If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Paige Prather Jake Xerxes Fussell has an innate knack for taking classic folk songs and making them completely his own. His latest is "Rock Island Line," which started out as a spirtual and was first recorded in the 1930's. We've heard many versions of this song, but none quite like Fussell's. His latest version is much quieter and laid back than Johnny Cash's from the 70's, and is almost unrecognizable as the classic I'm more familiar with. It lands somewhere between traditional folk and a more modern version, but finds quite a bit of impact by going more quiet. Fussell has long been a favorite of ours, and a song like "Rock Island Line" only solidifies our fandom. Jake Xerxes Fussell says of his new single: “The song struck me as very beautiful, but just singing the verses wasn’t working for me. I couldn’t relate. So, I wound up putting it together with an old English nursery rhyme that I had been kicking around. ‘ Wire, briar, lim...

Photo by Graham Tolbert We've been big fans of Jake Xerxes Fussell for a while now. The man has a way of putting together a folk/country song unlike anyone else. Now he's taking on Arthur Russell's "Close My Eyes." Fussell's version is quite faithful to Russell's original, but tweaked ever so slightly to still sound like him. If you're unfamiliar with the original, you'd most likely assume this was from Fussell's catalog, just a more straightforward version of his sound. It's a great take on a great song, and this is my personal favorite type of cover, where an artist stays true to the song while still adding their own style to it. Jake Xerxes Fussell says of his cover: “I’ve long felt partial to the country waltz as a song form. I enjoy playing them. And like so many of us record listeners, I became intrigued a number of years ago with the posthumously released recordings of the beautiful composer / cellist / singer / producer Arthur Russe...

Photo by Kate Medley Jake Xerxes Fussell is adept at taking existing songs and just owning them. His latest single, "Leaving Here, Don't Know Where I'm Going," is a prime example of how Fussell plays traditional folk songs, but adds his own unique spin to them. It still sounds like traditional folk, but it also sounds like no one else but Fussell. I can never tell if it's his voice, his delivery, the way he arranges songs, or something else, but each song is uniquely his. "Leaving Here, Don't Know Where I'm Going" bridges the gap between a classic folk style and a more indie or alt-folk sound. And no one pulls that off like Jake Xerxes Fussell. Jake Xerxes Fussell says of his latest single: “This song is from the ‘lonesome road’ family of songs, which there have probably been about as many variations of as there have been people to sing them. This one in particular is another I picked up from my departed friend  Art   Rosenbaum , who learned it f...

Photo by Kate Medley Jake Xerxes Fussell just has his own way of playing traditional folk music unlike anyone else out there. His latest single is a version of the traditional song "Going to Georgia." In Fussell's hands the song keeps its traditional roots while sounding updated and almost modern. Fussell has always had a timeless sound to his music, and makes "Going to Georgia" sound both vintage and current. Something about his delivery makes this an instantly compelling listen, through both talent and charm. If you like virtually any subgenre of folk, you're going to love "Going to Georgia." Jake Xerxes Fussell says of his latest single: “I learned the traditional song ‘Going to Georgia’ from a few different places so my version is something of a collage. There are a number of variants out there. Ralph Stanley played a version of it, as did the great song collector and revivalist/interpreter Paul Clayton. My main source was an early 1980s field ...

Doing Anything this Weekend? is a feature here at If It's Too Loud... where we feature some live shows in and on the far outskirts of the Boston area. Our main rules are that they have to be reasonably priced shows that you can attend last minute. They'll feature If It's Too Loud... approved bands, and we'll provide event links when possible. If you're looking for last minute plans this weekend, we recommend: March 22 Consumer, Tysk Tysk Task, Vivid Bloom, and Little Fuss at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA Cody Nilsen and Abbie Barrett at Lizard Lounge, Cambridge, MA Jake Xerxes Fussell and Alex Dupree at Club Passim, Cambridge, MA Marc Valentine, The Chelsea Curve, and Little Billy Lost at The Burren, Somerville, MA March 23 Mephiskapheles, Mamadou, and The Riki Rocksteady All-Stars at Old Town Hall, Salem, MA Happiness, Julie Rhodes & The Electric Company, and How's About Charlie at Askew, Providence, RI Galaxy Cake, The Daylilies, Lonely Leesa & The Lost Cowbo...

