A Little Friction
When sparks fly
© 2006 Amphitheatre Music (782478915023)
CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.
Cabaret rock that one fan called "utterly sexy and captivating," with vocalist Amy Tobin and drummer Kevin Carnes.
tracks
- 1 Esther's Prologue
- 2 Shipwreck
- 3 Airmail
- 4 Stories of the Road
- 5 Coast 05
- 6 Every Day
- 7 Choosing Sides
- 8 Oblivion
- 9 What the Trees Think
- 10 Burden of Proof
links
notes
A Little Friction is Amy Tobin and Kevin Carnes. Collaborators since 1999, the band became official in 2005, when Carnes (drummer/ producer) and Tobin (vocalist/ songwriter) went into the studio to arrange the songs for the 2006 release, When sparks fly. The duo performs an electronic cabaret that evokes Liza Minnelli, Joni Mitchell and, apparently, Lucy and Desi, mixing it up with big vocals, lush arrangements, drama, and collisions between rock and cabaret.
Kevin Carnes is a drummer, percussionist, composer, and producer who has played music ranging from jazz to punk rock for more than 20 years. He has performed and recorded with George Clinton and the P-Funk Allstars, world music DJ Cheb i Sabbah, rock band Storm and Her Dirty Mouth, and electronica-driven Soulstice, as well as Consolidated, Little White Radio, UAF, Post Junk Trio, Eric McFadden, Tyler Stone and Sutro, Shaunna Hall of 4 Non Blondes, and Radioactive of Spearhead fame. Carnes is a founding member of Broun Fellinis, a jazz roots trio based in San Francisco, and he co-founded The Beatnigs, a political punk noise band that exploded in Europe in 1988. Other projects include creating and remixing music for commercials and websites and acting for both theatre and television. In 2005, Kevin released two solo recordings, Ethereal Cereal and UAF Live!, as well as a CD sampler of over 1000 original drum loops and sounds. (www.stylusquo.com)
Amy Tobin first began singing her songs unaccompanied in San Francisco clubs and theatres, developing a hybrid style of performance that drew from experimental and rock music, and cabaret-style theatre. She performs and produces multi-media shows featuring her songs and writing, and created and performs The Esther Show, a cabaret rock opera and modern interpretation of the biblical Book of Esther, which has played on an annual basis since 2002 in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and San Francisco. A graduate of the Experimental Theatre Wing at Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, Amy released the EP 4 Choices in 2003; co-wrote and composed the music for Lilith, a musical; sang with San Francisco band The Beanweevils; and performed as a member of the intercultural spoken-word collective Dhaia Tribe. (www.amytobin.com)
reviews
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Great pipes and good songwriting to boot.
author: Jeff McCaffreyI love the CD!!! Great pipes and good songwriting to boot. My favorites include Esther's Prologue (classic Amy majesty & attitude), Coast (ahhh memories of the West), Choosing Sides (love the voice-play at the end), and What the Trees Think (stimulates the science/philosophy interface center of my brain). My absolute favorite is Oblivion!! What a powerful, poetic, dark, and plain old kick-ass rock song. Love it.
what more do you want from life?
author: d heathAmy's voice will grab you by the lapels, pin you to the wall, and make you listen. This album is smart and sexy, with tight production. What more do you want from life?
Awesome!
author: Devra AaronsI've been following both Amy and Kevin's work for a number of years now. This marks an amazing change for both of them. The work is hip, sexy and moving. At times funny, it's always poignant. I highly recommend it.
Powerful, sensual, compelling – this CD is truly riveting
author: KT HallCabaret rock... to me the term "cabaret" is dependant on an intimate communication between the musicians and the audience, and A Little Friction easily achieves that kind of rapport with a glam-rock edge that is truly compelling. Amy Tobin has been likened to Enya and Sarah McLachlan, and while such comparisons are useful (in that - if you like their music, it's a good bet you'll like her), she is powerful and sensual in her own distinctive way. Amy's voice is clear and incredibly expressive, and she's backed by great musicians headed up by the very talented Kevin Carnes. There's nothing formulaic or cliché about this wonderful collection of songs: they're theatrical, fun, emotional, accessible, dark, light – I highly recommend this CD!
Great stuff!
author: pc munozI first was a fan of Amy Tobin's ESTHER SHOW, a stage piece which affectionately tweaked and updated the scriptural story of Esther. On this record, Tobin and partner Kevin Carnes combine pop and cabaret songforms to make very distinctive and very accessible music, highlighted by Amy's strong vocals, Kevin's savvy production choices, a bunch of great players, and the same keen sense of cultural/religious rootedness which made Tobin's past work so engaging. Fun and deep at the same time---you can't ask for more than that!
Amy is Enya's twin sister gone Rock with Jewish flair!
author: Rhona AlexanderThe cover on the CD "A Little Friction" alone made me want to go in and check this group out. I wasn't expecting much, but hearing "Stories of the Road", and "Esther's Prologue", made me think twice about this group. "Oblivion" had a ghostly sound to the group Garbage, and Amy's voice is clear, and powerful, which reminded me of Sarah McLachlan. I cannot wait to see them in bigger venue's! Get thee to a stadium!!!!