Monday, August 29, 2005

Currently Listening
Plans
By Death Cab for Cutie
see related
So here are two songs that are on the opposite spectrum of a particular subject. It's fun to compare and contrast the two, but I like them both as recent favorites. Though the cynic in me would probably lean towards Mr. Adams' lyrical tune more. Take a listen and tell me what you think. Both songs are on each artists' latest albums, by the way. Not the most original subject lyrically, of course

David Gray - The One I Love

Ryan Adams - How Do You Keep Love Alive

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Currently Listening
Takk...
By Sigur Rós
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For the two people who actually may have this site bookmarked, RSS'ed, or just curious to hear what else musical nonsense that I'll throw up next, oops. Life has been happening and I've been too: -busy -lazy -tipsy -happy -frustrated -confused -talkative in actual live conversation , you name it to have taken the time to jot down a note, a chuckle, an anecdote, whatever it is that you scribble down on a blog.

(psst. school's started and i don't know what i got myself into!)

When inspiration hits, I'll make sure to jot it down here. In the meantime? A short rundown of some good new albums & finds on the playlist. Because you know I never stop listening.

Sigur Ros - Takk (out 9/13)
David Gray - Life in Slow Motion (out 9/13)
Death Cab For Cutie - Plans (out 8/30)
Tristan Prettyman - Twenty-Three
The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema (featuring Neko Case)
Depeche Mode - Precious (new single! check depechemode.com for the song)

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Currently Listening
Life In Slow Motion
By David Gray
see related
Hi!

Its been a week. A long, fun, adventurous week that was needed to... excite myself? recharge my batteries? unwind? Whatever the right, specific reason, I needed something to cut myself loose and prepare for opening day, next wednesday, the first day of my temporary life as a multitasking and juggling student/student-teacher/office worker.

The highlight? Yesterday's Coldplay concert! In the two years since their last visit, the band has taken a lot of visual/aureal cues from stadium fillers like U2 (who they fully express their desire to become) combining their already catchy and sometimes headbopping while other times gutwrenchingly beautiful/honest lyrics to another level. A three-song acoustic set in-between is reminiscent of another big band. Running up to the upper-tier seats at Shoreline (this IS a big venue, mind you!) and singing with the crowd during "in my place" was unforgettable. Brad Kava, our town's local rock critic, wrote an incredible article that details the show much more articulately than I can ever here. If you're reading this (maybe Robyn), thanks Robyn, Mike, and Jessica for being fans and coming along! Great music accompanied by great company and great food is the perfect mix! You know you've had a great time at something if the next day you're basically reliving the night before in your head... all day.

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Wow, Xanga just let me know that as of today, the fourteenth of August 2005, I've carried a blog for a thousand days. Remarkable thinking that I started this before I even made the decision to teach. Here's a link to the first four posts I ever wrote; you'll be happy to know it all started with... music.

And if you took a look at that link, then it's just fitting that the pictures I'm posting of this past weekend were of the annual Jazz Festival in San Jose, the biggest free jazz festival in the States :-) Great music, great food!


Jambalaya!


Adjacent to this.... Crest fest was free Haagen Dazs samplers... Take a trip there, then take a trip in the Crest tour bus where you get to.... Brush your teeth! And try out new Scope mouthwash. Why at the jazz festival, I don't know.


That's me staring at the armless superhero in the business district next to the festival.


Ok I have the oddest musical suggestion, more odd if you follow the type of music that I'll typically write about. The band name? M.I.A. Short for Maya Arulpragasam, a Sri Lankan refugee who studied art in London. Her bio is remarkable and should be considered when listening to her politically charged album. How to explain her music... Again, it's so hard, but I've been mentioning that she has a small taint of Gwen Stefani's album in her, but of course much more substance. It's hip hop, it's electronic, taints of world music, multilanguage, and best of all, full of attitude and spunk/energy. Definitely music that will throw you out of left field upon first listen, I was almost offended when I first heard her single, Galang, upon reading Sarah Lane's blog. But.... Keep on listening and it'll be the guilty pleasure you can't put off. Here's track 2 from the album to get a taste, it's called "Pull up the People".

