Jon Itkin contacted me a couple of months ago, saying he had recently moved back to Rochester and was looking to get plugged into the music scene, describing his music as “raw, old-school Americana.” I checked out his MySpace page and liked his songs, so I invited him to open a show at Abilene. I’ve seen him play out a couple of times now. He’s a friendly, down-to-earth guy and he really puts his whole heart into his performances. He’s going to be teaching a songwriting workshop in Rochester, check his MySpace for details. His self-released albumsBig Gold Guitar In The Sky and Oregon are available from iTunes, CD Baby, and at shows.
Do you come from a musical family? What were your experiences with music as a kid?
My parents aren’t very musical at all, though my dad has a great collection of old records which he keeps in perfect shape. One of my earliest recollections of listening to music was my dad playing “Johnny 99″ off Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska record. I thought the song was about me. I forgot about that record for a long time, then it came back to me somehow. Now it’s one of my major musical touchstones.
Though my parents we’re musical, they always encouraged my sister and I to play. She played violin and I started on cell in the 2nd grade. I hated it. Eventually, I wound up playing clarinet in 5th grade or so (sax was taken), and I wound up hating that too. About the end of middle school I got an acoustic guitar and started learning to play. My sister continued with violin, then switched to voice and got her BA in music.
Rochester’s The Gifted Children have supposedly recorded over 1,000 songs in the past 12 years. They’ve recently released a backlog of several full-lengths and EPs in an effort to share these songs (and new ones) with the world, Always Stay Sweet being one of the first new long players. “The Straw Brigade” starts off the album with a biting guitar strum, a great vocal melody, and an interesting bass line. The full band kicks in for a big chorus, and the song is over in 60 seconds. Short but definitely sweet. Many of the tracks on this album are just as brief, and the longest is still under three minutes. Short pop songs are nothing new, and while there’s an obvious Guided By Voices, mid-fi, 90’s style indie pop-rock influence to the album, Always Stay Sweet is full of creativity and inspiration. The album has a very full and warm production quality, and a well-crafted variety of tones and instrumentation. No two tracks really sound alike, but the album is surprisingly cohesive. “How Important the Local Creek” is a grungier, darker, farily straight-forward rock song. “The Dancehall Atlantic” is all major-key with acoustic guitars, piano, and a cool drum beat. “Ankle Socks” is a distorted, drum-machine and keyboard-driven track that’s a lot of fun, and barely long enough to be an iTunes sample. “The Genius Of Me” reminds me of Beta Band. “Meeting The Great Bliss Queen” has weird organ sounds and more digital drums that could have been lifted from Music Has The Right To Children. The real gem of the batch is the title track “Always Stay Sweet”, a perfect noise-pop song, with walls of guitar fuzz, reverb, and a sing-along melody. However, the album is a tough sell as a full-length at only 20 minutes and 12 songs. Some of the tracks feel like bits and parts of songs that never got written, and seem to kind of wander before puttering out. And being such a prolific band, I’m wondering why they didn’t include more tracks to fill things out a bit. Still, this is a very impressive release - it would have been a shame for The Gifted Children to keep it to themselves, becuase it deserves to be heard.
In the early 2000’s, Rochester native Gregory Paul fronted the band Autumdivers, releasing a couple of albums and touring extensively. The band’s atmospheric dream-rock sound caught attention from CMJ, Amplifier, and Billboard, and grew their fanbase. Following the band’s breakup in 2005, Greg released his first solo CD titled “Awake From The Flash”, which continued with the experimental elements of his previous work, but with a more organic, acoustic sound. Recently Greg has performed with The Varnish Cooks and Dark Holler Duo, traditional old-time music that includes banjo, mandolin, and multi-part harmonies. His newest solo release This Side Of The Ground was released early in 2009, and includes a widening variety of modern alt-country, indie-folk, and Americana, while not abandoning ambient experimentation. “Daisy Beach” wouldn’t sound out of place on one of Johnny Cash’s American Recordings releases. “Takes One To No One” takes a My Morning Jacket angle. “Oh Death” is a traditional banjo tune that you may remember from O’ Brother Where Art Thou?, but Gregory still manages to make it sound atmospheric. Greg’s live show is a perfect example of his postmodern eclecticism: seated, wearing his old fedora and handle bar mustache, Greg strums out folk tunes on an acoustic guitar run through a slew of digital effects pedals. Greg will be moving to the West Coast within the next few months, so be sure to catch one of his final shows in Rochester.
Jesse Sprinkle is a musician, photographer, studio enginner, and father of four from Avon, NY, just outside Rochester. In the mid-90’s he played drums with the alternative rock band Poor Old Lu from Seattle, releasing several records and touring the US extensively. After their breakup he recorded a couple of solo albums as “The World Inside” often performing by himself with just an acoustic guitar. During this time he also performed as the tour drummer for a variety of bands including Demon Hunter, Dead Poetic, Starflyer 59, Morella’s Forest, and Serene UK. A few years ago he started a recording studio called Bluebrick Recordings in his hometown of Avon and recently began playing drums for local alt-country-pop favorites Burning Daylight. He has also been very involved recently with The Ugandan Water Project, including two trips to Uganda so far. The track below is from his newest album Surrounded By Lights which was recorded independently in 2008. Released simply as “Jesse Sprinkle”, the album has a very organic sound, with lots of acoustic guitar, a touch of Telecaster jangle, with a full drum sound (naturally) front-and-center.
Listen to “The Long Way Home”:
About Us
AMFWPG is a music blog based in Rochester, NY. We feature music that we like and feel like talking about, with a focus on friends, local music, unheard up-and-coming bands, and some Music 2.0 content. If you'd like to get in touch, contact jason [at] amfwpg [dot] com
