A-Sides with Jon Chattman: My Morning Jacket's Carl Broemel Goes it Alone; Gabe Dixon Goes for the "Gold"

A-Sides with Jon Chattman: My Morning Jacket's Carl Broemel Goes it Alone; Gabe Dixon Goes for the "Gold"
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All videos by Alye Bea Carlevero

Approximately 38 seconds into meeting Carl Broemel at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY (more on that later), he offers me a cup of coffee which he brewed himself. How can you turn down a morning cup of coffee with the guitarist of My Morning Jacket? The coolness of it all wasn't lost on me. Speaking of cool, Broemel is just that but a humble, down-to-earth cool, which only raises the cool factor even more. How many times can I write "cool" in a post? Stay tuned.

If Broemel were to write a memoir titled How I Spent My Summer, it'd be an interesting tale. The musician is simultaneously wearing three hats this season, notably touring as part of Ray LaMontagne's backing band. By the way, he's joined by fellow Jacketeers Tom Blankenship, Patrick Hallahan and Bo Koster, who are continuing a connection that began with Jim James producing LaMontagne's recent Ouroboros album. The aforementioned interview took place mere hours before they played a sold-out show at the "Cap."

On top of touring in support of his bearded friend, Broemel himself is playing a series of solo shows in support of his new solo album 4th of July , which drops Aug. 19 via his Stocks in Asia label, and will end the summer playing the Lockn' Festival with My Morning Jacket. Fall dates are also on the horizon.

But, let's get back to that solo gig, which I wrongly sandwiched in the paragraph above. It's been six years since his last solo album and it seems to be as delicious as a My Morning Coffee (Neko Case and Laura Veirs are among those who appear) so during that A-Sides chat, we talked about that, a bit about LaMontagne, and naturally, MMJ. Watch on.

Like Broemel, Gabe Dixon knows a bit about working with some mighty amazing talent, having played side gigs as a keyboardist and background vocalist for the likes of Paul McCartney, Allison Krauss, and O.A.R. But, this singer/songwriter belongs at the front of the stage.

Dixon recently released his sophomore solo album, Turns To Gold, and there's no mistaking his artistry. Paste Magazine calls his work "heart-wrenchingly honest," and have a listen and you'll get that right off the bat. At the Music Conservatory of Westchester, Dixon, whose songs have regularly received placement in film and on television, performed a pair of tracks and sat down for an interview. Take in the richness of his voice. As good as he sounds is as bad as I look in this video. I blame my children for the "roll out of bed" look. Apologies. Just focus on Dixon, which you will anyway.

"Holding Her Freedom"

"Crave"

Interview

A-Sides' "Delve Into Twelve" Countdown
Each week A-Sides unleashes its top 12 tracks of the week AKA the "Delve Into Twelve" based on the following contributing factors: songs I'm playing out that particular week (no matter when they were released -- think overlooked songs, unreleased tracks and old favorites), songs various publicists are trying to get me to listen to that I did and dug a bunch, song posts and trends I've noticed on my friends' Facebook walls and, most importantly: what my toddler is currently enjoying thoroughly with an assist from my infant.

About A-Sides with Jon Chattman - thisisasides.com :
Jon Chattman's music/entertainment series typically features celebrities and artists (established or not) from all genres performing a track, and discussing what it means to them. This informal series focuses on the artist making art in a low-threatening, extremely informal (sometime humorous) way. No bells, no whistles -- just the music performed in a random, low-key setting followed by an unrehearsed chat. In an industry where everything often gets overblown and over manufactured, Jon strives for a refreshing change. Artists featured on the series include Imagine Dragons, Melissa Etheridge, Yoko Ono, Elle King, Joe Perry, Alice Cooper, fun, Bleachers, Charli XCX, Marina and the Diamonds, and Bastille.

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