Headphones

Song: Headphones

Artist: Matt Nathanson

As you probably already know, Matt Nathanson has released a new single as a little teaser of his upcoming album.  Lucky for us, he has also been playing the new song while out on his summer tour.  I have to say, was a little thrown the first time I listened to "Headphones".  Initially, I thought it was a huge departure from what I expected to hear, but now that I've listened to it a few (hundred) more times, I've kind of reneged on that.

It turns out that, yes, it is a different sound than Matt's earlier work, kind of a trip a little further down that road he started on with Last of the Great Pretenders.  He continues to branch out away from the acoustic sound of his past and more toward a rich, full band sound.  Personally, I'm a big fan of the direction Matt is taking with his music.  This is the kind of song that reminds me why I love the kickass sound system in my car so much.  The kind of song that I can hear and feel, right in my chest where the bass hits.  However, as different as it is, it still contains all of the elements that make Matt's music so wonderful, it's all just wrapped up in a shiny new package.

First of all, there is that voice. That voice is a warm, safe place to hide while the storms blow over.  The voice that so many people have been drawn to and captivated by.  With "Headphones", as with a lot of the last album, he further proves that his voice can hold its own against a lot more than just the soft melodies of an acoustic guitar.  Then there are the lyrics.  Matt has been known to be vocal about his struggles with writing lyrics, but it never shows in the end result.  His lyrics are always witty and perfectly natural, like they just rolled off his tongue, and this song is no different.  My favorite line in this one is: "Good things whisper, bad things shout.  I don't hear 'em now!"  After all, only really great music can truly drown them out.

"Headphones" is such a great song, it makes me super excited to hear what the new album will have in store of us, whenever it's ready to be released into the world.

Matt Nathanson @ Mercury Ballroom 07/26/2014

Artist: Matt Nathanson
Venue: Mercury Ballroom, Louisville, KY
Date: 07/26/2014

Finally, a current picture!  This was from last night's M&G (btw, I was much happier than I look in that picture. That must be my "crapping my pants and trying not to say anything too dumb" face.)

Set List: (I know this is dismally out of order, but I think I remembered most of them.  Please feel free to correct me)

Kill the Lights
Car Crash
Faster
Mission Bells
Kinks Shirt
Annie's Always Waiting (For the Next One to Leave) (!!)
Last Days of Summer in San Francisco
Romeo & Juliet {Dire Straits}
Detroit Waves
Room @ the End of the World
American Girl {Tom Petty}
Still
Angel
I Saw
Suspended
Headphones
Come on Get Higher

As you've probably gathered already, we got to start this concert season with Matt Nathanson, Aaron Tap & Co. again this year.  Every time we see them, they find some new and different way to blow my mind, and this time did not disappoint.  But hang on, I'll get to that.

The evening had two openers, the first was Matt Mackelcan. He did a short but sweet set that I felt was very well received by the audience.  He's an unassuming performer and seemed very appreciative of people being there and listening, which is always nice to see.  During his set, he brought Aaron Tap out on stage for a couple songs (which I'm sure didn't hurt his credibility with this crowd).  Aaron produced his previous release Slow Down and is working with him on his upcoming From Where I Stand as well.  If you're not familiar with him, you should totally get that way.

Next up was Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness.  You probably know Andrew from Jack's Mannequin and/or Something Corporate.  I know I will ostracize myself by admitting that I'm only marginally familiar with his previous bands, but it's a fact.  What I do know is that he's a very impressive performer.  He's like an endless supply of energy and enthusiasm, which is awesome.  He did everything from singing standing on his piano to jumping on the keys to play it with his feet.  Nuts.  I thoroughly enjoyed his set and he was very popular with the audience.  One of the girls I was with got to meet him after the show and she was fan girling like crazy, which is always fun.  I love it when people are excited to meet the artists they adore and aren't afraid to express that excitement. Also, I have to mention that after his set, we witnessed an amazing feat of packing abilities.  The road guys literally turned his entire piano up on its side and put it in a box.  And our movers couldn't even manage a treadmill without damaging the drywall.  What the hell?

Anyway, moving on.  It was finally time for our headliner to take the stage.  Just as it was last time we saw them, the line up was Matt Nathanson (well, obviously), Aaron Tap, Shiben Bhattacharya,and Chris Lovejoy (you know, the drummer from Lexington, KY...Detroit...Lansing...the dude gets around).  This particular combination of artists seems to be the perfect mix.  They opened with the carnal delight Kill the Lights off Last of the Great Pretenders and we knew right away that we were in for rock show tonight.  There was not going to be any pussyfooting around, they got right down to business.  It was after that song that I noticed that Matt brought backdrops this time, with pictures and whatnot projected on them as he played.  I thought, "Holy shit, they have really brought us a full-on rock show, with all the bells and whistles, right into this small, intimate venue.  The best of both worlds!"  I had no idea at the time how accurate that thought would turn out to be.

The show turned out to be by far the most rock and roll show I've seen Matt and the guys play.  They played a bunch of fast, ass-shaking music like Annie's Always Waiting (For the Next One to Leave) [my personal favorite...which is why they played it, right??], Detroit Waves, Kinks Shirt and his newest song Headphones.  The latter was absolutely amazing live.  Even better than I'd hoped!  And of course there was the ever popular clap-along-song Faster.  I always feel a little creepy during that song because I have to stare at Aaron Tap so intently to accurately follow along with the clapping.  Heh - I have abysmal rhythm, but I managed to do okay last night.  Amongst all of these songs, we did get to see Aaron play the ever loving shit out of his guitar, which was (of course) my favorite thing.  To the delight of everyone, they also covered Tom Petty's American Girl.  As we all know, Tom Petty is untouchable, but they rocked that fucking song.  Andrew McMahon joined them on stage for it and those few minutes of music absolutely melted our faces.  Amazing.  

Earlier in the evening, Andrew came back out on stage to give some piano support for the not frequently played Last Days of Summer in San Francisco.  Matt wasn't quite as chatty as the last time we saw him, but we did get some back story on several songs and this particular one was heartbreaking.  While most all of his songs are real and honest, it's not that often that we get a glimpse of the current internal state of the artists we're watching.  We got that last night and as they played that song, it was all over their faces and it was a touching and beautiful gift they gave us.  He also played his cover of Dire Straits' Romeo and Juliet, which we all know from At the Point.  It's such a great song and Matt totally does it justice.  He dipped back in the catalogue and played us some acoustic classics from past records such as Still, Angel and Suspended.  Even amongst all the powerful rock they were playing last night, these songs are still able to instantly create an entirely different atmosphere.  The room becomes quiet, transcendent and wonderful.  He closed with what he calls "the hit", Come on Get Higher.  Sure, it's a crowd favorite and it's a beautiful song, to be sure, but I think All We Are casts a more magical spell.  It's cool though, both are incredible songs that leave a calm, peaceful feeling in your soul as he sends you back out into the world.

Once again, for nearly two hours, everything outside that room ceased to exist.  It becomes just you, the artists on stage and the feel of the drum in your chest.  Everything else drops away and becomes completely insignificant.  All in all, the night was a great illustration of Matt's ever-expanding range as a performer.  I would be remiss if I neglected to mention that I finally got to meet Matt for the first time last night (as evidenced by the above picture).  How cool is it that he still did a meet and greet even though they then had to drive 12 hours to Virginia to play again tonight?  He was every bit as friendly and gracious as everyone had told me he is, in spite of the fact that I was all shaky and nervous and weird(er than usual).  So that was kind of beyond awesome. 

