Don’t ask me why I obsessively look to rock ’n’ roll bands for some kind of model for a better society. I guess it’s just that I glimpsed something beautiful in a flashbulb moment once, and perhaps mistaking it for prophecy have been seeking its fulfillment ever since.
- Lester Bangs
A small, but enthusiastic crowd gathered in one of my favorite Los Angeles venues for a little mid week indie rock. Some of the hipster crowd was thankfully siphoned off by the Battles show taking place at the same time at the Music Box, and probably even some of the bigger Ted Leo fans were waiting until Wednesday and Thursday night when Ted and company are playing as an opening act for The Pogues.
Washington D.C.'s 'ShortStack' opened the festivities. I liked these guys a lot. The featured a stand up bass and a lot steel pedal guitar. They bookended their set with two killer covers, opening with The Kinks "Nothing In This World Can Stop Me From Worrin' Bout That Girl" and finishing with a rousing version of CCR's 'Swithcback Ride.' A band I will keep my eye and ear out for in the future. Next up was Quasi. They were interesting, and never dull, and definitely hit the stage with a ton of energy. Well two thirds of them did, the bass player may have been a robot...or a cardboard cutout, I am not sure if I saw her move 6 inches all night! But I digress. Every time I started to get into a song, they would take off in some extended instrumental jam that wanted to be Sonic Youth but sounded more like kids clamoring away in their parents basement. Not horrible, just a little too ambitious I thought. Ted Leo gives some of the best banter in rock n roll and he was on top of his game again last night. This was the 4th time I have seen them since their latest record 'Living With The Living' came out, so I know they have been on the road for what has to feel like ever, but you wouldn't know it from the energy exuded from the stage at the El Rey Theater on Tuesday night. They played most of the latest disc, as well as Leo fan favorites 'Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone', 'Me And Mia', 'Counting Down The Hours'...but the highlight for me was his inspired cover of Daft Punk's One More Time! Totally rockin' version of a great song! An excellent night of music indeed.
OK. Once is bad, but it could just be a pathetic one time happening. Twice, and I see a pattern developing. So I am using today's edition as a sort of public service announcement. Here is another failed groupie, a lesbian this time, using craigslist to communicate their obsession for a rock star. Isn't that what myspace is for? You fools are taking up valuable space for the rest of us, the non-rock star portion of the population who desperately peruse the missed connections every day to see if today is our big day. Please in the future, let's keep the missed connections section as it was intended to be, a stalking tool for average joes.
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Tegan and Sara Show 10.29.07 - w4w - 27
Sara, I saw you perform at the Orpheum 10.29.07 and waited for you in the alley after the show. I told you, "You're so hot," but I think I embarassed myself as well as you. I meant so say that you are an awesome performer and that I'm a really big fan. But flustered at seeing you so close and in person for the first time, all I could get out was a very creepy "You're so hot." I still think you're hot as a mofo, but I think you're an even better musician. Plus, you have great style. Sorry if I embarassed you.
Ever here a song or a band for the first time and, against your better judgement, you fall in love with the sound anyway? That is the trick that 'New Young Pony Club' played on me.
After stumbling across their youtube video for the single 'Ice Cream' I was hooked, but hooked with that guilty feeling. The song is SO catchy and the band looks SO over the top that it had to be a fluke right? I mean the rest of the album was going to be horrible, right?(Anyone remember Chumbawamba?)
Wrong. I forced myself to spin the entire disc, titled 'Fantastic Playroom', and it is a blast. Just a great record...i was blown away by how much I like it...which is really starting to help erase that 'guilty pleasure' label I had stuck on these guys.
Now I will put this song in your head...for hours...i apologize in advance, it's just THAT infectious.
I decided to change the 'Songs That Never Get Old' posts into these...just because 'Songs In The Key Of Life' will look SO much better on the t-shirts and bumper stickers once I get the chance to sell out!
This song is, in my humble opinion, one of the finest pop songs ever written. I have heard probably 15 version of it and liked almost all of them. FUN FACT: This is the only song in my drunken karaoke repertoire that has a female vocalist...and sometimes I am TOO drunk and forget to change the song to a guy's perspective, which can be a problem depending on the neighborhood I am in, but I digress...
You and I travel to the beat of a different drum Oh can't you tell by the way I run Every time you make eyes at me Wo-oh
You cry and moan and say it will work out But honey child I've got my doubts You can't see the forest for the trees
Oh don't get me wrong It's not that I knock it It's just that I am not in the market For a boy who wants to love only me
Yes, and I ain't saying you ain't pretty All I'm saying is I'm not ready For any person place or thing To try and pull the reins in on me
So good-bye I'll be leaving I see no sense in this crying and grieving We'll both live a lot longer If you live without me
Oh don't get me wrong It's not that I knock it It's just that I am not in the market For a boy who wants to love only me
Yes, and I ain't saying you ain't pretty All I'm saying is I'm not ready For any person place or thing To try and pull the reins in on me
So good-bye I'll be leaving I see no sense in this crying and grieving We'll both live a lot longer If you live without me
Most people, when talking about wanting to go to Europe mention Paris, London, Venice, Madrid maybe...I want to to to Stockholm. Or maybe Zürich. There has to be studies done to see how a country the size of Texas puts out such a disproportionate amount of amazing music...anyone want to sponsor my research? Please drop me line if you are a rich and insane philanthropist...thanks in advance.
