What’s the Deal with Oliver Anthony

Picking up an old acoustic guitar I’d had for 20+ years, I began playing every single day back in late 2018, This became a cathartic escape from a deep, dark hole prompted by the tragic death of my only son a year before.

When I started playing three or four songs at open mics in 2019, I never thought I’d end up writing nearly 40 songs over the next three years, while releasing music regularly on Bandcamp. I especially never thought I’d have the guitar skills to play professionally, often carrying three-hour sets of covers interspersed with my own songs.

My goal was never to become a popular musician. First, the musical influences I have are obscure indie bands and singers—performers like Guided by Voices, Swearing at Motorists, and some bigger name performers like Wilco and Car Seat Headrest.

At the same time, I honestly thought I might manage to gather a niche following of music fans, similar to what I’ve been able to cobble together over the last 20 years as a writer. My Moxie book still sells steadily because I’d found a nostalgic topic that came with a built-in cult following.

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Spaceship Flying Saucer Bluze/AB Records Issue #105 (June 2023)

Very pleased to be featured in the latest Aldora Britain Records – AB Records e-zine, The Independent and Underground Music e-Zine, Issue 105.

Tom Hilton champions true independent music from all over the globe. He obviously understood what I’ve been trying to do, especially the past two releases. Thanks, Tom!!

Spaceship Flying Saucer Bluze
Indie rock is an infinite field of sonic possibilities. It is a bracket that has been employed by thousands of bands and artists from all around the world. Some have lived up to its legacy, and some have fallen behind.

Out of Lynchburg, Virginia, contemporary singer-songwriter JIM BAUMER carves out his very own space on the alternative indie spectrum. Outings such as 2022’s Living in Some Strange Days and this year’s Home Sweet Home have stood up and been counted.

These selections showcase Jim’s fantastic approach to music, a glorious crossover of experimental rock, lo-fi pop, and one-man band indie. This musical approach provides a strong foundation for tales of darkness and pain, but also hope and real-life optimism. It is this relatable edge that really brings these LPs, and Jim’s music, to life.

Earlier this year, following the release of Home Sweet Home, Aldora Britain Records had a chat with this underground artist to unearth his journey so far.

Jim Baumer has previously contributed his track ‘Kick the Darkness’ to our ‘Knighted’ compilation. Listen or download HERE.

[If you enjoy this content, please consider making a small, magazine-sized donation at the following link. Thank you!]

Aldora Britain Records: Hello Jim, how are you? I am excited to be talking to such an innovative and creative contemporary artist. Thank you for your time. Let’s start off at the very beginning. What are some of your earliest musical memories and what was it that first pushed you towards pursuing this passion of yours?
Jim Baumer: My first memories of music were when I was eight years old, listening to my local AM station in the early 70s. Back then, you heard a great deal of rock on AM radio, not like today in the US where it is all talk radio garbage.

[Jim Baumer live, Loose Shoe Too, Appomattox, VA, May 2023]

I can remember one Thanksgiving, hearing the full version of Arlo Guthrie’s ‘Alice’s Restaurant’ and thinking his talking blues was the greatest thing ever. Then, bands like Blue Cheer with their version of ‘Summertime Blues’ blasting out of the stereo console at my house. Also, our local drug store downtown carried rock mags like Creem and I remember reading about Marc Bolan and Lou Reed when I was like nine or ten.
Aldora Britain Records: And now, let’s take a leap forward to the present day and your impressive solo output. I love the lo-fi and DIY attitude that you have. That really appeals to me, for sure! Where does this drive come from, and what would you say this DIY approach brings to your musical output?

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JimBaumerMusic Live Dates (Spring/Summer)

I really don’t know who visits this website/blog these days. But in case someone local to Lynchburg (my new home) stumbles across it, here are the gigs I’ve managed to cobble together at the moment. Happy to have landed one of the coveted slots at the Lynchburg Community Market on Saturday mornings. I’ll be there on June 10th from 10:00 to Noon. Some of my favorite performances have been at farmers’ markets back in Maine. Always a fun time and I guess I’ll be able to break out the “Farmers’ Market Song” I wrote back in 2020.

