Love For The Loveless

Another victim of a record company that refused to properly promote her music, Jen Trynin released two exceptional albums back in the mid to late 90’s: 1994’s Cockamamie and 1997’s Gun Shy Trigger Happy.


Cockamamie came out during the huge surfacing of other female singer-songwriters and was unfortunately overshadowed. However, it did boast one modest near-hit in the form of ‘Better Than Nothing,’ whose repeated chorus of “I’m feelin’ good“, does just that. It is quite possibly one of my favorite songs of all time (and can be heard at her official site).

A gifted writer, Trynin parted ways with the music business after the release of Gun Shy Trigger Happy and decided to begin writing a book based on her experiences. An excerpt, entitled ‘K-Rock Lives’, originally found at Transom.org, humorously illustrates how Trynin was treated by a famous radio station during her limited promotion of Cockamamie. The excerpt is read by Jen herself with ‘Better Than Nothing’ playing during its pauses.

Thankfully, Trynin hasn’t quit music completely. In 2001, she was invited to join the band Loveless, a rock outfit consisting of Dave Wanamaker, Pete Armata, (both formerly of Expanding Man) and Letters To Cleo’s Tom Polce on drums. This time, Trynin is primarily in the backrgound, playing bass for the band and occasionally singing backing vocals.

Trynin’s approach at music is pure and simple rock and roll. Her solo music possessed everything you would want out of a great song: solid songwriting, an appealing voice, tight instrumentation and a memorable hook. Unfortunately she remains largely unnoticed.


Downloads:

Jen Trynin - Snow
Jen Trynin - All This Could Be Yours
Loveless - She Could Be Something Good
BONUS: Jen Trynin - K-Rock Lives

WWW:
Jen Trynin (official site)
Loveless (official site)

Creative Approach

Besides looking incredibly like Sara Gilbert in the photo below, Veda Hille is a unique singer/songwriter from Vancouver whose strange and oddly beautiful music sets her apart from many of her contemporaries.

Hille came to my attention around the time her album Spine came out in 1996 (and was later re-released in 1998). An acquaintance of mine had placed many of her songs on a mix tape for me, showcasing much of her music from that album and I was instantly intrigued. However, it took several listens for Hille’s music to soak in, as many of her songs are very abstract in their composition. She seems to ignite a new genre of experimental folk.

‘Instructions’ is literally that - a list of eighteen strange commandments which eerily escalate as the next one is announced. Taken from Spine, ‘Instructions’ is easily a contender for one of her oddest songs as it perfectly showcases her unconventional approach to songwriting.

On ‘Well, I Guess Not,’ Hille opens with an unexpected rendition of the torch song ‘My Man’ (made famous by Barbra Streisand among others) before launching a monologue of one’s frustrations of finding true love set alongside a relaxed musical backdrop.

‘Born Lucky’ is from 1999’s You Are Not Alone In This World, Hille’s fifth album. A song whose subject is compared to the ocean, it starts with soft piano and strings and crashes into a strong chorus similar to that of a large wave.

All of Hille’s albums are available via her official site.


Downloads:

Instructions
Well, I Guess Not
Born Lucky

WWW:
Veda Hille (offical site)

Excerpts From An Emotional Wench

While there are a plethora of artists that I like and think are talented, few come as close to my music-loving heart as Lisa Germano.

An accomplished violinist, Germano has worked with many of the big names in the music business, having received her professional start performing with John Mellencamp during his Lonesome Jubilee period. She has since worked with the likes of David Bowie, Neil Finn, Sheryl Crow, Mark Everett (eels), Anna Waronker (that dog.) and the Indigo Girls while creating her own distinct catalog of music.

Germano belongs to that ever-growing pool of artists who are constantly overlooked by the public, largely perhaps due to the fact that her music is so difficult to categorize. Much of it is reminiscent of something you might hear at an old fashion carnival, with its Jack-in-the-Box sound winding itself through a dreamy landscape.

There is an intimate timbre to her voice; often low and smooth, as if she’s singing in whispers. Sometimes it’s as if she’s not singing at all, but talking in a slower tempo.

Many of Germano’s songs focus on love and the emotions borne of a broken heart and there is often a deep sadness laced throughout her melodies which are occasionally garnished with her twisted sense of humor.