This week I will immortalize the Swedish band Mando Diao in blog form. FUN FACT: The band name means nothing, it apparently came to band member Björn Dixgård in a dream...who says musicians are flaky?
Here is a cool live clip of my favorite MD song, 'God Knows'
Through all of my time spent obsessively reading the craigslist missed connections section, I have realized that at concerts everyone thinks someone is checking them out. But this is the first entry that I have ever read where a fan is trying to connect with the artist. This chick is officially the world's WORST groupie. EVER. She is setting the groupie movement back decades...you don't post a missed connection to a rock star...even an old one...it just isn't gonna work.
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Roky Erickson? - w4m - 37
I was the blond with black streaks wearing a multi-color blouse (pink/black/grey)
What to say about this song? I mean I have really made it the philosophy of my life, for better or worse. And last night it's author passed away. Porter Wagoner will always be on my ipod and in my heart of course. But I wonder if when he wrote that song,could he ever imagine that some kid born in Ohio in 1974 would hear it once and hold onto it like it was the answer to all of life's mysteries? Probably not. Which brings me back to Crash Pryor's greatest quote:
"Remember: get into the living of this life, get involved and don’t forget to write it all down somewhere.”
Right about now I hope those two are upstairs swapping stories and looking down on all of us that they inspired and smiling, because they left a legacy bigger than they could ever imagine...
Ouch. Today's edition is brief and painful. Maybe the three words that when put together become THE MOST ego-deflating phrase a single guy can ever hear. And on a side note I can't believe this song is 10yrs old...and check out Rivers...he must have been in his Brian Wilson phase.
Another beautiful song...ruined by Anime. I will never, for as long as I live, understand the fascination people have with Anime. I really can't stand it, and the fact that I am posting this clip speaks VOLUMES about the song.
I caught Faithless at Coachella this past year...pretty amazing...it was a DJ set so they were playing mostly faster stuff...but this has always been one of my favorite songs to stick on a mix tape.
My love for this band has no limits. Is that dramatic enough for you? Seriously...some people hear Lucero and only hear a bar band, or boy rock, songs about drinking and girls...which is at the core of what they do. But Ben Nichols has such an amazing knack for telling stories. I just love this band and nearly everything they have ever released. I was lucky enough to see them again last week at the El Rey here in LA and as usual, I was blown away. Lucero songs are pure poetry to me...I never get tired of them...
I am gonna be up late tonight. My friend Anna is debuting her radio show tonight...in Greece. Which starts at 2AM Los Angeles time. So I am just hanging out, having some drinks(nothing like a depressant to keep you up huh?) and listening to records. I am just going to post some of my favorites tonight...to help kill the time.
This is for Anna. Try not to get lost in, as she calls them, the 'wicked beats' of Basshunter...try if, if you can, to focus on these lyrics, which are THE worst I have ever seen...EVER.
Dusting off another one from the archives. This one is my all time favorite Soft Cell songs, and one of the best bitter break up songs ever recorded. This tune always reminds me of a girl I lived with many moons ago. She was a great person, but the kind of girl that had been planning her wedding since she could walk, and I felt like the whole situation was sort of happening under false pretenses...i will always think of that situation when I hear the lyrics
"I tried to make it work You in a cocktail skirt And me in a suit (Well it just wasn't me)"
Standing in the door of the Pink Flamingo Crying in the rain It was a kind of so so love And I'm going to make sure it never Happens again You and I It had to be The standing joke of the year You were a sleep around A lost and found And not for me I fear
I tried to make it work You in a cocktail skirt And me in a suit (Well it just wasn't me) You're used to wearing less And now your life's a mess So insecure you see I put up with all the scenes And this is one scene That's going to be played my way
Take your hands off me I don't belong to you, you see Take a look at my face For the last time I never knew you You never knew me Say hello goodbye Say hello wave goodbye
Under the deep red light I can see the makeup sliding down Hey little girl you will always make up So take off that unbecoming frown What about me- well I'll find someone That's not going cheap in the sales A nice little housewife Who'll give me a steady life And won't keep going off the rails
Take your hands off me I don't belong to you, you see Take a look at my face For the last time I never knew you You never knew me Say hello goodbye Say hello wave goodbye
We've been involved For quite a while now And to keep you secret has been hell We're strangers meeting for the first time, okay? Just smile and say hello Say hello then wave goodbye
Say hello then wave goodbye (x3) Say hello wave goodbye Say hello then wave goodbye Say hello say goodbye Goodbye Say goodbye Say goodbye
I think I may be in love...a girl who loves the 'missed connections' section as much as I do...this is like a love letter to missed connections. I think it's brilliant. And I feel her pain...we ALL want to be a missed connection, only she was brave enough to say it out loud. Not sure why I chose this song...but it came to me instantly...and as an added bonus, the homemade video is so bad its good.
