Black Keys, White Stripes, and Gray Days

Song of the Day is..."You're the One" by The Black Keys

I have felt, for the greater part of the last couple of months, like one big Black Keys album.  I realize I am not "introducing" this band to anyone, but I feel the need to give them some mad props.  I haven't listened to much else in a while.  They are definitely going to get me through this winter.  I choose this song because it reminds me of Scarlett.  It's a perfect mellow ballad for these gray days in Portland.  They have started and will not stop for quite some time.  Sometimes blustery, sometimes freezing, sometimes wet, sometimes bone-chilling dry, and always gray.

If you are an avid Pandora listener, and love blues rock, I highly recommend The Black Keys radio station.  It will hook you up with John Lee Hooker (another favorite), The White Stripes (popular and not so popular tunes), Masters of Reality, Benjy Ferree, The Steepwater Band, Led Zeppelin, Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys lead vocalist's solo work), Wax Tailor, Jimmy Hendrix, Grizzly Bear, Passion Pit, and many others.  It's really a phenomenal station, mixed with old time, country blues, blues rock, eclectic electronica/soul/drum and bass mix, and delta blues.  I dig.

As I hoof it around town 135 blocks from my house to my daily meeting, I find myself content in my urban surroundings, at peace and stoked to have these bluesy city sounds ringing in my ears.  I have been through hell and back this last month and I feel brave, edgy, free, and raw with every step over the puddles in my worn-out Chuck Taylor's.  I crinkle my lips to touch the septum of my nose and feel its chilled and soft.  I can feel the soles of my feet getting sore as I walk quickly over the Burnside bridge to reach the west side of town before it's too late.  Auerbach's guitar chords and bourbon-soaked vocals send electric shocks through the hemispheres of my brain and I feel stoned.  Music is a drug to me.  I feel like I am settling comfortably into my addiction, riding the high through the city feeling like nothing else matters except keeping in time with the bass with every step I take and every blinking hand at the crosswalk.  I look up and I feel unafraid of anything and everything around me.  I look back down, paying attention to the lyrics and humming the melody.  This is my city.  This is what makes me happy.  I love feeling this way.  I owe it to these bands for making that possible for me.  I hear The White Stripes next and I revert to college days, driving through the Wyoming flat roads, bloody nose from dry air while coming down from something, cigarette out the window, and black Carharts slicked up from weeks of being unwashed and worn heading to Colorado by way of big Montana sky to help my friend see about a girl.  

Now it seems to be that no matter what music you like, no matter where you come from, whether music is your life or not, people from all walks of life LOVE The Black Keys.

The Black Keys consist of Dan Auerbach (lead vocalist and guitarist) and Patrick Carney (drummer/producer).  Now, these guys have been BUSY.  From their foundation in 2001 in Akron, Ohio to becoming Grammy nominees in 2010 and wrapping up their latest album of seven set for release this year in December, it has been nonstop hard work and a series of accomplishments only some independent rockers dream of.

The name The Black Keys comes from a schizophrenic acquaintance the both had where he would leave incoherent messages on their answering machine in times of distress referring to their fathers as "black keys" such as "D Flat" to show disrespect.  They got a kick out of this and decided to go with it.  I find it one of the most suitable band names for these guys.  After finding a name for themselves, they set to work and immediately released their first album The Big Come Up in 2002.  This was a successful record for independent rockers who had not yet found their footing in the mainstream music industry.  From their on out, they have worked tirelessly to spit out an album and special edition records each year.  Their second album (not technically an album but as an EP), spawned two singles "Leavin' Trunk" and "She Said, She Said" (both covers), recorded in Carneys' basement on an 8-track tape recorder.

Finding joy in laying down tracks with abstract, unique modes of recording equipment, they went on to produce their second album Thickfreakness in 2003 on a Tascam 388 (for those of you who don't know what that is, it is the king of all-in-one analog recorder/reproducer multitrack tape devices).  Rubber Factory, their third album released in 2004, was recorded in an abandoned factory which was later bulldozed to the ground in 2010.  In 2005, they released their first live album, Live.  In 2006, they would later produce their second live album titled Live in Austin, TX, which was from a performance done in 2003.  And to make a sweet contribution to this wonderful city I call home, they recorded and released their third live album, making a live musical video titled Live At The Crystal Ballroom from their performance in 2008 at The Crystal Ballroom located on Burnside here in Portland, Oregon.

A Tascam 388:

2006 was a breakthrough year for Auerbach and Carney.  They were starting to gain worldwide recognition and eventually were asked to open for bands such as Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Beck, and Sleater-Kinney.  They started contributing to a wide variety of soundtracks as well as movie trailers and in 2010, their songs were featured in a slew of corporate commercials including Victoria's Secret and Zales.  In 2010, we were graced with a 15-track LP titled Brothers and with that, many singles were introduced over the airwaves for popular radio and their songs were then brought to the commonfolk.  Many people I talk to say all of a sudden, they were hit like a bomb with The Black Keys.  They were suddenly just there, being played in everyone's car during rush hour traffic and in the background at some of their favorite hotspots.

Along with many other special side projects including the iTunes Sessions in 2010 and Record Store Day Black Friday double 12" vinyl with six bonus tracks, we were finally able to cheer them on knowing them intimately by the time they were nominated for four Grammy Awards for Best Rock Song and Best Alternative Album simultaneously being acknowledged in Rolling Stone Magazine for #2 Best Album of 2010 with Brothers.  On our television sets, we were graced with their musical appearance on Saturday Night Live and enjoyed watching their first short musical film for "Howlin' For You" revealed earlier this year.

Their SEVENTH studio album (that's right) will be released this December 6th which was officially wrapped up in March.  We have been given sneak peeks into this album with two major singles already released and we can only wait with extreme anticipation of what new feeling this exciting album will generate for us.

IN OTHER NEWS:

For those Smiths fans out there, they have released a special edition of remastered album sessions that should be a nice little addition to your melancholic collection.

Radiohead has just announced their European tour.  Maybe that's another push for me to get over there (as if I really need one).

And speaking of Jack White (drumroll please)...

