After years as a band member, sideman, session player, producer, and engineer,
Jay Sherman-Godfrey has moved front and center with Twoscore, his solo
debut. Pressed for a concise description of his style Sherman-Godfrey offers,
“Rock with a pop sensibility and country lean,” an approach exemplified in his
dramatic, waltz-time reading of the Beach Boys’ classic Girl Dont Tell Me, the
centerpiece of the disc.
For the six originals, Sherman-Godfrey chose both new
and old songs, from the gentle ballad Someone Like You, written in one long
night after a mesmerizing Cheri Knight performance in 1996, to Twoscore, his
rumination on fatherhood and turning 40, and finally the haunting waltz Hell
Gate, composed and recorded just weeks before the EP’s completion.
Firmly
rooted in the lingua franca of classic mid-60s to mid-70s rock and country, the
instrumentation and production project a rootsy front, echoing country-era Byrds,
The Band, and Neil Young. The songs, however, owe as much to the intricate
pop/rock of Badfinger, The Kinks, Carole King, and George Harrison.
While first making his mark in New York’s roots-rock scene as a lead
guitarist, Sherman-Godfrey is perhaps best known for his work producing and
playing guitar on Laura Cantrell’s debut CD, Not The Tremblin Kind, and its
follow-up, When The Roses Bloom Again, each of which received widespread
acclaim. Highlights of his tenure with Cantrell include recording two Peel
Sessions, performing in support of Elvis Costello, and appearing on Late Night
with Conan OBrien.
In addition to Cantrell, Sherman-Godfrey has had the pleasure of working
with They Might Be Giants, Amy Rigby, Michael Moore, Eric Ambel, Michael
Shelley, Tandy, and Mojo Nixon, among others. He co-founded the seminal
NYC country-rock band World Famous Blue Jays with singer and songwriting
partner Jeremy Tepper, and enjoyed long-term stints as lead guitarist with
Rigby, appearing on her debut Diary of a Mod Housewife, and Angel Dean and the Zephyrs. He collaborated with They Might Be Giants on their full-band
debut John Henry, and its follow-up Factory Showroom, also appearing on
CDs from John Flansburgh’s side band Mono Puff, and on John Linnell’s solo
project State Songs. As a guitarist and/or co-songwriter he has worked on all four of Michael Shelley’s CDs.
Recording Twoscore, Sherman-Godfrey was joined by drummer Phoebe
Summersquash (Small Factory, Dave Derby, Sarah Silverman), guitarist Chris
Erikson (Matt Keating, Florence Dore), and bassist Jeremy Chatzky (Bruce Springsteen, Loser’s Lounge, Laura Cantrell). Jon Graboff (Ryan Adams, Amy
Rigby, Laura Cantrell) added pedal steel, and Buddy Project studio proprietor
Kieran Kelly played drums on a song. Twoscore was self-produced and self-
recorded and mixed by Tony Maimone at Studio G Brooklyn.
BUY TWOSCORE NOW directly from my SNOCAP store above. Also available at . For an actual CD with lovely artwork by Mark Paul and all the proper credits, etc., visit CDBABY.
LATEST NEWS New John Miller album should be finished by Christmas. Hope to have copies available by late January/early February. I'll let you know when it's ready. Johnny M
I recently pulled an old WF Blue Jays tape from my basement and burned a CD of it. Your lead playing was as clean and spectacular as I remembered it. Which is to say, very. Like Don Rich, dude.
hey there jay very nice to hear from you...just off this morning to norway to gig for a week on bass with kilby jr and neil thomas and bruce martin...fun, fun, fun... hope all is well with you.. love george
I’ll be playing at 169 Bar at 169 East Broadway (Essex and Canal) on Saturday, March 15th at 8. Come by and say hi -- it'd be great to see you! Best, Mark
Thanks for the comment and for coming to the Living Room with Lilly. Glad ya'll both had a good time.
There's always a couple waltzes on Uncle Rock CDs. Check out "Coffee Kiss" and "Baby Loves The Moon" on the new one, and "Sugar Talkin'" and "Connected" on the last one.Next gig you and Lilly can do the box-step!
Hey Jay and Malcolm, great to hear from you -- thanks for the friendly words about the music. Your tunes are great -- georgous all the way around: guitar playing, singing, production, etc. Grown-up stuff the kids can enjoy...Hope to cross paths sometime -- let me know when you're playing.
