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.
Three
Natalia Zukerman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I guess that means you and me
Are happening still
Once just for the thrill
Two times to make sure we get our fill
And a third despite our best intentions
Then you and I have just begun
To be wasted
Poetry looking for clarity
Or clarity looking for poetry
Despite our better judgement
You are taking me
Out of my reality
And I’m not sure
If I like it
You can't stop the morning rain
Form banging against my window pane
And bathing everything in a grey light
Like a moth to a flame
I just find myself
Calling your name
You are testing me
My sense of security
But I guess
That I must like it
They say that bad things happen in three
I guess that means you and me
Are happening still
The song "Three" by Natalia Zukerman is a contemplative piece about a tumultuous and possibly destructive relationship. The first verse references the saying that bad things happen in threes, implying that the singer and her partner are two of those bad things. The second verse adds to this with the line "If youth is wasted on the young, then you and I have just begun to be wasted," suggesting that their relationship is damaging to them both but they are compelled to continue. The chorus repeats the opening lines, reinforcing the theme of inevitable disaster.
The third verse is perhaps the most revealing, with the singer admitting that this relationship is a "poetry looking for clarity" or "clarity looking for poetry," indicating that they cannot quite define what draws them together or why they keep returning despite the damage they inflict on each other. The bridge takes on a more melancholic tone as the singer ponders the nature of their attraction: "You are taking me out of my reality and I'm not sure if I like it...Like a moth to a flame, I just find myself calling your name."
Overall, the lyrics paint a portrait of a complicated relationship that is both alluring and destructive, with the singer unsure if they should continue pursuing it but unable to resist the pull of their attraction.
Line by Line Meaning
They say that bad things happen in three
Misfortune often comes in threes
I guess that means you and me
We are caught up in something unfortunate together
Are happening still
We are still experiencing these bad things
Once just for the thrill
We did it for the excitement
Two times to make sure we get our fill
We did it again to satisfy ourselves
And a third despite our best intentions
We did it again despite knowing it wasn't the right thing to do
If youth is wasted on the young
Young people don't appreciate the time they have
Then you and I have just begun
We are young and have a lot of time to waste
To be wasted
We are wasting our time and youth
Poetry looking for clarity
The lyrics are an attempt to bring understanding
Or clarity looking for poetry
The meaning is trying to be expressed artistically
Despite our better judgement
We are still making choices we know are wrong
You are taking me
You are leading me away from my current reality
Out of my reality
I am being removed from what I know as normal
And I’m not sure
I am unsure
If I like it
If I am enjoying this change
You can't stop the morning rain
Some things are inevitable and cannot be controlled
Form banging against my window pane
The rain is loudly hitting my window
And bathing everything in a grey light
The lack of sunlight is causing everything to appear grey and dull
Like a moth to a flame
I am drawn to you, even though I know it's not good for me
I just find myself
I cannot help but
Calling your name
Thinking about you and wanting you
You are testing me
You are pushing me and seeing how much I can take
My sense of security
My feeling of safety and stability
But I guess
But I suppose
That I must like it
That I enjoy the excitement and danger despite the risks involved
They say that bad things happen in three
Misfortune often comes in threes
I guess that means you and me
We are caught up in something unfortunate together
Are happening still
We are still experiencing these bad things
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: GERARD SALESSES, OLIVER TOUSSANT, WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind