Born at home in 1981 (midwife, Venice Beach), singer, pianist, and composer Kahane was reared in medium-sized cities on both coasts of the continental United States by a psychologist mother (relational) and concert pianist father (unaffiliated). While a convenient and tidy psychological reading might suggest that his hybrid of blistering, chromatic counterpoint and traditional singer-songwriting belies some sort of defiance of the classical environment in which he was raised, Kahane would no doubt argue that such theories are half-baked. “They were listening to Joni Mitchell too!” he retorts. And yet, Kahane’s work defies classification through his sonically challenging, emotionally resonant, yet deeply accessible music.
After an uneventful childhood marked by the quotidien, in which Kahane found himself singing in operas in Germany, competing in international chess tournaments, and obsessively compiling baseball statistics, the young man discovered a pair of rickety Martin guitars in the attic of his parents’ Tudor home on Cobbs Hill Drive. Experiments ensued, though they would give way to a fascination with the piano toward the end of Kahane’s high school years.
Fast forward to 2008. It’s a historic moment in American politics, with a septuagenarian running against an African-American for the most hallowed office in the United States. In a more modest sense, it’s also a historic moment because it is the year in which Kahane’s debut record was released (September 16, to be exact).
Recorded primarily in March and April of 2008 in Seattle, Hoboken, and two Boroughs of New York City, the album is a testament to Kahane’s catholic musical pursuits. With twenty musicians supporting him, Mr. Kahane’s debut offers snippets of string quartets juxtaposed with strummy strum folk song, brass chorales right beside jangly piano pop, and yet, he would argue, it’s very much of a piece, an album meant to be heard as a whole.
Kahane’s best known work, Craigslistlieder (2006)-- an eight movement song cycle which comprises settings of anonymous classified ads from craigslist.org—has been heard in venues ranging from the dankest bars of the Lower East Side to Carnegie Hall, in a recital by critically-acclaimed baritone Thomas Meglioranza. The summer of 2008 witnesses the premiere of Kahane’s For The Union Dead, a new song cycle on poems by Robert Lowell for chamber ensemble, at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland.
Among his varied credits as a performer, Kahane has appeared in recital with Grammy winning bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff throughout Europe, toured the Schumann Piano Quintet with the Mark Morris Dance Group, and accompanied violinist Hilary Hahn in the slow movement of the Sibelius Violin Concerto in yet another dirty bar on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He has shared the stage with indie-rock luminaries My Brightest Diamond and Luke Temple, and has recorded with Sufjan Stevens and former Nickel Creek front-man Chris Thile.
Much in demand as a composer of chamber music, Gabriel is currently completing solo piano commissions for pianists Natasha Paremski as well as for his father, Jeffrey Kahane. An evening-length work exploring his family's genealogy and journey from Germany to the United States will premiere in the fall of 2009 in Los Angeles and New York.
The play within a play?
An avid theatre artist, Kahane has collaborated extensively with the Obie-winning New York City-based downtown theatre company Les Freres Corbusier, serving as musical director for a number of their productions including Hell House, A Very Merry Unauthorized Scientology Pageant, and the Los Angeles production of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. In addition, the composer was recently commissioned by the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia to write an evening length work for their American Musical Voices Project, and is also the recipient this year of a new fellowship through the Shen Family Foundation and the Public Theater with the aim to create and develop new work.
November
Gabriel Kahane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I sang of end times
Of cities washed away
The bloodless halls
Of flooded stations
And that last train from LA
And here I am in the waiting room
Delayed with all the restless
Some sixty eyes fixed hard and fast
On the TV playing something senseless
Me, I dream of a broken watch
With hands like vines
And the dream I see the
The sweep of centuries
I am a priest or a bird
And high wandered six lane
It would be generous to call them boulevards
With their dead-eyed metal herd
I have come to peck the faces
All of the faces off of every clock
Then set myself to ponder the golden shores
The clouds, the rotting dock
Can you hear the carnival rising?
The brutal fairgrounds aglow
Sunburned families laughing at the toy gun game store
Someone screaming below
And I want to tell you
About November
The people that I met
And sleeping badly
On poor man pallets
A blue blanket caked in sweat
Cardiogram power lines
Heart of the Department of the Interior
Glow-in-the-dark Casio breathing faster
The last we spoke
I sang of end times
Of cities washed away
The bloodless halls
Of flooded stations
Could a train be an escape?
In Gabriel Kahane's song November, the lyrics speak to a sense of disorientation and restlessness. The song opens with a reference to end times and cities washed away, suggesting a sort of apocalyptic vision. The fact that the singer is singing about this suggests that it may be something he has predicted or prophesized in the past. The reference to a last train from LA also creates a sense of urgency and desperation.
