live music.

Oh, how I love live music!! There's just something electrifying about being in a room full of people who all love what's coming from the stage, who bond in the dark over memorized tune progressions and bits of lyrics. Music connects people in a way that very few things can, even if it's just for a couple of hours.

I went to see Katie Herzig in concert a couple of weeks ago. She was great! (It probably helped that this was my first concert since September but she undoubtedly knows how to put on a show.)

Here's one from her brand new album:

She talked about her dad watching this for the first time and how he wasn't sure how to react other than to say things like, "Well, it's very white," and "It's definitely different than anything else you've done." And she just laughed and said, "It's called 'art'." I definitely don't understand everything about art but I know what I like and I do love her voice!

She didn't perform this song, but it's one of my favorites.

I had been a little discouraged leaving all the fabulous venues in DC but Salt Lake's got a pretty decent music scene and I've already got a few shows on tap for later this summer. (Yes, Katie, tickets for The Head and the Heart have been purchased!) Who was your last concert? Who is your next concert? Who is your dream concert? Or are you not a concert goer at all?  I'd love to hear why (and then convince you that you, of course, are wrong :) but we can still be friends...maybe.)

a gift card playlist.

As the internet here is a bit sketchy its hard to stream things so my music selections have been limited to those I brought with me. However, I got an itunes gift card from a great friend for my birthday this year and I’ve had a blast picking and choosing a few new pieces to add to my collection. Some are new releases, some are older. Some I picked to use for school, some were purely personal. Some were randomly chosen from the small snippets you can hear before you buy them, some from the blogs or recommendations of others, of those, some heard in their entirety and some not heard at all. The finished product is this fun playlist.

Anything great I’ve missed while I’ve been gone that I should add to the next round?

Firework-Katy Perry
Let Her Go-Passenger
Counting Stars-One Republic
Hard Times Come and Go-Pokey LaFarge
Poor Man's Son-Noah Gunderson
A Crooked Road-Darrell Scott
Brave-Sara Bareilles
Have You Met Miss Jones-Chet Baker
Made It Up The Mountain-The Wood Brothers
(If) You Want Trouble-Nick Waterhouse
Let It Go-Idina Menzel
Just Give Me a Reason-Pink
Morning Song-The Avett Brothers
Come Out of the Woods-Matthew and the Atlas
I'll Take You Dreaming-Danny Kaye
Battle Hymn of the Republic-Red Nichols and his Five Pennies
Blue Ridge Mountain-Hurray for the Riff Raff

a tuneful Tuesday.

Every morning at school we start out with a short assembly where all the classes (2-5 year olds) gather to sing the national anthem, raise the flag, say a few prayers and sing a few songs. Inevitably this always turns into a toddler dance party of sorts with the teachers playing music over the loud speaker at eardrum shattering levels and the kids hopping around going crazy. (Yes, the crazy happens a lot during the day!) They don’t use kid-friendly songs like nursery rhymes or the Wheels on the Bus (at least as far as I can tell, maybe they’re re-mixed versions!) but pop songs like Gangnam Style and these:

Who knows what they're saying but you've got to admit they're kinda catchy! Hope you're having a fab week!

mid-week music.

As you may have gathered from a few of my recent posts, my decisions have left me a little floundering of late. I know I've made the right choice and things will work out but right now I'm feeling a bit lost and anxious. Where do I turn for direction? For all the really big things it's truly my religion and beliefs that keep me going. It's the essence of who I am and what I do. But sometimes faith needs a little nudge and an emotional pick-me-up and so I turn to the arts. Books, music, paintings, and such just fill a necessary space in my soul. My current reading will be a near-future post but today you get some music.

In the middle of all my moving chaos I failed to report back on the Frank Turner concert.  Let's just say it was everything I needed. Aside from his potty mouth, which I can always do without, he's a fantastic performer with great audience rapport and an absolutely charming British accent!  I thought I'd share my favorite of his songs, the one that first introduced me to him and one that sort of sums up my wandering feelings of late.

Isn't he darling? I kind of want to eat him up.

And then another ode to the wanderer with a refrain I've caught myself singing over and over again like a melodic mantra.