Jack White would like us to "give thanks for Third Man Records' winter bounty," as his label has announced a slew of new releases and a number of giftable TMR items. And what a bounty it is. Deep breath...

On November 29 the label will release two singles from actor John C. Reilly (Step Brothers,Talladega Nights, Boogie Nights). Jack White, Reilly's co-star in Walk Hard, plays on both. The first single features Reilly duetting with Tom Brosseau on two Delmore Brothers tracks. The second features Reilly covering Ray Price and Dolly Parton/Porter Wagoner tracks with Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark. On November 22, they'll put out a new spoken word single from Edgar Oliver, the actor, playwright, and poet from the Discovery Channel program "Oddities".  [taken from Pitchfork.com].

HOW EXCITING!

Florence and The Machine came out with a new video and Bon Iver is releasing a deluxe edition of his album Bon Iver (two little things to keep us hanging on). 

With these gray days, comes a time for reflection and also catastrophic loneliness.  However, it is a great time in this great city to become inspired to write, listen, walk, meditate, read, and dream.  I have always had a difficult time, as do most Oregonians, during these long winter days.  But if you have bands like The Black Keys producing more albums to be released during these harsh times, it feels bearable and exciting. And I feel fortunate to have had The White Stripes as a part of my past and The Black Keys as part of my future.  

Keep fightin' the good fight.

Stories From Electronica Valley, Spiritual Deviance, and Crazy Adventures

Song of the Week has been..."Hayling" by FC Kahuna.

Last week, I decided to walk a lot. I walked four miles through the city one day, five the next and then topped off the week with a six mile walk from my house on NE 60th and Burnside to NW 24th and Kearney for my daily meeting. On these walks, I felt free and strong and clear and inspired. Music is a massive part of my existence. It is actually something I would die for (in whatever context that could possibly happen and on no certain terms). During one of my walks, I decided to give my will to spiritual forces that be (whatever they may be and again on no certain terms). Between a church and the Tibetan monks, I requested a song from the universe. This is what was given to me. And I think it to be absolutely perfect.

There are many things about this tune that I love and that resonate (well it doesn't hurt that I can really pin down the lyrics as they are repeated over and over much like the monks I chose to spend my afternoon with), but that it was simple and perfect and carried a message I needed right at that moment. I realized I had been walking with a lot of fear (and am continuing to do for some reason).  Fear is something that pinned me to addictions and also pinned me to bad people and self-destruction.  So why, with all of this progress, do I get the feeling I'm on hot coals again, being stabbed by hot pokers, or feeling imaginary pangs of dread?  In the hours of walking and praying and chanting and more walking, there was relief and it lasted for the entirety of this canticle.

What's interesting about life for me, are the constant circular movements the universe creates.  We always say "that comes full circle" or other variations meaning to come around, linking things, people, places to each other.  This happens for people who "get it" as it requires attention to detail when things happen, why they would happen again, etcetera, and what it all means.  Total awareness.  Lately, I have found that I have been drawn to electronica duo pop bands.  This isn't where the reader laughs at how oddly profound I sound when stating that this has serious spiritual significance, but it really does.  It's not my fault I find extreme beauty in tiny things.  But this band is new and beautiful to me.

FC Kahuna is a British DJ and electronica music duo consisting of Jon Nowell and Daniel Ormondroyd.  They feature different artists for vocal contribution namely Icelandic singer Hafdis Huld, who is a beautiful tiny blonde pixie singing barefoot at the piano for this ballad.  Their first mix album Another Fine Mess is a followup album of the Another Late Night compilation series featuring tracks by Blur, The Polyphonic Spree, Green Velvet, Josh Wink, and others.  They have remixed for bands including New Order, Felix Da Housecat, Mellow, and The Faint.

Not only do they mix for some pretty kick-ass bands and have an Icelandic frontwoman, but they were also featured in the show Six Feet Under, a show I live and breathe for, and also Riding Giants, a movie I cannot live without.

I realize I have been very drawn to electronica pop duo bands for a while now, really gravitating toward them.  Among the most popular in my life right now are Air, Zero 7, Broken Bells, Holy Ghost!, and now FC Kahuna. Speaking of full circle, Zero 7 is also featured in Six Feet Under with their track "Distractions" which is a painful, heartbreaking ballad that I just so happened to be listening to with a friend of mine the other night.  Sia, featured vocalist for Zero 7, also features her ballad "Breathe Me" for the season finale. And on that same night, I reconnected with Air, whom I have written about in previous entries, and also with Broken Bells, who everyone knows I obsess over. If it's a James Mercer project, it's my new favorite. If it doesn't get anymore connected than that, I don't know what does.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Black Keys came out with a new song today that is only available digitally, titled "Lonely Boy", Kirsten Dunst stars in R.E.M.'s new video, and Tom Waits, the one-of-a-kind singer-songwriter and master storyteller talks to Mark Richardson in an exclusive online interview about his first proper studio album in seven years, goofing off with Keith Richards, killer robots, and why "the truth is overrated".

Divine energy. It exists and it is all around me. I experienced my first divine intervention the other night with two people very close to me, expressing that somewhere in my spiritual quest for peace, I have attached myself to something oppressive.  Maybe so.  Maybe I just continue to make bad choices, whether I am "healthy" or not.  I live in a suffocated darkness right now.  But at the very least, I have synthesized psychadelic rock and electronica loveliness pushing me on through.  No more crazy adventures for a while.  I'm done with my distractions.  (For now).

The Album Leaf, The Album of Summer, and Albums of Times Past

Song of the Day is..."Wherever I Go" by The Album Leaf.

