Jake Xerxes Fussell seems like music’s answer to Dos Equis’ “the world’s most interesting man.” He hosts a radio show on North Carolina’s WHUP-FM in Hillsborough with Jefferson Currie II every Wednesday afternoon. Covering music from Bob Dylan and June Tabor to Nigerian soul music and Swedish fiddle tunes, they are both American folklorists, which only adds to the intrigue and eccentricities of When I’m Called.
Covering everything from the works of Benjamin Britten to an aircraft mechanic, this is a collection that never shocks, but surprises at every turn. The aforementioned aircraft mechanic, Gerald “The Maestro” Gaxiola, wrote ‘Andy’ and recorded it in 1986. The lyrics suggest a horse riding Gaxiola is “gunning” for Andy Warhol. Rather than merely re-recording the piece, Fussell takes it at a stately pace, infusing it with a sense of sadness and just a hint of eeriness as he sings, “You can tell Andy Warhol the ghost rider’s on his way.” Clearly this is not your father’s folk music.
Fussell investigates Benjamin Britten’s song ‘Cuckoo!’, originally written to be sung by the schoolboys he taught over 90 years ago. Underpinned by producer James Elkington’s string arrangement, it floats in the air much like its namesake. It dances on the breeze as the strings and guitars form a perfect avian formation.
Using words from a notebook found by the side of a California highway, the opening minute and a half of ‘Where I’m Bound’ slowly builds tension before releasing it with a bass that seems to almost bounce. When Fussell finally starts to sing the lyrics sound unlike anything that has ever been found in any folk songbook. “I will answer when I’m called/ I will not breakdance in the hall/ I will not laugh when the teacher calls my name,” all great advice set to a most unlikely backing with synth textures adding a haunting dimension as the song heads into more traditional lyrics, “Look up, look down, that long lonesome road/ Hang down your head and cry.”
Closing the album, ‘Going to Georgia’ almost seems like a mystery. Building from a guitar and bass, the song almost feels like two songs tied together. Dealing with untrustworthy men the song begins to bounce along on drums and bass as Fussell spells out the lies a woman can expect to hear from men in their quest for fulfillment. The final verse, which at first seems out of place, “I’m going to Georgia/ I’m going to roam/ I’m going to Georgia/ To make it my home” takes on an additional, almost unexpected meaning as if the singer is going to a new location to ply his wares.
These songs, sprung from age old traditions bear new, intriguing fruit in the hands of Jake Xerxes Fussell and his compatriots. Times change and traditions change. When I’m Called shakes the foundations of folk in the most unexpected and remarkable ways.