Retro With A Modern Touch

by Lee Sinclair

Only someone like Chris Isaak could pull off an album like his latest release, Beyond The Sun.  Not only is it mostly covers of old songs from the roots of rock ‘n’ roll, but he also mixes well-known songs that people are still listening to with obscure titles that are seldom heard or even remembered.

Doing covers of mega hits is risky.  The reason they reach that status is because the singer did such an incredible job.  Sure, the song has to be great to begin with.  But it’s the singer who puts the final polish on it and launches it into the stratosphere.  So a successful cover needs to be just as good or even better.  Not only that, if the new version is too similar to the previous one, it might be dismissed as a pale imitation.  And if it’s too different, it may not have the qualities that made the song so popular.

Covering a forgotten song may seem less risky until you ask why it didn’t become a memorable hit.  Was it caused by something lacking in the song or was it the person singing it?  It could be it’s a great song that simply wasn’t discovered by the right singer.  Or it could have been a case of bad timing.  Will a new version of it by a new singer be an enduring hit or will it once again fade away, back into obscurity?

Add to that the problem of doing old songs from the Fifties and Sixties.  How do you breathe new life into them so you can reach today’s younger listeners and not just those who lived through that time?  We’re living in a dramatically different world.  It’s changing so rapidly that different generations no longer have common histories to help them relate to each other.  This creates a major hurdle when you’re trying to revive songs from a past generation to share with a new generation.  These new listeners need to feel an emotional connection to the song, just as the previous generation did. 

By now you may be wondering, “What the heck was the man thinking when he recorded this album?”  The simple answer is that he loves these songs and has a genuine affinity for the music from that time period.  If you don’t believe me, I dare you to pick out the two songs on the deluxe album that he wrote himself—and don’t cheat by looking at the credits.  Chris Isaak grew up listening to this music, and it has continued to influence him even as he pursued a successful career in a modern and evolving music industry.  It’s this emotional connection that makes all the difference.  If a singer doesn’t have a feel for the music and words they’re singing, they end up mangling a song when they try to put their own stamp on it.  Or as I think of it, they put their own stomp on it.  But this album has an authentic early Sixties feel to it because of Chris Isaak’s heartfelt connection to the music. 

Yet there is a freshness to the songs on Beyond The Sun because he’s not trying to imitate anyone else.  Chris Isaak has a clear sense of who he is and has always traveled his own road, making his music his way, regardless of what was popular.  Ironically, after years of never following trends, for once, his timing may be spot on because there has been a recent upsurge of interest in the music from this time period.  But irrespective of that, he remained true to himself with this album.  In an interview with Jesse Skinner for Toro Magazine, Chris Isaak said, “I didn’t want it to sound like Johnny Cash or Elvis Presley or Orbison.  I wanted it to sound like there was another Sun artist that Sam Phillips had worked with because Sam Phillips was, and is, my idol.” 

The other reason he can make an album like this work is his voice.  Not many people can sing like Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, AND Johnny Cash.  A singer has to have both the vocal range and adaptive tonal quality required to cover songs by all these diverse singers.  Chris Isaak’s ability to hit the high notes like Roy Orbison or add resonance to his croon like Elvis Presley has always been acknowledged.  On this album, he displays even more versatility, especially in his less frequently utilized lower range, which can be deep, full, and gritty.  In fact, when he sings “I Walk The Line,” you might think he’s channeling Johnny Cash.  How else could someone with his amazingly high falsetto ever sing that low?

But I’m not sure that even Chris Isaak could have pulled it off without his longtime band, Silvertone.  Not only did they bring their years of experience playing together to this album, but they practiced the songs almost obsessively so they could play them spontaneously and seamlessly as a group when they recorded them.  They, too, love this music, something which is blatantly displayed during live concerts.  When the band dives into a song like “Great Balls of Fire” and Scott Plunkett’s piano starts smoking, they’re all having more fun than should be legally allowed in public on a stage.