Upcoming Music Dates

My live performances are always unique. I don’t play the same old covers that everyone else plays. I’ve also forged my own style of playing both electric and acoustic guitar. Not fancy, but my chops come from the heart. I also write my own songs and work these into my two-and-three-hour sets.

Hoping to find a few more places to play in Lynchburg and elsewhere. Don’t be surprised to find me busking on the mall in Charlottesville and who knows where else I’ll show up this summer and fall.

Here’s one of my own:

I’ll also be back in New England in August to make a return appearance at the amazing Bolton Fair on their stage near the beer tent. Hoping to find another venue or two in Maine to play for old friends.

Stay tuned!

Home Sweet Home/RPM Challenge 2023

Last Monday, I finished my final mixes on my last two songs for the RPM Challenge. What originally began as a 5-song EP, over the course of February, became a 10-song album. Honestly, I wasn’t’ totally surprised that I had more songs in me than a mere five.

Home recording is a solitary activity. I don’t know how many people there are that would self-identify as home recorders. What I found enlightening during February, thanks to RPM’s attempts to connect all of us, is that there are more of us than I thought.

I’m not really sure where my music fits into the larger context of the rock and roll universe. I’m guessing I’ll always occupy some very small, obscure niche. And yet, I sometimes wonder why my music fails to gain any traction at all.

When I tell people that I “play music,” they invariably ask me, “what do you play?” It’s hard to give them an answer that satisfies how I categorize my music because my points of reference are generally obscure bands in the context of popular music.

My music has a definite point of origination—most likely 1992, when I first heard Guided by Voices double CD compiling Vampire on Titus and Propeller. I found it at WBOR, when I’d come in to listen to new music for my weekend radio slot I was doing at the time.

Another group of original songs.

The album possesses an aesthetic that’s all but disappeared in today’s music landscape. It’s like a lo-fi dream that walks through my own rock and roll journey from early 70s AM rock, through prog, punk, some British invasion, garage rock, with a tinge of psyche thrown in. Granted GbV aren’t the only point of reference for my music as it’s evolved over the past few years, but I think they are important.

This latest offering spends some time working its way through 90s shoegaze and has echoes of British bands Swervedriver and maybe even Ride and tracks like “Living in the Worst of Times” and the instrumental, “The Fool.” It also continues with populist subject matter that was part and parcel of last April’s release, Living in Some Strange Days.

The song, “They Don’t Care,” an acoustic number that I basically captured in one take after watching YouTube news footage of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, comes from realizing that we now have a uniparty that doesn’t care about poor people, black or white. East Palestine is an echo of disasters involving water and necessities of life that had already played out in Flint, Michigan and Jackson, Mississippi, before. As a result, life in America is become untenable for most.

“Guitar Story” is a song about the past six years, from picking up my old Yamaha guitar, and now, being able to play well enough to carry my songs (and some covers) as a one-man-band of sorts. It would be the “single” on the record, I think.

I called the 10 songs Home Sweet Home because the music emanates from our move and it also is an ironic title, also. If the past three years (or perhaps, six), I feel less at home in this world than ever before. Moving to a new geographic location is less jarring than the rapid-fire changes being thrown at us by elites via technology, social media, and now, AI.

The new release now gives me four musical collections. Similarly, I’ve published four books. I’d like to publish another book that draws upon my musical journey over the past few years. Maybe I can combine writing a book with releasing new music in 2024 during next year’s RPM Challenge.

Alt Tunings-RPM Sketch #3

As I’ve been writing new songs and exploring new ideas for the RPM Challenge in February, I have felt gratitude on numerous occasions for the opportunity presented by this annual creative endeavor. One of the benefits to me has been looking at alternative tunings and actually pursuing some elements of these on the new batch of songs.

