Quick Hitters:: Hezekiah Jones & White Pines

We are going to take a trip south of the border today, visiting places that conjure up painful sporting memories. First we have Philadelphia. One of the first Steelers games I ever went to I scalped a ticket and ended up sitting next to the dude that dressed up like the Eagle. People pelted him (and me) with trash and plastic bottles. Not cool.

What is cool however is long time herohill fav and Philly outfit, Hezekiah Jones. Driven by talented front man Raphael Cutrufello, we've been lucky enough to get Raph to record us a cover for the Word on the Beat project as well as giving him the nod for 6th best record in 2006.

Since that time, Raph (and the band) have grown. The songs have slowly become bigger and bolder, but his new EP - Bread of Teeth - finds the band making strides like Randy Moss. Sure, two of the four tracks may be reworkings of tracks from his other band, but the sounds the band introduces are such a progression from the hushed folk Raph started with that you have to sit up and take notice. His familiar relaxed vocals help the listener settle in on the opening number (Iowa Alligator), but it's the rollicking pace and harmonies the band offers up that makes the track sizzle.

The rest of the EP introduces new textures and emotions that not only sound stellar, they really work for the band. The quick, two-minute I Love My Family is as moody a piece as I've ever heard from Raph, but it's Traffic to the Sea that really grabs your ear. Terrific harmonies and dark textures support Raph's voice, but never crowd the confessional. The four and a half minutes flies by, but hits with the weight of a sledge hammer. By the time he closes with another StillWillis cover (Sorry Waltz), my only thought was ... need more. Hopefully this EP is a stop gap for an upcoming 2010 release, but even if he never writes another song, Raph can hang his hat on these four songs, knowing he and the band were in top form.

MP3:: Hezekiah Jones - Iowa Alligator
MYSPACE:: http://www.myspace.com/hezekiah11
BUY:: http://yerbird.com/hezekiahjones/bread/index.html

Up next we have Michigan. The land of The Fab Five, the Wolverines, and favorite teams of Mr. Shane Nadeau and to be honest, they've ruined season after season of college football and hoops for me. Thankfully, they are doing their best to make up for it (and them some) musically. Case in point: White Pines. Up until mid last week, they were completely unknown to me and normally, I'd have moved the intro email into my stereotypical Dilbert-esque TO-DO box, but their greeting was impossible to ignore. We keep it Canadian here, but can be swayed by two things - 1) great music and 2) clever emails describing how a band can be loosely tied to Canada.

For White Pines, it was the fact Joseph Scott plays in a band named Canada, toured up here last year, and the simple fact his PR man offered up his love of the Rocky Mountains after driving from Alaska to Michigan. Oh, that and the fact that one of their top Myspace friends (myspace is still cool right?) was in fact... Hezekiah Jones. Apparently, with his other projects in hiatus, Scott moved to Brooklyn and set up a home studio and just started writing. A DIY solo affair quickly became a full fledged band, and sketches of songs became unfolded into lush compositions.

Scott writes songs that are heavy on emotion and imagery, but the folk arrangements are remarkably well thought out. The trusty strums of an acoustic may be the base line of the tracks, but each and every track reveals surprises tucked into the folds or hiding in the shadows. To be honest, these are the kind of songs better heard than discussed, so take a listen to Foot of the Cross and then pick up the EP. You won't be disappointed.

MP3:: White Pines - Foot of the Cross
MYSPACE:: www.myspace.com/whitepinetrees

Labels: Hezekiah Jones, Music, Quick Hitters, White Pines