Jeep Rosenberg
New York City, New York, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
(introducing Jeep as featured performer)
"A good musician who got away!" - Live on Austin City Limits special
(introducing Jeep as featured performer)
"A good musician who got away!" - Live on Austin City Limits special
This man is a former Green Beret. He won a talent contest in Korea with his “Tennessee Waltz.” He’s yodeled Jimmie Rodgers songs to Mongol herders in the South Gobi. On a trip to the Balkans as a member of the United Nations, he formed a band called The Kosovo Mad Cowhands. Kris Kristofferson called him a “musician that got away” in his 1992 Austin City Limits performance.
This fascinating man goes by Jeep Rosenberg, born Charles Robert Roseberg, seems to have enough experiences for seven lifetimes behind him. Now at 68 years old, he’s re-launching a career as a performing songwriter. And as grand prize winner of NSAI’s 2012 Song Contest in the Lyrics-Only Category, he’s got an incredible start.
His winning song, however, doesn’t seem like it would come from the James Bond or Indiana Jones characters that his biography evokes. Instead, it’s an ode to a simple getaway with familiar faces, entitled “Old Friends and California Wine.”
The lyrics are of pure Californian relaxation, bringing to mind tall trees, mountains, and a montage of Willie Nelson and Matthew McConaughey horseback-riding around a grape farm. The repetition of the chorus brings a sense of timelessness to the songwriter’s fond memories:
Don’t forget the corn tortillas
Heirlooms ripened on the vine
Moonlit lake, sinsemilla
Old friends and California wine
Old friends and California wine
“I wrote this song out of gratitude for some very supportive old friends,” says Rosenberg. “Their place is sort of a refuge. Sometimes, in a funny way, a friend’s house can feel more like home than your own house does. Maybe they drink a better brand of scotch, or they’re incredibly warm people, whatever it is, you have that sense of belonging.”
Jeep Rosenberg, nicknamed for his father’s vehicle during World War II, has been writing songs and prose since he was a teenager.
“It’s hard to describe a process that’s so drilled into me,” he says of his understated songwriting style. “The only thing I can say at this point is that you have to decide if it’s the kind of song you can push through in a couple of writes or if it’s so precious that you’d capsize it if you rush to finish it. It’s about what the song wants, not what you want.”
“It just takes a lot of time to cultivate the skill, then to develop that instinct for when to stop writing, what to eliminate that may detract from the main energy in a song,” Rosenberg says. “We all have litte metaphors that tickle us, but you may have to kill your children for the sake of the whole.”
For an artist who has been to more countries than most of us could spell, it may be surprising that his music is still so rich in Americana, lacking the stereotypical “world music” vibe. Rosenberg says his folk/country sound isn’t despite his eastern travels, but because of them.
“When I go to Mozambique or Korea or Mongolia, I listen and absorb our differences in music,” Rosenberg says. “But really, it reminds me of my own roots in a way. I can respect the ‘other’ and engage in the ‘other’ but it provides a mirror for me to better see my own musical background and contrast the two.”
Perhaps, Roseberg says, the attention to detail in his writing is attributable to his love of East Asian culture. “I’ve done a lot of study in East Asian languages and literature,” he says plainly. “In Korean and Chinese poetry, theres a kind of compression that has inspired a lot of my writing. Finding just the right image and the right degree of action, it’s very prevalent in East Asian poetry.”
In fact, Rosenberg is now working with a Taiwanese poet to re-create an “old hillbilly-vaudeville song” with a Chinese twist. “Kind of my own crazy citizen’s diplomacy,” says Rosenberg.
Since being announced NSAI’s Lyric-Only Conest winner, Rosenberg says it’s boosted his credibility, making it far easier to book gigs. Now, he’s working on his next full-length release, and looking forward to his prizes, especially his mentoring sessions with Tia Sellers (“I Hope You Dance” recorded by Lee Ann Womack) and Dottie Moore (“Mile Out of Memphis” recorded by Carl Perkins).
“I’m really looking forward to my trip to Nashville, networking with folks and writing with some great people,” Rosenberg continues. “Onward, onward, right?”
- American Songwriter
This man is a former Green Beret. He won a talent contest in Korea with his “Tennessee Waltz.” He’s yodeled Jimmie Rodgers songs to Mongol herders in the South Gobi. On a trip to the Balkans as a member of the United Nations, he formed a band called The Kosovo Mad Cowhands. Kris Kristofferson called him a “musician that got away” in his 1992 Austin City Limits performance.
This fascinating man goes by Jeep Rosenberg, born Charles Robert Roseberg, seems to have enough experiences for seven lifetimes behind him. Now at 68 years old, he’s re-launching a career as a performing songwriter. And as grand prize winner of NSAI’s 2012 Song Contest in the Lyrics-Only Category, he’s got an incredible start.
His winning song, however, doesn’t seem like it would come from the James Bond or Indiana Jones characters that his biography evokes. Instead, it’s an ode to a simple getaway with familiar faces, entitled “Old Friends and California Wine.”
