"If I had to do my life over, I would change every single thing I have done."-Ray Davies

In the mid-60's, while The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were developing as songwriters and The Who were just beginning to come into their own and adopting the mod cool of The Small Faces, The Kinks were already making quintessential English music, fighting like cats and dogs (or brothers), being plagued by shady record deals and having an overall rough time in the recording studio. The group never had it easy and was always overshadowed by its more popular contemporaries, yet pound for pound (or dollar for dollar), they probably made more quality albums and grew musically more than any of the aforementioned. Widespread American commercial success has often eluded The Kinks. Is it their Englishness? Did they not tour enough? Are their records sometimes just a little too intelligent for the average arena rock fan? No, no and no. Yet, for the legions of Kinks fans on both sides of the pond, there is above all an affection for the group that is boundless. Their influence only becomes more pronounced (see punk, BritPop and the recent Kooks album, called Konk) and the Davies songwriting style (if there is only one) has crept into the heart and soul of many a singer-songwriter. Davies remains a songwriter of the highest order. While a deepening of thought has crept into his more recent work, he certainly has not lost his sense of humor. Oddly, he seems less reflective in his recent work and sounds more like a man looking to the future. While we wait for the next solo album and even pray to the rock gods that brother Dave gets better and is up for a Kinks reunion, we have the new long-player Kinks UnKovered (klever title). There have only been two Kinks tribute albums. How could this be? While they both were fine platters, Kinks UnKovered shows the elasticity of Davies's songs. The roots of the music are here, whether that be country, folk, blues or jazz. The joy. The coy wordplay. The audacity. And it's great to hear so many female voices sing Davies's songs. There has always been a very feminine side to Davies's songs. This makes the first time that the world can hear another side of the music and draw deeper meanings from the music than we have heard before. (Yes, I know the Pretenders covered "Stop Your Sobbing" and "I Go To Sleep" as did Sia cover "I Go To Sleep") In fact, what you have here is only a sampling of the great songs recorded for this project. A true labor of love. This disc says as much about the great songwriting canon of Ray Davies as it says about the large number of truly great musical acts living right here on Long Island. There are a few obvious choices, but they are not done in an obvious way. There are obscurities, but given how well they are done, they will not be obscure for long. There are many from the later overlooked albums, which stands as a testament to the group's longevity. I've always thought that Long Island music fans have been so in love with classic British rock because Long Island, geographically (and even topographically), has much in common with England (which I guess would make Huntington the counterpart to either Liverpool or London). The Kinks have played a fair share of shows on Long Island. Between 1969 and 1995 they played 22 shows, their first at a place called Leone's in Long Beach and their last at Westbury Music Fair in 1995. All the artists who are included here have a strong affinity for the song, with a capital S, whether they be singing their own songs or covering someone else's. Every track sounds like it was recorded by the person who actually wrote the song, even though we know they didn't write it. These recordings sound like they have been around forever. There isn't a self-conscious moment to be found anywhere here. Every track was done for all the right reasons. They're all different, yet they all fit together; just like a great Kinks album. It's not a concept album, or even a greatest hits, and that's a good thing. It's not in chronological order either. This lively set would make the perfect soundtrack of a sunny afternoon in the summertime, whether at Montauk or Brighton. Give it a listen..

Steve Matteo New York September, 2009

Some things in life are just worth waiting for. One of those things is Russ Seeger’s Live in Peace, the debut solo CD from a living legend on the Long Island music scene. For a remarkable four-plus decades, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Seeger has performed at virtually every venue in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, playing acoustic and electric guitars, fiddle and more, singing his songs and uniquely interpreting the tunes of those who’ve influenced him along the way. He’s made music with such greats as Peter Rowan, Vassar Clements, Paul Siebel, Peter Stampfel, Rick Danko, John Hartford and—the one he’s most proud of—the late, great Levon Helm, who anchored a band with Seeger called the Last Hombres, who released an album, Redemption, in 2003.

So why has there never, until now, been a Russ Seeger CD?

“I’ve been at this game a long time,” Seeger explains, “but between raising children and bringing home the bacon, working as a lineman for the county, climbing telephone poles and driving trucks, I never had the time to go into the studio and make a proper album. The whole time, I always kept writing songs though, and now that I’ve retired from my day job it was time to put this stuff into a new package.”

