Inland

When honesty is used in a thoughtful way, it can be a beautiful thing. Leif Vollebekk’s Inland (Nevado Records) is a beautiful a thing. A beautiful, genuine, swooning thing. Violin, piano, guitar, banjo, harmonica and soft brushed percussion form a remarkably lovely body of songs around the spine of Vollebekk’s poetic lyrics. Inland is full of perfect moments where music and words come together seamlessly, as in “Michael Robartes & the Dancer” where Vollebekk’s warm, finger-picked acoustic guitar provides the instrumental support for his equally warm lyric waves: “Blue-eyed sister’s asleep downstairs / In a rocking chair by the old lamp’s glare.”

The overall mood of Inland is one of familiarity: “You Couldn’t Lie to Me in Paris” sounds like an unearthed Bob Dylan b-side; the percussive guitar, strings and piano on “In the Midst of Blue and Green” is something that wouldn’t be out of place on a Nick Drake record.

But at the heart (or spine) of the Vollebekkian sound are his trademark lyrics, his slice-of-life stories set to music. As someone who frequently glosses over lyrics in favour of the general melody, it’s refreshing to continually notice words again, and even better to notice them when not actively trying to. Vollebekk’s lyrics make themselves known by very nature of their honesty and attentive phrasing, and it’s nice to be reminded of the marvellous things language can do for a song.

Inland is a real album. According to Vollebekk himself, the album is meant to be heard on vinyl, an earthier, arguably more “real” music experience. The wavering harmonica solo on “Don’t Go Klaksvik” is real. The emotional range of “Quebec”, from defeat (“When a woman moves on it’s best you just move away / When she fancies your friend, now that’s twice the price to pay”) to audibly strained defiance (“Step on to that bridge / Swear I ain’t coming back”) is real.

In reality, all I’m really trying to say is that Inland is really real and it’s really fantastic because of it… For real.

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For more Leif Vollebekk
MySpace
Website

David Little g

This brother duo, made up of two members from Ottawa-based band The Gallop had me smiling about three guitar strums in. The music was relaxed, easy to hear, and contentedly warm what with all the Kings of Convenience-esque harmonies and simple song structures. The pair also didn’t take themselves too seriously, keeping it light with unexpectedly blunt lyrics that quite literally made me laugh out loud, such as: “Babe I’m sorry, but not really—Tough luck,” and “Are you kidding me? Honestly. Thanks. Thanks for nothing.” I was fully charmed by this set and have no doubt that these guys will be well-received as they move up through the ranks of folk stardom.

Website: http://davidlittleg.bandcamp.com/
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/davidlittleg

Download the David Little g EP for free on their website.

Jonathan Chandler front and center

I won’t lie. I’m not familiar with Amos the Transparent, but if this (mostly) solo perfomance from their lead singer is any indication, I might have to get familiar. Chandler launched into an acoustic set of mainly Amos the Transparent songs that were a nice mix of build ups, instrumental intensity and small, poetic moments. Throughout his performance, I was constantly impressed (even to the point of uttering an audible “Wow” or two) with the power behind Chandler’s voice. Few men could hit those higher notes at all, let alone with his from-the-belly strength.

One of the highlights included a cover of Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know”, which sounded about as romantic as a musical fuck you could be expected to. But the communal atmosphere of the set was maybe the most amusing and heart-warming thing about Chandler’s set. Not only were there obvious Amos fans sprinkled throughout the crowd, clapping, singing, and even harmonizing along, but above Chandler’s soaring voice there came the sudden, sudden, shushing sound of a shaker. I looked over to see a diehard fan who knew every word and her way around that shaker. I wondered whether Chandler discreetly slipped it to her when no one was looking, or whether she always brought it along to shows in the event of a rhythmic emergency. Either way, it’s kind of great to see a musician do a live, impromptu collaboration with an obviously adoring audience.

Website: http://www.myspace.com/amosthetransparent
MySpace: http://www.amosthetransparent.com/

Amos the Transparent will be playing in Toronto for Canadian Music Week showcase on Friday, March 11 at the Horseshoe.

