Radapod

I am no different than most bloggers... I write to entertain myself, and I hope that others will find me 3% amusing.  Fortunately, Facebook and Twitter (tweet tweet!) have created different outlets so we can collect our thoughts and immediately post these short flashes of brain farts.  I guess this is why I lost interest in my own blog for an entire year.  What started as an outlet to spit out the daily inner dialogue I have with myself turned into... well... nothing.  Facebook is a nonstop stream that tends to my ADD-ness.  But tonight is a new night, and I have been bombarded with obligations.  Obviously, I need to veer to an alternate route and rest my brain.  This, my friends, is how I relax: blogging.  AKA, spewing analyses that continually muffle my mind.  I don't really want to discuss my ventures in rock stardom, or the current state of music... nor do I want to play my usual game of "connect the dots" between songs and artists.  I don't want to talk politics, or music theory, or Ryan Adams.  Rather, I want to analyze that one thing that dumbfounds me on a daily basis: "Top 25 Most Played."  I want to know... does this playlist define me?  Radapod (what a clever name for my iPod) tells me that in the past however many years of owning this specific iPod (I have a mega classic that has over 8,000 songs), I have listened to 25 songs more than any other 7,975.  Does Radapod lie?  Is Radapod trying to tell me something?  Let's find out.  Here are my top 5 songs.

1)  Goldfrapp - A&E

Great.  My most played song is about a woman who is yearning for a lover... so she pops some pills and ends up in the emergency room.  While the story itself isn't autobiographical, the song was apparently written after Alison Goldfrapp spent an afternoon being pumped up with drugs in the ER (or A&E, if you are British).  I don't think this song does justice to my personality.  I actually listen to this song because, well, damn... do you hear that voice?  It's so painfully beautiful.  And Alison's pronunciation of "pastel."  I can listen to that again.  The music itself is a perfect blend of the folk-electro trend-pop trend that you can thank Suzanne Vega for originating.  I understand, this is debatable.  And maybe this is my most played because it's short enough that I hit repeat immediately after.  Every time.  

To think, I don't even get to watch the leaf men dancing when I listen to it on my iPod...

2)  Band of Skulls - Fires

Did you know that I've been wanting you?  

Yes, you can analyze me for this song.  I listen to it because of some very specific lines.  Oh wait, it's pretty much all of them.  I like driving around and singing this song, starting with the very first line:

"Baby, darling, dollface, honey; Now I don't mean to cause you worry...."  all the way to "Don't you know what the time is? It's the fall of rock n' roll, that's what the news said."

This is a much better song about love.  I'll bring the water baby, cuz we're fires in the night!  I'm not going to end up in the emergency room, popping pills.  Life is too short.. so let's rock out.  

After listening to this, I always want to respond with some Stones:

3) Santa Ana Winds - Cold War Kids

Last year, I may or may not have went to the EMP Pop Music Conference at UCLA.  I made a specific trip to the Getty just to take a picture in honor of this song: 

"Take the elevator to the Getty's highest place..."

(please ignore that it says "elevator to shuttle."  this elevator took me to the highest place.  I promise.)

I like rock songs that incorporate the piano.  Enough said.

4) Frightened Rabbit - The Loneliness And The Scream

Is it me that is trying to prove my existence, or can we argue that my iPod is trying to prove it has an existence of its own?  I believe it was one of my earlier posts in which I discussed  this song in depth because of my love for clapping.  While I do love this original video that I posted, there's nothing quite like this sweaty, clapping mess of Scottish men reacting to the crowd's claps:  

I am not surprised that this is in my top 5.  Sometimes, I just need to bang my head up and down and clap.  I like to do this when I am in my car - but parked, so as to not run into another car.

5) Florence + The Machine - Swimming

Hands down, this song (of the top 5) has the most meaning.  Does Radapod understand my being?  Yes.  She and I have been together for quite awhile.  But if there was to be one song on the "Top 25 Most Played" that most defines me, I'd have to argue that this, lyrically, is the song.  

