How's My Living? » Music Memoirs

Music Memoirs: Looking Back on 2009

Sarah — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:39:26 +0000

Today’s Music Memoirs post asks you to look back on 2009. Feel free to play along.

The albums that you love the most
While I’m still working on getting my Best of 2009 list up and running, I’ll give you a sneak peak at it now, I suppose. Fortunately for all of us, I wrote my list out at home, and I’m typing this up at work, so I don’t really remember what order I had my list in. So here are three 2009 albums that I know I’ve been loving.

Andrew Bird, Noble Beast. There are enough Bird fans out there who felt let down by this album that I almost feel like I shouldn’t love it as much as I do, like there’s some memo I missed out on getting. Sure, the record is no Armchair Apocrypha, but Armchair was no Mysterious Production of Eggs, either. I remember fans being similarly disgruntled whenever Armchair came out, saying that it didn’t live up to Eggs. Not to get into some music nerd discussion about it (ugh, this was supposed to be like, one sentence about why I love the album, not a dissertation) but I really feel like each album has its own motif, both in sound and in concept, and that it’s kind of difficult to compare the three, which are drastically different from one another. When Bird releases an album that I feel falls short of the mark, I’ll call it out, but for me, Noble Beast is not that album (in my opinion, blah blah disclaimer, you’re entitled to your own opinion and I won’t hate you for it).
Florence and the Machine, Lungs. The verdict is still out on Florence, mostly because I haven’t been wowed by her live performance (the recordings/videos that I’ve seen), and because I’m just not sure what she’ll follow up her debut album with. There are some fantastic songs on this album, though, and I’m hoping that she continues to bring it in 2010.
The Decemberists, The Hazards of Love. I have a love/hate relationship with the concept album nature of this one. I love and appreciate the fact that there are still artists out there who are creating albums that are pieces of art, that are meant to be taken in as a whole. But because it’s a concept piece and is meant to be listened to from start to finish, it makes for some abrupt changes when tracks change on the shuffle of my Not iPod.

Any new artists you discovered
2009 was an awesome year for discovering new artists (both new to music and new to me), but I’ll go with two similar-ish acts: The Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons. I’d heard a few songs by The Avett Brothers before this year, but hadn’t really delved too much into their back catalog or anything. They got a lot of buzz with the release of I and Love and You, so I decided to check them out, and I’m really enjoying what I’ve heard. Mumford & Sons, I got into because I saw them pop up on the Best Of lists of some fellow bloggers whose opinions I trust, and I was totally blown away. Their music is fantastic, gritty folk rock, and “Little Lion Man” is pretty much one of the best songs I’ve heard all year.

Best concert you attended or watched
Andrew Bird and Alpha Consumer at Schubas. It wasn’t the tightest show I’ve seen from him, but the energy and vibe and feeling of community in that packed room was intense. It was one of those shows where you know you may never have an experience like that again, and so you appreciate every last moment of it. Plus, there was the added bonus of being pressed right up against the stage. Fangirl moment, what what?

The song that best defines 2009 for you
I don’t know that I can pick one song, but I’d say my 2009 Mix would be defined by delightful yet mostly meaningless pop music. Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert, anything with a good beat that would get me dancing around. 2009 had its fair share of crappy moments, but I also had a lot of fun, and a lot of that fun was had while flailing around on disgustingly dirty dance floors. And during those crappy moments, The Mountain Goats’ “This Year” has and always will be one of those songs that gets you through. “I’m going to make it through this year if it kills me,” indeed.

Music Memoirs: Concerts

Sarah — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:07:24 +0000

Today’s questions from Music Memoirs are all about concerts.

What’s the best concert you’ve attended?

I’m going to cheat and name two.

