Seabass Says:

Give away love and give it for free

2011-09-01T13:31:00.000-04:00

The combination of Hurriquake week and DIY kitchen renovations has made it a little tougher than I'd like to give Seabass Says the right amount of attention. I had planned on putting together a post to recap the Silopanna Festival, but good ol Irene thought differently. So instead of seeing Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Fitz and the Tantrums, Matt and Kim, and a handful of other bands with and without the word "and" in their titles, the concert was canceled and my wife and I secured outdoor furniture, gathered our candles, readied the ice, and rode out the storm with a few good books.

Now that the power is back on, we're neck deep in kitchen reno and you'll have to bear with my lack of posting. Without further ado, here's a great hip shaker of a song to take you into the long weekend.

Gotye- Learnalilgivinanlovin

Don't Push Me Out

2011-08-16T12:24:00.000-04:00

A couple of weekends ago, my wife and I made our last trip to Borders. I have to say I was sad to see it go. As I was mourning the loss of the book store on Facebook, a friend threw out the line "click and order is the new brick and mortar." Call me old school, but I've always preferred the experience of tactile browsing to clicking and scrolling. I think I'll always choose a good paperback over a matte digital screen. Just as I'll probably always prefer purchasing something with liner notes to downloading mp3s. So as a little goodbye to a place where I've spent many hours throughout my life browsing and relaxing, here are the Avett Brothers performing "Laundry Room" to start their set recorded live at Borders.

Avett Brothers - Laundry Room

Pulling Up The Covers: The Civil Wars

2011-08-05T15:07:00.000-04:00

I've decided to start a series of posts highlighting some great covers. I'd like to start by pointing the spotlight at The Civil Wars.

The simplicity of the Civil Wars' performances (just the duo on stage with nothing more than a guitar and sometimes a piano to hide behind) lays their songs bare. They take an approach to their covers that strips them down to the core and presents the songs in a completely reimagined way. It is easy to tell that this isn't done just for the sake of saying, "hey everybody, look what we can do!" John Paul and Joy project a reverence for the music they are playing and treat the songs they cover with great care. See for yourself:

The Civil Wars - Disarm (cover)

The Civil Wars - I Want You Back (cover)

Eternity Will Smile

2011-07-29T14:41:00.000-04:00

I've vowed to get at least 1 post a week up for Seabass Says, even if that means I have to cut down on the verbosity. Nothing wrong with brevity, right?

So, in short, I love what the folks at La Blogotheque do with their "Take Away Show" series. There is a great organic and relaxed feel to the staging and execution of the songs, and the bands really seem to buy in to the whole concept. I've also loved everything I've heard so far from the band Typhoon. When I saw that Typhoon had done a Take Away Show, I figured it was something worth sharing.

Iron & Wine: The Two Sides of Sam Beam

2011-07-21T15:30:00.000-04:00

It has been a long, long time since I've typed up a proper post for Seabass Says. I blame the following factors: An increasingly heavy workload, vacation, work, kidney stones, procrastination, and work. I'm back to shake off the rust (I'm sure I can still manage to mix some metaphors and throw in some asides), though, so here goes.

Way back in April, my wife and I had the opportunity to see Iron & Wine twice in one week (we probably could have gone to the other show in our area, but we opted not to be greedy with our Sam Beam consumption). On the last Wednesday of the month, Iron & Wine played to a sold out Ram's Head Live in Baltimore. We got there early enough to snag our preferred spot in the center of the mezzanine section and listened to The Low Anthem help up settle in for a great show. We had seen an Iron & Wine show before, so we thought we knew what to expect, but when no less than 10 people took the stage (including the wonderful Marketa Irglova on backing vocals), we were a little thrown. Sam had found himself a small musical army (with horn section). What followed was nothing short of a fantastic show, but for anyone only familiar with the early, whispery tunes from "The Creek Drank The Cradle" and "Our Endless Numbered Days," the mix of aggressive folk rock and progressive jazz must have been jarring.

Sam's Army:

This is the Iron of Beam's music. There has been a steady progression from The Creek up through the recent "Kiss Each Other Clean" in the music of Iron & Wine. Sam has given his formerly stripped down sound layers of colorful clothes and the occasional gaudy jewelery. I'd say you can officially call Iron & Wine and band now, instead of just Sam Beam. Obviously, he's still doing the heavy lifting in writing and recording, but on stage, there was a great looseness and willingness to experiment that Beam seemed to revel in. For example, check out the energetic version of "House by the Sea" that bled into "Woman King" (which ended with a bit of a marathon jam session that left Sam surprised to see the crowd still along for the ride):

Iron & Wine - House by the Sea (with transition to Woman King)

Then on Friday, we got the Wine. Local independent radio station WRNR got Iron & Wine to perform for their running Private Artist Showcase series that takes place at our favorite venue, Ram's Head On Stage. The only way to get a seat at a Private Artist Showcase is to win passes from RNR. My wife was lucky caller number 10 earlier in the week, so we were in. There's a really great vibe to the Showcases. They happen in the middle of the day and when the doors open, the lucky three hundred or so attendees stroll in, find a seat, order a beer, sit back and relax.

Beam only brought about half of the Iron & Wine army with him to the Showcase. They played arrangements that matched the relaxed afternoon setting perfectly. Instead of the jam sessions and bells and whistles that adorned Wednesday's performance, Sam eased off the gas and gave us something to sip and savor. It wasn't quite vintage stripped down Iron & Wine with Sam, his guitar, and his sister's backing vocals, but a healthy blend of the rawness of that set up and the full on wall of sound of a full band show. The is what "Tree By The River" looked and sounded like from my seat (apologies for any problems with focus and sound quality...I'm still trying to figure out my wife's camera):

Iron & Wine - Tree By The River

Here's a much better look at what the Showcase looked and sounded like, interspersed with some of RNR's interview with Sam Beam:

Build a rocket, boys

2011-06-16T16:58:00.000-04:00

Dear patient reader,

If you've been here before and were wondering what the heck happened over my unannounced hiatus, I'll get to that explanation sometime soon. Here's part of the cause:

I felt obligated to come check in today because I was using KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic back catalog as my office background music and "Lippy Kids" from Elbow's most recent effort, "Build A Rocket Boys" came on and floored me. Here you go:

Elbow - Lippy Kids

Josh Ritter performs for NPR

2011-04-19T13:48:00.001-04:00

I just came across this today and I'm overcome by the need to share. Josh Ritter is fantastic. The NPR Tiny Desk Concert series is really cool. The combination is nothing short of fantastically, really cool, even if it took the good people of NPR 2 months to post it.

Josh Ritter - Tiny Desk Concert

The embed code I tried for this wasn't working, so follow the link to NPR's site. Dig around the other Tiny Desk Concerts while you're there. There are a good number of quality shows.

Slow burning crimes keep us up through the night

2011-04-08T15:09:00.000-04:00

Hi there. Its been awhile, hasn't it? Sorry for the break in posts, but sometimes a man is too busy to fit blogging into the schedule. Now on to the good stuff...

It was probably in the neighborhood of a year ago that my friend Murph shot me a simple "check these guys out" message and pointed me in the direction of Philadelphia's talented East Hundred. My first impression while listening to "Slow Burning Crimes," the first track off of 2009's "Passenger" album, was that the band has a very lush sound. I think that can be attributed to the somewhat sweet and accessible female lead and the almost playful sounding keyboard. Upon subsequent listens, however, I began to notice the underlying simmer and growl of the guitars. Then I read up on the band a little.

In short, "Passenger" is a break up album. To complicate things, "Passenger" is a break up album revolving around the relationship between two of the band members. I can't imagine how tough it was for the band to watch the relationship break down, work everything out, record a high quality album, and come out of the process stronger for it. To me, the album is a collection of simmering and longing all wrapped up in a appropriately rough around the edges musical package. "Slow Burning Crimes" sticks out as the cream of the crop, but other songs, such as "Deadpan" shine just slightly less (that made sense to me and I don't have time to think of a better way to say it, so I hope you, dear reader, can handle it).

You can stream the album for yourself at East Hundred's website. Also, they have "Slow Burning Crimes" available for free download. Check them out and keep tabs. Based on my limited exposure to East Hundred, I feel like they could be a band on the verge. Much like the guitar work on "Slow Burning Crimes," this band seems like they're barely contained and ready to break out. According to their website, East Hundred in currently about halfway through recording "The Spells," the follow up to "Passenger." If "Passenger" is any indication of where this band is heading, get aboard. It should be a good ride.

East Hundred - Slow Burning Crimes

While there's nothing to confess, please pay attention

2011-03-21T14:47:00.000-04:00

Last Tuesday night, my wife and I (and a half full Black Cat, which isn't a big venue in the first place) took in a show headlined by the new and percussion-less matt pond PA. It has been year since we've been able to get ourselves out to a matt pond PA show, but I feel like the wait was worth it. The band surrounding Matt Pond has been different each of the three times I've seen him in concert. The first time I saw matt pond PA was in a hookah lounge that might have fit 50-100 people. The show was energetic, sweaty, and all sorts of fun. The second time I saw the band, they had been playing much bigger venues (bigger than 50-100 person crowds, at least) on the heels of the inclusion of a couple matt pond PA songs finding their way onto the TV show "The OC". That second show featured a decidedly more reserved Matt Pond than the man I saw at the hookah lounge. As I tried to put into words in my previous matt pond PA post, it was almost as if Pond was recoiling from the effect of his brilliant early work. I said before that I see "The Dark Leaves" as a return to form and to what I see as a centered Matt Pond. Obviously, I don't know the man and I can only speak to my interpretation of the music, but - in short - I really like what I'm hearing these days. The show on Tuesday was a reflection of what I hear on the most recent album, a confident Matt Pond flexing some serious songwriting muscles.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, the current iteration of Pond's band is lacking a drummer. They played a setlist that featured songs from the entire timeline of matt pond PA albums, but some songs, as Matt admitted "would suck without a drummer." The songs they did play, however, were given room to breathe without the drums upping the urgency. Often, Pond would put down his guitar and the songs would be stripped quite bare, with only a guitar and cello to hold them together. There was a warmth in the cello that I'm not sure I've ever noticed on the albums or live. I'd like to think that the lack of drums allowed the cello to really shine, but it could just be that I've never really listened for that warmth in a matt pond PA performance before. Ultimately, I'm sure people's reactions to the newly tweaked sound from the band will vary, but my wife and I are firmly on board. In a moment of what I'll believe to be sincerity during the show, Matt confessed that this is the hardest he's ever tried. Also, as you'll see in the video below, he said its the most fun he's ever had.

