i have woefully neglected this blog, mostly because i have been feeding my addiction to facebook lately. and because i haven't really had much to write about. but now i do, because two things that i am excited about are coming out this month: the twilight dvd and, most of all, the reissue of pearl jam's first album, ten.
at first, i wasn't too excited about the reissue. i thought it was just a scheme to make money (and i'm sure that's part of it), but then i thought about it and realized that the songs that meant so much to me once upon a time are going to be remixed by brenden o brien, who produced three of my favorite pearl jam albums. plus, new artwork, bonus tracks, and other stuff (if - ahem - you pay 140 dollars for the "deluxe edition").
on top of all that, there's this little bit that jeff says in an interview:
ed and I dug through boxes and boxes of memorabilia and journals that we kept during the tours and the making of that first record and we created a journal with a lot of those artifacts and it was super fun. i think it was the first time that either one of us had dug through that stuff for 17 years and it filled in some memory loss that we had from that time. i think it has turned into a really cool package, a real fans package.
:) and megan smiles.
what i can't believe is that it's been 17 years - more or less - since ten came out. 17 years - almost - since i first saw them play jeremy on the 1992 mtv video music awards. this band has been such a huge part of my life. so maybe you can understand when i say that this video kind of makes me teary (and if admitting that makes me seem weird, then so be it):
what does pearl jam mean to me? happiness, freedom, excitement, friendship, comfort, home, release.
now they need to celebrate the reissue of their first album with a show in seattle! i can dream...
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
walking into sweet oblivion..
i'm not sure how i've survived without greg dulli in my life. good thing he has so much music that it will probably take me quite awhile to digest it all. i bought black love, an afghan whigs album from 1996, at easy street records yesterday, and i'm already pretty postitive that it won't leave my cd player anytime in the foreseeable future (except perhaps for other afghan whigs/twilight singers/etc.. albums i may acquire).
i listened to black love all yesterday afternoon, i listened to it on the bus to work, i listened to it during lunch, i listened to it on the bus home, and i'm listening to it right now. that voice - my god, that voice. that is almost always the first thing i notice about a band. my cd case is full of bands with singers whose voices are like home to me - eddie vedder, micheal stipe, glen hansard, etc... and now i will add greg dulli to that list. because i can tell already that that's what it will be.
even though black love came out in the middle of the 90s, it does not seem dated to me. in fact, i'm not even sure how to describe what it does sound like - and that's probably why i like it so much. i can definately imagine my angst-filled 16 year old self listening to it alone in her bedroom. but this is also the kind of music that gets under my skin now , and i think there's something to be said about that. i also think there's something to be said for the lyrics greg dulli writes. i'm sure i'll have more to say about that after i listen to the album another 20 times, but for now i'll just say that i've had these lyrics running through my head all day:
go to town, burn it down, turn around
and get your stroll on baby
i'll get the car
you get the match and gasoline
the twilight singers - bonnie brae (i am so in love with this song)
i listened to black love all yesterday afternoon, i listened to it on the bus to work, i listened to it during lunch, i listened to it on the bus home, and i'm listening to it right now. that voice - my god, that voice. that is almost always the first thing i notice about a band. my cd case is full of bands with singers whose voices are like home to me - eddie vedder, micheal stipe, glen hansard, etc... and now i will add greg dulli to that list. because i can tell already that that's what it will be.
even though black love came out in the middle of the 90s, it does not seem dated to me. in fact, i'm not even sure how to describe what it does sound like - and that's probably why i like it so much. i can definately imagine my angst-filled 16 year old self listening to it alone in her bedroom. but this is also the kind of music that gets under my skin now , and i think there's something to be said about that. i also think there's something to be said for the lyrics greg dulli writes. i'm sure i'll have more to say about that after i listen to the album another 20 times, but for now i'll just say that i've had these lyrics running through my head all day:
go to town, burn it down, turn around
and get your stroll on baby
i'll get the car
you get the match and gasoline
the twilight singers - bonnie brae (i am so in love with this song)
Monday, February 16, 2009
mark lanegan and greg dulli
i haven't written anything lately, because i haven't really had anything to write about.. my life pretty much consists of work, coming home and having dinner and falling asleep on the couch. but last night, i went to see mark lanegan and greg dulli at the showbox and, pardon the cliche, but i was absolutely floored. it was billed as the "stripped down in the gutter tour" and it definately was - it was mark and greg, plus another guitarist and a cellist. greg alternated between the acoustic guitar and keyboards. and mark didn't alternate between anything - his gorgeous voice was the only instrument he needed.
