The Verna Cannon's somber sounds and thoughtful lyrics
by Joe Tarr
On the opening track of The Verna Cannon's Movie Star Faces, singer Molly Ledford sings, "I think I am out of line, a borrower of grief, an empath to a fault, it's embarrassing to cry, when nothing's wrong."
Her voice is framed by Dan Cook's mourning violin, sluggish guitars and a rhythm section that chugs along with almost resignation.
The entire album flows along at this subdued pace. The music would qualify as somber, expect that there's something too hopeful in Ledford's vocals. This album by the Columbia, S.C. group is not sad.
"I feel like it's comforting. It's pensive, but not really sad," says Cook, who writes most of the music with Ledford, who writes all of the lyrics. "I think that has to do with the way Molly and I work. Molly thinks a long time before she writes something. I think she gets really deep in her head, but at the heart of it she's a real optimist.
"The music might sound sadder than the lyrics."
Violin is Cook's first instrument, which he learned as a kid playing in school classical orchestras. "I started playing when I was 9," he says. "Then, like a lot of classical musicians, got kind of frustrated on it and started playing with rock bands."
Cook was on the fringes of Washington D.C.'s punk scene in the '80s, playing bass. After a stint with Danielle Howle in the group Lay Quiet Awhile, Cook contacted Ledford, whom he'd heard play on some compilations of Columbia musicians, he says. They started writing together and formed Verna Cannon in 1996. Their eponymous debut was released in '98. That album included some more uptempo numbers alongside the band's now trademark moody lounge tunes. Cook says he doesn't have a good explanation for why the group has emphasized whispering, dreamy pop songs.
"Our first CD had some more upbeat stuff on it mixed with slower songs. It's just kind of the way we evolved," Cook says. "We're all into some modern bands like Low and Ida. That gave us some validation for going the direction we have.
"It just seemed like...the only things that felt special were ones we played slower. I wouldn't necessarily say we're completely a chamber pop band," he adds.
The Verna Cannon has etched out a nice little niche for itself, fusing art and folk rock into a dreamy blend that variously wanders, soothes and unsettles the listener. Ledford's voice has been compared to Suzanne Vega's, and there are certainly similarities. However, while Vega's lyrics are dark, mysterious and detailed; Ledford's tend to be more ponderous meditations on life. In "softly slaying dragons," which appears to be a paean to parental love, she sings "Long before I was the grain of an idea, you were radiating warmth in large doses." Lyrics generally sound more corny in print, but Ledford's warm, earnest delivery makes them heartfelt. And, Cook says, "[With the new record] we knew that we just wanted to have a stripped down, sparse minimalist sound and have a warm ambiance to it. Aside from that, I wouldn't say we had any grand plans."
The Verna Cannon has been getting a nice buzz on college radio and has had several reviews, including in some national magazines. The band also played recently at the CMJ music conference in New York. But choosing the quieter path has made things slightly more difficult for the Verna Cannon to establish itself as a live act. For one thing, their music doesn't necessarily translate that well in rock venues. "It has everything to do with the environment. Unfortunately, we play in rock clubs that are usually loud, dirty places...So in that kind of setting it can be hard to get people to listen.
"I think we play well live. The people we played for in New York were pretty impressed. I'm not worried about our ability to make our music come across live. It's just harder to find an audience."
Although it is perfectly in keeping with the trends in indie pop world—and is flavored by whiffs of Americana—the group doesn't exactly jibe here in the Southeast, Cook says. "I don't want to dis my home region too much but there's just a lot of jam rock that dominates the Southeast. There is a niche of open-minded people who are open to indie rock. I just think it's a smaller contingent than in other regions," Cook says.
But these are minor quibbles for a band that's happy just to have an opportunity to perform. "We feel really pleased to have a label that wants put out records by us. Hopefully they'll want to put out another one," Cook laughs. "We're not looking to be rock stars; we just want to have an outlet for our music."
December 7, 2000 * Vol. 10, No. 49
© 2000 Metro Pulse
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