It was Christmas Eve, babe...

...in the drunk tank...

No need for a long winded explanation.  Just a great Christmas song from the Pogues that I'm sure everyone's heard.  IT hasn't gotten over 4 million YouTube views for nothing.  I'll admit I actually heard Christy Moore's cover before the original, so I'm including it for my own benefit.

Merry Christmas and enjoy.

The Pogues (featuring Kirsty MacColl) - Fairytale of New York


Christy Moore - Fairytale of New York

Admitting my man crush on Glen Hansard

There.  I said it.  I have a man crush on Glen Hansard (my wife is ok with this and the rest of my quirks).  Can you really blame me?  The dude is really friggin good at what he does and has some great stage presence.  Like many people, I became aware of Glen Hansard through the movie Once and his work with Marketa Irglova in The Swell Season, instead of his work with The Frames.  Sadly, I'm still only familiar with Hansard's Swell Season music and I need to start digging through The Frames' catalog.  My wife and I had the pleasure of seeing The Swell Season live not too long ago (but missed out on the recent Frames anniversary tour) and it was well worth the price of admission.  They were so good, I forgot to be annoyed by the guy in front of me unknowingly blocking my view as he kept shifting his weight back and forth.

"Low Rising," off of The Swell Season's most recent album, "Strict Joy," plays well into Hansard's strengths.  Simple in its setup and execution, Glen delivers "Low Rising" like all of his songs, with a sincerity and soul that can't be faked.  Are the Irish just born with old souls?  I continue to be thankful to the creators and users of YouTube for the chance to watch and listen to this stuff over and over again.

Glen Hansard - Low Rising

Holiday Wish List: ...and they have escaped the weight of darkness

I just rearranged my turntable and small vinyl collection (a decent amount of classic rock and Motown singles that I stole from my dad), which is motivating me to add to it.  There are certain types of music that I think lend themselves to the warm, intimate, nostalgic feeling I get when I put a record on.  Classical music is definitely at the top of that list for me.  I've written before about my soft spot for some of the music coming out of Iceland, specifically Sigur Ros and Olafur Arnalds.  Arnalds' neo-classical music is something that I came across through a video for "Ljósið" off of his ambitious and beautiful "Found Songs" EP.  His most recent effort, "...and the have escaped the weight of darkness" was released earlier this year and, after hearing "Þú Ert Sólin," me and my record player are ready to devour the whole album.  If you're interested, the song is available for free download at Olafur Arnalds' website.  I suggest you check it out.  Also, there's a video out for "Hægt, kemur ljósið."  Here's the video of the soaring track (I wish I understood what the song titles meant, because ljósið is used in the two tracks and there's a cool reference to the violin from "Ljósið" in "Hægt, kemur ljósið"...anyone know Icelandic?).  I dare you not to like it.

Olafur Arnalds - Hægt, kemur ljósið

Holiday Wish List: Towards the Sun

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, I'm ready to embrace the Christmas season, even though many stores have been pushing it since late August (and you think I'm exaggerating).  I don't think my parents will ever let me outgrow making a list, so I figure I can kill two birds (turtledoves, even) with one stone and put the non-xbox games portion of my list in Seabass Says for the world to see.  Who knows, maybe the world will want to wrap something up for me and slide it under the tree.

To kick things off, I'm thinking the much anticipated and long awaited follow up to Alexi Murdoch's fantastic debut "Time Without Consequence," the internet-only-hand-stamped-limited-edition "Towards the Sun" would be great to find in a vinyl sized stocking.  I have no idea if any of the 5000 limited edition copies are left, so I might have to wait for the CD in 2011, but one can hope.  One way or another, the album will be mine.  Oh yes, it will be mine.

I think the thing I like the most about Alexi Murdoch's songs is that at first glance, many of them almost seem simplistic, but when you listen a bit more closely you can discover a wealth of emotional and musical depth.  See if you agree:

Alexi Murdoch - Someday Soon

Ben Folds is an Evil Genius

Not too long ago, I wrote about how much I was looking forward to the album "Lonely Avenue," a collaborative effort between one of my favorite authors, Nick Hornby, and one of my favorite musicians, Ben Folds.  After having some time to play through the album a bunch of times, I can say that it lived up to my expectations.  Hornby's lyrics provide his usual self deprication ("A Working Day"), humor ("Levi Johnston's Blues"), interesting take on the awkward moments in life ("Claire's Ninth"), and biting honesty ("Picture Window" "Belinda").  I think Ben Folds is the perfect musician to bring Hornby's words to life.  There has always been a playful juxtaposition between happy/sad and sincerity/humor in Folds' music.  He is a man who knows exactly what he's doing with each note, each goofball idea, and every single strike of the piano keys.  The man is an evil genius...I bet he has some kind of crazy music lab with beakers and bunsen burners going 24/7.

In my previous post about this album, I mentioned that "Picture Window" sounded like "pure awesome carried in a bag made of fantastic" and I'm thinking I might have undersold it.  "Picture Window" is the type of song that grabs you by the tear ducts from note one and dares you not to give in to the urge.  I think Ben Folds is at his best when he slows down and delivers the soul searching melancholy of his piano pop.  I'm talking about the raw feeling of songs like "Philosophy," "Brick," "Evaporated," "We're Still Fighting It," and "Landed."  Hornby and Folds have tapped into that rawness brilliantly with "Picture Window".  This thing just crushes me every time I hear it.  It isn't a fast song, but in the words of Nick Hornby himself, "There's no story behind the song - the story's in the song.  The music is faster than I'd imagined it would be, but that just means that Ben can break your heart quicker."

Ben Folds - Picture Window



A bonus song dedicated to my friend Darren, who may or may not want to smack me upside the head for the dedication:

matt pond PA's Autumnal Sound

I've been lucky enough to get in on the ground floor with a handful of bands and listen to their sound evolve as their exposure and popularity grew.  I don't think I made it in on exactly the ground floor with matt pond PA, but I think I managed to get in toward the bottom of the proverbial building.  When I started listening to them, they were just getting past the stage where they had to crash on the floor of my friend's apartment every time they came to town for a show.  From the beginning of my time listening to matt pond PA's music, there generally seems to be an undercurrent of loss, change, and regret mixed with small glimmers and the occasional flourish of hope and beauty.  It isn't really consistently sad music or happy music...to try to put some more of a concrete description to it, I'd say that matt pond PA plays music that embraces the cold and lonely of life in order to come out the other side better for it.  How's that for concrete?

