Patrick McGrath

Rounding out this edition of New Music Monday is singer/songwriter Patrick McGrath with “When Black Is Blue.” If you’re looking for that indie vibe where modern folk meets modern rock, then you need to check out this song. This is an exceptional piece of music and Patrick McGrath is someone that I will be keeping on my radar. - Ryo Vie - The Rock and Roll Guru

PATRICK MCGRATH @ PARKSIDE LOUNGE, NYC - SATURDAY, AUGUST 13TH, 2011

"My wagon broke down on Uselessness Street…", is the first line of Patrick McGrath's first rate ode to suicide, "To Be In Your Heart Again" off his first rate 2010 EP When Black Is Blue, shows up two thirds of the way through his first rate performance at Parkside Lounge. McGrath sings it from the nose up, you can see him straining to reach the falsetto he sings in. The Philadelphia Inquirer compared him to Elvis Costello, but what they meant was his voice is edgy, I think he sounds like Freedy Johnston, but that's because he is an expert at lines like "sad days, sad nights" and not because his manager used to manage Freedy. His voice is pained but emotional, as if he is mainlining angst but only so we can see clearly what he is going through.
Because that is what McGrath does or do I mean is, an old school songwriter as good (though not as proven) as his peers. This man can write a song.
It has been almost a year since the EP was released and McGrath has been battling insomnia with little nightmares like "Little Ghosts" and forming a band to carry him forward. On Saturday night he found it. Despite having barely enough time to rehearse them, the stand-up bass player has the music annotated in front of him, they are a smooth, cohesive unit. Patrick leads them with an easy going intelligence at odds with his definitive happy songs about sad things.
In McGrath's world, ghosts send you guitars at 5am in the morning and love is a black and blue rainbow. The songs are hard, sad & scary but Patrick isn't. He is a charming, amused proprietor of the stage, handling a super-fan with ease and politeness, dealing with new and old songs with the same ease. He has the self-confidence of a man who knows his songs are killing us. One tune, I didn't get its name, has a lick so killer I am thinking he must have stolen it, another, "The Weather Down Here," is a precise evocation of the way he uses music to exemplify emotion: a strange, obtuse love song.
The sound is a mash up of country rock (one is a ringer for "New Kid In Town") and timeless sing-songwriterly literateness. The lyrics are pitch black and often in counter-distinction to the feelings being expressed. Mostly, the songs are upbeat, quasi alt country ballads, but the words are suicide notes to a future that exasperates McGrath by not arriving fast enough. "This is our hit single" he wryly notes and later, "this is our next hit single". They should be. Patrick uses the sounds of classic rock to tell stories and always maintains a hook, both verbally and musically, it is a catchy thing. And with his highly distinctive voice, he always returns to a verbal, easily empathized, hook. An early song becomes a modified jam, a later song, a timeless country roll. They are all consistently excellent.
As a frontman, Patrick has a coiled charm. Despite stage monitors adding their own rhythm section, a very strange friend interrupting the set, guitars that won't stay in tune, and even me asking what song he is playing, Patrick maintains a friendly veneer: he seems to cut the middle between the insomniac depressive of his songs, and the appreciative leader waiting for the world to catch on.
The band members themselves are excellent. Brian Joyce (his second in command) plays one startling lick after another, and his bassist, Adam Roberts, slaps his instrument like he wants to go crazy. The drummer, Randy Schrager, was like a catcher with a real good pitcher, slightly under used.
Most important, every single song was excellent. All these songs, "written five minutes ago," the newbies, were sooooo good. This is a band, a songwriter, like they used to make. Why McGrath hasn't broken through is a mystery to me. I'm an optimist by nature, but if the music industry can't appreciate and reward a Patrick McGrath, there is something seriously wrong with the music industry that wasn't there 20 years ago. The band is trying to decide on a name. I suggest Little Ghost because these songs will haunt you! - Iman Lababedi for Rock NYC

Single Songs
Patrick McGrath - "When Black Is Blue"
website - www.patrickmcgrathmusic.com
RIYL: Tom Waits, Wilco, Velvet Underground, Big Star, Neil Young - Absolute Punk

Patrick McGrath, back in blue (by Dave Ashdown)

1.0 – How do you compare 2006's Wet Nurse To A Dirty Bag with the new EP, When Black Is Blue?