Yesterday against a backdrop of golden sun and monkey puzzle trees lining the streets I now call my new hood, I found myself humming a lot of The Album Leaf songs.  They have an eclectic mix of indie beats with a sort of synthesized ambiance.  With an album titled In a Safe Place it seems an ideal album for my summer.  Not to mention that this album was recorded with Sigur Ros and feels...well, safe I suppose. On a wagon ride with the love of my life in tow, I pull effortlessly down cobble streets with the sound of her tiny voice reading an old century fairy tale to her "baby".  I pass Mt. Tabor school and see two hip ten-year-olds swinging on rusty bars chatting quietly with their hipster shag and skinny pants, aware that I feel intimidated by them as even Portland kids can be hipper than most adults I know.  I can smell slow-simmered marinara sauce inside a home I can only imagine serves gluten-free pasta and says pagan prayer before suppertime.  I stumble across my favorite house on the block, sort of a dream house, with porch furniture and beautiful landscaping and I wonder if they have a perfect life. I feel like it's a life I have never known and I imagine they don't have drinking problems and have many friends with them to laugh in the kitchen, sipping red wine, nibbling on stinky cheese, cracking hazelnuts into a beautiful African bowl sharing stories about their last trip to Italy where they took an olive marinating workshop. There would be conversation of how pottery classes are going and what new festival they will all be attending.  I snap back into reality for a brief moment and realize that it's in my head.  All of this has always been in my head, this idea of pure light and love and no scratches or dents.  I take a deep breath, watch a large spider weave an intricate web in the setting sun high up in an old pine tree.  I feel still.  And I realize that I have had an adventurous three weeks of job lay-off, car accident, moving out and into a cramped apartment space with my best friend and her new wife.  I fell in love briefly in this time and then lost it.  I see that my insides are a bit ripped up and it's because I feel I cannot make things grow that I go to this place in my mind.  But I turn around, flash a smile to my co-pilot, my sidekick, my sidecar hero, and see that I have at least made some progress.  Okay, a lot of it actually.  I think of this love I thought I might acquire and close my eyes, hearing beautiful sounds in my mind that sound like this.

Big changes. Deep breath.


Living life sober is no picnic.  It is difficult. Very difficult. You do not realize how much you run away from uncomfortable emotions or delve way too much into the good ones with a little "celebration".  I have to stay centered and aware and stable and careful and tender and light.  It is hardcore. This album is helping.


The Album Leaf is an American solo musical project founded in San Diego, California in 1998 by Jimmy LaValle. I sometimes wonder how many dates he has been on where people have told him he's so intense. I think I am a visceral person, feeling and interpreting and experiencing and analyzing and dissecting and thinking.  This music is all of that, all of those emotions, all of it.  I imagine him to live a life with purpose, with strong intent.  I could totally be wrong but for now, I do not feel so alone with his music by my side.  His performances often feature projected visual art.  Jimmy LaValle started an instrumental post-rock band called Tristeza and eventually found his way through several other bands before settling on his solo project called The Album Leaf.  

Before Tristeza released Spine and Sensory on Makoto records in 1998, the band was talking with a handful of different indie record labels. There was one in particular, he chose to hound about releasing his solo material.  They accepted his request and in 1999, Jimmy revealed An Orchestrated Rise to Fall.  

LaValle played his first official Album Leaf show at the Che Cafe in the winter of 1999. Band members for this show consisted of Rafter Roberts, Jimmy Lehner (of Tristeza), Leilani Clark (of local San Diego band, "the Straight A's" also with LaValle), Benjamin White (of GoGoGo Airheart), and John Pham.

LaValle started performing solo concerts worldwide and Sigur Ros decided to collaborate.  Together they performed on stage as a group and were found to be contributing to similar projects in their off-time.  They both felt they had a vision of incorporating the synthesized dream world unitarily.  And what a dream it was for the rest of us. 

I have decided to forego the technical explanation of The Album Leaf's structural position within the music world and allow my reading audience to just feel and experience for themselves.  In a single phrase, I sum up Jimmy LaValle's successful mind-blowing project to pure genius.  Artists like this inspire me to keep going, doing what I love to do, to keep writing even if no one is reading or to keep dreaming even if I have no one to share them with.  

IN OTHER NEWS:  Bjork came out with a new video for "Moon".  Hot.

Bon Iver has graced Portland with his presence at Edgefield tonight and I am sure to hear that it is an amazing show.  

Who woulda thunk it but MGMT and The Shins are collaborating to cover Pink Floyd hits.  Say wha? I'm going along with a positive attitude.  I do love them both. We shall see.

R.E.M. is to release another Greatest Hits album as they bring their career to a final close.  Thank you for all of the wonderful years of amazing music.  What an amazing band they were and how fortunate am I to have been around for most of it, witnessing their musical progression and successful experiments unfold onto my television screen as a child and onto the NPR airwaves as an adult.  Thank you, thank you, thank you. I will be sure to purchase your last album. 

Portland, you are good to me. And you have been surprisingly comfortable but difficult. I am excited to be here, even in the chaotic mess that has been set before me and I feel brave.  As terrible as moving is for most, I have managed to sell most of my belongings in my life and was left with a few boxes living like the nomad that I am, like a college-aged girl most of my life.  As much as I feel excited to daydream about this perfect dinner party, olive growing, pottery class going life, I am also one hell of a loving bohemian who feels and thinks and is okay with herself. No matter how many people, even those I care about, who call me disingenuous, self-involved with my blog and otherwise, doesn't matter.  I feel perfectly okay. The other day I went through the boxes of my life and found photos from my childhood.  There are two large albums from my past that mark my "achievements" in school, my dance classes, my sports teams, and adventure camps up to my exchange programs overseas and giving birth at home to my little one.  These albums put so much in perspective for me.  It has been quite the journey thus far. 

i can't write. i can only listen.

My Summer of Love with Pete Yorn and Heatmeiser.

Song of the Day is..."Strange Condition" by Pete Yorn.

I so need this. I need Pete and I need Elliott and I need to write. It was my sophomore year of college that I fell in love with Pete Yorn. I was home visiting my parents for the holidays and we were watching t.v. when I saw a Red Cross commercial come on where people were rushing to help others and the song "On Your Side" was on.  It was like a commercial of my life.  Soon after I changed my major to help others and the album musicforthemorningafter was coming with me.

Pete Yorn taught himself how to play drums at age nine and then eventually picked up the guitar rocking out in high school to Neil Young and The Replacements. Coming into the music scene without a lot of experience is an understatement. While attending Syracuse University, he studied Communication and Rhetorical Studies.  He joined a fraternity and became your typical college student. After some time, Yorn's restless nature caught up with him and he booked it to Los Angeles. After playing at a cafe there for a select audience, he was eventually signed to Columbia Records in 1999. How does one get so lucky? He had some material, most of it just so-so,  never having stepped foot in a recording studio and to be signed by a major label was well, major.