I often like to compare music to seasons and Matt Pond and company seem to be comfortably at home in the fall.  The feeling of transition and a bright future off in the distance that is encapsulated by the fall is somehow also held firmly in the songs Matt Pond writes.  The band is responsible for one of my top 5 favorite albums of all time, "Emblems" (my friend Murph says you must be a bad person if you don't like "Emblems").  There is a magical quality to that album that every time I put it on, I can listen from front to back without interruption and without any desire to skip ahead.  I feel like after "Emblems," Matt Pond was consciously trying to get away from that Autumnal feel that I think fits so well.  While good albums, I felt like "Several Arrows Later" and "Last Light" were missing something.  The undercurrent was too far down.  Then, for free through his website, Matt Pond released "Thefreeep" (The Free EP) at a time when it seemed like his band was dissolving around him.  To me, "Thefreep" was (to use too extreme a word) an exorcism of sorts.  I don't think there was exactly any evil to get rid of, but the EP seems like a stream of consciousness meant to expunge the fog and achieve some kind of clarity.

The result of this clarity I just made up is "The Dark Leaves," and album released in the spring, but absolutely right at home around the fallen leaves and warm fires of the fall.  "Remains" is a song that I think showcases what I view to be an energized an centered Matt Pond at his best.

...If you remain in me
I will remain in you
And if you stay with me
I will stay with you...

matt pond PA - Remains

And I know 'cause we were kids and we used to hang

I'm sure my slew of loyal readers remeber me expressing my excitement over an upcoming Gaslight Anthem show.  Well, it lived up to my expectations.  Those guys put on a solid show.  The roadies even rose to the occasion, scrambling over the lighting rig to untagle the giant skull and cross bones banner before the band took the stage to thunderous applause from the crowd.  It's taken me long enough to post this that I can't remeber a ton of details from the show, other than my wife and I getting there early enough to secure a great spot on the second level above the sound board and me looking down on the mosh pit realizing that I'm to the point in life where a mosh pit has become officially unappealing.  Call me lame, but I'm sure you could have come to the no mosh pit conclusion on your own based on the amount of folk I post about on this page.  Anyway, this is what the concert looked and sounded like from the point of view of my wife's camera:

The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound (with openers Bridge and Tunnel rushing the stage to join in)

A Year of Seabass Says

I had meant to get around to this last week, but that pesky job of mine got in the way of typing up a blog post.  Apparently, I had a blogaversary and didn't even realize it.  You know how guys are always getting in trouble for forgetting their anniversaries?  Well, I'm all over remembering my wedding anniversary, I just happened to forget that I started this little music blogging thing a whole year ago.  Thankfully, my wife is awesome and her mind is like a steel trap with dates (her organizer/calendar thing is quite thorough, too).  So on October 8, after the usual amount of morning routine monotony, she gave me an excellent blogaversary present before heading out the door to work: 3 long overdue CD acquisitions.  I'm finally now the proud owner of "The Winter of Mixed Drinks" by Frightened Rabbit, "Sigh No More" by Mumford & Sons, and "The Dark Leaves" by matt pond PA. 

I've written about Frightened Rabbit and Mumford & Sons before and I'd like to dedicate a post to Matt Pond's most recent collection at a later date.  For now, I'd just like to thank the folks who have taken the time to read my online efforts here.  Especially the people who let me know while we're hanging out that they read something and enjoyed it.  I'd love it if I could convince my throng of loyal readers (I think it has grown to maybe 3 people....yes, I see that I have 10 followers, but I like to kid around) to leave some comments and get a little conversation going.  Let me know what you like, what you'd like more of, etc.  I have some plans for some upcoming stuff on Seabass Says.  Some of which may require the cooperation of friends and family who make their living in the music industry (yes, readers, that means you could be hit with more Drew Kennedy related content).

Even if everybody stopped clicking in to this page, I think I'd keep posting.  I've found that this blogging thing is more work than I had expected, but it is fulfilling work, as strange as that may seem.  To me, music (and art in general) is about sharing.  I hear a great song and one of my first thoughts is about who I can talk to about it.  Well, this blog is my place to share and I can only hope that I've been able to spread the appreciation for the bands and songs I've featured here.

Looking back on my first year of blogging, I can say I've definitely had a good experience with it and, in particular, three things stick out:
~ Saying goodbye to my favorite music store in the history of music stores - Turning Off The Lights
~ Drew Kennedy linking my post on An Audio Guide To Cross Country Travel to the review section of his website and giving me infinite amounts of credibility as a leading mind in music blogging
~ My brother digging Austin Collins' music enough that he and two of his friends bought Austin's most recent album.  I like the idea of helping a Texan songwriter reach new fans in Pennsylvania and Florida.  The internet can be a beautiful thing.

That's all for now.  I'll be back soon with some more music to share.

Anniversary megapost

Three years ago, my wife made the biggest mistake best decision of her life and said "I do."  Because we decided we could be as cheesy as we wanted on our wedding day, we gave out an "our songs" mixtape (mixtape always sounds better than mix-cd) as a favor.  I guess you could say I put together an unofficial blog post to elaborate on our choices.  Here, in all its sappy glory, is what I worte (I'm linking to any decent videos I found instead of bogging down the post with a whole bunch of embedding):

In the years we’ve been together, music has always had a special place in our relationship. Whether its songs we hear in the background of movies, artists we’ve discovered, or the concerts we’ve enjoyed together and with friends, there are certain moments and feelings that are tied to the music we’ve experienced. The songs that we’ve included on our CD favors are the ones that mean the most to us. Below are some explanations of what these songs mean to us, or at least to me. This may be a bit over the top on the sentimental scale, but I should be able to get away with that today.




Track #1 - The Beach Boys – God Only Knows


Brandie and I couldn’t figure out what “our song” was until we thought back to the first time we went out together. The first time we ever went out together wasn’t on a date, it was for a class project. We had to sit through one of the most boring meetings I’ve ever been to and we ended up cutting out early. I think we both still got A’s on the assignment, though. After the meeting, I convinced Brandie to join me for a movie (it didn’t take much convincing). We saw “Love Actually” and it soon became “our movie”. God Only Knows punctuates that movie in a great scene at the end. It’s the song that sums up “our movie,” so it has become “our song.”



Track #2 - Ben Folds – The Luckiest


This is the song Brandie walked down the aisle to. It is a beautiful song about love and being meant for each other. This is one of those times where the song says it better than I could. There is actually a line toward the end of the song that goes “I love you more than I have ever found a way to say to you.” It may be overly sentimental and a bit clichéd, but I think I can get away with that today.



Track #3 - The Clarks – I’m the Only


The first time Brandie and I went on an official date, she took me out to dinner. I proceeded to call her my sugar mama every chance I got. After dinner, we were hanging out with one of my roommates at my apartment and I decided I’d try to show off by playing some guitar. “I’m the Only” is the first song I ever played for Brandie. It must have worked.



Track #4 - Old 97s – Question


One day, we were in my favorite music store (City Lights Records) and decided to get an Old 97s album. Brandie insisted we get the one with “Question” on it. I wasn’t familiar with the song, but soon found out how great it is. “Question” is a song about a man proposing to a woman who isn’t quite expecting it. When I decided it was time to pop the question, I had originally planned on playing this song in front of a bunch of people and making a big production out of it. I ended up not having the patience for a big production of a proposal and asked her as soon as I got the ring home from the jewelry store. Just like the song, she wasn’t expecting it (but she was hoping for it) and she started to cry.