Smoking hot pianio player, Scott Plunkett, with Kenney Dale Johnson and Rowland Salley

Their enthusiasm was an essential ingredient to making this a great album.  Chris Isaak may have his picture on the front of it, but the whole band is on the back.

* * * * *

If you’d like to read more about the influence this music has had on him and about the making of this record, Chris Isaak has written a Kindle Single called Beyond The Sun…The Story.  It’s written in a very personal style which reveals the guy behind the singer/songwriter/entertainer. 

Most of the songs were recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, where they were originally recorded, and were cut using many of the same techniques. 

More information about the making of this album, including some of the specific technical details, can be found in Electronic Musician’s feature article on Chris Isaak called Labor of Love.

Concerts 101 For Boomers

by Lee Sinclair

Although music has added a great deal of pleasure to my life, my knowledge of it is limited and I’ve never been a concert-goer.  Which is why I’m surprised to find myself attending chamber music concerts on a semi-regular basis.  But even though I don’t know much about classical music, I can appreciate its quality and even recognize particularly good playing.  The superior music, the perfect setting—an intimate, indoor venue with comfortable seats— and a well-behaved but enthusiastic audience all combine to make it a delightful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  Of course, now that I’ve described it, perhaps it’s not so surprising that I enjoy it.

But what about an outdoor rock concert—the kind where you have to lug along all the paraphernalia necessary to make it a survivable and potentially enjoyable experience?  The odds are stacked against it.  A typical general admission ticket means you have to arrive early to get a reasonably good seat, and you’ll probably be sitting ON THE GROUND (or a low-to-the ground beach chair).  Plus you take your chances on the weather, and it’s almost always scheduled at night, which means driving after dark.  Not only that, rock concerts are not really about the music.  They’re about loud noise and wild partying.  This is not the type of concert I would expect a non-partying, comfort-addicted boomer like me to enjoy.

The blame for my attending such an event rests solely on Chris Isaak.  I accidentally discovered him about 5 years ago when I heard his best known hit, Wicked Game, for the first time. Then I heard another of his well-known hits, Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing, which is distinctly different from Wicked Game.  These two songs perfectly express both his amazing vocal range and the breadth of his songwriting ability.  After that, I became a huge fan and collected all his music.  (Fourteen albums so far, with his fifteen, Beyond The Sun, being released October 18th, plus miscellaneous singles.)

Last year, I finally broke down and went to one of his outdoor concerts at the Portland Zoo.  Unfortunately, the weather did NOT cooperate.  The temperature hit triple digits during the day, cooling off to a bearable, but still uncomfortable, temperature by the time the concert started.  This meant waiting until the very last minute to arrive, which had a cascading negative effect.  The only place to park was a mile away on a dark side street.  The only place left to sit was between the elephant exhibit and the smoking area under a bush behind the garbage cans, which resulted in a limited and distant view of the stage, too far away to take good pictures even with a zoom lens.

And topping the evening off was the long hike back to the car in the dark.

Although I did have a good time, it was not an experience I would normally want to repeat.  But this is Chris Isaak I’m talking about, so I gave him another chance.  And this year the weather cooperated.  As a result, I arrived early, found a perfect parking spot, and snagged a great seat in the first row behind the reserved seating section.  I was even close enough to see the performance without binoculars—and if only I had brought along a good photographer, I could have gotten some really fantastic pictures. Instead, I ended up with a few decent shots and a whole lot of bad ones.  (I’m blaming it on the camera, of course.)

Chris Isaak takes a stroll through the audience, serenading and/or stepping on a few lucky fans—and moving at the speed of light if you’re trying to take pictures.

