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John Ewing : News & PressJohn Ewing Augustine (2006) : Eclectone Records Texas-to-St. Paul transplant John Ewing returns with a warm, melancholy batch of tunes on Augustine, his first official solo album and the long-awaited follow-up to his last project, The Blue Violets. Fans and friends of John will recognize a fair share of these songs as material heís been playing live around town for several years, while a few of them are more recent and showcase the quieter direction the singer/songwriter/axeman has been heading for some time now. Though Ewingís first couple of local releases (Delta Flares and Seen Yer Face, both under the John Ewing Band moniker) were tight, edgy collections of snarling, youthful, electrified gut-punchers, Augustine finds the soft-spoken, loveable smart-aleck laying bare his soul both musically and lyrically. Kicking off with the title track, Ewing immediately establishes the comfortably sad, wistful tone of the entire album. Over heart-rending strumming and lovelorn harp blasts, he croons: ìOne day Iím gonna settle down/Stop my whoring around/It might be a year, it might be soon/On that day, itíll be with you...î Forgoing the pub-rock ethos of The Blue Violets for the intricate, subtle nuances of acoustic guitars, piano, banjo, mandolin, and violin, Ewing surrounds himself here with some of the most impressive pickers aní grinners the Twin Cities has to offer. Iron Ranger Rich Mattson (who also co-produced, engineered, and recorded this album at his own Flowerpot Studio) chimes in with guitars, drums, bass, and toy piano. Local axeman Eric Kassel lays down sweet guitar licks, piano runs, and banjo plucks, longtime Ewing sideman/bassist Gabby Ramirez provides the perfect, understated bottom end, multi-talented Centurions frontman Jake Wisti liberally sprinkles goosebump-inducing violin runs across most of the recording, and Bruce Johnson shores things up with soulful, down-to-earth mando and harp playing. Standout tracks here (theyíre ALL good, though) include longtime Ewing stage staple ìDangerous Birds,î re-cut here with the able assistance of all of the impressive talents listed above, ìCursed Or Blessedî which rides a loping, regret-laden trail of tears (ì...you only live once, but many times youíll die...î), the shimmering, almost ethereal groove of Wistiís violin on the instrumental cut ìThief In The Caboozeî cuts through your heart like a straight razor, and the gorgeous, tearful plea of ìHalf A Dayî could melt the coldest, cheatin-est heart around: ìHalf a day with you, baby/Means more than a life of strange old maybes/Shootiní through our veins this pain ainít lazy/I know you understand/I think I understand/Now the speed is pickiní up...all I need is half a day/Iíll leave my weapons at your gate/Just give me one more half a day...î But the real clincher here, for me anyway, is the off-the-cuff, visceral slice of ìKeep Your Collar To The Dawn.î Having spent a considerable number of long, liquor-soaked nights talking music, life, and sometimes pure-dee nonsense with John, I can recall a fair number of mornings when weíd both part ways as the sun rose on the horizon and the last of the beer was heartily consumed. As we separated at a crosswalk or an alleyway, Iíd look back and nod at him as he was turning away. Invariably, John would flip the collar of his sheepskin cowboy jacket up, tip one finger to his cap, and grin that unforgettable grin of his. This cut perfectly captures both the carefree, earthy Texas grit and the soulful, doubting, melancholy sides of itsí author, and will surely go down in my book as his True, picture-perfect theme song: ì...thatís the best thing I done,î he intones, ìYouíre gonna need just a little shelter, youíre gonna need a friend/Aní since I canít be neither to you/All I can send, never worry about the things youíve lost...and always keep your collar to the dawn...î A truly inspiring, thoughtful, and thought-provoking batch of original, home-grown Americana from a guy who actually lives and breathes the music, lyrics, and life his art reflects. Augustine hits stores on March 24th, and you can check out Eclectoneís website for more info at eclectone.com. Live gigs (featuring some of the players on this album) will follow, watch this space for details. |