From My Shelves – Cartoon – In The Living Room

Cartoon – In the Living Room (1996) – It’s so easy to think that all the great music in the world gets its due.  That simply creating something truly wonderful is all you need to find fame and fortune.  The reality is that all too often the fame and fortune go to people creating stuff that is safe, predictable and ultimately forgettable.  The problem is that until very recently the chance of you finding any of those wonderful, working musicians of the world who are creating in relative anonymity has been very hard.

Unless you had a friend who said, “Hey, listen to this”.

My very good friend Tom introduced me to a band he worked with in State College, PA called Cartoon. While I absolutely trusted Tom’s judgement when it came to music (some of my favorites were groups he had turned me on to before) I spent a lot of time listening to mediocre music as part of my work in radio.  Even bands that were very good in person sometimes didn’t translate well when recorded.

I should have known better.

It was the kind of close harmony, folk inspired music that I have loved all my life.  The  song writing was superb, the performances flawless and the recording was top quality.  These were dedicated, quality artists producing the kind of work they loved and a dedicated band of fans made them perennial regional favorites in central PA and beyond.

The first time I listened I was delighted.  Then there was the second, and third, and fourth and beyond.  I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve listened to this CD.  It’s on the short list of go-to music when I want to hear the stuff I love, the stuff that brings me joy.

Personal favorites are Lady Jamaica, Carolina One Time, (I Shall Carry) Water, Catalog Lady, and Let the Radio Play.  That’s a nice cross section of the style and the sense of humor that made Cartoon the crowd favorite for so long.  Oh, and if you pay attention you’ll even hear Tom’s voice on one cut.  I’ll let you discover that one for yourself.

Sadly, at least for their fans, Cartoon has retired.  Their final performance was in 2012, appropriately at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts (article and interview here).  After 32 years it was time to move on.  I can understand that and respect it.

Just as long as I can keep playing this favorite album recording.  Cartoon’s music is still available through BandCamp at the link at the very top of this post.