Here's a sampling of
what the critics have had to say about John's music.
"John Michael Hersey's forte
is his ability to write and tell great stories first and foremost.
That's followed by great guitar-centric roots folk rock. "Whirligig"
would fit nicely on radio formatted for Adult Alternative but also would
be easily gigging on a front porch's boombox, while sipping ice tea and
watching the Sunday afternoon coast by in the spring. Chordophone
Records should be proud that such a rootsy fun album carries their
name." J-Sin, www.smother.net
12/12/04
"(In 1970 Tim Rice and Andrew
Lloyd Webber, without enough backing money to produce a play they wished
to open on Broadway, took what money they had, went into the studio and
recorded the soundtrack to their Rock Opera “Jesus Christ
Superstar.” The subsequent best-selling double LP raised enough money
for the pair to realize their dream).
Whirligig by John
Michael Hersey is a CD which should be a Broadway play. For
this is a Pop Musical soundtrack. The storyline focuses on a lost
generation musical artist who, because of his age, is overlooked by the
mainstream pop culture. Yet it is his song writing sensibilities,
crafted from years of exposure to the sounds of Brill Building pop and
Motown soul, that takes us on an insightful journey as we glimpse the
world that revolves around him. Using a child’s toy, a whirligig
(pinwheel, if you will) as the symbolic reference here – The artist
transfixed into the center spins both his craft and tales as he too
spins along with the different aspects of his world, like the individual
fan blades whirling about in the wind. For the wind that causes these
individuals to orbit around the artist’s axis is the passing of each
day’s time.
ACT 1:
The curtain lifts with a drum hook
leaping at us, the organ slides
in – The artist seated center stage punctuates the sound with a vocal
delivery of creative lyrics that we just can’t help digging the
narration of. This Glorious Pop carries us away in the rolling rhythms
of a warm breeze on a summer day, turning the windmills of our soul with
the chorus of this overtly unorthodox overture setting the stage and
inviting us to Let It Come To You.
Turning quickly we’re thrust
headlong into the artists’ anthem; Don’t Trust Me
laments a world where last generation pure pop creative songwriters are
not only not fashionable, but expendable to the point where
pre-programmed Corporate entertainment “…Anarchy makes money/In
the land of milk and honey/That’s showbiz/What did you expect?”
is packaged and sold back to the unsuspecting masses.
As the curtain sweeps in to end
the 1st act we understand that we are to sit back and let
this pop musical of an over 30-artist spring to life before us. For,
when broken down, one of the better definitions of a Pop song is that it
creates a stage for a grand and glorious musical – A three to four
minute piece that can suck you in, and place you in the middle of its
action – the acting out of these small musical vignettes is the power,
when the music can make the scene come alive – the original music
video.
ACT 2:
We are transported to a passionate
tale of forbidden love and heartbreak detailing secret rendezvous’
that end too soon. While Stealing
Kisses is part of the game, the emptiness and
unfulfillment is the driving wedge of this masterful Pop gem. It is a
song with every element to make it a Top 40 smash (in the most deserving
way) from the plinking of the piano echoing along a stringent rhythm
beat, to the accompanying picking of the complimenting plinkety guitar
solo (that brings to mind Bob Dylan in all it’s understated glory).
This heartfelt ballad is as classic a Brill Building homage as we will
ever hear.
The set changes, the mood shifts,
we have a jaunting bounce of a fairytale world where a killer
progression of sound reminiscent of early Rascals roars out of the
speakers. With backing harmony vocals providing depth to the overall
production we know that this is what everyday as Saturday actually feels
like (Saturday), and we bounce around with the
two main characters. Another set change and now we’re downtown, way
downtown and Sidewalk Penny with all its West
Side Story flavor gives us a lyric that makes the best use of the double
entendre this side of Elvis Costello. It is a story of a down and out on
her luck female that draws its power from the lyrical wit of her name
and the intense, driving, swirling, in your face musical blanket (dare I
say “wall of sound?”) until it breaks down with a flamenco drop in
the center bridge – and tell me you just don’t want to snap your
fingers in a choreographed musical street scene a la` the Jets and
Sharks.
Act 2 concludes with a dreamy
melodic landscape of lost love: Only
So Long brings to mind such worthy ballads as those of
Joni Mitchell and Carol King - Lush, beautiful grand piano stylings,
tender guitar strumming accent, mellow vocals that carry the emotion
over the top until the lowering of the lights…
Intermission and time to meet the
band:
On Vocals & Guitars: John
Michael Hersey (Who also wrote all the songs, and draws
comparisons to the afore mentioned Elvis Costello as well as East Side
Story era Chris Difford/Glenn Tilbrook, Robyn Hitchcock, Ron Sexsmith
with balls, and mid-70s troubadour Bob Dylan – to name a few). Drums
& Percussion: John DiGiulio. Bass: Bob
DesJardins. And, Keyboards: Jim Wacker (Whose
use of many different style keyboards – from Grand to Upright Honky
Tonk to electric, toy and everything in-between is what sets each piece.
You can see and feel the scenery, as well as the mood and emotion
spewing forth from each set as the keyboards bounce, twinkle, tickle,
glide, plink, strut swoon, hedge, and nudge as needed). It’s no
surprise they’re based out of New York, but the sound they produce
here is all over the Pop map.
