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Fourteen Feet - Running Hearts
Don Zelazny: Americana Roots, 3/04/08 Americana Roots One of the fun things about writing CD reviews is giving some attention to bands that doesn't get a lot of press. Fourteen Feet is a New York band that has been together playing music since the late 1990s. Running Hearts is the bands 2nd full-length CD. It was self-recorded and produced in a home basement studio. The band is presently in the studio recording their third CD. How come the name “Fourteen Feet”? The band says Fourteen Feet is the distance that Curly fell through a laundry chute in a 3 Stooges episode. If the Stooges are involved you've got my attention. The band plays a no frills brand of Americana centered by the guitar playing and vocals of leader Steve Welner. Basically we're talking guitars, bass and drums here. The band currently features Billy Cairns (drums), Steve Welner (lead vocal, guitar, harmonica), Rich Lanahan (guitar, vocal), Mike Breier (bass, vocal), and Carmine Cacioppo (drums), although neither drummer plays on this CD. Harmonica and organ make a few cameos on the disc as well. The CD opens with the lively toe tapper “Far From Here.” The required Americana CD “song with a girl's name as the title” is “Angeline” in this case, a jangly tune about....Angeline! My favorite song on the disc is the title cut which has a country feel with banjo and organ added to the basic line up. I liked the additional instrumentation and would like to see more of it on the new CD. Other highlights include “Twenty Five Miles,” a catchy rockin' tune with a driving guitar beat to match the traveling theme of the tune; and, “New Star,” a softer mainly acoustic number that is a very pretty tune. The band's website is www.fourteenfeet.com. If you like straight forward Americana without a lot of flash, or are looking for a CD to play when you host a Three Stooges marathon, then check out Fourteen Feet, and look for a new CD from the band sometime soon. Fourteen Feet "Running Hearts" Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music Miles of Music This NY-based band draws its inspiration from the country-esque rock of Uncle Tupelo and The Bottle Rockets. This release captures the spontaneity of the performance, leaving in the honesty and soul of the songs. Steve Welner's slighty- reedy vocals, similar to Brian Henneman's vocal work with the BRox, works well with both the barnstorming electric tracks as well as the more sensitive country songs. This CD is jukebox-ready from start to finish as it creates a smoky bar vibe by going from heart-felt weepers to rockers and back again. Fourteen Feet Francois (SWA): Rootstime June 2007 (translated from Dutch to English by Cora and Rainer, thanks) ROOTSTIME Steve Welner is the inspirator of the alt.country/folk/blues/roots band Fourteen Feet, which originates from New York. He loves a joke, because "Fourteen Feet" is just the distance from…the gallows to the trap door. With the motto, "Make Songs Not War" he happily swims in the roots-pond with big fish like Uncle Tupelo, Bottle Rockets, Son Volt, the Hangdogs, Georgia Sattelites, and Drive-By Truckers. Even traces of Tom Petty, and last but not least John Hiatt are clearly noticeable in his approach to, and performance of the eleven self-written songs which you can find on 'Running Hearts'. The opener, 'Far From Here', 'New Star', and 'Angeline' sound a bit similar to Hiatt, opening the way for the roots-rocking, 'American Atom' (+slide guitar) and 'Red Hot Tires' which now already seems to be framed into the soon to be launched 3rd album which is taken care of by no-one less than Eric "Roscoe" Ambel and Tim Hatfield. Title-track, 'Running Hearts' is another jewel on this record that Jeff Weiss, Miles Of Music, rightly regarded, 'A jukebox-ready CD from start to finish as it creates a smoky bar vibe by going from heart - felt weepers to rockers and back again'. The harp on 'Whatdayaknow' puts the bluesy side of 'Fourteen Feet' into the spotlight whereas with 'Bad Karma', Welner and his comrades Mike Breier (bass), and Rich Lanahan (guitars) dive into rock & roll-history ending up somewhere in the neighborhood of Buddy Holly and Sonny Curtis’, 'I Fought the Law' (big hit for Bobby Fuller Four). Whether with Steve Welner a 'New Star' is arising…'You Never Know'…time will tell, but 'Running Hearts', successor of 'All You Need', released in 2001 and currently out of stock, is a very deserving attempt which is probably less than 'Twenty Five Miles' away from the definite break-through. Fourteen Feet "Running Hearts" Aled Roberts: Americana UK 2-27-07 Americana UK Recorded in a basement recording studio, Fourteen Feet made a country-rock album that manages to sound modern whilst still keeping the classic country template. Consisting of a match of up-tempo (‘American Atom’, ‘Bad Karma’), and medium-paced (‘Whatdayaknow Blues’, ‘Running Hearts’) songs, the 2 standout tracks on the album have a rocky edge that is concurrent with the sound of the album. The opening chords of ‘Far From Here’ hint at an edge first touched upon by Uncle Tupelo, and by the time ‘I-95’ comes along there is the feeling that similar methods have been applied. With an undercurrent of country used, ‘Fourteen Feet’ overlays it with a rocky sound, giving it a more modern feel while still allowing great song writing to come through. A consistently good album, and plenty of good thoughts to suggest that the next album will again be a blessing. Fourteen Feet @ The Hard Luck Cafe Huntington Folk Society Sept. 2006 On this occasion, even though their drummer was not able to make it here tonight, they delivered a rousing solid set, featuring cuts from their upcoming second album Running Hearts, due to be released this September, capping a thoroughly enjoyable evening. |
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