In just over three years, Mike Strauss – the man David Childers calls “the best young songwriter in Charlotte” — has put together a more-than-respectable catalog of rural rock; his third and latest, After All, should only up the ante.
Strauss recorded the just-released After All at Chris Garges’ Old House Studios in Gastonia with what amounts to a roster of local all-stars. Forming the core of the band was noted jazz bassist Ron Brendle, drummer David Kim (Fence Lions), Jason Atkins on keys, and Randolph Lewis (Les Dirt Clods). Strauss says he “put a lot of trust” in Lewis, who produced, provided arrangements and co-wrote two songs.
“Randolph’s naturally inclined to streamline songs,” says Strauss. “He convinced me we needed to do this as live as possible, and instead of falling on our faces, I think we did six of the songs that first day, often in one or two passes. I was real happy with the results.”
Brendle was a last-minute fill-in for Jon Schigoda, who played bass on Strauss’ two previous records — 2004’s Gone Electric and 2005’s How in the World? — but was unavailable during these recording dates.
“I didn’t think Ron would do it, but I was more than thrilled when he said ‘yes,'” Strauss says.
The result of the five-day recording session last winter is his strongest collection – a record whose power is as much subtle and cumulative as it is immediate. After All‘s rich accents, particularly Atkins’ keys, and pedal steel from Rob Barrone and Rodney Lanier, set Strauss’ rough-hewn, part-Mark Knopfler/part-Nashville Skyline Dylan vocals in even greater relief, adding to the record’s laid-back feel and compelling narratives.
“I don’t like the literal that much, so I even disguise the meanings of songs from myself at times,” says Strauss, who was influenced by the narrative simplicity of Ali Farka Toure’s collaboration with Ry Cooder, Talking Timbuktu, as well as the songwriting of Tom Waits and Malcolm Holcombe.
“Waits’ songs taught me that you can re-visit subjects and find new perspectives on the same events,” Strauss says, “and Malcolm’s lyrics are oblique, but you get a sense that you know what he’s talking about.”
Judging by After All, you could say the same for Strauss. He and the band celebrate the CD’s release Saturday, April 21, at the Evening Muse, after an in-studio appearance at WNCW the day before.
BENEFIT BLOWOUT: Give the People What They Want: A Night of the Kinks, the 4th annual Fool’s Brigade benefit held Saturday, March 31, certainly lived up to the title. A rich roster of some of Charlotte’s best rock bands did the Davies brothers’ catalog justice throughout the four-hour tribute. Post-event praise from fellow musicians and many of the 350 fans backed that up.
Organizer and emcee Bruce Hazel was ecstatic — and relieved — since this Fool’s Brigade featured more bands than in any previous year. The benefit trumped last year’s fundraising high, too, earning nearly $4,000 for the Charlotte Charter Schools music program.
“I was afraid I’d bit off more than I could chew at first,” Hazel says, “but the biggest thing was everybody was really cooperative and excited to be part of it, so it ran more smoothly than I could have imagined. Every band seemed to inspire the next to reach even higher. I was afraid I was going to have set my hair on fire to keep up.”
Hazel’s late-set version of “Alcohol” provided plenty of heat anyway, as did Lou Ford’s “Death of a Clown” (aided by the Pyramid horn section), a suitably jagged and thunderous Babyshaker take on the early Kinks’ classic “You Really Got Me,” the Houstons’ “Misfits,” Raised by Wolves’ “Oklahoma USA,” and strong individual contributions from Jay Garrigan, Benji Hughes, Shawn Lynch, John Morris and, really, just about everybody else. Special kudos should go to late additions Carla Marsh for providing back-up vocals and to ex-Guided by Voices’ guitar wiz Doug Gillard, who sat in with the house band and the Fence Lions and was duly impressed by the entire event.
“I found the group of musicians involved in this to be very inclusive, welcoming and refreshingly without attitude,” says Gillard
FREE YOUR MUSIC: Brent Bagwell hosts another in his Free Music series at Century (Central Ave. and Thomas St.) on Friday, April 20, featuring lap-top folk rock from Raleigh’s Megafaun; Locksmith Isidore, a Chicago/New York trio with Jason Stein on bass clarinet, Kevin Davis on cello, and Mike Pride on drums; and Project Bluebird, which includes Bagwell on clarinet and saxophones, Ben Kennedy (cello/violin), Bob Pence (baritone and alto saxes, bass clarinet), Carrie Shull (oboe, English horn) and the ubiquitous (at least in this column) Ron Brendle on bass.
This article appears in Apr 11-17, 2007.
