Chandler Travis is on tour. This is not at all unusual, as he has been a traveling “writer/song-singer” (his words) for the better part of 30 years, with varying levels of success. He’s slipped in and out of various bands and guises, from the Incredible Casuals’ straight-ahead rock ‘n’ roll to the eclectic, experimental Chandler Travis Philharmonic, and his more subdued though no less peculiar solo recordings. It can all get a bit confusing to the newcomer, but there are a few accessible entry points. Travis recommends Let’s Have a Pancake, the Chandler Travis Philharmonic’s first record.
“There’s something about a band in its honeymoon period that is always special,” he says. “My favorite Casuals record is probably That’s That, again the first one.” He is in this regard absolutely right, as Let’s Have a Pancake is a minor classic, featuring many of Travis’ strongest songs played by a skilled band more than willing to follow him down whatever twisted paths he chooses. There are moments of Latin rhythm backed by Dixieland horns, accordion-based ballads that open with funereal horns, and plenty of the off-kilter humor that informs Travis’ best work.
Over his lifetime in the music business (in addition to the bands helpfully listed above, Travis runs his own record company, Sonic Trout), Travis has lived through to the seismic shifts we’ve all observed from the sidelines. What is the biggest single change he’s noticed? “Records disappearing comes to mind,” he says. “When I was growing up, we went through Elvis then the Beatles. Everyone was on the same page. In the ’60s, when ‘Satisfaction’ or ‘Lady Madonna’ or ‘Sunny Afternoon’ by the Kinks came out, everyone was buying that record. Now, it’s much more segmented. It’s great for variety, but something about the communal vibe is gone from it.”
These days, he says, it’s easier than ever to put your music in front of masses of people, but considerably harder to get anyone to care. “Music seems to be much less a central part of people’s lives. When I was young, if you went to a store you didn’t necessarily hear music there. Now if you enter a restaurant or an airport, there’s music. They’re throwing music at you at all times, and I think it devalues music in general.” But Travis keeps on toiling against that apathy, largely because he can’t seem to stop. “If you need to do this because it gives you joy, you stick with it. It’s a tough way to make a living, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Most of the world is doing some occupation that means nothing to them, so it’s an honor and a joy to do what you love. But if you want to raise a family, good luck.”
Travis and his longtime partner Steve Shook performed under the Travis Shook and Club Wow moniker for the better part of the ’70s and ’80s, opening for George Carlin for a decade. “We did that for so long, you get into a little routine,” Travis says. “When we first met George we were all young, doing the crazy stuff that people did in the early ’70s, but we worked through that. We opened for him for 10 years exclusively. You meet a lot of comedians who are doing their act all the time, even offstage, and George wasn’t that. We shared a lot of interest in record collecting. He was an easy person to be around, a straight shooter.” In an age where comedy and music are intersecting in more and more fascinating ways —see David Cross’ Let America Laugh, The Best Show on WFMU, or the Comedians of Comedy for the modern incarnation — it’s interesting that these guys were blending absurdist comedy and rock n’ roll 30 years ago.
These days, Travis keeps busy with yet more side projects. His garage rock project, the Catbirds, has a solid EP under its belt and a long-player scheduled for release soon after the current Philharmonics tour comes to a close. And he continues touring. “Art is not a career designed for getting rich,” he says. “We were lucky enough that for a few decades we could make a decent living, but now it’s back to normal.”
Normal, of course, being a relative concept.
The Chandler Travis Philharmonic plays Le Bon Temps Roule on Friday night and Chickie Wah Wah on Monday.
No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. The Chandler Davis Three-O contains four people. The band, which plays "Mountain Stage" on Sunday, is (from left): Berke McKelvey, Chandler Travis, Fred Boak and John Clark.
By Bill Lynch
CHARLESTON, W.V. — Chandler Travis laughs easily. He’s got a lot to laugh about. For the most part, he’s a man who’s gotten to do what he wants. The singer, guitarist, bandleader and former newspaper columnist’s career in music spans more than four decades, a couple of bands — including the Chandler Travis Three-O, appearing Sunday on “Mountain Stage” — and at least one long-term partnership with an American comedy icon.