The lyrics are of pure Californian relaxation, bringing to mind tall trees, mountains, and a montage of Willie Nelson and Matthew McConaughey horseback-riding around a grape farm. The repetition of the chorus brings a sense of timelessness to the songwriter’s fond memories:
Don’t forget the corn tortillas
Heirlooms ripened on the vine
Moonlit lake, sinsemilla
Old friends and California wine
Old friends and California wine
“I wrote this song out of gratitude for some very supportive old friends,” says Rosenberg. “Their place is sort of a refuge. Sometimes, in a funny way, a friend’s house can feel more like home than your own house does. Maybe they drink a better brand of scotch, or they’re incredibly warm people, whatever it is, you have that sense of belonging.”
Jeep Rosenberg, nicknamed for his father’s vehicle during World War II, has been writing songs and prose since he was a teenager.
“It’s hard to describe a process that’s so drilled into me,” he says of his understated songwriting style. “The only thing I can say at this point is that you have to decide if it’s the kind of song you can push through in a couple of writes or if it’s so precious that you’d capsize it if you rush to finish it. It’s about what the song wants, not what you want.”
“It just takes a lot of time to cultivate the skill, then to develop that instinct for when to stop writing, what to eliminate that may detract from the main energy in a song,” Rosenberg says. “We all have litte metaphors that tickle us, but you may have to kill your children for the sake of the whole.”
For an artist who has been to more countries than most of us could spell, it may be surprising that his music is still so rich in Americana, lacking the stereotypical “world music” vibe. Rosenberg says his folk/country sound isn’t despite his eastern travels, but because of them.
“When I go to Mozambique or Korea or Mongolia, I listen and absorb our differences in music,” Rosenberg says. “But really, it reminds me of my own roots in a way. I can respect the ‘other’ and engage in the ‘other’ but it provides a mirror for me to better see my own musical background and contrast the two.”
Perhaps, Roseberg says, the attention to detail in his writing is attributable to his love of East Asian culture. “I’ve done a lot of study in East Asian languages and literature,” he says plainly. “In Korean and Chinese poetry, theres a kind of compression that has inspired a lot of my writing. Finding just the right image and the right degree of action, it’s very prevalent in East Asian poetry.”
In fact, Rosenberg is now working with a Taiwanese poet to re-create an “old hillbilly-vaudeville song” with a Chinese twist. “Kind of my own crazy citizen’s diplomacy,” says Rosenberg.
Since being announced NSAI’s Lyric-Only Conest winner, Rosenberg says it’s boosted his credibility, making it far easier to book gigs. Now, he’s working on his next full-length release, and looking forward to his prizes, especially his mentoring sessions with Tia Sellers (“I Hope You Dance” recorded by Lee Ann Womack) and Dottie Moore (“Mile Out of Memphis” recorded by Carl Perkins).
“I’m really looking forward to my trip to Nashville, networking with folks and writing with some great people,” Rosenberg continues. “Onward, onward, right?”
- American Songwriter
"...comes out of left field and leaves you breathless." - John Ashbery
"Mungo Jerry meets Jerry Jeff at Billy Jo Shaver's House"
'call it terra incognita, call it Mother Church'
'Starving for love in the magical kitchen'
'nothing's too good to be true/nothing's too true not to try'
"This is an amazing lyric from an interesting person (I'd bet my second to last button on it)...'North Beach' says San Fran., but there's a decidedly - Texas songwriter's quality here I wanna say.
"The playing was sparse and loose and did everything to stay out of the way of the lyric - exactly as it should when the lyric is this distinct...
"I loved listening to this track..." - Emory Joseph
"...comes out of left field and leaves you breathless." - John Ashbery
Jeep Rosenberg's latest release, Silver Bluff Estates, is chock full of easy, approachable music with clever, thoughtful lyrics laced with an elegant simplicity and an understated wisdom.
Oh yeah- the playing is not too shabby, either!
