In The Spotlight: Altered Five
                                           

Founded in 2002 by five Southern Wisconsin music veterans, Altered Five has built a solid reputation as an innovative blues-rock ensemble. The group performs custom-made arrangements of popular rock songs from the 1970s to today.

“They bring something new to a familiar tune,” says Wisconsin music critic Jason Keil. “Think of Thomas Dolby’s ‘She
Blinded Me with Science’ with the new- wave keyboards replaced by a cool, harmonically rich guitar riff or Lenny Kravitiz’s ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way’ transformed into an elegant blues song.”

The group’s setlist also features “bluesified” versions of hits originally recorded by Aerosmith, the Beatles, Bon Jovi, the Clash, INXS, Jane’s Addiction, Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Van Halen, and more.

The Altered Five emerged from diverse musical backgrounds. Guitarist Jeff Schroedl and his brother, drummer Scott Schroedl, were members of the original rock band Tambora from 1988-1993. Jeff released a jazz-rock solo album on Audioimage Records in 1994 and began performing with bassist Mark Solveson in various local jazz groups.

From 1999-2001, Solveson and the Schroedl brothers joined former Ruby Star and Jukebox Heroes keyboardist Steve Huebler in the blues group Todd Greene & The Blue Machine. After the group disbanded, the foursome came up with the idea to form a new band that would blend rock tunes with rhythm ’n’ blues grooves. They auditioned singers and eventually found Jeff Taylor, who is also an accomplished pianist and assistant principal at Vincent High School.  Taylor's powerful voice proved to be the missing link, and the group Altered Five was officially formed.

The band continues to arrange new songs and plans to release their first full-length recording in 2007. A5 has also been featured on Fox6 and also on TMJ4 morning shows. In the meantime, you can check out their live show at clubs and festivals throughout Southern Wisconsin.

In The Spotlight: Drummer - Brian Stevens                            

Brian Stevens was born in Cumberland, Wisconsin and has lived there ever since.  He came from a family of musicians. When he was younger his older brother played drums in local bands.  Brian would sit and watch him practice waiting for the opportunity to sit and hit on his drums when he would go to the bathroom or take a phone call.  Brian’s brother and sister were teenagers when he was still in grade school, so Brian listened to Kiss, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, ACDC and other classic bands of the era.  That soon grew into a taste for music that Brian still yearns for today. 

As Brian matured and the eighties came rushing in he fell victim to the metal scene and the hair bands of the day.  Brian never missed a concert.  "The first time I saw Tommy Lee live I knew that's what I wanted to do", says Brian.  In 1985 a group of Brian's friends decided to form a band.  They asked Brian to play drums.  "I don't even know how to play" Brian told them.  They told him, who care's think of the chicks we'll get.  That's all it took, Brian was in.  Brian sat his parents down at the kitchen table and after two hours of persuasion they invested in his first drum kit. Brian taught his self by studying the drummers at live shows, watching instruction videos and reading books and magazines.  Since then he has played with many different bands in the Midwest area.  Brian has played all genres of music from Rock to Disco to Country.  Brian practices 3 to 5 hours a day, constantly learning and teaching himself new styles and improving his stamina and dexterity.  Brian has gathered over 20 years of experience by playing live shows, private practices and group rehearsals. 

Over the years Stevens has managed to have the opportunity to share the stage, rub shoulders with and party with the likes of;  Brett Michaels, Gin Blossoms, 38 Special, Peter Frampton, Night Ranger, the Classic Rock Allstars, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Lou Graham of Foreigner, Paul Rogers of Bad Company, Pantera and Prong. In 2002 Brian competed in the Guitar Center drum off in Edina, Minnesota and made it to the final 8 in the store finals. Stevens' live show is the ultimate balls out aggressive most extreme spectacle imaginable.  Solid as a rock incorporating many stick tricks like twirls, tossing and juggling.  "200 percent goes into every one of my live shows...  I'm totally dedicated to the art of drumming" said Stevens.

See Brian Stevens' Drum Kit featured in the December 2007 issue of Modern Drummer

In The Spotlight: Chad James                                        

I have always felt at a very young age the desire to play music and perform for others. But after several failed and frustrating attempts later to learn a variety of instruments, I decided to lay it aside and move on………..THE PAST!

