The Confessional
Louisville, Kentucky, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
There's another unwritten rule of being a music critic (but it isn't the one specifying the number of beers you need to suck down as you listen to a record), and that's never judge an entire recording based on the opening track. A good, solid opener might belie a whole bunch of crap behind it, while a snooze-inducing one might cause you to skip over a few gems that follow.
So I'm pleased to report that the grandiose first cut of Now I'm in Your Head, the debut from Louisville-based girl band The Confessional is just an overture to a festival of rock and pop that drives harder than anybody in NASCAR. Sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes edgy and angry, but mostly fun, it is like a midway where all the rides do nothing but spin you around and flash candy neon into your eyeballs. A long holiday weekend with two party-packed Saturday nights.
The instrumental opening track "Chrysalis" starts out with incredibly crisp rhythms from drummer Jyn Yates that gets overlaid with lots of dreamy wah-wah guitar. Then the strings come in and the whole thing sounds like one of those big, blowsy epic overtures from a 1970s concept album, as sumptuous and lush as what composer Craig Armstrong did for the instrumental portions of Baz Lurmann's Moulin Rouge!
Then things get even better. We're treated to ear-stabbing guitar from Ashley Burchett in the opening bars of "Since I Left You." Later, guest performer Jonathan Shippey adds some sad violin in "I Became the Love." But the real star performance on Now is the band's rendition of "Eleanor Rigby," where the violins from the original are replaced by thrash guitars. In this version, Eleanor and Father Mackenzie are more than just lonely. They're lonely and pissed off because of it.
The Confessional manages to pull in some local talent to fill out the band on Now. Along with Shippey on violin, the band is joined by (among many others) vocalists Leigh Ann Yost, Teneia Sanders, and Jessica Morris, bassists Dan Wiegleb and Deanna Burnell (who doubles on flugelhorn), and guitarists Bubba Coy and Bobby Rich.
Thomas Dolby (the musician, not the noise-reduction scientist) once had a set of instructions on an album he produced: "Due to the exceptional length of this recording, play it loud." The Confessional's Now I'm in Your Head might not have an exceptional length, but the sound it contains demands the same thing: Play it loud. Especially on long weekends with three Saturday nights. - Louisville Music News - Tim Roberts
"Deeply soulful and sincere, while still managing to rock. The Confessional makes me want to confess my darkest sins....and then commit them again..." -- Johanna Gohmann, Writer and Editor, MUZE Inc. New York City - MUZE Inc.
Discography
The Confessional is set to release their debut album, Now I'm In Your Head, in the summer of 2009.
Singles from the album are currently streaming online.
Photos
Bio
"Deeply soulful and sincere, while still managing to rock. The Confessional makes me want to confess my darkest sins....and then commit them again..." -- Johanna Gohmann, Writer and Editor, MUZE Inc. New York City
All true stories! It’s a headline you’d expect to see on some trashy tabloid but yeah it’s a fact – all of the songs this Kentucky rock/grunge indie band does are based on a true story. Even the tales they tell between songs are bona fide. Ask drummer Jyn Yates and lead vocalist/guitarist Ashley Burchett about the time they saw the Grim Reaper headed toward them on a steamy May afternoon. With the addition of bassist Carla Wright, no angel of death could stop them from blasting their way into your consciousness. With raw Janis Joplin-like vocals, Pink Floyd creativity and the driving rhythms of classic rock a la Zeppelin and GNR, this band is no wimpy band.
Sharing songwriting duties they offer straight-ahead confessionals like “Alone,” a cut that could have come from an early Melissa Etheridge album, raw and earthy, centered on a rhythmic acoustic guitar. In contrast is the distinctive instrumental “Maney’s Song,” with Burchett’s innovative guitar leading the way like a soulful Duanne Eddy, with Jyn Yates laying a steady groove behind it.
“Chrysalis” is an instrumental that cranks up quickly with a myriad of guitar textures, from screaming distortion to a cleaner pensive sound. Strings weave in and out with a drum part that’s more than your usual two-four back beat. In the middle of this organized chaos is a theramin solo – that crazy ooooh sound you hear in old science fiction movies. This wild car chase of a song builds to an extended frenzy then winds down just as fast as it started. Catch your breath and hit replay.
“Gemini” begins like intimate singer-songwriter fare that looks back on a failed relationship where you want to go back and really say what you want to say. It’s got a laid back vibe with acoustic guitar until an electric slices in. And like a rerun, it lives there until the end, “Now I’m in your head.” It’s the ultimate revenge. Never piss off a songwriter.
The band has transformed into many different layers for the past few years. The group has performed all around Kentucky, including several stints at Headliners, the same place that’s hosted artists as varied as Radio Head to Parliament. In their short time together they’ve played many gigs, sharing the stage with everyone from Tiffany, to K's Choice lead singer Sarah Bettens, to singer-songwriter Jenn Foster, to banjo player Steve Cooley as well as snake charmers, fire spinners, roller derby girls and acrobats. The Grim Reaper hasn’t been available.
They all come from musical families -- front porch pickers, established bands and rock/country singers. Their inspiration ranges from everything as vast as Tool to Dolly Parton to The Beatles.
Jyn Yates first sat behind a set of drums at the tender age of three and made her stage debut at thirteen, opening for Tim McGraw and the Kentucky Headhunters. With a huge musical family including a grandma who played the banjo, dulcimer and more, music was a likely choice. The Clash and Red Hot Chili Peppers probably wasn’t what they had in mind but that’s what led Jyn to where she is today. Along the way she played drums for members of Steve Wariner’s band, for many other bands and as a studio musician on countless projects. When she’s not touring she teaches students every week at Mom’s Music in Louisville. Jyn also plays clarinet, saxophone, marimba, and all percussion instruments.
Ashley Burchett had an uncle who would strum country tunes on his guitar. She begged him to teach her and instead he showed up one day and casually dropped off a Mel Bay song book with instructions to teach herself. Many kids would have given up but Ashley locked herself in her room and plowed through the book, eventually steeping herself in the work of Guns n’ Roses, Pink Floyd and just about anything with a guitar. After playing music while in college, she headed to Louisville where she met Jyn. Ash is also responsible for The Confessional’s edgy vocals. She plays piano too and lists Slash, Tori Amos and Lindsey Buckingham as influences.
With the addition of CPA turned bassist, Carla Wright, the group has the total package to offer, the heart and soul of rock and roll.
Whether you’re the Grim Reaper or just look good in black you’ll love their straight-ahead stories, innovative instrumentals, tough guitars and gritty but melodic vocals.
"Picture Janis Joplin jammin' with John Bonham in heaven, reinvented. Their songs are melodic, yet absolutely rockin', mixed with thought-provoking lyrics about real life, love and loss. See this band." -- Leigh Ann Yost, Recording Artist
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