Have you ever been depressed?  Have you ever been in that deep hole... been sinking... been in a rut?  Have you ever forgotten who you were?  "Your songs remind me of swimming."  I hear these "songs" as the metaphor that reminds the narrator of that person she was. Midway through, the singer hears that note that lets her realize who she is.  It's so glorious.  It's so true to life.  You can be sinking, and one day out of the blue, you hear that one note that reminds you, "Well hell, I know how to swim!"  And bam!  Just like riding a bike... or remembering that chorus you had forgotten.  Pretty much, any metaphor to music is going to be a winner in my books.  

This song is also excellent for pancakes and sprinkles.  

Did I mention that I love this song?  

Jukebox Worthy

The summer after 8th grade, I had just moved to Birmingham, Alabama... and everyone was making fun of the way I said "backpack" with the nasal "ack" sound. Eh, who cares.  What do I remember?  Eating delicious hamburgers at the Johnny Rockets.  Maybe that's why I was a little chubbier as an 8th grader.  But what do I remember about Johnny Rockets?  The jukebox centerpiece at every table:

Sure, this "jukebox" is pretty lame compared to what we have now.  I mean, I can basically Google any obscure song with the new computerized machine thingamabobbies, then pay an extra dollar to have my song played first (like the fast pass at Six Flags), and manage to piss off an entire crowd waiting to hear Bon Jovi.  But that's just wrong.  There's a certain etiquette when picking out songs on the jukebox.  That's why I want to find a bar that still has the CD flipper:

  There's no cutting in line with this baby.

So my birthday happens to be coming up, and all I want to do is monopolize a jukebox in a shady bar, while watching the Final Four on TV.  A pool table wouldn't be so bad either, because let's be realistic... I will need a pool stick as my microphone.  But as music obsessed as I am, all I've been thinking about is, "What am I going to pick on the jukebox?!?"  The songs have to be sing-able, fun, not too predictable, not too obscure, true to me, cool, a little edgy, and appropriate for a shady bar.  If I'm shooting pool, can I really pick Kelly Clarkson?  

I'm going to start picking my options right here, right now, in this blog.  For my 28th birthday, I want these songs blasting out of a jukebox while I sing into a pool stick microphone.  I would also prefer an Amstel Light to be in the other hand.  Thank you very much.

1) She Talks To Angels - The Black Crowes

(Note: it's Black CrowEs)

This is when I've got a good buzz going, and I want to wear my rock star sunglasses.  At the minute mark, I'll probably play "air piano" AND "air organ" at the same time.  I'll need someone to play "air guitar" with me.  We'll all belt out "the pain gonna' make everything alriiight!"  Sing-a-long?  Check.  Steady beat, good to sway to.  I think this is a jukebox pleaser.  There's even a great buildup to "She don't know no lover... none that I ever seen!" and then the big musical drop... so emotional.  I can see the guitar solo on the pool stick right now as I "pull those shades down tight."

2) Paper Planes - M.I.A.

Maybe I'm a little bias because I love this song, I love M.I.A., and I have a Paper Planes dance.  I'm ready.  This song never gets old.  I like to think I have swagger.  Not to mention, everyone knows the chorus and everyone's hands go up in unison... so it's a crowd pleaser.  It doesn't matter what crowd.  People don't really care about the lyrics, and half the drunk folk don't know we're talking about murdering people by the end of the song.  Just embrace the gun shots!

3) 25 or 6 to 4 - Chicago

I just want to play "air trumpet" and "air trombone."  Don't you?  

4) Criminal - Fiona Apple

Do you remember how awesome this song is?  Do you remember how awesome this video is?  Alright, maybe the whole bar won't go crazy for this song, but I feel the need to sing the hell out of this.  First of all, it's in my range.  Second of all, it's Fiona.  Third of all, it's probably best that I choose this one instead of a different Fiona Apple song.

