This week’s Alive After Five headliner: Chuck Prophet and the Mission Express
Go Listen Boise local opener: The Juke Daddys

ABOUT CHUCK PROPHET

Chuck Prophet shapes his restless career with inimitable subtle flair: a vivid parade of razor-edged one-liners camouflaged in a slack-jawed drawl, songs about heartbreak and everyman heroism, drenched in twisted lines of rude Telecaster.

When the early stages of a financial melt-down coincided with a rare San Francisco heat wave in the summer of 2008, with the window open wide and Dwight Twilley, Iggy, Thin Lizzy and the Knack blaring out the hi-fi, Prophet wrote a collection of political songs for non-political people. Later, in April 2009, he journeyed to Mexico City, where, in the clutches of a Swine Flu panic and earthquakes, he recorded ¡Let Freedom Ring!, his most incendiary record, every bit as urgent as the title demands.

His search for a new perspective paid off, much like at eighteen when he left his native Whittier, CA for San Francisco, which he still calls home, and before too long joined Green on Red, a gang of interloping Arizonans with no small impact on L.A.’s Paisley Underground. During an eight-year run with Green on Red, he cut his first major label session with legendary Memphis producer Jim Dickinson, burned through a couple of big record deals, and ventured a debut solo effort, Brother Aldo (1990). These were the first steps in the career that shaped Prophet into a prolific rock ‘n’ roll classicist.

But now, he has created his career high-water mark. ¡Let Freedom Ring! wanders into the fractured, surreal state of the American Dream and emerges with the most vital document of Prophet’s vision, a reflection of life and love for troubled times.

To untangle topics so knotted, Prophet uses only the most essential language: little else but whip-smart one-liners, a guitar in each channel and a backbeat. There are glimpses in the rear-view mirror of American rock ‘n’ roll – names like Eddie Cochran and an instinct for lean guitar tunes – but the meat’s fresh. There’s everything from the capitalist hustle and the immigrant struggle to the impulse to forget it all with a lusty Saturday night.

For his journey south of the border, Prophet put together a band with guitarist Tom Ayres, bassist Rusty Miller and drummer Ernest “Boom” Carter (who supplied Springsteen the beat for “Born To Run”). Over an eight-day session, his ninth solo studio record was born among the gnarled chaos of Mexico City. Outside the doors were warring drug cartels, a crippling recession and the panic of Swine Flu that sent a city of 25 million cowering behind surgical masks. Inside, producer Greg Leisz (Wilco, Beck, Emmylou Harris) used Eisenhower-era gear and did little else but roll tape. It was Mexico City. It was panicked and paranoid. It was chaotic, beautiful, and hopeful. To gain a fresh perspective on his homeland from high on a flat foreign hill, it was perfect.

Opening with “Sonny Liston’s Blues,” Prophet gives voice to a man with a heart recognized by few, who many thought a monster, equal parts myth and reality – much like the American Dream. The shuffling gait of “Barely Exist” glances at that dream through the lens of immigration: a father’s dog-eared photograph of a kid left behind in a world of “asbestos in your Kool-Aid for breakfast.”

Prophet’s own country, run by Georgetown barflies that rage through “American Man” and the wild markets under the Stonesy strut of “¡Let Freedom Ring!,” is a place where solace can only be found in grabbing the nearest body and plunging headlong onto the dance floor, or waking late with the windows open.

Eleven songs later, Prophet’s Freedom stares into the incalculable divide of America’s haves and have-nots and offers neither answers nor condolences; the grit and glory of his country – like the devils he wrestles – are all in the details.

When you dig the details that have shaped Prophet’s career, ¡Let Freedom Ring! is merely the latest highlight in career of many. He has written with a wide rage of artists from Dan Penn to Alejandro Escovedo (the 2008 LP, Real Animal), laid down tracks on sessions for everyone from Warren Zevon to Kelly Willis and taken the stage with Jim Dickinson, Lucinda Williams and Aimee Mann, to name a few. Prophet’s production credits include Willis’ Translated From Love (2007) and working on Jace Everett’s (“Bad Things” / True Blood) new release Red Revelations. He’s heard his own tunes performed by legends like Solomon Burke and Heart and his songs have charted on both country (“I’m Gone,” a co-write with Kim Richey, on the debut album of country starlet Cyndi Thompson) and AAA radio (“Summertime Thing,” from 2002’s No Other Love, was a lazy radio anthem).

National television appearances include Austin City Limits in support of No Other Love, as well as Letterman and Carson Daly, supporting 2007’s Soap & Water. His music has increasingly been featured in film and television, most recently as the closing track to episode two of True Blood.

