WOW!! This band is amazing!! Does anyone know anything about them?
by
alt-country lover
I came across this record by accident, but am I ever glad I did!! Incredible melodies, honest and moving lyrics, some of the catchiest tunes around. A great vocal pairing between the plaintive, gritty male singer (cross between Lou Reed and Jeff Tweedy) and the beautiful female voice. The music is awesome: great country rhythm section, nice lead guitar flourishes and gorgeous fiddle parts. The arrangements are simple, direct and just wonderful!! I found myself humming along and tapping my toes upon the very first listen; by the third listening, I was singing along to all the songs. The problem (excuse the pun) is that I can't find any info on them. Who are these guys? Do they have any other records? Where are they from? Why aren't they winning Grammy awards? You have got to buy this album!!
The Problems, A Band from NYC
by
Peter Corless
The Problems are a band that my sister plays in. Her name is Barbara Corless. She is the drummer and is now studying piano as well.
Barbara grew up in New York City. Born in the Bronx in 1967. We moved in 1970 to Rockaway Beach, Queens -- home of the Ramones! She lived there for most of her youth. While most of the rest of us were Beatles fans, Barbara went her own route. She fell in love with Janis Joplin, Patsy Cline, and Michelle Shocked. She chose the drums to express herself. She backed the Hedgehogs for some years until the mid-early 1990s, when she moved to the Problems.
Frank Caiafa is the lead singer, and Caroline Heldman is the vocalist. Their voices are earnest, gentle, wrapped with lyrics both wry and positive.
The whole Brooklyn scene is alive with acoustic music, influenced from country, bluegrass, blues — I mean, isn't that what "CBGB's" originally stood for? That was Manhattan, and I recall when my sister and her old band played there one night. They played the Partridge Family theme song for all us Corless' that night.
The Problems are not to be compared musically to the Ramones except for they have roots in Rockaway Beach and Brooklyn and New York City. If the Ramones saw themselves as the New York City version of the Beach Boys, maybe Frank, Barbara, Kenny, Caroline, Liz, Josh, Rick and their whole support crew are the equivalent of the New York City version of the Cowboy Junkies.
Brother Wease, Woodstock MC, says its the sort of band you'd expect to hear at Woodstock. Maybe Bob Dylan and Joan Baez might smile upon them some day. Maybe some day they'll pile into a minivan and take a ride with their instruments in hand, like some modern Hanna-Barbera cartoon heroes, off to save the world with a wink and a nod, and then play a modern Woodstock festival.
Yet at the end of the day, the Problems are my sister's band. Barbara Corless. My rock-and-roll star sister.
Rock on, Problems! Rock on!
