New music: The sensational Reina del Cid and The Other Favorites on tour
I am still not sure what a “YouTuber” is, though my teenager has explained the concept twice. I am halfway lost between rotary phones and storage clouds; long playing records and streaming services. So I do not know if Reina del Cid was a “YouTuber” originally or if it just happens to be where I found her singing “The Tennessee Waltz”.
She, of course has a “channel”, everyone has a “channel” but hers is filled with the most beautiful music. She’s posted songs with a level of professionalism not often seen on the Internet by garden-variety performers posting to video sharing sites. She represents the kind of good, new music available on YouTube.
A guitar player named Toni Lindgren most often accompanies Reina del Cid. I could write an entire article on Toni. No joke. To simply call her a guitar player is an insult. Not only can you see unbridled talent, but the measured product of her studious endeavors. She sings back up, is a multi instrumentalist, and carries a warm presence. I will forgive her apparent affection for Taylor Guitars in light of her masterful skills. Andrew Foreman (bass) and Nate Babs (drums) rounds out the foursome.
On YouTube listeners are treated to a series called “Sunday Mornings with Reina del Cid”. She appears with a hot cup of coffee and warm, inviting music. Fans (like me) can watch any day of the week, and often times she and Toni are on the go; rail road tracks, city parks, building steps, they keep the on-site locations fresh and of the upbeat variety. They cover old standards, folksy songs and present original material.
Reina sings anything. She can sing everything. Her voice is whisper soft but stronger than a freight train. She appears light as air as if she is simply floating all around you, filling your every thought with music. There is a jazzy feel to her phrasing. She dignifies every song she embraces with the love only a fraction of us ever dream of having for music. It’s remarkable how clear that message comes through over the interwebs.
In timeless, singer-songwriter fashion, Reina del Cid crosses genres. A song may feel folksy, with a pinch of soul, or old world country, bluegrass, newgrass, or acoustic rock. But good music, the best music lacks the need to be classified into one specific type of anything. And that is just what Reina Del Cid is making: good music that makes the listener feel her love for her art.
She’s released three albums (available on her website) and ITunes. She and Toni are on tour too. They will be playing One 2 One Bar in Austin and the Firehouse Saloon in Houston on May 25 and 26 respectively with support from The Other Favorites.
The Other Favorites are a duo of Josh Turner (not that one) and Carson McKee of Brooklyn, New York. These two fellas are amazingly talented. So much so, I almost hated them because of it (full disclosure: I’m a closet songwriter) but they are so damn likable it’s hard to stay mad (and jealous). Josh appears to be a humble sort, but how that is possible is beyond me. If I had just a shadow of his talent, his seemingly limitless voice, controlled and high-polished guitar playing, I’d be unbearable. Everyone would hate me because I would be so in love with myself.
Carson McKee is a dynamite singer, and the two-part harmony they share is beyond brilliant. They have four offerings on their website and at least two are available for download on iTunes. There are scores of videos on YouTube, recorded with quality equipment, and top shelf musicianship.
When MTV first appeared on the airwaves August 1, 1981 at 12:01am, we were told: “Video Killed The Radio Star”. As history rolled past us, it was apparent that prophecy was a hard, cold fact of life. In the aftermath, it seemingly killed all the good music there ever was and ever would be. Twenty years ago, the internet seemed to signify the death of non-commercial music. What we witnessed was an explosion of mediocrity.
I thought the end was near and we were doomed to listen to subpar music in a cruel version of musical hell. But I was wrong, real, heartfelt music is here to stay. Long after MTV sold its soul to the “Reality TV Gods,” and the internet seems to be a simply a faster way to send junk mail and deliver pornography, some of the best and most creative musical souls alive today are using social media platforms and services like YouTube to find their audiences, free from auto tune and overbearing media moguls. Inspiration lives, with these four young and terribly talented musicians.
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