Episode 012 : Howard Fishman + Josh Lederman
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The Howard Fishman Quartet is not a jazz band, though sometimes they improvise as in that musical form. They aren't a blues or a folk band either, but you'll hear those influences at play, too. A little swing, a little soul, a little rock...the Howard Fishman Quartet will make you recall a wide variety of American music, but it's put together in such a natural, effortless way that it sounds like an entirely new form.
Josh Lederman y Los Diablos call themselves "The Kings of Irish-Jewish folk-punk," so it's safe to assume you're going to get a musical concoction that you've not heard before. Self-professed fans of Tom Waits, The Pogues, Leadbelly, and Johnny Cash, the band got their start playing at Boston-area weddings before leaping into the club circuit with a live show that embodies the spirit, if not always the sound, of punk rock. Like the Howard Fishman Quartet, Los Diablos mix together so many American musical styles you'd be hard pressed to describe them in a few words.
The Howard Fishman Quartet is not a jazz band, though sometimes they improvise as in that musical form. They aren't a blues or a folk band either, but you'll hear those influences at play, too. A little swing, a little soul, a little rock...the Howard Fishman Quartet will make you recall a wide variety of American music, but it's put together in such a natural, effortless way that it sounds like an entirely new form.
The group has released three CDs to date: 1999's "The Howard Fishman Quartet," 2001's "I Like You a Lot," and 2002's "Do What I Want." These three Monkey Farm Records' releases and the Quartet's live performances have received acclaim in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Village Voice, Downbeat, and New York magazine among others.
The band has had several incarnations since forming in New York in 1998. The quartet's current members include violinist Victor Lin, trumpet player Kevin Louis, and bassist Jim Whitney. Fishman describes the unit as having a "profound understanding of American music," saying this version of the band is "very fun."
Fishman is also a playwright who is working on a music theatre piece based on the Donner Party called "We Are Destroyed." "Do What I Want" includes several songs from the piece. The Donner Party was a pioneer group in the 1840s whose journey went horribly wrong and resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. More importantly, the piece examines the pioneer's desire to start life anew, leaving Illinois behind in pursuit of a rustic, 19th-century version of the American Dream.
With director Andrew Sachs, the work-in-progress has been performed at Joe's Pub at the Public Theatre in New York City, the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, and Lincoln Center's Director's Workshop West in Pasadena, California. In the vein of Robert Wilson's stage pieces, "We Are Destroyed" utilizes the Howard Fishman Quartet's music on-stage as well as four actors who bring the story to life in a unique manner. "We are Destroyed" is nearing completion and Fishman is working out where the piece will be staged and toured. Well-Rounded Radio has an exclusive preview of the theatre piece within our interview.
I met the Brooklyn-based Fishman in his hometown of Hartford, Connecticut to discuss:
* how he came to move to New Orleans, travel across America, and ultimately, arrive in New York City as part of his own musical journey
* how the band made the leap from performing in the New York City subway system to the renown Algonquin Hotel--literally overnight
* why the story of the Donner Party seemed like such perfect material to connect his loves of drama and music
Samples from Howard Fishman Quartet's CDs featured in the Well-Rounded Radio Interview include:
IN PREVIEW: Mary Ann (Do What I Want)
1) Don't Wait (Do What I Want)
2) New Louisville Burgular (The Howard Fishman Quartet)
3) Best Days (The Howard Fishman Quartet)
4) Another Night (I Like You A Lot)
5) St. James Infirmary (The Howard Fishman Quartet)
6) Tango (I Like You A Lot)
7) Get Some Rest (Do What I Want)
8) Good Times (Do What I Want)
9) We Are Destroyed excerpt
10) A New Life (Do What I Want)
11) We Are Destroyed excerpt
12) In Another Life (Do What I Want)
Photo: Chuck Winans
If you like the Howard Fishman Quartet, give a listen to the Well-Rounded Radio Interviews with Tarbox Ramblers and Twinemen.
Well-Rounded Rave: Featuring Brad Powell, Director of Calabash Music, on Oswin Chin Behilia from Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles islands.
Josh Lederman of Josh Lederman y Los Diablos
Josh Lederman y Los Diablos call themselves "The Kings of Irish-Jewish folk-punk," so it's safe to assume you're going to get a musical concoction that you've not heard before.
Self-professed fans of Tom Waits, The Pogues, Leadbelly, and Johnny Cash, the band got their start playing at Boston-area weddings before leaping into the club circuit with a live show that embodies the spirit, if not always the sound, of punk rock. Like the Howard Fishman Quartet, Los Diablos mix together so many American musical styles you'd be hard pressed to describe them in a few words.
The band has released four CDs so far, including 1997's "Serenades from the Gutter," 1999's "The Sheik of Araby," 2001's "It's a Long and Lonely Time Until the Train Will Bring You Home," and 2004's "The Town's Old Fair." The group started out with Lederman working in singer/songwriter territory, then adding Pete Varga (mandolin, guitar, and cello), and later John Buczkowski (accordian, banjo), Rick Pierik (drums, percussion), and most recently Travis Williams (bass).
"The Town's Old Fair" was produced by Darron Burke (as was "It's a Long and Lonely Time..."), who has worked with the Gigolo Aunts, Crazy Alice, Milo Jones, and the Damn Personals. The CD covers a wide berth of musical ground from Celtic, country, bluegrass, jazz, folk, rock, zydeco, punk, polkas, and waltzes, but it focuses its lyrical themes on just a few, including memory, possibility, and "things that are gone."
I met with Lederman in Somerville, Massachusetts to talk about:
* how the band approaches writing new material without falling into the trap of trying to recreate those styles
* what his primary goal is when he sits down to write lyrics for the band
* how it is that they have found fans in the diverse cultural audiences of bikers, punk rockers, and lesbians
Catch Josh Lederman y Los Diablos on tour along the east coast and southeastern US this August.
Samples from Josh Lederman y Los Diablos' CDs featured in the Well-Rounded Radio Interview include:
IN PREVIEW: Forty Days (The Town's Old Fair)
1) Daisy (The Town's Old Fair)
2) The Buzzard (Serenades from the Gutter)
3) 47$ (Serenades from the Gutter)
4) Chinatown (The Sheik of Araby)
5) The House is Still Weeping (The Sheik of Araby)
6) Silver Queen (It's a Long and Lonely Time Until the Train Will Bring You Home)
7) The Olive Tree (The Town's Old Fair)
8) The Town's Old Fair (The Town's Old Fair)
9) Well the Day's Go By (The Town's Old Fair)
10) Your Bluest Friend (The Town's Old Fair)
11) On the Way Back Home (The Town's Old Fair)
12) The Best Thing's to Part (The Town's Old Fair)
If you like Josh Lederman y Los Diablos, give a listen to the Well-Rounded Radio Interviews with Willard Grant Conspiracy and Josh Ritter.
Howard Fishman Quartet on Monkey Farm Records available direct from Howard Fishman Quartet, CD Baby, or Amazon.com.
Howard recommends Bonnie "Prince" Billy.
Well-Rounded Rave: Brad Powell of Calabash Music on Oswin Chin Behilia.
Josh Lederman y Los Diablos on Coffee Stain Music available from CD Baby.
Josh recommends Frank Morey.
