Once in awhile, The Scribe gets a package
in the mail that supercedes most of the others in the way
of (what I will refer to as) more “goodies” in
the bag. In other words, I got more than a CD with a letter
or one sheet. I got the whole god darned press kit. The artist?
A guy from around Nashville that I’d never heard of
(although a few of my music friends had) named Fred Wilhelm.
Fred’s CD amidlife was tucked neatly in a folder amidst
an 8x10 glossy and all sorts of reading material. I must admit,
The Scribe was feeling a little bit like Christmas.
And that’s a feeling that didn’t stop when amidlife
finally made it’s way to the CD player. Fred’s
first go around in The Melting Pot found him spinnin’
with Nashville Vocal Duo Christian/Durand (“Go West,
Virginia”), horror film director/scorer John Carpenter
(Soundtrack to “Vampires”), various artist (Soundtrack
to “Grass”) and Balladeer Edwin McCain (“Messenger”).
I had a friend over that day and just about the time I became
aware that Fred was taking his first “go,” my
friend asked, “Who’s this?”
Fred’s songs were immediately ear friendly, although
I don’t know what I’d really classify him as.
His tunes are kind of hard to explain. They are sort of a
white hip-hop set to a sort of folky pop beat. It was rather
unique in a haven’t-I-heard-this-before sort of way.
The closest thing I was able to come up was Urban Bluegrass
(and I didn’t even come up with that on my own). The
tracks on amidlife blended perfectly with their playmates,
lending to the ear a complimentary companion to whatever style
of music fell on either side of it. There were several times
when I pulled the jacket out to check on things more thoroughly
(something I usually don’t do until the second spin).
So intrigued was I by Fred’s disc, that I set up the
second Melting Pot mix almost as soon as the first one ended
(another thing I don’t do, usually waiting until the
next day). For this go around I used Italian folkie Hazy Davy
(“Not Hazy One Bit”), Various Artists (“A
Columbia Records New Music Sampler”), John Travolta
(“John Travolta Sings!”) and Bryan Adams (“Into
The Fire”). This was a fun mix and one that Fred, once
again excelled in.
I also think it is pertinent to mention Fred’s lyrics
caught The Scribe’s ears on his first spin –something
that NEVER happens. I found myself asking myself all sorts
of questions such as, “Is he really singing about monkeys?”
(It turned out to be sea monkeys in the song by the same name).
His words in “Stop Tickin’” (one of the
more serious cuts on the album) really moved me as he rapped
his way through his family’s history.
And while we’re on the subject of rapping, this might
be a good time to address that issue. It’s the one thing
about amidlife that I’m not too sure of. Fred doesn’t
rap on every song so it’s not something I would say
defines his style. And, since he does a pretty good job of
it most of the time, I’m curious as to what his motivations
were. One advantage to the listener is that it sort of breaks
things up, making it difficult to become bored while moving
through the disc’s eleven tunes.
All in all, amidlife is a good time. It’s a well-crafted
project (recorded in Fred’s attic, I hear) that will
take you all to all sorts of places.
You will tap your foot. You will nod your head. You will be
moved. You will smile. You may even laugh at some things.
You are getting sleepy… (No! Wait! Just kidding on that
last one there) Fred seems to he a writer who has no difficulty
bringing humor into his art. In a world where so many writers
create out of pain this is truly refreshing.
Fred Wilhelm will be performing at 12th and Porter here in
Nashville on Wednesday, August 29th. Check the scene for the
exact time. I forgot to write it down. But I would suggest
having an evening out and checking out this boy’s show.
I know The Scribe is hoping to be there. -- ****
Yankee Magazine, July 2001:
Also from Connecticut, now in Nashville. He's
not well known, but he's a fabulous, smart, funny songwriter.
On "Amidlife," there's a poignant track about Fred's
family and farm in northwest Connecticut. --Jim Collins' Top
40 all-time New England artists list
Southeast Performer, September 2000:
It's hard to believe that Fred Wilhelm's autobiographical
CD amidlife was recorded in his attic. The album features
acoustic, melodic tunes with a crisp, clean sound. Wilhelm
delivers some of these songs in a kind of folksy rap. The
opening title track sets the stage for the rest of the CD:
a man in the middle of his life, questioning his existence
while he moves amid life (See the word play?) He first looks
back to his parents as a source of life in "Stop Tickin".
Then he examines his life as a struggling musician, as a lover
and as a child. He finally ends back in the present time,
deciding he is "Proud of Myself". The song that
sticks out is "Beneath You," which is from the film
Oxygen. Although it's a terrific mood-setting piece, it doesn't
fit the theme of life examination and probably should have
been saved for the next record. The writing is poignant and
soul-baring. "Sea Monkeys" should strike a chord
with anyone from the '60s and '70's who saw those ads (for
what were actually brine shrimp) in comic books. Although
"I've Got Money Now" is about Wilhelm's friends
finding wealth, here's hoping it won't be long before Wilhelm
finds some money--and some respect--as he travels amid his
life. --Roi Tamkin
Performing Songwriter, August/September
2000:
On amidlife, Fred Wilhelm sits down and explores
where he is, how he got there and where he thinks he’s
going. It’s a mid-life crisis put to music. What’s
even more intriguing is that he’s able to pull it off.
