Project-ing
June 26, 2006 by Robbie McCown · 3 Comments
One of my favorite bands of the early nineties was October Project, who released only two albums during their brief stint under Sony/Epic Records.
The group started out in a garage in New Jersey during the late 80’s and soon began to flesh out their sound while performing at Yale University where songwriters Julie Flanders and vocalist/keyboardist Marina Belica took courses. And in a relatively short amount of time, the group found themselves on a major label.
The music, while never groundbreaking, was an undeniable force, much in part to their lush pop-meets-mild Celtic sounds and the unmistakable voice of its original lead singer, Mary Fahl, a one-time aspiring actress whose first professional singing break arrived when she was asked to join the group.
Also in the band came guitarist David Sabatino, who joined multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Emil Adler and his wife, Julie Flanders, who wrote or co-wrote all of the band’s lyrics while keyboardist and vocalist Marina Belica added a nice compliment to Fahl’s singing. Rounding out the group was percussionist Urbano Sanchez.
When October Project’s debut album eventually arrived in 1993, its inception was slow to brew, but songs like ‘Bury My Lovely,’ ‘Ariel,’ and the Interview With A Vampire inspired ‘Take Me As I Am’ gave the new band notice, largely do to Fahl’s extraordinary vibrato, and distinguished them as something to watch.
Two years later, the band released Falling Further In, their second and final album under the Sony/Epic umbrella.
Produced by Peter Collins (Indigo Girls, Jewel, Rush), the album continued the group’s seamless brand of ethereal, harmonious pop and garnered them tours with acts like the Crash Test Dummies and Sarah McLachlan.
Falling Further In demonstrated the group’s penchant for radio-ready gems like ‘Deep As You Go’ and ‘Something More Than This,’ which were poetically simple and sweet, but carried the grandness of an epic story.
In just two weeks into the album’s release, Falling Further In broke into Billboard’s Top 200.
Somehow I need to love you
More than I need to breathe
I can feel you leaving the ground
I will follow down
You and I will drown
–October Project
Despite their slow, but growing success in the commercial world, the band was dropped from their label and the band soon went their separate ways.
Adler and Flanders continued to work together and released A Thousand Days as November Project. Belica released her solo EP decembergirl, but eventually the three of them would regroup for a third October Project release, Different Eyes, an EP which was released in 2003 and found Belica becoming the group’s new lead singer.
After Fahl left the group, she found work in commercial voice-overs, but it took several years before fans had an opportunity to hear her solo debut.
The Other Side Of Time arrived in 2003, a decade after October Project’s debut album and featured fourteen new songs Fahl had written with various collaborators. Two of the songs featured here - ‘Going Home’ and ‘The Dawning Of The Day’ - found themselves on soundtracks for the films Gods & Generals and The Guys respectively.
As a whole, the music on …Time is pleasant, but not very memorable. Fans of Lorenna McKennitt will find joy here, but fans of October Project’s first two albums may be a bit disappointed that most of the pop has given way to a more classical, elegant approach. Still, as always, Fahl’s deep-hollow voice is impeccable, reverberating through every note and I wager some fans would listen to her sing just about anything.
Since the album’s release, Fahl has performed throughout the country to support it and at this time, is presumably writing her follow-up record.
As for the remaining members of October Project… Adler, Flanders and Belica are currently preparing their new album and have plans for former members Sabatino and Sanchez to participate.
Downloads:
October Project:
Bury My Lovely
Take Me As I Am
Deep As You Go
Mary Fahl
In The Great Unknown
Video:
Return To Me
WWW:
www.octoberproject.net
The official site.
www.maryfahl.com
Mary Fahl’s official site by Sony Music.
www.decembergirl.com
Marina Belica’s official site.
www.clivebarker.com/bands/october
A small fan-site which does a good job at listing the band’s discography and providing information on its members’ various projects.
Just Making Conversation
June 19, 2006 by Robbie McCown · 5 Comments
Folk artist and multi-instrumentalist Kris Delmhorst has been making music since the mid-90’s, but began her solo catalogue with 1998’s Appetite. And since then, Delmhorst has released two more albums of original material and collaborated with 2003’s Redbird with fellow songwriters, Jeffrey Foucault and Peter Mulvey. Presently, Delmhorst is preparing the release of her fourth studio album, Strange Conversation on June 27, 2006.
On Strange Conversation, Delmhorst tries something new. The concept was to take some of Delmhorst’s favorite poems and weave them into song. Alterations and edit were made by Delmhorst and some of them are simply just inspired from the original works. Works by such lauded poets as E.E. Cummings, Robert Browning and Walt Whitman make appearances, with each poem given Delmhorst’s musical treatment, allowing them to live on sonically rather than simply on a written page.
The album started out as an idea Delmhorst placed on the backburner while writing new songs for her next album. But after picking up an anthology one day, the songs that eventually made up Strange Conversation began taking shape.
The album opens with ‘Galuppi Baldesarre,’ which is borrowed from Robert Browning’s A Toccatta of Galuppi’s in 1855. Delmhorst writes:
‘Water Water’ is one of the standouts and was one of the first Delmhorst wrote for the collection. Inspired by Robert Herrick’s Scare-Fire, written originally in 1648, Delmhorst creates a deep, dark, guttural groove with its verses. Delmhorst herself feels the song is very “Zeppiln- or Morphine-ish.” I certainly don’t disagree.
On ‘Everything Is Music,’ Delmhorst stirred together a few poems from Rumi. It’s tone is casual, carefree and beautiful in its sheer simplicity. Very befitting for being the final track on Strange Conversation.
Strange Conversation is a great example of art carrying more than one form, as Delmhorst created twelve remarkable songs based on the writings of people who’ve come before.
What you cannot quench, you must pull down,
Lose one house just to save the town
It’s better still that one should fall
Than by its burning risk them all
Water water
Water water bring me more
Douse the rafters and the floor
Throw your bucket, take your turn
Or just stand back and let the damn thing burn
–Kris Delmhorst
Also featured below is an older song of Delmhorst’s: ‘Weatherman,’ which can originally be found on Delmhorst’s 1998 debut album, Appetite.
Kris Delmhorst is currently performing and a few of her upcoming dates can be found below. For more, visit her official site.
Tour:
Downloads:
Galuppi Baldessare
Water Water
Everything Is Music
Weatherman
WWW:
Kris Delmhorst
The official site which offers more samples of Ms. Delmhorst’s music, purchasing information and more.
Kris Delmhorst @ MySpace
Kris Delmhorst’s MySpace site, featuring song samples and an introduction to her music.
Songs:Illinois
Craig Bonnell’s review of Strange Conversation.
