Saint Bernadette’s Confirmation Party
Celebrating the release of “WORD TO THE LOURDES”
with Josh Bloom, Vibrarmony, & .357 Lover
Bio:
On Saint Bernadette’s third release, WORD TO THE LOURDES, lead singer Meredith DiMenna emerges as Madonna’s rock n’ roll kid sister.
The title represents a missive directed at Lourdes, Madonna’s actual daughter, as well as the metaphorical daughters of Madonna, who like Meredith, grew up in the 80s and 90s with her as a role model. ‘In her own way, I think Madonna touched on the fact that most relationships are more complex than ‘my man just left me’,’ she explains. ‘I process all the relationships I have through writing songs. It’s how I stay relatively sane.’
In their live performances, Meredith thrashes, jumps and rolls around the stage she shares with her husband, guitarist and co-writer, Keith ‘Touch’ Saunders, and the rest of the band – incendiary slide guitarist Joe Novelli, bass player Brian Anderson and drummer Dave Valle. She’s strong, wild and vulnerable at the same time, and her interaction with the other band members reflects a true camaraderie. ;I like men. I’m not against them,’ she laughs. ‘Everyone in the band has a voice.’
Regarding her own voice, Meredith says, without a whiff of irony, that she counts Jack Bruce, Paul Rodgers and Rod Stewart, as well as the Material Girl, among her list of idols and influences. ‘It’s the push and pull of male and female energy that we try to explore in our music.’ It follows then, that her vocal range is physically and emotionally elastic – over the course of this twenty-minute EP, she can sound as seductive as Jim Morrison or as commanding as Mick Jagger and then wind up earnest and heartbreaking like Toni Price.
WORD TO THE LOURDES is Saint Bernadette’s most rock ‘n roll offering to date, and it is the first of three they plan to release in 2009. They own their record label, Exotic Recordings, which grants the band the freedom to let their creativity be their guide. ‘We don’t have to massage or change ourselves to fit into anyone else’s vision or schedule, so we can do absurd things like release three albums in one year.’ Meredith says. ‘Of course, there’s disadvantages to that as well, but for now, it works for us.’
So what tips can this married couple offer to rock fans in search of true love? ‘Sometimes when you’re the most realized version of yourself,’ Meredith explains, ‘a guy can’t handle it. The ones who can handle it, are the ones you want to marry.’ This pleases Keith, ‘She made me reevaluate my standpoint. Men can stop all the posturing and chest-bumping and,’ he laughs, ‘like Justin says, bring the sexy back.’
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Josh Bloom wears his heart on his sleeve. He’d much prefer to be wearing it on yours. Josh writes songs that are brutally insightful and honest. As a believer of the truth in comedy and the comedy in truth, Josh somehow makes all of this heartbreak humorous. You’ll literally break up when you hear about his break ups. His heart ache is your bellyache. And so on.
Josh is a man who thinks he is still a boy, but not like some Peter Pan. Josh is way too grounded to be any kind of flying pixie. What he is that makes him so childlike is his sense of optimism, wonder and unfortunately, his bad temperament. That kid crying on the train ’cause his mom won’t let him have a doughnut? That’s Josh Bloom.
Josh was born in Brooklyn, NY and spent his childhood and adolescence in the suburbs of NYC, then the Midwest, back to the aforementioned ‘burbs, then NYC, then Colorado and now, once again, NYC — probably his permanent home. Throughout these travels, Josh watched his parents divorce, his Dad disappear from the home, his mother disappear from the earth, and his self esteem disappear from the… wait, did it ever exist?
These trials and their subsequent convictions created both a monster and a songwriter. Self-help really means something in the personage of Josh Bloom. He has accepted that he is a work in progress, and insane as it may seem, he wants to share the process. All of it. Wrapped in insultingly catchy, rhythmic and rockin’ tunes that are sung with urgency and abandon. As for the monster… maybe Josh is actually more like a character from Where The Wild Things Are when you get down to it. Not that scary after all.
Songs like “Getting Ahead” (about teenage doubts giving way to an adult confidence that comes with experience, but not necessarily knowledge), “Don’t Stay The Same” (a command to one’s self to always be becoming), and “He Was Born” (a document of the emergence of the true self) are just a few that speak to how together Josh is getting his shit and how fucking far he really has to go.
Why pay attention? We all like to witness a car crash, yeah? And we all love a happy ending, too. And you like music, of course. Josh Bloom gives you these things in less than three minutes flat. His music is a saga — a tall tale with an ending that has yet to be written. When you listen, you become part of the story, too. You’re vital to Josh Bloom. Just take a look at your sleeve!
Video:
Saint Bernadette
Pieces
Josh Bloom
josh bloom at public assembly (brooklyn) october 22nd, 2008 from acidmarshmallow5 on Vimeo.
.357 Lover