Track #5 - Frou Frou – Let Go


We first heard “Let Go” at the end of the movie “Garden State.” “Let Go” is a song about taking risks, letting go, and appreciating that great things can come from screwing up. This marriage thing is a big step. Putting so much trust in someone can be risky, but we know that even through hard times, we’ll come out on top.




Track #6 - Bright Eyes – First Day of My Life


This is one of my favorite love songs ever written and it is by a guy who is better known for sad songs about loss and pain. There is one specific part of the song – “I don’t know where I am, I don’t know where I’ve been, but I know where I want to go” – that I think is a great example of the sense of comfort and security you get when you’re with the one you love.




Track #7 - Ray LaMontagne – Trouble


Brandie and I found our way to Ray LaMontagne’s music through the TV show “Austin City Limits.” Ray came on after we watched Ben Folds and we decided to listen to this shy guy who looked like he was just pulled in off the street. Our jaws dropped when he started playing and we bought his debut album as soon as we could. This song in particular always sticks out for us. It’s a simple song of redemption through love, when a man is “saved by a woman.” I can’t say that Brandie pulled me out of a gutter or anything, but I know I feel better around her than elsewhere.




Track #8 - Iron & Wine – Such Great Heights


Iron & Wine’s cover of the Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights” comes from the Garden State soundtrack. This is another song that is exceedingly sappy, but we love it anyway. Its quiet, its sweet, its everything you’d want in a song that reminds you of the one you love. While Brandie was studying in England, she listened to the original version of this song quite often. It reminded her of me and of home. Now, every time we listen to either version, she thinks back to her time abroad.



Track #9 - Cary Brothers – Blue Eyes


Another song from the Garden State soundtrack (if you didn’t guess, we really like that album). Brown Eyed Girl doesn’t work for us, so we needed a replacement. Most of the lyrics in the song - “I just want to sing a song with you. I just want to be the one that’s true” – are pretty simple statements of love and affection, but simple is good enough for me.



Track #10 - Duncan Sheik – For You


This song is included largely because I pushed for it. I had known the song before I ever met Brandie, but it has taken on a new significance for me lately. It’s a song that makes me think about wanting to – how did they say it in “As Good as It Gets?” – be a better man and wanting to build a great marriage.



Track #11 - matt pond PA – Lily Two


We got into matt pond PA thanks to Greg at City Lights here in State College. We’ve seen a couple of great matt pond PA shows in State College and couldn’t leave one of our favorite bands off of this list. Lily Two a song about being happy with who you are and where you are. Strangely enough, Brandie is even happy with who I am.



Track #12 - Beth Orton – Sweetest Decline


This song indirectly holds a special place for us. There is a book Brandie and I both read called “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.” “A Heartbreaking Work…” is a fantastic book that had a great effect on me in college, and I think, to a lesser extent, Brandie. Anyway, the author (Dave Eggers) likes to listen to songs repeatedly while he writes. He may be exaggerating, but he once said that he listened to “Sweetest Decline” on repeat for six days while he wrote this particular book. Brandie especially likes one line in the song: “You can’t pin this butterfly down.”



Track #13 - Jack Johnson – Banana Pancakes


I listened to a lot of Jack Johnson during the summer Brandie was in England and think about how great it would be when she got back and we could kick back and relax together. With how hectic life has been lately, we should take the advice in this song – “…maybe we can sleep in / I’ll make you banana pancakes / pretend like it’s the weekend…” – and forget about work for a day or two.



Track #14 - Gomez – See the World


For a Valentines Day gift, Brandie got us tickets to see Gomez and Ben Kweller in Baltimore. She even took me out to dinner in little Italy before the show. It was a great night and we had a lot of fun at the show. This song is especially meaningful for us because after we hear it, we tend to start talking about all of the places we want to visit.




Track #15 - Josh Ritter – Bright Smile


Josh Ritter is one of my favorite songwriters, and Brandie’s too. This song always makes her think about me and, of course, it makes me happy to hear that. This past winter, Brandie and I saw Josh Ritter play a solo show in DC. It turned out to be one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. After the show, Josh stuck around to talk with the fans and sign autographs. While we were talking to him, Brandie mentioned my desire to one day own a coffee shop. He seemed excited about it and even offered to play a show there whenever I get around to opening the place up. He signed a poster for me with a note wishing me good luck on my coffeehouse dream. Now, thanks to Brandie, I’m going to have to go through with opening a coffee shop some day. Otherwise, where is Josh Ritter going to play?


Track #16 - Dave Matthews Band – Dreamgirl


I couldn’t let this list happen without my favorite band being included. I could make hours and hours worth of CDs of DMB music that means something to me, but we had to choose one song. “Dreamgirl” is a song that puts a smile on our faces. It makes me think of Brandie and that’s about all a song has to do to make me smile these days.



Track #17 - Guster – Diane


There’s a few lines in “Diane” that repeat, “We’ll make it out together.” For me, that’s what this song is about…getting thorough the tough times and all of the speed bumps in one piece. Brandie and I will have our speed bumps along the way, but I know we’ll make it out together, just like the song says.



Track #18 - Norah Jones – The Nearness of You


Norah Jones’ take on “The Nearness of You” is a favorite of Brandie’s. We’ve been to a couple of Norah Jones shows together and had great times at each of them. I think its safe to bet that we’ll make a point of going the next time she comes to town. I can’t speak for Brandie on this one, but the reason I like “The Nearness of You” so much is the simplicity of it…the way it says, “it doesn’t matter what else is going on. As long as I have you, I’m happy.”



Track #19 - Looking Glass – Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)


We couldn’t make this CD without including “Brandy” (even though they spelled it wrong). I think about 80% of my friends responded to my introduction – “This is Brandie” – with a line from this song – “She’s a fine girl. What a good wife she will be.” They were right. Now that we live in Annapolis, and since Brandy used to be a bartender, the song fits even better. Any time I hear this song, I get a good chuckle out of it.


Track #20 - Virginia Coalition – Likeness


I introduced Brandie to VaCo’s music and she liked it right away. We’ve had a great time seeing them live and their music accompanies us on most of our trips. “Likeness” is one of our favorite VaCo songs. Its not just a song about being in love. Its about staying in love through a long life together. We obviously hope this for ourselves. We want to be one of those couples who are still cute and sappy together long after they’ve turned old and gray.



Track #21 - Jamie Cullum – I Get a Kick Out of You


Jamie Cullum is a musician we’ve been meaning to see live for a long time. He’s a crazy young British guy who loves to play jazz and big band music. You may have noticed this song as our recessional song. We’re hoping the first song played after we were married shows the kind of fun and good times we expect to have as a married couple.

