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When I wanted a title for this column, I chose Art In Society because I wanted something that captured the life of the artist and his interaction with the environment. In terms of success, an artist is always faced with decisions about life, finances, relationships and the sacrifices that go into his art. I also approached this column with the idea that there was a need for coverage of local acts. l found that, even when given the opportunity, many artists still do not take advantage of such opportunities. For this reason, Art In Society will be changing direction for a few months. We will be looking at some not so local groups that I've come across courtesy of Thom Greco of Greco Holdings, lnc. (Owner and operator of Market Street Square and other clubs in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Area). Thom originally received these submissions for booking purposes. He has offered them to me for review. I was overwhelmed with the material I found. After reviewing some of the press material, I popped in the first CD that caught my eye: Radio Beirut, the band: Djinn, a group now located in New York City. The group's name is pronounced "gin" and means "spirit in human form." Djinn's strong spirit shines through in their mature songs about love, society and human nature. Djinn jumps out at you with raw vocal power, eccentric melodies and brassy guitar, but then turns around to lull you with tasteful acoustic/electric arrangements. Radio Beirut, Djinn's first album was written, recorded, produced and distributed by the band itself. They formed Rulin' Records to promote their music. Since their beginnings in 1992, the musical relationship of the band has always been paralleled by this sense of team work and friendship. Like many groups, some of the members of Djinn met in high school. Vocalist John Lang, guitarist David Battelene and percussionist Russell Battelene met in Phoenix, Arizona. They moved to Los Angeles for a time, playing small clubs while John wrote songs for other people. Soon, John grew tired of writing for others and decided he would write for his band. After a move to NY, bassist Gary Carson was added to the group, and thus we have Djinn. Other players appear playing cello, quatro, electric sitar and accordion. Radio Beirut features eight cuts that shift from acoustic/progressive to spicy alternative whiplashes. The album starts strong with the raw guitar and haunting harmonies of I will, a virtual love battle cry. I was thrilled to hear one of my favorite instruments, electric sitar, on this song. The instrument gives a certain Middle Eastern feeling, mixed with a groove reminiscent of dare are I say, Alice In Chains. The song Rain contrasts well with the rest of the album and could easily be a radio song. Hey Lisa is funky and reminded me of Sluka, a little known group popular in Japan back in the late 80s. Another very radio playable tune, Till Today has a catchy chorus. Blonde departs from the conventional song lyric with a musty, spoken story about a girl and her misadventures in Hollywood. The album finishes with Not Guilty, comic relief with an edge with a vocal that sounds like it was recorded with distortion, giving it that Nine Inch Nails ambiance. There's also a bonus track, Playing With Fire, that reminded me of These Boots Are Made For Walkin, by Nancy Sinatra. My absolute favorite was Surrender, a powerful tune about being alive, bitterness and our search for ourselves. The cello accompaniment comes in at just the right time to carry the listener between verses. On this song, Djinn could be compared to a heavy Messiah's Clay (the local group reviewed in Art In Society back in October 1995). Just as I will was a battle cry of love, Surrender is a life affirming battle cry of faith, death and existence in a world of disillusion. I was surprised to discover that the band hasn't performed Surrender very much.The only disappointing thing about Radio Beirut was that it was too brief. But more music is on the way with the recording of a new album. After some Internet research and some help from Deborah at Iris Marketing, I was able to schedule a telephone interview with band member John Lang and learned more about the band's past, present and future. |
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I caught John struggling with his new computerized accounting program when I called, but soon enough we were talking music. I wanted to get a feel for the band's popularity since their debut album, so I asked John about audience response. By last Fall the group had already been picked up by 20 radio stations. He says it has been a challenge to pin down shows because their music is not the typical funk, jazz and 60's style rock. popular in the New York area. Still, shows have been well attended and crowds seem to enjoy the band's flavor of music. I'm always interested in an artist's influences. Dave and Russ had similar influences such as Led Zeppelin, Clapton, The Who and John McLaughlin. John, who says he started late musically, sites Elton John and Neil Young as the mentors that led him to an interest in performing and writing. When asked if there were any new artists that impressed or influenced him, John mentioned: Alanis Morisette, Joan Osbourne, Seal and Smashing Pumpkins. But Djinn's music goes beyond influences. Just listening to the album, it was difficult to tell exactly what to expect. Not once is a tune predicable. However, many may misjudge the style of music on just one song. John's writing habits are... well, not habits. He seems to come up with words or music, depending on the theme but gravitates towards melody. I will was developed from music Dave wrote. After some experimenting, the melody mysteriously suggested the title and eventually developed into the song. John said Radio Beirut was written mostly on the road. A recurrent theme during our interview was the differences John sees between Djinn and other bands. John said: "We all gave something up to do this." The band's success has always been the product of the whole band working as a team. They've put a lot of their own time into their music, made sacrifices and have reaped the rewards together. John sites Born to Run, a book by Bruce Springsteen, as a big influence on his perception of band chemistry. From the sound of things, Djinn is doing it their way and doing it well. Radio Beirut, is a perfect example of the do it yourself attitude that many writers and performers have these days. The album's originality and quality is not compromised. Djinn proves you can have your cake and eat it too... (with a lot of work of course) and I wish them much success in the years to come. Djinn are recording a new album, but it may be out later than expected. Recording has been slow and steady in Jersey City two nights a week. John said they have nine basic tracks, with vocals to about three almost complete. For concert or album release info, send email to: rulrecgaol.com. |