Three for your stereo

June 1, 2008

New CDs have arrived from a trio of local favorites - singer-songwriter Mike Moran, musician-activist Seth Bernard, and Gretchen Eichberger-Kudlack’s Half Moon Musicians. Let’s take a look (listen) at their latest musical offerings.

MIKE MORAN - “Spaces” (Mike
Moran Music)
Opening with “75 and Sunny Skies,” written by Moran, Spaces starts with a spoken rendering of a typical Northern Michigan winter weather forecast while Moran sings about his longing for our region’s warmer climes to return, making this truly the go-to tune for a Michigan travel promo or one of those uber-happy Lite beer adverts.
Fans will be glad to hear that Moran is continuing along the popular bluesy-pop genre that he’s become well-known for in the region.
That perky approach continues on “Persistance,” more of a relationship-based song that offers an appealing Jimmy Buffett feel, complete with tropical rhythms and well-executed horns. Those horns return in trio form (Jason Bohde, Pete Birchler, and Tim Fischer) on “James Brown,” another peppy number that will definitely encourage all those fudgies to dance it up.
Moran’s vocals often recollect those of a higher-ranged Darius Rucker (Hootie and the Blowfish) and are especially distinctive on songs like “Turn It Up” and the title track; the album’s highlight is perhaps “Fat Man,” a forthright lament co-written with Josh Havens about the sorry state of the music industry, with easily singalongable rhymes that are sure to make this one a special hit with the locals.

SETH BERNARD (AND FRIENDS) - “This Here” (Earthwork Music)
Recorded at Heart Center Studios in Big Rapids, Bernard’s latest is a more laid-back set that’s heavy on traditional instruments - 29 musicians in all participated in the making of this CD, which was released through his collective of musicians, activists, and farmers.
Folky, deceptively simple, and carefully arranged, Bernard’s songs tell tales of the region and present reflections of familiar scenarios. “Zeek” is a song that many freewheeling Northern Michiganders will easily see themselves in, with its Grateful-Dead harmonies and spoken-word reminisces about hanging out with the title character in a typical fun-night-out “hell yeah” scenario.
“Underground Giver” finds Bernard “sippin’ on chicory” and drifting along just like the song itself, with its para-military beat, plucked guitar, and woozy keys, conjuring up the feel of an afternoon lounging around the campsite. The quirkily-titled “Catfish Computer” opens with a choir flair and glockenspeil, set to a mellow, foot-tapping beat and an unexpected talk-boxed voice behind Bernard’s descriptive lyrics. And one of the standout songs on the album is “Overhaul,” a slow, ‘60s-styled, speakeasy folk song that’s anchored by acoustic guitar and enhanced nicely with even-tempered harmonies and pretty string work.

HALF MOON MUSICIANS - “Songs for Sleepy Beings” (Half Moon)
The biggest question accompanying this release - put together by singer Gretchen Eichberger-Kudlack - is why isn’t Eichberger-Kudlack the host of a public television children’s TV show yet? Her quietly melodic, kindergarten-friendly
vocals coupled with the old-fashioned stylings of piano and stringed instruments (guitar, banjo, mandolin, bass) would
seriously be perfect alongside a few fake-fur, jug-band, straw-hat-wearing puppets, lulling the kiddies to sleep. But that
actually is the point of this whole set, which is arranged so that the songs get quieter and quieter (and the vocals more and more hushed) as the album progresses.
“Hobo’s Lullaby” features Eichberger-Kudlack singing of a train’s “steel wheels humming” alongside Don Julin’s delicate mandolin work; the retooled “Blue Betsie Valley” is one you’ll recognize, revamped lyrically for a Northern Michigan audience; and “Raisins and Almonds” is a prettily-haunting Hebrew folk song evocative of simpler times and more exotic places.
Immediately following the initial round of more story-based songs are a second series of tracks that are mostly Eichberger-Kudlack playing calming lullabies (Schumann, Bach) on the piano; it’s a carefully thought-out package, a smart concept, and an album that’s performed with sincerity and homegrown talent.