I apologize for the shaky moments in the video, but I was holding the camera in one hand and my pint in the other. Its the best I could do. Also, I'm not tall, so you'll have to deal with some heads in the way of the band. During the previous song, I had decided that I'd record the next song and was pleasantly surprised when that song happened to be "New Hampshire" from the fantastic album, "Emblems" and that show opener, Rocky Votolato (yes, it was a solid show from opener to encore), came up on stage to round out the band.

matt pond PA with Rocky Votolato - New Hampshire

here's a little bonus footage my wife grabbed of Rocky Votolato performing "White Daisy Passing" with matt pond PA as his backing band:

The Medicine That Everybody Wants

2011-03-14T14:09:00.000-04:00

I'd rather spend money on concert tickets than a trip to the doctor's office any day. Live music may be the ultimate elixir. This past Saturday, my wife and I made the drive into DC to catch the final show of Grace Potter & the Nocturnals' winter tour. It had been awhile since our last concert outing, we were itching to see a show, and the party that the Nocturnals were throwing hit the spot completely.

GPN set out to finish the tour off in style and hopefully melt a few faces in the process. Their version of southern rock can range from scorching guitar driven grooves to tender organ work and we got the whole spectrum. The crowd was on board from the moment that the band took the stage and Grace warned us "You're in for it." I can't think of anything insightful to add. You'll just have to check this band out for yourself whenever you have the chance. They are well worth the price of admission and when they're done with you, you'll feel rejuvenated and ready to take on whatever the world throws at you.

Here's an overexposed phone picture from our spot above the soundboard:

And here's Grace Potter and the Nocturnals closing out their set with "Medicine" (best video and sound quality I can find from the show...we managed to bring a camera with a dead battery):

Human Resources is going to thank us for this later

2011-03-01T12:22:00.000-05:00

How's this for a good time...Fitz and The Tantrums performing "MoneyGrabber" for KEXP on a Tuesday afternoon. "MoneyGrabber" was the last song I heard on my drive into work yesterday and it made a Monday seem bearable. Fitz is right when he's talking to the crowd. If everyone listened to this kind of soul stirring soul before and during the workday, HR wouldn't have a thing to worry about.

Fitz and The Tantrums - MoneyGrabber

I wait for something good, for something great

2011-02-24T12:22:00.000-05:00

We got a peek of spring weather recently here in Annapolis. I think it officially gave me the itch for a new season and better weather. Until the sunshine really rolls in to stay, I'll just have to make due with some warm music.

I was reminded of this song the other day and I'm having trouble getting it out of my head. There is an undeniable joy in the music of Ben Kweller and I can't think of a better way to visualize it than this video for "Penny on the Train Track" of his grandmother dancercising to the song. Enjoy...

Ben Kweller - Penny on the Train Track

We've got a lot to learn from each other. We have got to stick together.

2011-02-03T15:30:00.000-05:00

You know that Magic 8 Ball result, "All signs point to..."? For me lately, all signs are pointing to Ra Ra Riot. I'm a little late to the party by music blogging standards, but that's all right. I've at least made it to the party. Maybe with a little over indulgence, I can play catch up. You see, Ra Ra Riot seems to be around every corner for me these days. I had heard "Boy" and thought it was worth learning a little more about the group and the other music they've put out. Last Friday, I made a visit to Annapolis's (or is it Annapolis'?) new record store, Ka-Chunk!! Records (fellow Annapolitans, go check it out so I'm not the only one keeping the store in business), got my hands on Bon Iver's "For Emma, Forever Ago" on vinyl (I think the vinyl format lends itself well to Bon Iver's sound, but that's a subject for a different post...also, I think I'm digressing too much) and stumbled across Ra Ra Riot's sophomore effort, "The Orchard." An impulse buy and an afternoon of work later, I went home to attempt to straighten up my house before friends came by and put my new records on for some cleaning accompaniment.

Ra Ra Riot's "The Orchard" starts off innocently enough, as the title track's ebbs and wanes on the strength of the string section coupled with the smooth vocals and meandering bass line. There are a few points in the song that give a nice little taste of what is to come. Like any solid opening song, it says "Welcome to the album, we hope you enjoy your stay." Then the drums and staccato bass of "Boy" kick in...now, I'm not normally the most dancy of music listeners, but when "Boy" and some of the other bouncier Ra Ra Riot songs are playing, I just can't help myself. There is an infectious energy to the music that just dares you not to join in. "The Orchard" is strong front to back, too. In addition to the catchy hooks of "Boy" and "Too Dramatic" that reel you in and let you know you're in for a really good ride, songs like "Do You Remeber" and "Too Dramatic" anchor the back end of the album and leave you wanting for more.

Since I was cleaning up during my first listen, I was just hearing things on the surface. What really strikes me about Ra Ra Riot's music is the surprising complexity and depth of their arrangements. I only say surprising because the depth coexists happily with the consistently catchy pop melodies that pepper most of the album. "The Orchard" is a very well balanced collection of songs. Melancholy, urgency, joy, sorrow, sweeping sound vistas, quiet little ruminations...I'm amazed that so much of the emotional spectrum shows up in the instrumentation and lyrics of the only 40ish minute running time of the album. For Ra Ra Riot, I think that the sum is much greater than the parts. As it is said in their song "Oh La" for their first album (in a different context, but I'll just go ahead and shoehorn it in here), "We've got a lot to learn from each other. We have got to stick together."

I mentioned earlier that allsigns point to Ra Ra Riot. The musical guest on last Friday's Jimmy Kimmel Live (a repeat of the January 20th show) was Ra Ra Riot. My favorite radio station then replayed their Ra Ra Riot private artist showcase on Saturday and Sunday. Then just yesterday, I learned that the band will be making a stop in Baltimore at the beginning of March. Something tells me that I should make an effort to get out to that show.

Ra Ra Riot - Boy

Ra Ra Riot - Oh La

More Ned Ryerson than you thought you could ever handle

2011-02-02T10:04:00.000-05:00

Someone put this together from one of the most rewatchable comedies of my lifetime. I can't quite explain why exactly, but I really enjoy it.

BING!

Who is Joe Grass and where can I hear more?

2011-01-29T12:42:00.000-05:00

The other day, I was looking through the YouTube offerings from LaBlogotheque and came across the following haunting, melancholy take on "God Only Knows" by a fellow named Joe Grass:

My immediate thought was the title of this post, "Who is Joe Grass and where can I hear more?" His website, http://www.joegrass.com/, only offers the promise that a new website is on the way. I can only hope that new website arrives soon and carries with it news of a Joe Grass tour making its way into the USA and stopping somewhere in my vicinity. Until then, I'll just have to hope the internet has more of these clips to be found.

JOE GRASS - We Waited from Mitch Fillion (southernsouls.ca) on Vimeo.

January Hymn

2011-01-24T12:43:00.000-05:00

As many of my friends and I recover from the aftermath of last night's football game that saw our beloved Steelers claim the AFC Championship, I offer up this little gem from the Decemberists' recently released "The King Is Dead." Winter held a tight grip over the northeast this morning and as Colin Meloy wonders on "January Hymn"

     April all an ocean away
     Is this the better way to spend the day?
     Keeping the winter at bay

"January Hymn" is a small song about lost love with the usual amount of great songwriting imagery we've come to expect from a Decemberists song. I'll just go ahead and let Mr. Meloy tell the story himself:

Colin Meloy Plays New Songs at Make It Pop! (#1 of 2) from opbmusic.org on Vimeo.

Punching the time and climbing life's long ladder

2011-01-19T16:26:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the last couple of posts being a bit short on the rambling (but never short on good quality music). I've been locked in the never ending battle between work and everything else I'd rather be doing. Work is winning, but I'm about to turn the tide. In the meantime, every good person owes it to themselves to take in the fantasterifficness of Ray LaMontagne and The Pariah Dogs playing a barn. If anything, you absolutely must cheack out "Henry Nearly Killed Me (It's A Shame)" (starts about 6 minutes in with Ray rocking a harmonica).

Iron & Wine on Daytrotter

2011-01-13T09:35:00.001-05:00

On January 25, we'll all be able to get our hands on the latest collection of the wonderful music bouncing around Sam Beam's head. Until then, we can go over to Daytrotter and let them serve us an appetizer before the inevitably juicy main course. I haven't listened to or watched the Daytrotter session yet. I'm downloading it as I type. I have enough confidence in Mr. Beam that I'll just blindly recommend that anyone who might stumble across this blog should listen to as much Iron & Wine as possible and rush out to the store (if you're into CDs and liner notes like me) or click your way through your digital music venue of choice an the 25th for the new album, "Kiss Each Other Clean." I've only heard one song off of the album so far, the happier, darn near bouncy, less whispery "Tree By The River." It'll be interesting to hear if the rest of the album is infused with the energy of "Tree By The River" or if we'll be treated to more of the simmering passion of much of Sam Beam's previous work. Regardless, I'm excited (as if you couldn't tell).

Go. Download. Watch. Enjoy.

A Seabass Says Interview: Drew Kennedy on Self Employment and Songwriting

2011-01-06T15:12:00.005-05:00

I'm very happy to present the first ever Seabass Says interview. If you've been here before, you may have noticed that the name Drew Kennedy has made an appearance or three. As I've mentioned before, Drew is an old friend carving out a place for himself in the music industry and the Texas scene. Next week, Drew and company will head into the studio to record the forthcoming "Fresh Water In The Salton Sea" and the world is invited to watch (read the details on Drew's site or just drop by the ustream feed when it goes live). Before recording the album and between shows, rehearsals, sleep, hom life, booking shows, and whatever else he's juggling these days, Drew was kind enough to exchange emails with me over most of December. I'll warn you that this is a long read (over 8,000 words), but I believe a good one (I have to thank Drew for approaching this in such a candid way).

I'll throw this up front, so you don't have to wade through too many words to get a peek at what "Fresh Water In The Salton Sea" has in store for us:

Drew Kennedy - The Captain and the Highway

On to the interview -->

SEABASS SAYS:

I can't say I've prepared much of anything beyond knowing that I'd like to talk about songwriting and thinking that I'd rather have a conversation than a simple Q&A format. I'm sure this email chain could go back and forth quite a bit and for quite awhile. If you get tired or bored with it at any point feel free to call it quits or make up a ridiculous story about destroying a hotel room while on some week long bender in the middle of touring (when I think rock star debauchery, I think Drew Kennedy).