Travis got started in music in the late 1960s, after he met guitarist Steve Shook. The two began playing together as Travis Shook, a duo.
“We were just a duo because we were too stoned to find a drummer,” Travis snickered, and then added a little more seriously, “Well, OK, it wasn’t entirely being too stoned. It just took us 10 years to find the right drummer.”
In the meantime, they played all over the country and, in 1972, met George Carlin at The Main Point coffeehouse in Bryn Mawr, Pa. It was a few months before Carlin’s arrest for his routine “The Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television” at Milwaukee’s Summerfest.
“I think he was a last-minute replacement for Dave Van Ronk,” Travis said. “George’s album, ‘FMAM,’ had just come out, and we’d seen him a couple of times on Ed Sullivan.”
They became fast friends. Carlin, Travis said, was a big record collector. They had that in common, along with a general interest in music. With his star on the rise, Carlin decided he wanted a band with him on tour. During the early peak of Carlin’s career, Travis and Shook were that band.
“We shared a love of music . . . and dope,” Travis chuckled. “I mean, mostly just pot. You know that point in the late ’60s, early ’70s, when everybody was doing everything? We were, too.”
They stayed with Carlin until about 1980, when Shook and Travis formed The Incredible Casuals.
“A noisy rock band,” he said.
After that, they didn’t tour as much with Carlin — just a couple of dates a year — but The Incredible Casuals did OK. “We did shows, released albums and everything.”
From The Incredible Casuals, he formed the Chandler Travis Philharmonic and eventually the Chandler Travis Three-O, which he sees as a kind of satellite ensemble for the philharmonic, not unlike a chamber group made up of members from a symphony orchestra.
And the music?
“Well, that’s a funny thing,” he said. “You work really hard to come up with something that’s hard to describe, that’s unique, and the first thing you’re asked to do is describe it.”
Still, after about 15 years, Travis has come up with a couple of working titles for his buffet-style mix of musical genres. There’s a little bit of everything in there, from rock to odd bits of folk to South American music to jazz.
“It’s been called Alternative Dixieland or Omni-Pop,” he said. “We also use ‘gospel music for atheists.’”
Whatever Travis calls the style, his lyrics often come with a slightly askew perspective and a wry sense of humor.
“My first instinct as a songwriter is to subvert any given form,” he said. “If I write a pretty love song there’s likely to be a twist, because I don’t want to be writing the same song again.”
A Spotlight On Lower Cape Personalities And Visionaries
Harwich’s Singing ‘Valet’ Fred Boak Does What He Loves Best
by Elizabeth Van Wye
Harwich resident Fred Boak has found a way to do what he loves. By day he is a computer programmer with more than 25 years in the computer software business. But when his work is done this self-styled “harmonizer-at-large” is also fulfilling a lifelong dream. He sings with the Chandler Travis Philharmonic, an Eastham-based band described by the Boston Globe as “Dixieland, pop, avant-jazz, rock.. .and fully over the top.”
Boak, who was born in Manhattan and grew up in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., was an only child. His father was a Presbyterian minister and Boak grew up loving to sing. He joined the church choir at five and advanced through all the church and high school choruses, taking voice lessons along the way. Boak came by his talent honestly. Both parents sang in vocal groups and it was natural for him to join in as soon as he could “I just loved doing it,” he recalled. “I couldn’t stop!”
Boak’s musical tastes progressed from the Beatles to art rock, including the bands Genesis and Kansas, to Frank Zappa and then all the modern classical blues, doowop and more. Meanwhile, in 1980 he was doing well enough in high school to get into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Boak says that while MIT is well known for its math and science, it was also a good place for music.
He sang in the Chorallaries ofMIT, the university’s mixed vocal a capella group, and eventually became the director for two years, frequently doing vocal arrangements. The group went on a couple of tours, through the Midwest, Chicago and Florida during the January independent activities time frame. “We’d schedule a tour and stay at alumni houses along the way,” he recalls.
