Re: The F Word
I would like Freakwater okay (not a lot; to me, their stuff seems watered down rather than enhanced by its rock influences, unlike some alt-country) if it weren't for Catherine Irwin's indescribably lousy voice. The only time I saw them live--at a Mercury Lounge show that Barry Mazor and I dragged ourselves to in the interests of giving Freakwater a fair hearing--they had Max Johnston with them, and I could listen to him play all day. Janet Beveridge Bean is also a pleasure to listen to. But Catherine Irwin sounded, just as she always does, like a dying cat whose voice was being played through a foghorn. Yecch. --Amy
RE: The F Word
Amy says: I would like Freakwater okay (not a lot; to me, their stuff seems watered down rather than enhanced by its rock influences, unlike some alt-country) if it weren't for Catherine Irwin's indescribably lousy voice. and I'm inclined to agree; I spent some time once listening to Eleventh Dream Day recordings, and it was clear to me that Janet Beveridge Bean can and does sing in tune, which by process of elimination leaves Irwin's singing as the biggest part of the problem, by itself and/or as a baleful influence on Bean. Either way, their covers tend to be so inept as to be, to me, positively offensive; I can't think of a crummy, drunk, play-for-free bluegrass band that couldn't do a better job on "Put My Little Shoes Away." Jon Weisberger Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger/
RE: The F Word
Oh, what the hell; here we go again... I don't even get how people can NOT notice Ms. irwin's "slight" note-finding problem live--on disc it's a different story, seems to me..and I say this as someone who's always liked their "Old Paint" CD and still do--only now I'm aware of the 4800 takes it must surely have demanded till they arrived at ones with the notes pretty much hit! As I added on-list after that show Mrs. Haugesag just mentioned...some of my best-loved acts are not especially known for PRECISION and natural or trained VOCAL CLARITY , so I'm far from a stickler in this regard (The Sticklers are, of course, a highly practiced bluegrass family band from, uh, Northern Kentucky g)! What's more off-putting about Freakwater live (and this is not as noticeable on disc either, so maybe it's stagefright or something that overtakes the act) is that the singing was emotionally imprecise and unknowing Same said Ms. irwin holds notes and breaths when the meanings says clip...roars exactly when she orta shut tight, breaksoff and searches for some version of a "harmony" at moments more randomized than demanded by the lyric, etc etc etc c...so I have to figure she doesn't quite know what she's singing ABOUT. That's my definition of Bad Singing--bad performing of any sort really--and doing those same things right, maybe even especially if done unexpectedly right in many inventive ways, is a big part of why I can call a Bob Dylan, for instance, a great singer, or Steve Earle a damned good one-- with no irony intended AT ALL. For the record, I do think Jon W's always been RIGHT in pointing out around here that doing all of the technical thinks precisely does NOT automatically mean you've gone deadly, romantically challenged or mechanical either. Clarity and precision can be perfectly useful tools--but the highest point of their use too is still to deliver something soulful. Some artists arrive at that highpoint by slightly different means, from slightly different traditions. Rock and roll, bothering from strains in RB, and being, as Dave Alvin always says, a loud folk music itself, tends to be forgiving about precision. But that's no cover for the truly singing-challenged. Barry M.
RE: The F Word
Barry: I don't even get how people can NOT notice Ms. irwin's "slight" note-finding problem live--on disc it's a different story, seems to me..and I say this as someone who's always liked their "Old Paint" CD and still do--only now I'm aware of the 4800 takes it must surely have demanded till they arrived at ones with the notes pretty much hit! aha! I can't believe no one has ever realized it before, but now I know what the problem is...when Barry and Amy caught Freakwater that night, Ms. Irvin must have just been having a bad night! because I've seen em a number of times, and they've always sounded terrific, and their CDs are great, even Barry likes em that way. So it's not that we all disagree, but that fated night in New York for you two musta been a night when for some reason, like throat polyps (benign) or smog or maybe some bad oysters on the half shell from her dinner at an out of the way Jersey cafe caused a bad, off-key night. you guys should catch them again, and you'll see what I mean. meshel n'vegas Amy: The only time I saw them live--at a Mercury Lounge show that Barry Mazor and I dragged ourselves to in the interests of giving Freakwater a fair hearing
RE: The F Word
Juzz one thing, meshel: We get these reports of the same "temporary" problem from shows all over the place, and for some timeIs this maybe--now let's not start any rumors unless we want to-- one of those, uh, recurring physical/mental problems not entirely unknown in the music industry, maybe--or maybe have you (and Chris too I guess!) just been lucky in the nights you've caught 'em? -Barry aha! ..t now I know what the problem is...when Barry and Amy caught Freakwater that night, Ms. Irvin must have just been having a bad night! because I've seen em a number of times, and they've always sounded terrific, and their CDs are great, even Barry likes em that way. meshel
Re: The F Word
CK said: I LIKE FREAKWATER. Saw 'em last night and they were darn good I DO, TOO. Marie and I saw them two weeks ago with The Sadies. They said that they hadn't played together in awhile and at times they did sound a little off, but we liked 'em. We had to leave in the middle of their set because it was way late. I'd go see them again. Ronni
