Reviews

The one thing lacking at Saturday night's "Skypaint" debut at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge was the staging. The small basement room, with the crowd forming a horseshoe around the floor-level stage, does not lend itself to anything approaching bigness. Rather than making grand gesticulations on stage, the musicians have to be concerned with not bumping into one another.

Before Saturday's packed show, Chudnofsky good naturedly lamented "no one's going to hear the lyrics. This is more like a rock show." Yes, lyrics were often tough to discern, but the music came through loud, clear, and uncluttered. And it was terrific: immediately infectious, hard-rocking, and heartfelt. "Skypaint" may just be the best rock [or pop] opera by a small-scale band since the Coolies' "Doug."

It's one thing for the Boston Rock Opera folks to lovingly recreate classic rock operas as there is, at least, a certain built-in audience, but it takes chutzpah to let something like this loose upon the public.

Thematically, you'll recognize antecedents such as the Kinks' "Preservation Act 2," the Alan Parsons Project's "I Robot," Kraftwerk's "The Man-Machine." The idea is that merging high-tech and humankind may not be so wonderful for the latter. "Skypaint's" thumbnail plot sketch: A youth nicknamed Sky Paint (Chudnofsky) - he likes to stare at the sky - moves from a small town to the city after technology has rendered farm workers obsolete. He must leave his wife, Laila (Sarah Borges), behind until he can send money for her. Sky gets a job as a pet robot walker. We meet narrator/requisite evil doer, Dr. Riley J. Jones, a.k.a. the Sci-Fi Pimp (Tom Sturm), who sees man as an evolutionary mistake. His solution: Merge mind with machine and hook it up to a wireless network. Dr. Jones, whose nemesis is his son Riley Jr. (Eric Schmider), persuades Laila to merge with the network. She disappears into "the inner frontier." Sky and Riley Jr. hook up to save humanity.

You glean some of this through narration, but they should pump up the explanatory and transitional parts. Still, the breadth of material - sampled techno bits, helicopter-ish synth flutters a la Pink Floyd, rousing anthemic pop/rock, country - and the male/female dynamic of Chudnofsky and Borges make for a powerful experience.

At the end of the show, a friend presented Chudnofsky with a bouquet - traditional in theater, perhaps, but not in rock 'n' roll. Chudnofsky left the stage protesting, "I am not a theater person! I am a rocker!" Chudnofsky intends to kick "Skypaint" up again in January (and beyond) hoping for a space with more room. He hopes to add backdrops and multimedia.

Because of his unimpeachable greatness as a player, it would be easy to imagine that Chudnofsky would have songwriting skills. But the road to hell is lined, in fact, with solo albums by great guitar players who didn’t have vision. Mick Ronson, for example, wrote a couple of great songs, but could never quite emerge as a solo artist. Robby Krieger wrote some okay songs for the Doors (although Morrison tinkered with them), but there wasn’t much life in that songwriter outside of his band. I would argue that Jeff Beck’s career is more noteworthy for songwriting failure than success. The hitch, it would seem, is in the lyrics. A lot of great musicians, when it comes down to it, just don’t have that much to say in the medium of song. So the ambitious, whimsical, and almost preposterous aspect of Russell Chudnofsky’s solo album Skypaint is that it’s, well, one of those rock opera type of song cycles.

For me the touchstones of this approach are all from the mid-to-late sixties: S.F. Sorrow by the Pretty Things; Village Green Preservation Society, by the Kinks; and, perhaps, Tommy. These albums are riff factories; that’s part of what makes them so great, their endless inventiveness, and Chudnofsky’s eminence as a guitarist is such that Skypaint is similar in its craftiness. Every song has its superabundance of great guitar parts and insta-riffs. As with S.F. Sorrow, the singing is somewhat secondary. (Chudnofsky and Sarah Borges do most of the vocals, and are more than able, and Chudnofsky plays just about everything except the drums.)

