Tag: David Gergen

Fresh New Tracks, Vol. 33 – Neil Billinness, David Gergen, Marc Schuster, Soda Cracker Jesus

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews7 Comments

So much new music, but only so much time to write about it all! That means it’s time for another installment of my Fresh New Tracks series. Today, I’m featuring new songs by four talented gentlemen – Scottish electronic composer, singer-songwriter and producer Neil Billinness, L.A.-based singer-songwriter and musician David Gergen, Philadelphia area-based singer-songwriter and musician Marc Schuster, and Tacoma, Washington-based psychedelic indie pop musician Soda Cracker Jesus. I’ve previously written about all four of them, though it’s been many years since I featured Neil B. and David G.

NEIL BILLINNESS – “Spring”

Hailing from Rosyth, Scotland (located on the Firth of Forth northwest of Edinburgh), is Neil Billinness, a singer-songwriter and musician who composes, records and produces electronic music influenced by 80’s artists he grew up with like Howard Jones, OMD, The Human League, Tears For Fears, David Bowie, Prince and Madonna. In December 2016, I featured him in an Artist Spotlight where I wrote a fair amount about him, but to summarize, he spent time as a member of a few rock bands beginning in high school, but later put music on the back burner while he built his professional career. Starting around 2011, he took up songwriting again in earnest and set up his own home studio, where he embraced sequencing, sampling and programming which enabled him to produce music more easily. He subsequently established an independent label NeRo Music with his life partner Robert, who tragically passed away suddenly the day after Neil released his single “Passing Thoughts”, in January 2016. He followed with a few more singles, and began working on a sci-fi concept album, but lingering depression over losing Robert, as well as a health event that resulted in the partial loss of his eyesight, caused him to shelve the project. He later compiled the demo tracks into an album Space Travels, which he released on Bandcamp in 2018.  

More recently, Neil’s been working with singer-songwriter Jill Jones (who worked with Prince in the 1980s, including singing backing vocals on some of the tracks on his album 1999, as well as appearing in his movies Purple Rain and Graffiti Bridge), remastering and cleaning up the audio on tracks she’d originally recorded in 1989 into a new album to be released later this month. He’s also recorded and released some new material of his own, one of which is his latest single “Spring“, a dramatic electronic instrumental piece he released on April 1st. About the song, Neil explains: “This piece was written in the darkest of times eight years ago, when I was in a deep depression but starting to see light creeping into the darkness. It’s an instrumental piece, with some seemingly-random, cold electronic noises interspersed throughout. What they represent is for the listener’s interpretation. This track has a bittersweet memory, as it was a track that my dad heard and liked, before he passed away. My dad said things as they were and if he didn’t like something I’d written he would have no hesitation in telling me. But I remember when he heard this I could see him nodding his head and smiling, and he told me he liked it.” Well, I like it too, and despite its 7:25 minute run time, it doesn’t feel overly long. Though somewhat dark, it features a fascinating, almost otherworldly soundscape layered over a continuous pulsating beat, punctuated by spritely little flourishes and sci-fi sounds that served to lighten the overall mood of the piece.

Follow Neil:  Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram

DAVID GERGEN – “Into the Woods”

David Gergen is another artist I wrote about several years ago, back in March 2018 when I reviewed his beautiful album The Golden Light. A singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles, David has been writing and recording music for nearly three decades, and including The Golden Light, has released 10 albums, two of which are experimental instrumental-only works. Like Neil above, David also suffered the terrible loss of his life partner Michelle, who passed away in 2015, a life-changing event that can’t help but have a major impact on one’s songwriting and music. Accordingly, he writes thoughtful lyrics about love, loss and renewal, which he delivers with warm, comforting vocals backed by sublime piano and guitar-driven melodies drawn from elements of alternative, indie and experimental rock, Americana and easy-listening. 

On March 29th, David released “Into the Woods“, his first new single in five years. The song speaks of finding peace of mind and renewing one’s soul by getting in touch with nature and its healing powers. Anyone who’s ever hiked through a forest has experienced the beneficial calming effects that result from being in a serene and beautiful setting, leaving you feeling refreshed and even a bit more centered. Musically, the song is an agreeable blend of alternative rock and Americana, though David’s fuzzy electric guitars add an edgy vibe to the proceedings. His smooth vocals are both pleasing and commanding as he encourages us to seek solace and find healing in the woods.

