You can call the music she makes folk if you want, but there’s jazz in it, too, and blues, and a soulful something or other that you can’t quite put into words. Whether onstage or on record, she presents herself just as she is—no gimmicks, no flashy pyrotechnics, only the solid musicianship of someone who knows and loves her craft.
Natalia's bio from her website (July 2010):
Natalia Zukerman’s Weasel Records debut Brand New Frame introduces listeners to her rich layers of top notch guitar playing, contemporary beats and dark, sweet, provocative vocals. Musically sophisticated, intimate and irreverent all at once, this record highlights what’s best about Americana music and offers it a Brand New Frame.
It is an album about change. In Brand New Frame, Zukerman challenges listeners to break out of patterns and rhythms that hold them back from reaching the truth. The title track, “Brand New Frame” is a wake up call to those who tell the same stories over and over again to anyone who will listen. “Better Me” presents the idea that the people we are striving to be are there all along, waiting for us to catch up to what we already know we are capable of. “Only Trees” is a metaphor for what Zukerman’s album is all about – that things change: landscapes, ideas, music. In the song she recognizes the way we live our modern lives at breakneck speed, and invites us to slow down.
Produced by Willy Porter (www.willyporter.com), Brand New Frame features Zukerman on vocals and guitars, with Dave Schoepke on drums, Dave Adler on keys, Leroy Deuster on Pedal Steel, Bryan Mir on electric bass, Todd Sickafoose (Ani Difranco) and Marty Ballou (John Hammond) on upright bass. The album is also sprinkled with notable guest appearances by fellow songwriters Willy Porter, Melissa Ferrick and Edie Carey.
Warning: You may not be able to get over the mesmerizing guitar chops of the talented Natalia Zukerman, but if you can, you will discover layers. Country roads that lead to red barns, antique shops, glass bottles, resonators, lap steels, finger-picking and trembling slides. And alongside these winding roads are back alleys, flagging cabs, and the buzz of a streetlight clicking with kick drums, pleading organs, and speeding electric guitars behind lyrics that delve boldly into work, love, temptation and the journey to personal reinvention. Brand New Frame tells the story of valuing the past while growing new skin; the unraveling of a relationship with realism, humor and tenderness.
Zukerman didn’t have to look far as a child to find musical influence. She attributes her rigorous work ethic, discipline and instrumental predisposition to her parents. The daughter of violinist/conductor Pinchas Zukerman and flutist/writer Eugenia Zukerman, Natalia grew up in Manhattan immersed in classical music.
Her ears were tuned to perfect pitch, and the guitar dexterity, intricate sense of rhythm and meter evident in her own musicianship came naturally. So did the lifestyle of a traveling performer. Performing live—and experiencing what she calls the life of a “wandering gypsy”—is a family tradition. In addition to her parents, her sister Arianna is an opera singer, and her grandfather played clarinet in Klezmer bands in Poland and later in Israel.
In a sense, Zukerman explores family heritage in “Song For Ramblin’ Jack” one of the 10 original songs on Brand New Frame. She explains it is in part about blood-related family but even more so about the extended family of American troubadours who travel the country sharing both traditional and contemporary genres, songs, skills, instruments, and styles.
“The song ‘Ramblin’ Jack’ came after a Folk Alliance conference in Austin. I realized there that I was a part of this grand tradition of troubadours that was, for me, as much about my own family of traveling musicians as a shared American history. I consider myself a student of traditional music, even though some would say the noise I make is not so traditional.
I did meet Ramblin’ Jack Elliot at a friend’s place in Pt. Reyes, CA a few years ago. I loved him, loved his way of weaving a story and loved that I, in my own little way, try to carry on his legacy as much as the legacy of my own family.”
Since 2004, Zukerman has been touring the country opening shows for roots greats and guitar slingers including Kelly Joe Phelps, Richard Shindell, Lucy Kaplansky, Garnet Rogers, Melissa Ferrick, Catie Curtis, Susan Werner and many others. It was on the road that Zukerman formed the relationship with Willy Porter that would lead to producing Brand New Frame and releasing the album on his label Weasel Records.
“Brand New Frame is a perfect fit with what I’ve always wanted Weasel to represent. The small but mighty team here is thrilled to share Natalia’s record, and tremendous talent, with the world.” -Willy Porter.
Haunted House
Natalia Zukerman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You made me feel stupid
You made me feel ugly
Without even trying
You made me want you
But you made feel nothing
Then you made me promise
And this is what you wanted
Well this must be what you wanted
Like a house wants to be haunted
Is this what you wanted?
There is nobody here I'm all by myself
Just like that book that you kept on your shelf
You knew when you bought it
You would never read it
But you kept it around anyway
And this is what I wanted
Well this is what I wanted
Like a house wants to be haunted
Is this what I wanted?
Is this what i've been asking for?
