the last two decembers i've challenged myself to posting a song or artist per day for the month. this year i'm choosing weekly digests. so here is december songs, week three:
when i hear a song i like i take note of it
i
follow up by investigating online and seeing where it leads. sometimes i
realize i don't want to hear the song again. but more often than not,
it becomes a new fascination.
these december songs are some of the songs from my notes, but also some others
many of these songs i've heard on the radio––while listening at home, or on my frequent drives to and from charlottesville
some are old favorites
many are still new, something fascinating to hold to the light
some i over-listen to
maybe this is my unfolding play list? or mix tape?
i'm sharing it with you.
kaia kater // grenades
(another voice i heard on the radio one night driving home in my car. i looked her up right away and purchased her album, grenades, of which she says: "Like many people, I have felt alone and out of place for most of my
life, stumbling forward blind and rootless. I wrote Grenades to trace the life line from my palm and find my way home." the album includes voice overs by her father telling tales of his childhood in grenada. kater also has a strong appalachian influence and plays banjo.)
the babe rainbow // supermoon
(heard this summer, right around the super moon, appropriately. i like their trippy rambling upbeat sound, and the video is a happy silly thing.)
king gizzard and the lizard wizard // the river
(speaking of australia. . . yes i've been hearing this band on wtju for years now. but it wasn't until i sat down one day at twisted branch tea bazaar, earbuds in, and listened to polygondwanaland from start to finish––which is a free download on bandcamp by the way––that i realized how totally mind bending they are. good stuff. don't wait as long as i did to listen more closely.)
endless boogie // imprecations
(another new to me band. i really dig this long and groovy psychedelic jam)
naked gods // rick danko (was an honest man)
(i've seen the bumper stickers and heard talk of this local-not-local band. i've heard a song here and there on wtju and assisted at the print shop with the making of t-shirts for the singer's pizza shop in boone, nc. so yea, it's about time i familiarize myself with their music, even if i am late to the show. i like the way this song purrs along and then really punches it at the end. except i want it to keep going.)
lucy dacus // nightshift
(some
of my friends know that i have a remarkably lucky ticket winning
streak. i signed up for lucy dacus, not knowing much about her music,
but curious, particularly because my friend and boss-man at the print
shop was designing concert posters for her show at the jefferson. sure
enough, i won myself a pair tickets. it was a lovely show, better really
than i had anticipated. i have a poem series called nightshift that i
have been working on for several years now, so thought i'd share her
song of the same title.)
heart of the ghost // heart of the ghost
(another act i saw at low vintage, but this a lively avant jazz experience. so energizing and fresh. i used to see a lot of improv jazz when i lived in san francisco and so welcomed this ecstatic sound emerging between racks of old dresses and psychedelic shirts. tristan was with me that night and made some awesome sketches in his notebook. probably one of my favorite mother/son dates, even though, tired and over stimulated, he totally lost his shit on the way home.)
notes from my twilight realm
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Thursday, December 20, 2018
december songs, week two
the last two decembers i've challenged myself to posting a song or artist per day for the month. this year i'm choosing weekly digests. so here is (a week late!) december songs, week two:
when i hear a song i like i take note of it
i follow up by investigating online and seeing where it leads. sometimes i realize i don't want to hear the song again. but more often than not, it becomes a new fascination.
these december songs are some of the songs from my notes, but also some others
many of these songs i've heard on the radio––while listening at home, or on my frequent drives to and from charlottesville
some are old favorites
many are still new, something fascinating to hold to the light
some i over-listen to
maybe this is my unfolding play list? or mix tape?
i'm sharing it with you.
richard thompson // 1952 vincent black lightning
(when i was fresh out of college in 1989, living in buffalo, and hoping to be a writer, i wrote a few pieces for "arts in buffalo" after the editor made me troll the streets for a couple of weeks trying to sell ads. it was clear sales were not my forte and he finally gave me a chance at writing. he asked me to interview john lombardo, a former but founding member of the 10,000 maniacs. one afternoon, sitting in shafts of sunlight in lombardo's living room, he talked to me all about legendary producer joe boyd, who produced the maniacs first album, the wishing chair. this lead to a conversation about what bands influenced him most, one of those bands being fairport convention. he placed an lp on the record player and i was profoundly moved by the sound that emerged. this was my introduction to richard thompson & sandy denny and to that era of electric folk music, which also includes pentangle. to this day fairport convention and pentangle remain two of my favorite bands. in november i got to see richard thompson live for the first time. he played this song, among many others.)
