john r. williamson and the c'est la vies
Portable Shrine
© 2006 John R. Williamson/ToneMesa
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cowboy gypsy blues music
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john r. williamson and the cest la vies, who perform original toe-tapping salt-of-the-earth roots music, call to mind the soul-stirring stuff of Mississippi John Hurt, Bob Dylan, and the late great Johnny Cash. Their music is a brew of country blues, gypsy music and gospel. Their two most recent albums, the visceral Lost Songs (2002) and the stunning Maybe In A Shade You Don't Know (2004) received critical acclaim from PASTE Magazine and Opus Magazine. While their passion is playing concerts, they have also appeared on NPRs All Songs Considered, as well as Choices with Dorothea Bradley and KXLU radio. They just released their new album, Portable Shrine (July 8, 2006) on ToneMesa. the current lineup features John R. Williamson, who has been writing and performing since 1987, and Rosamond Finley, a compelling violinist who studied violin performance at Vanderbilt Universitys Blair School of Music. Finley, who began playing at the age of 3, also performed in a Nashville Belly Dancing Troupe and Orchestra, called The Perfumed Garden, before coming out West. ====== GQ Magazine: UNSUNG HEROES: Who is the one musician or band who deserves to be in the hall of fame, but who, for some reason, has toiled in obscurity, never won a grammy or gone platinum? We asked musicians, singers, and writers to nominate their favorite SECRET MUSICAL GENIUS: T BONE BURNETT nominates JOHN R. WILLIAMSON After a talk that I had given one night at a college in the San Gabriel Valley, a young man walked up and handed me a CD called Songs from Crescent Vale. Daniel S. McCoy told me he was Peter Buck's cousin and that he was producing records for the guy that he motioned was sitting on the bleachers about twenty feet away, John R. Williamson. This sort of thing happens to me every once in a while. If I go to some conference or festival or something along those lines, I generally collect enough intellectual property that I have to ship it home. But that night, I had a long drive back to Santa Monica, so I put the CD on in my car and headed west. The fourth song was called "Offerings." After the first listen, I put it on a loop and kept listening all the way home and for the next several weeks. I don't know what it is about that song--I guess if a song is ever any good, you never do--but it is flat-out touching. It has this mesmerizing cadence and old-world language, and the execution is effortless, languid and deeply optimistic. I've got a lot of John's songs now, and a few of his paintings. His extraordinarily benevolent music has insinuated itself into my life in an important way. John's stuff does not fit. One could call John an outsider artist, but he is more outside than that. If his music were any more quiet, you would have to play it yourself to hear it. -May 2006
reviews
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For fans of intelligent music by Christians, this is essential.
author: Phil Christman Jr.John R. Williamson has been recording for over a decade and writing songs for much longer. Despite his craftsmanship and warm voice, he has not yet caught on among fans of spiritually aware pop-folk music such as Over the Rhine or Sufjan Stevens. Portable Shrine is Williamson’s most polished album, alternating the kind of melancholy musical spiritual biography he does brilliantly with songs full of sly humor and genuine happiness. For fans of intelligent music by Christians, this is essential. (Tone Mesa)
The songs are like a dragnet of American sounds drawing from the past 60 years
author: Alphonse IzzoI'm really struck by the purity of the album in terms of song writing, production and performance. The purity of essence comes through, if that makes any sense. The performances from the musicians is just great. Everyone is playing interesting stuff yet not getting in the way. The backing vocalist, Mandy Troxel, compliments the songs and your voice perfectly; I found myself listening for the interplay of your voices throughout the CD. I enjoyed all of the songs although there are a few that immediately spoke to me. There is one that has a real 60's vibe with harmonica in the background, I think. I particularly enjoyed this because it doesn't sound like a bad imitation of 60's music but simply an extention of your songwriting voice and it works perfectly. Once again, the purity of intent shows through. This is going to sound a little odd perhaps, but what I most appreciated about the songs is that they sound like America. Not LA, not NY, but America at any time or anyplace. The songs are like a dragnet of American sounds drawing from the past 60 years or so, which to me is an admirable and difficult thing. It's not something you can't fake!”
I love Mandy’s harmonies and your voice and the violin. It is so peaceful I ha
author: Victoria WilliamsI am enjoying it very much. I love Mandy’s harmonies and your voice and the violin. It is so peaceful I have to go nap now.
instruments all sound like bare branches against moving clouds, but the subtle l
author: Grey RevellPortable Shrine is a great autumn record. The instruments all sound like bare branches against moving clouds, but the subtle latin rhythms on some of the tracks warm it up like a nice cuban coffee in the october morning. I'm really loving this.”
gentle, addictive music reminds me of Thomas Merton fronting Yo La Tengo.
author: Phil Christman"Portable Shrine perfectly distills everything that's great about John R. Williamson, a man whose gentle, addictive music reminds me of Thomas Merton fronting Yo La Tengo.
haunting and infused with that rare kind of desire, the kind that straddles this
author: Zachary KleynThe music is really good, and I don't just say that often. I find it haunting and infused with that rare kind of desire, the kind that straddles this earth and the one beyond it. Thank you for being faithful to the art, to the music. It isn't easy being an artist these days. Was it ever?
what a beautiful record. i'll be listening to this a lot more
author: CHRIS HICKEYgot it today - listened, just now, three times in a row. what a beautiful record. i'll be listening to this a lot more. thanks john.”