There are very few things I know about James Toth's Wooden Wand. I know that he's incredibly prolific and a dead serious songwriter. An artist that hasn't just magically hit on the stuff, he's put in the hard long work. It feels like hard fought talent, Townes Van Zandt hard and I'm willing to go that far in finding a comparison for James. He can sit on stage with a single guitar and it's going to be a compelling performance.
A hard, slow strummed electric opens A-Side's "When Your Stepfather Dies" I always forget what a great vocal he's got as well, there's no overlooking it. He can pick moments to hold back and then solidly delivering on substantial melodies. Like Owen Ashworth from Casiotone's style in a higher register with a huge range of delivery hollaring to half whispering. Setting his somber scene all the way down to the temperature, it's unbelievable this is a single guitar in this rolling ocean rhythm about reminiscing and regrets. The lyrics for this one are the only ones on the reverse of the insert and spelled out like this they hit even harder. If these aren't purely autobiographical then he gets so deep into this character it makes no difference.
"Country Graveyard Soil" starts out with a solitary guitar and his slightly gravelly vocal. It's purely born, after months of hard labor out in the back barn with a couple of friends creating for themselves. But they want to share these highly personal sentiments after all with no expectation of having the attention. It's quietly biding its time, if you don't get it now, you're going to come around in a vulnerable moment. So much room to breathe in these tracks, the abstract imagery about loss and turning things around are just as good as when he's as specific as the first track. Devoting himself to the altar of an acoustic, one of the few people that can get away with it.
A faster strummed rhythm opens on B-Side's "Free Seeds" with that single mic capturing an open strum in a room, this one sort of sounding like Pink Reason with a similar tense desperation.
songs don't get written
in loud and crowded bars
This is Mark Lannegan dark, someone kept his truck and it's time to get out of this bar. Less of that reverb echo on this side, closser and more into his space. He can get to those moments without sounding sorry for himself, with the feeling of the long road. Maybe that's what I hear in Cleaning the Mirror too, knowing a little of what he's been through. Gets catchy with no right to make you sing along with this, except maybe its the only way to look back on this situation now.
On lavender vinyl from 25 Diamonds Records with a spraypainted style two color sleeve, this one screen printed, all tracks exclusive to this release.
Got a notice about this solo project from Second H. Sam on the Shit Music for Shit People label, looks like they're based 'somewhere between Portugal and Italy"...founded a few years back they're trying to combine great music and art together, putting a lot of effort pairing artists together and getting sleeves like the one above.
The couple of tracks I found on his bandcamp page sound like a ramshackle trudging Doo Rag busted folk with slide guitar, and SHS's deep reverb Leonard Cohen style drawn out vocals. Random percussion picks up this warped carnival feel on "Cherie Cherie Maria", clinking bottles and metal trash can lids.
Another one, "Sick About You and I" has a delayed warble tremolo guitar, picking up the pace and mixing a kind of junkyard folk with Serge Gainsbourg. Plus plenty of time at the multitracker fiddling around with just the right kind of weirdo layers. This one's got a drum machine and a little bit of a garage feel, loose with layers and laid back vocals, super clean. Check out these samples below and pay that sweet air shipping for this one from Shit Music for you, I mean, Shit People Records.
Shit says:
In less than a year of live shows he amazed the audience with his minimal approach to the music, inspired by glowing romantic scenarios, seen through psychedelic and lo-fi glasses. In his music you can find a little of Johnny Cash, Townes Van Zandt, Hank Williams, Fred Neil, Nick Cave, Lee Hazlewood, Fabrizio De Andrè, Daniel Johnston, Syd Barret, Beck & Thurstone Moore. They say about him: "A blues author from the age of the computers, a Muddy Waters with a MIDi keyboard, a Daniel Johnston without obesity and ADHD syndrome. Reverbered semi-acoustic guitar with vocal sinking in a sea of tape-echoes". His debut EP is available in vinyl 7" from the italian/portuguese label “Shit Music For Shit People”. The four songs were recorded at the “Outside Inside” in Montebelluna, with the artistic production of Emanuele "Nene" Baratto from the Movie Star Junkies. Sam is the singer of the Hormonas from Venezia and the Buzz Aldrin from Bologna. He was also the singer of the John Woo, a punk wave band from the 2000s.
The other thing I wanted to be sure to mention before this weekend is this Record Store day release from Mike over at People in a Position to Know Records, this really cool split single from Wooden Wand and Catherine Irwin covering Hazel Dickens, who I'm just finding out about myself, and it's always great when a record like this can be just great on it's own and paying tribute to a deeper music history...an underappreciated songwriter who wasn't in it for Coachella or Bonoroo, I don't even care if I spell that right. Old time protest music and not making a dime.
Wooden Wand's side is as minimal and just plain heartbreaking as this material should be, slow, mindfully recorded acoustic guitars, and a smooth backup vocal. Recorded in perfectly silent pin drop warmth that ought to be perfect for turning up and putting the speakers in the windows of the porch. Reminding me tonally of that first Iron & Wine record, when you can get away with a single mic and a guitar, why wouldn't you? Because you would probably sound stupid. James Toth does not.
Catherine Irwin does "Lost patterns" an equally intimate tiny room recording with a lonesome lap steel and barley strummed guitar. It takes a single like this with such attention to detial that makes you want to find out more about the original artist who could write songs about sitting at the kitchen table drinking beer. Great harmony's and Catherine has that crazy range from growly despair to southern twang...all housed in PIAPTK's matchbook style letterpressed cardboard sleeves.
Wooden Wand & Catherine Irwin Sing the Songs of Hazel Dickens 7"
Wooden Wand and Catherine Irwin (of Freakwater) pay tribute to legendary bluegrass protest singer, Hazel Dickens.
This was INTENDED to be (and hopefully still will be) a Record Store Day Exclusive. Unfortunately, despite our sending in the info to them months ago, following up, jumping through hoops, etc, they STILL haven't put it on the list. So, until they recognize it as an official RSD exclusive, I will have some copies here for sale. Once they get back to me about it, I will be taking these down and official RSD stores will be the only places to get them. And that, of course, means you probably won’t be able to get them. 90% of the run went out to distro already, so I only have a few copies anyway. Limited to only 459 copies worldwide, (but numbered out of 500) each 7" comes in a beautiful, hand-set-letterpressed, silkscreened, and numbered Arigato Pak.
Doesn't look like there are any left from Mike direct at this point but you can hear samples of this single over at PIAPTK, look for it this Saturday, or send him an email, you never know.
Here's the original track from Hazel, "A few old memories":
It's hard to keep up with the People in a Position to Know Records, I hate to say it but I almost dread checking out their site, just because I know there'll be at least 3 new things I have to get and/or talk about, and not just, "Oh I pressed a record from a great band" but I handcut music exclusive to this release with a lathe cutter in my garage! And I letterpress printed them myself at a nearby printshop! I added the exclamation points because PIAPTK is such an inspiration when it comes to elevating the lowly single to and I almost hate to say it, something to hang on the wall and handle with white museum gloves.
Take this R. Stevie Moore and Billy Anderson release, it's hard enough to find R. Stevie stuff on vinyl, and it's usually way out my price range on ebay, and then to have such a cool handscreened, spraypainted matchbook style sleeve puts this over the top for just $5. The track is a great poppy, off kilter, falsetto Stevie number. Super clean production, full of high hat and electric organ bouncing along, I sincerely hope to still be half as much messing around with tracks for this long. To still have that sense of experimentation...totally inspiring. Only 400, a steal. Then that Wooden Wand box set, and not just any box, a handmade wooden box housing 6 disks of James' archives. Mike assures fans that this isn't just pieces of unfinished songs or alternate tracks, PIAPTK was given free reign to choose work from the hundreds of unreleased songs over his 15 year career...too amazing. The gold vinyl is sold out, but black is still available...check out the disk listing:
Disc One: Hard Bargains – This disc contains the more “rocking” Toth tunes, mostly full band style recording with a heavier groove to it. Disc Two: Roadside Peaches – This disc contains the lesser seen Toth song-type... the sincere, sweet, love songs. Disc Three: Visiting Hours and Other Missteps - Full of the more Downer-type tunes. But don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of giggle-worthy moments despite the somber tone. A good disc for fans of Born Bad. Disc Four: Get Right With The Goddess – A really good mixed bag of mostly acoustic tunes. Disc Five: Preparing An Audience - Much like Tom Waits, Wand often writes tunes from the perspective of a character. Whereas Waits’ protagonist is a down-on-his-luck, hard living, skid row bum, Toth’s is more of a self-loathing, hard living, smarmy Southern jerk. This disc compiles some of the best tunes from that perspective. Disc Six: Five Alive / First Songs – A collection of the lower-fidelity tunes, many of which are very old, and give a really good glimpse into a little different Wand than you are used to. Runs the gamut of recording type and vocal style.
I am a little overwhelmed by his back catalog, I have a few releases from WW+VV, I got the feeling that was over from the myspace page, and that he was going solo as Wooden Wand. The latest great pop supplement was under the vanishing Voice moniker, here it's just wooden wand. From all the press releases/promo he's trying to divorce the psychedelic from the folk and just go his own direction with a bunch of guest musicians like Steve Shelly and Lee Renaldo from Sonic Youth. It's hard to make that transition, to go from the style that has been successful, even got you where you are, and then decide to go a new direction...but with this kind of support other people believe in it.
Wooden Wand More From The Mountains/Guru Femmes Woodsist 005 7"
Excellent limited single from Wooden Wand, with two sides of beautiful "Desolation Row" styled circular folk ballads that would've sat perfectly anywhere on his last couple of albums. A real keeper and a pleasure to flip.More From The Mountain features one of James Jackson Toth's final transmissions under the Wooden Wand moniker. Side A has been a live favorite for some time, while Side B's "Guru Femmes" is a home recording of a long-retired tune entirely exclusive to this release. Limited, hurry, etc
If you're pressing 7" vinyl - you aren't in it for the money. I appreciate it.
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