To date, she has six albums under her belt (excluding her earlier renounced version of Happiness), but rumors suggest that Germano may quit the music business for good after her record company closed its doors earlier this year. For my sake, I’m definitely hoping that’s not the case.

For some strange reason ‘Dreamland’ has never been officially released. I’m thinking it must have been a throw-away track off of Lisa’s most recent album, 2003’s Lullaby For Liquid Pig, but I can’t be for certain. It was featured on the appropriately titled Rare, Unusual Or Just Bad Songs, a compilation of rare tracks Lisa herself made available to fans through her official website.

The song is classic Germano featuring her at the piano with weird, sweet noises fluttering about in the background and the gently thumping of a synthetic drum. A lullaby with a pulse.

The acoustic version of ‘Bad Attitude’ was performed during a radio appearance on Austin’s KGSR way back in 1993. The original version can be found on Germano’s 1993 album Happiness, but both are prime examples of Germano’s jaded sarcasm making its way through her songs. With lines like You wish you were pretty, but you’re not / Ha ha ha, it would make it difficult to argue that she doesn’t possess a wicked sense of humor.

‘Making Promises’ is actually an early demo version of a song on Lullaby For Liquid Pig called ‘It’s Party Time.’ The demo not only features a different title, but a complete set of different lyrics.


Downloads:

Dreamland
Bad Attitude (acoustic)
Making Promises

WWW:
Lisa Germano (official site)

The Siren

Even though she’s probably best known in America as the woman who sang in the background of Natalie Merchant’s 1995 single ‘Carnival,’ Katell Keineg (pronounced Kay-neck) has a voice that deserves to be showcased.

Welsh-bred and well-traveled, Keineg seems to encorporate many of her world experiences in her music, often providing her songs with a fragile and mystical quality.

So far Keineg has two full-length albums to her credit: 1994’s O Seasons, O Castles and 1997’s Jet. Both went largely unseen in America, but received many critical accolades.

‘Hestia,’ is one of Keineg’s earlier recordings, and like many of her songs, it starts sweet and slow and builds up to something much more powerful. And while the instrumentation of guitar and cello are beautifully played throughout, it’s her voice that is particularly entrancing.

‘Beautiful Day,’ is much more casual; a breezy song perfectly realized with Keineg’s lilt. The perfect song for summer. It can be found on the EP What’s The Only Thing Worse Than The End Of Time? relased in 2002 which also features a cover of Nick Drake’s ‘River Man.’

In 1998, Keineg produced, co-wrote and sang on ‘Love Song For My Guru,’ a song from The Floors’ album Morphine Watch (which I can’t seem to find any information on). Quite possibly one of my favorite songs from her, Keineg sings alongside the Floors’ lead-singer and a steady thumping of percussion and guitar strumming. Toward the bridge, she belts out a whirling chorus that is repeated until the song concludes.

Currently spending her time between Dublin and New York, Keineg is playing shows in these areas and is expected to release a third album, High July, later this year.

Keineg’s official website is where you can also find ‘Pablo Quilla’s Dream,’ a strange instrumental used as a b-side from one of her hard-to-find singles.


Downloads:

Hestia
Beautiful Day
Love Song To My Guru

WWW:
Katell Keineg (official website)
The Nonofficial Katell Keineg Website (fan site)

Cover Girls, Vol. 1

It has always been amazing to me that an artist can cover another artist’s song and make it their own. The results are never guaranteed to be to your liking as much as the original, but their interpretations are usually very interesting.

So rather than focus on one particular artist this time, I figured I’d showcase some great cover songs by some great women. Maybe I’ll work this in where every month I’ll showcase another small handfull of covers. But for now, I present to you some classic cases of cloning.

You can always expect something sarcastic and bold to come from Jill Sobule’s lips. She’s spunky, clever and seems to have an arsenal of great songs. I suspect that she’s written off as something of a novelty act to some, but surely you can’t deny the smile that finds its way to your face while listening to ‘Survivor,’ Jill’s take on the hit performed by Beyonce and company.

This live version is taken from Jill’s performance at The Tin Angel in Philadelphia and the great thing about it is not only Jill’s interaction with her audience, but the appropriateness of the song’s title as it was performed just a month after the events of 9/11.

