An audio Guide to...my night in Richmond

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...

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

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

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

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?

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...

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

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

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

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":