by Meredith M. Griffith
Sounder contributor
After 40 years apart, Orcas Islander James Connell reunited with his old college friend and “Milkweed” bandmate, Reid Spencer, to form the James Reid Band. The two have combined their songwriting talents to produce Connell’s second recent folk-rock (with a bit of jazz) album, “Breakfast at Sunset.”
Former Milkweed members Mat Kastner (guitar) and John Daniel (bass, vocals) also lent their formidable chops to the album, along with local multi-instrumentalist Martin Lund.
“The album is called ‘Breakfast at Sunset’ because it’s about beginning the day at the end of the day, in our sixties, starting our music again,” explains Connell.
Reid visited Orcas in 2014 for the release of Connell’s first album, “Early Lessons,” a contemplative retrospective on Connell’s relationship with his late first wife, Cristine. Though the friends had lost touch in the prior decades, the visit sparked the beginning of a new musical era for Reid and Connell.
Connell happily composed “Breakfast at Sunset” in honor of Reid’s visit, only to find that Reid had also written his own ode to the reunion, called “Home Again.” Reid worked tirelessly to prepare and distribute song material to the former bandmates before they arrived to record on Orcas.
Connell adds, laughing, “As you get older, your voice drops, and we had to drop the key of two of the songs because we couldn’t hit the high notes anymore.”
About half of the songs on the album were originally written in 1970 and 71 by the bandmates, in their twenties. Connell and Reid had dropped out of Yale together and soon ended up living in Reid’s parents’ basement. The forbears soon relocated the band to a nearby retreat center, and the fond reminiscence, “Hills of Carolina,” was the result. Other Milkweed-vintage classics include “Outside Campton Georgia,” about young workers “hanging out and drinking Ripple wine” when their boss unexpectedly shows up, and “Maybe I Been Talking,” about the regrets of a newly-committed band member.
Connell describes “Outside of Me,” written when he was 22, as “kind of Neil Young” and “angst-filled,” adding that he has no idea what the lyrics mean. “I must have meant something back then,” he laughs. “The rest of the band just rolls their eyes.”
New songs include “Homeless Paradise,” about homelessness in Hawaii, and “Nothing But Love,” an Eric Clapton-esque sort of rock and roll fantasy by Reid. “Just for Today (for D),” about Connell’s experience in Alcoholics Anonymous, is a gentle encouragement toward kindness and support.
Connell’s “Why Can’t I Just Tell You” is a musing on his life’s two love relationships, both grieving the loss of his first wife and celebrating his new marriage to 30-year islander Susan Hull in 2015. “For Susan” is a touching instrumental tribute to the couple’s unfolding years together.
“We were married only three weeks when the entire band landed at my house in June 2015,” says Connell. “She jumped in with both feet. The wives brought lunch every day. We called them our groupies. We had a ball.” The album was recorded at Jim Bredouw’s barn.
“The most important thing,” adds Connell, “was the renewal of these relationships, to see these guys again and catch up… To have the music capture the coming together, there was real joy.”
For a sneak preview of the album, visit the band’s website, http://jamesreidband.bandcamp.com/, or their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/JamesReidBand/. CDs are available for purchase at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jamesreidband.
