Throat-singing - what the hell is that all about

If you've never seen one mouth singing two or three separate simultaneous melodies, you really need to get out more. Go to Tuva, for example, a remote republic in Siberia surrounded by mountains and filled with moonshiners, miners and cows. There you will find shamanic folk songs played on unpronounceable instruments by bearded men with grizzly, guttural voices that will pimple your skin forever.

And if you're really lucky, you'll stumble across Albert Kuvezin and his band Yat-Kha . Fighting against Communist musical censorship that tried to tell him what styles he could and couldn't play, Kuvezin has forged a near-impossible international reputation for his music. And with Yat-Kha, he combines Tuva's traditional music with the Western heavy rock he loves, chugging an electric guitar as he goes "Oh yeeeeah" in his filthy double-bass vocal.

After several albums of this punk-folk mish-mash, the logical next step is a covers record; and what a beast this is. From the opening strum of Led Zeppelin's 'When The Levee Breaks', 'Re-Covers' sets its stall as a reverent but unapologetic album. Simmering the song to its bones, Kuvezin rebuilds it as a Siberian folk masterpiece, his unnervingly deep growl spinning a magical, mesmeric tale over the delicate instrumentation.

And so they are all reworked. Kraftwerk's 'The Man Machine' becomes a haunting canvass of guitar effects and acoustic play-about, with overtone chanting roaming for carrion. These eerie high-frequency melodies knock against the rich deep-throat bass vocal. Quite how they could come out of the same larynx - simultaneously or not - is a miracle.

Captain Beefheart's 'Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles' takes on a dreamy Celtic quality; Motörhead's 'Orgasmatron' swirls with black magic; and 'Play With Fire' is a fair old walk from anything The Rolling Stones ever meant to write.

But it's not just rock stuff that gets the folk-me-up treatment. Hank Williams' 'Ramblin' Man' takes that age-old tale of a man whose heart belongs to the train tracks and gives it a darkly wistful edge, with minimal rhythm pulsing like a heartbeat. Joy Division's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' falls slightly flat, its beautiful acoustic guitar lines marred by slightly off-key bear-growl vocals. And a Bob Marley track joins People's Music from Russia, Ireland and France, bobbing joyously with sweet percussion and a voice that sounds like a million cigarettes but is actually the product of one too many homemade vodkas.

This mix'n'match approach to traditional and Western styles sticks Yat-Kha miles above their contemporaries from Tuva, Mongolia and Russia, with excellent but less ambitious folk bands such as Egschiglen finding international appeal while choosing to stay loyal to their countries' sound.

Reaching as far overseas as possible may have been difficult for Albert Kuvezin and Yat-Kha, but blimey, it was worth it, and 'Re-Covers' is one of the most unique albums you will ever hear. Maybe soon, all the kids will be throat-singing and overtone chanting in the playground. In the meantime, look to Siberia. Or wait for the UK tour next month. Oh yeeeeah.

Daniel Robson

reviewed on 08 Aug 2005

Angels of Venice

Angels of Venice is a New Age music group founded by Carol Tatum (who plays harp, mandolin, Irish bouzouki and hammered dulcimer). The other members are Christopher Pellani (percussion), Cathy Biagini (cello) and Susan Winsberg (flute, recorder).

The bouzouki, in the newer tetraxordo (four course/eight string) Greek version, was introduced into Irish Traditional Music in the late 1960s, by Johnny Moynihan , of the popular folk group Sweeney's Men, and popularised by Andy Irvine and Dónal Lunny in the group Planxty . In a separate but parallel development Alec Finn , later with the Galway-based traditional group De Dannan , obtained a trixordo (three course/six string) Greek bouzouki on his own. Irish bouzouki players tend to use the instrument less for virtuoso melodic work and more for chordal and contrapuntal accompaniment for tunes played on other instruments, such as the flute or fiddle; in response, many or most players changed the octave strings in the two bass courses to unison pairs in order to enhance the bass response of the instrument.

Within a few years of the bouzouki's initial introduction a design built specifically for Irish traditional music was developed. The body was widened and in most cases a flat back with straight sides replaced the round, stave-built back of the Greek bouzouki, or, in the case of English builder [1] Peter Abnett, who was the first instrument maker to build a uniquely "Irish" bouzouki - for Dónal Lunny in 1970 - a hybrid design with a 3-piece dished back and straight sides. All of the initial Irish bouzoukis had flat tops, but within a few years some builders began experimenting with carved, arched tops taking their cue from American archtop guitars and mandolins.

Hardly anyone uses the Greek bouzouki for Irish music today; Alec Finn and Mick Conneely are the only professionals of any consequence who use them. Scots mandolin player Kevin MacLeod uses a "tetraxordo" Greek bouzouki in octave mandolin tuning G2D3A3E4, mainly for melodic work.

