Night Train :: Amos Lee

I had never heard of Amos Lee until my friend Krissy told me I had to listen to his new album, which I believe is called Supply and Demand. The whole album is awesome, but for some reason, I am particularly attached to this song. It's so peaceful and sleepy, but it doesn't drag at all. It will stick in your head until you feel crazy.



This is a live performance, but it sounds almost exactly the same on the record. Enjoy!

Blood on the Tracks :: Bob Dylan

Choosing one album to write about has been almost more difficult than choosing one song - perhaps because this, as of yet, the only chance we've had to write about an entire album, so it feels more important to choose something really good... I thought a lot about formative albums in my life: The Beatles' The White Album; Luck of the Draw or Nick of Time by Bonnie Rait, anything by Peter, Paul & Mary; Weezer's blue album; Ani DiFranco's Out of Range or Educated Guess; and of course, Middle of Nowhere, and later, their third studio album, made while trying to leave their major label, Underneath, by Hanson. I also thought about writing about Jayber Crow's EP The Farmer and the Nomad or their new disc, Two Short Stories, because I've thoroughly enjoyed their music for as long as they've been making it. These are all worthy albums, but as I remember sitting around the record player with my dad when I was a child, I think it is most important to pay tribute to the granddaddy of modern folk-rock, Bob Dylan. As a singer-songwriter, I can't think of another modern musician more important. A song I wrote in college makes reference to the days when I "danced to Dylan records and watched them turn." I continue to find inspiration in his music every time I listen.

Blood on the Tracks, released in 1975, is a long-time favorite album of mine and my dad's. I spent many nights falling asleep to these songs - either listening to the record, or listening to my dad playing "Buckets of Rain" for me on the guitar.

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One of the things that makes this record so important is the manner in which it was made. Half of the songs were recorded in a New York City studio, but the other five were recorded at a farmhouse near Minneapolis. Those "Minneapolis" tracks were laid down live. The band musicians on those tracks are just regular folk - local Minnesotan session musicians. The recording is rumored to have been completed in a weekend. Essentially, this album is an excellent example of records made they way they should be - to loosely quote an Ani lyric - "a record of people in a room, making music." Digital technology has made it possible to make incredibly polished, if over-produced, recordings - the kind of stuff we hear on the radio. Multi-layered electronic tracks, vocal effects and the like abound, which isn't to say that those things are all bad... But in some ways, I think the true art of making a record - making music with people, playing it live together - the art of really writing and performing songs, has died a bit. That's why I love this record.

The songs themselves, aside from the way they were produced, are classic Dylan, and some of my favorites of his. The album was a Billboard No. 1 hit in the United States. "Tangled Up in Blue," recorded during the Minneapolis sessions, is evidence of the ways in which the music business has changed in recent years. "Tangled" was a Top 40 Billboard hit in 1975.



There are plenty of other Dylan classics on the record, including "Idiot Wind" and "Shelter From the Storm," and also some of his (relatively) less-famous songs, like "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts," which has long been one of my favorite Dylan songs. And of course, the quintessential folk lullaby, "Buckets of Rain."





I have yet to acquire a working record player, a quest I embarked upon after hauling home a pile of old albums from our neighbors' "free" box last summer, but as soon as I do, I'm sure I'll be breaking out my dad's old vinyl copy of "Blood on the Tracks" to sing, dance and watch it turn. I'd encourage everyone who can to do the same.

Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks, 1975

Side one
"Tangled Up in Blue" – 5:42 (Minneapolis)
"Simple Twist of Fate" – 4:19 (NYC, Sept 1974)
"You're a Big Girl Now" – 4:36 (Minneapolis)
"Idiot Wind" – 7:48 (Minneapolis)
"You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" – 2:55 (NYC, Sept 1974)

Side two
"Meet Me in the Morning" – 4:22 (NYC, Sept 1974)
"Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" – 8:51 (Minneapolis)
"If You See Her, Say Hello" – 4:49 (Minneapolis)
"Shelter from the Storm" – 5:02 (NYC, Sept 1974)
"Buckets of Rain" – 3:22 (NYC, Sept 1974)

Not Ready to Make Nice :: Dixie Chicks

It occurred to me the other day that I have not yet posted a song from the Dixie Chicks (at least, I don't think I have). My girlfriend makes fun of me for my Dixie Chick fandom (she also makes fun of me for my unwavering love of the brothers MMMBop. For the record, however, she has attended a Hanson concert with me and can sing all the words to most songs on their most recent album...). While I do not think Dixie Chick appreciation is quite as nerd-worthy as some of my other musical "vices," I can understand the resistance to them. The Dixie Chicks have something no one else has - decent bluegrass-style country songs complete with slide guitars, fiddle and signature country vocal harmonies combined with smart, creative lyrics. In the "old" days, they played and recorded a lot of covers, but their most recent album is comprised of all original work. And it's awesome.