Follow David:  Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram

MARC SCHUSTER – “Paul Giamatti (Is Everywhere Tonight)”

Marc Schuster is an insanely creative, multi-talented and very busy guy from the Philadelphia area who I got to know several years ago through blogging (he has a terrific WordPress blog called Abominations, where he writes about music and interviews indie artists). Not only is he an educator, author, literary critic and visual artist, he’s also a prolific songwriter and musician, recording both as a solo artist and as part of numerous music projects and collaborations with an ever-expanding roster of musicians. As if all that weren’t enough, he also hosts a weekly hour-long music podcast called “Tweetcore Radio Hour”, where he features songs by talented indie artists he’s met through Twitter (now X). I honestly don’t know how he finds the time and energy to accomplish all that he does!

Though Marc likes to experiment with different sounds, styles and textures, most of the songs he records as a solo artist have a delightful, indie bedroom-pop sensibility. Not only are they infectiously catchy, he has a wonderful knack for putting a youthful, often tongue-in-cheek perspective on everyday situations and problems many of us have faced at one time or another. His latest single, “Paul Giamatti (Is Everywhere Tonight“, is yet another lighthearted example of this. Marc explained his inspiration for writing the song: “I wrote it a few months back when, for no apparent reason, the thought occurred to me that it would be funny if Paul Giamatti had played George Costanza on ‘Seinfeld’ instead of Jason Alexander. That idea didn’t make it into the final version (it was in one of the verses that I cut), but the thought of Paul Giamatti showing up in unexpected places stuck with me, and soon I was imagining him everywhere.” The song has a breezy vibe, highlighted by cool piano keys and an infectious toe-tapping beat, and I love those horn synths in the bridge. James Lorino, aka Scoopski, sang backing vocals at the end of the track.

Follow Marc:  Website / Twitter / Instagram

SODA CRACKER JESUS – “Asleep But Awake”

One of the more fascinating and flamboyant artists I know of is Soda Cracker Jesus, the solo music project of the wildly imaginative and enormously talented singer-songwriter and producer Regan Lane. Based in Tacoma, Washington, Regan has been actively involved in the Pacific Northwest music scene for 40 years, with his hands in many projects, including serving as front man and ringmaster for psychedelic punk-rock band Strangely Alright. He created Soda Cracker Jesus in early 2021 as a way of expressing his punkier power pop side, and has released an impressive number of singles, several of which I’ve reviewed (my most recent was for “Space Boy” last May). 

His latest and twelfth single is “Asleep but Awake“, a collaboration with his friend Jimm Boudreau of The Dissonance Theory, itself a collaborative music project based in the Seattle area. Regan and Jimm co-wrote the music and lyrics, with Regan singing vocals and playing guitar, keyboards and strings, Jimm playing bass and John Hargis playing drums. The song is an alternative rock gem, with strong psychedelic overtones, and I love the intricate instrumentation and lush orchestration, not to mention Regan’s wonderful emotive vocals that always remind me of David Bowie. In fact, the song sounds like a long lost Bowie song from the late 70s. I may be off-base, but the lyrics seem to speak of letting go of unpleasant memories of past mistakes, and choosing to live in the here and now with a more positive outlook. “I don’t know if the stars will always shine. There’s a game I play while I’m lost in space. And I’m happy to be alive. This Is Dreaming. This Is Dreaming. And I’m Awake but I’m Asleep.” The colorful and trippy animated video was created by Regan/Soda Cracker Jesus.

Follow Soda Cracker Jesus: Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram

DAVID GERGEN – Album Review: “The Golden Light”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews1 Comment

David Gergen2

David Gergen is a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. He’s been making music for over two decades, and just released his 7th self-produced album The Golden Light in early February. He seems to drop a new album every four years – previous efforts being The Dreaming in 2014, The Nearer It Was…The Farther It Became in 2010, and Haunting Whirlwinds in 2006 (although he did release a five-song EP Odyssey in 2012).

Incorporating elements of alternative, indie and experimental rock with Americana and easy-listening, he writes beautiful piano and guitar-driven melodies to accompany his thoughtful lyrics about love, loss and renewal. He explains his writing process on his website: “I write songs faster than I can record them….lyrics are important to me. I change direction with each piece of work and rather than submit to any trends, I create music that I like first and foremost. Music that keeps me interested, that is the secret to longevity I think.”

