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?

Blizzard. Pause. Eleven.

I survived the blizzard of '11.  It was really rough... I had no power for several hours.  That means, gulp, no music.  I went on a mad search for any portable, battery-operated music device.  It was a complete fail.  I would have to be entertained in silence.  But how could this be?  One minute I was listening to Joni Mitchell's "Ladies of the Canyon" album on my record player from the comfort of my calm singer-songwriter environment, laughing at the violent outdoors as the world came to a catastrophic crashing end... and the next thing I know, I'm an actual part of that chaos.  Nonsense.

 = Calm from the Storm

 = What to do when there's no music

Needless to say, my record player is not battery-operated.  Neither is my iPod docking station, nor my giant receiver.  My computer's battery is at its final breath of life and has been warning me for months about ordering a new one.  The CD player in my family room?  Plugs in.  The CD playing alarm clock IS in fact battery operated, but apparently requires those 2-pronged funny looking batteries.  I am fully stocked on Double A's and Triple A's... none of that other crazy stuff.  My amps are definitely not battery operated.  My only option?  The car.

See previous post.

Alas, after hours of finding other means of entertainment, the power finally came back!  The blizzard essentials continued:

But obviously, this whole experience of (said with a deep voice, and a lot of emphasis on each word) Blizzard (pause) '11, got me thinking some more.  What are my essential blizzard songs?  Do they have to be about snow?  Do they have to be comforting?  About winter?  Slow?  Fast and dance party-esque?  I didn't compile any requirements... I just went with my gut instinct.  Apparently, I had a theme in mind.  Here they are, in no particular order:

1) Catie Curtis - "Troubled Mind" or "Falling Silent In The Dark"

         Calming voice, depressing yet simultaneously comforting, classic and timeless... perfect for a blizzard.  Have you seen Catie in concert?  The epitome of a folk artist.  She'll tell you a story that just warms your heart, strum her guitar, invite you into her life for the night.  Initially, I thought "Falling Silent In The Dark," duh, because the lyrics are about snow:  

And the snow falls right by my bed at night / So steady like your heart / Falling silent in the dark

       Then I remembered the comforting aspect of a storm.  As my iTunes continued playing Catie Curtis songs, I thought, "Awww" as I heard "Troubled Mind."  It's always been a fave:

And I'm tired of all the weight / I'm tired of being strong / So won't you come and stay / And let me lay down in your arms / Down in your arms

  Not the best quality... but it's CC with LK!  (Lucy Kaplansky)

2) Joni Mitchell - "Come In From The Cold"

        Yes, I already talked about Joni.  Apparently I run to female folk-singers for blizzards.  It makes sense.  A blizzard is the alpha male, right?  We're running to the complete opposite, the caregiver of sorts, to guide us through the snowstorm.  Ok, that's kind of me talking through my ass.  Here's Joni from 1991.  You can hear it in her voice - the maturity of her words grows as a songwriter.  As a young Joni, she was just discovering life... and now she's ready to come in from the cold :)  

3) Natalie Merchant - "Frozen Charlotte"

       "I want you to remember me that way."  Oh, I'll remember you, Natalie Merchant.  Remember when you made incredible albums like Ophelia?  I understand the artist in you and the direction you're taking with the poetry, children's folk tunes, or whatever it is... but I really miss your own authentic voice (although this album was a personification of all "Ophelia" characters through history - if that's even considered authentic).

4) Ra Ra Riot - "Winter '05"

       Can I rename it... "Winter (Pause) '11""

But I digress...  awww.  

