DURANGO Randy Kaplan: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion Brian Schey: Electric and Upright Bass, Drums on East of Lincoln, Percussion, Vocals Mike West: Mandolin, Electric Guitar, Percussion, Vocals Colin Mahoney: Drums, Percussion Bradford Hoopes: Piano, Hammond, Wurlitzer, Melodica, Vocals
Harry Miller: Piano on Durango and No Matter What
ANCIENT RUINS Randy Kaplan: Acoustic Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica Mike West: Banjo, Mandolin, Electric Guitar, Nylon-String Guitar, Vocals, Percussion, Acoustic Guitar on "Rusty & New" and "Action Figure" Katie Euliss: Upright Bass, Vocals, Percussion, Drums on "Deer Park Avenue" and "On a Plain" Colin Mahoney: Drums Bradford Hoopes: Piano, Organ, Keyboards, Percussion on "Deer Park Avenue" Rev. Aaron Morris: Trumpet Wallace Cochran: Vocals on "Action Figure" and "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man"
Josephine Michener: Fiddle
PERFECT GENTLEMAN Randy Kaplan: Guitars, Vocals, Pianos, Organs, Stop Laser Gun, High Frequency Items, Drum Machines
MIRACULOUS DISSOLVING CURES Randy Kaplan: Guitars, Vocals, Harmonica, Hammond Organ, Piano, Percussion, Voice Box, Rhodes Brian Schey: Bass, Drum Programming, Conn Organ, Juno Synthesizer, Glockenspiel Colin Mahoney: Drums, Chimes, Bongo, Air Can, Simmons Kit Bradford Hoopes: Wurlitzer, Hammond Organ, Juno Synthesizer
Tom Johnson: Lowrey Organ
Lisa Miller: Vacuum Cleaner
L. Cohen, B. Dylan, Doc Watson, Charlie Poole & the rest of the Harry Smith gang, Prince, Woodys - Allen & Guthrie, J. Prine, Scott Bernstein, R. Newman, Carl Sagan, R. Johnson, Henry Cowell, Eric Rohmer, J.P. Sartre, Rene Descartes, B.O.C., Bruce Leigh, William James, Rashi, Dave Van Ronk, J.L. Borges, Stephen Sondheim, Violent Femmes, The Beach Boys, I.B. Singer, L. Wainright III, L. Lovett, P. Simon, Leadbelly, Arnold Dreyblatt, F. Truffaut, B. Joel, Agent Orange, S. Kierkegaard, H. Chapin, Ice Cube, Rodgers & Hammerstein, C. Porter, Yip Harburg, A. Garfunkel, Ralph Stanley, R. Wagner, Duke Ellington, e.e., G.E. Leigh, Cantor Lam, A.C. Jobim, Mozart & Da Ponte, C. Bukowski, M. Buber, J. Ashbery, A. Dvorak, E. Presley, Ogden Nash, Grandmaster Flash.
Randy Kaplan is a Brooklyn & Los Angeles-based songwriter known for his incisive lyrics and songs that blend American roots, folk, alternative, and pop.
As indebted to I.B. Singer, John Ashbery, and Woody Allen as he is to Robert Johnson, John Prine, and Dave Van Ronk, Kaplan intricately finger-picks his way through his own compositions as well as Tin Pan Alley gems, obscure Broadway numbers, Rap classics, and Delta Blues songs.
Randy spent many years in Los Angeles performing with his band "i" and traveling the U.S. solo. He has released eight records, two geared towards children. His ninth, Durango, with Brian Schey, is due out this summer. Click here for Randy's MySpace site for kids and information about his two kids' CDs.
Here are some excerpts from reviews of Randy's work, ablum by album (for more reviews click here).
Click on any album title to hear song clips and/or find out more information!
"'Durango' finds Randy Kaplan in collaboration with composer, arranger, producer Brian Schey; a wonderfully infectious album rammed with beautifully crafted songs, each as individual as the next but all coming together to form a glorious aural montage for the senses.
"Kaplan's wonderfully throaty, dusky voice and whispery delivery are augmented by some pretty majestic sounding 'scores'; somewhat reminiscent of a subtle Tom Waits, Kaplan and Schey sure make a joyous sound. 'Durango' is a lovely chilled album that begs to be listened to in depth and with respect just to be able to pick up on all its subtleties and underlying nuances. Every song here has been carefully assembled with just enough instrumentation to make it work; never once does the 'score' become crowded or even slightly 'full' - it's a perfect example of giving it all that it needs but no more!
"'Durango' soothes as it excites; it has a beautifully dreamy feel to it and I wouldn't be surprised to see 'Durango' becoming a 'classic' album of our times. Yes, it's that good!! In fact, if music was truly tangible, 'Durango' would feel like the finest silk, the softest leather or the finest ermine! If it were a precious metal it'd be rated at twenty-four carats, at least - it's a real beauty, of that I'm absolutely positive!
"Every once in a while there's an album that comes out that sets new standards and really makes people stop and listen; 'Durango' is just such an album!! Tripping lightly and easily through folk, country and light rock, 'Durango' offers something for most tastes; un-pigeonholeable and genre defying it's a wonderfully laid back and compelling album of the highest order!
"I'm actually stumped for words to describe this work; 'Durango' by Randy Kaplan with Brian Schey is the absolute mutt's nuts, I don't think my meagre words could ever do it full justice, it's just one of those albums that you have to hear for yourself to be able to make your mind up. Just about as good as it gets, 'Durango' by Randy Kaplan with Brian Schey is world class!! Pure brilliance! Absolute heaven!! 'Nuff said!!"
"Randy Kaplan does amazing James Taylor–meets-banjo covers of Nirvana’s “On a Plain” and Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message” on his Ancient Ruins. Nuff said; go check this guy out."