Folk singer Dar Williams recorded David Bowie’s ‘Starman’ back in 2000 after her fans chose it as the song they would most like for her to cover. Previously covered by bands such as 10,000 Maniacs and Culture Club, Dar’s version begins with a spoken word, tick-tock percussion gradually introducing guitars and the cello and soon jaunts its way into the story of the traveling spaceman.

In an interview Dar did with the E-zine Splendid, she briefly explained her take on the song.

“Starman” is the icon of anything that cuts through all the hypocrisy and corporate machismo and manipulation and I think hatred of kids that adults tend to show. And that really speaks to teenagers in a way that redeems their hopes and ideals, and so, even if their hopes and ideas are really shallow, they still glitter. And so I actually loved, really loved having a whack at ‘Starman’.”

I can’t think of anyone more perfect to cover ‘Is That All There Is?’ than Polly Jean Harvey. The song, made a classic by the late (and great) Peggy Lee was a huge hit back when it was first recorded in 1969.

Polly’s version, which has guitarist John Parish managing instrumentation, doesn’t stray far from the original which oozed with apathy and resignation. But with Polly, the eerieness is turned up a notch, almost as if Wednesday Addams herself were the storyteller. It can be found on 1996’s Dance Hall At Louse Point.

Lastly, but surely not least is Emm Gryner’s interesting take on Def Leppard’s ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me,’ one of rock’s most recognized sexed-up anthems of 80’s metal now magically transformed into a piano ballad by Ms Gryner. Emm’s version is taken from 2001’s Girl Versions, a small collection of strangely chosen cover songs she originally performed in front of a live audience and eventually recorded in the studio. Maybe it’s due to her honey-lined voice, but Emm manages to turn the song into something much more soft and dense, making sure that the sugar comes off more sweet than sour.

Girl Versions is available via Emm’s online store at MusicToday.com.

Downloads:

Jill Sobule - Survivor (live)
Dar Williams - Starman
PJ Harvey - Is That All There Is?
Emm Gryner - Pour Some Sugar On Me

A Big Tall Glass Of Phenobarbital

It’s a difficult task to categorize Beth Lisick’s music. Firstly, she’s a poet and therefore doesn’t do much singing at all. Instead, she relies on her keen observation of the world around her to create magnetic, if not sometimes bizarre stories.

Lisick fronted a four-piece musical ensemble known as The Beth Lisick Ordeal in San Francisco during the mid to late 90’s. They recorded just one album: 1998’s Pass, which was comprised of eleven spoken word pieces showcasing Lisick’s razorsharp wit and her bandmates’ beautiful instrumentation.

Since the album’s release, the band has dissolved; everyone involving themselves in different projects.

Lisick now performs in a musical duet called The Loins and the sketch-comedy group White Noise Radio Theater. She’s also the weekly columnist on Buzz Town for the SF Gate newspaper and has also published two books of poetry prose and short stories, Monkey Girl and This Too Can Be Yours, both published by Manic D Press.

A little bit about the musical selections below: ‘Nancy Druid’ became my first exposure to Lisick’s uncommon sound and I figure it’s also the best song to introduce people with. In it, Lisick begins telling the story of The Living Room Bar and the various people she encounters while regretfully paying $9 for her drink and standing in line for the bathroom. Priceless musical humor, I tell you. Must be heard to be believed.

On ‘Devil’s Vacation’, the topic shifts to an uncomfortable flight to Cabo San Lucas and the debauchery of young twenty-somethings.

And lastly, I’ve included ‘Gold Dust Twins,’ which didn’t appear on Pass. I don’t recall where I obtained it from, but I believe this song, along with a couple of others, are early tracks off a possible sophomore album. If not, I consider it an awesome find. Here, Lisick shares with the listener how she worked at a Gentlemen’s Club with another girl whom she never really got to know very well. And the song ends all too soon when the cops come to the door and you’re kept wondering, ‘What happened?’


Downloads:

Nancy Druid
Devil’s Vacation
Gold Dust Twins

WWW:
Beth Lisick (official site)

Past & Presents

Long before there was the glossed up version currently spanning the radiowaves, there was an indie “it” girl named Liz Phair.