Since my last post, I’ve posted three new songs, including yesterday’s new track, an instrumental, “The Fool.”

 

This song is played in Dropped G tuning and this lends a different element to the sound. At times, I hear echoes of people like William Tyler in the voicings, maybe even a longtime favorite of mine, Yo La Tengo, just a bit. For my musical tastes and where I’m trying to take my guitar-playing, that’s a good thing. Keith Richards of the Stones used Dropped G quite often. There are a few spots where I even hear myself channeling Keith. Very cool.

The track, “Living in the Worst of Times” was played using a tuning utilized often by Swervedriver during their 80s shoegaze period. It lends a bottom-heavy aspect to the song, which I really was looking to create, since as a one-man band, sans a bass player, creating a bottom in my music isn’t always possible in standard tuning, or without multi-tracking the guitar, which I didn’t have to do in this one.

 

If RPM ended today, I’d have the five songs I’d committed to making back at the start of the challenge. But I still have two songs partially mixed—a “country” number and one rooted in 80s punk. I might even write another acoustic ditty before midnight on February 28.

As for the title for the instrumental, I was looking through an old deck of Tarot cards yesterday and saw the card for the Fool. Since he represents new beginnings and even—having faith in the future—it seemed appropriate for me, being here in a new place and tackling some new musical ideas. The Fool also represents improvisation.

Another week of work to do. It looks like I also have another track time to qualify as an LP vs. my project being an EP.

Love Makes the World Go ‘Round (RPM Sketch #2)

There’s some irony that, here on Valentine’s Day, I’m releasing my next RPM Challenge track, “Love Makes the World Go ‘Round.” It’s not the usual “love song.”

As I write, “love is misunderstood.” You think?

I’ve always had a problem with the way that the word “love” gets tossed around incessantly. IMO, it’s often used to speak of something other than what I think love ought to be.

I’ve said to people that I love, who said “I love you,” that they didn’t know what the word meant.

We see love used as a slogan, a word on signs about “loving neighbors,” when the people with those signs never once attempted to connect with me, their neighbor, next door. (true story)

Lest people just want to call me a “bitter crank,” I do know what real love is. I had that with my son and his death’s impact was so profound because of that deep-loving bond we had with one another. I’ve had that bond with my wife now for more than 40 years. I know what love is.

But, songwriting is subjective, so I’m not going to delve deeper into my intent on this song.

I’m happy with the lyrics and the overall production. The song has a 70s vibe to it, and I count that as a positive. Even added a little reverb on the vocals.

As a one-man-band, I don’t have a drummer or a bass player, but I find ways to lay down drum tracks (a drum pedal) and the low-end gets handled by tuning down a half-step and using my Danelectro and single-string intonations in creating a bottom on the track.

For those who like the lyrics, here they are:

Love Makes the World Go ‘Round

Love, Love Makes the World Go ‘Round
Love, Love Makes the World Go ‘Round

Not Sure Why They Say Its, Just Look at the Evidence and Weigh It
Love, Probably Don’t Make the World Go ‘Round

I Don’t Think That Love Makes the World Go ‘Round
No, No, I Don’t Think That Love Makes the World Go ‘Round

Come on Brother Be Straight, How Can You Not See All That Hate
Love, Love, Love Don’t Make the World Go Round

(Break)

Love Is Just a Word that People Say
Yes, Yes, Yes, Love Is Just a Word That People Say

They Love to Cast Their Spell, But With Them It’s Like a Clanging Bell,
Love It Don’t Make the World Go Round

Love Is Misunderstood, try to treat people like you probably should
That Kind of Love Might Just Make the World Go ‘Round

Love Is Misunderstood, try to treat people like you probably should
Oh Yeah, That Kind of Love Might Just Make the World Go ‘Round

©EveryDayYeah Music

Movin’ On Down (RPM Sketch #1)

It’s February, so it must be time to write some new songs. This year is a bit different, though, because I’m tackling the RPM Challenge.

