The Voyces' BEAUTIFUL Christmas Gift

A wall of sound and a sea of voices (voyces) make up a spectacular Christmas song written and recorded by The Voyces. (Pssst, you can download it free at their site.)

http://www.thevoyces.net/audio/THE_VOYCES-CHRISTMASTIME_I-2.m3u

East Village Blues (I Wanna Run, I Wanna Run, I Wanna Run Away)

Still one of the finest songs ever recorded by The Voyces, East Village Blues is a folk song in the truest sense of the term. Unlike many of Wurschum's lyrics, this blues piece is filled with slang. Its desperate pleas rattle on with a palpable heartfelt longing to "run away."

The song was composed in roughly fifteen minutes, according to Wurschum: "I had lived in New York for about three months. I was disenchanted and homesick. One night I was walking down Fifth Street in the East Village, where I was living at the time. I heard the song all at once, rushed to a cafe, sat down, and wrote it out."

Instantly catchy with brilliant harmonies, it is no wonder it remains one of their most popular songs.

http://www.thevoyces.net/audio/THE_VOYCES-EAST_VILLAGE.m3u

EAST VILLAGE BLUES

I wanna run, I wanna run, I wanna run away
This life don’t suit me anymore
Freaks on the street, bums on the floor
My friends are phony, too
So I am out the door
I wanna run, I wanna run, I wanna run away
And sing to people more like me
Not scamps who can’t think, hear, or see
Who think they know, and even worse, that they know me
I wanna run, I wanna run, I wanna run away
But I can’t run away
First Avenue - the ground ain’t clean and the sky ain’t blue
Finally I’m home
I wanna run, I wanna run, I wanna run, I wanna run away
A king who’s got no crown to don
A knight of nowhere humming songs
Whose silver spoon is sold as bronze
Who’s forced to fight a thousand pawns
While time just carries on and on and on and on…
I wanna run, I wanna run, I wanna run away
Get married and then settle down
In some small place in some small town
We’ll laugh all day and sleep so sound
And let the world spin ‘round and ‘round and ‘round and ‘round

Written by Brian Wurschum (Copyright 2000, B.W.W. Music)

The Voyces release a Benefit CD for FARA

Next week, The Voyces will release a benefit CD called, "A New Day Never Faraway." One hundred percent of the money will go to The Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA).
In the past, the band has hosted two fundraisers for FARA.

When I first heard about this, I wanted to know why The Voyces were involved with benefits such as these. When I saw this latest news on The Voyces website, I wrote and asked Brian Wurschum about this. He told me that his cousin-in-law had this disease, that not very many people have ever heard of Friedreich's Ataxia, and that he did not feel he could do much but wanted to do something. He went on to tell me about some of the other people who are afflicted whom he had met at the concert fundraisers, and about the profound impact meeting them had on him.

Then I ordered my copy of the benefit CD.
You can read all about Friedreich's Ataxia here: www.curefa.org
And you can buy the CD here: www.thevoyces.net

Interview: The Voyces' Jude Kastle

1.) Tell me about your coming to be a part of The Voyces. How did it happen?

That's such a deep question. Sitting here trying to sum up the path of my whole life in one sentence.

2.) How would you compare The Voyces with other groups you've played or play with?

No comparison.


3.) How much creative input do you have during recording?

I have as much input as I want. Brian and I are partners.


4.) What is your favorite Voyces song to sing?

"Where The Little Girls Still Throw Roses."


5.) You have two solo albums (Ghost of a Girl and Junkie for Fire). Do you still write songs? Will any of the songs you have written ever show up on a Voyces album?

Maybe, but I don't think they're good enough.

6.) What artists most inspire you?

WOW .......WHOA.....um .......Brian Wurschum, Dolly Parton, Paul McCartney, Christine McVie, Los Lobos, Rush, Willie Nelson, Led Zeppelin, and The Eagles.

7.) Can you tell me about your upcoming album?

It's going to be our best record yet. Easily the best songs we've ever written and I'm really excited about it.

8.) Your harmonies with Brian (Wurschum) are incredible. Does it take a long time to get them to sound so tight?

We work out the harmonies but it comes pretty naturally.

9.) You and Brian make performing look effortless. I have never seen either of you appear to struggle. Is that an illusion? Is performing ever difficult for you?

No. It's not difficult. It's a joy and a pleasure. Performing has never been difficult for me but performing with The Voyces is special.

