Gamblers, Fruit Bats. Son Little, Fiona Silver, Greensky Bluegrass

 

Too often, tags like “indie” or “alternative” are masks for artists trying to obscure what they really are. “Adult alternative,” for example, almost always means “folk,” and “indie” too often means midtempo rock that would like to be pop. Gamblers, a Brooklyn-based band, uses the handle “alternative” and for once it’s an apt term. The group is headed by singer Michael McManus, who has been a hip-hop producer, though you’ll not hear any of that on the band’s debut LP Small World (Symphonic). You will, however, hear enough genre-crossing for “alternative” to make sense. The title track is jangly rock with a hint of funk. It’s a love-is-hard song, but it’s more atmosphere than poetry; Gamblers like to close musical spaces and dip listeners into a sonic bath. “Small World” is like the early Beatles crossed with The Beachboys, and “Pet Sematary” an excellent punk cover of a Ramones song. “Give Yourself Into Love” splashes dribbles of electronica into the mix, and “Corinthian Order” is hypnotic, with McManus singing in tones vaguely reminiscent of Neil Young. “The Selfish Bell” is harder-edged with a speedball grunge vibe. Apparently three members form the core of Gamblers, but videos show five on stage. Others display everyone dressed in jumpsuits Devo-style. Jam band, rock, punk, grunge, surf, and more makes Gamblers a throw-out-the-labels act. It’s one you should catch when you can.

 

Paste Magazine has studios in New York and Atlanta that are go-to sources for hearing short concerts of artists known, moderately famous, and unknown. Since 2011, it has been owned by Wolfgang’s Music, whose renowned Vault is a trove of classic performances from the past 70 years of rock, jazz, bluegrass, folk, blues, country and more. Here is music from several recent postings: 

 

If you’ve never heard of the Fruit Bats, the name might sound like a band from the 1990s. You’d be half right. It is the brainchild of singer and former guitarist for The Shins, Eric D. Johnson. The Fruit Bands were formed in 1997, made some records, and broke up in 2103. Luckily, their brand of soft rock lent itself well to impromptu lineups and/or a solo act. Johnson has a new recording, Gold Past Life (Merge Records). “Ocean” is nostalgia-tinged love song with a vaguely country feel. Johnson’s nasal voice wends its way to the brink of falsetto before easing back to a strong but controlled tone. My favorite song is “Mandy from Mohawk (Wherever You Are),” an imagining of someone from his past and the lives she may have led. This one is acoustic folk with muscular acoustic backing and doublings that accent the tempo. Also try “Cazadera,” a soulful take on a man who often feels lost and the woman who helps make sense of things.

 

Speaking of soulful, Son Little at Paste is the stage name of Philadelphia’s Aaron Livingstone, an R & B guitarist, singer/songwriter, and son of a preacher. The last factoid made me wonder if gospel legend Mahalia Jackson influenced the content of his song “Mahalia.” Little employs a big Sam Cooke-like voice and plays guitar like he’ll lay some hurt on it if it doesn’t behave. Jackson divorced twice, but lyrics like Yeah this life’s full of promises/We’d keep but we always break may be coincidental. Things seldom go well in the blues, and one certainly gets the sense that the relationship about which Little sings in “About Her Again” won’t fare much better than Mahalia. “Suffer” would be smooth soul for someone with more of a Nat King Cole voice, but Little’s robust vocals infuse this one with urgency: But we don't have to suffer, you and I/We don't have to wait in the trenches every night. All three songs come from his newest recording, Aloha (Anti-Records).

 

Fiona Silver at Paste is a mighty mite weaned on Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Joan Jett, Radio Head, and Amy Winehouse. You can still hear a touch of girliness in her voice, but her new Hostage of Love EP is both here-and-now and a harbinger of things to come. “Hot Tears” is a mix of pop, blue-eyed soul, and rock. Her band is robust, but she doesn’t allow it to overwhelm her. On “Dark Bluey,” she simply takes charge. She is hungry to impress and over-sings this one, but you can tell there’s not a shy bone in her body. She busts out the horn section for the title track, which drenches the song with a bit of Sin City ambience enhanced by assuming a bit of a Jim Morrison-like dread and danger pose. “Violence” has a jumpier tempo and the scratch in her voice makes the song more impactful. Her band knows when to get out of the way. It also knows how to fill in behind guitarist Guy Fiumarelli when he electrifies a song and amps Silver to another level.  

 

Despite its name, the Michigan-based quintet Greensky Bluegrass is a blend of what Parade Magazine compared to “bluegrass meets the Grateful Dead.” That’s not a bad analogy; they have definite jam band chops and in a song like “What You Need,” Paul Hoffman’s vocal is the most bluegrassy thing about it, despite instrumentation from standup bass, dobro, banjo, acoustic guitar, and mandolin. “Like Reflections” even sounds like a Grateful Dead title and it too has a meandering mix. Only “Money For Nothing” has a breakdown feel. For my dosh, Greensky lacks passion, but they’ve been around for nearly 20 years and have a devoted fan base. If you’re in it, check out their recent CD All For Money.