of Gypsy jazz and bluegrass.  Django Billy is new, but the band members have played around the region for some time, in various bands, guest gigs, and solo projects.  Josh Rzepka would seem to be the most “famous,” with three solo CDs to his credit, but they are all well-known in Northeast Ohio music circles.  First, a disclaimer:  while I had never met any of the members of the group, I do know Peter Nario-Redmond’s spouse, Michelle, who is a colleague at Hiram College.  She has had absolutely no influence on my positive review of this concert.  (Hi, Michelle!)

I was surprised to discover a few days before the concert that they were going on earlier than expected (6:00 pm), and were the opening act for Blue Lunch.  I would have liked to stay around late to see them too, but I just don’t have that kind of stamina anymore, and so my review is limited to the three sets Django Billy played from 6 to 9.  I must, however, say a few words about the venue.  My wife and I showed up about 5:00 pm, since she was hungry and wanted dinner before the concert.  The Blue Rock Café is a small-to-medium-sized bar/restaurant with stage in front and a fair amount of seating, bigger than the Beachland Ballroom, but not by much.  It’s a very friendly place, with a fine staff, good ambience, and excellent food.  I highly recommend it for a casual dinner, even if you’re not coming for music.  But come for the music.  They have a variety of acts, mostly roots music, with some other stuff too.  A lot of Northeast Ohio musicians play there regularly, and the acoustics are just fine.

Back to the band.  As a first outing, these fellows did a very good job.  Their three sets consisted largely of standards, with a couple of originals by Peter thrown in.  My first concern was how Rzepka’s trumpet would fit into either Django-style jazz or bluegrass, but that didn’t seem to matter much, because he sounded just fine.  As it turned out, there wasn’t a lot of bluegrass to be had (notice the lack of banjo and mandolin, and the absence of vocal harmonies), and the tunes that weren’t jazz tended to have more of a country flavor.  Advertising aside, the guys played some fine standards, some with more of a Brazilian influence (“Black Orpheus,” “Blue Bossa”) than Gypsy jazz.  Many of the tunes are old favorites, and swung (swang?) nicely.  Lucas Kadish provided the heavy lifting on guitar, at least from what I could hear toward the back of the room, and he is a very fine guitarist, with the Django style down pat.  In the first set, I was particularly impressed by their renditions of “Caravan” (a personal favorite of mine, by Barney Bigard), “ Black Orpheus,” and the closer, “Sweet Sue.”  I have to admit, a couple of songs passed me by, because we were surrounded by several tables of Hiram College folks, and there was much talk and distraction.  The beverages were delicious.

Each of the other sets was equally well-done, and they kept playing songs I like, so I couldn’t help but listen as attentively as possible given the distracting surroundings of friends and noise.  You can’t go wrong with “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (well, you could but they didn’t), and “Lady Be Good” was given a fine treatment.  Not surprisingly, many of the tunes were famously done by Django Reinhardt himself, including “Limehouse Blues” and “Minor Swing.”  Even “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen,” which I mostly recall as an Andrews Sisters tune, worked very well.  I can’t say much about Peter’s singing of a couple of tunes, because I had a bit of trouble hearing.  It sounded okay amidst the noisy throng.  The miking early in the concert was a bit off, but once it was fixed, Kadish’s guitar chimed through loud and clear.  In all, it was a fine show.

I certainly hope that these gentlemen appear together again soon.  If so, please go see them.  I think you’ll enjoy their music as much as I did.

Personnel:  Peter Nario-Redmond (guitar, vocals), Josh Rzepka (trumpet), Jeremey Poparad (double bass), Lucas Kadish (guitar).

SET1: Caravan, All of Me, Honeysuckle Rose, *Anxiety, Djangology, Black Orpheus, *Happy and Malcontent, After You've Gone, Undecided, Sweet Sue.

SET2: Nuages, Ain't Misbehavin’, Mister Sandman, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, *Washing Bin, Lady be Good, Sweet Georgia Brown.

