Selections from Bring Me Your Children

Unless I Get What I Want (1.5 MB)

Paris Blues (1.5 MB)

I'd Rather Be in Hell (1.5 MB)

My Little Idaho (1.4 MB)

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Uncle Carl - My Little Idaho

Forgive me for wondering if the title is tongue in cheek. I digress. Intentionally recorded in a lo-fi Bluegrass format, "My Little Idaho" features some nice guitar "pickin'" and acoustic slide. Backed by the ubiquitous Bluegrass mouth-organ (harp/harmonica), a soft "foot tapping" or knee-slapping keeps time during the song and really gives the song a down-homey feel. My Little Idaho jingles, jangles and slides right along very nicely. The hero of the song meets a farm girl named Idaho who wants his "soul like a hot potato". The lyrics from this song are entertaining and so is the music. Pour me a tall cold glass of ice tea on a stanky hot summer day while I sit on the porch and jam with these guys. Although the song is somewhat humorous, these musicians are serious and after listening to a couple of the other tracks from their site, they know what they are doing and have the ability to switch gears at ease. RRRR
—Robert Jansen
http://www.mp3artistarchive.com/011300.htm
The Rob report uses the "R" rating system. One "R" is worst. Five "R"'s is best. Lower case "r" is half of a point.

The last time we saw Uncle Carl, he and the band were throwing down their funky jazzed laced R&B right in our own back yard of New Haven, CT. Driving up from Brooklyn, NY to play an IndepenDisc sponsored show at Café 9, "Uncle Carl" Vreelend (guitars, vocals), Ivan Bodley (basses, backing vocals), Rich Kulsar (drums, toys), and Mark Mancini (piano, organ) tickled the crowd with their unique style of serious grooves bubbling all around the half-serious, half-mocking vocals of a Schoolyard clown who although has gotten older and wiser to the world, still hasn't let go enough to grow up completely— and that's what endures us to Uncle Carl.

That night Uncle Carl previewed several songs to be on the follow up CD to 1997's self-titled debut. Of course that Friday night at Café 9 was almost 2 years ago and we wondered when (if ever) we might be privileged to hearing those songs on Disc. It's ironic how usually just when things slip your mind they have a way of showing up at the most unexpected time. It might have been 2 years ago but when we popped "Bring Me Your Children"— the newly arrived CD by Uncle Carl - into the CD player we instantly remembered what transpired, which seemed like ages ago:

Uncle Carl took the stage that night and mixed a bit more harder Rockin' edge songs into their repertoire of low down, cool beat, ultra hip, blues style grooves and he/they do the same here. Opening with two songs of their usual blues beat style— "My Heart Is Yours" works off a heavy down beat focusing on Uncle Carl's bourbon soaked, cigarette singed vocals and witty lyrics. "Unless I Get What I Want," returns us to the adolescent left in all of us as Mark Mancini's organ punctuates the seriousness of the childishness.

With "Special," "When I Get My Big Break," & "Before He Sends Me To Hell," (where our narrator cracks the big guy in the jaw) Uncle Carl changes the Rhythm of R&B to Rock, and they're off on a blues journey that gets down to our bones and slides us across the floor.

But the stand out here is "Paris Blues." Brilliantly highlighting the seasoned chops of all the band members it starts with Ivan's bass bouncing us around until Mark's piano & Rich's drums join in for the jaunt, and what a jaunt it is! Incorporating authentic Parisian style accordion playing Uncle Carl tells a tale of heartbreak and sorrow— having just been dumped by his girl for another, he retreats to Paris where broke and lonely he fills his time wandering the museums and singing for meals, even though he can not speak any French. And, through it all he encourages us to sing along with the simple, yet alluring, refrain of: "La de Da de Da, La de Da, La de Da." And sing along we do.

Above and beyond all, that tells us all we need to know about Uncle Carl; "Bring Me Your Children" entertains us with sold musicianship parlaying a smooth mixture of jazz club R&B with a Rock tilt wrapped around semi-serious lyrics that give us tales slanted to the humorous side of life and it's up and downs. So throw this CD on as you mix another cocktail and remember that the "Children" Uncle Carl wants brought to him is the Child that remains in us all.

Issue #43 Nov. '02
http://independisc.com/unclecarl.htm#Issue43

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Unless I Get What I Want Not gonna eat my dinner Unless I get what I want Not gonna clean my room up Unless I get what I want Gonna run away from home Spend my life alone Never call you on the phone Unless I get what I want Not gonna do my homework Unless I get what I want Not gonna go to school Unless I get what I want Gonna lock the door to my room Howl at the moon Sleep all afternoon Unless I get what I want I want that bike I never got The pretty girl around the block I want to learn to play the drums I want to be all muscle-bound Find that punk that knocked me down Get some sticks and stones and Poke him in the eye That's what I want You're not gonna make me smile Unless I get what I want You're not gonna make me have fun Unless I get what I want Gonna spit on my birthday cake How do you like them grapes I'll never go out and play Be your little heartache Hey, somebody's gotta pay Unless I get what I want Paris Blues I do the midnight roam in Paris Where lovers flood the streets No money in my pockets I ache from head to feet My true love's back in Jersey I'm feeling like a fool I'm drowning in a sea of tears I've got the Paris blues La-de-da, de-dum, la-de-da La-de-da, la-de-dum My lady found another He looks like Al Capone I came here to escape All the memories at home I keep dry in museums I sing in bars for food I cannot speak a word of French I've got the Paris blues La-de-da, de-dum, la-de-da La-de-da, la-de-dum (2X) She sends me back my letters She changed her number too I'm wishing I were dead I've got the Paris blues (Interlude) I sit alone in cafes Bummin' cigarettes I growl at every stranger I stare at women's breasts I'd Rather Be in Hell I'm tired of pretending I believe in the Lord Sittin' in church is makin' me a bore The people smell old and I'm chokin' on my prayers They're all singin' out of tune and the organ needs repair Well, I'm losin' my head, ya know I could be in bed If this is what it takes, for Heaven's sake I'd rather be in Hell with the rebels and the drunks Sleep in cheap hotels with the whores and the punks Hang out with my heroes, Hemingway and Poe I'd rather be in Hell and keep the fire down below I've had it with the gossip in bible school And the holy-than-holier-than-thou attitude The warm friendly faces with the ice cold eyes Tellin' me how to live, come to find      they should take their own advice If I were dyin' in the street, they'd step over my feet With folks like that, I'll choose another path (Chorus) I imagine the ministers havin' no place to preach And the smilin' spinsters full of rotten teeth The born again, found again, lost again jerks Kneelin' and praisin', doin' all that angel work Well if Heaven exists and Heaven's like this I'm gonna sell my soul and shovel coal 'cause (Chorus) My Little Idaho Just 'cross the border No Vegas glam I met a farm girl Who stands by her man My little Idaho My little Idaho She's fresh and clean And nice and soft No padded bra She shakes when she walks My little Idaho My little Idaho Woo hoo, Woo hoo My little Idaho She's mine (6X) And when I see her We're such a pair We spend all day In and out our underwear (Chorus) She gives her heart all to me She warms my soul like a hot potato She's pure as sugar My baby's sweet She's always loving Even when she's asleep (Chorus) She's mine (6X) All lyrics written by Carl T. Vreeland © 2002 La Porta Music (ASCAP)

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