Athens
Singer Songwriter Series— Volumes 1
and 2
The Athens Insider (10/06/2005)
By Brooke Williams
Bruce Dalzell is known for his hugely popular open mics,
for his tremendous songwriting ability, and for his ability
to scoop up someone just learning how to strum a guitar and
somehow stop them from running in the circles most young singer-songwriters
never outgrow and set them on a straight, forward path of
self-discovery and good music.
No one is quite sure how he does it—he’s often
short on words and takes a less is more approach to advice,
but he somehow ends up listed as an influence if not a mentor
to literally dozens in this part of the state who consider
themselves Brucie disciples, acoustic troubadours who find
their voice and maybe their confidence while he looks on,
silently smiling to himself and tapping his feet.
So, when such a sage of six strings opens his doors, recording
and releasing a series of compilations of his young apprentices
who he is quick to call friends, it is as if Willy Wonka is
inviting the public in for a closer look to see how his magic
is made. It’s almost as if Athens has it’s own
A&R man, someone devoted to artist development, which
explains why each compilation works much like the Songwriter
Showcases he frequently hosts for under-publicized or sometimes
overlooked solo artists, an in-the-round experience of four
artists per CD.
The first album contains
efforts from Jim Phillips (better known for his work as Senior
Writer with the Athens News), Jody Schaub (who performs with
Erin Cameron-McElroy), David Valentine, and Charlie Hughes.
The second album features some names more frequently splashed
across local fliers, like Jake Householder, Amanda Remnant,
Justin Gordon, and Tony Xenos. Each album has its gems, some
like fully laden and ripe fruit trees and others like diamonds
in the rough, hinting at future efforts that will break our
hearts in years to come.
The production is intentionally lo-fi, leaving the songs
to be the stars. This compilation will stand as a yearbook
of local acoustic music for a long time to come, not because
the songs are perfect, but because they represent a beautiful
journey within a vibrant community of songwriters, making
it an easily justifiable purchase for local music fans, musicians,
and those just passing through. |
