the year in music – 2008…thus far

and so begins my yearly ritual. more to keep track for myself than anything else. this year, i’m including cd purchases AND concerts. because i’m forgetful. and because these things need to be recorded for posterity.

well, that and i want your input on what should be my next purchases. (the list has been updated, upon request, and you can now just mouse over the pictures to see the artist and title. html coding is my friend.)

january:

february:
09 feb 2008 glen phillips – avogadro’s number, ft. collins co.

march:
12 mar 2008 lemonheads – ned’s downtown, albuquerque nm.

april:

may:
01 may 2008 teitur / old springs pike / helgi jonsson – baby grand, wilmington de
02 may 2008 teitur / old springs pike / helgi jonsson – johnny brenda’s, philadelphia pa
03 may 2008 garrison starr – borders, nyc
03 may 2008 teitur / jenny owen youngs / old springs pike / helgi jonsson – bowery ballroom, nyc
09 may 2008 wilco – popejoy hall, albuquerque nm

june:

august:

september:

october:
18 oct 2008 conor oberst – taos solar center, taos nm

november:

december:

Le Teitur

One of my favorite singers is a certain gentleman by the name of Teitur Lassen. Besides being a fantastic musician and songwriter, he is a very funny and smart person.

UncensoredInterview.com has put up some short candid interview clips from when Teitur was recently on tour in the States. He talks about everything from Obama, to dry humping, to Brooklyn (But not together, because that would be weird.) He even talks about music…

i was maimed by rock and roll

WILCO – Popejoy Hall, Albuquerque NM. 09 May 2008

I was late on the WILCO train. I admit it. I’m probably one of the few people that can say that they started listening to WILCO because they saw The Autumn Defense (John Stirratt and Pat Sansone’s side project) first. But that’s my history. I bought not only my first WILCO cd, but every WILCO cd in 2007 (exception: Mermaid Ave.) This wouldn’t all seem so unusual, had I not lived in the land of WILCO for over five years.

The problem with being a WILCO fan in Chicago? Everyone in Chicago is a WILCO fan. They play 5 night residencies, and every show sells out in seconds. When it was announced that they were going to play a show in my new / old home of Albuquerque, I was a little giddy. I was in a class when pre-sale tickets went on sale, so I relied on my husband to get the tickets. I figured he scored big when I saw the tickets were Orchestra Pit, Row B. I thought “Second row! Woohoo!” When we got to the venue, and the usher showed us our seats?

FIRST ROW! WOOHOO!!!!!!

The opening act was Retribution Gospel Choir. Their music was neither gospel, nor choir. They were kinda Deep Purple-meets Rush-meets pain in my ears. That’s all I have to say about that.

Then… WILCO.

I can’t give you a set list because quite honestly, I was too busy dancing around to even think about song names. This was easily one of the best, if not actually the best, rock concerts I have ever been to. And I’ve been to my share of concerts. I was right at the feet of the guitar genius Nels Cline.

That guy is so good it’s SICK.

But the whole band is good. That’s the thing. Yeah, it’s Tweedy’s show, but you can’t help but absorb it as a band, instead of little pieces. Like, when you see Ryan Adams, sure the Cardinals are good. But it’s all about Ryan Adams. This was pure WILCO.

Song highlights for me: Heavy Metal Drummer, Impossible Germany, Side With the Seeds, A Shot in the Arm, Pot Kettle Black, Handshake Drugs, Ashes of American Flags, Hate It Here.

Sadly for me, my über music crush, Pat Sansone was all the way over on the other side of the stage, leaving me to swoon from afar. Trying to take pictures of him is like trying to photograph a tornado.

All in all, it was a mind-blowing, incredible night. There was really no better way to see a band for the first time than in the front row, surrounded by complete die hard maniacs. Definitely, definitely, definitely go see them if you ever get the chance.

Full flickr set.

Teitur – May 2008

This past week, I had the opportunity to travel out to the East Coast to attend some shows by one of my favorite singers, Teitur. My good friend, Sara, was my trusty companion for the trip which started in Wilmington, DE, then moved on to Philadelphia and NYC.

The first opener for the shows was Helgi Hrafn Jonsson, a singer from Iceland who is also part of Teitur’s touring band. Helgi brings to mind Thom Yorke with a hint of Damien Rice. He has an awkward, almost childlike charm and a beautiful voice.

