Vic Chesnutt 1964-2009

Back in June we saw him open for Jonathan Richman. I was not familiar with his music, and still am not. We were in the back of the room, talking to a former colleague from the library and his wife.

I liked what I heard. There was a wit, and a darkness. It was all understandable. It's not the sort of sound that I seek out. Found what the library had. Listened.



This morning the news was coming though that he had attempted suicide and was in a coma. Kristen Hersh's twitter page was especially poignant. There were unsubstantiated reports of his death that were retracted. Now, his death is confirmed.

2009 - The Music

2009 has been another year of massive changes, and for the better. As usual these songs are not necessarily from the best albums of the year but are the ones that kept my interest. I mean, the Beatles catalog was remastered, your best of is right there! Sadly, there is not going to be a complete download of this mix available, blame time and technology constraints. What I have done is included some MP3 links to a few of the songs, some links to various versions of a song on You Tube. If there's anything on here that interests you, shoot me an email and we'll work something out.

Fitz & Dizzyspells - Andrew Bird. I always look for an opening song. Usually it's one that hooks me from the first listen and tells me it's going to lead off the year end CD. The honor goes to Andrew Bird.Here's a video.

Zorbing - Storonway. There's something about the harmonies in this group from Oxford that grabs me. Thanks to the music blog The Pop Cop for this one. From Jools Holland.



You Can Have a Cell Phone that's Ok - Jonathan Richman. The man keeps going. We saw him live this summer. My third time seeing him in person and he's as exuberant as ever. And this is a song I can relate to! Give it a spin!.

Picture Perfect - Strawberry Whiplash. This is a pleasant little pop gem from a Glasgow based group. Has a good Julianna Hatfield vibe to it. So sweet!

Maybe So, Maybe No - Mayer Hawthorne. Twenty nine year old white guy from Ann Arbor makes groovy R&B record. Production values straight out of 1973. Dig the video.

Heaven Can Wait - Charlotte Gainsbourg. I'm going to listen to this new song she did with Beck instead of going to see her in Antichrist. She's easy on the eyes.

Looking Out - Brandi Carlile. She's an earnest one. Lots of people raved about her last record and the way her voice broke while singing The Story. It was a bit over wrought and custom made for Grey's Anatomy for me, much like the new one from Regina Spektor. Her new record is a bit looser, and has a lot more depth. Here's a live video from before the record was released.

Fabric of My Life - Zooey Deschanel. Yes, it's from a commercial. But have you seen the ad? Watch the ad! She's so damn cute. And the ad is for cotton. How can you be mad at Zooey Deschanel in cotton?

Doomsday - Elvis Perkins in Dearland. The young man has issues, lost his father from AIDS, his mother was in one of the planes that hit the WTC. Doomsday is a Tuesday for sure. But Elvis twists the sorrow with a joyous funeral dirge. Glorious! Great performance here.

Till Min System - Love Lindblom. This one's from Sweden. I have no idea what he's singing about, but I'm sure they're nice things. Then the horns kick in, the 'say wha?' chorus is infectious and you'll love Lindblom too. You can find the love here..

Go All the Way - Susanna Hoffs and Matthew Sweet. Twenty years ago I suggested The Bangles cover this song. When they broke up I kept saying Susanna should sing this one. People laughed at me. Who is laughing now? Dreams come true!

Liberator - Force Vomit. I got this one from a number of blogs who compile a selection of international, independent music each month. It's called the Music Alliance pact and it's introduced me to a wide array of music from around the world. This band is from Singapore, and they rock! Crank it!

Everything with You - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Indie Brooklyn rockers put out a cool sound. Nothing exceptional, but this one has a good hook.

Dog Days are Over - Florence and the Machine. I predicted big things for Florence Wright when I used one of her demos on last year's mix. I came close. Hopefully, she'll be able to follow up Lungs with a strong sound. Mercury Prize performance here.

Love Runs Deeper - Lindsey Buckingham. Each year I put in an obligatory song that was released late in the previous year. Gift of Screws came out in September and I did not hear it until earlier this year. He's still got the writing knack and displays some mad guitar skills throughout the record. I love this one because every acoustic guitar in the world is playing. Nice live performance.

People Got a Lotta Nerve - Neko Case. Her voice is amazing. Her phrasing is top notch. I wish her material was worthy of her instrument though. This is good, but if the writing quality was raised a few notches the results would be scary great. Live in Charlotte a couple of weeks ago.

Flatten the Hay - The Duckworth Lewis Method. I found out about Neil Hannon through the God Help the Girl soundtrack in which he made a guest appearance. My Scottish Wife suggested I listen to some of his music. She sent me a couple of You Tube links to Perfect Lovesong, Tonight We Fly and his Divine Comedy projects. I got hooked. This song is a collaborative effort between Hannon and Thomas Walsh. It's also about cricket, which I know nothing about except from seeing the movie Laagan. The music sounds a heck of a lot like XTC and that's fine by me. The Divine Comedy is releasing a new record in 2010, and I'm excited about it.

Musician, Please Take Heed - God Help the Girl. Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian is a busy man. He put out a blind ad looking for girls to sing in a group. I'm sure the audition process must have been a fulfillment of one of Murdoch's wet dreams. The end result is an Irish gal named Catherine Ireton, who sings lead on most of the songs on the soundtrack to a movie that has not been written or filmed. Stuart and his band mates can arrange a lovely song, but can Murdoch come through with a screenplay?

