This post finds me sitting in an ICU in Florida watching my father fight for his life. I fully realize people go through this kind of thing every day, but I haven't before. The range of emotion is simply staggering; fear, anger, denial, acceptance, grief, you fucking name it. But the most frustrating emotion that I can't wrap my head around is helplessness. The feeling that there's nothing I can do to make him better or ease his suffering is beyond anything I've ever felt.
Last night as sat in a quiet room with the exception of the steady purr of pumps and machines, I fell back on the one constant source of serenity in my life in all times good and bad; MUSIC! I wanted my dad to hear all of his favorite songs in the hope it would lift him up and inspire him to fight or give him some peace if he has no fight left.
All my love of music started with my parents and especially my dad. He was a guy who in the 1970s had an album collection in the thousands featuring everything from Charles Mingus to Boston. Genres didn't matter to him and guilty pleasures didn't exist.
So I sat for hours last night and today, playing DJ to a one person audience who I couldn't tell was listening but I knew couldn't turn the channel. Music always has the ability to transport you to another time or place. It can remind you of the past or make you think about an alternate future. So many of my memories of my dad revolved around music. He took me to my first and second concerts (Neil Diamond-Jazz Singer tour/KISS-Destroyer tour) when I was 7 years old. I hoped the music would reach him now the way I know it did throughout the rest of his life. I played all of his favorites; Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters, The Band, etc. As Dylan was singing to us the bliss of dancing beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free, I asked my dad if he could hear it. He opened his eyes, squeezed my hand, and shook his head up and down ever so gently. I don't know how much the music is helping him, but as I sit and listen to these songs with him, I know they are helping me.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Saturday, September 7, 2013
The beauty of Phox
Led by enchanting vocalist Monica Martin, Phox is a wonderful blend of soul, folk, electronica, rock, and psychedelia. Monica's vocals are simply mesmerizing and their organic music is a wonderful slow burn; never in a hurry to get to one place. While they have yet to release a full length album, but you can listen to and purchase their two fantastic E.P.'s on the band's site. The week before I saw them, the band got a last minute invitation to play Chicago's huge Lollapolooza fest as a fill-in. The week after had them heading to Europe for the first time to play the Itunes Music Fest and other gigs. September will find them playing U.S. gigs opening for Blitzen Trapper.
Phox are my favorite musical discovery of the year and trust me that once more people are exposed to their wonderfully original blend, the world will be shouting about them. I suspect that day isn't too far off!
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Songs you hear....
Greetings fellow music lovers! Below are a few songs that caught my ears in the past couple of weeks. If you're anything like me; with the glut of new music out there in this busy world, you find it hard to keep up. I do my best, but never feel like I even scratch the surface. Regardless; this cyber-space will be my dumping ground for the tunes that will hopefully enrich whoever stumbles on it.
The first one is a short, catchy piece of pop bliss from The Unlikely Candidates. I would've bet my meager pay check that these guys were English, but alas they are from Fort Worth, TX. They sure fooled me. That's ok.....a British accent in song is always welcome, even if it's fake (unless you're Green Day). This tune is getting a ton of play on various channels and deservedly so. Once it's in your head it's impossible to get out.
The next songs are maybe my favorites of the year, from New Jersey's The Front Bottoms. If I was a teenager, I would get a tattoo of their logo and these guys would be MY band! This is apparently their forth album so I'm really late to the party, but I'm so glad I showed up! I find their lyrics a brilliant mix of wit, heart, and hysterical observation that certainly don't sound like anyone else and the music suits them to perfection.
Turn these up and you're welcome!
The first one is a short, catchy piece of pop bliss from The Unlikely Candidates. I would've bet my meager pay check that these guys were English, but alas they are from Fort Worth, TX. They sure fooled me. That's ok.....a British accent in song is always welcome, even if it's fake (unless you're Green Day). This tune is getting a ton of play on various channels and deservedly so. Once it's in your head it's impossible to get out.
The next songs are maybe my favorites of the year, from New Jersey's The Front Bottoms. If I was a teenager, I would get a tattoo of their logo and these guys would be MY band! This is apparently their forth album so I'm really late to the party, but I'm so glad I showed up! I find their lyrics a brilliant mix of wit, heart, and hysterical observation that certainly don't sound like anyone else and the music suits them to perfection.