I think I'd like to kick things off by talking about you gearing up for another album. It seems like you've grown kind of prolific lately. There were, what...3 or 4 years between Hillbilly Pilgrim and Dollar Theatre Moive, then about 2 until An Audio Guide to Cross Country Travel, now we're looking at a live album release and you heading into the studio for album #4 all within the span of another 2 years. Is this a product of your surroundings and having more friends and resources to cultivate the songwriting or just a simple matter of having more shows under your belt and being able to finance an album more quickly than you could have in the past?

DREW KENNEDY:

I like these ground rules.

There are a lot of factors that go into the timeline, I think. I scraped together pennies to make Hillbilly Pilgrim as a kid just out of college. I knew nothing about the business behind making and marketing music at the time-- I just knew I liked writing songs, and I thought recording an album was the first step towards making a run at doing this as a profession. I moved to Texas and toured behind the album, but my newfound surroundings and compadres really set my pace of learning into overdrive... so I outgrew Hillbilly Pilgrim as a writer rather quickly. I wanted to find a way to record another album as fast as possible, but I had just teamed up with some management people and they urged me to slow it down. In hindsight, they were absolutely correct, although at the time I found it rather frustrating. They knew that if I cranked out another album (without even recouping the money I spent on my first one) a year behind HP, I'd be outgrowing it again in the blink of an eye and I'd repeat the entire cycle... maybe even twice over. Putting out 3 albums in 3 years and losing your ass on all of them is not a way to build a sustainable business. I give them all the credit in the word for slowing me down-- 2003-2006 was a serious time of growth for me as a writer. I went from someone who kind of knew how to make songs sound like the songs that he liked to listen to, to someone who was on the cusp of discovering his own voice-- I really came into my own and started earning a name for myself as a writer in a scene that cherishes it's writers-- that's when we started getting ready for a new album.

I'm not sure if any of that-- from the semi-first person "he" to the "earning name for self"-- comes across as egomaniacal as I fear it may.. I don't mean for it to sound that way, but if I am being honest with myself, I think it's reasonable as an artist in any form, to say that you know when you're getting good at something. My friend Walt Wilkins and I were talking about a song a few days ago, and I told him that the song in question was one of the first songs I wrote where I thought I was getting a handle on songwriting. He told me that he would bet that I knew it was great when I wrote it. I didn't want to agree with Walt, he who writes such incredible songs and has been such an inspiration to me over my entire lifespan as a writer, but again, speaking plainly, he said, "c'mon, you knew it was great."

And he's right. We're taught not to outwardly boast-- but if you're a creator of things-- of any type of thing-- you absolutely know when you're getting good at it.

So anyway, in 2006 I was ready to put out a new album-- that's when Dollar Theatre Movie came around. It actually took longer than I expected to get the album recorded and out there. I was working with a label for that one, and they had a set schedule-- from recording times to a PR push prior to a release-- that I had to be cool with. I wasn't really, and I understood why those kinds of things, especially the methodical PR pushes, are important to big record label like the one that I was on... but I also felt that they were ramping up like I was already an established artist, rather than a relatively unknown one. I still think they should have taken a much quicker, much more grass roots approach to the release, but let's face it, if there's one thing record labels aren't good at, it's changing. That's the way they do things, and so that's the way they did it with me.

So the record came out, and it flopped. Well... it didn't really flop... but it definitely floundered. The label did a pretty poor job with their methodical PR push. The reasons for this are long and boring... but let’s basically say that I did everything that was asked of me-- the writing of the record, the changing of a few songs, the recording, the interviews, the personal stuff, etc etc. I truly felt that the ball was dropped on their end. Again, going back to the egomaniac thing, I don't feel like this is an indictment of me as a person either. When art fails, the artist is the hardest on himself. I've given up on being hard on myself over DTM, and I'm left with a few gaping holes that I'm still staring through that happen to be on their side of the court, so that's the opinion I'm left with.

But let's face it-- I wouldn't have signed me if I were them in the first place. I appreciated the chance, but I kind of knew how it would go from the start. I did benefit from it, though-- radio play, the little PR that I did get-- it all helped establish my reputation in the singer-songwriter market. After the label and I parted ways, I started touring relentlessly, trying to keep what had built alive. Somewhere between the 250+ gigs a year, and the travel, and the self-management, and the self-booking, I managed to put together a pretty solid collection of songs.... For the first time I had the capital and the control to do whatever I wanted, so I recorded An Audio Guide To Cross Country Travel and released it on my own. It ended up selling more units then DTM did, which was a bit of a pleasant surprise.

And throughout all of this-- from Hillbilly Pilgrim to the beginning of the release of Audio Guide, the way in which people connect to each other changed dramatically. It was constantly becoming easier to stay in touch with people.... so I started to think about how I could tailor this to fit my needs as far as music went. That's when I decided to release a free acoustic record. My overhead was low, making things available digitally was easy, and it was a great way to remove all excuses people could use to not check out my music. It's free, and it's at your fingertips.

So that did really well-- a TON of people downloaded the album. And for the people who wanted a physical product, we came up with a limited edition album for them-- that also did well. So I toured like crazy behind that, writing new songs, planning to record some of the unreleased songs on the live album (Alone, But Not Lonely). All of this has been about a grassroots campaign. Stay in touch with your fans, keep giving them something new to listen to, and always let them know how much you appreciate their support. The plan was always to do Audio Guide, then do Alone, But Not Lonely, and then come back in about a year with a new studio album... so in essence, that's three albums in a little under two years, as music time goes.

As long as my writing can keep pace with my touring, my release schedule will probably stay like this going forward. It's not a matter of being prolific, I think it's a matter of adjusting my output to meet the needs of an ever-demanding, ever-changing consumer base. The more times I can get a good product in front of them, the more often they'll think of my music-- the more often they think of my music, the more likely they are to come to a show-- the more likely they attend, the more likely they dig what I do (I think the live show is where I excel). That's how you develop hardcore and dedicated fans... and in the age where being a superstar shouldn't be any musicians goal, I think the more hardcore fans you win over (and retain) the more successful you'll be as you attempt to carve out a niche for yourself.

Damn your timing and damn your honest and thoughtful answer. I open up my browser and decided to take a quick look at your reply and you go and get the gears turning and make me want to shirk my paid work and respond right away for my unpaid and largely unread blog. I guess I'll have to bounce between this email and pushing papers.

You spoke to your music and albums as someone who is self employed. Obviously, the business end of things can't be avoided and I'm sure it stares you in the face on a regular basis. You can't avoid it, but I imagine the stage is a bit of a sanctuary where you're able to forget about the minutiae and just live the songs for whatever time you're allotted. As someone looking in from the outside of the music business, I always find it fascinating to peel back the curtain a bit and get a glimpse of the nuts and bolts. In a way, I think you're lucky to be at this stage in your career now instead of, say, a musician at the same point 10 or 15 years ago. You've been able to see things like Napster, AIM, MySpace, CDBaby, iTunes, Facebook, blogging, etc. grow from their infancy and have been able to tailor the way you reach and interact with your fans to fit all of the flashy new technology. If you had come along much earlier, you may have found yourself entrenched in the typical album, tour, album, tour, rinse and repeat cycle and unable to be so adaptable and responsive. I think things like the postcard project you did and the over and above willingness to dive into the house shows is exactly what is needed in today’s musinomical (just made it up...music + economical...feel free to use it or improve on it) climate to foster the approachable grassroots business model you're operating with.

Is the songwriting itself a part of the business for you, or is that purely an artistic venture? I remember reading something years ago about Ryan Adams (talk about prolific), where he said something along the lines of if he wasn't always writing, rewriting, or otherwise working at a song, he felt like it was a disservice to his fans. He considered it his 9 to 5 to be writing instead of just living the life and slacking off in his non touring time, though he managed to do his share of living the life in the past. I guess the man is a good multitasker.

Is there a "standard" process for you to write songs at this point in your career? Are you the type to sit down for x number of hours and grind out a songwriting session like us folks with our fancy desk jobs, or is your method more of the organic "out of the ether" kind?

I've had to really work at separating the artistic side from the business side of what I do. You're absolutely right on the self-employed thing. That's exactly what I am. I manage my business, I book my shows, and I come up with ways to sell my product... which is essentially me-- what comes out of my head and lands on the paper. There aren't any sick days in this job. I haven't taken a personal vacation day since my honeymoon over 6 years ago. That's not a bad thing-- this kind of work is incredibly rewarding-- but man, time can really get away from you, especially when the hours of operation range from waking up in the morning to long after most normal people are in bed. I've found that I am most successful when I treat it as a regular job-- get up early, get working on things early. If I can get the clerical and managerial things out of the way by noon, that leaves me the rest of the day to be a writer. I've had to get out of the "I'm a musician, I sleep in" mentality to make all of this work.

I used to write every day-- even if I had nothing to say. It wasn't because I felt that I owed my work ethic to anyone-- I just felt like I needed to do it in order to call myself a songwriter. As I've progressed through my career, however, I've learned that a regimented approach like that in regards to writing isn't for me. I write when I feel inspired to write. I may write 15-20 songs in a year, and I'll record 10-12 of them... my keepers have started to heavily outweigh the throwaways. What I have regimented is actually my time. As long as I provide myself the time to write if the inspiration should strike me, I'm doing my job. If I don't have anything to say, what's the point of sitting down and trying to force it? I know a lot of writers would disagree with me, but that's ok. I don't think there's any right or wrong way to approach writing. Anyone that tells you otherwise is probably the same type of person that thinks they are never wrong when engaged in an argument. Either that, or they're a professor of creative writing, and they've fallen into the pace of training yourself how to write. Before you find your voice, you have to work very hard at writing. Once you find it-- once you know how to find it when you need it-- you can settle into the best routine for you.

For me, I can feel a song coming. It's something I can't really explain. I'll just get this feeling that I'll be writing something soon, and so I start looking at things differently... looking for things in places I wouldn't otherwise look. It's like I can flip some extra sense on in my brain... and then the song will show up, I'll write it, and then I'll go back to normal for a while. Sometimes I'll write two or three songs in a few days, and then not write again for a month or two. Sometimes it's like clockwork-- once a month. Sometimes it's not there at all. Inspiration can't be faked, and I think my patience in waiting for it has shown itself in the ratio of keepers to throwaways as far as my song count goes.

