Longfellow CD Debut Reviewed
By Matthew Toledo - 5/30/2002
Longfellow celebrated the release of their debut CD last night (May 30, 2002) at the Swindlefish Saloon. I recently had the chance to talk with Nick Long about his band and their new CD. Nick is the chief singer and songwriter for the band that is becoming known as "the band with the vibraphone" and "the band that keeps winning those battle of the band contests." They've won two OU sponsored battle of the band events so far this year. The won the first battle in February and the second in April.
Originally from Sandusky, Nick is currently attending Ohio University and pursuing a double major in vocal performance and music education. Drummer Geoff Goodhue, bassist Dan Huber and vibe player Shaun Schuertz are also music majors here at O.U. which in itself explains the overall jazz musicality of their CD. Where most college bands consider it a minor miracle if the guitarist shows up sober, the members of Longfellow come to practice with lead sheets prepared. Sick.
Early influences on Nick's musical growth are common to folks his age. His first TAPE, was Def Leppard's Hysteria. Thankfully he grew out of his hair-metal phase and climbed up the musical ladder with every passing year. His first ever cover tune in a band was a rendition of Lady Madonna by The Beatles. Longfellow still covers that tune today. More contemporary influences are evident throughout all seven tracks of their self titled debut. Elements of The Bare Naked Ladies, Ween, and Dave Matthews can be heard. Vibraphone player Shaun Schuertz even jams briefly on a Beastie Boys riff.
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I asked Nick a few questions about some of the singers that have influenced him. Dave Matthews was listed along with a few others. However I heard something else while listening to the CD for this review. "You know," I said, "you use a lot of vibrato in your voice and it's fairly deep. You kind of remind me of Jethro Tull"
Nick clutched his coffee mug a little tighter. "Yeah, I've had more than one person say that my voice sounds a little bit like Ian Anderson." We had a quick laugh and then I said, "Maybe you should get flute in the band and cover Aqua Lung."
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Ian comparisons aside, Nick DOES has a deep vibrato laden voice that betrays his musical training by not sounding crappy. Lyrically, Nick's songs are inspired by all sorts of things encountered in daily life. There is no set model for a Longfellow song. "I like where we are, but I'd like to see us writing more catchy songs soon", stated Nick, "I'd like to see us move towards that direction."
Longfellow's CD is a coherent yet-narrow snapshot of what the band is capable of doing live. Seven songs, does not add up to a two hour set list. Their live shows are aimed to please audience members who came to dance. The disk is a pop-jazz affair. Jazz because when not in Longfellow, that's what some of the band members study at O.U. It's pop because it's catchy--which is good for dancing, but bad when trying to impress musical elitists. Nick commented, "Some of us are concerned that our professors won't like what were doing in Longfellow."
Highlights on the disk include Track 1, "Love Spell," which sets a relaxed mood and features some excellent arpeggio work on the vibes during the song's 6/8 bridge. Too technical for ya? In laymen's terms, it's neat. Track 3, "Lift Up" continues the mellow mood established earlier. A steady,swirling vibraphone riff almost has a hypnotic effect.
"Tangled up and Laughing" features a danceable groove with tight intermittent pauses that demonstrate the band's ability to stop on a dime. The song has a soaring progression that grabs you and leads you along to an equally soaring chorus. I thought it was too lengthy to ever get airplay on the radio. However, I heard it the other night on Power 105's local band showcase. Regardless of what I think, It's still the perfect live song to dance to.
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30 Acres, the final track on the CD, is epic in length and in scope. It mixes various rhythms and textures that betray the jazz bug in the band. Frequent odd accents only ad to the interest. All in all, it's a final tasty treat before the disk ends.
I firmly believe that even the greatest band in the world has its faults. No one is perfect, and to say that someone or something is flawless invites one to scrutinize the reviewer instead of what is being reviewed. Therefore, I have to go on record and say that my least favorite track on the CD was "Gotta Get Out." The vocal hook wasn't all that catchy and repeating it so many times just made me lose that much more interest with every repeat.
Still, 6 favorable tracks out of 7 make the disk worth buying. It's for sale at local music stores, on the AMN, and is also available at the shows from the band themselves.