Next up for us are Amanda Shires Isbell, The Black Keys and Carbon Leaf.  I'm hoping for a Dr. Dog show in the near future, but that's not in the cards just yet.  Matt mentioned a potential fall album release too, so I'm super excited at the prospect of another show in the fall!!  :)

Why 2013 Kicked Ass

This is not a "best of" list by any means.  You're tired of those.  I'm tired of those.  Trust me, writing them is just as boring as reading them.  No, my friends, this is simply a recap of why 2013 totally kicked ass.  And believe me, it did.  

I started out 2013 by seeing Matchbox Twenty at the Palace Theater in Louisville.  While this wasn't exactly a mind blowing show for me like the ones that would follow later in the year, it was very cool to finally see the MB20 guys live.  I've been a fan since they released their first album, Yourself or Someone Like You, in 1996 and it's always cool when you're finally in a room with people you've been a fan of for that long.

Then came a couple new releases from one of my all-time faves, Ryan Schmidt.  So far we just have two singles from his up coming album, but I'm super excited about the new direction he's taking.  In looking back, I've just realized that I've only told you about "Another Friend" but there is also "Next Mistake" (I'll have to rave about that one later...I can't believe I haven't already!)  As much as I completely adore my birthday present that was White Horse (and believe me, I do), I know that the work Ryan is doing now is going to make him a megastar one day and that's so exciting.  I just can't wait to see what happens for him next. 

Later in August, Matt Nathanson released Last of the Great Pretenders which is an absolute stroke of genius. Of course he toured to support this record (and because I'm pretty sure he'd shrivel up and blow away if he didn't do at least a little touring every year) and, of course, we went to see him.  This time we got to see him right here in Louisville at Headliner's Music Hall and it was fucking amazing because, well, it was a Matt show and I got to watch Aaron Tap play guitar for 2 hours - what's not to love?  Then, by some weird twist of fate, Matt actually read that blog post, which lead to my all time favorite moment of the year, which was this tweet:

 

This was amazing because he actually read it, he got was I was saying, and it meant enough that he actually took a minute to say something about it.  It's been like 2 1/2 months ago and I still get a big stupid grin every time I read that tweet.  :-D

After that amazingness, we went to see Carbon Leaf for the first time ever at The High Watt in Nashville, TN while they were out supporting Ghost Dragon Attacks Castle and Constellation Prize (both really great records that have added to the fantastic soundtrack of 2013).  It was a great show and we even got to meet Barry and Terry after the show and got our copy of Ghost Dragon Attacks Castle signed.  The Carbon Leaf show was truly wonderful and we'll go see them again as soon and as often as possible.  While we were in Nashville we made time to stop at Grimey's, possibly the best record store east of the Mississippi, and I picked up a copy of Nevermind on vinyl while we were there.

We also got to see Dr. Dog again this year, this time at Headliner's in Louisville.  This tour was in support of their amazing newest release B-Room.  As usual, they completely blew my mind.  Any year that contains a Dr. Dog concert is a good year.  If you're not familiar with them, you really need to get that way, then you need to go see them live because they are the absolute epitome of what live music is supposed to be.

The last record that has made this year awesome for me was Jason Isbell's Southeastern. I'm still playing the shit out this thing, I just can't get enough of it.  His voice is perfect, the lyrics are perfect, the guitar parts are to die for.  The whole this is a complete work of art.  I've been directed to some other examples of his work and I plan to check them out as soon as I can tear myself away from this one.  And finally, the last thing that has made this year rock has been the community of Matt Nathanson fans on twitter.  I've found some awesome new people over the years through music, but have just recently met several cool folks just because of him and that's been fun.

Apparently a few amazing shows, a handful of mind blowing records and a small group of cool people are all it takes to make for a great year.  So, now that we know the formula, making 2014 even better should be a snap!

Favorite Song? Be serious.

A friend asked me earlier today (or she may have asked last night, either way, I got the message this morning) what my favorite Matt Nathanson song is.  For another person (besides me), or another artist, this might be a simple question.  For example, my favorite Matchbox Twenty song is "Long Day" from Yourself or Someone Like You.  That's right, a song from their debut album grabbed me, latched on and, sadly, they've never topped it for me.  Not so with Matt.  Why, you ask?  Don't his songs latch on?  Of course they do!  They get a good hard grip on you and these suckers do not let go, they embed themselves and become part of your permanent soundtrack, part of your fabric.  It's because he keeps getting better.  Every single album he releases one-ups the last one.  I don't know how he does it.

Even so, I came up with an answer right away, then I changed my mind 8 times, then I circled back around to my original impulse.  Let me preface this by saying, that I really do like all of Matt's songs and I can honestly say that I love the vast majority of them.  But I was asked to pick a favorite, so here goes my thought process.

The first song that popped in my head was "Annie's Always Waiting  (For the Next One to Leave)" and I almost replied to her immediately with that, but something stopped me.  What was it?  Well, Matt's entire catalogue weighed on my mind and songs that I had loved fiercely long before "Annie" was ever written.

There are so many amazing songs here to choose from, it's almost impossible to pick just one.  I mean, I can put my entire Nathanson collection on shuffle and I know I will not go wrong at any turn.  I'm naturally inclined toward the powerful songs that make me feel the feels, such as "Little Victories", "Weight of It All", and "Bulletproof Weeks".  They're all so beautiful and I can listen to them at absolutely any time.  I can always just how "favorite" a song really is by how often I skip it and I really never skip these, ever.

Then there is "Pretty the World", which has one of my favorite arrangements of any of Matt's songs.  When that song drops into the chorus, it just does something to me that I can't explain.  It's impossible not to physically react to this song.  He played this song the first time I saw him headline and I'm telling you, this song actually makes the world a better place.  Stunning.

So after all that rambling, I think I've come down to my top 5 favorite Matt Nathanson songs: 
5. Car Crash
4. Heart Starts
3. Kiss Quick (this one is still hands down, bar none my absolute favorite song to hear him perform live - it is a religious experience)
2. Mercy
1. Annie's Always Waiting (For the Next One to Leave)

So you see, I ended up with my first impulse.  After all this pondering and deliberating, I think it's okay to call this song off the newest record my favorite, right?  I mean, love the shit out of this song for a multitude of reasons.  First off, you have Aaron Tap counting off to start it, then the thing just explodes out of the speakers like a physical being.  There are drums all over the damn place and an infectious, insistent guitar that demands affection.  This song is more along the line of the type of music I grew up listening to, it sounds like home to me.  Then, there's the lyrics.  You know that line in "Bitter Sweet Symphony": "I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me"?  That's what this song does.  Somehow, I feel like this song knows me, it exposes deep wounds, and yet it still somehow makes me feel better about everything all at the same time.  Every time I listen to it, the music, the lyrics, the whole thing...I feel like it was written just for me, and that, my friends, is the magic of a truly great song. 

Matt Nathanson @ Headliners Music Hall 10/23/2013

Artist: Matt Nathanson
Venue: Headliners Music Hall, Louisville, KY
Date: 10/23/2013

This pic is not from last night, or even from Headliners.  In fact, it's 2 years old, but it's the only one I have handy.

Set list (I remembered them all, and actually had them remarkably in order, but I have to credit @seriousbeagle's picture of the set list for the 100% accuracy):

1. Mission Bells
2. Modern Love
3. Run
4. Heart Starts
5. Car Crash
6. Kill the Lights
7. Sunday New York Times
8. Room @ the End of the World
9. Wedding Dress
10. Bulletproof Weeks
11. Suspended
12. Annie's Always Waiting (For the Next One to Leave)
13. Kinks Shirt
14. Under Pressure
15. Farewell, December
16. Birthday Girl
17. Faster
18. Come On Get Higher

So, we started our fall concert lineup last night at Headliners Music Hall in Louisville with the illustrious Matt Nathanson and man, what a way to start.  Everybody else we see this next couple weeks is going to have to bring their A-game to live up to the show Matt, Aaron and Co, put on last night.  But, I digress, let me start at the beginning.

