'...if any or at all' is the first acoustically-styled album by seasoned and accomplished singer/songwriter/producer John Condron. The album is, an exquisitely-crafted, contemplative, and sonically-pristine collection of 11 original compositions showcasing John's multiple talents. Stylistically, '...if any or at all' ranges from the spare, yet rich performance of one man and a guitar to the more complex tracks laced with carefully-placed embellishments of percussion, bass, and other 'color' instruments including trombone and Hammond organ. Each track is distinctly different, yet easily flow from one to the next with elements of consistency. Along the way, the listener is apt to discover moments of delicious surprise.
Condron is most-appreciated by fans for his deft, ofttimes elegant guitar work delivered with full-on intensity, even on quieter tracks. His vocals show an amazing range, a certain result of many years of early youth touring with The Philadelphia Boys Choir. John's vocals are, in one, a synthesis of that classical experience as well as a long career as frontman for several nationally-touring indie rock bands.
'...if any or at all' is a collection of songs inspired and written from 'life' and about 'life.' As personal as it gets, yet offering the listener so many opportunities for connection to their own experiences. In one work are songs that capture the joys, frustrations, peak experiences, and soul-denting collisions we each experience. John Condron has a gift for creating songs that are very personal for both himself and the listener. Presented with a sense of continual wonderment and fascination with life-to-come.
Snips from an interview for Chicagonow.com:
By Dave Masciotra.e
John Condron is a Chicago-based singer/songwriter/producer interviewed recently,who I found also to be an outspoken commentator and critic on live music, rock music, and most topics related to the arts. Those who’ve had the privilege of seeing his emotively intense, sonically ferocious band perform live, already know that John performs at an energy level that would remind the current Bruce Springsteen of the 1970s Bruce Springsteen. Condron’s acoustic performances, while emphasizing his quieter, lyrical side, are also rapturous. The singer plays his guitar like he’s breaking out of jail and energetically trashes about the stage with an apocalyptic earnestness and urgency. John Condron brings the same passion and energy to conversation...
David Masciotra: You grew up playing music in Philadelphia and planted your flag in Chicago several years ago. What influence do Philadelphia, Chicago, and Joliet have on your music?
John Condron: It has an influence on everything I do. Philadelphia was a great, vibrant musical town to grow up in, and its rock music and rock audience was very working class. Joliet reminds me of home. It is like a neighborhood of Philadelphia. It is a great, working class town and I’ve met a lot of interesting and great people here. I don’t make a conscious effort to be or sound “working class,” whatever that would mean. The relationship develops naturally because I can identify with my audience and they identify with me. It is a result of the process of performing.
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