Meanwhile, back in the classroom at MIT, Boak was studying economics and material science, learning all about plastics and chip design. “I liked the beginning courses,” he says, “but it wasn’t what I wanted, so I Ieft in 1985.” Boak got a job at WordsWorth Books in Harvard Square and worked there for several years before a mend told him about a computer job at its sister company, WordStock, designing computer systems for book stores.
“I started out in tech support and learned programming on the job,” Boak says, add. ing, “I’ve been there 20 plus years.” In the ’90s, he moved to Harwich, where he telecommutes, continuing to program inventory control systems for bookstores.
Telecommuting is not for everyone, he says. “It takes discipline and there are good days and bad. Mostly it’s great, with flexible hours.”
It’s especially good for his music, Boak says. In 1997 he heard singer Chandler Travis perform with the Philharmonic, his nine-piece group, for the first time.
“I started out as a fan,” Boak recalls, and Travis soon asked him to start selling the merchandise, the assorted CDs, Tshirts and other band paraphernalia often available at concerts. “When he found out I could sing, I weaseled my way on stage,” Boak says with a smile. “I love it,” he adds, “I hadn’t sung in 10 years and didn’t realize how much I missed it. I love playing and singing Travis’ songs… he is fantastic. They are some of the best musicians I’ve ever seen.”
Boak performs vocals as needed with both the Philharmonic and the Three-o, a smaller group of Philharmonic musicians, occasionally adding a collapsible vuvuzuela, the South African plastic horn, into the mix. Their unique sound, including horns, a keyboard and a mandolin as well as vocals, has been called jazz, pop or omnipop and even alternative Dixie land. “He gives free range to the horns,” Boak says of Travis, adding that the music can be danceable but also quiet. John Donohue, writing for the New Yorker, has described the music as “playful original songs that mix mind-bending wordplay with jazz, shimmering rock, and horn-fueled R&B.”
The group is known for its pageantry, especially in their attire, and may perform in costumes as diverse as bathrobes, pajamas or suits. Recognizing the special nature that clothing plays in their performances, Boak assumed the persona of “Chandler Travis’ valet” and during shows he dresses in the style of a contemporary Jeeves, with black suit, white shirt, black bowler hat, pink paisley bow tie and matching handkerchief, pink sunglasses and flip flops.
The group performs year round at restaurants and other venues, both on Cape Cod and nationwide, as well as at private parties, with 12 to 15 shows every month in the summer. They also perform gigs to help out non-profits in need, like their annual Christmas show, this year at the Old Jailhouse Tavern in Orleans.
With his flexible work schedule, Boak manages to do what he loves. “When I left school I wanted to do music I loved,” he recalls. “I didn’t want to lead a band. This is the best of that for me. I get to perform songs I really like, respect and appreciate.”
Below are highlights from the “SoundOut Consumer Insight Report” on the Chandler Travis Philharmonic’s recording of “Anne” (This was a you-get-the-first-one-free situation, presented by the always heinous Sonicbids organization, the folks who made it possible for artists to pay people to reject them who used to do it for free); for no particular reason, I submitted a song called “Anne” (off our latest debacle, “The Chandler Travis Philharmonic Blows”)…
For you to use as a reference and play along at home/work, here is a live recording of “Anne”, recorded by the Valet at one of our summer homes, Bubala’s By the Bay in Provincetown, MA. This one is from way back on September 7, 2006 and features Tim Dickey on mandolin, Berke McKelvey on soprano sax, Keith Spring on keyboards, Whitey Houston on bass, and Rikki Bates on djembe.
Chandler Travis Philharmonette - Anne (Live at Bubala's, September 7, 2006)[ 2:18 ]Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (64)
According to the SoundOut Consumer Insight Report, we rated:
45 (out of 100) for market potential (tho somehow, we’re in the “above average” category -one of 5 categories. Wonderfully enough, the lowest category is “average”; we just missed “good”- damn!
