A message from Jon about the “Farewell Review” album he recently worked on…
You are now able to obtain the new “Farewell Review” CD from www.stinkweeds.com. This 7 song CD is rife with musical aplomb. Members Lukas Mathers and Lindsay Cates recruited myself, Mark Pickerel, and Jennifer Rauhouse to add to their musical hi-jinks. This is a recording well worth having if you enjoy music at all. Check them out at www.myspace.com/farewellreview
Jon has mixed and engineered, along with playing various instruments on the new Farewell Review album, at the Shrine in Lilliwaup. Deatils up on the “On Disc” page.
The Farewell Review consists of Luke Daniel (vocals, guitars, arrangements, drums) and Lindsay Cates (bass, hammond organ operator, vocals). Also appearing on the disc are Jon’s wife Jen (banjo, vocals) and Mark Pickerel (drums).
The album is out today (July 18th) and there’s a release party at the Raven Cafe in Prescott, AZ tonight at 8pm.
Jon appears on the new release by Chris Mill entitled “Living In The Aftermath”.
Released by Ernest Jennings Record Co. on April 22nd you can check out the details at Chris’ site or at Ernest Jennings where you can also download a few MP3 samples.
Details are up i the “On Disc” section of this site.
Artist : Neko Case
Artist : Farewell Review
Artist : Chris Mills
Artist : Colorstore
Artist : Neko Case
Artist : Norm Pratt
Artist : LUCA
Artist : Neko Case
Artist : Joel Plaskett
Artist : Neko Case
Artist : Sally Timms
Artist : John Doe
Artist : Reubens Accomplice
Artist : Dollar Store
Artist : The Band of Blacky Ranchette
Artist : Neko Case
Artist : Giant Sand
Artist : Reubens Accomplice
Artist : Neko Case
Artist : The Ignitors
Artist : Howe Gelb
Artist : Kelly Hogan
Artist : The PistolerosTrack Listing :: Credits :: Buy It :: Reviews :: Back to Disc
It’s becoming apparent: if you sing and have any amount of musical taste, you’ll probably want Jon Rauhouse backing you up on guitar. Which begs the question: does this guy ever slow down? The answer is apparently not.
“Hawaiian Guitar Expedition” is what happens when Rauhouse decides to take a “vacation.” Shirking the aforementioned responsibilities, holed up in a tiny cabin on the Northwest corner of Washington State and goofing off with some music pals, the guitar maestro puts a proverbial grass skirt around a half-dozen new instrumentals. From the John Fahey-goes-to-a-luau inspired “Dusty Canal” to the introspective “Jen’s Tenor,” to the otherworldly “Sweet for Hawaiian Guitar & Saw,” this is music-making at its finest. Rauhouse flavors the rest of this disc with some of his best-loved tracks from his solo recordings. The result? Pure instrumental bliss. No, not the John Tesh/Zamfir kind, the good, pass-me-a-mai-tai kind.
Jason Verlinde of Seattle
Audio Clips
The above are streaming clips of the tracks. WM = Windows Media :: RA = Real Audio
If you’re down with the whole steel guitar scene, it’s pure liquid relaxation.
Read more at Splendidezine
Track Listing :: Credits :: Buy It :: Reviews :: Back to Disc
Track Listing :: Credits :: Buy It :: Reviews :: Back to Disc
Oh Sweet Margarita of Cascia, Patron Saint of Lost Causes, we beseech thee! Make the world safe for instrumental music once again! Is there no room for swank little numbers uncluttered by the human voice? Time was when the radio waves were littered with songs that eschewed the crutch of vocals: Tequila, Sleepwalk, Popcorn, Green Onions, The Rumble, Walk-Don’t Run. Hell, even the themes to The Rockford Files and Taxi cracked the pop charts. Why then? Why not now?
Jon Rauhouse, god love ‘em, is not one to give up this quixotic quest so easily. The pedal steel/Hawaiian wizard, who has contributed his alternately swashbuckling and swoony stylings to recordings by-among others– Calexico, Neko Case, Kelly Hogan, Giant Sand, Sally Timms and the Waco Brothers, lets fly his third CD, Steel Guitar Heart Attack. Hitting all the hotspots and g-spots between Harlingen and Honolulu, Jon and his band (featuring Calexico and Jon’s longtime guitarist/ co-conspirator Tommy Connell) swing, sigh, giggle and charm their way into even those with hearts of tar.
As a concession to the whims of those in need of a human voice every now and again, there are performances by a few of the top notch singers of our day: Neko Case (”East of the Sun”), Kelly Hogan (”Big Iron”), Rachel Flotard of Visqueen (”Harbor Lights”) and Sally Timms (”I’ll Be Seeing You”). These ladies’ll melt the ice in anyone’s punchbowl. Jon even steps to the mic for one (the theme to the Andy Griffith Show “The Fishing Hole”—betcha didn’t know it had lyrics, didya?)
The rest of the album is pure instrumental magic. Woozy, dreamy songs that’ll set your mind to sailing into the sunset, happy hour, or the arms of your Polynesian princess. Beguiling melodies that take us to “Idaho,” the “Hood Canal,” and the “Girls of Pajama Hill” (who hasn’t wanted to go there?) or provide the perfect wordless soundtrack when you want to wet your line or wet your whistle. Everything from country classics to the theme song from Mannix. That’s called versatility, my friends. There’s even a banjo number that shows Jon can play stuff standing up, too (note: we cannot absolutely confirm that he was standing when this was recorded). And with some songs clocking it at a 1:50, Jon can bring it with Ramones-like brevity, but with class.
