Quick Q and A with Cliff Eberhardt
 by Kathy S-B  ·  23 February 2013

Psssssttttt. . . . Do you know Cliff Eberhardt’s music? If so, yeah. You know all about how cool he is. If not, come on folks, give a listen. This guy is the real deal. More real than most. He is one of the grittiest (is that the word?), most authentic, most gut-wrenching songwriters you’ll ever hear in your entire life. Have I ever steered you wrong? I don’ think so. . . .

For a guaranteed sweet song by Cliff. Check out this beautiful version of “Your Face.” To learn more about Cliff, refer to his website. And you have to check out this great trailer about “Taming of the Shrew.”

I’m fascinated by your latest addition to your musical resume — writing the songs and singing and performing in a Shakespeare play! How did your involvement with the Folger Theatre and “Taming of the Shrew” come about?

A random phone call from the head of the Folger theater.

It appears that you were able to insert a couple of songs from earlier albums into the play but you also had to write some original songs too. How long did it take to immerse yourself fully into the play so that you could accurately portray in music and words what was happening on stage?

I had a year and a half to work on it, and I used all that time working on the music. Then I did rewrites every night during rehearsals.

You received rave reviews. Did this experience give you the acting bug?

Well, I’ve always wanted to write music for the theater, I never really wanted to act and that hasn’t changed much. My role in the Shrew was that of a saloon singer. I had no lines.

Was it kind of surreal and strange to work on a play that is scripted and has to be pretty much the same day in and day out rather than your own shows which are totally unscripted (well, at least the in between song banter and the order of the songs)?

I was never bored, I had 67 cues so a lot of timing was involved. It was challenging but also rewarding.

Tell us about your work with James Lee Stanley ahxactly jump to mind. Was it difficult to transform those songs into acoustically styled songs?

It was easy for us to rearrange the Doors music. It’s no different than arranging our own music after it is written. We had to do it with a lot of respect. We wanted the surviving Doors to like it.

What was it like working with Robby Krieger and John Densmore?

Robbie Krieger and John Densmore recorded with James Lee when i wasn’t there. I did get to meet John Dens more when he sat in with us at a show we did in L.A. What a thrill, there is a youtube video of it.

Do you have any new projects up your sleeve?

I’m working on a pair of albums right now. I don’t know which one I will finish first. But it’s interesting to record two different projects at the same time. I am always looking for something new.

Quick Q and A with Carey Murdock
 by Kathy S-B  ·  17 February 2013

Carey Murdock is a man on a mission — he’s bound and determined to spread his music from coast to coast and beyond. He’s made Nashville his home but is on the road playing gigs more often than not. His CD, Baby Don’t Look Down, was produced by Patrick Blanchard (who plays with Shawn Mulllins). Bandcamp voted this CD their Staff Pick Favorite and it is easy to see why.

You’ve been writing songs and playing since you were fifteen years old. What inspired you to choose the guitar and to start writing your own songs?

I was just drawn to the guitar for some reason. I began to write my own songs because I joined this garage band in high school and we decided that we had to write our songs - that we couldn’t be just a cover band — That was fine except that no one in the band wrote songs. So, I began writing because no one else did.

How would you compare your style to other artists? If a music fan likes “Artist So and So,” then they should like Carey Murdock. . . .

Springsteen meets Harry Connick, Jr. . . .

You’ve started something called “The 45 Project” for your fans. This enables your fans to receive “songs” from you on a regular basis. What’s been the reaction thus far?

The reaction has been amazing. My fans raised around $12,000 for me to record my latest project. The first two songs of the 45 Project were just released January 6. . . . the first two songs, or “digital 45” . . . and the response has been overwhelming, enthusiastic, and positive. It’s the biggest reaction I’ve felt from something I’ve done career-wise so far.

Do you feel equally at home doing solo shows as you do with your band?

I do feel equally at home. It is a different show and different setting, solo versus the band (perhaps somewhat obviously), but I tend to tell more stories and play songs that I wouldn’t normally play with the band as part of my solo set.

Your choice of cover songs is especially interesting. I have to admit that I was blown away by your version of Elton John’s “Blues for Baby and Me.” I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone cover that song but it’s brilliant! Well done!

Thank you Kathy! I really despise covering songs that I’ve heard everyone play (i.e. Sweet Home Alabama, Under the Bridge . . . ) There are a lot of amazing songs that few people learn and play and those are the songs I would rather interpret and share. I don’t believe “Sweet Home Alabama” needs another interpretation really. Or Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”. . . . I think it’s more interesting to hear something only vaguely familiar and in a new way.

What’s a typical day in the life of Carey Murdock like when he’s home in Nasvhille?

I spend a lot more time on the road than I do at home. In 2012, I was only home in Nashville for about 40 days or so simply because I toured non-stop. But, when I am home in Nashville I get up fairly early, hit the coffee, and write a bit on the guitar. I will catch up with fellow songwriters throughout the day and maybe meet one downtown somewhere to co-write a song (I’ve co-written three songs so far with my landlord and friend Benita Hill who wrote “Two Pina Coladas” for Garth Brooks). In the evening, I’ll grab dinner with a friend and catch one of the local bands playing at the Basement or 12th & Porter (local Nashville venues) . . . And that’s my normal Nashville day.

Quick Q and A with Ry Cavanaugh
 by Kathy S-B  ·  9 February 2013

Ry Cavanaugh is one of the founding fathers of Session Americana. This is a short and sweet Q and A with Ry. I’ve been a fan of Session Americana for a long time . . . only wish that I had been there back in the day when they played those sessions at the legendary Tir na nOg in Somerville. As Ry says, it was a magical time. I’ve come to discover though, that any time that Session Americana gathers together around that little bar table of theirs . . . magic happens. It’s a special event — all those friends who are each terrific writers and musicians. . . . How can you go wrong?

Check out Session Americana’s appearance on NPR.

How long have you been a professional musician?

I was paid for my first gig when I was 15, but flittered away my youth going to college, getting a job, starting a family, making a home — I’ve only gotten down to the serious business of music in the last three years.

What’s this about your father being a honky tonk singer? Do you have memories of watching him perform when you were a kid? Did the urge for being a creative artist stem from those days?

“Urge” is a good word for it. I was never desirous or concerned with art — it seemed to be a part of the fabric of life. My father really made an effort towards it, breaking with more the practical and traditional American immigrant narrative — I never knew anything else.

Tell us about the days of the Vinal Avenue String Band. I have a copy of the famous Tir na nOg album and it sure seems like it was a lot of fun.

That was a magic time. I met my wife, bought my house, had a good pub and a good band. We were young and doing what young people should do. I still sing a lot of songs I wrote in that era.

Session Americana’s latest CD, Love and Dirt, has gotten rave reviews . . . one critic even said it was the Top 10 Best CDs ever! Did you approach the making of this CD any differently than your other CDs?

Top 40 CDs from Boston (ever). That was a typo. Isn’t that silly? I don’t think it’s better than our other CDs, but it may be slightly more cohesive. We had no idea what we were doing, except that we listened to “every picture tells a story” before we started work on it.

If you had to describe Session Americana in one sentences, what would you say?

I wrote our bio! It’s a rock band in a tea cup, or possibly a folk band in a whiskey bottle.

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