Nearly Home - Broken Records. Another song courtesy of the Pop Cop. This band from Edinburgh has a lot of the multiple instrument flair of Arcade Fire. Hell, a lot of bands are coming out sounding like them. I could have made a whole disc of songs by bands who sound like Arcade Fire. Anyway, I do like this song because it gets over the top at the end. Part of the band's power. Click to download.

I Don't Know - Lisa Hannigan. Another charming Irish gal. There are some very good songs on her See Sew album, and some not so good ones, but the videos are irresistibly cute. Here's the song to download. Here's a different mix of this song on You Tube, it's her in a snug in a Dingle bar performing this song.

Honey in the Sun - Camera Obscura. Well what do you know, another Scottish group. My Scottish Wife and I got to see them live, and met Francois Marry, their touring bassist, an old friend of Emma's. Also got to meet the lovely and wee Traceyanne Campbell, but that's another story! I like this song so much I turned it into a wedding slideshow.

The Naughts

Here it is. The obligatory end of the decade list of the music this guy liked. It’s not a best of list. This is a personal compilation. It’s also not a list of the best albums. The rise of the internet and downloading has caused a big shift in my listening habits over the past ten years; I don’t really listen to new records anymore, but a bunch of songs.

Please, don’t be the guy who says the decade is from 2001-2010. My blog, my rules. Tried my best to pick out two songs from each year. If I failed to get two from each year, please be kind. Unfortunately time and technology limits my ability to provide a downloadable link to these songs. They’re out there, and you can find most of these on Youtube. If you’re intrigued and unable to find a song shoot me an email and I can send you an MP3.

What a decade, eh? For me it has been a whirlwind. Four jobs, two marriages, four cars, one house, one son – and after all the drama and shifting of rubble, as Elton John said, I’m still standing. Somehow, in all the madness, I got my ears going again. It helped keep me sane, and these little end of year liner notes have been fun to do, and complete. Thank you for reading and taking part in the journey.

Mambo De La Luna - Kirsty MacCall. I still mourn her tragic death after hopping on her bandwagon posthumously. Her Tropical Brainstorm release is a danceable, heartbreaking and independent display of her love of Cuban music. It’s very sad that there’s not going to be any more new music from her.

You Were Right - Badly Drawn Boy. When my son was small and did not sleep, unlike now when he still does not sleep, to calm myself down I'd put the Music Choice channel. The adult alternative channel played, and may still, a lot of music that was new to me. This song was one of them, and in a few songs an artist I really came to love would come along. I like this song and its breezy pop sensibilities. In a couple of years Damon would release One Last Dance, and that song really freaked me out during the time my marriage fell apart.



You Know So Well - Sondre Lerche. It was another of the many times my son would not fall asleep. I put Music Choice on to try and stay sane. Then this song came on and flipped me out with it's Strawberry Fields production and Donovan voice. I asked Laurie to write this down in case I forgot. I reserved it from the library. There was a short waiting list. Then it came through book drop while I was clearing it. The Faces Down CD was the only time I broke library rules and checked out to myself before the next person in line got their reserve. This is the first time I'm telling this part of the story. This is my confession. I really admire the music this kid from Norway has made.

Come Pick Me Up - Ryan Adams. Whiskeytown completely passed me by during its existence. It was not until after 9/11 that I started paying attention to Ryan Adams because of that video he made on 9/7, just a day before I was in New York City and had an incredible day there. I gave Gold a listen, found it alright but more than a bit self indulgent (imagine that!) then picked up Heartbreaker and was quite impressed. In March of '02, for our wedding anniversary we went to see him live. One of the worst shows I've ever seen. Back to the audience, no stage presence. After his next few records I almost wrote him off, even picked him in a death pool thinking he'd go the way of Gram Parsons. But a broken arm and some maturity showed me he's still relevant and I really liked Jacksonville City Nights.



Allt Som Ar Ditt - Sakert. I have the guy who was not interested in my wife to thank for this. He put it on his monthly downloadable mix and I was hooked on this song. It has a very Fleetwood Mac vibe. The lyrics are quite dark, there's revenge and an assault in there. The video is even darker. The artist is a Swedish woman named Annika Norlin. Her English alter ego is a group called Hello Saferide and the music is charming and quirky and you just want to hug her. So thanks Paul, and why are you blocking me on Facebook?

Sequestered in Memphis - The Hold Steady. For awhile I kept reading about this Minneapolis band on the blogosphere. There was a lot of universal love for them I could not ignore. So I checked out Boys and Girls In America, which did not grab me. At all. A few months later, I gave it another shot to the same results. So when Stay Positive came out and the same people were showing it the same love, I was skeptical. Then I heard this song and was instantly pulled in. Their best songs have a great riff, a story with a lot of dark corners and a sing along chorus. The whole record maintains the theme and it holds together well. I gave Boys and Girls in America an unprecedented third chance, nope.

 Doomsday - Elvis Perkins in Dearland. A now estranged friend sent me a copy of Ash Wednesday and I was impressed by his words and tone. I called him the Buster Keaton of rock music. That's a compliment. There's a lot of color in his world that has been darkened by the public deaths of his parents. His recent record is even better and this song with it's dance along funeral dirge and trombones is brilliant.