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I wish I didn't have to take this step... - w4m - 26
Look, anyone with an office job knows that work is boring and the internet is a great diversion. When our server crashed I had no idea how the workforce prior to the mid-90s were able to make it through the working day. I guess one had to be a little more creative in wasting company time. In any case, the point is, I spend part of my working day checking craigslist in the event that someone posted a missed connection for me. I'm not sure what I would do if I discovered a missed connection for me; however, I do know that I would feel pretty goddamned fantastic. So, I started deconstructing each missed connection. I have deduced that in order for a missed connection to occur I would have to take several steps. I would have to go out more. I would have to venture forth solo once in awhile. I would have to make eye contact and occasional conversation with strangers. I would have to be a little more mysterious. And, these last two steps I am reticent to move forward on, I would have to make my appearance more noticeable and kind of obstruct people in a way found endearing and/or exciting. So, I started walking to and from work. I started throwing out my A-game flirt material. I started making eye contact with anyone around (some girls seem to find this to be a challenge of sorts). I started going out more. In fact, I started accepting any invitation extended to me and when no plans are evident, I will go out alone and see what happens. I already have red hair, so I haven't altered my appearance. And, I haven't purposely obstructed anyone (it sort of happens as I am a klutz). But, after all of that, no missed connection. Granted, since following my missed connections plan, this has been the craziest month of my life. I have had more things going on and with a wider spectrum of people than at any point during my time living in LA. I have had many dates and many groin touching sessions. In fact, one guy thought he was my boyfriend. But, no missed connection. What am I doing wrong? Why won't someone find me attractive and instead of talking to me or asking me out or getting my number, why won't they go home and think about me and reach out to me via craigslist? Can someone please have a missed connection with me and then we can work from there? Thanks.
Something else I will try to do semi-regularly. I thought it would be fun to post some of my favorite 'rarities' for lack of a better word. Maybe a one hit wonder, or some obscure song by some obscure band that just caught my ear years ago, or whatever...just older songs that sort of flew under the mainstream radar.
The initial entry will be Seven Mary Three's 'Shelf Life' which i believe is from the Crow 2 Soundtrack...bad movie, great song...enjoy!
Yes...there ARE that many great artists in Sweden. I assure you, I will run out of weeks before I run out of good Swedish born music. I unofficially launched this new feature last week with my nod to Jens Lekman. But this...this is really the coming out party for 'Swedish Artist Of The Week'
And the honor of being first goes to Nicolai Dunger...a great singer/songwriter from Pitea, Sweden. He has already released 11 albums and EP's....this one is from my favorite, 'Here's My Song You Can Have It...'
I was talking with friends about 'Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind Today'....so I am blaming the romanticism of the day's selection on that. Here is today's post and song, a star crossed lovers edition...i set the song to Edward Scissorhands...just because it's an all timer for me, and I think Ed is the original 'emo kid'
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You'll always have a special spot in my heart - w4m - 30
Even though that long and winding road that leads to your door has seemed to disappear, the pool of tears is drying up. Sadness and Bitterness packed their bags and moved on leaving a sense of happiness behind. I'm glad you are moving on with your life and will always wish you the best no matter what. Your impact upon my heart will always be felt. Of course there is always going to be a what if but hey thats to be expected when you walk away from your soul mate right? If it was meant to be we'll meet again later on in life sans road blocks, if not then at least I learned that angels do walk amongst us because i was once in the arms of one. Love you :)
After the events of the week, losing a friend and in the process making new, hopefully life long friends...I have done a lot of reminiscing. Mostly about one relationship, one girl...probably the love of my life.
I must have listened to this Matt Nathanson 50 times. One lyric kept resonating with me over and over...like it was ripped right out of my mind: "I wake reminded love How I just gave up And how you moved on, how you moved on"
I remember giving up...and being so offended that she moved on...but looking back, what was she supposed to do? Wait forever while I figure myself out? God knows she would have been waiting a long time. I have replayed it a thousand times and a thousand different ways in my head. Not sure if anyone like that will ever come into my life again, but if I am that lucky I know that I won't give up. What good is heartbreak if you don't learn from it?