His debut album, musicforthemorningafter, was a hit and catapulted him to stardom quickly in the underground scene. I think of Pete Yorn as sort of a take-off from the amazing Jeff Buckley, extending himself as the grunge garage shy kid meets guitar meets pretty vocals.  I love it.  He has this sort of heir about him that is just cool, like really cool.  The musicians that work with him are real alternative rock lovers' fan favorites and the people that praise him are the people you respect because you never hear them praise anyone really.  He just has this thing.

After being recognized for his music in film and with a successful record at hand, he was able to branch out in the business completing what he calls a musical trilogy with the album Nightcrawler, in 2006,  to complete his three phases-of-the-day songs (reminds me of a certain collection of Pablo Neruda sonnets) and aptly named musicforthemorningafter, Day I Forgot, and Nightcrawler.  When asked in an interview, how he could have known that this trilogy would represent a sort of diary, he chuckled realizing that people might look at this series of LPs and take it seriously.  He responded expressing that it just so happened to be a tri-phase of musical evolution but nothing more.  Three more albums have been released since and in September of 2010, he released a self-titled album produced by Frank Black of Pixies that has gone platinum in France while Pete Yorn has been responding to a strong demand for U.S. and Canadian concert tours which have been his primary focus for this 2011 year.

Switching gears completely, I was remembering major symbols in my life lately. I have discussed the crow countless times in my posts but I am not sure I have discussed the bat.  I was housesitting for my dear friend, Annie, in Eugene a few weeks ago (well, actually I was just squatting as I needed a place to stay so I could see The Shins for an exclusive concert).  I was having a rough time with no vices in a city that reminds me of way too much. I asked the Universe to send me a sign and there it was. I saw something flickering in the mirror across the living space into her bedroom.  I couldn't tell what it was and I swore to myself I was going crazy. I thought this might be it for me. After seeing something skim my head and land on a pile of clothes in the dark in her room, I realized I had company. I was deathly afraid as I knew it probably was not a bird.  For people close to me, they realize birds are my thing. Now a crow can be my power animal but a bat??? I didn't want this to be my sign. I watched this good sized bat crawl with its hook-like claws up the side of her bedroom chair and perch atop her pile of clothes.  Needless to say I had a hard time sleeping, even after I had the neighbor kid help release it into the wild.  I of course dreamt about them all night.  The bat is a symbol of intuition, dreaming and vision. This made the bat a powerful symbol for Native American shamans and medicine people. Often the spirit of the bat would be invoked when special energy was needed, like "night-sight" which is the ability to see through illusion or ambiguity and dive straight to the truth of matters.  It is a symbol of communication because the Native Americans observed the bat to be a highly social creature. Indeed, the bat has strong family ties. They are very nurturing, exhibiting verbal communication, touching, and sensitivity to members of their group.  Upon further investigation, I read that the bat is a symbol of illusion, rebirth, dreams, intuition, initiation, journeying, inner depth, and communication.

To keep a long story short (or keep a short story long), I was listening to Heatmeiser at the time. Now I also realize that I have previously mentioned my power animal, the crow, to be witnessed while listening to Elliott Smith, so I think this is quite fitting.  Heatmeiser is Elliott Smith's old band and I have not been able to stop rotating Mic City Sons since.  So I've got a bat, a crow, and Elliott. Things could be so much worse.

IN OTHER NEWS:  SUMMER IS HERE. Finally our Indian summer has arrived.  I am sweating it out through the days and loving it.  I am sun-kissed and tired. I am happy to be hot for once and I am soaking it up as it is already September.  I have windows down and music up. I have water to splash in and finally my season of hiking.  I have places to explore and skirts to wear. I have outside time and fresh fruit always on hand.  

I'M FLIPPING OUT.  Sigur Ros is releasing a new album and video.  They have been my favorite band for 12 years now. I am so excited.  More than when I found out there was no Santa Claus and I could actually open all of my Christmas presents early and then re-wrap them so I knew what to be excited for.  This is heaven for me.  Here's a little sneak preview to the corresponding concert video they will release with it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dDTAQV6mgs

I will have another video of theirs soon.  I think I have watched Heima about 50 times, all for comfort.  It takes me back to the country I belong in and miss dearly and also allows me to feel connected to my innards, as that is the place Sigur Ros lives.  Lovely and exciting. 

For those of you who have not witnessed the miracle, here is your chance:

Other exciting stuff:  Thom Yorke sings on Modeselektor's album, a couple of tracks anyway, which is btichin news.

She & Him are apparently releasing a Christmas album. Now I only listen to Nat King Cole sing Christmas carols but how cute will this album be? Perty dern cute.  I'm sure I will purchase.

Explosions In The Sky just released a video for their song "Be Comfortable Creature" involving a man wearing a large furry orange suit.  I have only witnessed a clip. It has not even been exposed to YouTube land so I was unable to embed for you but check it out.   I am sure it is a little stroke of genius.


Took Scarlett to her very first day of school ever. Started Kindergarten at her granola school today and I was able to walk her to class and then pick her up. It was such a huge moment and of course she went, unafraid.  She said that she was excited to learn and that she was happy to have met her first friend, Jacob.  When asked why Jacob is so special, she remarked "He is nice. And we were both really hungry".  Sounds like this year will be a success.  For both of us.

My Love For Califone and Mascarpone.

Song of the Day is..."Funeral Singers" by Califone.

I always talk about how much I love Califone. They really are one of my all-time favorites but I have never shared music of theirs on here nor have I expressed my love for them. So here I am today, listening to some old music and some new music. My heartstrings always choose Califone. 

What a week. It's been rough, I tell you what. I've been very excited to write but it has been difficult finding time to do so. Between meetings, keeping up with getting things together, keeping things in order, lack of sleep and recent news of me losing my job in two weeks, things have been a little hectic. But we're okay. 

