When you look at the cover of Wherever You Go, a CD by Sweet Wednesday, you'd expect some classical music. Well, it's not. The CD does give you that feeling of a live record though. You almost get the feeling that you're sitting on songwriters Dave Falk and Lisa Housman's porch in a wooden rocking chair, overlooking the cornfields while the artists play their favourite songs especially for you, and they're playing it something fierce, and with enthusiasm!
Dave Falk plays the guitar and harmonica and Lisa Housman plays the guitar, mandolin and kazoo. Both of them sing. They've written all of the songs themselves. Their songs tell us about all the possible places and situations between Half Moon Bay, CA and Winter Hill, MA. We're dealing here with true musicians. They sing together and play together in a way that shows that they're something special together. Love radiates so to speak, and I don't just mean the love for making music! There's something magical going on. The two of them are playing so intensely together, and complete each others performances so wonderfully that you get all giddy.
The performance is purely acoustic, and it's a brilliant mix between folk and rock. You can really see that theyre having fun playing their music together, and because they're both really good, it's just something special. It's not only so very breathtakingly pretty when they're performing together, their solo-acts are wonderful as well. Everything is in function of the song, without trying to be dramatic, and they touch you right in the heart. Lisa's songs are very strong, and Dave's are just as good, and the same goes for the songs they've written together. On top of that, there are some other local musicians from the Boston scène on this wonderful CD, for instance members of the Swinging Steaks like Andy Plaisted, Paul Kochanski, Jamie Walker, Steve Sadler and Jim Gabino. Other contributions are by Steve Mayone on lap steel, mandolin and lead guitar, and we can hear Seth Connelly on guitar, mandolin and bass. Vital roots-music of the very best kind!!!
-Freddy Celis, ROOTSTIME MAGAZINE
(translated from Flemish by Inge Brems)
Sweet Wednesday is driven by the duo of Lisa Housman on vocals and guitar, and Dave Falk on vocals, guitar and harmonica. They share lead vocal responsibility from song to song while exhibiting a folky, Bob Dylan/Woody Guthrie edge to their delivery. Lisa Housman's vocals run the gamut from sweet and airy to cynical and sassy while Dave Falk's voice is melodic, concise and strong. Collectively they paint a colorful tapestry of mellow sounds filled with vivid imagery from track to track.
Guest musicians on Wherever You Go include the Swinging Steaks: Andy Plaisted, Paul Kochanski, Jim Gambino, Jamie Walker and Steve Sadler as well as Steve Mayone on guitar, lapsteel, mandolin and bass and the multi-talents of Seth Connelly on guitar, mandolin, bass, and percussion.
Beautifully produced, engineered and mixed by Rob Ignazio at Porter Square Studio in Somerville, Ignazio did a fine job of harnessing the subtleties of Sweet Wednesday's music. Seth Connelly also assisted with recording duties at his Humming Lake Studio in Brookline New Hampshire.
With a folky charm, expect Sweet Wednesday to make a lot of new friends and fans with the release of their excellent offering Wherever You Go. Good stuff.
-Douglas Sloan, METRONOME MAGAZINE
(Featured in DOUG's TOP 5 CD's for June 2006.
Look for Sweet Wednesday in a cover story in Metronome's August 2006 Issue)
"How Can I Know" you guys aren't really world-famous folksingers in disguise? This is great stuff! Terrific lyrics, mighty fine guitar playing, and exquisite singing - all mixed with a tremendous dose of confident attitude. ENCORE!
-LexZ, Mixposure.com
Sweet Wednesday tell the best stories. In "(Lisa, I'm Sorry I Brought You to) New York City," we are regaled with a story about running out of gas while driving to New York from New Jersey. At one point, the drivers receive a parking ticket because they have stalled on the bridge without gas. Considering the man sings it and the female of the duet is named Lisa, it makes one wonder when they play live whether he sings to her.
If any of Max Barry's books actually get made into a movie like he swears they will, then the title track belongs on the soundtrack. Barry's books tend to have a certain style about them, and this song touches on it perfectly.
-Joel Edleman, Agouti Music
Lisa Housman and Dave Falk are, in essence, singing storytellers. Through travels, life lessons, childhood reflections, and songs of love, Wherever You Go takes listeners on a journey with two singer/songwriters who write about their own lives.
The opener, "Mid-Morning Rain," has an upbeat, tap-your-feet melody as Housman's voice sings in a matter-of-fact tone similar to Dar Williams. Her soprano notes sing a tender chorus of poetic lyrics. The traveling songs move from "Going Over Brooklyn," "Pacific Shores," "San Francisco," and back to "Winter Hill." The narrative lyrics range from comical statements: "My hair still looks like crap / From this morning when I didn't have time to brush it;" to heartfelt: "And I felt sand between my toes in San Francisco / And I touched the ocean and the ocean tasted me."
This folk-rock/alt-country duo writes straightforward tales in rhythm that grab the listener's attention... Wherever You Go shows off very diverse displays of songwriting. Housman and Falk are talented singer/songwriters who, without taking themselves too seriously, are simply writing through the natural wavering of human emotion.
