Caught in the Carousel

Letter from the Editor - June 2008

By Alex Green

I'm not a tall guy.

I may be listed in the program as 5'8" but let me break it down for you: I'm 5'7". Only a short hop with the math on that one. Some have said, however, that I'm tall for my age and I've never felt the compulsion to argue.

I only bring this up because a few years ago when I arrived at Café' DuNord in San Francisco to see Matthew Ryan play, I was shocked to find that Mr. Ryan wasn't much taller than me. He was standing next to me at the bar and sure enough, we were more or less in the same height bracket, which was surprising, because a guy who claims to be "…throwing off the bodies/Just to cut down on the drag," sounds pretty damn big to me.

At any rate, the show started and I sat with our Editor-At-Large David Porter and we were stunned by Matthew Ryan's brilliance. He tore through most of the numbers on East Autumn Grin, which was the album he was promoting at the time, and it was a brilliant and smoldering performance. Somewhere around the end of the show, Ryan and his band started playing a song that sounded incredibly familiar. I couldn't place it at first, but Porter could: he turned to me with the biggest smile on his face I'd ever seen. He mouthed the name of the song to me, but I couldn't hear him because it was too loud. But it didn't matter because then it hit me: "We Will Not Be Lovers" by the Waterboys. Ryan leaned deep into the song and then he tore his way out, singing with what I can only describe as possession. It was massive. It was rock and roll uncoiling and snapping out into the world with meaning, fury and passion. And during that song Matthew Ryan expanded before our eyes; his head hit the ceiling, his arms knocked down the walls, his legs kicked out into the night and we watched him become a giant, watched him soar straight up into the universe.

It was that kind of night.

"Like all great rock n' roll, Ryan's is the music of a fervent, lifelong believer," writes David Porter in his interview with the Pennsylvania-born singer/songwriter. David's piece, "A Great Song Is Like A Declaration Of Independence" is not only a comprehensive look at Ryan's career and his new album, Matthew Ryan vs. The Silver State, it's a piece that grounds Ryan's work in the past and present and by the end you'll understand that when you line up Springsteen and Westerberg and Dylan, Matthew Ryan should be standing tall among those guys.

Elsewhere in this issue:
**For our Scouting Report, we sat down Kylie Edmond, who, as far as we're concerned is the Pop Princess of Perth. Trust us, you'll love her.

**We've got tons of new album reviews for you:
Yvonne Prinz on The Chapin Sisters.
David Porter on The Gutter Twins.
Thomas Cooney on American Music Club and M83.
Lyn Dunagan on Gregory Page.
And more!

**Our free download library is expanding -- our goal is to make your IPOD fat and this month should certainly move things along. We've got new ones by: The Baskervilles, Bridges and Powerlines, Freddie Stevenson, Les Savy Fav, Morning State and Uncut. We've also got a few new ones by This Is Ivy League, including their riveting take on Arcade Fire's "Crown Of Love." Download that one twice. Yes, it's that good.

My favorite album right now? Tilly and the Wall's O is excellent. A lively pop album with more indie rock stomp and promiscuous percussion than anyone making music today. A wondrous effort.

And a big thanks to Dylan Speeg's mom, Bonnie. The Buckra singer's mother wrote me the coolest, nicest letter I've ever gotten. She loves her son, she loves the Carousel and she loves Bob Dylan and Dylan Thomas. A charming woman, indeed. And she verified our sneaking suspicion: Buckra are one hell of a live band. Google away and get to one of their shows.

It's summer, Carousel readers. Keep cool and drink plenty of fluids. And get ready for the Music Lovers' new album. I've heard the advance and all I can say is Ted Edwards is a genius. Sneaky pop anthems about fashion and love and getting older and being lousy late at night even though you don't mean to be. One of my all-time favorite singer/songwriters. He made a promise to my class during the Acoustic Classroom Series three years ago that the Music Lovers would only make three albums. This is album number three, kids. He'll be back from a tour in Italy in June and we'll catch up with him and try to convince him not to break up one of the best bands in the world.

I'm going to start by buying him a drink.

Love and Rockets,
Alex Green
Editor, Caught In The Carousel
Alex670@earthlink.net