Four Old Souls

Voices on the Verge bring the sounds of ‘Little White Dove’ and ‘Four and Twenty Blackbirds’ to Washington Crossing April 6.

By: Susan Van Dongen

Photo by Liz Linder

"I think storytelling ability is important for a songwriter," says Jess Klein (crouching above). She blends her talents with those of (standing, left to right) Rose Polenzani, Beth Amsel and Erin McKeown.

   The hottest topic in pop psychology is about how hostile girls and women are to each other, with a publishing flurry of new books such as Woman’s Inhumanity to Woman by Phyllis Chesler.
   If you believe these theories, you might marvel at the respect the four women from Voices on the Verge have for each other. Blending the talents of Beth Amsel, Erin McKeown, Rose Polenzani and Jess Klein, VOTV has been enjoying the spotlight since its first concert in 1998 at the Iron Horse in Northampton, Mass. Appearances on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition and CBS television’s Saturday Early Show, sell-out crowds and healthy sales of their debut CD, Live in Philadelphia (Rykodisc), have just added to the buzz. And the four women haven’t drawn blood yet.
   So much for the "estrogen-gone-bad" pundits.
   "They’re wrong," says singer-songwriter Ms. Klein, one-quarter of VOTV, although she admits to some quarrels behind the scenes.
   "It’s a sign of our commitment to our individual work that we clash," Ms. Klein says. "When you have four people with strong opinions, you’re going to have some kind of friction, but it helps us do better work."
   The unusual partnership makes a stop at the Unitarian Universalist Church at Washington Crossing in Titusville April 6. Special guest Deb Talan also performs. The CD features three songs by each of the women, who each have their own substantial followings. The group also will perform at the Tin Angel in Philadelphia April 23-24.
   Released last October, Live in Philadelphia combines splendid harmonizing with alternative-folk guitars, percussion and a variety of unusual instrumentation. For example, Ms. McKeown plays accordion on "Thom II," and Ms. Klein plays clarinet on the jazzy "Didn’t They." Recorded in front of an audience at Indre Studios in Philadelphia, the album has a casual but clean sound.
   "That’s where WXPN records some of their ‘Live from the World Café’ concerts," Ms. Klein says. "Since we have a good relationship with WXPN, it seemed like a good place to do the record. It was ideal for that kind of performance — great sound, an intimate space, but also enough room for 40 to 50 people in the audience. We really wanted to make a record that captured the magic that happens in a live concert. A lot of the things we do are off the cuff and improvised, that’s what we wanted to make record of."

Live in Philadelphia combines harmonizing with alternative-folk guitars, percussion and a variety of unusual instrumentation.

   One of the high points for the group was doing a live session and interview with NPR’s Elizabeth Arnold for Morning Edition, just around Thanksgiving.
   "It was great for us to come up from the grass roots, under the radar, and then have an interview of that caliber," says Ms. Klein, an ardent NPR listener. "So many people come up to us at our concerts and say they first heard us on NPR. It was a perfect fit."
   Speaking of radio, Ms. Klein’s up-tempo "Little White Dove" has been getting abundant airplay on college and adult-alternative stations. However, the song "I’ll Be Alright" is much more poignant and showcases her writerly, reflective nature. Perhaps growing up with the long winters in Rochester, N.Y., cultivated the "old soul" sensibilities in her songwriting.
   "I think a lot about coldness, weather and isolation," she says. "In that song, though, the emotion is based on leaving your family, going out on your own to do something that perhaps the people around you can’t understand."
   Ms. Klein says she was moved to write "I’ll Be Alright" after reading turn-of-the-century journal entries written by young women who had left their families to work in the factories of Lowell, Mass. The song evokes a distinct mood of another time and indicates Ms. Klein’s talents as a storyteller, an ability she first cultivated writing short stories in high school.

Photo by Liz Linder

A large part of VOTV’s appeal is the unaffected quality of the individual singers, as well as the respect the women have for each other.

   "I think storytelling ability is important for a songwriter," she says. "With all the great songs, there’s a narrative you can follow, and you get a clear sense of the characters."
   Ms. Klein says she was always creative, but her creative focus shifted when she began to play guitar about six years ago. She must have caught on quickly, because a few years later she had enough music to record Draw Them Near (Rykodisc) and garner numerous Boston Music Award nominations.
   Although she had painted, danced and played woodwinds rather seriously as a youth, she never expected to be a professional musician or singer.
   "We’re all natural performers," Ms. Klein says.
   A large part of VOTV’s appeal is the unaffected quality of the individual singers, as well as the respect the women have for each other.
   "It’s really a very democratic situation," Ms. Klein says. "It hasn’t always been easy, but we’ve committed ourselves to creating something greater than our individual egos, and it’s required us to lay down our swords, our differences.
   "It’s great to have these other performers onstage with you. You’re not completely in control, and it’s interesting to see how the audience responds to the spontaneity. (Voices) has a different flavor than just doing a solo set."
Voices on the Verge, featuring Beth Amsel, Jess Klein, Erin McKeown and Rose Polenzani, will
perform at the Unitarian Universalist Church at Washington Crossing, 269 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road,
Titusville, April 6, 8 p.m. Deb Talan also performs. Tickets cost $15. For information, call (609) 406-1803.
On the Web: www.voicesontheverge.com