Description
East Asheville Hardware is a live album by the American singer, songwriter, and guitarist David Wilcox, released on Koch Records in 1995.
On his fifth release, North Carolina folk singer David Wilcox bucks every trend associated with him, and with the music business as a whole. East Asheville Hardware comprises 20 unreleased tracks (plus a bonus «Mystery Track» at the end) recorded at several live shows over the past five years. Rather than take the trendy (if not worn out) approach of “Greatest Hits Live,” Wilcox has captured his greatest live hits, showing the listener a different side of the man behind the music. These tracks have been popular at his live shows, but are too uncommercial for a major-label record. Not afraid to upset anybody, Wilcox pokes fun at redneck mountainfolk, trite relationships, plastic surgery and, yes, even his own music. Yet he makes every bit of it tasteful.
Rarely backed by more than his acoustic guitar, Wilcox conveys emotion on a level higher than most songwriters can imagine. Largely influenced by Joni Mitchell and Bruce Cockburn, Wilcox, with his unique guitar style and velvet, baritone voice, comes across as a fusion of James Taylor and Leo Kottke. Usually dealing with powerful theological or interpersonal issues, he this time resorts to mere humor.
Wilcox’s live shows have built his career. The nakedness of his music, stripped of the backing instruments and slick studio production reveals the soul inside the songwriting. Comical, yet daring to be poignant in parts, East Asheville Hardware captures the essence of live Wilcox – like Arlo Guthrie, he is more than just a musician, he is a storyteller.
The disc opens with a rendition of fellow folk-singer Chuck Brodsky’s «Blow ‘Em Away», an ode to the frustrated commuter in heavy traffic. «Johnny’s Camaro», which dates back to Wilcox’s earlier years, is the initiation story of a young woman who learns to love life on an Outward Bound trip to Africa.
The title track, inspired by his Appalachian residence, first sounds deep and theological “An angel appeared in a holy vision … Spoke my name, and told me my mission” but quickly turns musically and lyrically to “Go, my son go … Always go to East Asheville Hardware, before you go to Lowe’s.” From there, he teases the “national conglomerate” for stealing business from the Mom & Pop store.
“I try to pack all this theology into three minutes,” he muses in «The Mango Story». “I know I’m going disappoint a lot of you … but I like this song.” That sums up the whole point of the album. It is the kind of self-indulgence so rarely allowed in music; it is wed in music; it is just savvy enough for cynics to appreciate, yet the music is friendly without that easy-listening drone. “David’s been wanting to do this album for some time,” commented his manager, Tom Simonson, to the David Wilcox E-mail Forum. Being between record labels has allowed his dream to become a reality. Without the influence of corporate powers that be, Wilcox was able to make this album with the integrity it deserves.
Wilcox breaks down the barrier between performer and audience to show himself as just a man. He can laugh just as easily as cry, ponder or pray. East Asheville Hardware works for anybody. It can introduce you to David Wilcox just as easily as complete your collection. More importantly, it can give you a glimpse of how fun live music can be when the artist hasn’t lost sight of the music. [L. Clator Butler Jr., clator.com]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/east-asheville-hardware/45397646)
CD tracklist:
01. Blow ‘Em Away – 5:24
02. Johnny’s Camaro – 8:53
03. East Asheville Hardware – 2:20
04. Top Of My Head – 2:24
05. Dangerous – 3:00
06. Roadside Art – 2:16
07. You Should See The Way It Feels – 3:01
08. Cold – 1:15
09. Catch Me If I Try – 2:08
10. Down Inside Yourself – 3:50
11. For Real – 4:29
12. Mango Story – 2:47
13. Mango – 4:26
14. Levi Blues – 1:44
15. Carpenter Story – 2:53
16. Fearless Love – 4:02
17. Boob Job – 1:14
18. Barbie – 2:09
19. After Your Orgasm – 4:37
20. Golden Day – 4:14
Note: Available at Bandcamp: https://davidwilcox.bandcamp.com/album/east-asheville-hardware
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