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This Sunday's Echoes Programs
Janaury 21, 2007
INTERVIEWS AND CONCERTS FOR THE WEEK
Monday 01/15
A LIVING ROOM CONCERT WITH STATE OF GRACE
Gothic hymns in a modern world
State of Grace came on the scene a few years ago with Lisbeth Scott intoning gothic hymns composed by Paul Schwartz. They've continued that theme over three elaborately produced albums. But while State of Grace's CDs are elaborately produced affairs with orchestras and synthesizers, Schwartz stripped it all down to a septet: piano, guitar, bass, cello, violin, drums and of course, the immaculate voice of Scott. Their live performance on Echoes maintains the gothic majesty of the songs, but in a powerful, intimate way.
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Tuesday 01/16
AN INTERVIEW WITH STEPHEN BENNETT: HARP GUITAR POET
A Wizard of the Magical Harp-Guitar
The Harp-Guitar is an idiosyncratic instrument played by only a handful of musicians. Michael Hedges and Pat Metheny have both plucked them, but the real zealots are found out on the edges. One of them is Virginia-based musician Stephen Bennett. Lauded by fellow musicians like Tommy Emmanuel, Bennett has frighteningly deft technique on a six-string but add that addition strings of a harp guitar and he gets really dangerous and quite beautiful. His latest album is Reflections. Stephen Bennett reflects on a lifetime of plucking strings on Echoes.
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Wednesday 01/17
A LIVING ROOM CONCERT WITH BT
Vanguard electronica artist plugs in ancient instruments live
BT is best known as a denizen of techno-trance as well as his soundtracks for films like Monster. His album, This Binary Universe, shredded the envelope of ambient music and was Echoes #1 Essential CD for 2006. We caught up with BT on tour where he and his band sat down for an Echoes concert that included throbbing electronic rhythms, mutated hurdy-gurdy and electric bowed psaltery.
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Friday 01/19
THE ALBUM LEAF INTERVIEW: AMBIENCES OF LOVE
A lonely guy in his room creates ambient chamber rock
The Album Leaf is the vehicle of Jimmy LaValle, who creates moody, keyboard based ambiences full of melancholy and reflection. As LaValle reveals, Into the Blue Again was written in isolation, on the eve of a romance. LaValle talks about an introspective music which begins on a battered Fender Rhodes electric piano.
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Playlists for previous weeks can be found at our Playlist Archive.
***************************************************************************** If a CD we played is available from Amazon.com, CDBaby or iTunes, there will be a link to it on the playlist. Clicking on the respective link will direct you to that item's page on amazon.com, CDBaby, or iTunes, where you can get more information about the CD, read reviews, and often listen to soundclips. If you decide to buy the CD, a portion of the sale is credited to Echoes program, helping our non-profit organization to continue producing these shows. Please remember to link to amazon.com, CDBaby, and iTunes through the Echoes website. There's no additional cost for you, and you can help us with every purchase. |