Chattanooga Pulse: Kenosha Kid's STEAMBOAT BILL JR.

[silentfilm]

http://www.chattanoogapulse.com/music/c ... ews-101608

Written by Ernie Paik
Wednesday, 15 October 2008 19:31

Kenosha Kid
Steamboat Bill Jr.
(Nowt Records)
There’s often an obligation, when producing scores for silent films, to have a presentation that’s as authentic as possible—like something heard in an actual theatre in the ’20s. Sure, the purist concept has its merits, but silent-film aficionados have certainly heard hours upon hours of familiar accompaniments of jaunty ragtime piano and Wurlitzer organ music. Outfits such as the Alloy Orchestra have a pointedly non-traditional approach to silent film scores (using synths and heavy percussion); it’s certainly interesting but may prove to be distracting for some viewers. Somewhere in the middle of these two approaches lies that of Kenosha Kid, an ensemble formed by composer/guitarist Dan Nettles and based in Athens, Georgia. The band goes beyond old-timey recipes and manages to strike a pleasing balance between maintaining a reverent nostalgia and intermingling different styles.

Kenosha Kid’s latest release is a completely original, 70-minute score for the 1928 Buster Keaton film Steamboat Bill, Jr., and it’s available in three formats: a CD/DVD set or as digital downloads in the MP3 format (music only) and MP4 format (video with music). It meticulously follows the action on the screen and resists being overbearing; it’s careful to work with the picture, even providing sound effects (a chugging train, a crying baby, a clock chime, etc.) throughout. Ten musicians are featured on the album, playing a variety of wind, brass, and stringed instruments, along with accordion, organ, and drums. It would be a disservice to peg it down to just one genre, but it’s perhaps closest to jazz, with the temperament of John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards and the more amenable side of ’80s downtown NYC jazz.

Various flavors are present, like a blues style (appropriately on cue with the “muddy waters” inter-title), a dignified march tempo, or even a moment of soul-funk, along the lines of Sly and the Family Stone. Mirroring the immediate mood of the film, the score can be chaotic when necessary, or warm and inviting, in the case of the reoccurring main theme.

[Jim Henry]

Kenosha Kid has a web page with clips from Steamboat Bill Jr. and a link to buy the CD/DVD here:
http://www.myspace.com/kenoshakidmusic