The reason this is on my mind is that recently I convinced Barbara, my girlfriend, to watch the Dixie Chick's documentary film, "Shut Up And Sing" with me. I'd seen the movie in the theatre when it came out a couple of years ago, but wanted to watch again with Barbara so that maybe she'd gain a new appreciation of the Chicks. If you haven't seen the movie, I'd definitely recommend it. It follows the band's experiences in the aftermath of lead singer Natalie's comments about Mr. (W) Bush made in London in 2003 - right as the United States was invading Iraq. The film includes a lot of interesting commentary about the music industry, the country music scene, free speech, and gender (in that I think some of the rhetoric targeted at the DC would have been different had they been a male band making the same kinds of criticisms of the president).

This song, "Not Ready to Make Nice" which gave the film its title, is also about the Chicks' experiences after Natalie made her comment. The song references the hostility directed at them, including a death threat made against Natalie's life. It's one of my favorite songs, and the album, Taking the Long Way, is definitely worth repeated spins.

Enjoy.



Forgive, sounds good.
Forget, I'm not sure I could.
They say time heals everything,
But I'm still waiting

I'm through, with doubt,
There's nothing left for me to figure out,
I've paid a price, and i'll keep paying

I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round
It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should

I know you said
Why can't you just get over it,
It turned my whole world around
and i kind of like it

I made by bed, and I sleep like a baby,
With no regrets and I don't mind saying,
It's a sad sad story
That a mother will teach her daughter
that she ought to hate a perfect stranger.
And how in the world
Can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they'd write me a letter
Saying that I better shut up and sing
Or my life will be over

I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round
It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should

I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round
It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should

Forgive, sounds good.
Forget, I'm not sure I could.
They say time heals everything,
But I'm still waiting

The Times They Are A-Changin' :: Bob Dylan

Enough said.

Blink Your Eyes :: Sekou Sundiata

A few years ago, I attended a music/poetry/theatre event in Minneapolis with fellow blogger and friend Aimee Ringle. The play was written and performed by Sekou Sundiata, an artist from Ani DiFranco's label Righteous Babes Records. The play was called "The 51st Dream State" and it was a truly amazing experience. Sundiata did most of that "narration," more like spoken word poetry than anything else, accompanied on stage by musicians and dancers. Ringle and I were absolutely enthralled throughout the performance. Afterward, I promptly bought Sundiata's most recent album, Longstoryshort (2000), which was subsequently lost in the shuffle of my nomadism of the past several years. A few weeks ago, I rediscovered the disc and have been listening to it frequently. Then, this morning, I made the extremely sad and belated discovery that Sekou Sundiata, who was not yet 60 years old at the time, passed away quite unexpectedly during the summer of 2007. I wanted to post a piece from his Longstoryshort record, but I could not find the songs on Songza or on Youtube, so I am posting this video of a performance that I was able to find. Anyone who enjoys spoken word poetry, blues, or Ani DiFranco should certainly check out his work. DiFranco has said that Sundiata, who was a professor at NYC's New School University, taught her everything she knows about poetry, so listen real good.

"Blink Your Eyes" by Sekou Sundiata


There are also two pieces on Sundiata's myspace page, myspace.com/sekousundiata. Please check them out as well.

You can also go to http://www.righteousbabe.com/artists/index.asp to find Sekou Sundiata's artist information and a memorial page for him.

Sekou Sundiata ~ 1948-2007

Fire on The Mountain :: Hanson

Again, I probably reveal my nerdiness by posting this song. However, I hope, like with "Great Divide," the Hanson song I posted now nearly a year ago, you will all give this one a shot. Recently I heard another musician call Hanson "the most unerrated band on the planet" and though that statement is a bit exaggerated, I can't help but agree to some extent. The band is currently on tour in the U.S. Their tickets seem to be fairly reasonable - I would highly recommend seeing a show. Check hanson.net for details. "Fire on the Mountain" is probably the shortest song on their new album The Walk (2007), but I think it's one of the best. It features Zac (the youngest one - the drummer) on lead vocals and guitar, who in my opinion, is the best lyricist of the group.

