Name: Natalie, married to Sticks, mom to Lil Sticks and Wii Lad Location: New England, United States
I'm older than I care to accept, so I refuse to act my age.
Comment policy: Any and all comments accepted, but if you spam, your comment will go "bam."
About the Music:
All mp3 files are for sampling, but if you like the artist, please go buy their work! I include links, but you can hit up your local merchants, too!
What, That's Not Enough?
Top 5 Vacation Albums (albums you have to have with you when you travel or make you think you're on vacation)
It's hard to answer this, since I just take my iPod with me these days, and leave the cds at home. It's much easier and lots more fun to create playlists for a road trip or a plane ride and just tote the mp3 player and the charger with me, and since I own one of those Transpod transmitters, I listen in with my car FM radio.
But, I do create playlists featuring:
The Who - Who's Next
Ben Folds Five - Whatever And Ever Amen
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Damn The Torpedoes
Patty Griffin has been a favorite of mine for the last decade, and I eagerly anticipate each new release. My first taste of Griffin was the rather rocking album, Flaming Red, and I instantly loved her passionate delivery when she let it all out on that cd. This woman cansing it! It wasn't until a year or so later that I heard her first album, Living With Ghosts, which was sparsely produced with only Griffin and her guitar. From what I've read, some folks who became fans of LWG were disappointed that she stepped up the instrumentation, but I think she was wise to reveal her range.
I heard an NPR interview with Shawn Colvin, who proclaimed Patty as "very awesome." I'd have to agree with that assessment wholeheartedly. Evidently, so do plenty of others, including Emmylou Harris, Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Dixie Chicks, and Bette Midler, who have recorded some of Patty's songs. She has performed on recordings by a number of artists as well, including Bruce Cockburn, Ellis Paul, Scott Miller & The Commonwealth, The Chieftains, and Eliza Gilkyson.
Patty manages to mix a generous amount of folk, a cup or two of country, a pinch of gospel, a splash of rock, and a bit of blues and jazz, and make it spectacular. Her voice is raw, soulful, and truthful, and soars above the music. (Am I gushing here?)
I saw Patty on the tour with Shawn Colvin, Dar Williams, and Mary Chapin Carpenter, and I thought she stole the show.
Another week, another Tuesday Tunes! This week, it's all about music purchases. What's the most you've ever paid for a CD? HellifIknow! It was probably back in the 80's when cds were outrageously priced in comparison to records.
What CD was it? It was probably an Alan Parsons Project cd, since I was replacing the albums. Some snarky record store clerk assured me that the Parsons catalog would not be available again on cd, so I bought them all. I'm not usually that gullible. No, really. Do you own any CDs that aren't domestic? I don't have a clue, but I don't think so.Let's just say I've not gone out of my way to purchase any foreign releases.
How do you feel about European discs and Japanese discs getting bonus tracks and special packaging when the US does not? Lucky bastards!
Are there any bands/artists you go out of your way to purchase any release for? In the past, I think I did, but now since everything is so widely available, I'd say no way!
Just a quick update, since I'm really feeling the effects of jet lag after a slightly bumpy but wicked noisy red-eye flight. (I'm not bitchin'; I'm home safe and sound!)
This is what the week was all about:
Friendship (old friends are the best!)
Food, mostly good Mexican stuff like fish tacos, margaritas, and ceviche.
Voila! Due to the magic of blogger's post scheduling feature, I can bring you a post today, while I'm away. Blogger has come a long way since I first opened an account in 2003.
These are "leftover" songs, left over from other posts, but still worthy of including for your scrutiny. Here's a chance sample an artist you may not have heard, or a song you missed!
L.P. - Wasted - I was in awe of L.P. when she was a guest vocalist with Crackera few years back and saw their free show in Boston. Her rough-edged vocals blew me away, and she really seemed to fit right in with David Lowery and gang. Here's a damn good song from her 2004 album, Suburban Sprawl & Alcohol. It's so good that the lovely Kerri convinced the rest of her band to include it in their set list, and she does a wicked good job on the vocal.
Loose Fur - Hey Chicken - I actually posted this one in 2006, but I thought I'd share it again. The vocalist may sound familiar to some of you; it's Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. Loose Fur is one of his side projects.
Mark Heard - Nod Over Coffee -Heard is far too unheard. He passed away of heart failure in 1992, but left a legacy of intimate, poetic folky songs. Nod Over Coffee is one of my favorites.I especially like the "ohh-ooo, ain't that the curse of the second hand" part in the chorus.
Graham Parker - I Discovered America- I passed this one over in the last two memes, but it fits the playlist for the 4th, and it's part of my "America" song playlist. Graham Parker is still at it and still sounding good.
Dillard & Clark - Out On The Side - This lovely song was passed over for a Psychedelic Sunday last year, but I like it so much that I just couldn't let it fall to the wayside. This is Gene Clark (The Byrds) and Doug Dillard of The Dillards, and it's a country-rock ballad done right.
Hope you find something to like in these leftovers.
Top 5 songs/and or albums that have America in the title
Some songs for your playlist as you munch on a hot dog, slosh watermelon all over your white shirt (is that just me?), or sneak an extra chip.
Steve Forbert - The American In Me Jackson Browne - For America The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - American Dream Simon & Garfunkel - America Kim Wilde - Kids In America
What are your top five?
Have a happy and safe celebration, America. You don't look a day over 231!
After browsing my previous Best Of posts, I realized that there are no female artists represented. How could this happen? I have playlists of "girl music," yet I have been remiss in featuring them in best of posts? GASP!
So, it's long overdue. Who to start with?
The choice wasn't all that hard, really, since I believe she's one of the most significant artists in contemporary music: Joni Mitchell. Certainly, Mitchell's endurance is due to her songwriting talent, as well as her performance as a recording artist. Her legacy will be her deep, genre-crossing catalog, her passion to her craft, and her sheer guts and willingness to take risks.
In 1997, Joni was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall Of Fame,and has amassed nine Grammy Awards, including one in for contributing vocals on Herbie Hancock's Grammy-winning album of her songs, River: The Joni Letters.
Here are my favorites in Joni's extensive catalog:
Traffic - Paper Sun I've featured Traffic on Psychedelic Sundayonce before, but they, along with a few other bands, deserve more than one posting. Traffic was one of the definitive English psych bands, although, allmusic.com lists them as a second-tier band in their top artist listing for the genre. I'm not going to get into an argument over that, since they really didn't innovate or have the strength of players like Pink Floyd, The 13th Floor Elevators, or The Yardbirds, who are all members of the first tier.
Paper Sun was not included in the original UK release of Mr. Fantasy, their debut album, but it had been a hit single for the band. When the time came to release Mr. Fantasy in the colonies, the album was retooled, with some deletions and additions, which did not please Dave Mason, one of the band's guitarists and songwriters. (He was eventually fired from the band during their tour in 1968.) Paper Sun did make the cut for the US release, and was the album's opener. I'll always remember Paper Sun for the trippy sitar and pretty harmonies, and for the simple chorus, "ahh, paper sun." It really is a lovely song for a Sunday afternoon. Listen at left orhere.
bravenet.com