Joshua Radin opened for them and his set turned out to be a perfect storm...a perfect shit storm.  If you've been to many shows, I'm sure you've seen this sort of thing go down before.  Let me lay it out for you.  It goes like this: an opener comes out that not many people in the audience seem to be familiar with, and it's the kind of audience that's not in the mood to humor an opener that they're not especially interested in.  By that I mean that the ice clinkers are in full force, clinking their ice, having their conversations, paying no mind to the guy on stage trying to do his job.  Add to that, the guy on stage, while a decent performer and all, isn't one of those larger-than-life showmen (like our headliner last night, for instance) who takes over a room and captivates an audience, so he's kind of lost in their (I assume) mostly liquor-fueled conversations.  So the whole thing just kind of went to hell in a hand basket.  I can see both sides of this issue.  From his side, it's totally disrespectful and rude for the audience to carry on talking and not paying attention when he's up there trying to share his heart and soul with them.  On the other hand, they paid their money and if they want to stand around and drink and gab, I suppose that's their prerogative.  Although, personally I didn't appreciate it because I didn't pay to listen to people talk quite that loud through the show, but that's just me.  And I have seen a couple openers that have actually sucked quite a lot and have gotten drowned out by the audience a lot worse than he did and they kept their cool and went on with their set as if everything was fine whereas Mr. Radin kind of lost his cool and showed his ass last night.  But, I guess he was just wasn't in the mood to take any shit and we all have days like that.  Anywho, moving on.

After all that drama, Matt Nathanson, Aaron Tap, Shiben Bhattacharya, and their drummer I didn't get his name (I hope somebody comments with it so I can add it) (Edit: Chris Lovejoy is the drummer - thank you to the commenters who know more than I do, and my apologies to Chris for not knowing his name), finally took the stage.  And just to be superficial for a second, Matt's hair is all grown out and totally epic, I was quite glad he hadn't had it cut.  Anyway, they opened with Mission Bells which, just for me personally, isn't the opener that Mercy is (but you gotta remember that Mercy is the first song I ever saw him play live so I have a soft spot for that one), but you can't open every show with the same song and I thought it went over really well live and it got the night off to a great start.  After that was Modern Love which is always a fun, energetic song that gets the crowd into the show.  We got a little back story before Heart Starts, which is one of my favorites from Last of the Great Pretenders, and I love Matt's stories, so I was glad that he was more talkative this time than the last time he played Louisville.  In fact, he got more and more chatty as the night went on which was nice to see because I take it as a sign that he's relaxed and having a good time himself.  As he got into Heart Starts, we found that his breathy high notes didn't make it to the show with him, (they must have been chillin' in the bus listening to some of that vinyl he's been amassing while on tour), but it was cool, I felt like the audience was understanding and we tried to do our best to fill in for him (I mean, our best sucks compared to his best, but we did what we could).  I mean, good lord, the man sings pretty much every night, these things are bound to happen to from time to time.

After that he dipped back in the catalogue and broke out Car Crash and here is where his live show completely disassembles you if you let it.  In fact, last night was filled with the songs that get in and break down the little pieces.  The kind of songs that I can just close my eyes and ride along on the swell of the music.  They wipe out all the bullshit and there's nothing there but the music and the image of fingers on guitars and the feel the drum in my chest.  I can literally let go and know that I'll be alright, if you will.  There was Car Crash, Wedding Dress, Suspended, Room @ the End of the World, Sunday New York Times, Farewell, December...just live music perfection.  I get into the fast stuff too, don't get me wrong, but I really dig these slower, floaty tunes.  I can't help it.  The most stripped down moment of the night came when he played Bulletproof Weeks for us.  Apparently Matt didn't used to play this song because of the ouch factor, but he's decided to start adding it to set lists and I think it's a great addition.  It's a quiet, powerful man-and-his-guitar moment.  I noticed that the chatty ice clinkers got cranked up a bit again while he was playing this one which irked me, and I hope he doesn't think the gravity of the song was lost on everyone.

Nor was the show all a quiet, acoustic, singer-songwriter affair.  A lot of the songs on the new record are very rock and roll, Kill the Lights for example.  It's a sexy little tune on vinyl and he revels in the sexiness of it when he plays it live.  It was an absolute celebration of carnality and it was wonderful.  Annie's Always Waiting (For the Next One to Leave) is my favorite song on Last of the Great Pretenders and I was tickled pink that he played it last night.   It's so fun to see Matt really getting into the rock star vibe.  Playing the shit out of his guitar, jumping around up there, owning that stage.  I know that he had a shoulder injury from going ass over tin cups off his bike a few days ago and that sort of thing doesn't heal quickly (he even had a visible injury on his elbow), but there was no sign of it in his performance.  He was as energetic and into his playing as I've seen him.  It was a joy to watch. Me being me, I have to admit though, my favorite moment of the night was when they played the Queen/David Bowie classic Under Pressure.  Only because it was during this song that Aaron Tap broke out his beautiful, soaring tenor and it absolutely made my night.  I mean, I've heard it happen on my iPod and my ear buds and my car speakers, but I've never actually heard him go full throttle live before.  I'm telling you, it really was something else.  Wow.

So there you have it, the first concert of the fall was a rousing success.  They're playing the Cannery Ballroom in Nashville, TN tonight which was the first place we saw Matt headline and I wish we were going.  Sadly, it's not happening.  Next up for us is Carbon Leaf at The High Watt in Nashville next Tuesday, then Dr. Dog back here in Louisville next Saturday.

Last of the Great Pretenders - Matt Nathanson

Album: Last of the Great Pretenders
Artist: Matt Nathanson
Release Date: July 16, 2013

Track List (original release):
1. Earthquake Weather
2. Mission Bells
3. Last Days of Summer in San Francisco
4. Kinks Shirt
5. Sky High Honey
6. Annie's Always Waiting (For the Next One to Leave)
7. Kill the Lights
8. Heart Starts
9. Birthday Girl
10. Sunday New York Times
11. Farewell, December

So yes, I know it has taken me a month and a half to write about this album.  There are reasons for that, but it's all boring real life stuff that I won't snore you to death with. Just trust me, shit has been hectic; however, I've been spinning this thing silly since it was released.  My first comment though is this, when you have a genius lyric on your record like: "I'm the last of the worst pretenders", why on earth would you fly in the face of it when naming the album??  I don't follow.  I'm sure there are 500 perfectly viable reasons for that decision, none of which had to be passed by me for approval.  And honestly, "Last of the Worst Pretenders" isn't that great of an album title, but it still bugs me every time I hear that line.  But, I'm just weird that way.

Speaking of great lyrics, however, he has done it again on this album.  If you follow Matt Nathanson anywhere (twitter, facebook...where ever) you've surely seen him bemoaning the lyric writing process.  Seems so odd to me because I've always loved the shit out of his lyrics and these are no different.  I mean, "just because you learn to breathe, underwater doesn't mean, you ever shake the fear of being drown" ("Birthday Girl") are you kidding me?  The album is full of little gems like that, as we have all come to expect from Matt.  My personal favorite, and perhaps least favorite at the same time (and aren't those always the best kind??), is from "Annie's Always Waiting (for the Next One to Leave)": "My mother, she taught me how to doubt myself. Now, she lives in my head like it's a tree house.  I see her clearer in the mirror more and more each day." Ouch. 

