Debra Arlyn
According to her press release, Arlyn would
like to distance herself from Idol-dom.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for Kelly Clarkson
(at least, not yet), and I’m not about to let it hap-
pen for Arlyn. Like a green apple BlowPop, there’s
no hiding that bubblegum center. Word to the
wise KDUK listener: I suggest seeing Debra Arlyn
perform while she’s still a local, unsigned artist
from Corvallis. You know, before she signs to
Universal and even her nosebleed tickets cost
four hundred bucks and your left forearm. Debra
Arlyn performs at 9 pm Friday, August 31, at Luna.
21+ show. $7. — Sara Brickner
Organic Pop
The Girl With the
Incredible Voice
According to Debra Arlyn’s bio, an
unnamed somebody in “the industry”
bestowed the moniker “the girl with the beau-
tiful voice” upon her. I’m not saying Corvallis’
sweetheart doesn’t deserve it: her voice is
soulful, throaty, passionate ... hey, it’s more
than Celine Dion had going for her, and she’s
super successful! Plus, Arlyn’s a sexy blonde
with an innocent face. No wonder she won the
2003 Oregon Idol contest. With a list of influ-
ences that includes Michelle Branch, Christina
Aguilera, Vanessa Carlton and Mariah Carey —
and there are moments in her songs when she
sounds exactly like each and every one of
them — Arlyn could easily be MTV’s next It girl-
with-instrument. As with the aforementioned
bevy of Grammy-winning female superstars,
love songs make up the bulk of Arlyn’s reper-
toire, songs with titles like “Fine,” “Why Can’t
We Start Over?” and “I Love You.” Breakup
anthem “Fine” even earned Arlyn a songwrit-
ing award. Its refrain: “Some days are good
and some days are bad / Sometimes I wake up
and I’m not that sad.”
Fortunately for Arlyn, you don’t have to be
a poet to make the Billboard Top 40 or the
soundtrack for WB series Related or to win
songwriting contests. All you need is a tight
shirt and a decent voice — and Arlyn’s divine
set of pipes surpasses most of her would-be
contemporaries. Oh, and the thin cotton T-shirt
fits nicely, too.
32 AUGUST 30, 2007
Are you feeling as if you can’t find a good
folk music show lately? Who are we kidding —
it’s Eugene. But just in case, there is a folk rem-
edy: Abby Lappen, who arrives in town to per-
form songs from her new album Soul Reasons.
Hailing from Claverack, N.Y., Lappen has
made the trek from the Northeast to the
Northwest to promote her collection of songs
that are dripping in soulful, Natalie Merchant-
esque vocals and an eclectic mix of world
music. She experiments with the sounds of
jazz, blues, gospel and American standards on
her 14-track album; meanwhile, she builds on
poetic images and story lines to blend folk
music with the American blues. Among the
original tracks is an uptempo arrangement of a
traditional bluegrass song, “Wildwood Flower.”
As a progressive thinker, Lappen fuses
many of her beliefs and passion into her music.
She performs regularly at humanitarian and
political events and runs a weekly community
coffee shop open stage in New York. She has
also been recognized in a number of competi-
tions including the Great American Song
Contest (2005) and Peacedriven Songwriting
Competition (2006). She was a Just Plain Folks
Americana nominee (2006) and a 2007 final-
ist for American Songwriter lyrics.
The Abby Lappen CD release party starts
at 7 pm Sunday, Sept. 2, at Cozmic Pizza.
Donations are welcome — Katie Cornell
Gettin’ Aggro
Since they’re on Hellcat Records, one might
easily be led to the impression that The
Aggrolites are heavy on the punk. In fact, their
sound falls squarely in the roots revivalist
school of ska — strong Jamaican rhythms and
a 1960s-influenced style. The “lite” part of
their name is a tribute to arguably the greatest
ska band ever, the Skatalites. And the “Aggro,”
that means just what you think it does.
The Aggrolites are celebrating the release
of their third album, Reggae Hit L.A., their sec-
ond effort for Hellcat Records. In today’s post-
everything musical culture, The Aggrolites are
refreshingly old school, with catchy singalong
tunes. This five-piece group of veteran L.A.
musicians blends energetic reggae with a little
bit of rock and a lot of soul for a hybrid they
call “dirty reggae.”
This new album is already a hit, with their
first single, “Free Time,” burning up airwaves
across the country. Having a yummy new reg-
gae song in the stereo makes the waning days
of summer a lot more enjoyable, and this has a
gritty funkiness that’s instantly reminiscent of
the glory of London’s 2 Tone ska days while
also exuding the roughness of Sublime. The
Aggrolites appeal equally to punks raised on
The Clash or Rancid, and to fans of the early
ska traditions. Speaking of Rancid, The
Aggrolites recently collaborated with Rancid
frontman (and Hellcat head honcho) Tim
Armstrong on 11 songs and four videos for his
new solo CD/DVD, A Poet’s Life.
The Aggrolites and Wetsock play at 9 pm
Tuesday, Sept. 4, at the WOW Hall. $10 adv., $12
door. — Vanessa Salvia
A Fine Debut
There’s something oddly soothing about
the casual strength and catchy melodies of
Alison Sudol, who performs as A Fine Frenzy
(a name taken from A Midsummer Night’s
Dream). Her piano-centric pop songs are the
aural equivalent of comfort food: neither
forcefully good nor necessarily bad for you,
warming, familiar and solid. You won’t stretch
your palate or need a new bottle of wine to go
with this, but it’s damned appetizing.
Sudol is a striking 22-year-old who stands,
on her album’s cover, in a red coat and fiery red
hair; tiny woodland animals are drawn on the
brown, dry background as if they’re peering up
at Sudol, whose sly smile is slicker than her
music suggests. One Cell in the Sea is an album
of love songs and heartbreak ditties on which
Sudol places herself easily in the general area
of your Fiona Apples (with less of Apple’s
drama and gorgeous unpredicability), Emily
Haineses (with less of a sense that she might
fold in on herself with lush self-examination)
and even Death Cab for Cuties (the beginning
of “Think of You” is like something left off
DCFC’s The Photo Album). Sometimes, Sudol’s
piano melodies (sometimes played by her,
sometimes not) get lost in the mix, but her
voice — a controlled voice that nonetheless
sounds like it belongs to an approachable girl, a
laid-back music lover rather than a high-strung
diva — is always at the forefront, leading the
songs through confessional tracks like the wist-
ful “Almost Lover” and “Near to You,” which fal-
ters somewhat in the lyrics department but is a
gorgeous showcase for Sudol’s rich voice.
One Cell in the Sea is the sort of album that
stands an unfortunate chance of falling
through the musical cracks; it’s too poppy for
the jaded musical cynic, laden with familiar sen-
timent and swelling, gracefully arranged back-
ing parts that sometimes strip the personality
from Sudol’s tales, but it’s also possibly too
intricate to instantly grab your short-attention-
span listeners weaned on bombastically emo-
tional radio pop. But give the album a good
half-dozen listens, o ye of both musical types,
and see if you don’t find yourself humming
“You Picked Me” before you even realize it.
A Fine Frenzy plays with Brandi Carlile at 8
pm Thursday, Sept. 6, at the WOW Hall. $15
adv., $17 door. — Molly Templeton
A Fine Frenzy