Jeffrey Dean Foster
the leaves turn upside down
Angel Skull Records

by William Michael Smith

Jeffrey Dean Foster's the leaves turn upside down is probably best considered as a bridging project. After years of can't-miss and near-miss struggles with acclaimed regional-cult-status bands like The Right Profile and The Carneys, Foster grabbed expanded critical attention in late 1998 with The Pinetops' Above Ground and Vertical, a loosely structured band/studio project/Foster vehicle with great players from other North Carolina bands. While he continues to work on his next full band release, this new 7-track limited edition the leaves turn upside down EP showcases him working out essentially solo in an intimate small club setting.

Foster has done some very interesting, un-unplugged things with the leaves turn upside down. Mostly recorded live at that venerable Winston-Salem institution, The Garage, Foster has taken the recording in seemingly contrary directions but has ended up with a disc that is quite unified and more than a bit conceptually daring.

One sonic direction Foster has taken through his production vision gives what is on the surface an extremely minimalist instrumental and vocal presentation a Technicolor aura. Foster has interposed found sounds (one seems to be bacon sizzling in a skillet), odd clips from radio evangelists, and brief, moody studio instrumental segues that give the disc an Andy-Warhol-goes-techno/acoustic-in-the-predawn-hours feel that is quite ingenious. According to Foster, he wanted the EP to seem like a haphazard spin across the late-night radio dial.

As for the other direction, rather than this live recording being a group of songs surrounded by thunderous applause and supportive yells of adulation from adoring fans, in the finest indie fashion Foster has quite clearly caught the mindless bar chatter and the scraping of chairs and the sounds of bottles breaking, as though he has turned the microphones toward the audience rather than toward himself. In mixing the bar sounds with the performances, we get the idea of what a performer actually hears as he tries to create his art for the paying public. We hear quite clearly the interference the performer must overcome. Within the context of the performances and this recording, the crowd sounds almost indifferent, even frequently distracted and unfocused. Foster succeeds in casting the performance as an intimidating prospect, a beast to be conquered. After opening with the Pinetops tune "Lottery," Foster quips, "Welcome to the late, late, late, late show" in response to a scattered smatter of subdued applause. The vibe is very un-rock star.

But Jeffrey Dean Foster is sneaking up on us here. The unusual production aesthetic and mix actually work to demonstrate Foster's considerable talent as he eventually supercedes the crowd interference, overcoming the static in the channels with the force of his performance and his brilliant lyrics. Foster reprises several of his Pinetops tracks ("Lottery," "Jesus Spoke," and the incandescent "So Lonesome I Could Fly"), but it is his new material that shows the songwriting power that is Mr. Foster's ace in the hole. There is no avoiding his lyrical images and his dry insightful musings. His plaintive vocal on "Forgotten My Name" should remind listeners of Steve Forbert in his more melancholy moods. This song alone won me over.

I saw her sister, I saw her candy-red hair
Down at the courthouse in a dress she used to wear
She said "My sister's no genius, but at least she's not insane"
Baby made her escape and she's forgotten my name

While he's had a 20-year career and, in his words, has written a "truckload of songs," Mr. Foster remains something of an underground, word-of-mouth phenomenon outside his regional base. Unless you bought one of the 3,000 copies of The Pinetops Above Ground and Vertical (unlikely since half of them were sold in Europe) or you are from around Winston-Salem, North Carolina, it's doubtful you've heard or heard of Jeffrey Dean Foster. Yet his the leaves turn upside down clearly demonstrates that is a condition you'll want to remedy if you are a fan of heady singer-songwriters.

*Foster is working on another full band studio album for release late this year, but his limited edition and highly tasty the leaves turn upside down is available now at www.jeffreydeanfoster.com. And while you're there it won't hurt to check out Mr. Foster's critically acclaimed Above Ground and Vertical .


Contact William Michael Smith at: wms-at-rockzilla.net

 
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