Wilhelm (of course) wrote all eleven songs. He got some musical
support from talented people like Doug Kahan (bass), David
Powell (guitar, mandolin, banjo), Mike Clark (drums), Steve
Conn (accordion, Wurlitzer), Tommy Spurlock (steel, dobro),
and David Hungate (trumpet and trombone). Plus lots of nice
supporting vocals from too many people to list. Wilhelm produced
it with Matt Andrews and they did a cool job of tying it all
together. There’s a color photo in the packaging of
Fred before a sunlit window, sitting in his chair performing
by himself to the world, and a nearby velvet Elvis poster
embodies everything cool about this record. Wilhelm runs the
stylistic gamut here, but by keeping it topical and interesting
he makes sure there’s a glue. Self-absorbed? Yes. Forgiven?
Of course. Keep at it, Fred. I wanna hear the sequel.
Taylor Guitars (www.taylorguitars.com):
What happens when a Nashville-based singer-songwriter
dresses his clever, quirky, ultra-catchy folk-pop tunes in
hip-hop rhythms, drum samples, and a little pretty-fly-for-a-white-boy
rapping? Initially, nothing. Such was Fred Wilhelm's experience.
After an initially lukewarm response from Music City's publishing
execs, Wilhelm resigned himself to crafting his infectious
hybrid pop for his own enjoyment, until Jeff Giles, head of
the newly formed Indie label Grab Bag Records, heard his stuff
and signed him. The ensuing album, Amidlife, is a uniquely
engaging musical statement that blends Wilhelm's musical influences
with his current life perspective: "a guy in his mid-30's,
still struggling to succeed." His viewpoint, he adds,
fits somewhere between what he sees as two well-traced angles:
"young guys whining" and "old guys reflecting."
Wilhelm has both New York and Nashville in his veins. He moved
to Greenwich Village after high school, and co-founded The
Astorians, a rock outfit that earned critical praise and toured
the East Coast during the late '80s, opening for The Replacements,
Living Colour, and The Psychedelic Furs. Wilhelm wryly describes
the band's ultimate fate: "…like many promising
bands before [us], [we] imploded at CBGB's before a house
full of record executives, publishers, and general music industry
dorks." Wilhelm and guitarist Richard Pearce re-appeared
as the duo The Rails, which earned Wilhelm a New York Music
Award as "BMI's Best New Songwriter", and a Billboard
Songwriting Award. Elektra Records (NY) signed them, but five
songs into their album, the label pulled the plug, feeling
the pair sounded "too much like The Incredible String
Band." (Wilhelm says they sounded nothing like them.)
Wilhelm and producer Matt Andrews recorded most of Amidlife
in Wilhelm's attic studio; in fact, many of the guest musicians
clambered up Wilhelm's narrow staircase to cut their tracks
there and preserve the room's homey vibe. Both the album's
title and blend of traditional instrumentation - like mandolin,
wurlitzer, accordion, dobro - with hip-hop drum loops and
Wilhelm's lilting rap, seemed a fitting metaphor for Wilhelm's
sense of place: "somewhere in the middle between the
past and the future, just trying to sort it all out."
As "in-between" as Wilhelm may feel, his sound is
clear, cohesive, organic, and remarkably authentic. His material
includes a poignant tribute to his parents ("Stop Tickin'"),
a plea to settle down an exhausting rollercoaster relationship
("Steady"), a hilarious tale of a post-breakup dry
spell ("Sex Camel"), and a droll, slice-of-childhood
cautionary tale about the disappointment found on the flip
side of false hope ("Sea Monkey") - so titled because,
as Wilhelm wittily observes, "buying Sea Monkeys as a
kid was for many of us the first time we ever got totally
screwed." Another track, "Beneath You", was
written for the film "Oxygen", starring Adrien Brody
and Maura Tierney. Nashville's music publishers eventually
had a change of heart; two of Wilhelm's songs were recently
recorded by major label acts. Amidlife's indie groovefest
is a nicely encompassing Americana record - one that bridges
old and new idioms, urban and rural styles, and rings out
as relevant hip-pop.
Compact Disc Warehouse (www.cdw-online.com):
Fred is a talented singer-songwriter, and
if you like the clip we've featured from the song Beneath
You, you'll enjoy amidlife in its entirety. As the liner notes
attest ("recorded in my attic, Nashville - Summer 1999"),
this is a homemade affair, with just the right amount of production
and special guest appearances to make this release one that
we highly recommend. In live performance, Fred knows how to
connect with an audience. He has a firm grasp of nuance, and
his songs...often taking some unexpected emotional twists
and turns...delighted the crowd.
Larry Flick, BILLBOARD Magazine, May 1, 1999:
