Chuck Davison-lead acoustic guitar and mandolin and backing vocals
John Pozzi-lead vocals and acoustic rhythm guitar
Andy Foster-lap steel guitar and backing vocals
Colin Blazej-upright bass and backing vocals
Guest Musicians:
Vocals-Laura Molinelli, Lizzie Ross, Ruby DeFelice, Rebecca Way, Nora, Will, and Liz Mc Teigue, Donnie Davison, Jennings Berger, Mary Merill, Erin Carroll, Suzanne Jackson, Terry Davison.
Hammond B3 Organ-Felix McTeigue, Drums and Percussion-Tony Leone, Drew Guido, Bones-Tommy "Bones" Logan, Djembe-Perry Ryan, Cello-Eugene Friesen.
Production:
Producer-Felix McTeigue
Sound Engineer/Mixer-DrewGuido
Photos-Karen Knight, Gene Peroni
Design-sketchiedesign@sbcglobal.net
Recorded and mixed at- Vel Studios, Brooklyn, NY and Chuck's cabin, Londonderry, Vt
Mastered by Tom Hutton-Chester, Vt
This review evolved out of a chance meeting with Colin Blazej one recent evening at The Works in Downtown Brattleboro. I'd known the Joinery bassist since the early 80's, but we would only run into each other about every decade or so. At one of our earlier encounters, Colin told me he had been learning to play the bass. At this recent meeting, he'd been at it for 14 years and was pleased to report that this band he's a part of had just finished their first CD. Caught up in his enthusiasm about the project, I offered to give it a listen and review it. One of the nice thing about Vermont musicians in general is that they tend not to be aggressively competitive, and big egos are the exception rather than the rule. By and large, we support each other's efforts and celebrate each other's successes.
Joinery's debut is a collection six originals; four vocal tunes by John Pozzi, and a pair of instrumentals by Chuck Davison. Pozzi writes and sings with his heart on his sleeve, with a pop inflected presence that draws the listener into his world. Davison's instrumentals are varied and deliciously exploratory. The repertoire is rounded out with an eclectic batch of tunes by other artists which I would hesitate to call "covers" by any stretch. One of the obvious strengths of this collective of craftsmen is their ability to recognize a strongly lyrical piece of music and to boldly take it to where it's never been. Sam Cooke's Good News is rendered in a style that is reminiscent of certain Southern White Gospel at it's joyous and rural best. Pink Floyd's Time is stripped down and re-purposed in a Bluegrass bag that lets the vocal have the prominence it deserves without the Floyd's signature plodding denseness. A high point for me, Billy Bragg's You Woke up My Neighborhood features a "cast of thousands" approach to the backing vocal chorus; I wish I'd been there, it sounds like a splendid time was had by all as Joinery brought a little bit of Vermont to Brooklyn.
Richard Mayer
April 25, 2014