Stitches on the Radio

Since I'm pretty amped to see The Gaslight Anthem tonight in Baltimore, but busy trying to get enough stuff done at work so that I don't have to stay late, here's a short post and a couple of songs.  I love the lyircs in the first song, "Boxer," reminding me of one of the great reasons to listen to music: stitches on the radio.  A great song can put some light at the end of the darkest tunnel.  Isn't that enough reason to spend a handful of money to join hundreds of your closest friends perfect strangers in a heartfelt singalong?

The Gaslight Anthem - Boxer




The Gaslight Anthem (Brian Fallon solo) - The Diamond Church Street Choir

Down in the Valley, With Whiskey Rivers

...these are the places you will find me hiding
these are the places I will always go

I'll go ahead and say this weekend is the unofficial start to fall, as the NCAA and NFL football seasons kick into gear.  I think the musical landscape changes with the seasons.  I've written about it before, how different music just feels right with certain weather.  The Sound On The Sound's Doe Bay Sessions (like many things in the world of music, I found out about this through another blog) is really great and what I've seen/heard so far seems like a great segue from summer to fall.  Beautiful songs and harmonies in front of a picturesque wooded and watered backdrop with a small group of people letting it all wash over them.

Sound On The Sound's most recent Doe Bay Session features The Head and the Heart, who are joined on their second song, "Down in the Valley," by Drew Grow and the Pastors' Wives (the stars of the previous Doe Bay Session).  I'm having trouble thinking of a way to describe it other than, "It sounds like fall," so I'll just go ahead and get to the music.  You can decide for yourself.  As far as I'm concerned, The Head and the Heart have a top spot on my stuff to buy/concerts to see priority list.



The Doe Bay Sessions - The Head & The Heart from Sound on the Sound on Vimeo.

A Heart Full of Plans But Nowhere to Run

It is a lovely day here in Naptown.  I took the back way into work this morning, driving with the windows down.  That's really the only way to soak in a great morning, right?  Anyway, I got hit with a great trifecta coming through the car speakers that I feel like sharing:

Loney, Dear - "I Am John"

I remember Greg at City Lights telling me about the first time he heard Loney, Dear live and grinning ear to ear thinking about thumping his table along to the beat as "I Am John" built to its crescendo.  Good times in City Lights...man I miss that place.

Mike Doughty - "I Just Want The Girl In The Blue Dress To Keep On Dancing"

I got some great looks from the construction crew flagmen I drove by while I was rocking out to this in the car.  Maybe my morning coffee worked a little too well today.

Rogue Wave - "Like I Needed"

No strange looks from the folks walking by the Naval Academy baseball field while this was on.  Maybe I wasn't singing loud enough?

Seemingly Effortless

Short post.  Two videos.  I'll get my words per post average back down to earth...

I had some background music playing while working through some typically fun stuff at my office and I let Grizzly Bear's "Vecatimest" album play through.  The more I listen to Grizzly Bear, the more I'm amazed by how polished and effortless their music sounds.  There is so much effort that goes into creating such a tight and clean finished product that I think it gets lost in the end product and in the hands of lesser musicians/vocalists would be a total mess.  I'm going to quote a YouTube comment from the first video because I think it makes the point better than me: "Black Cab is the crucible for good musicians. The lack of space limits you with instruments, and cars are pretty much dead acoustically, which strips the vocalist of even the slightest amount of resonance. It's almost a challenge. 'Come and play your music in this car. We dare you to sound good.'"

Grizzly Bear - All We Ask


Grizzly Bear - Ready, Able


Another YouTube comment because its funny: "it's like me ears just got f*%ked by a rainbow. bravo"

I am assured that peace will come to me...

"…a peace that can, yes, surpass the speed, yes,
of my understanding and my need"

(A warning before you continue:  This is about to get long winded and meandering, but if you've been to Seabass Says before, you already know that long and meandering happen from time to time.  What can I say, brevity has never been a very strong trait for me.  I'm not really sure if any of this makes a ton of sense, but I felt compelled to write.)

Its amazing what a long easy drive with a great soundtrack can do for one’s mindset and general worldview. I’ve written about Josh Ritter recently, but I just can’t help myself. He’s my favorite songwriter and “So Runs the World Away” was sitting in my car, just waiting for a little road trip to stretch it’s musical muscles. After expressing a desire to get off of our butts more often and do some running, my wife and I were given a copy of “Born to Run” as a book on tape (CD, technically, but book on tape sounds better). We’d been listening to it on our trip to and from the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia to join in on a family vacation and we were finishing it up as we drove to Pittsburgh and Ohio for a wedding with a stopover to visit with family over the long Labor Day weekend.

While listening our way through “Born to Run” and hearing these inspiring and touching stories of people expressing passion, art, and joy through the simple act of putting one foot in front of another and pushing human endurance to the edge, my mind couldn’t help but wander toward big picture type thinking. Am I doing things the right way? Do my priorities need shifted? Is it really that simple? One foot in front of another and we can find peace and happiness? What is the best path to becoming a better person?

I’ll admit I’m a sap and I fall for the sentimental feelings surrounding weddings. I love that no matter how many questions someone may have swirling around in their head or how uncertain their destination in life is, one thing they are certain of when they say those two words is that they know exactly who they can rely on to help answer the questions and find the path. I always think of the song “First Day of My Life” by Bright Eyes and the line:

“I could go anywhere with you and probably be happy.”

The wedding we attended was for a longtime friend of mine and there was plenty of catching up to do with the assorted friends and family. Talk inevitably turned to jobs, family, and the future. A friend and I were reminiscing about our old high school and college days and wondering if we had done it all right. I expressed my regret for taking things too seriously through school and not really appreciating what I had until it was all over. We talked about finding the right balance in work and life (somewhere between doing too much and doing just enough to get by) and I was reminded of my favorite quote from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off:

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, it’ll pass you by.”

So I spent the drive between Akron and Pittsburgh rolling those thoughts around in my head and taking a step back to make sure life wasn’t passing me by. Instead of picking back up where we left off with the book on tape, we let Mr. Ritter sing us along our way as my wife laid down in the passenger seat to see if she could nap off the last few effects of the previous night’s celebratory toasts. The road was wide open and I was able to coast along and let things knock around as my thoughts ebbed and flowed with Josh Ritter’s songs. I think I’m starting to understand why there are so many songs about the road out there.

Ritter’s take on travel and movement has made its way into many of his songs and he weaves it especially well through the “So Runs the World Away” album. It’s the kind of album that can break your heart, piece it back together, beat on it a little to see if the glue is holding, and finally send it soaring off with hope. Not a bad backdrop for a bit of musing.

I think it is human nature to question things. It exposes cracks and faults when things look better than they actually are. It reinforces when things are as good as they look. It can be daunting to question yourself and give an honest answer. I guess its like taking to heart the last line from Ritter’s gorgeous “Southern Pacifica”:

“Southern Pacific, take me to meet whatever is hunting for me”

See, many of my friends and I are at a big crossroads point in our lives. Our late 20s and early 30s typically bring marriage, kids, settling down and saying “this is where and when I build my life and my family and where I intend to leave my mark.” As it usually does when I start into these different lines of thinking about life, love, change, and happiness (or for that matter, when I start to type up a blog post), my thinking was just circling back on itself. Questions lead to more questions and the answers are unsatisfying. That’s the problem with this stage of life. We’re old enough to have put school and growing up behind us. We’re expected to handle responsibility and make decisions at our jobs. We know just enough to realize there is nothing but future and opportunities ahead of us and it scares us to death. We want to figure it all out, but really, no one has the capacity to wrap their head around it all. All we can do is put it together little bits at a time and hope nothing gets missed along the way.

During my thinking and listening, something got triggered during “Southern Pacifica.” All that talk of travel with wide plains slipping past brought me back to a trip I took through Europe about 14 or 15 years ago. I remember a moment in that trip, looking out a bus window at the French countryside with a girl I had a crush on asleep in the seat next to me, where I thought to myself something along the lines of, “This is peace. This is a feeling I need to find again.” Coming back to present day, I looked at my wife napping in the seat next to me as we drove through Ohio and thought about how much better this all is than that little moment in France.

My thoughts coalesced while the CD played through “Lark” which I thought was both fitting and funny. Josh Ritter has said that “Lark” isn’t much more than a stream of consciousness type song. A collection of a bunch of fragments that come together to form a song. To me, it is a song about uncertainty and knowing that it will all make sense. The seemingly chaotic and indescribable inevitably will make sense (“I am assured a peace will come to me”) and there is a perfect simplicity to be found throughout (“the golden ratio, the shell”) if you can figure out where to look.

So there it is. The conclusion is simpler than those swirling thoughts and questions. Maybe they can’t really be answered after all. Or if they can, it’ll be too late to do anything about it. Through the chaos and uncertainty, we have to cling to what we know is good in life and know that a peace will come. In my life, I can be sure that wherever this late 20s uncertainty might take me, it’ll take me there with my wife, my family, and my friends along for the ride.

I may be shoehorning things in to fit with the music, but isn’t art supposed to be interpreted by the audience and not just by the creator? The next song on “So Runs the World Away” is “Lantern,” a wrenching and uplifting song about the truest love:

“Light and guide me through, hold it high for me, I’ll do the same for you, hold it high for me.”

I remembered the priest talking during the wedding, talking about living life for another. I looked to my wife again reclined next to me in the car and didn’t care about the questions any more

"...a peace that can, yes, surpass the speed, yes, of my understanding and my need.”

This morning, I took some of the advice from my trip.  I woke up and took my dog for a jog around the neighborhood, through a bit of woods, and around a school.  One foot in front of the other, soaking in what I could of the quiet morning, forgetting about any uncertainty, and getting home in time to see my wife off before she left for work.  I sit here in my office and look at a mile long to do list and smile as it doesn't even dent my new sense of peace.

Thanks for sitting through that (or skipping over it for the music).  Here's what little I can offer as a reward:

Josh Ritter - "Lark"


Josh Ritter and Dawn Landes (his wife) - "Southern Pacifica"


Josh Ritter - "Lantern" (performed at the Avalon Theatre, not too far from me)


Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band - "Lantern" (just because I have such fond memories of seeing this in a sold out club with the full backing band)

Does it have to be a whole month away?

(I know...2 posts in one day.  Just go ahead and give me the overachiever ribbon)

I read about this idea awhile back and was excited, got busy with something, and forgot about it.  Then my favorite radio station WRNR played a song off the upcoming album and I remembered why I was so excited in the first place.  My wife and I were pulling into a parking spot somewhere and sat there in the summer heat because we couldn't tear ourselves out of the car before "From Above" finished.

The album I'm referring to is a collaboration between Ben Folds and Nick Hornby (two people high up on the "If you could sit down and have a few drinks with..." list, especially Hornby) called "Lonely Avenue" that Ben Folds provided the music and melody for Nick Hornby's lyrics.  From the snippets included in the video below, I'm ready to buy it already, but it won't be out for another month.  "Picture Window" sounds like pure awesome carried in a bag made of fantastic (Stop making that face...of course that made sense).

Comes and Goes Like Fitz and Dizzyspells

I see a time in the near future when work will calm down (I'm trying to do 2+ jobs worth of stuff in 1 job's worth of time...but aren't we all) and the myriad of projects at home will be completed, or at least most of the big ones.  When that happens, there will be a flood of musical sharing and caring here at Seabass Says.  Or maybe if a friend or two with good taste (I promise I have more than two friends, and most of them have excellent taste...the rest have excellently bad taste...or maybe that's just my guilty pleasure CD stack or the Lionel Ritchie vinyl speaking out from the corners of my living room) offers a guest post every now and again.  Until then, we'll all just have to deal with infrequent updates whenever I find the time and motivation.  Actually, the motivation is easy to find, its the time that seems to be a bit too evasive.

Anyway, on to the music.  As you may be able to guess by the post title, I'd like to let Andrew Bird expand on the theme of fits of productivity.  I think Andrew Bird may be a crazy person, but I say that with admiration.  I think it just takes someone who's wired a bit differently to be a champion whistler, violinist, and lyrical thesaurus to do what he does.  See for yourself:

Andrew Bird - Fitz & the Dizzyspells

Maybe New Jersey ain't so bad after all

Like many people, I like to give my friends who hail from New Jersey crap for their home state.  Ragging on NJ is just the American way.  Obviously, Jersey has produced some excellent music in the past (I recently stole my dad's record collection, but have yet to throw The Boss on the turntable) and the state is staring to really get my attention.  I've been listening to the Gaslight Anthem for around a year or so and their most recent effort - "American Slang" - is proving to be just as strong as "The'59 Sound".  I can talk about the Gaslight Anthem some other time, though, because I can't get Steel Train out of my head right now.  I heard the song "Bullet" on the consistently high quality summer mix tape from Heather Browne's I Am Fuel, You Are Friends blog and just can't seem to shake it from my brain.  This is not a bad thing.  The tone of the Gaslight Anthem strikes me as a combination of regret and redemption, but Steel Train's sound seems to be at the other end of the spectrum, swelling with hope and dreams.  I would definitely pay for a concert lineup of Steel Train opening for the Gaslight Anthem.  Hope and Dreams followed by Regret and Redemption.  That may sound depressing on paper, but would sound fantastic in a concert hall.

I've been away from this space for too long, so I'll offer up 3 Steel Train videos as a peace offering to my endless amount of readers (I hope that reads with the intended sarcasm...anyway, enjoy).

