5-19-12 - "Anything Worth Anything" ~ Rachael Johnson

A few weeks ago, my job had me travel to Nashville to work on a prototype system we have set up with a customer.  Same prototype that had my in Tennessee twice last year, but this time I was there all week and had a bit more time to enjoy the city.  Plus, it was spring instead of winter, so the city was coming out of its shell a bit and more lively this time around.


Last year, I stumbled across a girl with some pipes in one of the honky tonk / bar establishments on Broadway (downtown Nashville).  When I found out I'd be back in town, I checked her website, and sure enough, she was playing at a different venue right down the street.  As is the nature of bar entertainment, she and her band were playing a bunch of covers, from Beatles to Bon Jovi.  I put in a request for her original song, "Arizona", which I'd heard her play last year.  Since I already posted that song back then, here's an introspective ballad where Rachael Johnson reflects on the trials of her musical journey and trying to make a living in one of the musical meccas of the world:

And a live performance:

"Anything worth anything don't come easy..."

1-29-12 - "Love You Now" ~ Madi Diaz

A lot of times, I go with the upbeat, catchy single when first posting an artist on this site.  I was tempted to do the same with Madi Diaz, but I'm going a different direction (I can always post more of her stuff later.)  My buddy and I basically just discovered Diaz by checking the Club Cafe concert calendar and reading a writeup in the Pittsburgh City Paper, and dropped by her show last Wednesday.  It was a near miss, as we both had had a lot going on and were not really in the mood to go out to a midweek show, but we sucked it up and ended up having a great time.


Diaz has a voice that grips you, and her partnership with guitarist/songwriting collaborator Kyle Ryan manages to fill the stage and the room like an aurora fills the sky.  Diaz uses a synthesizer to flesh out the sound while playing acoustic guitar, creating a rich background for the vocals.


This song relays the emotions of a somewhat one-sided relationship; Diaz wants more but her counterpart displays inconsistent maturity and fails to put forth the effort to develop a deeper connection.  The gentle indie-pop chording sets the foundation for the crescendo of emotion as Diaz wrestles with the delicate situation and exhorts her lover to go all in.


Live at Club Cafe:

Solo performance live in studio:

Album version (you can find the whole album on madidiaz's youtube channel - well worth a listen!):

"So am I fighting a boy, or am I fighting a man

which side will I see when you show up again

the man don’t wanna tell me but at least he’ll try

'cause the boy ain’t hanging 'round tonight..."




EDIT 2-1-12 - get Madi's new album, Plastic Moon, on Amazon for $5 throughout the month of February.  It's legit.

12-27-11 - "Fixin' To Die" ~ G Love

I've been remiss for the bulk of this year in not posting this song.  I first heard it around this time last year, and was spinning it frequently throughout last winter, but apparently never whilst I was pondering which song to select for the day's blog post.  So here you go.

G Love teamed with The Avett Brothers (acting as producers, among other things) on his latest album, and since TAB are pretty swell in my opinion, odds were good that I'd like the collaborative effort as well.  This track is old-fashioned foot-stompin' bluegrassy rock, crying out to the good Lord as he ponders his final days and the fate of his poor children if'n he passes...

(Scott and Seth appear courtesy of their being awesome...)

"Well, I don't mind dyin',
but I hate to leave my children cryin'.."

_____________________________

PS - poke around on philadelphonic.com for some free stuff, if you so desire...

12-18-11 - "Whiskey In My Whiskey" ~ The Felice Brothers

A few of my friends (you know who you are) got this song in my head tonight the old fashioned way - by singing it.  The Felice Brothers don't match up to The Avett Brothers (in my humble opinion), but they still put on a rip-roarin' show with some boot-stompin' tunes such as this one.  It's just a little ditty about the inherent evils of cheating on your significant other whilst he is familiarizing himself with the inherent evils of mixing alcohol and guns...

"I put some whiskey into my whiskey

I put some heartbreak into my heart

I make my way across that ole dance floor

And put three rounds Lord, in my Eleanor..."

12-08-11 - "Heavy" ~ Collective Soul

When I decided to post a Collective Soul song tonight, I could have gotten cute again and picked "December"... but I didn't.  This song is pretty heavy (sorry, had to be done), dealing with an overbearing relationship.  Pretty straightforward lyrically; you won't get much exposition from me tonight.


The song is a great example of late '90s / early '00s rock, and sounds excellent through a good set of speakers where the stereo effects can fully hit you.  Also, here's a kinda cool acoustic version performed in the desert in Morocco:

(look for other tracks performed similarly in Morocco... good stuff!)

And here's the studio recording:

"Hold me up to those whom you've deceived

promises you break you still believe…"

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..."

11-23-11 - "Matador" ~ Maria Taylor

Oh, just one I heard on the radio several times... it has an interesting blend of instrumentation, including marimbas (or some such instrument) and guitar, creating a bit of a haunting feel.  Seems she's crushing on a contract killer, or maybe he's a literal bullfighter, not quite sure...


After several years with other bands, Taylor has been putting out solo albums lately.  Seems Miss Taylor has also been involved in some Bright Eyes recordings and concerts, so that's kinda cool...


Oh, and she kinda looks like Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity from The Matrix...)

"Watch it disappear in the red sky

keep it here and watch it die..."

11-17-11 - "Barton Hollow" ~ The Civil Wars

A while back, I blogged about a track by The Civil Wars which featured reticent instrumentation and somber, emotive vocals.  This track showcases their more rambunctious side, evoking the spirit of Cash with a tale of a man running from his past.


Like their slower songs, this tune features intricate harmonies.  It also makes use of dramatic dynamic shifts to great effect.  Check out the music video and a live performance (one of many you can enjoy via the internet - also look for the live SXSW, Jools Holland, and Leno versions):

"Miles and miles in my bare feet
still can't lay me down to sleep
if I die before I wake
I know the Lord my soul won't take..."

9-21-11 - "Nightswimming" ~ R.E.M.

I don't believe I ever heard a song by R.E.M. that I didn't like.  Full disclosure: I never really got into them beyond their radio hits, but some of those were really good and I don't know why I didn't check them out more.  Maybe now is the time, seeing as they just called it quits today (after 31 years - wow!) I definitely love the band's name; the acronym certainly stands for some pretty sweet things (the Egyptian fish god is legit, but rapid eye movement is still my favorite.)


This is probably not considered to be one of their biggest hits, but I like it alot.  The piano sets the stage for the nostalgic look at carefree, idyllic nights of youth enjoying life.  There are some undertones of darker themes, but primarily it seems to be recalling simpler times.  


Live on Jools Holland:

Album:

R.I.P., R.E.M.


"September's coming soon

I'm pining for the moon

and what if there were two,

side by side in orbit,

around the fairest sun...?"

9-9-11 - "Good Day" ~ Nappy Roots

Yeah, it's a bit different than my standard genres, but it's a fun song with a good message and a sweet little piano hook that doesn't get old (well, at least not yet...)


The video below (which I don't think is an official music video) has penguins, which is pretty awesome, no?


Mad props for the stupendous use of the phrase "put up your dukes", too.  Well played, Nappy Roots; well played.

"I'm still above ground,
and that's the reason I pray..."