When you jump up every time to “love” that new ridiculously delightful song on your last.fm station and discover that each time it is the same band, you have found a new love. It is a stunning realization of what music used to be and can be-inspiring, artful, and freeing. So, meet my new obsession, the Pomegranates (http://pomegranatesart.tumblr.com/). And I hope that you too jump up and utter those sweet words, “Oh, you again.”
Tag Archives: Music
Comfort Food
“You remind me of home.” -Ben Gibbard (You Remind Me of Home)
When I wish that Los Angeles was a little closer to a place that I used to know as home, I play the music that reminds me of those perfect moments that came and slipped away. When I go home, I try and sit in the moment for as long as possible. I try to absorb every word and image, so that when I leave I can take it all with me. So, on a day when I long to be warmed in the comforts of home, nothing makes me smile like Kevin Devine and Jesse Lacey. It’s mostly because of the meaning that they hold to some of my favorite people in the entire world. When I listen to their music, I feel like I never left. And I hope that when you really need it, you find some precious treasures to remind you of home too.
KEXP: (Not) Your Mama’s Radio
“It’s really simple. It’s to get people who care about music to let them to present the music. And folks respond to that. It’s also not a radical notion. This is the way that radio used to be back in the ’70′s when the deejay god-forbid had a role in the shaping the sounds that you were hearing.” -Tom Mara, KEXP (Before the Music Dies)
If you want to turn on the radio and not hear a song that you have heard a thousand times before, indulge yourself in KEXP (http://kexp.org/). I guarantee that you will find something to fit your fancy. Whether it is blues, jazz, indie, hip-hop, or soul, you will surely find something that will fill your heart in a way that you had long forgotten about.
I first became addicted to KEXP’S Live In-Studio Sessions, and soon fell in love with them as a whole. Whether I am streaming KEXP through my phone or computer, my day is always made better by this “crazy” Seattle radio station that dares to do what radio should be doing-introducing all kinds of music to people that seek the introduction. And when I have forgotten what awesome song that they played ten minutes ago, I just have to go to the playlist that lists the times and the songs for the exact time that I have been listening. Better than that, there’s an option to favorite those songs, so that I can keep them for later. So, step outside of your little box and explore a whole new world of possibilities. I promise that once you fall into KEXP, you will never go back.
Thrift Store Love
“I’ve kept the best parts and play them in my mind.” -Emery (Disguising Mistakes with Goodbyes)
The thick summer air whirled through the vents of Allison’s Granny Mobile as we sped through the back roads of Vacaville. She shouted over the radio, “Remember when B sent me “Sparks” by Coldplay and said it was mine?” I simply nodded. She shot me a look and screamed, “I found out that he sent the same song to his ex-girlfriend when they were still together.” I howled, “WHAT? He re-songed you?” She pounded the steering wheel and fumed, “Yeah, he did. Jerk.”
I have always been one to keep certain songs for certain people or times in my life. Sometimes, the songs find me, or I find them. But they are there and seem to be waiting for those people especially. And there are some songs that are so incredibly dear to me that I don’t want someone to ruin them. Believe me. It has happened. Sometimes, it hurts less or more than it used to when that song comes on your playlist. Sometimes, you delete certain songs from your computer. Then sometimes, someone comes along and gives new meaning to an old song, and it is even better than you remember. So, keep the best memories in the back of your mind, but don’t be afraid to let someone new in. Because more times than not, they leave you and your memories better than when they found you. And as for the ones that re-song you, you’re better off without them anyway. Because nobody needs to be left with old Copeland lyrics, not even the girl who went back to California and never came back.
Rock ‘N Roll Is(n’t) Dead
Lester Bangs: Your writing is damn good. It’s just a shame you missed out on rock ‘n’ roll.
William: – It’s over. – Over?
Lester Bangs: It’s over. You got here just in time for the death rattle.
Just when you think that you have heard it all, something explodes from the background and clutches your heart strings. Just when you believe that nothing could quite move you in a way that would make your stomach drop, you feel dizzy and captivated by a silly little thing called music. And just when your drink is empty and you think that you need a refill, a band sweeps the stage that makes you drop your empty cup on the floor. So, if you have forgotten what that glorious eruption feels like, enjoy a little Uncle Daddy (http://gouncledaddy.com/) and be surprised. I hope that you are enchanted by the haunting lyrics, calmed by the deeply sexy vocals, and that the violin, cello and mandolin solos give you goosebumps that don’t leave for weeks. But most of all, I hope that you know that rock ‘n roll is not dead; it’s just been sleeping.
Young and in Love
“You’re just jealous cause we’re young and in love.” -Brand New (Soco Amaretto Lime)
In a sweltering hot auditorium in the beginning of September in Chico, California, there was a rock show. The energy in the air was electric and would shock you instantly. My delicious ice cold beer was finally settling in me. Swarms of people were buzzing as the Robbers and then Sainthood Reps came on. And in those moments, my heart was bursting. The sheer amount of passion on stage could bring you to tears. And then the auditorium went black, and the entire crowd was chanting, “BRAND NEW! BRAND NEW!” It had been two years since I had seen them live. The anticipation gave me sweaty palms, and my beer was shaking in my hand. So, it was no surprise that when Brand New swept the stage, I was beyond elation; I was beyond emotion. I just was. My words seemed to melt in the air as soon as I would sing them back to Jesse Lacey, and my screaming never seemed to be loud enough. My body was in shock because I forgot what it was like to feel a celebration like that. I forgot what this band did to me, and when Jesse thanked everyone for coming out for the hundredth time, a small tear formed in my eye. Because when you are in a sold out show of a band that has penetrated your heart, you feel at home knowing that everyone around you feels the exact same way. And I want to stay just like that forever.
Smoke and Beaches
“Those boys don’t come around here no more/ Probably all moved far away/ If they returned on the trains from the big cities/ I wouldn’t recognize their face/ Because they’ve changed so much/ That they might as well be someone else” -Person L (The Positives)
That night at the Hawthorne Theater in Portland, Oregon, I should have known that the pitter-patter of my heart was a clear sign to stay away. The contact of his skin against mine was a little too firm and sweet. His husky voice and Brooklyn accent gave me goosebumps that still have not left. His laugh was the crackling kind. I don’t think that I have ever seen a more lovely smile, gap-toothed and all. The way that he held my stare should have been a clear indicator that this would not be easy. The crowd swarmed and surged around us, but we remained still. We stayed there for what seemed like hours until he had to play another set with his band. I listened only to his album the entire nine hour car ride home and really did not expect him to call, but he did.
Sometimes when his music comes on, I can close my eyes, and I am back in Portland that summer. Brian Bonz (http://brianbonzblog.com/) has a magical way of capturing you with his music instantly and forever. His over-flowing passion for Brooklyn and wanting so desperately to preserve it’s history is contagious and inspiring. It makes you remember when you felt fire in your belly about a place that you used to call home. It echoes of days long ago when you felt that you had magic to create. It reminds you that your story is just as important. And maybe one day, a boy from Brooklyn will come across the words of a girl that he met one summer in Portland and be inspired too.
