December 2009 Cover by “Mighty” Mitch Vega

Download the What’s Up! December Compilation here

The Ghost and the Grace – The Mall

Rooftops – Raft Easily

Biagio Biondolillo – Dirty Blue

Librarians – Sunday

So Adult – Scarstruck

Candysound – Million

Connecticut Four – Once Electric

Eruptagain – Ins and Outs

Nick Duncan – Hollow Town

Samuel Warner Cornish – Lucky Man

Six Feet Deep – Can You See Me Now

Billed as more of a songwriting sampler than an official release, Samuel Warner Cornish’s “Brain Optional” disc shows flashes of brilliance.

Trouble is, the continuity and cohesiveness of such an offering is a bit lacking. Stream of consciousness seems to be the letter of the law here.

A few of the tracks sound more like someone practicing than an actual cohesive idea. It’s not rare for a great melody to be interrupted by a random, non sequitur guitar noodling session… in the same song, no less. But, judging solely on songwriting criteria, the talent is there. The chord progression on the last track, “Always Loved You” has the radio ready hook that hits are made of. And such is the case with most of the other four tunes; it takes the Maple Falls-based Cornish a while to get going.

If one can wade through the extraneous intros and verses, they’re rewarded with the end result. Overall, his skill needs polishing, but the one thing that is exceedingly evident is his skill as a masterful storyteller. The wet-behind-the-ears songwriting is forgotten as he grabs you with compelling tales of love, loss and spacemen. At this point, listening to Cornish’s sampler with your eyes closed makes you feel like you’re at an open mic night. However, in this simulated situation, he would be one of the better ones.

Keep his name in mind as he throws his hat into the Bellingham singer/songwriter scene. He’s just a few performances and a few shots of confidence away from becoming a legitimate mover and shaker.

Carnelian Agency
warnercornishdragonbreath@yahoo.com