1-13-12 - "Mesa, Arizona" ~ Jeffrey Foucault

(juuuuust under the wire on Pacific Standard Time, thanks to midnight (EST) hockey and uber slow YouTube uploading before I had to leave...)


It's a rare and beautiful thing when you go to a show to see one artist, and another artist on the bill blows you away.  Not to take anything away from local bluegrass-core outfit Big Snow Big Thaw, because they were the reason I was there and their set was great, but Jeffrey Foucault just floored us.  (Well, except for a few folks loudly talking in the back of Club Cafe... jags.)  Just a man, a sweet guitar, and a ridiculous beard (oh, and a legit hat), but what a show he put on tonight.


Something about Arizona makes for good songwriting... here's a taste of what went down:

And here's a "live in studio" performance (with slightly better audio than my video above):

"And the sun gone down
In the pale thin pink
There's no one to talk to
All I can think
Is your eyes are full of train smoke
And your mouth tastes like rain
And I know when I know nothing
I will always know your name..."

9-22-11 - "Chase This Light" ~ Jimmy Eat World

I rocked some of my slightly older albums today at work (nice and quiet-like, so as not to disturb the other cube monkeys...)  Jimmy Eat World is always good for a pick-me-up.  This track oozes hope and joy - joy taken in the little things in life, hope that red-letter moments currently experienced with a lover will last forever.


There's more to the song, but I'll let you decipher the nuances for yourself:

"Confetti rainfall in the quiet streets

the beauty is in what you make it

so get up on your feet…"

7-24-11 - "Sweetness" ~ Jimmy Eat World

Oh, just a sweet little track from around the time I headed to college by a little band from Arizona... 


Some might say the song is about drugs; some say it's about a broken heart and the girl who caused it.  I say it's about Mike&Ikes:

But seriously, I'm not sure, because the "little sweet and simple numbing me" could be a kiss, or it could be cocaine, or whatever.  I just like the song.  Perhaps the most interesting musical element for me is the chord selection, mostly in the verses where I keep expecting the guitars to hit with a major after each line but it's some kind of dissonant minor.  And yet the song still comes across with an upbeat sound, especially towards the end...

"So tell me what do I need,
when words lose their meaning?"

6-26-11 - "Follow You Down" ~ The Gin Blossoms

OK, folks, it's time for the Nineties at Nine!  Except it's not nine, unless you happen to be reading this at nine... but anyway.  Here's a song you'll likely remember from 1996 or so; it's one of those insanely catchy pop rock summery tunes that flood the airwaves for months when they're released... fortunately, even though it was overplayed back then, enough time has passed that it's pretty cool to listen to again.


Seems to be about sticking with a lover (or just a great friend?) through good times and bad, come what may... or maybe it's about getting back together with an ex after a failed relationship, or maybe it's about a bandmate who got into self-destructive pattern... take what you will from it.

"Let's not do the wrong thing and I'll swear it might be fun
It's a long way down when all the knots we've tied have come undone..."

2-1-11 - "Lucky Denver Mint" ~ Jimmy Eat World

Jimmy Eat World is one of the great band names of our time.  Their music is kinda cool, too.  Here's a good one from one of their earlier releases.

"A dollar under water keeps on dreaming for me..."

1-18-11 - "Hear You Me" ~ Jimmy Eat World

This song is steeped in the emotions associated with losing someone dear to you.  It's all too easy to take people for granted, or to simply become accustomed to their presence and influence in our lives.  Sometimes you don't realize what you have until it's gone, and sometimes you don't adequately reciprocate the love and generosity that a person has spent on you until it's too late.  Don't take anything for granted in this life, especially not your loved ones.

"and if you were with me tonight,
i'd sing to you just one more time - 
a song for a heart so big, God wouldn't let it live..."