Unlike Matt's last offering, Modern Love, I'll admit that I didn't immediately love this record all the way through the first time I heard it.  But I'm a Matt fan, so I kept listening and the whole thing really has grown on me.  Seems to me that this album is more Matt than past albums have been, or at least it is more present day Matt.  I'm sure they have all come from a genuine place, but this one, with it's San Francisco-centric nature and focus on existing, healthy relationships rather than those going up in flames, it seems like he's drawing more from his present life than from past devastation.  The music itself has also changed direction a bit from past albums, he has almost completely shed the singer/songwriter sound on Last of the Great Pretenders.  The music is more rock/pop sounding, more of a full band sound than a boy-and-his-guitar sound.  He has taken the sound he started to develop on Modern Love and run with it.  I love that, after 20 years of music making, he's still growing and developing and changing it up, I think it's awesome and I can't wait to hear what he does next.

My favorite song on the album is "Heart Starts".  I love this song all to pieces for a few reasons, not the least of which our first 4-letter word, on wax, from Mr. Nathanson.  And then there is the mention of his wife in the second line (or at least, I'm taking it that way - what other "b" could it be??) - I could not love that more if I tried.  This song, with it's "I want to feel it kick in, I want to feel it kick in, this time" refrain is straight up heartwarming. If you're looking for something warming a little further south, LOTGP's swoon-worthy song of choice is "Kill the Lights".  With lines like "you be stunning baby, I'll be stunned, keep glowing, I'll follow your explosions," it's an irresistible love song with a perfect dose of lust.

Overall, I'm really loving this record.  I've been listening to it all over the place and I'm still hearing new things and noticing new and different things about it and I always take that as a sign of a great album.  The album art is perfect too, this is a great album to wander around in and that image perfectly describes the way I felt the first time I plugged into this album, blocked everything else out and did nothing but listen to it.  I highly recommend you let this one in.

Fandom Fest (and Yes, Record Shopping)

Because of the experience we had this weekend, I'm going to stray a bit from my normal topic here, but because I love you, I'll get back to it a bit before I go.  Louisville, KY hosted Fandom Fest this weekend, for those of you who aren't familiar, Fandom Fest is like ComicCon but with more stuff.  It includes a lot of horror movies things (it used to only be horror movies) and anime and steam punk and lots of cool stuff.  Anyway, this year it turned into a colossal clusterfuck and our little corner of the internet is swirling with negativity about the event.  In light of all that, I just wanted to share our Fandom Fest experience this weekend. 

 

It all started with them moving the Kevin Smith/Jason Mewes event to Wednesday night because of a scheduling conflict.  This was not the fault of the organizers and I don't blame them for it.  That evening, while much too late for a work night (again, not their fault or problem) was fun and I'm honestly glad it was moved because if it had stayed on Saturday I'm sure the organizers would have figured out some way to screw it up.  We picked up our prepaid tickets on Thursday after work and that went fine.  We spotted a couple guests in the lobby and it seemed like a good start to the convention.  Friday we arrived around 4pm because that was our best guest as to when the vendor hall should be opening.  One program said noon, one said 4pm, one said 5pm...it was hard to tell.  There was a HUGE line forming to enter the vendor hall.  A security guard told us that only VIPs were allowed in currently, which seemed odd since it was already 20 minutes after it was supposed to open to everyone, but still we went over to the Convention Center to check out that hall.  Again, another line.  This time the people there were bragging about being in line for 2+ hrs and the vendors there weren't even finished setting up so we went BACK over to the hotel and went down the escalator into the back of the vendor hall.  After browsing there, we went back across the pedway (AKA the pizza oven) and finally made our way upstairs to the main vendor hall.  Here we found all the comic book artists and authors and some celebrities and other artists and various vendors...basically the stuff we wanted to look at and spend our money on. 

 

Now you have to understand that we only found this stuff because we have been to other conventions (namely the ones put on by Wizard World in Columbus, OH and New Orleans) and we KNEW there had to be more than what were finding.  There were NO signs anywhere.  The volunteers has absolutely no idea where anything was or even which building things were happening in.  I've seen a lot of people saying that the staff and volunteers were rude and, in all honesty, we didn't have that experience.  Everyone we encountered was friendly enough (of course, some more than others) but they just weren't any help at all.  I don't blame them for this.  They can't tell me what they don't know.  I felt sorry for them that they were thrown into this huge group of people and given absolutely nothing to work with.  That's not fair to the convention goers or to the volunteers and the organizers should be ashamed of themselves for doing that to them. 

 

We came back on Saturday and brought my Husband's cousin to see Stan Lee.  We had purchased a photo op ticket for him but he had to work in the morning so we came and had our picture taken with Mr. Lee.  We arrived about 10am for the 11am photo op and when I tell you that we were greeted with mass chaos, it really is an understatement.  The VIPs were lined up in the hallway, that much had been accomplished, but everyone else was just in a group milling around.  An hour before the photo op they hadn't even BEGUN to line up the general admission photo op people yet.  Myra Daniels (one of the "organizers") began telling a crew person that they needed a bullhorn to announce where people needed to line up, etc.  Seriously??  At 10am on SATURDAY?  DURING the convention...THAT'S when you figure out that you're going to need a bullhorn to announce when/where to line up?  What about some ropes and signage to get/keep people in line?  Holy crap.  Anyway, finally a lady with a "crew" t-shirt and a healthy set of lungs began yelling out for Stan Lee photo-ops and gathering people in a line.  We lined up quickly (but honestly only got in that line because I heard Myra talking about getting people lined up and followed her around until the line got formed) and got our picture.  But I've seen reports of people who waited 4+ hours to have their picture taken with Stan Lee and it never happened.  I have no idea where those poor people where, but I can easily see how they got told to stand somewhere in some line by some clueless crew person and just left there.  So sad.  We spent all of our time in line trying to help people who couldn't even figure out where to buy tickets or find the vendor halls and couldn't find a crew person who could help them.

 

Later when we finally found the Stan Lee Q&A (after being told it was in 3 different rooms) it was also not lined up yet, but that was okay because it got pushed back...another changed in the schedule which was not announced at all to anyone.  So we formed a line for that too and waited.  It was so frustrating that we, the attendees, had to form the lines and tell each other where to stand and what we were waiting for and where things where happening and at what time and the crew/volunteers/security just stood there and looked at us because they had no idea if what we were saying was even correct information.   There were panels that were moved, rescheduled and flat out cancelled for no apparent reason.  In the lowest move the weekend, the organizers had the absolute balls the tell a room full of people that Colin Baker's panel was cancelled through some fault of Mr. Baker's when he was in his room waiting to be called down!!  That is just disgraceful.  I understand that we will never come back to Fandom Fest, but I hope he doesn't let the experience color his opinion of all of Louisville/Kentuckiana.  As has always been our experience at conventions, the celebrities and vendors at this convention were gracious and friendly and it was awesome to see them.  I can't imagine what it's like to do what they do for their fans at these events all weekend (of course, hugging strangers and kissing babies is really not my thing, so it would be unbelievably exhausting for me to do that sort of thing for 3 days solid) and for the organizers to treat them like crap is nothing less despicable.

 

Afterwards, we even stopped at the store in Louisville of one of the vendors and the owner expressed some concerns about the event.  Turns out the vendors were told some things that were misleading (or altogether untrue) and they weren't satisfied with their interaction with the organizers either.  Sounds like to me that we need to keep having a convention in Louisville, we just need to have someone else run the thing.  Luckily for us we've been to other conventions so we knew what a fiasco this was right from the very beginning.  Had this been our first experience, I'm not sure we would have ever gone to another one.  As it is, I'm not sure we'll ever go back to this one because frankly, I don't want to give the organizers another penny of our money, which sucks because it is so close to home.  Anyway, in the end, we managed to have a good time but only because we have a knack for having fun in a face of adversity.  :)  We bought some cool stuff, for instance this wire angel made by a local artist:

 

and this zombie gnome that (even those he's solid concrete) will decorate our hearth...