The tuning G2D3A3D4, first pioneered by Johnny Moynihan on the mandolin (an octave higher at G3D4A4E5) and then adapted to the Greek bouzouki, was picked up by Irvine and Lunny and quickly became the next thing to a standard tuning for the Irish bouzouki. Although some players employ mandolin tuning, pitched down an octave as G2D3A3E4, they are very much in the minority, and an even smaller group use A2D3A3D4. A few players use octave pairing on the two bass courses. Ironically, the Irish tunings are closer to the D3A3D4 tuning of the original Greek trixordo bouzouki than is the guitar-like tuning C3F3A3D4 used on the modern Greek tetraxordo, and lend themselves particularly well to a modal harmonic approach for Irish traditional music. The Irish bouzouki has become fully integrated into the tradition over the past forty years, usually (although not always) playing accompaniment (mostly a mix of two note intervals, basslines, and bits of countermelody) rather than the melody.

Amongst some luthiers and musicians the Irish bouzouki is considered to be part of the mandolin family, the other instruments of which include the mandolin, mandola (called "tenor mandola" in Europe), octave mandolin ("octave mandola" in Europe), and mandocello. But for others this family of instruments, modeled on and tuned like the violin, viola, tenor violin and violoncello, is really part of another tradition from which the Greek bouzouki, and its progeny the Irish bouzouki, are separate. At any rate, since the genesis of the Irish bouzouki in the late 1960s, many luthiers have incorporated aspects of mandolin construction, particularly when building archtop Irish bouzoukis, so for most it is moot point.

The octave mandolin is usually regarded as having a shorter scale length than the Irish bouzouki, in the vicinity of 20 to 23 inches (50 and 58.4cm), whilst the scale length of the Irish bouzouki most often ranges from 23 to 25 inches (58.4 and 63.5cm), although some instruments have scales as long as 26 or even 27 inches (66 to 68.7cm). These longer-scaled instruments are generally acknowledged to possess greater volume, sustain, and tonal richness but some players find the stretches involved in fingering too difficult and so prefer the shorter scales.

The name "cittern " is sometimes applied to a similar instrument of five courses (ten strings), typically having a scale length between 20 and 22 inches (500mm and 550mm), but they are often called "10 string bouzoukis", particularly when having a longer scale length. The fifth course is usually either a lowest bass course tuned to C2 or D2 on an instrument with a long scale, or a highest treble course tuned to G4 or A4 on a shorter one.

However, for some builders and players, the terms "bouzouki", "cittern", and "octave mandolin" are synonymous. Others, such as Stefan Sobell , who originated the "cittern" term for his instruments derived from crossing an archtop Martin guitar with a Portuguese guitarra , apply the name of "cittern" to all shorter scaled instruments, irrespective of whether these have four or five courses, and the name of "bouzouki" to all longer scaled instruments.

In recent years the Irish bouzouki has been found in the hands of many musicians not affiliated with Irish traditional music. Bluegrass and Roots musician Tim O'Brien has become well known for his use of the instrument in his uniquely American music, and others include Steve Earle and Patty Larkin. Roots musician Chipper Thompson uses the bouzouki in several tunings including "Open G" (G2D3G3D4) for bottleneck slide. His recording "The Janissary Stomp" with Celtic musician Roger Landes explores the possibilities for Irish bouzoukis in duet. Irish bouzoukis can also be heard in the contemporary acoustic music of Fernwood.

Mary Youngblood

Mary Youngblood is a Native American flutist in Northern California. She is half Aleut, and half Seminole. Her music has become very highly respected, and she has been awarded three Native American Music Awards, being the first woman to win "Flutist of the Year," which she won in both 1999 and 2000, as well as winning "Best Female Artist" in 2000. She has also won a Grammy Award in the Best Native American Music Album category for the album Beneath the Raven Moon. In 2007, she won her second Grammy Award for Best Native American Music Album for Dance With The Wind.

Melissa Etheridge

In 1982, Etheridge moved from Leavenworth, Kansas to Los Angeles, California to break into the music business. She got some small gigs performing at The Candy Store on the Sunset Strip , as well as at least four lesbian or mixed bars: Robbie's, the Executive Suite and the Que Sera Sera in Long Beach and Vermie's in Pasadena . Some of her early fans from Vermie's gave her demo tape to Bill Leopold, a friend's husband who worked in the music business. Etheridge auditioned for Leopold, who was so impressed that he offered to represent her on the spot.