5) For my last choice, I had a few obvious options:  Bob Dylan's "Shelter From The Storm" or "Winter Song" by Ingrid Michaelson and Sarah Barailles.  Hell, I could even go with "Winter" by Tori Amos.  I kind of want to post "Winter Song" just because it's that fitting.  Depressing, buried-feeling (my car is still buried).  Is love alive?  I don't know.  Are strings an essential part of winter songs?  Yes.  Is anything growing beneath the winter snow?  Probably not.  Wow.  Now I'm depressed.  But the video is all about hope... you know, finding the beauty of hope underneath all the buried snow.  Makes me want to go on my rant about the beauty of "6 Feet Under."  But I won't.  Just enjoy the happy ending:

Which leads me to my non-obvious fifth choice:

Laura Marling - Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)

    Be on the lookout for Laura.  She may be the next Joni Mitchell - the next Dylan?  The next something.  She's only 21ish, and writes with the maturity of, well, someone well beyond her young twenties.  There's no gimmick to her act.  She writes and she sings with so much purity and honesty... it's damn scary.  

And that, my friends, is what I will be listening to for the remainder of Blizzard (pause) '11.

The Road.

I have a problem.  The first step is admitting it, right?  Well, I live in my car.  All day long, I drive from house to house, from one end of the city to the other... and then I drive out to the suburbs for gigs... and then when I return "home," I park in my designated spot and am too damn tired to actually leave my vehicle.  It's just that Lil' Mama has become my substitute home.  She's my caregiver, my escape route, my tiny little bubble that takes me to far off lands.  And the best part? I have an endless supply of music streaming from all sources of media.  There's a CD player, a radio, and an iPod aux jack.  Add a Subway footlong, a Starbucks decaf grande Americano, and heated seats... I'm good. So I'll sit there in my parking spot for a solid 10-20 minutes soaking up the situation, basking in the built-in surround sound, before I can compose myself and muster enough strength to return "home."

But why the love, the need, the desire for music in a vehicle?  What is this love affair with the romanticized concept of the road?  I don't know, but I'm a sucker for it.  At 2 am, I often find myself driving home from the Schaumburg vicinity, lost in a haze of thought with Bob Dylan blasting through my speakers.  I'll get a sudden urge and a burst of energy and think to myself, "I'm just going to keep driving."  At this time, I'm heading East, so my initial thought is, "Why don't I just keep driving to Newport?"  Newport, RI... home of the Newport Folk Festival.  Home of my favorite spot in the U.S.  Home of so many memories.  Obviously, this is where the car would take me at 2 am when I'm listening to Bob Dylan.  So why haven't I just kept going?  By the time I hit my Addison exit, I realize that I'm actually extremely exhausted and it wouldn't be smart to drive by myself for another 18 hours.  I may fall asleep at the wheel, and that would be a sad road song.

When discussing this topic, there's so much to write about.  What are the 3 types of "road" music?  What are the various reasons for going on the road in "road" songs?  How many damn songs are there simply entitled "The Road"???  Oh, where to begin.  Just follow along this journey...

Everyone has his or her own type of music for the car.  Personally, I have three kinds:

1)  The drive.  The song that literally pushes you.  Everything about the music is horizontal.  The song is like the Hulk roller coaster.  3, 2, 1... bam!  You're off and running, and you're not looking back.  Maybe you're pissed off, maybe you need to escape, maybe you're moving and think you can literally run away from something/someone.  Who cares.  You need this drive and this energy to propel you and the car.  Oh, your head also does a little nod the whole time.  For example?  Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's "Stop."  The band is literally driving in the video:



Here is The National's "Bloodbuzz Ohio."  Note: constant drums in your face, piano hysteria, and a swarm of bees.



2)  The thinker.  It's 2 am, you're on the road, and you need to get somewhere.  You're thinking about someone, or something.  You're driving somewhere.  Where are you going?  Why?  Where is life taking you? Where is your car taking you?  How did you end up here?  Crap.  Why won't your brain stop thinking?  And now, there are all these songs about the road, and all these songs about getting to that final destination.... and you don't even know where it is.  Perfect.  For example, "Get On The Road" by Tired Pony.



Depressing?  Yes.  Excellent harmonies of Gary Lightbody and Zooey Deschanel.  Let's get on the road and keep driving.

