Joe Wunderle & His Caravan Orchestra
‘“For Cleveland musician Joe Wunderle, the past year has been a strange one.
In late February, he packed his van, prepared to move to Tennessee to find work and write a new country record, he said. But then, when the coronavirus pandemic spread led to shutdowns in March, Wunderle paused his move and settled into Cincinnati for a while.
“The thought occurred to me that they may shut the state borders as the news got progressively more grim,” he said. “It felt like the beginning of the end of the world. So, I opted to stay on the Ohio side of the river, in Cincinnati.”
There, Wunderle lived in his van, quarantining and camping outside of his friend’s house for a few months.
“I was homeless and heartbroken, out of work, and watching the world go up in flames,” Wunderle said. “Naturally, I did a lot of writing and reflecting. Times were indeed strange.”
That sentiment marks the title and title track of Wunderle’s latest album, “Times Are Strange,” out on Friday, July 16.
The project is a followup to Wunderle’s debut 2020 album, “Nowhere From Here.” Unlike the polished 2020 project, “Times Are Strange” features a lo-fi, tape-recorded sound, captured by drummer and producer Matt Kurtz’ tape cassette, live at Kurtz’ house last summer after Wunderle relocated back to Northeast Ohio in July 2020.
The band on “Times Are Strange” features Wunderle, Kurtz, singer Jane Frazier, pedal steel player Tebbs Karney, fiddle player Cory Grinder, banjo player Ben Fried and bassist Dan Nicholson. The album was mixed by Matt Kurtz and mastered by Justin Morris.
“Kurtz asked how many songs I had and wanted to record and I said, ‘About 50.’ We settled for ten,” Wunderle said. “We did one to two takes per song. None of us used headphones except for Kurtz. It felt good, friends playing music together in a living room.”
“Times Are Strange” captures moments of heartbreak in 10 old-school country tracks. The upbeat, romping “Tell the Conductor” meets Wunderle’s yearning crooning on “Yodel Along.” Wunderle’s band creates a full-bodied bluesy backdrop on songs like “Walkin’ The Blues With You,” “Go Right Ahead” and “Following the Lines.”’
Ben Gage
Collecting Stories. Singing Songs. Staying Present.
For me, nothing captures a moment the way a song can. I have always struggled to live in the moment, itching to get to the next “thing”, but a song stops me in my tracks. It demands attention and will fall to pieces without it. Songs are my anchors to the now.
