Harry Coulson Blue Dogs - CD Album
Harry Coulson’s got a thing about dogs. They turn up in both of his recent albums, and they represent something very specific and very personal to the Melbourne based guitarist and singer/songwriter.
“Dogs aren’t clever, nor are they particularly concerned with their
appearance. Dogs are loyal by nature, yet vicious when they need to be. So I guess in this i nstance it stands for being scrappy yet adept, and loyal to your art and yourself.
Coulson has done some serious study in the musical arts, including a VCA Bachelor of Music Performance, Honours at Monash University, and stints at prestigious jazz workshops at NYU and Canada’s Banff Centre. He’s put that to good use, playing gigs tirelessly around the country, including an east coast tour and sets at the St Kilda Festival,
Fringe plus live-to- air performances on ABC radio.
Spend some time with Harry Coulson’s music and you’ll quickly get a sense of an authentic, unvarnished voice and an artist with no patience for over-produced sounds or overwrought lyrics. While earlier album Harry Coulson’s Rain Dogs was an engaging set of jazz instrumentals, the new album titled Harry Coulson’s Blue Dogs is chockful of larrikin poetry, brass driven soul and r’n’b, and Harry’s take-it- or-leave- it vocal delivery.
‘I don’t like how in-offensive music has gotten. I remember hearing a story about a movie director who would refuse to hire Hollywood actors because they’d had so much plastic surgery they couldn’t show any facial expressions. A lot of music these days seems to do the same, lots of production, effects, smoke and mirrors but not much substance”
The journey you take with Blue Dogs crosses diverse musical terrain – much of it rooted in the blues, with side trips through New Orleans second line rhythmic stomp (the cover of blues classic ‘Old Bill’), sparse confessionals (‘Apart Part 1’) and sinuous jazz-inflected grooves (‘Radio’).
Coulson happily plays off his impressive guitar chops (he cites Marc Ribot and Bill Frisell as inspiration) against the rougher edge of his vocal style. A fan of hip-hop from the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z and Mos Def he weaves stream of consciousness lyrics that explore the ebb and flow of suburban life, frustrated ambitions and the fierce drive to not back down. Think Courtney Barnett or The Streets’ Mike Skinner with an Australian accent backed by a
top notch r’n’b band. Coulson’s dogs turn up everywhere throughout the album – ‘feeling like a dog about to get put down’ in ‘Let Ya Down’; in ‘Man Down’ he’s a ‘big black dog pulling on his chain’ and ‘Apart Part 2’ has him claiming ‘I’m just mongrel through and through’. It’s the stuff of the blues alright, or, as Coulson himself
puts it ‘stories told the long way about lessons learnt the hard way’.
credits
released September 28, 2016
All music written by Harry Coulson except “Old Bill” (Traditional) and "Radio" (Harry Coulson, Joel Pearce)
Horn arrangements by Harry Coulson and Jonathan Dreyfus
Produced by Harry Coulson and Jonathan Dreyfus
Engineered and mixed by Jez Giddings
Recorded at Hothouse Audio, St Kilda, The Old Castlemaine Gaol, Harry’s place and Jono’s place
Special assistance by Craig Harnath
Mastered by Adam Dempsey at Deluxe Mastering.
Street art by Dvate and Akuze, photography by Kayo Turner
Cover design by Megan Palmer
Personel:
Harry Coulson – Guitars/Vocals
Jp - Vocals (Track 6)
Olaf Scott – Keys
Rowan Mumford – Hammond Organ (track 5)
Lachlan Evans – Piano (tracks 1, 7)
Louis Gill – Bass (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8)
Glen Davidson –Bass (tracks 3, 6)
James Thompson – Drums
Nick Glenie - Trumpet
Rob Simone – Alto and Bari Sax
James Lefevre – Tenor and Bari Sax
Sean Smyth - Trombone
license
all rights reserved
Harry Coulson’s got a thing about dogs. They turn up in both of his recent albums, and they represent something very specific and very personal to the Melbourne based guitarist and singer/songwriter.
“Dogs aren’t clever, nor are they particularly concerned with their
appearance. Dogs are loyal by nature, yet vicious when they need to be. So I guess in this i nstance it stands for being scrappy yet adept, and loyal to your art and yourself.
Coulson has done some serious study in the musical arts, including a VCA Bachelor of Music Performance, Honours at Monash University, and stints at prestigious jazz workshops at NYU and Canada’s Banff Centre. He’s put that to good use, playing gigs tirelessly around the country, including an east coast tour and sets at the St Kilda Festival,
Fringe plus live-to- air performances on ABC radio.
Spend some time with Harry Coulson’s music and you’ll quickly get a sense of an authentic, unvarnished voice and an artist with no patience for over-produced sounds or overwrought lyrics. While earlier album Harry Coulson’s Rain Dogs was an engaging set of jazz instrumentals, the new album titled Harry Coulson’s Blue Dogs is chockful of larrikin poetry, brass driven soul and r’n’b, and Harry’s take-it- or-leave- it vocal delivery.
‘I don’t like how in-offensive music has gotten. I remember hearing a story about a movie director who would refuse to hire Hollywood actors because they’d had so much plastic surgery they couldn’t show any facial expressions. A lot of music these days seems to do the same, lots of production, effects, smoke and mirrors but not much substance”
The journey you take with Blue Dogs crosses diverse musical terrain – much of it rooted in the blues, with side trips through New Orleans second line rhythmic stomp (the cover of blues classic ‘Old Bill’), sparse confessionals (‘Apart Part 1’) and sinuous jazz-inflected grooves (‘Radio’).
Coulson happily plays off his impressive guitar chops (he cites Marc Ribot and Bill Frisell as inspiration) against the rougher edge of his vocal style. A fan of hip-hop from the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z and Mos Def he weaves stream of consciousness lyrics that explore the ebb and flow of suburban life, frustrated ambitions and the fierce drive to not back down. Think Courtney Barnett or The Streets’ Mike Skinner with an Australian accent backed by a
top notch r’n’b band. Coulson’s dogs turn up everywhere throughout the album – ‘feeling like a dog about to get put down’ in ‘Let Ya Down’; in ‘Man Down’ he’s a ‘big black dog pulling on his chain’ and ‘Apart Part 2’ has him claiming ‘I’m just mongrel through and through’. It’s the stuff of the blues alright, or, as Coulson himself
puts it ‘stories told the long way about lessons learnt the hard way’.
credits
released September 28, 2016
All music written by Harry Coulson except “Old Bill” (Traditional) and "Radio" (Harry Coulson, Joel Pearce)
Horn arrangements by Harry Coulson and Jonathan Dreyfus
Produced by Harry Coulson and Jonathan Dreyfus
Engineered and mixed by Jez Giddings
Recorded at Hothouse Audio, St Kilda, The Old Castlemaine Gaol, Harry’s place and Jono’s place
Special assistance by Craig Harnath
Mastered by Adam Dempsey at Deluxe Mastering.
Street art by Dvate and Akuze, photography by Kayo Turner
Cover design by Megan Palmer
Personel:
Harry Coulson – Guitars/Vocals
Jp - Vocals (Track 6)
Olaf Scott – Keys
Rowan Mumford – Hammond Organ (track 5)
Lachlan Evans – Piano (tracks 1, 7)
Louis Gill – Bass (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8)
Glen Davidson –Bass (tracks 3, 6)
James Thompson – Drums
Nick Glenie - Trumpet
Rob Simone – Alto and Bari Sax
James Lefevre – Tenor and Bari Sax
Sean Smyth - Trombone
license
all rights reserved