Kane Welch Kaplin

Kieran Kane, Kieran Kane Kevin Welch & Fats Kaplin | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 11, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Compass Records
• ASIN: B000UYT8WW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,026 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The third in a series of albums by guitarists, singers, and songwriters Kieran Kane and Kevin Welch along with multi-instrumentalist Fats Kaplin is somewhat deceptively titled, as Kane's son Lucas is also aboard, making it a quartet. His restrained and meticulously placed drums and percussion shadings help give this warm folk its heartbeat. Kane Sr.'s startling and bizarre folk-art cover painting (his work also adorns the group's previous albums) is the boldest aspect of this low-key project. Kane and Welch's stripped-down songs shimmer with Southern heat, lazy, lovely, and measured. They trade vocals and harmonize on a set of 11 originals and a closing cover of the public-domain tune "What Are They Doin' in Heaven Today?" that trod down dusty back roads at a languid yet deliberate pace. Kaplin's slithery fiddle and Kane's high, lonesome banjo on "Callin' You" capture the song's somewhat cautionary lyrics with help from stark yet taut percussion. Nothing is rushed, forced, or molded into commercially accessible pop. This is pure, unfiltered folk, hotwired from the spirit and soul of the participants and sprinkled with religious imagery. These musicians long ago quit compromising, instead creating music that is austere, sincere, and honest. Kane Welch Kaplin isn't meant for background listening; it's made to be absorbed while reading the lyrics and concentrating on the passion, subtle talent, and earnest approach of an American collective that just keeps getting better. --Hal Horowitz

Product Description

As songwriters, performers, innovators and founders of the influential Dead Reckoning record label, Kieran Kane and Kevin Welch have made a career of letting the song lead the way. In the process, they midwifed a new genre of American roots music, blazing a trail for other artists to explore and develop. Yet their modus operandi remains the same: to craft and compose with no goal other than to let the song realize itself. In 2003 they joined forces with Fats Kaplin, the renowned multi-instrumentalist and "this generation's Ry Cooder", to create an Americana super group that makes music with roots parameters but in the spontaneity and vibe of a jazz recording. Joined this time around by Kieran's son Lucas, Kane Welch Kaplin picks up where Lost John Dean left off featuring an entire album of roots music gems from the pens of the original Godfathers of Americana. The groove is tighter, the tunes sparser; they've gone from being a group of accomplished individuals to a solid soulful unit. Album cover art painted by Kieran Kane.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pay Attention!, September 27, 2007

By 

JOHNEC (Jamestown, ND USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Kane Welch Kaplin (Audio CD)

I have followed Kieran Kane since his O'kane days and through his solo records. All deserve your attention, but the music that Kane, Welch, and Kaplin have created in their three recordings is special. In a time when music is more produced these recordings remind us of how "real" music can be. It sounds simple due to their approach to the music, however this is a creative hybrid of many styles and influences that is created by exceptional musicians. The two styles of writing--Kane and Welch-are different but compliment each other. Kaplin somehow finds the perfect sonic additions with his varied instrumentation. Now they have added Kieran's son on stripped down percussion and it drives but does not overpower the songs. I am amazed at how Kane keeps simplyfying his songs and how they actually become more musical and powerful. This is very sophisticated stuff. Pay attention and you will not regret this muscical journey.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amen!, October 18, 2007

By 

R. Myhr (Ashburn, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kane Welch Kaplin (Audio CD)

I've not followed either Kane or Welch during their extensive earlier careers, although I knew of both, especially Kevin Welch's writing. My exposure began with "You Can't Save Everybody" (their first trio recording with Fats Kaplin), which blew me away.

This recording builds on the previous two, and provides some sublime musical moments. The musicianship is superb, the singing really great and the songs outstanding. There is a sophistication to this music that goes much beyond a lot of so-called Americana. I think that the reclassification of these guys into the "modern folk" genre is right, and they have to be seen as in the very first tier of performers.

