Ed Alstrom

Flee Though None Pursue

Independent

Ed Alstrom has had a rich and diverse musical career. Sure, he’s a bluesman, but he’s also been a church organist and choir director, guitarist at a temple, conductor of a mandolin orchestra, Broadway pit musician, winner of a Backstage Bistro Award and a MAC Award nomination on the NY Cabaret Circuit, radio DJ, and keyboard designer for Casio. Alstrom has performed with Bette Midler, Chuck Berry, Leonard Bernstein, Herbie Hancock, Odetta, Dion, Darlene Love, Ronnie Spector, Steely Dan, Blood Sweat and Tears, Jimmy Vivino, Robert Hill, Rob Pararozzi, Hubert Sumlin, John Sebastian, and others. He has been the the organist at the New York Yankees home games, and now will represent the North Jersey Blues Society in the solo/duo category at the International Blues Challenge in January. In fact this album is being released to coincide with that competition.

Alstrom sings lead and backing vocals, plays keyboards, guitars, sax, accordion and synthesizers, and proves himself a great songwriter. On the opener “Be Nice”, Alstrom asks “I wonder what it might be like, If folks would just ne nice”. “Blues Ain’t Alright” is an alternative take on Little Milton’s classic “The Blues Is Alright”, with the lyric “Nobody’s blues are unimportant, nobody’s misery is trite, nobody’s served right by sufferin’ and the blues ain’t never all right”. “Slow Blues” features Robert Hill, guitar; “Misery has found you, and you just can’t be free, until you hear these slow, slow blues, and then you’re in mighty good company”.

The title track “Flee Though None Pursue” is a narrative “I haven’t got a prayer, I flee though none pursue…I live along the highway 49, I flee though none pursue, the hellhounds are on my trail…there is something about the south, what is behind me is not there, I flee though none pursue”. On the bouncy shuffle “The Truth”, “on the road to truth you take, there’s only two mistakes: don’t go all the way or don’t even start”, with Jerry Vivino added on saxophone. “Sick” is reminiscent of the classic Doc Pomus song “Lonely Avenue” but adds it’s own lyrical strength “sick of livin’ and dyin’ all at the same time, sick of tryin’, sick of cryin’, sick of this saga that’s nobody’s drag but mine”. “Always Near” is a melodic love song with lyrics written by Kay Murcer “hold my memory, make some new ones, take me on where you go”.

“The Record People” is a bit of honky-tonk piano behind a whimsical complaint about the music business that doesn’t end so well, “the record people are coming…the record people came tonight, they came to dig my grave”. “Sometimes” features Rob Paparozzi on harmonica, “sometimes I think that nothing could go wrong…sometimes I’m up, sometimes I’m down”. “Screwed”, with Frank Pagano on drums, “bein’ a fool’s too expensive, I’m gonna stop gettin’ screwed, I’ve been screwed so many times, it just rolls off my back”. “H-O-P-E-L-E-S-S”, “gonna rise up from the depths and gonna grab that big brass ring”, one again with Paparozzi on harmonica.

“Great Notch” again with Paparozzi on harp, describes a favorite watering hole, the “Inn” is where “you can decompress or just plain debauch”. “Fruitcake” features some big beats and New Orleans piano in a Professor Longhair style dedicated to a loopy girlfriend with Don Guinta, drums; and Jerry Vivino, sax. “Yours Is A Place” is a delicate love song “I long to live my lifetimes at your place, extasy, ecstatic, I long to live my life at your place”.

“Success (Was Not To Be Had)”, is played with some infectious piano from Alstrom, “so my friend, success just can’t be achieved…maybe we were never meant to live together, success was just not to be had”. “Crossfire of Love” is a bittersweet ode to lost romance with Denis Diken on drums”. “I Drink You Drive” rocks like ice cubes “I tried to get cool, stay out of trouble, I’m too smart, I drunk you drive”. On the closer “Don’t Cry At My Funeral” Maxine Alstrom is featured on acoustic piano “Don’t cry for me, I’m happy, I’m free, and I won’t be cryin’ for you”.

On “Flee Though None Pursue” Ed Alstrom has created a magical lyrical journey with lively imaginative storytelling and musicianship. Alstrom’s word wizardry carries you along on this magnificently joyous ride.

Richard Ludmerer
Contributing Editor/Making A Scene

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