Ball of Wax 44 Songs: Colin Isler – Ribbons of Sun

Posted on May 24, 2016 by Matty P

“Ribbons of Sun” plays and listens like a typewriter. Colin Isler sings a line, leaves you to ponder what he’s just said amidst hmms, ohhs, and a Friday the 13th-esque tcha tcha tcha tcha. It has an eerie effect. and then cha-ching, the carriage resets and the song’s onto the next line. And the lines end with this discord. Or, skip the typewriter analogy. Instead, picture a clock ticking in the background that’s connected to some mad scientist’s contraption consisting of industrial scraps which is distilling ancient potions which will be used to convince the listener to “believe me.” But you must make it to the climax to really appreciate what Colin Isler is doing in this song. He’s building tension from the beginning, and then stop and enter the call, “Oh please, believe me,” and then he resolves it all back to where he started. And if you miss it, shame on you.

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Ball of Wax 44 Songs: Visceral Candy – Scratching My Head (Feat. Tim Stiles)

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Levi Fuller

I am so glad Seth Swift et al. took up my all-vocals challenge to concoct this delightfully twisted hip-hop tune about insecurity, lice, and boogers. Just four tracks in we’ve seen the stark, solo vocal; the multi-tracked faux rock band; the sweet looping duo; and the straight up doo-wop barbershop quartet – and now on track five we have something completely different: Voices effected and twisted six ways to Sunday and turned into drum machines, basses, synths, and who knows what all, backing up Swift and guest vocalist Tim Stiles’s sad and ridiculous tale of woe. Every single piece that was submitted to me for this volume of Ball of Wax treated the vocals-only constraint as a challenge, but used it to create pieces that stand on their own and that I would want to keep listening to whatever the instrumentation. “Scratching My Head” is no exception.

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Ball of Wax 44 Songs: Mts. and Tunnels – Not Bad

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Jon Rooney

On “Not Bad,” Seattle’s Mts. and Tunnels go full pop doo-wop and they absolutely kill it. While the first “bum, ba bum”‘s of the barbershop quartet bass parts seem a tad hokey for a second, the lead vocal and harmony parts chase away any fears that “Not Bad” might be not that good. “Not Bad” is actually pretty great, the kind of clear-hearted, unencumbered pop goodness that one might presume would have been a feel-good radio hit at some point in the hazy past. The vocal performances are really impressive; lead Mts. and Tunneller Chris Poage lands a passionate, throaty  “This heart of mine / with that heart of yours / channels a power / that can blow off the doors” without a trace of sarcasm or pastiche.  The song then pull off bridge and turnaround before landing back in the bouncy, super satisfying verse. Just really well-written, well-arranged and well-performed stuff.

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Ball of Wax 44 Songs: Swooning – Sun & the Moon

Posted on May 19, 2016 by Matty P

[We’re proud to welcome a new writer to the  fold. You’ve probably heard Matty P on Ball of Wax and/or seen him on stage at a BoW release show, whether as a member of the Foghorns Bucket o’ Bourbon Choir or singing his own songs under the Karaoke Hottiez moniker. He’s graciously volunteered to lend his wordsmithing skills to the Blog of Wax, and we’re happy to have him. Welcome Matty!]

Floating up like the effervescence in the glass bottle of a sparkling mineral water.  Fine sounds crisp and clear coming together like baby angels singing in a little tree house cathedral.  This all-vocal song by Swooning follows a melody and lyrics which harken back to the simplicity of an early sixties pop radio hit.  the singers sound off in a childlike manner that is reminiscent of Andrea Estrella from the short lived Brooklyn project, Twin Sister, although Swooning has an edge and direction all its own.  The diction and phrasing in “Sun and the Moon” goes back and forth from predictably pleasing to the ear to playfully keeping the listener on edge and pleasantly surprised.

Catch Swooning live at the Ball of Wax 44 release show on Saturday, June 11th!

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Ball of Wax 44 Songs: Levi Fuller – Mirrorful

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Jon Rooney

There are a bunch of different ways you can approach an a capella arrangement. Ainara LeGardon went with an unaccompanied voice singing the lyrics and melody, simple and sparse. Head Ball of Waxer Levi Fuller went another in another direction with his cover of Jawbox’s “Mirrorful,” using his voice to mimic the instruments in a rock ensemble a la the great Michael Winslow from the Police Academy movies. It’s all in there: “weee-ooh wee-ooh” electric guitars, beatbox drums, “doo-doo” bass parts – and it all works. After a few bars you adjust to the simulacra and the song pulls together nicely. On the pre-chorus and chorus, more Levi voices appear like a hydra sprouting heads and the song approaches some giddy heights. Kudos to Levi for going all out with “Mirrorful.”

