Photo courtesy of Alisha Hurt

Somebody’s Darling (Official / Myspace) has been on a roll as of late. Last year, they won the Shiner Rising Star competition and this year, they saw their excellent self-titled Shiner Records album released after recording it in Nashville with none other than Dan Baird, who has produced many greats including Chris Knight. They have been hitting the road with many top-notch acts recently and their brand of soul-flavored country rock has been winning new fans quickly. I recently chatted with 2 of the members, Amber Farris (lead vocals) and David Ponder (guitar) about what their lives are like at this juncture and where their music is heading…

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GK: What has been the most exciting thing that has happened to you since winning Shiner Rising Star?

David: That’s tough… loading up the van to go to Nashville and record your first album would rank pretty high up there. Also getting a chance to tour with Stoney LaRue was so awesome. We got to really see how a real show with a full crew operates. It gave us something to shoot for definitely.

GK: Now that you have had the experience of recording in a first-class studio with a pro like Dan Baird producing, how has the everyday experience of being in this band changed?

Amber: It hasn’t really changed the day to day stuff, it’s just really prepared us for the next time we go in studio. I feel like we learned a bunch from Dan, he’s awesome!

GK: You guys have been playing with a bunch of great acts from all over. You are even opening for James McMurtry soon at The Granada Theater in Dallas. Who are the artists that you have been excited or even intimidated by over the course of the last year or so?

Amber: Stoney Larue, Lucero, Sam Roberts, and Corb Lund come to mind but really everyone we play with is a new experience and a chance to learn something. It’s always an honor to play with acts we look up to ourselves

GK: Right now who are you listening to other than yourself?

David: Lot’s of Lucinda Williams, Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Justin Townes Earle, and Ryan Bingham. Also I’ve been jamming the new Murry Hammond a ton, it’s SO good.

GK: Are you catching any “non-Somebody’s Darling” shows this season?

David: It’s soo hard to make it out to shows when you’re always playing, but I just saw that the Avett Brothers and Samantha Crain are coming to the Granada soon. We HAVE to go to that one. Amber and I were in a band before SD and we actually opened up for Samantha Crain years ago, we’re so proud to see her doing good.

GK: Describe Somebody’s Darling’s sound in 5 words.

David: Classic Rock with Soul-Country

GK: Being a band that has being playing together for a while – in and around Dallas – and is finally getting some exposure to larger audiences, what bands from the Dallas area do you think deserve some attention pointed in their direction?

Amber: We’ve really grown up with a band called John David Kent and The Dumb Angels. We’ve done a bunch of little mini-tours with them and stuff and they’ve really become family. Keep an eye out for them!

GK: Since its Thanksgiving weekend, what are you thankful for right now?

David: I’m thankful that we’re getting a chance to nationally release the album soon! Also very thankful for the fact that we don’t want to kill each other yet… haha. We’ve had some cold nights in the van that could break the spirit of lesser band.

GK: With the holiday season upon us, where do you think or hope Somebody’s Darling will “be” by the holiday’s in 2010?

Amber: Hopefully on the road! Everyday of 2010!

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LISTEN: Somebody’s Darling – “Horses”

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One of the best singer/songwriters in the great state of Texas is none other than Drew Kennedy (Official / Myspace). His 2007 disc, Dollar Theater Movie was easily one of the better records of that year, and his new album will find a similar spot for 2009, as far as I’m concerned. The new album is packed with folk-rock genius and his tales are as distinctive as his trademark twang. If you haven’t done yourself the favor of visiting Drew’s website before to read his blog posts, you’re missing out as he is a gifted writer of the non-musical variety as well. Given that, I thought I would ask Drew to tell me about my 2 favorite songs from the new album (at this point anyways, I keep finding new things I like with each listen)…Enjoy!

Drew tells us about “Sharon Springs” - “Sharon Springs” is a song that I wrote about a  couple of people that I know, people that shoot themselves in the foot everytime something good comes their way. I think everyone knows someome like that. You can do everything you can think of to help them out, but sooner or later you come to grips with the notion that it’s just a part of who they are. They don’t know how to move forward unless they break-down whatever it is that’s right in front of them. It’s not an easy process to watch, that much I know for sure. 

LISTEN: Drew Kennedy – “Sharon Springs”

Drew tells us a little about “St. Abilene” – “St. Abilene” is a tune written from the standpoint of a guy sitting in a bus station, waiting to catch a ride out of town. He finally got enough courage to head out into the great unknown and chase his dreams. The bus ticket was a birthday present for himself– he turns 31 the next day– and, although he’s not a religious guy, he decides it wouldn’t hurt to send up a little prayer to whomever / whatever it was that had been keeping him safe for all of those 30 years that he lived in Abilene. Knowing you need the name of someone to pray to, he decides to pray to the one name that has been a constant in his life, before he heads off in search of his future.