"Bullet" live in Cleveland:


"S.O.G. Burning in Hell" also live in Cleveland:


"Bullet" stripped down to just one guitar:

Living in Colour with Frightened Rabbit

Most of the time, I can't seem to understand exactly what Scott Hutchison sings through his Scottish accent, but the raw emotion laid out in every Frightened Rabbit song I've heard is enough to sell me on the band.  Every songwriting session must be laden with catharsis.  Until seeing/listening to their recent stop by the KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic program, I didn't realize how sweeping, soaring, and darn near epic (ok, so I might be exaggerating a bit, but the point is that there's more to it than I originally thought) their live performance can be.  See for yourself:

MOP II: Josh Rouse - 1972

Funny thing about ambition is that it only really works when coupled with discipline.  Months ago, I posted something I call the Music Organization Project (MOP for short) and wrote about my rediscovery of "The Garden" by Zero 7 and I haven't really taken the time to do any laptop organization since.  Due to some newfound organizational discipline stemming from some extensive filing work around my house (yeah, that's how exciting our weekends have been lately) and my slightly diminished to do list at work, I was able to dive back into the MOP today.

The fruit of my lunchtime labor is a return to the warm and sunny "1972" by Josh Rouse.  I owe my introduction to Josh Rouse to catching a snippet of his song "Directions" while watching the movie Vanilla Sky.  I ended up impulse buying his album "Under Cold Blue Stars" and couldn't have been happier with my blind spending.  To this day, "Under Cold Blue Stars" remains one of my favorite albums and gets regular play on my stereo system, mp3 player, and work computer.  My next Rouse purchase was backtracking to his debut album, "Dressed Up Like Nebraska".  "1972" was the first Josh Rouse album I was able to get my hands on at the time of its release.  It was a little strange to hear at first, because my 2 album Josh Rouse experience had me expecting some kind of modern folk/alt-country/americana to come out of the speakers.  Instead (looking back, I can see that it was his goal), I was treated to something that could have come right out of the early 70s.  I love it when something can be both new and somehow familiar, and Rouse hit it right on the head with "1972".  I think this'll have to be the soundtrack for my ride home so I can smile my way through the inevitable weekend beach traffic I'm going to get stuck in.

Josh Rouse - Love Vibration


And because this makes me smile, here are 2 kids dancing to "Come Back (Light Therapy)" (also off of 1972)

We should always know that we can do anything

It is getting hot here by the Chesapeake Bay.  The one thing I may never get used to around here is the amount of humidity we deal with on a regular basis in the summer.  Just too sticky of a climate for me, I think.  Good thing I don't live any further (or is that farther?) south.

So anyway, getting to the musical point of the post, I love how songs and weather can play off of each other and enhance the listening experience.  I can even manage to get a smile on my face with the sun out, the windows down, and the right song coming through my speakers on the way into work in the morning.  A song that keeps popping up on my random playlist of everything I can think to include is "Go Do" off of the recent solo effort "Go" by Sigur Ros frontman, Jonsi.  Its no secret that Sigur Ros is a favorite of mine even if some of my friends and old roommates weren't too keen on their sound.  While Sigur Ros's music has this kind of epic, contemplative, dreamlike feel to it, Jonsi's solo work is all exuberance, hope, and sunshine.

"Go Do" is a perfect example of the kind of music that can take a hot, sunny day and just shine it up a bit more.  If you're a pure cynic, I don't know if Jonsi is for you.  There is just way too much hope that shines through the songs on "Go".  On "Go Do", I'm personally drawn to the Baba O'Reily-esque manic chaos of the music that Jonsi's voice soars over.  See for yourself.  Here's 2 versions of the song (one with full band and one as a duo with a peacock strutting around the stage...did I mention Jonsi is a crazy person?  Of course that makes me like his music even more).

Jonsi - Go Do:

Tracking down "So Runs the World Away" and Josh Ritter's continued brilliance

Today brings what will probably go down as my most anticipated album of the year.  The new effort from Josh Ritter, "So Runs the World Away," hit the shelves and I escaped my office to go track it down over lunch.  I learned a few things during my little lunchtime adventure: Best Buy hates Josh Ritter, Borders wins the award for store of the day, and Annapolis really needs a decent music store.  Anyway, I ended my adventure with a copy of the album in hand and I was soon richly rewarded for my struggles.

In short, Josh Ritter continues to be fantastic.  I've listened to the new album thrice already and will probably leave it in my car for at least the rest of the summer.

I first came across Ritter's music via a download of a handful of live tracks from a performance in Berlin (or some other European city I haven't been to).  I think I listened to "Girl in the War" about 20teen times that day (of course 20teen is a number...it means "a lot").  Soon after, I made my way to City Lights Records and got my hands on a copy of "The Animal Years" while noting that Greg already had the album poster mounted proudly to one of the few bare spots left on the store walls.  To this day, "The Animal Years" remains one of my favorite and most revisitable albums.

Shortly after my wife and I moved to Annpolis, we bought tickets to see Josh Ritter play at not-too-far-away the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA.  I think we can both agree that it was one of the best concert experiences of our lives.  Ritter's backing band was nothing more than a side table with a lamp and a water bottle on it.  He took the stage in his best Mark Twainesque white suit and proceeded to own the room for what could have been 2 hours or 2 years.  He really was that good.  There was a moment during that set that I think solidified his place in my just now made up Pantheon of songwriters.  He started into an - as of then - unreleased song, "The Temptation of Adam," with the audience eating up every word of his witty and literate storytelling (I believe every great singer/songwriter is just a storyteller that needed something to do with their hands and managed to find a suitable instrument) and then hit us with the WWIII line (see/hear below).  I'm not doing the experience justice with my meandering description here, but it was just a galvanizing moment in the crowd.  Not so much that it was a funny line that we all "got," but that we were all witnessing something truly unique and special and mostly unknown.  Sadly, Josh Ritter still seems mostly unknown, as shown by the fact that the store that is supposed to have new albums for sale every Tuesday seems to hat him (no Josh Ritter tab at all in the 'R' section and only 1 lonely copy of "The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter" to show that the artist even exists).  I guess I'll really see how well known he has become in the years since I last saw him live, as my wife and I are catching him again this weekend in DC.  I may be setting the bar too high, but if the continued quality of his albums are any indication, the show should be a happy repeat of that last concert, but with a full band to complement Josh, instead of just a little table.

I could write for days about how much I enjoy Josh Ritter's music, but I'll just leave you with my current favorite of his, a little missle silo love story that I mentioned above.

M. Ward is too cool for school

Don't believe me?  I have proof:

She & Him - In The Sun from Merge Records on Vimeo.

The sun is out, but it's supposed to rain soon, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts with some new She & Him.  My wife and I just got the new album ("Volume Two") last Friday and "In the Sun" jumped out immediately as an early favorite.  My short opinion on She & Him: I like them.  The music is familiar and fresh at the same time, and just the right amount of sweet.  It makes me smile and somtimes that's all a band needs to do.

One more for the road: "Thieves" live on Kimmel

Getting back to normalcy

On this day of reckoning, I'm back to inject some life into Seabass Says.  Though it is Tax Day, it is also my last day of preparation for my big day long exam tomorrow.  I'm off from work, putting my suitcase full of reference material together, and trying to relax and fend off the stress.  As I'm transitioning from full on study mode back to normalcy, I'm cleaning up the stack of CDs I've amassed over the last couple weeks of reading and problem solving.  So I guess I'll just go ahead and recommend the whole stack for anyone in need of some good relaxing background music to study by, or just pass some time with.