5.9 (out of 10) for “track rating”
a “passion rating”(!!) of 66 (out of 100).
They also volunteered that generally, males liked it better than females (70% vs 40% -the story of my life), and younger people better than older ones (esp. 16 to 24 year olds -god only knows what the hell is up there).
Here’s some of the more striking comments (sorry for all this, but too funny not to share!):
”the tone this singer has is a cross between dylan and jazz.The vocals cram a lot in in the verses. A very bad melody.Th epercussion has a very celtic feel.”
“good start of the song the truth would definitely like, but the coordination that used both the acoustic guitar as I liked the drums, and bass that sounds great”
“ok to follow, it just wasnt a performance of huge entertaining value.”
“didn’t sounded bad… sounded a bit monotonous after a while, however it was a nicely executated song”
“I feel there is potential in the artist vocally, these vocals weren’t stretched at all though and quite a boring song was produced, up the pace at times, stretch the voice, grab the audience, dated instrumentals which i’m sure was meant but not for modern music”
“the brute is done well”
“Out of nowhere it’s a trumpet! Don’t know if this is a comedy act or an actual song. Gave me a chuckle.”
“quite a nice mellow track, that musically reminded me of eels.”
“This song is very cinamatic and interesting. Male singer has a good voice and it’s interesting. Male singer has a little weak voice.”
“i love this song very much its very grapohical and makes you feel so good i love it so much and the drums and strings are so tuned for the song”
“the singing should have been rectified”
[Apparently this next guy hated it so much it made him turn french (or something)]:
“voice and lyrics have no sens common men stop it please. yo mon gars te vrm une grosse pourriture ge arrete la music et le domaine musical c pourri comme music :O.“
“Okayi didnt really think this song was all that great. I dont want to say it was good when it really wasnt. I didnt enjoy it and i thought the music was just.i dont really know how to explain it. maybe a faster tempo would help it out a little.”
“Bible refences is a BOG NOOO! So, not good at all.”
My response: the report was accompanied by lots of scientific-looking bars and graphs… this is the greatest! -now I gotta get SoundOut Consumer Insight Reports on all my songs!!! At last, a reason to keep writing! Highly recommended!
If you care to subject yourself to the hideousness which apparently is the officially released version of “Anne”, you can buy it directly from us at our new catalog page here. “Out of nowhere, it’s a trumpet!”
No, it wasn’t the latest Star Wars droid. It was, instead, another Chandler Travis musical project coming to Nippertown. As in his many other bands, Chandler is the ring master of the circus, albeit a little smaller circus than others. Billed as a trio – er, rather a three-o – the actual line-up caused Sarah Craig, Caffe Lena’s director, to quip that math wasn’t the reason they went into music. The band began entering the stage with bassist John Clark first – the rest of the band letting him hang out by himself for awhile, swinging in the breeze, as he said. Maybe it was less than three, as the rest of the light crowd chuckled. Eventually, the other bandmembers showed up – a grand total of four, with valet Fred Boak joining in.
Chandler used the smaller, more nimble, line-up to fully utilize the Lena setup. Shifting from the stage, to traveling minstrel, Chandler wandered (sometime running) through the audience along with the lone representative of the June Trailer Dancers (the horn section from the Chandler Travis Philharmonic) Berke McKelvey (soprano and alto sax, bass clarinet, keyboards and please forgive me if I forgot something) in tow. Even the upright bass was unplugged and brought into the audience. Luckily, there were no injuries.
The set list included Chandler Travis Philharmonic staples such as “Anne” and “You and Me Pushing Up Daisies” (with lyrics by David Greenberger, who was also in attendance, creating another source of one-liners for the friend of comedian George Carlin. Being more nimble also allowed them to perform songs from some of Travis’ other projects, Travis Shook & the Club Wow and the Incredible Casuals.
