June 25, 2008:
"Albums like this don't come by very often."
5 of 5 Carrots!
says Bluesbunny UK on the new Water Callers album "Springboard"
The Water Callers write original music inspired by traditional Southern styles including jazz, country, bluegrass, gospel, and folk. In addition to performing around the Triangle of NC, the Water Callers (Jason Fagg & Bart Matthews) have written music for various film and theater projects including 2007's "Durham: A Self Portrait" and Little Green Pig's shocking adaptation of "A Streetcar Named Desire." In addition, Jason's song "The Distant City" aired on CSI: NY in 2006 while Bart's acting work has landed him on the pages of the New York Times and the Chicago Sun-Times. Their collective performance and songwriting experience has come to fruition with their new album "Springboard."
Some recent reviews say:
"Lyrically adept with a more than a touch of music hall about them, the Water Callers impressed us with their own quirky compositions...A throwback to times past, perhaps. Anachronistic certainly. Worthy of your attention? We think so."
"These guys take you to some interesting places, using the language and, sometimes, the literal songs of another era to illuminate our own. 'In the Moonlight' and 'So Far' are songs from the weird, old America that doesn't exist much anymore in mainstream culture. This album reminds me of Snakefarm or Jim White, in that it both exhumes old forms and makes them new again. This is not easy listening, but if you want to understand how we got where we are, it is certainly required listening."
"...you can easily picture hearing [their] songs on a scratchy and tinny sounding 78. Yet, at the same time, there is a modern sensibility about their music, which probably comes from the hindsight of knowing what works and what doesn't. In other words, they've done their homework, and it shows in the songwriting."
"Dirty and authentic, this is a collection of fantastic ‘round the campfire tunes. Sounding like true backcountry cowboys, Bart Matthews and Jason Fagg channel the spirit of the inimitable Woody Guthrie."
For more details click on our Press page .
