‘The Spokes Man’ by Craig Werth
The opening track on Craig Werth’s latest CD was inspired by the true story of a retired man who makes a hobby of fixing old bicycles and giving them away to children. The Newmarket-based artist sings gently and nimbly picks his acoustic guitar, accompanied only by harmony vocals and a forlorn harmonica.

Like the rest of the CD that bears its name, “The Spokes Man” is a tender folk song with wistful vocals that gust through the guitar melody like a breeze through tall grass. Werth is a practiced master of numerous stringed instruments, and he puts his skills to work on these 14 original songs (plus a secret ode to zucchini).

Much of Werth’s musical energy goes into his international tours with Juno Award-winning Canadian folk singer-songwriter David Francey. But he’s equally devoted to his own work, as evidenced by his third solo CD. Each song illustrates a stirring country tale, with strings bringing the words to life in fluid motion.

“Janine is in the attic, digging in a chest / She’s thinking of the episodes in life she liked the best / She finds a rippled picture and she holds it to her breast / She holds it to her breast,” he sings in “If Angels Had No Wings.”  

“The Spokes Man” was recorded mostly in Canada, and the melodies are redolent of rich soil and open fields. Most of the songs are soft and slow, but there is some variation. “It’s My Way or the Highway,” one of the few songs with light percussion, has rapid bouzouki twanging and the upbeat pitter of cajon drums. “Ugly Fish” has a bluesy edge, while the ukulele-based “Baby, You Were Right and I Was…” is lighthearted and humorous.

Werth plays guitar, banjo, bouzouki, shruti box, ukulele and piano on the disc. It features a number of Canadian musicians, with Francey providing harmony vocals on several tracks. There are also a few local contributors, including Werth’s wife Liz and son Ben.

Werth will play a CD release show with special guests at the Community Church of Durham on Friday, April 16. Visit www.craigwerth.com.



‘In Costumes Under Blankets’ by Let’s Get Married
Listening to Let’s Get Married can transport the mind to carefree times and places. This is a jam band playing music as a form of celebration, writing lines that imaginatively prod the boundaries of creative articulation. 

“In Costumes Under Blankets,” the group’s debut CD, includes 12 songs with the idiosyncratic time changes and instrumental playfulness of a Phish album, with periods of epic grandeur and scintillating hard rock. Lead singer Tyler Burdwood suffuses each song with jubilant personality, giving them the feel of house party jam sessions filled with friends.

The band was formerly known as Tonight We Are, which formed while its members were students at Dover High School. It consists of Burdwood on vocals, Eric Loucks on guitar, Michael Holland on bass, Jacob Rheaume on drums, Samuel Rheaume on trumpet and Neal Swain on saxophone. They’re a dynamic bunch, and their youthful vim radiates from every tune.

“Take me to a party / Where everything’s loud and blinding / But we’re welcome,” Burdwood sings in the opening track, “Gravity.”

“Flying Machine” begins with heavy guitar chords and features stretches of furious rock interspersed with lighthearted lyrical moments. Occasional saxophone flourishes help build a compelling song structure in “Face.” “Limits of Language,” with its hammering drums and searing guitar, initially sounds like something off an early Aerosmith album, but is again distinguished by Burdwood’s signature vocals.

The last song with any words is “Pigeon Trot,” which features band members mimicking the cooing of pigeons. The CD closes with a breezy instrumental piece, showcasing Loucks’ guitar improvisation and Jacob Rheaume’s spirited percussion. 

The recording is a little rough around the edges, and the band should strive to achieve greater tightness and cohesion in the future. But there’s reason to expect these musicians to keep making noise in the Seacoast music scene for years to come.

Visit www.myspace.com/letsgetmarriedeveryone.

‘Speeding Softly’ by The Dejas
“All There Is,” the first song on “Speeding Softly,” begins with rhythmic acoustic guitar supporting the plush vocals of singer Callie Lipton. An electric guitar later enters the mix, adding new, decorative layers. Toward the end, the song’s intensity swells dramatically as a deluge of drums and heavy guitar chords flood the ears.

This sets the tone for the 12 original songs on the debut disc from the duo of Lipton and Aaron Z. Katz. Lipton handles lead vocals and plays acoustic guitar and ukulele, while Katz sings backup and plays drums, keyboards and acoustic guitar (they both also play some kazoo). Katz wrote most of the songs, although the pair co-wrote a few tunes and Lipton takes sole credit for the title track.

The songs are poppy nuggets of folk-rock with positive lyrics about cherishing love and life. Lipton’s sensual singing frames each line in a luminous glow, even when, at times, the words are a bit trite.

This disc tends to grow on you after repeated listens. There is a joyous quality to Katz’s songwriting and playing, as if musically imploring his listeners not to take their daily lives for granted. “So Often” is a case in point, a catchy and slickly executed tune.

“It’s alright, play your games / Be your mystery and fly,” Lipton sings.

The melodies mostly shift between slower ballads and upbeat rock. But there’s ample diversity in the melodies, as demonstrated by the funky guitar picking of “Seeds and Ghosts,” the Caribbean-infused ukulele of “Gates of Mind,” and the raw bluegrass of closing track “Beneath You.”

Although they’re now based in Massachusetts, Lipton and Katz met at the University of New Hampshire in 2005. Katz is a former member of several well-known Seacoast bands, including Percy Hill, Geminatrix and The Aaron Katz Band.

A number of other musicians pitch in instruments on “Speeding Softly,” including Newmarket’s Jon Nolan, who plays pedal steel on “Birth by Fire” (a track recorded at Nolan’s Milltown Recording). The rest was recorded by bassist Sean McLaughlin for 37 Productions.

Visit www.thedejas.com.