Leif Vollebekk

Maybe I’m just slow, but I didn’t really “get” all the Bob Dylan comparisons swirling around Leif Vollebekk until seeing him perform live. Now I get it, because Vollebekk most certainly has that classic, folk storytelling thing about him, where the words just keep tumbling out. And even with the undesirably constant thump and rumble in the soles of my shoes from whatever punk/metal band was playing downstairs at Mavericks, Leif jokily brushed it off with a simple “I’ll try and play in synch,” before proceeding to filter out the background noise with an absolutely enchanting set.

He built up a real sense of atmosphere in the (wonderful but) generally non-atmospheric Cafe Dekcuf as he led us through live and looped guitars, bursts of harmonica and soft walls of violin sound. I even saw a grown man sitting on the ground with his fists tucked under chin, looking a little starry-eyed as he watched the set unfold. But I can’t blame him. Vollebekk is really everything I could ever want in a solo performer. His voice is captivating: alternately controlled and wandering depending on what the moment calls for, occasionally raspy, and with a jazzy waver when he gets up into the higher registers, reminding me of Patrick Watson. In terms of stage presence, Vollebekk is again a bit of a hypnotist: not only is he a technically skilled musician, but the music seems to manifest itself in every part of his body. His movement is constant, but fluid and expressive as his torso twists around the melody, the palm of his hand hitting against the guitar with an earthy percussiveness.

Over and over again, I see little quirks in his performance that will set him apart from other solo acts. It’s in the way he deliberately chooses to tune live so that the audience can be a part of the process, remarking that he’s always liked the way you can hear musicians tuning on old, live records. It’s in the contrast between his total absorption during each song and the almost childlike giddiness between. At one point during the show, Vollebekk got amusingly sidetracked, using the light glare off of his guitar to spotlight the sound guy and proclaiming, “Look! It’s like the bat signal!” before lapsing back into musician mode. It’s in the way he injects extra lyrics and throws en Français words into his songs. Essentially, Vollebekk is a born performer. It’s rare to see someone who so fully brings together personality, stage presence, banter/anecdotes and technical skill while having it seem completely genuine.

The set was mainly composed of material from his most recent release, Inland (“Quebec”, “Don’t Go to Klasvik”, “Michael Robartes & the Dancer”, “1921”), but also ventured off the record, including a completely engaging, looped violin cover of Neil Young’s “Barstool Blues.”

But I feel as though I simply cannot call this review complete without mentioning this: in the midst of tuning, one of Vollebekk’s guitar strings broke, so he sent out a request for a guitar, and who should sidle up beside the stage with a guitar but the man I can only assume is Shaker Woman’s significant other. Screw Kate Hudson, these people are the real Band-Aids.

Anyway.

The moral of the story is that you should go and hear Leif Vollebekk’s musical stories. Live. And I have a feeling that it won’t be too long before he starts raking in support and fans of all sorts, so I’d recommend taking the opportunity to see him in intimate, teeny tiny venues like Cafe Dekcuf before it’s too late. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

P.S. Thanks to Matthew overt at i(heart)music.net for organizing this great showcase.

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For more Leif Vollebekk,

Website: http://www.nevadorecords.com/leifvollebekk.php
MySpace: http://myspace.com/leifvollebekk

Leif Vollebekk will also be in Toronto on January 22 at The Cameron House.

A chilly panda.

“If my record sounded like a panda, we’d all be in a very good situation,” says Leif Vollebekk of Inland (Nevado Records), his most recent release. I can’t claim to know what a panda bear sounds like (though according to Vollebekk it would probably have “a really nice set of pipes”), but Vollebekk’s Inland is at the very least a very, very good situation.

He describes the record as being an attempted cross between Leonard Cohen’s first album and Nick Drake’s last album, a lofty attempt indeed. But what with Vollebekk’s lyrical nods to familiar Montreal beacons and Inland’s general swoonery, I’d say it was a successful cross indeed. Vollebekk also claims that the record should be experienced in what is now a widely overlooked format: “[Inland is] a vinyl record. It should not be listened to on CD,” he warns. “Anyone with a CD should burn it and buy the vinyl. I made it for vinyl, so I’m really excited about people getting to hear it the way it’s meant to be heard.”

