Cape Cod’s Chandler Travis has had a long and checkered career in the world of show biz, beginning in the seventies when he and Steve Shook joined up as Travis Shook and the Club Wow and then in the 80’s with the Incredible Casuals. Along the way Travis has appeared on stage with everyone from Bonnie Raitt and Bruce Springsteen to good pals NRBQ, George Carlin (with whom he toured for many years), and Elvis Costello. His current projects are the Chandler Travis Three-o, the Catbirds and large ensemble, and the Chandler Travis Philharmonic.
On February 10th the Chandler Travis Philharmonic will release Waving Kissyhead, Vol. 2 & 1 on Travis’s Sonic Trout label. It’s an album full of Travis’s trademark homespun quirky pop work that places him squarely in the company of folks like mid-period Kinks, XTC and Smiley Smile-era Brian Wilson. The album is bursting with brassy sounds and delivers a much-needed jolt of euphoric energy. The album features 17 examples of what some folks call “alternative Dixieland,” “omnipop,” or “gospel music for atheists.” It also happens to arrive during the grand silver twentieth anniversary of the Philharmonic’s existence.
Today Glide Magazine is excited to offer up an exclusive premiere of the new album. Chandler Travis shares his own colorful explanation for the album:
“It’s the Philharmonic’s first album in 6 years, and it’s pretty much a party album – 17 tracks, one ballad (though it’s a doozy: ‘When the Moon Shines’, a song we like to think might’ve made Stephen Foster proud!) Veering between practically the straight ahead r ‘n b of the opener ‘You’ve Got Me Started’ and the gonzo Charles Ives meets Peter Duchin experimentalism of ‘Untitled’, ‘Waving Kissyhead, Vol. 2 & 1’ is not so much thought-provoking as thought extinguishing…”
LISTEN:
Chandler Travis Philharmonic will release Waving Kissyhead, Vol. 2 & 1 on February 10th. For more info visit chandlertravis.com. You can also pre-order HERE.