The song speaks to some of my feelings as we approach election day 2008. The refrain "There's fire on the mountain, fire and it's coming our way," I think has particular resonance at this moment in history. Whatever Zac means by that phrase, to me it speaks of the challenges facing our world at the present - war, poverty, global warming... and that here in the United States, many of us, particularly those who are white, middle or upper class, educated, what-have-you, are quite sheltered from the realities of the world we've created. But we won't be "safe" forever and the choices we make will reflect our ability to pull our heads out of our asses long enough to see the bigger picture. I think we have a lot to answer for as a country on November 4 and if we make the wrong choice this fire might consume us all.




"Fire on the Mountain"
We sit secure in time-honored traditions made
Never wondering where or when the sickle may come
If we don't seek our knowledge to be greater men
When the rain starts falling gonna drown before we get our feet wet

We build our ivory towers to protect us from the flood
A fleet of vessels made of wood so they won't rust
But can we see the bottom of the bottle when we start to drink?
There's fire on the mountain, fire and it's coming our way

Can we pick the pieces up
We're mending Babylon, tryin' to right the wrong
Can we pick the pieces up
Live, learn, life, love, die, dust, gone

There's fire on the mountain

Can we pick the pieces up
We're mending Babylon, tryin' to right the wrong
Can we pick the pieces up
Live, learn, life, love, die, dust, gone


With peace and hope,
sumner

The Night :: Edie Carey

I recently "rediscovered" Edie Carey's 2004 album When I Was Made and remembered why I like her music so much. Her songs are really simple - in a good way - acoustic guitar, great lyrics, and very melodic. She's also a lot of fun to see live. This song isn't on When I Was Made, it's on her latest release Another Kind of Fire (2006), but it's one of my favorite songs by her. The opening line reminds me of summer and as summer is ending, and we shiver and sleep with windows open anyway, it seems an appropriate farewell.

This is a live, acoustic version of the song. Enjoy.



the night:
You fall asleep with the window open
You love to listen to the night
When a storm muscles in
Leaves you broken
You’re always surprised

Sometimes you wish
That your heart could be traded
For one that will not bruise
But what good is a heart gone jaded?
Sometimes only pain tells the truth

You want it two ways - are you in or out?
You want to see the beauty
But you can’t kill these doubts
These blue days are gonna show you
How to fly

New love reads unwritten pages
You press them cool against your skin
But the words you fill them with
Feel like cages
You want to start clean again

You want it two ways - are you in or out?
You want to see the beauty
But you can’t kill these doubts
These blue days are gonna show you
How to fly

You want it two ways - are you in or out?
You want to see the beauty
But you can’t kill these doubts
These blue days are gonna show you
How to fly

You fall asleep with the window open
You love to listen to the night

Sarah Bettens :: I'm Okay

I think I thought I'd already blogged about Sarah Bettens or K's Choice (her former band) because I love them so much. But apparently, somehow, I have never blogged about a Sarah or K's Choice song. A serious oversight. My song for today, "I'm Okay" is one of my favorite songs from Bettens' solo album, Scream I think it's a really beautiful, simple song. Not much more needs to be said about it, so enjoy.



Also, Dylan - what's the big idea moving in on my day? Huh? I mean, I know I'm a delinquent blog contributor, but still. A day is a day.

With relish,
sumner

Jayber Crow :: Drinkin' Song Germinating Seed

The song for today is in honor of the meal I have just eaten. Every vegetable in our salad - swiss chard, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, green peppers and cucumbers - was grown by the hands of people we know. This summer I have spent nearly every day working with youth in a community garden and I hope I have managed to convey to them, at least to some extent, the absolute wonder that is food growing. Something that starts as a tiny seed becomes food that we can eat. Dirt produces food. There is nothing I can think of that is more amazing than that. Thus, despite that this may be the third or even fourth Jayber Crow song that has appeared in this blog, I offer "Drinkin' Song Germinating Seed" as not only my song of the day but the anthem of my summer.

To hear the song, please visit myspace.com/jaybercrow.

And if you have not yet purchased multiple copies of Jayber Crow's first full-length album, Two Short Stories, kick yourself in the ass for all the joy that has been missing in your life and go buy it.

