Re: [Harp-L] Thanks/Session Americana in Sweden

[William Lifford <william.lifford@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Christer,

You have good taste in music :)

I love Session Americana too.  I had been in contact with Jim through
Harp-L because I was a huge fan of his old band Treat Her Right. We had
exchanged some emails and he helped me get a hold of some THR albums I
didn't have, plus he sent me some Session CDs.

When I was traveling to Boston for a trade conference, Session Americana
was playing in nearby Cambridge.  What a fun and intimate show they put on!
  It was one of the best live shows I had ever seen and I loved every
minute of it.

For those of you who have not seen Session Americana, their performances
are a little different from most shows... they all sit around a small round
table with only one or two mics in the center of the table.  The musicians
will lean in slightly when it's their turn to sing and Jim leans in and out
to control some of his sound (but one of the things I've always likes about
Treat Her Right is that Jim often does long slow fade-ins on backup licks
and really gets kind of atmospheric).  The show felt more like I was
eavesdropping on the best jam session.  All of the musicians are clearly
having lots of fun and there was a casual, loose vibe to the whole show.

Jim's style on Session Americana's music is understated and classy, often
playing a supporting role while taking the lead in some songs.    While
Treat Her Right's music was mostly in-your-face, brash, kick-ass
amplified blues influenced rock/punk, Jim's playing here is all acoustic
and beautiful, saying a lot without overplaying.  They're truly
Americana... a mixture of folk, country, rock, blues, and bluegrass without
leaning too heavily into any one of those styles.

To Harp-L'ers:  I would recommend any of Session Americana's albums, but
there is one that is mostly "children's music" (though adults will love
the musicianship).  I particularly like the "Live" album because it has
crazy amounts of energy and vibe, and the audience is loving the band and
singing along with the choruses.  I also love "Love and Dirt" and "Diving
for Gold".  Both are great albums.  Also, their website has at least one
non-released track on it and I liked it just as much as the album tunes.

Christer, thanks for letting people know about a Session Americana.
 Harp-L'ers should definitely take a few minutes, Google them and check out
their music.  Totally worth the effort.

Bill Lifford




On Friday, August 22, 2014, Christer Svensson <christer.molkom@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

> Just thought I'd send a great big thank you to harp-l for existing.
> Jim Fitting of Session Americana posted recently asking about harp-l
> members in Sweden. That's how I found out about the group and that they
> were doing a short tour here. I went to the last one of the Swedish gigs
> way out in the woods and enjoyed it immensely plus had a nice chat with Jim.
> I found a new favorite band and have spent hours listening to the one CD
> they had available at the gig and watching the clips on YouTube.
> Cheers!
>
>
>
>

-- 
William Lifford, CP
Progressive O&P, Inc.
1111 Willis Avenue
Albertson, NY 11784
516-338-8585