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Psyche Van Het FolkReview of Hopey (Oct 2007)
"The first song I heard from Allysen Callery was “Pea Green Boat”. I thought it was produced wonderfully with its subtle sound arrangements. Allysen explained me this was the splendid work of Myles Baer (of Black Hole Sound Studios), who also produced Marissa Nadler on her first album amongst other people. Allysen confirmed “he has the ability to see inside one's secret heart & do perfect production! He used Hammond organ and theremin on “Pea Green Boat”. For me it seems like he reinvented a perfect environment for the song. She explained to me there are also Peeptoads (!) tree toads on a couple tracks, in the background, as she had been recorded some of the time in a glass studio, in the woods (I assume this is on the “Feathercap” track). On “Slo Slo-Mo” I also hear some subtle slide guitar touches. Most songs are just with well played fingerpicking guitar, and are sung with a nicely sounding voice. The lyrics are conscious with gentle analyses of the environmental appearances and reactions of people, also on stage, or recalling moments to remember within a love affair, to nourish with caring remembrance under the form as songs, or more likely as things she wanted to tell, but couldn’t at the moment, and that made it to songs. "
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Gerald Van Waes Webmaster/Radio show producer/Critic
THE PROVIDENCE PHOENIX reviews HOPEY
(by Bob Gulla)
"There's something magical about Allysen Callery's new
album. It has a dreamy quality that feels mysterious
and bewitching. The opening tune, "Feathercap," sounds
somewhat like Sandy Denny, with a subtle soprano
sweetness. In fact, a British folk influence permeates
Hopey. Allysen's acoustic guitar sits in a pocket well
behind her vocals with muted tones, and the delicate
accompaniment is haunting in the frailest way, as if
Allysen is afraid that any noise might disrupt the
mood.
But it's the ambient nature of this recording that
distinguishes it from others in the genre and it's the
only acoustic album since I started writing this
column that invokes such haunting British spirits."
-Bob Gulla ,The Providence Phoenix ,September 27, 2007
ALLYSEN CALLERY + HEATHER ROSE + KIM LAMOTHE |
September 29 | Church Street Coffeehouse, 25 Church
St, Warren | 8 pm | $10 [free CD for first 25 people]
| 401.247.3004
Motif Magazine says :Allysen Calleryis a singer-songwriter with "an abundance of talent. Allysen has a knack for highly sophisticated lyrics and a unique finger-picking guitar style. Allysen makes a good case for religiously checking the acoustic scene listing."
Newport Mercury Article
by Jillian Rodriguez January 2007off the lip
Or , for a better veiw
READ THE ARTICLE HEREGirl in the bubbleALLYSEN CALLERY, 39
SINGER-SONGWRITER
Poetic phrases like sophisticated slang naturally flow from Allysen Callery's mouth. The Bristol resident has spent much of her adult life creating her own genre of folk music that enchants listeners with soulful lyrics that beckon the likes of Bob Dylan and sweeping melodies that echo feminine rock icons like Stevie Nicks and PJ Harvey. After a divorce three years ago, Callery developed a new approach to the way she views the world - seize the day and write music that truly makes her happy. BY JILLIAN RODRIGUEZ
When did you begin writing music?Pretty much when I was a teenager. I used to make my boyfriends listen to me...it was kind of bad. But I knew what good music was supposed to sound like. I was listening to Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell at the time. But when I was 27, I got involved with the Providence Poetry Slam scene, and I began putting my poetry to music. So that's been going on for about the last 10 years.
When did you decide to pursue music seriously?Well, I heard this quote that said, "Don't hide your light under a bushel." And for some reason, I realized that that's what I had been doing. So I decided that I better just do it! In 2004, I really began going after music. I cut my first album, created my Web site, www.allysencallery.com, and I began booking myself to do shows.
What do you do besides being a musician?I have a bread-and-butter job at a storage place. It's kind of funny. I come in contact with walks of life that are in a state of flux, and I get to be there for them and be kind to them.
Who are your musical influences and why?Well, I grew up listening to Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention and also Incredible String Band. Incredible String Band was great because they really showed me that there were no rules to folk music. Sometimes you begin to think that folk music has to sound a certain way, but they changed all of that.
Have you ever had stage fright?When I first began playing shows, I had horrible stage fright. I'd pretty much get panic attacks every time I got up there. And when I would play coffee shops, the caffeine in the coffee would just run with it. So I cut out the coffee, and I made a few life changes. I got out of an unhappy marriage, and once I did that, I felt like I was free. And since then, it's been much better.