Peace.

Paradise :: John Prine

Oh friends, what a joyous event occurred yesterday! I arrived home from work and my roommate told me some neighbors down the street had left a box of old records out in their front yard with a "FREE" sign on them. I went down to check them out and found a wealth of awesome old albums. I made two trips to the free records box, ending up with some Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Randy Newman, The Doobie Brothers, John Prine, half a dozen Arlo Guthrie albums, and a whole host of other good stuff. We have yet to acquire a record player (my parents' old one is broken, or I would have stolen it years ago), but are working diligently on that project! In honor of this fantastic find, I am posting, "Paradise," my favorite song by John Prine, from his 1971 self-titled album. So sit back, grab some lemonade, open a window and pretend you're hearing the sweet crackling of vinyl n the turntable as you listen to this song.


Paradise



Paradise by John Prine
When I was a child my family would travel
Down to Western Kentucky where my parents were born
And there's a backwards old town that's often remembered
So many times that my memories are worn.

Chorus:
And daddy won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County
Down by the Green River where Paradise lay
Well, I'm sorry my son, but you're too late in asking
Mister Peabody's coal train has hauled it away

Well, sometimes we'd travel right down the Green River
To the abandoned old prison down by Adrie Hill
Where the air smelled like snakes and we'd shoot with our pistols
But empty pop bottles was all we would kill.

Repeat Chorus:

Then the coal company came with the world's largest shovel
And they tortured the timber and stripped all the land
Well, they dug for their coal till the land was forsaken
Then they wrote it all down as the progress of man.

Repeat Chorus:

When I die let my ashes float down the Green River
Let my soul roll on up to the Rochester dam
I'll be halfway to Heaven with Paradise waitin'
Just five miles away from wherever I am.

Names and Faces :: Brittany Kusserow

Brittany is an old friend of mine from Circle Pines. We spent a summer working together at a cooperative peace camp (or, as my friends say, "hippie camp") and enjoyed many hours sitting outside trading songs and playing folk music. She is a talented guitarist and singer and writes incredible songs, including this one, called "Names and Faces." It is with both sorrow and joy for her that we see her off to New Zealand to live with the love of her life.

This is one of the songs she currently has posted on youtube, but as always, I recommend checking out her myspace page myspace.com/brittanykusserow to hear more of her stuff. (In particular, I would recommend "Thank Your God" - one of my favorites). For now, though, enjoy "Names and Faces"!



With peace.

18 Wheels and a Dozen Roses :: Kathy Mattea

Friday greetings, friends! This week, my posting take me back to my time as kid, listening to my dad's favorite music. Growing up, I went through musical phases with my dad - from Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul & Mary to the Beatles' White Album and Bonnie Rait to the Dixie Chicks, I sat with my dad by first by the turntable, and later, the CD player, and soaked it in. In fourth grade, while my friends listened to top 40 radio and found Ace of Base, I knew all the words to "Buckets of Rain" and "Something to Talk About." Today's post reflects that era of my life. My dad has always been a fan of country music - not the mass-produced cheap stuff that's on every other heartland radio station, but good old-fashioned bluesy, bluegrass country, complete with steel guitar, upright bass and all that good stuff. A favorite album of my dad's and mine - after the peak of our Dylan obsession and before we discovered the Dixie Chicks, was Kathy Mattea's "A Collection of Hits." The following was one of my favorite songs on that record, which I listened to several times through on my last road trip from Chicago to Ohio. Below is a live performance of the song. I almost decided not to post this video because Mattea stps and talks for a couple of minutes halfway through the song, but then she mentions the word "hootenany," and I was suckered into using this version... :-) Enjoy.




Charlie's got a gold watch

Don't seem like a whole lot

After thirty years of drivin'

Up and down the interstate

But Charlie's had a good life

And Charlie's got a good wife

And after tonight she'll no longer be countin' the days

CHORUS

Eighteen wheels and a dozen roses

Ten more miles on his four day run

A few more songs on the all night radio

And he'll spend the rest if his life with the one that he loves



They'll buy a Winnebago

Set out to find America

Do a lotta catchin' up

A little at a time

With pieces of the old dream

They're gonna light the old flame

Doin' what they please

Leavin every other reason behind

I Want You To Be My Love :: Over The Rhine

Again, apologies for a missed week last week and for a short posting this week. I'm a graduate student. It's the end of the quarter. I feel like tearing my hair out. And then taking a nice nap.