 I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll - Gillian Welch. She is one of the most important American artists of the past decade. She comes from Southern California but you'd swear she was raised in a Georgia holler. Her guitarist, David Rawlings, is no slouch either. Check out the guitar solo on this song.

 I Feel Better - Frightened Rabbit. The passionate rock and roll sounds out of Falkirk, Scotland. I like these guys and suspect 2010 will be a very big year for them.



 Intervention - Arcade Fire. The band that got me into new music again. The same person who got me onto Elvis Perkins suggested this group also. I got Funeral out of the library and thirty seconds into the first song I was devoted. It lived in my cd player, in my car and head for a long time. Then in late 2006, when this song was leaked as a preview of their Neon Bible record I was blown away. I cannot tell you how much I listened to this one song, and how much it kept me going during some very, very hard times in my personal life. Seeing them perform this song live capped it all off. It’s not so much a great song to me as it is an anthem. Three years later it still sounds fresh as it sends chills through me. This is the band of the decade. I await their next record.

 Dog Days Are Over - Florence and the Machine. My introduction to Florence Wright came from a Columbus blog called Donewaiting. It was a review of her performance at the SXSW festival. She was in a bar, jumping around on stage, then went into a small swimming pool and splashed around. I started looking around online and downloading as much of her material as I could. She has style, looks and energy. She could be a big star.

Sunset - Kate Bush. Ah Kate, where were you the past twelve years? It had been so long. I never forgot about you, I suspected you were busy having a kid and all. It takes a lot of your time. And when you released the double cd I was so pleased. Sure, you sang the first one hundred digits of pi on one song but that was ok, you can come over and sing the phone book to me. Disc two, a sky of honey, helped me sleep for months. This song is beautiful, just like you. Come back in less than twelve years, if you're going to be late you know where to find me.



 Muzzle of Bees – Wilco. Oh Mr. Tweedy you entered the decade with so much hope and promise, just like the rest of us. Then you lost your record deal, regained it, shook up the band publicly, went into rehab and came out of it mellower. What happens to artists who lose their creativity when they clean up? Since you and the late Jay Bennett broke up the band has not been the same. I’m not saying it’s worse, just different. Sure Nels is a hell of a guitarist, but you have not been giving him much to do. You’re only on this list because I could not leave you out. I’m not saying you have to rock in 2010, but to stop boring me. All the best.

 Funny Little Frog - Belle and Sebastian. Yeah. Scotland. Glasgow. At the beginning of the decade the country was not even close to being on my life’s radar. Now I’m surrounded by it. The Life Pursuit was the first record of theirs I took an interest in, back in that infamous year of 2006. Maybe I was reading Craig Ferguson’s book at the same time as hearing this song come out of the speakers, knowing then and there it would lead off the end of the year disc, and not knowing about the craziness the rest of the year would bring.

 In the Night - Joseph Arthur. Like Jeff Tweedy, the decade began with a lot of promise for young Joseph. Then, things got weird. Maybe his brief dalliance with Lindsey Lohan (I think I am the only one who did not but I had a dream about her) changed him. Anyway, he posts a lot of his poetic stylings on the web, seems to have sobered up and has stopped releasing records on the hour – which would be a good thing, if his recent releases were as profound as Redemption’s Son. I’m glad he’s well, and there’s still hope for him, and all of us.

 Love Changes Everything - Sam Phillips. Poor gal released an amazing record on 9/4/01. Then she and T-Bone Burnett split up. I get that. If you’re sad, Sam, come on over. I’ve got beer. We’ll just talk. Honest.

 Don't Ever Change - Amy Rigby. One of my favorite blogging musicians. She’s living in France with her husband Wreckless Eric. She writes about her new life in a foreign country, getting decent eye ware, the strains of touring. She’s an earnest voice in a sea of manufactured hype and it’s a damn shame she does not get the credit she deserves.

 2+2=5 (The Lukewarm) - Radiohead. One of the most lauded bands of the decade. I think their releases have been mixed in quality, and I still do not get Kid-A. I liked Hail to the Thief and especially this song.

 What a Wonderful Man - My Morning Jacket. These guys are from another planet and have made so many turns in their style that it’s become hard to categorize them, which is not a bad thing. This is one of their shorter, and straightforward songs. None of their reverb jam band songs here, and it’s hard to get mad at them because they soar. MMJ might be the best live band out there now.

 Knights of Cydonia – Muse. I’ve never really heard these guys, still not sure why I checked the record out from the library. Took it upstairs, was reading. It sounded ok, nothing earth shattering. Then this song, the last one on the record started. I stopped reading. This song has everything. Hints of Joe Meek, Ennio Morricone, the riff from Barracuda, Yes, Queen and so much more. I played it again, and again after that. What a great sound. I’m not impressed with their live act or stage presence, but this song plain out rocks.

Football sestina, not the best idea

I know there were some harsh words about the Bob Dylan Christmas record said here. There is a video out now. It has to be seen to be believed. Bob's wearing a wig that makes him look like Iggy Pop, or Tom Petty. There's a hellacious party going on. I think the guy swinging from the chandelier is the Jack of Hearts.