SET3: *Lana, Limehouse Blues, Avalon, Blue Bossa, It Had to be You, Exactly Like You, Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen, Minor Swing

(*Indicates Peter Nario-Redmond original)

Jeff Wanser

Smooth as Raw Silk

Silk.  Smooth as Raw Silk.

Kismet Records, 2012.  Originally released in 1969 on ABC Records.

What were you doing in 1969, assuming you were around?  I was still in high school, listening to FM radio in New York, and discovering progressive rock, blues, and other stuff they didn’t play on Top 40 radio.  I had never heard of Silk, and still hadn’t until this year.  They never really broke through, but their effects are still with us.  Why review an obscure 40+ year old reissue?  Because one of the members was Michael Stanley, then known as Michael Gee.

Members of Silk were a few years ahead of me chronologically (they were college-age), having just changed their name from the Tree Stumps.  They were just about getting ready to break up when a producer named Bill Szymczyk (well-known for working with B.B. KIng, later with J. Geils, the Eagles, and others) was sent to Cleveland by ABC records to search for talent.  He came up with two bands, Silk, and the James Gang.  We’ll talk about the latter group some other time.  Szymczyk produced Silk’s first and only album, Smooth as Raw Silk.  Szymczyk saw some potential in the band, and helped them create a showcase of sorts.  He later went on to produce albums for the Michael Stanley Band.  

The young band was certainly a product of its time.  It was talented, but unsure of itself, derivative but capable of moments of brilliance as well as silliness, ultimately a flash in the pan, as most bands are.  One could look at the album as a chance for them to show off all their skills in multiple popular styles (even a country song!), or even as a concept album, a peculiar artifact of the period when the album was supplanting the single as a medium for musicians to express themselves.  This became particularly true for progressive and experimental rockers and others who took to long-form compositions.  Silk didn’t do all that, but Smooth as Raw Silk has that feel, part hippie, part blue-eyed soul, with a willingness to try anything because they could.  

The album opens with the sound of an airplane taking off, and the Captain (Szymczyk) speaking to the passengers.  It is mercifully short, and thank goodness they didn’t end with a similar piece of nonsense.  This is followed by a rocker, “Foreign Trip,” sung by Randy Sabo that works to the extent that Chris Johns plays great guitar.  It is a mish-mosh of blues rock with horns reminiscent of Blood, Sweat & Tears, but without the quality.  Two songs are covers, “Long-Haired Boy” and “Custody,” both sung in large part by Michael Gee.  The first is an old Tim Rose song (who also wrote “Hey Joe”), now dated in style and references, but Michael does a fine job of balladeering here.  The second is a country song about child custody from the perspective of the father, a maudlin weeper complete with speaking part, and dreadful in almost every way, unless they were intending a parody, in which case it’s not bad.

“Not a Whole Lot I Can Do” also features Michael on vocals, but here we have a pretty damned fine tune that rocks well, and the BS&T-style horn section isn’t bad.  “Scottish Thing” takes us into Moody Blues country, with Randy on lead vocals, alternating psychedelic whimpering with rocking keyboards, then Scottish bagpipes and handclaps.  The Moodies could pull off this kind of thing, but Silk simply couldn’t.  This is followed up by a dynamite piece of blue-eyed soul (a bit of Moody harmonies left over), with high energy vocals, psychedelic guitar solos and full-on power organ.  Great stuff, nearly the equal of any hit on the radio at the time.  They do something similar with “Come on Down Girl,” another moment where they have their act together, Young Rascals/Tommy James-style.  These two songs and “Not a Whole Lot” could have formed the core of a hit album, if they had more good tunes in the wings.  Smooth did, however, break into the very bottom of the Billboard charts.  

The other tunes vary, from the largely forgettable “Hours” to the I wish I could forget it “Walk in My Mind,” to the closer, “For All Time.”  The Moody Blues-like sound is back in all of them, with added strings and hippie lyrics, and none of them have the substance or technique needed to make them long-lasting, although the closer is very pretty in a “Nights in White Satin” style.  So what we have here is a mixed bag of music from 1969.  Some of it shows great potential and portents of things to come, while the rest is consigned to the bargain bin of Northeast Ohio musical history.  Still interesting as a historical document though, it’s worth listening to if you’re of a “certain age.”

