The McGrath Project releases debut CD signal.com Take a look at an interesting article we found.
Funny how the mind works at times observer.com/ Take a look at an interesting article we found.
John Prine Honors Music and Audience courierpress.com Take a look at an interesting article we found.
In the recent tragedy on K2, the most selfless among them were the Sherpas, who distinguished themselves at every turn and twist of the most treacherous mountain in the world.
 by YvonneEloise |
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 by Conk |
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 by J. Peterman |
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October 28, 2008
I came to him kind of late. I was in a strange place, flipping around the dial in my car radio, trying to find the local jazz station, and I found him. Whiskey voiced, raspy, sounded a little like the Cookie Monster, and I stayed to the end of the tune to get his name. This is the song I heard. It's called "Souvenirs." Here's a part of it.
Broken hearts and dirty windows
Make life difficult to see.
That’s why last night and this morning
always look the same to me.
….And I hate reading old love letters
for they always bring me tears.
I can’t forget the way they robbed me,
of my sweetheart’s souvenirs.
That was about 15 years ago, when I first heard John Prine. Maybe the reason he’s not exactly a household name, (in most households) is he’s impossible to categorize. After over 35 years, folks have almost given up trying. He’s not a Dylan wannabe or someone who wants to sound like Arlo Guthrie. He’s not a lyric writer who wants to be Tom Lehrer. He sounds like no one else, except John Prine and you can find the evidence right here. He wrote this during the Vietnam War.
But your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
They're already overcrowded
From your dirty little war.
Now Jesus don't like killin'
No matter what the reason's for,
And your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
Prine got some people buzzing in 1971 with his debut album, appropriately titled "John Prine." "Twenty-four years old and he writes like he’s two-hundred and twenty," Kristofferson wrote in the liner notes. How does a 24-year-old kid come up with lyrics like: "Ya know, that old trees just grow stronger/And old rivers grow wilder every day/Old people just grow lonesome/Waiting for someone to say/Hello in there/Hello."
He's a mass of contradictions. He's from Chicago and he's got a twang. (Not even from the south side.) Somebody described him as country-folk filtered through electro-acoustic rock. That's probably as good a description as you'll find, and for those who are filing your CD’s, you now know where to slot him.
You know you don’t hear too many decent organ donor songs, and with "Please Don't Bury me," I’d have to put this up there at the top of the list.
Please don't bury me
Down in that cold cold ground
No, Id druther have em cut me up
And pass me all around
Throw my brain in a hurricane
And the blind can have my eyes
And the deaf can take both of my ears
If they don’t mind the size
And just when you think he’s completely demented, you hear a love song about a mismatched couple that makes you say to yourself, “How could he know?”
In spite of ourselves
We'll end up a'sittin' on a rainbow
Against all odds
Honey, we're the big door prize
We're gonna spite our noses
The great ones are storytellers. You don't just listen to the words. You feel them. And those words have a way of hanging on. No matter how hard you try to push them out of your mind.
Who creeps into your brain around three in the morning?
Share the Eye:
My ipod has almost 8,000 songs on it...I have a problem picking favorites and the things that get stuck in my head at 3 am are alwasy the annoying songs like Tom's Diner by Suzanne Vega or The Song That Never Ends from Lamb Chop's Playhouse. That's why I put on Nina Simone or Jackson Brown or if I'm really desperate, Edmundo Ros...but then I have to play something to get the Edmundo Ros out of my head. Its a vicious circle.
What I have found to be a great storytelling album is "Cry Cry Cry" by a temporary group of the same name.
Not exactly the storyteller genre, but Imogen Heap and Lucinda Williams have been on heavy rotation at my house lately.
Any good writer/musician that is worth their salt should be able to paint a picture, even if they don't walk you through the story word for word...whether they are a storyteller or not.
Van Morrison is one that comes to mind, but maybe its because the dirty window line made me think of his song "cleaning windows".
Leonard.Cohen.
Gordon Lightfoot and Jim Croce are good too.
I have to put Gaelic Storm on this list, listen to their original songs and you'll see that Twigger and Pat have a great flair for story telling. Buy them a pint and have it confirmed in person. They aren't soulful or bluesy or country or folksy, but they are fun and can be suprisingly thoughtful for an Irish band that started out as the ceili (party) band in the movie Titanic (we've almost forgiven them for that). My favorite "story" songs of theirs are Mary's Eyes, The Ferryman, Courtin In the Kitchen, Walk Through My Door.
My favorite John Prine moments: I used to be advisor to a fraternity house at the University of Wyoming. Two years running, I choreographed the boys in different John Prine numbers and had them compete in the annual Homecoming Sing, where all the fraternities and other groups put on a good show. WON IT TWO YEARS IN A ROW. Thank you, John Prine, for not having me killed as a result.
Get yourselves over to iTunes and download Vasen's song called Hollo. There's umlauts and other funky Swedish marks in those words, but just do it. 99 cents isn't too much to have a good time. And a group called Enter the Haggis has my currently All Time Favorite brawling tune, "Lancaster Gate". Just go get it, ferchrissakes.
He played here not long ago. Great music but hard to look at, not aging well, like some other critter I glimpse in unwary mirror moments.
Just kidding-I'M bloody fabulous, perhaps it's the lack of sour mash whiskey and crack cocaine or whatever in me life. I manage on rusks and fruit, so I do, and therein lies my youthful radiance.
In times of doubt and dread, I balance the scales with The Pogues, The Clash perhaps for a bit of vinegar, Joni Mitchell and Loreena McKennit. Corinne Bailey Rae and Kate Nash have found their cute wee way into my heart of late. Bill Frisell and a Norleans jazz ensemble known as Astral Project, who just played here at my beloved Afterthought club...