My Girlfriend's Favorite Shirt

My girlfriend wears a "Pretty Girls Listen To The Voyces" t-shirt and she rocks it. My girlfriend happens to actually be very pretty, and she does indeed listen to The Voyces. But she gets so many comments about it that she tells me it makes her feel pretty, even when she's on the rag.

The Voyces sell these and many other shirts, including ones with original Brian Wurschum artwork, right here: http://www.cafepress.com/thevoyces

It's fun, fun fun..........

The (hilarious) "Kissing Like It's Love" Video

I have seen a lot of music videos and most of them have left me disappointed. Shot in an old silent movie format, The Voyces' video for their infectious song "Kissing Like It's Love" delivers on many fronts. It is a clever idea: Brian attempts to get his band a recording contract, can't because his band refuses to "sell sex", and cries about his situation to a slue of hot girls in school girl uniforms, short skirts, and bikinis...as they suck on lollipops and eat bananas.

One detail that is hard to see but worth knowing: the sign on the door of the record label which rejects the group reads GIGANTIC RECORDS - "We have lots of cash. That's our thing."

Songwriter/singer and writer/director of the video Brian Wurschum has been promising a video for The Voyces' gorgeous song "Top Of My Lungs" for a long time, but still no sign as of yet.
At least we have this.
It's really funny. I watch it a couple times a week.

Interview: The Voyces' Brian Wurschum

I read somewhere that, in your mind, The Voyces have only been around since about 2006. Yet you released CDs in 2000 (The Best Day of My Life), 2002 (Jack Johnson’s Thicker Than Water), and 2003 (The Angels of Fun). What did you mean by that?

In 2006, the band I had always envisioned finally materialized.

That’s when Eric Puente and Jude Kastle joined the group?

Yes.

What about their presence caused such a dramatic shift in your mentality?

Jude is, for lack of a better way to put this, my musical counterpart. We have an identical creative vision. And our personalities complement one another’s, which makes life simple. The exact same things can be said about Eric. Frank and I were already tight, so now we are four peas in a pod. Having a band can be really challenging if that band’s health and survival is your lifeline, and I would honestly describe this situation, creatively and personally, as effortless. Nothing is required except that which comes naturally anyway. This all combines to make it easy to focus on the only thing that really matters, which is the music itself.

Kissing Like It’s Love is a great record.

I like it.

Was that fun to record?

It was. There were a lot of hurdles to climb as far as logistics went. We started recording that album in three studios before it all came together beautifully and we settled into Lofish Studios with Alex Nizich. He co-produced that CD and was not properly credited in a lot of our major press. That still bothers me. He absolutely made that record happen. He worked so hard on it. Rarely slept. Wow, that was an adventure. But it was a fun one.

And the album did well. Better than you had anticipated?

We did not know what to expect, so we had no expectations. One sale would have us high-fiving.

You are working on the songs for your next album, Let Me Die in Southern California. I have been lucky enough to have seen some of the lyrics. As a huge fan, I will tell you that I find them to be your best and most thought-provoking to date.

Thank you.

The title track contains stunning imagery about the Southern Californian’s lifestyle, and the west coast in general. Was this song written in California?

In a way, yes. It’s hard to explain. I felt and sort of heard the song while we were out there on our last tour, while driving to the airport to head back to New York City. I am from California, so it is always a potent experience when I am there. And leaving is always hard. But I found the melody and wrote the lyrics when I got back to New York.

I’m dying to hear the music. Is it as sad as the lyrics?

Well, I do not know. It is a hard rock song. It is a driving song. It alludes to a definite longing. Yes, it is a driving-hard rock-longing type of a song.

What’s your favorite song on the new album?

There is a song on which Jude sings lead. “King of Castle.” It’s gorgeous.

Oh wow, is that a play on her last name?

Not on purpose, no.

And you are re-recording a song from your old band, majority DOG, right?

“Finest Hour.”

Why re-record it?

I love the song, and I think it deserves a new life.

Do you want to talk about your old band?

No thanks.

Another new song you let me read is called, It Never Just Goes. Can you tell me about this one?

It’s the catchiest song on the new album, I think.

The words are pretty.

Thanks.

What Voyces song are you most proud of?

Not including any of the songs that will be on our next album, I would say “Where The Little Girls Still Throw Roses.”

Other favorites?

“The Angels Of Fun” and “Kissing Like It’s Love.”

What songwriters most inspire you?

There are so many. The most influential ones are probably Roger Waters, Randy Newman, Walter Becker, Paul Simon, and Peter Gabriel. But there are too many to list.