Personnel:  Courtney Johns (drums), Michael Gee (bass, vocals), Chris Johns (guitars), Randy Sabo (keyboards, vocals), Bill Szymczyk (vocals, other things here and there).  No idea who played the horns.

Tracks:  Introduction, Foreign Trip, Long-Haired Boy, Not a Whole Lot I Can Do, Custody, Scottish Thing, Skitzo Blues, Hours, Walk in My Mind, Come on Down Girl, For All Time.

Wansdog

Michael Stanley: The Hang

Michael Stanley.  The Hang.

Line Level Music, 2012.  Michael Stanley:  http://www.michaelstanley.com/

You may have wondered when we were going to get around to reviewing some stuff by Michael Stanley, since this blog is based out of Hiram College and Michael is a prominent alumnus of our esteemed institution (Class of 1970).  Well, here is a long overdue review of his album from last year.  We will also soon be posting something on his latest, as well as reaching back in time to his very first (and we mean VERY first).  

I must confess I’m not a local boy (if I had an allegiance in the land of heartland rock, it would be to Springsteen, since I grew up on the east coast, or Seeger, because I saw him in concert), and so have no stake in the legend that is Michael Stanley in Northeast Ohio.  I didn’t attend the concerts in the early 80s and wave a lighter, although I am familiar with his hits.  In that sense, I guess I can be objective.  He doesn’t have to either live up or down to my expectations.  I’ve heard glowing things about him and scathing comments that suggest that the landscape of Cleveland rock is complex.

I decided to jump in and review The Hang, in part because one potential reviewer decided that it was “too much of a downer,” and partly because it intrigues me.  I like it, maybe partly because it’s a downer (which is to say that it has intense and sad songs), but also because it’s about both change and stability.  My understanding is that Stanley has been through some tough times in the last few years, with the deaths of family and friends plaguing him.  The songs on this album mostly reflect these inevitable parts of life, and I certainly relate, since such events have affected me too.  His songs combine grieving for those who have passed, but also show glimmers of hope and resilience that come with being a survivor.  I knew him as a rocker, but there are few rockers on here.  He shows his abilities instead as a songwriter and singer of considerable depth and nuance.  

There are fourteen songs on here, all clocking at over four minutes, and so I will only cover the songs that stick in my head.  Stanley opens with “From Somewhere Else,” a mid-tempo song that could be about immigrants, but could also be about anyone coming from anywhere and the differences that are less important than our common fate.  It could easily be a song to close a concert, as the singalong refrain is extremely catchy.  “The Last Great Illusion” is an anthemic power ballad that refers to history and past love, a fine tune with another catchy hook that fans should clamor for in concert.  “Breaking Down” is, as you might imagine, a heartbreaker, dealing with loss and regret.  “Down in the Suck” has a good menacing feel, a slow burner about feeling hopeless.  Damn, the songs do start to drag one down.

Stanley pulls up the tempo with “Back in the Day,” another song about the differences between yesterday and today, with today coming in second, and while the tune is upbeat, the lyrics suggest more of a last hurrah than any sort of victory.  “Martha” is a truly sad and reflective piece, about impending death from the perspective of the woman he sings of.   He ends on a strong note with the title track, an R&B-influenced tune of toughness and deciding who to spend your time with.  The last secret track is a recording of a very young Michael in the studio with his father, a Cleveland radio DJ.  You can’t fault him for this indulgence, because it ties his past so well to his present, and the ever-present memory of his father.

I have to say that I didn’t care for the spoken dialogue in “A Damn Fine Way to Go,” although the music and sung portions are very good.  Stanley’s voice sounds just a bit too much like C.W. McCall’s, from that old country song, “Convoy,” which kind of ruins the mood for me.  And I’m never fond of songs that use the tune “Auld Lang Syne,” as does “Another New Years Eve.”  Others may feel free to differ.