Here is the song I was referring to...try and not to be SO dazzled by my video directing skills that you don't hear the words...they are beautiful ;-)
In the party love, Some band's playing hallelujah Hallelujah In the corner love All night girls drink wine and try to sing along I made a mess of things The stops and in betweens They weigh me down You got someone new singing you your songs now
Sooner surrender Then watch the last wall collapse And sooner surrender And our love will count for everything
In my sweetest dreams It's just you and me And we break wide I wake reminded love How I just gave up And how you moved on, how you moved on
I'm waiting for something I've waited for now For the rolling canyons of love And i'm tongue tied And you're coming alive, coming alive
Sooner surrender Then watch the last wall collapse And sooner surrender And our love will count for everything
I'm sorry that you've gone So sorry that you've gone I'm sorry that you've gone Love I'm sorry that you've gone So sorry that you've gone away You're a little bit right More than a little bit right With my arms around you
Sooner surrender Then watch the last wall collapse And sooner surrender And our love will count for everything
Sooner surrender Than watch the last wall collapse I know Sooner surrender and our love will count for everything Our love will count for everything And I miss when you were everything
I can't really tell you WHY I love this song so much. I have never been to Alaska and I have never been, nor will I probably ever be a housewife, but the first time I heard Michelle Shocked's 'Anchorage'(many many years ago) I fell in love with the song.
I think it is the general theme that I connect so much with, that we all probably connect with. Life rarely seems to go as we plan, but even when it does go down a different path it can still lead to some pretty amazing destinations. That is what I hear in this song.
I took the time to write to my old friend I walked across that burning bridge I mailed my letter off to Dallas but Her reply came from Anchorage, Alaska
She said Hey girl its about time you wrote Its been over two years now my old friend Take me back to the days of the foreign telegrams And the all night rock'n rollin' hey Chel We was wild then
Hey Chel you know its kinda funny Texas always seems so big But you know youre in the largest State in the Union When youre anchored down in Anchorage
Hey girl I think the last time I saw you Was on me and Leroys wedding day What was the name of that Love song you played
I forgot how it goes I dont recall how it goes
Leroy got a better job so we moved Kevin lost a tooth, hes starting school I got a brand new eight month old baby girl I sound like a housewife I think I'm a housewife
Hey girl whats it like to be in New York New York City imagine that Whats it like to be a skateboard punk rocker Leroy says send a picture Leroy says hello Leroy says keep on rocking girl Yeh keep on rocking
Chris, or 'Crash' Pryor, has he was so lovingly referred to left us way too soon. Chris was one of the first friends I met from Los Angeles and was a big part of me moving out west. He was a guy from a small town back East who followed his heart and his dreams and moved to the City Of Angels.
He was without a doubt one of the smartest, funniest, most likable people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. There were several times that I was less than sure I wanted to stay out here, and he was always the first person to send me an email or a text message and tell me that it would, in fact get better...and it always did. That was something else Crash was, honest to a fault. I can't believe he is gone.
Chris passed away on Ocotber 15th...his birthday. The world is a far, far better place for having had him in it...even if only for a brief time. And anyone who ever knew him will tell you the same. The guy really loved life, and it rubbed off on all of us who were lucky enough to cross paths with him.
I guess I will take advantage of my new address here in cyber space and promote some of my favorite bands/songs that I haven't had the chance to share in awhile.
The Veils are an incredible band originally from New Zealand...i think they are based out of the UK now...their latest album is called Nux Vomica, out on Rough Trade records, and it is brilliant.
It pains me to say that my love affair with Ryan Adam's music has waned a bit over the past couple of years. He is still one of my favorites, and his records 'Heartbreaker' and 'Jacksonville City Nights' especially will always be among my all time favorites. But his last two albums have left me less than thrilled, although 'Easy Tiger' is really starting to grow on me.
I am happy to report that I was reminded of just how much I love the guy this evening. I was online looking around for an advance copy of the soon to be released EP 'Follow The Lights' and I found this amazing bootleg called 'The Suicide Handbook'. I don't have a lot of information about it, but based on the track list I am guessing it was recorded soon after 'Demolition' came out. It is a beautiful acoustic set, and he sounds amazing.
Here is a track called 'For No One'...here is a blurb I found from Mr. Adams about the song:
"For No One" almost went on demolition but it would have been like the ninth song about said beautiful trobled actress sweetheart, so im gonna put it on the next album. but maybe. i need to finish it. it need a b-section and also a second verse."
"Tonight...ain't gonna be good." When a band starts out there set with these words... you know they have to have a certain swagger about them. And Lucero does. You would never know by watching them that they are 4 country boys based out of Memphis, Tennessee.
What a great night of rock n roll! Ben Nichols and company were absolutely on fire! I am not sure if I have ever seen an audience MORE into a show than I saw tonight. Lucero has that effect on people though. They play songs about drinking and girls...songs that EVERYONE relates to. Songs that you can't help but to sing along to. Songs you know by heart.
