May 1998 Local Exposure

Local Exposure
Freight Train and Cotton Mather

Freight Train
Reach for the Sky
(Merta Records)

By Ed Yashinsky

While the combination of soft acoustic guitar, wicked electric guitar solos, jazz-heavy drum and bass and Jack Kerouac-like mantras may leave the impression of a royal mess, Wilkes-Barre’s Freight Train has had no problem making a quite a name for themselves throughout the Mid-Atlantic states. Known primarily for their improvisational live shows, Reach for the Sky tries to capture that live feel in a studio setting. Lead singer/acoustic guitarist Charles Havira’s voice veers somewhere between James Taylor and Lyle Lovett, while fitting nicely within Reach for the Sky’s eight songs. Guitarist Kevin Murphy shows incredible ability, while the tight rhythm section of Anthony Sabol (bass) and Justin Gibbon (drums) serves as Freight Train’s perfect engine. Reach for the Sky’s only disappointment is too many mid-tempo songs that drag on too long, however it does a fine job of showcasing Freight Train’s versatility.

Reach for the Sky is available at local record stores or through Merta Records, 433 Crescent Road, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702.

Cotton Mather
Kontiki
(Copper Records)

By Mitchell L. Millman, Jr.

Listening to Cotton Mather’s sophomore effort, Kontiki, is like uncovering an album that is the long, lost missing link between the Beatles’ Revolver and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Kontiki reads like a picture perfect, psychedelic pop collage that refutes the easy trappings of overproduced sonic perfection, while embracing the warmth of 4-track lo-fi recording. Kontiki moves more toward album-oriented atmospheric songscapes and musical experimentation, rather than the song by song guitar rock approach of its worthy predecessor Cotton Is King.

Largely the work of vocalist Robert Harrison, guitarist Whit Williams and producer Brad Jones, Kontiki is a refreshing afternoon in the sun. Right from the album opener “Camp Hill Rail Operator” a groove is caught and carries the listener from hook to hook until the very end. The album is a cohesive collection of continuous brilliance, from the beautiful balladry of songs such as “Spin My Wheels” and “Autumn’s Birds” to raving pop anthems like the album’s centerpiece “Aurora Bori Alice” and the Pixies-esque “Church of Wilson.” Kontiki is a listening experience as a whole, littered deliberately with studio chatter and unconventional transitions, Cotton Mather approaches the bizarre at times and yet makes sense of it all in the scheme of the albums feel and flow.

Be sure to look for Cotton Mather playing in the local area, they have visited the Harrisburg area twice in the last month and they promise to return as soon as they can. Kontiki is currently available at the Groove in New Cumberland.