Read what people are saying about Shelving Rock:
Shelving Rock
Rocks:
A
funny thing happened when I put the new CD "Shelving Rock" on my CD
player one morning last week - everybody in my family stopped to listen.
That
may not sound like much, but you have to consider what mornings are
like in our
house - a helter skelter jumble of barked commands from my wife and me
and
seemingly unrelated actions by our two kids, culminating in a mad
whoosh out
the door.
But
when I put "Shelving Rock" on, they all paused, stopped and listened.
My 4-year-ol began swinging her hips in time to the rhythm, my wife
(normally
an oasis of focus in our otherwise chaotic world) commented that she
liked what
she heard, and even my 9-year-old, the pop princess, for whom anything
written
before 2006 is old-school dreck, pulled the ear buds out of ear,
listened and
said "This is good."
I
think that speaks volumes about this new CD from T. Breeze Verdant and
Stephen
Iachetta. There is something eminently listenable about "Shelving
Rock." True, it's probably not going to win any Grammys, but this
companionable collection of 10 songs has the capacity to win people
over.
In
the liner notes, the musicians explain that this CD was recorded
"live" in Julian McBrowne's Hidden Drive Studio, with no overdubs. I
think much of the CD's appeal lies in that fact. It sounds like what it
is -
two friends getting together and jamming warmly and energetically.
There's an
organic and amiable feel to the CD - the image of two friends playing
together,
smiling together and trading licks, say, on a front porch, is very
endearing,
and this CD conjures up that image. It's perfect summertime music.
Iachetta
on mandolin and violin and Verdant on guitar, vocals and stompbox,
comes from
different "schools." Iachetta bills himself as a "Shaker
fiddler" - his sound is very old-timey. Verdant comes from a folky-rock
school. Together, their separate experiences fit together like fingers
around
an ice cream cone.
Together
they venture through a John Prine song, three traditional tunes and
several
Verdant originals in a style that is loose, laid back and
well-intentioned. And
we get to listen in!
Verdant and Iachetta will be playing together tonight (Friday) at McNeill's Brewery (as if you needed another reason to go there) and Saturday starting at 10:45 a.m. at SIT. Check 'em out. Posted by Jon Potter
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I saw the band "Shelving Rock with T. Breeze VerDant and Steve Iachetta" recently for the first time at a local pub. These guys play beautifully together. You can tell they really dig where each other are coming from musically. The guitarist has an original rhythmic and rockin' sound that gets delightfully accompanied by a high energy fiddle style that get you to do a turn and pay attention! Along with the cool mix of original songs and covers, the traditional fiddle pieces played with a strong electric guitar beat, made me want to get up and dance. It all makes for a nicely varied mix all well worth seeing more than once. I highly recommend these guys.
Jack M. Fredricks