At any rate, my song for the day is a beautiful, simple song called "I Want You To Be My Love" by a band called Over the Rhine. They're actually originally from Ohio, my current state of residence, which is where I first heard them, as the opening act for the Ani DiFranco concert I attended last fall. They're a simple three-piece band - a keyboardist, bassist and lead singer Karin Bergquist, who has a stunning voice and who also occasionally plays guitar. They had fantastic stage presence at the concert I attended and all of their songs were excellent, so if you ever have a chance to see them live, jump on it!

For now, enjoy this little song.



With peace,
sumner.

Anyone But You :: Dana Wilentz

Hello folks - I have to admit that I was in error (or at least in ignorance) when I made my posting two weeks ago - and my apologies for not posting last week. My last post was about the D.C.-based teenage indie band Lemonface, and their unfortunate disbanding earlier this year. I encouraged people to visit the Myspace page of the two members who remain together as a group, Richard, the guitarist, and Brendan, the drummer. However, after posting, I discovered that Dana, the bassist is also working on music as a soloist. Her music is very different from the pop-punk-rock of Lemonface of Richard and Brendan - she's apparently coming into her own quite phenomenally as an acoustic singer-songwriter. Four of her recordings (three originals and one live cover) are up on her website, Myspace.com/danawilentz. I could say that her songs are great considering her age (She's seventeen), but the age disclaimer isn't even necessary. These songs are good. End of story.

At any rate, my favorite of the moment is "Anyone But You," so head over to myspace.com/danawilentz and have a listen! Her vocals are amazing and I think she's headed to big places - we'll be hearing more from her for a lot of years to come, of that I am sure.

Love it.

Explode :: Lemonface

Hello folks - it's Friday again and you know what that means. Sumnah time. This week, my blog entry slightly saddens me. This song, called "Explode" is by a local indie band from the D.C. area. Lemonface is actually a group of three extremely talented high schoolers. When I first saw them, it was almst two years ago at a street festival - Adam's Morgan Day 2006 in Washington, D.C. I was wandering the food stands with my friend Rebekah when we stumbled upon the smaller music stage at the end of the block. Three kids were on stage tuning up. The guitarist looked particularly tiny and Rebekah and I debated with each other about whether or not he was actually going to play or if he was just hanging out up there waiting for the real band. When it became clear that these kids were in fact the entire band by themselves, Rebe and I sat down on the curb to watch thinking it was going to be cute as hell. They started playing and the tiny guitarist came up to the mic and starting roaring out lyrics in what was certainly an adolescent voice, but ith no sounds that could be described as "cute." They were amazing. Rebe and I turned to each other in shock and we both just said, "Whoa." I used to listen to them fairly frequently on myspace last year at work, but in the past six months or so I hadn't stopped by their page to see what they were up to, so this week I decided to check them out again. To my great disapointment, I discovered that Lemonface was no more! Although the guitarist (no longer quite so teeny tiny), Richard, and the drummer, Brendan, are still playing together (I would HIGHLY recommend giving them a listen at myspace.com/richardandbrendan), the bassist, Dana has left the band. At any rate, they're still keeping up their myspace page and stil selling their awesome EP, so head over to myspace.com/lemonface and give them some love. Like always, I'm a sucker for catchy melodies and tight harmonies and they are phenomenal at both. It's just good powerpop. At any rate, this video is a live performance of the newest song they have up on myspace (which is not on their EP), but I would really recommend heading to the page itself and listening to the studio recordings bcause they're very good and the sound quality on this video isn't the best. Enjoy!

Lemonface, "Explode" (Be sure to listen to Danas vocal part during the chorus - the girl has some pipes!)


Until next week!

Sorry Signs on Cash Machines :: Mason Jennings

Recently, I have been becoming re-aquainted with an indie musician I first discovered upon moving to Decorah, IA. Mason Jennings is a guitar player/pianist/songwriter from Minnesota and I think he's just phenomenal (and not just because he's from the upper Midwest). His songwriting is really good - he's both a great lyricist and composer. Anyone with a taste for indie folk should be sure to check him out. The following songs is one of the first I ever heard from him and one of my favorites - both of his, and just overall.

