New music springs up

Ah, spring. Flowers blooming. Grass growing. New CDs poppin' up everywhere.

It seems several area bands have been using their time stuck indoors productively.

They stuck themselves in the recording studio.

Doug Rees went "Looking for a Better Day" with his fourth album, released at a party March 13. The CD has 11 tracks that sound just like Doug -- folksy, country, insightful and hilarious.

Jefferson Fox will release a new CD soon, but no one knows what it will look like, including Fox, who's looking for an artist to lend his or her hand to the album, titled "Chronicles of Harvey." Find him on Facebook for details.

His most recent CD, the 10-track "Animule," came in a sort of cardboard cover with an All-American label that warned listeners they were about to get an earful of earthy, indie goodness that requires a porch and a bottle of beer -- or maybe a skirt and a dance floor.

Rockface Barband is finally done recording its first CD. This as-yet-unnamed item still needs to be mastered and packaged, but the eight-track album shows the guys' talent for knowing exactly what needs to be in a rock song and putting it there.

Mike Renick Band bucks the trend. They're hoping to record this summer.

Rockface, I know, records in the winter because the lead guitarist is a farmer.

Rees doesn't have to mow grass in the winter, hence his November recording sessions.

As for the other spring releases, we speculate that the summer fairs and festivals keep artists out playing. When a band goes on tour, it's usually shows late spring through summer and into early fall.

The gigs seem to slow down in the winter, and bands can spend time in the studio.

Then again, maybe the shows trickle out because everybody's in the studio. There's a chicken and an egg and no one's sure where anything came from.

One thing's for sure, the songs on these albums have shelf life. Rees calls it "opening up" the lyrics so that a song could be talking about anyone.

Every song is personal for a songwriter. The challenge is making it personal for everyone.