Just an amazing show...i really don't feel like rehashing the entire night in painstaking detail...just a beautiful, beautiful night of rock n roll.
Here is a simple, understated, yet eloquent missed connections post....proving that even vampires need love. The soundtrack is the Butthole Surfers classic 'Dracula From Houston'
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At Universal Horror Nights - w4m
Looking for cute Vampire at Universal Studios. I met you on October 6 in Old London. I would like to meet again.
I think I have found my favorite Los Angeles venue so far. I already loved the Troubadour before ever setting foot inside of the place, just knowing it's history and the legendary list of people who have played there. But once inside, it just got so much better. Such a fan friendly set up...and the sound was perfect all night.
Jesca Hoop opened the show and was mesmerizing. Such a beautiful voice, backed by a subdued but capable band, it was clear that her voice was the star of the show. I literally couldn't walk during her entire 40 minutes on stage. She was radiant. The songs she played off of her debut album 'Kismet' sounded even better live.
Then just a few minutes after 10 Matt Pond PA took the stage. First thing I noticed is that the band configuration has changed quite a bit. I have seen them twice before, both times with multiple strings players. Now they play as a tight 4 piece and seem to play with a LOT more intensity. This was by far the best I have heard the boys sound. The highlights were 'Sunlight' and 'Taught To Look Away' from Last Light, the new record....and 'So Much Trouble' and 'Halloween' off of Several Arrows Later.
A great night all the way around....now to catch my breath for a couple of days before Lucero on Saturday night :-)
This one falls under the category of 'only in LA'...you know, its the same old story...boy meets transsexual...is thoroughly confused...years later he realizes that he may not be such a catch, and starts to think that he should have married said transsexual when he had the chance...a real heartbreaker.
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Tracy Beautiful Black TS girl
I knew you in the early 90s you were the best thing that ever happened to me ,if I had been more of a man I would have married you and said screw what others thought. Hope you're well.
The new Matt Pond PA album may be my favorite of the year...its just brilliant. Speaking of brilliant, I am surprised more bands don't take a hint from these boys and start their own youtube channel. It's a great way to promote your band without having to have big record company money to shoot an 'official' video.
Here is an acoustic take on one of the better tracks on the record, 'Sunlight'...should be a great show tonight.
Ben Lee's 'Ripe' is another disc that is been hard to yank out of my car CD player. He seems to get better with each album and the positive energy that emanates from this record will have you loving life in a matter of minutes.
I had to show some love and give one of my favorite tracks from the album the lo-fi music video treatment...
It was a great night of music in Santa Monica. The venue was interesting. The place seemed more suited for a Shriner's convention than a rock show...the building had this weird vibe that had us feeling like we were at an old high school dance. I sat through some of the longest beer lines in my life, but the sound was great the entire night through.
Grand Ole Party opened the show...very cool band. They are from LA and said that their debut record would be out in January and was produced by Blake from Rilo. Imagine the Yeah Yeah Yeah's if Karen O sang while playing the drums...a powerful three piece with noise to burn.
The Bird And The Bee played a fun, energetic set. Much better live that I anticapted... a much more rocking sound also, to go along with the lovely vocals. Here is a video off of their latest record...'Again And Again' was the highlight of their set I thought
Rilo Kiley came out and Jenny acknowledged the crowd with 'Hello hometown'. Very cool. I just got to LA but I am guessing that this might have been the largest venue they have played here as a headliner, and they band played like they were thrilled to be there. Just an amazing show. The set list leaned heavily off of stuff from the new record, 'Under The Blacklight' but played all of the 'hits'...even burying Portions For Foxes in the middle of the set, such a cool move. And 'I Love LA' was a great choice for an encore!
Here are a couple of videos someone was kind enough to put up on youtube from last night's gig.
I can't even tell you why when I read this I thought of the song I chose...but I did. Maybe it's just because it's a beautiful song. Maybe because I was listening to the Stevie Wonder song I love on the High Fidelity soundtrack. My mind works in mysterious ways...best not to dwell on it :-)
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Cute girl who asked me about the perfumes at tjmax - m4w - 29
You asked me about the perfumes I was getting at TJMax this SUNDAY evening...and then we bumped into each other again later that evening...I need to get some more perfumes, but need someone to help me choose some...was thinking if you can assist me in doing so..respond to me with the location wer we bumped into each other again just to make sure that you are the same person..Laterz.
Mary Gauthier's new record, 'Between Daylight And Darkness' is on heavy rotation over here. A beautiful album. If you are unfamiliar with Mary, think a slightly sadder Lucinda Williams.
