CASEY HOLFORD: bad spell, good spell

casey holford

bad spell, good spell

© 2003 casey holford (634479423420)

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pared down, home studio indie rock and folk with close friends, made when i was broke, tired, and excited in a new place with ideas coming out my ears.

tracks

1 Climb the Walls
2 On the Map
3 The Lovers
4 Thin Air
5 The Means
6 Window in the Wall
7 Book of Pages
8 Aeolus
9 Tickets to the Show
10 For Real

notes

Holford plays heartfelt folk songs that often possess an edgy and innovative quality, that suggests a collaboration between Paul Simon and Mr. Craig Wedren, of the late, great Shudder to Think. -Village Voice

"bad spell, good spell" is a pretty intimate affair recorded in the home studio of producer scott mann. the ten songs are a series of stories centered around the themes of old friends, old photos, temp jobs, personal politics, and getting along in a city of landmarks and loud noises and dumb luck. i play acoustic and electric guitars, bass, and a little drums, matt holford (darediablo, southern recs.) plays rhodes and organ and percussion (including the cardboard box), and jenn lindsay (waterbug recs.) sings backup vocals.

other casey holford cds:
http://www.cdbaby.com/holford2
http://www.cdbaby.com/holford3

reviews

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  • I could listen to this album in almost any mood and that is a superhuman feat. E
    author: Smother

    Casey is based in New York City the home to the anti-folk movement. Now the unfortunate thing about the whole “anti-folk” community is that it was started with the intention of shrugging off the mainstream and popularity in general but instead it has slowly grown not only in fanbase but also in its size of performers. But Casey Holford is one of a handful that is actually good at his trade. See despite the “anti” prefix, there are actual good songs here. Besides you have to admire anyone that adds a spiral bound notebook and cardboard box as an instrument. I could listen to this album in almost any mood and that is not just a compliment but a superhuman feat. It`s just a shame that Casey Holford may get caught up in a particular scene because this won`t turn anyone off unlike the “anti-folk” scene, which by very definition is exclusive despite its intentions. But he`s still young at only 24 and is destined for greatness if he gets out from under the thumb of categories.

  • Like the city, this music quivers with life, pulses with energy.
    author: Indie-Music.com

    I’m willing to bet Casey Holford pops a string or two during performances. His second CD, Bad Spell Good Spell, is a collection of edgy, poetic, intense acoustic folk/rock with New York City as his backdrop. He plays with passion and sings lyrics that have the kind of analysis and insight not normally found in 24-year-old guys. It sounds like living in the city has matured him at warp speed. It’s also sped up his pulse. In the opening track, he starts off by musing, “Maybe I need another city,” but I think it’s part of his bloodstream. Like the pace of the traffic and crowds, the lyrics bounce off the walls inside his brain, questioning, analyzing, solving, doubting. The thoughts tumble over each other. His stream of consciousness has been given a jolt of caffeine and serious attitude. My favorite lyrics are the ones that jump out and connect with humor, like when he wryly observes that the NYC map he bought three months ago is already obsolete. I also love the sound of guest Jenn Lindsay’s voice. It melts beautifully into Holford’s when she provides harmony in tracks like the simple, spare, blues folk of “The Lovers” and the intimate slice of life on the pavement called “The Means.” Like the city, this music quivers with life, pulses with energy. It’s moody and unpredictable. You’ll get hit with a verbal left hook a few times. Take pride in the battle scars.

  • This CD is amazing.
    author: Austin J

    This CD is excellent I would recommend it to anyone. It has a great beat and the line up of songs is good too.

  • A self-taught guitarist, and it shows…in a good way.
    author: Delusions of Adequacy

    Robert Pirsig once wrote that what lets New York City be so bad is exactly what allows it to be great. In other words, its tolerance produces thousands of artifacts of insufferable stupidity and pomposity like preening performance artist Karen Finley, but with a stricter attitude, bands like the Velvet Underground and the New York Dolls might never have gotten a break. Because of this, the Big Apple is able to have a thriving anti-folk scene, a genre that barely appears on the radar for the majority of America. Though it is poorly defined, anti-folk generally infuses songs played in traditionally folk instrumentation with punk anger and (more prominently) righteous social commentary. Ani Difranco makes a decent poster girl for the movement, but neo-New Yorker Casey Holford would probably make a better one (although, that's admittedly faint praise). If Holford weren't actually a self-taught musician, it would tempting to imagine him as one. The songwriting on his second album, Bad Spell, Good Spell, is skewed in the way many of his fellow musical naifs' output is. That might sound like a bad thing, but anyone jumping to that conclusion need only think of any number of talented musicians whose work was ruined by the homogenization of formal training. Holford, at the very least, goes out on a limb, and any success he achieves is his and his alone. By standing outside tradition, he can't hide behind it, but Bad Spell, Good Spell is respectable enough that he has no reason to do so. Despite his periodic Dave Matthews-isms, he keeps things fresh and enjoyable for the duration, giving his listeners ample reason to celebrate the fact that no one ever taught him the dreary rules of harmonic progression. Fans of anti-folk diamonds in the rough should be very pleased to have this album whirling around in their CD players (or perhaps turntables, if that's the way their snobbishness leans), and if that's all Holford wants, he should be in fine shape. Still, Bad Spell, Good Spell gives off the impression that Holford's talents are at least partially wasted in such a tiny genre. It's difficult to maintain interest over the course of an entire LP with little more than an acoustic guitar, and though Holford succeeds better than most, he would probably sound much more exciting with a full band. BS,GS has the inevitable sameness that gives anti-folk (along with regular folk) such limited appeal. Those untroubled by such concerns should have a fine time with Bad Spell, Good Spell. The rest of the world will have to settle for Dave Matthews.