-TIME OUT NEW YORK
"Ancient Ruins" is Randy Kaplan's second collaboration with bluegrass producer Mike West. While there are plenty of bluegrass influences on offer here sound-wise, this is far from a bluegrass album. The mix of styles and textures keeps things fresh throughout and some of the loveliest moments here are the slower numbers such as "Alice Bonvicini" and "Sanctuary Wreath".
-Matt Hutchinson / AMERICANA-UK.com
"Beautifully crafted, sympathetically produced and pleasingly packaged, 'Ancient Ruins' is the real deal... Kaplan sounds like he was born to do this, it all sounds so natural, unhurried and almost matter-of-fact... He makes making music seem effortless - whether self-penned or covers Kaplan seems to be able to emote without makin' a fuss about it all... Kaplan mixes seriously sensible with down-home funky and fun, social commentary with more personal observation - it all gets the slick Kaplan treatment and ends up being bloody good music, pure and simple."
-Peter J. Brown / TOXICPETE.co.uk
"(Kaplan) has chosen to open his new album with a rather nifty version of Nirvana’s “On A Plain”. He also includes covers of Prince’s “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man” and Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message” with some aplomb, particularly on his excellent version of the latter tune. But there’s a lot more to Kaplan than a few novelty covers... as the man clearly displays a clever ear for a decent tune with a number of his own compositions... (His) simple, strong, compelling songwriting carries these charming, wry, humorous songs... (Ancient Ruins) should please anyone either curious about (Kaplan's) covers or specifically interested in bluegrass music."
"(Kaplan's) lyrics don't underestimate their listener's intelligence, being literate and occasionally not a little highbrow ... unafraid of multi-syllable words or obscure subject matter. Kaplan is a craftsman in the tradition of Paul Simon, to whose "Still Crazy After All These Years" "Perfect Gentleman" is first cousin."
-Jeremy Searle / AMERICANA-UK.com
"Kaplan's musical approach is homemade cheerful multi-instrumental confidence with a harmonica... plunder chests full of styles and rhythms sitting under clever drolleries and nifty tunes... personal story telling, cheerful nuttiness, (and an) ability to slip into and out of the mournful or the weird."
-Sam Saunders / WHISPERINANDHOLLERIN.com
"Quality recordings from lo-fi underground recording popster Randy Kaplan. Kaplan's tunes are nice and laidback... often recalling the music of Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. (Rating: 4+++)"
-Baby Sue / BABYSUE.com
"Kaplan has a pleasant, easy-going hand in his songwriting, and the songs here are instantly likable... This demonstrate(s) Kaplan's ample writing skills."
-CENT.com
"On 'Miraculous Dissolving Cures', transcontinental singer-songwriter Randy Kaplan sounds like he can hold the line against most folk-pop comers. He compiles a collection of stories that incorporates elements of longing and loss, and from the get-go of "Crushed Berries"- with the line "My friends will save a fly from a spider's web/But then they'll order rack of lamb or baby back ribs"- there's also a serving of irony. Kaplan, who's obviously well-read, conjures the Big Dipper, Sinatra and Job's wife on "Volunteers," a seeming non sequitur fest. But somehow, everything on the album fits together."
- Kevin Amorim / NEWSDAY, New York
"Kaplan's creativity sends out sparks. One can only hope that if he eventually cheers up, that won't dilute the intensity of his songwriting."
-DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE / Northampton, Massachusetts
"Randy Kaplan is a cheeky songwriter with enough personality to stand out from the dulling crowd of singer-songwriters."
-TIME OUT NEW YORK
"(Kaplan's) songs are sweetly personal and wonderfully void of pretentious overtones... The stories he sings wind and twist away from the ordinary and toward refreshing new ideas often humorous and bizarre... never predictable."
-THE INDEPENDENT / Lawrence, Kansas
"Long Island-born Randy Kaplan sings of modern romance, male neuroses, and quirky character studies with the off-kilter viewpoint of a man who appreciates the blurred edges as much as the finer points. Like Leonard Cohen before him, and his friend and musical compadre Dan Bern, Randy's self-effacing lyrics make you laugh, cry and blush at their honest simplicity."
-THE BOTTOM LINE / Required Listening preview; New York City
"(Kaplan's) songs display keen psychological insight... His emotional range is broad, running the gamut from uplifting to bleak."
-THE MATTRESS / Olympia, Washington
"Kaplan originals... resound with a thought-provoking consciousness."
-THE ISLAND VOICE / Long Island, New York
"Melody, lyrics, arrangement, production... it's all here... The lyrics stand on their own as poetry, unique and compelling in its imagery... This guy's no lightweight."
-THE INSIDE CONNECTION / Long Island, New York
"Kaplan makes us smile as he points out hypocrisy... (He crafts) exceptionally tender songs (and) pens understated tunes that, the more we hear them, eventually evolve into anthems."
-NEWSDAY / Long Island, New York
"Whether he's singing about despair or ecstasy, Kaplan's songs are bittersweet, romantic, and sometimes nostalgic. And his point of view is always original and often startling."
-THE PERDIDO PELICAN; Pensacola, Florida
Cheers friend, an honour having you here, be well, and do enjoy the library/blog's contents, here's hoping that it'll inspire you, as your creative spirit has inspired mine, sweet dreams then...
Thank you so so much for the gift! It arrived yesterday. You absolutely made it within a year! Completely unnecessary, and completely appreciated. Miss you, talk soon.
Thanks for the message! My real name by the way is Tammy (or "Tammy T" on the radio). Hope to see you back in the NW soon, and it would be great if you do end up in L.A. (I love L.A! Like Randy Newman...)
