While places such as MySpace offer musicians an affordable alternative to high-risk record deals and still provide undeniably lucrative exposure, the trend hasn't been without costs. The number of artists to choose from is overwhelming, making it difficult to tell one from the other.
With what seems like a thousand new bands coming out every week, it all does really start to sound the same after a while. So for a band to make its mark in today's market, it needs to work even harder at distinguishing itself from the crowd.
It's natural for critics to be charitable to local acts, but what makes the Parish Festival's Handshakes & Heartaches stand out from everything else is that it's the complete package. At just under 45 minutes, the album never gets dull. A balance between indie rock and more mature jazz helps keep things interesting. The tunes are varied without being incongruous - songs for jumping around on the dance floor, for getting a little closer, and for even finishing off the night somewhere a little more ... private.
The first few measures of the title track could easily be mistaken for The Sea & Cake. That is ... until the banjo comes in. Lead singer, guitarist, and banjo player Jamey Cummins shows the banjo can be used as a jazz instrument and is not limited to being a tool in the folkie's kit. Throughout the album, Cummins explores the timbre of the banjo, incorporating elements of jazz, country, and even Eastern music, while still maintaining a pop sensibility.
"Handshakes & Heartaches" twists and turns through a variety of sonic tunnels before the song really settles into itself. It opens with a soft bass line, perfect for lazing on a sunny afternoon, but it doesn't take long for the song to switch gears. A level of tension remains throughout up until a climactic battle between the banjo and a viola, played by Kristian Svennevig. What began as a narcotic morning turns into a fitful night only to fade into a pleasant slumber.
This tension is carried even further by Cummins' vocals. His voice is not easily likable, but that's what keeps it so damned interesting. At times it's difficult to tell whether the voice belongs to a boy or girl; the pitch seems a little higher than it should, but just when one thinks it might squeak or squeal, Cummins bends his vocals around the melodies while letting them come dangerously close to breaking.
"Lullagoodbyes" owes more to country than jazz. Though it starts off a little tame, it soon breaks into a full-on frolic sure to have the ladies up on the dance floor before the chorus. Confident and even a little cocky, the Parish Festival have come up with a spicy recipe that only gets hotter with each bite. And while Cummins' vocals, guitar, and banjo leads may be the main ingredients of Parish Festival, if not for the rhythm section of Ryan Neubauer (drums) and Andy Rappell (bass), the songs would be little more than appetizers.
Recorded at Futureappletree Studios in Rock Island by Pat Stolley, Handshakes & Heartaches definitely bears Stolley's signature sound. Analog tends have more warmth than its digital counterpart, and it's this warmth that keeps the guitars crisp, the vocals crunchy, and the rhythms from becoming too sterile.
It doesn't hurt things that the Parish Festival is joined by a number of local musicians. Along with Svennevig on viola, Neal Smith (The Metrolites) helps out on tenor sax and bass clarinet, John Gamino (Humans) appears on organ for a couple numbers, and a bunch of the band's friends even show up for a little hand-clappin' on "Chances." This number showcases not only talented hands, but a damned funky bass line, making it the perfect track for getting to work on time.
The final track on Handshakes & Heartaches, "Well I Never," begins as a gentle ballad that slowly takes the listener away: "This all that I can do / To go, to go away." With a little organ, some soft guitar notes, and the steadily plucked banjo, "Well I Never" sets up for a reprise of the title track as Handshakes & Heartaches slowly fades into silence.
Sharps looks, sharp sound, and just plain sharp, the Parish Festival have got it. Music this good deserves to be heard by an audience far beyond the Quad Cities, and it's inspiring that such talent has grown up right around us.
The Parish Festival will be performing at a CD-release party at the Redstone Room (in the River Music Experience building in Davenport) on Saturday, November 25. The show starts at 9 p.m., and admission is $5.
Handshakes & Heartaches is available at (http://www.myspace.com/parishfestival) or (http://www.futureappletree.com).
Culley Smith runs a local-music blog at (http://www.theairstrange.com).