- 99.9 The Rock, WQNR, Auburn, AL
As a longtime fan and supporter of roots & country music, Jeep Rosenberg was a welcome surprise for me. I've heard so many bands and artists in the genre, and so many are just another band or another singer/songwriter looking around the corner. Not that they were necessarily bad, but they weren't great either. Some have the potential to become great, but only once in awhile I find a band or artist that shows greatness right away. Rosenberg, though there is definitely some room for development, shows he's a very accomplished songwriter and in his performing, he shows the warmth and heartfelt honesty in his music that reminds me of the old days of traditional country between the late 40s and early 70s. He doesn't sound dated, but takes the best from that time and uses it in his excellent songs that are a bright light for contemporary country music. - Inner Ear CD Review, June 21, 2009
As a longtime fan and supporter of roots & country music, Jeep Rosenberg was a welcome surprise for me. I've heard so many bands and artists in the genre, and so many are just another band or another singer/songwriter looking around the corner. Not that they were necessarily bad, but they weren't great either. Some have the potential to become great, but only once in awhile I find a band or artist that shows greatness right away. Rosenberg, though there is definitely some room for development, shows he's a very accomplished songwriter and in his performing, he shows the warmth and heartfelt honesty in his music that reminds me of the old days of traditional country between the late 40s and early 70s. He doesn't sound dated, but takes the best from that time and uses it in his excellent songs that are a bright light for contemporary country music. - Inner Ear CD Review, June 21, 2009
Discography
"Silver Bluff Estates" CD, independent release November 2007 (sample tracks at CDBaby, Amazon, iTunes);
"In-Country: Songs of Americans in the Vietnam War" CD & cassette (Flying Fish/Rounder Records Group)(Amazon);
"No Sweat Blues" & "Jody's Got Your Cadillac", feature-length music videos (Video Treasures);
"Lies & Fears, Part II", digital single, released on CDBaby February 2013 (www.cdbaby.com/cd/jeeprosenberg2 )
Photos
Bio
When looking at the life and career of Jeep Rosenberg, what comes to mind is the Johnny Cash song “I’ve Been Everywhere.” Many people have sung that song – but Jeep has lived it, and with it has come the wisdom and knowledge that informs his music, most recently on his new album, Silver Bluff Estates. The album is a summation of accrued experience in a life of continual musical and personal exploration all over the world, from folk dens to the U.N., from the Army to Austin City Limits.
Born during World War II, Rosenberg spent his formative years in the South, instilling within him an appreciation for the magic and mystery of the region, during a time when music wasn’t just in the air, it was the air. Taking up the guitar at the age of eleven, country artists like Roy Acuff, Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, and Gene Autry were among his first loves, and his later appreciation of great Southern writers like William Faulkner and Flannery O’ Connor would inform his love of language and poetry; a passion that would take him into far reaching places.
He started in the folk revival venues of Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., playing in legendary venues like The Cellar Door and The Main Point, where names like Browne and Springsteen also got their start; he got his MFA in Poetry while studying with John Ashbery and Allen Ginsberg (“Studying with John completely transformed my sense of what is possible through language,” Jeep declares.); he spent the better part of a decade, from 1985-1994, collecting, preserving and sharing the G.I.-written folksongs of the Vietnam War in support of the VN Veterans Oral History Archive, and recorded some of those songs under the name he was known by while serving as Army Special Forces Sergeant, Chuck Rosenberg. The album was released on Flying Fish/Rounder, and Jeep was featured in a special segment of “Austin City Limits” hosted by Kris Kristofferson. The work won him notice and acclaim from writers such as Studs Terkel and publications including the New York Times, Sing Out, Guitar Player and Penthouse.
Perhaps the most colorful tale that encapsulates both Jeep’s devotion to music and the tenacity with which he pursues it, is how he won a National Endowment of the Arts fellowship to apprentice with jazz and blues guitar legend Teddy Bunn, a pre-Charlie Christian guitarist who played with a who's who of jazz great. Jeep explains, “My finding Teddy was a personally funded, obsessive manhunt. Almost everyone I spoke about Teddy with thought he was dead. It took a couple of years of searching and gaining the confidence of folks who were wondering what the hell I was doing in their neighborhood to finally find him; post-stroke in post-earthquake San Fernando, California.”
A self-described internationalist (“It makes me feel more American,” explains Jeep), for the past 12 years, he worked as a civilian peacekeeper for United Nations missions in Mozambique, Haiti, and Kosovo, earning a treasure trove of musical experience during his assignments, such as singing old-time country songs as a guest in the wilds of Mongolia, where as Jeep remembers, “Jimmie Rodgers went over the best, but I couldn’t help but notice that there were wolf tracks as big as pancakes a hundred meters away.” He also led a roadhouse combination called the Kosovo Mad Cowhands, featuring a lead singer from Cameroon and a sax player who was a North Tulsa cop. Internationalist indeed.
While in his pre-retirement years at the U.N., Jeep began recording the songs that would comprise his new album, Silver Bluff Estates. Co-produced with Robert Steven Williams (they met at a Jimmie Dale Gilmore songwriting workshop) and engineered by Jon Gordon (Suzanne Vega, Madonna), the album is, according to Jeep, “…a harvesting of everything I’ve learned. They’re songs that have something to say; I think that even a fun song should say something.”
That mindset is evident on songs like “We’re In The World’s Worst Places (For The World’s Best Reasons),” most likely the most illuminating (and occasionally heartbreaking) song ever written about those who commit their lives to the cause of justice and peace, and the wear and tear the mission puts on their lives and families. The wry, poetic heart of “Darling, I Miss You When You’re With Me,” is a slyly funny tale of love gone cold that would make Hank Williams proud. And “Whatever Happened To Mercy?” is a jazz-influenced lament of an indifferent world that retains its dignity amidst a planet of degradations.
Since his relaunch, Jeep has been steadily playing dates in the New York/New Jersey area, including fifteen shows at the prestigious Rockwood Music Hall, Americana concert appearances at the Rochester, MN, Civic Theatre (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013), and annually at the 30-A Songwriters Festival in Seaside, FL, known as the "songwriters' Sundance". He is on his way.
Band Members
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