Notes on Brian Gottesman and the Milling Gowns
By JIM SULLIVAN | December 12, 2006
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Brian Gottesman |
CD-release parties can be pro forma affairs. Not BRIAN GOTTESMAN’s gig to celebrate his second solo disc, The Sound of Yes. A three-parter at T.T. the Bear’s Place on December 20, it’s doubling as a benefit for the Pine Street Inn, and he’s got Count Zero’s Peter Moore opening as the “2006 Year Old Man,” singing songs about various characters he’s encountered during his long lifespan. Then, Gottesman and his band will run through the CD. “The album has an overall narrative,” he says, “and ideally they’re meant to be heard in order for added impact. Context is key.” The theme centers on loneliness and the search for love and commitment — Gottesman calls it “an audio autobiography.” The evening will be topped off by “Stairway to Charioke,” in which a trio will be on hand to perform 10 Led Zeppelin songs fronted by raffle winners from the audience. The proceeds will go to the Pine Street Inn.Singer-songwriter M. originally planned the MILLING GOWNS as a one-man studio band. Only problem: he didn’t know how to play any instruments. So three musicians were called in, and by April the Milling Gowns were a band. They recorded four songs for Light of the World Shine on Me, an EP due next month. Only wrinkle: there’s no guitarist. “M. loves piano,” says pianist Sharon Crumrine. “I fill in a lot of the sound the guitar would fill.” The Milling Gowns occupy that sad, stately plateau that the Willard Grant Conspiracy and Tindersticks inhabit. “We kind of joke about it,” says Crumrine. “People always talk about the split between his songs and his personality. He’s playful and funny. We’re just drawn to a melancholy sound.” They play the Abbey (with violinist Betty Widerski) December 20.
On the Web
Brian Gottesman: http://www.briangottesman.com/
The Milling Gowns: http://www.myspace.com/themillinggowns
Email the author
Jim Sullivan: jimsullivanink@verizon.net
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