Ah Califone. What a tremendous band.  They have been around since the 90's but it wasn't until maybe 2006 that I started listening.  They are considered an experimental rock band, much like Flaming Lips is labeled in that they use abstract sounds and a non-conventional rhythm that distinguishes them from other rock bands.  They also do creative projects along with their music that sets them apart artistically, such as creating films to go with their music, their latest project released in 2009 was All My Friends Are Funeral Singers which is what you see a clip of in the video posted above. 

This album is a followup from their 2006 album Roots & Crowns which is a wonderful album and was the first album I had heard the year my baby was born.  The band is named after Califone International, which is a sound equipment manufacturer.  The band is made up of former band member front man for Red, Red Meat Tim Rutili and he created Califone just as a solo side project.  He loved the idea of rotating contributors from members from his former band and just other Chicago bands, where Califone was founded. Band members include the founding forefather Tim Rutili (vocals, guitar, and keyboards), Joe Adamik (drums), Jim Becker (banjo and violin), and Ben Massarella (percussion).  Fun fact:  Each band member is a multi-instrumentalist. I don't lie when I say I know good music.

Rutili claims that Califone's general purpose for sound is to tell a story that is inspired by tales, silent films, elaborate stories that take you places. They are eccentric and dreamy, non-synthesized and pure. And it's true that when you hear an album from start to finish, it's like reading an epic novel that just flows continuously from song to song giving purpose and intent to each strum.  Every chord has a role. Every musician is a player on the stage in your mind.

Collaborative projects include working with some fantastic musicians and under unique and beautiful circumstances, most of which people do not know about.  For example, in 2002, Tim Rutili and Ben Massarella collaborated with Modest Mouse front man Isaac Brock and others to release the album Sharpen Your Teeth under the band name Ugly Casanova.  Members of Califone also made significant contributions to also another beloved band of mine, The Fruit Bats' 2009 album, The Ruminant Band: Tim Rutili contributed vocals to the title song on the album, and Jim Becker provided vocals on the songs "Feather Bed" and "Flamingo", and guitar and fiddle on the songs "Tegucigalpa" and "Feather Bed". Members of Califone have also contributed to past Fruit Bats albums.  I also love that Califone helped record Iron and Wine's 2011 album, Kiss Each Other Clean.  The list goes on and on. Besides these amazing contributions to other musician's star-studded careers and high-selling records and well-known albums, they have created some unique and creative and awesome films including documentaries about bullriding and directed films telling stories of their music (I guess that's art imitating life or life imitating art, something like that). They are just so interesting and insanely talented. It's brilliant stuff. You can read all about their contributions online and check out their work and what it means.  Little do the rest of us know...

I love them.

Speaking of love, I mentioned mascarpone in the title because I honestly feel Italian these days. I have replaced my habitual drinking of their wine to eating their sweets. I thought I would be model thin by now but it's not true. I am not. I am loving every bit of this new love for sweet, rich, and creamy things, most of which happens to be Italian.  It does not help that there is a gelato cafe right next to the sober house and it does not help that there is a gaggle of Italian men sitting out front, desperate to tell me about how amazing their country is.  I have learned about tons of Italian cooking and I now even tune in to watch "Lydia's Italy" where I watch chubby Lidia Bastianich in her kitchen cooking with none other than real ingredients and fattening ones - the stuff I cook with. She uses so much better and cream and more butter and the one thing I have learned about that is the new love in my life - mascarpone.  What's funny is that when I was typing Califone in the title of this post, I giggled inside thinking about how much it looks like mascarpone (really pronounced mars-cu-pon-y) but with a subtle lift on the end like you're a real Italian.  It is an incredible ingredient. My goal is to get fat and happy. She looks the part. She's not huge, she's just frumpy and I know that the man in her life is happy as is she.  I think I might be jumping off of an unnecessary cliff with this little description of my guilty pleasures and recent newfound weaknesses. Ha.

IN OTHER NEWS:  As of Tuesday, miss Punk Rock Poet Hero Patti Smith released her new album Outside Society.  How excited am I? Very. Also I plan on buying her book, Just Kids, which won the National Fiction award for 2010, when I graduate from my program as a gift to myself. I plan on flying to a secluded beach and reading it cover to cover in one sitting. Anyone want to help me reach my goal? ;-) Man I love her.  She really is the embodiment of cool for me.

Other things happening - one is that The Decemberists are performing a concert as I type this (well, it's probably over now) at Edgefield.  Some friends were headed to see them. I'm sure it was a lovely show on a perfect summer evening. Can't wait to hear all about it.

I believe this weekend Uh Huh Her is playing at the Wonder ballroom.  They just came out with an album I believe. They're a geeky girl duo who plays electronica-ish, duo pop, Client rip-off, bubble gum punk which is dancy, lively, and sexy. It's fun.

Oh the weekend! How I cannot wait! I will not have Scarlett with me which is a travesty but I will make the most of my time. I have not had a solo weekend in so very long and I am looking forward to serious productivity and time to just grasp the fact that I have been recently notified that I am soon to be unemployed.  Yes it's happening and I have no idea what steps to take first and I just need a minute to think. Until then, ironically enough, I will be working harder than ever these next couple of weeks because of losing my job soon and so with that, I need some time. Some real time. The weekend will go by quickly but it will be quickly replaced by a photo shoot next Wednesday with one of my great loves, Miss Sadie Rose who will be in town from California to shoot for her vintage clothing site. I get to be a model and a makeup artist! I will feel so fancy and important. Something fun to look forward to for sure. And also, first Thursday will be next week and I could use a day of running around with some friends for that, so hopefully we can organize. I have some wonderful things coming up and the coolest part? I'm not self-destructing or even feeling insanely stressed because of this. In fact, I see it as a blessing in disguise, even if it means I am homeless for a while. I have been through much worse.

But on a more serious note, besides Califone and the love for new music, I have learned an awful lot about real love lately.  I have been raving about a commencement ceremony speech delivered by Jonathan Franzen, the brilliant fictional writer who carried the unconventional wisdom of awesomeness this last summer to graduates of Kenyon college.  I have been thinking about what it means to really love another, how spectacular and amazing and awesome it is and how to really find your center, your integrity, your self-worth in an age full of narcisistic consumers and superstars in our own reality television drama pasted across networking sights such as Facebook and the like. 