It wasn’t until after I gave my life over to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did I begin to feel that old familiar pull again. The difference was that this time it was more distinct, I WAS not only going to play guitar and perform. But if I would only open my mouth, I would sing and write songs as well. Now at the time this all seemed to be too much. I have never sang or played anything in my life. “And air guitar in my bed room as a teenager just doesn’t count”. Besides…. there was one major thing you seemed to over look God. I was born with one hand, who in the world would ever take me seriously!! It wasn’t until some time later he reveled to me “It was never about you, it’s about glorifying me”. And almost immediately things seemed to gel and make sense. Before I could even figure out how to play certain chords on the guitar I began writing my first song “I Need You” and others have followed ever since.

Along this journey called life we do not always make the right decisions, and I have not always taken the correct paths. “But this one thing I do, forgetting those things behind I reach forward to those things that are ahead. Pressing towards the prize and the high calling of God which is in Christ Jesus”. So I want to encourage you… No matter what your circumstance, no matter where you have been. It all pales in comparison to where God can take you if your trust is in him. Don’t give up!! And when the world around you says that you cannot, believe him when he says you can. “Through me all things are possible”. For we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus!

My hope is that my testimony and these songs will be an inspiration to anyone who may hear. And that you will be as blessed listening to them, as I have been creating them.

God Bless,
Chad James

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. 
 Philippians 4:13

In The Spotlight: Keith Hampton                                        

The second album: after a singer’s debut, it’s the second project that truly defines the artist. Skills are tested more seriously on the sophomore release, because it’s less about arriving than it is about staying in the scene.

“Since I live in the ephemeral performance space of the small-club singer-songwriter, my first CD was about [the very act of] making sure there was a permanent record of my work. It was important to have a calling card: a tangible product with which to market my live show,” says Keith Hampton, one of Boston’s quiet coffeehouse treasures.

But after that first recording the question lingers: now what? And here's where the thoughtful baritone you might have met on COMING HOME: BOSTON SONG COLLECTIVE (Brave Records, 2005) makes a surprising—and very risky—choice: he’s kept his second recording project raw, uncorrected and deeply real.

“When anyone decides to put time and money into a recording, it’s very tempting to tighten things up, and try to put on your Sunday best to impress. But these songs were demanding their own kind of setting, and I began to feel uncomfortable about the classic studio recording, let's-make-it-perfect mentality,” says Hampton.

Every live performer recognizes the syndrome—when a CD project comes out sounding like a publicity photo looks: prettier than the real thing. A frequent live performer, Keith knows the paradox of this gap between recording and reality: “My favorite performers are better live than on record, and I often prefer acoustic, stripped-down CDs to polished studio tracks. There’s something more visceral about music that takes risks. People are affected by songs in such personal ways.”

So for this project Keith took it up a level by letting go: “I decided the next step in my song crafting was to deepen my own capacity for work that was scrupulously honest. I wanted to say things as clearly as I could in the lyrics. I wanted to find new harmonies that underscored the sentiment of the words and caught the ear by surprise—just as the original emotions caught me by surprise.” And—he confesses—he wanted to hang out with his friends while making interesting music. “I decided it was time to make a recording by forgetting I was making a recording.”

The result is CHANCE & CHANGE, a beautifully balanced group of uniquely shaped songs about the mystery of things made more beautiful because they’re simply observed and allowed to be. There’s the heart-weary subject asking for a lullaby instead of a love song. Or the twin circles of seasonal nature and love (“I really got to know you in the winter/didn’t I?”) and the lightly Buddhist attempt to turn the relationship wisdom wheel (“Letting go is not the same as losing...”). There’s a delicate song to the lunacy of love (Moon) and a loving sketch of and eight-year-old’s fantasy play (I Will Not Fall Again). The collection also includes a pair of hand-on-heart wedding songs (This One and Sway), so emotionally direct and universal they would complement any ceremony.

For these recording sessions, Keith is joined in the various living rooms of friends throughout the Boston area by master mandolin player Jim Dalton, world music guru Catherine Birrer on percussion, and Sandi Hammond on piano (another Brave Records artist and local Boston-area favorite songwriter).

Together these classically trained friends quietly, carefully create something the new folk movement can always use: a chamber music CD that is alive, irregular and— therefore—perfect as it is.

(Kimberly Fox, 2006)

In The Spotlight: My Mourning Belle (Mark Allen)
                  

My Mourning Belle is the vision of Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter Mark Allen...