Steel Guitar Heart Attack is Jon’s third solo CD, following Steel Guitar Air Show (2002) and Steel Guitar Rodeo (2004). Why “Heart Attack?” Well, Jon started noticing chest pains when carrying his amp. Seems he had something known as a Widowmaker Lesion and critical blockages in major arteries from his heart. Emergency procedures, angiograms, catheterizations and stents followed. We are happy to report that all is well now; with his heart fixed, he can re-focus on saving the instrumental.
Jon Rauhouse’s Steel Guitar Heart Attack shows us all that you don’t need words, man, you just need a good rhythm while you’ve got the gin in the shaker.
Audio Clips
*MP3 Download courtesy of Bloodshot Records
“… Zippy instrumentals and lovelorn ballads that rather wonderfully walk the hitherto undiscovered middle
ground between SpongeBob SquarePants and Patsy Cline.” - DIW MAGAZINE
Those of you who associate the pedal steel guitar solely with cry-in-yer-beer country weepers are in for either an unpleasant shock or a delightful surprise. Jon Rauhouse plays pedal steel guitar the way John Zorn plays the saxophone. That is, he thoroughly messes with your head as he takes you on a schizophrenic musical journey. On … Heart Attack Rauhouse covers western swing, Hawaiian music, Big Band standards, ’60s easy listening schlock, Bing Crosby crooners, the TV themes to Mannix and the Andy Griffith Show, and gunfighter ballads. Along the way, he’s helped out by members of Calexico, Giant Sand, The Mekons, Kelly Hogan, and the incomparable Neko Case, who lends her pipes to the old Sinatra chestnut “East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)”. Best of all is Rauhouse’s take on Cole Porter’s “Begin the Beguine” where the pedal steel does a Broadway turn. It’s great, uncompromising, wildly eclectic music. - Andy Whitman
…when Jon Rauhouse steps out solo, he has a timeless sound that beguiles anyone who hears it…Whether he’s conjuring some epochal style or offering a faithful rendition of steel guitar music, Rauhouse transcends boundaries and generations to be the new king of Margaritaville. - Wade Coggeshall at Nuvo
Neko Case’s pedal steel player stretches out over a gauntlet of genres…buy it for its own merits, then sit back and enjoy. - Grant Britt at Creative Loafing
Track Listing :: Credits :: Buy It :: Reviews :: Back to Disc
Track Listing :: Credits :: Buy It :: Reviews :: Back to Disc
The response to Jon Rauhouse’s first CD was soooo strong, we couldn’t stop him from making another. Who would have thought that a record replete with pedal steel and Hawaiian guitar classics would stand a chance in the techno-crazy new millenium? Maybe people miss records that contain actual MUSICIANS. Maybe they like the fact that even grandmaw will want to get down to this stuff and get off your back about all that “noise” you normally pollute your ears with.
Whatever the case, Jon and his gang are back with another installment that will most assuredly put a smile on your face and a beat in your feet. More classics like “Indian Love Call,” “Smoke Rings,” “Perry Mason Theme” and the Raymond Scott, hard as hell to play, you know it from Warner Brothers cartoons “Powerhouse,” a handful of originals, and, for those who just NEED the sound of a human voice, guest vocalists Neko Case, Sally Timms, Howe Gelb (Giant Sand), and Kelly Hogan. “Steel Guitar Rodeo” kicks up some dust, my friends. Help Jon and the gang end the unfair prejudice against instrumentals. This is THE record for dusting off the high-balls, putting a John Wayne DVD in the player, swapping lies about your visit to the Playboy Mansion, and dreaming of faraway scantily clad native gals running down white sand beaches. And remember, go easy on the vermouth, Dino and Don Ho would have wanted it that way.
Audio Clips
The above are streaming clips of the tracks. WM = Windows Media :: RA = Real Audio
*Bloodshot Records
NPR have an audio review of Steel Guitar Rodeo.
Hear more at NPR
Jon Rauhouse’s second solo work is a diverse and eclectic mix destined to land on “Best Of” lists for 2004. Rauhouse is a guitar wizard with masterful grace and elegance.
Read more at Umbrella Music
If you want to hear the pedal steel take center stage, you only need to know one name: Jon Rauhouse, whose Steel Guitar Airshow was one of my favorite records of 2002, and whose Rodeo stands an excellent chance of repeating its predecessor’s niche success.
Read more at Splendidezine
Exhibiting an obvious love of pop culture, Rauhouse has crafted a project that entertains on several different levels and offers something fresh with each successive listening.
Read more at Country Standard Time
Jon’s put together another great record here, once again featuring the talents of many great musicians. If REAL old country/swing music appeals to you don’t hesitate to track down either of Jon’s records.
Read more at Indie Workshop
More to come later……though I think it’s great - Toxic Web
Track Listing :: Credits :: Buy It :: Reviews :: Back to Disc
In his own words Jon has “Finally made a feature” in Guitar Player magazine.
So check it out in the Riffs section.