Phair didn’t officially release an album until 1993’s highly revered (and understandably so) Exile In Guyville. But like many artists, she had quite a stack of songs that have never been officially released. One such song, ‘White Babies,’ made its appearance on an answering machine of all places.

The story goes that sometime in either 1990 or 1991, Phair had placed a phone call to her friend Tae Won Yu (who then was in the duo Kicking Giant with Rachel Carns). When she got his answering machine, she decided to sing over the phone. Tae later took the recording and submitted it for inclusion on an independent compilation known as Chinny Chin Chin: 4 NY Bands which was released in 1991. Thus officially marking Liz’s first appearance on a recording.

The song is brief and being that it was recorded on an answering machine, one can gather that its quality is less than perfect. But for die-hard Phair fans, this track marks the birth of what was to come. The song can also be heard in its entirity on Phair’s Girlysound recordings (which were a collection of some early demos that were circulated prior to Exile In Guyville), under its longer title, ‘Black Market White Baby Dealer.’

And for you to compare and contrast, I’ve also made available ‘Freak Of Nature’ and ‘Tell Me I’m A Liar.’ The former is a b-side off of Phair’s whitechocolatespaceegg released in 1998. It was later released in the greater Chicago area on Q101’s compilation Local 101: Volume 1. The latter is also a rare find; an unreleased demo from Phair’s eponymous album of last year. The song has become a favorite of mine and I’m pretty shocked it wasn’t included on the official release.

It’s definitely been interesting to see Phair’s evolution over the last decade. She’s gone from rough and lo-fi to sheen and hi-gloss. And despite all of the critical huff she’s garnered this past year, Phair can still write a hell of a great song.


Downloads:

White Babies
Freak Of Nature
Tell Me I’m A Liar

WWW:
Liz Phair (official site)
Mesmerizing (fan site)
Supernova: The Liz Phair Experience (fan site)

A Girl Named Sam

Chances are, you’ve probably heard the music of Sam Phillips and didn’t even realize it. Her song ‘I Need Love’ has been showcased predominantly in movie soundtracks (1996’s Stealing Beauty and 2000’s Down To You and Here On Earth - just to name a few) and is still the song Ralph Lauren uses in its perfume ads. The WB’s Gilmore Girls even cites Sam has providing the score to the popular show.

My introduction to Phillips’ music was when I had first listened to her 1994 album, Martinis & Bikinis. It was then that I knew she was someone to watch. That album, which showcased Phillips’ heavy influence from the Beatles (and even featured an awesome cover of Lennon’s ‘Gimme Some Truth’) sparked my interest and left the flame burning.

A decade later, Phillips has released A Boot And A Shoe and she’s still on fire. The album’s theme is about imbalance and the sound is stripped down to allow for the music to truly shine through. Intimate, clever and extremely well-crafted, this could possibly be Sam’s best album.

The tracks featured below are taken from a radio show appearance Phillips made prior to the album’s release. Both songs prove her talent and offer a true taste to the album’s mood, but don’t explain why she remains a shadow in a world populated by artists with lesser talent.

Downloads:

How To Quit (live)
\Reflecting Light (live)

WWW:

Sam Phillips (offical site)
A Boot And A Shoe (fan site)

Introduction

This is going to be an experiment.

Everyone who knows me knows that my musical collection seems to be 90% estrogen driven. I don’t know how it happened, but I’m definitely glad it did.

It all started with Annie Lennox back in the 80’s and has somehow blossomed to this collection that ranges from Patsy Cline to Patty Griffin to Donna Summer and Cyndi Lauper. Many artists and many genres. Even today, I find myself discovering new artists constantly and feel I should share these gems and others with people who would otherwise remain clueless as to how great these artists truly are.

So enter Womenfolk, my attempt to broaden the audience. Much of the music I hope to share here will focus on both artists you may recognize to ones you’ve never heard of. Occasionally, I may even break the rules and showcase some fine music by male artists I find fascinating.

Songs will be showcased on a weekly basis with commentary and album information provided when available. The rest of the site will no doubt grow and change based on the amount of attention it receives.

Lastly, I strongly suggest that if you like the song, you should support the artist and buy their music.

And with that, happy listening!