[FM] FAME Review: Brian Cutean's Parakeetfishhead written by Ky Hote

[David N. Pyles]

Parakeetfishhead
Brian Cutean
(BTU 255)

http://owlmo.home.texas.net/qtn.htm

Squint Yer Ears
801 Settler's Road
San Marcos, TX 78666

A review written for the Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange by Ky Hote
(maestro@jimhancock.com)

In reviewing Parakeetfishhead, I am at a disadvantage because I am a long
time fan of Brian Cutean (henceforth referred to as "QTN") and as such, I
was intimately familiar with these songs before I heard this album. So,
it's hard for me to imagine the joy of hearing for the first time, the
nostalgic feeling of "In The Valley" where "we sit around the fire and tell
the tales/of our souls that burn through the night." Patty Peebles'
spiritually uplifting tale "Little Raccoon" made me laugh when I first
heard it;  "...mama's like a marble/like a marble in the hand/of a mystery
that's much too great/for me to understand." Other than "Little Raccoon",
QTN penned these songs. The play of his words is filled with romantic
insights such as in "A Small Word":

"As if the refection of my nearest mirror
Is too much to bear so I can't even hear or
see the truth. As if I still needed proof"

It was my pleasure to have known Malcolm Smith, the "...gypsy
brother/(whose) fingers fly right through the music/In the aching of every
longing" in "Good Brother", so the vivid imagery of a moon struck fiddler
is not new to me. Neither is the feeling of being swept into another
dimension for a while as QTN's music does to a listener. Just as Dr. Suess
divides parameters for reality that in the telling of the story, you never
questioned, QTN does so in many songs. Represented here by "Turning into
Salt", the story of Alberto Campesino and the Purple Glowbeeza that fell on
Enquentabo town, and "The Kings of Time", a sort of the Beatniks meet the
sensitive songwriters, QTN's music and lyrics are complex and ever
unfolding. They are also simple in the tradition of accessible folk music
that reminds us of ourselves. His music is  filled with lost chords for
which no-one else had found the voice.

But this was not what I listened to most on this CD, since these songs had
already trans-magnified my neural passages.  I listened to the production,
recording and arranging, and found some interesting aspects of  all three.
 Transcribing a primarily live body of work to the captured recorded mode
is an evolution each of us gets to share with our favorite artists. As with
many undiscovered geniuses, QTN has many albums that he hasn't yet set to
acetate. This is his third "record" and one he tried to get the sound he
wanted by using musicians from Austin, where all but 2 of the songs were
recorded at Flashpoint Studios.  The result is a clear studio session
sound. At times, however, it only scratches the surface of these deep
songs. One recording that does make the plunge is "#9-0 Decadance", one of
the 2 tunes recorded in Portland.  Here, the players (Nancy Tannler and
Skip Battin) seem to be taking chances instead of working out the best
notes.  By including the tunes recorded in Oregon at Fresh Tracks, QTN
gives the listener a chance to compare the difference between two fine
studios.  Immediately following "#9-0 Decadeance" comes a Flashpoint
recording that is primarily QTN and his guitar. The quality of sound here
is flawless. It feels more like sitting in the same room with QTN, as its
though his singing and playing becomes a part of your existence as you
listen.  This makes  "Box-of-Maple Avenue" one of my favorite cuts on the
album, along with "Lightbulbs", a positive twist on the infinite how many
so-and-so's does it take to screw in a lightbulb.

Then we come to the most successful Flashpoint ensemble recording, "Turning
Into Salt". Accompanied by long time side players, Ike Eichenberg, Scott
Wade and Mark Williams, this production ebbs and flows with the story
without ever losing the dance-dream heartbeat of the song.  Gene Elders'
otherwise formal sounding violin playing styleturns into downright gypsy
playing here.

I don't mean to be too hard on any of the able and talented performers on
this album, many of whom put in fine performances (Paul Sweeney on "In the
Valley", Robert Vignaud on "Little Raccoon" and Scott Wade throughout).
Marty Jennings, on the violin,  does a fine job interpeting one of QTN's
guitar instrumentals, "Izara", but I can't help wondering why QTN didn't
choose an instrumental that highlighted his guitar creations more, such as
"Old Rye Bread".  Likewise, Betty Elders hits all the right notes singing
with QTN, but many of these songs cry out for voices upon voices to stretch
the harmonic range to the same degree as the songs stretch our imaginations.


In short, Parakeetfishhead is a wonderful collection of QTN's mirth,
wisdom, and sound while also being an insightful look into the use of
studios in a performer's evolving story telling.

In the Valley
Little Raccoon
A Small Word
Good Brother
Calling You
#9-0 decadedance
Box-of-maple Avenue
Turning Into Salt
Izara
Pilgrim
Lightbulbs
The Kings of Time

All songs written by Brian Cutean except "Little Raccoon" by Patty Peebles

Edited by Paula Gregorowicz

Copyright 2000, Peterborough Folk Music Society. This review may be
reprinted with prior permission and attribution.

================
David N. Pyles
Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange
P. O. Box 459
Brattleboro, VT 05302-0459
(802) 257-0336 Mon-Thur 9:30am-4:30pm
http://www.acousticmusic.com/frames
http://www.acousticmusic.com/frames/fame.htm
=====================
fast and loud, that's the world we live in
fast and loud, always in your face
trouble is
with almost everything
that means anything
quiet is the volume
slowly is the pace

Grit Laskin "Fast & Loud"