I mentioned my friend Goose in my last post. Turns out his birthday is right on the heels of Murph's, so I'm sticking with the bday theme for another post. Goose's big day was yesterday, so I missed posting this on his actual birthday, but I had more important things to do yesterday (like grocery shopping...I was very proud of the bag of meat my wife and I brought home).
Before I start salivating over my memory of those strip steaks, I should get back to the point. Looking back, Goose has been a part of some very good music related memories. The only band I've ever been in featured Goose shredding his way through "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" with a bone chip in his ring finger (dude can play) during a battle of the bands in 10th grade. For some strange reason, the 9th and 10th graders preferred Blink182 covers to our versions of Dire Straits and Hendrix. We still managed to take 2nd place. My only regret is that we talked ourselves out of using the name Scary Larry.
One of my fondest concert-going memories also featured Goose and happened all the way back in 10th grade. The Dave Matthews Band came through Pittsburgh and played back to back dates at the wonderful Star Lake Amphitheater (I know it has a different name now, but it will always be Star Lake to me) on a Thursday and Friday during the school year. Goose and I convinced our parents to let us go to both, even though we had a chemistry test waiting for us Friday morning.
We made it to the parking lot early enough on Thursday to make a lame attempt at tailgating. Goose had come across a tiny, store bought charcoal grill that turned out to be little more than foil formed around a brick of something flammable that sort of resembled charcoal. I think we struggled to light the thing for a good 10 minutes and it probably took at least a half hour to cook the frozen burgers we brought. In the words of a drunken passerby, "I don't know about that grill...but that grill is awesome!"
These days, when Goose and I get together, there is always the obligatory "Have you heard of (insert band name here) yet?" "Yeah, they're great. Have you heard of (insert other band name here) yet? They sound a little like (third band we both know of) and (another band)" conversation. I love those conversations. In a way, this blog is one end of that conversation. So to make it two sided for a little bit, I talked to Goose yesterday and asked for a couple of bands he'd like to see mentioned in my little piece of the internet (yeah, its mine...I'm even thinking of making a flag to stick in the ground). He gave me two excellent suggestions and here they be:
Camera Obscura
The video above is from Camera Obscura's excellent set on my oft visited favorite, KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic. The KCRW set was my introduction to the band and I found myself liking everything that I heard. There is a cheerfulness to the music without being bubble gummy, if that makes sense. After repeated listens, I've found that the surface cheerfulness is a little deceptive. There is definitely a bittersweet quality to the songs I've heard and that makes me like Camera Obscura even more. It isn't too often you find this much depth behind such a shiny exterior. Maybe the horns fooled me. Horns are tricky like that. Thinking about Camera Obscura's music in terms of my day to day life (brace for the metaphor) keeps bringing me to the recent weather here in Annapolis. It's just like the crisp fall day we had yesterday. It was kind of dreary in the morning. The kind of day that makes you want to find a couch and a TV and a good football game. But then you remember the errands you have to run and you go ahead and turn off the TV and brave the elements. And to your surprise, the sun comes out to greet you. The ground is wet and there is a little hint of a chill in the air, but the sun is still around, clinging to the last few ounces of summer's heat and cheer.
Deer Tick
I have to admit I'm not all that familiar with Deer Tick's work. I have two Deer Tick songs on my computer and one of them is a Paul Simon cover. But from between what I've heard from their set on Daytrotter and some poking around YouTube (see above), I think I have a perfect opportunity to forcibly extend my fall weather metaphor. If Camera Obscura is the sun on a crisp fall afternoon, all bittersweet and nostalgia inducing, then Deer Tick is the last few minutes of dusk, when the all that's left of the sun is some orange tinged clouds and you might need to start up a fire if you want to hang around outside. I dare you to close your eyes while that video plays and not get a picture of a guy sitting near a fall fire finding his way through a tune after a good pull of moonshine. I double dare you.
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