Tag Archive for 'Chris Garneau'

Another great reason to be as enthusiastic as Laura for this promising October Month is the forthcoming performance of Holcombe Waller. It’s been about two months, I’m exchanging some mails with this Portland based songwriter, requesting demos and asking for an interview. Following a kind message (review and interviews will come soon), I’ve received this announcement :

Dear world,

While insanity looms in the political arena and international markets crumble around us, let me invite you to a wonderful evening of music and video and light and ideas debuting in just two short weeks in Seattle.

“Into the Dark Unknown: The Hope Chest” is an original music theater performance that I have written about how we find hope in hopeless situations. It’s about transformation, and how we struggle with change – in ourselves and in the world around us. And, it’s about moving boxes, storage facilities, and of course, crushes on sexy people and long walks on the beach.

Funded and commissioned by a list of fabulous organizations you can read about on the project summary page here, “Into the Dark Unknown: The Hope Chest” represents the largest theatrical production I’ve ever created, incorporating contributions and feedback from a list of talented theatrical designers, artistic mentors, and a litany of life experiences both shitty and epiphanic. It is the traveling performance work to which my next album, “Into the Dark Unknown,” has merely become the companion piece (and yes, we’re working on it so announcements are forthcoming).

The show is October 2, 3 and 4 at 8pm at the lovely On the Boards (one of the commissioners). Thursday night we’ll have an after party mixer at the bar below the theater; Friday night we’ll have a post-show Q & A; Saturday night I’m having a raucous closing-night party at The Cuff.

If you’re in Seattle, please join us. If you’re in Portland, find that couch to crash on and come on up, we’re all going. For the rest of the world, please do forward this letter along to your friends. Reserving tickets is highly recommended:

You can read more about the show on On The Boards’ website. In 2009 it will be coming to New York, San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver BC, and hopefully other US and European destinations, so stay tuned for all that.

[...]

With love, from the grind,

Fans of Holcombe Waller will surely forgive me the easiness of the copy/paste use- indeed they’re no longer reading this post but are already on the above booking link. So, If you’re still reading my approximate English, it seems that you’re not already addicted to Mr Waller musical universe. Please consider as an immediate purchase his unique available album on the e-market : Trouble Times released in 2005 – if you had the opportunity to have found his two previous collections, drop me a mail ! This album is in my library for 2 months and  his ranking is already reaching my top ten !

With an amazing four octave vocal range, Holcombe Waller is delivering his visions with poetry on some haunting melodies. Sometimes organic, sometimes  acoustic, his tunes are beautifully crafted with the addition of some sweet electronic arrangements which deserved his compositions, comparisons with Bjork’s sound. Also compared to Morissey ( especially cited for teasing my friend Geordie), Peter Murphy and Jeff Buckley by Performing Songwriter, Waller’s writing seems to be a never-ending dense creative process blending elements of pop, jazz and folk, giving you the opportunity to travel his various musicscapes. A unique experience. Stop Talking. Here are the two tracks i’ve selected for you : ‘Literally the End of the World’ from Trouble Times and a live version of the  forthcoming title album : Into The Dark Unknown. Enjoy.

Holcombe Waller singing a Jacques Brel song “Ces Gens Là”
at the work-in-progress performance of “Into the Dark Unknown: The Hope Chest”
at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s Time-Based Arts Festival, September 2007, in Portland, Oregon USA

Artist : Holcombe Waller
Label : Pow Wow Now
Where to buy : cdbaby.com / Miles of Music (it’s a cracker !)
More Appetizers : @myspace.com / @youtube.com
(be sure to check on both sites, his cover of Buffy Sainte Marie : Qu’appelle Valley, Saskatchewan)
Who else should you enjoy ? Chris Garneau.