Turn these up and you're welcome!
Friday, August 30, 2013
Nomadic Bliss-Bombino
One of my great musical discoveries of 2013 is the album "Nomad" by Nigerian singer-guitarist Bombino (Omara Moctar). Masterfully produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, the album is rich with North African rhythms, vocals sung in the Tuareg language of Tamashek, and an endless supply of hot guitar jams from Bombino, who is said learned how to play by watching videos of Jimi Hendrix and Mark Knopfler.
Bombino is from a nomadic "Tuareg" tribe which is an arabic term meaning "abandoned by God", and these are songs filled with an air of searching and discovery. Without understanding a word of the vocals, you feel you're being taken on a unknown journey that it both strange yet oddly familiar. Instantly likeable, this disc rewards repeat listening and is by far one of the best of the year.
Bombino is from a nomadic "Tuareg" tribe which is an arabic term meaning "abandoned by God", and these are songs filled with an air of searching and discovery. Without understanding a word of the vocals, you feel you're being taken on a unknown journey that it both strange yet oddly familiar. Instantly likeable, this disc rewards repeat listening and is by far one of the best of the year.
Monday, August 26, 2013
The Return of The Replacements!!!
Whether they're consciously aware of it or not, every music lover has that one seminal band that opened their ears and hearts to the power of what music means to them. Those bands who completely change your perception. Like Dorothy walking from the black and white Kansas into the color of Oz. I have a few who did that for me (Bowie, Sonic Youth, Velvet Underground, Dylan) but the band I often forget about was The Replacements.
One of the "reunions no one ever thought would happen" occurred last night as The Replacements triumphantly played their first gig since their unexpected "breakup show" in Chicago on July 4, 1991. And for 90 minutes with fists in the air on that hot summer day in 1991, no one was a bigger "Mats" fan than I. As an angsty 16 year old music freak, no one represented the power and glory of rock and roll like The Replacements. They merged the alienated, rebellious feelings of youth with three chord "crank it up" beauties that sounded as if they were written just for you. Like Pete Townshend, Lou Reed, and Bruce Springsteen before him, Paul Westerberg was able to write songs that broke through all the confused, messy, emotional shit going on in your head and made you feel you were not alone. And it was all done with the punk/pop beauty of songwriting that sounded instantly familiar even though no one else was doing it like them.
Even if The Replacements are now only Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson (Slim Dunlap had a stroke last year), their return is cause for a rock and roll celebration. While admittedly some of the songs from last night lack the fury of their 80's heyday, this is obviously understandable. And with songs that great, it really makes no fucking difference. Until I saw the videos from last night's show, I had forgotten how much their music meant to me as a youth. But with the magical power of music, was it really that long ago?
The Replacements, Riot Fest, Toronto, ON, Canada
1. “Takin’ a Ride”
2. “I’m in Trouble”
3. “Favorite Thing”
4. “Hanging Downtown”
5. “Color Me Impressed”
6. “Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out”
7. “Kiss Me On the Bus”
8. “Androgynous”
9. “Achin’ to Be”
10. “I Will Dare”
11. “Love You ‘Til Friday”
12. “Maybellene” (Chuck Berry cover)
13. “Merry Go Round”
14. “Wake Up”
15. “Borstal Breakout” (Sham 69 cover)
16. “Little Mascara”
17. “Left of the Dial”
18. “Alex Chilton”
19. “Swingin’ Party”
20. “Can’t Hardly Wait”
21. “Bastards of Young”
22. “Everything is Coming Up Roses” (From ‘Songs For Slim’ EP)
23. “IOU” FULL SHOW STREAM!!!
One of the "reunions no one ever thought would happen" occurred last night as The Replacements triumphantly played their first gig since their unexpected "breakup show" in Chicago on July 4, 1991. And for 90 minutes with fists in the air on that hot summer day in 1991, no one was a bigger "Mats" fan than I. As an angsty 16 year old music freak, no one represented the power and glory of rock and roll like The Replacements. They merged the alienated, rebellious feelings of youth with three chord "crank it up" beauties that sounded as if they were written just for you. Like Pete Townshend, Lou Reed, and Bruce Springsteen before him, Paul Westerberg was able to write songs that broke through all the confused, messy, emotional shit going on in your head and made you feel you were not alone. And it was all done with the punk/pop beauty of songwriting that sounded instantly familiar even though no one else was doing it like them.