5) In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins

Mike Tyson may have ruined the impact of this song.  Yes, the drum solo is epic and we will all go crazy.  We will in fact get it all on camera when we play "air drums" for that split second in our life.  But let's also think about the amazing lyrics.  What?  He's going to let you drown?  And what's with all the echoes?  Reverb times 20 is great for interpretive dance.  I'm not going to lie.  I love Phil Collins and all things Genesis.

This is my abbreviated setlist.  I'm putting $20's in the jukebox on April 2nd.  Let the monopolization begin.  Any suggestions?  

I'll end with my obscure pick.  

6) A Kiss Before I Go - Ryan Adams

And yes, I expect "one shot, one beer and a kiss before I go."  Get on it.  An Amstel Light, a shot of Absolut, and a kiss from, well...

She's A Wild Thing

In 1963, Maurice Sendak wrote and illustrated a children's book entitled "Where The Wild Things Are."  You may be vaguely familiar with this book due to a) your childhood or b) a somewhat popular Spike Jonze movie of the same name that was released in 2009.  My question to you:  where ARE the wild things?  Well, they're everywhere.  Everywhere in music, that is.  Since 2009, I've seen a growing trend of wild things in the indie music scene.  Maybe it's not so much a trend as "Jackie likes to play connect the dots with her favorite musicians."  So, here we go:

In 2009, Patrick Watson released a song strangely titled, "Where The Wild Things Are" on his album Wooden Arms.  When this came out, I was convinced that it was going to appear on the soundtrack for the movie.  I mean, the song was written about the book.  But no.  It was pure coincidence.  I just posted a live performance of this song on my Facebook page because it was brilliantly fun.  However, I'm posting the original here, because I love the percussion's feeling of an animal dragging along in chains.  (Do you hear the shuffle sound on every other downbeat?)  Pitter patter, I think I hear my cat running around.  Oh no, it's just the music.

Along the same time that Patrick Watson released what could be the soundtrack to "Where The Wild Things Are," Karen O released the real soundtrack to "Where The Wild Things Are."  Here's a very tribal, Karen O. take on how to be "wild."  This is the song "Capsize" (and no, this is not an original video).  Apparently, people from the wild like to clap!:

If we're going to have tribal music, I should start playing "connect the musical dots" with Milhaud's La Creation du Monde.  But I won't.

I'm skipping to 2011.

Noah and the Whale... new song, blatantly titled "Wild Thing." 

Has this new trend come from all of the vampire movies?  Have you been in the Borders' Teen Fiction section recently?  Not that I have.  The song makes references to a woman with blood stains and messed up hair.  I'm assuming there's a deeper reference and this isn't a vampire song.. but eh, I don't know.   

And for video of the year:

The Black Keys take the wild thing to an all new level.  Music connection?  Noah and the Whale sang something about howling.  This song is called "Howlin' For You."  And that's how my brain works.  And if this movie really existed, I would go see it.  Let's move on to more "wild" songs...

Here we're headed into the wilderness.  In fact, the lead singer of Dawes is apparently named Wilderness in the song "Wilderness."  Here's a clip of the new supergroup, Middle Brother (featuring the dude from Dawes, the dude from DeerTick, and the dude from Delta Spirit).  

But it's not good to be named Wilderness.  We must come out of this place... Oh no!  Cold War Kids' "Out of the Wilderness" is not on YouTube?  This song is also that new.  I don't know how to stream audio on a blog.  Well, it's about someone walking out of the wilderness, which brings us back to society.  It's like we've made a full circle of beasts and animals coming from the wild, back into humanity.  And for some reason, this circle reminds me of a movie that I didn't even see... but which contained a soundtrack that was apparently influential in the music scene.  Yes, I am talking about Eddie Vedder and "Into the Wild."  Never seen it.  Never listened to it.  But hell, there's a song called "Society" and that makes this blog complete:

(note "Into the Wild" came out in 2007, so really, we went back in time and my circle does not work as we are still in our vampiress/beastly world of music right now... but really, the song "Society" is about running away from society, so let's forget about everything)

Four Shows. One Week. Part Two.

