Americana Music Reviews

 

Tommy Carns
Get Up and Fall Down
Indo Records

by Al Kunz

While surfing through Tommy Carns web site I made the mistake of scanning another review of Get Up and Fall Down. It characterized the leadoff track, "To The Rain," as country-rock. Huh? Sure, it has twangy guitar and male-female harmony vocals that are reminiscent of some country-rock songs, so this is not totally off base. But like two eyewitnesses who see something totally different, that wasn't what I heard the first time (or even the twentieth time) listening to this song. What I hear is jangly guitars and vocals that reminded me of the score of British Invasion bands who snuck onto the charts in the wake of the Beatles storming of America. It didn't sound like any one of them, more like it shared musical roots with all of them. The second song, "Get Up and Fall Down," with it's liberal use of horns (clarinet and trombone) at points sounds like an English brass band. The trip to Carns' web site was prompted by the thought that maybe he was British. This is what I found there.

Tommy Carns was reared by folksingers on Cape Cod and weaned on a steady diet of blues, work songs, black and white spirituals from the southern U.S., ballads from the British Isles, and sea songs from New England. At the age of 19 he moved to California as part of the rock trio the Hitchhikers and two years later to Amsterdam where he played in cafes and immersed himself in the craft of writing songs.

The England he's from is of the "New England" variety, but the blues and British Isle ballads are major influences shared with the British Invasion bands. Those common roots must be the explanation for my initial impressions. In addition to his solo work Carns is also a member of the Billy Talbot Band (Talbot is the bass player for Neil Young's sometime band, Crazy Horse). In fairness to the other reviewer, it would be correct to say that straight-ahead rock and even countryish leanings figure into Carns' music as well. That's just not what jumped out for me. Imagine these lyrics from "To the Rain" sung by the Beatles or even Gerry & the Pacemakers. I think it fits.

I feel so strange to be here with you today
Just like I aged one hundred years today
I feel so deranged on my way to you today
I told my troubles to the rain

Carns continues to rock with the end-of-relationship "Up in Flames." ("We were too damn good once / It was just too sad / Those bad times, they turned to dust / So did all the good times we had / You don't have to wish me luck / 'Cus we're goin' up in flames") But then he slows things down in a series of relationship songs starting with the string-filled (cello, fiddle, viola, and upright bass), country-folkish "Should've Listened to You," about a relationship that didn't succeed, but maybe should have. "One of Me" is about one that is holding together, but maybe shouldn't be.

I'm glad there's only one of me
For you to hack all up in pieces
Leave me stranded across the floor
Get it together and I'm back for more
I'll drag my bones through the door
In a minute or two

Yeah I'll consider losing you
And all the funny things you do
I could be alone cryin' over you

If you've never been dumped and hoped for the appropriate bad karma to come back on the dumper then "Thrown Away" may not connect for you. The remaining 99% of the population should sing along. Maybe you'll feel better.

Whoa, oh, one of these days
You're gonna know rejection
You wake, if only to say
It's a drag to be thrown away

I'll forget all the nasty things you said to me
You remember that I am an angel
Yeah, maybe, we could all get along
Sit down and have a conversation

The theme of Get Up and Fall Down seems to be that relationships fail, but that we continue to get up and try again. As a whole the tone is bittersweet, yet more optimistic (or less realistic for you cynics) than expressed by the latest release from the Meat Purveyors, which posits that All Relationships are Doomed to Fail. In fact "Too Many Reasons" is a love song about a relationship that seems to be working.

Where would I be without you
I'm sure I'd be just fine
Holed up under a rock, passing time

Where would you be without me
I'm sure you'd be just fine
Curled up, all the time

Too many reasons to stay

Two instrumental numbers might not fit the theme. Do instrumental songs have a message? The first of these, "Tweezer," combines jazz, blues, and folk sounds into a tune that's much more pleasant than that description would lead us to believe. This song may be the first time I've ever heard upright bass, mandolin, and tenor sax played together. The Champs meet Link Wray on the second instrumental, "Roadkill." I don't know, maybe this one does follow the theme. An untitled bonus song about the "ship that can't sink" is included as part of the last track.

It was midnight on the sea
The band played "Nearer My God to Thee"
Fare thee Titanic, fare thee well

Captain Smith when he got his boat
Thought I heard him holler, "all on board"
Fare thee Titanic, fare thee well

Get Up and Fall Down has a range of sounds to satisfy everyone. Acoustic songs with just vocals and guitar ("Too Many Reasons" and "Cul De Sac"), instrumentals, and songs that just plain rock. Go ahead and give it a try.

*Visit www.tommycarns.com (bet you could have guessed that) for the rest of the story. While there be sure to listen to the sample of "To The Rain." Maybe it'll sound like country rock to you.



Contact Al Kunz at kunz-at-rockzilla.net

 
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