Live in Peace (Paradiddle Records) is a stunningly potent and intriguingly diverse collection of some of the best of Seeger’s hundreds of compositions. Recorded at Paradiddle Studios in Huntington N.Y., the album was co-produced by Seeger and Bill Herman and mixed by 2012 Grammy-winning producer Bob Stander. In addition to guitars and violin, Seeger plays keyboards and bass, and is joined by a host of well-known virtuoso players and vocalists from the local scene.

“All of the musicians are generous and highly creative people who simply knew what to do after one or two takes, which made my job much easier,” says Seeger. “Playing what essentially matters” is how he describes the contributions of his support team. There’s an economy and confidence that speak to the maturity of Seeger as a performer and recording artist. “I tried to settle in with this record. I like giving a ‘surreal’ lyrical touch to the words and I wasn’t out to gun-sling solos. Working with drummer Roger Murdock, who co-wrote three of the tunes, was an exercise in how not to push too hard or complicate too much.”

Seeger’s music is distilled from his journeys across the human landscape, covering a wide spectrum of subjects and styles as accomplished as anything being done today, and he manages it all with wicked wit and great compassion. “There is a grand story of love, betrayal, redemption and death that link all of the songs,” says Seeger. “I love the idea of that.”

Among the highlights of Live in Peace are the title track, “Requiem,” “Hang Me Out to Dry” and “California Blues,” songs that “really tell my whole story,” Seeger says. “‘Requiem,’” he adds, “was the first time I attempted overdubbing a string section and I’m pleased with how it came out. When I mention the ‘Bee’ in that song, I’m talking about Beethoven, pompous as that might be.”

Pompous is one word that you’ll never see used as a description of Seeger’s music. More probable are adjectives like rebellious, tough, prickly, charismatic, highly cool and so damn funny. But this is no stage persona—as anyone who knows him can attest, that’s just Russ. Born in Rockville Centre on Long island, Seeger grew up in the hamlet of Franklin Square, where he was picking out boogie-woogie rhythms on a broken Spanish six-string guitar by the age of seven. “My first influence was the archetypal cowboy with a horse, who at night played a guitar and sang by a campfire,” he says. “I also loved the idea of making coffee in a tin pan...and it was always in black and white.”

Seeger made his earliest appearances as a singer/guitarist at church affairs and house parties and by junior high he was already playing in local rock bands, writing his own songs and remaking in his own image the tunes of some of his heroes, which included such classic-rock icons as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Procol Harum, the Grateful Dead, Brian Wilson, Randy Newman, Iggy Pop and “the whole gamut of country bands.” And two more that must be noted: Ray Davies and Bob Dylan. Seeger has paid tribute to those two inspirational figures by contributing to the Paradiddle albums Dylan Uncovered and Kinks UnKovered, and he’s taken part in Dylan tribute concerts on the Island.

In the early ’70s, along with keyboardist Steve Sollog and guitarist Dana Gaynor, Seeger formed a band at first called the New MississippiSheiks and later the Sheiks that ultimately became one of the most in-demand—and most innovative—bands in the area. He continued to work both solo and with countless other musicians in the wake of the Sheiks’ split, including one popular outfit called the Sons of Sweden. But playing in the Last Hombres with Helm for a few years was of course a major highlight, and Seeger feels honored to have had the experience. “It was awe-inspiring, to say the least,” Seeger says, “getting to rehearse up in The Barn in Woodstock and meeting his beautiful wife, Sandy. It was really a dream come true.”

Throughout all of those years, however, Seeger—as so many artists must—financed his music habit with day jobs and family life. It wasn’t until recently, with his kids grown and retirement papers in hand, that he was able to make music a full-time pursuit. Traveling to San Francisco for the annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival inspired him to go back into the studio and finish up the CD that ultimately became Live in Peace.

As for the title, Seeger waxes philosophical when he talks about it. “It’s giving a positive expression of solidarity to all of us humans who have suffered in this world,” he says, “some at the hands of armies and war and some on a more personal level. I think it’s a message that always needs to be spoken about.” The title song, he adds, “was written from the perspective of an Iraqi war veteran who returns home and finds life hard to deal with. The song ‘Red Rose’ comes from a similar place.”

The opportunity to record his first solo album after so many years of building a regional fan base and attracting the attention of fellow musicians is one that Russ Seeger savors. He turns to a quote from the Russian poet Boris Pasternak to put it into perspective: “When a great moment knocks on the door of your life, it is often no louder than the beating of your heart, and it is easy to miss it.”

