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Methuselah's Valise

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Hometown	Brooklyn , NY
Genres	Contemporary/Soft Rock, Singer/Songwriter (Male)
Band Members	Bob Dee- Lead Vocals, Guitar; Ward Parker- Backing ... » more
Achievements	» more
Upcoming Shows	None

Contact Information:	Manager Ward Parker wparker7@optonline.net 973-931-0526
# Years Experience Performing Live:	8
# Live Perfomances Past Six-months:	1
Market Draw:	NYC: 51-75
Performing Rights Society:	ASCAP
Discography:	Little Wolf LP—2010; Bebe LP—2008

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About the Artist

When singer/songwriter Bob Dee and good friend Ward Parker (a.k.a. Uncle Winston) began creating a body of songs incorporating their favorite musical styles, the fledgeling band didn't yet have a name. When Bob called up his oldest friend - and talented...

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Music

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Achievements

Top 10 in Folk, February 2011

Top 10 in Folk, June 2010

Top 40 in Folk, December 2012

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Press Coverage

Under Covers Vol. 1 by Broken Social Scene
Exploring other realms on OurStage, last month’s JetBlue “Live from T5″ competition exhibited a plethora of great acoustic acts. Sticking with the heartbreak theme, another song I’d like to hear covered is “She Don’t Ride” by Methuselah’s Valise. With a band name that translates to an ancient creature’s suitcase (or as the band describes it—old bastards with more baggage than the train they rode in on) it’s no wonder these Brooklyn baby boomers have ample life experience to compose a ballad like “She Don’t Methuselah's Valise Ride.” This song falls under the category of “reluctant acceptance” as far as I’m concerned, as the narrator regrettably admits his faults in the relationship ending, and doesn’t contest the split. Man and his guitar lamenting love, a theme proven timeless for centuries. But while simplicity is always appreciated, I think expanding some chords— and maybe substituting instrumentation—could really drag this song out of the old and into the new. I nominate OurStage artist Richard Saunders and the too-cool-for-yous for my fantasy cover of this song. This soulful sextet is structured on a level foundation of jazz and pop, the perfect mixture to pay tribute to “She Don’t Ride.” As his OurStage profile demonstrates, Mr. Saunders experienced the loneliness only a lack of love can bring. His track “Still Alone” is self explanatory while— contrary to what one may think — his song “I Love You, Richard” is a self-esteem boosting ode to himself, an echoing stress release when those stubborn fans just aren’t satisfied. At least that’s what I got from it. That being said, he is more than qualified to cover Methuselah’s Valise’s weary “She Don’t Ride.” The strength of this song lies in the haunting vocal harmonies. The too-cool-for-yous have three agile backup singers to plentifully realize the harmonies. Throw some 7th and 9th chords into the mix on Saunders’ Jamie Cullum-esque piano playing along with a more contemporary bass line (still abstaining from any percussion), and the song takes on an attractive modern vibe. But why take my word for it? Listen to what the artists have to say! Richard Saunders and the too-cool-for-yous I reached out to both Richard Saunders and Methuselah’s Valise to see what they had to say about this possibility. Both were very intrigued with the idea. Ward Parker of Methuselah’s Valise suggested that Saunders and his group abandon the folk feel altogether: “With his [Saunders] vocal style, a slower tempo and a jazz feel is more appropriate I think; kind of like ‘Strange Fruit.’ Real atmospheric; smoky with the red lights on, if you know what I mean. Keep it simple; just the piano, drums (brushes) and bass. The backup vocals are great and should be featured.” Saunders also had some very interesting instrumental and tempo / time ideas: “I think I would try to maintain the nostalgic, regretful tone of the song while putting in some ideas I’ve heard in soul/gospel music. I’d have the song build in volume from the beginning to the climax— maybe start out with a strong bass line and lead vocals, then have back-up vocals come in as they do on the original recording. I’d have the band play the song in a slow 6/8 tempo. I could have the back-ups sing ‘ooooh’s‘ over the chords of ‘through those dark tunnels…‘ but always have them sing the words ‘she don’t ride this train no more‘ in harmony whenever they come up. For the chorus (’she don’t ride/she don’t take the things in stride‘) I would have the back-ups sing ‘ah’s‘ and maybe have a slow, rolling Hammond B3 come in. After a soulful saxophone solo, I could bring in a simplistic drum part in during the climax. Have the back-up singers sing ‘she don’t ride‘ while a soloist (either myself or one of my back-up singers) sings an improvised, riff-filled, gospelly solo on top. I’d bring it back down to bass and lead vocals for the last verse, maybe bringing the back-up vocals on an ‘ooh‘ for the last chorus.” A weather-beaten topic like this is always in dire need of fresh sounds, so why not imagine the infinite cross-pollination possibilities of contrasting artists in your head! If you have a topic for “Under Covers” or know artists that you would like to cover or be covered, leave a comment about them below! Share and Enjoy: BIGGER = BETTER? Published by AidanR on July 16, 2009 in Editorial, Artist News Tags: The Polyphonic Spree, Pedro Eca e os Franco Atiradores, Latin, indie rock, Cloud Cult, Broken Social Scene, Bang Camaro, Anunnaki The Polyphonic Spree I hope you enjoyed reading Tuesday’s warm and fuzzy post about the sensibilities of stripped-down pop song covers because it’s time to pay tribute to the enveloping sonic POW generated by freakishly large bands. While there are significant monetary drawbacks in terms of diminished royalties per person and increased touring expenses (not to mention inevitable feuding egos), bands that overcome these potential issues earn a unique spot in today’s music scene. The sounds bellowing from 10+ musician acts—national and local alike—are incredibly revitalizing. And with more people on stage, achieving a feeling of intimacy in a live setting is actually easier than one would expect. Instead of the David and Goliath proportioning of musician vs. audience, the concert setting transforms into one enormous community. And the musicians instantly become more connected. Pedro Eca e os Franco Atiradores Aside from producing an enhanced concert experience, the big advantage of the larger band is diversified instrumentation. While many of the big bands swell their numbers with brass and string sections like OurStage’s own groovy Latin crew Pedro Eca e os Franco Atiradores, bands like The Polyphonic Spree are able to branch out and make use of all those obscure instruments usually only uncovered in music dictionaries. With 12 individual instruments, this mini rock symphony makes use of a choir consisting anywhere from 6-10 people. They even employ the futuristic Theremin, a badge of honor among audiophiles. Broken Social Scene Impulsive performers Broken Social Scene frequently perform with 10+ members on stage, and like a musical jack-in-the-box, you never can predict just how many of them will appear until the first note is strung. In contrast to The Polyphonic Spree, BSS enhances their music with multiple musicians playing the same instrument (i.e. a plethora of guitar and percussion players). With the dense layers of sounds floating in the background, you’re sure to get lost in the aural beauty of their contemplative melodies and nostalgic storytelling. Cloud Cult. Photo Credit: Aaron Vanderzwan Instead of loading up on instruments, ragged Boston rockers Bang Camaro rage on stage with the relatively simple core foundation of guitars, bass and drums along with their secret ingredient: 8-12 vocalists. And, nearly paralleling the Trans Siberian Orchestra, 10 member OurStage group Anunnaki brilliantly unites the instrumentally opposing genres of orchestral and prog rock. Live acts move beyond the musical realm with Cloud Cult. This indie rock septet consists of two artists that paint on stage using the performance vibes of the night as their inspiration. With so many possibilities, give these unusual formations a chance! You never know just what might happen. Share and Enjoy: Broken Social Scene Goes to Eleven Published by ejquinn on August 4, 2008 in Festivals Tags: Quinn Strassel, OurStage@, Osheaga, Montreal, Kevin Drew, Broken Social Scene, Arts & Crafts, Amy Millan I don’t know if the folks from Broken Social Scene are, in fact, broken or social. But with 11 members on stage at Osheaga (including Amy Millan!), there’s no doubt they are a scene. Share and Enjoy: Sunday Evening: Broken Social Scene & Death Cab for Cutie Published by ejalyssa on June 15, 2008 in Artist News Tags: Pictures, Pics, photos, death cab for cutie, Broken Social Scene, Bonnaroo Here’s some pix of the last shows I saw at Bonnaroo … Broken Social Scene getting ready to rock – courtesy of M Broken Social Scene Rocking … Broken Social Scene … giving us some a$s … yeah boys. I ended the day by checking in with one of my favorite bands, Death Cab for Cutie… and apparently so did everyone else!! It was a perfectly mellow way to end a wild week of music and adventure. Share and Enjoy: « Back 1 2 3 Next »

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