The boy went to bed at 10PM, woke up at 2AM and is still awake. At least it gave me the opportunity to see that what I started writing last night was total nonsense. It's been a tough month on the page, especially with the 30/30 project happening. I'm not getting much out of it, nor am I putting anything in. Writing the pantoum, getting only one response then seeing another poet write this short throwaway piece (that had a Springsteen song as a title) get scads of attention completely turned me off. Sure I'm being petty and unnecessarily jealous but this was not a clique I was a part of from day one.

The new Margaret Atwood book is rather bleak and fierce. It picks up around the time of Oryx and Crake and runs with bioengineering, pandemics and massive changes in the way humans live. Atwood has some wicked humor going on, and her satire is top notch.

I also liked I'm Dying up Here, a well told story about stand up comedy in Los Angeles in the 1970's. It's a quick read about the founding of the Comedy Store and the early careers of Letterman, Leno, Boosler, George Miller, Richard Lewis and many other comedians. It also has the story of a boycott of the Comedy Store and its operator, Mitzi Shore, that is rather detailed. I wonder how fair the book is toward everyone involved but it seemed a rather balanced reporting of events to me.

Alright, I think the kid's back to sleep. Maybe I can get another hour or two of shuteye.

November 30 in 30, Day 6

Dear Bob

I’ve been listening to your new record.
You know, the one that was inspired by Mitch Miller,
Frankie Yankovic polkas and men dancing in fezzes
Can I ask you a question?
Why do you hate Christmas?
Saying it’s for charity does not diminish the fact
That your voice is completely shot
Not in the Tom Waits tone of polished gravel
But in a Wayne Newton should have given it up years ago way
I’m not suggesting you retire from recording, or give up touring
But to, find your niche
O’ Little Town of Bethle-phelgm is beneath you Bob
Put a bit more thought in the next one
Bag the lily white backup singers
Give the guy from Los Lobos better material to play
Take a few Fisherman’s Friend lozenges before hitting the mic
Because I think you got one more in you
If McCartney can do it, you can too!
But this holiday season, if you’re going to bring that thing you recorded as a gift,
you’re not invited over

Learn it. Learn it.

With the back and forth craziness of October coming to an end, next month I've involved myself in a project that will either benefit me or force me to expose shameful secrets. In November I'm going to write 30 poems in 30 days and do it in a writing group.

What can possibly go wrong? If I do not submit I will be forced into revealing past traumas. And what's the difference between that and what I write. Piece of cake, right?

Too bad I've had a nasty case of writers block since returning from IWPS. If this does not shake me loose of it, there is no hope.

Also coming up in late November early December will be my annual link and liner notes of music that did not suck this year. Plus, an added bonus of my favorite songs from the past decade. I've based in on two songs from each year. Twenty songs. Twenty memories. I get to write about that, too.

Can't think of anything that happened worth writing about that happened to me in the past ten years. Can you?

They Didn't, Then They Did (Love Us, That Is)

A couple of weary people went to see Wilco at the Mershon Auditorium on Monday night.

Liam Finn was the opener, he had Eliza Jane Barnes (Jimmy Barnes' daughter) with him. Finn plays with sound loops, a lot, and bashes the drums hard. It was an energetic set from the son of one of my favorite musicians.



Before we arrived at Mershon, my wife asked me if Wilco provided any banter, if they interacted with the audience or if they just played without talking to the crowd. I assured her that yes, there was banter.

For over a half an hour I felt ignored. They were on stage, playing as though it was a sound check, a rehearsal. All of them standing around, admiring each other. And I had made this promise to my wife!



Sometime in the midst of Impossible Germany, during Nels Cline's incredible solo, it all changed and they seemed to realize a crowd was out there and all became right with the show.

The energy level kicked up. I'm not sure if the kicked up energy came from the older material. My wife was happy they did California Stars.





They also did a kick ass Monday and brought it home with a killer Hoodoo Voodoo. It was an impressive and satisfying ending. Still, I can't think that Tweedy and company are coasting, and have been for the last three records. Maybe it was all the travel we had been through, and the lack of sleep that had me worn out. Live though, the band is a force.

You are men?

Have not really said much about the Beatles remasters. At this time, what I will say is that I have what I wanted, and I like what I've heard. The mixes have some punched up bass and a clarity revealed that was not in the previous cds. What the engineers could not improve was left alone. Abbey Road sounds absolutely exquisite. I'm not going to detail the minutia in the stereo and mono mixes here, but there's plenty of material on that in other media and blogs.

Helped a friend move yesterday. Figures the one day it rains in the last two weeks and we get to lug someone elses belongings in it. Could have been worse. I'm feeling the effects of laboring today, as there were only two men to lift a sofa, washer and dryer. No one was injured although one of us got quite damp dealing with a washer hose and nearly busted a hand after said washer nearly fell on it.

Scottish Wife now has her social security card, I'm sure we'll be hearing about the status interview soon!

From the small world department: We went to a birthday party Saturday night and were introduced to a woman who lived in the UK for several years. We talked about immigration and she told us about her now ex husband and how well he's fit into American life by getting involved with the Columbus Crew and also getting their young son involved. I asked her son's name and she told me. I've met them, at Columbus Crew functions and even took their picture.

Even watched a bit of soccer yesterday. A live link for the Celtic/Hearts match provided some fine drama as Loovens scored in extra time to give the Hoops the win. Later, I avoided all websites and updates and watched Everton/Blackburn on delay and was rewarded with a 3-0 Everton victory. Saha scored a brace, the defense rallied and tightened up despite the loss of Phil Neville. Upswing!