This particular performance of the song was recorded in Iowa City, IA, which I think is just plain fitting. The heart of Iowa don't beat like anything else :-)



Sorry Signs On Cash Machines
Oh, my heart is a thoroughbred
I can't sleep in my bed
Everything is burning up inside me
I need something i can feel
Cigarettes and a driving wheel and
Oh, my god, when you cross your legs beside me
I know true love don't love like anybody else
I know your heart don't beat like anybody else
When it all comes down to kerosene
And sorry signs on cash machines
And it don't look like anything you've dreamed of
I won't let you give it up
With sorry sighs and forced bad luck
Come on baby, you know what we're made of
I know true love don't love like anybody else
I know your heart don't beat like anybody else
And all these burning battlefields are now behind us
Life has brought us here together to remind us
That love will rise above it all and just keep growing
Life keeps flowing, and every moment starts right here with us
I know true love don't love like anybody else
I know your heart don't beat like anybody else

All Over Again :: Locksley

My posting for this week again forces me to acknowledge (or perhaps publicly embrace?) my extreme nerdy-ness. I first encountered this band in fall, when I attended an (ahem...) Hanson concert. I had just moved to Columbus, Ohio and Hanson was on tour, making stops in Ohio. I was debating whether or not I should go (as I mentioned in an earlier post about Hanson's song "Great Divide," coming out of the closet about these types of things can be a big decision...) when a fellow Lutheran Volunteer Corps alum from D.C. told me that Hanson's opening band on tour, Lockslyy, were friends of hers from high school. I felt that it was fate, bought my ticket, and headed over to the Newport Music Hall. I feel that opening acts are often hit or miss, and sometimes easily forgettable, since the audience is usually just holding its breath, waiting for the main event. However, I thoroughly enjoyed Locksley's music and was genuinely sad to see their set end. Their music is reminiscent of 1960s era pop rock, perhaps best described the way they explain it on their Myspace page, "Beatles mixed with Modern Garage Rock." At any rate, being a sucker for good vocal harmonies and catchy melodies, I love it. I'm posting the following song because I find the video rather hilarious, but I would highly recommend checking out other songs from their "Don't Make Me Wait" album, including the title track and songs called "Let Me Know" and "She Does." They've got a bunch up on their Myspace, myspace.com/locksley, so be sure to give them a listen! They also have a brand new album called "Garage Sale," songs from which are also on their Myspace page.

Here's "All Over Again" - enjoy!


"All Over Again"
You all say the things you mean, so you can see I've had enough of you.
Well you want everything to seem like everything's alright but that's not true.
So my friend, is this the end of everything you thought that you would be?
Oh all you love has come and gone, and now I know exactly what to do.
You're gonna gonna gonna,
Have to start all over again.
Well if you wanna see this thing through,
To the end.
You need to need to need to,
Find a friendly hand.
You're gonna gonna gonna,
Have to start all over again.
What do you think hiding all your feelings deep inside will get you through?
The time has come to snap my thumb behind the place you're hiding your feelings.
You are just the sum of things, you feel it, all the memories you keep.
Well you are young and dumb but there's still time to get that heart up off your sleeve.
You're gonna gonna gonna,
Have to start all over again.
Well if you wanna see this thing through,
To the end.
You need to need to need to,
Find a friendly hand.
You're gonna gonna gonna,
Have to start all over again.
Start over again X2
Start over again (start all over again) X3
Start over again (start. all. over)

Lucky :: Bif Naked

Many of you know that although I generally dislike television, I am WAY into "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Love it. One of the (many, many) cool things about "Buffy" is that they frequently have awesome musical guests on the show (Such as K's Choice - Sarah Bettens - among others). One of the musicians I discovered via "Buffy" is Bif Naked, a singer from Canada. She sang her song "Lucky" from her "I Bificus" album, which prompted me to buy the record, though it took me several years from when I first saw her on the show to find her and her music! At any rate, the album is pretty good - it has some slow moments, but there are a number of good songs on it. Her music is sort of punk-pop-ish... At any rate, there are several songs I would have liked to highlight from the album but was having difficulty finding versions of them on the internet that I could post. Her song "Lucky" is reasonably well-known, so I am posting that one, as it was easy to find. However, you can hear clips from "I Bificus" on Bif Naked's website, http://music.bodoglife.net/bifnaked/music.php, along with clips from her other albums, including a newer one released in 2005. I would HIGHLY recommend checking out the rest of her stuff! Much of it is a lot more upbeat than this song.

