Flanfire

One of the great blessings of living in Austin for young (or any) musicians is the opportunity to step outside one's comfort zone (as front man, for example) to play a subordinate role in someone else's musical journey. Learning to serve one another (or even to take out the trash left by patrons of the very clubs in which you play) is but one way toward the personal and professional growth that makes living in Austin worth it. Music afficiandos also benefit, sometimes directly, for example as one musician adds his or her own ideas that strengthen another's performances but even moreso when musicians building on trust begin to collaborate on songwriting and such.

One wonderful example of this musical sharing was the first of what are set to be several Thursday evenings at Opal Divine's Freehouse. Stefanie Fix has long been one of this writer's favorite songwriters -- from her early work to last year's "Crooked Smile." And yet I had not seen Stefanie's music so well interpreted (yes, her CD release was a great show!) until this week. Her new "summer trio" includes bassist/cellist Mark Williams (aka Gumbasso), whose other regular gig of late is playing with Austin Chronicle musician of the week Dan Dyer, and guitarist (and songwriter -- see below) Nathan Singleton (who with his Sideshow Tragedy band will unveil a new CD, "Itinerant Youth," at Momo's on June 13th -- just after 11 pm).

Stefanie is known for her slide guitar work as well as her challenging and emotional songs (which belie her shy, sly and often self-deprecating humor in person). Songs like "Holy Shit, Ma," her response to the airplanes flying into the Twin Towers in her beloved New York City, or even her brand-new one, dedicated to her six-year-old niece, in which she encourages her sibling's child to never let anyone get in the way of her dreams. Another Stefanie fan, a recent convert to Austin, eloquently pointed out that Stefanie's voice alone carries the weight of her songs. And yet her two first-time musical companions supplied extra energy and passion that made strong songs even stronger. Stefanie will perform solo on June 19th, but Mark and Nathan are due to back her again twice in July.

Earlier this year, we pointed out that Nathan and his band are hardly "sideshow" entertainers -- that they belong front and center on the big stage. With the release of "Itinerant Youth," we have even more evidence to demonstrate our confidence that these guys have the goods. Using the same producer as before (Gabriel Gonzalez, who also plays keyboards, lap steel, and 12-string here) allows a flow between the two recordings that clearly marks the artists' progress.

Bassist Justin Wade Thompson has already survived a major beating to bounce back up (and maybe even still do onstage backflips) and rock out harder than ever, and drummer Jeremy Harrell (another East Texas lad) were both chosen by Singleton for their on-stage intensity and thus their ability to amplify the intensity of his own music to frenetic proportions.

That passion comes through in spades from the very first groans to the final notes of this new recording -- which builds on the foundation laid earlier in "Borrowed Guitars, Unwound Hearts and Broken Strings," which writer Terry McCarthy described as a showcase for Singleton's "deep treatises on love and life." Now some writers will likely focus on the band's rocker numbers -- "A Pint of Whiskey and a Pound of Grace" (a chronicle of hard times on the road), "Pascal's Wager" (Singleton's running battle between true faith and "religion"), and "A Few More Days" (or why the hell am I in New York City when the one I love is a thousand miles away?).

Good as these songs are (and I have played this record straight through over a dozen times in the past few days), the song that just sticks in my craw is the ending ballad, "Thief in the Night" -- "love will come like a thief in the night, leave you broken, It will hold your life on the edge of a knife, Cut your heart open..." Then there's "The Fog in the City," which includes a paean to Baudelaire -- "And pain is just a flash, like joy, Just a dessert for your favorite meal, Nothing to hide or hide from, No one to lead or get behind, And this ennui is unbearable at times, Sometimes we lose our souls to save our sins ..."

Or how about, "Lady in Waiting" (cowritten with Dustin Welch, Jeremy Nail, and the lovely Rachael Craft), which opens with a death march drum solo that never quits, but merely allows the melody to rise above its implications ... "It's the same old mystery, Nothing but a cold heart beat, Distant faces passing by, Careless and killing time, Middle of nowhere tonight ..." And yet, "through the eyes of a perfect stranger she'll remember her face in the mirror." Anyone up for restoring the humanity of lost souls?

Singleton is, after all, an integral member of the Momo's music scene which budding theologian Steve Buhrman has described as one with "inherent spiritual and religious dimensions." Buhrman (whose brother Adam fronts the band "Goldcure") learned that Momo's co-owner Paul Oveisi acknowledged a responsibility "to create realities that are meaningful and fulfilling, to build a life and a sense of community that is true and authentic, and to live in such a way that blesses and does not harm the world that is our common home."

Thus it should not be that surprising to hear in Singleton's lyrics the lines "a fortress of faith" (from "The Fog in the City"), "thief in the night," or even the powerful message of "Pascal's Wager" (with Charlie Faye, Erika Maassen and Melissa Steely as backing choir) -- that the kingdom of heaven is here and now -- or in other words, that life is not about rules and gotchas, or (as he notes in the song) about "an all-access pass through those pearly gates," but rather about living each day in recognition of our own flaws and yet with hope. Of course Nathan would probably rather say he is just out to have a good time and play good music for his audiences -- or as he admits to Buhrman, "I play music to get myself off, and that's it" -- except (OOPS!) his own pals called him out as a man who deeply cares about conveying the truth that he is constantly finding to those around him and his music.

There is, after all, that infectious grin which cannot fully be suppressed -- and watching Nathan play with Stefanie (see the photo here) it is hard not to see a man thrilled with learning about this great life we have been given and eager to disprove even his own harsh theories and to convert the very ones whose falsities tarnished his young spirit years ago. Love is creeping in -- thus we have "Leaving Texas" -- the struggle between the old life of angst and the love that is so elusive and hard to recognize as coming from within -- "So let's not waste time [leaving Texas together], We'll be anybody but ourselves ... Let's go get lost far away." This on top of "Please Forget Me," that other side of the coin argument that I am just not good enough for you. And that may be why "Thief in the Night" is so strong -- as it ends with these words -- "Hold my hand, close your eyes, Don't look back, It's where we're going, It's not where we've been...."

Po' Girl -- Rich in Music!

Just another reminder that these two Canadian angels will be at Momo's Tuesdays in June (at 7 pm) while in Austin recording their new CD with Bukka Allen. On sale at these shows is a 14-song collection entitled "Unreleased," and some of these songs will also be on the new recording all dressed up. You KNOW we rarely write about anything but Austin music -- and yet these women capture the spirit of life that is what we love about our own scene. No wonder they are here now.

[From their own bio] -- Po' Girl will be holed up in Austin, Texas this June making the record that will almost certainly change forever the way the band is perceived. Many of the trappings of the trademark Po' Girl sound are still there - the echoes of speakeasy jazz, the western lament, the accordion-strapped ghosts of European folk --- but it's all delivered with a soulful clarity and depth only hinted at on previous records. And, friends and strangers, WE here in Austin will be right in the middle of this transformational project that just might launch these two darlings (and pal Benny Sidelinger the dobro maker) onto the world stage (not that they have not ALREADY played four continents). [And, yes, I am the guy who did not make it to the U2 show in College Park, Maryland, two miles from my house, back in 1982 or so -- all the more reason I urge EVERYONE to come out to see these musical magicians for love!]


And I leave you all with this photo of Betty Soo joining birthday girl Erika Maassen and the passionate Charlie Faye on stage at the Saxon.