As is evident on the first single, "Start Again," the music of My Mourning Belle blends the lyrical and melodic sensibilities of a classic singer-songwriter with the passion and exuberance of anthemic rock. The result is a sound that is both uplifting and melancholic with themes that are at once cynical and romantic. Lyrically, Allen addresses all of the usual topics of life, death, love, and relationships. The most persistent theme, however, concerns the challenge of being true to one's self in the face of the more conventional ideals of the world around us. Whether with the soaring chorus of "See You Around," the haunted soul rock of "Lorelei," the aching beauty of "Tears in a River," or the doomed romanticism of "The Hopelessness of Hope," Allen fuses our sadness, hopes, and fears into melodies that we can sing along to.

Allen made his debut as My Mourning Belle on Good Friday 2007 with an acoustic set in front of a capacity crowd at Linneman's Riverwest Inn. Since then, he has distinguished himself as an artist to watch, captivating audiences with his emotive voice and ardent live performances.

Moving forward, Allen is nearing the completion of the first My Mourning Belle EP, which he has been recording with Medavon, the voice and mastermind behind the Milwaukee band, Lockjaw. Once the EP is complete, Allen plans to take his show on the road to a venue near you in 2008.

In The Spotlight: Loren Claypool          

Loren Claypool is a Wisconsin-based multi-instrumentalist/composer from West Virginia. His new solo album, One Feather Shy, will be released in July 2008 on Clayphonic Records™ (www.clayphonicrecords.com). Loren plays acoustic, electric, baritone electric, fretless electric, lap steel, baritone lap steel, touch and synthesizer guitars. He composes, arranges, loops, improvises, and manipulates sounds across genre boundaries as diverse as progressive, ambient, Guitar Craft-style acoustic ensemble, and spaghetti western. The common thread is guitar as the basis for his instrumental music. Bryan Beller, bassist for Steve Vai and Mike Keneally, describes Loren’s music as “interesting sounds, textures, and melodies, not the usual fare.”

In addition to his solo work, Loren is a member of Guitar Circle of Chicago, a group of musicians committed to working with the principles of Guitar Craft as a "way of doing things." Guitar Circle of Chicago performs throughout the Midwest, featuring songs from the Guitar Craft repertoire, original material, circulations, and improvisations. Loren is also writing and recording at a distance with Fragile, the experimental progressive duo from Estonia. In addition, he is an endorsing artist for Industrial Guitars.

In September 2007, Loren was asked by Markus Reuter of the German experimental duo Centrozoon to provide audio commentary for their latest CD Lovefield. The result, described by Mr. Reuter as “a piece of art,” is available as a download on the band’s website. He co-scored and recorded the soundtrack for the award-winning independent film Lost Love. Loren has an extensive background in recording as a solo artist, under the guises of Loren Claypool Guitar Ensemble, ClayLoop, Claytronica, and The Basement Ensemble, and as a member of the progressive jazz fusion duo Fingerdance.

What are other recording musicians saying about Loren Claypool’s music?

• Patrick O’Hearn – “very nice indeed”
• Markus Reuter – “the pieces are great”
• Geoff Brandin of The Vanduras – “some very cool music”
• Ed DeGenaro – “the cool lap playing brought Kimock to mind”
• LeaLoop (Leander Reininghaus) – “the tunes are performed masterly and they are truly beyond the limits of certain genres, guitar music of the future”
• Teed Rockwell – “a great sense and understanding of the broad range of the guitar”
• Jurica Jelic – “awesome guitar work”
• Ken Andreoni – “great style and composition, a departure from the norm”
• Jose Moura – “beautiful playing and unique music”
• Amir Baghiri – “simply excellent with intelligent and thoughtful compositions and unique details”
• Marco Oppedisano – “ambient in combination with gritty guitar tones and E-bow, very tasteful and wonderful use of electric guitar color”
• Paul Kuhn – “the layering of the guitars is gorgeous”

In The Spotlight: Dad The Plow          

Band Members (From L to R):
Chris Howard: Lead Vocals
Remo: Guitar, Guitar Synth, Keyboards, Back up Vocals
Leon Royal T: Bass, Back up Vocals
Mike Runge: Drums

Dad The Plow is a four piece rock group from Milwaukee , Wisconsin . Their style emerges from such influences as Tool, the Foo Fighters, Seether, Chevelle, and various other hard-rock groups. With such inspiration Dad The Plow’s sound can be described as a mix of hard hitting riffs with melodic overtones. The band pools from all four members’ creative talents to write their material in hopes of capturing unique yet familiar hard-rock music. Chris Howard fronts the band with vocals, Remo brings in his own flair with hungry guitars and keyboard overtones, Leon Royal T brings in the low end, and Mike Runge provides a solid rhythm on the drums. The band has played numerous shows over the past four years, ranging from local lounges with the likes of local heavy weights Bad Boy, and Spiral Trance, to venues with national acts such as Trouble, Bang Tango, and Pretty Boy Floyd.  Dad The Plow continues to perform throughout Wisconsin and Illinois on a regular basis.