I did miss the Crew tie to Chicago entirely, as well as the Bills win.

Coming down to the final two weeks before IWPS. Time to start cramming. There's still time for you to DONATE.

Many thanks if you have!

Coffee After 6PM is Never Good For Me

It's been a rather busy and awesome last few days. In a preview of yesterday's OSU/Navy game we saw this behind a High Street restaurant a few days ago.



Nothing like burning a couch to get pumped up for the first game of the season.

Friday night we celebrated the gorgeous early September weather by going to Schiller Park to see Actor's Summer Theater's presentation of Shakespeare's As You Like It. We brought some beverages, a blanket, and with friends took up a comfortable space in the park. The interpretation of the play had a twist, some of the actors were puppets. I was especially impressed with the Wrestler in the first act.



The acting was sound, better than many of the previous plays I've seen this troupe do. The use of the horn fanfare of Rocky J. Squirrel's from Bullwinkle gave me a good chuckle each time it was used to bring the Duke on stage. Well played.

It was after intermission when the play fell apart. Not the fault of the actors, but the play itself. Characters were introduced for no other reason than to extend the show. Nothing was happening for many scenes and I was grateful it finally ended.

Got to find a nice feed to the Scotland/Macedonia soccer game yesterday morning. It was raining at Hampden as the home team ended up winning 2-0. The victory keeps Scotland's slim hopes at making the World Cup going for another four days. On Wednesday they play a very tough team from the Netherlands. Even if, and I say if, they beat the Dutch they're still going to need help to make it through to the next round. But for now, there's hope.



Yesterday afternoon the Scottish Wife and I went to the city's new metropark. The Scioto Audubon Park is just south of downtown, next to the impound lot. The main building is a marvel of green engineering and architecture from its recycling of rainwater to geothermal heating; quite impressive. The park is still being developed. It looks and feels too new in parts. Once it weathers itself in it will be a standout park in an already fine Columbus Metro Park system, and there are herons!



It was one of those days in which I really liked the city I call home. We kept taking advantage of the weather to venture out to the Gallery Hop for dinner and people watching and we were not disappointed.



With the Buckeyes hanging on to beat Navy, folks were in a good mood. We saw a few people I had not seen in years, some fine looking Navy men in their dress uniforms and crowds of people on High Street. This month there seemed to be more musicians than usual. They were spread out so that every 100 feet you heard a new sound, a different type of music. Hearing the city's diversity kept the good mood going.

Then I came home and there was a nice surprise in my inbox. All I'll say is that I've been enjoying the remastered Beatles catalogue, and that side two of Abbey Road is glorious.

Take one - Sadly White, But What Can You Do?

For the past few years I've put together a compilation disc of my favorite songs of the previous year. It used to be from my favorite albums of the year, but the music industry changes, alterations in how I listen to music and, um, downloading have changed everything.

The last couple of years I have been able to work on the yearly playlists on the fly as the year progressed. I'd find some good songs, put them in a file, and arrange them. If a better song or segue came along it could be easily changed. Thank you iTunes.

This year I'm going to put together a mix of songs from the past decade. Twenty songs. Two from each year. Take one, the beta issue has been completed and burned tonight for car listening.

Some years it was tough to pick only two songs, others more difficult to find a worthy pair. Remembering, especially the first half of the decade when I was not really keeping lists, has been rewarding. I found a few songs long forgotten, but they never really left me. I'm sure as the year comes to a close there will be more than one head slapping moment of how could I not include this song, or what the hell is this song from 2004 doing here? I admit that year has been my biggest challenge, with two songs I doubt will make the final upload.

I'm very surprised at what is not going to be on here. Some groups put out a lot of good records that I listened to often, but for some reason two other songs that year, or more, did better work. Hey, Creedence never had a number one hit either.

Tonight, I'm happy with the first version, and look forward to the rest of the year to see how it evolves. Then there's the fun of the liner notes, and the memories attached to each song. Twenty different stories of the past ten years of great changes in my life. It's all far from completion.

A president, activist and a cop walk into a bar...

Been listening to Serge Gainsborg and finding that I don't like him. Tom Jones has an amazing voice, the last Levon Helm (not the new one) does not do it for me and Let It Bleed sounds really good. Also, the Divine Comedy, can't find much of that in Columbus though.

Been thinking that in addition to the year end compilation I've been doing for the past five years, it may be a cool idea to put one together celebrating the best of the decade. It's certainly an ambitious project and I'm not sure what to do about 2000-2003 since I do not have much on record about those years.



Also watched a swift piece of film noir called Detour. Guy hitches from New York to L.A. to get together with his girl. Gets picked up by a man who dies while they're on the road. He ends up with the car and picks up another hitchhiker, a woman with issues, bad things happen. Ann Savage, who was the mother in Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg plays the hitcher with issues. It was made in six days, has some scary bad rear projection but an above average script, which the actors tear through with gusto.

Ran all over the city yesterday in some rather foul weather. Frustrating at time, did not find anything I was looking for but we did pick up a new addition to the family who will be introduced to you all soon.

You know he got some string and he got some wood

What is it about Tom Jones and puppets? First I hear him sing Puppet Man, then another one about the Young New Mexican Puppeteer. That was some freaky stuff to be playing on the ride to work this morning.



