Wednesday, February 03, 2010

#45 - Grammys, Commercialism and Artistry

In this episode of the Casey Stratton Audio Podcast I discuss last week's State of the Union address in the U.S. and then talk a little about the Grammys. This digresses into a conversation about commercialism vs. artistry. I then go on to talk about my new release, Artifacts: Memories and Photographs B-Sides Volume Two before playing Beyond the Pale, from that release, on the guitar. Music recommendation is Beth Nielsen Chapman's Sand and Water.


One of America's finest undiscovered singer-songwriters, Chapman lost her husband to cancer in 1995, and this emotionally rich collection details her process of loss, reconciliation, and healing. Jim Ed Norman's strong production ranges from piano-based ballads ("The Color of Roses," "No One Knows But You") to exuberant rootsy pop (lead single "Happy Girl," "All the Time in the World"). This is music with a tender grasp on the big picture. --Jeff Bateman

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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

#44 - Rescues, Reality and a Ridiculous Feline

In this episode of the Casey Stratton Podcast I discuss current events including the recent earthquake in Haiti. I then answer 2 of your questions. The first is about how I came to co-habitate with my 4 cats. The second is about audio production and engineering. I then talk a little bit more about the new album I am working on. Live performance of A Promise Made follows. Music recommendation is Sleepthief's The Dawnseeker.


The expansive sound of The Dawnseeker is the product of two years of production and countless hours of lost sleep--and the end result is a compelling album that beckons to be heard. Engineered and co-produced by Israel Curtis, The Dawnseeker is sure to garner attention of fans of angelic vocals, sublime electronica and celestial soundscapes alike.

The music is rich and varied, ranging from the drum and bass pulse of "The Chauffeur," an amazing cover of the Duran Duran classic hit, to the Celtic-influenced melancholy of "Eurydice;" from the sweeping sorry of "Sublunar (Sweet Angel)" to the middle-eastern energy of "Desire of Ages." What is certain is that Sleepthief has composed a moving and powerful debut album that showcases the mystery and beauty of the female voice. - Musical Discoveries

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Wednesday, January 06, 2010

#43 - Video, Covers and Sad Creators

In this episode of the Casey Stratton Podcast I have some growing pains getting used to filming video while recording the audio. Both versions are now available. This is still your spot for the audio podcast but you can find the video podcast, as well as YouTube clips of the live performance(s), at caseystrattonvideo.blogspot.com. I talk some current events including the recent attempted terrorist attack in the US and the situation in Uganda before taking some questions. Questions include how I choose covers, whether sadness makes for better music creation and the story behind Dear Sylvia. I then go on to talk a little about the new record I'm writing before performing Dear Sylvia live. Music recommendation is Patty Griffin's Children Running Through.

On her fifth studio CD, folk-rocker Patty Griffin employs three timeless themes--childhood, flight, and death--to craft her most musically diverse and accessible album yet. But while moving through jazz, beatnik, classic and modern folk, gospel R&B, Americana, and moody piano ballad, Griffin keeps her backing quiet and spare, all the more to showcase the power of her deft storytelling and the bell clarity of her unadorned soprano. On song after song, the characters who waft through her experience are on the move, chasing one thing and fleeing another--on trains, ships, buses, in cars, even on the aerialist's bar--ultimately trading an ending of one kind for a new beginning and transference. - amazon.com

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Wednesday, December 23, 2009

#42 - Christmas, Holidays and Music

In this special Christmas episode of the Casey Stratton Podcast I perform many holiday songs. The first is O Holy Night, followed by What Is This Lovely Fragrance?, Un Flambeau, Jeanette, Isabelle, Joy to the World and It Came Upon The Midnight Clear. To close out I play a recording of me singing Jolly Old St. Nicholas in 1981 at the age of 5. Music recommendation is Tori Amos' Midwinter Graces.


Tori gets her own chance to reimagine classics like "What Child, Nowell" and "Star of Wonder." Tori will also add her own bittersweet bliss to the season with original tracks like "Pink and Glitter" and "Our New Year."




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Wednesday, December 16, 2009

#41 - Shows, Snows and The Holy Ghost

In this episode of the Casey Stratton Podcast I discuss current events, take some of your questions and then talk about why I'm OK singing Christian songs on my holiday albums even though I am an agnostic. I go on to perform two requested songs: What If? from Memories and Photographs and a cover of Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones. Music recommendation this time is Kate Havnevik's Melankton.


Kate's debut album is title "Melankton". Melankton means "Black Rose" which describes Kate's idea of the album's sound-scape and production perfectly: dark, yet beautiful.

The 12 songs on the album range from symphonic pop extravaganza to the most intimate of melodies. A truly beautiful body of work, Melankton is heady, intoxicating and evocative with its mix of wistful lyrics, mellifluous orchestration and cinematic electronica.



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Friday, December 04, 2009

#40 - Snow, Rain and Cracked Out Ceilings

In this episode of the Casey Stratton Podcast I discuss current events, including President Barack Obama's recent announcement about the war in Afghanistan. I then take a question about social networking in the modern era before discussing the reason why the podcast is 2 days late. Wendy makes TONS of appearances, some amusing and some obnoxious. I talk briefly about the new holiday album, A Winter Moon before performing I Won't Let Go Just Yet, and original I wrote for it. I then close out the podcast with a 2001 recording I did of Loreena McKennitt's Snow. Music recommendation is Poison and Wine by The Civil Wars.

"The Civil Wars craft ethereal, tenderly exquisite songs that are the aural equivalent of finely spun gossamer."




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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

#39 - Rituals, Waltons and New York City

In this episode of the Casey Stratton Podcast I discuss some current events before taking a question about how I prepare for a show and how I choose my set lists. I then talk about my recent trip to New York to perform at The Bitter End. I perform two songs you requested as well: the Whirlwind Medusa B-side Epitaph and DIVIDE's second disc B-Side Pray for Rain. Music recommendation is Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man (A Mass For Peace).


Jenkins has said that The Armed Man was inspired by the "L'Homme armé" masses that were popular in the 16th century, and he makes this debt clear with passages written in a neat pastiche of Palestrina-style renaissance polyphony. There are also echoes of earlier and later styles, including plainchant, medieval ballads, John Barry-style horn writing (think Goldfinger), and even a direct quote from Rigoletto (the choir imitates wind sounds at one point as in Act 3 of the Verdi opera). The smorgasbord manages to hold together, probably because Jenkins's obvious sincerity shines through every note. - Warwick Thompson

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