There is much to admire in the ambitious, endlessly probing music of Alex Callenberger. In central Pennsylvania, his present base of operations, he’s a veteran fixture on the club scene, where he’s earned a lofty reputation as an unusually talented guitarist and songwriter conversant in a wide range of styles, from tasteful jazz to moody, experimental modern rock. His latest CD, a dozen songs released under the moniker Clawfoot Slumber, leans heavily toward the latter style.

Recorded with a handful of gifted, simpatico musicians, Silly Little Dream is a lot of things—introspective, thoughtful, sometimes dark and even angry, occasionally playful and sunny—but what it assuredly is not is silly. Even during the disc’s breezier moments, most especially on the jaunty blues number “Penny,” Callenberger conveys a lovely sense of hard-won hopefulness that doesn’t feel at all trite or gratuitous. Above all, Callenberger is a serious artist. Which isn’t to suggest that he lacks humor or that his music is mordant; it’s only to say that he’s clearly not a shallow guy with shallow interests.

The music on Silly Little Dream is largely impressionistic—swaths of it might justifiably be called atmospheric—but it doesn’t lack solidity. Callenberger lives comfortably in his own well-wrought grooves in a manner at once grounded and ethereal. His vocals are insinuating and quietly commanding. He goes easy here on the guitar pyrotechnics, opting instead to allow his songs to stand on their own with minimal instrumental bombast. Occasional he peppers a song with light electronic effects and backing vocals, but he never overplays his hand or tries too hard to impress.

And with all that, he’s delivered a most impressive recording and further established himself as a gifted young artist well worth notice.

—David Pulizzi, managing editor, Jazziz magazine



listening to “Silly Little Dream,” the debut release of alEx Callenberger’s Clawfoot Slumber, the listener consequently becomes the dreamer. Each song represents a different scene from a strange dream. From frightening to comforting, frustrating to inspiring, each scene possesses its own emotional hue. The dream becomes so convincing the dreamer is easily fooled into believing they have awoken. However, the passive dreamer is soon reminded of their slumber by the erratic and intricate auditory hallucinations folded into “Silly Little Dream.” Soon the dreamer realizes that such oddities could not possibly be reflections of reality.

The album “Silly Little Dream” features as many as 13 accomplished artists and musicians. Among the list of contributors, Grammy award winning percussionist Steve Mitchell (Van Morrison) can be found on songs like Ocean to Bay, Them Crippled Birds and Penny. Platinum recording artist and Modern Drummer contributor Jeremy Hummel can be heard on songs such as Burning Hope, Better Find Your Key and In My Sight. The dazzling cast is one reason “Silly Little Dream,” is an absolutely remarkable work of art. The extraordinary story behind the album’s creator is indeed another.

As a child, guitarist alEx Callenberger suffered 40% percent hearing loss. For alEx, appointments with the audiological community became quite commonplace. As alEx grew, it was projected that his hearing would continue to decline. As it turned out, alEx’s ability to render sound increased dramatically. Before long alEx’s music productions began to make a mockery of all audiological projections. “Silly Little Dream” is one such production.