The Slewfoot Project

WhatsUpGreenville.com is pleased publish its review of the CD entitled "feels like home", the debut release of local artists The Slewfoot Project.

The Slewfoot Project is comprised of four members; Kevin Cubberly on Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, and Harmonica; Kurt Stahl on Electric Guitar and Vocals; Bryan Schmidt on Bass and Vocals; and Bill Scalzitti on Percussion. The band recorded "feels like home" live at "Cool Beans" in New Jersey. Stahl shared with us that Cool Beans was home to many live performances by the band. In addition, the CD cover photo was shot near Stahl's current home right here in Greenville, so "feels like home" seemed to be a fitting name for the band's first offering.

"feels like home" combines a mix of Americana and alt/folk with singer-songwriter classic rock. This kind of cross-over style is synonymous with music that is timeless and can be enjoyed by future generations, and "feels like home" is no exception to that philosophy. TSP's 10-song collection is the culmination of 3+ years of writing and performing and was recorded live over two nights in October of 2000. The CD has an overall sound reminiscent of bands like the Jayhawks, with lyrics and vocals that bring to mind thoughts of the great song writer Neil Young.

The band's talented use of many instruments is showcased in the first track "On a Monday". A song about a struggling relationship where one of the partners has simply had enough. The song starts out with a great acoustic guitar melody that made me want to sway from side to side. Shortly after, Cubberly's hearty vocals come into play. His voice has a wise and smooth sound. One that seems to tell a story by just its tone. Then, the acoustic guitar took on a faster and more prominent beat that made me begin to tap my foot and really start to get into the sound. Later in the song, Stahl establishes his talents with an impressive electric guitar performance which is accompanied by the shaker and bongos which adds even more character to the track. It culminates with a soulful harmonica performance that proves to be a very fitting way to end a song with such a variety of sounds that work so well together.

Track 5, "America Under Your Wheels", is another great vocal performance by Cubberly. The song attests, in part, to the plight of the Native Americans who lost their land to an industrialized nation. To go along with the tone of the lyrics, the music has a big sound created by an ominous electric guitar performance set behind a smooth and settling acoustic guitar. The two sounds together bring about thoughts of a storm coming up in the distance while everything is calm and still. This is easily one of my favorite tracks on the album.

Track 8, "Angelina", much to my enjoyment, takes a strong turn due south and has a sound that, on first listen, I would describe as country, meets bluegrass, meets Elvis. For me, the strong and articulate guitar picking brought about thoughts of the King himself gyrating his hips on black and white TV. At the same time I was imagining two folks on their front porch entertaining the neighbors with their string playin'. Those who enjoy this southern style of music will absolutely love this song and will find themselves in a better mood for having listened to it. Again, TSP uses instruments such as the harmonica to give "Angelina" wonderful character. This instrumental versatility is evident throughout all of the tracks.

This entire CD is filled with great melodies and solid musical performances by all members of the band. It covers a musical gambit that includes everything from songs that make you want to get up and dance to ones that make you want to sway and reminisce as you take them in. In a nutshell one could describe "feels like home" not as easy listening music, but as music that's easy to listen to over and over again.

This CD has more meaning to the band than just artistic expression. In February 2009 Stahl's good friends Audra and Michael Hughes received news that their 2 year old daughter Sylvie had a rare form of liver cancer. TSP is donating a portion of their on-line physical CD sales to the Tomorrows Children's Fund in honor of Sylvie Rose Hughes. The Tomorrows Children's Fund addresses the critical needs of parents of children with cancer and blood disorders. The physical CD can be purchased from TSP's website at http://theslewfootproject.com/. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Calvin Gomes for Artist Music Productions and produced under the Newbury Bar Records label, "feels like home" can be ordered physically or digitally from the websites listed below.

* http://theslewfootproject.com/
* http://cdbaby.com/cd/slewfootproject


In closing, I highly recommend that you listen to samples of "feels like home's" tracks on TSP's MySpace page located at http://www.myspace.com/theslewfootproject to get a true feel for their musical talents and how you can enjoy them. If you have any questions about the band or if you would like to discuss booking TSP for an event, you can contact them at theslewfootproject@yahoo.com. You can also get more information on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/theslewfootproject. - whatsupgreenville.com

he Slewfoot Project: “Feels Like Home”

The Slewfoot Project album is an interesting mix of ingredients including the pulse of modern singer/songwriters like John Mayer, the chord progressions of 1970s songwriters like John Denver and the vocal style akin to late 1990s post-grunge rock bands like Seven Mary Three.

The album was recorded live over two nights at a coffeehouse in New Jersey in 2000.

The project — which has origins as far back as 1996 — brings together the instruments commonly found in folk rock and Americana bands; acoustic guitar, tinges of electric guitar and bass and light percussion. It comes together to sound something like Crosby, Stills and Nash or the Eagles.

The themes stretch across isolation, fear and drinking. Those themes are fairly standard for this kind of instrumentation that verges on early country music. But the vocals can appeal to listeners who enjoy the modern crooners who base their style on the work of Eddie Vedder.

Guitar player Kurt Stahl lives in Greenville and wants to present the world with an album that showcases the work he and his band put into creating a project that is difficult to label but familiar at the same time.

The album is available on iTunes and at select stores. - reflector.com/mixer