Picardy III

There’s a deep feeling of sadness in this gospel-like track by Picardy III (who may or may not be an accomplice of The Whiskey Priest). This is one of the tracks from Picardy III‘s upcoming EPLonely Songs (out Nov. 6th) and what you hear is what you’ll get: honesty, deep feelings and sadness, but not sadness as a hamper, but as a necessity in life. You need the sad to appreciate the happy and you need to learn how to enjoy sadness, as you’ll revisit it often. Picardy III has the right idea. Sam ‘Dopey’ Valdés - Sloucher.org

Lonely Songs, by Picardy III, a musical collective led by James Summers of Austin, Texas, starts with a spoken word track, As You Climb The Mountain, which sets the mood for the rest of the record: quiet, meditative, embued with the quality of sadness that goes with rain on foggy windowsills and low, heavy skies, but can be banished by a warm cup of tea.
And what comes after the introduction is music that called me out of my bedroom, away from my unpacking of bags and boxes of things lately liberated from storage, that said: I require your full attention. You have to listen carefully.
The record is officially out in January 2013, but a partial version is available for free for a limited time from both bandcamp and Noisetrade.
The Noisetrade download also includes a special bonus track, a folk-rock cover of What Is Love by Haddaway, and, you guys, never has a club banger been so magnificently transformed into a mournful lament.
As encouragement/enticement, here are a couple of his tunes: Going (The Lonely Song) is the first single; Ever Be is the one that punched me right in the heart.
- Now This Is Sound

Somewhere, in a parking lot near the Mopac Expressway, a man is rewinding a cassette tape with a pencil. A dog with an orange bandanna is looking at him, with a chewing toy in its mouth and a tilted head.
The man finishes spooling the tape and puts it back in the busted-up tape player of his ol’ ’86 Citation. He then pats the dog in the head and presses play. He wants to remember exactly who played in which song on this, his first EP called Lonely Songs.
The man is called James and he has been credited as “bad ass” by none other than The Whiskey Priest (a legend of music). He might not be entirely sure of that, but he is sure that his stage persona is called Picardy III and that he likes the spiritual sounds that a mixture of ol’ school country with slocore rock can create. There might be tinges of Counting Crows and Red House Painters on this new creation of his, with a low voice that might be paying tribute to Mr. Cash.
He can even imagine the review someone might be writing…
‘Ever be’ is like a slow hymn being sung to the will-o-wisps that aimless float away from the decaying matter in an old swamp. The song relishes in the easy-going strummed guitar, sometimes accompanied by a distant harmonica, always with a gospel-like voice on tow. ‘Help me hide’ might start as introspective and quiet, but the slow rise feels magnificent; a reaffirmation about life shining a light in a sea of depressing thoughts.
‘Going (The Lonely Song)’ reminds us that “love comes from flesh and blood” and asks to let him “sing this lonely song“; a happy, upbeat song about loneliness? Sure, it can work, because sometimes you need to celebrate sadness, not fear it. Again, an uplifting song, an invitation to soldier on, as this too shall pass.
Now, ‘God save the Queen’ is a very laid back, stripped down track. Just a guitar, vocals and some backing vocals way on the distance, the type that make you wonder “are they really there?” Just like those moments when you wonder if there is someone else there to lend a hand, the choral voices do join, in this, an hour of need, to accentuate the chorus, consolidating the strength of the track.
‘As you climb the mountain’ is very solemn and stark. Just an organ playing and a spoken vocal delivery. Almost like an eulogy, it’s extremely personal, with that plead about “help us sing that lonely song” sending goosebumps. The EP finishes on a playful/moody note. Playful because it’s a cover of Haddaway‘s ‘What is love’. Moody because the cover forgoes the silliness applied to the song by SNL and countless memes and becomes a proper plea to a loved one. It might sound trite and the ramblings of someone overanalysing, but it gives a whole different dimension (and layer of emotion) to the track. It’s a thunderous ending to a sweet collection of tracks.
He stops imagining the review as A friend with a big bushy beard and his dog has arrived. He has a couple of cables and they jumpstart the ol’ Citation. It might be a bit long in the tooth, but the ol’ beast has a lot to give. They talk for a while and he plays the tape again to his friend, who considers that the EP is just the first step towards something else. Something even stronger.
They can’t wait.
Words: Sam J. Valdés López.
- Sloucher.org

My very very good friend James, who is also Picardy III, who is also just plain awesome, is in the process of making an album, and you can be a part of it! Picardy III's debut EP, All's Well That Ends Well, is scheduled to be released April 15th and I think you should have a little listen. Below is a teaser from the song "Gyrus House" as well as a video of him playing one of my favorite sweet little ditty's called "Paris". Take a listen and pretty please consider donating to his Kickstarter project (not only will you feel so very good about yourself, you'll also get some pretty sweet gifts to boot!). - Ripped Tights and Pin Stripes

Austin singer-songwriter James Summers, otherwise known by his project name Picardy the Third, is asking for help in releasing physical copies of the new EP, All's Well That Ends Well, set for release on April 15.

While the recording, mixing and mastering of the fun, folky album is complete, the funds to make the hard copies possible have not yet been raised. As Summers puts it on his Kickstarter site, “That's where you come in.”

As of today, he has 23 backers whose combined efforts have reached a pledge total of $770, leaving only eight days left to reach the $1,250 goal. Perks and prizes are being offered to those who pledge anything above $5, one of which is a digital download of the new and past EPs if you pledge $10 or more. The perks only get increasingly better based on how much you are willing to give.

Those that love the aesthetic of a printed CD will miss out on the physical copies if the goal is not reached. For a sample of Summers’ sound, check out his band’s website for a free download of the Rarities EP or go watch a video of the song “Paris” on the pledge site, and why not back up a local musician while you’re there? - Examiner