The stage is a bit of a respite- I admit... but I'm always thinking about the business. If you're playing a listening room, you can get away with mostly downtempo songs... if you're playing a room that wants something upbeat, you have to make sure you can thread your songs together into a seamless set list that provides your audience with the kind of entertainment they're looking for. Truth be told, if I never had to worry about the mood of the crowd, I'd probably never write another upbeat song for the rest of my life. I love ballads for some strange reason. So, yes, once you're in a song, you can live in the song... but in between... before and after a show-- you have to think about your business. How can I be memorable between songs? How do I carry myself before I walk onto stage. How do I interact with my fans after a show is over? And of course, you have to keep yourself from throwing a bottle at some dude's head because he's being the most annoying drunkard on the face of the earth. I do something like that, and I can kiss my business goodbye.

Not saying that I would do that-- but I challenge you to find one musician who hasn't wanted to pound "that guy" at a show. There's no more uncomfortable feeling than being pulled out of a song by some dude that is standing right in front of you screaming for the cliché song of the decade.

The songs themselves aren't really a part of the business. Yes, there are standard formations of songs, ie verse verse chorus verse chorus bridge chorus... but they're more guidelines than anything else. Sure, radio wants a song to come in around 3:30 long-- they make their money on advertising, and they're more likely to play your music if it fits into a set in which they can sell the max amount of ad time. I don't write songs for radio (though I probably should think about it more often). I write songs for the songs' sake. For my sake. People seem to connect with what I do. Maybe more would connect if I was a little more mindful of radio.. but I'm happy with what I produce, and I don't have any plans on changing my approach for that. We're blessed to have some radio stations in Texas that play a lot of songwriter stuff... so I have a built in group of stations down here that I can rely on (if I continue to write at the level that I have, of course)... but my goal isn't to write something that ends up in A rotation on the major Clear Channel country stations across the country.

Therein lies the problem with radio, and part of the problem with the music business, in my mind. It's the old "too many eggs in the same basket" thing. There are only a few major labels that have the ability to compete in the national market. In turn, there are only a few large companies that control the majority of radio stations across the country. So, it's logical that if the major label has a good connection with the person in charge of mandating those radio playlists across the country, that label will have a good chance of getting their artist played. In the old days, they called that "Payola." People will tell you that it doesn't exist anymore, and at face value maybe it doesn't... but you're fooling yourself if you think those relationships between, say, Universal and Clear Channel don't exist.

So I'm already out of that game. The game I am able to play is for the indie radio stations and for the aggressive music consumer... for the internet radio stations... for digital distribution and for album sales on a small scale. So that's what I focus on.

The bottom line is this: my business sense exists for two reasons-- to allow me to create and to allow me to make a living through those creations.

As long as I want to continue to put food on my table by creating, I have to stay on top of my business day in and day out. I think it's a fair sacrifice.

I can't say I envy that you have you juggle the artistic side of things with the business side on a daily basis. As an engineer, I get to let the left side of my brain do all of the heavy lifting and can save my right brain for fun things like the little at home film festival my wife and I are putting together for a small group of friends. It seems like it has been an important step in your career to compartmentalize your life and business. I think that must help you get to the point where you can - for lack of a better phrase - let the music guide the business instead of letting the business guide the music. That may not lead directly to regular radio play across the country, fame, fortune, and an entourage of yes men, but you're in a place where you can do things on your own terms and not feel compromised (except for when you have to keep yourself from picking up an amp and making it "that guy's" new hat). I'm a firm believer in the idea that quality will always be recognized in the end. There will always be a place for quality songwriters to hone their craft and there will always be people ready to listen. To draw a parallel to baseball, its like how poor Armando Galarraga tossed a perfect game (minus the horrible call at the end) and then ended up in the minors later in the season vs Roy Halladay following a regular season perfect game with his gem of a no hitter in the playoffs. We all knew Doc had that ability and no one would be surprised to see him do it again, but I don't think Galarraga was high on anyone's "most likely to pitch a no hitter" list. Call him a one hit wonder.

To shift things away from the nuts and bolts and toward the fun stuff, let me start by saying I sense a little bit of apprehension when you acknowledge your songwriting aptitude (I figure if I use big words, it might not inflate your already gigantic ego...hats can only be adjusted so much, after all). I think your friend Walt is right. There's no problem embracing it when you know you're doing things right. From the way you talk about your songs, it seems like there are bits and pieces of collaboration throughout your work. That should keep you from falling into the trap that a lot of people say has taken M. Night Shyamalan. He started believing it a little too much when everyone was telling him how brilliant he was and stopped taking advice - only trusting his own opinion of his work. By many accounts, his last few movies have been disasters. When you're writing, it seems that you're bouncing ideas off of and working with your peers to the point where you have no choice but to listen to their opinions. The collaboration has to help keep you grounded even as you're working on something that is undeniably good. There's certainly no shame in putting a song down on paper and thinking, "folks are going to dig this."

It was interesting when you spoke to the Dollar Theatre Movie experience. I had no idea you had those less than glowing feelings about it. It was definitely a departure from Hillbilly Pilgrim in the sense that it was more "produced" feeling, but I wouldn't necessarily call that a bad thing. I actually look at a song like "Baytown" (which I'll admit I haven't heard outside of that album) as being well served by the production. Those horns are slick. I am a sucker for a good pop song, though, so that could cloud my judgment. Anyway, in my opinion, An Audio Guide's (do you ever call it AAGTCCT?) struck a great balance between the production levels of HP and DTM. Is that a product of conscious work in the studio..."No, no. That track is too clean. Use the one where the D string was buzzing."...or time constraints..."No, Drew, you only have this space for another 2 hours. We can't bring your dog in to play kazoo on Room #27."

I think I've mentioned it to you before that I like "The Captain on The Highway" more and more every time I listen to it. There's a great loneliness in the song just being you and a guitar telling this little story. I have no idea if that is what you intended, but the lo-fi recording you did fits the song perfectly. I'm not sure if you're partial to ballads because of this, but personally, I love simple songs that are left with some room to breathe in them. There's no hiding behind a catchy hook in those songs. The storytelling is front and center. If The Captain finds its way onto the upcoming album, may I humbly suggest that you keep it stripped down. There is something special about a song that can move you with only about 10 lines.

Like "The Captain," I've noticed that many of your songs - and the majority of your album titles - deal with movement and travel. That seems to be a theme that winds its way through Americana in general. Is your thematic exploration of movement/change/travel a way of embracing Americana, or am I reading too far into a happy coincidence? Or is it simply a way to insert a bit of autobiography into songs that are generally (at least not on the surface) not "Hi, I'm Drew. This is a song about me." songs?

I would love to get to the point that the music dictates the business-- that's been one of my big goals all along. I don't want to be financially loaded to the nth degree-- I just want to know that I'll be able to do this for the rest of my life and reach the unavoidable financial goals that I've set for myself, and those that have been set for me in regards to my education and upbringing.

That's the biggest struggle I face with myself every day-- yes, it's great that I get to create for a living... but is it right? Is it what I should be doing? It's so hard for me to let go of the notion that dollar signs equal success. That a big house and a nice car are the trophies of your labor. I, of course, detest the general idea of things being the measuring stick for ones success, but let's face it- that idea has been beaten into us since elementary school. It's hard to get something out of you that has been so deeply engrained in your consciousness.

I don't think it's ever a good thing to be comfortable with your success. Art is largely created through conflict. It doesn't have to be personal conflict or a conflict created by chemical dependency or anything like that. The nagging presence of "it's not good enough-- don't call it good-- it's just ok," is what drives me to focus on becoming a better writer. The second I think to myself, "well, you've finally done it-- you've written one of the greatest songs on earth and you will do no better," is the second I stop being an artist. If there's no mystical mountain peak on which to set your sites, chances are there's no fire inside pushing you to excel. No drive to exceed, no quality work. I think you're point about Shyamalan is an apt and fitting one in this type of conversation. It's not just in music or movies, it's everywhere: surround yourself with "yes" men and chances are you're going to be blindsided by failure.

While the DTM experience on the business side of things was a less-than-glowing experience, I still really love the album just as I loved making it. It stands on its own, no matter how various business practices affected its overall sales figures and length of exposure to new listeners.

I try not to think about how the production on an album will compare to the production on a previous album. People talk about staying in the same vein, staying true to the style that got you where you are when it comes to making albums. I don't really think about that. I have no desire to do a techno project or a metal project... I just like writing songs, and the style in which I am most comfortable is unlikely to change. I think that in and of itself will keep the common thread between the projects. When I think about production, I simply think to myself "how do you want this song to sound?"

Any changes you hear are basically reflections of my ever-changing tastes in music. That's not to say I was a fan of one particular style one week, and then a fan of another style the next-- I'm speaking more on a nuanced level... I'm currently digging a lot of sparse, roomy records, and so I have a good feeling that the new album will reflect that. More than anything, the freedom to do what I wish in that regard is a really liberating and exciting. There are times when I opt for a dirtier tone vs. a cleaner tone, but it's just a stylistic preference. Look at it this way-- I can choose to rock a beard, a mustache, a goatee, or be clean shaven-- but it's all just a way to slightly alter my face. The face is still there, it just differs from time to time in the presentation. Of course I'd love to have more time in the studio to experiment with sounds and arrangements-- but too much time and an endless budget can also be a bad thing. I've heard songs that were really stellar in the raw be completely ruined on albums by people with too much time on their hands. Recording music means that you're giving up a little bit of perfection-- it's never going to be perfect, so why strive for perfection? No one hears my album the way I hear it-- they don't know who played what, what I would change, what I don't like, what I hear every time I listen to this one particular song-- they just hear it the way it's presented as a whole... I'm speaking about the average listener, of course. You can really drive yourself crazy trying to attain studio perfection. It's why The Eagles broke up... it killed their relationships and it killed their band. Making music is a joy-- as soon as it starts feeling like a laboring task, you've gone too far. I work on a song until an idea starts to weigh it down, and then I nix the idea and call what I've done up to that point good for the most part. It's kind of a feel thing.

Thanks for the kind words on The Captain and the Highway. That recording came out really great. I started the song at 6:30 in the morning, finished it by 7, and had it on my website by 7:15. I'm not sure why I did that... but anyway, it's as raw and emotional a version that is ever likely to exist. It will be on the new album, and it will be sparse. Look for a video to pop up next week on that song-- it'll give you a pretty good idea of how it will be treated for the record.

Damn that idea of travel in songs-- it haunts me. I try to avoid it, since everyone does it... but I can't. It's a "write what you know" game... and I certainly know travel. Sometimes travel will sneak into a song and I won't even realize it until I've started gigging the song... so let me think... of the 10 songs I have for the new album travel is mentioned or thematically involved in.... 8 of them. Damnit. Oh well.