If you have never seen a Chandler Travis show, do yourself a favor and go. Luckily, you will have a chance at the Linda in November when the full Philharmonic will be performing. While the crowd was not very large, there were certainly fans. And while some may not have known much about the band when they arrived, they definitely left as fans. Who else can have your sides aching from laughter while at the same time appreciating the musical abilities? A full night of entertainment rolled up in one. Although they have performed in the area several times in the last year, they are actually from Cape Cod, so hopefully they got back home through Irene in one piece.
Thanks to Gene Griessman at WhatYouSay.com for including Chandler’s “Wedding Warning” on his public speaking blog. A recording of the “Wedding Warning” is available on the album “Hi! I’m Lippy Blappinklappy”
If George Carlin joined NRBQ, backed by the Mothers of Invention—no, if Captain Beefheart and Sun Ra commandeered the Village People . . . Hell, analogies are worthless when it comes to describing Chandler Travis’ “avant-jazz omnipop.” Travis has been blending comedy with music ever since Travis Shook and Club Wow spent the ’70s opening for George Carlin. Suffice it to say, his more recent permutations, the self-titled Philharmonic and the abbreviated Three-O, have evolved into adjective-slaying musical hydra. The fact that this Saratoga performance by the Three-O will feature four performers should give you an idea of the wavelength they’re on. (Aug. 26, 8 PM, $20, 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, 583-0022)
Last week, the Chandler Travis Philharmonic was on a blitzkreig mission, strafing Nippertown with their Spike Jones-meets-Ringling Brothers riotous rock-and-jazz hybrid sound. They tore it up at Zaika in Clifton Park last Thursday, threw it down at Peint O’Grw in Chatham on Friday and wrapped up the big lost weekend at the Lion’s Den at the Red Lion in Stockbridge on Sunday.
On Saturday evening, however, they kicked off the official launch of the 2011 Riverlink Park Concert Series in Amsterdam with a night of pure magical, musical mayhem. Hometown acoustic blues duo Holly & Evan shared the stage.
It might be a while ’til the CTP returns to town, but fans can make plans to catch a couple of Travis’ other musical projects this summer when he leads the Catbirds into Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Troy on Friday, August 12, and then slips into Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs with the Chandler Travis Three-O for a Travers’ Eve bash on Friday, August 26.
The Amsterdam Riverlink Park Summer Concert Series may kickoff with a musical pajama party, though the Chandler Travis Philharmonic won’t give too much away before Saturday.
“We’ve actually been going back and forth between suits and ties and pajamas and bathrobes,” said frontman Chandler Travis. “Lately we’ve been showing up in ties and jackets just to surprise people; we do like surprises.”
The nine-piece Massachusetts based band known for colorful performances and wardrobes will make their debut in Amsterdam this weekend. They’ve traveled throughout the Capital District in the past couple of years and have built such a following that band representative Denise Borden said the area has become “almost their home away from home.”
“At the booking end of things, it’s not always easy to find positions for a nine-piece band,” said Borden, “you have to have a big stage and you have to have a lot of space, so outside venues are fantastic for them.”
The Chandler Travis Philharmonic was formed in the late 1990s “by mistake,” said Travis, who had also formed the successful band the Incredible Casuals and toured for more than a decade with Travis Shook and the Club Wow as the opening act for George Carlin.
The Philharmonic came to life when Travis played as a guest in Cambridge with a house band led by Dinty Child, who asked Travis if there were any other instruments he wanted added to the performance.
Today, Travis still isn’t sure why he enthusiastically suggested that horns join the set, but after a debut album and 26 website-only full length CDs, the horn section is still part of the Philharmonic, as is the string bass, mandocello, guitar, drums and accordion.
“Most rock and roll bands use horns,” said Travis. “Our take on it, I think, is a little wilder.”
According to Travis, there are several handles that may best describe the Philharmonic’s sound: Alternative Dixieland, Omni-pop or “gospel music for atheists, or at least agnostics.” They’ve been described by the Village Voice as “a keenly entertaining blend of Ringling Bros. and Ra,” “a quirky smorgasbord of rock, blues, boogie-woogie, Dixieland and some free-jazz zing” by the Daily New Hampshire Gazette and “more fun than a barrel of pancakes” by the Times Union.