It is true that Tommy has not worn terribly well. Many of the people who thought that Tommy was the height of profundity in 1969 now think otherwise. Some of its generalities, its abstractions, its lyrical aspirations, are a little embarrassing at this remove. Indeed, as a fierce adherent to all things Townshend, I can now say, as an adult, that it appears that Pete Townshend is in truth a pretty bad lyricist. Skypaint, which is a souped-up retelling of the Garden of Eden story, mimics the excesses of the rock opera approach in many ways, it genre hops, it includes rapping, and it plays fast and loose with lyrics. The rhymes are often cheap (as in Townshend), and the characterizations are sort of off-the-shelf, and the theme seems to be a digital age variant on the Joni Mitchell’s flower power line: “We’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden.” As a commentary on the excesses of the rock opera, it is perfect. And the songs are infectious, in that mid-sixties/early-seventies way, very infectious, and played faultlessly, and the occasional moment of totally indulgent guitar virtuosity shines through here and there (more would be a violation of Chudnofsky’s serve-the-song ethics), and every single time this indulgence is more than welcome, is very satisfying.

This is one incredibly great guitarist you’ll hear on this recording. I found myself—and this is exactly how I feel about Tommy now, as well as all those Kinks operas from the early seventies—just listening to the songs, and not much caring about the story at all, and, as such, there is a great deal to enjoy about Chudnofsky’s very ambitious project. Who still does stuff like this? Apparently Russell Chudnofsky does.

Skypaint centers on a main character, Sky Paint, who well, paints the sky. In a nutshell, it deals with (in a very Brave New World way) a man's displeasure with his current surroundings and life, and his downshifting into a world inhabited by technology. Issues of love, denial, betrayal, anger and acceptance provide threads through the vision. The music is great, and unlike other similar works to which it's inevitably going to be compared, the transition from song to song is more abrupt and mechanized, making for a good listening experience. Styles range from banjo folk to techno.

Skypaint really has many good points; it could be used as therapeutic listening material for those who've had bad psychedelic experiences (I'm serious). One thing I do notice in the vocal narration-the flat Boston accent. I hope this disc says something about our great city. Want more? Listen to the CD.

"Skypaint", a brilliant collaboration of local Boston musical talent bound to a Misanthrope-meets-Metropolis opera format. But let's say something about Sarah Borges, and in particular, the Russell C. hit as performed on Track 2 for (only!) two and a half minutes: "Momma's Warning". Listening to Sarah Borges is like sliding down the far side of a rainbow, with a smooth-glide landing into pure gold. Listen to this track, and the rest of the CD will create a perfect order.

Skypaint centers on a main character, Sky Paint, who well, paints the sky. In a nutshell, it deals with (in a very Brave New World way) a man's displeasure with his current surroundings and life, and his downshifting into a world inhabited by technology. Issues of love, denial, betrayal, anger and acceptance provide threads through the vision. The music is great, and unlike other similar works to which it's inevitably going to be compared, the transition from song to song is more abrupt and mechanized, making for a good listening experience. Styles range from banjo folk to techno.

Skypaint really has many good points; it could be used as therapeutic listening material for those who've had bad psychedelic experiences (I'm serious). One thing I do notice in the vocal narration-the flat Boston accent. I hope this disc says something about our great city. Want more? Listen to the CD.

SkyPaint is Confidence Man Russell Chudnofsky's apocalyptic version of the original sin story. But here, instead of knowledge, the apple is representative of computer-generated oblivion, and biting into it takes the characters to a world of infantile fantasy (a virtual Eden), as the alternative to living in a meaningless world overladen with technology. Heavy stuff. Performed as a musical narrative, SkyPaint is strongly reminiscent of the Kinks' concept albums of the '70s in structure and style.

The music of SkyPaint is well-arranged, richly-textured, and tuneful. The band is fronted by Russell, who sings lead and plays guitar and keyboards. His trademark slide guitar adds an incredibly effective and mournful edge to some of the songs, most notably "By Tomorrow" and "Away From The Man." Laila, the Eve character, is performed by the statuesque Sarah Borges of Kipper Tin, who adds a clear strong voice and rhythm guitar. Phil Magnifico (Lucky 57) on bass and Rob Dulaney (Confidence Men) on drums round out the musicians' roster, while other character parts are handled by Tom Sturm, Eric Schnider, Binky Rice, and a robotic dog.