Here is her song 'Mercy Now' off of the record of the same name, released in 2005.
i took it upon myself to 'direct' a lo-fi video for my friend Henry in Denmark. I just love the song and it seems as though mix tapes were a big theme this weekend for me...so there you have it...s y'all at the VMA's
I just finished reading Rob Sheffield's beautiful 'Love Is A Mixtape'. I am not sure if I have ever related so much to somebody else's words as I did with this book.
I have spent my whole life trying to communicate with people, especially girls, through mix tapes.I have an uncanny knack for ALWAYS saying the wrong thing, or worse yet saying nothing at all, but I have always been good at letting songs do the talking for me. I may not be able to tell you how I feel...but I can play you a song that will convey the message.
This book made me realize that my condition is not unique. It is an absolute must read for any music lover...and it is a gorgeous tribute to love and life and the music that gets us through every day.
I just wanted to share one little excerpt...when I first heard this part, i was almost frightened by how much of me I heard in his words...
It astounds me how fast the years start to fly by as you get older. Time seemed to crawl at a snail's pace when I was kid. It felt like there were years gone by from one Christmas to the following one and the only thing I wanted was to speed up the clock so I could be 'big'.
Now that I am in my early 30's it is the exact opposite. Time is moving way too fast. Weeks turn into months and months into years in what seems like a way too rapid fashion.
I can't believe it has been 10yrs since my dad passed away. So much has changed...it feels like two lifetimes ago. I ddin't realize it at the time, but my pop was a huge influence on me as a music lover. I remember at the funeral the pastor saying that my dad worshiped two kings, God and Elvis. So true. He was an Elvis man through and through. It makes me so happy that he was able to go to Graceland a few months before the Cancer got the better of him...that lifted his spirits so much and seemed to get him through one last holiday season with us.
This song is probably one of the most beautiful songs ever written about the human experience. It's such a sad thing to watch somebody you love struggle with illness...the most helpless feeling in the world. Just another example of how music is such an integral part of my life...the soundtrack to my life. I can't imagine being any other way.
All this talk of getting old It's getting me down my love Like a cat in a bag, waiting to drown This time I'm comin' down
And I hope you're thinking of me As you lay down on your side Now the drugs don't work They just make you worse But I know I'll see your face again
Now the drugs don't work They just make you worse But I know I'll see your face again
But I know I'm on a losing streak 'Cause I passed down my old street And if you wanna show, then just let me know And I'll sing in your ear again
Now the drugs don't work They just make you worse But I know I'll see your face again
'Cause baby, ooh, if heaven calls, I'm coming, too Just like you said, you leave my life, I'm better off dead
All this talk of getting old It's getting me down my love Like a cat in a bag, waiting to drown This time I'm comin' down
Now the drugs don't work They just make you worse But I know I'll see your face again
'Cause baby, ooh, if heaven calls, I'm coming, too Just like you said, you leave my life, I'm better off dead
But if you wanna show, just let me know And I'll sing in your ear again
Now the drugs don't work They just make you worse But I know I'll see your face again
Yeah, I know I'll see your face again Yeah, I know I'll see your face again Yeah, I know I'll see your face again Yeah, I know I'll see your face again
I'm never going down, I'm never coming down No more, no more, no more, no more, no more I'm never coming down, I'm never going down No more, no more, no more, no more, no more (Repeat and Fade Out)
Had to pick this one today, seeing as how I went to Ohio State and I live on Saticoy...but I didn't author this, let the record show...just reposted it with a sountrack. And the video I found was taken about about 20 minutes from where I used to live...yep, Circleville...home of the biggest Pumpkin Festival in the country!
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Ohioan High School Teacher at Blockbuster on Saticoy! Sat! - m4w - 44
Hey,
I was the guy in the OSU sweatshirt with the big teenager! I thought that you were very cute! I didn't have a card, neither did you. Don't move back to Ohio yet...we might have a thing...???
Here is another feature I am going to make a semi-regular affair. Just take the time once a week or so to immortalize one of my most beloved songs in lo-fi video glory for all eternity.
And with the Matt Pond PA show coming up this week, and it being October and all...'Halloween' gets the dubious honor of being enshrined into my blog hall of fame first.
There are so many lines in this song that jump out at me...all of which seem to have been pulled from conversations I have had with people I have loved throughout my life. Just a beautiful piece of pop music...
