Ball of Wax 36 Songs: Sun Tunnels – “Not Old”

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Levi Fuller

Louis O’Callaghan and Sarah McGuinn – aka Sun Tunnels – have cranked out yet another beauty. Until a few minutes ago I thought “Not Old” – another selection from the intergalactic rock opera the band is allegedly cooking up, I believe – had been on Ball of Wax in another form already. I was certainly familiar enough with the tune, had already been hooked by its insistent closing “come on” refrain. Turns out I had just heard an earlier version on Soundcloud back in 2012 and blogged about it (and then sung along from the audience at an open mic at the Skylark). As always, a home-recorded demo of one of Louis’s songs is a treat for the ears, but wow, what Sarah has done with production and her own voice is simply sublime. It starts off just the same as the demo, if a little peppier – solo Louis and acoustic guitar – but soon enough we have ukulele, synths, electronic drums, Sarah backing up and then swapping in on lead vocals (I swear I’ve listened a dozen times and I can never catch whose voice is which when they make the switch in that second verse), and this beautiful, dreamy ending, still urging “come on,” but more seductively, twinkly ’80s synths twirling around the countermelody. All in less than three minutes, like any great pop song.

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Ball of Wax 36 Songs: Levi Fuller and the Library – “Hide and Seek”

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Jon Rooney

“Hide and Seek” sees Levi and his Library return to the bash and crash of Social Music and some recent Ball of Wax contributions. The band jumps right at it from the get-go with stomping drums and a sludgy riff doubled on bass and guitar – further evidence of Levi’s steady drift toward stoner rock (maybe we’ll have a Hawkwind-themed Ball of Wax!!!). The rough, home-made demo is lively and loose while still being nicely constructed. The verse settles into straight fours and down strokes while the chorus employs a title-appropriate “olly olly oxen free” refrain with Levi doubling some harmony vocals. Librarian Jonathan Wooster takes a nifty bass solo at about the 2:30 mark with a brittle, “Helter Skelter” bass tone that really works. Count this as another promising step towards the full length that these gentlemen are working on.

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Ball of Wax 36 Songs: GreenhornBluehorn – “Out of the Dark”

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Levi Fuller

As previously blogged, the Spring 2014 volume of Ball of Wax will be unleashed upon the world on Saturday, June 7th. And what better way to kick off the spring release and celebrate the end of winter than with a song called “Out of the Dark”? I’m not entirely sure what the subject of this song is, but the phrases that jump out (“I’m spinning wheels,” “I think it might take longer than I said,” “even though it’s miles ahead,” “my rough and weary hands”) and the intense, forward-thrusting arrangement blend perfectly to connote some kind of epic journey. The GreenhornBluehorn boys have crafted yet another fine pop song with a hint of darkness and foreboding, and I’m thrilled that they’re sharing it with us for the newest volume. Don’t miss their set at the Ball of Wax 36 release show!

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Ball of Wax 36: June 7, 2014

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Levi Fuller

 BoW 36 2014 06 07

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Attempting to Capture Lightning: Casey Ruff and the Mayors of Ballard

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Bart Cameron

Pomp and CircumstanceCasey Ruff – Pomp and Circumstance
(2014, self-released)

You know Casey Ruff before you know him. The honest bartender, the dude who looks the same at 2 AM as 11 AM, who will speak freely, and humorously, at any time.  And he does some badass posing—somehow balancing ’80s awesome with self-knowledge.

When I first saw him hold court at Sunset Tavern three years ago, I was blown away. Ruff has presence, the ability to perform and move a crowd, that few have. It’s that unique form of charisma where when the person gets up on stage, you know it’s performance time, you know it means something. The other local artist with the same charisma, and this will seem strange as she performs completely different styles of music, is Shana Cleveland.

Since I saw those shows at the Sunset, I’ve invited him on every bill I had an opening on. Every show, he has engaged the audience.

It turns out, Casey Ruff is a student of live performance. For almost a decade he has worked at the Tractor Tavern—he’s had the crow’s nest view of the preponderance of mid-range country-tinged acts to hit the US.  The more I study musicians, the more I discover that what we see as talent is usually extremely hard-earned. For example, when you read Elvis biographies, you find out how insanely the man studied soul and gospel from the time he was a toddler. I don’t want to echo Malcolm Gladwell, so I’ll stop with saying the thousands of hours studying live performance have served as a kind of battery for Casey Ruff—when he hits the stage, it discharges. It is electric. Continue reading →

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No Longer Local: Virgin of the Birds Ready for the Big Stage with Winter Seeds

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Bart Cameron

Virgin of the Birds - Winter SeedsVirgin of the Birds – Winter Seeds
(2014, Abandoned Love Records/Song, By Toad)

We were watching a Ball of Wax show, arms folded and quiet, like proper Seattle concertgoers, and there had been some high level musicianship from someone who looked vaguely like us but more attractive, then there was some obvious confusion on stage. I believe there was an apology. There was an uncomfortable looking guitar player, and a much larger dude who looked nothing like us at all (no pretense, for example, and no facial hair) strumming with only downstrokes on a Fender electric, a pick extremely precariously held in his hand, I think crookedly, and then “Don’t tell me that you were never in Spain. . . . Cause I saw you there./ You were standing where/ the sunshine scours every noble hour you were in Spain.”