 

 and of course I couldn't pass up this catbat print, because for some reason every time we go to one of these things, I get something cat related...

 

After all that craziness, we went record shopping to sooth our souls (or, you know, my soul at least) and we finally got to stop at Better Days Records in the Highlands.  Seems like there is never a place to park there, or we always pass the place up and traffic is too crazy to try to turn around and go back, or some other force of nature has always stopped us from going there.  But today we were determined and where there's a will there's a way and what do you know, we got in there and on the back wall in the rack I found THIS!!

 Matt Nathanson's newest release "Last of the Great Pretenders" on vinyl!!  I was so excited to find an actual physical copy of a Matt Nathanson record on vinyl right here in Louisville that I took like 4 pictures of it.  Yep, the store owner now thinks I'm nuts.  And probably more so because I didn't buy it, but I've already bought it twice so...  If you don't have it yet, buy it, it is some kind of wonderful.  As soon as I wrap my head around the whole thing I'll write it up.

 

I was also pretty amazed to find a copy of The Mountain Goats' "All Hail West Texas".  Not sure why, just didn't seem like the kind of thing I'd run across so close to home and I was proud of them for stocking it and displaying it prominently.  

 

Before we left I did buy Jack White's "Blunderbuss" and a Carpenters album (now surely you didn't read all the way down here to start judging me now, did you??) and then grabbed a few out of the $1.00 bin to make an art piece for my treadmill room.  Of course, I grabbed some good stuff like Foghat and Fleetwood Mack and if they play I won't use them, but if they're all scratched to piss at least I'll still be able to put them to good use.

Location, Location, Location

Now that a number of summer/fall tour schedules have been released, I'm absolutely beside myself with excitement about the shows we're seeing in October.  First up is Matt Nathanson back in Louisville at Headliners Music Hall on October 23.  I haven't seen any definite confirmation that Aaron Tap will be there to his right, but I'm an optimistic kind of girl so I'm just going to say he will be until I'm proven otherwise.  The very next week will be Carbon Leaf at The High Watt in Nashville.  The first venue holds 500 people, the second 250.  I could not be happier.

I'm thrilled that these shows are in relatively small venues because of the atmosphere that can be created with an audience that size.  The most magical thing I have ever experienced (hands down) was a Matt Nathanson show at The Cannery Ballroom in Nashville with 1,000 people in attendance.  The second best night was the Dr. Dog show we saw last fall at Marathon Music Works in Nashville where there were no more than 500 people.  There's just something so cool about the vibe that can happen in a crowd that size.

It's so easy to get caught up in it, to really be a part of something that becomes much greater than the sum of its parts.  The artist can create such an environment, such an experience. I've seen some really great showmen in bigger venues and there is just something missing.  I've even seen Matt (and I think we've established how fond of his live shows I am) in a large arena and it is just not the same.  There is something more intimate about a small venue, especially a standing room only room without rows of chairs separating the people.  Where you bump into one another and can stand right up by the stage, right up by the speakers, right up in the lights where you can bask in the circle of magic cast by the talent and heart of the artists. 

So, my point is, I don't want to wish away my summer, or hope myself any closer to the start of another tax season, but damn, am I ever excited about October!!

Good Stuff 2012

So here it is, the obligatory "year in review".  I don't have the typical "best of" list for you or any of that crap.  Instead, I thought I'd recap the live shows that we saw this year (since those are always highlights) and then tell you some of the stuff I loved the most this year.  That's it, short and sweet.  Well, probably more sweet than short, I've never been known for my brevity.

We saw four live shows this year.  I know that's not very many for a lot of people, but for me it was a huge increase.  Hopefully 2013 has even more shows in store for us!  (We already have tickets to see Matchbox Twenty in February, so that's a good start)  In February we saw Matt Nathanson at Headliners Music Hall in Louisville, KY.  Rachel Platten opened for him and it was a great show (as always).  It was far and away my favorite show of the year because we met Aaron Tap after the show.  I was totally star struck and probably didn't say anything intelligent to him, but he was very friendly nonetheless and it was totally cool to be in his presence.  Maybe someday I'll run into him again and be able to string more than 2 words together in a row, that would be cool. 

In June my sister and I sold merch for the aforementioned Rachel Platten when she came back and played Headliners as a headliner.  Madi Diaz opened for her and they really put on a great show.  So good in fact that our next show was a week later when we went to see Madi open for Harper Blynn at zBar in Louisville.  She is so great that we just went to see her. We both had to work the next day so we only stayed for one song of Harper Blynn's set. 

Our final show of the year was Dr. Dog at Marathon Music Works in Nashville.  The openers for this one shall remain nameless to protect the sucky, but I cannot say enough about Dr. Dog live.  They are absolutely amazing and I loved every second of it.  Which leads me one of my great loves of 2012 - Dr. Dog.  If you're not familiar with this band, I suggest you get that way.  I have 4 of their albums so far and I have yet to hear them make a sound I don't love. 

I've also been very into Paula Kelley's work this year.  I can't get enough of her vocals and all of her arrangements are genius.  Every time I listen to anything by her I hear something new and wonderful in it.  And it's not only the music, her lyrics are so intelligent and crafty - seriously, what's not to love about this woman?  On a related note, I've also been totally obsessed with Betty Goo (which, admittedly makes me kind of sad since they're not active anymore).  Betty Goo was fronted by the multi-talented Aaron Tap and they are just awesome.  I love the quirkiness of them and I love that it feels like 90's rock (which it is) but with so much more soul and brains.

I've also come to really love Simon and Garfunkel this year.   Yes, I'm aware that I'm about 40 years late to that party, but better late than never, right?  They are just so amazing, there is a reason their music has stood the test of time.  Another band wagon I'm a little late to is Carbon Leaf.  Their music is so good, so heartfelt, and they seem like such nice guys.  I highly recommend you give them a listen.

A measurable amount of 2012 was spent in record stores.  I've been collecting vinyl this year and there are few things I like more than leisurely browsing through racks of old vinyl.  Our local record store (Joe's Records) is my favorite in the area, but it was blown out of the water when I visited Grimey's in Nashville, TN.  However, Joe's is 10 minutes from my house and Grimey's is 3 1/2 hours away, so I'm pretty sure Joe's will get the majority of my business. 

Finally, my absolute favorite musical thing of 2012 is Ryan Schmidt's White Horse - EP.  It was released January 10, 2012 (the day before my birthday, coincidentally) and I've been listening to it all year.  I just love it.  It's raw and emotional and stripped down - just wonderful.  I get the feeling that we're not going to get another record from Ryan that sounds like this one and that's okay.  I'm just glad to have this one.  I like that so far all of his records sound different, you can hear him feeling his way around and finding his voice.  It's such a fun journey to listen to.

Here's a few more artists who's work I've loved in 2012 that you shouldn't miss:
- The New Complainers
- Jesse Macht
- Boy Wonder
- The Black Keys
- Violent Femmes
- Plants and Animals
- Rooftop Suicide Club (this one may be tough to find, but totally worth it if you can get it)

Okay guys, that's it for me for 2012.  This year had a little bit of everything - some fun, some hard times, some great music, some total crap, some awesome experiences and some low-key peaceful days.  Overall it's been a totally decent year.  I hope 2013 is even better for all of us. 

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  And by that I mean the holidays - because this is the time of year when I'm forced to shop, which I have a general distaste for.  What's wonderful about that, you ask?  Because to ease the sting of shopping in a mall, I see no other option than to sprinkle the day with visits to local record stores!  So I'm here to share with you my haul so far this holiday season.