I’ve proclaimed Tom Jones as the new king of pop by the way. Someone has to be and it might as well be him. The man is made of testosterone. In all seriousness that man has an incredibly powerful voice.

He showed up in a cameo in the Gold Help the Girl project, my wife has mentioned him a few times and I have to say I’m quite impressed by the few things I’ve heard from Neil Hannon. I’ve heard a few songs from the Divine Comedy, not much available here and am amused with his latest project, the Duckworth Lewis Method, a group of pop songs that sing the praises of cricket. I have no idea what cricket is about, maybe I need to see Laagan again, but they’re very cool songs, worthy of XTC's output.

Teacher never cared for me. Preacher said a prayer for me

Had a busy holiday. Went south to a friends for the day. They have a pool, but it was a but cool for swimming. Their kids were in it when we got there, but saw the folly it it then went inside to play video games. N. walked around their yard for awhile, then finally noticed the pool.

He crouched down by it and put his hand in it, walked around the yard more. Then stuck his foot in. He still had his sneakers on.

I put his suit on, but he would not go in. Eventually he would take one or two of the stairs into the pool, but came back up. Too cold to go all the way in.

Later, we hit the old viewing spot on campus to see the Upper Arlington display through the lights of the ball fields there. You could also see Whetstone's and Worthington's. The kid was more interested in walking by the dugout fence.

Been listening to a couple of new records the last week.

Wilco (The Album) opens with a bit of a joke. Wilco (The Song) has 'Wilco will love you baby' as the chorus. Tweedy and company have made a better record than Sky Blue Sky. It rocks out a bit more and the production has some Yankee Hotel Foxtrot-like surprises in it. Instrumentally it's rock solid. The band is a live force and they really play well together. Lyrically it does not seem to have much to say. I don't think Tweedy is coasting and he's certainly not phoning it it, but he's at a good place in his life and enjoying the view.



God Help the Girl is a project by Stuart Murdoch. The main songwriter of Belle and Sebastian is working on a screenplay but has completed the soundtrack first. The story behind the record is told here.

The music is a gorgeous swirl of orchestration and pop music. Even though the musicians of Belle and Sebastian play, it's not a B&S record. Murdoch has fulfilled something that's been in his head and found a couple of beautiful singers to achieve his dream. He's on the cover of the new issue of Paste Magazine and was also featured in last week's New York Times Magazine.



Now, if he can get to work on that screenplay.

June is coming to an end

To finish our weekend my wife and I went to the Camera Obscura concert at the Wexner Center last night.

Last month we found out from her friend Lisa that their mutual acquaintance Francois would be playing with the band. Emma sent him an email, which he did not receive.

After dinner at Bento we headed to Bernie's for a beer before the show and looking into the window at Jimmy John's was a slight figure.

"That's Francois!"

She calls out to him and he blinks and does a great double take on High Street. Introductions are made, he's looking for a salad, we give him recommendations and make a vague plan to meet by the tour bus after the show.

Turns out he moved from percussion to bass after the group's bassist had a death in the family and had to head home in the middle of the tour.



He switched to guitar for one song.



The show itself exceeded expectations. They're all very good musicians and their performance had some unexpected energy. Plus, they did Razzle Dazzle Rose, which made me happy. I'd never seen a show at Mershon when it's standing on the stage. The sound was good even if our backs are getting too old to stand for a couple hours straight. The opener was a singer named Anni Rossi, who did some interesting things with a viola, including a cover of In Between Days.



When I get my mediocre camera into a show I do not like using a flash because it draws attention and because security took my batteries at a Springsteen show years ago.

Afterwards we looked over by the bus and a couple of band members, including Francois were headed back into the Wex. One member was graciously talking to some fans and being very cool. The fanboy in me took over.



We talked a bit, told her she knew Francois and when she was done talking, signing and posing for pictures with the dozen or so fans gathered around she went in and got him. We talked a bit more, told him Pittsburgh was a cool city. The group liked the venue, said it had cool lighting and good sound and that's how the night ended.

Let Scott's Groove Locker Say Amen

My friend Scott has put together a wonderful podcast of Michael Jackson's music.

You can listen or download it here

As I've said, my Mother and her generation watched the rise and fall of Elvis Presley. Now I and those of my age have seen the same of Michael Jackson.

I choose to remember the music he left behind.

A Respite Since I Have Little to Say

I like her debut. Some not so good songs, but the good ones out weigh the bad. Keep in mind the video and the mix on the record are not the same.

You can have a cell phone and that's ok, but not me

Oh yes Jonathan Richman was a blast last night. He played at the Summit, a north campus dive I've never been in.



Vic Chesnutt opened. I'd never seen him before. Emma did in Edinburgh. I could not get a good picture of him. Heck, all the pictures I took last night were poor because of the stage and the bad lighting, but it was a great show.



It was the third time I'd seen him, and this was the loosest. He showed some mad guitar skills and sang a lot of Spanish songs. He also did 'Give Paris One More Chance" which is one of my favorites of his.



Ran into a former coworker and his wife and it was good to see them.

It was the first concert my wife and I attended together, supposed to be Camera Obscura in a couple of weeks but this one came out of nowhere. First show I'd been to since Jandek. It's been awhile. Ended up at Waffle House after the show, which let out about 12:30. Got to see a girl fight over a stolen purse. Bit of everything last night.