big star // my life is right
(i heard this song on the radio recently and even though i've had the recording for some time, it hit me in a fresh way and it's become one of those obsessive auto-repeat songs.)
mckinley dixon // circle the block
(i saw him perform earlier in the year at the uva chapel and was impressed by his fusion of jazz and hip hop, his charisma, his poetry, and his band. relevant, complex, riveting)
marc bolan (tyrannosaurus rex & t rex) // organ blues & cosmic dancer
(i have two videos here because i heard both songs for the first time recently, leading me to actually listen to t rex. we've all heard "bang a gong," but somehow i just never went any further. i heard cosmic dancer at a dj event recently and when told it was t rex, i was like, "of course." it was clear. but still, i'd just never really explored the band beyond the radio songs. i heard organ blues on wtju soon after, made by tyrannosaurus rex, before they became just "t rex.")
wooden shjips // staring at the sun
(dreamy psychedelic music is pretty much my bread and butter. breakfast, lunch, and dinner. and dessert. a crepe with nutella. and strawberries. with wine.)
juliana daugherty // california
(local to charlottesville, i saw juliana for the first time at the funky magnolia house, where i sat on a stairwell surrounded by nice people, kitschy decor, and her stunning voice. heartbreaking and elevating.)
alexander // untitled
(starting in the autumn of 2017 i've been attending small intimate music shows held at low, a vintage cothing shop in downtown charlottesville. each show has been soul cleansing, meditative, a high dive into deep art. alexander is one of several improv guitar players i've seen there. pretty much life's soundtrack)
when i hear a song i like i take note of it
i follow up by investigating online and seeing where it leads. sometimes i realize i don't want to hear the song again. but more often than not, it becomes a new fascination.
these december songs are some of the songs from my notes, but also some others
many of these songs i've heard on the radio––while listening at home, or on my frequent drives to and from charlottesville
some are old favorites
many are still new, something fascinating to hold to the light
some i over-listen to
maybe this is my unfolding play list? or mix tape?
i'm sharing it with you.
richard thompson // 1952 vincent black lightning
(when i was fresh out of college in 1989, living in buffalo, and hoping to be a writer, i wrote a few pieces for "arts in buffalo" after the editor made me troll the streets for a couple of weeks trying to sell ads. it was clear sales were not my forte and he finally gave me a chance at writing. he asked me to interview john lombardo, a former but founding member of the 10,000 maniacs. one afternoon, sitting in shafts of sunlight in lombardo's living room, he talked to me all about legendary producer joe boyd, who produced the maniacs first album, the wishing chair. this lead to a conversation about what bands influenced him most, one of those bands being fairport convention. he placed an lp on the record player and i was profoundly moved by the sound that emerged. this was my introduction to richard thompson & sandy denny and to that era of electric folk music, which also includes pentangle. to this day fairport convention and pentangle remain two of my favorite bands. in november i got to see richard thompson live for the first time. he played this song, among many others.)
big star // my life is right
(i heard this song on the radio recently and even though i've had the recording for some time, it hit me in a fresh way and it's become one of those obsessive auto-repeat songs.)
mckinley dixon // circle the block
(i saw him perform earlier in the year at the uva chapel and was impressed by his fusion of jazz and hip hop, his charisma, his poetry, and his band. relevant, complex, riveting)
marc bolan (tyrannosaurus rex & t rex) // organ blues & cosmic dancer
(i have two videos here because i heard both songs for the first time recently, leading me to actually listen to t rex. we've all heard "bang a gong," but somehow i just never went any further. i heard cosmic dancer at a dj event recently and when told it was t rex, i was like, "of course." it was clear. but still, i'd just never really explored the band beyond the radio songs. i heard organ blues on wtju soon after, made by tyrannosaurus rex, before they became just "t rex.")
wooden shjips // staring at the sun
(dreamy psychedelic music is pretty much my bread and butter. breakfast, lunch, and dinner. and dessert. a crepe with nutella. and strawberries. with wine.)
juliana daugherty // california
(local to charlottesville, i saw juliana for the first time at the funky magnolia house, where i sat on a stairwell surrounded by nice people, kitschy decor, and her stunning voice. heartbreaking and elevating.)
