Fallen Angels is: Jennifer Barron Fishman, vocals/percussion; Tim Menard, vocals, guitar, harmonica, bass drum; Lori Polzak, vocals/percussion; and Cathie Van Wert, violin/vocals.
Fallen Angels have been performing in the Chicago area sin [+]Fallen Angels is: Jennifer Barron Fishman, vocals/percussion; Tim Menard, vocals, guitar, harmonica, bass drum; Lori Polzak, vocals/percussion; and Cathie Van Wert, violin/vocals.
Fallen Angels have been performing in the Chicago area since 1997, and have played numerous shows with bands such as Freakwater and Brementown, as well as headlining various venues, including FitzGeralds, The Hideout, Uncommon Ground, and The Charleston Tavern.
Their C.D. features nine original songs and includes special performances from Grant Tye, guitarist for Robbie Fulks and The Juleps, Matt Weber and Chris Grady of Mount Pilot and James Wagner of Meet The Head. It was recorded at Sound Dog Studios and was engineered and co-produced by David Axelbaum, who has worked with artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughn, Bob Seger, Johnny Winter and Koko Taylor.
Fans of their live shows should enjoy this collection quite a bit. Front man Tim Menard, who penned eight of the nine compositions here (Jennifer Barron Fishman added "Open to the Future" ) said that the goal was to "capture the sound you'd hear when you come to see us live."
When they play at clubs, Fallen Angels pepper these original tunes throughout sets that include songs by Johnny Cash, Allison Krauss, John Hiatt, and perennial favorite Hank Williams. They tend to select tunes from these artists that may not leap immediately to mind when you consider their established collected work. Of the Johnny Cash tunes, for example, sure, there's "Folsom Prison Blues" in the Fallen Angels repertoire (which is now upwards of 80 songs) but there may also be the more obscure (and even better bar song) "Hey Porter" mixed in there, too. Another crowd pleaser is the Hank Williams song "My Bucket's Got a Hole In It." But on to this release.
Menard has been writing songs since he was sixteen years old, and his lyrics resonate in their heartfelt simplicity. It's perfectly understandable that he lists his influences as George Jones, Hank Williams, and John Lennon (if Lennon seems like a strange addition to this trio, give his tune "Mother" a listen sometime, if you want to hear a simple lyric thrown into a blast furnace of emotion).
Many of Menard's compositions here appear deceptively simple and "connect" in their direc
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