http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1996/02/11/PK44110.DTL
It
makes sense that John Wesley Harding will celebrate the release of his new
acoustic record, ``John Wesley Harding's New Deal,'' by playing a series of
free shows at Borders Books & Music stores on the West Coast.
``I
stand for the word,'' Harding said. ``My writing has a literary quality.''
The
Noe Valley-based singer/songwriter will make his first stop on the six-date
tour at the San Francisco Borders on Tuesday, the album's release date. Harding
will then play the Emeryville franchise on Wednesday before departing to
Seattle to continue his jaunt through the chain.
``Between
me and Rhino (his record label), we thought it would be a nice idea to bring
out an album and sell it person to person,'' Harding said.
``John
Wesley Harding's New Deal,'' his first album with Rhino subsidiary Forward, was
recorded by Harding at Chris von Sneidern's basement studio in San Francisco.
Its acoustic setup marks a departure from his past electric records with Warner
Bros.
``Major
labels can pull you in this direction and that direction, and that may work for
you,'' Harding said. ``But what I am is a folksinger, and always have been.
What I feel was missing on my past records was (that) the voice and acoustic
guitar were not at the center. I didn't want anything to get in the way this
time. Everything Chris and I did on this record was subservient to that.''
Harding
is also independently releasing a CD of outtakes and B-sides called
``Dynablob'' in conjunction with the Berkeley record store Mod Lang. The
15-song disc is available through mail order only from P.O. Box 460717, San
Francisco, CA 94146. Tuesday's show at Border's will mark Harding's first live
appearance in the Bay Area since being handpicked to open for Bruce Springsteen
last fall. Harding was the first artist to open for Springsteen in more than 20
years.
``That
was just a big treat,'' Harding said. ``At the end of your life not that many
people will be able to say they did that.''
--
Aidin Vaziri