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By Jim Reed
The Jeff & Vida Band
Any time this rollicking Nashville string band (late of New Orleans) comes through town, it’s cause to celebrate.
A powerhouse Americana duo remade into and even more rock-solid trio with the addition of doghouse bassist Mike Kerwin, Jeff Burke and Vida Wakeman have a knack for penning originals that draw from the same “deeper well” as Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Meaning, they create heartbreaking Americana songs that were copywritten in 2003 but sound like they could just as easily have been birthed in 1943.
One might be tempted to dismiss Vida’s wide-eyed stage demeanor (complete with gulping vocals and do-or-die guitar strumming) as well done shtick, but she and her compatriots are deadly serious. Her interaction with Jeff (on banjo, mandolin and guitar) exudes the second-nature vibe that only comes from years playing together in bars, juke joints and listening thw USA, and -increasingly - abroad.
Their latest CD, LOADED, highlights previously hidden influences like crooner tunes and early rock and roll (think The Everly Brothers), and is earning raves. They usually play informal, pass-the-hat shows in a corner of this Post’s lounge, but after repeatedly packing the place, they’re moving upstairs to the ballroom.
This gig’s billed as a Sweethearts Dance, but if you can only come stag, don’t fret. Jeff & Vida shows are as much sit-and-listen concerts as they are cut-a-rug hoedowns Either way, you’ll likely spend the duration smiling from ear to ear - Savannah Connect
The bar, side seats, and two theater rows inside d.b.a were full of people at 10:15 Wednesday night. There must have been a buzz around the Jeff and Vida Band. The hype was justified. The group played a rowdy, foot-stompin' acoustic Roots concert. Mandolin, banjo, acoustic guitarist, and vocalist Jeff Burke was joined by acoustic guitarist/vocalist Vida Wakeman and bassist Will Downes.
The show was a yee-haw jamboree without the dancers. Don't ask me why. Since many of the songs had a spitfire doom-tat doom-tat doom-tat beat, it was perfect to boogie to. The Jeff and Vida Band played a waltz and a song Vida designated as perfect for slow dancing, but nobody took her up on the suggestion.
The trio performed appalachian bluegrass, country, and folk songs that possessed a gritty, blues undertone. Jeff and Vida attacked the songs with a vigor that telegraphed love and respect for the roots of their music. When Jeff performed a Jimmie Rodgers piece, I could almost see him singing along to it in his car.
The band did a great job of mixing celebratory barn-burners with songs of death and struggle.
Leaning into an old-timey radio microphone with Kerwin behind them, Jeff and Vida smiled and marveled at each other's talents. Vida's strongsuit was her expressive voice. It travelled easy and quick. Her sexy moans and cowgirl yelps put a fire under the music. Jeff was a master picker. His technically aggressive and beautifully written melodic progressions made every one his solos a joy. Wow.
They broke a string twice, but each time the other leader performed a song solo with no hesitation. There was no setlist. They must just have a large vocabulary of American roots songs on call. - NOLA Live!
Judging by their third album, Loaded, Jeff & Vida are red-blooded meat eaters (and if they're vegetarian, they eat hearty vegetables). Based on the evidence here and on their previous album, The Simplest Plans, country and bluegrass aren't sounds for them to admire like Faberge eggs or goof on like the kids who eats paste, nor do they play them to celebrate America's poor folk. Instead, their CDs sound like the natural expressions of passionately led lives.
On "Baby Don't You Do Me Wrong," for instance, it sounds like cheating on Vida Wakeman would earn the cheater at least the chance to duck flying crockery, and if that was all, he should consider himself lucky. There's a swagger in her performance as if she enjoys her own intensity, but Wakeman's not just a hot mama. On "Everybody's Darling," she sounds convincingly wise, while her voice softens and sounds in need of protection in "Blessed But Not Favored." In short, in songs that sound like they come from lives actually led, she sounds like a real person with a healthy complement of emotions.
Both Wakeman and Jeff Burke have pop backgrounds, having come to acoustic music in their teens. The chops are there -- Burke's a fleet, clean mandolin and banjo player -- but the song remains the thing. In their case, this means urban songs, or songs that don't require city listeners to identify with their country cousins. It also means that while they appreciate tradition, they aren't purists. "Blacktop Shine" romanticizes growing up in a way John Mellencamp might recognize, and "I Cried" is a lovely jazz ballad that could be a standard if jazz standards can still be created at this late date. -- Rawls - The Gambit
Discography
Loaded (Binky Records, 2004)
The Simplest Plans( Binky Records, 2002)
One Horse Town (Independent, 2000)
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Bio
they not only fit in the Americana category but I believe they define its roots. -Michael Johnson (Dallas Rockzilla World)
At Jeff & Vidas New Orleans Jazzfest performance this year people filled every seat and spilled into the aisles of the Lagniappe Stage to see the band which is quickly emerging as New Orleans top Americana act. Maybe its the fast pickin, loud singing and drive that gets folks to connect, maybe its their songs. Maybe its that you feel like they probably turned the radio off a long time ago.
After moving to New Orleans from New York City in 1999 they went from playing open mics to touring over 175 dates a year, both nationally and internationally in just a few years. Theyve recorded three albums, to critical acclaim. Their latest, Loaded, has been voted on of the top cds of 2004 by Offbeat Magazine, The New Orleans Times-Picayune, and The Gambit weekly. They recently won the coveted Big Easy Award in the folk/country category. They continue to win fans worldwide with their humor, good music and unforgettable songs.
An intimate band, they are never small where musicality or volume is concerned. Blending traditional bluegrass with alternative country sounds of today, the groups original songs have a modern sensibility about them while maintaining the feeling that they were created on somebodys front porch way back in the day.
With an unmistakable voice distinctly her own, Vida has been compared to plenty of female singers ranging from Loretta Lynn to Gillian Welch. This said, it doesnt quite capture the uniqueness of her singing. It is a homegrown, rootsy style with just enough twang and just enough toughness. She can growl, moan, twang, break that voice up, and do anything else it takes to get a song through to you. I sing the way I should, thats all I can say. is what she says when asked.
Jeff jumps between mandolin, banjo and guitar throughout their shows often evoking the comment Your hands were just a blur. I couldnt see what you were doing but I sure could hear it! Jeff Burke is not only an amazingly unique banjo, mandolin, and flat top guitar player, he started his musical career in a high school garage band, but also plays with a deep appreciation for the unique sounds each of his instruments has to offer. I play an instrument always keeping in mind the special sounds that it is capable of making, that helps define my playing. In addition, Burke adds his voice to almost every song finding its way in, out, above and around Vidas, yet another tool in their sonic arsenal.
Together, the two combine these multiple elements to showcase their greatest strength-their original songs, while creating a sound both strong and wistful and maintaining that hard-livin edge crucial to roots music. Their style never tires and their live shows never disappoint.
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