I mentioned before that I think that this album represents both change and stability.  The stability is in Stanley’s consistent style, with a sound that isn’t all that different from music he made in the 80s, and that’s okay.  If he tried to sound “contemporary” the messages wouldn’t work.  The guy is 65 years old, and a phony new style is the last thing he needs to try on.  All the songs are by Stanley, except for “When It Don’t Come Easy,” by Patty Griffin, and a cover of Mark Knopfler’s “Romeo & Juliet,” which I gather was for his mother.  Everything is well performed, with members of the Resonators doing a fine job.  In sum, this is an excellent album, and one not to be missed by fans.  

Personnel:  Michael Stanley (vocals, guitar, bass), Jennifer Lee (vocals), Danny Powers (guitar, bass), Marc Lee Shannon (guitar, mandolin), Bob Pelander (keyboards), Tommy Dobeck (drums), Eroc Sosinski (bass), Rodney Psyka (percussion), Paul Christensen (saxophone), Al Moss (pedal steel), Ed Caner (violin, viola).

Tracks:  From Somewhere Else, The Last Great Illusion, How Many Guitars Do you Need, Breaking Down, When It Don’t Come So Easy, Fait Accompli, A Damn Fine Way to Go, Wonder Wheel, Down in the Suck, Back in the Day, Martha, Romeo & Juliet, Another New Years Eve, The Hang, Unnamed Track (Little Michael on WGAR).

Jeff Wanser

The Most Beautiful Losers: Bedroomer (Demos)

The Most Beautiful Losers.  Bedroomer (Demos)

Canton Records, 2012.  The Most Beautiful Losers:  http://www.themostbeautifullosers.com/

I’m not really sure that this classifies as one of the band’s albums, since it mostly consists of Chris Bentley, lead singer of the band, singing with acoustic guitar accompaniment (probably his own) and little evidence of his bandmates.  These are indeed properly identified as demos, having been recorded in his bedroom studio with nearly no mixing or editing.  He claims to have been somewhat inebriated during at least some of the recordings, and while it sort of shows, it hardly matters.  After all, the group has made its reputation on the basis of its appeal to beer-swilling ne’er do wells, so the resulting product is entirely appropriate.  

If we do consider this an MBL release and count their EP, then this is their eighth album (at least from Canton Records), not a bad run since 2006.  The band plays mostly a cross between punk and country, with a heavy bar band persona.  They’re a good band, especially if you tend to favor Americana.  Bentley seems to have thought of this CD as part knockoff, part test run for new songs, which may or may not show up on the next album.  If they do appear, they will sound entirely different with the full band in all their electric glory.  So maybe we should look at it as his Nebraska.  Some of the songs are worthy of recording by the band, others maybe not so much.  It’s difficult to tell how well some will translate to a full band treatment.  Here are my guesses.

The songs, for the most part, are relatively simple and straightforward, mostly about drinking, women, and being a loser.  I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.  However, by and large, they’re a pretty decent batch of songs that just need some polish to go somewhere.  “For All of the Drunks” ought to work well as a rocker.  It has the right kind of forward motion, and a singalong quality that would make it a concert favorite.  “Another Night on the Town” is in a similar vein, and “Girlfriend from Hell” is a winner as well.  “Nasty Jassy” has a Cars quality to it, but it’s hard to tell how good it will be, since the recording quality is worse than most of the other songs.  The opener, “Out of My Mind,” makes a good ballad, but I’m not sure what they can do with it as a band.  The four songs under three minutes all seem less than finished, and need some work.  The rest have potential, with interesting and funny lyrics (“Drunk and Disorderly” has the line “we were half drunk out of our minds as we stumbled out of a strip joint on McKinley” -- Canton denizens will appreciate the reference).

While this is hardly a hidden gem, it does not claim to be.  It has its moments, and fans of the band will likely want to hear it.  It’s also cheap ($5 from Canton Records).

Personnel (as far as I can tell):  Chris Bentley, vocals, guitar.