It's obviously got a very political bend to it but I think the idea that we don't really know where our lives will take us is an important one.  I've spent a lot of time thinking I could plan what would happen and where I will go next and how things will turn out but other than knowing the direction I'm moving at this exact moment in time I really don't have any idea what life has in store for me. I can only fall back on the aforementioned faith and hope that everything will turn out the way it's supposed to (and as long as I'm moving and trying my best I completely believe that it will!)

some mid-week music.

In an effort to stave off the soggy emotions I alluded to yesterday I have been filling the rare empty silences with what I like to call 'angry' music.  Melodies with thumping basses and screamed lyrics that keep me pumped up and ready to tackle everything.  Frank Turner's been on constant rotation (that's also to get me prepped for his concert in a couple of weeks) and these guys have gotten a lot of airtime as well.  But I think the winners of the week are the Dropkick Murphys.  They've been around for years and this is one of their signature songs. Hope it gives you the gumption to power through the rest of your Wednesday!

a music swap!

It's that time again!  Time for a music swap update. This round is dedicated to the tunes of summer and has seen many differing anthems circling through the post.

Summer is about getting up early and staying out late. It’s popsicles and ice cream and watermelon and cookouts in the park or the mountains. It’s road trips and beach trips and no trips at all but just being lazy, laying on the grass in the backyard working on your tan or reading a great book or counting the stars. It’s about first loves and fireworks and feeling like a kid again. And of course, it’s about music.

When I was little my mom wouldn’t let me listen to modern music. At home it was classical, jazz, a few records that made it through from my dad’s high school days and the MoTab. As for the radio I grew up in Salt Lake and we had a local station, KUTR, that played mostly church music. A gospel station for the Mormon set. I was subjected to Janice Kapp Perry and Michael McLean, Saturday’s Warrior and other cheesy ‘uplifting’ tunes (I’ll Build You a Rainbow, anyone? Anyone?!) But finally after some serious familial coercion (god bless you, Aunt Julia!) I was allowed to listen to the Oldies station. Back then ‘oldies’ meant 50s and 60s and I was in heaven. My days were now punctuated with The Beatles, Elvis, Motown standards, Simon and Garfunkel, and my first ‘fan girl’ favorite, The Monkees. These hits became the soundtrack of my life and the basis for many a ridiculously choreographed dance in the backyard sprinklers.

Fast forward a few years to my first real relationship. I’d just graduated from high school and had college on the horizon and the world at my doorstep when in walked a guy who was inexplicably enamored of me. He was sweet and although I wasn’t all that interested in him I was flattered and loved the idea of him. He was a few years older than I was, prepping for med school and, wait for it, was in a band! Yours truly, a perpetually music-stunted individual spent hours that summer watching him jam on his guitar (and I admit it, possibly crushing on his best friend, the drummer) and listening to a wide and varied selection of music that would have made my mother cringe. He even took me to my first two concerts; Sarah MacLachlan in a huge arena and Richard Marx out under the stars. (Outdoor concerts will always be my faves!)

College brought the introduction of country music and resurgence of the hits of the 80s and I’ve slowly been inundated by alternative and indie music as the years have gone by. I’m still a beat or two behind the musical times and still have a thing for drummers (and pianists, and trumpeters, and banjo players, and bag pipers!) but music of all kinds has remained a constant. I doubt there will be any songs here that are new to anyone, but perhaps that’s for the best. Maybe they’ll work their summer magic and transport you back in time to a happy memory of your own, if only for three short minutes!  (I've linked a few but you might have to just do a little work yourself and check out the others.)

1. Summertime ~Oscar Peterson

2. June Hymn ~The Decemberists

3. The Morning Sun ~Gashcat

4. Summer in the City ~The Lovin’ Spoonful

5. Pleasant Valley Sunday ~The Monkees

6. Summer Breeze ~Jason Mraz

7. I Will Live on Islands ~Josh Rouse

8. Hot Fun in the Summertime ~Sly and the Family Stone

9. Roam ~The B-52s

10. Ice Cream ~Sarah MacLachlan

11. Endless Summer Nights ~Richard Marx

12. Aint Goin’ Down… ~Garth Brooks

13. America the Beautiful ~Martin Sexton

You can go here and here to see two of the other playlists that were waiting for me when I got back from my trip. And there are two others on their way.  What are some of your favorite songs of summer? 

a road trip!

