ernest evans hussalonia. hussalonia. review by alan haber. buhdge

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Ernest Evans Hussalonia Hussalonia No. 0001 (2003) This is the one, number 0001, that jump started the Hussalonia craze that we now know is sweeping the nation. You cats and kittens, you don't know what you're in for. There is a thread, of sorts, running through every Hussalonia disc, and this one is no exception, but exactly what the thread is in this inaugural Hussal is anybody's guess. Here's mine, arrived at after reading Jesse "Hussalonia" Mank's liner notes for this album: Chubby Checker, a.k.a. Ernest Evans, is a novelty singer whose career is built around a novelty song that requires people to approximate the experience of a Hula Hoop revolving aimlessly around their waists; Buddy Holly is a singer whose best work, the songs he would never write, remained unheard because the 1950s populace wasn't ready for them. Mank theorizes that the former is of no use, and the latter was older than his years. Mank imagines Holly appearing on inconsequential morning talk shows in Small Town, U.S.A. "Ultimately," Mank writes in his notes, "I can't decide where he's better off, his poor bones in some Texas graveyard or on a county fair amphitheater stage touring the oldies circuit." In other words, you can't have one without the other, but neither of them are perfectly realized. In the song "Chubby Checker," Mank compares the millstone that the Twist was around Checker's neck to real-life problems: "I'd like to do the twist with you/You must have really loved that dance/I'm just so worried 'bout/Making the rent." In "Peggy Sue" (not the Holly song), Mank sings, "I need you to look away/So that I can make my escape/I can't do it if somebody's watching." And in "There's No Such Place as Home," he says "I used to want to run away from this place/But now I want a reason to stay/It makes no difference if I go." Meet your problems head on, is today's lesson. In other words, and I'm still guessing here, go or stay nets pretty much the same outcome. Your life can not be dictated by how you attach yourself to your heroes. Selling out is no good. If you're dead, you're dead, even if you're still alive. It's hard to really narrow down Mank's focus here, but the process of figuring it out is fascinating. The music--fairly abstract and experimental, loud and soft as a kitten, and rarely linear (one exception to the rule is the melodic "Limbo Rock," which asks the musical question "How low can you go?")--is embryonic by Hussalonia standards. Mank is getting his feet wet; more assured footing would be found on the next two Hussalonia releases, Robot Singers and Charles Hardin Hussalonia. Now that I've heard all of the Hussalonia discs, I can truthfully say that the world is a better place for Jesse Mank making music within its confines. As far as this album is concerned, it may not be to everybody's taste, but you won't soon forget it. It really is thrilling to see a major talent step up to the plate for the very first time. Alan Haber May 17, 2005
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Ernest Evans Hussalonia
Hussalonia No. 0001
(2003)

hussalonia's ernest evans hussalonia This is the one, number 0001, that jump started the Hussalonia craze that we now know is sweeping the nation. You cats and kittens, you don't know what you're in for.

There is a thread, of sorts, running through every Hussalonia disc, and this one is no exception, but exactly what the thread is in this inaugural Hussal is anybody's guess. Here's mine, arrived at after reading Jesse "Hussalonia" Mank's liner notes for this album: Chubby Checker, a.k.a. Ernest Evans, is a novelty singer whose career is built around a novelty song that requires people to approximate the experience of a Hula Hoop revolving aimlessly around their waists; Buddy Holly is a singer whose best work, the songs he would never write, remained unheard because the 1950s populace wasn't ready for them. Mank theorizes that the former is of no use, and the latter was older than his years. Mank imagines Holly appearing on inconsequential morning talk shows in Small Town, U.S.A. "Ultimately," Mank writes in his notes, "I can't decide where he's better off, his poor bones in some Texas graveyard or on a county fair amphitheater stage touring the oldies circuit."

In other words, you can't have one without the other, but neither of them are perfectly realized. In the song "Chubby Checker," Mank compares the millstone that the Twist was around Checker's neck to real-life problems: "I'd like to do the twist with you/You must have really loved that dance/I'm just so worried 'bout/Making the rent." In "Peggy Sue" (not the Holly song), Mank sings, "I need you to look away/So that I can make my escape/I can't do it if somebody's watching." And in "There's No Such Place as Home," he says "I used to want to run away from this place/But now I want a reason to stay/It makes no difference if I go." Meet your problems head on, is today's lesson.

In other words, and I'm still guessing here, go or stay nets pretty much the same outcome. Your life can not be dictated by how you attach yourself to your heroes. Selling out is no good. If you're dead, you're dead, even if you're still alive. It's hard to really narrow down Mank's focus here, but the process of figuring it out is fascinating. The music--fairly abstract and experimental, loud and soft as a kitten, and rarely linear (one exception to the rule is the melodic "Limbo Rock," which asks the musical question "How low can you go?")--is embryonic by Hussalonia standards. Mank is getting his feet wet; more assured footing would be found on the next two Hussalonia releases, Robot Singers and Charles Hardin Hussalonia.

Now that I've heard all of the Hussalonia discs, I can truthfully say that the world is a better place for Jesse Mank making music within its confines. As far as this album is concerned, it may not be to everybody's taste, but you won't soon forget it. It really is thrilling to see a major talent step up to the plate for the very first time.

Alan Haber
May 17, 2005