As in classical opera, a detailed libretto is given to each audience member. The nice thing is that, even without this assistance, the strength of the music and the performances would have carried the show. Unfortunately, there are no more performances scheduled yet, but considering the success of this one, I'd be surprised if you didn't get a second chance to check it out.

"SkyPaint: A Pop Opera" is the creation of Framingham native Russell Chudnofsky, who spent a few years playing in several Pioneer Valley bands a few years ago. Now living in Arlington, Chudnofsky will return to Northampton Friday to lead a performance of his science fiction story-in-song at the Iron Horse. The show starts at 10 p.m. and tickets are $8. Chudnofsky didn't set out to write a pop opera, but found himself sitting on a pile of original songs that all had a similar theme. "These songs slowly morphed into an opera," Chudnofsky said. "Over the past six or seven years, I had written all these songs about feeling alienated by technology. It's the feeling that we're living in a sci-fi novel."

Chudnofsky then framed the songs with a story line that finds the hero, Sky Paint - a dreamer who likes to "paint the sky" with his dreams - leaving his rural community because the farming town has sunk into economic depression as technological advances make farming obsolete. So Sky heads to the city where he finds only sadness. People are leaving nature behind to have their brains downloaded into a massive computer network, designed by the sinister Dr. Riley J. Jones. In this network, software replaces emotion and eliminates suffering. Among those willing to sacrifice their humanity for these technological advances is Laila, Sky's wife.

While Sky dreams of his former bucolic existence, Dr. Jones' son comes along and plots to destroy his father's cyberworld. Sky is unsure what to do and must choose which world he wants to live in. But a surprise twist in the story line makes this choice moot. You'll have to see the show to find out what Sky discovers, however. When asked about what he was trying to say with his story, Chudnofsky chuckles. "There are obviously a lot of question marks in the story," he said with a laugh. "I'm not sure how to answer that, but I'm basically asking: If you were uncertain of the true nature of your environment, would you want to know the truth and be in pain, or be blissfully ignorant?"

The pop opera is also available on CD, on which Chudnofsky played most of the instruments. For the live show, Chudnofsky, who plays the part of Sky, will be joined on stage by members of his current band, The Confidence Men, as well as Sarah Borges, who plays guitar and sings the part of Laila. Local musician Tom Sturm (of the band Yanni DiFranco) plays the part of Dr. Jones.

Most of the cast pulls double duty by playing instruments as they sing, but Chudnofsky doesn't believe this negatively affects the theatrical aspect of the show. A video screen behind the band creates an abstract visual experience, with snippets relating to the opera's libretto sprinkled throughout the images.

Best solo albums by important band sidemen or sidewomen? I have had this debate on a number of occasions, notably with Stevie Jackson of Belle and Sebastian. I like All Things Must Pass, Who Came First, Last Splash, Talk Is Cheap, Weed Forestin’, Star (by Belly), etc. In this context, let it be said that Russell Chudnofsky is a very highly regarded guitar player and session musician in the Boston scene, who has played with some of the very best songwriters there. (I met him at a Tanya Donelly gig.) He has that capacity that is so admirable in the very best guitar players: he has no particular methodology, but can apparently do anything. He serves the song, which is really the ultimate in talent.

Because of his unimpeachable greatness as a player, it would be easy to imagine that Chudnofsky would have songwriting skills. But the road to hell is lined, in fact, with solo albums by great guitar players who didn’t have vision. Mick Ronson, for example, wrote a couple of great songs, but could never quite emerge as a solo artist. Robby Krieger wrote some okay songs for the Doors (although Morrison tinkered with them), but there wasn’t much life in that songwriter outside of his band. I would argue that Jeff Beck’s career is more noteworthy for songwriting failure than success. The hitch, it would seem, is in the lyrics. A lot of great musicians, when it comes down to it, just don’t have that much to say in the medium of song. So the ambitious, whimsical, and almost preposterous aspect of Russell Chudnofsky’s solo album Skypaint is that it’s, well, one of those rock opera type of song cycles.