1.Over the Rhine in Kent, OH; April 2005: I traveled a ridiculous distance by car to go see them, was sleep deprived after spending one night driving straight through from Pennsylvania to Michigan and spending the next night sleeping on a floor or a couch or something, followed by more long and tedious driving (in a snowstorm, no less) from Michigan to Ohio. I was more than a little delirious by the time of the concert. This was my first ever Over the Rhine concert, and I was in the company of great friends who loved the group as much as I did. Being an almost-hometown show for the group, there was a very special vibe in the theatre that night. I couldn’t tell you much about the set list now, only that I sat spellbound in a creaky old Ohio theatre listening to new and old songs from one of my favorite bands.

2. Andrew Bird at Millennium Park, Chicago; September 3, 2008: I could name any Andrew Bird show that I’ve seen so far, as they’ve all been “the best” for their own reasons, but this one wins simply because it introduced me to the sheer genius that is an Andrew Bird live show. I’d been a fan for a while, since around the time The Mysterious Production of Eggs was released, but had never had the opportunity to see him perform live before. I’d always managed to miss his shows in Chicago for some reason, but this was a free show downtown, and I wasn’t going to pass it up. From the second that man stepped out on stage and began performing, I knew I was going to see something amazing. I don’t know how anyone could have walked away from that show without being completely blown away.

What’s your dream concert lineup?

There is no good answer to this question. But let’s see… I would probably organize a Dream Festival Lineup if I sat down and really thought about it. One day would be performances from the whole Wainwright clan there, plus their friends and associated acts. Like one of their Christmas concerts, only better and longer. One day would be Classic Rock Music That I Love, Even If Those Artists Aren’t Alive Anymore. And one day would be be so hip and indie that it would make Pitchfork cry. The end.

Smallest/largest concert you’ve attended:

For smallest, I’m going to exclude things like cover bands in bars in my college town, and instead go with the category of “Anything I’ve Ever Seen at Schubas”. I think the Teddy Thompson show I went to was potentially the smallest show I saw there, as I distinctly remember being able to breathe and maybe even back up a few paces from where I was standing. But for the most part, I think all the crowds have been more or less equal there. Even the uber-sold-out Andrew Bird show didn’t make me feel as crushed and claustrophobic as I have at other larger venues (yes, I’m talking to you, House of Blues and your incredibly drunk, rude patrons).

As for largest, if you exclude Lollapalooza, it would probably be the Vote for Change tour (My Morning Jacket, Jurassic 5, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, and Dave Matthews Band) from October 1, 2004. It was held at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, PA, which has a capacity of 16,000+ for concerts. Anything I saw at Starlake Amphitheater (now known as the Post-Gazette Pavilion) may beat that: it apparently now has a capacity of 23,000+, although I don’t know if it had the same capacity back in the 90s.

One artist you’d like to see in concert:

Hm. I’ve been fortunate to see most of my favorite artists perform. (Of the top 10 from my stats on last.fm, I’ve seen 7 of them.) I’d kind of like to see someone huge and iconic from the classic rock era — Elton John or the Eagles come to mind — but only if I could be sure to have a seat where I could actually see things instead of just looking at the giant screens, and also if that awesome seat didn’t cost ridiculous amounts of money. Of recent artists that I’ve been enjoying, I’d like to see Florence and the Machine, and Thao with the Get Down Stay Downs (who are coming to town but on a night when I’ve already got other plans). I’d also like to see Jason Webley, who doesn’t get out to the Midwest often. I can never just pick one of everything. :(

Music Memoirs: Underappreciated Artists

Sarah — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 02:01:59 +0000

Top 5 under-appreciated artists/bands and why you think they are under-appreciated.

For some reason, I can only come up with three off the top of my head, but they sure are three under-appreciated artists!