Nachista-Lucinda and Van-inspired choices, dear! Can't go wrong there.
It's early, I'm just noodling.
Am I the only one who finds that, as the years pass, it's harder and harder to get an emotional buzz from music? I used to ascribe this to the fact that it's harder and harder to simply find total silence in a world that seems bent on filling every instant with jingles, tunes, songs, ballads, and a whole army of other tonal arrangements.
Now I'm wondering if the neural paths connected to music simply don't wear out as time goes on.... it all becomes a blur of interestingly complicated and repetititive patterns of tones -- but it is all somehow distant. I guess I'm wondering whether music eventually becomes a lot like those jars one sees in a archeological exhibition in a museum.... real but somehow disconnected from oneself.
The focus here seems to be on LYRICS, which are a form of poetry set to tonal patterns. And there too, is it my twisted retrospective memory, or did poetry seem to affect me more decades ago? ... It's so hard to be sure.
Nonetheless, I still get a small charge when I listen to Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond playing 'Take Five' -- one of my discoveries back when I was a solitary teen. (I think it meant more to me then than now :-/ )
Lucinda is my top choice. I am never less than amazed and fascinated at how someone can take the simplest of words and construct the most meaningful of sentences. She is a goddess. Madeleine Peyroux breaks my heart constantly and I love it. Dylan, Prine, James McMurtry...any man with a scratchy voice and poet's heart. I've recently listened to some Kris Kristofferson, whom a dear friend labelled "a talentless poseur," and found he has a certain genius, as well. br5-49 if you like a little old country music.
Of late, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, have dominated my stereo. An awesome soul band that everyone should at least try.
And the list could go on, and I hope it will, all day. I can't wait to see everyone's choices and learn something. Think how lucky we are to have so much to choose from!
Ignatian said...
Another vote for LUCINDA...her concert here was postponed 2 weeks ago .MARK KNOPFLER is a great songwriter and an even better guitarist.Check out THE RAGPICKER's DREAM.
Shandonista-All very fine choices, all in my music library. SJ & the Dap-Kings are so GOOD! The list is so long, in my mind-decades of wonderful poetic musings set to music, soul-stirring and tear-jerking.
Lovely.
I was stuck in my son's school parking lot this morning waiting for all the crazy parents to finish backing into each other and giving everyone 'the look' that is equivilant to 'the finger' in an elementary parking lot. So I pulled P.E. up on my phone.
I read the title, saw "Broken Hearts" in it, and said, Peterman, you're killing me here.
And then I read this: "flipping around the dial in my car radio" and forgave him.
Even though I would never have been able to read those words in my car (or listen to the John Prine links on my commute) without modern technology, I'm still nostaligic for the old.
Reminded me of my dad and the fuzzy sound of baseball games on AM radio while he cleaned his gun, parked in the middle of pheasant country.
And that reminded me of his Linda Ronstadt and Paul Simon cassettes that I use to hate and now love. Both great storytellers.
Love BR5-49, Mark Knopfler, and Royal Garden Trio.
And Nellie McKay is my latest storytelling favorite.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU446HDtGv8
I'm partial to John Mellencamp and Bruce Springstein.
Gotta love Mr. Prine ( and Iris DeMint's) IN SPITE OF OURSELVES, though JP and I differ on the best parts
She thinks all my jokes are corny,
Convict movies make her horny
She likes ketchup on her scrambled eggs
swears like a sailor when she shaves her legs
And then there's Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian...
Do you suppose John Peterman likes John Prine because they share the same initials?
My vote for Lucinda is a big one. I saw her once in a bar in Charleston, SC and once in the Thos Wolfe auditorium in Asheville, NC. She is amazing, though, like every artist, she has her ups and downs . I hear she doesn't like Car Wheels on a Gravel Road as much as I do, but I like it a LOT. Her Drunken Angel is said to be about Townes Van Zant.
There is a fun quote from Steve Earle, who said that he would stand in his cowboy boots on Bob Dylan's coffee table and say that TVZ was the greatest songwriter in the world. The late Mr. Van Zandt replied that he had seen Bob Dylan's coffee table and he had seen Bob Dylan's bodyguards and he didn't believe Steve would even get close.
Can I put in a shotgun plug here for Van Morrison, the original Commitments soundtrack, all of the people whose songs were covered on that one (Otis Redding), and good old REM? Not so much a storyteller, but a great singer is James Hunter and on and on and on...
Olivia, If you like CBR, do try Amy Winehouse. Even if the loud hollerin isn't good for you, she does a great job with Will you still love me toworrow.
Can we talk about FOOD now?
wt
Here Trask,
Another of my favorite storytellers. A song about broken hearts. . . and food.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpaKL0b4hAI
ha ha Willie. Maybe JP should do another website just dedicated to food?
I was curious if anyone here found it interesting that All well known great singer-songwriters generally chose a solo act with an acoustic instrument as their main weapon of choice. Please prove me wrong!
I feel like if your threw a great lyric behind a growl and a severe bass drum roar or an electic guitar and catchy riff, it wouldn't be taken as seriously. Now I'm a sucker for anything played on a steel set of strings but...
I was wondering if anyone thought folk lyricists chose their instrument. Or did the instrument help create the great folk artist?
I was brought up on Twangy Country Music ~ It's my musical Guilty Pleasure & I make no excuses for it. I was brought up listening to the "True Storytelling Artists" and I still Love all of them. Jon Prine wasn't a major presence but he showed up every once in a while. I know by heart most of the songs by Pastsy Cline, Jim Reeves,Dolly Parton, Marty Robbins, Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn, Goerge Jones, Tammy Wynette, Stalet Bros, & Oak Ridge Boys, & I can still sing along with 90% of Johnny Hortons Greatest Hits album. Along with the ABSOLUTE Great Ones, Hank Williams & his son, Waylon, Willie & the Boys & of course Cash himself.