Even if The Replacements are now only Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson (Slim Dunlap had a stroke last year), their return is cause for a rock and roll celebration. While admittedly some of the songs from last night lack the fury of their 80's heyday, this is obviously understandable. And with songs that great, it really makes no fucking difference. Until I saw the videos from last night's show, I had forgotten how much their music meant to me as a youth. But with the magical power of music, was it really that long ago?
The Replacements, Riot Fest, Toronto, ON, Canada
1. “Takin’ a Ride”
2. “I’m in Trouble”
3. “Favorite Thing”
4. “Hanging Downtown”
5. “Color Me Impressed”
6. “Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out”
7. “Kiss Me On the Bus”
8. “Androgynous”
9. “Achin’ to Be”
10. “I Will Dare”
11. “Love You ‘Til Friday”
12. “Maybellene” (Chuck Berry cover)
13. “Merry Go Round”
14. “Wake Up”
15. “Borstal Breakout” (Sham 69 cover)
16. “Little Mascara”
17. “Left of the Dial”
18. “Alex Chilton”
19. “Swingin’ Party”
20. “Can’t Hardly Wait”
21. “Bastards of Young”
22. “Everything is Coming Up Roses” (From ‘Songs For Slim’ EP)
23. “IOU” FULL SHOW STREAM!!!
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Sunday Song
When I finally get all the time in the world to listen to all the music I want, one of the artists I will immerse myself in will be Akron, Ohio's Joseph Arthur. He wrote one of the best songs of all time with the 2001 classic "In the Sun", but every song I've heard from him throughout the years has rocked my world. There is no doubt he's one of the best and prolific songwriters of the last 20 years.
Listening to the great World Cafe radio show, I was turned on to this amazing song from Joseph's new album "The Ballad of Boogie Christ". These are simply the best lyrics I've heard all year and this song is currently on repeat in this house.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Inspiration and New Laura Veirs
Hello fellow readers. Yes, I'm back writing this labor of love of all things music, film, and whatever moves me at the moment. After not feeling "it" for the past months, sometimes life hands you a beautiful gift that awakens something in your heart and soul to inspire you to do everything you love.
So what I'm loving today is the new album by Portland, OR singer/songwriter Laura Veirs titled "Warp and Weft". Laura's 2010 album "July Flame" was perhaps my favorite album that year, so my expectations for this one were very high. This album exceeds them.
Recording again with her husband/musician/producer Tucker Martine, "Warp and Weft" has more musical layers than Laura's past work, yet those layers only add to the depth of her fantastic writing. Recorded while she was pregnant with her second child, these are not cheerful songs about the joys of parenthood but songs of longing, love, hope, innocence, fear, acceptance, and letting go. Oh, and there's a brilliant song about Alice Coltrane.
If you truly "feel" emotions, no one captures that magic feeling of yearning and hope that gets in your gut the way Laura Veirs does. With special guests the likes of Neko Case, Jim James, and K.D. Lang, the album with be hyped as such. But make no mistake, this is Laura's baby all the way and one of the finest albums of the year.
So what I'm loving today is the new album by Portland, OR singer/songwriter Laura Veirs titled "Warp and Weft". Laura's 2010 album "July Flame" was perhaps my favorite album that year, so my expectations for this one were very high. This album exceeds them.
Recording again with her husband/musician/producer Tucker Martine, "Warp and Weft" has more musical layers than Laura's past work, yet those layers only add to the depth of her fantastic writing. Recorded while she was pregnant with her second child, these are not cheerful songs about the joys of parenthood but songs of longing, love, hope, innocence, fear, acceptance, and letting go. Oh, and there's a brilliant song about Alice Coltrane.
If you truly "feel" emotions, no one captures that magic feeling of yearning and hope that gets in your gut the way Laura Veirs does. With special guests the likes of Neko Case, Jim James, and K.D. Lang, the album with be hyped as such. But make no mistake, this is Laura's baby all the way and one of the finest albums of the year.
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