Weinie On A Carousel??
by Mark Jarvis,
Cowley College Humanities Professor
published in the Cowley Press
I'm something of a minimalist. When I moved the last time, all my
worldly possessions fit in one El Camino. Though that has changed some
due to my garage sale addtiction, I still own less than two dozen CD's,
for I'm selective. Of all my discs, one I pack on every trip and load
frequently is the eclectic "The Best Things In Life Are For Rent," the
most recent release by the The Renters. The minimalists (monks, hitch
hikers, aesthetics of all kinds) all own this CD. It has a place in
everyone's music library.
Why should this be part of everyone's essential collection? Not just
because it is perhaps the finest music generated in these parts. Not
just because the artists are swell folk. Not because it will surely be a
collector's item... but because of the range of emotion it evokes.
I love this disc. It makes me think. It makes me laugh. It's just
darn good musc.
Take my favorite track, number nine, "Song for the New Year."
Written by Gary Gackstatter, Cowley's music director, this is true
minimalist lyric, paring paradoxical phrases in a way that never ceases
to move me. I have the lyrics pinned up on my wall. It encompasses a
philosophy to live by. It expresses nearly everything I stand for,
personally and professionally. It's an anthem of life.
In a similar vein, "What I Tried To Give", written by Tim Durham,
strikes a particular chord with me. It offers an honest, yet positive
spin on the complications of relationship struggles. The song raises the
questions I can never answer, myself. It captures that lingering feeling
lost love leaves one with. Basically it leaves me with hope, that
someday I might unravel that confusing fusion of emotions.
Being a native of Kansas, "Around the Bend" and "Touch of Gold"
capture just the way I feel about my homeland. I play them when I'm on
drives in the country, wondering why others can't see the obvious beauty
of the landscape. For those of you who don't share this appreciation,
listen and learn.
I always get a chuckle from track five, Gackstatter's "Wienie On A
Carousel" which should be on an endless loop in every convenience stroe.
Written from the vantage point of an overcooked wiener, it presents
mouth-watering observations of our culture. Another tune that always
makes me smile lis "That's All Folks," which lampoons cartoon violence
by chronicling the fitting deaths of a whole catalog of cartoon
characters. Listeners who can laugh at themselves might identify with
Durham's "I Need Some Money Real Bad." It's my favorite track near the
end of the month.
Some may argue the CD is too eclectic, too rangy. There's actually a
common thread throughout: songs of life, but that interpretation could
get a little cheesy. Overall, I feel the wide variety makes it a great
all-occasion recording. It plays like a "Best Of..." collection, and in
fact, I feel it's their best work yet, but knowing the Renters, I'd
safely wager the best if yet to come.
Addendum
Julie Rosseter's viola is an interesting addition to the musical mix of
mandolin and guitar. A number of other instruments are artfully mixed in
here and there, but the viola is like a third voice, sometimes almost
chuckling along, at other times carrying the subtext of a song very
subtly. I enjoy the viola now, as a "folk instrument" if I were to
attempt to classify Renters as folk music (which I never could, for I
consider the group to be out of the grasp of labeling and
classification).
