Author Topic: Slaid Cleaves  (Read 1418 times)

Slaid Cleaves
« on: April 08, 2004, 09:47:00 am »
Well Guiny should like this guy because he's from Maine, the hipsters should like him because he played garage rock long before it was cool, and Bags should like him because he went to a snooty school like Tufts (thus losing his alt-country cred in one fell swoop...whatever happened to the days when country singers got agricultural degrees at the state university?)
 
    Playing an in-store today at Borders, 14th and F.
 
 The music of Austin-based singer/songwriter and guitarist Slaid Cleaves is rooted in country and traditional folk songs, but it is unusual enough to hold interest in what appears to be a sea of singer-songwriters in the 1990s. His debut, No Angel Knows, was released on Rounder Records in 1997. Working with former Lucinda Williams guitarist Gurf Morlix, Cleaves combines his passion for folk songs, blues and traditional country music on his debut into an amalgamation of styles known as "Americana" music. Not surprisingly, No Angel Knows rode high into the charts at Americana-formatted radio stations around the U.S. and Canada in 1997.
 Cleaves majored in English and philosophy at Tufts University in his native New England, and began playing music in garage-rock bands while still in high school. While in college, he learned guitar, and later spent a summer in Ireland. He began busking on the streets in Cork, and that was the turning point when he decided to become a folk singer.
 
 At Tufts, he developed his guitar skills and studied the music of Woody Guthrie and Bruce Springsteen. He recalled that he had listened to the music of Woody Guthrie, Carl Perkins, and Hank Williams as a child, so he went back into his parents' attic to discover a treasure trove of albums. After many years in Portland, Maine, he sought new mountains to climb, and found some of them after moving to Austin, Texas in 1992. Despite the echelon of great singer/songwriters like Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen, Guy Clark and Joe Ely all centered around the Austin scene, Cleaves was able to make a name for himself there. In 1995, he recorded an independent album for Rock Bottom Records entitled Life's Other Side. In 1996, he began his collaboration with Morlix, who liked Cleaves demo tape a whole lot and ended up serving as producer for No Angel Knows. Broke Down followed in early 2000.

saco

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Re: Slaid Cleaves
« Reply #1 on: April 08, 2004, 10:09:00 am »
And hes damn good live.  I'm bummed I'll miss him both today and tonight at Iota.
 
 Guiny: He used to play at Shelly's in Biddeford.  IF that doesnt tell ya how far hes come, nothing does!

Dandy01

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Re: Slaid Cleaves
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2004, 11:08:00 am »
What time?  I may stop by.

saco

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Re: Slaid Cleaves
« Reply #3 on: April 08, 2004, 11:11:00 am »

Re: Slaid Cleaves
« Reply #4 on: April 08, 2004, 11:12:00 am »
Slaid Cleaves=12:30 PM.
 
 Also, Mosquitos, then band opening for Air, is playing Dupont Ollsens tomorrow at 1:30.
 
 I hope my posting this info on the board doesn't lead to overcrowding. Somehow, I think it won't.

Re: Slaid Cleaves
« Reply #5 on: April 08, 2004, 01:52:00 pm »
Saco, you are right. He does put on a good show. And don't fear, he said he'll be back at Iota in June.
 
 I esppecially liked his 50-ish stand up bass player who climbed up on the bass and played it.
 
 And there was a woman in the audience grooving and singing all of the lyrics who looked like Jag...has Jag been reborn an alt-country folkie?

Jaguär

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Re: Slaid Cleaves
« Reply #6 on: April 09, 2004, 03:14:00 am »
Quote
Originally posted by ggdoubleballs (tm):
  And there was a woman in the audience grooving and singing all of the lyrics who looked like Jag...has Jag been reborn an alt-country folkie?
Hell, no!   :eek: