CROWSONG - Reviews and Press
Relix
Magazine, June, 2003
Flying High
Crowsong is a highly
accomplished trio led by multi-instrumentalist and master slide guitarist Randy
Clark. After a largely instrumental debut, they’ve expanded their sound to
include vocals and more textures. Think Ry Cooder meets Neil Young and Crazy
Horse with an alt-country/blues penchant and a tad of Bob Dylan thrown in for
good measure. The ragged vocals have an endearing quality while the lopping
instrumental grooves are cinematic in scope. Crowsong’s music is vibrant and
atmospheric, ranging from delicate slide instrumentals to searing electric
epics.
Aquarian Weekly, January 2003
By Al Muzer
A master guitarist with a slide style to envy, a vibrato that melts butter,
one of the sweetest tones since Ry Cooder and the chops and flash of Blow By
Blow Jeff Beck -- Randy Clark came up with sounds other axe-men had yet to
imagine on 1999's all-instrumental Dark Comes Light.
Defying expectation thanks to his surprising revisit of the twangier tunes
contained on that excellent outing, the utterly engrossing Western
glows thanks to Clark's rich, warm, Tim Buckley-meets-Mike Scott-meets-Roger
McGuinn-ish vocals, plenty of well-played banjo, mandolin and acoustic, and an
edgy, Steve Earle-like vibe.
Opening with a lilting, Comes A Time-meets-Jayhawks-meets-Byrds front porch
picker ("My Girl") that'd sound great on radio -- additional highlights on a
disc that'll hit you in the heart more often than not include the brilliantly
penned "Old Rt.13"; the appropriately titled "Badlands"; the Nitty Gritty chug
of "Two Manhattans"; an eight minute sonic overload of road-weary splang called
"Drive"; and a raw 'n' rangy roots-rocker called "Separate Ways" that boasts the
hook "If when you wake up, you don‚t see me in the mornin', we must have gone
our Separate Ways."
San Francisco Bay
Guardian, February 2000
"Microgrooves"
In a region that has spawned too many creative and hotshot pickers to list in
one place (start with Garcia and Santana and work your way through Satriani and
Kaiser to Hunter and Campilongo), genius-in-waiting Randy Clark could too easily
get lost in the shuffle. Composer and guitarist for the vocal-less quartet
Crowsong, Clark makes his electric axe sing at the edge of feedback, wields a
slide against his acoustic strings with ingenuity close to that of Cooder and
Lindley, and generally creates a mysterious exotic vibe in a cobbled-together
tradition whose gurus might include John Fahey, Sandy Bull, Harvey Mandel, and
Bill Frisell. Bassist Edo Castro, drummer Skooter Fein, and percussionist Wade
Peterson play crucial roles on these 13 instrumentals, but Clark's vivid
timbres, mercurial ideas, and novel spins on eclectic influences (country,
western, Delta blues, jazz, rock, Indian) give them their intoxicating and
memorable personality. (Richardson)
Relix
Magazine, February 2000
Crowsong is an instrumental quartet from
California led by versatile guitarist, Randy Clark. He is also a member of the modern day
surf band, 'The Mermen.' In its cd,
'Dark Comes Light,' the band
explores a kaleidoscopic blend of textures that has it's roots in blues, but ventures into more world beat
styles. For instance, the opening
cut, 'Crowsong' begins with Ry
Cooder-like slide and then slips into almost classical Indian tones while
incorporating complex bass patterns.
This sound is further explored in "Kumar's Theme". Several of the long cuts have a somewhat
repetitive yet meditative feel, most notably in the nine minute "Undeground" and
the more experimental "Song for Jack Walking Eagle". The almost spaghetti western-flavored
"Nobody" offers a welcome upbeat feel, while the atmospheric, acoustic slide
work on "Magazines and Cocktails" shows that Clark is an incredible
guitarist.
Sfgate.com, January 6th
2000
"Hear and Now – Derk Richardson
Top Indie Rock 'n' Pop,
1999
This instrumental band, featuring guitarist Randy Clark, plays in fields
tilled by John Fahey and Ry Cooder, touching on acoustic country blues but
moving in modern directions without the cocktail trendiness of, say, the Friends
of Dean Martinez."
Review from amazon.com
Crowsong: Dark Comes
Light, September 25, 2000
This CD is a journey of
memories for me...a series of flashbacks to exotic places I've been, dreamt of
or imagined. Each time I listen to Clark's otherworldly guitars he transports me
weightlessly from a balmy lousiana bayou to a mysterious passageway in India and
dumps me off in front of a gritty old west saloon in a matter of 72 minutes. His
mastery of and passion for the instrument provide the foundation for this
sensual ride which is at once hypnotic, profoundly melancholy and joyous. My
favorite tracks: "Crowsong", "Kumar's Theme" and Magazines & Cocktails" are
perfect for any type of trip- road or otherwise.
Reviewer: Lisa Wood from
San Anselmo, CA
Guitar World Acoustic no.35 may 2000
Indie Jones by Isaiah Trost
A mighty acoustic slide player, bandleader
Randy Clark, comes to his current group from a stint in a California surf
band. Crowsong, however, is far
more Ganges than Pacific Ocean, displaying the music lessons Clark absorbed
during studies in India. The music
has an Eastern sound but a Western structure, so it's accessible to American
ears. And very satisfying.
Aquarian Weekly, March 22, 2000
By Al Muzer
Guitarist Randy Clark lays down 72 minutes of
the most genuinely amazing acoustic slide, World Beat, hypno-drone metal bluster
and detuned sonic surf swirl spaced blues whale music since Jeff Beck's last
decent outing. Moments of delicate beauty ("Marriage Song") and fingerpicked
genius ("Before We Met") compete with ominous dirges ("15
Miles"),>country-fueled toe-tappers ("Luli House") and alien spaceship
crashes ("Dark Comes Light") for the honor of being your favorite track. A
brilliant guitarist deserving of your undivided attention.
Vintage Guitar, December 1999
Ever
since I've been writing reviews, there are some albums that are hard to
describe. That's not a bad
thing. It's usually someone who's
done something a little bit differently and done well. That's the deal here.
Crowsong is a four piece
that features the songs and guitar playing of Randy Clark. The instrumental tunes mix country,
country/blues, jazz, and pretty much everything in between. For instance, "15 Miles" features a
moody, evocative sound that incorporates Randy using a slide, volume swells, and
even scrapes to enhance the mood.
He follows that with a killer electric solo that adds to the feel. The song "Crowsong" is the same kind of
thing. He plays (if there is such a
thing) slide jazz. The rhythm
section cooks behind him while he solos wonderfully. "Kumar's Theme" has a middle-eastern
feel with a nice chordal work.
It's
definitely a different-sounding album.
Randy, along with bassist Edo Castro, drummer Skooter Fein, and
percussionist Wade Peterson, creates moods throughout. Clark uses everything to set things
up. From nasty acoustic and
electric slide, to ominious volume swells, to plain-old pretty acoustic playing,
it's all there. …
Guitar World Online
"San
Francisco Band crafts new sound"
The San
Francisco bay Area group, Crowsong has released an arresting new album of
uniquely original material, Dark Comes Light. Guitarist and bandleader Randy Clark
also plays in the surf modernists The Mermen, but Crowsong is a different beast,
less bludgeoning and more ethereal and haunting. …"
Guitar Player, April 1999
"Sessions" tutorial by
Randy titled "Spread Triads"
Audio
version available by calling (800) 222-3399 or online at truefire.com
Guitar Player, November 1998
"Sessions" tutorial by
Randy titled "Linear String
Power"
Audio
version available by calling (800) 222-3399 or online at truefire.com
Ithaca Times
"Soundcheck"
Randy
Clark, whom Ithacans may remember as a member of JAWS (a late '80s explosion of
jazz-funk fusion) has gone west to California. Along with writing for Guitar Player
Magazine, he's now leading his own group, Crowsong, and has just put out a
new CD, Dark Comes Light.
I was a
student at IC when JAWS was gigging around town, and I had two friends (both
named Amy) who were big fans. Every
weekend, the Amys and I would take the bus over to Oliver's, and sit with our
heads resting on our hands, swooning over Clark. I mean, over his guitar technique.
Back
then, the songs were usually too long for my tastes, and that still holds
true. His music would be
strengthened by economy. But other
than that, he's improved.
For me,
highlights of Dark Comes Light are "Underground" and "Song for Jack
Walking Eagle." The tunes will be familiar to JAWS fans; I have them on a
bootleg from those days. But
Clark's current rendering shows how ten years have matured him. He's learned how to both build and pare
accompaniment to highlight the natural shape of a melody. And – note to the Amys – he still rocks
out. The kids in the hippie house
across the street from me started dancing on their porch when I put the disc
on.
Clark
is accompanied well. Edo Castro on
bass is deeply trustworthy, and shines especially on "15 Miles." Skooter Fein and Wade Peterson on drums
and percussion are clever and quick, coming up with all sorts of interesting
noises while never overwhelming Clark's tremendous guitar playing.
Dark
Comes Light veers all over the
musical map, sounding Middle-Eastern, Asian, and sometimes American Southern.
Ten years ago, it was fun to hear Clark and his friends jaw down, chew up music,
and spit it out. Now, it's a real
pleasure to hear him take a wing and fly."
Ithaca Journal
"…searing melodic solo
which put most similar efforts by arena rock guitarists to shame."
(referring to a live
performance of 'Underground.')
indiecreations.com (coming soon)
By
Maria Lewytzkyj
"…better
than your best opium, and definitely more multi-faceted in the what-hits-ya
experiences that you might get walking down a highway stoned off your
gourd…"
"…'Kumar's Theme' is an arrangement by Randy
Clark based on Mishri Kirwani. It
is a defiant and certain gait that feels like a solo dance in smoke. The bass and drum are a carpet upon
which we sit, looking over, we see
our own imagination unravel to see things we've never seen, colors that don't
normally weave together and leaves a taste of slippery air…"
"…The technical and musical mastery of Randy
Clark, Edo Castro, Skooter Fein and Wade Peterson is a glorious addition to the
world of music where imagination seems to sometimes be thwarted by witticisms
and modernisms that don't evoke the landscapes Crowsong so willingly has
conceptualized."