As Etheridge continued performing in lesbian bars in Los Angeles, Leopold arranged for music executives to come see her play. Eventually, she caught the attention of A&M Records , who hired her as a staff songwriter. For two years, Etheridge wrote music for A&M and many of her songs were recorded by mainstream artists. In 1985, Etheridge sent her demo to Olivia Records , a lesbian record label, but was ultimately rejected. She saved the rejection letter, signed by "the women of Olivia", which was later featured in Intimate Portrait , the Lifetime Television documentary of her life.

In 1986, Etheridge was signed by Island Records , but her first album was rejected by the label as being too polished and glossy. Given four days in the studio to re-record, she cut ten tracks which was released as her eponymous debut album .

Etheridge has released ten albums in her career. Three of them have gone multi-platinum : Melissa Etheridge (1988), Yes I Am (1993) and Your Little Secret (1995). Two others went platinum and two more gold.

Etheridge is a Bruce Springsteen fan, and she has covered his songs "Thunder Road" and "Born to Run" during live shows. She is also a fan of the Dave Matthews Band and has expressed interest in collaborating with them.

In 1994, Etheridge played a cover version of "Burning Love" live in Memphis, during the "It's Now Or Never, The Tribute To Elvis".

In 1997 she appeared on the sitcom Ellen

In October 2004, Melissa Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer . At the 2005 Grammy Awards , she made a return to the stage and, although bald from chemotherapy , performed a tribute to Janis Joplin with the song Piece of My Heart . Etheridge was praised for her performance, which was considered one of the highlights of the show. Etheridge's bravery was lauded in song in India.Arie 's "I Am Not My Hair ."^[1]

On September 10 , 2005 , Etheridge participated in ReAct Now: Music & Relief, a telethon in support for the victims of Hurricane Katrina . ReAct Now: Music & Relief, part of an ongoing effort by MTV , VH1 , CMT , seeks to raise funds for the American Red Cross , the Salvation Army , and America's Second Harvest . Etheridge introduced a new song specially written for the occasion called "Four Days". The a cappella song included themes and images that were on the news during the aftermath of the hurricane . Other charities she supports include the Dream Foundation and Love Our Children USA.

On November 15 , 2005 , Etheridge appeared on the Tonight Show to perform her song "I Run For Life", which references her own fight with breast cancer and her determination to overcome it, as well as encourages other breast cancer survivors and their families. After her performance, Jay Leno told her, "Thanks for being a fighter, kiddo".

Etheridge wrote the song "I Need To Wake Up " for the documentary An Inconvenient Truth . The song was released only on the enhanced version of her greatest hits album, The Road Less Traveled .^{[2] [3]}

On 7 July 2007 , Etheridge performed at Giants Stadium at the American leg of Live Earth . Etheridge performed the songs "Imagine That" and "What Happens Tomorrow" from The Awakening , Etheridge's tenth album, released on September 25 , 2007 , as well as the song "I Need To Wake Up" before introducing Al Gore. On December 11 2007, she performed on the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo , Norway , together with a variety of artists, which was broadcast live to over 100 countries.^[4] In addition, she performed at the U.S. 2008 Democratic National Convention on 27 August 2008.

Queensrÿche

Queensrÿche (pronounced /ˈkwiːnzraɪk/) is an American heavy metal / progressive metal band formed in 1981 in Bellevue, Washington. The band has released ten studio albums and several smaller releases including EPs and DVDs and continues to tour and record.

Queensrÿche has been relatively successful in the progressive scene, having sold over 20 million albums worldwide including over 11 million albums and videos in the United States

After the EP tour, Queensrÿche travelled to London to record their first full-length album. The band worked with producer James Guthrie, who had worked with Pink Floyd and Judas Priest. Released in September 1984, The Warning featured more progressive elements than the band's debut. It peaked at #61 on the Billboard album chart, a moderate commercial success. While none of the singles released from The Warning charted domestically, "Take Hold of the Flame" was a hit for the band outside the US (particularly in Japan).[5] The band's first full-scale U.S. tour (in support of this album) was as the opening act for Kiss on their Animalize tour.



Rage for Order, released in 1986, introduced a much more polished look and sound for Queensrÿche. The album featured keyboards as prominently as guitars, and the group adopted an image more closely associated with glam rock or glam metal than with heavy metal (of which glam metal was a subgenre). A video was filmed for the song "Gonna Get Close to You", originally recorded in 1984 by Dalbello. A song titled "Rage For Order" was written and demoed for the album, but it was not included on the final release. The main riff from this song was worked into an instrumental piece played during some shows on the tour in support of this album and eventually morphed into the track "Anarchy-X" on the "Operation: Mindcrime" album.