i go to a fair amount of concerts and i really like most of them, but every once in a while you see a group that makes you remember what you love about music. seeing mark and greg - the stripped-down gutter twins, or whatever you want to call them - was a show that will stand out in my memory for a long time. it's one where you wake up the next morning and are genuinely sad that it is over. there's a lot to be said for feeling like you are in the presence of talented, seasoned, heartfelt musicians who are taking you along with them for the ride.
one of the highlights for me (there were a lot.. they played from 10:45 to about 12:30) was sworn and broken, a screaming trees song that i used to spend hours listening to over and over again. another one was during the encore when they played all i have to do is dream by the everly brothers. THAT got a lot of smiles from the stage, and i don't think there are many things better than seeing mark lanegan and greg dulli smile.. seriously, it lights up the entire place.
at one point, greg said that this was the 106th time they have been on stage together (which got a big smile from both he and mark) and the last time they would play together for a while (which earned a collective groan from the audience). but that's okay, because they have opened a wealth of music to me that will take quite a while to digest. i have an overwhelming urge to go to easy street records and dive into the afghan whigs and the lanegan solo albums that i don't have.
the stations
all misery/flowers
shawn smith opened the show, and he has an incredible voice in his own right. he played a couple of brad songs, including buttercup - which made my heart do flip flops. what a beautiful song:
i go to a fair amount of concerts and i really like most of them, but every once in a while you see a group that makes you remember what you love about music. seeing mark and greg - the stripped-down gutter twins, or whatever you want to call them - was a show that will stand out in my memory for a long time. it's one where you wake up the next morning and are genuinely sad that it is over. there's a lot to be said for feeling like you are in the presence of talented, seasoned, heartfelt musicians who are taking you along with them for the ride.
one of the highlights for me (there were a lot.. they played from 10:45 to about 12:30) was sworn and broken, a screaming trees song that i used to spend hours listening to over and over again. another one was during the encore when they played all i have to do is dream by the everly brothers. THAT got a lot of smiles from the stage, and i don't think there are many things better than seeing mark lanegan and greg dulli smile.. seriously, it lights up the entire place.
at one point, greg said that this was the 106th time they have been on stage together (which got a big smile from both he and mark) and the last time they would play together for a while (which earned a collective groan from the audience). but that's okay, because they have opened a wealth of music to me that will take quite a while to digest. i have an overwhelming urge to go to easy street records and dive into the afghan whigs and the lanegan solo albums that i don't have.
the stations
all misery/flowers
shawn smith opened the show, and he has an incredible voice in his own right. he played a couple of brad songs, including buttercup - which made my heart do flip flops. what a beautiful song:
Sunday, January 25, 2009
a few things i am liking right now
1. i'm reading a book called this is your brain on music . i saw someone on the bus with it, and thought it looked interesting, so i checked it out of the library. i like it a lot - even though i'm not smart enough to completely understand it. the author is a neuroscientist, who tries to understand and explain what it is about music that affects many people on such a fundamental and emotional level. i can't always follow all the scientific and musical jargon (man, when you think about all that is involved in making the brain work, it is absolutely amazing), but the whole book is basically an argument that music is an integral part of human nature. in fact, the chapter i found most interesting is the one i'm on right now when he talks about the evolution of music. he writes, "music may be the activity that prepared our pre-human ancestors for speech communication and for the cognitive, representational flexibility necessary to become humans." wow. does anyone else think that's pretty incredible?
plus, the author reminds me of the lead character in high fidelity. he strikes me as the kind of guy who would make lists of music to correspond with certain periods of his life.
2. ocean by john butler.
i probably watched this video 4 times in a row. i am completely fascinated by his guitar playing. from the 6:00 point to the end - especially when the audience starts clapping along- is just GORGEOUS. the john butler trio is from australia; i first saw them live at bumbershoot five years ago, fell in love with them, and bought their live CD. i have seen them a few times since then, and cannot wait until the next time they come to seattle.
plus, the author reminds me of the lead character in high fidelity. he strikes me as the kind of guy who would make lists of music to correspond with certain periods of his life.
