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Also this issue: The Core Review: Relache Ensemble Suite Spot Reviews Greg Tardy Napalm Death Devendra Banhart The Cleveland Orchestra |
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February 6-12, 2003
hearhere
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There's an assumption that the kind of musicians you hear on, say, WMGK or B101 just ended up there. Like they grew up wanting to be rock stars and turned out being something a little less hip and a lot more soft.
But guys like Richard Marx and Bryan Adams are more than likely right where they want to be. And that's the sort of market local crooner Vincent James is going for -- he wants to be the next big love-song-singing softy. His latest CD, One More Night (on DiPop Records), is nine tracks of slow junior-high-dance numbers and peppy little Costner/Karate Kid-soundtrack fare.
Amid twinkling strings and resounding synthesizers, James delivers lines like: "Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on/ everyone needs a friend to rely on/ when the whole world's gone/ you won't be alone/ 'cause I'll be there."
But all that don't mean nothing if nobody hears you. That's why James has set about doing 100 shows in the seven weeks leading up to Valentine's Day. Mostly he's playing places like bookstores, malls and coffee shops. "A lot of the performances are in public places where the crowd is built in," says James. "I was originally inspired by a Richard Marx stunt years back where he performed at several airports in a single day."
You have to figure it's a difficult mission, journeying through the endless winter nights to a local Borders armed only with a keyboard and some really schmaltzy, earnest music. It means playing two, three or four shows some days, and while he does bring a bass player/backup singer to some, most performances are solo. Why do it? "I wanted to create a way to bring my music to as many people as possible," he says. "I also wanted to see if I can survive it with my sanity intact. I'll let ya know."
Of course, some might say it's too late; James "recently wrote a song for J. Lo and Ben Affleck called ŒForever Love.' Kind of my good-luck wish to them for a lasting relationship." He sent a copy to their people but hasn't heard back yet.
James quit his computer programming job in September to do the music thing full time. "Currently the money I make comes from doing custom love songs, some private parties, some of the tour shows and CD sales," he says. "I can't really say I'm making enough to sustain myself yet."
Yes, you read right -- custom love songs. For $500 James will co-write a song with you, record it and give it to you on disc. "To date I've written about a dozen custom love songs: half for hire and half as [radio] contest winners."
His website -- you better believe it's www.lovesongs.com -- already gets 400 to 500 hits a day, he says. He wants it to be "the be-all and end-all for love songs." Check it for James' itinerary here in the home stretch of his lovefest. He'll be right there waiting for you.
1. Let go of the afternoons: Perhaps unsettled by those few moments of peace when they weren't at work or at rock shows, the boys in Cordalene decided something had to be done. The result is the Manic Pop Thrill series at The Fire, which neatly fills in that empty Saturday afternoon time slot. Each all-ages show features Cordalene plus other bands they like from Philly and beyond. This weekend's gig has Natural History (from New York), Washington Social Club (D.C.) and Bitter, Bitter Weeks. Stayed tuned each week for details on the other shows. Sat., Feb. 8, 2 p.m., $5, The Fire, 412 W. Girard Ave., 267-671-9298.
2. The next edition of the Philadelphia Songwriters' Project is coming up (Remember, you read about it here last month?). The next show features Christine Havrilla, Adrien Mowry (of Beaucoup Blues), Erik Balkey, Nate Skiles and George Stanford (both of Townhall) and Birdie. Sun., Feb. 9, 7 p.m., $8, The Playground at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., 215-563-4330.
3. What the hell was former Phillies great Tug McGraw doing at The Photon Band's gig at The Fire on Saturday? "Damned if I know," says lead singer/guitarist Art Di Furia. "My theory is that his publicists brought him there to make as if he's Œdown' with the youth culture."
He's joking, one would presume (though it's hard to catch sarcasm in e-mails). Rumor is a secret benign presence in the local punk/baseball scene arranged for the Photon Man and the Tugger to meet. See, the former is a real baseball nut and the latter is, what, an indie rocker with a taste for Darla?
Anyway, the two did get the chance to talk, sort of. "It was loud," writes Di Furia. "He yelled, I tried to yell back but mostly I just listened."
Baseball, as you might imagine, did come up. "Rooting like crazy for the losingest franchise in sport during its bleakest years, and being able to remember players like Downtown Ollie Brown didn't impress the Tugger.
"He wants me to put aside my pursuit of a Ph.D., rock and teaching so that I can come fully back to what's really important in life: our national pastime. Deep down, I know he's right."
Oh yeah, Di Furia says the whole music thing is going well too. The Photon Band's latest CD, It's A Lonely Planet, is making waves overseas. "They're playing ŒWe Don't Care Anymore' on Norwegian radio. According to Oyvind Holm of Norway's Dipsomaniacs, winter suicides are up."
4. Write to
hearhere@citypaper.net.
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