I suppose "road trip" is a bit of an understatement for the upcoming vacation.  My sister and I are headed to Europe for a few weeks.  We're going to visit family, bike and hike through the Moselle Valley in Germany, eat chocolate in Belgium, soak up some art in the Netherlands and stop off in the tiny but Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

There will be some radio silence in this neck of the woods until I get back but I promise a thorough travelogue and the unveiling of the great announcement (relatively soon!)

But I thought I'd leave you with a little musical flashback.  This song came on my playlist this morning and while it doesn't really have anything to do with anything I found myself singing along with the refrain "I'll carry on regardless" in sort of a 'stick it to the man' kind of anthem revolting against all the things that keep piling themselves onto my to do list.  They're nothing too crazy and will all lead to great things but there are seriously like a million of them! Not to mention all the things I still have to do to get ready for this trip. Aaaahh! Sometimes it's all a bit overwhelming!

So, your assignment for the weekend is to 'carry on regardless' and I'll see you all on the other side of May!

a birthday to celebrate.

If you're a Google visitor you've undoubtedly noticed their doodle honoring Ella Fitzgerald today. So, I thought it more than appropriate to share a song or two in her honor.

Two of my most favorite people in the world.  Man, can't wait to get to heaven for a live performance like this!

And doing what only she can do. Nobody else comes close.

Happy birthday to one of the greatest female vocalists to ever live!

great music.

I tend to go through waves in my music listening.  Sometimes I just put the ipod on random and see what happens but often I'll get in genre moods and inundate my ears with everything I have stuck in a particular grouping (my definitions and qualifications are fuzzy at best and no musicologist would be able to find much of a scientific basis for what counts as what in my world...but hey, it's my world!) Lately I've been on a 'jazzy' kick. This means anything from Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong to Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble and even Jason Mraz and Jack Johnson. Today's artist of choice though is a pure classic and this song just seems to sum up how I feel right now.  (No, I'm not in love. But spring just has this effect on me!) 

Hope your weekend is full of wonderful surprises and even more wonderful music.  Happy Friday!

a good book.

How Music Works
Author: David Byrne
Pages: 352
Age Range: Adult
Published: 2012
Genre: Non-fiction
Cover Score: ***
Overall Score: ****
Rating: PG-13 (some language)

It is no mystery that David Byrne (creative force behind Talking Heads) is knowledgeable about the ins and outs of music. Sprinkled with terms such as "sonic landscapes" and "tonal architecture", his book chronicles the changes in technology and culture that have aided in the evolution of music its composition, performance, and enjoyment (recordings, live concerts etc.) and Byrne's place in it.

Half of the book holds the general history while the other half contains Byrne's own personal experiences from his garage band days, as a part of Talking Heads and his various collaborations.  These weren't quite as interesting because I’m not familiar with his albums and music so many or the songs and people were unknown to me.  I admit I skimmed these sections a bit. But I did love some of his insights and could relate to many of his experiences.

After hearing the song ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ for the first time he said, "The world was suddenly a bigger, more mysterious, and more exciting place—all because I’d stumbled onto some recording." (94) Oh, how many times I've felt that way after hearing a piece of music, sometimes even re-hearing a piece in a way I'd not heard it before. Music can open up a realm of new possibilities and ideas.

He goes on to say:
Music tells us things—social things, psychological things, physical things about how we feel and perceive our bodies—in a way that other art forms can’t. It’s sometimes in the words, but just as often the content comes from a combination of sounds, rhythms, and vocal textures that communicate, as has been said by others, in ways that bypass the reasoning centers of the brain and go straight to our emotions. (94)

Later on he waxes poetic about mixtapes, calling them “pocket-sized audio wonder cabinets.”  I think this is a fabulous term! Obviously I'm a bit partial to the idea of mixtapes and think he summed it up quite nicely here.