I can't do it.  I can't give a real review about David Garrett, because I don't know if he's real.  All I can say is... my grandmother loves him.  She watches him on PBS (or is it WTTW now?) and she wanted to go.  So, I went.  And oh my, does she have a crush on him.  I just don't get it.  My grandmother is a singer who appreciates classical music - so how does she appreciate such a staged gimmick?  Yes, David Garrett can play the violin very well.  But take a look at this packaged, marketed, production:

Question:  Did they create a "Classical Crossover Chart" just for David Garrett?

Sadly, Orianthi was not at the Chicago Theater.  Neither was the orchestra.  But we did get to see the awesome boots that he was wearing at minute 3:30.

 The video is a little too contrived for me, especially compared to that of the band I am going to see at the Metro next week:

I mean, maybe my grandmother and I just have different tastes in music.  And no, I'm not being all artsy fartsy.  There's no deep meaning behind the Deer Tick video.  It's just as shallow as the David Garrett production.  Maybe those boys were hungry, went to a McDonald's, brought their guitars (and upright bass) outside for a little session, and then a train strategically passed by right at the end of the song as an ending credit.  

And yes, I like classical music.  But I dislike fake classical music.  For example... real classical music:

Shostakovich - Piano Quintet, Op. 57 Mov. III

I chose this example because

1) Shostakovich ROCKS

2) I've played this before and it's just as fun as it looks.... aka a beast to put together.  As the pianist, you're in your own little world.

3) These performers have absolutely crazy hair.  WTF?!?

4) Seriously, watch this and tell me you listen to classical music in the "background."  It's meant to be watched.  This is why you go to the symphony - to see crazy mofos like this perform.

Now, an example of fake classical music:

Ok.  I'm not going to do it.  I'm going to piss off some people if I start posting Andrea Bocelli videos and calling him out.  

Back to David Garrett... I totally get what he's doing.  He's mixing the old with the new.  He's introducing the youth to classical music!  Whew hew!  Like dude, it's totally cool to play the violin.  And Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, all those dead composers, well, their music can still be relevant today:

But here's my problem.  I teach piano to kids, and they actually want real classical music.  Teachers aren't giving it to them because they assume that these students don't want it and they don't ask them.  The minute I introduce it to my students, they're like, "Oh, now that's pretty.  I want to learn that!"  Pretty soon, I've got all my young ones wanting to learn classical music.  We right away assume that the "youth" don't like dead composers.  Well society, you're wrong.  And I've got nothing against electrifying some Shostakovich.  Believe me, I've always wanted to add some rock n' roll to some chamber music, add some jazz chords to Beethoven, spice things up here and there.  Why the hell not?  But David Garrett is banking off of something that he's not.  In concert, he's playing the most basic, fan favorite pieces of all these composers... and you can see that he wants to do something more.  Well guess what?  Half of the audience probably wants more!

So here's my advice to you, David:  

1) Give us the rock symphonies.  Sure.  But then, give us an obscure, crazy ass, Prokofiev violin concerto (well, you know, just one movement).  That will really knock the socks off of us.  Not everyone in the audience is as ignorant as your manager wants you to believe.  

2)  Lower the mics on the drums.  Seriously.  

3)  Tell your bass player to lay off the happy pills.  He was in his own little world.  

4)  Add a woman in your band.  It's 2011.  The whole male posse thing is so Entourage outdated.

5)  Once again, lower the mics on the drum kit.  It's not a Metallica concert.  

I hope you guys have a better understanding of David Garrett and the current marketing of fake classical music.  Probably not.  

Four Shows. One Week. Part One.

You know what's better than loving music?  Besides burrito bowls from Chipotle?  Seeing other musicians who love music.  Last week, I had the thrill of seeing not one, not two, not three, but THREE AND A HALF musicians do what they do best... perform.  I'm sorry, but I can only count David Garrett as a half because he's a sell-out and that concert was not my choosing.

Let's work backwards...