As I listened to The Golden Light, I was struck by David’s exceptional piano playing and skill at writing melodic piano compositions, both of which are well represented on the lovely album opener “Closer to the Light.” The main piano riff is serene and hauntingly beautiful, and backed by a second layer of piano, as well as a delicately strummed acoustic guitar, mandolin and strings. The track has a spiritual feel, with lyrics that seem to be about hitting rock bottom and seeking a way out of the hole you’re in through love and redemption. David’s smooth vocals have a quiet intensity as he implores “I’m falling, falling. Falling, I’m falling…down. Down, worn and busted. Can love save me again? The only must have is light coming in? Closer, closer, closer to the light.” The song is one of the album highlights for me.

“Talking About Love” is an uptempo song with more of a progressive rock sound, thanks to the predominance of electric guitar and a more aggressive drumbeat. The layered guitars on this track are really good. The brooding “Here and There” ventures toward an Americana vibe, and features some awesome moody guitars and piano keys that convey the sentiments expressed in the lyrics: “Slowly, the twinkle is leaving those eyes. Somber days the overture of the times. The moment you notice it’s already gone. I’m afraid to notice who’s driving this train. I know I’m falling in love with this feeling that’s here and there.”

Another beautiful piano-driven track is “Looking Glass,” a poignant song that seems to be about facing your own truths with honesty and an open mind. David’s piano playing is exquisite, and the accompanying acoustic guitar and soaring string synths make for a really gorgeous song. His vocals are comforting as he sings: “Don’t run away there’s a price to be paid, it’ll come back to find you again. So many of us running in circles to find out what’s lying within. Life is so pretty like a beautiful city with its lights climbing up to the moon. High rising wild fire burns what it needs to renew. It passed through the looking glass….it’s gone, gone, gone, gone.”

“Sirens” is an interesting track with rather unusual melody progressions that keep us just a bit off balance, but in a good way. David employs otherworldly synths and a funky distorted guitar riff to create dissonance and a sense of uncertainty that complement the lyrics: “The sweet singing on the red sea leads you right to the edge. The sirens watching are breaking us in. How many signs does it take.”

Another unconventional track is “Mountain,” which has two distinct parts. The first 50 seconds of the song consists of eerie, discordant synths and an echoed pounding drum that impart a sense of foreboding. That disturbing part ends with an abrupt shift to a melodic and pleasing Americana song with strummed and chiming guitars, lovely synths and piano. David croons “Can anybody see through the mountain? Can anybody see what’s there? If you only see, what you want to see. It’s an easy way to get lost.” The track closes out the last 10 seconds with a repeat of the discordant sounds, perhaps symbolizing the feeling of being lost?

David goes off in an experimental rock direction on the fascinating “Coffee in Bed.” He uses layers of differently-textured strummed guitars that are sometimes discordant, backed with spooky, ethereal synths to create a hauntingly beautiful and mesmerizing soundscape. David’s soothing vocals are almost seductive as he sings about the ardor of love’s desires: “Calm breeze, sun on her face. I bring her some coffee, she wants me to stay. Not in a long time has anyone said, you must be waiting for coffee in bed.”

He follows up with “Big River,” a pleasing Americana ballad about making it home to be with his loved one, and closes the album with “Clouds and Lightning.” Piano is the only instrument on this lovely track about what appears to be death and rebirth, whether in the literal or figurative sense: “It’s easy now, when it comes. Separate the heroes from the villains. Higher than the clouds. The offering to guide you on the way out.  Talk slow, it’s me you’re looking for. Why are you trying to be so strong? Resting clouds, resting angel. There’s a story she’s trying to tell. And then they’re gone, crimson angels.”

I must concede that The Golden Light is a remarkable work that requires at least a couple of listens to fully appreciate the nuance and complexity of the music and poetic lyrics, though the songs still sound wonderful to the casual listener. I discovered new sounds and meanings with each additional listen, and grew to like the songs more and more, to the point where I now think the album is brilliant. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys piano rooted alternative and experimental rock music that’s just a bit out of the ordinary.

Connect with David:  Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Find his music on  Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / Bandcamp