Bit of shopping today then staying put.

Bruce: A Breakup

Over the years you stop listening to certain artists and groups. The reasons can be many. The band broke up and is doing nothing new. The personnel changed and the songs are not quite the same. The artist went through rehab and is no longer edgy.

With Bruce Springsteen, it's finally happened. After listening to Working on a Dream, I can honestly say I'm no longer interested in listening to what he has to say. I'm not even sure he still has a record left in him. There's not going to be a Flaming Pie with the Boss. Heck, McCartney may even have one more after that one left in him.

It took me awhile to start listening to his music. It was not until Born in the U.S.A. and its polished Bob Clearmountain mix Courtney Cox in the video that I went back and appreciated his earlier work. For the record, Darkness on the Edge of Town is the one I keep going back to. I saw that mega tour in Buffalo late in '85 and it was quite the event. The Wave during Clarence's sax solo in Jungleland, with Bruce at the core of it was spectacular populist art.

The follow up was him trying to avoid the tabloids with his marriage to Juliette Phillips. Then Tunnel of Love and it's revelation that married life can be a downer. I am aware artists change. They grow up. They have kids - and when Bruce wrote about that with the song Living Proof, I was touched.

But the whole releasing two cds on one day thing with Lucky Town and Human Touch. Come on, that's just ego and it screams for the need of an editor.

I saw him again, in late 1999 here in Columbus. Clarence was taken out as foil. Patti was absent that night but she replaced him. As talented as a musician as she is, listen to 23rd Street Lullaby it's good - she could never inject herself into the E-Street Scene, and the performance was lessened.



Then 9/11 came and Bruce showed up for the benefit show a week later doing a brilliant My City of Ruins, and the "Rise Up" chorus send chills up my back. In the aftermath, he was asked to write a record about the tragedy, and The Rising had some good songs, but writing to spec was never his forte.

Lately, he was working with Brendan O'Brien and had a couple of promising songs on the Magic record so I was pleased to find out that Working on a Dream was to come out.

And there's this one song on it, the lyrics are horrible. It has a string arrangement that is disgusting. Queen of the Supermarket may be one of the worst songs released by a mainstream artist. Where were the editors? Was there anyone in the studio with the 'nads to say, "Um, Bruce, you may want to put this one back."

The man is pushing 60 and to release lyrics such as "The way she moves behind the counter/Beneath her white apron her secret remains hers/As she bags the groceries her eyes so bored/And sure she's unobserved" is really execrable. I mean, the Northern Pikes got away with Jackie T. looking cute in her drug store suit because they were in their twenties, and Canadian.

But this ode to a cashier makes My Morning Jacket's "Librarian" seem like songwriting genius. The rest of the record is dragged down by this song. There's little inspiration here. The songs are mid tempo and even the experimentation is half-hearted.

So Bruce, while I respect you and wish you well. Anything you produce from here on out, probably won't be heard by my ears. I'll still groove to Candy's Room. Anytime.

While You Were Reading

Received word a couple of days ago that I came in a second place tie in the Columbus Arts Festival poetry audition.

What does this mean?

I get to read for half an hour (instead of fifteen minutes) at the festival on Saturday, June 6th at 6PM. I think I also get a short bio in the program.



Two years ago I was stunned to get a slot. I suspected I did well in this year's audition, but not that good. I am humbled to be on the podium, as it were, with a couple of Columbus' finest poets in Mikelle Hickman-Romaine and Louise Robertson.

Taking off on a mini road trip tomorrow. I have a real itch to get out of the city now that the weather is getting better. There is some paperwork that has to get done this weekend. Tonight and Sunday should take care of at least half of that. Must get cracking on the poetry. Big slam on Wednesday night, along with pre=preparation for June.

Also booked a flight for my son and I to head to Long Island and see my parents next month.



The still is from the film Hunger. It's one of the most brutal and profound films I've seen in a long time. It tells the story of IRA terrorist Bobby Sands and the hunger strike that killed him in 1981. Director Steve McQueen makes his feature director/writer debut with this and knocks it out of the building with brilliant visuals such as snow falling on the bloody knuckles of a prison guard. I may be projecting this but I believe some of this film was influenced by the work of Bresson and Truffaut. The politics are kept neutral through some brutal scenes of violence and grotesque artistry. There is one breathtaking long shot of Sands discussing his hunger strike with a priest that was done in a single take of 17 minutes. Michael Fassbender goes through a physical transformation not unlike Christian Bale's in The Machinist. It's not a film for the faint of heart, but if you want to see a bleak transformation of a character it's a stunning piece of film making.



Image from brooklynvegan.com

Been tracking down the latest record from Elvis Perkins and what I've heard is amazing. It's a bit more upbeat musically that Ash Wednesday, but the content of the songs is just as bittersweet.

A Trilogy of a Post

Still trying to figure out what I'm doing in this part of the blogosphere, and readership seems to be nil so I have a sand box to play in. Here's something I wrote a couple of years ago for the now defunct site complusivetruth.

When it comes to the now obsolete genre of alt-country one of the seminal bands of the movement was the 80's group Lone Justice. They were ahead of the curve in the movement along with the bands Rank and File, Jason and the Scorchers and many others. Naturally, these bands all sat at their speakers when they were growing up, soaking in the music of Gram Parsons, the Carter Family, and the Flying Burrito Brothers, with a healthy amount of gospel thrown in to keep it holy.