Thur, Feb 17th - Josh Ritter and Scott Hutchison (of Frightened Rabbit) at The Vic

Talk about a massive sing-a-long AND dance-a-long.  Josh literally got the entire audience to slow dance to "Kathleen."  In the middle of one of his most well-known "hits," (not the radio kind of hits), the band went into a little groove and Josh asked the entire audience to find a partner and to just slow dance.  So you know what we did?  We danced.  And it was glorious.  Lame?  Yes, in the most amazingly, beautiful kind of "I love music and I love concerts" kind of way.  Josh Ritter loves to perform, and we could see that as he bounced around on stage through every song.  Even in the slow songs, he had this little smile on his face that said, "I'm glad to share this with you."  His actions were something you'd see at a Natalie Merchant concert - you know, the twirling and the crying on stage from dramatic emotions.  And sometimes, that's just what the doctor ordered.

Josh Ritter's from Idaho.  I thought he was Irish... until I heard him speak.  But let me explain... he's BIG in Ireland!  I mean, he made his career by opening for The Frames (you know, that dude Glen Hansard who made it big in the states with The Swell Season).

Here's a video of a Josh Ritter tune.  "Girl In The War" might make you tear up a little bit.

 

But the main reason I went to this concert was to hear "Kathleen."  No Mom, this song wasn't written about you.  However, you might want to replace it as your song because too many people in life have been singing "Cathy's Clown" to you:

 (Replace the lyrics of "Here he comes, that's Cathy's clown" to "Here she comes, that's Kathy the Clown.")

Back to the REAL song about Kathleen...



This video is "Live from Dublin."  Wouldn't you think he was Irish?  Trust me.  He's not.  "If you'd like to come along, I'll be yours for a song."  That's right.  "I know that you are waiting, and I know that it is not for me / But I'm here and I'm ready, and I saved you the passenger seat."

Did I mention that his band is awesome?  So much love for the keys.  The bassist had a crazy mustache.  AND, they were spot on together.   Seriously though... these musicians just blended so well together, as each song bled into the next.  There were so many dynamics!  I heart dynamics.

It also helps that Scott Hutchison opened the show.  Although he performed acoustically, I thought I'd post this song from his band, Frightened Rabbit, just because I feel like listening to it:



In summary, why weren't you there?

By far, the highlight of the night:  I bought my first vinyl as a souvenir!  No more t-shirts.  No more buttons.  No more ticket stubs.  No more stealing posters off the wall (wait, I lie.  I will continue to do that).  Now that I have a record player, I can purchase real albums!  Call me a nerd.  Call me cool.  Call me whatever.  In 30 years, I'll look back at that record and say, "Yup.  I remember when I slow danced to that song at the Vic.  Let me play it for you on my album."  Too bad it's not on the particular one that I purchased.  But I can pretend.

I have to eat some dinner, but I've got a lot to say about David Garrett.  Here's a sneak peak of what's to come in "Four Shows.  One Week.  Part Two."

 (surprisingly, they weren't selling any Garrett popcorn at Chicago Theater)

A Lovingly Playlist

I don't know if you noticed, but it's Valentine's Day.  It's kind of been Valentine's Day in the greeting card industry since Dec. 26th.  So here we are, left to wallow in our misery of being lonely on a holiday intended to make us feel like shit or to excessively indulge in the romanticism of having a partner on a holiday intended to make us feel better about ourselves.  Does that sentence make sense?  I don't care.  I'm choosing neither of these options.  I may have a date, I may not... the blogging world will never know.  But what am I going to do for Valentine's Day?  I'm going to choose some of my favorite songs about love.

 One of the first images to appear in my google search.  Please... overanalyze.

I could easily choose love songs that are simply about "love."  You know, ones that say, "I will love you forever, I would die for you, I would give up my life for you (wait, that's the same as dying for you), I want to make love to you."  But that's not how I roll.  My love songs involve complex situations... like real love.  I'm not going to make eye contact with you and suddenly know you're the one.  What if you're a crazy?!?  You may have had really pretty eyes, but, I'm just saying...

