By Bob McKillop

Everyone at the Maple Room was standing, applauding, and cheering. That happens a lot in this room, but this time was different;  Jon Call, the recipient of this ovation, was the opening act.

Jon was warming up the room for Livingston Taylor on this January evening, and he aced this great opportunity by reaching deep and finding the source of his passion and creativity.  He performed several songs from his newly released CD, including “Lift Me Up”, and “Be My Ship”.  But I think his last number was the one that earned him the ovation; “Get Down” is a high-energy, rock-infused romp, with ringing rhythm guitar, funky lead runs that step up the energy, edgy lyrics, and the passionate vocals for which Jon is known.   Jon cannot stand still while he performs, but for this song, he outdid himself.  He was “in the zone”, and it almost seemed as if he left the room and went somewhere else where there were no restrictions on his creativity and energy.

Jon has had experiences like that when crafting songs, as well.  We spent an hour together a few weeks prior to the Maple Room show, and he talked about his sources of inspiration and his role in bringing these songs into the world.

“I constantly get the feeling, like, where does this come from?  It’s mine, it’s gotta be something that I’m doing, but I’m so confused as to how it came about or where it came from.  These “beings” come into this world, not unlike a child, you know, this thing comes into your life and you wonder, wow, how did I do that?  I was asked to write a song for someone a while back, and I sat down one day, and I was pretty much gone for an hour, I was gone, I was not there!  I truly felt like I wasn’t there for much of the time I wrote that song.”

Jon came to Maine to attend a music program at the University of Southern Maine, and launched his music career here.  I met him in 2004 through the Maine Songwriters Association, and have been a fan of his jazzy, reggae-infused folk pop music ever since.  He has released three CDs; the current release “The Playtime Music Session”, is titled after the studio in Cambridge, MA, where Jon recorded the tracks with producer Tom Dube (Shawn Colvin, Kris Delmhorst, Suzanne Vega, and others) at the helm.  

The new disc is very sparse in arrangement – basically, it’s Jon and his guitar, nicely tracked and mixed.  Four of the ten songs on this new CD were on his last disc, including “Lift Me Up” and “The Addiction Song”, and these repeated tracks highlight Jon’s development over the intervening two years.  He is much more confident in his performance, phrases his lyrics better, and is a better guitarist.

“This Is A Song For You”, musically, is evocative of “Blackbird” by Lennon/McCartney, but the theme is homelessness, carelessness, and heartlessness, and anger, but ultimately, compassion.  There is sensitivity toward those laboring under the weight of these human frailties, and encouragement for moving beyond them.

“Lovestand” has a dark reggae beat, with a droning bass line, and a message of warning and urgency and hope for change in the approach we take as a species toward our problems.

“All I Ever Wanted” shows Jon’s Dylan influences, with frantically strummed guitar and powerful lyrics of disappointment in a relationship that has crashed and burned.  It’s a well-written song, and a strong vocal performance, but the guitar track exhibits the raggedness that is sometimes the risk with “live” performances.

“Get Down” is the tune that energized The Maple Room during Jon’s live performance there last month.  The visual impact is missing on the CD, of course, but the same level of energy comes through in this track.  Jon loves this tune, that is obvious.

“The Playtime Music Session” is an opportunity to hear Jon’s music in as close to a “live” situation as it may be possible to achieve on a recording.  The tracks are recorded well, letting Jon’s musicianship come through faithfully.  There doesn’t seem to be a lot of over-dubbing.  The tracks can sound a little raw at times, as most CD listeners are used to a more polished sound, but it’s authentic and well produced.  I’m a big fan of Jon’s music, and I recommend that you purchase this CD, from CD Baby, or from Jon's MySpace page.

Jon’s official CD release party is scheduled for 8:00 PM on February 23rd, at One Longfellow Square in Portland.  Seeing and hearing Jon live is the best way to experience his music, so I encourage you to go and check him out.   Phil Daligan opens the show; Phil is another local guitarist and songwriter for whom I have a special place in my heart.  His finger-style skills and his wonderful, carefully crafted story songs set him apart from the crowd.  To close the deal, I think that One Longfellow Square is a great place to see a show; comfortable, well run, and there isn’t a bad seat in the house!

Jon Call is a local songwriter who has a lot happening – I encourage you to be a part of it.