The old song writers & singers were the best storytellers ever. When Willie Sings Hello Walls & Blues Eyes, you hear with absolute belief the pain in his words. Of course one of my favorite Honkey Tonk singer Songwriters was/is Farron Young.
There's nothing like a good song to make you sit up notice & feel the emotions presented. But it also takes a person with a great insights on life to translate feelings into words & music.
For the past few years I have been in LOVE with Shootr Jennings music, based in his fathers roots but with an added southern rock kick. It really is updated yet takes me back to the days when my parents always had on the country station & we watched the Mandrell Sisters on Saturday nights....
Dutchman said...
Always been partial to the Bellamy Brothers, myself. With one of the all time lyrics..."If I said you had a beautiful body would you hold it against me? You could probably find it on the utube. Perhaps, JP thought that part of ...In Spite of Ourselves, would be too delicate for our sensitive ears...but he did fortunately provide the link.
Today is dreary, cold, cloudy and wet. The kind of day that can easily lend itself to less than cheery thoughts and teary eyes...So, upon seeing that our topic is entitled "Broken Hearts and Dirty Windows", I knew I was in real trouble.
Tom Paxton comes to my mind when thinking of this genre of music. His emotional pabulum runs from serious to silly. The rainy weather conjured up thoughts of his "The Things I Notice Now"-
Rained again last night. Streets are slowly drying.
Sunlight's not too bright. I don't believe it's trying.
I never used to care. It wouldn't cross my mind.
You'd be surprised, the things I notice now.
The mailman's overdue. Man upstairs is typin'.
My neighbor's has the flu. And his wife has started gripin'.
I never used to care. It wouldn't cross my mind.
You'd be surprised, the things I notice now.
I'm sittin' in the window seat, just watchin' my day walk by.
There's a lot of people I should meet, if I could find a reason why.
There's a whole lot of things, I oughta get up and do,
Like finding you!
Mornin' streets are jammed. Taxi driver's swearin'.
I think his rage is shammed. He looks like he's past carin'.
I never used to care. It wouldn't cross my mind.
You'd be surprised, the things I notice now.
I'm going to get myself in line. I'm gonna get a hold on things.
I'm probably going to be just fine. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
There's a whole lot of things, I've gotta get up and do.
Like finding you!
Rained again last night. Streets are slowly drying.
Sunlight's not too bright. I don't believe it's trying.
I never used to care. It wouldn't cross my mind.
You'd be surprised, the things I notice now.
Then there's "Last Thing on My Mind", "Ramblin' Boy", "All Night Long", "The Iron Man", etc...Nothing from his comical side is coming to my mind and now I'm really depressed. Not that I don't appreciate this type of music but rarely do I find myself in such a melancholy mood anymore to listen to lyrics of this sort - back in college at 2am was a different time and place. I think I'd better just go and sit in the "Time Out" (Brubeck) chair and think happy thoughts.
Dutchman said...
It's a good day for putting a little Bill Evans on, listening to a few ballads, with a pint of something or other. Or if you really want to get depressed, Kindlee, listen to Sinatra and some"prehistoric" lyrics, like...
"MAYBE I should have saved Those leftover dreams...Funny But here's that rainy day
Here's that rainy day They told me about And I laughed at the thought
That it might turn out this way... Where is that worn out wish That I threw aside...
I want to add Carol King, Simon & Garfunkel, and Norah Jones.
Olivia, you and I have VERY similar tastes. I see your Clash and I raise you The Ramones, Patti Smithe, The 101ers, The Kinks, and the New York Dolls.
Jonathan...LUFF that you added Enter The Haggis, do you like Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys as well?
Noooo. I must think happy thoughts...happy thoughts...
Tapping toes to "Blue Rondo a la Turk" right now...
Rain, rain, go away...
LUFF the Flogging Molly ~ never heard of Dropkick Murphys though will have to check them out.
The Ramones, Hmm Seem to listen to Pinhead a lot while at works, wondering if ita a sign?...
Kindlee, listen to "Politcal Science" by Randy Newman and you can't help but smiling in spite of the rain, its just a funny song.
Rings I like twangy country too, country is all about stories...mostly sad stories, but still.
Reading about Flogging Molly not only reminded me of my daughter, whose name is Molly, but also a local kid's band led by a singer named Molly. Lunch Money is the name of the band and while my daughte enjoys the music, I'm the real fan in the house. To be found on the web, if you're in need of a terrific kid's gift. I like the Caboose song...
I'd like to introduce the caboose
Last in line
Red like a stop sign
The train doesn't get to vamoose
Until it's alright with the caboose
Right on, Willie, with Amy Winehouse. Love her, but wish my daughter hadn't seen the song title F*&^ Me Pumps on the Cd case. I have to be careful where I leave it now.
And now, can I expose just how impressionable I am.....I first heard this in the movie Shine about piano prodigy David Helfgot......Rachmaninov's Concerto No. 3 in D Minor. The erotic intensity is, well, um, must be experienced. Try pianist Evgeny Kissin. Must. Go. Listen.
nachista, I promise to listen to it as soon as my "Time out" is over with...Everybody's Jumpin' right now :)
Runrig, LUFF Runrig, check them out.
nachista, I read the lyrics....found it to be funny, and a bit sad, at the same time. You mentioned Carole King. I still have her vinyl lp Tapestry, in my basement. Used to play it a lot in college (I'm so dating myself here); as well as Harry Chapin and his albums Heads & Tails and Sniper and Other Love Songs. Ever listened to: "Taxi", "Sniper", or "A Better Place to be"?