  • Classy, emotionally mature and musically capable
    author: Altar Native

    With an arresting voice, Casey Holford gets a little help from his friends on this all-acoustic album, with brother Matt and fellow singer-songwriter Jenn Lindsay bringing in some options for harmonizing.  But then again, Holford’s expressive, lilting phrasing doesn’t need much assistance. It has a passionate severity that lends to a strength these gentle songs wouldn’t seem at first to possess. One can’t help wondering, though, what these songs would sound like with more instruments in the mix. Dangerous proposition, perhaps, as one can sense a potential for a Dave Matthews-ish entourage.  No, it’s probably best for Holford to stick to his guns, doing this Antifolk thing (a difficult-to-define classification, considered a “movement,” not a genre) that he seems to do so well. Be sure to check him out, before the current trend towards John Mayer pop turns you away from singer-songwriters--- even classy, emotionally mature and musically capable ones such as Holford.

  • Tired of the mainstream folk stuff? Give this a listen.
    author: NY Rock

    For those who have tired of the mainstream folk stuff, of the coffeehouse players, of big-time acoustic players such as Dave Matthews, you might want to give this disc a listen. Holford is energetic to say the least; his fretboard work is busy and intricate, yet doesn't create aural slush. His vocals range from pleasant to edgy to the infrequent falsetto, and never sound pretentious. Yet, there's also something larger at work here, a feeling, in the ears of this listener, that makes me think his sound is not unlike that of a recently released inmate of a mental institution. And I mean that in a good way. There's an edgy instability here, an unpredictable sensation that at any minute, Holford might just step out of the speakers and bash you roundly about the head with his guitar. And that, I really like. I should have been tipped off by the disc title (I'm a bit slow today), but in the end, this disc comes across as a fresh offering showing a good amount of promise. - from NY Rock, March 2003

  • author: Spacekitty88

    Good songs insinuate themselves into your head in some way and there are several of them on this album. The guitar playing is soulful but with a driving synchopation that is rich and unexpected. The singing is slightly plaintive but totally unaffected and the lyrics seem to blend stream of consciousness writing with themes common to "everyman" which makes them easy to sing along to. My personal favorite is Aeolus - mesmerizing enough to make you stop what you're doing and just listen.

  • Sweet, jangly, intelligent, and playful -- highly recommended!
    author: The Muse's Muse

    If Liz Phair woke up one morning, stretched, and pulled a little brother from her third rib, this would be him. And that is high high praise from me, do not be misled. Like Liz, the rhythms and melodies are full of surprises but completely sneak in your head and stick there. The lyrics can knock you flat without your ever seeing the windup. Lastly like Liz, his singing is not decorated or prettied up in any way. What he sings is what you get. And what you get I really liked. This CD has a pleasing low-fi attitude and many playful touches. There’s an intelligence and enthusiasm here that I found impossible to resist. Casey is clever without being obnoxious, intriguing without being impossibly cute, complex and completely inviting at the same time. What I find as his greatest strength is his surprising and unpredictable lyric imagery. He did not rhyme “light” with “night” or “tight” even once. Anywhere. One of my favorite lines is on “tickets to the show” where he sings “Cause I figure I could work out as a clown/Wear the red nose around town and breathe some funnier air”. The whole CD is sweet, jangly, intelligent and playful. I highly recommend all pop lovers give this a listen. -Stacey Board for The Muse's Muse, January 2003

  • author: the man in black

    I was just listening to this CD and was struck by how beautifully produced, arranged, and performed it is. Casey is on his way to being one of the most important songwriters to come out of his NYC folk music community. His tunes are very inventive and refreshing to the ear, as his particular brand of Casey-think is unlike even his proclaimed influences. "Bad Spell, Good Spell" presents a simplistic collage of sounds, with not much more than guitar and voice and another punctuating sound on each track, but the songwriting is duly complex and played very, very well. For songwriting that surprises and soothes, this is such a great investment. Highly recommended.

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