So here's my list.  And yes, if you had at one point in my life made me a playlist that included these songs, you would probably have me as a Valentine's date this year (that would be a lucky thing):

in no particular order 

1) Kathleen Edwards - "Sure As Shit"

I can't find a clear YouTube recording of this video, and I'm a bit too lazy to properly upload an mp3 and go through that whole process.  So, this is what you get.  Here's an idea of why I like this song...

    a) Kathleen Edwards is Canadian and swears a lot

    b) Her eloquent way of confessing her love is to say, "And I sure as shit do love you / And I cuss because I  mean it / And for that in my heart I am hopeful / And these words that I chose / I was so careful"

    c) What the hell is the denim king?

    d) The song is not really a happy song, considering her lover is leaving.

    e) What a brilliant way to tell someone you love them.  Exactly how I would do it.

2) Ani DiFranco - "You Had Time"

Ok, maybe this is technically a breakup song.  But some of the other Ani songs have too many connections to them, and I always imagine this song as my own.  Am I in love with myself?  Maybe.  Let's take a listen:

I chose this live version because a) it comes with lyrics, b) it's actually on one of her CD's so it's not a crappy recording and c) all the other YouTube videos cut off the intro to the original version, and that's my favorite part of the song.

Ani is coming home with an empty head, blah blah blah.  We get it.  She hasn't made up her mind.  But I LOVE these lyrics, "You'll say did they love you or what?  I'll say they love what I do... the only one who really loves me is you."  It's funny, because the audience is cheering at this, but really, we're the ones who only loves what she does.  We shouldn't be cheering about this.  Anyway, I always imagine myself being the one in the passenger seat making jokes about the way things are.  Because really, that's what I'm doing.  Always.  And isn't that what we should all be doing?  Isn't that what love is?  Maybe I have a bad perspective on things?

Nick Hornby writes about this song in his book entitled, "Songbook."  I don't really want to write about an author writing about a song, because then it's just a lot of summaries of summaries.  Just go read it.  You'll enjoy his description of the oodling piano.

3) Kate Nash - "I Hate Seagulls"

If I wrote a love song, it would sound like this (minus the British slang/accent).  Enough said.

4) Rufus Wainwright - "The Tower of Learning"

It's so poetic, it doesn't even make sense all the way through.  By the way, don't watch the video... just listen to the song.

You know before when I was making fun of looking into people's eyes and seeing love at first sight?  Well, I don't know.  Sometimes, you really can see a lot in someone else's oval beings.  I'm all about reading the damn eyes.  Maybe it's because mine are always bloodshot when they're tired.  I mean, they speak a lot!  So shiznit, these eyes that Rufus sings about must be pretty darn powerful!

5) Ryan Adams - "When The Stars Go Blue"

I want to dance to this song. 

I don't know why the other artists decided to ruin this song with their covers.  Just listen to the piano in this original masterpiece... it is placed ever so perfectly right after, "Laughing after your broken eyes."  That, my friend, is intentional.  Where do I go when I'm lonely?  I don't know, but Ryan Adams is following me with all of his beautiful music.

6) Norah Jones - "Not Too Late"

Tell me how you've been

Tell me what you've seen

Tell me that you'd like to see me too

Aren't we all waiting for at least one other person in our lives to tell us that they'd like to see us too?  

7) The Avett Brothers - "If It's The Beaches"

I leave you with one of the most beautiful songs.  Hands down.  Simple melody, simple accompaniment, poignant lyrics, sad, and all about love.  Add the "I need you" voice in the middle layered over a depressing violin/guitar solo.  Painstakingly, gut-wrenchingly love love love.  Bring in the depth of the piano and offer the "beaches' sands" and the "mountain's bending rivers."  Hell, he will give her anything for love.  I would get in that truck and run away.