Went to where the people were on a saturday night seems like it always seems where i go i want to leave i thought we were doing fine with our lives there are people who will tell you there is always something better
if you don't know or care you'll be alright i heard it's modern to be stupid you don't need to talk to look good
i surprised myself as my mouth started speaking there is nothing left of my nerves as i lean over to ask her
pardon the intrusion could we leave before it gets bad i might smash up all these windows and set fire to the curtains until it goes on and eats it with its blue and red orange until the fire burns and eats it with its blue and red orange
if you don't know or care you'll be alright i heard it's modern to be stupid you don't need a thought to look good
pardon the intrusion could we leave before it gets bad i might smash up all the windows and set fire to the curtains
went to where the people were on a saturday night seems like it always seems where i go i want to leave i surprised myself as my mouth started speaking there is nothing left of my nerves as i lean over to ask her
pardon the intrusion could we leave before it gets bad i might smash up all the windows and set fire to the curtains
until it goes on and eats it with its blue and red orange until the fire burns and eats it with its blue and red orange
The thing about craigslist is...you ALWAYS have to read a post all the way through. When this one started out I thought it was sort of romantic how he remembered in such detail all of her movements...then it just got creepy...really creepy! Thank God for craigslist...its been making me feel better about my own life for years now.
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Starbucks Storefront Window... - m4w
at 26th and Wilshire. You were there on Friday afternoon, alone, reading and seated inside at the bar in front of the window. I noticed you when I ordered my coffee and went outside and sat down right across from you on the sidewalk. After a while you must have noticed me noticing you. You propped your feet on the rail, raising your knees slightly and let me stare under your skirt. Pink panties, very, very sexy and you crossed your legs, twitched around, uncrossed them. Was I discreet enough? Did anyone else notice?
I should have stopped you when you got up to leave. I'd like a refill? How about you?
Lyrics like that will get me every time. Lyrics that are ripped out of conversations that we have all had too many times. The songwriters who are able to work these sort of words into a 5 minute piece of music that I can scream along with in my car on any give Tuesday morning...they amaze me.
This Jason Anderson song is one of my favorites...so simple, so poetic 'The best thing in the world is to love someone and they love you back'
So glad I found this live version...fits the song perfectly
The title of this post is an absolute untruth. But in my music obsessed mind, i tend to think in song lyrics...and this is what hit me tonight.
I love it when it rains in Los Angeles. I have been here for almost 2 and 1/2 months and this is the second time I have seen rain. It's like a postcard from home. It's a great metaphor for this town actually...no matter how hard LA tries to be bulletproof...there are still some things that are just out of its control. SO many people in this town are all style, no substance. So when it rains...I love to watch all of the beautiful people go running and screaming, as if this was another Pearl Harbor going down...if a little bit of water falling from the sky ruin's your evening...I don't want to know you...not at all.
So I do indeed love Los Angeles...but I think I will choose to stay grounded in my Midwestern roots...where substance definitely has the upper hand over style.
If I could, I would have this coming week saved and ready for multiple viewings.
Starting with Rilo Kiley on Monday night(Monday nights don't get much better)...Matt Pond PA will be my mid week fix...and then I will close the week in grand fashion, with my old friends Lucero on Saturday night...and Bobby Bare Jr is opening up that show...and for me, that is a big deal. My liver may not be prepped for the grand finale...that's a drinkin' show if ever there was one!
You have to love those fateful, wonderous moments that happen in the least likely of places...
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DANA DRUGS - m4m - 39
You stood behind me at the pharmacy helping berate the staff for never having seen "Star Wars." You were really cute and had a good vibe. Hit me back if you see this/remember this.
How many times in your life do you get to say to yourself 'That person is doing what they were born to do?' Not many I am thinking.
That thought came to me again and again last night at the Beirut show as 21yr old Zach Condon led his band through a wonderful, albeit short, set of music. To see Mr. Condon on stage is to see somebody totally in their element. He effortlessly switched between several instruments all night...horns, guitars, ukuleles...playing each one like it was the last time he may ever have the chance to be on stage.
How at 21 this guy is able to compose such amazing and worldly music is something I will never understand. He has the kind of talent that leaves you in awe...but with none of the pretentiousness that so many artists carry with them.
Today's offering is extra angry!! What is that old adage? Hell hath no fury...
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You dying would be great - w4m
You fucking liar. Our missed connection is my fist missing your fucking face. I thought I left you kind of boys back in high school but apparently your around in the adult bodies too.
If you die, I will do a jig on your grave. Thanks for the unnecessary tears and anguish, you small dicked loser.
After listening to SO many great Steve Earle albums inspired by heartache and lost love, it is beautiful to here this gorgeous duet with his wife, Allison Moorer.
No, really...this little tale did in fact take place at band camp.
The band camp of my Freshman year in high school to be exact. For band geeks, the first band camp was like being reborn. And I don't think I am overstating this when I say being reborn. In my middle school, if you were still in the band by the end of the 8th grade, you were officially a b-lister at best. It wasn't up for negotiation or debate. Band = not so cool. So you can imagine how happy I was made by the utopia that I had found in the summer of 1989. It was the summer before my first year in high school. So imagine if you will, taking a very shy, very awkward 14yr old and dropping him into a pool of equally shy and awkward girls, only some of them were 2 or 3 years older. It was a social trainwreck...really.