And I really like Lucas Kane's percussion work on this recording. Live, it has a bit more punch, and that's ok, but it's perfect on the CD. And as to the cover, as someone else told me, the old girl does kind of grow on you.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kane Welch Kaplin: Musicians at Heart, December 6, 2007

By 

The Captain "Bounty628" (Bridgewater, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kane Welch Kaplin (Audio CD)

Have you ever wondered how the pecking order of a law firm's name comes about? For instance, imagine you have a firm of three attorneys named Kane, Welch and Kaplin. Who ever wrote the rule on why Kane should come first? Isn't the name supposed to be in alphabetical order? Of course not. Is it based upon the way that the name might "flow"? Don't give attorneys that much credit.

However, imagine for a moment if you have three well accomplished musicians who one day decide that rather than go into law they will instead record an album in a collaborative fashion. It would seem to make sense that musicians would know far more about how things sound and/or flow than an attorney would.

Or maybe they just played a good old fashion game of rock paper scissors.

Kane, Welch and Kaplin is the byproduct of three talented musicians based out of Nashville looking to turn their amazing individual performance and talent into a symbiotic, musical brainchild of the three musicians. While we all know the horror stories of two many stars in one band typically leading to the demise of the band, it seems based upon their aptly named album Kane Welch Kaplin that this band is in fact one that just might be good enough to make it.

The band is comprised of Kieran Kane (banjo), Fats Kaplin (electric guitar), Lucas Kane (drums) and Kevin Welch (tambourine).

Thankfully when Kane, Welch and Kaplin named their first track Ain't Gonna Do It they were not talking about carrying on with the rest of the album. With a dark and paced tone maintained throughout the track, it is hard to gauge immediately what the rest of the album will hold. One can hear a very Southern and almost blues infused sound to the track. What immediately comes to mind is how awesome this track would fit a prison scene in a black and white movie. The instruments are very subdued in nature and the vocals remain consistent and smooth from start to finish.

Even though the first track is an amazing entrance to the album, the album almost gets better with time, sort of like a musical fine wine. Red Light Blinking focuses on ensuring that the vocals are beautifully backed by slow and winding sounds provided by the banjo and the guitar.

That's What I've Got has a much more rock sound to it than that of some of the other more country sounding tracks. A stark resemblance to the music of Johnny Cash is heard on this track with the instrumentation picking up a bit in terms of how much emphasis toward the front of the music it truly takes. With some great banjo rifts highlighted in this track, it seems as though this track is one of the most musically impressive tracks on the album.

Hold onto your seats when the song Dark Boogie comes on as you are sure to start having the foot tap uncontrollably and have the head bobbing up and down throughout the track. There is an almost disco or electronic sound provided on this track and the music here is by far the most varied sound on the entire album. One must simply listen to the track to gain an appreciation for the variation professionally accomplished by the band seeking to go out on a musical limb with this track. While the band focuses predominantly throughout the rest of the album to ensure a consistent and methodical sound, the increased speed of the instrumentation coupled with a much more almost pop-sounding vocal accompaniment really sets this track apart.

Track listing:

1. Ain't Gonna Do It

2. I Wish I Had That Mandolin

3. Red Light Blinking

4. That's What I've Got

5. Last Lost Highway

6. Zagnut

7. Callin' You

8. Highland Mary

9. Dark Boogie

10. No One Told Me

11. 12 Chimes

12. What Are They Doin' in Heaven Today?

With three main different personalities coming together on this album, the fear of a Van Halen-esque collapse are immediately alleviated once this album is listened to. The music on the album from start to finish is professional sounding and affords the listener the opportunity to listen to a sort of country music that is so far from the stereotypical country music it is amazing. It seems clear once this album is listened to that Kane Welch Kaplin truly appreciates the music that is theirs far more than they do their pickup truck or shotgun.

The album named after the three individually amazing musicians is exactly what the listener would hope for from such good artists: an amazing album through and through. Kane Welch Kaplin brings the listener into a whole new realm of music that is not just well produced, but is fun to listen to.

Kane Welch Kaplin is on the Dead Reckoning Records and Compass Records label. The album was recorded at The Blue Room in Nashville, Tennessee and was produced by Kane Welch Kaplin.

For more information about the band, check out their website at http://www.deadreckoners.com/index-2.html.