-Sasha Keeler, Performer Magazine
Sweet Wednesday is a pair of singer-songwriters, Dave Falk and Lisa Housman, who play in what they call the “modern folk” vein, and they do it damn well.
-Tim Emswiler, The Noise
"Their great songwriting makes for an evening of attentive listening…Lisa and Dave’s songs are memorable, thought-
provoking…young, fresh, energetic and empathetic tunes that reflect their personalities."
-Mare Streetpeople, Choir of Angels Coffeehouse
"You've succeeded in pushing the song form to something wonderful
and new..Rarely have I encountered such incredible talent.."
-Judges, Great American Song Contest
"Judges proclaimed her songwriting 'brilliantly original' and
compared her to Dar Williams, Bob Dylan, Ani Difranco and
Christine Lavin, for her story-telling style and her concern with social
issues."
-Great American Song Contest Hall of Fame
"Dave Falk & Lisa Housman are two very fabulous musicians. They
make me laugh and just are so very entertaining. Yankee
Homecoming welcomes them back for their 2nd year of participation
in the downtown entertainment series for 2004. I would recommend
this team for any venue, festival, nightclub, or coffee house. They
are polite, professional and dependable. A sure winner! Thumbs up
for Housman and Falk!"
-Kathy Heywood, Chairwoman, Yankee Homecoming Festival
"[Love Breaks All the Rules] has that kind of familiar sound that
sticks by you as though it's been a lifelong friend. I had never heard
of Dave Falk before hearing this track, but after the song finished
playing, it seemed as though he had known me ."
-GodsofMusic.com
"Well written, performed and recorded, Dave Falk's CD Love
Breaks All the Rules is an entertaining disk worthy of many spins." -Douglas Sloan, Metronome Magazine
"Dave Falk busks in the Boston subways -- an admirable, almost a
missionary calling. If you heard him on your morning commute, he
would put a smile on your face. He's one of those soulful acoustic
guitar guys who are self-possessed enough to stand in front of a
constantly changing, dour-faced mob of subway riders, and bare
their all through their music. We should all admire the hell out of him
for trying his darndest to make the world a more musical and
pleasant place."
-Brett McCallin, Splendid Ezine
Cha-cha-cha-cha-changes! It would be really cool if Dave Falk
ditched his bluegrass, alt-acoustic singer/songwriter style, and went
full-blown glam rock. Like Bowie! He could be the next fabulous
cross-dressing, androgynous Space Oddity. Seriously. The constant
strumming of the electric guitar and the disco drumming in “Kiss of
Heaven” made me aching for a synthesizer and maybe some
artificial, galactic sounding zips, you know, like,
doododoododoodooooo. But really, this disc shows Dave Falk has
the beginning of a very successful musical project. Falk’s tunes are
riddled with catchy guitar hooks and generic pop rhythms destined
for the radio. His lyrics aren’t half bad either, “Many have tried to
rise above, to find these mortal walls, let us drink beneath the stars
tonight, filled with song and sweet delight.” So sweet. In “Down in the
Valley Again,” Falk hits some killer high notes that even Mr. Bowie
would be envious. With a little more practice, maybe some glitter
eyeliner and heavy exposure of his amazing backup vocalist Lisa
Housman, Falk could really do some damage - in a good way.
-Andrea McPhee, Soundcheck Magazine
"David Falk makes you close your eyes, think twice, and ask
yourself- 'Wow, is that really coming out of him?' He is unassuming
only until he starts to play. Then he stops you dead in your tracks
and makes you listen."
* First Place Dallas Songwriting Contest (2003)
* First Place Great American Song Contest (1999)
* Finalists Minnesota Folk Festival
New Folk Songwriting Contest (2004)
* Runner Up John Lennon Songwriting Contest (2002)
* #2 Weekly Dig's 2003 Top Ten Buskers
* Wildflower Arts Festival Finalist (2000)
* Sierra Songwriting Competition Finalist (2000)
* Third Place Great American Songwriting Contest (1999)
* Honorable Mention Great American Song Contest (1999)
* Ninth Place Mid Atlantic Songwriting Contest
* Featured in First Place Film (Experimental Category)
Dublin Film Festival (2002)
* #1 MP3.com Alternative Country Charts
* Great American Song Contest Honor Award (2003)
The Bull Run
Club Passim
Cornell University
Kendall Cafe
Lesley University
The Living Room
Middle East
Minnesota Folk Festival
The Natick Center for the Arts in Natick
Northeastern University
Peabody House
Siera Folk Festival
Soberfest
Stanford University
TT the Bear's
UNC
University of Arkansas
Wellesley College
Wildflower Arts Festival
Zeitgeist Gallery
Kris Delmhorst
Dave Carter & Tracy Grammar
Kevin So
Carrie Newcomer
Donna Martin
Christine Lavin
Susan Levine
Christopher Williams
Greg Greenway
Michael Troy
Pamela Means
Mary Lou Lord
Rachael Davis
Meg Hutchinson
Brian Webb
Rachel McCartney
Patty Keough
Ryan Montbleau
Katie Barbato
Kate Klim
Don White
Paul Horton
Lisa Bastoni Tom Bianchi
Lloyd Thayer
Danielle Miraglia
Joel Cage