It's something that I wrestle with, and I'm not entirely sure why I care, or why it's always there. I guess I worry that people will think, "oh, more traveling songs from Kennedy."

But then again, they haven't gotten so tired of it that I'm not selling records or tickets... so I guess I'll stick to what I know.

I'm not doing it on purpose... it's just a constant in my life right now, and so I guess it'd be dishonest of me to try and ignore it. Movement is important to me, creatively speaking. So many great writers have a lot of personal conflict to draw from. Thankfully, I don't... so I kind of have to create it... Whether that's in a character song, or it's in a song that comes from observations recorded during my travels... there has to be conflict in order to create. When I start writing songs without conflict, I'll probably be writing for a childrens record (don't worry, I have no designs on doing something like that). This again is all preference. I dislike songs that don't have any meat for me to chew on... I like to think about what it means, what it says and what it isn't saying. I have never been a fan of music that doesn't make me think. Sure, I like 8 Days A Week-- but it's mostly melody and it's an easy listen. If you're going to give me The Beatles, give me The White Album or Rubber Soul or Abbey Road. The stuff that's got more depth, lyrically. Do-wop and music like that was all about melody, and it shows. Some of the best, most memorable melodies that have ever been created come straight out of that era of music... but the stuff that really gets me is the stuff that, no matter when it was written, gives me something to think about. I think my love of meaningful and intelligent words is reflected in my writing, and it's something I'm constantly trying to perfect. It's also a flaw, though. I can get pretty out there, and unless I'm sitting next to you to explain what I was thinking when I wrote the song, it might not make sense. That's a bad trait to have as a writer, and I'm trying to work on that. All in all, though, I'd rather err on the side of complexity over simplicity. It makes me feel better about a song when I finish it if it's complex, and really, I'm just writing for me anyway. I'm just lucky writing for me seems interesting enough to other people that they support what I do.

I have a couple of things I'd like to run with in response to your last email, but I need to get this out of the way first for the sake of accuracy...Set me straight. Is it The Captain on or The Captain and The Highway? The relatively insignificant difference will drive me crazy until I have it right.

On the subject of travel in music, it may be commonplace, but it is a theme that people of all kinds can identify with. I don't spend long hours driving through the middle of the night on poorly lit rural highways, but I often find my mind wandering to interesting places even when I'm just taking the back way home from work. I even wrote a meandering blog post about my experience driving between Akron and Pittsburgh with Josh Ritter keeping me and my wife company. I'm sure volumes have been written about the sociological implications, but us Americans have a deep relationship with our cars and the open road. You can't help it if (dare I say) you have a ramblin' heart. I think the rest of us do, too. And, thankfully, we can live vicariously through the travelling songs we love while we're stuck at our desks. As long as you keep putting songs out there with enough depth to them, I doubt anyone is going to get bogged down in the fact that 80% of them might have some element of travel in them. Take "Rolling Around in the Bed" for example. Conceptually, that song could lead you into pure country cliché territory (you left out the dog, though), but (at least from what I get out of the song) you built the song around a great play on words, kept from spelling the whole thing out, and added in a dash of regret to boot and the end product is a song with depth where I can forget about a truck even being mentioned.

On conflict in writing...you may be able to write some stuff for kids, after all. Don't shut out a whole demographic without giving them a chance. Look at the Dr. Seuss books. There's conflict all over the place in those and they're classics. I'd argue that most stories without any conflict, be it internal or external, aren't worth telling at all. "Once upon a time, they lived happily ever after," just doesn't cut it. We all need the meat in a story to get anything out of it. We need the how and the why.

I'm happy to hear/read that you're enjoying the sparse side of music these days. Personally, I find myself drawn to sparse, lonely, melancholy sounding music quite frequently and I'm still trying to wrap my head around why it is so appeal to me. The only explanation I've been satisfied with so far is that I like sad music because of the total juxtaposition it has with my comfortable, happy upbringing, marriage, and life in general. I guess its just important to me to stay in touch with the full range of emotion through art. I never went through the "I'm listening to heavy metal to rebel against my suburban teen years" stage, but I found a great affinity for the sad stuff pretty early on. I've had some of my best concert experiences in the "listening room" type setting, when everyone in the room knows what they're getting into and is completely respectful of the artist/band and the music. My wife, my cousin, and I once went to see Mark Kozelek (formerly of the Red House Painters...currently records as Sun Kil Moon) somewhere in central Massachusets (I couldn't get tickets to the sold out show in Boston) and I swear you could hear a pin drop right before each song started. If you're unfamiliar with Kozelek's work, I'd suggest giving the Sun Kil Moon album "Ghosts of the Great Highway" a try. It should be up your alley...roomy songs, poetic lyrics, "Highway" in the title. It has it all.

The last thing I'd like to talk about in this email is your comment about complexity vs simplicity in your songwriting. I think one of the great things about music, and art in general, is that it is open for interpretation. Whether you spell it out or not, whether a song is opaque and vague and pulls from images of Eastern religion, or a simple drinking song that's just too damn catchy not to play, it means something a little different to everyone who hears it (a bit of a generalization, but I think you can understand what I'm getting at). I'm in the camp that feels that as soon as a song, painting, any other artistic venture is completed, it becomes less and less a "property" of the person or people who created it and more and more a "property" of those who are taking it in. As the writer of a song, you without a doubt control the finished product and whatever meaning you intend, but ultimately, the people listening to it control how it is received and interpreted. Just as I've expertly advised you to keep The Captain sparse (I'll ignore the fact that you were already doing it whether I said anything about it or not), I'd like to put my support behind you continuing to embrace thought provoking and nuanced songwriting. Go ahead and walk that line between complexity and confusion. If you end up on the wrong side of it on a song, you can always justify it by saying you wanted to leave it open for interpretation. Some people have managed to make entire careers out of being misleading.

sidebar: I'm thinking this will be easily the most wordy post my blog has ever seen (and I'm quite happy for that to be the case). I'm really enjoying the back and forth and could probably continue with it for the foreseeable future, however, it'll have to come to an end soon or I'll have to start a new blog called "Matt's ongoing conversation with Drew that will most likely bore the crap out of you." I think if you're up for responding to this email and then answering a handful of short questions (one word answers acceptable) that have little to nothing to do with what we've been talking about (Who would win in a fight, Donald or Daffy Duck?...well, maybe not that silly), that should be able to tie things up. I've probably wasted more of your time than I should, anyway. I'll admit, I'd much rather be typing up these emails than being an engineer. Also, I think with a video soon being available for The Captain, it would be great timing to be able to post this conversation/interview with the video attached.

It's The Captain and the Highway

Sorry it took me a while to get back to this one-- I was on the road, and these tend to get rather longwinded, and I didn't really want to be hammering away on my iphone for two hours.

I dig Sun Kil Moon-- I've had people tell me that my voice can remind them of his from time to time. Oh, and I wasn't really knocking kids stuff, I was just kind of using it as a metaphor more than anything else. I did Dr. Seuss. Also, I dig Shel Silverstein. Did you know he wrote a bunch of successful country songs? Look them up. They're interesting... and they're distinctly Silverstein.

I love complexity in songwriting. The "business," however, does not. I'm comfortable with being literate and occasionally veiled. They're not. And by they, I mean the people in Nashville who run publishing companies. Ideally, I'd love to get a few cuts and take it to the bank... but they seem to be very against the listener having to think for themselves. I think that notion is offensive at its core-- to both the writers and the listeners. Until they change their culture of how they do business, I'll be on the outside. And, I've always 100% subscribed to the same theory as you-- I write the song, I play the song, I record the song-- those things are all for me. Once I put it out there publicly, it's not mine anymore. Sure, I know what the songs are about.. but that only counts to me. My music, once released, means whatever the listener thinks it means. It's theirs.

I've always said that, and I continue to believe it 100%.

I'll keep you posted as to when the video is coming. I'm waiting to find that out myself. I also really like the one word answer idea. Give me as many of those as you'd like.

Hope all is well, hombre

I understand the aversion to iphone emails. I once tried to type a paragraph on my droid and I think it took about a half an hour.

I'm glad you're on board with the transferring of song ownership. There's a great give and take to music - especially live music - that keeps so many of us coming back for more and more. A band feeds off of the energy of a good crowd. The crowd feeds off of the band and each other. There's such a wonderful communal aspect to music that thankfully the powers that be in the music industry haven't managed to ruin for us (though ticket service and handling fees don't make things any easier on the concert-going public). All of the local bars and clubs around the world make it too hard for that to happen.

Ok, now onto the lightning round. One word or short phrase answers are expected, but if you want to elaborate, I won't stop you.

What is your favorite song to cover? Rayne, Louisiana (Bruce Robison)-- it was the first song I ever taught myself how to play on the guitar. Bruce has become a friend, and his writing continues to push me.

Can we expect any bluegrass (a la White Lightning) on the new album? No Bluegrass... though I wrote a good bluegrass tune with some friends, one of whom recorded it for his new album (his name is Jason Eady-- check him out!)

Snyder's or Wege? Wege all the way. Gotta pull for the little guy.

Favorite instrument (non-guitar)? Pedal Steel Guitar

Most intimidated you've been as an opening (or stage sharing) act? I played a live radio show once-- it was an hour long and the time was split between two artists, and is broadcast in front of a live audience inside of a bar.. about 50 people. Chip Taylor was up first and I was second. Why is that a big deal? Oh, well, you know, aside from being Jon Voight's brother, which also makes him Angelina Jolie's uncle, he was a hit songwriter back in the day (Angel of the Morning), and also a pro blackjack player for 10 years in Monte Carlo (or someplace exotic like that). Still no big deal? Well, he closed his radio set with another one of his hit songs that he wrote-- had the audience going crazy for it. Then packed up his stuff and split during the commercial break. I went out and broke a string right off the bad. The song: Wild Thing. Yeah, that one.

Now that your guitar has made a star turn on the golf channel, does it charge appearance fees? It's gotten so popular, it actually just retired from the road.

Have you ever honored a drunken "Freebird" request? No, never.

Beard or Moustache? Beard for life, Mustache for charity!

Name a band, song, or style of music that people would be surprised to know you dig. I absolutely love Miles Davis- Bitches Brew. One of my all time favorite albums.

How much do the Phillies regret trading Cliff Lee? Publicly- none. Privately- H U G E *

Do you know what all of the knobs, switches, and buttons in a recording studio do? No way. I know what like 5% of them do... and that puts me in pretty elite company. I think most of them are there to dissuade any of us from becoming engineers, and they don't actually do anything other than look confusing. Job security.

