Susan Frances
09/13/08, 12:42 PM
Triangle Shirt Factory – Widening
Record Label: Unsigned
Release Date: October 23, 2007
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Trevor Leonard creates an insulated world on his latest release, Widening where life’s struggles and losses are spoken about and the answers are shared to set the world free of misery. Leonard is a visionary in this way, and the Triangle Shirt Factory is his music project, which has become his vehicle to reach this goal. Consisting of himself and a group of friends, TSF strive to make meaningful songs similarly to the grassroots rock of ‘70s music groups like Simon and Garfunkel, Peter, Paul and Mary, and Crosby, Stills and Nash. Widening gives listeners the impression that anything is possible. The band has the acoustic folk accoutrements liken to Simon and Garfunkel, and a feisty spirit relatable to Bayside, only delivered with acoustic-tinted props. Leonard dices up the tracks with tempos that move from fireside moods to foot-stomping shindigs, but no matter which way he goes, TSF always indulge in the desire to make life a whole lot better than it is.
Leonard’s lyrics, in particular, create this impression that there is a way to make life better than it is. TSF’s song, “Italian Sun” conjures this mirage with verses like, “Meet me in middle Pennsylvania and we’ll fly to Italy / The strolling culture, the ancient sculptures and wines / The sweet life / Sweetheart, I know one thing for certain / Pittsburgh ain’t the place for us / We deserve Italian sun with Ostia in view.” The light and fluffy acoustic guitar tones are circled in jangly tambourines that project a mood of merriment. Leonard’s wide arching vocals and melodic register is reminiscent of I am the Avalanche’s lead singer, Vinnie Caruana, and the layers of thick acoustic soot are emblematic of Gomez’s softly latticed material manufacturing an insulated world where misery cannot infiltrate. The willowy country-folk textures of “Homeland Security” are corked in gentle esthetics, and the heavier rock accents that enshrine the folksy grassroots rock of “Always this is a Sign” have a hearty density. The reggae-barbed beats of “Builder” show similar culinary creations to Simon and Garfunkel ambling at a strolling pace.
Triangle Shirt Factory show very similar characteristics in their music to Simon and Garfunkel, only touching on issues that affect present conditions. TSF’s official website explains that the project’s moniker was taken from the historical Triangle Shirtwaist Company in New York City, which was destroyed by a giant fire in 1911. The fire claimed the lives of hundreds of workers and initiated legal reform for labor rights. Today, the building, which housed the factory on Washington Place is called the Brown Building of Science and is a part of New York University. The event is an immovable slate in American history, which reminds people to be conscientious of each other’s well being. It’s an objective that Trevor Leonard has incorporated into TSF’s music, and gives him the impetuous to write songs. The album’s title, Widening, can be referred to the goal to widen people’s minds and see beyond their individual scope, a goal which singer-songwriter John Denver embarked on through the ‘70s and ‘80s. You can say that Trevor Leonard is a modern-day John Denver, initiated a new chapter in grassroots rock.
Gomez, Billy Bragg, Bret Dennen, Simon and Garfunkel
www.myspace.com/triangleshirtfactory (http://www.myspace.com/triangleshirtfactory)
Record Label: Unsigned
Release Date: October 23, 2007
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Trevor Leonard creates an insulated world on his latest release, Widening where life’s struggles and losses are spoken about and the answers are shared to set the world free of misery. Leonard is a visionary in this way, and the Triangle Shirt Factory is his music project, which has become his vehicle to reach this goal. Consisting of himself and a group of friends, TSF strive to make meaningful songs similarly to the grassroots rock of ‘70s music groups like Simon and Garfunkel, Peter, Paul and Mary, and Crosby, Stills and Nash. Widening gives listeners the impression that anything is possible. The band has the acoustic folk accoutrements liken to Simon and Garfunkel, and a feisty spirit relatable to Bayside, only delivered with acoustic-tinted props. Leonard dices up the tracks with tempos that move from fireside moods to foot-stomping shindigs, but no matter which way he goes, TSF always indulge in the desire to make life a whole lot better than it is.
Leonard’s lyrics, in particular, create this impression that there is a way to make life better than it is. TSF’s song, “Italian Sun” conjures this mirage with verses like, “Meet me in middle Pennsylvania and we’ll fly to Italy / The strolling culture, the ancient sculptures and wines / The sweet life / Sweetheart, I know one thing for certain / Pittsburgh ain’t the place for us / We deserve Italian sun with Ostia in view.” The light and fluffy acoustic guitar tones are circled in jangly tambourines that project a mood of merriment. Leonard’s wide arching vocals and melodic register is reminiscent of I am the Avalanche’s lead singer, Vinnie Caruana, and the layers of thick acoustic soot are emblematic of Gomez’s softly latticed material manufacturing an insulated world where misery cannot infiltrate. The willowy country-folk textures of “Homeland Security” are corked in gentle esthetics, and the heavier rock accents that enshrine the folksy grassroots rock of “Always this is a Sign” have a hearty density. The reggae-barbed beats of “Builder” show similar culinary creations to Simon and Garfunkel ambling at a strolling pace.
Triangle Shirt Factory show very similar characteristics in their music to Simon and Garfunkel, only touching on issues that affect present conditions. TSF’s official website explains that the project’s moniker was taken from the historical Triangle Shirtwaist Company in New York City, which was destroyed by a giant fire in 1911. The fire claimed the lives of hundreds of workers and initiated legal reform for labor rights. Today, the building, which housed the factory on Washington Place is called the Brown Building of Science and is a part of New York University. The event is an immovable slate in American history, which reminds people to be conscientious of each other’s well being. It’s an objective that Trevor Leonard has incorporated into TSF’s music, and gives him the impetuous to write songs. The album’s title, Widening, can be referred to the goal to widen people’s minds and see beyond their individual scope, a goal which singer-songwriter John Denver embarked on through the ‘70s and ‘80s. You can say that Trevor Leonard is a modern-day John Denver, initiated a new chapter in grassroots rock.
Gomez, Billy Bragg, Bret Dennen, Simon and Garfunkel
www.myspace.com/triangleshirtfactory (http://www.myspace.com/triangleshirtfactory)