This morning, approaching a tollgate, I heard a poem on NPR... and I didn't get the name (dang!). But I did get the URL... http://www.poetryfoundation.org/journal/features.html .If the part of music without the tonal stuff (i.e. the lyrics) have value, I wonder if perhaps I can find a few nuggets of words worth reading on a poetry site... lyrics without the distracting violins, pianos, guitars, snare drums in the background. And words without voices let you concentrate on the subtle shadings. Voices are way too revealing (as I've discussed without agreement with Olivia). The voice is a window into the soul, but NOT seeing into other people's souls is sometimes to be preferred. (I don't expect much agreement here, but if absence makes the heart grow fonder, why seek presence?)
There are exceptions. Once in a while, voices can enchant... Karrin Allison comes to mind.
Jaimelynn said...
I am sorry, miss ive will be the first to attest to the depth of my music library but i have to say after reading all of the "underground" artist name dropping... yeah i am just going to come out and say it... I like the pussycat dolls!!... there I said it and before you scoff, oooh you know you all have heard "when i grow up" and had to at least bob your heads a little????... admit it, its cathartic! come on lets all talk about our "dirty little secrets hidden in our playlists under code names like; "Beethoven" or "Lizst"... do it, it feels good...
OKAY, here is one who tends to have a full band behind him, and is an amazing storyteller:
Robert Earl Ken. He wrote THE ROAD GOES ON FOREVER ( And the Party Never Ends)
And it does/ don't...
See y'all
WT
Doc Nolan, Sometimes I think those distracting instruments in the background often act like a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. It all depends upon the subject of the lyrics, of course. Overall, I'd have to say that I usually prefer to read poetry and listen to instrumental-only jazz or classical music. I find it's the vocals that can be distracting (to me) in the background.
Has anyone said Tom Waits?
Tom Waits.
Ignatian said...
Kindlee....thanks for the Harry Chapin reminder...did you know he wrote "30,000 POUNDS OF BANANAS " for Johnny Cash ?
Doc Nolan,
I was lucky enough, as a kid, to take in "Take Five" live at a local "Opera House" long after the place had lost its grandness, before it became a porn venue and was subsequently restored.
Brubeck, in a town the size of ours, was an event and my opinion of a lot of people was enhanced by virtue of their having been seen there that night.
I'm with you on the rarity and value of quiet- most especially in an election year.
This morning a played out real human called seeking to know my presidential preference. She so badly bungled her question about which guy I would more enjoy having a beer and a visit with, that she left out their names.
"Hoagy Carmichael", I answered and we amused each other with a pretty pitiful rendition of: "Old Buttermilk Sky."
MissIve,
A.m. baseball, pheasants, shotguns And Linda Ronstadt!?
I'm transported.
Thank you
And yes, Tom Waits- "In The Neighborhood,"
I love its Salvation Army band quality.
TOM WAITS!!! Missive how could I leave him out? He is awesome, I'm still waiting to see him live.
JaimeLynne I will not judge you for Pussycat Dolls if you won't judge me for Pink, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, and Fergie.
I really like a bluegrass/country group called Nickel Creek, their version of the Robert Burns poem "Sweet Afton" is one of my all time favorite songs. Also really like their song "Doubting Thomas".
You mean I can hide my guilty musical pleasures lsitings in MP3 under REAL Live Cultural Musicians names? Hmm NEVER thought of that... what a great idea.
Late last year I was introduced to Edith Piaf, someone I speak with had seen the film at a preview & was enchanted by it & the music, told me to listen. LOVE IT I Now have MP3 LOADED with her music. I walk around singing Padam Padam ALL the time.. Do believe its begining to drive DH & the dogs CRAZY....
Ignatian, What a totally fun song that was! The very first time I heard Chapin sing it was on the radio, late at night, while my boyfriend (later to be husband) and I were actually driving on the Penn Turnpike. By the time he got to the line "...yes, there were 30 thousand pounds of mashed bananas..." we were laughing to the point of tears and couldn't wait to hear it again!
Doc,
"if absence makes the heart grow fonder, why seek presence?"
Absence cannot exist if something wasn't first present. Right?
Mr. Peterman,
Lots of things go through my mind at three am, but never song lyrics. I don't think. Interesting.
Music
is always a 'sound track' in my life. I don't really understand
concerts, to be honest. I can't sit still that long. I have music
playing constantly, but always in the background. Even if it's only
backing up my nap.
I know some people love to watch music. My
husband is a musician. A very talented guitar player, actually. I met
him backstage. He shook my hand when we were introduced. That impressed
me.
He sits for hours watching Pat Metheny play his guitar. He
loops it and watches it again and again. I like to watch him do it, but
I don't get it. That's okay, though.
Me: What are you watching?
Him: The way he plays the chords. The way his fingers move. The whole thing.
Me: Oh.
i love to hear him play. He plays
while I write. Sometimes, I don't even notice he's playing until he
stops. It breaks my trance.
Have no idea what this has to do with anything.
Dutchman said...
Doc, you can't really have a discussion about Brubeck without mentioning Paul Desmond, who made Brubeck's blocky chords, and strange rhythms...4/3? sing. Desmond was one of the best alto sax players..ever..even Bird couldn't touch his tone. Okay, Paul can rest in peace now.
Brubeck can't really compare with Oscar Peterson or certainly Art Tatum, or even Phineas Newborn, but he is unique...and memories are memories.
Storytelling musical artists? Hmmm...Jimmy Buffet!!!!! (Wasting Away in Margaritaville)
Honorable mention go to: Otis Redding, John Mellancamp, Frank Sinatra and Paul Anka.