Photo by Tom Rankin It's hard to find new things to write about Jake Xerxes Fussell because his songs are just so consistently great. All of the previously released singles for his upcoming album have all had that traditional folk but done in a unique way while sounding completely familiar sound, and his latest also nails that. "Rolling Mills Are Burning Down" is a great folk song. Like... it's really great. It's such a simple song, but it's a rare thing to find an artist this earnest who releases music without any pretentiousness or preciousness. "Rolling Mills Are Burning Down" makes Fussell sound like a modern day John Prine in its simple beauty. You can listen to "Rolling Mills Are Burning Down" below. Good and Green Again is due out January 21 on Paradise of Bachelors. The album can be pre-ordered/pre-saved here . For more on Jake Xerxes Fussell, check out the artist's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the song. Fri. Jan. 21 ...

Photo by Tom Rankin Music doesn't get much more simple than a voice and acoustic guitar, and that's what the latest from Jake Xerxes Fussell is... to start at least. But it's how he puts together a song that is both perfectly familiar and also unique to just him. "Breast of Glass" sounds like thousands of songs you've heard before, but also completely unique to itself. It's simple, traditional folk/Americana music but with just the slightest twist that no one but Fussell quite has. I apologize for the horrible description especially since I know he deserves a much better one, but you truly need to listen to a song like "Breast of Glass" and then you'll understand what I mean.  You can listen to "Breast of Glass" below. Good and Green Again is due out January 22 on Paradise of Bachelors. The album can be pre-ordered here . For more on Jake Xerxes Fussell, check out the artist's website . Upcoming tour dates can be found below the...

Photo by Tom Rankin A lot of artists are doing the traditional folk thing right now, but no one is quite doing it like Jake Xerxes Fussell. I've been struggling to figure out just why his take on traditional folk is so different, but couldn't quite put my finger on it until I saw the press release for his latest single. It states that Fussell's music has an "... unfussy lack of nostalgia and preciousness" and that's exactly it. "Love Farewell" is a modern take on a traditional folk song. It has all the elements of traditional folk, but it doesn't have that nostalgic feel and isn't trying to intentionally be a throwback. Not that we're against that sort of thing here, but Fussell brings a welcome newness to a classic artform without reinventing it. He's just doing his own thing in the world of folk and Americana, and we're all welcome to join him. You can listen to "Love Farewell" below. Good and Green Again is due out Ja...

Photo via Facebook "Hills of Mexico" is technically a cover song, but it's not a song I'm familiar with at all, so I'm just going to focus on this version. Jake Xerxes Russell has one of those truly unique takes on modern folk music. Something about his version of "Hills of Mexico" feels like an ancient song (even without knowing it's a cover), but his take on it is completely modern and unique. Somehow he takes songs like this and makes them sound like the classic standards they are while sounding entirely like a Jake Xerxes Fussell song from today. It also sounds like a traditional folk song, but through an odd Elephant 6 filter. It's this joining of the traditional and (for lack of a better term) freak folk that makes this version of "Hills of Mexico" unique. On a post on his website, Jake Xerxes Fussell explains the story of the song and his version: "'Hills of Mexico' is from a family of narrative ballads in which the ...

Photo by Brad Bunyea The latest single from North Carolina's Jake Xerxes Fussell is technically a cover, but it's a song from the 1920's, so most of us aren't going to recognize it. "Oh Captain" was orignally recorded by Willis Laurence James for Paramount Studios. Fussell's version keeps the classic folk feel, but he makes "Oh Captain" still sound current almost one hundred years later. That's what makes Fussell's music so intriguing: His ability to sound classic and modern at the same time. Fussell has this to say about Willis Laurence James:   “James spent much of his life collecting and interpreting and writing about African American worksongs, yet few have recognized his short, obscure stint as a recording artist. Turns out he was a trained singer who taught in the music department for years at Spelman College, whose library still holds his archive. I became fascinated with him and his work, so this song is my little homage to ...