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This week’s Alive After Five headliner: The Clumsy Lovers
Go Listen Boise local opener: Jonathan Warren and the Billy Goats

ABOUT THE CLUMSY LOVERS

The Clumsy Lovers have brought their mix of fiddle and banjo-fuelled, bluegrassified Celtic rock to North American audiences for over a decade. With more than 2500 performances under their belts, their high-energy shows have worn out dance floors and created a loyal following in 49 states and across their homeland of Canada.

In addition to their live shows, The Clumsy Lovers have also released a series of award-winning and critically acclaimed recordings.  Early self-produced recordings garnered the attention of venerated label Nettwerk Records, which came on board to release After The Flood (2005) and Smart Kid (2006).  Both albums won a CD of the year nod from the Indie Acoustic Music awards, as well as being nominated for numerous other honors (including multiple mentions from The West Coast Music Awards and the Canadian Folk Music Awards).

In 2010 the Clumsy Lovers released Make Yourself Known, a 13-song collection showcasing the band’s penchant for mixing styles. From bluegrass rave-ups to pop-rock sing-a-longs, this album brings the Lovers’ live show energy to your living room.

But the Clumsy Lovers are still, first and foremost, a live band.  Their spontaneous forays into musical mayhem can only be experienced in person, and after years of relentless touring the Lovers feel most at home on a stage.

“Their fusion of bluegrass and celtic with a rock attitude is the soundtrack for a kinetic show that has helped the band become a favorite of the roots music crowd” – San Antonio Express-News

“Buckle up for a ride on a crazed, banjo-driven folk rock bus, from the fiddle-tastic band that release After The Flood comes a high-energy, toe-tappin’ soiree that promises to please.” – Boulder Weekly

“Some people see this Vancouver combo as a messed-up bluegrass band.  Others see a messed-up Celtic group.  Still others see a messed-up rock band.  With a little something for everybody, the one consistent element the Lovers bring to every show is a riotous good time.  Blending all the aforementioned influences into a ripsnortin’ and rootsy performance, these guys (and girl) are absolute road dogs and it shows in their powerful live shows.”  — Orlando Weekly

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This week’s Alive After Five headliner: Ben Taylor
Go Listen Boise local opener: Grandma Kelsey

ABOUT BEN TAYLOR

Music has always played a central role in Ben Taylor‘s life. His wit and skill as a singer-songwriter showcases an artist who is comfortable in both his own skin and with his impressive musical legacy (he is the son of James Taylor and Carly Simon). His acclaimed previous releases comprise his debut album 2003’s Famous Among The Barns, 2005’s Another Run Around The Sun, and 2008’s The Legend of Kung Folk, Part 1 (The Killing Bite). Highlights from his previous albums include appearances on Good Morning America, The Tonight Show, The CBS Early Show, Last Call with Carson Daly and Howard Stern. Ben also made his acting debut with a recurring role on NBC’s American Dreams and has appeared in the pages of People Magazine, Vogue and even on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. His reviews and raves have been steady for over a decade now with more to come. Ben Taylor has previously toured with Sheryl Crow, Blues Traveler and Ziggy Marley among others.

Ben’s latest album, Listening, seamlessly merges the sounds and styles of folk, pop, soul, urban, reggae and country/western, running the gamut from sonically spacious acoustic numbers to multi-layered vocals and fresh beats. Taylor explains the album as “An evolution. Some songs were actually recorded four years ago, some were recorded a few months ago, and a few recorded a few weeks ago just in time to make it. This album runs the gamut from both the production style and the period of my life in which they were recorded. These songs are little windows into the last four years of my life.”

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This week’s Alive After Five headliner: The Derailers
Go Listen Boise local opener: Johnny Shoes

ABOUT THE DERAILERS

In a career that has given rise to more than a decade’s worth of fine-tuned, highly anticipated and wonderfully received music, the Derailers continue to build the relationship between song, listener and dance floor.

Each album has been a mix of well-crafted original songs and cover songs so thoughtfully chosen and so representative of the band, fans think they are as original as the band themselves. Challenged by their fans to create a sound that mirrors the shuffle of happy boots on a hardwood floor, the Derailers have fed the hungry dancehall crowds with their classic country beats and a 60s pop sensibility. Fans continue to show their appreciation and admiration with requests for encores long after the last drink has been served.

In terms of sound, the Derailers have gotten smoother with age. As Hofeldt puts it, “I think we have retained the path we are going for. But we have certainly grown as players and allowed other influences to come in.” Their music celebrates the legacies of Buck Owens, George Jones, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich and the Beatles, while still being on the edge of today’s country music. Hofeldt describes his view of country music as, “finding out what love really is, versus what you thought it was when you were a kid.” For all the fans of the Derailers, love is all you need.

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