From the opening notes of a typewriter tapping out the letter "To Whom It May Concern" to its final crescendo, the opening song on John Wesley Harding's New Deal serves as a credo. Here's a young man who has unintentionally been changing the face of folk music while simultaneously preserving its better traditions for the first half of the decade.
John Wesley Harding's New Deal is no exception:
- Tired of the constraints of conspiring to detail his career as an outspoken acoustic performer, Harding extricated himself from previously binding contracts to record his fifth album in his adopted hometown of San Francisco on this own time and dime. Upon its completion, Forward/Rhino kindly agreed to release it.
- Incorporating the kind of biting social commentary that's endeared him to intelligent listeners (and hardened cynics) everywhere, and setting them to music written and arranged by himself, Harding went to his friend Chris von Sneidern's basement studio with some pals for the recording process.
- Made over a relaxed few months, the album moves through the triumphs and perils of life in the late 20th century with unparalleled style, wit, and grace. Harding's oeuvre takes in touching songs on the human condition: The plaintive "Heart Without A Home," the smart updated mythology of "Cupid and Psycho," life's stunning inevitabilities in "The Speed of Normal," and the never-ending possibilities of "Infinite Combinations."
- And just to keep you on your toes, there's an upbeat discourse on schadenfreude called "Other People's Failure," an optimistic hymn for freedom in "Kiss Me, Miss Liberty," and a study on our culture's ills and wastes in "The Triumph Of Trash." The greater societal concerns blend seamlessly with matters of the heart as they provide the warm, human thread that is John Wesley Harding's New Deal, "the antidote to Gingrich's contract on Americans." In Harding's words, "It's by a person for the people."
- Instrumentation on the album was executed by Harding, von Sneidern, guitarist Greg Leisz (k.d. lang), pedal steel player David Phillips (Tom Waits), violinist and cellist Tammy Rogers (Victoria Williams), and Wes' multitalented touring companion, Robert Lloyd, among others. The album was coproduced by John Wesley Harding and Chris von Sneidern.
- Since the release of his last album, Why We Fight, Harding toured, armed only with his acoustic guitar. Headlining his own shows throughout the U.S. and Europe, he's frequently called upon by friends and prestigious musicians as an opening act, his skills as a generous live performer preceding him to opening slot gigs with Los Lobos, Joan Baez, The Band, and Ray Davies. Most recently he was handpicked by Bruce Springsteen to open two shows on his recent solo tour.
- John Wesley Harding was born in Hastings, England, in 1965, but you can call him Wes now that you're acquainted with him. But don't call it New Deal -- it's John Wesley Harding's New Deal to you, Ms. and Mr., available now from Forward/Rhino Records.
- For more details on the life and times of JWH, read on...
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOHN WESLEY HARDING
"Well I was born in 1965
A helluva good time to be alive
Except that by the age of 10
The music had turned crap again..."
Since the dawn of the '90s, John Wesley Harding has been turning out off-the-cuff songs like the autobiographical, unreleased "Talking Return Of The Great Folk Scare Blues." Sometimes he even predicts the future with spot-on pop commentaries as in 1990's "When the Beatles Hit America," a spooky foreshadowing of the Fab Four's 1995 reunion. And at other times, as in "Other People's Failure," from John Wesley Harding's New Deal, he pegs what we're all feeling but often afraid to admit -- "Why do we take pleasure in other people's failure?" Leave it to Wes to tell The Truth.
John Wesley Harding's 1990 American debut, Here Comes the Groom, quietly earned him a reputation as "the best singer-songwriter of his generation." The Los Angeles Times called it "the first great album of the 1990s." Since then, he's cemented his renown as a singer-songwriter of the finest order, with albums and live performances that deliver the goods (and then some). An artist who' not afraid to tackle subjects that others wouldn't attempt, Harding consistently stretches the boundaries of folk music as we know it.
"I always wanted to be an amalgam of all my favorite musicians. It was the music of a music fan. It still is. I think," says Harding.
While working on his Ph.D. in cultural studies at Cambridge University, it occured to him that he should be playing his own music instead of writing about it.
"...So I gave up my Ph.D.
And became a dustbowl folkie
That's Phil Ochs, not Phil Oakey..."
Beginning in 1988, he hit the road as an opening act for Hothouse Flowers and John Hiatt throughout Europe. It didn't take long before he was brought to the attention of London's Demon Records, and in an unprecedented move, they released a live album of original songs for his debut, It Happened One Night (1988). In 1992, Rhino issued the album for the first time in America.
Harding arrived on these shores on the heels of his 1990 Sire Records debut, Here Comes The Groom, and found an immediate audience and home here; his music was well received by critics and fans alike.
"It was the best move I ever made. I immediately found that acoustic music was alive and well here," he says. "In England, in the late 1980s, it was ailing -- not completely hopeless, but tough to get by."
Songs like the cynical "Devil In Me" and the pure folk of "Red Rose And The Briar" have become standards in Harding's repertoire. The rootsy rock back-up on the album, provided by members of the Attractions, and Andy Paley's production seemed to herald a new era for singer-songwriters just as the so-called "unplugged" movement was gaining momentum.
Harding toured tirelessly, often as a solo acoustic act, opening for Michelle Shocked, among others. It became apparent very quickly that the live set-up was the perfect vehicle for his sly humor and powerful acoustic guitar bashing.
"...Big men would yell out their derision
So I developed humor as a defense mechanism..."