Well it is too late to turn back now
But it is so dark I'm afraid here
And the wind is starting to
As legend would have it
If you get real quiet
You can see some things
As they used to be
And I see a house
It's got boarded up windows
It's got squeaky floorboards
And a note on the door
That just says
This is what we wanted
Well this is what we wanted
Now we're a house that's haunted
But that's what we wanted
Yeah
The lyrics of Natalia Zukerman's song "Haunted House" convey a sense of regret and disillusionment with a relationship that has left the singer feeling broken and empty. The first verse lists some of the negative emotions that the partner has caused: wretchedness, stupidity, and ugliness. The partner has the power to make the singer want them, but at the same time, they are able to make the singer feel nothing. The next line ("Then you made me promise when you knew I was lying") suggests that the partner is manipulative and enjoys exerting control over the singer.
The chorus asks the question, "Is this what you wanted?" likening the destructive relationship to a "haunted house." The singer seems to feel as though both they and the partner are responsible for creating this situation. In the second verse, the singer describes being alone, surrounded by items that have lost their meaning. The analogy to the book that is purchased but never read suggests that the singer and the partner have gone through the motions of a relationship without really connecting. The repetition of the question, "Is this what I wanted?" suggests that the singer is beginning to see that they have played a role in perpetuating the toxic relationship.
The final verse takes a turn towards the surreal as the singer describes seeing a boarded-up, abandoned house. The note on the door implies that someone has intentionally turned the house into a haunted attraction. The final chorus ("This is what we wanted... Now we're a house that's haunted") suggests that the singer and the partner have succeeded in creating a scary, destructive environment out of their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
You made me wretched
You caused me to feel extreme sadness and misery
You made me feel stupid
You caused me to feel foolish and unintelligent
You made me feel ugly
You caused me to feel unattractive and undesirable
Without even trying
Your actions led to these negative feelings without any effort or intentional harm on your part
You made me want you
Your actions or behavior caused me to develop an attraction to you
But you made me feel nothing
Despite my initial attraction, you eventually caused me to feel no emotion or connection towards you
Then you made me promise
You convinced me to make a pledge or commitment
When you knew I was lying
You were aware that I was not telling the truth when I made the promise, yet you still encouraged me to do so
And this is what you wanted
You planned for these outcomes to occur and desired this result
Well this must be what you wanted
You intended to cause harm or negative effects through your actions, with a deliberate purpose
Like a house wants to be haunted
You intentionally desired to create a situation or environment with a negative, eerie or unsettling atmosphere, just like how a haunted house is created
Is this what you wanted?
You are questioning whether the caused outcomes and negative effects were your intended desire, and expressing disbelief and doubt
There is nobody here I'm all by myself
The singer is alone and isolated, with nobody around physically or emotionally
Just like that book that you kept on your shelf
This line is a metaphor for the singer's relationship with the person they are addressing. The person kept the singer around despite not truly desiring or caring about them, like how a book may collect dust on a shelf after being purchased but never actually read.
You knew when you bought it
The person knew what they were doing when they entered the relationship with the singer
You would never read it
The person never had any true intention of getting to know the artist, caring about them or investing anything into the relationship whatsoever
But you kept it around anyway
Despite this, the person kept the artist around, perhaps for their own benefit or amusement
Well this is what I wanted
The singer realizes that they, too, desired a negative relationship or outcome in some way, perhaps out of some false hope, insecurity or desire for love
Is this what i've been asking for?
The singer is wondering if this outcome is what they subconsciously desired, despite it being harmful or negative
Well it is too late to turn back now
The artist realizes they have reached a point of no return and they cannot undo the damage that has been done, or the decisions they have made.
But it is so dark I'm afraid here
The artist is scared and uncertain of their current situation, as they are metaphorically lost in the darkness of their negative relationship
As legend would have it
The phrase references a folktale or popular belief that serves as an analogy for the artist's situation
If you get real quiet
If you remain silent and still
You can see some things
You can begin to notice and understand certain things
As they used to be
As things were before they became negative or unpleasant
And I see a house
The singer envisions a house
It's got boarded up windows
The house is abandoned, neglected and boarded up
It's got squeaky floorboards
The house has details that suggest being desolate, run-down and creepy
And a note on the door
The door has a message that stands as a metaphor of a foretelling of an ominous presence
This is what we wanted
This line mirrors an earlier line, emphasizing the mutual responsibility for this negative outcome, and perhaps implying the desire to be haunted is what both parties truly wanted and needed for some reason
Now we're a house that's haunted
The metaphorical house in the previous lines is now being compared to the singer and their partner's relationship, now ruined, negative, and uncomfortable
But that's what we wanted
Despite the negativity, the artist is realizing that both they and their partner desired it at some level, consciously or not
Yeah
The final line is simply an expression of acceptance or resignation to the negative outcome or state of affairs
Contributed by Alaina G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.