Date: Thu, 26 Feb 1998 10:37:25 PST From: Perfect Sound Forever Subject: Red House Painters, Innocence Mission On John Denver Tribute Album Wasn't somebody just inquiring what Red House Painters are up to? This comes from today's edition of AllStar magazine at allstarmag.com: =================================================================== Red House Painters Leader Organizes John Denver Tribute Album He's not exactly Puff Daddy, but Red House Painters frontman Mark Kozelek is putting together a tribute album for one of his unlikely heroes, John Denver. "I grew up listening to him, it's the right thing to do," Kozelek says. His Name Is Alive, Tarnation, Innocence Mission, Sparklehorse, and Clod Hopper are already slated to appear on the record, while the singer is waiting to hear back from representatives for Elliott Smith, Hope Sandoval, J Mascis, Acetone, Palace, Kim and Kelley Deal, and Primus, who Kozelek would like to see cover "Thank God I'm a Country Boy." The Red House Painters are doing a version of "I'm Sorry" for the project. No word yet on what other songs will be included. "Everyone I've talked to seems to be really enthusiastic about it," Kozelek says. "Some are fans, some just want to be a part of this thing." Kozelek is funding the project himself, with all the interested parties recording their contributions primarily at home studios. Kozelek plans on approaching a label for distribution once all the material is compiled. A release date is uncertain at this time. "I don't know much about doing this type of thing, but it's cool," he adds. "A lot of people who wouldn't normally have access to John Denver's music will get to hear his songs." -Aidin Vaziri ==================================================================== Date: Thu, 2 Apr 1998 05:00:30 -0600 From: Jeremy L Orr Subject: More news about RHP/Denver and Paula/Tarnation --------------------------------------------------------- Mark Kozelek, leader of the artsy, slow-core, San Francisco-based rock band Red House Painters, may seem the most unlikely guy to be assembling an album-length tribute to the late, middle-of-the-road pop-folk singer John Denver. That would be the same Denver who created sweet, easy-on-the-ears hits such as "Annie's Song" and upbeat paeans to natural wonder such as "Rocky Mountain High" during his heyday in the mid-to-late '70s. By contrast, Kozelek's music is not exactly upbeat, nor easy listening, for that matter. He writes and performs brooding and introspective music, songs that have won the singer/songwriter/guitarist cult-hero status and critical acclaim in the underground music scene, and in England, where he was featured on the cover of the UK weekly, Melody Maker. Still, he loves Denver. "It's simple. I'm a really big fan. I listened to him all my life," Kozelek said. "His Greatest Hits album blows away all these other artists that I'm supposed to like. "I think a lot of people in my scene don't have an appreciation of him. They just know the goofy hits. He's just not a password-name guy. It's not a name you'd drop and win any points by knowing and liking." And while it may come as a surprise to some that this highly respected underground rocker would be behind a Denver tribute, he's not the only artist looking to be involved. Kozelek has already lined up recording commitments from colleagues -- including alternative-country and folk-rock musicians Tarnation, Richard Buckner, Sparklehorse, the Palace Brothers, the Innocence Mission, His Name Is Alive and Clodhopper -- to interpret an album's worth of Denver songs. In fact, Kozelek is such a fan of His "Rocky Mountain High"-ness, who died last year in a small private plane that crashed off the coast of Monterey, Calif., that he still speaks of Denver in the present tense. "The guy has a completely amazing voice," the 31-year-old Kozelek said last week. "It blows me away. I'd die to have a voice like that. He writes beautiful words, plays guitar and sings really well. To be able to finger-pick really well and deliver a melody like he does? I've always been blown away by that." The soft-spoken Kozelek, who has made his home in San Francisco throughout his career, is currently in the city recording the sixth full-length Red House Painters album, the follow-up to 1996's Songs for a Blue Guitar. It will be released on the Supreme label. Meanwhile, the band's previous label, the England-based 4AD, is planning a compilation of tracks from earlier CDs, for which Kozelek has agreed to oversee the choice of compositions this summer. As for the Denver tribute, Kozelek said he expects to finish sometime early next year. In the meantime, he's searching for a label, and said he has already piqued the interest of three. "Nobody's even heard a song, and they're already interested," he said. Presently, Kozelek is sorting through a list of artists that he covets for the Denver project, and he says he has recruited nine to fill up as many as 13 slots on the CD. Besides Richard Buckner, who is still considering his choice of material, the Red House Painters plan on recording a version of the melancholy hit "I'm Sorry". Other contributors include: His Name is Alive, "Sunshine (On My Shoulders)"; the Innocence Mission, "Follow Me"; Paula Fraser from Tarnation, "Leavin' On A Jet Plane"; and Clodhopper, "I'd Rather Be A Cowboy". Fraser, the Bay Area singer with the tender, mournful voice, said that while she was interested in contributing a track, she's not exactly a Denver aficionado. "I wasn't an across-the-board fan. My parents listened to John Denver when I was growing up, and I always liked 'Leavin' On a Jet Plane' a lot. "I'm gonna do this thing with some of the members [of Tarnation] and Joe Gore [guitarist with Action Plus, P.J. Harvey and Tom Waits]. We're gonna try to make it spooky and edgy." While Kozelek's managed to attract these artists to the project, he's still waiting on a few, he added, including Bob Mould, who he has pegged as the perfect person to cover the Denver staple "Rocky Mountain High". He also has calls in to alterna-rocker Kim Deal, Hope Sandoval from Mazzy Star and Primus. "I want Primus to do 'Thank God I'm A Country Boy' or 'Grandma's Feather Bed'," Kozelek said, noting that each has a similar country-punk feel as the theme from the popular "South Park" cartoon, which Primus perform. "I think they'd be perfect." As Kozelek sees it, the circumstances of Denver's life and career have contributed to a certain lack of respect within the industry: "The guy was obsessed with going into space. He lives in Colorado and sings about the mountains. He didn't die in the '70s like Nick Drake or Tim Buckley. He doesn't have that mysterious legend status. But the guy has some great, beautiful sad songs that are, in my opinion, better than a lot of writers you can think of." Unfortunately for him, Kozelek said, Denver let the record companies dictate his actions and, as a result, he ended up recording some of his sillier and less noted work, much of which was not even written by Denver, Kozelek added. "I just think it would be great to pay tribute to him," Kozelek said. "And with these artists getting involved, it's a nice way to get people to listen to John Denver songs when, normally, they wouldn't."