3) The crappy sing-a-long.  Stupid, check.  Fun, check.  Endless amounts of entertainment, check.  Why is it that the Dixie Chicks are always a must for road trips?  Funny thing is, they don't even count as "crappy" because, well, the Dixie Chicks are pretty awesome.  But I just wanted to include this song as one of the best car sing-a-longs ever:



More analysis of "The Road" is still to come.  I haven't even told you guys how many road songs I have on my iPod.  Kind of crazy!  But it's day one of Blizzard '11, and my friend is coming over to go over some of our own songs.  Funny thing... I've been writing lyrics for a new ditty, and it's been lending itself over to the "road" side.  I can't help it.  I live in my car.

Cheap Souvenirs... and Lissie

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of finally seeing Lissie in concert.  I say "finally" because her last show was canceled due to illness.  So yes, I had been waiting in anticipation for quite awhile.  Not to mention, the show was at Lincoln Hall... one of the best new venues in Chicago.  Acoustically gratifying, aesthetically pleasing, and just the right size so I can see and hear the performer wherever I stand.  Of course, it does help to be on the taller end.

 This is Lissie.  She's rocking the Brady Bunch hipster look.

     When Lissie came onstage, the first thing I asked was, "Is she wearing pants?"  This may seem odd, but I've seen her pull off the oversized flannel shirt look with no pants and no shoes.  It's a Rock Island thing (she's from the Quad Cities).  Or is it an L.A. thing?  She is a transplant.  I think Lissie actually wears really short shorts underneath the oversized shirt.  Regardless, it's a pretty cool look that I, even as a rock star, can't pull off.  I think I need pale/freckled skin and straight, blonde hair.  Seriously.  I've been thinking about it.

    Lissie's following a new musical trend - the no drummer trend.  And by "no drummer," I mean one of her other musicians acts as a drummer.  The bassist sat in a chair and played all the drum parts with his feet, and all the bass parts with, obviously, his hands.  I consider this a musical trend, but that's only because Mumford & Sons has popularized this with their lead singer/guitarist/bass drummist:

Is it too expensive to tour with a drummer?  Or is this the new cool?

Back to Lissie... let me show you the awesome souvenir I got:

Hmm.  It's sideways... but you get the point.

   I think people are stupid.  Why?  Because why would this poster still be up for grabs when I got to the concert?  Elizabeth and I were across the street drinking margaritas and missed the opener.  When we got to the show, there were still free posters on the wall.  People, people... these are FREE!  After the show, the venue is only going to take them down and toss them out.  Why pay for a poster when you can take it off the wall?  This is a once in a lifetime memory.  Maybe I'm a little passionate about the concerts I go to.  The other best "cheap" (aka free) souvenir?  Setlists from the stage:

This is me and the setlist that I took from Kate Nash at Lilith Fair.  I am showing off my Converse because her setlist actually has a footprint on it that matches the bottom of my shoe.  Did I mention the shoes that Kate Nash was wearing that day?  Oh yeah, I have Kate Nash's footprint.  Beat that.

    Maybe I'm a dork.  I don't care.  How do you get these free souvenirs?  Oh, it's very easy.  Walk up to the stage 1 minute after the encore is over (aka the lights go on) when the stage crew is shuffling about, smile, and say, "Hey, can I have that setlist?"  It's all about the smile.

   Back to Lissie... the show was in fact great.  I'd review it, but I want to skip to the end.  She has all this great music, and has become most famous for her cover of Kid Cudi's "Pursuit of Happiness."  Elizabeth was a little disgusted with this.  Why is she known for a song that isn't even hers when she has all this other great music?  But alas, the Kid Cudi song doesn't sound like his anymore.  At least, that's my opinion.  Dude, Lissie makes it her own.  Of course, that's what you can read about in my thesis.  Do we really want to get into a whole discussion on the appropriation of the personal narrative, the confessional voice, and authority in general?  Not today.  I have to shower and teach some 6 year olds.  Here's the video for Lissie's cover of "Pursuit of Happiness."  Be your own judge.  Do you like it?  If so, then that's all that really matters:

 

Lip-Smacking

For the past couple of months, I had been using a broken pair of in-ear headphones.  As an avid music lover, this is incomprehensible.  I was missing half of my music (literally, one ear didn't work).  It's just, I didn't want to throw down the $80 for a good pair... and I didn't want to spend a month being indecisive about which brand to purchase.  So what did I do?  I asked my brother for a perfect Christmas present - a new pair of headphones.  He did all the work for me.