In no particular order, here are my study albums:
Oren Lavie - The Opposite Side of the Sea
The Beta Band - Hot Shots II
Mogwai - The Hawk is Howling
Sigur Ros - með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Iron and Wine - Around the Well
Beth Orton - Pass in Time
The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
The Postal Service - Give Up
Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
Norah Jones - The Fall
Olafur Arnalds - Found Songs
Nick Drake - Way To Blue (An Introduction to Nick Drake)
Eastmountainsouth - Eastmountainsouth
Yo La Tengo - Prisoners of Love
Badly Drawn Boy - About a Boy Soundtrack
Son Volt - Okemah and the Melody of Riot
Duncan Sheik - White Limousine
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois

Bringing two of my study music providers together (from a show I missed about a year ago) is The Shins covering the Beta Band...enjoy.

The Shins - Dry the Rain

I just can't find the time to write my mind the way I want it to read

While I acknowledge that there has been little to no activity here at Seabass Says lately, I do have an explaination for all 4 of you concerned citizens of the internet.  After weathering a round of layoffs at work, I'm now responsible for 2 jobs worth of work, so I don't even have lunchtime to take care of feeding rambling and YouTube links to my hungry blog.  In addition to my work time demands, I'm busy studying for a big important certification exam when I have free time at home (and if I'm not studying, I'm catching up on Tivoed shows because my brain has turned to complete mush).  The exam is in the middle of April, so I hope to post more often after that.  In the meantime, I'll try to get a few quick posts up here and there.  To further explain my plight, I turn to Messers Tweedy and Browne:

Wilco - Box Full of Letters




Jackson Browne - Running on Empty

Beautiful Blues Indeed

In bittersweet celebration of yours truly weathering the storm of layoffs that has been gathering for the last month or more, I offer the somehow perfectly fitting group of songs that played on my work computer as the fit hit the shan (I picked ridiculous videos to bookend this on purpose...I need a good dose of silly right now):

"Countdown" by Phoenix


"Caring is Creepy" by The Shins


"Adrift" by Jack Johnson


"Mr. E's Beautiful Blues" by Eels

The Lost Month of Febtober

It was the thirteenth day of the thirteenth month...

So February was a bit of a lost month here at Seabass Says.  I plan on getting back into this and picking up the pace through March.  In the meantime, I leave you with this gem (stick around at least through the 1:30 mark.  I don't really have the words in me to describe it):

I got troubles, oh, but not today

In honor of my favorite show starting its final season tonight, here's one of my favorite clips from the first season with an excellent song, "Wash Away" by Joe Purdy, backing it up (skip ahead to about the 1 minute mark for the song to start).

Turning off the Lights

What is it that makes us recommend music to each other?  What brings on this feeling that eats at you until you just have to tell someone about it?  For some, I'd guess there's some desire for affirmation.  For some, a lifelong goal to show people that they are better than the rest because they know about the most obscure band around.  For most of us, though, I think that we just feel a universal need to share great art.  Music is meant to be shared.  That's why we attend concerts, why iTunes and Pandora exist, why people like me start blogs, why record stores hold a special place in the music subculture (admit it, you love High Fidelity and Empire Records for reasons you might not entirely understand).  Sadly, we must say goodbye to one of the few independent stores left.
The end of January marks the end of an institution.  After a quarter century of sharing music with (and selling music to) the residents of State College, PA, Greg Gabbard is closing the doors of my favorite music store in all the lands.  City Lights Records (at least it it's physical, brick and mortar form) will be no more.

I've known Greg since 2000 or 2001.  I'm not sure when it was exactly that I took the trip down the stairs, under the clothing store, and into the narrow aisles of City Lights.  I'll admit, I felt a bit intimidated at first.  I imagined a scene like in High Fidelity (the movie...I can't remember if its in the book or not and I can't find it in the disorganization of my den to check) where a guy gets berated out of the store for asking for the wrong album.  I didn't want to make the wrong reference, ask about the wrong band, etc. and never be welcomed into the store again.  I learned soon that my first impression was wrong.  Greg isn't one to ostracize someone based on their taste or lack thereof.  He's happy to BS with and sell to anyone who sets foot in the store.  The obvious problem is not enough people are setting foot in the store any more.  Greg has finally given in to the economic strain of the shifting music industry.

The thing I like most about Greg and his store is that he's never come off as being in it for the money.  I don't think you could fool anyone by trying to convince them that owning an independent record store is the path to riches.  What I mean is that I've never seen him just ring someone up and get them out of the store.  He's always ready for a conversation about music.  Greg has always been good for a recommendation, a story about a recent concert, news on who's coming to play next, tickets to the next great local show, etc.  But it doesn't just end there with Greg.  Everyone can have the conversation where you just go back and forth saying "Have you heard ___?" "No, but have you heard ___?  They're awesome."  Greg always takes the time to talk about why the band is good, why you'd like it, and (if you have the time) to blast the music around the store to prove it.  Over the years, Greg has been directly responsible for my love of Sun Kil Moon, supplied me with my collection of Josh Ritter albums, and shared many enthusiastic conversations about the quality of Duncan Sheik's songwriting.  There is a joy in his voice when he starts talking about music, even in the midst of a conversation about the inevitable closing of his store, and that joy is infectious.

The last time I was in State College (toward the end of the football season), Greg broke the news to me that he had decided to close the doors.  I'd had similar conversations with him in the past, but those usually ended with him saying he'd try to hold on just a little longer.  This time, there was no back and forth.  He was done holding on and ready to move on to something new.  Greg plans to continue City Lights online and I plan on linking to it as soon as I know he's online and ready to go.  I can only hope that he continues the conversations and not just the transactions.  If not, I'm afraid we'd lose a great voice for the merit of the independent music store and the sharing of great art.  It just won't feel right walking by that storefront on College Ave. without seeing Greg's handwritten poster advertising the new releases downstairs.

Greg, thanks for the music and thanks for the memories.  I'm sorry to see the lights turn off and the door close for good, but the internet is a great place to share.  If I'm able to get something going here, surely you can, too.

Below is a short, 5 minute documentary created by a Penn State student (Matt Steck, who I've never met, but was kind enough to put his video on YouTube) for a film class that I think shows the Greg Gabbard that I've come to know and respect.  He comes off as a bit of a beaten man in this, but check out how he lights up when he reminisces about his introduction to the Beatles (about 45 seconds in) and when he talks about his favorite part of the job (about 4 minutes in).

Call the surgeon, mend the pieces

I'll try to be short and sweet due to work, kidney stones, and a big post coming later in the week.