In my youth, I often described storytelling songs as "falling off the barstool music". Usually containing a message of heartbreak or oppression. I prefer light-hearted and honest words that create a "feel good mood". Chris de Burgh's "Lady in Red" and Rupert Holmes "Escape".
Jaimelynn said...
Nachista, no judgement here!! you rock!!
It seems that everyone is talking about songs that have a specific story to them but what about songs that are equivalent to the classic "choose your own adventure" books?? Songs w/o lyrics, i believe can tell a much better story, because it is your story. Kind of like reading a book versus watching the movie...book is ALWAYS better. Off the top of my head..."another you, another me" by Zamphir (pan flute) or "Braveheart" soundtrack, (James Horner & London symphony orchestra)... these songs are some of the best stories I have ever heard but I can't even tell you how they go...
Jaim!
So glad you're on here. Nobody will doubt that we are blood related now that you've brought Pussycat Dolls onto the day's discussion. Giggling.
And I DO have to say, that when I run to "Dont cha" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O02ab11T8o4)
I'm always pleasantly surprised by their emphasis on fidelity and family values:
"Fight the feeling. Leave it alone. If it ain't love, it just ain't enough to leave a happy home."
Makes me feel all warm inside. And wholesome. Luff them.
Seriously,
What about Eminem? Fantastic storyteller. Makes me cry everytime I hear 'Cleaning out my closet.'
Speaking of soundtracks and iPods Jaimelynn,
Remember the half marathon that I got of from being very knocked up and I loaded my iPod for you to take and keep you company?
I remember when you sprinted (crawled) across the finish line and hugged (held yourself up on) me and said, "Who sings that first song? WHO? It could be the soundtrack to my life!"
It was Modest Mouse, Float On.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Vzrfkg-HY
MackDaddy,
Love Buffet. Always makes me think of tailgating and high school. And Mad Dog, orange flavored.
Nachista,
You know how I feel about Pink. Girl! *Fists to chest—two good taps*
Was never a Dead Head, but I do love the song Scarlet Begonias. Am not a fan of actual begonias, though. They're waxy and a bit creepy. I always wondered why Hunter chose begonias for the lyric.
Missive when I get around to running I use a playlist that isn't necessarily energizing or motivating. The playlist has songs on it that make me nostalgic and think of other times and places. I find that if my mind is off wandering in the past that I can run farther and at a faster pace. If I start out with something fast and pumping I usually end up sprinting to the time of the music and am winded by the third song of the set. Same thing happens on the treadmill, if I can watch a tv (doesn't matter whats playing) I always go longer and faster than if I'm listening to the music at the gym or home.
For me books on tape are good for running too. I love hearing a story read outloud.
Nachista!
I often run to podcasts. Fresh Air, Car Talk, Prairie Home Companion. . .
And much of my music is slow and nostaligic. Love the soundrack to Once. Haunting.
I do run to fast music when I need it, uphill, etc. It often results in pulled muscles or torn-up shoulders, though! You've seen the pics as proof.
Anyone ever hear of Over the Rhine? They named their first album after a C.S. Lewis book. They started doing Christian music, but not in the way would traditionally hear on Christian radio. It's very bluesy and acoustic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpZhmv1g5WQ
Their newer stuff is awesome, too.
One of my dear friends in grad school, who is now chasing down her PhD at Boston U, introduced me. She and I were the only ones in our gradutating class stupid enough to maintain Faith, even with all the evidence to the contrary. Love Lewis. Very silly girls, we are. Obviously Boston University doesn't know what they're doing, giving her a full ride and all.
Great band.
Someone mentioned Harry Chapin's song 'Taxi'.... wow, does that ever sum up a lot of my past relationships! (What ever happened to you, Sharon Long, Louise McQuiston, and the dozens of 'others' who left me behind to find success... I hope you all got rich and famous and -- on the side -- a bit of happiness, too...)
I enjoy the NPR podcasts too, Saturdays are usually busy and thats when the best NPR programs are on, so I miss them.
I've given up on work today. Taking a Peterman day.
This one is good, too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwB3Ebra818
Hey, does anyone else like Billy Bragg?
Otis Redding!! Dock Of The Bay... I must have put a few double sawbucks into the college jukebox (at 25 cents a play) listening to that... it summarized my feelings about my last year in college, with Spain behind me and Vietnam (I thought) ahead of me. I memorized the lyrics, and can still remember the melancholy feelings as I sat (alone) in cold, snowy, damp Western Pennsylvania -- waiting. And waiting. Watching the tide of time roll in and watching the hours roll away again.... [Life turned out a lot better than I ever dreamed it would... if someone were then to have told me I'd survive more than a decade more, I'd have laughed at them in those days!] Yeah, Otis Redding..... wow!
Jaimelynn said...
Miss ive, yup, float on...chills on the back of my neck to this very day when it comes on...and yes, fast music is lethal to a good run, it gets the brain and the ego to "write checks that your body can't cash"
Leonard Cohen, Hallelujah
Goosebumps. Enough to convert anyone.
Right, Agent666?
Olivia, ipod is on random and Pogues "Love You Til The End" just came on.
I'm partial to LC's "Suzanne", but maybe its because that's my name.
I've posted some jewelry options on my blog for the Ball. Yes, I am the most indecisive person in the world.
