Larry Shrek

Multi-instrumentalist Larry Shrek literally had his hands full when he recorded his latest album, “The Good Life.” In addition to singing and whistling, Shrek played guitar, piano, banjo, percussion and glockenspiel. Add an array of instrumental contributions from other skilled musicians and the result is an exceptionally rich sound.
A professional singer-songwriter since 1991, Shrek recorded “The Good Life” at his home in Kittery, Maine. He also produced the disc, which follows his 2004 album “Listen.” An acoustic medley of original songs and freshly arranged covers, the (new) album consists of 12 tracks with folk, country and bluegrass flavors.
Among the album’s instrumentalists are Tom Dean, Bob Halperin and Lincoln Meyers on guitars; Joe Rogers on drums and percussion; Kent Allyn on bass; Rushad Eggleston on cello; and Bruce Stelter on mandolin. The players were given creative license to explore their own ideas during the recording process, and the wealth of strings and percussion keep the disc interesting.
Lyrically, Shrek appears to feel that the good life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The title track describes a life of banality and wistfulness that is stilted by routine. Two songs later, in “Hobo,” he sings of a more appealing and idealistic existence far outside of conventional life. “So roll up a doobie and pass it around / We’ll laugh in the sunshine and sleep on the ground / The leaves begin turning, we’ll take it on down,” Shrek sings.
The album closes with a trio of unique covers, starting with a bluegrassy version of Fred Neil’s “Everybody’s Talkin’,” followed by a soft and slow take on U2’s “New Year’s Day” and ending with “Wonderful World,” originally by Bob Thiele and George Weiss.
- The Wire, November 5, 2008

"Listen," is mature, thoughtful and poetic, the blend of stick to your ribs lyrics, vivid vocals, and memorable melodies Seacoast night lifers have come to expect from Kittery, Maine’s Larry Schroeck.

The Schroeck recipe for success called for an experienced band and a seasoned and single-minded co-producer to stir the pot with a firm hand. He found the former in an accomplished group of regional stalwarts, and the latter in North Conway’s Tom Dean. The result is 40 minutes of pith and vinegar garnished with a dash of levity.

The first two cuts, "God’s Word" and "Give Me," and the final cut, "When You’re Gone," show off a spiritual bent that, Schroeck claims, surfaces only on "good days." Essentially, he asks, why can’t we get along? Religion, he concludes, is one of the major reasons we can’t "lay down our swords." A world of splintered beliefs obscures "God’s word," leaving us to wrangle and kill, often, ironically, in the name of religion.

After that heavy meditation coming out of the gate, "Legal Separation" startles on several fronts. An upbeat tempo, irony again, and a trace of bitterness accompany us back to life’s nitty-gritty. ("Let your papers fall upon me…because I know what you wanted, you knew what I had…You’re gonna go to Heaven, I’m gonna go to Hell.")

In Schroeck’s head, "Legal Separation" was a slow, country song. Dean, ably abetted by Duke Levine’s "movin’ and groovin’," saw something completely new. "They carried me," Schroeck says.

"I Don’t Know" is the slow country song "Legal Separation" wasn’t. Unanswerable questions resurface, this time about the mysterious ways of love and moonlight and mockingbirds.

Schroeck penned "Listen," the title cut, when he was "not in good condition." Essentially, it’s a cautionary tale about paying attention because, even when you’re in a rut, the years keep slipping by.

The wistful “Parley in the Parlor" and the lively "Jig" are instrumental interludes, sort of musical sorbets, clearing the palate for the entrees to follow. "Jig" is also a subtle reference to golf’s Scottish origins before "A Nice Shot." Schroeck, a one-time professional golfer, wrote the song many years ago and, he surmises, Dean used it because of his own love for the game.

"Time to Fly" recalls a "wonderful" friend, perhaps more, that moved away. Though he misses her, he is comforted by the realization they could still be friends if she returned.


"Wine" is a lovely, pensive ballad. “Cry if it makes you feel better”, he exhorts, but “smile, ‘cause it makes the world shine”.

Iris DeMent’s "My Life" fits in unobtrusively with the Schroeck canon. Look for the little things to make life better - bring joy to mom, smiles to a lover, give comfort to a hurting friend - even if it’s only for the short haul.

"When You’re Gone" again mines the spiritual vein, with reminders of events of the past 18 months. Since we can’t seem to tell right from wrong, how can we manage when you (Jesus) are gone.

Schroeck’s thought-provoking ruminations stand out poetically. He has something to say and says it gracefully. First-rate music, melodic, mood enhancing, and evocative, embellishes the author’s fluent juxtaposition of relationships and the natural order.

Throughout, the ensemble plus star work as one, the whole often exceeding the sum of its solid parts. The band is: Kittery’s Joyce Andersen, fiddle and background vocals; Dean, acoustic and electric guitar, background vocals, bass, percussion, and keyboards; Portland area residents Ron Bouffard and Scott Elliot, drums and bass respectively; and Boston’s Duke Levine, electric guitar and mandolin.
- Chuck Ginsberg