Enter Julia. I will never forget her name. I am going to date myself here, but oh well. In my neurotic, hormone driven mind she looked SO much like Alysa Milano. And at that time...the daughter on 'Who's The Boss?' was about as hot as it got.
The marching band Gods brought us together. There is no other way to explain it. I played the baritone, which if you are not down with the lameness that is high school marching bands, is like a small tuba. Julia played the clarinet. So you see, there was really NO reason for us to ever cross paths. But for whatever reason the formation that our band was trying to master always had Julia and I right next to one another.
So for those two weeks(which in 14yr old terms may as well be 3 months) we bonded. She talked about her love for all things Motley Crue, while I just agreed with everything she said because for the first time in my life a pretty girl was actually making conversation with me. I remember making up the lamest excuses to ALWAYS have a reason to be near her. That first love buzz is a killer...its almost like you lose total control, like you become an entirely different person. But when the time arrived to actually act on my feelings and ask Julia to the social event of the season, the big band camp dance that was held on the eve of the night that we headed home, I dropped the ball.
My crippling shyness kicked in and I chose to just stand with my back to the wall in the corner that seemed to be reserved for all of the guys who shared my condition. Fleeting eye contact was made a few times...but I was never able to actually work up the nerve to walk across what at the time seemed like the biggest room on the planet and ask her to dance.
Band camp ended, and we once more settled into our regular lives and our regular cliques. I don't think I ever said more than 'hello' to Julia for the rest of the year...although I thought about her all the time.
Fast forward to 2007 and I laugh out loud when I think about those couple of weeks. Not because of the outcome so much, but because of the whole process. SUCH a huge part of growing up...unrequited love is the preeminent theme during our high school years I believe. Without it we wouldn't be able to appreciate the reciprocated kind.
Without pain there would be no art. This much I know. And Matt Pond PA is a walking, talking, musical example of this. Seems like all of their songs come from the same source material...love gone bad. Not that that is a bad thing...I loved their previous record, 'Several Arrows Later' and I think I like their latest, 'Last Light' even more.
One man's melancholy is another man's album of the month. Here is my favorite track off of Last Light
Oh...and come say hi if you are in the Los Angeles area on Oct 17...i will be at their show @ the Troubador
I am going to make this, or try my best to make this, a daily feature. I love the craigslist missed connections section...I love music...why not combine the two?
So here we go...i will cut and past some wonderful piece of drama from the missed connections forum, and then attach a song or video as the perfect soundtrack...good times, good times
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Leaving Detour in a black truck - w4m - 22
you were the passenger, your mohawk was undone and you asked us who we went there to see, justice? well we saw everyone kinda but responded with "your mom". anyways you look fun, let's kick it
In the spirit of this new blog...just wanted to post three of my favorite 'starting over' songs...a category that is near and dear to my heart, as starting over as been a MAJOR theme in my life for the past 15 months or so...
Just got my hands and ears on the brand new Ween album, La Cucaracha...great stuff! Just as weird and wonderful as anything they have ever produced...check out one of my favorite tracks...
...or my email is anyway! Hey, it's me Blair...the Certain Songs staff of one. I just do this for the love of the music and am in no way trying to rip anybody off, so if you are an artist or a record label and you are not happy that I am promoting your music, or you want me to take a song down, just shoot me an email and I will most definitely oblige.
And please support the artists I post here in whatever way you can if you do download a song...go to a show, buy some merch, buy an album...these songs are the soundtrack to my life and I just love to share them. But I can only do that if the insanely talented artist responsible for said songs are able to eat.
I also love hearing new stuff...so any submissions can also be sent to my email, I will try my bestest to listen to everything and get back to you all...peace,love,rock n' roll.
csmusicblog@gmail.com
Monthly Mix Tape
Mission Statement
I guess you're old enough to know. Kids out on the east coast. Roughly twenty years old. Got coaxed out by a certain perfect ratio. Of warm beer to the summer smoke. And the meat loaf to the billy joel. Certain songs they get so scratched into our souls.
She goes low on the seats when she gets high in her car. She looks shallow but shes neck deep in the steamy dreams of the guys along the harbor bars. She's pulling out her shirttails and jacking up her socks. Stern and stoned and confident, coming up towards the jukebox. Born into the only songs that everybody finally sings along. B-1 is for the good girls. It's only the good die young. C-9 is for the making eyes. It's paradise by the dashboard light. D4 is for the lovers. B12 is for the speeders. And the hard drugs are for the bartenders and the kitchen workers and the bartender's friends. And they're playing it again. Ellen Foley gives us hope. Certain songs they get scratched into our souls.
I guess you're old enough to know. Kids out on the west coast are taking off their clothes. Screwing in the surf and going out to shows. They get high and ride around in gtos. I guess you're old enough to know. CERTAIN SONGS THEY GET SCRATCHED INTO OUR SOULS. - The Hold Steady