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

[edit] Link to the Nickel Creek performance of "when in rome" on the Tonight show with Jay Leno 8.9.05 -- It's 169 MB
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The Paste article on Nickel Creek's up! Click here to take you there! Excellent article with the writer following the band during and after two Largo shows, the Watkins Family Hour and a show with Chris and Jon Brion.
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You have have have to see this! A few days ago a friend linked me to this, the Backstroke of the West, otherwise known as Episode iii: Revenge of the Sith. It's an english translated subtitles of a chinese dubbed translation and is full of hilarious quotes!

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

just picked up the album, copy # 63,250 Apparantly they labeled each cd! Digipak format, with lyrics, I'll be busy deconstructing lyrics

Great meticulously in-depth review of the album here.

Paste Magazine's latest issue has a great six page spread as well.

Monday, August 08, 2005

In Sports Relation

There used to be a time when sports ate up way too much of my time - Sundays in the Fall and Winter meant sitting on the couch and watching a three plus hour game of men tackling each other while pausing for commercial every five minutes; Summer days and nights spent in front of the tube or with the radio blaring through inning after inning of an endless season of baseball games. And a bunch of basketball and hockey mixed in-between. Not so much these days as it's hard to rationale blocking out three hours of a day for entertainment, but I was reminded of that fun childhood time on Sunday, with Steve Young's induction ceremony into the football hall of fame - Seeing highlights of his career, of which nearly all were vividly still fresh in my mind, brought a wave of nostalgia of a time in middle school and high school of how simplistic life was back then. You know, the kind of stuff like whether or not I'm happy for the week depended on if the Niners won. Being overly superstitious by making sure to cook up some clam chowder when they played Dallas because when they finally did beat them the previous year, that was what I was having. (although i'll admit most people whatever age still do this) What a fun time to look back on. I didn't have a revelation here to offer but just a nice reminiscence.

And so, before I forget, Nickel Creek's album will be OUT by the time you read this Tuesday!! Since I'll be working, I may just take time out of lunch to go pick it up and hopefully so will you They'll also be on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno this Tuesday night. Catch that and you'll likely here a live performance of their single, When in Rome. If you're even more interested, they've got a six page spread in the current issue of my favorite magazine, Paste, along with their rockish sounding track, Best of Luck, featured in the magazine's cd sampler.

If you'd like to listen to their album streaming and free, go here - Their stream is surprisingly high quality!

http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/creek_nickel/938799/album.jhtml#

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Currently Listening
Beneath These Fireworks
By Matt Nathanson
see related
Crazy day, kids (always wanted to say that). Went in for a scheduled filling at the dentist and surprise, surprise.., I had to get one of my wisdom teeth (still had two left, one now) yanked out immediately. imagine my face when he tells me this as he's drillin' away on another tooth.

isp troubles left us with one option, cable, and i finally got it installed today.... amazing! expect lots of song uploads now

and of course, more nickel creek news! the "why should the fire die" tour is set and can be viewed here!

local date:

12.10.05 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre


They're hittin' most of the U.S. so everyone should be able to make it

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

O.K. Just one more Nickel Creek related post.... (until the next

The cat's out of the bag, though I'm not sure how!

As of yesterday, their new album (out Aug. 9) was #2 in the Amazon.com top sellers... Behind who?  Coldplay.

Also on Amazon's rank by genre, they were:

Alternative Rock - #2
Country - #2
Folk - #1

Wow, not bad for a nonmainstream and unclassifiable band!  Good Job!

Catch'em on Leno August 9th.

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Look what I found

A live Blue Merle show, featuring Luke Bulla, direct on their official website! Performing live at the Workplay Theatre, Birmingham, AL on 3.25.05

Download Here

Tracks include:
Seeing Through You
Boxcar Racer
If I Could
Every Ship Must Sail Away
Lucky to Know You
Stay
Burning in the Sun
Places
So Lonely
Bittersweet Memory
Either Way it Goes
Space Between the Lines
Made to Run
Psycho Killer
Part of Your History

Blue Merle plays Slim's in San Francisco this 6th of August. An open inviation to anyone interested, let me know!

Live Noise in August:
8.6 - Blue Merle
8.12-14 - SJ Jazz Festival
8.19 - Coldplay
8.24 - Rufus Wainright, the Bens (Folds, Lee)