In short, their sound is perhaps better heard than explained.
“One of the things that’s great about the band is we have some appeal for a wide range of age groups,” said Travis. “We do some kind of big bang stuff that’s great for older people and we’re silly enough for toddlers.”
Local blues band Holly & Evan will open for the Chandler Travis Philharmonic at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Riverlink Park. The summer concert series is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.riverlinkconcerts.com.
Wow, what a weekend, nothing to do except sit back and listen to one great band after another.
Originally, I signed up for the Clang! Thang mainly because Chandler Travis and his different projects (Chandler Travis Philharmonic and the Catbirds) were scheduled to play, but I was also curious about the revamped NRBQ with Terry Adams. I had missed him both times he came to Amsterdam’s Riverlink Park with the Rock and Roll Quartet. With all performances in the East Windsor Clarion Inn’s ballroom, weather would certainly not be a problem (good thing too, because Friday and Saturday saw some soaking rains). Going in with an open mind about the other performers I had never heard of, I found I was in for a great surprise as each one was wonderful.
Friday night’s line-up began with Heather McAdams screening a bunch of old music clips. Sometimes nostalgic and sometimes hilarious, it was a great way to start the evening. Following Heather was her husband Chris Ligon (brother of NRBQ guitarist Scott Ligon) with some of the funniest songs I’ve heard in a long time. The crowd was roaring. PJ O’Connell was next up (he recently appeared at the Linda with Terry Adams). His straight ahead set featured Travis on bass and NRBQ alum Tommy Ardolino on drums.
Closing out the night was Terry Adams and NRBQ. Only having seen Adams on YouTube videos didn’t prepare me for just how much he moves. His unorthodox playing style and intense facial expressions make him both a photographers dream and nightmare. The camera loves the pics of him, when it can get off a clear shot – I must have nearly a hundred blurry shots from the evening as he moved about the keyboards of his clavichord and grand piano in quick, unexpected motions. Despite all that, and the fact my battery was barely hanging on, I did manage to capture the moment. The nearly two hour set flew by and I was so pumped by the energy and music on the stage, it was another hour before I could sleep.
Brunch saw an impromptu serenade by Travis and a few friends, after which, was the afternoon session that saw the Catbirds sandwiched between two sets of the Chandler Travis Philharmonic (one in suits and the other in their more casual attire). Besides Travis, both groups share Dinty Child (guitar and mandocello) and Rikki Bates (drums). You can see my previous reviews of these two wonderful bands right here in Nippertown – Philharmonic and Catbirds.
After a great dinner, the evening session began much the way the first night did with some very funny music video clips. Next was the Jim Stephanson Band from the midwest. This trio opened their set with a guest appearance by Terry Adams on keyboards. The songs were rocking so much, Adams ran back on stage to keep playing, to the delight of both Stephanson and the crowd. Nippertown’s fave, Kevin Maul, also did a few guest spots on lap steel.
David Greenberger, penner of some of Chandler Travis’ lyrics, debuted his new band A Strong Dog. While the other groups were straight ahead rhythm and blues, Greenberger’s was more of a performance piece than a concert. Rather than just using the music as a background to his spoken word, the original songs wrapped around the words, giving them a life – making the whole even better than the sum of its parts. The night, and, unfortunately, the weekend, finished with another fantastic set by NRBQ.
I hope there are future Clang! Thangs. Organizers Stacey Sandler and Donna Waite did a great job of organizing a knock out show. On the ride home, I felt a strange let down as I knew there weren’t any more performances to see. Except for a couple of self-inflicted issues, the weekend could not have been better.
What Frank Sinatra is to New York City, what Bruce Springsteen is to New Jersey, what Elvis Presley is to Memphis, Chandler Travis is to Cape Cod. — Daniel McDermott, Provincetown Magazine