I guess my age is showing reference my original response to this subject. As I have said before I love different genres of music. Not sure if these artists would fit into today's topic, but I do enjoy music by Linkin Park, The Foofighters, and yes, The Pussycat Dolls! I guess you could say I am just an old foggy trying to be hip. I sometimes think of myself as a real-life Peter Pan. I don't want to grow up. In fact, just the other day I told a young co-worker that I wanted to be a great adventurer when I grow up. She just peered back at me with a totally blank and confused stare! Music is an escape and allows us to be or feel in wayd that we wouldn't normally. I can be young, old, romantic, crazy, soft, rowdy, sad, sexy, patriotic, religious, and the list goes on and on. Love it! I can boldly go where I normally would not dare. This is a funny story, please do not judge me too harshly, but I have to share this with you. One day my husband unexpectedly came home for lunch and I was vacumning the living room... scantily dressed...(sort of) singing and vacuming quite happily to the song "Celebrate". I thought he was going to have me taken away to the funny farm. He doesn't know it, but I still do it. I just make sure he's not coming home first.
http://nachista.blogspot.com/
Mackdaddy, my husband has learned not to come in the kitchen when I've got loud music on...very small kitchen+me dancing=injury for any third party. Its ok when I've got Turkish pop on and I'm using the counter like a ballet bar to practise my layered shimmies.
Rufus Wainwright.
Love his Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6N0sNMKFO4
So dark for such a fun title.
Missive I love RW's "Complaint de la Butte", heard that on the Moulin Rouge soundtrack and had to get more RW music.
Sting, he kind of fits into this category, right?
Nachista: I have to agree with you on Gaelic Storm. I got to see them at a street fair, and I have never had so much fun in my LIFE!!! But I have to disagree with your choices of best songs :P I'd have to go with "Kiss me, I'm Irish" and "The Night I Punched Russell Crowe" (I think that's the title, it's on the latest CD).
Nachista!
Just came from your site. http://nachista.blogspot.com/
Am embarrassed to admit I can't spot the J. Peterman piece? Tell.
My vote:
The antique purse, hell yes.
The pin in hair, hell yes.
Grandmother's earrings, hell yes.
Watch? At a ball? Dude, unless you have a pumpkin situation going down at midnight, watches are not for balls. Sends the wrong message to the guy bringing you drinks, if ya know what I mean. Wink, wink. No watch. Hell no.
As far as bracelet and necklace, I'm a minimalist. The bag will sparkle. Your dress has a broach-like piece of bling at the waist and sparkles on the bodice, I would skip necklace and bracelet. Just me.
Which is the Peterman piece? Oh, you need the fancy mask he had this summer. Luffed that.
Unrelated and an admission that I would not care to make at the dog park but:
When our old Gordon Setter was having one of his annoyingly needy days and I having exhausted all of my tricks to make him happy, had finally given up, I would resort to "The Pearl Fisher's" duet and he would take off head down for the back yard to lie in the sun.
He'd been gone for years when it dawned on me that I could listen to it on a day when the weather was nasty- without guilt.
CoyoteMike, they are great songs too. I love all their music. "The Night I Punched Russell Crowe" is a true story, and listening to Pat tell full story in person is much better than the song. Actually listening to a former band member, Stevie Wehmeyer, is the best experience. Stevie is a natural born story teller. Their concerts are a big, dancing, sing a long party...brilliant craic.
Missive its the black ribbon choker with the crystals.
Anyone like Patrick Park? He has an amazing voice and a great sense of story to his songs. Try listening to "Something Pretty".
I think Death Cab For Cutie could fit into this category as well. I can never hear "I will follow you into the dark" enough.
Alrighty ~ Have to admit now that I'm a little freaked out ~ Miss Ive & I are almost in total agreement with what Nachista should wear to compliment her Ball outfit.... Also Nachista I'm getting around to addressing your tag ~ I Promise.....
Whats good music to listen to when you have to sped your nite trying on Bridesmaids gowns? Just wondering....
I love mostly who everyone is listing & curious about the ones I don't know but I have to throw in the locally grown talent of Eli Mattson. Who used to play at my GF's bookshop/coffee house for free.....
MACKDADDY1, Great story! I prefer rock 'n roll with my housework! There certainly is music for every mood and occasion.
After reading all these postings, it seems that we mostly remember a song writer/singer primarily for specific songs that seem to speak directly to our own hearts; associating, with that song, a meaningful time, place, person or event, in our lives. Do the songs make those moments so much more than just a memory because they also call up all the emotions we were experiencing at the time?
Stoney, If I want my cat to keep me company, the music has to be jazz, and not too loud. If it's rock 'n roll, she'll move to the next room. Classical and she hides in the closet!
Jaimelynn said...
Kindlee, i see what you are saying, they say that scent is the sense most attached to memory but a well picked and placed song is right up there...
Rings I might I suggest Missive's current favorite song "So What' by Pink. I sympathise, good luck and god speed with the dress shopping. Take sunglasses if the bride is going to be trying on wedding gowns, it will help prevent snowblindness from all the white. Oh and take a flask...that might help too.
Jaimelynn said...
I don't know about anyone else,but all this talk of music today is doing wonders for my "cutting down on my itunes purchases" goal!! lots of sarcasim
MissIve wrote:
"Leonard Cohen, Hallelujah
Goosebumps. Enough to convert anyone.
Right, Agent666?"
Convert me to what? I've heard of Leonard, but when it comes to Cohen, I prefer the brothers Cohen and their films.
Rings, here are some suggestions for shopping playlist,
"Keeps Gettin' Better" by Christina Aguilera, "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand, "When I Grow Up" by Garbage, "Black Betty" by RamJam, "The Wedding Samba" by Edmundo Ros, "Sumthin Sumthin" by Seven Nations, "Born To Be A Bachelor" by Gaelic Storm, "American Girl" by Tom Petty, "Ball and Chain" by Social Distortion, "Walt This Way" by Aerosmith, "Barbie Girl" by Aqua, and the whole soundtrack to Mamma Mia.
Oh forgot to put some Grechyn Wilson on there..."Redneck Woman" and "I'm here for the party"
Jaimelynn said...