Now that I have gone to two outdoor rock concerts, I’m ready to share my vast knowledge of them to help other boomers who might be thinking of attending one.  First of all, pick one that’s indoors so you’re not at the mercy of the weather.  Second, don’t be cheap like me—spring for reserved seating AND reserved parking, if it’s available.  Third, party like a teenager.  With the right attitude, you’ll have fun whether you’re sitting off in some really bad spot or right in front of the stage.  Fourth, scope out the venue in advance to make plans; then chat with venue workers when you get there to get secret tips so you can dump your inadequate old plan in favor of a better one.  (How do you think I got such a great seat?)  Fifth, bring something to eat with you because, trust me, nothing sold at the concert will be compatible with your digestive system or approved by your doctor.

And finally, take lots of pictures, if it’s allowed.  Good ones are best, but even crummy ones can be fun to look at and will bring back memories of the good times, while allowing the little hiccups (like embarrassing yourself by falling off your beach chair) to fade. Although taking pictures does distract you a little from totally immersing yourself in the music, it’s not like it’s a chamber music concert where concentration is essential to one’s enjoyment.  Besides, completely uninhibited partying is for real teenagers. What we boomers do is savor experiences, with pictures-taking being one way we do that.  And a boomer with a whole bunch of pictures has just as much total fun as those overly-exuberant teenagers who party until they collapse—possibly even more.

Ironically, my favorite picture is not one of Chris Isaak, but rather this one of his talented bass player, Rowland Salley, who is a singer and a Grammy-winning songwriter in his own right.

I’ve scattered some pictures throughout this post to show you just how much fun I had.  Just looking at them again has made me realize that my future probably holds more Chris Isaak concerts.  He’s not only a fantastic singer, but he also puts on a great show.  He has a wicked sense of humor, sometimes self-deprecating, sometimes subtle, which adds zing to his patter between songs.  His outstanding band, Silvertone, has been with him forever and the camaraderie is obvious.

But the real reason I’ll probably be attending more concerts is I need more and better pictures.  Lots of them.

Strings and All that Jazz…

By Sharon Tillotson

I feel like an interloper here because I’m not really a music aficionado. I’ve always deemed myself out of sync with the rest of my generation.

It’s not that I don’t enjoy music; I actually love it. I sang along with my older brothers – and fell in love at a tender age – as they played Elvis LP’s; bopped to the Beatles; discoed to The Bee Gees; rocked with Elton John… and everything else since and in between. I can sing the lyrics to a kajillion songs.

But I never owned a record player and to this day don’t have a music system. I don’t own an ipod. If I want to have music in the background I turn to my HD music channels on the TV.

It’s live music that does it for me. Pretty much any live music, be it a tinkling piano in a quiet lounge, a rockin’ band playing Credence Clearwater, or a full out symphony. But I will go furthest out of my way to listen to jazz. I love every instrument associated with jazz. The brasses, piano, percussion… But oh, the stringed instruments. Whenever I am asked what my favourite instrument is, I always answer: the violin. I cannot explain it but play me a fiddle or a banjo and I resonate along with it. Serenade me with a violin and I swoon.

I was stunned recently to see a competitor on American Idol rock CCR’s Have you Ever Seen the Rain playing an upright bass. It was edgy and sexy  – and garnered enough votes to be carried forward. The very next week he covered Nat King Cole’s Nature Boy and was called a genius – with the same result. A couple of days later, the ‘Stars’ danced accompanied by a sexy violin! (yeah, the violinist wasn’t half bad either). Suddenly, it seemed, strings were in style again. And what style!

Creativity is the stuff of life. No matter the chaos in the world (or perhaps because of it), art will out. If either of these artists brings their acts to Vancouver, I want front row seats…

Sharon Tillotson

** On a related note: In a moving and madly viral video last year, composer Eric Whitacre led a virtual choir of singers from around the world. He talks through the creative challenges of making music powered by YouTube, and unveils the first 2 minutes of his new work, “Sleep,” with a video choir of 2,052. If you are so inclined, check out the video, and the followup result. It is pure genre-bending art and worth it just for the Whitacre swoon factor.