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. 

Fun Stuff

Some fun stuff has gone down recently.  Last week, my sister and I went back to Headliners Music Hall in Louisville (the site of the Aaron Tap meeting) and sold merch at Rachel Platten's show.  While there, we had the privilege of meeting Rachel, Craig Meyer (drums), and Madi Diaz who was opening for Rachel on her 53 Steps Tour.  Simply put, the show was amazing.  This two ladies are just so incredibly talented and have such beautiful voices.  Add to that how sweet they are when you meet them and there's no way you can't love them. 

I wrote up a little something-something about that night and it was posted on ourvinyl.com which was another cool thing that happened.  If you haven't seen it, you can read all about it here.  I took the pictures that are featured in the article myself that night.  Here are a couple more that weren't included.

Stein Stoess - Louisville native who opened the show

 Madi's merch case - truly full of tiny lights!!

 Madi Diaz - it's so hard to get a stage picture without someone's mouth open!

 Craig Meyer - drummin' it up! He was mostly blocked from my view by keyboard stuffs

Rachel and Madi right after singing Robyn's "Dancing by Myself"

Here is a little bit (literally just a minute) of Rachel and Madi singing "Dancing by Myself".  Of course now I wish I had the whole song, but it was so beautiful, so goosebump-inducing that I was way more interested in just listening to them sing it than I was recording it at the time.

As an added bonus, after Rachel's tour ended, Madi Diaz stayed on the road in support of Harper Blynn and returned to Louisville less than a week later!  They played a little bar called Zanzibar (or zBar) last night.  Because she is so freaking good and my husband hadn't seen her yet, he took me to the show last night.  As soon as her set was over he turned to me and said, "Okay, why hasn't she blown up?" to which I replied, "Because people are fucking stupid and they don't know what's good."  Seriously though, her voice is so good live that it's just ridiculous.  He is still talking about it today.

I had planned to buy an actual physical copy of her CD (can you imagine??) and have it signed, but her mom and some people she knew were at the show and when she had a free minute, she was talking to them.  Well what kind of asshat would I be if I interrupted a conversation with her mom??  Sure, maybe it's not too rude to interrupt someone to tell them that they're awesome, but I still didn't have the heart to do it.  I know she'll come back to Louisville one day and I'll tell her she's great then, it'll keep.  Anyway, we got to see a couple songs by Harper Blynn and they really are quite good, but mornings start hella early around here and I couldn't take another super late night during the week, so we had to shag out of there and get our old asses to bed.  Hopefully they'll come back thru Louisville soon too on a more hospitable night cause I'd love to see them, especially after I get a little more familiar with their music.

That's been pretty much it.  Not much else going on musically, I've been listening to Rachel and Madi a lot lately, sprinkled in amongst the usual suspects.  I'm also still waiting to someday get tired of Dr. Dog's Be the Void which I've been playing the shit out of for the last couple months.  I did craft a mind blowing play list that I've been listening to for weeks, I'll share that with you soon.

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

Wake Up!!

Someone told me that I would attract more readers here if I talked about more personal, day-to-day things.  Honestly, I don't know what could be more personal than how music affects us.  And I mean, my "Who Is She" page is pretty detailed and goodness knows I'm candid enough on twitter - what more could anyone possibly find interesting??

However, in the interest of, well, whatever this is in the interest of, let me tell you about my morning.  (Of course, it ends with a wicked good play list so just hang in there).  So I get up at 6:15am (give or take a snooze button or two) and let the dogs out.  The dogs are always taken care of before the humans in our house - that's how we roll.  Then I grumble around the house for an hour or so, mostly trying to convince myself to get it together and go to work.  After all that, the dogs, the shower, the cereal, the daily fight with my bangs (which I've been winning lately) and the decision of what to wear - I'm off.  And that's when the good stuff starts because during my commute, I get to pick the Wake Up music for the day. The stuff that'll clear the cobwebs out of my head and make me fit for human consumption by the time I get to work. 

As a side note, my husband exists in the house with me in the morning, but we don't really interact too much.  We're not one of those barfy couples that sits around having breakfast, reading the paper and making small talk in the mornings.  We sleep as long as humanly possible and there are no profound conversations going on.  Fortunately, we both agree that mornings suck major ass.

Anyway, I've determined over the last year or so that I need a longer commute.  I'm simply not done singing badly at the top of my lungs in 30 minutes!  I've only just gotten cranked up by then.  There just isn't enough time to get in a really fleshed out play list.  However, here's what I managed for this morning's wake up call:

"These Days" - Dr. Dog - Be the Void - I am loving the shit out of this record right now.  I have it on vinyl, CD and on my iPod so I can listen to it pretty much whenever and where ever - and I do.  But in the morning, I go for this song - the intro alone is like a shot of caffeine to the system. 

"When I'm Drunk" - Betty Goo - Gooicide - this one mostly made the list today because I wanted to hear the next song and it just doesn't sound right without this one playing first.

"Herve Villechaize" - Betty Goo - Gooicide - I'm still trying to spit out the second line of the chorus to this song successfully.  I'm pretty sure I'll never manage it, but trying to remember the words and fit them all in my mouth at once at least gets my mind moving.

"Lemonde" - Betty Goo - Gooicide - another song that I'm attempting to learn, which is a bit of a challenge given that I speak no french whatsoever.  So far I've gotten the word for "gasoline", so I mostly wait around for that line.

"Horseface" - Betty Goo - Gooicide - another song that has some very fast lines that I can't quite get.  Perhaps I can't get them because I'm trying at 7:30 in the freaking morning!! (By the way, I end up with so many off Gooicide because I just hate to break this album up.  I don't know what it is about it, but I just really prefer it as one big 46.7 minute song.)

"Don't Care What Time it Is" - Rachel Platten - Be Here - this song was my first favorite on this record and it is still really high on the list - especially after seeing it performed live.  Such a fun song, great to sing along with and absolutely perfect for car dancing!!

"X-Large" - Boy Wonder - Break the Spell, Etc. EP - another one that moves pretty quickly but I can actually sing this one without screwing it all up.  Well, I don't screw it up lyrically, I'm sure I'm butchering it otherwise.  And I love the arrangement on this one so much.  It's so fast and there's so much going on, I'd love to see it performed live.  And the drums are like punctuation marks - it's genius!  Clearly, I love it - I'll listen to it 2 or 3 times in a row if there's time - and there was this morning because I got behind Farmer Bill (my generic term for any slow-driving old farmer dude that I get behind on the road) and he was in no hurry to get anywhere.  As a matter-of-fact, I'm listening to it right this minute, but I can't sing along because I don't want to subject my co-workers to that.

So there you go, if that play list doesn't wake you up in the morning you should give some serious consideration to caffeine...or amphetamines.

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!

New Music Monday

Album: Be Here
Artist: Rachel Platten
Release: April 25, 2011

This Monday's new music is Rachel Platten's Be Here.  It's not THAT new as it was released last April, but it's totally new to me, so that's good enough.  Rachel is opening for Matt Nathanson on his All Night Noise tour this year so I'll be seeing her in February in Louisville, KY.  I always prefer live music that I'm familiar with, so that led me to check her out prior to the show.  You can find her here. (Edit: We saw her in Louisville and she was amazing!  She brings so much energy and enthusiasm to the stage, it was really refreshing.)

I'm not really accustomed to listening to bright, cheerful music - I'm generally just not in the mood for it.  Sometimes I think it sounds fake or forced, like they're trying to write theme songs for shows on the CW or something.  But I understand that's only because my world view is not bright and sparkling like that the majority of the time.  With all that being said, I decided to give this album and this artist a fair shake even though the music is pretty far outside the realm of what I normally listen to.  And guess what?  I really like it!  Sure, sometimes some of the songs are just too peppy and positive for me, but that's my problem, not hers.  I do appreciate the way she blends reality together with a positive message in these songs.  Kind of a "yeah, sometimes everything sucks, but you know what?  Maybe it will be OK in the end."  I like that about her songwriting.

"Don't Care What Time It Is" is far and away my favorite song on this record right now.  The first time I heard it, I skipped back and listened to it again.  I rarely ever do that, especially with dance music sounding type things like this song, but I really dig it.  I listened to it three times in a row on the way to work the other morning - what a great way to start the day!  I really hope she plays this one when we see her, I think it would be a lot of fun to see live.
My second favorite is "You Don't Have to Go" which is a candid song about a woman's perspective on a one-night stand (or what could potentially be one-night, anyway) With lines like, "Any other day, I might not be an easy lay, you can call it luck, but sometimes a girl just needs a friend" you know I'm bound to love this song.  Later on the record, she goes and gets all serious on us with "Remark" which is a beautiful song that hits pretty close to home for me.  It makes me feel, all at once, profoundly sad, regretful and hopeful.  It's one of those songs that makes you realize that, in a lot of ways, we're all in the same boat here.

Despite my natural inclination toward quieter or angrier music, I am really enjoying this record.  I'm finding that when I'm in the mood for something upbeat and fun, this is what I'm going for.  She has a pleasant, unique voice, her lyrics are interesting and the arrangements are peppy and fun to listen to.  Maybe she's going to change me and make me all bubbly and optimistic! I also think she's an excellent choice to open for Matt as there is no way the crowd won't get into the music and be ready to rock by the time she's done with them.