PRESS:
 “Power trios from the Milwaukee area are nothing new, but Dad The Plow, releasing their first album of music this month, have been honing and developing their sound for over three years. The Band members hail from Milwaukee groups that include Hangman's Jury, RedRum, and Victims of Voodoo, but Dad The Plow has developed a sound quite distinct from those metal bands. It is a sound that incorporates heavy, almost '70s-style riffs and Metallica-like vocals with sweeping keyboard sounds.”- Maximum Ink Music Magazine

Discography:
Live From The Fields (Live EP)  2005 Independent
Truth  (CD Single)  2006 Independent
The Heavy (Full length studio)   2007 Spiderwater Records
Cheese & Beer Vol. I (Compilation) 2008 Cheese & Beer Records

Reviews of The Heavy :
“The disc divides it time between Metallicas’ menace and Alice In Chains’ moodiness, right down to the austere, Jerry Cantrell-esque guitar textures.”
- Evan Rytlewski, Shepherd Express ~ November 2007

“Big, powerful, and moves mass at a steady pace!  By the end of this album your ears will indeed have been thoroughly plowed.” 
- Jeff Muendel - Maximum Ink Music Magazine

“This CD has the punch to take care of any hard rock listener.  One can’t help but ask why this band isn’t bigger than it is. With a sound that begs to be played on the radio.” 
- Jason Freel,  WIbands.com

Upcoming Shows:
Saturday July 19th:  Barn Bash,  Van Dyne , WI www.myspace.com/barnbashmusic

Saturday September 6th:  The Back Bar, Janesville , WI  www.thebackbar.com

In The Spotlight: Adam Ahrens          

The former Madison, WI resident Adam Ahrens is coming home this month to celebrate the release of his first full-length album.  The self-titled work may have been born in this current home of Austin Texas but it was conceived years ago, right here in Madison, WI.

Influenced as a teenager buy seeing local favorite Catfish Stephenson perform on State Street, Ahrens cultivated his love of Americana music. "I found my way into roots music and finger style guitar pretty soon after that," he explains.  "Lightning Hopkins, Blind Lemon Jefferson, those kinds of people. After I heard them I moved down to Texas to get closer to the place of origin."  The Lone Star State proved to be the ideal classroom for Ahrens as he developed his craft.  "There's such a wealth of guitar talent and independent artists that I found my way to the main players pretty quick," he says.  "I was at church every week, so to speak."

After gaining valuable instruction from these players, Ahrens started to think seriously about writing and recording his own songs. "exhausting all the influences and trying to find a voice of my own was my reasoning." He states.  "There's just a sense that if you don't have anything of your own, then you haven't learned anything.  At that point it seemed strictly like imitation until I had written some of my own material."
Adam Ahrens is a beautiful portfolio with which to debut his burgeoning talent.  Original songs with lyrical content running the gamut from lonesome to hilarious, instrumentals seamlessly binding everything together, and a few covers for good measure, this album fuses the influences of contemporary times with soothing traditional music.  Its creation, however, was not as smooth as the sound it conveys.

Speaking of his time in the studio, Ahrens says, "Sometimes it can really force you to go back to the drawing board.  On this record I had a second day of retakes because we weren't really getting the sounds and they weren't sounding like I thought they should.  So I went back and I recorded at least three of those songs over.  It scared me, frankly.  I really wasn't sure if I was going to come out with what I needed and studio time is a premium, so I don't like to waste my time when I'm in there,"

If he was worried about efficiency compromising quality, he needn't have been.  All in all, the album was recoded in less that a week and produced a collection of staggeringly well-controlled, gentle songs.  The best example of this can be found in the haunting last track, "Rose in the Snow".  The juxtaposition of Ahrens' lullaby vocals with chiming bell-like banking guitar is immediately heart-breaking.  The upbeat "Ramrod" sits on the other end of the emotional spectrum.  If this song doesn't make you smile nothing will.  Featuring the slide-guitar work of Steve James, this bouncy tune is proof that you don't have to be a worried man to sing a worried song after all.

Adam Ahrens makes his triumphant return to Madison on October 14th at the Weary Traveler at 9:00 p.m. and follows up with a second show at the Harmony Bar and Grill on the 15th with Steve James at 6:00 p.m.

Shelly Peckham, Rick's Café
October 2006 Volume 4 No. 10