When you’re a musician working on new tunes, the natural compulsion is to craft a series of selections that, while varied in execution, are cut from the same sonic cloth. Sometimes, though, the muse has other ideas, and you need to adjust your plans to accommodate inspiration. Seattle bandleader Birch Pereira has never been a musician who lives and breathes one genre of music, and this summer he’ll be releasing a series of 7” singles that reflect his diverse melodic upbringing.
With deep sonic roots in virtually every style of mid-20th century American music – from Americana to blues to jazz, soul and vintage rock ’n’ roll – Birch Pereira & The Gin Joints offer a rangy dial’s worth of songs, all delivered with style and easy virtuosity. “Before I ran the Gin Joints I was working as a gigging bassist where I was pulled into all these different musical orbits, I was raised by folkies, studied jazz and classical, spent some time studying with several West African musicians before putting together the band I have now” explains Pereira. “The songs I put together in the last year or so have jumped around stylistically. I realized that there were three pairs of tunes that fit well together as an A/B side, so I made the decision to let them stand on their own.”
This summer Birch Pereira is releasing a series of 7” singles that reflect his diverse melodic upbringing. Glide is proud to premiere the timeless hot jazz jake on the Herbert Lawson made famous by Patsy Cline track “Anytime.” Like Pokey LaFarge and JC McPherson, Pereira offers a vintage flair to music’s most timeless canon, helping reinvent the good ol’ days.
“My third release is a return to my jazz roots starting with the title track “Anytime” by Herbert Lawson. I have always loved the famous Patsy Cline version but as I looked up more about it I realized it was actually an old swing song from the 20s that had become a western swing classic in the 40s/50s, then a country hit in the 60s. I love following the trail of old songs that keep staying relevant in new generations of artists. The B side of the record is an original inspired by my love of Django Reinhardt and the hot jazz sound. Tu Ne’s Jamais Trop Vieux means “You’re Never Too Old” in French, a phrase that I live by and we need to remind ourselves of. I call this song the first song of a French film soundtrack I haven’t been hired to write yet.”
Links:
https://www.theginjointsband.com/
https://www.facebook.com/theginjointsband/
https://www.instagram.com/theginjointsband/
Photo by Joe Lambert