The mixtapes we made for ourselves were musical mirrors. The sadness, anger or frustration you might be feeling at a given time could be encapsulated in the song selection. You made mixtapes that corresponded to emotional states, and they’d be available to pop into the deck when each feeling needed reinforcing or soothing. The mixtape was your friend, your psychiatrist, and your solace. (110)

The history portions were fascinating, filled with questions to ponder about the nature of music and our relationship to it (some along the lines of "if a tree falls in the wood...") and showing that the pulse of our world is often a rousing drumbeat.  Highly recommended for anyone at all interested in music.

And just for kicks...

new music.

Lest you think only 2 friends bellied up in the latest swap I wanted to share my favorite (for now) tunes from the additional 3 mixes I've received the last few weeks.

Two are a bit bluesy though in completely different ways. First up:

This isn't the best quality and it doesn't sound quite as earthy as the version I got but you get the idea.

Next:

Have I mentioned that banjos make me swoon? And his voice doesn't really help that condition. I pretty much have to sit down when I listen to this.

And finally, this guy. He's shown up before and my dear friend K has sung his praises profusely. I've loved this song since the moment I first heard it but as is my pathetic habit these days I didn't bother to see what else he's done. (My ADD tendencies don't cooperate with this new musical technology of having so many choices in so many places. I tend to flit from song to song rather than absorbing an album or artist like I used to.)  Lesson learned. I love him. The end.

Can't wait to see what our June swap brings!

a fun list.

3.14 Reasons to be happy you got up today!

1-To watch this video:

In honor of the Irish flavored holiday celebration coming up later this week.

2-To watch this video:

2.14-Followed by this news:
It's a go!    Because it's Veronica Mars. And Logan Echolls.  Does it really get any better than that?! (The correct answer here is: no!)

3.14-Happy Pi(e) Day!!

Thanks to various and sundry friends on the interwebs for sharing the above news and links and for sharing my love of pie.

new music!

It's that time of year again. Time to whip out the blank CDs and favorite tunes and make some playlists for our music swap. We've recruited a few more contributors this time around so I'm looking forward to getting 5 different mixes in the mail over the next few weeks.


March tends to be the ushering in of springtime and a change in scenery for me both physically and emotionally. February drags on and on and by the end the winter blues and ennui have settled in pretty deep. But once March is underway I've shaken the cobwebs from my brain, kicked up my heels and am ready to throw open the windows and let the sunshine in. This list isn't quite the perfect representation of that transformation but it comes as close as I could get while sticking to the song/time limit parameter. Here's what I sent:


1. Winter in My Heart        The Avett Brothers
2. A Hazy Shade of Winter        Simon and Garfunkel
3. Why Does It Always Rain on Me?        Travis
4. Stop This World        Diana Krall
5. Into the Ocean        Blue October
6. Hunted by Ghosts        The Local Strangers
7. Up the Road        Blackberry Smoke
8. Cold Wind        Among Savages
9. Boston        Augustana
10. Things Will Change        Treetop Flyers
11. Here Comes the Sun        The Beatles
 
And of the two I've gotten in the mail so far these are the tracks that I just can't stop listening to!

This tune is one I came across a couple of months ago in some of my musical wanderings but then had failed to write down what it was and where I found it.  I was so tickled that it crossed my path again! Musical fate, it's a magical thing!

And this one just sort of gets in your brain and doesn't let go!

What's featuring in the soundtrack of your life lately?

a hint of spring.

I spent a good part of my day in Philadelphia today viewing the famous flower show exhibition.  Not only was it a much needed respite from the grind of daily life (it's amazing what a change of scenery will do) but it was refreshing to be surrounded by works of art incorporating the smells and textures of countless blooms. The air outside was brisk but inside spring had sprung.

This year's theme was "Brilliant" and everything tied in somehow to Great Britain. The Beatles featured prominently, the royal family made a few appearances, and floral literary figures abounded.  (The lighting in the building was horrendous, btw so the photos aren't great. Sorry!)

Jane Austen's front door

The green/White Rabbit 

The Dowager Countess of Grantham

one of the beautiful blooms

the entrance gate

Underground pep talks

Big Ben

We sandwiched our visit in between trips to Reading Terminal Market for breakfast pretzels, mile high sandwiches and Amish baked goods. It was a great escape and fed my spring fever.