However, three years have passed and the singer finds himself in a waiting room, delayed like everyone else. He dreams of a broken watch with hands like vines, suggesting a sense of time slowing down or becoming entangled. He also has a surreal dream where he is either a priest or a bird and he comes to peck the faces off every clock. This could speak to a desire to break free from the constraints of time or to escape the mundane world.
The song then turns to a more concrete description of the singer's surroundings, with references to power lines and the Department of the Interior. He speaks about sleeping badly on a poor man's pallet, suggesting a sense of poverty or instability. The reference to glow-in-the-dark Casio breathing faster creates a sense of anxiety or unease. The song ends with a repetition of the opening lyrics, questioning whether a train could be an escape from the bloodless halls and flooded stations.
Overall, Gabriel Kahane's November is a complex and layered song that speaks to a sense of disorientation and restlessness. It references both apocalyptic and surreal imagery, suggesting a desire to break free from the mundane world.
Line by Line Meaning
The last we spoke
Refers to a previous conversation the singer had with someone.
I sang of end times
The singer previously warned of a world-ending event.
Of cities washed away
Refers to the aftermath of a catastrophic event which destroyed entire cities.
The bloodless halls
Describes the eerie and empty atmosphere of train stations after the cataclysmic event.
Of flooded stations
The train stations have been submerged in water.
And that last train from LA
The singer and others took the last train from LA before the catastrophe occurred.
Well three years have passed
Refers to a three-year time lapse since the previous conversation.
And here I am in the waiting room
The artist is currently waiting for something.
Delayed with all the restless
Everyone in the waiting room is experiencing the same delay.
Some sixty eyes fixed hard and fast
The artist observes 60 people, all focused on the TV screen.
On the TV playing something senseless
The program broadcasting on the TV is nonsensical.
Me, I dream of a broken watch
The artist dreams of a malfunctioning watch.
With hands like vines
The hands of the watch grow and twist like vines.
And the dream I see the
The singer continues to describe their dream.
The sweep of centuries
The singer sees an extended passage of time in their dream.
I am a priest or a bird
In the dream, the artist identifies as either a religious figure or a bird.
And high wandered six lane
The artist observes the view of a six-lane highway.
It would be generous to call them boulevards
The singer thinks of the highway as unremarkable and unworthy of elevated praise.
With their dead-eyed metal herd
The description of the cars on the highway as a 'metal herd' emphasizes their uniformity and lack of personality.
I have come to peck the faces
The artist wants to 'peck' at the faces of clocks, which represent the passage of time.
All of the faces off of every clock
The artist desires to destroy representations of timekeeping to halt the constant march of time.
Then set myself to ponder the golden shores
After destroying the clocks, the artist wants to contemplate serene and peaceful landscapes.
The clouds, the rotting dock
Describes the singer's serene surroundings, including clouds and a decaying dock.
Can you hear the carnival rising?
The artist hears the sounds of a nearby carnival.
The brutal fairgrounds aglow
The images of the fairgrounds are dark and menacing (hence, 'brutal').
Sunburned families laughing at the toy gun game store
The singer observes families enjoying themselves and playing carnival games.
Someone screaming below
Amid the cacophony of the carnival, someone is screaming in distress.
And I want to tell you
The artist desires to share something with someone.
About November
Refers to a specific time period (perhaps a month) which holds significance to the artist.
The people that I met
The singer met people during this time period.
And sleeping badly
The singer has difficulty getting restful sleep.
On poor man pallets
The artist sleeps in uncomfortable, makeshift sleeping arrangements.
A blue blanket caked in sweat
The artist's blanket is soaked through with sweat, indicating extreme discomfort or a sweltering environment.
Cardiogram power lines
The power lines resemble medical equipment used to monitor a patient's heartbeat.
Heart of the Department of the Interior
The location where the singer is features an important government department.
Glow-in-the-dark Casio breathing faster
The sight of a glow-in-the-dark wristwatch moving quickly and incessantly adds to the artist's restlessness.
Could a train be an escape?
The singer wonders if a train could be a means of escape from their current situation.
Writer(s): GABRIEL KAHANE
Contributed by Jason W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@emieshaw8204
dodie sent me here, absolutely no regrets
@helskrifvhollow3316
Yeah, I just came from Dodie too. She sure can pick 'em.
@puthirika09
Sammeee
@olliemarbutt4085
Same
@chrisk7082
Just heard this on BBC Radio 3, couldn’t wait to get home to search for it! Thanks for posting
@nancyvalamusic
Beautiful music. I liked seeing the swimmer light display from the train station in Saint Paul.
@davidpjazz
beautiful
@VinylDraughtRadio
Always great stuff from Gabriel Kahane.
@jamesgraham6935
Thanks Chris Thile and Live From Here. An amazing talent.
@PatrickSterenchuk
Another brilliant, brilliantly beautiful song from Gabriel Kahane!