August 1999 Local Exposure

Local Exposure
CD Reviews of Area Musicians

by J.A. Jandecka

Reliance
Gathering Field
Self-Release
Reliance - Gathering Field A group with today’s alternative rock sound, Gathering Field draws in crowds in Pittsburgh and throughout the Midwest. Their latest release, Reliance, has proved that this brain child of former solo acoustic artist Bill Deasy and guitarist/producer Dave Brown has earned the right to open for some of this decade’s hottest acts like Toad the Wet Sprocket and Rusted Root.

This release follows Lost in America (1996) and their self-titled debut (1994). Full of catchy melodies, both ballad-like and otherwise, Reliance follows a fictitious drifter, wandering through familiar places and painful wrongdoings. Not only do the guitar intros grab listeners into the feeling of each song, but additional instrumental touches (e.g., the sax intro and outro in "Right Where You Want Me") set the music apart from the straight guitar-and-percussion combos to which we’re so accustomed. "I’d Believe in God For You" hurls us back into the ’80s with its bass rifts, dragging us between the past and the present with its chorus.

While many tracks carry the kind of tunes that radio stations might throw into that overplay bin, the lyrics and arrangements exhibit a surprising amount of thoughtfulness and intellect. Deasy scripted all twelve pieces on Reliance, either in part or with others, in which the narrator generally mourns loves lost and life choices gone wrong, much of it revealing those parts of humanity that many of us would love to deny: "I want to be complicated, celebrated/Mysterious, yeah loved and hated/All my life I waited for someone to notice me …" Deasy and Brown, who has produced albums for Rusted Root, have balanced their composition and production talents, respectively, to release an impressive album.

Gathering Field performs throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania without a hiatus. They have an obvious fan base — check out their web site at www.gatheringfield.com.

Seeking Higher Ground
The Legend of Stone Soup
Self-Release
Nine talented vocalists/musicians comprise The Legend of Stone Soup (T.L.O. Stone Soup): Annette Abbondanza, Giesala Collins, Elisa Smith, Jennifer Davis, Cathy Nelson, Janie Womack, Renee Bartholomew, Chris Merritt, and Margi Pietsch. Each carries her own diverse background and musical experience to create this group, performs music that blends tribal, Celtic, reggae, and folk sounds.

According to Abbondanza, the founder of the group and the composer of all of the tracks on Seeking Higher Ground, T.L.O. Stone Soup strives to live up to its name, which stems from a fable addressing the importance of community, teamwork, and courage to overcome obstacles and differences. Thus, the lyrics preach togetherness instead of competition, emergence from oppression, self-determination, and the power of God.

The music incorporates various stringed instruments, as well as the piano, clarinet, and recorder. The group utilizes a variety of percussion instruments to achieve its various sounds, from the standard drum set to heavy congas and MIDI sampling. Taking these tools and building soft tones for Seeking Higher Ground’s spiritual ballads ("Untouched By Time") and demanding quick and harsh tones for the tribal and reggae tracks exhibits the range of the instruments themselves and the true talent of the musicians.

Reaching above the instrumental background, the women’s vocals enchant, and they often weaving in and out of one another. Sweet and rich with vibrato, they complete the stellar tracks with power.

T.L.O. Stone Soup will celebrate the release of Seeking Higher Ground at The Hub at Second and Harris streets, from 7 – 9pm on August 7.

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