The force behind the band was the voice and stage presence of its lead singer. Maria McKee had a very powerful voice and an image of a punk rocker who wore vintage dresses. At seventeen, she wrote a song, A Good Heart, that Feargal Sharkey had a massive hit with in the U.K. in the 1983. McKee's half-brother is the late Bryan MacLean, who was guitarist in the band Love.

Lone Justice was signed by Geffen Records in 1985.

They had a promotional slush fund that could budget a small country. Still, all that cash could not get them arrested. McKee was at one point in her career managed by Jimmy Iovine, the svengali of Stevie Nicks, who had no clue what do do with her abilities, so he threw top name talent such as Steven Van Zandt to work with her. Nothing happened. The records did not sell.

Their first video, Ways to Be Wicked, was written by Tom Petty. The video's quality was of a silent film from the 20's in dire need of a restoration. You could not see the band, or McKee's looks because the video had a a scratchy, over antiquated look. Not a good beginning. The record, while receiving good praise, never sold well.

After the first record, bassist Marvin Etzoni, guitarist Ryan Hedgecock and drummer Don Heffington left the group. After that, the lineup was a revolving cast of session players from other bands including Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

McKee also had a style that was noticed by director Martin Scorcese as he cast her to appear with Robbie Robertson in his video Somewhere Down the Crazy River. A video in which McKee and Robertson were in a coital embrace for virtually the whole song.

There rarely seemed to be any consistency or patience with the sound of the group or image of the band. As frontswoman, the pressure was on McKee to deliver. It seemed as if she never had control over her product, but a posse of handlers and producers all willing to spend David Geffen's money seemed to control her releases.

She broke away from Lone Justice and a self titled solo record was released in 1990. Few noticed.

In the 1993 she released a fine record called You Gotta Sin To Get Saved. Once again, it featured top talent from The Jayhawks, The Heartbreakers and other prominent session musicians from the west coast. It is a very soulful record with a solid R&B and country vibe. It contains a great cover of Van Morrison's "The Way Young Lovers Do." Once again, it failed to get noticed.

She then took over her career completely with her final release on Geffen in 1996. She wrote all the songs by herself and played all of the guitars, to mixed results. Life is Sweet is a record of passion and autobiography. The first song, Scarlover, tells of an affair with a prominent musician. The rest of the songs were unlike any of the Cosmic American Music she had previously release. Distorted guitars and howling vocals were up front as McKee bared her soul. Again, sales were dismal. It was to be her last major label release.



The late nineties and new millenium found McKee in Dublin, recording and releasing material every couple of years. Her cult following noticed, but the masses yawned and ignored her.

With her new record, Late December, McKee shows she still has it. Her voice soars, contains drama and borders close enough to the histrionic to keep the sound spicy. It reminds me of her work on Life Is Sweet. She also officially released her version of "A Good Heart", a song she wrote at seventeen.

I wonder if writing a musical for the London stage is in her future. Perhaps a story of a hyped up musician who should have been a major star, but, inexplicably, was not. Or, just as a personal pipe dream, working with producer Jim Steinman (Meatloaf) for at least one song, just so I can hear what that collaboration would bring.

McKee is also one of my favorite musicians that I have not seen play live. She tours infrequently in the states. When she does play here, she sticks to the coasts. The closest I've been was seeing Marvin Etzoni open for Sam Phillips. Marvin was doing his mandolin act and played for 45 minutes straight, and I mean that. he didn't break stride. He did play a cover of "You Are the Light."

I also happened to catch Lone Justice's original drummer, Don Heffington, when he was in Lucinda Williams' band.

Maria McKee has always been one of rock music's unrecognized talents. In this day of corporate control of the mainstream it's unlikely she ever get noticed, unless one of her songs shows up on Greys Anatomy or another television show. Heck, not even satellite radio is playing her new record, and that's a shame. She keeps plugging away, and offers us hope in her song "Starving Pretty" in which she tells us, "And stay with me/Starving pretty and high/Back and forth/Celebrate at such refine/Lean on me, baby/We're going to make it/We're paper thin/We’re gonna win."

She has always had the voice, the presence and the ability to write songs of relevance and passion, and has been doing so, virtually unnoticed, for almost a quarter of a century.

Today the blogger known as Last Year's Girl asked this question, and I'm replying.

“The idea, is to jot down ten most bestest songs ever and find out what other people like so you can see if you like it yourself. Apparently this exercise builds understanding of other people."

It's hard to pick a top ten of anything. Let alone music. Moods shift. What is chosen today will not necessarily be the same an hour from now. But, here they are, in no particular order.

The Beatles - I'm Looking Through You
The Who - I'm One
The Kinks - Shangrila
The Ronettes - Be My Baby
Arcade Fire - Wake Up
Buddy Holly - Peggy Sue
Wilco - At My Window Sad and Lonely
Emmy Lou Harris - Wrecking Ball
Liz Phair - Shitloads of Money
George Harrison - Run of the Mill

So many are missing from that list. I can pick eight more tomorrow, and the day after.

Not going to talk about work here much but this book came across my desk today. Have not paid that much attention to a book at work since the Pink Box.

Here's a picture of Emmanuelle Beart that is work safe.



Forgive me, my girlfriend is 3,600 miles away