LISTEN: Drew Kennedy -”St. Abilene”

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Gina Villalobos is an excellent singer-songwriter from California. Her recent release, Days on Their Side, is without a doubt one of the best records of the year. I recently had a chat via e-mail with her. I have no doubt that you’ll want to run out and pick up her latest, after you read this…

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G.K. - Songs like “Mortified” and “Take a Beating” are very raw and seemingly confessional in the sense that the lyrics are pleas for love and acceptance. What’s tougher, sharing these thoughts on a record with the listener, or expressing such needs to the lover in question?

Gina – Typically I don’t know what I am saying until I have finished a song, and a lot of the time the meaning of the lyrics is beyond the lyrics, if you know what I mean. It’s what is said in the space in between them… then the listener projects their own meaning into the words or the image. When I project my meaning  into the song “Take a Beating” I am hearing a story about my expression of love, not a plea for it. It’s a love song – a me and you against the world song. The basic message is - I wouldn’t want to go through the beatings life has to offer with anybody else but you.

I don’t think how a song hits you is coming from just the lyrics. The lyrics are just one layer, one color in the pallet. It’s like a painting. I get to communicate with rhythm and melody, and instrumentation, tempos, what key a song is in, intros, outros, will the song have a bridge etc, etc. It’s all color. I think it’s all inflicting meaning and sentiment into the songs. It’s about how all these elements work together on the canvas. One wouldn’t just be struck by one color in a Van Gough painting, it’s about how they all swirl together on the canvas. I think songs are the same things, like paintings – tangible things you can see – like pictures.
 

As far as what’s tougher sharing or expressing it’s kind of hard to answer that part of the question because it doesn’t really apply to the way I work or make my art.

G.K. - As I indicated above, your work seems to be emotionally driven and raw. When dealing with such intensity, how do you focus that energy into the final product of a song?

Gina -  I have no idea!  Personally, I believe that an artist doesn’t often hold the key to unlock the mystery or their own art. My songs are something that just come through me and when they do I don’t judge them, or analyze them. I just let them be what they are and let them come out of me however they want. This is what I think makes art “art”.  It’s an unconscious receptacle for everyone, including the artist (me).

G.K. - “Days on Their Side” has a very cohesive sonic vibe throughout the album, in my opinion. Were these songs written intentionally as a collection?

Gina - They were written over a two year period, but they were produced and arranged to have a cohesive sonic vibe. My favorite part of making music, being a musician is being in the studio. I love arranging and experimenting. It’s a real challenge to go back and try to come up with a completely different version of the same song with carry over something from the original version. I worked up several different versions to a few of these songs before they all finally sounded cohesive to me.

G.K. - I Live in Texas and many Texas-based artists discuss how they feel that Texas is a fertile area for creating and a great environment for artists. You are based in California, do you find a similar connection to the SoCal region in terms of creating and performing?

Gina – That’s interesting to me. I think if you asked me this question 10 years ago I would have had a different answer. For me, if I were to guess - because it’s all a mystery to me - I would say it’s my life experiences over environment that make me feel fertile as an artist. I have written lots of my songs far away from CA.

G.K. - On your facebook page recently, you posted a review of the new record and went on to express your gratitude towards the writer for having compared your work to that of other songwriters, who happened to be male, and not simply comparing you to other female artists. Why was that significant for you as an artist?

Gina - Oh my god, I was thrilled and I love when that happens! Some of my faves have been Bob Dylan and Neil Young. I just think there are so many more options as far as other artists to be compared to when you include both female and male artists, and then the reader can get a better since of your music, hello! 

Like for example, if you were house hunting and your real estate agent was describing this house he or she wanted you to see and it was a white house, and he only compared it to just the other white houses he knew of. There might be something totally similar inside the white house that is comparable to something inside the brick layed house but you wouldn’t get a chance to hear about that because…well…. you are only getting compared to the white houses.  Tangent!!  Sorry…

I honestly don’t think my music sounds very “chick rocky”, it’s kind of tom-boy, not very proper.

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Gina Villalobos will be touring around California (and hopefully beyond soon) to support her “Days on Their Side” album. Please make sure you go see her and purchase the album as soon as humanly possible.

• The Captains Dead Blog waxed philosophical on the legendary status of Liz Phair’s seminal work…and posted some live mp3′s as well.

• High Noon Saloon also loved the new Charlie Robison disc. If you look on the right side of the site, you’ll see many excellent album streams, including the new discs by Ryan Bingham, Levon Helm and Jim Bryson.

• I Am Fuel You Are Friends has some really cool video of an explosive 4th of July show with Death Cab For Cutie.

• Music Fog has a laid back interview with Paul Thorn. This guy may have the coolest voice in the world, whether he is singing or talking!

• My Aimz Is True runs down the Top albums of the year, so far. Pretty solid list that also includes the albums that many of us are looking forward to.

• Many blogs posted the new Avett Brothers single recently, but This Mornin’ I Am Born Again went and posted a bunch of other good stuff from one of my absolute favorite bands.

Hey guys, this was maybe my favorite podcast, as it features 2 interviews and 2 acoustic performances from 2 of my absolute favorite Texas artists, Charlie Robison and Dale Watson. I come off as a babbling school-girl much of the time, but their genius shines through regardless of my fawning. Enjoy.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST