Happy Birthday, White Horse!

Today, one of my favorite albums of all time turns two years old.  Ryan Schmidt's White Horse EP was released the day before my birthday and with it's intelligent lyrics, stunning vocals, finger picked guitar, and Paula Kelley string arrangements, it is definitely my favorite accidental birthday present ever.  Even though it's only been around for two years, this album (and one song in particular) has been very important to me.


When White Horse EP came out, I was in a pretty bad situation career-wise and change was looming on the horizon.  I knew that change was imminent and that always freaks me out.  I listened to this album every single day on the way to work for months.  It was just such a calm, serene place to spend my mornings, it made it possible for me to face the days.  Then on the way home, I would listen to it again to clear my mind and shake loose the day.  It was quite literally this and two Betty Goo albums that got me through those last few miserable months at that job. 

Several months after White Horse EP came out, the aforementioned change came into my life and I had to make some decisions.  When I decided to do what I felt was going to make me happiest in my everyday life and not necessarily what was the most popular decision or the one everybody around me understood, I needed support.  I found that support in a little song called "Go Where You Belong".  This is far and away my favorite song on White Horse EP and probably my favorite Ryan Schmidt song, period.  When I started my new job, I made it a point to listen to "Go Where You Belong" last thing every morning before I got out of the car.  It's kind of my own 'lucky song'.  Whenever I need a little boost, a little encouragement, I listen to this song, sometimes several times in a row.  As a matter of fact, I fully intend to have a bit of the lyrics tattooed on me next time I get inked.

So, Happy Birthday, White Horse!!  And Congratulations, Ryan, on the 2 year anniversary of having made the world a more beautiful sounding place. 

For everyone else, here's a link of where you can buy White Horse EP (I tried to embed it, but for some reason that wouldn't work for me), but trust me, one little click is not too much effort.  You can also go there and listen to the entire album and many of Ryan's other releases as well, including his newest stuff, which I would highly recommend doing.

http://ryanschmidt.bandcamp.com/album/white-horse-ep

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. 

Ryan Schmidt - "November 15"

When I first wrote about White Horse I mentioned that I'd like to hear "November 15" without the guy that's harmonizing with him on the record.  Nothing against that guy, I'm sure he's perfectly delightful and talented, I just don't need him on that song.  However, I never really expected to hear it, especially not so soon.  But, because sometimes life is kind of cool like that, Ryan Schmidt recently did some new videos that he's posting on Youtube and he included an acoustic, solo(!) version of this song. 

I would have just retweeted the link to the video but after listening to it several times, that just wasn't sufficient.  I'm blown away by this version of the song.  It's perfect.  the video is black and white, like the cover art, like the music itself.  It is stripped-down to it's most essential parts and wonderful and hauntingly beautiful.  Now I just have to get this version on my iPod and I'll be a happy girl.  Here, feast your ears upon it:

Oh and holy shit, check this out!  While cruising around Youtube I found this video of the same song from 2011 but with Micah harmonizing and it totally works!!  (Well except for the chattering, ice-clinking asshats in the background - how were they not struck silent??) I mean, I'm still all about the solo version above, but I wanted to share this one with you as well:

How much do you love it??

And, you're welcome.

Songs Are Like Onions

Someone asked me recently what I meant when I said that you could "move around inside" songs.  I can't answer that question in 140 character snippets, so I'm going to try to do it here.  The first time I listen to a song, I generally hear the vocal (unless it's instrumental...obviously).  Because I'm a lyric junkie, I always want to know the lyrics first, what's being said, what the song is about, all that.  I honestly didn't even realize how much of a door to the rest of the song the lyrics are for me...or how locked that door can be...until recently. 

There is this song that I love, love, love but I could not, for the life of me, understand the chorus.  Not grasping the verse is one thing (I actually really enjoy being able to pick up new phrases in the verses and catching unexpected, clever bits of lyric), but entirely missing out on the chorus was fucking me up.  In the perfect storm of my weirdness and the songwriter's awesomeness (!!), I was finally clued in to what he's saying.  As soon as I knew the words, the next time (okay, maybe the 4th or 5th time after that) that I listened to the song, I was able to move past the vocal and listen to the music behind it.  It wasn't until I did it that I realized I had just been so hung up on trying to understand the words that I hadn't really appreciated the song itself.

That's kind of what I do.  I like to go into the song and pick out individual instruments and listen to them separately.  (Which stands to reason because I also pick apart my food and anything else pick-apart-able)  I'll listen to the guitar one time, then the drums one time, then back to the vocals, etc.  For me, it's by listening to each of these things separately that I can appreciate the wonder that's created when they all come together to form the whole song.  There are few things more enjoyable than a song with an intricate arrangement because every time I listen to it, I can hear something different.  Speaking of that, no one creates depth of sound like Paula Kelley.  Check out the arrangement on this song and how the combination of the instrumentation and the vocal is absolute perfection: 


Is that not the most wonderful thing you've heard today?  Her arrangements are perfect examples of music that is tangible, that you can go inside of and wander around in.  (And you know, obviously Ryan Schmidt is not too shabby himself)

But a song doesn't have to include that many instruments to be dimensional.  It can be just a voice and a guitar.  In fact, some of my favorite songs to hang out in are "just" a voice and a guitar.  I guess, in the end, I don't know how anyone can listen to music and really be a fan of it and not get what I mean when I say those things.  Haven't you ever just closed your eyes and drifted through the song as it drifts through your ears?  If not, I highly recommend it.  It's like a little 3 minute vacation.  Just take your favorite song and look around inside it.  Observe how the drums and guitar work together (or push up against each other), see how they support the vocal and give it a place to rest or give it the energy it needs to hold up the song, or what the bass line is doing in there.  It's just amazing how much can be going on inside a song and how easy it is to miss what's really happening if you don't pay attention. 