Favorite quote of the week:  "Love is really about a bottomless empathy born out of the heart's revelation that another person is every bit as real as you are...To love a specific person, to experience their troubles and joys as if they are your own, you have to surrender some of yourself."

Goodnight.

Finding Perspective in Nature and Passing Moments.

Song of the Day is..."White Daisy Passing" by Rocky Votolato.

Not only do I adore this song, but I thought it was a perfect album to listen to in the evening sun driving back up to Portland after dropping my baby off after an exceptional eye-opening weekend in the wilderness.  Scarlett had complained that we didn't play enough games while camping so after pulling into Eugene, I decided I would take her to a nearby park and pretend we were still camping while sitting on the grass playing Memory and Candyland for another couple of hours. At one point, I had a rush of emotion come through me and this happens sometimes when Scarlett and I are on the exact same page, having the exact same experience and I know the feeling is pure love. Like at its core. I told her I never wanted the day to end and I realized this was the truth. This song came into my head and I decided to sing it to her while holding her under a tree swaying in the gentle breeze. It was a beautiful moment.

Rocky Votolato is an interesting musician. He will remind you of many artists, some of whom you may love and some of whom you may feel bored with. I can't explain my likeness for him really, except that he is admired by many of my favorite musicians and also has interesting influences. I feel like he appreciates aspects of life that I feel are important and him and his wife star in the video above only to reveal what I feel is true about the man - he is down to earth, loves his wife of ten years and makes life look purposeful and meaningful. I really love the video. It makes me very happy to watch.

For those of you unfamiliar with Rocky Votolato, he is an American singer-songwriter. He is originally from Dallas, Texas but was moved to the Pacific Northwest as a teenager, which is where I feel his music fits so perfectly. His music sounds like the northwest.  Because he left the South, he decided to change directions musically and decided to pick up a string guitar and start writing songs with a heavy folk influence, however his influences are mainly punk rock.  In high school, he was very much drawn to punk rock culture and credits his favorite bands as Fugazi and Jawbreaker.  The acoustic folk tunes did not start right away. He was still determined to play more hardcore punk music until later changing his focus.

Rocky formed an earlier band called "Lying on Loot" that eventually disbanded in 1996 where he then started playing under the name "Waxwing" and then Rocky's younger brother Cody soon joined the band on second guitar.  They were signed with Second Nature Recordings and released their debut album For Madmen Only which showed elements of post-hardcore and created a strong local following.  They released two more albums yet Rocky felt restless.

He began writing songs that did not fit this aggressive mold and wanted to write songs more appropo to working with musicians such as Damien Jurado, Small Brown Bike, The Get Up Kids, The New Amsterdams, etc.  These musicians were excited to work with him and even some of Seattle's finest musicians appear on his albums such as Red Stars Theory, Sharks Keep Moving, The Blood Brothers, Death Cab for Cutie, Pedro the Lion, and Rosie Thomas from Sub Pop records.  His producers for his work include a long A-list of contributors such as Matt Bayles (who produced Pearl Jam and Murder City Devils) and Chris Walla (who produces Death Cab for Cutie). 

Rocky has eventually found his calling musically with his self-titled album released in 1999 called Makers where you see Votolato branch out recording almost all songs live and with a country sound and folk-esque musical combinations.  It will be interesting to see what he does next.  For now though, this song is my ultimate.  "White Daisy Passing" is officially a song to commemorate my time with Scarlett, the most important person in my life, while living a moment that will pass and be stained with a quiet lullaby of Rocky Votolato. 

IN OTHER NEWS:  I was just informed by my beautiful friend, Amanda Aries-Alton, that the Doug Fir located on Burnside St. here in Portland has free Sunday concerts with a supposedly fantastic happy hour.  What a wonderful experience! So if you have a free moment on a lazy Sunday, check it out and I am sure it will satisfy the Sunday blues.

Also, has anyone heard the new Jane's Addiction material? God love Perry Farrell but I'm not sure I would buy a new Jane's Addiction album and they are one of my favorites.  I just feel Jane's Addiction without the addiction part of it, might be a white knuckled experience.  I have heard about three tunes and it wasn't bad but it's not the feeling I have when I hear "Jane Says" or "Been Caught Stealing". Ah, the 90's. I know people want to replicate them but we just can't. As with all other times in our lives. The experience cannot be redone. I am the Queen of this concept. I have tried and tried and tried to give myself the same feeling - if I feel good, I want it again and again and again. And because of that, I became an alcoholic, a loser in the game of stable healthy relationships, and a desperate seeker of self dealing with existential crises almost daily heading full speed into my 30's. 

DJ shadow is talking about doing a new album which is excited for all of you dubstep house music late night dancing-loving music lovers out there.

Also this week hopefully I will be reviewing Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks (Pavement frontman)'s Beck-produced album Mirror Traffic.  I'm really excited to hear it and hope it lives up to its expectations in my head.

Speaking of Beck, he is celebrating his 15th year in the music industry trying on pretty much every hat there is to wear in the world of musical show biz.  He has produced, directed videos, written songs, performed with some of the greats, collaborated with musical geniuses worldwide and has covered the gamut of musical emotion from the start of his first album through to the current selling millions upon millions of copies of each one, being recognized even back in 1997 for best album of the year with Odelay.  Cheers to you, Beck!  Also celebrating their 15th year of awesomeness is ?uestlove, drummer for The Roots.  Also a fascinating story to read up on. Talented men fo sho. (yep, I just said that. Both of them make me want to use street slang when singing their praises).

Camping with Scarlett and Annie this weekend gave me a much needed sense of self and how un-important I am, how not special I am, how much I am a part of the bigger picture.  I can't tell you how much I love watching waterfalls, the ever continuous flow of pressured water while knowing it will never quit. We will leave the falls, we will drive back home and it will continue to flow. Almost every cycle in this world is circular and I do not feel we emphasize that enough in our culture.  Water being sucked from the earth into the sky only to be released back onto the earth to melt, return back to the bottom to be snatched up again by the sky.  Beautiful.  Something is happening to me. I'm just starting to get it. It will be a long time before it finally manifests itself inside of me but until then, I have alt-country, folky music telling stories of purpose and revealing secrets of time and experiences. 