And there you have it.  V-Day 2011.  A great day to listen to love songs... and I'm not talking about Whitney Houston, Celine Dion love songs.  I'm talking about these good ol' heartbreaking love songs :)

 

Back to the Prairie

Everyone's doing it.  Doing what?  Finding peace in a valley, an insular, landlocked body of... land.  For miles and miles, we will see nothing but... land.  And this, my friends, will comfort us.  Forget the dream to escape on the endless road (which I wrote about just a few blogs ago).  Forget the dream to dive into a vast body of water.  We are Earthy Americans who love our... land.  

For awhile, I thought we were all heading out west.  Isn't that the ultimate dream?  Move out to Hollywood, see the big lights, score a record deal or a movie deal, and become a star.  Personally, I want to get into UCLA and become a world renowned Popular Music Studies Musicologist.  Seriously, my dreams are a little off kilter.   But wait a second.. musicians are telling us that this dream isn't real!!  At least the music I'm listening to this week has been telling me so.  Am I supposed to stay in the Midwest?  Seriously, I'm getting confused.

As of lately, I'm on a really big Dawes kick.  I've already bought tickets to see them at Metro on March 12th.  Dawes is actually an opener (along with Deer Tick) for the super band of Middle Brother, which consists of members from... get this... Dawes, Deer Tick, and Delta Spirit (apparently Delta Spirit didn't want to join in on the fun of opening for themselves).  Dawes actually hails from LA and centers on the "Laurel Canyon sound."  Remember how Joni Mitchell would host informal jam sessions with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young out in her Laurel Canyon habitat?  It's still happening to this day!  Only now, we've got Dawes members jamming  with Conor Oberst (aka Bright Eyes) and Chris Robinson from the Black Crowes.  Did I mention Conor Oberst is actually from Nebraska?  And don't get me started on Joni Mitchell... I mean, she's Canadian.

Anyway, Dawes eventually came up with this sound:



Well how I curse that western skyline.
And yet I thanked it for my start.
Oh lou?, though my dreams did not come true; no they only came apart.

Why do I love this song?  Sadly, his dreams did not come true in California and he ends up in Birmingham.  I've been there before.  I've been there for a grand total of six months, and he's right... it's quite an oddity when it snows there.  Did he really bring the snow?  Damn him.  Here's another treat from the concert that I stole from YouTube.  Note the lyrics and the piano solo.  So simple and so peacefully in the valley.  Why are they so opposed to California?  I don't care... close your eyes and listen to the end (but open your eyes to read some lyrics).




And our actor ends his love song
And all these lovers sit and stare.
If I don't find peace in the valley
It's cause there wasn't any there.
I will move somewhere the ocean's never seen.
Somewhere weeds just make their place
Where my best friend's exist only on screen
Where my love all fits and frays





To make a valid point, I probably need to refer the reader to another band, right?  Who else is praising this beautiful land?  Let's look at the simplicity of Fleet Foxes.  



The poor Seattleites just want to build an orchard and work until they're sore.  Then they'll strum a guitar and sing beautiful harmonies.  None of these dreams of grandeur.

In this next example, Lissie pays tribute to the mighty Mississippi River.  Being from Rock Island, Illinois, she knows a lot about being landlocked.  The mighty river may take her to other places, but we've got a true Midwesterner here.  Let's ignore the fact that she moved out to California and found success there.



And just in case you didn't know it, Ohio is in fact home to some people.  Damien Jurado has a beautiful voice, and in the song, "Ohio," he sings about a girl who just wants to get back home to Ohio.  Who knew?



So there you have it.  Maybe my dreams of fame and fortune are misleading.  I'll be in LA at the end of the month.  I'll let you know.  Should I be finding peace in the land that's only an hour away from me?  Or should I seek the chaos of the city?  William Fitzsimmons and Andrew Bird locked themselves away in cabins to write their music.  But then again, Ted Kaczynski also locked himself away in a cabin to write his manifesto and to mail a few bombs here and there.  Maybe I'll find a middle ground.

I leave you with this...

And if heaven was all that was promised to me, Why don't I pray for death?