I'm not sure I've really explained myself very well, but I hope the next time you have a some quiet time with some good tunes that you'll investigate what you're hearing and take the time to truly appreciate what's been created.



**If you haven't seen Shrek, you might not get my title on this one but trust me, like onions - and ogres - songs have layers**

Ryan Schmidt - White Horse EP

Album: White Horse EP
Artist: Ryan Schmidt
Release: January 10, 2012

I have been listening to Ryan Schmidt's Black Sheep, Run incessantly ever since I bought it so I was super excited to find out that his next offering, White Horse EP would be coming out January 10th (the day before my birthday - what a lovely coincidence!!).  I intended to buy it at midnight when it became available but, alas, I was asleep.  So I snagged it first thing the next morning and listened to it on my way to work.  I already knew that Paula Kelley (who first recommended Ryan to me) and Aaron Tap had worked on the title track which predisposed me to love it, but I was determined not to be biased.

Happily, I was not disappointed - not at all.  "White Horse" opens with a warm layer of strings under a finger picked guitar, providing a luxurious cushion for Ryan's vocals to rest on.  I have yet to hear anything that Paula Kelley has arranged that I haven't loved and the strings on this song are no exception.  Honestly, I'd be hard pressed to name another song on which the vocals and the music blend and work together as well as "White Horse".  And of course, there are his lyrics, "my North has been shifting, continents drifted to sea, an archaic transcription with bearings far beyond reach" - who else do you know of who writes like that and then sings it just as naturally as if saying his own name?  Lucky for us, this song is revisited at the end of the record with a completely wonderful instrumental continuation of the string arrangement.

I haven't decided yet if the next song, "You Answered Me", is the most romantic take on a booty call I've ever heard or a heartfelt tale of a supportive, nurturing friendship blossoming into something more.  Maybe neither. Maybe both.  Either way, the song is delivered with a smooth, sincere vocal performance. Also, the piano on it totally kills me.  Not overdone at all, this song is subtle and poignant just as it is, anything else would have felt like too much. 

My current favorite on this record is "Go Where You Belong" - an absolute delight of finger picked guitar that feels like it's being picked on your heart strings.  The first time I listened to it I heard the guitar at the beginning, then I ignored it and focused on the singing which is particularly exceptional on this song - reminds me of Matt Nathanson in places. I actually thought there was no instrumental accompaniment.  Then I stepped inside the song, past the vocal and listened to the guitar the next time.  It's a great song to hang out in.  Now I can hear both, beautifully blended and complimentary of one another.  You can hear him breathing on this song too, and by now you must know how much I love that. "Go Where You Belong" also has my favorite line on the record: "but growing up's about, what you're willing to forget, and I am only human, and I am only human, and we are only human, don't forget."  

Finally, "November 15" explores the fear and comfort of finding "The One".  Honestly, I don't need the harmony on this song, I find it rather distracting.  However, the strummy guitar and perfectly descriptive lyrics combine to make such a great song that I can overlook that.  I mean, you have to agree that, "it scares me to say, I need you with me, and since you've been here, I'm finally free" is pretty much exactly how it feels to fall in love.  But once again, he takes a topic that is certainly not new to music and comes at it from an angle that makes it all his own.

I'm not sure how I would classify the music on White Horse EP - it is different from Black Sheep, Run, more stripped down and pure, but somehow still sounds like Ryan Schmidt.  Luckily, I don't think things need a label to be wonderful and this little collection of songs is certainly that.  Overall, they are slow and gentle, there aren't any real rockers on here, but there are flashes of genius and moments of real beauty so you need only an appreciation of artistically created and performed music to love this record.  For me, it's the kind of music I would really love to hear on vinyl. 

Happy Birthday To Me

So, today is my birthday and to celebrate, I bought myself a few things.  Here's what I got:

First was Ryan Schmidt's debut Burning Bitter Years (which I can only assume to be high school) that was released in June, 2007.  Check him out on the cover - can't you just see the young jumping off him??  I got this one because I knew I was going to buy his latest release as soon as it came out and I wanted the complete set.  I'm sure I'll give this one a thorough review one day, but right now I'm hung up on the song "Ten Days".  I'm not sure what it is about that song, but I just want to hear it over and over.

Next, obviously, was Mr. Schmidt's latest offering White Horse EP.  It came out at midnight on the 10th, but I wasn't still up then, so I got it at 6am so I could listen to it on the way to work.  He did a little live streaming show from his room the night before the release of this EP so I got to see the songs performed "live", which was cool.  If you missed that, you should be following him on twitter so you don't miss another one, because it really was awesome.  White Horse is going to be my focus on New Music Monday next week, so I'll leave it at that.

Tonight we went to our local record store where I was in search of....well, something cool.  And did I ever find it!  This album, George Michael's Faith came out in 1987 when I was 9 years old and my sister was letting me listen to it very shortly thereafter.  This record is straight up sweet nostalgia!  I love it.  Personally, I think George Michael is grossly underrated.  His vocal abilities were good enough that he was able to sing Queen songs without embarrassing himself.  His songwriting was provocative and sexy and the music behind them was straight funky - what's not to love??

Finally, I found a Concrete Blonde record for a price I could live with given I'm not familiar with any of their songs (that I know of).  I have heard so many people talk about them and how wonderful they are though, that I've had my eye out for something by them for a while.  Tonight I got Recollection which is their 'best of' collection that was released in 1996.  I'm really looking forward to hearing them.