Wet Nurse To A Dirty Bag was a recording process that spanned almost two years for various reasons, both good & bad.When Black Is Blue, however, had 2 full days of tracking with a little extra off site tracking. The feel was spontaneous and organic. Musically they meld together being that my live show intertwines the two successfully. Wet Nurse To A Dirty Bag leaned more towards a grungier, darker, rock feel, whereas When Black Is Blue leans towards a more rootsy and, at times, quirkier side.


2.0 - It sounds like it came together rather serendipitously, or is that spin?

Ain’t no spin. It was pretty much a serendipitous affair. I had received a message from drummer, Randy Schrager, that he had a weekend free in between tours for Scissor Sisters and Jesse Malin. I then contacted producer, Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, and he told me the weekend in question was free at Cowboy Technical Services in Brooklyn, NY. After rounding out the rhythm section with bassist Jared Engel, we rehearsed twice and went in and cut the basic tracks live.

3.0 - How was it working with legendary producer Eric Ambel?

Recording with Eric Ambel was as enjoyable as it was educational! The professionalism in the studio was the real deal while the vibe was loose and comfortable.

4.0 - What lead to the decision to do an EP versus a full length at this time?

The decision was reached via money or lack there of. I wanted to record a full length and had more than enough material but the budget was rather blue collar.

5.0 - What track on the disc are people gravitating to most?

I would say most people are gravitating towards the title track, “When Black Is Blue,”with “Heavy Thunder” running a close second.

6.0 – As a folk story teller of sorts, do you draw from personal experiences or approach songs as mini-novels?

I mostly tell stories derived directly from my own experience with a few name changes and a little necessary fiction when needed. Although the mini-novel approach is apropos when developing a concept rather than a specific experience.

7.0 – How are the east coast tour dates going for you?

The east coast tour dates have been a cool mix of gigs. They’ve ranged from playing in front of a couple of hundred people when I opened a bunch of dates for the great,Mike Doughty, to driving 5 hours to Annapolis to play in front of 5 people. Both ends of the gig spectrum are good times and lessons learned.

8.0 – Do you prefer the solo dates or fielding a band?

They are two totally different animals that I enjoy but lately, due to a few new collaborations, I enjoy fielding a band.

9.0 – What guitars and amps are you playing on tour? is that important?

It is very important. I play a National Resophonic Junior and a Fender Stratocaster through a VOX AC-15. I play a Martin DM acoustic guitar.

10.0 – Ray Davies stops by for tea, summons you to pick up a guitar….you start playing – what song?

Hmmm? … Bizarre question. Perhaps “Afternoon Tea” in honor of him. I might wanna run my new tune, “At The Rock Show,” by him to see what he thinks.

Interview from 10.0 INTERVIEWS - No Depression

Patrick McGrath: Got room in your music bin for another keening singer/songwriter with a twangy, sweet 'n' sour tone akin to Elvis Costello? Check out this Bronx boy, out promoting a new EP "When Black Is Blue" featuring an impressive support team (producer Eric Ambel, the drummer from the Scissors Sisters). Sharing the bill: Lights Resolve, the Parsnip Revolt, Brother Han. The Grape Room, 105 Grape St., 7:30 p.m. Thursday, $7, 215-930-0321, graperoommusic.wordpress.com. - Philly.com

We're so excited, we just can't hide it! We've got a dynamite live music/interview show coming up! It's with singer-songwriter Patrick McGrath, who lists Tom Waits and the Velvet Underground among his influences, but it's not hard to hear some T-Bone Burnett and Elvis Costello in there, too. And even a little Phil Ochs.

Patrick McGrath has shared producer/session guitarist Eric "Roscoe" Ambel with Steve Earle. He's played The Knitting Factory, Maxwell's, and The Mercury Lounge, opened for They Might Be Giants, Mike Doughty, and performed live with Pete Seeger. And (YAY! YAY!) he's coming to Area 24 Radio to play some tunes and chat with Treavor Hastings on Sonic Streamz Saturday, February 5th, at 6 PM EST.

See, we've been Patrick McGrath fans at Area 24 Radio for a while, often spinning his most recent EP, When Black Is Blue (especially "Heavy Thunder"--killer track!). You'll want to be tuned in!

Treavor's Sonic Streamz is the perfect place in our broadcast day for Patrick McGrath. Treavor loves him some rootsy, guitar-based music, and that's exactly what Patrick McGrath delivers. We can't stop thinking about this show, so we'll surely be reminding you on the Face Booger, but while you're thinking about it, do mark your calendar: 2/5/11, 6 PM, Area 24 Radio! - Area24radio.com