My thought, on hearing the first verse, wasn’t “There’s a kindred spirit.” My thought was “That’s the guy who understands how songwriting works better than anyone I’ve ever heard.” (I’m paraphrasing my thought process, because I’m doubtful I think in complete sentences.) Continue reading →

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April 1st: Two Ball of Wax Deadlines

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Levi Fuller

In an unprecedented move, I am currently accepting submissions for the next two volumes of Ball of Wax Audio Quarterly at the same time! Why, do you ask? I’ll tell you: Because Volume 36 (Spring 2014) will be the usual CD of assorted music from Seattle and beyond, which I can pretty much turn around in no time. This summer’s installment, however, will be much more involved and requires a longer lead time (details below). Hence two deadlines on the same day. Send in music for one or both, but do please send us your music!

Ball of Wax 36: No theme, just good sounds. Feel free to send whatever you’ve got cooking for our review for potential inclusion in the next volume. Easy peasy.

Ball of Wax 37: Songs and pictures about animals (for kids). This summer we will produce a kid-targeted (or at least kid-friendly) installment of BoW, with the theme of songs about animals. This is a joint book/CD project, funded by 4culture. Each song will have an accompanying illustration made by a different artist. We’re looking for musicians and visual artists for this one.

Submission guidelines here. Deadline for both is April 1st. I look forward to hearing your sounds.

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Ball of Wax 35 Songs: John Vecchiarelli – “iPhone Wedding Song (for Marc & Ali)”

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Levi Fuller

Ball of Wax 35 closes with one last low-fi ukulele recording. Portland’s John Vecchiarelli, an old friend last heard from way back on Ball of Wax Volume 2, sent me an email out of the blue with this little beauty attached. “Would this little uke song be worth taking the time to record properly and pass along?” he asked. I listened once and said I’d be honored to skip that “record properly” nonsense and include this very recording, and that’s what I did. John claims this is the only “lovey dovey” song he’s ever written, but I hope it’s not the last. The words are sweet and simple, one lover talking to another about his wishes for a life together, but combined with the minor key, softly plucked ukulele, and John’s soft, yearning voice captured through the humble iPhone microphone, the result feels more profound and intimate than any old “lovey dovey” song. I’m so thrilled to be able to share another song from this wonderful songwriter. Thanks for reaching out, John. I hope Marc and Ali appreciate their song as much as I do.

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Ball of Wax 35 Songs: The Pornadoes – “Makes My Heart Sway”

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Levi Fuller

Local surfy instrumentalists The Pornadoes take their tongues out of their cheeks and bring the volume and tempo down for this very sweet love theme. If we’re talking Northwest guitar heroes, “Makes My Heart Sway” is less The Ventures and more a late night, minimalist Bill Frisell with no looper, no effects, no horns or strings; just softly brushed drums and rooted bass supporting a lovely guitar melody. I’m really happy that we ended up with three wordless love songs on this volume – and that they all, while sounding very different from each other, work so well as love songs. Love and music, two universal languages joining forces to make hearts sway worldwide!

If you’d like more Pornadoes in your life – and why wouldn’t you? – check out their newly released In Space, an early front-runner for best local cinematic-country-surf-jazz-rock album of 2014. (But seriously, it’s really good.)

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Ball of Wax 35 Songs: Robb Benson and the Shelk – “Twin Peaks”

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Levi Fuller

I can’t claim to know the inspiration behind Robb Benson‘s spirit animal, the shelk (an elk with a shark’s head, obviously), but at least half of it makes perfect sense. Robb is one of the most prolific songwriters I’ve ever known; like the head half of a shelk, he doesn’t stop moving for a second. This January he self-released Seen Too Much, his second solo album under the name Robb Benson and the Shelk, mere months after the first. In addition to writing and releasing two solo albums in less than a year, he is also active in Stereo Embers, The Glass Notes, and The Great Um. And that’s just what he’s up to right now, never mind the prolific and impressive 15-odd years he’s been making music in our fair city.

“Twin Peaks” is that ever risky thing, a song about itself; a beautifully apologetic ode to a lover who (sort of) regrets time spent on other commitments (see above list of bands) and love songs unwritten. Robb sings “I’m sorry my music takes up so much time that I ignore what really should be your new love song; instead I come home and I complain, when I should just be happy to be back home with you again,” and partnered musicians across the globe nod and shake their heads in recognition. “Please know,” he sings for us all, “my heart still revolves around you.” Robb won’t be able to join us at the Ball of Wax 35 release show tomorrow at LoFi (I think one of his seventeen other bands has a gig elsewhere), but I might just get a boom box and hold it up over my head on stage to play this song for my wife everyone there, Dobler-style.

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