alexander // untitled
(starting in the autumn of 2017 i've been attending small intimate music shows held at low, a vintage cothing shop in downtown charlottesville. each show has been soul cleansing, meditative, a high dive into deep art. alexander is one of several improv guitar players i've seen there. pretty much life's soundtrack)
Saturday, December 08, 2018
december songs, week one
the last two decembers i've challenged myself to posting a song or artist per day for the month. this year i'm choosing weekly digests. so here is december songs, week one:
when i hear a song i like i take note of it
i follow up by investigating online and seeing where it leads. sometimes i realize i don't want to hear the song again. but more often than not, it becomes a new fascination.
these december songs are some of the songs from my notes, but also some others
many of these songs i've heard on the radio––while listening at home, or on my frequent drives to and from charlottesville
some are old favorites
many are are still new, something fascinating to hold to the light
some i over-listen to
maybe this is my unfolding play list? or mix tape?
i'm sharing it with you.
tim buckley // buzzin fly
(i'm so in love with this song i'm beginning to think i'm mental. i love his humming and yelping and purring as the song builds and throughout. and then his voice. all of it. singing those words. those words. the range. the lows, the highs, the theatrics. it fills the place of longing while also carving out a space for it.)
aretha franklin // tree of life
(this is everything)
xylouris white // forging
(i learned about xylouris white at some point this past year and they thrill my little greek heart beyond measure.)
led zeppelin // that's the way
(led zeppelin was formative. coming upon my brother's "houses of the holy" lp when i was in elementary school and staring at the cover a lot. stairway to heaven at the end of every school dance. being wooed on the ski slopes by michael from ohio who called me zoso and sang zeppelin songs to me on the chair lift. seeing robert plant live just a few years ago and realizing truly what a shaman he is. i had never heard this song until recently. or if i had, it hadn't made an impression. but now it has.)
hudson bell // the falls
(what can i say i'm a romantic. i don't know where this person/band came from. do you? maybe everyone knows about him/them. i haven't really ventured beyond this song, because this alone is sooooo swell. is it way poppy? it came on a pandora station one day when i was working at the winery. it filled the airy space and made me want to jump out one of the loft windows and fly around. it may just happen one day.)
chris bell // stay with me
(i have an obsession with this song. i find it deeply sweet. and i love singing along to it while i'm driving, which i do often. if i ever form a band i want us to cover this song. applicants welcome.)
haley heynderickx // drinking song
(i heard her on the radio, took note, then she was coming to my town and i won tickets. it was a super lovely show i got to share with a friend i don't see all that often. and listening to her just now was like a well timed massage.)
when i hear a song i like i take note of it
i follow up by investigating online and seeing where it leads. sometimes i realize i don't want to hear the song again. but more often than not, it becomes a new fascination.
these december songs are some of the songs from my notes, but also some others
many of these songs i've heard on the radio––while listening at home, or on my frequent drives to and from charlottesville
some are old favorites
many are are still new, something fascinating to hold to the light
some i over-listen to
maybe this is my unfolding play list? or mix tape?
i'm sharing it with you.
tim buckley // buzzin fly
(i'm so in love with this song i'm beginning to think i'm mental. i love his humming and yelping and purring as the song builds and throughout. and then his voice. all of it. singing those words. those words. the range. the lows, the highs, the theatrics. it fills the place of longing while also carving out a space for it.)
aretha franklin // tree of life
(this is everything)
xylouris white // forging
(i learned about xylouris white at some point this past year and they thrill my little greek heart beyond measure.)
led zeppelin // that's the way
(led zeppelin was formative. coming upon my brother's "houses of the holy" lp when i was in elementary school and staring at the cover a lot. stairway to heaven at the end of every school dance. being wooed on the ski slopes by michael from ohio who called me zoso and sang zeppelin songs to me on the chair lift. seeing robert plant live just a few years ago and realizing truly what a shaman he is. i had never heard this song until recently. or if i had, it hadn't made an impression. but now it has.)
hudson bell // the falls
(what can i say i'm a romantic. i don't know where this person/band came from. do you? maybe everyone knows about him/them. i haven't really ventured beyond this song, because this alone is sooooo swell. is it way poppy? it came on a pandora station one day when i was working at the winery. it filled the airy space and made me want to jump out one of the loft windows and fly around. it may just happen one day.)
chris bell // stay with me
(i have an obsession with this song. i find it deeply sweet. and i love singing along to it while i'm driving, which i do often. if i ever form a band i want us to cover this song. applicants welcome.)
haley heynderickx // drinking song
(i heard her on the radio, took note, then she was coming to my town and i won tickets. it was a super lovely show i got to share with a friend i don't see all that often. and listening to her just now was like a well timed massage.)
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