Every Mother's Dream
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Every Mother's Dream

Asheville, North Carolina, United States | SELF

Asheville, North Carolina, United States | SELF
Band Folk Pop

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

Press


"Listening Party"

Closing out this week’s Party, we have Every Mother’s Dream, an Asheville-based folk-pop group that has only gotten better since debuting in 2001. Jay Kaiser and Mandy Carter work wonderfully together, and have long been one of the area’s best-kept musical secrets. Now using a full-band format that incorporates jazzy, funky, jammy elements and fills out the duo’s music, EMD is definitely worth a listen. Any of the songs on their MySpace page are worth a listen, but our suggested starting tracks are the “Last Day of Summer” and the folk-country toe-tapper “Steer.” - Mountain XPress, Steve Shanafelt


"No Complaints Rocks Folk with Views"

The first full-length CD offering from Jay Kaiser and Mandy Carter, No Complaints with the View is a testimonial to what good music should be - regardless of category or mainstream acceptance. Kaiser and Carter are not only good folks, but they're great folk rockers, though their humble attitude probably wouldn't admit to it.

A self-produced and self-engineered effort (thanks to several hours spent by Kaiser sitting uncomfortably atop a Yoga ball while mixing), No Complaints is a 12-track folk fan's dream. It features all original songs and lyrics, interspersed with both acoustic and electric sounds. The duo's foundation is, of course, musically sound - anchored by the strength of both the lyrical quality and content, as well as by the strength of either's vocal skills. When you pair all this up with six-string acoustics, in addition to guest spots by harmonicas and mandolins, you've got a relaxing listen. But don't be fooled: the lighthearted lyrics are as introspective and questioning as they are entertaining and insightful.
For example, one of my favorite verses comes from the View's first track, "When I Think It's Me," reading: "I worry about things I can't change / So much that I forget what I can." It's refreshing to find such solid songwriting in music today, and this is just a taste from Kaiser and Carter, whose lyrical themes run the gamut from love (lost and found) to self determination and growth.
In fact, though Kaiser and Carter harmonize well and offer up relaxing melodies - the View is a mellow folk album - it's not to be snoozed on. There is a message of life intelligently woven throughout the tracks, which infusing the entire CD with an energetic zest that's rare to find in anyone's music these days.
However, of the dozen songs, my favorite track is "Greyhound," and the reason is one of instrumentation. There is a mandolin on "Greyhound" that provides that extra something which endears the track to my ears. It's very reminiscent of an approach used by folk rocker Bruce Hornsby (for those old enough to remember him), who used a mandolin to perfection. Though it's sparingly used, the mandolin's appearance in "Greyhound" is the final musical piece of the puzzle, completing the picture-perfect song that, in my mind, encapsulates the album as a whole and, with Mandy's vocals, shines as the standout track.
So, when you toss in the electric guitar touches, along with the different percussive instruments, Kaiser and Carter do an excellent job of filling out the variety of their sound. Furthermore, they switch up tempos often, keeping the beat moving along as the lyrics continue to impress.
Jay and Mandy are the future of folk - their lyrical inventiveness and musical connectivity to what grabs a listener's ear effectively combine to make No Complaints with the View a must-add to your music library.

- Up and Coming, ZWire, Brian Dukes


"Every Mother's Dream, Big Blend"

"It’s hard to imagine a mother that wouldn’t like this CD."
- Indie-Music.com, Dan MacIntosh


Discography

"Roots", Jay Kaiser - 1999
"No Complaints with the View", Jay Kaiser and Mandy Carter - 2003
"Big Blend", Every Mother's Dream - 2006
Submarine, Every Mother's Dream - 2009

Photos

Bio

Over the years, EMD has gained respect in the regional music community with their own fresh brand of roots music inspired by various folk, funk, rock & roll, country, pop, and jazz musicians – a little something for everyone. The band’s front duo, Jay Kaiser and Mandy Carter, bring intelligent and inspiring songwriting to a mix of impeccable acoustic guitar work, dreamy vocal harmonies, and a driving rhythm section. Every Mother’s Dream delivers a rocking good time while maintaining a refreshingly varied set of music. EMD released their second recording as a band in the fall of 2009. The newest recording, Submarine, showcases the band's heavier folk rock side along with its pop sensibility. Submarine boasts EMD's best songwriting and production yet!

The longer story...Jay Kaiser and Mandy Carter have been making music as a pair since 2001. Jay, who was trained in classical guitar at the University of Illinois, moved to Asheville to join a local rock band where Mandy was fresh on the singer/songwriter scene. Noticing the matching stickers on one another’s guitar cases, the two found musical common ground.

Jay and Mandy formed a duo and begin performing their own brand of alternative folk music around the region, blending Jay’s fave’s—60’s rock and 50’s jazz—and Mandy’s influence from more contemporary female folksters.

In 2005, the band became EMD and grew to include Jeff Dewhirst/drums, Joe Bruno/bass, and as an occasional treat, Aimee Sullivan/sax. Now, Every Mother’s Dream, serves up tasty live folk rock shows filled with energy and variety.