I have had two life changing experiences this week: 1) my new Good Year tires and 2) my Klipsch headphones. First of all, I had no idea that my Mazda 3 5-door could actually give those SUV's some competition on the icy roads.  This whole time, I just had to come up with $700 to waste at the Mazda Autobarn.  Yeah, success costs money.  But more importantly, my day was just completely turned upside down by this experience:

+



= Pure Bliss.

Did you enjoy the photograph that accompanies song?  I obviously didn't choose it.  "Kettering," by The Antlers, has been used in a lot of TV shows, commercials, etc.  But trust me, the visual/audio experience does not compare to what I just heard on these headphones.  In order to understand, you probably need an original mp3 (not a burned copy)... or maybe even the real CD!  (what?  I thought those were obsolete...)  And you need to purchase a real pair of headphones.  If you want my recommendation, please refer to the previous picture.

I may or may not be obsessed with the confessional voice.  I devoted an entire year to writing a thesis on this subject.  When I can hear lips smacking into the microphone, I'm intrigued.  Maybe because I can't sing?  Vocalists aren't supposed to do this... yet some deliberately break the rules for certain recording purposes.  Peter Silberman is so close to us, I can hear his lips move accordingly to each word he enunciates.  He then uses his own breath as another instrument at the end of the song.  And to think, it wasn't until I wore these headphones that I heard the actual lip-smacking.

Now I am going to be at my computer the rest of the night because there are thousands of songs ready to be experienced with my new headphones.  That's the wonderful thing about music.  There's something new to discover each time you listen to a song.

Kate Nash Is Real

Sometimes I hear a song and I think, "Damn.  That's what I've been trying to say this whole time."  It works very well for me, considering I can then guide a person to this song and say, "Hey.  This is what I want to tell you."  Is it wrong to not express my own self with my own words?  Maybe.  But when someone else can verbalize my feelings so eloquently in my favorite medium, I just have a lot of gratitude towards them.

Last night, I fell asleep on the couch at 9:45 pm.  I woke up at 1:48 am in a state of frenzy.  I was supposed to watch "The Good Wife," eat some more popcorn, and then continue my work.  Those plans did not work out so well, as I ended up in my bed with thoughts racing at 1.72 million miles per hour:

What was I going to do first thing in the morning?  When was I going to load gear into my car?  Where was I going to watch the Bears game this weekend?  I have to remember to call the dentist.  I need to book a plane ticket to California.  WTF is going on in my life?  Wait a second, I went through a full year of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to stop this.  Let me stop thinking.  Now I have music stuck in my head.  Now, I'm thinking about Kate Nash and I'm thinking about this song:



For those of you concerned, these are the important parts of the Kate Nash rant at the end:

I don't know how all people haven't got mental health problems
thinking is one of those stressful things I've ever come across
and not being able to articulate what I want to say drives me crazy
I think i should try and read more books and learn some new words
my sister used to read the dictionary i'm going to start with that
I'd like to travel I want to see India and the pyramids, a whale and that race with all the bycicles in France
I'm not sure about rivers they scare me
but I love swimming I'm good at it
when I swim I think about numbers, I count the laps......
I like sitting in the park and i like walking through it
I like taking my dogs there and friends and i like being alone
I like flowers and simplicity
I like compassion and thoughtful gifts
I like being able to shout but I wish I could be quiet
but when I'm quiet people think I'm sad and usually i am
sometimes when I'm at a busy trainstation somewhere big with noisy trains like kings cross 
I feel like putting down my bags and shouting out because I have something to say
don't you want to share the guilt?
don't think just try and sleep! 


Damn it.  How did Kate Nash know exactly what I was thinking?  She even told me to stop thinking and to go to sleep!  