For his 1991 follow-up, Wes side-stepped everyone's expectations and turned in the lush, Paley-produced album The Name Above The Title. The beautiful arrangements and intricate song structures are the hallmarks of such memorable songs as "The Movie Of Your Life," "Fifty-Fifty Split," and "Save A Little Room For Me." Touring with a band for part of the year and again as a solo artist enabled Harding to work his new songs into various arrangements, sometimes employing a driving rock band while other times taking a lighter touch -- in whatever guise he chose, the quality of Harding's songs shone through.
Wes recorded his 1992 album Why We Fight with producer Steve Berlin during the L.A. riots. It's a dark record -- Wes called it folk noir at the time -- and it contains what have become his signature songs, "The Truth" and Ordinary Weekend." Taking on society's hypocrisies, modern day fascism ("Hitler's Tears"), and more of the narrative songs that were making Harding a favorite among folk purists, the album coalesced everything that he'd been working toward; the perfect blend of understated elegance in the music, and the thought-provoking wit and satire of the lyrics making him a favorite among discerning listeners.
The album brought him to the attention of one of his heroes, Bruce Springsteen, who joined him onstage at McCabe's in Santa Monica, the regular home of many great Wes performances. Wes was subsequently invited by Springsteen to open two shows on his own recent acoustic tour, a rare move for Springsteen, who hadn't employed an opening act since 1974. The unlikely pair have since formed a firm and fascinating alliance.
"I got a gig opening for a friend of mine
I happened to be playing my ace in the right place at the right time..."
Touring continued, sometimes with a band or perennial Wes sideman Robert Lloyd, but often just Wes with his guitar -- one of the best ways to see him perform. His honest delivery and mastery of the solo acoustic format lends a rare intimacy to the songs. His loyal audiences have helped spread the word, as Wes' concerts are hard to beat for their vigor, wit, and energy. A number of his influential peers and heroes recognized the quality of his live work and have surprised Wes (as well as his audiences) by joining him at his shows: John Prine in Nashville; Joan Baez in San Francisco; Iggy Pop in Boston; Lou Reed in New York; and Ramblin' Jack Elliott in Denver.
Which brings us to Wes' 1996 release, John Wesley Harding's New Deal. A short time in the making but a long time coming, Harding had to finish off some prior contractual obligations before finding a happy new home at Forward/Rhino. Frustrated with the music business trying to turn his intelligent pop and folk records into a flavor of the month, Wes took things into his own hands for John Wesley Harding's New Deal (again, don't call it New Deal). He put up the money for the recording in the hopes that a label would take a risk and release the finished product.
"Being on a big label was like a funfair merry-go-round; too quick too soon then it took ages to slow down -- neither was my preferred speed," says Wes. Delighted with the reception of the reissue of It Happened One Night, Rhino was excited about the prospect of working with Wes again and offered to release the new record.
For the making of John Wesley Harding's New Deal, Wes got together with good friend and coproducer Chris von Sneidern (CvS) at his Ordophon-Upon-Avon Studios in San Francisco (located in CvS' basement). They called in a few more pals to lend a hand like guitarist Greg Leisz (k.d. lang and Wes' Why We Fight), violinist and cellist Tammy Rogers (Victoria Williams), pedal steel player David Phillips (Tom Waits), and Robert Lloyd (you know him well if you've read this far).
"It was very relaxed, just friends making music. No clock on the wall, no pool table, no coffee machine. . . just patience and a blank canvas. I wouldn't even remember how do it any other way," says Wes of the recording process. "There's orchestration and arrangement on the record, but the lyrics and my acoustic guitar are the focal points -- and that's a first for me, which is surprising given I'm a folk singer!"
Affairs of the heart, humankind's plight on Earth, and God's part in the whole big mess are favorite lyric themes, as is the wry cultural commentary that has become Wes' calling card. "My new deal is the antidote to Gingrich's contract on Americans. It's by a person, for the people."
"God Live Upstairs" is set on the second floor of a three-story house -- you can read life's biggest questions into it, or life's most menial problems -- between some differing neighbors. "The Speed Of Normal" continues the thread; at the end of the day, time passes at a regular pace -- not quickly or slowly, and that's the one thing we can rely on. Such observation is, after all, the stuff that makes up our lives.
Wes also took the opportunity to look in on two characters from The Kinks' "Waterloo Sunset" for his song "Paradise." If you want, you can insert the chorus of the Kinks classic in the appropriate spot as Wes does in concert. A nod to his English roots or Ray Davies' gigantic talent, in "Paradise," progress has its pros and cons but the cons aren't always evident until we have the benefit of hindsight.
John Wesley Harding's New Deal is one English singer-songwriter checking the pulse on the state of our lives and times. He consistently presents an extraordinary lyrical gift with beautiful acoustic accompaniments, illuminating life's little mysteries and inconveniences in his inimitable style.
Long after the fashions have changed, when radio stations have found new formats, and there's no one left to unplug, John Wesley Harding will still be around. Ask him why he does it, and he'll tell you The Truth.
"...So hey everybody the time is hear
The folk revival's coming here
But it's a tough thing to revive today
Cos it never really goes away
That's cause it's a good thing
So it's time to claim your share
It's time to re-iron your hair
And in five years time you'll look back and say
I was there
For the return of the great folk scare"
"Talking Return Of The Great Folk Scare Blues" words and music by John Wesley Harding, Plangent Visions Music Copyright (c) 1995 (available upon request at selected live shows).
Copyright (c) 1996, 1997 Rose Ellen Auerbach/Sometime Yesterday Productions