The next opener was a cool band sorta from the Wilmington area, Old Springs Pike. They were as cute as can be, and fun as all hell. They play footstomp, punky folk, bluegrass tinged music. They made me want to get up and dance, and that’s always a good thing. I have crushes on every one of them. I think you’ll be hearing from these guys down the road, make yourself a note that Dianne told you so.

And, of course the highlight of each night… the Mighty Teitur (see the liner notes of his new cd, The Singer, if it seems I’m being cheeky.)

The shows opened with the haunting tune “Guilt By Association.” If you’ve never seen an artist play his guitar with a bow, you are really missing out. The setlists varied a bit from town to town, but some of the highlights for me were the romping “Catherine the Waitress” and the horn driven “The Girl I Don’t Know” both from the new album. The shows were based mostly on the new tunes, but with some sprinkles of songs from both Poetry and Aeroplanes and Stay Under the Stars. Teitur also played a song from his Faroese language release Káta Hornið at each show.

Backing Teitur was a fantastic band composed of musicians from around the world: Derek Murphy (Atlanta, GA – drums), Mikael Blak (Faroe Islands – bass), Helgi Jónsson (Iceland – guitar, trombone, voice, etc.), Unnur Jónsdóttir (Iceland – cello, clarinet, xylophone, voice), Anna Emilsson (Sweden – saxophone, keyboards, voice).

More photos:

Full flickr set here.

Essential music – Dulcinea

Album: Dulcinea
Artist: Toad the Wet Sprocket
Released: 1994

It seems only right to start out my list of essential albums with my favorite album, by my favorite band of all time. Toad was one of those bands that seemed to exist on the margins of the mainstream. They had a few top 40 hits, but were obscure enough that people would cock their head to the side a little bit if you said the band name to them. They were “the band that played that song… you know the one…“

Dulcinea was released in 1994, and was somewhat an anomaly in the sonic landscape of that year. Let me take you back to some of the releases in 1994:

Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral
Soundgarden – Superunknown
Stone Temple Pilots – Purple
Alice in Chains – Jar of Flies
Weezer – Weezer (the blue album)
Live – Throwing Copper
Green Day – Dookie
Bush – Sixteen Stone
Hole – Live Through This

1994 was a fairly loud and angry year in music. Even R.E.M. changed up their sound in 1994, releasing the guitar heavy and uncharacteristic “Monster.” And in the midst of that, came Dulcinea.

The album starts with a tickle of cymbals sweeping into the opening song, “Fly From Heaven,” a song from the viewpoint of someone (brother, disciple?) who loved Jesus as a person, rather than a messiah, lamenting what became of their loved one. Yes, the album did have some slightly crunchy guitars, which rear their heads in the second song “Woodburning” but the majority of the album is far more melodic and jangly – sounding more akin to pre-1994 R.E.M. than post-Nirvana grunge.

The album produced a few radio gems in “Something’s Always Wrong” and “Fall Down” but the album tracks go far beyond these two songs. There is gentle self-flagellation on “Stupid” and the country-tinged ode to splitting up reflected in the division of a record collection in “Nanci.” “You take Nanci, for me Loretta’s fine. No, I’ve changed my mind. I’ll take Nanci, for you Loretta’s fine.”

The album flows through each song, changing tempo and direction like a river. At the heart of the songs is a touch of sadness, like lead singer Glen Phillips was looking at the world and finding the grey areas after years of seeing black and white.

For me, there are a few gut wrenchingly gorgeous moments on this album, which most people didn’t hear, as they really didn’t receive airplay. The first, “Crowing” was released as a single but was lost somewhere along the way. The song touches on how some people always look for a partner who needs fixing, because it gives them a purpose.

“Been waiting to find
You could’ve been happier given the time
If he’d make up his mind
You’d give yourself to anybody
Who would cross that line
And it was never a question
He was crowing for repair
You’d give him love and affection
But you couldn’t keep him there…”

The title of the album came from the Cervantes book “Don Quixote” and the theme of fighting illusions and inner demons is woven throughout the album. The visual of Quixote attacking the giants is given a nod in “Windmills,” the song which I consider to be the crown jewel of this beautiful album. “I spend too much time raiding windmills. We go side by side, laugh until it’s right.” I believe I can never tire of this song. I have heard this song performed live with the band, with Glen playing solo, backed up by Sean and Sara Watkins, with Mutual Admiration Society, and it still gives me chills every time and in every incarnation. I have actually reached a point that I can tell this song is going to be played just by how the guitar is being tuned. “Take the darkest hour break it open. Water to repair what we have broken.” This song is beautiful and melodic. Every note, every vocal – lead and background, is brilliant. I have nothing bad to say about this song.