She's even so "real," that when I saw her live, she was completely obliterated and nearly knocked all the monitors off the stage.  If we go back to my previous post, well now, that's rock n' roll.  I really wish Kate wasn't always this drunk on stage, because she's got some amazingly depressing lyrics.  Her stage show is all about the crazy shit, but if you want to feel like crap about yourself, just watch this:





Even the cinematography has the outsider looking in effect to accompany the song.  Watching Kate Nash through a monitor on our screen?  Now that's deep.  Deep like the song.  I'll leave you in the shallow end:





Everything's better with a British accent. 

The Life Of A Rock Star

Sex, drugs and rock n' roll.  As a musician... yup, that pretty much summarizes my life.  If you want to understand the rock star lifestyle, just listen to Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" album.  Here's a nice little version of Jackson Browne singing about his cocaine:



If this is true, why is it 2:10 pm and I am panicking about the amount of work I still have left to do?  I thought I'm supposed to sleep until 5 pm, wake up, down some beers, play a show, and party until the sun comes up. Not the case.  I've been up since 8 am to work on my taxes, promote my shows, file papers for my corporation, send out wedding contracts, promote more shows, learn songs for the tomorrow's gig, take decaf coffee breaks, learn songs for Friday's gig, put together some binders full of music, record my expenses, and figure out how the hell I'm going to carry my gear back into my car.  Rock star?  I think not.  I've got to leave in 15 minutes to go teach 10 year olds for five straight hours.

Maybe I'm missing something.

But every now and then, a record player appears... and the musicians get to take a break from work, and we get to enjoy the one thing we love the most: music.  I present to you, part one in a three part series entitled, "THE Record Player."  This was my Christmas gift to myself, and this is how a rock star listens to music (without Jackson Browne's cocaine):

Back to the clap....

I can't believe I forgot to post this before.  If this video of "Rio" by Hey Marseilles doesn't make you smile just a little bit, then you must be a fire hydrant for dogs.  This video was shot in one take.  Ready, set, clap:

Redemption

With the Eagles' playoff game looming around the corner, and the possibility of Michael Vick's miraculous turnaround into an MVP candidate, I can't help but ponder the idea of redemption.  Have we forgotten about Vick's past?  Has he repented, paid his dues to society, and worked to become a better man?  Possibly.  I've never met him personally and can't make a fair judgment.  I do know one thing - he's a damn good football player.  And this leads me to some current trends in music.  At what point do we have to forget about the musicians' past lives and forgive them for their "sins"?  Sometimes it's hard to do this when their current life so closely imitates their past.  Take a look at Drake's video of "Best I Ever Had."  Keep in mind, Drake is "legit."  He has collaborated with Kanye, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Andre 3000, and Jay-Z, to name a few.

 

   Hmmm.  Basketball coach?  High school?  Seems awfully familiar of a Drake that I remember not so long ago in a really spectacular show that I may or may not own on DVD.  Only a couple of years ago, Drake portrayed Jimmy Brooks, an aspiring high school basketball player who was unfortunately shot in the back and therefore paralyzed from the waist down.  Hell, a lot of shit happens at Degrassi High in Toronto.  Here's the best clip I could find of Drake's finer days:



     But now we're supposed to give him street cred as he's singing about bitches and ho's?  I don't know if I can roll with it.  Doesn't he feel a little embarrassed when he's trying to explain this all to Jay-Z?  Just saying.

     And then I think about Miss Mandy Moore:



     Mandy was a record exec's delight.  She was twisted, molded, and crafted like the perfect pop song that is "Candy."  But we must know that something's not right, considering she's the only one not showing off her midriff.  Mandy is too sophisticated for that (hence she married the always classy Ryan Adams).  She dumped all the pop crap, and decided to become a singer-songwriter.  I hate to admit it, but I actually like this song:



   It's a little too well-crafted, a little too predictable, and a little too perfect... but look at the turn-around.  This is like going from dog-fights to MVP quarterback candidacy.

