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..."

11-24-11 - "Wagon Wheel" ~ Old Crow Medicine Show

Holiday Quickie.  Here's a track that was cobbled together from the strains of a chorus composed by Bob Dylan.  Nostalgic and regretful, but with a hopeful attitude toward the future, the protagonist seeks redemption and rebirth as his journey to his hometown acts as a metaphor for his turning from evil, self-sabotaging ways and returning to his roots...

"North country winters keep a'gettin me

lost my money playin' poker so I had to up and leave

but I ain't goin' back to livin' that old life no more..."

"...and if I die in Raleigh, at least I will die free..."

8-16-11 - "Blues Run The Game" ~ Jackson C. Frank

Simple but elegant commentary on the futility of life.  Kind of a downer, I suppose.  You get over it though, because the beauty of the music overpowers the depressing nature of the lyrics, and hey, what are the blues without tragedy and despair?  And if you want a deeper appreciation for tragedy and despair, read a little of Frank's life story... wow.  Makes me think twice about complaining because I was stuck at work for an extra hour today...

"Well we're living a life of sin..."
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A plethora of covers are out there, from Simon & Garfunkel to Laura Marling to Colin Meloy (of The Decemberists) to Robin Pecknold (of Fleet Foxes) to John Mayer.  I'm sure some of them are swell, but I'm sticking with the original for tonight...

8-5-11 - "Hook" ~ Blues Traveler

Time for the '90s at... whatever time it is.  The song "Hook" is not catchy at all, I just like the lyrics.  (thanks to Empty Netters for the link.)  But yea, Blues Traveler may not be everyone's cup of tea - my college roommate was not a fan - but then again, there are a few people in the world who don't like the Beatles, U2, or (dare I say it?) Lady Gaga.  So I'll continue to post songs I like, and let you decide whether they're awesome to you, too...

I really do like the lyrics on this one, though.  It's a biting commentary on the shallowness of society and the entertainment industry, and perhaps also on the weak-minded nature of the masses being reeled in again and again by hollow and trite diversions.  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm ok with a song that "says nothing so far" but has a good hook... but seriously, with some of the stuff that's "top 40" these days ("tell me what's next, alien sex?" ...really, Kanye?) I worry about the children.  Bottom line is, Blues Traveler have convictions and they're standing by them.  They want their songs to mean something AND be catchy, and I think they succeeded here.  If you really listen to the lyrics, there are numerous layers of brilliance to be gleaned.

But the video is a little creepy:

"I'll do as I'll decide and let it ride until I've died

And only then shall I abide this tide
Of catchy little tunes
Of hip three minute ditties
I want to bust all your balloons
I want to burn all of your cities
To the ground..."

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Oh, by the way, if the chord progression sounds familiar, Rob Paravonian will explain why (in hilarious fashion):

(the use of a classical composition with a "hook", and the fact that so many other hit songs ripped Pachelbel's chord progression, just adds to the brilliance of the song, don't you think?)

7-31-11 - "Goodbye, Dear Friend" ~ Deer Tick

I don't believe I have ever listened to a Deer Tick song before today.  Not for any particular reason, just hadn't ever gotten around to it.  But today a friend posted this one on facebook, so I listened, and it gripped me immediately.  It's a pretty straightforward song, musically simple with just a piano and vocals.  The emotions of losing a dear friend are eloquently expressed in the lyrics and the way they are sung.  We may not all have lost a friend like this, but we can all empathize on some level...

"Some boys won't shed a tear
Oh, but I tell it like this here
It can break medown and get me where it hurts the most..."

7-4-11 - "Hound Dog" ~ Elvis Presley

In honor of the holiday, here's one from a real American hero.  OK, maybe not hero, but a pioneer, certainly...


I doubt I need to tell you who Elvis was, so just enjoy the tune:

"Well, they said you was high class;
well, that was just a lie..."


(a quarter to the first person who can tell me Elvis' middle name WITHOUT looking it up online...)

5-9-11 - "Lord" ~ Langhorne Slim

Sweet guitar playing coupled with soulful lyrics and naked emotion equals a great song.  


"Lord" ~ Langhorne Slim (studio version)


"darling it's a crime you left me so cold..."




BONUS SECTION:

(live version)

(for you Avett fans, a cover by Timothy Seth... complete with forgetting the lyrics.  good fun.)

4-20-11 - "2.99 Blues" ~ Regina Spektor

I love Regina Spektor's catalogue.  She's a talented pianist, plays some diverse styles, and is not afraid to be weird and unique rather than a cookie-cutter carbon copy of a dozen other acts out there.  Her vocal stylings, in particular, are unlike any other artist I've heard, and that adds a layer of intrigue for me.  This one's definitely a bit strange, but super catchy, and with lyrics worth pondering.  Some of the verses are actually pretty heavy, despite the upbeat melody...

"but in the furthest place I've ever known 
where even I so rarely roam 
there lives a boy who just come back from war 
his flesh was wounded but he made it back home 
his mother calls him by his given name 
and the neighbors whisper how he prefers to be alone 
and he gets nightmares about boys dripping blood
sold for 2.99 a gallon..."

4-12-11 - "Dry" ~ William Elliott Whitmore

This is another one I found out about from my brother.  Whitmore has that classic bluesy/folksy tone in his voice, and the song just rambles over the banjo strumming in a pretty cool fashion.  The song has a traditional theme of persevering through hard times, and a hopeful eye toward better days ahead.

"And the Morning Glories and Queen Anne's Lace,
baptized by the wind,
these inspirations are my saving grace
in these times we're living in...



Whisper the truth into your childrens ears,
let them know, let them understand, let them hear..."