Live in Peace is that kind of great moment—one not to be missed.

Jeff Tamarkin

Jeff Tamarkin is a veteran music journalist whose writing has appeared in Newsweek, Mojo, Relix,JazzTimes, Playbill, Billboard, Goldmine, CMJ, Sing Out!, the New York Daily News,All Music Guide, and Newsday.

Foothill Freeway, the debut solo album from Butcher’s Blind frontman Pete Mancini, offers another showcase for his terrific songwriting chops,... Mancini’s solo debut delivers richly imagined songs that both honor and extend the Americana and singer-songwriter traditions, beautifully matching Voice with voice. With a deep sense of purpose and tremendous craft, Mancini catalogues the foibles and failings of men and women, lovers and nations, a tapestry of all-too-human humanity. - The daily Vault 3/31/17 http://www.dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=9418

Check out this article from the Long Island Pulse about "Pros & Cons" the new CD from Allen Santoriello: Long Island Pulse April 2016

With a dusty voice and resonant lyrics, the songs of Mike Meehan contribute to the alt.roots canon with tales of hard luck, worn paths and wide open vistas. "...Meehan seems to have smartly studied Warren Zevon for both his shadowy viewpoint and vocal edge" --Jerry McCulley, All Music Guide

"The band focuses on original songs inspired by traditional and alternative country, punk, folk, literature, and other influences. Great stuff. " MCL Media /Arts "The songs are deeply literate and driving roots rock that express aspects of the American experience from a multitude of angles - Americana with muscle." SKH Music” “Meehan seems to have smartly studied Warren Zevon for both his shadowy viewpoint and vocal edge. --Jerry McCulley All MusicAlt rock veteran Mike Meehan has released a number of albums both as a member of roots tinged rock group The Last Hombres and as a solo artist. Better Angels, recorded with a cohort of seasoned musicians, is his latest offering. It is also his most realized work in both sound and vision. The tracks on Better Angels resonate and reverberate. They possess a steely backbone of Americana while a breath of twang hangs over the rusted roots rock like mist over a field, conjuring the spirits of folk and 90’s garage rock in the same breath. Meehan’s vocals and viewpoint are both world-weary and determined. These songs tell the tale of a seeker tracing pathways in the dark, searching for some light. There are ghosts and mercies found.While the hope of divine observance persists, the comfort it offers is uncertain. “Better Angels they watch in dismay, better angels wonder if it’s too late,” Meehan laments. In this world, deceptions are a daily encounter— “One day you’re ashes then, next day you’re fire,”— and sin is inevitable. But this knowledge goads a driving determination, a conviction that the tale is never told so long as the questions persist: is there a place between living fast and dying slow? Will our better angels triumph? Recorded by Bill Herman at Paradiddle Studio, Better Angels releases on September 18, 2017. For info on upcoming shows, find Mike Meehan on Bandcamp and at www.luckyonemusic.com “Sincerely, salutations, wish you well.”

Good Times says - "...unique (and wonderful) new album... a high water mark for Paradiddle as a true creative force in Americana/roots..." This CD features 14 Nanci Griffith compositions, some familiar, some not, performed by an eclectic array of artists. From 60's folk revivalists, John Stewart and Carolyn Hester, to contemporary folk rockers, The Kennedys, every song, is imbued with the individual style and personality of each artist.

Grammy award winning Texas singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith has been recording since 1978. Her most recent CD, Intersection, was released this year. She describes her style as, "folkabilly" which can best be described as a hybrid of folk, country and pop. In addition to her own songs, Griffith is well known for her interpretations of other songwriters' material. Several of these same artists, including Jerry Jeff Walker, Tom Russell, John Stewart, and Julie Gold, repay the favor on Trouble in The Fields.

Nanci has always tackled political and social topics in her songs and her current record is her most rebellious to date. You can pick up "A Blue Girl in a Red State" bumper sticker at her latest concert performances. Her activism includes an affiliation with Mines Advisory Group (MAG), which is an international not-for-profit, non-governmental organization that assists people affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance. Profits generated by sales of this CD will benefit this charity.

This project has been a labor of love for executive producers, Pete and Maura Kennedy, who recently toured with Nanci to support her latest release. Paradiddle Records is honored and excited to be a part of it.