    And while Mandy will never substitute the great Emmylou Harris on the original recording, I would like to give this gift to you (keep in mind it's merely a rehearsal, which makes the imperfection even more perfect):

We've Got The Whole World In Our Hands

    I love Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!  Musically?  Eh, I really only like one song, and I have no idea what the band is singing:

      But as a band name?  Hell yeah!  Who doesn't clap his or her hands and say yeah!  I clap all day long with my students, "Ready... 1, 2, 3, 4...1, 2, 3, 4.  Come on, clap with me!  1, 2, 3, 4."  As a baby, it's fun to learn how to clap.  By the time the kids hit elementary school, it's some scary, foreign thing to do in front of the piano teacher.  They sit there and lightly tap their palms, quietly mumbling to themselves, staring at me blankly.  As an adult, I embrace clapping as the only fun activity I may have for that day.  The rest of the hours can end up being so monotonous.  And this, my friends, is why clapping is so important - not only to music, but to our lives.  Break the monotony and clap!  No, we mustn't just applaud the performers before and after the songs... but we must incorporate clapping INTO the music.  Who doesn't love a good clapping song?  We're done being shy around the piano teacher.  We realize that hell, it's fun to make noise and it's especially fun to make a rhythmic noise inside a song that already has noise.  We become part of the creation.  We become part of the art.  Whoah, a little too deep for me.
      My love for clapping may or may not have started in the classical world.  Steve Reich wanted to create a cyclical rhythmic pattern using the human instrument of... the hands.  His result:

  But really, we can't clap along to this.  We would just mess up the actual piece of art, considering 99% of us can't follow the musical notation one would have to read to keep up.  So instead, I'll start our fun here:

    Honestly, I don't deserve credit for Queen.  I wouldn't have even thought of Queen until it was thrown out into discussion today.  My favorite encounter with clapping?  Definitely The Kills' "At The Back of the Shell." We can't consider this "real" clapping, seeing as it's a computerized, continual rhythmic beat.... but now is not the time for a discussion on authenticity:
     
   Now I'd like to point out a song where the clap solo is so prominent that it has become a part of all audience participation at concerts.  At shows, the band usually stops the music and we all clap along as devoted fans who know exactly where to start.  Here's Rilo Kiley's "With Arms Outstretched."  (Please enjoy the lovely slideshow presented by this YouTuber).  Oh, we get to clap at 3:03:
      
    Hmmm.  I am reminded of this:

    Thanks to the recent movie though, I keep picturing Kristen Stewart in a wig.  I'm very sorry Joan.  Don't we have a similar cut-out and clap in "I Want You To Want Me"?  I'll spare you from that video, considering I'll have to play that at my next cover band gig.
   I'd like to end with my new, favorite example of incorporating the clap into music (yep, interpret that however you'd like).  Sweaty musicians, sweaty crowd, sweaty music?  What's not to love about this clip of Frightened Rabbit?
      
 

"Isms"

      ImpressionISM was a type of music that resulted from the general art sense of the era (if we exclude all of the other "isms" that were revolting here and there).  Even neo-classicISM has the art form of ballet to coincide with it (think Stravinsky).  So I ask you this:  what "ism" are we in?  Janet proposed this question yesterday, but dug even deeper as we analyzed the patriarchal influence of each movement.  All I want to know is, what are we going to call the popular music movement?  And does it coincide with an art movement?  The latter question was blatantly stolen from Janet.  I wish I could call it populism.  Unfortunately, this has a completely different meaning.  Maybe I'll refer to it as popular musicalism.  Maybe there is an actual answer for this question, but I don't want the real answer - I want a made up word.

     In the mean time, I would like to leave you with my band of the day: Deer Tick.  Check out the bass player's rat tail, and tell me you're not immediately in love.

     My brand new record player is still in its box.  I had a wonderful conversation today about all the albums I need to go out and purchase... one of them being Schoolhouse Rock!  What a brilliant suggestion.  Sadly, record stores are closed on New Years Day AND Sundays.  The anticipation of playing my first album on the Pioneer is just building and building and building.  I will gladly take any and all of your suggestions.