Burning bright

Kari Tieger, Sidedoor Johnnies, and more

by Michael Caito

Sidewalk Johnnies

With the holiday falling on Friday, we're out a day early next week, and here are a few last-minute additions for those stockings hung with care . . .

Kari Tieger:Touch of Magic (Tiger Sound 20-piece CD)
Mixing French and English, songs and spoken-word reflections, mature takes on relationship issues and a gothic trio of vampire tunes, Kari Tieger returns with a batch of compositions written over the past decade.

Primarily a vocalist / keyboardist, Tieger enlists the support of numerous talented pals to pull together this sprawling release, most of which works very well. "Tell Me, Please" opens Magic with her best track, a no-nonsense examination of a long-term relationship whose incisiveness smacks of a psychologist's desire to cut through rationalization and its oft-confusing investing of emotion with the weight of reason. Add to that the innate prettiness of the tune and Tieger blasts out of the starting blocks.

Throughout the disk, Tieger's voice tends to swoop, often with good results but occasionally losing an edge while rounding a sharp corner like an overzealous skater. It was the overabundance of these wipe-outs which prompted a sense of mawkishness on her last release several years ago, but many of those problems have been planed smooth and what remains is a rarity, as Tieger forces the listener into what in certain ways is an internal Socratic dialogue. Buoyed by the presence of intermittent strings (viola, violin, cello), some nifty, understated percussive work from Steve Lavalley and an alternating rhythm section (bassist Mibbett Threats and drummer Dave Price in particular), Touch of Magic works best when Tieger doesn't stump about proselytizing about love's errant nature, but writes simply and without too much fancy adornment of the ways by which we comprehend what happened, is happening or may happen. Things will go right and things will go wrong, she says, but without a fatalistic bent dooms everything to the vagaries of fortune and ultimate failure.

This is the case in the first and finest of three songs written and sung in French, the beautiful "Tu Demeures Dans Mon Coeur." While perhaps the only truly spectacular moment during this hour-long platter, image and emotion fall into place perfectly in this Valentine's Day tribute to a loved one, essaying how mutual nourishment doesn't lessen individuality but creates a vibrant, healthy tandem greater than the sum of its parts. You could even call this one timeless.

And speaking of time, it's worth noting that the strongest pieces here -- with the exceptions of the spoken-word rainy-day ponderings which slow the momentum when they appear -- were written in the past coupla years. 1989's "Magic Touch"and '92's "If You Try" lack the insight of Tieger's more recent compositions, and given the length of the CD (just under an hour) it would have been much better to leave the odd moldy-oldie for long-time fan requests at live shows.

Sidedoor Johnnies: fineline (Good Guppy 12-song CD)
Live shows and the bevy of fine pop songs on this, last year's release, caused the Mercury execs to ink the feisty trio. Substitute guitar for piano and there is a lot of overlap between the Ben Folds camp and these scalawags, whose tweakings of the power-pop idiom consistently surprise the casual listener and win new fans wherever they play. Even though on Saturday at AS220 they'll probably stick to the newer material from their soon-out Mercury debut, these takes on the world of the Beatles and 'Mats are imbued with the contemporary verve of Blur and Soul Coughing. The Strong Island band -- including the Skinner brothers --  can't be considered unique in their inspiration, as they're one of many bands whose personal record collections (even just the Brit invasion vinyl) would be things of joy to sift through. But their ability to veer among the ghosts of the past while easily outpacing many in the current crop of poppers speckling the indie / modern-rock charts raises their stock, and the scope of fineline will leave you breathless at their humor and artistry -- not to mention the fact that you'll now look askance at Buffalo Tom and Oasis, and quietly burn everything the GooGoo Dolls did after A Boy Named Goo. Saturday night, house of the Fat Cat.

STARS & BARS. Also on Saturday, a few blocks over at the Safari, Renee Bessette's Brentwood Estates label has a single-release bash with Meridian 1520. An advance pressing reveals another seven-inch mylar winner, featuring "The Sonorous Envelope" and "Hypercube." Brentwood is on a roll. Released at the same time is the Dave Auchenbach-produced single by the Parcels on Brentwood, and joining the fun Saturday are Ryan Lewis' (Kindercore Records)' band the Pecan Sandies and Boston's Rose of Sharon, along with the Parcels.

Also on Saturday, Jack Smith and the Rockabilly Planet along with the Pulltabs open for King Memphis at the Call. 'Twas nice to hear Dennis "Hula Bomb" Kelly of the Pulltabs  tearing things up during his three-song cameo at a very packed Amazing Crowns show last Friday at Lupo's along with Flat Duo Jets (who were OK, but a little too jacked up and raving to get across their truer, rootsier flavors). Several new Crowns tunes have sing-along appeal, and they sounded more cohesive than their India Point love-in.

On Friday, Purple Ivy Shadows check in with two sets at the Green Room, and Keith Souza (Sampson Studios producer), singer/guitarist from Jetpack, phoned to mention that trio's CD-release at the Century Lounge, same night right around the corner. Jetpack recently performed live on Scott Sullivan's This Little Noise show on WRIU, in a Wednesday 9 p.m., to midnight slot during which Sullivan hopes to spotlight a new band each week. Wednesday it was Vfor Vendetta and December 30 it's Broadcaster. 90.3 F Mon your dial, and on Friday at the Century for Jetpack, Vfor Vendetta, Wicked Farleys and Plain as Day.

On the 22nd, the C.A.R.M.A. troupe will bring some reggae to the Call for the good of a Providence homeless shelter. The acronym stands for Collective Artistic Roots Music Alternative, and it's a travelling charity aiming to raise consciousness about homelessness issues. A series of shows featuring Drug Reaction Records artist Jason Drug (ASCAP) and the roots reggae popsters Giggle Juice arrive at the Call this week, and proceeds from the show and the sale of Drug's single "The Olde Log Inn -- A Christmas Song" (available at Newbury Comics) will be donated to local charities. Further info, contact Vita Brevis Creative via e-mail at JRUG2500@aol.com. On the email tip, Nightswimming's is now mec484@yahoo.com. If you accidentally send to the old address at mec484 aol.com you'll get through, but expect a gentle reminder. This season, remember to call someone you haven't spoken with in too long. Don't be thick, life is brief. Merry Christmas.