Monthly Archives: June 2016

Submit to Ball of Wax 45: One Minute Singles II!

Hello, and happy summer! No sooner has the delightful BoW 44 been released into the world than it becomes incumbent upon me to announce that the next volume of Ball of Wax (#45, summer 2016) will be another go-round with … Continue reading

Posted in Ball of Wax | Leave a comment

Ball of Wax 44 Songs: Ken Cormier – Auto Composition 27: Ding Dong

“Auto Composition 27: Ding Dong” is a goofy, free association little vocal ditty by one Ken Cormier, an unknown-to-me but accomplished Ball of Waxer from Connecticut. According to his bio, Ken is a teacher, performance poet, independent radio producer, and musician as … Continue reading

Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ball of Wax 44 Songs: Eric Leckbee – Songbird

What a delight to hear some spoken word. Eric Leckbee’s “Songbird” is an elegantly told story of a young man brought face to face with his two greatest fears. Throughout the piece we are there with the storyteller as he … Continue reading

Posted in Ball of Wax | Tagged | 1 Comment

Ball of Wax 44 Songs: Karaoke Hottiez – Get on By

When I first wrote about Karaoke Hottiez (and that still-atrocious moniker) for volume 43, I had no idea that the band was the side project of one Matty P, he of the Foghorns choir, Plastic Jet Airline and all-around good … Continue reading

Posted in Ball of Wax, Bands You Should Know, Check Out This Song | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ball of Wax 44 Songs: Heather Duby – Miles to Meters

There’s a lot packed into the less-than-two-minute running time of “Miles to Meters,” the first recorded music the world has heard from Seattle expat Heather Duby in several years. A first it sounds like a solo vocal, Heather’s husky alto … Continue reading

Posted in Ball of Wax, Bands You Should Know, Check Out This Song | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ball of Wax 44 Songs: Joelle Berry – Moon Beam

Joelle Berry’s “Moon Beam” glistens lyrically as well as musically. There is a cathedralesque reverb which lends itself to the tight harmonies and cadences that grace this song. The song is pretty in and of itself and very pleasant to … Continue reading

Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ball of Wax 44 Songs: Anne Mathews – In the Meadow

You’ve already heard Anne Mathews’s voice once on this volume of Ball of Wax, backing up Annie Ford on “The Ravens’ Feast” as half of The Lonely Coast. But here she is all on her multi-tracked lonesome, singing another sub-two-minute … Continue reading

Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Ball of Wax 44 Songs: Rae Diamond – elemental partita: water

womwomwomwomwom. Many times over and in layers. steady hmms and moans. This song plays like an eerie alleyway perhaps in 1970s New York City. There is neither up nor down in the song. It feels largely like things are coming … Continue reading

Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ball of Wax 44 Songs: Virgin of the Birds – Cardinal Points

At this point in Ball of Wax 44 we’ve strayed into some pretty strange territory, pushing at the outer limits of what you might call music. Jon Rooney/Virgin of the Birds’ a capella version of “Cardinal Points” takes us some … Continue reading

Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ball of Wax 44 Songs: Darryl Blood – Maelstrom

Listening to Darryl Blood‘s “Maelstrom,” I’m taken into a dark world of nightmares. So it seems, with the strange industrial-esque sounds inhabiting the background. There is a faint pulse beating every couple of seconds and occasionally what sounds to be … Continue reading

Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song | Tagged | 1 Comment