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Ellis Paul & Vance Gilbert
Side of the Road
Rounder/Philo11671-1239-2
by Bonny Holder
 There
is a wonderful FM and online radio station in the Bronx, New
York, WFUV-FM. It is the "radio voice" of Catholic
Fordham University. I like it so much that I am a contributing
Member, though I live thousands of miles from Manhattan. Along
with broadcasting Public Radio International programs like "World
Café" and "Mountain Stage," they also have
plenty of locally-produced music programs, loosely be gathered
under the term they use "cityfolk."
I struggle to find the words to define cityfolk. The opposite
of countryfolk? Kind of. East coast folkies have forgiven themselves
for booing Dylan at Newport in '65, and fully electrified themselves.
Not that they don't use acoustic instruments in their recordings
and acts, but they tend to have a more urban, sophisticated,
bassier, full-traps drummer sound than my Okie neighbors do.
So I went to the source, John Platt, Development and Marketing
Director for WFUV, and host of the remarkable"Cityfolk Sunday
Breakfast" show. He says:
"The term "City Folk" was coined 15 years ago
this fall for what was just the midday show on the station at
a time we had more of a block programming schedule. It was supposed
to suggest a more sophisticated approach to folk and singer-songwriters.
It struck such a chord with listeners that it was expanded to
virtually our entire weekday schedule about 10 years ago. Over
the years the musical mix has expanded far beyond folk to encompass
rock, blues, country, and world music. The radio industry has
considered us AAA or Americana, but we've stuck with City Folk
as our 'brand' and have attracted a much larger audience as the
commercial radio arena in NY has become so conservative."
Cityfolk song lyrics tend to be serious, socially leftist
(as is the north American folk music tradition), educated and
humane. It is truly, in the words of songwriter Christine Lavin,
the music of "sensitive new-age guys." Vocals are very
much out front. Violins tend to sound like violins, not like
fiddles. Bruce Springsteen is cityfolk. Jimmy LaFave is countryfolk.
A lot of people can cross over, though, from the New York
- Boston scene to Austin and OKC, and back. Both Ellis Paul,
and Vance Gilbert are that versatile. I've seen them both perform
at venues in my area, like the Blue Door in OKC, and the Woody
Guthrie Free Folk Festival, and I've given each standing ovations
and called them back for encores on the east coast, too.
Long time best-buds, they have now recorded a CD together,
called Side of the Road. And what a good idea that was!
Ellis's more-ethereal voice is wonderfully supported by Gilbert's
rich, thick baritone.
They manage to play together without once stepping on each
other's creative toes. They are joined by Duke Levine on guitar,
Richard Gates on bass, and Tom West on Hammond organ. What a
terrific band they make!
Except for two tracks, Ellis and Vance have chosen material
written by others. The opening song, "The Only Way,"
by Mark Erelli, refers to 9/11, 2001:
I read the papers, I watch the news
seems there's only pain & suffering,
ain't much that I can do,
its so senseless, I feel defenseless, -- so small.
I lock my windows, bolt my doors
but if I don't feel safe enough
to speak my mind anymore,
then what's the use? There's nothing left to lose, no further
to fall.
So I'm gonna love & believe,
I'm gonna dream, I'm gonna
roll up my sleeves, and give everything
until there's nothing left to give, that's the only way that
I know how to live.
"I'm too young to be so cynical, too old to be naive,"
Ellis sings sweetly. He has a tat of Woody Guthrie on his arm,
I'm told. Cautious optimism is his attitude.
They proceed to do just that, giving, in a musical sense.
The title cut, "Side of the Road," is by Lucinda Williams,
and Vance Gilbert has a real sweetness into his voice that makes
me wonder why more men don't cover Lucinda. "Citizen of
the World" is a United Nations list of all the different
qualities Ellis Paul and Vance Gilbert (they wrote it, along
with Sharon Teeler) bring to their music through their various
multi-ethnicities and styles.
I'm an American, was born of Scottish blood
got a Frenchman's eyes & ears, I've got the walk of a British
thug
sings Paul.
There's an African in my skin, Seminole are my kin,
I'm a man of 1,000 faces, many races, creeds & nations.
sings Gilbert.
I am a citizen, they sing in unison.
They cover Neil Young's "Comes a Time" and Van Morrison's
"Comfort You." Vance brings out his banjo and takes
the lead on Jeff Black's wonderful "What Do I Want What
Do I Need," reminiscent of an R.E.M. song with its jangly
mandolin.
Slaid Cleaves should be jumping up and down with excitement
with their treatment of "This Morning I Am Born Again,"
and Susan Werner should also, for the very articulate and heartfelt
treatment of her rather intellectual song, "May I Suggest."
I'm a little hesitant to love how they do the late Dave Carter's
"Gentle Arms of Eden," but I'm glad that they included
it here. "This is my home, this is my only home, this is
the only sacred ground that I have ever known." People covering
Dave's songs tend to do them slower than he and Tracy Grammer
did, so I shouldn't be surprised.
Side of the Road is a joy to hear. I'm betting that
you'll hear these songs played a lot on stations like WFUV, who
present the best of the best of the cityfolk genre. It feels
like the perfect soundtrack for this autumn season of returning
safely to the nest.
www.rounder.com
http://www.ellispaul.com
http://www.vancegilbert.com
www.wfuv.org
You can contact Bonny Holder at bonny-at-rockzilla.net
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