More
than anything else, his songs are authentic. Woven from the real
fabric of American life, they are songs sprung from years on the
road, from injecting himself, like Woody Guthrie, directly into
the heartstream of the people. They are folk songs in the purest
sense of the word, even the ones that rock, because they are linked
to the hearts & minds of real people. They are filled with stories
that are sometimes mysterious & comic, sometimes celebratory
& mythic, always human & heartfelt.
He once said that writing & singing songs is not unlike strapping
on wings; done right, they can lift you far above this world. His
songs are evidence of this power to pull you out of your normal
sphere & propel you to a higher plane. "Songs are like
wind," he said. " Just gusts." His work embodies
this airborne quality, rooted in earthbound escapades but elevated
by the inspirational fusion of vivid storytelling with fervent,
essential music.
His songs introduce us to fully realized characters urban angels,
street-musicians, aimless kids, drifters, ramblers & rolling
stones who " only fit where they are not allowed." They
often exist on the fringes of civilization, sometimes terrorized
by thugs, sometimes hassled by cops, & largely forsaken by society.
But though they may sometimes be broken, they are not defeated,
& it's from falling down that these characters ultimately learn
to fly. As he sings in Travelin' Light: "Therešs a hole in
your soul where the wind comes through."
His songs reveal a real reverence for the traditions of narrative
songwriting while also gently expanding the form: The mysterious
& cinematic Spell Of Wheels is among the most beautiful
& compelling songs ever written about the hypnotism of the highway.
His use of natural imagery, such as the rain & snow that falls
throughout Baltimore, connects his ephemeral urban tales
with the eternal forces of nature. A Little Wind is as mythic
as an old blues ballad, while both Honeychild & Ice
Water sound like they have been around forever. A Million
Miles Away is pure rock at its most inspirational. & as
Bruce Springsteen & others have noted, there exist few better
songs about the redemption available in music than Beyond The
Blues.
He's equally at home at opposite ends of the sonic spectrum, from
the electric dynamism of A Million Miles Away & Falling
Awake to the peaceful acoustic soul of On The Way Downtown
& Until The Next Time. A Self-professed "rock &
roll folksinger," he's proof that you don't need a rock band
to rock out. A Little Wind burns with more pure electricity
than most rock bands ever realize, powered only by his voice, acoustic
guitar & harmonica. "I was always drawn to the rally loud
folkies," he once said. "When I do my solo live thing,
I think of myself as a four-piece band, with guitar, voice, harmonica,
& my stomping foot."
There aren't a lot of songwriters around anymore like him. He's
spent his time inside the machine & has emerged unscathed. He's
had his share of commercial & critical success, both solo &
with The Plimsouls, yet has maintained his purity, consistently
creating songs as real & uncontrived as those that first inspired
him to become a musician. In his work is a reflection of modern
times, leavened with gentle humor & street wisdom, but delivered
with all the rough edges revealed. Yet even the darkest of his songs
succeeds in lifting your spirits, because within them shines a source
of light, a reason for hope. It's the enduring promise of a world
beyond the blues.
Paul Zollo
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Travellin
Light
MUSIC
& MEDIA INTERNATIONAL CASEPRO-1
CD
1999
A MILLION MILES AWAY
Peter Case/Joey Alkes/Chris Fradkin
THREE DAYS STRAIGHT
Case/Burnett
SPELL OF WHEELS
Peter Case/Joshua Case
TRAVELLIN' LIGHT
Peter Case/Bob Neuwirth
LET ME FALL
Peter Case
TWO ANGELS
Peter Case
FALLING AWAKE
Peter Case
ON THE WAY DOWNTOWN
Peter Case/Joshua Case
BEYOND THE BLUES
Peter Case/Tom Russell/Bob Neuwirth
DOWN
Peter Case/Dianne Sherry
UNTIL THE NEXT TIME
Peter Case
BALTIMORE
Peter Case
HONEYCHILD
Peter Case
ICEWATER
Words by Peter Case/
Music by Lightnin' Hoplins
OLDEST STORY IN THE WORLD
Peter Case
BLIND LUCK
Peter Case/Fred Koller
HIDDEN LOVE
Peter Case
A LITTLE WIND
Peter Case/Tom Russell
Original recordings produced by PETER CASE, ANDREW WILLIAMS, T-BONE
BURNETT, MITCHELL FROOM, LARRY HIRSCH, J. STEVEN SOULDS, JEFF EYRICH
& THE PLIMSOULS
Art Direction & Design by Greg Allen@gapd
Photography by Mitch Tobias
For bookings contact Mongrel Music @ 415 485 5100
For more information on Peter Case &
The Plimsouls visit:
www.vanguardrecords.com/case
www.lather.com/plimsouls
This compilation © 1999
Music & Media International
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