The album closes with the odd and jarring “Reincarnation Song.” The first time I heard this song, I was mortified, but it has since clarified itself to me, as good songs often do. A few years back I was talking to Toad’s then-manager, Chris Blake, and asked him what the first thing he thought when he heard this song. His reply? “Oh, shit.” Apparently Glen had been reading the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and wrote a song from the viewpoint of a soul leaving it’s dying body, realizing that it hasn’t reached a full level of enlightenment yet, and being pulled into another corporeal vessel. The band re-recorded the song for the album, but thought the second take sounded like a cover version of the first take and scrapped it for the original. Good call.

So, if you don’t have this album, get it. Don’t download a few songs. Buy it. If you already own it, pull it out and listen to it again. Listen to it beginning to end. Preferably with headphones. The big foamy ones that press over your ears and block out the world. You might not love it on first listen, but with the really good ones it isn’t about instant gratification it’s about the long haul. “Maybe any way the wind blows, it’s all worth waiting for.”

Edit: This was originally posted on 10/20/2006, but I never finished my list. I’m bumping it back up to the top to force myself to continue with my list… wish me luck.

Music is essential

My friend, George, started a list (because the world is crazy for “best of” lists) of his 50 favorite albums. This got me thinking about a list of my own. I gathered cds into stacks. Listed my vinyl and tapes. Got distracted. Played a computer game. And realized that I don’t have the attention span for a list. Besides, it’s just too hard to play the favorites game. While one album might be brilliant for a road trip, another might be a soundtrack for utter depression.

The album itself is a fading art form. In a generation of iPod shuffling and per-song downloads, it isn’t often that people listen to an album from start to finish anymore. And that’s a shame. The best albums are intended to be heard as a whole. They have a common thread between the songs, be it a sound or a theme. The songs have a logical progression, a flow between fast songs and ballads. On the best albums, every aspect of the album comes together cohesively. The songs themselves are well written, the musicianship unparalleled, the singers voice an instrument blending with the music, and the production… here’s my thing about production. The best producers are the ones that do their job so well, that you don’t even think about the mix or the instruments being played. They let the songs exist with odd little noises in the background, they don’t add in unnecessary flourishes, they have a light touch and let the music just be.

Back to my friend, George. I’m afraid I don’t have his eloquence for describing music, or even share the depth of his musical collection. I encourage you to check out his blog to see his ongoing list of his top 50, and to read the prose of someone who can actually write. The guy has incredible music taste. I will quote him on this “I don’t own every album. I only own what I own.” I don’t buy every cd that comes out. I don’t rank amongst the upper echelons of music elitism that own every album by every “influential” and “essential” artist that exists. I have a hard enough time keeping up with the new music that is blowing my face off, without trying to play catch up with the back catalogue of every legend on the planet. Besides, nobody needs someone telling them that they need to be listening to Bob Dylan, or Neil Young. That’s really kind of a given, isn’t it?

So, instead of a top whatever list, I’m just going to randomly talk about some albums that I really think everyone should own. They are beautiful – some achingly so. Some are old, some new. I am a creature of habit, obsession, and repetition so you will undoubtedly see multiple albums by certain artists listed. Stay tuned if you’re interested. Fuck off if you’re not. (Just kidding. Sort of.)