The RPM is an annual creative challenge, seeking to motivate anyone to record original music during the month of February. Artists set their own length goals (EP, or full-length), and have until March 1 to complete their projects.

JimBaumerMe is tackling the RPM Challenge in 2023

Last year, I could have entered what became Living in Some Strange Days, my first full-length, but come midnight on February 28, I wasn’t happy with my final track. Instead, I wrote a new song the next day, “Kick the Darkness,” because I needed something more hopeful than the overly dark themes on most of the other tracks. I’m glad I did, as the song really became the “single” of the release and garnered some worldwide airplay.

This year, in January, I was intentional about doing RPM, properly. I even started writing a song before the challenge officially began.

I view some of these tracks as “sketches,” not entirely finished. I’ll probably come back to some or all of the five or six tracks that will make up the release when it’s completed. I’d like to add some multi-tracks on the guitars and bump up the vocals, but I’ll have to see how much time I have.

This song is about moving to my new home in Lynchburg, Virginia. I’m calling it “Movin’ On Down” as Mary and I moved “down” from the North to south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

I really liked the riff the first time I came up with it. It didn’t take long to put the guitar parts together and the words followed. Yesterday, I spent most of the afternoon laying down tracks and getting a “rough” recording of drums, vocals, guitar. I mixed it this morning and you now have my “rough mix.”

Not sure that the other tracks will be so “positive” in outlook, and that’s okay. But this one will likely be another one of my songs that gets lots of play in my live setlist. I really like that it captures the anticipation of a new chapter in one’s life, and figuring out the challenges of new geography, and finding some new people to hang with.

Here are the lyrics for those of you who like those things:

Movin’ on down to a brand new town
Gonna’ start a brand new life

Been talking about rollin’ out
Push away all that strife

Leaving the north, heading south
Lots of friends left behind
I touched down, looked around
Too much to process now

In a rut just hanging around
Find a new patch of ground

My new home in a brand new town
Picking up a welcome vibe

I touched down, looked around
Can’t process it all today
This new home in a brand new town
Enjoying it in every way
The old hometown, left in the dust
Place of birth not the same
Got so much I want to do
Before I go away

Movin’ on down to Lynchburg town
Gonna’ start a brand new life

I’ve been talking about rollin’ out
Push away all that strife

I left the north, I headed south
Toom many friends left behind
I touched down, looked around
New people to get to knowwww

Movin’ Movin Movin on down
I’m south of the Mason-Dixon Line

A New City/A New Home (JimBaumerMe Newsletter)

Bunker Rock/JimBaumerMe

Movin’ On (A New Musical Home)
Vol. 3/Issue 1

November and December was music-free for me. Rather than playing music, I was immersed in holiday nostalgia via movies like Feast of the Seven Fishes and of course, the most nostalgic of all Christmas movies—It’s a Wonderful Life—while coming to terms with living in a new state and region.

In September, Mary (my wife) and me drove to Central Virginia to look at houses and scout out places like Roanoke and Lynchburg. Lynchburg is where we found a house we wanted to buy, so JimBaumerMe is no longer in ME, but VA. It may necessitate a name change. But perhaps not—Matt Pond PA never changed his moniker despite changing geography. Actually, Matt Pond PA is on hiatus until 2025/26 according to his website.

[New house, new city]

Here’s hoping that gigging in this area in 2023 is as good to me as New England was the past two years. I’m sure it will be.

I’ve yet to play an official “gig,” but I have been making it out to some local open mics. It’s been good meeting some of the local musicians. I also did a live stream on New Years Eve.

Given that my music is oriented towards indie rock and not just cover fare, I think Charlottesville and Roanoke offer possibilities. Then, I’m only two hours from the music hotbed of Raleigh-Durham and even Greensboro in North Carolina. We’ll have to wait and see how the booking turns out.