If you could share a stage with anyone, who would it be? Guy Clark

I apologize for the increasingly slow pace of my replies. If you ever have the urge to do some engineering work, I invite you to make the trip up to Annapolis and help me get out from under my giant to do list. That way, I can spend more time listening to and attempting to write something worthwhile about music.

As a short aside before I wrap this up...those Voights get around. Barry Voight was a professor of mine in college. Turns out he's a pretty knowledgeable volcanologist. Apparently there wasn't room for the whole family in the entertainment industry.

Anyway, thanks again for your time and the open and honest dialogue. This has been a lot of fun for me to do and I hope we can do it again sometime. Maybe I'll get myself a fancy recorder and do something in person the next time you make your way north. As a fan, I hope your music can bring you further north and east so my friends and I have more opportunities to see a show. As a sporadic faux music writer/cheerleader of music I like, I'm excited to see what comes of the new album and your continued growth as a songwriter. As a friend, I wish you continued success and happiness in the music world and life in general.

It was my pleasure man-- I enjoyed it as well.

On the road-- sorry for my brevity. Just know I really did love doing it!

* - This whole conversation took place before the Phillies became the mystery team in the Cliff Lee talks and ultimately signed him. Maybe I should pretend we knew it would happen all along.

Next Year, Baby

2011-01-03T14:50:00.000-05:00

I don't think I have anything worthwhile to say about the New Year that hasn't been said before. Early January is a great time of ambition and starting anew. I'm a big fan. Here's to '11 being everything you hope it can be.

To ring in 2011 here at Seabass Says, I'll turn it over to Jamie Cullum reinforcing that the piano is, in fact, a percussion instrument.

Jamie Cullum - Next Year, Baby

It was Christmas Eve, babe...

2010-12-24T10:30:00.000-05:00

...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

2010-12-16T15:55:00.000-05:00

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

2010-12-14T10:08:00.000-05:00

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

2010-11-30T15:54:00.000-05:00

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

2010-11-19T16:58:00.000-05:00

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

2010-11-08T14:00:00.000-05:00

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

2010-10-22T14:53:00.000-04:00

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

2010-10-13T15:06:00.000-04:00

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

2010-09-29T10:00:00.001-04:00

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

2010-09-28T10:42:00.000-04:00

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

2010-09-10T11:30:00.003-04:00

...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

2010-09-09T10:33:00.000-04:00

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

2010-09-08T16:53:00.000-04:00

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...

2010-09-07T14:59:00.000-04:00

"…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?

2010-08-25T15:29:00.000-04:00

(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

2010-08-25T11:20:00.000-04:00

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

2010-07-21T13:42:00.000-04:00

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

2010-06-15T15:04:00.000-04:00

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

2010-06-11T16:14:00.000-04:00

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

2010-05-27T17:31:00.000-04:00

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

2010-05-04T17:30:00.000-04:00

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

2010-04-20T12:23:00.000-04:00

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

2010-04-15T15:37:00.001-04:00

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

2010-03-19T16:06:00.001-04:00

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

2010-03-05T16:28:00.000-05:00

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

2010-03-01T16:07:00.002-05:00

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

2010-02-02T15:25:00.000-05:00

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

2010-01-29T13:25:00.000-05:00

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

2010-01-26T15:07:00.000-05:00

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

2010-01-22T13:47:00.000-05:00

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

2010-01-20T13:34:00.000-05:00

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...

2010-01-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

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

2010-01-13T16:42:00.000-05:00

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

2010-01-04T16:25:00.000-05:00

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...

An audio Guide to...my night in Richmond

2009-12-19T18:36:00.000-05:00

A week ago, my wife and I took a little road trip that I wouldn’t have thought twice about in the past. Drive down to Richmond to see a show and drive back in the same day/night? Sure, why not. Its only 2 and a half hours each way. I remember going to see Josh Rouse on a whim in college. My buddy (who was supposed to be the on-duty RA for the evening) and I got in my car, drove 3 hours, got to the venue in time to order food and beer, took in the show (very good, by the way), got back in the car and drove the 3 hours back to school. No sweat. This time, we needed to find someone to take care of the dog while we were gone, make sure we met up with friends for dinner, etc (and this was all after the initial debate over whether we even could spare the time to leave town for a night).

Well, we decided to go for it and we don’t regret anything about the decision. The show in question featured my friend Drew Kennedy and his friend Austin Collins. If you’ve stopped by Seabass Says before, then you already know how I feel about Drew’s music. After the show, I can definitively say that Drew keeps some good company down in Texas.

That's Drew talking and Austin tuning (with a giant flaming martini glass growing out of his head)

Instead of the typical opener/feature setup, Drew and Austin basically traded songs in what amounted to more of a songwriter showcase for the evening’s entertainment. I knew what I was getting into with Drew’s music: stories littered with cleverly turned phrases, framed by his big and bright guitar and some catchy melodies. On the other hand, Austin’s music was a bit of an unknown. After a few songs, I was happy to find it to be a great contrast to Drew’s music (the bitter to Drew’s sweet, if you will).

Austin’s music struck me as honest, introspective, and a little bit sad. To me, that’s a good combo. For some reason, I tend to lean toward songs that leave a heart on a sleeve and a rough edge or two. Austin’s songs had a feeling of yearning to them and a bit of anger bubbling under the surface. His music reminds me a little bit of Jay Farrar’s work with Son Volt. A couple of songs in particular stuck out, including "Unapology" which we took video of, but it turned out less than good (I blame the table full of chatty ladies next to us for the din). Instead of putting you through straining to hear Austin in our video, I'll post something I found poking around YouTube. Here's Austin with his band, The Rainbirds, playing "Roses are Black."

Austin Collins - Roses are Black

P.S. You must check out the new commercial for I-95's most popular (at least by billboard count) attraction, South Of The Border:

And check out more about Austin Collins (new CD coming out soon) and Drew Kennedy (new album out now).

If you walk my way...

2009-12-11T17:13:00.002-05:00

This time of year, specifically this middle stretch of December, can be pretty hectic for those of us that celebrate Christmas. Adding holiday shopping, decorating, traveling, and all the other stuff to your normal life of deadlines at work and trying to maintain a semblance of order around the house makes for a muddled head full of mile long to do lists. Its hard to follow good Mr. Bueller’s advice and stop and look around.

That’s why I’m glad there is winter music to help slow me down. I’m not talking about the newest pop sensation’s reinterpreted version of Good King Wenceslas (I’m assuming the Jonas brothers of Taylor Swift or someone has this covered). Some music just feels like winter. There are three different kinds of winter music for me: the kind that feels like looking out over a vast snow covered landscape (I’d put my favorite Icelandic band, Sigur Ros in this category), the kind that feels like standing in the woods with the wind cutting through your jacket (listen to Bon Iver, you’ll understand what I mean), and the kind that feels like sitting in front of a fire with a big ol mug of spiked hot chocolate.

The third kind of winter music is what I want to highlight in this post. I’ve been listening to Lisa Hannigan’s debut album “Sea Sew” a good bit recently because of its nearly tangible warmth. For anyone who isn’t familiar with Lisa Hannigan, she was the sweet to Damien Rice’s sour on his two albums, sometimes lending a smoky backing vocal and sometimes a haunting solo (this one’s appropriate for the time of year) to his work.

While Rice’s albums hold a simmering rage waiting to break through most of his songs, Hannigan’s solo work has a cozy sweetness to it in songs like “Ocean and a Rock.” I like that it isn’t all sugar coated and feel good, though. A couple of the songs on the album rough up the edges a bit and lines like “I stumble out into the afternoon / Still salty from drink and the late night pool” remind me that she’s Irish. I don’t think anything sums up the feel of her music more than the video below. I’m just sad I missed her touring with David Gray. That would have been a great one to catch.

Lisa Hannigan – I Don’t Know:

Dear Internet, I've Missed You

2009-12-03T13:02:00.000-05:00

To the internet at large and my ~~many~~ loyal readers (Hi, wife!), I apologize for being away for what seems to be eons. I've missed you and I'm back and ready to share some tunes. I was in fabulous Las Vegas, eating Thanksgiving dinner in the nearest restaurant without a giant wait and losing/winning back some money. Oh yeah, my best man got married, too. Small detail. Mainly, I was gone for awhile gambling, consuming adult beverages, and catching a cold.

Also, due to some additional unexpected travel, I'm going to miss out on both Ha Ha Tonka shows (tonight and Sunday) in my area. So someone should go in my stead and report back. I have a feeling I'll be missing a great show. They're opening for Cross Canadian Ragweed in case anyone was wondering.

In other news, I'm looking for an adventurous soul or two to join me on a mini road trip to see my buddy Drew play the last show of his tour of the southeast in Richmond, VA on December 12. I think Drew should name his tour something along the lines of "The Drew Kennedy Not Close Enough To Seabass To Be Overly Convenient Winter Tour 2009." That would be a sweet concert T-Shirt. Drew, make it happen and I'll definitely make the trip.

Back to the original intent of this post...as an apology for my absence, I offer this little slice of awesome (embedding was disabled, so you'll just have to follow the link and trust me).

This glimpse of brilliance is better than a long look at mediocrity

2009-11-23T12:27:00.000-05:00

A couple weekends ago, we picked up Ha Ha Tonka's first album, "Buckle in the Bible Belt." I sat on it for a few days, as I was a little caught up in work and the Monsters of Folk album. When I finally got around to giving it a try, I was mighty impressed. The entry page to their website reads: "Ha Ha Tonka - foot stomping indie rock" and I think that about sums it up. Their sound is an interesting mix of rootsy folk/country, 3 and 4 part gospel harmonies, and whiskey laden rock. This is rail drinks and concrete floors type of music and I'm loving every minute of it. They have a second album - "Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South" - out, too, but I haven't grabbed that one yet (who wants to buy me a gift?). I think what impresses me the most about Ha Ha Tonka's music is how well the lyrics stand up to the rest of the music. That may be hard to follow, but I think it is easy for the words to get lost in the raucous nature of this type of sound. In the same way the Rhett Miller's wordsmithing shines through the Old 97s rocking, I think Ha Ha Tonka nails the balance between rowdy and thoughtful. For examples of what I'm babbling about, check out these videos from a in studio performance for Chicago's Q101:

St. Nick on the Fourth in a Fervor (from Buckle in the Bible Belt)

Close Every Valve To Your Bleeding Heart (from Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South)

If anyone else agrees with me on the quality of Ha Ha Tonka's music, we're in luck (at least those of us who live in the 'burgh or Baltimore/DC areas). The band is currently on tour and stopping at the Recher Theater in Baltimore (Towson to be exact) on Dec. 3, Mr. Smalls in the 'burgh on Dec. 5, and the 9:30 Club in DC on Dec. 6. Hopefully I can make it out on the 3rd or 6th and report back on how the band sounds up close and personal.