I've lost track of how many times in the last two days that I've listened to "If You Would Come Back Home" by William Fitzsimmons.  It is just plain gorgeous.  To me, it has a bit of a Iron & Wine meets Rockwell Church kind of sound, which are both good things.  Especially the Iron & Wine-ness.  I must have a soft spot for big bearded musicians (no promises on a ZZ Top post).  It also doesn't hurt that Fitzsimmons shares a hometown with me.  I now feel obligated to listen to as much of his stuff as I can.  Us Pittsburghers have to stick together.  I guess that means he has to read my blog now.  Anyway, this is my favorite version of the song that I've seen/heard while poking around.  I especially like the out in the wilderness setting with the crickets attempting to keep the beat.

William Fitzsimmons - If You Would Come Back Home

You'll be happy and wholesome again when the city clears and the sun ascends

I either need to find more disposable income or listen to less music.  There's no way I could talk myself into the latter, so maybe its time to win the lottery.  My list of music to buy and concerts to attend is growing exponentially faster than my bank account.  In fact, its part of the reason why my bank account doesn't grow as fast as it could.  I find a new band to check out, listen to a few songs, and add them to the list.  The thing just grows and grows.  Sometimes I forget to update the list and a band slips through the cracks (and the bank account rejoices).  Then the random playlist on my computer or mp3 player spits out a track I haven't heard in awhile and I immediately wonder why I didn't throw those guys on the list.  Then it just keeps growing (and the bank account winces).

As you might have guessed, the random playlist just struck again.  I have a few songs from a Mumford & Sons BBC 1 Radio session and my favorite, "White Blank Page," came up and reminded me why I want to get on board this bandwagon early.  Mumford & Sons is an English folk rock band that only just released their debut album in the fall of 2009.  Yes, I said folk rock, so consider this a warning to my unadventurous friends, the following videos contain banjo, mandolin, etc.  I suggest even the unadventurous among you check out the band, even though the name kind of sounds like some obscure mom and pop specialty store (Mumford & Sons Haberdashery, Mumford & Sons Apothecary...you get the idea).  There is a warm, familiar feeling to the band's music, with Marcus Mumford's growling vocals and sing along choruses backed by the right splashes of banjo and crescendos (I'm a sucker for a good crescendo).

Below are two songs from an acoustic peformance for the Bookshop Sessions, "Winter Winds" and the aforementioned "White Blank Page."

Mumford & Sons - Winter Winds


Mumford & Sons - White Blank Page

Join the Listening Party

Just a short little heads up, Spinner.com has some great new releases up in their "Listening Party" section.  Check out the groups you'll find there: Eels (E is the man), Spoon, Editors, Aziz Ansari (funny stuff, but don't listen to it at work with the volume pumped up too high), the Crazy Heart Soundtrack (Ryan Bingham is winning awards for his work on "The Weary Kind), Horse Stories, and Dawn Landes (very good live when we saw her open for Josh Ritter).

That's all.  Go.  Listen.  Enjoy.

A man needs something he can hold on to...

In the spirit of a young tradition here at Seabass Says, this post is made in conjunction with a birthday.  This one is more meaningful to me than the last couple, because today is my wife's birthday.

You have to understand...she puts up with my overexcitement about new bands on a nearly daily basis (luckily, she normally likes them, too), like when she humored me the other day as I listened to 4 different versions of the same song trying to figure out if I liked it or not.  She lets me drag her to shows on weeknights and doesn't complain when she can't focus at work because of sleep deprivation.  More importantly, she willingly lets me spend too much money on us going to said shows.  In fact, it has become a tradition of ours to give each other tickets for gifts (usually on everyone's favorite February Hallmark Holiday).  I think my favorite show to come out of that tradition was probably the Gomez/Ben Kweller show at Sonar in Baltimore awhile back.  Having someone to share great moments at shows with is such a cool thing.

One of my top concert experiences ever was when she made me wait around to get a poster signed by Josh Ritter and then got him to promise to play at the coffee shop that I have dreams of opening one day (sadly, it costs money and guts to open a business you have little to no experience in).  Slim chance of follow through on that one, but we got the verbal commitment.  More recently, we even celebrated our anniversary with a concert (Regina Spektor in DC).

My favorite wife and music related memory is our discovery of Ray LaMontagne (which is French for "The Montagne").  We had recorded Austin City Limits because Ben Folds was scheduled for the show.  After a night out and about with friends, we got back to the apartment, put on ACL, and sat down on the couch with a beer.  Ben Folds' set ended about a half an hour into the show and then Ray took to the stage.  Out comes this skinny, hobo looking guy with an acoustic guitar and his band, which consisted of one dude with an upright bass.  Our skepticism was washed away the moment Ray opened his mouth.  The soul and power that came out through his scruffy beard left us astounded and I don't think a sound was made until the song was over and one or both of us let out a "Wow."

Ray LaMontagne - Jolene



And as a little bonus, here's "our song" with a video to remind us all why the 80s rocked (I want that green jacket).

A Moment, A Love, A Dream, Aloud

I think I want to be the guy who gets to pick music for commercials.  They must get sent a ton of great stuff and, in the end, they get to pick some of the coolest, freshest music around to broadcast to the country.  Or at least the part of the country that isn't fast forwarding through the commercial breaks.  One of the few times I wasn't fast forwarding (thanks Tivo), I was transfixed by a car commercial.  It wasn't the car that drew me in, but whatever kick ass song was playing behind the ad.  I grabbed my trusty Droid and cued up the Shazam app.  In a matter of seconds, my phone told me that I was listening to "Sweet Disposition" by The Temper Trap.  Man, I dig technology.  Not a week later, my wife and I finally got around to checking out (500) Days of Summer, which I have to say is well worth the price of at least a rental, and there was that driving guitar and airy voice again.  The song was haunting me and begging to be shared. 

Just to make sure I wouldn't be pointing people in the direction of a band with only one song in them, I dug through some of the YouTube links and was pretty happy with what I heard.  The Temper Trap is hard to shoehorn into any one genre.  "Sweet Disposition" is an atmospheric song that kinds of reminds me of the "IO (This Time Around)" by Hellen Stellar, but "Fader" (their most recent single) is reminiscent of the insanely catchy pop of The Format.  I'd imagine that The Temper Trap's album is full of twists and turns and flirts with at least a few different genres.  I, for one, welcome that kind of range in a band.  It doesn't seem like these guys are experimenting just for the sake of experimentation.  I'll let you judge the quality for yourself with two quite different versions of "Sweet Disposition"


From Jimmy Kimmel Live:



From some other show:

There's something I like about this year

A bit of catharsis to kick off 2010 at Seabass Says with "Square 9" by Frightened Rabbit.  Check out Frightened Rabbit's first Daytrotter set for a great recording of this song and some others from the brothers Hutchison and company.

Frightened Rabbit - Square 9


...so calm
stay calm
right there behind your ribs
and grab my hand

stages are just stages for us to pass

you should peel those ears
'cause its important that they hear
my hopeful words...