[edit]

Operation: Mindcrime and success (1988-1996)



In 1988, Queensrÿche released Operation: Mindcrime, a narrative concept album that proved a massive critical and commercial success. The album's story revolved around a junkie who is brainwashed into performing assassinations for an underground movement; the junkie ("Nikki") is torn over his misplaced loyalty to the cause and his love of a reformed hooker-turned-nun ("Mary," vocals by Pamela Moore) who gets in the way. "Mindcrime" has often been mentioned by critics alongside other notable concept albums like Pink Floyd's The Wall, Dream Theater's Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, and The Who's Tommy. The band toured through much of 1988 and 1989 with several bands, including Def Leppard, Guns N' Roses and Metallica.



The release of Empire (1990) brought Queensrÿche to the height of their commercial popularity. It peaked at #7 and sold more than three million copies in the US, more than their previous four releases combined (it was also certified silver in the UK). The power ballad "Silent Lucidity," which featured an orchestra, became the band's first Top 10 single. While the band retained its socially conscious lyrics (touching on topics such as gun control and the environment), the arrangements on Empire were more straightforward than their previous efforts.



The subsequent "Building Empires" tour was the first, full-fledged tour to feature Queensrÿche as a headlining act (the band had previously headlined a tour in Japan in support of "Operation: Mindcrime" and had headlined a handful of club and theater shows in the U.S. between 1984 and 1988). The group used their headlining status to perform Operation: Mindcrime in its entirety, as well as songs from Empire. The tour lasted 18 months, longer than any tour the band has undertaken before or since. The tour also included an MTV Unplugged appearance at Warner Hollywood Stdios in Los Angeles on April 27, 1992.



After taking time off to deal with the tour's resulting burnout and other personal issues, the band released Promised Land in October 1994 (a companion CD-ROM, featuring a Promised Land-themed game and other interactive features, was released in March 1996). It was a dark and intensely personal album, reflecting the mental state of the band at the time. Although the album debuted at #3 and was eventually certified platinum, it was clearly not the commercial success Empire had been. As with many other heavy metal and hard rock acts, Queensrÿche's commercial fortunes waned as grunge music (which coincidentally got its start in Seattle, Queensrÿche's home city, of which Bellevue - where the band was formed - is a suburb) and alternative rock surged in popularity.



[edit]

1997–1998: Major changes



Queensrÿche released their sixth full-length studio album, Hear in the Now Frontier, in March 1997, to mixed critical and fan reception. The album debuted at #19 but quickly vanished from the charts. The musical sound and style of the album was more basic and stripped down than anything the band had released to date, and some fans and critics pointed to the grunge musical style as being a major influence on the record. Despite the reaction, the singles "Sign of the Times" and "You" received substantial airplay.



Compounding the disappointing sales of the album were issues that plagued the band on the subsequent tour. Less than one month into the Hear in the Now Frontier tour, Geoff Tate became seriously ill and the band was forced to cancel concert dates for the first time. In an even bigger blow, the band's longtime label, EMI America Records, went bankrupt during the same period. Queensrÿche was forced to use their own money to finance the remainder of the tour, which ended in August after only two months. The band played a handful of December shows in South America due to contractual obligations, and it was during this time that founding member Chris DeGarmo announced he was leaving Queensrÿche.



Although the official reasons for DeGarmo's departure have not been made public, members of the band have cited burnout and a desire to pursue interests outside of Queensrÿche as reasons for his departure.[6][7] After he left Queensrÿche, DeGarmo recorded and performed with Jerry Cantrell and was in a short-lived band called Spys4Darwin, which released one EP in 2001. DeGarmo is now a business jet pilot.



[edit]

Continued experimentation (1998–2001)



DeGarmo was replaced by guitarist and producer Kelly Gray. Gray's connections with Queensrÿche went back to the early '80s, when he was the guitarist for Myth, Geoff Tate's previous band. Gray had also previously worked as a producer for bands such as Dokken and Candlebox. Queensrÿche's first album with Gray was 1999's Q2K. It was also the first album for their new label, Atlantic Records. Musically, Q2K bore little resemblance to the progressive metal of the band's past, and also displayed stripped-down sound similar to Hear in the Now Frontier. Q2K has been called a continuation of the experimentation of Hear in the Now Frontier by Geoff Tate. Gray was not embraced by the fans, who felt that his more bluesy style did not suit Queensrÿche. Additionally, declining popularity forced the band to tour in clubs and theaters, rather than larger arenas and outdoor amphitheaters.



After the release of a greatest hits collection in 2000, Queensrÿche embarked on another tour, this time in support of Iron Maiden. This enabled the band to play Madison Square Garden for the first time. Unhappy with the lack of support they felt they received from Atlantic, Queensrÿche moved to Sanctuary Records in 2001. In July of that year, the band performed a handful of dates at the Moore Theater in Seattle, Washington. The shows were recorded and released in September 2001 as Live Evolution, the band's second live album. Kelly Gray departed Queensrÿche soon after.