Van Morrison's these are the days, everyone go get it!
Nachista! Luff Franz Ferdinand. And I DO run to"Take me Out." And it DOES make me cash checks with my ego that my body can't cash, as Jaimelynn so eloquently stated.
And I was so going to tell Rings to listen to my Pink song, too. Don't you want to head bash someone in a bridesmaid dress? Dontcha?
Agent666,
I only picked you out because of your monicker. Nothing personal. Really. Was playing with the Hallelujah and conversion theme. Joking. Am not in the conversion business.
I too love the Coen brothers. But I think that either they or McCarthy (have not yet read No Country, so cannot be sure from whence the 'rip off' took place, in book or screenplay) stole blatantly from Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find.
Have you read her short story? Great Southern Gothic. Anyway, the part in the Coen movie where the Mexican man reaches into the cab to help the old windbag mother-in-law out and she says something about, "never seeing a Mexican in a suit," is practically straight out of O'Connor. Too much to be coincidence, especially with both Coens and McCarthy being such fans of the Southern Gothic. They've read it. I'm sure.
And now. . . I'm on rant.
Did anybody remember Ride On . . . quite possibly the best Celtic song ever? :)
CoyoteMike thanks for "Ride On" I love Christy Moore. You should watch this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1-BLnRN-oI
Thats one of the funniest songs GS has ever done live and they don't do it anymore.
William-Amy's on the table right by CBR F**k Me Pumps-one of my favorites!. They alternate when I'm IN THE MOOD, so to speak...and Tom Waits, too, Missy! And Randy Newman definitely.
Nachista, I'll go with your play plus Chris Whitley-amazing! Adonis with a Danelectro... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRSJgx9cfU4&feature=related), The Stooges, The Waterboys, Mark Bolan and T. Rex (so underrated), Tonio K, MC5, Joan Jett, Sam Phillips (SHE, not the record guy in Memphis), Oingo Boingo, Velvet Underground, B-52s, Blue Oyster Cult, Police, Trapeze, Deep Purple, The Move, Franz Ferdinand, Fountains of Wayne (Stacy's Mom-YAY! Remember that day we talked about pole dancing? Here's Rachel Hunter giving a clinic... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVJmwYKy7eM), Tom Cochrane (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCPbL4yA7ik). I DEFY anyone to hold still during this tune!
Guilty pleasures? Led Zeppelin, anything by them. and Pink-Get the Party Started (just ONE chord!), and Who Let the Dogs Out by whoever ('member in MIB II, the dog singing along? Hilarious!)
Next I'll veer off into jazz-I mentioned Bill Frisell. If you haven't heard his Floratone yet, you are SO missing out! And Miles, and Thelonious, and Bill Evans and Trane and Bird omg.
Mozart and Bach and Prokofiev, Casals and Yoyo Ma.
Hmmm-Suzanne, Jennifer, and Olivia, the Girls of NPR. I like it. Suze-NO WATCH, I'm with Jen. Definitely sends the wrong message. Just lick his ear and whisper when you're ready to go-works every time...
It's exhausting, and I've only just scratched the surface!
OMG I forgot The White Stripes!!!
And The Black Keys!!!
Olivia my ipod docking alarm clock wakes me up to "Bang a Gong" every morning, followed by "Worst Day Since Yesterday" by Flogging Molly. Question...do you like the Yard Birds?
White Stripes "Icky Thump" that's one that will stick in your head for days.
Mike-Ride On IS good, but my vote for greatest Celtic is Witch of the Westmoreland by Archie Fisher. Oh, wait-Fairytale of New York and Dirty Old Town from the Pogues, the Auld Triangle by Brendan Behan. Anything from Moving Hearts.
Here we go again...
Missy-your O'Connor reference made me think of that tune, A Hard Man is Good To Find. Can't imagine why...
Nachista: What's cookin'? Knives and rock and roll probably don't mix. But the kitchen is putting ideas in my head! (giggle!) Also, agree with Miss Ive about the accessories. Hey...I figured it was the choker. Kindlee: Rock seems to be the music du jour while cleaning the house. I have always put on motown or R & B, but will give classic rock a try next time (Stones or maybe Pink Floyd). ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS?
MackDaddy,
Do you know White Stripes? Try Seven Nation Army. You would LOVE cooking to that song. Or dusting. It's a great dusting song.
I'm partial to them cuz of their D-town roots. Meg use to tend bar down the street from where I waited tables and across the street from where we're hosting the our film 'premiere.' She and Jack would play on their live music nights after she got off.
Play this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j7huh5Egew
Olivia,
When I read: Just lick his ear and whisper when you're ready to go. . .
I thought, now there's a good couple of lyrics for ya!
Is there really a song called "A Hard Man is Good To Find?"
Suze-Yardbirds are the bomb, baby. First place Eric, Jeff, and Jimmy really got to kick it out. Can you imagine Jimmy Page AND Jeff Beck playing in the same band. Must have been mind-boggling...
I always do housework to either R&B or LZ-heavy rock. Gets the motivator going, my mojo working...and my cardio done, cos I GOTTA DANCE!
Jen-Yes there is. Also a t-shirt, a book with that title, and Mae West's original quote. Can't remember who did the tune.
Seven Nation Army-oh yes.
Luff Hotel Yorba ~ Never heard of white Stripes until I watched Veronica Mars... Then I fell in LUFF, their cover of Jolene is haunting....
Listening to Ram Jam right now, very interesting, will have to add them to the MP3 for when I take road/train trips..... Grabbing sunglasses also thanks for the insight Nachista..
How about Beck? E-Pro Quando? "Stop talking trash to the garbage around you." Love that
And Arcade Fire. They tell a mean story.
This is just a free-for-all at this point, right?
