Had a lot of fun recording this week's show, as is obvious from the number of edits that were made to keep it on-topic and down to the time allotted. I've often felt that featured artist Cara Jean Wahlers' first appearance on the show failed to properly capture her warm, energetic personality -- though, arguably, that was by design, since that episode was dedicated to her Big Roots Show and not her own music. I'm glad that, almost two years later, I finally got the chance to have her back on to fix that particular oversight and showcase some of the new material she alluded to back then. Though traditionally a background and session player, those of us who have caught Cara Jean at her solo shows around town have known of her incredible singing and songwriting ability for a while now, and it's great to finally have some of it captured on an album (and podcast). Goodnight Charlotte, her first release with cellist Grover Parido, beautifully melds Cara Jean's atmospheric guitar, poetic lyrics, and delicate voice with Grover's unmatched ability to add richness and depth to a song as both a background and as a lead instrument, while at the same time never overpowering the other players and voices. The result is a beautiful, textured trip through a range of images, stories, and emotions that is as lush in tone as it is intelligent.
As if all that weren't enough, we have another first for Indy In-Tune this week: a podcast partially dedicated to original Indiana music in film. Andie Redwine joins us to talk about her movie, Paradise Recovered, which premieres at the Heartland Film Festival this coming weekend. The film features music from a number of Indiana recording artists, including of course Cara Jean Wahlers and Grover Parido. With the film already garnering interest from Heartland, the Austin Film Festival, and a few other indie film showcases around the country, the boost of exposure for local, original music is almost as exciting as the success of the film itself.
Links referenced in the show:
