If the upcoming weekend is any indication, the fall season is going to be a fantastic one for us music fans! And it all begins tomorrow night when Eilen Jewell and her band celebrate her soon to be released album “Down Hearted Blues” at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls. Jewell’s long time fans (and there are many of them in our area) will be interested to know that this album is a collection of rare rhythm and blues songs. The CD will be released on Sept. 22 on the Signature Sounds label.
Throughout her career, we have come to expect a variety of different styles from Jewell. She explored the roots of rock and roll on her album “Sea of Tears,” released an album of Loretta Lynn covers with “Butcher Holler,” and even formed a side band called the Sacred Shakers in which she delved into gospel. The self-described “Queen of the Minor Key” has also dabbled in country, folk, surf music and rockabilly. And while Jewell has always cited the blues as a major influence on her sound, she never dared tackle the genre — until now.
“I’ve always had this sense of self-doubt about it,” she said, “Like, who am I to sing the blues? I’m a white girl from Idaho. I don’t know if I have a right to do that.” But she also remembers advice she received from an old friend: “Everyone has the right to do what they love in this world, regardless of who they are and what background they come from.”
Fortunately, she listened to her friend and the 12 tracks on “Down Hearted Blues” prove that Jewell had nothing to worry about.
Jewell may not have the big multi-octave voice that we so often associate with blues singers, but her beautiful and restrained vocals take these songs to a new place. She manages to make songs like Charles Sheffield’s “It’s Your Voodoo Working” and Little Walter’s “Crazy Mixed Up World” sound like her very own. Of course, she does this with the help of her stellar band and the distinctive fret work of her longtime guitar player, Jerry Miller.
Jewell will no doubt offer up a preview of some of these songs at the Shea Theater on Friday, but I’m sure she’ll also treat fans to plenty of her old favorites, and there are so many of them. And do get there early to enjoy a set of roots and country music by local musician Abe Loomis who will open the show.
Advance tickets are $20 and available at www.signaturesoundspresents; $25 at the door. Doors open at 7, show time is 7:30 p.m. The Shea is at 71 Avenue A in Turners Falls.
Also coming up at the Shea Theater will be the Sweetback Sisters on Sept. 29, Kris Delmhorst and Jeffrey Foucault on Oct. 28, Mark Mulcahy on Nov. 11, and Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas on Nov. 17.
The Parlor Room in Northampton will kick off its fall season this weekend with shows by singer/songwriter and activist Erin McKeown and pop rock band Gentle Hen.
The Parlor Room, at 20 Masonic St. in Northampton, is a great little venue — such an intimate room that you feel like you are listening to music in someone’s living room. In other words, there’s not a bad seat in the house. The venue’s BYOB policy adds to the laid-back feeling of the room.
Erin McKeown of Northampton will have the honor of kicking off the season with a full-band show on Saturday night at 7:30 and the chamber-pop band, the Cabin Project, will open.
Mckeown has a new EP out called “Mirrors Break Back,” which she describes as a “meditation on self-hate.” The disc is response to last year’s release, “According to Us,” which was six songs about self-definition.
McKeown is about to launch a 25-city tour that includes dates in Europe. She doesn’t perform locally as much as she used to, so try and catch her while you can. Tickets are selling quickly for this show.
On Sunday night at 7, the Northampton-based band Gentle Hen will take the stage to celebrate the release of its new CD, “Sneaking Up on the Moon.” The group, which is led by Henning Ohlenbusch, also features some of our finest Pioneer Valley musicians, such as Max Germer on bass, Ken Maiuri on keyboards and Brian Marchese on drums.
Ohlenbusch, who writes all the songs, is in top form here and has crafted 14 short, sharp tunes that are pure pop perfection. He draws from a deep well of pop influences from They Might Be Giants (with “We Didn’t See Them Until We Did,”) to Magical Mystery Tour-era Beatles (“Misdirection Octopus”). Traces of REM, the Smiths and XTC also crop up in this collection of rockers, pop ballads and even a country tune, with lyrics that range from the serious to the surreal. If you are fed up with what passes for pop music in the mainstream music world today, “Sneaking Up on the Moon” will restore your love of the genre.
Tickets are $10 in advance and $13 at the door. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets for the Erin McKeown show are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m. The Parlor Room is an all-ages venue. To purchase tickets and view the entire schedule for the season, visit: www.signaturesoundspresents.com.
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