Miike Snow is Not a Man, Wednesdays Are For Wolf Parade, and Things I'm Looking Forward To

Song of the Day is...."Black and Blue" by Miike Snow.

I realize I posted this yesterday on Facebook but I'm telling you, dubstep is taking over my world this week. How do I go from indie folk rock to drum and bass? My life in a nutshell these days.

So again, I apologize for not writing sooner. I realize in order to fulfill my dream of writing and keeping this blog alive, I have to be more consistent with writing. That's even when I feel really tired (like I do now) or when I'm in the middle of work (like I am now) and even after lots of sun, running around, taking care of house stuff, going to meetings and back home to get what some people call a nap. It's a lot but this is important to me. So here I am. I will be more calculated about what I write about and how often. Thank you so much to all of you who actually read this and care about why I maybe haven't written. It's awesome to be thought of. My teacher/mentor at school this morning was hoping I wasn't drinking or drunk last weekend as I missed a couple of days of school. She was relieved to know that it was to catch up with myself and get things done that I really need to get done. It's important for my sanity and to keep myself from going downhill. I dig productive time alone. Probably the best time there is for me at this juncture.

As far as this music, it's just really got me going. I feel a bit like my old self when I listen and some like my new self.  To give a brief introduction, for those of you who do not know about this band, Miike Snow is not a person, but a whole band consisting of three Swedish men who are brilliant musicians collaborating with other musicians on techno/drum&bass/trip hop/dubstep projects namely Britney Spears, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, and Kelis just to mention a few.

They were given a best dance song Grammy award for Spears' "Toxic".  Now, this would not be a likely choice for my music collection but my musical tastes are budding, being born since I can actually keep my eyes and ears open, crystal clear, to hear what is being played. Before, I was not doing this. I was stuck in my ways and my habits. No more. Even this morning, I listened to the jazz special on NPR. It was a wonderful way to beat traffic while sipping hot tea and watching the sun come up.

Don't think that I have gone off the beaten path too much. On the same CD in the same traffic jam today, this followed:

This is an incredible video, if you have not checked it out yet.

***OMG. I just spent an hour from when I started this looking up an animated music video that I cannot think of the name of. This is frustrating. I am going to have to end my blog here. It's almost 12:30. I have to get up in 4 1/2 hours to finish work and get a move on for school.***

I can't wait for school to be over. I can't wait to go on a vacation in my lifetime again. I can't wait to watch Scarlett excel in school. I can't wait to have more time with friends. I can't wait to work out every day, in some form of another, so that my body feels worshiped and cared for. I can't wait for there to be just enough time in a day where I feel like my ducks are in a row. But just for that day.

Wishing can be dangerous. Not feeling grateful is dangerous. And feeling in the moment is difficult. At the meeting tonight, I shared about denial, how people live in a fantasy world in order to avoid feelings. In fact, I have been reading a lot about this concept and it just clicks. This is what I have been doing for god knows how long. I am ready to live in reality now. A lovely reality. And a hard one. It's really the only one I've got now, isn't it?

Goodnight.

Sounds of Ptown, The Brightest Star, and Indie Folk Rock. Was I Always This Way?

Song of the Day is..."Go On and Say It" by Blind Pilot.

I can't stop listening to Blind Pilot. It was Portugal. The Man for a long time and now it has shifted to Blind Pilot. I could feature every song of theirs in this blog but I won't. Just a few to keep you interested and excited to see them perform.

I've been afraid to write lately. I just had that realization as I sat down to do this entry. I've been so antsy to be regularly writing again as I was when I started but some things have taken over my life and I feel a bit trapped.  I have so much in here but a bit nervous to somewhat construct the words or reveal what I want.  Being selective about your feelings, emotions and ways of expressing yourself is a difficult balancing act. Something I have never been very good at.  The smoke alarm is low on batteries and I hear it chirping in the background distracting my every 30th stroke or so on the keyboard.  I look like a mad musical scientist hunched over this keyboard with three screens in front of me all displaying different things. I have Blind Pilot playing on one screen, Wilco's "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" documentary on silent on the third screen and in the middle, the blog screen sectioned by the article about the riots in London.

I am like a zombie at the moment. I am on four hours of sleep so that I could enjoy the company of Mr. James Mercer and his new traveling band, The Shins, play in an intimate setting at the WOW Hall in Eugene, Oregon. After the show, I hung out a bit with new lead guitarist for this tour, Jessica Dobson, who is the most kick ass chick in rock right now.  So that left me with a couple of hours of shut-eye after returning home at 1:30 in the morning. Of course I couldn't come down from the high for a while. I had to write a little bit about it, had to process it all, post some pictures on FB, and listen to a few of their songs before bed.

I realize a lot of people can't keep up with the ever-changing members of The Shins but who can. The Shins is a project of James Mercer. He is a solo artist with a few featured collaborative artists. I have talked about his work in earlier blogs describing his contributions to independent rock and roll. Having gotten a jump start from fellow band, Modest Mouse, The Shins were catapulted to stardom from the movie Garden State and that helped Mercer continue the project and diligently create more and more albums. He has rotating band members as back up music for his vision, learning to play every chord he has written, sing every note he has written, and produce every sound he has envisioned. His new band consists of Joe Plummer, drummer for Modest Mouse, Ron Lewis from Fruit Bats, the tried and true punk veteran, Dave Hernandez, and now a new addition of lead guitarist Jessica Dobson, an extremely beautiful and uber talented woman from Seattle.  With a group like that, all of them are icons to marvel at and the sound was incredible. I always say James Mercer might have the best voice there is right now but this leads to me introduce the rival voice, in my opinion, Israel Nebeker, from Blind Pilot.

