The old adage, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” could be used to describe Matt Lorenz, a.k.a The Suitcase Junket. Lorenz works as a one-man band, which is an oddity unto itself, but it’s the self-made instruments that he creates music on that really set him apart.
The Amherst resident plays a beat-up, old guitar that he dug out of a dumpster, and then augments that with an assortment of old junk, including a gas can, cooking pots, forks, bones, a baby shoe and whatever else he might be able to get his hands on. He plays these odd items while sitting atop an old suitcase, banging away on them with his feet. In addition to all that he has taught himself is throat singing, which allows a musician to sing two notes at the same time.
Lorenz first started performing as The Suitcase Junket in 2005, and has carved out an impressive career for himself. Unlike others musicians who work as one-man bands, he does not depend on tape loops, but favors this simplified organic approach to music making. He has combined streams of 1.25 million on Spotify and was named to Spotify’s Best of 2016 Folk & Americana and Blues & Roots Rock play lists.
National Public Radio gave props to his video session for “Earth Apple” from his 2015 album, “Make Time,” citing it as one of “the year’s favorite sessions.” Lorenz performs about 200 shows a year, playing all types of venues and festivals throughout the United States.
With the release of his new album, “Pile Driver,” tomorrow (April 21), The Suitcase Junket is poised to further expand his audience. The album is Lorenz’s fourth and his first full-length release for Signature Sounds Recordings of Northampton. Lorenz will tour heavily in support of the album, including some opening gigs for Tift Merritt, and will take the stage at numerous festivals this summer.
Since the new album is being released tomorrow, the Suitcase Junket will celebrate with a CD release show at Shea Theater Arts Center on Avenue A in Turners Falls at 8 p.m. His sister, Kate Lorenz, with whom he works in the folk trio Rusty Belle, will open the show.
“Pile Driver” is a fascinating album on many levels — there’s all the varied sounds that Lorenz creates with his unusual instrumentation and all the textures that come with it. But, what really makes this work standout is the high quality of the songwriting.
The album opens with “The Next Act,” a song full of heavy distorted guitar and clanging percussion, along with Lorenz’s dynamic vocals. The song sounds like it’s being played by a full band, but part of Lorenz’s magic is that he manages to create a really big sound.
“Can you hear us rattling the cages? This kind of movement is contagious. We want better people making changes. As it is right now is outrageous,” he sings in a voice that sounds far off in the distance. The song is a timely one that addresses our turbulent time, and it’s also a great rock song, but “Pile Driver” is not a rock album, it’s far too varied to fit into one neat category.
Lorenz is a self-described tinkerer — which explains why he loves to make his own instruments — but it also is a good way to describe his approach to music making. On this album, he comes across like some wild musical chef; adding a dash of blues here, a pinch of folk there, with traces of country and rock sprinkled about.
Each song here stands on his own — “Jackie,” with its retro rock sound is reminiscent of JD McPherson’s work; “Seed Your Dreams,” has a sing-along chorus that you might hear on a well-crafted pop tune; while “Why So Brief” employs some gritty blues guitars. Then, there is “Beta Star,” an upbeat song that manages to combine keyboards and throat singing to come up with a sound that’s incredibly new.
Throughout this disc, Lorenz displays his flair for creating strong melodies and moving lyrics that are steeped in strong imagery, but his greatest achievement is that he has managed to craft a style all his own, something that is not easy to do in the crowded musical field of 2017.
It will be exciting to hear these songs performed live tomorrow night, so don’t miss out. It’s a show for all ages.
www.thesuitcasejunket.com
Tickets for the Shea Theater show are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Advance tickets can be purchased at:
www.signaturesoundspresents.com
Kate Lorenz
Kate Lorenz, who will open the show, recently completed a successful Kickstarter campaign and is currently recording her first solo album. Matt Lorenz is producing the project. The Kate Lorenz Band will open for Dave Noonan’s Green Island on Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Arts Block in Greenfield. This is a special Earth Day celebration. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door.
Zak Trojano
The third member of Rusty Belle is Zak Trojano of Greenfield. Like his bandmates, Trojano is currently focussing on a solo career. He creates beautiful vivid songs in the folk-blues vein.
Last year, he released the excellent album, “Yesterday’s Sun.” Last month, he decided to take a new and different approach to releasing music. Through a website called Patreon, he will release one song a month. The way it works, is you go to the website (www.patreon.com) and pay what you want (but it has to be a least a one dollar) to stream or download the song.
Half of the money earned will be donated to the ACLU and Trout Unlimited, two organizations that are doing important work for our civil liberties and our environment.
“It’s a new way for me to bring some music into the world and channel some cash toward places that are doing some good work,” said Trojano in an email exchange.
In addition, Trojano said, it’s a very freeing process to release music that isn’t attached to a specific album or record label.
Visit: www.zaktrojano.com
Zak Trojano will perform at the Upper Valley Music Festival in downtown Greenfield on Saturday, April 29. You can also catch him at the Parlor Room in Northampton on June 24 at 7 p.m. Tickets are at: www.signaturesoundspresents.com
Robin Lane
Robin Lane will perform at St. Patrick’s Church in Northfield on Friday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m.
Lane of Shelburne Falls is a well- established artist who has enjoyed a lengthy, impressive career. She started out singing with Neil Young on the “Everybody Knows This is Nowhere” album. Lane later moved from California to Boston, where she formed the popular group, Robin Lane & the Chartbusters. The band scored a hit with the song, “When Things Go Wrong.” These days, Lane devotes most of her energy to her work with the nonprofit organization, Songbird Sings — she is the founder and director. Songbird Sings hosts workshops where participants use songwriting as a method to heal trauma.
So, do catch this rare local appearance by Lane at the beautiful St. Patrick’s Church. This show is part of the ongoing coffeehouse series at the church and is a fundraiser for it.
Admission is $10. Advance tickets are available at 413-834-3184. St. Patrick’s Church is located at 80 Main St. in Northfield.
Visit: www.songbirdsings.org
Sheryl Hunter is a music writer who lives in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national magazines. You can contact her at soundslocal@yahoo.com