And on top of that I came home to find this fabulous surprise waiting for me in my stack of mail.

In case you can't tell, that is a USB disguised as a cassette tape and it contains my first mix in this round of long distance music swaps. Is that not the cutest thing you've ever seen? It made my fantastic day even more amazing! Thanks, M! Can't wait to listen to the tunes!

March is already better than February and it's only 2 days in. Bring it!

a silly holiday.

When I was little I loved Valentine's Day. The expectation of a zillion cards (and candy) all crammed into a blinged-out shoe box was enough to send any child into fits of ecstasy. (We won't talk about how much I 'loved' that experience as a teacher!)

As you grow older and your Valentines are handed out as a matter of choice rather than as a matter of classroom equality and fairness it starts to lose a bit of its shine. And unless you are in some sort of relationship it becomes known more familiarly and fondly by the acronym S.A.D (Singles Awareness Day.)

In an effort to stave off the grumpy feelings I tend to harbor on this chocolate infused day of celebration (though who can complain about chocolate?!) I figured I'd share some tunes.  First up, an appropriately titled "Be Mine" by Alabama Shakes.

And, saving the best for last, I'll give you an opportunity to be a bit jealous. Tonight I've actually got a date. With Mr. Marcus Mumford and his musical 'sons'. Like I said, be jealous!

And may your Valentine's Day, with whomever and however you choose to celebrate, be filled with awesomeness! I know mine will be ;)

a musical discovery.

Earlier this week my sister sent me a forwarded email from the 9:30 Club with the injunction: if you don't have anything to do this Saturday you have to go see this guy.  As it happened I didn't have anything pressing to do Saturday night so I conned a mutual friend (we'll call him Mr. B) into going with me.  "This guy" refers to Martin Sexton, a musician I'd never heard of and wouldn't have (and hadn't) made it onto my radar but I'm glad to have had no great plans and a pushy sister 'cause the concert was great.

Now go with me on this 'cause it's not going to sound like a complement and isn't going to accurately describe him but with my limited pool of influence to draw from this was how I kept thinking of him in my mind.  If John Mayer and Aaron Neville had a baby, baptized him in heavy blues and beat box, sprinkled him with some jazzy scat and soul and added a pinch of yodeling for kicks the final creation would be Martin Sexton. An odd mish mosh to be sure (and I for one cannot stand Aaron Neville) but somehow it all worked in his favor. And I'm serious about the yodeling. He started his set with a yodeled song. It was downright lovely and had an improvised sort of feel to it.  A minute or so into it Mr. B leans over and whispers incredulously, "Is that the national anthem?" By golly, it was! There was enough playing with rhythms and notes that at first it was almost unrecognizable but once you picked up the underlying melody there was no denying it.

Here's a taste:

His opening band was a duet group called Alternate Routes who were relatively generic in sound but who won me over when they pulled out a harmonica and then some electric toolbox with rocks in it.  I'm sure there's a name for it but I'm too lazy to research right now so if anyone knows what it's called please feel free to enlighten me. Whatever it was though it added a lovely earthy flavor to the mix and made me admire the guy's arm strength and rhythm as he hefted it over and over throughout the entire song. The longer they played the more I loved them.

Feast your ears:

And that's how I spent my weekend. How was yours?

Christmas music!

If you are mutual friends with either of my wonderful music swapping buddies, you'll know that I am very behind in posting this.  For those of you who aren't, let's just pretend that first sentence doesn't exist and go merrily along under the assumption that I'm totally on top of things!