Do you have any children?Yes, I have a 12-year-old daughter named Ava Callery, but she hates folk. She doesn't think I'm cool at all! She plays the keyboard and listens to Japanese electronica. We have a very musical family. Both my Mom and Dad played guitar, although I never really knew my mother growing up. But music definitely runs in our family.
You never knew your mother?She left when I was 3, and after my dad died, she tried to come back. So when I met her as a teenager, it just wasn't the same. But we've been in touch. I wrote her after my divorce, and now she shows up at my shows. Although our relationship is sorta' strange, I've made peace with her. Now that I have a daughter, I know what a mother-daughter relationship should be like.
Would you classify your music in the folk genre?For lack of a better word, yes. But I've also heard progressive folk or alternative folk. But from what I've learned, young folkies all listen to the same stuff. There's so much new folk out there - Nick Drake, Joanna Newsom, Bright Eyes. I mean, folk music is just gentle and gorgeous.
What's the best part of performing?Every so often when you're up there, a feeling will just come over the room. The audience stops moving, and stops sipping their coffee and a calm quiet comes over them, and there's a bubble over you. It's really beautiful.
How would you like to see your music grow?I've been on the radio, and I'd love to tour and do small festivals. Right now I play about three to five times a month, and I'd love to keep branching out. Compositionally, I'd love to keep acquiring new instruments. My boyfriend, Ted Hayes, recently bought me a violin. That was my first instrument and I haven't played in a long time so I'm trying to get back into that. I also just got a banjo, and I'd love to keep working with Kim Lamothe.
Why do you continue to create music?Music happens when I have no idea what's bothering me. It's like a clarifier to me. It's a conduit for something deep inside of me that maybe otherwise I wouldn't be able to talk about.
What advice would you give other aspiring musicians?If you've got something that you want to do, don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't do it. And don't put it off for another day. Just do it.
So do you feel that there's still room for folk music in today's society?Oh yeah. People are gonna' want as much music as they can devour. People will get sick of eating pizza every day and eventually they'll want Thai.
Allysen Callery joins fellow singer-songwriter Joanne Lurgio, Fri., Jan. 5, from 6-9 p.m. at Wickford Gourmet, 21 West Main St., Wickford. 295-8190.
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Here is my Letter To The Editor (Ted Hayes of the Bristol Phoenix) which while I had no idea, would change my life...in a very surprising & wonderful way!
We fell in Love :)
& got married June 20th, 2009!
Never underestimate the Power of the Pen!!It was also my thank you to Manny & Cathy Perry, who continue to do their wonderful work in Warren at The Coffee Depot.
To the editor:
Sometimes in this sheltered world of private cars, fenced in homes with their multiple televisions, we step out from our cloistered existence, and find a meeting place of true connection, if we're very lucky.
Cafe La France on Hope Street was just such a place on Tuesday nights and Fridays. There, musicians and patrons alike shared camaraderie and music, all happy participants of the open mike.
An "open mike," for those who might not know, is a chance for the amateur artist to have an audience hear you, to prove yourself worthy of a gig, and for about three songs worth, communicate your notions.
Also, even if you were already gigging out regularly, it was a great place to try out a new tune before an unbiased public, hopefully make some new fans and sell a few CDs.
Casual and inviting, Cafe La France was a nicely informal venue. People met, became friends and supporters. Even the shyest among us "regulars" would eventually get up and sing, or play their instrument of choice, though perhaps from their chair.
Despite the range of talent, there was no bullying, and little ego, though I must admit to my own inner ham becoming a rather large hog, fed on praise and kinship! Many of us blossomed as performers in this easy-going atmosphere. Manny and Cathy, the sweet couple who ran the open mike, were kind and encouraging. Running sound and introducing would-be Dylans and hopeful Jonis is a thankless job, but they did it cheerfully with grace and goodness. Every Tuesday and Friday night, week after week; God bless you both!
Last night was the final open mike at Cafe La France. The owners have decided to pursue another way and I guess the musicians did not fit into that plan. Coffee Depot in Warren is welcoming us, and I think I speak for many when I say I am grateful.
But I just wanted to take a moment to remember a special span of time in Bristol, and thank Cafe La France for bringing strangers into my life who became my dearest friends. For all of us who were there, we were given community and respite, and music where there had been none.
Allysen Callery