 My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges (vinyl)

I saw this record at Joe's some time ago and picked it up and carried it around and pondered over the price tag and put it back.  We danced around like that for a while.  Somehow I had managed to never really hear anything by MMJ and I couldn't decide if I wanted to spring for the vinyl or just get a $10 download from iTunes.  So I put my quandary out there on twitter and received instant feedback.  Mostly in the form of "seriously, you even have to ask?" and mostly from one Dylan over at MoreThanAFeeling (trust me, you can trust his opinion) and Mr. Aaron Tap.  At that point, it was pretty much a no-brainer.

 

If you haven't heard this record, you really should.  I can't say that it's my favorite record of all time or anything, but it is pretty amazing.  The vinyl version is 2 LPs and includes a CD.  I'm not sure I've ever heard an album that covers this much ground.  I spend the entire time totally fascinated with Jim James' mind. 

 



 Divine Fits - A Thing Called Divine Fits (vinyl)

 

I picked this one up on a whim.  I had heard good things about Divine Fits and they're opening for The Black Keys in Las Vegas December 30 & 31, so I was intrigued.  There is a bit more synth on this one than I'm used to, but I dig it.  I haven't listened to it enough to get too in depth, but so far so good.  I also absolutely adore the cover art.  It looks like a photograph but (upon reading the liner notes) I discovered it's actually a painting (you can tell once you know) and it's just stunning.  I plan to look up the artist and see what else he's done.

 



 AC/DC - Black Ice

The Goo Goo Dolls - Dizzy Up the Girl

Cage the Elephant - Cage the Elephant

 

I found these in various used CD racks around town.  The new AC/DC album sounds pretty much like every other AC/DC album ever made which is just fine with me.  I love them, I've loved them forever.  "Shook Me All Night Long" was the first song I ever knew all the words to (which believe me, raised a few eyebrows on the school bus when I was a kid) so their music is pretty ingrained in me.  Some of my favorite memories from high school have this band playing in the background.  Good stuff.

 

As far as I'm concerned, The Goo Goo Dolls aren't a whole lot different than a lot of other bands that were around in the late 90's, but there are a couple songs on Dizzy Up the Girl that I happen to adore.  Namely "Slide" and "Black Balloon".  Still, I've never owned the album before, so when I saw it in the $1.99 box at a local head shop, I scooped it right up.  I haven't had a chance to listen to the whole thing yet; I hope I'm not disappointed when I do.

 

At some point somewhere I heard about this band Cage the Elephant.  I heard how unique their sound is and how everyone should be listening to them.  I added them to my "want" list and didn't give it much more thought.  Well I came across this CD for some absurdly low price so I grabbed it. On the way home I popped it in a lo and behold I already knew them!  Anyone who had listened to the radio in the last 5 years has surely heard "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked".  If not, do it.  Now.

 

 Matt Nathanson - Some Mad Hope

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

Dr. Dog - Takers and Leavers (EP)

The Black Keys - Chulahoma

 

These last four came to me during a trip to Grimey's in Nashville, TN.  Pretty much the best record store east of the Mississippi.  I ended up in Nashville for 3 days for a work thing and since it was the Monday - Wednesday after Thanksgiving, nobody I knew was over here playing so I spent the one free night I had at a record store (big shock, I know).  Grimey's is a crappy looking place in a questionable neighborhood that's hard to get into.  It's hard to park and a bit challenging to find the entrance (it's on the back of the building, upstairs - downstairs is a music venue called The Basement) but once you do, it's absolute heaven.  They have everything imaginable packed into a fairly tiny space.  There so much vinyl I almost OD'd on it.  I loved it.  I wish I was there right now. 

 

Anyway, I picked up Matt Nathanson's Some Mad Hope which is a truly beautiful album.  I already have it on iTunes but I wanted a physical copy too.  So now I have one.  I also got Wilco's Sky Blue Sky because, once again, I've heard good things about them.  I haven't listened to it yet, but when I do, I'll let you know.  I got a couple EP's, Dr. Dog's Takers and Leavers and The Black Keys' Chulahoma.  Both are really good and really good examples of the bands' work. 

 

Two girls I work with went to Grimey's with me and after we left there we stopped at Panera and got dinner.  We went back to the hotel and went our separate ways.  It was early, maybe 7:30pm or so and I happily snuggled into bed with my half turkey sandwich and half a greek salad and a diet coke and spent the evening talking to my husband on the phone and reading liner notes.  I got to unwrap the plastic from the cases (because even a lot of the used ones at Grimey's are wrapped) and inspect the album art and read lyrics and the names of producers and musicians and engineers.  I read every single "thank you" (and even found Aaron Tap and Paula Kelley lurking in there on Some Mad Hope) and date and city and it was wonderful.  They kept me company while I was away from home alone in a hotel room (for the first time ever, I might add) and just reinforced the importance of physical copies of music.  All that album art is put together for a reason - it's there to complete the experience of the album.  I think we owe it to the artists to go on the journey.

 



Who Do You Let In Your Bedroom?

As I would imagine is evident, I listen to music pretty much all the time.  Or at least every chance I get.  For instance, today while I was re-grouting our kitchen floor I listened to Rooftop Suicide Club's Always Like This (Which I came to own recently as the result of one person's awesomeness and generosity.  How I deserve to be on the receiving end of that, I'm still not exactly sure, but I totally dig it.) and Betty Goo's Superchthonic and Gooicide. Then to cap off a busy day we sat on the back porch with a big old glass of spiced apple wine and listened to Paula Kelley's Nothing/Everything.  No event is too small to have a soundtrack. 

Speaking of Nothing/Everything, it is a beautiful record and you really should own it.  I mean, if you like awesome things, of course.  It is dimensional and fun and sad and, I think, is perfectly complimented by her earlier release The Trouble With Success or How You Fit Into the World.  Honestly though, you just can't go wrong with anything The Divine PK has written, it's all...well...divine. 

But that's not what I'm here to ramble about (all evidence to the contrary). My second favorite thing in the world to soundtrack is going to sleep (the first is driving, so settle down pervs).  I know that sounds weird but I don't go to sleep like normal people.  My Husband, for instance, falls into bed and is generally asleep within mere moments.  I, on the other hand, will stare at the ceiling (or into the darkness) for half an hour at least, sometimes a couple hours before the Sandman comes to visit.  It's my own charming version of insomnia.  I like to see the silver lining though and the fact is, my lack of sleep affords me a great opportunity to listen to some of my favorite songs in a near perfect setting.  In my headphones, in the dark, with little else to distract me.

There is a certain openness of the soul that happens as I lay in the dark waiting for sleep.  A kind of vulnerability that just cannot be attained when I'm dressed for the day ready to face the world.  I mean, when I'm there, makeup scrubbed off, hair down, contacts out, jewelry off, there are no defenses, no mask, no bullshit.  Just me and the sounds pouring into my ears.  So naturally I choose my nighttime songs carefully.  I can't just put my iPod on shuffle and risk some kind of crap happening to my impressionable ears. 