Up first: Dulcinea

Edit: This post was originally written on 10/19/06, but I never finished my list. I’m bumping this to force myself to continue with my list. We’ll see how that works out…

i chased evan dando down a dark city street

it’s true. i’m fairly ashamed. but more about that in a minute.

saw the lemonheads last night at this little place in downtown abq. i’ve been listening to the lemonheads for close to 17 years now, and maintain that “it’s a shame about ray” is one of the best albums of the ’90s. as much as i bitch and moan about the lack of concerts in abq, i can’t complain about this one. granted, it was a tuesday night, and the show didn’t start until 10:30. . . but i’m still giddy.

the concert was fun. they played almost all the songs from ray and a bunch from “come on feel…” so i spent a good part of the night bouncing around like a little kid.

my fan girl moment comes after the show. i had brought my cd cover from “lick” in hopes of an autograph, but it was getting late so we left. as i am pulling out of my parking spot, i see evan dando walking down the street with his guitar cases. i pull over, illegally park, grab my camera, sharpie, and cd case and start running down the road after him. i finally catch up to him an entire block later and wheeze something about listening to him for years. or something. i was on the verge of oxygen deprivation so i don’t remember much besides him asking me my name and being really cool about taking the picture since his arms are much longer than mine.

yeah, i’m a dork. and i’m okay with that.

calculating the worth of happiness

We all have that “thing” in our lives that soothes our soul, invigorates us, awakens our senses, ties together the experiences in our lives, and just generally brings us joy. It’s different for everyone. For some that thing is art, film, hiking, cooking, playing sports, gardening. Mine is music.

My favorite singers tend to be indie singer-songwriters that only a select few people have even heard of. They work their tails off touring across the country, playing in tiny venues to their core group of fans, and a few curious newcomers. They rely on merch sales for their income and drive themselves around in rented cars from gig to gig.

My favorite singer posted a link to this article, on the brilliant blog BoingBoing, that speculates whether an artist could survive with just 1,000 true fans. The author states:

“The gist of 1,000 True Fans can be stated simply:

A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author – in other words, anyone producing works of art – needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living.

Assume conservatively that your True Fans will each spend one day’s wages per year in support of what you do. That “one-day-wage” is an average, because of course your truest fans will spend a lot more than that. Let’s peg that per diem each True Fan spends at $100 per year. If you have 1,000 fans that sums up to $100,000 per year, which minus some modest expenses, is a living for most folks.”

I try to do my part. I buy every album. I have drawers full of T-shirts that I honestly never wear. I take ridiculously long road trips and spend my leisure budget just to attend shows. I even buy CD’s for other people, just to get the music to someone new, and to try to put one more penny in the artist’s pocket. I always wondered if there was maybe something more I could do.

The aforementioned favorite singer set up a donation site, so fans could become “patrons of the arts”. I’ve often said that I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if that person stopped making music, so I clicked on the donate button and stared at the screen for several minutes trying to think of a number that accurately reflected how much the music meant to me, but for which I wouldn’t have to deplete the college funds of my own children. I would type in numbers, click partway through the process, and then close the browser window. Nothing seemed appropriate. Plus, there wasn’t an option for an anonymous donation, so I was also left with this dilemma: At what point do you stop being a devoted fan and start being creepy obsessive? (Dear friends, if you ever consider my behavior creepy obsessive, please promptly give me a swift kick hard in the ass to knock me back to reality. Thanks.)

This all led me to wonder – what is your “thing” worth to you? When all is said and done, how much dough do you spend to keep your thing going, and how much would you give if asked?

new favorite song

unless you live in scandinavia somewhere, you probably can’t buy this album yet, but once it’s available you should get it. it’s so good it makes my brain tingle.

2007, in review

2007 is mere hours from being done, so I am contractually obligated to make a year ending post about music.

It’s tough to top 2006 as far as music related activity goes, so I’ll just let 2007 stand on its own. I moved to a new town this year, which means I moved away from my favorite concert buddies. You know who you are. I’ve had to travel more for shows. Well, I actually haven’t traveled more for shows, but the necessity was greater. Oh! And I got an iPod this year, finally. His name is DJ Reggie, he’s a silver 80GB Classic, and I’ve only managed to get 15 GB in him thus far. I add stuff every day. It’s exhausting.

total new cds: 55. (33 new releases, 22 back catalogue)
total shows: 15 shows in 6 states

And because no year end wrap-up is complete without lists….my top 6 of 2007!!!!