Over the Rhine: A husband/wife duo from Cincinnati, OtR is one of the few musical acts who can bring me to tears over just how gorgeous their music is. In college, I went on a road trip from central Pennsylvania to Kent, Ohio, just to see them perform. (Well, there was a side trip to a conference in Michigan, but the OtR concert was the real highlight for me.) I’ve seen them perform four times now (putting them in a tie for second place, behind Andrew Bird at five – soon to be seven, thank you Milwaukee – and tied with Rufus Wainwright, also at four) and their show never gets old. Despite being in the music business for 20+ years, Karin and Linford still manage to stay almost completely under the radar of the mainstream, for no good reason whatsoever. Their music is heartfelt and honest, and I don’t think that they release a single song or album without making sure it’s something that needs to be heard. Some of the most consistently strong releases I’ve ever heard.
Brad Yoder: A singer/songwriter from Pittsburgh. He’s been releasing music since 1992, but I’m pretty sure he’s completely unknown outside of the Pittsburgh-area coffee-house-type music scene. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Brad and seeing him perform a few times (we recruited him to play at a few coffee house/open mic events at my undergraduate institution) and he’s just the most lovely person. His music is in the folk/acoustic sort of tradition, though with a bit of sarcasm and humor and unexpected lyrics in there. (One of my favorites: “she loves Jesus more than me / the Lord gets an A+, and I get a B / it’s hard to compete, ‘cause he’s in the Trinity” from “She Loves Jesus More Than Me”.) He has a ton of MP3s available for free on his site that you should check out, and if you’re in the western Pennsylvania area, you should absolutely go and see him sometime.
Teddy Thompson: Folk/rock singer from New York, by way of California and England. Son of Richard and Linda Thompson, renowned folk artists in the 60s/70s, Teddy receives relatively little attention, although “In My Arms,” the single from his latest album, did receive some ratio rotation and had a great music video, if there’s anywhere that plays music videos anymore. At the heart of his music is a great, traditional folk sound, but he’s not afraid to experiment with country (Up Front and Down Low, a release of all covers of classic country tunes) or pop (A Piece of What You Need). I think he’s underappreciated simply because of lack of attention from his label. Over the Rhine and Brad Yoder are both independent artists who can promote themselves as much or as little as they see fit. Teddy Thompson is on a major label that seems fit to kind of let him languish out there on his own.

Play along with weekly questions at The Music Memoirs. Check out some Youtube videos of these under-appreciated groups behind the jump.

Over the Rhine – New Redemption Song (video by me!)

Brad Yoder – WWJD

Teddy Thompson – So Easy (video by me!)

Music Memoirs

Sarah — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:36:14 +0000

A friend of mine runs a blog filled with delightful music memes, and I’ve decided to weigh in on this week’s topic.

Top 5 facts about one of your favorite artists.

While he hasn’t made an appearance on the blog yet, one of my all-time favorite artists is Rufus Wainwright, who has all sorts of ridiculous-yet-intriguing facts floating out there about him. I sort of feel like Rufus is at times so absurd and bigger-than-life that he needs a set of Chuck Norris-esque facts about him. I don’t know what these facts would be, because I’m not that witty, but if you come up with something, by all means, let me know. It would be lolarious.

The day before he was born (or thereabouts), his mother Kate purchased a ham… that happened to weigh the same as Rufus did upon birth. (Later recounting the story, Rufus says that before his sister Martha’s birth, Kate saw a spectactular vision of a rainbow. He, meanwhile, ended up associated with ham.)
The ridiculously large, diamond encrusted ring Rufus typically wears was given to him by his BFF Elton John (who was the one to push Rufus into entering rehab at the height of his drug addiction).
One of his good friends during childhood was Hole/Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf Der Mar. She appeared in an early music video for Rufus (April Fools, which also has an appearance by Gwen Stefani) and, memorably, a rather provocative (and pretty obviously drug-fuelled) photoshoot with Rufus for Nerve magazine.
Rufus has said that if he wasn’t a musician, he probably would have been an artist (and did, in fact, take a lot of art classes during his failed attempts at college). I’m not quite convinced that this would have been a good path.
Apparently, Rufus’ ultimate coming out to his mother involved having an awesome day together running around in Paris (I think), where Kate said some sort of typically mom-ly thing about how much she loved him, prompting Rufus to reply with something along the lines of, “But mother, you could never love me because you said you would never love me if I was gay.” (The full quote/story is in a Vanity Fair article from a few years ago; go read it, because the article is just amazing.) Leave it to Rufus to be that dramatic, yeah?