A few months ago two friends and I held a playlist swap before one of those friends moved on to greener pastures. We had such a great time we decided that we should carry on the tradition in a quarterly fashion, sending mix CDs to each other in the mail to whatever far-flung regions we should find ourselves. Thus it was that I found myself wracking my brain to compile the ultimate (and slightly obscure as these ladies are much bigger music junkies than I could ever hope to be) Christmas album.  Here's what I came up with: (Click on any of the links to listen)

1. Christmas Child Carbon Leaf
2. I Saw Three Ships Nat King Cole
3. Winter Moon Mindy Gledhill
4. Il Est Ne The King’s Singers (this one is impossible to find, but it's my absolute favorite version of this song...you can hear another version here)
5. Winter Wonderland Jason Mraz
6. Let It Snow! Ella Fitzgerald
7. It Snowed Meaghan Smith
8. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Jack Johnson
9. One More Sleep Til Christmas The Muppets
10. Angels We Have Heard on High Seabird
11. In the Bleak Midwinter Julie Andrews
12. Good King Wenceslas Mel Torme


And thus it also was that I returned home from long days at work to find fun packages in the mail brimming with holiday tunes!  Some of my faves? I've loved revisiting this John Denver classic, and disovering this version of Auld Lang Syne from one disc. The other contained this amazing version of O Come, O Come Emmanuel (one of my favorites! okay, most of them are my favorites, but still...) and this version of Come Thou Font of Every Blessing, not technically a Christmas song but definitely one with an appropriate and corresponding message.

Go here and here for the full lists.

Happy holiday listening!

an auspicious date!

Happy 12-12-12!

I had hoped to mark the 12:12 time today as well but I was waiting for a technician to come look at my dryer and the time slipped by unnoticed.  Good thing the date lasts a little bit longer.

If you're superstitious you probably bought lottery tickets or got married today.  Congratulations! Or maybe you're counting down the last few days until the world ends (12-21-12 if those Mayans are to be believed).  Hope you're living it up!  Or maybe, just maybe you're like me and have spent the day celebrating the birth of one of my favorite people: Frank Sinatra!

Okay, so I haven't really spent the day celebrating. Unfortunately, having an actual job precludes much superfluous celebrating. But I did take a few minutes to watch some YouTube videos and listen to some music and thought I'd share a few of my faves with you in honor of Ol' Blue Eyes and his special day.

Born 12/12/1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey, the scrawny, only child of Italian immigrants grew up idolizing Bing Crosby and never graduated from high school. But he'd been singing for most of his life and figured he might be able to eek out a career in music. Though he never learned to read music he went on to release over 60 albums and won 13 Grammys. But singing was just the start.  He also appeared in over 50 pictures, won 3 Academy Awards, had tumultuous love affairs, made friends with politicians and mobsters, fought for civil rights and influenced billions. He died May 14, 1998.

Happy Birthday to The Chairman of the Board! (And if the world really ends next week, I'll be seeing you and expecting a personal, heavenly concert on the other side!)

listening to a legend.

We've lost a lot of treasures this year and today we're forced to say goodbye to yet one more; jazz legend Dave Brubeck.

I grew up trying to clap along to the syncopated and crazy rhythms of Mr. Dave Brubeck and his 5/8 and 9/8 timings. I wish I could say I conquered them but unfortunately it's something I still have to really, really concentrate on. (I try not to listen to the more challenging pieces while I drive, I've been known to tap the gas and break alternately and sporadically!) But he helped shape the way I listen to and appreciate music.

He was influenced by and influenced scores of musicians, jazz and non-jazz alike and the world will have a bit less cadence and pulse without him.

starting a countdown.

Two months from today it will be....

CHRISTMAS!!!

I know I've posted about Christmas music many times before but another post or two won't hurt, right?

I had a dream the other day that Christmas Eve came and I realized I hadn't even started listening to my Christmas music yet. And panic ensued! Hardly a true tragedy but sad nonetheless. I do love my Christmas music!

So, we here on the East Coast are also gearing up for Hurricane Sandy and the affectionately named Frankenstorm. While our temps have been warmer than usual so the event of snow is unlikely, meteorologists are unsure just what this storm (or conglomeration of storms) could bring so it's completely possible that the area could be blanketed in snow within the next few days.  All the more reason to break out the holiday tunes!

While I could use a mental snow day or two I don't look forward to the possible power outages and craziness that any storm in the area brings.  Here's hoping we get a manageable amount of weather to keep things exciting and maybe give us a day off of work but no actual reason to sing...

Hope your weekend is fabulous and snow free!