Aural Fixations

MARK EITZEL
The Invisible Man (Matador)
Eitzel Superhits International (Mark Eitzel)
Few artists are as admired as songwriter Mark Eitzel with as little to show for it. A critic's darling with a small but devoted fan base, the former leader of American Music Club has never found the commercial or industry success to match his accolades and influence. No musician has made as much of a career out of translating his own pain into art as Eitzel. Even if a song isn't strictly autobiographical, or buries its literal meaning under layers of metaphor, the true emotion behind each lyric, every chord, every vocal crack and moan can't be denied. Maybe that's the problem. In a world of popular culture increasingly dominated by slick, commercial product that's so shallow it makes a wading pool seem like a bottomless pit, no one wants to face the emotional truths with which Eitzel consistently wrestles. (more)

Stagestruck

TEMPEST
@Cactus Cafe, Austin, TX; June 30, 2001
For some folks, electrified folk music is sacrilege. Combining, say, Celtic music with rock somehow robs the former of its "purity," whatever that is. More fool they—there's something about a Scottish folk melody laid over power chords that's just somehow special. When it's done right it's downright irresistible, sending shivers up the spine. And these days there may not be anybody who does the Celtic rock thing better than San Francisco quintet Tempest. They've released a series of good-to-great records over the past decade, but onstage is where their music really comes alive. (more)