Here There Be Monsters

2009-11-18T13:28:00.000-05:00

When I first learned about the Monsters of Folk (Conor Oberst, Jim James, M. Ward, and Mike Mogis) supergroup, tour, album, and more touring, I was guardedly optimistic. I had heard some live recordings of the group, but, to me, those sounded like the guys getting together to play a few of each others' songs and the occasional classic like "Always On My Mind" instead of a band with their own identity. I wasn't sure whether we'd be seeing a one off fun little side project like the Bens (Folds, Lee, and Kweller) or a supergroup that somehow manages to do something somehow bigger than the sum of its parts like the Travelling Wilburys (Lefty, Nelson, Otis, Lucky, and Charlie T., Jr.). After hearing the whole Monsters of Folk album (self titled) and seeing some of what these guys are doing live, I'm definitely thinking it'll be the latter. The Wilburys tailed off after Roy Orbison passed, but with the ages of the Monsters, there is potential for at least a few more albums than the Wilburys put out.

At first glance, I didn't really see how the Monsters of Folk would work. I imagine the guys are friends and respect each other as people, musicians, collaborators, an so on, but their voices just don't seem like they'd mesh. You have Ward's lightly Waitsian (that's right...Waitsian) bluesy rasp, Oberst's wavery and sometimes rageful singing, and James's wide ranging dreamy melodies that sometimes sound like a muffled echo. At second glance and first full listen, I can see why it works. It seems that they all set aside whatever egos they may have and recorded a truly collaborative album. "Temazcal" (in the first video below) is a great example of what I'm trying to get at. The song has this great feeling of movement and wonder powered by Ward's vocals and amplified by James's haunting little pieces of backing vocals. Like the rest of the album, I think "Temazcal" is at its best when all three of the vocalists are all singing. Oberst's voice fits in surprisingly well and kind of grounds the song a bit for me. See and hear for yourself:

Just to show that this isn't one trick pony territory, check out "The Sandman, The Breakman, and Me" where Jim James seems to be finding a nice balance between his early My Morning Jacket vocals and his more recent experimentation.

There are definitely threads of My Morning Jacket, Bright Eyes, and M. Ward's solo stuff running through the album, but the Monsters definitely have their own unique sound and have managed to create an album that is tough to categorize. It would be easy to say its folk, but there is a bit more going on than that...almost as if the Monsters are threatening to toss aside the pedal steel and acoustics and just plain rock out.

Where did the blue skies go?

2009-11-12T12:23:00.000-05:00

In my last post, I mentioned that I spent a good bit of time on the couch during my day off. It wasn't entirely my fault. I had plans to paint my newly build shed (shhh...don't tell my Homeowners' Association), but mama nature didn't think that was a good idea. I guess she likes the idea of hurricane season clinging on until the bitter end. The wind, rain, and chilly weather here in Naptown are not making for a good combination. So to share in my whining, I give you Travis and the situationally appropriate "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?"

In related news, I'd like to brag that my wife and I got to see Travis play the WRNR Private Artist Showcase awhile back. We got to see the band play a "half-plugged" show for free in a <500 seat space. It was quite fantastic.

I've been thinking a lot today...

2009-11-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

I thought about
The Army

What's that you say? You've had enough Ben Folds? Veterans' Day was yesterday? I know, but I might have dozed off on the couch on my day off instead of doing any number of the productive things I had ambitiously planned for myself (blog post included). So, in between things at work, I'll put the post together today. Instead of a Veterans' Day post, I'll just call it a post inspired by the holiday.

Living in Annapolis, I can't help letting my mind wander toward the military. Usually, its thoughts like, "Man, I can't find parking anywhere. Oh, yeah, its commissioning week." But sometimes, I'm reminded how much respect the people who put their lives on the line for their country deserve. Like during the pirate saga (did it qualify as a saga?) that unfolded not too long ago:

Two songs (three, actually, but I'm resisting the urge to post anything related to the Village People) came to mind when thinking about a Veterans' Day themed post. I'll put the fun one first and end with more of a somber tune at the end.

Ben Folds Five - Army

Iron & Wine - Love Vigilantes (New Order cover)

Side note: I expect that I'll do an Iron & Wine post sometime soon and then probably a bunch of times after that. Sam Beam is very, very good.

If you were looking for a George Michael cover, you've come to the right place

2009-11-06T12:35:00.001-05:00

One of the best moments from one of my favorite concert experiences (that also produced one of my favorite concert t-shirts) was when Rufus Wainwright joined Ben Folds on stage toward the end of Ben's set (Guster headlined the show after Rufus and Ben were through). I'm not sure if anyone knew of the fun that was about to ensue, but we were all loving it by the time they hit the first chorus. I remember both guys visibly fighting back laughter and Rufus had to consult a sheet of lyrics a couple of times after almost losing his battle. Here they are knocking it out of the park in New York:

I've seen Ben Folds 4 times and he's always good for bouncing between his ballads and rockers while sprinkling in some ridiculously fun covers. This one had one of my friends in tears when we caught a show in State College and I found this one to be pretty impressive when he closed his set amonst strobe lights the last time I saw him (added bonus of a guit-orchestra on the video...I want a guit-orchestra).

Cause its running you with red

2009-11-05T13:39:00.000-05:00

I gave blood earlier today, so I can't think of any music more appropriate to mark the occasion than "Blood Bank" by Bon Iver. The video below is from the sunrise show they played at a cemetery in California. I don't think a time, setting, and band could ever mesh better than that. Bon Iver's music is haunting, raw, and intimate. This is heart directly on sleeve kind of music. If "Blood Bank" doesn't convince you. Check out "Re: Stacks", "Flume", and especially "Skinny Love" from the same show. Watching the footage from the concert leads me to believe that more shows should be held at sunrise. Why should dusk get to be the only magic hour?

The Music Organization Project: Part I

2009-11-04T13:55:00.000-05:00

I'm a big fan of organization. I sleep better in a clean bedroom with all of my laundry put away. I work more efficiently with a clean desk and an accurate file system. The problem is that I'm really good at procrastinating and organizing things is something easy to put off in favor of more enjoyable endeavors. Recently, I've grown ambitious and decided to get some things in order. One of those things happens to be my laptop that is currently stuffed full of music. When I left my two prior jobs for greener pastures, I just dumped every personal file from my work computers right onto my laptop in on big mess of a folder. Between employment relocation dumps and moving files back and forth between computers and my mp3 player, there isn't much organization to be found on the ol laptop. So today, I am starting the Music Organization Project, or MOP for short. I only point out the acronym because of how well it fits.

As I work my way through the various folders and somewhat random files on my laptop, I will be stumbling across music that I've either forgotten about or just plain haven't listened to in awhile and posting about it. This could take some time.

First up for the MOP is an album by Zero 7 called "The Garden." I was first introduced to Zero 7 in 2001 or 2002 when I saw the video for "Destiny" on MTV2. Does that channel still exist? Do they show videos on it, or just reruns of old Road Rules episodes? Anyway, I caught the video partway through and was sucked in, making sure I stuck around until the end to see who the band was. I downloaded a few songs and liked everything I heard. The music was moody, laid back, and just plain smooth. I kept tabs on the band, but for some reason skipped out on buying their first 2 albums. I impulse bought "The Garden" one day in my favorite music store when I read that Zero 7 worked with both Sia (who had been on board on previous Zero 7 recording) and José González on the album. It turned out to be a good idea and I'm ready to get their new album "Yeah Ghost" as soon as I can. I'd love to see them live sometime, but it looks like I'll have to wait for the next tour. The crazy brits are playing 2 shows in my area while I'll be off at a wedding. I guess I'll settle for the things I find on the web for now. Here's a video of Zero 7, with Sia (playing backup singer and bartender, apparently) and José González along for the ride playing "Today" off of "The Garden":

Stress relief for a busy Tuesday

2009-11-03T13:04:00.001-05:00

On a day when I should be paying attention to who is going to be my new boss (get out and vote, Annapolitans), I'm stuck at my desk dealing with all kinds of things that aren't worth the effort to type about. In a nutshell, it was a busy morning and a busy afternoon is sure to follow. A day like this calls for some stress relief, so I think I'll post two videos that always seem to make the world melt away when I watch them.

The first is the video for "Her Morning Elegance" by Oren Lavie. Lavie's music is great for this time of year. Whimsical and airy, much like Alexi Murdoch, Oren Lavie crafts some excellent music to daydream to. With apologies to Ms. Swift and Mr. West, I think this is the video of the year. Anything that can bring stop motion back to music videos ("Sledgehammer" anyone?) and include a floating cello gets my vote.

The second video is for "Ljósið" by Ólafur Arnalds (if anyone knows how to pronounce that, please let me know). After hearing this, I'm convinced that I'm developing a potentially unhealthy adoration of Icelandic music. I'm baffled that my friends don't enjoy Sigur Rós anywhere close to as much as I do and I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to track down Arnalds' new album on vinyl. I can only assume it will be fantastic. He is from Iceland, after all. I'm no expert on classical or neo-classical or whatever music, but to my ears, this song (and video) starts off as rather pretty and builds into something quite gorgeous.

Goose's picks for Goose's birthday: Camera Obscura and Deer Tick, together at last

2009-11-02T12:34:00.001-05:00

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.

A thank you to Murph on the day of his birth

2009-10-30T12:35:00.002-04:00

...or should I have said Burph?...

I've always been pretty terrible at keeping in touch with firends and family and especially atrocious at remembering birthdays. Because of that, I think I'm really starting to enjoy this Facebook thing. I still don't carry on long conversations with friends or anything because of my entry into social networking, but my friends and I can at least casually stalk each other through our various picture posting and status updates. Also, I can tell when friends and family have birthdays coming up. Recently, my Facebook page alerted me to the upcoming birthday of my friend and old roommate, Murph. In the words of another friend, "everyone needs a buddy called Murph." I couldn't agree more.

I met Murph on the first day of our freshman year at Dear Old State and after establishing that we had similar taste in music, we explored central Pennsylvania's musical hotbed (for those of you who've never been to State College, its about as hot a bed as you can get when there are 10s of thousands of kids running around and nothing outside the town other than cows). The discovery of the wonderful City Lights music store on College Ave and the live shows at the Crowbar were especially influential in shaping my taste. I've lost track of the number of times I got a cheap ticket to a great show at the Crowbar - with or without Murph along for the ride. Man, I miss the Crowbar. Murph was always an eager companion for the local shows and surprisingly just as eager to hop in the car to see a show at a moment's notice.

