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.
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