Tracks:  Out of My Mind Again, Wagon, For All of the Drunks, Another Night on the Town, Girlfriend from Hell, A Time Machine for My Heart, Nasty Jassy, June 1990, File under Sacred Music, Drunk and Disorderly, Worth a Damn, Loser Down.

The Grand Wazoo

Jim Ballard: Human Harvest

Jim Ballard.  Human Harvest.

Skylyne, 2012.  Jim Ballard:  http://jimballardmusic.net/Welcome.html

No, this is not the Jim Ballard who coached football for Mount Union, or Jim Ballard the “life coach,” or Jimmy Ballard the golfer, unless the one we’re interested in has multiple secret lives.  This Jim Ballard is the singer-songwriter, film music composer, and heartland rocker based in Akron, who has recently released his eighth (I think) CD. He’s been around since the days when vinyl walked the earth, and continues to turn out interesting and enjoyable music. Human Harvest covers a lot of territory, both lyrically and musically, much of it to great effect.  Ballard’s style is now outdated in terms of current musical trends; his music recalls Dylan, the Byrds (he even alludes to a tambourine), and the Midwest sounds of Seeger, Stanley, and others.  This isn’t a bad thing, it just guarantees that his audience is likely to be older and more local than he probably deserves.

Structurally, several of his songs begin as ballads, building to rockers as his emotional intensity increases.  This was one of the first things I noticed.  The second track, “Wildflowers,” shows the template for this, with the verses sung softly with acoustic accompaniment, and the choruses moving into rock anthem mode. Others are straight ahead rock songs, such as “L. A. Rain,” which has nothing to do with Los Angeles but everything to do with Lower Akron.  The Dylan/Byrds influence is strong here, where Ballard combines jangly guitars combine with McGuinn’s signature phrasing.  “Nothin’ on Me” moves into full “Subterranean Homesick Blues” mode, with lyrics about the barrage of media. His songs reference difficult beginnings, overcoming adversity, and life’s complexities, although he doesn’t leave out lost love, as exemplified in “Who Goes There,” a story about no longer recognizing someone he used to love.  Personally, I find the lyrics a bit obscure, but having them in front of me helps (they’re on his website), and there are convenient interpretations of his songs on the purchase page of CD Baby (these are listed as album notes, although they’re not with my CD).  

Ballard’s voice is pretty good, a bit ragged at times, but effective in putting across his songs.  Most prominent is his guitar, which he solos with on several tracks, most notably “Once You Get Started.”  My favorite song here is “Well Well Well,” which combines a great groove, fine guitar work, and his strongest vocals.  The last song on the album is the only true ballad, and is a tribute to his friend, fellow musician John Bassette.  All in all, this is a good album, well worth seeking out.  Get a copy with the album notes.

Personnel:  Jim Ballard (guitars, piano, harmonica, vocals), Whitebuoy Slim (drums), Ezra Case (Hammond organ), with guest musicans, Morgan Phelps (bass), Alex Bevan (vocals), Khearan Morgan (vocals), James Robert Ballard (a.k.a. Jim) (strings).

Tracks:  Stick Dance, Wildflowers, Who Goes There, Once You Get Started, Rainmaker, L.A. Rain, Nothin’ on Me, Little White Lie, Well Well Well, Save Me a Place.  (Lyrics available at his website)

WansDog

April Additions to the Collection at the Hiram College Library

April Additons to the Collection at the Hiram College Library

Here’s another list of older recordings we have added to the Northeast Ohio Music Collection.  We’ve reached the 750 mark this month!

Pop/Rock:

Cherry Monroe.  The Good, the Bad, & the Beautiful.

Devo.  Something for Everybody.

Ryan Humbert Band.  One Night Only: Acoustic Live.

Saul Glennon!  British Garage Invasion.

20Goto10.  Tears from the Electric Eye.

Blues/Gospel:

Wallace Coleman.  Wallace Coleman.

Robert Lockwood Jr.  Delta Crossroads.

Mennonite A Cappella Singers.  Come Let Us Sing.

Jazz/World:

Carlos Jones & the Plus Band.  Positive Vibrations.

Ken Peplowski.  A Good Reed.

Nancy