When terms like "indie," "singer/songwriter," and "open mic" are flung around, a (perhaps unfair) stereotype can build in the prospective listener's mind. What happens to me, particularly with the "indie" thing, is that I sit around and ponder on the meaning of the word. Is this a category, meaning that the artist is 'independent' of the mainstream? Or is this actually a musical genre?

Well, since there are no good answers to these questions (Not entirely accurate, since we all know that the real answers are: "It means nothing," "What, are you, like, 50 or something?!", and "Dude, just listen to some Pavement."), I don't let the indie thing bother me. Well sure, I do have a general idea of what folks are getting at, it's just that I really hate to let a label cloud my judgement.

Kurt Reifler's background contains the singer/songwriter thing as well as a bit of indie rock, both of which can be heard on this debut album. You can hear open mic sensitivity as well as echoes of the gnarly, nonlinear grind and sway of Reifler's funk rock group Sexred.

Indie rock? Ah, who cares! What I like are the jagged shifts in rhythms. Right from the start "Every Town" (an ode to travel, sort of) moves from some open chord strumming to the strutting main theme to the tense start & stop of the bridge. One of my big complaints against "modern rock" remains that guitar solos were removed and replaced with...nothing. So you'd end up with songs that had no real partitioning. Oh sure, there was the loud part, the soft part, and then maybe a reprise of the loud. To my ears, only bands like The Pixies and Nirvana were successful taking that approach. The uptempo songs on Reifler's album further are illustrations of how to spark interest by avoiding the ordinary.

"Graceful Exit" is a perfect example. An extra chord is added to the opening riff to move things away from a straight 4/4 feel. Maybe not for everybody. Maybe even uncomfortably "proggy" for some. For me, it opens a door back into the era of more edgy rock from groups like Pere Ubu and Television.

The funk? Yes, it's on full display on tunes like "Smile," "The Horses Mouth," and "A.M." The latter song? You will turn this up. You will have no choice.

Of course, the singer/songwriter inner excursions are here as well. While they might be rendered as full band arrangements, "Arrogance," "Never Be Free," and "More Sad Than Strange" show Reifler's introspective side. I particularly like the ringing guitar arpeggios on "More Sad..." There's a little Chris Isaak in there, minus the Tiki torches.

"Wake Up Dead" is a raveup rocker that closes out the disc. Given the "sub-genres" present on this album, it's difficult to pin down where Reifler's true musical heart lies. Is that important? With music as interesting as this, I honestly don't care if that question is ever answered.

By the way, my replies to the "implied quiz" at the start of this article are: a) "Of course it means nothing...and everything". b) "I am not 50. Yet," and c) "I don't own any Pavement records."

        If I had a C-note for every goofball honky with a stack of Chili Peppers’ and/or John Mayer CDs and a self-professed ability to “funk out” that I’d been forced to listen to since taking this position a half-decade ago, I’d almost have enough money to pay back my student loans. And yet, every once in a while, a cat comes across my desk that simply oozes “real deal.” Kurt Reifler is one such exception to the rule. A self-taught drummer, guitarist and vocalist with a predilection towards both old-school soul of the Curtis Mayfield/Sly Stone/Stevie Wonder variety as well as newer vintage R & B a la D’angelo and Jamiroquai, plus some truly oddball influences like PJ Harvey and (for a blessed change) Tim Buckley, Reifler has cut and released a fairly stupendous indie album, and he’s touring intimate venues like coffeehouses and record shops in every state in the Continental U.S. in hopes of winning over converts the old fashioned way.

The solo debut from this well-traveled singer-songwriter (who prepared to record it by touring around Europe with an acoustic guitar and a duffel bag before settling in New York) shows a young man with plenty of passion and a perhaps healthy unwillingness to be tied down to any one narrow style. "Every Town" has a messy, punky edge; "A.M." flirts with funk; "Smile" is straight-up guitar rock; "Graceful Exit" plays subtly but effectively with interesting rhythmic dislocations. The album sounds self-produced, which isn't entirely a compliment, but the slightly claustrophobic ambience and rudimentary drum sound does seem to work well with the fraught tone of his lyrics. Reifler is a fine singer, if not an especially distinctive one, but you get the impression that if he hooked up with the right producer he might be able to tease out more of a unique and personal sound. The producer might also convince him to leave behind such unfocused experiments as "Wake Up Dead" and the so-so ballad "Never Be Free". Overall, though, this is a promising debut.