Most nights, this is the time I want to listen to the stuff that really gets in.  I want to hear the arrangements with the most dimension, the lyrics that really hit home, sometimes even the songs that cause big cathartic tears to slip out of the corners of my eyes.  To that end, here's my most recently sleepy time play list:

1. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon and Garfunkel
2. "Relapse" - Betty Goo (This is one of those with a lyric that is so ouchie that I'm pretty sure I'm hearing it wrong, but I swear he says "so take my hand, Jeanne, smooth my hair and show me that I'm loved and you really, really care".  Jeanne was my mom's name and that line, wrapped up in that song, kills.)
3. "Hate Me" - Blue October (I'm pretty sure this song is not really very good, but something about it just slays me)
4. "Long December" - Counting Crows
5. "Someday" - Dr. Dog
6. "Lost Horizons" - Gin Blossoms
7. 'Sunday Morning Coming Down' - Johnny Cash (this song makes me cry every single time, I can't really explain it)
8. "Heavy Heart" - Madi Diaz
9. "All We Are" - Matt Nathanson (I love this song and it takes me back to the end of the concert in Nashville which was an absolutely perfect night, so now it's doubly perfect)
10. "Farther Down" - Neon Trees
11. "Thinkin Bout You" - Pat Monahan
12. "Night Racer" - Paula Kelley
13. "Heavy" - Train (far and away my favorite Train song, it's so wonderful and bluesy, I wish they'd go in this direction again, even just for a song or two here and there)
14. "Remark" - Rachel Platten
15. "Night the Bells Rang" - Ryan Schmidt
16. "Then I'll Be Smiling" - Matt Nathanson
17. "Who Wants to Live Forever" - Queen
18. "Disarm" - Smashing Pumpkins
19. "Perfect Blue Buildings" - Counting Crows
20. "The Boxer" - Simon and Garfunkel

Current Play List (I'll Get To It!)

I don't sleep very well or very much.  I've been that way my whole life; although, it did get notably worse a couple years ago.  More on that...um...never.  Anyway, as a result, every night when we go to bed, I listen to my iPod and play my gameboy until I get sleepy.  Last night the following conversation took place:

Me: These are snore cancelling ear buds, but I leave the left one out until you fall asleep so I can hear you when you say some random shit.
He: Do I say random shit?
Me: OH YEAH.
He: What's Pi to the fifth place?
Me: .....
He: Random like that?
Me: (after laughing hysterically) No, not usually quite that random.
He: You should tweet that.
Me: Whaa?  Now we're deciding what to say based on whether or not I'll tweet it?
He: Well yeah, I'm playing to a bigger audience now.
Me: Hahahahaha
He: You should tweet that too.
Me: HAHAHAHA

How could this possibly relate to music you ask?  Well, I'll tell you.  During this exchange, the unequalled Paula Kelley was singing in my right ear.  How did that impact the aforementioned conversation?  Well, because the song she was singing ("You Gonna Make It?", by the way) is part of the little play list that has kept me sane here lately.  That bit of sanity is what has allowed me to have even a shred of humor left in me after all that has happened the last couple (horrible) weeks.

So, just in case a shitty couple weeks befalls you in the future, let me share with you my musical Prozac:
1. Brollo (Acoustic) - Jon Palmer & the New Complainers
2. Radio - Jon Palmer & the New Complainers
3. Handbag - Betty Goo
4. Horseface - Betty Goo
5. Vanity - Betty Goo
6. Uncommon Courtesy - Betty Goo
7. Washed Up - Betty Goo
8. Over Your Head - Boy Wonder
9. X-Large - Boy Wonder
10. What About Everything? - Carbon Leaf
11. Lonesome - Dr. Dog
12. That Old Black Hole - Dr. Dog
13. Get Away - Dr. Dog
14. You Gonna Make It? - Paula Kelley
15. Slug - Paula Kelley
16. Lucie - Paula Kelley
17. The Girlfriend - Paula Kelley
18. The End of That - Plants and Animals
19. Song for Love - Plants and Animals
20. Don't Care What Time It Is - Rachel Platten
21. 53 Steps - Rachel Platten
22. You Don't Have To Go - Rachel Platten
23. All I Seem To Do - Rachel Platten
24. Don't Wanna Be Here - Rachel Platten
25. I Could Be a King - The Dunwells
26. Get Gone - White Arrows
27. Landslide - Steve Adamyk Band
28. Lost and Found - The Kill Van Kulls
29. My Time Has Just Begun - The Dead Trees
30. Pineapple Girl - Mister Heavenly
31. Sing In My Meadow - Cowboy Junkies
32. I Want to Forget - Psychic Twin
33. Church Clothes - Matt Nathanson
34. Lost Myself in Search of You - Matt Nathanson
35. Mercy - Matt Nathanson
36. Under Attack - Ryan Schmidt
37. White Horse - Ryan Schmidt
38. Go Where You Belong - Ryan Schmidt
39. Wasted - Micah
40. Yellow Ledbetter - Pearl Jam

"Sing Me Sweet" - Headliners Music Hall - 02/24/2012

If you know me at all, you know that it is 100% amazing that I have actually uploaded a video from last night's concert already.  I never ever record anything, so I think it's remarkably steady, but it is quite narrow because clearly I did something wrong, sorry about that.  We all have my husband to thank for this little captured memory because he reminded me at some point during the show that I had said I wanted more pictures and at least one full song recorded - probably because I whined about not having much after the Nashville show.  (Thank you, Hon!)

So here are the guys performing "Sing Me Sweet", enjoy!

Matt Nathanson - Headliners Music Hall Louisville - 02/24/2012

As I may have mentioned a time or two, we went to see Matt Nathanson at Headliners Music Hall in Louisville, KY last night.  I have seen him twice before (at the KY State Fair and at Cannery Ballroom in Nashville, TN) so I was pretty sure it would be a good show and for the most part, I was not disappointed.  Honestly the only thing that let me down about this show was lack of connection between them and the majority of the audience.  Personally, I was right up front (literally touching the stage) so I was pretty caught up in what was going on up there, but I was still kind of irritated by the way the crowd seemed so flat.  Unfortunately one excited person doesn't a good audience make and I guess I just don't contain enough infectious enthusiasm to excite 599 other people.  I'm not a fan of it when people think their only responsibility is to buy a ticket and show up.  I don't appreciate being stuck in a room full of people that don't seem to grasp the give-and-take of energy that should be happening during a live show.  And I honestly felt bad for Matt, Aaron, Shiben, Konrad and James because they were up there doing their thing and the audience just wasn't reciprocating like they should have. Given some recent conflict with a fan (who was a complete idiot in my not-humble-at-all opinion), I can see where maybe Matt would have been a bit...off...and I hate that anything like that might have happened to keep the stars and moon from aligning just right Friday night.

Anyway, Rachel Platten opened for them and I don't know if you're familiar with her, but you really should be.  Not only is she just about the cutest thing I've ever seen, but she has a great voice and absolutely plays the shit out of that piano!  I thought she had a really good set, it was fun and full of energy.  She did "Don't Care What Time It Is" and "You Don't Have to Go" which are a couple of my favorite songs off her record Be Here, so of course I was happy.  In a way, I wanted to hear her to "Remark" live, but (even though I love it) that song makes me feel so sad that I'm kind of glad she didn't.  I was disappointed to see that I appeared to be about the only person singing along.  I mean, what's wrong with people?  If you know who's opening, don't you think you owe it to them to at least check out their music before the show?? I just happened to really like her, so now I know all the words, but they could have at least learned a chorus here and there.  Anyway, regardless of the crowd, I thought she killed it and it is so fun to watch somebody perform who is still so excited when people clap and are supportive of them. ***Edit*** Somehow I forgot to mention that Rachel's rendition of "Gin and Juice" is pretty much my favorite thing I've ever heard.  That alone was totally worth the price of admission! It was a perfect blend of hilarious and awesome.  Loved. It.

Rachel Platten & Crew Getting Down

In between sets we got to watch Aaron Tap tune guitars and set stuff up, which prompted my husband (who has a degree in IT) to say, "I didn't realize you had to have a degree in IT to play guitar!"  I had never been that close to the stage and all the gadgetry really is remarkable.  I have no idea what any of that very complicated looking stuff does, except that it makes magic.  He was literally right in front of us, but I controlled my urge to yell "You're awesome!!" because he was working and I didn't want to be that weird girl (or, you know, I didn't necessarily want everybody to know that I'm that weird girl).  My ability to not flip out was tested again when Aaron noticed my Ryan Schmidt shirt right away when they all came out on stage to perform.  The mature adult in me said, "Hey, that was pretty cool" while the fangirl that lives in my heart totally shit her pants. 