I think these conversations are almost 100% to-the-word accurate:
A Thursday in fall 2000...
Seabass: "Want to head into Pittsburgh and see John Mayer at a little club in Oakland then get up and drive back into town for the noon football game?"
Murph: "Sure."
Mid to late winter 2002 (with the usual amount of PA snow on the ground)...
Seabass: "Guster is playing in West Virginia. Want to head out and catch the show?"
Murph: "Sure."

Between road trips, parties, procrastination sessions over pizza and video games, and other downtime, we got to delve deeper into the bands we liked and the bands they were like. I'd like to think I steered Murph toward some great tunes over the years. I know for sure that he's pointed me in the right direction a number of times. So as a little birthday tribute, here are two bands that I give Murph full credit for opening my ears to:

Belle and Sebastian

Somehow, I managed to miss out on these members of indie rock royalty (kings and queens? dukes and duchesses?) until Murph clued me in. If I remember correctly, my introduction to B&S was a compilation of a few EPs they had put out. I knew about 2 or 3 songs in that I was going to be throwing some money down at City Lights on an album or two on my next trip in. Sadly, I had to pass on my only opportunity to see them when Murph grabbed some tickets to a show in DC a few years ago. Yet another reason why I shouldn't have ever grown up and got a desk job. Daggone limited vacation time ruining all my fun.

The Old 97's

I think the Old 97's became a staple of some always enjoyable and sometimes raucous thursday night gatherings at some point (I'm trying to use intelligent sounding words in case my parents see this and think I wasn't spending my Thursday nights studying in college). Regardless of how often they were played at parties, the music was always good. Murph and Goose (another friend with a nickname because nicknames are fun and real names are usually boring...unless you're Rivers Cuomo...that dude's name is awesome) saw the Old 97's live and quickly reported that they may be the best live act in the world. My wife and I got tickets to see the 97's play the 'rocking river cruise' here in Annapolis about a year and a half ago and I can definitely vouch for the awesomeness of the 97's as a live act. The video above is actually from that show, on a boat somewhere in the Chesapeake Bay with only a couple hundred people aboard. We had a nice summer breeze, some quality pulled pork sandwiches, some great rowdy tunes, and Rhett Miller almost cracked his head open jumping around on the main deck of the boat. We have a video of our own buried somewhere on my wife's laptop and I'll post it as soon as I can. For now, I'll rely on what someone else shot.

In closing, happy birthday to Murph and thanks for the tunes!

(11/2/09 - Updated with bonus coverage of the Old 97's Rocking the Chesapeake Bay from my wife's very own camera.)

An Audio Guide To Cross Country Travel

2009-10-27T14:19:00.004-04:00

When I think about people I admire, there is a common trait that runs through the group. These are people who pursue their passions and find joy in what they do in life (and often in their work). My wife's job allows her to do work that has a real impact on making companies more environmentally friendly. My parents spent their careers teaching and are living proof that the profession can lead to a rewarding life. My friend Darren created a high school ultimate frisbee league that quickly grew to be one of the most successful in the country. It may be cliched, but as the Life Is Good motto says: "Do what you like. Like what you do."

In a bit of a roundabout way, this leads me to the main point of my post. I've been happy to call Drew Kennedy a friend for the better part of a decade, though I haven't seen him in at least a few years (way to move to Texas, Drew). As long as I've known him, Drew has been following his passion as a songwriter and music lover. Now that I think of it, without Drew around, I might have never made the previous Jay Farrar related post. He turned me on to the whole alt country/americana /whatever you want to call it genre. Thanks, Drew.

Today marks the release of Drew's new album, An Audio Guide To Cross Country Travel (the title seems appropriate to me, having first listened to his last album from front to back while driving through the mountains of central Pennsylvania). I'm certainly biased, but I really like Drew's work. I think he has really matured as a songwriter since I've known him and I don't think there's anything anywhere close to a throwaway song on the new album. I'm glad to see Cincinnati make it back onto an album, as it is an old favorite. I've only listened to the new album a couple of times at this point, but St. Abilene and Caroline are sticking out as especially enjoyable. So, for anyone who is a fan of americana, country, bluegrass, friends of mine, good music of any kind, supporting independent songwriters, or all of the above, give the album a listen and buy it if you're feeling the least bit generous.

If any of my Texas based friends read this, stop by one of Drew's shows and buy him a drink. And finally, for your viewing pleasure, here's Drew and his ~~band~~ beard playing Rolling Around in the Bed:

One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur

2009-10-26T12:38:00.001-04:00

So this is what happens when you mix Jay Farrar, Ben Gibbard and a book full of Kerouac's prose. I just found out about this project at the end of last week, but the documentary (addressing Kerouac's attempt and eventually inability to kick his drinking habit) and the accompanying soundtrack came out on Tuesday the 20th.

I managed to stumble across the Farrar/Gibbard pairing while perusing the recent Morning Becomes Eclectic
shows at KCRW's website. The KCRW site is a great source of music to stream at work and I especially enjoy the Morning Becomes Eclectic program. Its usually pretty laid back and there are a lot of stripped down, acoustic or solo sets that are a great way to ease into a day at the office. They had Farrar and Gibbard in the studio last Friday to perform songs off of the One Fast Move or I'm Gone soundtrack. I took a listen and I'm liking it enough that I may have to try to talk the wife into a trip to our local music store. Check it out for yourself and see what you think. It shows that Farrar was the primary songwriter for the project, as the music is very reminiscent of his Son Volt work. I think anyone who likes Son Volt and their moody alt-country should give One Fast Move or I'm Gone a try. Anyone with a chance to see the documentary should probably take it, too. It'd be nice to see more of these types of collaborations make their way to the theaters instead of just an endless stream of remakes.

Know Better, Learn Faster: Music for a Slow Friday

2009-10-23T13:26:00.000-04:00

Things are dragging a bit at work today. Let me rephrase...I'm dragging more than usual at work today. I've been letting the little tiny DJ that lives in my computer dictate the music for the morning (when I wasn't in meetings discussing project funding...so much fun and excitement), but I think its time to take the reins. So for the time being, this is what I'm listening to. Spinner.com has an awesome little section that lets you stream a selection of full albums, some before or during their release week. Thao With the Get Down Stay Down (in addition to being a good band name) produces some good tunes that I predict will kick off my afternoon quite nicely. It might even give me the energy required to make it through the stack of plans I want to review before I go home for the weekend. I am especially enjoying the title track from the album, "Know Better Learn Faster." I'll probably give the new Middle Distance Runner a try after Thao and the gang are done.

To the 2 people who might read this, feel free to share with friends, family, people you pass on the street, etc.

Okay, part two. Now Clear The House.

2009-10-20T20:47:00.000-04:00

Last week, I had the pleasure of heading into Baltimore with my wife for the Avett Brothers show. And what a show it was. We always make it a goal to get to a show in time to see the opener in the hopes that we might find a new group/artist to listen to. We were pleased to find out that we can add another to the long, long list. Jessica Lee Mayfield set the mood with some smokey, blusey, rootsy tunes and her brother (playing lead guitar) was mostly insane. I'm looking forward to getting our hands on an album sometime soon.

The Avetts and their bandmates were just about all you could ask for in a live act. They had the audience jumping around and belting out choruses from song #1 on. The bassist wore a sweet bow tie. Most importantly, it was easy to see that the band was absolutely loving what they were doing. Whether they were playing a boot stomper, a pretty little love song, or something in between, their energy was pretty much infectous and the crowd ate it up. They didn't even play the two songs I was most familiar with and hoping to hear ("Murder in the City" and "I and Love and You") and I couldn't have cared less. The show really was that good. They closed with what is quickly becoming my favorite song on the new album, "The Perfect Space" and the house lights came on to a whole slew of people who weren't ready to go home yet. Where's the second encore when you need it?

P.S. Thanks to YouTuber 'projectwhere' for posting pretty much the whole show. It looks like the YouTube is going to be a much-mined resourse for my little blog.

You Are My Sweetest Downfall: A Recap of Last Week

2009-10-08T14:40:00.000-04:00

Last week was eventful enough to deserve a recap post to kick things off here at Sebass Says. So here are the highlights:

Sunday: Went out to the Maryland Rennaissance Festival with a group of friends to see our favorite Scottish War Tunes band, Allbanach, throw axes, savagely eat turkey legs, and have ourselves a few brews. Also, it was Pirate Weekend. As you can see, I wore my most appropriate hat to blend in:

Tuesday: Big day. My wife and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary. I continue to be amazed that someone would be so happy to spend their life with me. Needless to say, I love my wife. She bought me my very own Pleepleeus hoodie (everyone should go ahead and watch Three Sheets) and got us tickets to see The Avett Brothers on the 15th in Baltimore.

Wednesday: Our anniversary celebration continued with a trip into DC for the Regina Spektor show at DAR Constitution Hall. Regina Spektor is quite good live. Actually, quite good isn't nearly enough to describe the show. I found a couple of clips from the show (thanks, YouTube): Dance Anthem of the 80's and a snippet of Samson. I highly recommend heading out to a Regina Spektor show and having it screw with your energy level for the rest of the week because you didn't get anywhere close to enough sleep on the night of the show. Well worth the sleep deprivation.

Thursday: Happy hour followed by a kickball victory! I am the greatest shortstop in the history of the sport! Actually, we're all just in it for the beer.

Friday: My wife's office held their annual crab feast on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Our crazy dog joined us for great fall weather (I got to rock my Pleepleeus hoodie), excellent food, and good company. I'd include a picture if we remembered to bring the camera. We watched "Away We Go" when we got home and I think it was a near perfect movie to cap off a week filled with celebrating our anniversary, and being around our friends. The movie (written by my favorite author, Dave Eggers, and his wife) follows a couple around the US (with a short detour to Canada) as they try to figure out where they should settle down and raise their soon-to-be-born daughter. Another strong recommendation, especially for all of our friends who find themselves at similar points in their lives.

Songs my mp3 player chose for me while I typed this up: Bandages & Scars - Son Volt, Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz, Jersey Clowns - Josh Rouse, Sweet Lil' Gal (live) - Ryan Adams, Half-Life - Duncan Sheik, If I Am a Stranger - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, Cigarette - Ben Folds Five, Lover's Rock - The Clash