Blind Pilot is a band from none other than Portland, Oregon (how f-ing lucky am I to live here?) 
They are considered an American Indie Folk band (a category I so desperately desperately love).  The group's single, "Go On, Say It", was chosen to be a Single of the Week on July 7, 2008 on iTunes potentially yielding approximately 2 million downloads.  As of July 22, 2008, their debut album, 3 Rounds and a Sound, has reached number 13 on the Billboard top Digital Albums chart.

This band is so very Oregon.  They even broke out of their shell to expose themselves as a band for the first time touring by bicycle.  They did an entire Northwest tour in 2008, biking from Bellingham, Washington to San Diego, California using custom bicycle trailers to carry their equipment.  After getting some recognition, they (Israel Nebeker and Ryan Dobrowski) decided to add four more band members completing their six-piece sensation.  The band now consists of Israel Nebeker as lead vocalist, Ryan Dobrowski (drums and backup vocals, co-founder of Blind Pilot), Luke Ydstie on upright bass and backup vocals, Kati Claborn (banjo, dulcimer, backup vocals), Ian Krist (vibraphones), and Dave Jorgensen (keyboards, trumpet).

They decided to embark on a U.S. tour in 2009 and this has launched them to stardom quickly.  With the folk sound of the Northwest gaining more and more popularity, they seemed to find a niche right at the right time and have catapulted their way to the top opening for bands like Counting Crows, The Hold Steady, and The Decemberists.  Their resume includes a long list of big name music festivals as well as theme songs for finale seasons of both Californication and Chuck with "3 Rounds and a Sound".

Feeling successful and ready to take bigger strides in the music industry, they decided to release on iTunes a live EP featuring a cover of Gillian Welch's "Look at Miss Ohio" and what was deemed a new release at the time, "Get It Out".   The EP was mixed and recorded by Tucker Martine, best known for his work with The Decemberists, Death Cab for Cutie, and R.E.M.

They have announced this year that they will be officially releasing their new album, We Are The Tide, on September 13, 2011.  I absolutely cannot wait for this album.  You will receive a sneak peek of this album in almost its entirety at MusicFest NW this year at the beginning of September.  Don't forget to get your tickets soon!

I really cannot believe that my favorite bands at the moment are all from Portland, Oregon.  Even another one of my favorite bands, Starfucker, premiered their new video at The Red Fox on Albina on Sunday evening.  I unfortunately was in Eugene for the evening, so I was not able to preview it with the other fans, but I'm sure it's amazing. One of these days I will feature some of my favorite videos and I venture to guess they hit high on my favorite videos list. They are quirky and fun and of all synth hop bands, they use sound to the umpteenth degree, to its fullest extent, to make the best sound ever.  They are incredible.

Also, don't forget to purchase an Y La Bamba ticket for this Friday at the Doug Fir.  I am sure tickets are selling fast and they are also a mesmerizing eclectic band from up here in NoPo that I featured on the blog a couple of weeks ago.  I will be at the concert this Friday cheering them on.  Other Portland bands to look out for that are mind-blowingly awesome are:

1.  The Decemberists.
2.  Gossip.
3.  The Dandy Warhols.
4.  M. Ward (from She & Him).
5.  Floater.
6.  Y La Bamba.
7.  Portugal. The Man.
8. Starfucker.
9.  Blind Pilot.
10. Pink Martini.
11. Quasi.
12. The Thermals...

I could go on.  Of course Elliott Smith will always be remembered as a true Portlander.  Remember old bands like Hole?  Courtney Love is from Portland and there are many popular bluegrass bands that gained popularity over the last few years like The Foghorn Stringband, Jackstraw and the Water Tower Bucket Boys.  And so many bands have relocated here that it's hard not to call them ours such as The Shins, Modest Mouse, Spoon, and Sleater-Kinney.  People flock here because they have an audience that adores them, will give them a small town feel of coziness, a bigger city full of great neighborhoods and tons of venues, along with the rolling hills and majestic mountaintops of Oregon hovering over the city.  (If that's not a sell, I don't know what is).

IN OTHER NEWS:  I just read that Bob Dylan and Jack White (are you breathing?) are recording some of Hank Williams' "lost" songs that were never originally done by Hank himself. Need I say more? I'm freaking out. Can I just get a little itsy bitsy taste? The entire set will feature other artists but these two caught my eye most certainly.  The songs have been crafted from old notes they found in Williams' leather briefcase.  It will be titled The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams and will be released on October 4th from Dylan's personal recording label.  Sweet!

Radiohead has just announced today that they will be releasing a remix collection soon? God love Thom Yorke but can we just hold the phone for a minute? They just came out with an album that I am still digesting and will take some time to digest more of.  He has collaborated with several surprising artists in the recent past, including Jay-Z to create Jaydiohead and other bizarre eccentric projects.  A remix collection? If you wait until 2012 or 2013, I promise I will be looking forward to it.

Watch the Throne, the highly anticipated collaborative album for Jay-Z and Kanye West is now out in the world released exclusive for iTunes.  For all of you rap lovers out there, I am sure this is music to your ears to know this has been finally made available to their ginormous audience.  Happy listening!

For those of you lucky enough to have landed some expensively awesome tickets to Lollapalooza this year, I'm sure you're still reeling.  From Coldplay to Best Coast to Portugal. The Man (who had all of their equipment and tour van stolen off the premises :-(  ), it was an event to remember I'm sure. The photos have finally been released so the rest of us who cannot stand crowds that large even if we had all of the money in the world, will be able to see what the hell really went down there.

These gray days have gotten me kind of down. I realize we have had like a total of three weeks of sunshine in the last few months. It's hard sometimes but then other times, it really makes me appreciate this American folk indie music I previously mentioned I loved.

I really do.  And I always have. I have always been this way. Sad and happy simultaneously and I think this is the music that I flock to so readily, easily, just naturally like it was written for someone with feelings like mine.

This summer is the summer for Bon Iver's new and old album, Blind Pilot, Joe Purdy, Iron & Wine solo album and Iron & Wine with Calexico album, and Califone.  I just feel cozy and warm listening to this and hope you feel this can help ease some of the cloud-filled sky blues.

Music really does change the feel of everything, even the weather, and my soul - even when I feel like things are really tough and I can't think straight. Then I let Bon, Joe, and Sam do the thinking for me.