For me the touchstones of this approach are all from the mid-to-late sixties: S.F. Sorrow by the Pretty Things; Village Green Preservation Society, by the Kinks; and, perhaps, Tommy. These albums are riff factories; that’s part of what makes them so great, their endless inventiveness, and Chudnofsky’s eminence as a guitarist is such that Skypaint is similar in its craftiness. Every song has its superabundance of great guitar parts and insta-riffs. As with S.F. Sorrow, the singing is somewhat secondary. (Chudnofsky and Sarah Borges do most of the vocals, and are more than able, and Chudnofsky plays just about everything except the drums.)

Skypaint, which is a souped-up retelling of the Garden of Eden story, mimics the excesses of the rock opera approach in many ways, it genre hops, it includes rapping, and it plays fast and loose with lyrics. The rhymes are often cheap (as in Townshend), and the characterizations are sort of off-the-shelf, and the theme seems to be a digital age variant on the Joni Mitchell’s flower power line: “We’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden.” As a commentary on the excesses of the rock opera, it is perfect. And the songs are infectious, in that mid-sixties/early-seventies way, very infectious, and played faultlessly, and the occasional moment of totally indulgent guitar virtuosity shines through here and there (more would be a violation of Chudnofsky’s serve-the-song ethics), and every single time this indulgence is more than welcome, is very satisfying.

This is one incredibly great guitarist you’ll hear on this recording. I found myself—and this is exactly how I feel about Tommy now, as well as all those Kinks operas from the early seventies—just listening to the songs, and, as such, there is a great deal to enjoy about Chudnofsky’s very ambitious project. Who still does stuff like this? Apparently Russell Chudnofsky does.

Well, for one thing, they're not easy to make. After two years of hard work, Russell Chudnofsky of the Confidence Men is ready to bring Skypaint: A Popopera to the Pioneer Valley. The band and cast are made up members of Kipper Tin, Lucky 57 and Jesus Has 2 Mommies. Specifically, Chudnofsky along with Sarah Borges, Phil Magnifico and Rob Dulaney take care of the music.

What makes Skypaint: A Popopera different from many other rock operas is its scope. This is no year-in-the-life-of-the-band story. Chudnofsky takes on the theme of technology vs. humanity: Who or what will be victorious in the end? The main character, Skypaint (Chudnofsky), moves from his small town to the big city after technology renders farm work obsolete. He leaves his wife Laila (Borges) temporarily behind. As Skypaint gets a job as a pet robot walker, we are introduced to the villain, Dr. Riley J. Jones (Tom Sturm), who sees man as an evolutionary mistake and seeks to correct the problem by merging man's mind to machine. But the villain's arch nemesis, his son Riley Jr. (Eric Schmider), persuades Laila to do some merging of her own. Be prepared for sampled techno, helicopter synth sounds, the powerful dynamic between Chudnofsky and Borges and animated backdrops.

In just over a decade, the estimable Boston Rock Opera has revived -- and practically exhausted -- the rock-opera/concept-album canon, from Jesus Christ Superstar and Tommy to lesser-known works like the Pretty Things' SF Sorrow and Harry Nilsson's The Point. Fortunately, there are still people writing the darnn things, and for tonight's BRO 10th-anniversary celebration, they'll be presenting hometown boy Russell Chudnofsky's well-received Skypaint: A Pop Opera, starring the author and Kipper Tin vocalist Sarah Borges. The BRO will also reprise The Point, which was debuted at this past year's First Night festivities, and then gather a special one-time-only 20-member all-star alumni band -- among them, former Van Halen/Extreme singer Gary Cherone, ex-S! ugar drummer Malcolm Travis, and BRO co-founders T Max and Mick Maldonado -- to perform selections from past productions, which include all the above plus the Small Faces operetta Happiness Stan, the Kinks' Preservation, Rocky Horror, and the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

There is no genre this fits in it is pop-techno-folk-spoken word-different! The 24 songs follow through the life of a character named Sky Paint of whom you will hear little stories about all through the CD I have never heard anything like it, songs and little stories inter- mixed about the same subjects. My favorite character is Sci-Fi Pimp aka Dr. Riley Jones; he has the coolest little theme song! You honestly have to hear it for yourself there is so much to take in that my little review is not doing it justice.