Happy to report that Colorway’s first single from The Black Sky Sequined “Come Back July” was voted in at number nine of 93 in WRSI’s “Top 93 Songs Of 2015.”
You can see the whole list here.
Thanks to all who voted and to WRSI for always supporting local music.
And on we go . . .
So this is where it all began.
It was 1975 and I had just gotten my first guitar (thanks, Mom). Sure, it was plastic. But plastic was all the rage in the 70s.
So forty years pass and I’m still playing and I’m still hanging in there. I still love pajamas and I still love hats.
The more things change, I guess, the more they stay the same.
I wanted to take a moment and wish you all a very happy holiday season and raise a glass of egg nog to you for whatever may come in 2016. This year has certainly seen its share of changes.
The new album did really well from all accounts and we couldn’t be happier with the response from both the public and the critics.
We got to tour the Northeast, play some rock, meet some new folks and catch up with old friends.
Dave and JJ moved on and are doing their respective things both musically and non. I wish them all the best, always.
And since July, Matt and Riley have been giving it their all learning the catalog of tunes as well as crafting some new material. We have big plans for the springtime and hope to have some new songs for you when the weather gets warmer (if it ever gets cold to begin with). 🙂
I wanted to also ask for your support by voting for “Come Back July” in the WRSI 93 Songs of 2015. If you follow this link here you can vote for us until Sunday 12/27. One lucky person will win a shopping spree at Turn It Up Records, one of the better music stores in the area. You have to give some basic info to register but after that it’s easy peasy. Two years ago you helped make “Live With Me” from the first album come in at number three. So thanks for that and thanks in advance for voting for us in this round.
Bring on 2016 and all the plastic guitars you can muster. We’ll try to keep our hats and PJ’s on and give it what for.
Cheers, be safe, and know that music can make almost anything better.
Warmly,
~Alex, Matt and Riley
Upcoming shows:
Colorway will be performing on First Night at St John’s Episcopal Church. We are honored to be taking part in this great Northampton tradition again.
When: Thu, 12/31
Where: 48 Elm St.
Northampton, MA (at the edge of Smith College)
Directions
What time: 9:15-10:00pm
Full list of performance here.
Buy your buttons here at a discounted rate.
Did you make a resolution for more rock in 2016? You did? Well we’re happy to provide. Come check out two sets of original tunes for FREE!
When: Saturday, January 9
Where: 21 Center St. Northampton, MA (adjacent to the new police station parking garage which you can park in for this show)
Directions here
Phone: (413) 387-6345
What time: 8pm-10:30pm
21+
How much: FREE (tips appreciated)
The Basement has a full bar for your enjoyment.
More info and full Basement schedule here.
Alex plays two sets of tunes from his 25 years of creating music in the Pioneer Valley.
When: Sat. 1/16
Where: Bread Euphoria
206 Main St, Haydenville, MA
Directions here
What time: 6-8pm
Cost: FREE!! (tips/bread accepted)
This event is all ages!
PS:
Remember, the new album is available at www.colorwaymusic.com on CD and 180gram vinyl, as well as at www.colorway.bandcamp.com for the digital download. But you can also pick it up an any one of these great Valley establishments. Support your local musician and support you local music store.
Turn it Up
5 Pleasant St
Northampton, MA
Platterpus Records
28 Cottage St
Easthampton, MA
Cup and Top Cafe (CD only)
1 North Maple St
Florence, MA
Wild Mutation Records
52 Main St Suite 6
Florence, MA
Mystery Train Records
178A North Pleasant St
Amherst, MA
“No music, no life.”
www.colorwaymusic.com
Check out this great review by Hunter Styles originally published in the Valley Advocate, 10/29/15
Where on the spectrum does Colorway play? I might say these musicians are best at capturing the light, bright tones of late morning or mid-afternoon, given their talent for writing sunny and engaging pop songs.
But band leader F. Alex Johnson, one of the founders of the alt-country group Drunk Stuntmen, has a nocturnal cast about him. He is a veteran of the local roadhouse rock scene, lit by neon and bathed in shadow. From his thick and gritty guitar work, it shows.
The songs on Colorway’s second full-length album, The Black Sky Sequined, strike a sublime balance between light and dark, sweet and dour. Across 10 tracks — some good; some great — the band leans radio-friendly, and nothing here reinvents the wheel. But if you’re a fan of no-nonsense, head-boppin’ rock albums, you’ll wear a nice groove into this one.
Through his un-showy singing style and introspective lyrics, Johnson mostly comes off as a softie — his other regular gig is playing guitar with Northampton’s Young@Heart senior chorus — and here he is wishing on good deeds and second chances. “Maybe all the pressure/ didn’t make a gem/ Anyone can sparkle/ We can live again,” he sings on “Gen Exit,” the catchy opening track. “Take me, I am ready/ I can feel it kicking in.”
That song — full of driving drums, crisp electric guitar riffs, and rich moments of harmony — sets the tone for a streamlined and cleanly-produced record. With nice work from Dave Hayes on bass and JJ O’Connell on drums, these tunes are full of texture, but sleekly composed.
That’s no big surprise, since the self-produced album — which was recorded by Mark Alan Miller at Sonelab in Easthampton — was mastered in Portland, Maine by veteran sound engineer Bob Ludwig, who won several Grammy awards in February, including two for Beck’s Morning Phase, which won album of the year.
At one point, Johnson says, Ludwig exclaimed that the fifth track had “a great solo … there’s lots of great solos on this record.” Ludwig is right. And the song he was referring to, called “Me and My Baby,” is one of the album’s standouts, leaping back and forth between crunchy blues-rock verses and dreamy power-chord refrains, like a Black Keys song swept up by Fountains of Wayne.
“Maybe you’ll see me tomorrow/ and we can try it again,” Johnson sings. “Maybe you’ll see me tomorrow/ and we can try to be friends.”
That’s Colorway’s message in a nutshell. When Johnson sings about life’s trials, he has mud on his boots but stars in his eyes. He has been around the block a few times. But whenever he circles back to familiar turf, he’s prepared to see it in a new light.
Colorway plays The Half Door in Hartford on Nov. 4. The Black Sky Sequined is available for digital download at colorwaymusic.com and in-store at select businesses in Amherst, Easthampton, and Northampton.•