Jen-A free-for-all...was it ever otherwise? I didn't get the memo, if so...
Ok, now that I'm there, I want to know why everyone ELSE here doesn't have a profile pic in JP clothes? Self-righteous indignation, oh yes.
MACKDADDY1,
I just have to tell you that your earlier post also made me laugh when you commented "...my age is showing...I don't want to grow up...just an old fogey trying to fit in..." followed by references to Linkin Park and Foofighters. All my children were born in the decade before the formation of Linkin Park, I was married in the decade before that, and I haven't grown up, yet. Somehow, I've always viewed growing up as being somewhat the equivalent of turning to the Dark Side of the Force. When I turned 50, my mother sent me this quote about middle-aged women: "Everything that makes life worth living for me is either turning gray, drying up, or leaving home." Well then I say thank goodness for hair dye, lotions, and travel! So, please take heart, for even if the body grows old, our minds, hearts, and spirits never have to follow! I'm sure there must be a song for that; there is for everything else.
MACKDADDY1, Yes, the Stones are good for washing floors ;) I usually don't play Pink Floyd, though, because their sound effects always make me think something has gone mechanically wrong with with the vacuum, clothes washer, etc...
I apologize. It is Robert Earl Keen, with a long E, no relation to Ken the Doll.
And I have waited and waiteds, but nobody has mentioned
RICHARD THOMPSON. 1952 Vincent BLACK LIGHTNING.
nothing, but nothing touches it.
Of course, nopbody mentioned Warren Z's music either, mnuch of which is great storytelling. You can skip past the obvious ( Werewolves of London and Excitable Boy and even Poor Poor Pitiful Me, which he wrote) and go straight to
Roland the headless Thomson Gunner.
If it gets better than that, I want to know.
See y'all
WT
Cottage cheese
Bandaged knees
Big hats
Stray cats
Moonless nights
Mini lights
Leaky taps
Unfolded maps
Cell phones
Fish bones
Tattoos
Red shoes
Rain delays
Relish trays
Yappy dogs
Road hogs
Pistripes
Bagpipes
A small sampling of a long, very long, list of seeming non sequiturs chanted or maybe it was intoned by the late great Doc Bellows.
In his nineties, he was no longer able look back with fondness on his long and marvelous past without being overtaken by crushing sadness.
Unwilling to "Go gentle," he decided to go pam-ing instead and composed a set of items detailing almost everything he abhorred, detested or disliked.
It could have been described as endless save for the fact that when he got to:
Rainy days
And Billy Mays
He was done for that day.
He kept at it long after he had lost either the ability or willingness to communicate with his caregivers.
When a local musician, a lumpy guy named Kurt, used some of the list as a chorus for a song he had written, he was criticized and made to stop. But I liked it.
Bubba said...
John Prine chorus that's been going through my head often of late:
That's the way that the world goes round.
One day up and the next you're down.
It's a half an inch of water and you think you're gonna drown.
That's the way that the world goes round.
And a reccommendation for those who have mentioned Mark Knopfler. Check out Tugores, a sublime Spanish guitarist whose latest record is a Knopler tribute:
http://www.emusic.com/album/Imatges-de-Knopfler-A-Mark-Knopfler-tribute-Imatges-de-Knopfler-A-Mark-Knopfler-tribute-MP3-Download/11212513.html
MACKDADDY1, I've always liked Deep Purple "Smoke on the Water" for attacking dust bunnies!
Kindlee your post about songs speaking to our hearts is so right on. In the early 90's I worked for a country Music radio station ~ Once a week we got a shipmnet of "new" music in that we all had to choose whether or not to put into the air rotation. The Program Director came out of his office, yelld for the Music Director & I to follow him to the studio. We sat down & he played George Strait's newest single it was the remake of Vern Gosdin's "The Day My World Slipped Away." OMG the emotions & chills I had at the moment were unmatched. It was like my own heart was breaking along with the singers. Everytime I hear either version of the song I am taken back to that little studio listening to this song with 2 guys that I never knew had actual "feelings" until that day. Let's just say there were reasons why the PD wanted the MD & I to hear that particular song at the same time, but that's a story for a totally different Peterman topic that may be discussed in the future......
more on the honor rollEmoryLane said...
HANSON. I know what you're thinking, so please try to dismiss the fact that they released "MmmBop" 10 years ago. Fast forward to now...they're amazing! Yes, I said it.
I highly recommend their albums "Underneath" and "The Walk"...their current album is actually benefitting African children with HIV. So back on topic, Hanson is what is always on my mind, especially at 3 in the morning.
Just take my word for it- you won't be disappointed!
Thanks for the great suggestions. Kindlee: you are right Deep Purple is awesome. Very good suggestion!
Miss Ive: don't know White Stripes, but intend on checking them out when I get home tonight. I intend to use all of these scientific and carefully thought out suggestions. Look out Tom Cruise: Granny is gonna do some good ole rock and roll next time she mops the wood floors!
rings90, It's amazing how hearing a certain song can make us flashback to one moment in time. I'd heard that radio stations could make or break a song/singer by deciding whether or not to play the music on air. How was the decision made as to air worthiness?
EmoryLane, Welcome. I promise not to judge until I've listened.
Mackdaddy...try 'Chicky" by Oojami from his album "bellydance breakbeats" for busting throuh the bathroom cleaning duties.
Mackdaddy, also "Song 2" by blur is excellent to crank up while you are vacuuming or scrubbing.
Any good "air guitar" music will work for mundane chores!
...also the "Horrorscope" album by Eve 6..
nachista, I've just listened to Chicky. I will definitely try it next time I'm cleaning the bathroom but, I'll play it safe, like MACKDADDY1, and make sure my husband won't be coming home!