Casey Stratton Audio Podcasts

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

#57 - Wars, Marriage and Release

I discuss the war in Afghanistan and New York's Marriage Equality progress before talking about artists and social networking. Performed Release Me by Wilson Phillips.

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# 56 - Weiners, Greeks and Vigils

I discussed Anthony Weiner, Vancouver and Greece before talking about my new project, The Vigil. I then performed To Leave is to Die A Little.

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Monday, May 23, 2011

#55 - Art, Commerce and Priorities

In this episode I discuss my recent TV appearance and then talk a bit about my cat Henry who is currently going through renal failure. I then discuss art vs. commerce and the pitfalls that come with the territory. Live performance is Wild Soul from DIVIDE.

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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

#54 - Bows, Arrows and Solomon

In this episode I discussed Bow, the local cat found shot with a bow and arrow and the fund for his vet bills, as well as discussing my cat Henry. I then answered questions about collaborating with other artists and reworking/re-recording your material as an artist. I then performed Song of Solomon by Kate Bush.

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Friday, May 06, 2011

#53 - Sequencing, Evolution and Trust

In this episode I discuss the death of Osama Bin Laden, Oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, Japan, etc before answering a question about album sequencing and another question about the evolution of my writing over the years. Then I perform "You Can Have You Freedom Back" from "Piano/Vocals: March 2003" which is available at http://store.caseystratton.com

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Thursday, April 14, 2011

# 52 - Paris, Piano Parts and Pele

I discuss Japan and US Government news, take questions about Europe and songwriting and perform a completely impromptu cover of Hey Jupiter by Tori Amos.

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Friday, April 08, 2011

# 51 - Tsunamis, Shutdowns and Flowers

Discussion includes Japan, Ivory Coast, Wisconsin and the impending US government shutdown. I then take questions and discuss creativity and writer's block before performing "Crossfire" by Brandon Flowers.

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Thursday, March 24, 2011

#50 - Earthquakes, Protests and Cities

In this episode of the Casey Stratton Podcast I discuss the situations in Japan and the Middle East. I then talk about my new project, Hear the City before performing Inside Out from that work.

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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

#49 - Covers, Chocolate and Composing

In this episode of the Casey Stratton Podcast I answer many of your questions, including one that brings me to another Music Theory 101 lesson since the last one was a big hit with everyone. I then perform Kites from Orbit. Music recommendation is Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark.

...sudden, expansive shift toward a much larger canvas--a sleeker, orchestrated pop style pulsing with jazz elements. Court & Spark found Mitchell casting aside her earth mother affectations and revealing herself as the thoroughly modern, thoroughly complicated woman she is; the songs sustained familiar preoccupations with relationships but replaced courtly settings and naturalistic imagery with recognizably modern locales. Deeply romantic, constantly questioning, classic tracks like the title song, "Help Me," "Free Man in Paris," "Same Situation," and "Raised on Robbery" display a more liberated Mitchell, ready to rumble with unbridled electric guitars (guest Robbie Robertson on "...Robbery"), even willing to poke fun at her own oh-so-sensitive rep with a hip cover of Annie Ross's hilarious "Twisted." --Sam Sutherland

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Wednesday, March 17, 2010

#48 - Reconciliation, Sensitivity and Music Theory 101

In this episode of the Casey Stratton Podcast I discuss the current state of the Health Care reform efforts in the US congress before taking 2 questions. I go on to explain some basic music theory, as promised on Facebook. The live performance is Sinead O'Connor's The Last Day of Our Acquaintance. Music recommendation is the Donna Lewis album Now in a Minute.

This Welsh singer has a bright, breathy voice highlighted by a heart-tugging Celtic lilt. Her atmospheric, piano-driven pop sound, produced by Kevin (U2) Killen, is like a hybrid of the Corrs and Cranberries on the memorable lead single "I Love You Always Forever" (inspired by an H.E. Bates novel). The slightly edgier "Without Love" and the shimmering "Nothing Ever Changes" are other highlights. --Jeff Bateman

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Wednesday, March 03, 2010

#47 - Earthquakes, Journeys and Bliss

In this episode of the Casey Stratton Podcast I discuss current events, including the recent Earthquake in Chile. I then explore the themes of artistry in a commercial world and Joseph Campbell's idea of following your bliss. No live performance this time due to a cold. Music recommendation is Ani DiFranco's Dilate.

Following up two of her strongest records, Not a Pretty Girl and Out of Range, Dilate takes a different tack. It's quieter and more lush than previous efforts but just as intensely personal, with songs like "Untouchable Face" that are easier to identify with than many other DiFranco tunes. At the same time, DiFranco's old fans might not recognize the sound here, especially on tracks like the trip-hop-influenced "Amazing Grace," the shuffling "Napoleon," or the indescribable "Shameless"--this isn't the same thrash-folkie of old. - Randy Silver

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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

#46 - Sports, Bingo and Double Albums

In this episode of the Casey Stratton Podcast I discuss the Winter Olympics which leads to a wider discussion on sports in general. I then discuss my recent obsession with Bingo. I then discuss independent music before talking more about the plans and process for my next record. Two live performances follow, the first being Fortress from The Darkest World EP, the second being Dante's Prayer from Loreena McKennitt's The Book of Secrets. Music recommendation is the aforementioned The Book of Secrets by Loreena McKennitt.

McKennitt's recordings always have the quality of a spiritual sojourn; her songs are those of a seeker, whether she's setting Yeats, Scripture, or her own words to her compositions. It's this that attracts people to her music, and The Book of Secrets is no exception... - Genevieve Williams for Amazon.com

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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

Listen to Podcast #42

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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Wednesday, November 04, 2009

#38 - Marriage, New York and Shaking My Keys

In this episode of the Casey Stratton Podcast I discuss yesterday's election results from Maine and Kalamazoo, MI and give some opinions on the marriage debate. I then discuss my upcoming show and my thoughts on playing the older songs versus the newer ones, hopefully without offending anyone (Really!). I then play the 2003 recording of the Kate Bush song This Woman's Work that I recorded on the Bosendorfer piano during the Standing at the Edge sessions. After that, I discuss and perform You're still Waving, the Standing at the Edge B-side written in New York in 2002. Music recommendation is Bat For Lashes: Two Suns.

One of the most dynamic and intriguing performers out of the UK, Bat For Lashes (aka Natasha Khan) returns with her dazzling second album, produced by David Kosten (Faultline), featuring guest spots by Yeasayer and Scott Walker. Bat For Lashes' previous album Fur & Gold was nominated for Mercury & Brit Prizes in the UK and a Plug Award in the US, and has received accolades from Thom Yorke, Bjork, Spin Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, The NY Times, GQ, Nylon and Blender. - Amazon.com

Listen to Podcast #38