For Vollebekk, having the album available on vinyl seems to be an extension of his back-to-basics song writing style, a style which has often been compared to that epitomic rambler himself, Bob Dylan. “You know, you gotta hand it to Bob,” says Vollebekk of Dylan’s stripped down style. “After the Beatles came out with Sgt. Pepper’s, which was the most psychedelic, mind-blowing, over-the-top produced record in history at that point, he was like, ‘Okay. Screw that. I don’t like that. I’m gonna make a record with drum and bass and acoustic songs about pastoral and biblical stuff.’” Vollebekk has an obvious appreciation for Dylan’s approach where “all the images, all the colour and all the psychedelia [are] in the words.”

But you know, you also gotta hand it to Leif. He keeps things restrained, creating intentionally spacious sonic layers in his songs where music and lyrics are given plenty of elbow room, despite the fact that he plays not only acoustic and electric guitar, but also piano, violin and harmonica*. According to Vollebekk, “If God didn’t invent high school, I don’t know how I would’ve learned instruments.” Take these words to heart, yond teenagers, and take comfort in the possibility that, after begrudgingly toiling away hours of your educational life trying to unfurl the mysteries of the bass clef, you too could end up as a multi-instrumentalist whiz kid.

As the interview comes to a close, I ask Vollebekk what he’s most looking forward to in the new year. He first restates his excitement over people hearing Inland on vinyl, but mostly seems relieved at the prospect of finally having all his projects come into fruition. Along with his latest album, Vollebekk recently finished another that will hopefully be released this fall. “Apparently it’s a logical direction,” says Vollebekk of the forthcoming record. “A friend of mine said that it makes sense. But it’s really different. This one is more like a folk thing, but it has kinda this alternative blues-y thing. [The album is] still acoustic guitar and bass, but I went to the States for a bit and I’ve been listening to a lot of old 1940′s country, so it kinda has more of a Nashville country feel.” So if things go as planned, maybe this year Leif Vollebekk fans will never suffer that always cruel waiting period between album releases.

And if things don’t go as planned? Given the logic behind his answer to the if-you-were-a-singing-animal- what-would-you-be question, I’m not sure I’d raise too much hell about it: “I think a panda. A panda! ‘Cause I hear that they’re kinda vicious, right? But they look really cute? Not that I’m cute.”

I like that what he chooses to refute isn’t his viciousness, but his cuteness. Well. At least he’d be a modest vicious panda.

*Maybe it’s just me, but if I could play such a bevy of instruments, I feel like I’d be tempted to ditch restraint and throw down every single one of my musical skills. All the time. One (wo)man band style. Like this guy.

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For more Leif Vollebekk,
Website: http://www.nevadorecords.com/leifvollebekk.php
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/leifvollebekk

Leif Vollebekk will also be in Toronto on January 22 at The Cameron House.

Leif Vollebekk

With a simplistic formula such as the “singer-songwriter” card, it’s tough to emerge as a standout in today’s sea of talent (and non-talent), but that is exactly what Montreal’s Leif Vollebekk does. Imagine a less hectic, stripped-down version of Patrick Watson – minimal instrumentation that’s still able to create a grand spectrum of emotions backed with a heartbreakingly beautiful voice to narrate every song. Vollekekk’s debut album, Inland, is a perfect collection of gentle melodies and harmonies that’s quite fitting for the current fall weather, in fact. If anyone should discover Leif Vollebekk, it should be now. Vollebekk takes the classic sounds of acoustic guitar and harmonica and fuses them together with modern violin loops to weave masterful arrangements, each one different from the other.

Last Wednesday night was my first time experiencing Leif Vollebekk’s music live (and just in general as I had never listened to him prior to that) and I instantly fell for him – musically speaking, of course. Okay fine, he’s undeniably handsome too but that’s besides the point! His live performance is even more captivating, especially when he starts to use his violin loops and builds a wall of sound, making us feel like there’s a full band backing him up. Definitely worth checking out if he’s playing a venue near you soon!

Inland was originally released in November ’08 but will be re-released via his new label Nevado Records (home to Bahamas and Yukon Blonde) on January 19th, 2010 on CD and vinyl (something tells me that vinyl would be mind-blowing).

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For more Leif Vollebekk,

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/leifvollebekk