Oh, there’s the lights. Let’s
head back in for the last two acts…
ACT 3:
She’s
A Cat captures the attention of every female. A
musical kick that is as seductive as the title character. With biting
wry lyrical twists such as “She purrs and she teases and shows you
her claws,” “Have you seen her prowling/through the alleys
of your mind/Did you wake up and find/There’s a Tiger in your bed,”
Elvis Costello with his affection for feline tormentors would love to
cover this song.
The next four pieces relay more
tales of the daily life that constantly revolve around the narrator/us.
Making use of old time Jerry Lee Lewis piano chops and Elvis Presley
swivel-hipping vocals (Twisting In The Wind),
and Steely Dan meets lounge music paying respect to the middle ground
between Van Morrison and Boz Scaggs as much as it does Tony Bennet (and
that is said with true affection) (What It Means)
we find that each song does indeed cast us into the whirligig of the
artists’ (and to some extent, our) everyday life.
ACT 4:
The show concludes with a final
two-song set. The first finds our narrator/artist still in character and
in the setting of the school of love. Place the spotlight center stage
as the old sage teaches us a very important lesson in Heartbreak
101. Cue the back-up singers, feel the irresistible crunch
of the guitar, the snap of the backbeat, the simplistic guitar solo
that’ll have you weeping and jammin’ along to the subliminal funky
Bowie-esque vibe. “Let me show you how its done/Here at the
school/Where the golden rule/Is to do unto others and run.”
Almost a fitting conclusion to this cycle of events, and certainly a
good spot to bring down the curtain, but John Michael Hersey
decides to get back out of character and end the show as the Artist who
introduced it…
Chairman Of The Bored
with its Latin style mambo lifts us above the solemn subject matter of a
lost love. But, it is this loss that has given the artist the time to
absorb everything else that is going on about him, even though he thinks
his time is wasted pining away his days waiting for her return, it is
actually his boredom that ultimately forces him to take out that
whirligig/pinwheel and not only play with it, but observe it for what it
really is. His life has not been reduced to boredom as evidenced by the
Pop Musical he has just staged for us. So, while he begs for our
sympathy, he also reaches out and shows us why he isn’t in need of it,
for the life that revolves around him and the stories and tales they
relate can be as entertaining and fulfilling as the joy a child can
experience from a simple toy and a warm breeze on a summer day.
Close curtain.
And, as you file up the
aisle, don’t forget to pick up your own Whirligig on the way out."
Independisc.com, Issue #47, Mar. '03
"Soup
Du Jour is a strongly eclectic and seamless collection. The country
stylings of 'Men With Ties' starts out the album. While I must admit I
was skeptical about another cynical song chronicling the evil corporate
businessman, Hersey is slightly tongue-in-cheek, if poignant, and stays
away from cliché. The album only gets better. 'Wipe the Smile' might be
the most accessible of the lot with its syncopated catchy chorus and
lyrically this album is top-notch; cutting, wry and smart.
One hears touches of Joe Jackson here, a bit of
The Grateful Dead there (as on 'Steady as She goes'), and the melding of
ballad, country, blues and rock is a joy. Check out the longing,
harmonica-laced 'Miles Away,' the up tempo 'More or Less in Love with
You,' or the rumba of 'Looking for Trinidad.'
Hersey writes sophisticated music with bemused
lyrics. Think happier Dave Mathews, with themes from hearing your
neighbors doing it ('The Lady Upstairs'), to the more thoughtful and
deep 'Silence'..." Peter Kuehbauch, Good Times
"Somehow
straddling that ever-narrowing netherworld between 'folk' and 'country,'
John Michael Hersey avoids the usual singer/songwriter pratfalls thanks
to well-structured song-writing and solid yet unobtrusive accompaniment.
'Men With Ties' poops merrily all over Wall Street and Washington, D.C.,
while 'Miles Away' is the kind of sly weeper them Eagles would currently
kill for. And 'Act of Cowardice' says its lover's goodbyes as cleverly
-- and painfully -- as John Prine might." Gary P., Sound
Views
"OK,
so 'urban country' is an oxymoron, but it's also a pretty darn good
description of Hersey's brand of storytelling. His warm vocals draw you
in, the guitar picking keeps your toes tapping and before you know it
you find yourself smiling at the cleverness of his lyrics and smarting
at the sting of truth." J.S., The Music Paper
"New
York's John Michael Hersey may be labeled 'singer/songwriter,' but he is
definitely a unique addition to the category. With a mixture of country
sensibilities, a little folk, and some honky-tonk thrown in just for
fun, what results is a rather unorthodox sound for a Manhattan-based
artist. The instantly infectious rockabilly of the opener 'Men With
Ties' is a good example of the hybrid mixes that Hersey throws into his
music. On the surface, the song sounds like a harmlessly infectious tune
straight from a juke-joint in Austin; but take a look at the lyrics, and
what you have is a good old-fashioned folk protest song: 'In this club
for the well-dressed male/ We're never sure what is said/ Behind these
men there's a paper trail/ That they're trying very hard to
shred.'" Rich Lupescu, Modern Music Monthly
"With
an upbeat blend of country, rock and folk, NYU graduate John Michael
Hersey has something really good going on. ...Hersey's strong, sensitive
voice and tasteful guitars can drive like a convertible on a sunny day
or stroll along like a couple at sunset." Gregory Collins,
Good Times
Reviews
