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Up to this point my appearances on RFB have primarily focused on early women writers. Today, in keeping with the miscellany spirit of this remarkable blog, I’m writing from a different place altogether—as a huge fan and voracious consumer of pop music. When I was a graduate student at the University of Virginia—where I met John and Eberle for the first time—I DJ-ed at the UVA radio station, WTJU (get it? “TJ” for Thomas Jefferson). There, I got to spin actual vinyl records in the mid-1980s until we were forced to transition to CDs as the decade wore on (not as good for those slick segues). I used to troll through the current bin, checking out the latest treasures and oddities that appeared during that golden age when college radio prided itself on “breaking” bands like Camper Van Beethoven, R.E.M., and Nirvana, to name a few. These days I mostly play music to please myself, and I have a customized current bin. My wife, Cheryl—record collector extraordinaire, label executive, and star producer—picks out whatever new things she thinks might appeal to me and leaves them in a box for me to listen to at my leisure. I keep my ears open and love to hear whatever comes my way.
So when John invited me to write about the debut record of Memphis-based band Star & Micey, I checked out a few sample tracks and jumped at the opportunity. They made it onto the RFB radar because of the piece John wrote on the Big Star boxed set last month. Like Big Star, the group Star & Micey belongs to the legendary world of Ardent. They recorded the album at Ardent Studios, and they’re signed to Ardent Music, who will be releasing their album tomorrow.
In their bio, Star & Micey memorialize the event that gave them their quirky-sounding name—an encounter
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Ardent Studios have a reputation not only for state-of-the-art recording facilities and equipment, they’re also renowned for nurturing talented musicians. From what the members of Star & Micey have to say about their experience there in interviews, they benefited greatly from that tradition. Crosby calls their recording sessions “a dream come true” and says that working there, “you feel like a kid, you feel like you can do anything.” As you can see from their pictures and in the interviews, these guys are young and brimming with optimism, and that’s what makes their gorgeously produced album such a fresh surprise. It has an old school sound and vibe with a 21st-century alt-folk-rock sensibility.
On the self-titled record, Star & Micey sound like they’re having a great ti
I just feel so grateful,
I just feel so grateful,
I just feel so grateful
About everything.
The tracks that follow are unified by Crosby’s smooth, confiding vocals, which are nicely complemented by harmonies from Smith and by flawless arrangements. Guest musicians include Jody Stephens, the drummer from Big Star (and Ardent studio manager), on “Nelson” and Luther Dickinson, of The North Mississippi Allstars and The Black Crowes, on “So Much Pain.”
One of my favorite songs on the album, “My Beginning,” has a sweet soul flavor and congeniality that typifies this band’s overall personality. They’ve been sporadically keeping a blog of their current tour at starandmicey.com, and if you read some of their entries, you can tell they’re having a blast out on the r
After spending some time getting to know this band, I found myself rooting for them to do well. If these guys come to your town, go see them. And if they need a place to stay, let them sleep on your couch!
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Thanks, John and Audrey, for the intro to Star and Micey. I'll have to say that RFB has expanded my musical experiences and opened my ears to new styles. Knowing the back stories of these individuals and groups makes them real to me in a way that simply listening and enjoying - if that can be characterized as "simple" - does not.
ReplyDeleteI always love the UVA references and wonder if you ran across my loved ones in Mr. Jefferson's academical world when you were there.
The problem with the internet these days is that there is just too much choice : too much music, too many poems, too much writing. If it wasn't for sites such as RFB I know I would tend to stay within the confines of my own comfort zone simply because there I can make informed choices. But RFB takes me outside those zones because I have learnt to recognise that you have the same notion of what constitutes quality as I have.
ReplyDeleteCool! Thanks for the introduction, Audrey!
ReplyDeleteHi Karen & Alan & Willow
ReplyDeleteKaren: Thanks for that--I'm glad you enjoy the musical writing here!
Alan: Wow, thanks for that!
Willow: Glad you liked it!