This song is a bit melodramatic, but I think the melody is hauntingly catchy, and also have found that despite its slow tempo, this is a good one to rock out to in the car. Her music video is kind of strange, so bear with it...



"Lucky"

It was a monday, when my lover told me,
"never pay the reaper with love only."
What could i say to you, except, "i love you."
And "i'd give my life for yours."

I know we are... we are the lucky ones.
I know we are... we are the lucky ones.
I know we are... we are the lucky ones, dear.

The first time we made love, i... i wasn't sober.
(and you told me you loved me over and over!)
How could i ever love another, when i miss you every day...

Remember the time we made love in the roses?
(and you took my picture in all sorts of poses!)
How could i ever get over you, when i'd give my life for yours.

I know we are... we are the lucky ones.
I know we are... we are the lucky ones.
I know we are... we are the lucky ones.
I know we are... we are the lucky ones, dear.

My dear, It's time to say i thank god for you.
I thank god for you in each and every single way.
And, i know... i know.. i know.. i know...

It's time to let you know. time to let you know.
Time to let you know. time to sit here and say...

I know we are... we are the lucky ones.
I know we are... we are the lucky ones.
I know we are... we are the lucky ones.
I know we are... we are the lucky ones, dear.
We are the lucky ones, dear...

Jetpack :: Jill Sobule

As I write this I am moments from heading to the airport fly to Ecuador to visit a friend. Travels are clearly on my mind. Thus, in honor, although my means of transportation will be the airplane, I thought I'd post a song about a more unconventional means of traveling. This song is a favorite of mine and Meghan's and is from Jill Sobule's 2004 album, Underdog Victorious, which is an all-around fantastic record. At any rate, this song is deliciously ridiculous in that we all know we've wished for a jetpack at some point in our lives...

The video is a slide show that I'm guessing a fan made, accompanying a live acoustic performance of the song. Enjoy.



Jetpack :: Jill Sobule
If I had a jetpack the first thing that I would do
Is fly above the gridlock and come to you
I'd peek into the windows on 5th ave.
to see how the other side lives

And if I had a jetpack I would strap it on
I'd get out of this one room and I'd be gone
To where they're real houses and big front yards
If I had a jetpack

I'd take you up with me
at least we'd both be free, past the statue of liberty
In my jetpack

If I had a jetpack, I'd fly over the bridge
I'd wave to all my friends who thought I'd never rise again
I'd fly over the stadium to watch my team win, watch my team win
And if I had a jetpack, I'd bust into your door
take you by the hand to the Jersey shore
and underneath the moonlight, you'd want me even more
cause, I'd have a jetpack

I'd take you up so high
If I dropped you, you would die
but I want you by my side, in my jetpack

I don't have a jetpack. I don't even have a car
I just have this token and a head full of stars
I wish you didn't live up town so far
cause I don't have a..........jetpack

When I'm Gone :: Ani DiFranco (cover of Phil Ochs)

This is not the song I actually wanted to write about this week. I attended Ani DiFranco's concert in Columbus on Wednesday and was absolutely galvanized by a song I had not heard her play before called "The Atom." The song was an environmental anthem railing against the dangers of nuclear power. That song was an amazing experience - due in large part to the musicians playing with Ani on this tour. Obviously, I wanted to find a video of her playing "The Atom" live and share it on the blog, or even find some recording of it that I could post, but it alas, it was not to be. The song can be found on Ani's "bootleg" live recording of a 2007 show she played in Boston (check her website). In lieu of that song, I leave you with Ani's cover of Phil Ochs' "When I'm Gone," the sentiment of which rings true for me at this moment in my life, as I am beginning to realize more and more and quickly life really goes by (even when you're lucky enough to live for a pretty long time) and how easily it can be clipped too short. To me, this song is not just about activism and the immediacy of the issues of our day and the opportunities we have to really participate in change, but is also about living each moment as if you won't live another. I think this doesn't mean we have to go crazy and work ourselves into the ground, or never take a moment to relax. On the contrary, I think it means that we should do our best to be fully present in each moment of our lives - both the quiet and the active.

I think a lot about what happens when people are gone - what will happen when I'm gone and I want to think that at the end of my life, whenever that may be, I'll be able to look back and be sure that I was part of something and that I did not stand by in ignorance of my connection to each living thing on this planet, living things that are all made up of the same tiny little atoms.



Much peace.