Year In Review, Vol. 6 - Chris Cubeta

This December, to celebrate the music of 2007, I asked a bunch of the artists I’ve featured on PHW over the last 11 months to share their thoughts on the “year that was”. I asked a mix of my favorite local artists, as well as several larger acts, with the hope of having a diverse assortment of reflections on the music that mattered to the artists that mattered to me.
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Chris Cubeta, a Brooklyn based singer/songwriter, bandleader of The Liars Club, and owner and operator of Foil Studios in Williamsburg, is in the middle of some pretty busy days. P.S.318:Warehouse Songs, a collection of tracks recorded live at his studio by some of New York’s finest singer/songwriters, was just recently released in an effort to bring together musicians and get quality music heard. Cubeta is also days away from the long awaited CD release party for his new EP, simply titled Change. The event is to be held this Saturday evening (12/15) at Crash Mansion. The new EP collects several new songs, a cover of Tom Waits’ “Hold On”, and 2 stripped-down versions of songs from his last 2 full length albums, Sugar Sky and 2006’s Faithful.

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It was Faithful that I heard first earlier this year. At times reminiscent of the best of Counting Crows and John Hiatt, Faithful is a strong collection of radio-ready, passionate roots rock and roll. Cubeta has the unique ability catch that restless feeling of watching your youth fade away out the rearview mirror. His songs long for the good old days gone by, but make the best of dealing with the difficulties of adulthood. They are layered in varied instrumentation and sweet melodies, but are spacious enough to invite multiple listens. At their best, as on “Clementine” and “Don’t Worry”, the characters and stories are so sharply written you almost feel like he’s singing about folks you know. And he probably is…

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Here’s a smattering of mp3s from the Chris Cubeta catalog, and I included a link to his myspace where you can hear a great cover of Neil Young’s “Old Man”, which features Emily Easterly on banjo.

Stream :: Old Man

MP3 :: Change
(from the brand new Change EP. Buy at the release show this Saturday)

MP3 :: Clementine (recommended highly by my girlfriend, as well as me)
MP3 :: Don’t Worry
(from Faithful. Buy here)

MP3 :: Don’t Worry
MP3 :: One Holy Night
(from P.S. 318: Warehouse Songs)
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Chris was kind enough to take some time from his busy schedule and send along some highlights of his year, both from a musical standpoint and a personal one:

Favorite Liars Club moment - Swimming on a beach in Willmington, NC on our first East Coast tour
Favorite Record - Steve Earle - Washington Square Serenade
Favorite Restaurant - Sounkyo Sushi (all you can eat Sushi for 20 bucks !!!!)
Favorite book I read - Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Favorite drunken memory - Three grown men standing naked on my kitchen table for no apparent reason (YIKES)
Favorite show I played - AIDS benefit with Gary Jules in which we raised over $2000 for my good friend Michael Reynolds
Favorite sports moment - Alex Rodriguez hits a walk off home run to beat the Atlanta Braves
Favorite date - A lovely dinner with my wife at a small restaurant in BK
Favorite food - Boulder Canyon Potato Chips (Malt vinegar and sea salt) WOW
Favorite person - DA BOSS (for those of you who don't know him consider yourself lucky)
Favorite shitty pop song - “Umbrella” by Rihanna (this was our theme song on tour)
Favorite nephew - Christopher Matthew Cubeta (my first and only nephew so I don't really have a choice)
Favorite blog - Pop Headwound !!!!!!
Favorite charity - http://www.simplysmiles.org/
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