A resource that’s really meant a lot to me in 2022 is Zen Guitar, written by the late Philip Toshio Sudo. To say it’s a self-help book for guitar players diminishes the scope of the book. But that’s a good starting point. The author helps readers understand the guitar-playing isn’t just about virtuosity but infusing your playing with soulful spirituality. Or something like that. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to be a better musician.

I closed out my playing dates in Maine (and Mass.) with fair dates in Fryeburg (for the second straight year) and Topsfield (for the first time). I also played the Bolton Fair in Bolton, MA in August. Overall, I played fewer dates in 2023 (about 40) than 2022 (when I crossed the 60 gig threshold), but I began figuring out where I wanted to play rather than simply accepting a date for the sake of having one. Some of my favorite places to play in 2022 besides the fairs were SoPo SeafoodTumbledown Farm to ForkSide by Each Brewing, and participating in Newton’s Porchfest in June.

[Rockin’ at the Topsfield Fair]

My CDLiving in Some Strange Days, got some radio airplay on MIT’s outstanding college radio station, WMBR. I also got an invite from Lorenzo at WMPG to play live at the station in May.

Stay tuned for the next JimBaumerME musical chapter. Looks like I will be participating in the RPM Challenge 2023. I’ve already got one song in the can.

Happy 2023 from Central Virginia.

-JimBaumerMe

One Sheet for Living in Some Strange Days (indie rock)

Artist: JimBaumerMe (pronounced JimBomberEmEE)
Location: Biddeford, ME
Album: Living in Some Strange Days

Maine-based indie rocker Jim Baumer recently released a new batch of songs on his latest release, Living in Some Strange Days.

Front cover, “Living in Some Strange Days” [Jonathan Braden design]

Baumer’s music hearkens back to a period of time when indie rock ruled college radio in the mid-1990s. Many of the tracks on Living in Some Strange Days originated during the past 2+ years of the pandemic, when he says he was “locked in my basement wondering if I’d ever play live again.”

Music has been Baumer’s path forward following the aftermath when his son, well-known environmental activist and poet, Mark Baumer, was killed in 2017.  Picking up his old Yamaha guitar he’d had around the house for 20 years, Baumer took it out of the case and started to play. He states “I’ve been playing it ever since.”

LISSD is a mix of solo acoustic material, rooted in 70s music and artists like Arlo Guthrie, Neil Young, Big Star, and T. Rex. The one-man-band electric songs like “Spaceship Flying Saucer Bluze” and “Soros Jam” are influenced by angular indie bands of the 1990s and similar to Pavement, Silkworm, and even some of the Amphetamine Reptile noise bands of that period.

A child of the 1970s, Baumer grew up with music that never shied away from the topics of the day. “TNT (Acoustic Mix)” speaks to freedom and protest and tilts against so-called leftists and their locking down of dissent in Canada and elsewhere.

Photo by Shawn Munro Edgecomb [design, Jonathan Braden]

The final track, “Kick the Darkness” is the first single from the release. It takes the refrain from Bruce Cockburn’s “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” and offers a glimmer of hope for anyone who thinks that we might be living through strange days.

Baumer has one prior release, an EP on Bandcamp called All You Stupid Sheep, which came out in early 2021.

All songs written by Jim Baumer
All instruments (drums, guitars, found sounds, loops) and vocals performed by Jim Baumer
Website: http://jimbaumerexperience.com/music/

Merchant Page: Living in Some Strange Days

I created this page for those who for whatever reason are averse to Bandcamp. One advantage of having this page on my website is that everything that gets paid to me stays with me, save for a small fee PayPal takes. I have no issues with either Bandcamp or PayPal for that matter. Both are equitable in my opinion. And you can choose what one you prefer.

Did I tell you how much I appreciate Jonathan Braden’s artwork?? It’s amazing!

[CD cover-Jonathan Braden design]