Spreading the Love

Last month I was ruminating about (what I perceive to be) differences between self-publishing in music and self-publishing in books. One of the reasons was April saw the release of two terrific independent albums by friends of mine!

First, “folk on the rocks” singer-songwriter Lis Harvey released her new album, Any Two Cards. This is a truly inspired indie effort; Lis went old-school and recorded Any Two Cards completely solo in her apartment with her guitar. A feeling of quiet and solitude seeps through every song, making it the perfect album to listen to when you’re the only one awake at five in the morning, preferably with a light drizzle streaming down the windows.

Lis’s just-above-a-whisper singing style adds to the intimate listening experience, and her lyrics are as poetic as ever. It’s no surprise she was a creative major in college (how we met, actually)!

Of course, I also have to plug Lis’s next-to-newest album, Porcupine, spirited and more lively than Any Two Cards, and featuring this drummer named Joe Chellman.

Next, the fabulous trio Girlyman (“delicious acoustic harmony-driven gender pop”) released their first live album, Somewhere Different Now.This is everything a live album should be: a surprisingly cohesive mix of old favorites, never-before-recorded songs, trademark covers (an oxymoron, I realize, but you know what I mean), and witty banter that makes you feel like part of the audience and actually remains witty in repeated listenings.

Sharing songwriting, lead vocal, and instrumental responsibilities gives Girlyman balance I’ve never seen in another band—not even Peter, Paul & Mary, to whom they are sometimes compared. Their folk appeal and queer sensibilities make their audience demographically unique, ranging from silver-haired boomers like my parents to college-age lesbians to pretty much anyone—in my experience—who gives them a listen.

While Somewhere Different Now successfully captures the energy and fun of a Girlyman show, I’d recommend that new listeners start with the group’s most recent studio album, Joyful Sign, which is, by nature, a more polished product. And, what do you know, it also happens to feature a drummer named Joe Chellman.