Aaron Tap - Tuning
 

They opened the show with "Kiss Quick" off Modern Love which is an incredible song both live and on the record - especially on vinyl for whatever reason.  Problem was, the sound was a little jacked for that one and I just wasn't ready for it.  I got used to them opening with "Mercy" and I'm not saying the set list should be the same for every show by any means, but to lead with "Kiss Quick" just threw me a little.  Maybe the whole audience didn't know what to do with that, maybe that was part of their problem.  I don't know.  Still an amazing song though and I'm glad I got to see it (feel it) live again. 

I thought the whole show was great because I think these guys are awesome and I find just being there and watching them do their thing to be a pretty sweet experience but it wasn't the mind blowing magical experience I had when I saw them in Nashville.  Nevertheless, a couple highlights for me were "Bottom of the Sea" because I just dig it and every time I get to hear it I'm happy about it.  I attempted to record it, but because I'm a little dumb sometimes and not used to recording/taking pictures of stuff, I didn't actually record it, so you know...oops.  I did get "Sing Me Sweet" taped though so I'll post that here at some point.  It's a pretty good video too if I do say so myself.  I also really got into "Wedding Dress" and "Gone" - two I had never seen him do live before.  They were cool because they're heavy and I love those live songs where you can just close your eyes and let them carry you.  Good stuff.

Konrad, Matt and Shiben (well, his hair and his bass) - Rockin'
 

Overall, the performance was everything I had expected, but there just wasn't any energy bouncing back and forth between the stage and the audience at all.  The guys even had some awesome rock show moments when they were playing the hell out of those guitars - Matt was getting feedback off the amps, Aaron was against the wall just going to town and still, people just stared at them and didn't get into it.  I mean seriously, what the fuck? Having seen these guys before, I am inclined to blame the audience almost entirely, but after discussing it with someone who is blessed with more perspective than I have, I'm not 100% certain that's the case anymore.  I'm sure musicians have off nights, everybody has off times, but I still think a great audience can help them through that - this audience just sucked the good vibes out of the room, if you ask me.  Bummer.  I saw via twitter that their show in Champaign, IL tonight was incredible and I'm glad - I hope they had a great audience.

However, most exciting (and the part that made my night), I got to meet Aaron Tap briefly after the show and he signed a couple things.  He was very friendly and I really appreciated him taking a minute to chat while he was packing up his stuff and after they had just played and he had to be tired.  I think I mostly managed to act like a normal human being even though I was totally freaking out - but I probably acted like a spaz. That's cool, it happens.  I still have an unsigned copy of Modern Love on vinyl.  At some point I'll track down Matt and get that bad boy signed too.  They're playing just a couple hours from here tomorrow night, but with it being tax season and all, it just didn't work out for me to go to that one.  Hopefully this summer I'll get another chance!

Aaron Tap - Singin' and Strummin'

Here's what I can remember of the setlist (totally out of order I'm sure, except I know they opened with "Kiss Quick" and I know that the encore is right):
Kiss Quick
Modern Love
Queen of (K)nots
Bare
Sing Me Sweet
Little Red Corvette
Blister in the Sun
Laid
Bottom of the Sea
Room @ the End of the World
Run
Wedding Dress
Detroit Waves
Car Crash
Gone
Encore:
Drop to Hold You
Faster
Come On Get Higher

Friday Cannot Get Here Soon Enough!!

In case you haven't noticed, we're going to see Matt Nathanson at Headliners Music Hall in Louisville this Friday night.  To say that I'm excited would be a gross understatement.  The excitement is, like quadrupled because Aaron Tap will also be there (obviously) and I'm also really looking forward to seeing Rachel Platten who is opening the evening.

I will definitely report back this weekend with a play by play of the show (which is going to rule).  In the meantime, I will be the twitchy excited girl working mad overtime so I can take off work early on Friday!

Smile!!

On the way home from work this afternoon I couldn't decide what to listen to, so I put my iPod on shuffle.  After System of a Down ("Chop Suey") and Train ("If It's Love") had their way with me Counting Crows took a shot with "Long December".  Naturally, I burst into tears.  It's just one of those songs.  That got me to thinking about the songs that have that effect on me and why.  Some of the reasons I can pinpoint, some of them are more vague, none of them are anything I want to talk about.

So, I decided to share with you some music that makes me smile.  Every. Single. Time.  There are just some songs, some voices, some combinations of song and voice that just make my heart a little lighter when they pop out of my speakers.  These songs aren't necessarily associated with some great event in my life, some of them don't even make any sense, but all of them work for me.

"Mercy" - Matt Nathanson - Modern Love
I love the shit out of this song.  Then again, I love this entire record (hell, I love every single thing I've ever heard him sing), but that isn't enough for this list.  I love "Kiss Quick" more than this one, but that one doesn't make me break out in a full face silly-ass grin every time it comes on.  I'm not 100% certain why it does that to me, but I think maybe it's because it's the first song I ever heard him play live (and he opened with it again in Nashville) so it transports me back there a little bit every time.  Here, see if it makes you smile too (I'm sure it will):

"Waste" - Aaron Tap - Bronchitis

I found this song via Aaron Tap's blog.  I fucking love this song so much I can't even tell you, but my favorite part is the guitar playing.  Holy shit.  I would love more than anything to watch him play this one live.  I just want to watch the guitar magic happen (it fascinates me if you haven't noticed...probably because I don't know how to do it).  Plus the lyrics are so clever and unique, I mean, he uses the words "cupidity" and "hasten" in a song...it is not possible not to love that.  Anyway, even if you never take any of my suggestions and if you think I'm totally full of shit, please just click this link and listen to this song - you will not regret it.  Then, if you're ever at a Matt Nathanson concert with me (like, in Louisville in February for instance) yell this song out until you're blue in the face and maybe we'll get Aaron to play it!

"In Light of Your Less Complicated Life" - The Paula Kelley Orchestra - Airports EP
Honestly, just hearing her voice makes me smile, but I love this song in particular.  I think because I understand that I got extremely lucky in finding my husband with his ability to really, really know me and still love me and this song just makes me appreciate it all that much more.  Besides her voice, this song has horns and piano and a brilliant arrangement.  Just awesome.  Here, you can listen to it on Soundcloud.

"Fuck You" - Cee Lo Green
Honestly, I think this one speaks for itself.  How could the opportunity to sing "fuck you" repeatedly for three and half minutes not make you smile??

"Steal My Sunshine" - Len
The summer that this song came out, I hated it.  Hated it I tell you!  I tried to avoid it which was completely impossible because every radio station and music channel on earth played the shit out of it.  About a year after it came out, I finally gave it.  It was firmly embedded in my brain, I finally learned the words, and now I love it.  Sure, it's super tacky and probably not a very good song, but that doesn't stop me from busting out a big old smile and cranking it up when it comes on.

"Blister in the Sun" - Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
If the opening to this song doesn't make you perk up, crack a smile and prepare to clap out the drum beats - you are dead inside.

"Get Gone" - White Arrows - Get Gone
This is one I found through my "New Music Mondays" adventures.  I'm not sure exactly what it is about this song.  It's not the normal kind of sound that I'm drawn to.  It's too techno sounding or something, but love is blind (and deaf, apparently) and I love this song.  The vocal is unique, the lyrics are catchy and it makes me smile and that's enough for me.

"New Age Girl" - Deadeye Dick - New Age Girl EP
This song is made of awesome. It contains the word "septuagenarians"and the line "she don't eat meat but she sure likes the bone!" Tell the truth, it's your favorite song now, right? Check it: