Zachary Cale drops by for an instore show in one of our favourite record shops ever, Bis Auf’s Messer. No relation of John Cale by the way, Zachary hails from smalltown Louisiana and currently resides in Brooklyn, NYC.
The Wedding Party was the first Cale song I heard some time ago, a dark folk number with Cale’s voice coming from the next room, immediately addictive. Dusty, hazy acoustic ballads sit comfortably alongside full-band country-folk rockers in his already prolific and equally impressive repertoire. It hasn’t taken long since his arrival in NYC for Cale to receive the kind of comparisons to greats like Dylan, Cohen and Fahey which would make most freak out and develop writer’s block. Not this young man. He credits James Joyce’s Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man for inspiring his latest album title Noise Of Welcome and opener on said record, Blake’s Way, is a homage to William Blake whose poetry has influenced him immensely.
John Allen of WFMU Radio has this to say of Cale and I think it sums his music up nicely:
Zachary Cale is a songwriter’s songwriter, as prolific as he is original. His voice can be delicate for love or wry for satire. The ability to hear what is in a song has guided him well in the making of his own. While the influence of traditional American music is always present in his compositions, he is able to infuse something fresh and new to the form.
Here’s a bunch of his songs including Blake’s Way and The Wedding Party:
The Wedding Party by Zachary Cale
Mourning Glory Kid by Zachary Cale
Zachary Cale will also play M:Soundtrack Presents at Schokoladen on Sept. 22nd.