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Ball of Wax 44 Songs: Ainara LeGardon – Last Day

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Levi Fuller

The 44th volume of Ball of Wax Audio Quarterly – containing only sounds originating from the mouths of humans – starts with this stark, haunting beauty by Ainara LeGardon. “Last Day” opens Ainara’s most recent album, Every Minute, which I’ve listened to enough that it’s hard to think of this song as anything but an opening track, so here we are. You will hear an impressive range of approaches on this collection, ranging from solo ballads to tight, barbershop-style harmonies, to weirdo hip-hop and mind-boggling sound collage, but we start here, with Ainara’s clear, forceful voice and enigmatic, slightly terrifying lyrics. It’s enough to raise the hairs on the back of your neck, and while it may not exactly set the tone for the next 19 tracks, it certainly sets the vocal performance bar pretty high.

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Ball of Wax 44: Saturday, June 11th at the Fremont Abbey!

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Levi Fuller

Ball of Wax 44 poster by Jon RooneyBall of Wax Volume 44 Release Show
The Lonely Coast with Annie Ford / Amanda Winterhalter / Swooning / Virgin of the Birds / Kelly Morgan
Saturday, June 11
Fremont Abbey
All ages / 8:30pm
$8 early discount/$10 advance/$13 door (Ball of Wax 44 CD included with entry)

Please join us as we celebrate the release of Ball of Wax Audio Quarterly Volume 44, an astoundingly diverse collection of tracks made exclusively with the human voice. The show will include both a capella and instrumentally-accompanied performances from several of the contributors to BoW 44, which also features new music from Mts. & Tunnels, Heather Duby, Colin Isler, and many more.

We’ll be rolling out the tracks for Ball of Wax 44 over the next few weeks, so stay tuned! I’m really proud of how this collection turned out, and am super excited to celebrate its release with you all at the beautiful Fremont Abbey. See you there!

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Submit to Ball of Wax 44: Voices Only!

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Levi Fuller
Mouths! Photo by Flickr user Palbo

Mouths! Photo by Flickr user Palbo

I’ve been sitting on this theme for a while, and I’ve decided it’s time to go ahead and pull the trigger. (As per usual, with not nearly enough lead time. Sorry everybody!) Ball of Wax Volume 44, Spring 2016, will consist exclusively of the human voice. You can do whatever you want with it: sing solo, talk, rap, loop/multitrack, sing in a big group, chop and cut and paste the heck out of it . . . you name it, just nothing but voices (or, okay, other mouth sounds).

So send in your submissions! Spread the word! I want to be amazed and delighted and overwhelmed by voices.

Deadline: Please have submissions in by April 24th. (As always, earlier is great and later is probably doable too, just get in touch.) General submission guidelines here.

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Dad on the Road: An Interview with Jon Rooney

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Bart Cameron

Jon Rooney, Virgin of the BirdsThis Ball of Wax thing has been fascinating over the years I’ve been involved. One key figure in the shaping of this project has been Jon Rooney, who matched wit and energy with Levi Fuller to grow the presence of this project. Of the many aspects of his character reflected in the site and project—Jon was the first of us to become a father.

This week, Jon and his band Virgin of the Birds set out on a US tour, bringing with them Storm the Palace from the UK. (They complete their tour on Saturday, March 12 at Conor Byrne Pub in Seattle.) While many contributors to this project are touring musicians, this seems like a milestone for a man who usually puts intelligence first and foremost. I asked him for his perspective touring as an otherwise sensible father, husband, and blogger. Continue reading →

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On Cadillacs and Confusing Winters: Storm the Palace Travels to Seattle from the United Kingdom

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Bart Cameron

Arnab Ghosal - bath 1Ebullient praise. I am able to contribute less and less frequently to Levi Fuller’s amazing project due to life, rent, etc; however, there are moments when you discover a great band or record, and you realize that you can at least provide a spark of recognition. I now have proof that at least one band we featured appreciated the write-up.

About a year ago, I wrote about a fascinating band in this blog. Now, almost a year later, Storm the Palace is leaving the UK to tour the US. They’re bringing with them a new EP, and they’re traveling with Ball of Wax’s Jon Rooney and his band Virgin of the Birds. Continue reading →

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