Favorite songs:
1. If the Brakeman Turns My Way – Bright Eyes.
2. Long Play – Dick Prall
3. You Are My Face – Wilco
4. The Temptation of Adam – Josh Ritter
5. The Sun Also Sets – Ryan Adams
6. Australia – The Shins

Favorite lyrics:
1. “We passed the time with crosswords that she thought to bring inside. ‘What five letters spell apocalypse’ she asked me. I won her over saying ‘W.W.I.I.I’ She smiled and we both knew that she’d misjudged me.” Josh Ritter, The Temptation of Adam.
2. “Trying to be thankful our stories fit into phones. And our voices lift so easily A gift given accidentally When we’re not sure we’re not alone” Wilco, I Am Your Face
3. “Without the numbness all the pain is so intense to feel.” Ryan Adams, I Taught Myself How to Grow Old
4. “I tried to pass for nothing but my dreams gave me away.” Bright Eyes, If the Brakeman Turns My Way.
5. “Honesty like hanging trees don’t get used anymore” Dick Prall, Long Play
6. “Yesterday it hit me that I do All the little things That you do Except those same little things That you do Are annoying. They’re annoying as hell in fact.” White Stripes, I’m Slowly Turning Into You

Favorite concerts:
1. Toad the Wet Sprocket, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago. Did I mention this was the best birthday ever?
2. Ryan Adams, HOB Chicago. I think there are still parts of my face melted on the floor of the HOB.
3. Josh Ritter, Park West Chicago. Josh Ritter, solo acoustic, with Renee, James and Asshead as my concert buddies? Plus, the first sighting of the Jack Bauer of concert security. Awesome.
4. Teitur/Jenny Owen Youngs, Beat Kitchen Chicago.
5. Josh Rouse, Golden West Saloon, Albuquerque.
6. Ryan Adams, Red Rocks Denver.

Favorite new finds (artists I started listening to this year):
1. Wilco. Yeah, I’m late to the boat. Get over it. Besides, could I continue my love of Sansone without finally listening to Wilco? I think not.
2. Jenny Owen Youngs
3. The Shins
4. Rocky Votolato
5. Fionn Regan
6. Travis
(Josh Rouse should be in this category, but I bought one of his cd’s last year. I didn’t really get Josh Rouse until this year. Now? L-O-V-E.)

Favorite back catalogue pick-ups. (Okay. I admit it. I’m a little slow on the uptake sometimes. But these are the cds I picked up this year that came out pre-2007 that I’m kicking myself for not buying sooner.)
1. Wilco’s entire catalog (except the Billy Bragg stuff). Now James and George can get off my case.
2. Josh Rouse – Subtitulo.
3. Rocky Votolato – Makers
4. Elliott Smith – Either/Or
5. Brett Dennen – So Much More
6. Griffin House – Lost and Found

Favorite New Releases:
1. Bright Eyes – Cassadaga. This was a tough year to pick a favorite. Cassadaga won by a hair over Sky Blue Sky. I just think this was such a fantastic cd, start to finish. Ok, I will admit, the beginning of every Bright Eyes cd annoys me with his self-indulgent little oddities. The packaging makes up for it though. So cool.
2. Wilco – Sky Blue Sky. I hear a lot of people who have listened to Wilco for years complaining about this album. That’s when I realize that I’m lucky that I just started listening to them, because I can hear this cd with fresh ears. I bought it with no expectations, and I love it without comparing it to anything else they have done.
3. Dick Prall – Weightless
4. The Shins – Wincing the Night Away
5. Josh Ritter – The Historical Conquests of…
6. Travis – The Boy With No Name

Music highlights:
1. Being asked to be webmistress of Teitur’s website. It feels so good to be so trusted. And it never would have happened without one really damn good reference. There are no words for my appreciation of that person.
2. Toad wishing me a happy birthday from on stage. Even the thunder-stealer couldn’t take away the glow from that day.
3. Traveling to L.A. to finally see Glen play at Largo. Pilgrimage complete. Plus I got to see DJ Jazzy Night Court.
4. Getting George to finally accept Josh Ritter into his life. You cannot resist The Animal Years.
5. Shawn Mullins in Colorado. Dancing on the streets with my kids. Joy.
6. Jenny Owen Youngs grabbing James’ ass. Genius.

And if James has special categories, damnit, I should too.

* Worst song by an artist I love: Halloweenhead – Ryan Adams
* Everyone tells me I should love it, but I don’t: Boxer – The National
* Best cd autograph: Jenny Owen Youngs – “Adobe Sneak Attack Motherfucker! NICER ASS!!”
* Best cd that I can’t understand a word of: Teitur – Kata Hornid
* CD I still haven’t bought, but I will in 2008: Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha

Looking forward to 2008. Hopefully I’ll see you on the road.