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WHO If NICK DRAKE, AND WHAT'S HE
COT TO DO WITH MICHAEL WECNER?
It’s almost like an equation. You have a prob
lem. You toil, organize and lose sleep. You involve
people who care. You attempt to solve the prob
lem, and in the process raise awareness, make
beautiful music and further engender the word
“community' in the Athens music scene.
Matthew Sanborn has done all of the above,
while at the same time remaining both creative (he
has, along with Angie Grass, contributed an amaz
ing song to the Flagpole Christmas Album and re
mains a member in Anne Richmond Boston's band)
and sane. Using the music of Nick Drake as a
springboard, Sanborn has organized a benefit for
local musician Michael Wegner, and we 're all richer
in the end.
Flagpole How did this whole thing come to
gether?
Matthev.’ Sanborn: I just needed a charity
— I mean, you have a tribute show, you generally
raise money for someone. And I thought of Michael
Wegner, who does a lot for the musical community.
His house got broken into recently, and the money
he was going to pay the people that had just
painted his house was taken. I can't say how much
it was, but, suffice to say. it was a lot. Michael has
such a great attitude about the whole thing, though:
he made up these posters basically saying 'If you
stole my money, please use it to better your life;
use it to get yourself out of whatever made you want
to steal in the first place, or if you want to return it.
great.' That’s just such an uncommon way of deal
ing with something like that.
FP And the Nick Drake connection?
Sanborn. Well, everybody has their musical
heroes, and he's been such a huge influence on
me... Nick Drake is still relatively obscure, however,
even though a lot of people know Pink Moon. I first
heard one of his songs through the band Walt Mink,
but it was hard to find out anything about him or
his music. My friend Anne Boston is very computer
literate and has — what do you call it? — Internet
access, and she found all these great Nick Drake
websites that expiated a lot of the weird alternate
.ngs he used. I've got these great yard-sale gui
tars that are all tuned differently for his songs.
FP He definitely had a singular style.
The vocalists will be me, Jimmy
Johnson (ex-Gryphon), Anne Rich*
mond Boston, Betsy Inglesby who
is also in Tongue And Groove Pines
with me, and Angie Grass. Also, HI
be playing guitar as will Jimmy
Johnson (Vic Chesnutt), Jay
Nackashi (Beekeeper), Matt
McClellan (exGryphon) and Rob Gal.
Tim Nackashi will play bass, Michael
Wegner will play piano, pump organ
& clarinet, Ballard Lesemann will
play drums and Michael Lorant (Big
Fish Ensemble) will play accordion.
Sanborn: Nick Drake just found a great way
to write songs: even though they're in these odd
tunings, they re only two or three chords and once
you get the idea, they're relatively simple. It's hard
to pinpoint, but I knew that this sound was out there.
I heard the song “Rain’ one gray morning and I
knew that I'd finally found it. Or heard it. I knew
you could do that kind of thing with an acoustic
guitar, and he realized it. His songs were beautiful,
literate and very insightful to the human condition.
FP: And who all is involved?
Sanborn: Yeah, well, that's what I think will
really make the show. The vocalists will be me,
Jimmy Johnson (ex-Gryphon), Anne Richmond
Boston, Betsy Inglesby who is also in Tongue And
Groove Pines with me, and Angie Grass. Also, I'll
oe playing guitar as will Jimmy Johnson (Vic
Chesnutt), Jay Nackashi (Beekeeper). Matt
McClellan (ex-Gryphon) and Rob Gal. Tim Nackashi
will play bass, Michael Wegner will play piano,
pump organ & clarinet, Ballard Lesemam will play
drums and Michael Lorant (Big Fish Ensemble) will
play accordion. I was inspired by the Big Star trib
ute last year, and I know that that must have been
a logistical nightmare — [laughs] this is turning out
that way, as well, with rehearsals and such.
FP And for those out there who might not be
familiar with Nick Drake?
Sanborn He was from England, and played
guitar and wrote songs in the late '60s. I guess it
was more or less “folk’ music. The music was
simple, yet complex and was kind of mysterious —
especially the guitar-work. His life was kind of a
depressing one. He often took anti-depression pills
because they helped him sleep One night, Nov.
25. 1974, to be exact, he took an overdose, but,
because he took them to help his sleeping, it's a
mystery as to whether or not he offed himself or if it
was accidental. He had released three albums in
his lifetime, Five Leaves Left, Bryter Layter and Pink
Moon, and a fourth album was released after his
death. Time Of No Reply In this tribute show, we re
going to do songs from all four albums. Most of the
people involved with the show weren't Nick Drake
fans to begin with, and some of them had never
even heard of him until I played the recoros for
them. As to whether they're fans now...
Jason Slatton
The Nick Drake tribute show is Monday, Nov.
25, at the High Hat.
T>EEPLY,
What if sound and light and beauty were made one?
Would the world be better if we turned our faces from ha
tred and looked longingly at love and beauty? Yes, i know it
would, and so does Over the Rhine. The Cincinnati four-piece
fuses the beauty of understated melodies with poetry that makes
the heart ache. Did 1 mention beauty?
OTR creates a lush river of sound, taking the best elements
from technology-bent acoustic folk and minimalist electric rock.
The glue that holds it all together is vocalist Karen Bcrquist,
who can make you laugh or cry with the way she bends poetry
into song.
Although the band had three records released on the now-
defunct l.R.S. Records, Over the Rhine is as independent as
they come. Dec. 3, OTR will release its fifth record, a 13-song
Christmas album called The Darkest Night of the Year.
“I had an epiphany somewhere along the line,” says OTR
pointman Linford Detweiler, “and decided 1 certainly never
wanted to make another record on l.R.S. We were able to play
our cards very close to our chest and get out of our record deal. About
two or three weeks later, we got word that l.R.S. was no more.”
They got out of their deal and had a new recoal — Good Dog Bad Dog:
The Home Recordings — just three weeks later. It came out July 1.
“1 think we’re best when we’re just ourselves,” Detweiler says. "I’m
enjoying it right now. I’m very focused on the music, and signing record
deals can shift that focus to so many other things. I’m just happy to be
caught up in the songs and the life of a musician right now. 1 don’t
think we’U always necessarily be independent, but this is the most
iVmTUEND
fun I’ve had chc last seven years, really.”
Detweiler sums up OTR’s two recent albums succinctly: “They’re
very simple and understated, but they seem very honest to me, person
ally. And ghat’s very satisfying. 1 feel like they tell a story that’s relevant
to my experience and resonates deeply within me. And when vou can
get it to that point, you can only hope that others will say ‘I’ve been
there, too.’”
Marc Pilvinsky
Over the Rhine and Vigilantes of Love play the 40 Wan Saturday, Nov. 23.
THE
' ^
* The Half <
Q Moon Pub
IF
Open 7 days
a week
Come Join Us
for Happy Hour!
Mon - Fri
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Wed. 20th
. ^ Phat Phive
/I • Underneath Flanagan’s
208-9712
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613-2324
1$\zsv*\. &
IH£ WRSf
Friday, November 22,
12:04 p.m.
Former hostage Terry Anderson, Hamas
leader Ramadan Abdullah, and professor
Seyyed Kossein Nasr of George Wash
ington University explore the roots of con
flict between traditional Western culture
and the world of Islam.
WUGA
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“Shut up and drink. ”
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