2. ocean by john butler.
i probably watched this video 4 times in a row. i am completely fascinated by his guitar playing. from the 6:00 point to the end - especially when the audience starts clapping along- is just GORGEOUS. the john butler trio is from australia; i first saw them live at bumbershoot five years ago, fell in love with them, and bought their live CD. i have seen them a few times since then, and cannot wait until the next time they come to seattle.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
this is supposed to be the new world
well, darn it. the father of a boy in my class (who knows i like pearl jam. one day i was wearing my eddie vedder tour t-shirt and he asked me about it and then we got into a big conversation about how we both love PJ and it turns out that he plays basketball with jeff ament. anyway) asked me this morning if i had seen eddie vedder at the tractor tavern on inauguration night. sadly, no, but a google search turned this up on rollingstone.com
The country’s best inauguration party Tuesday night turned out to be in the other Washington: At Seattle’s tiny Tractor Tavern club, the Knitters (the rootsy side band led by X’s John Doe and Exene Cervenka) played a Americana-soaked barnstormer of a show — complete with a guest appearance by Eddie Vedder. Doe invited Vedder onstage to duet with Cervenka on a gleefully frenzied version of X’s 1983 tune “The New World,” with its sardonic lyrics about another election: “It was better before they voted for what’s his name.”
Vedder, who had managed to blend in to the crowd (which also included his Pearl Jam bandmates Jeff Ament and Mike McCready) with his hair tucked into a big black knit cap, was in a mood to celebrate: He pounded out the beat on Doe’s back with his fists, slow-danced with Cervenka, and played air guitar while the Knitters’ Dave Alvin (formerly of the Blasters) finished the song with a lengthy solo that incorporated both Chuck Berry licks and what sounded like part of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” “Thank you, man in the black hat,” Doe said.
oh to see ed play air guitar. haha.
The country’s best inauguration party Tuesday night turned out to be in the other Washington: At Seattle’s tiny Tractor Tavern club, the Knitters (the rootsy side band led by X’s John Doe and Exene Cervenka) played a Americana-soaked barnstormer of a show — complete with a guest appearance by Eddie Vedder. Doe invited Vedder onstage to duet with Cervenka on a gleefully frenzied version of X’s 1983 tune “The New World,” with its sardonic lyrics about another election: “It was better before they voted for what’s his name.”
Vedder, who had managed to blend in to the crowd (which also included his Pearl Jam bandmates Jeff Ament and Mike McCready) with his hair tucked into a big black knit cap, was in a mood to celebrate: He pounded out the beat on Doe’s back with his fists, slow-danced with Cervenka, and played air guitar while the Knitters’ Dave Alvin (formerly of the Blasters) finished the song with a lengthy solo that incorporated both Chuck Berry licks and what sounded like part of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” “Thank you, man in the black hat,” Doe said.
oh to see ed play air guitar. haha.
Monday, January 19, 2009
the waiting drove me mad
yesterday afternoon, i decided to clean my apartment (which, as the state of my kitchen floor can attest to, i do not do nearly enough. sorry, mom) and i thought that while i was doing it i would listen to a CD i haven't heard in awhile. so i stuck my hand into my dark hole of messiness and came out with the molo sessions, the album that eddie vedder recorded a few years ago with a south african choir. i had completely forgotten how much i like that album - and how hard i heart the versions of love boat captain (normally one of my least favorite songs on my least favorite PJ album) and betterman.
so, anyway, the point is that the little act of listening to that CD got me excited about pearl jam again. maybe they'll tour the west coast this summer? ooh.. but maybe they'll play in europe! and maybe i can somehow manage to go to ireland! and maybe the frames will be playing at the same time! and maybe glen and ed will sing together! and... tonight, i took a look around pearl jam's website, which i haven't done in a long time (i made the mistake of logging in to my tenclub account and adding up the purchases i've made since 03. i stopped when it was over 1200 dollars. and that's only since 2003. there's a whole other 11 years of purchasing power to add in to that. and oh yeah it's also not counting plane tickets and hotel rooms. ok, i'm depressing myself), and i noticed that they have a new video section up. one of my favorites is shadow:
on the pearl jam message board i read, there's a thread about favorite moments at pearl jam concerts. since i don't like posting there, i'll do it here because that got me to thinking..
1. the line for tenclub tickets. then getting the envelope with my name on it and wondering where my seats will be...
2. ed doing a set before the opening band. sadly, i have only seen that once but it still qualifies as a favorite moment.
3. the moment when the houselights go off and PJ comes on stage. what will the opening song be? will it be release or corduroy or something else? PJ's opening song can set the mood for the whole show like no other band i have ever seen.
4. going to the bathroom during evenflow. i used to never ever leave during a concert but once i had seen this song 15 times, i decided to break my rule. and it's actually kind of fun - at least in boston last june, there were probably about 50 other people who sprinted out of the front sections during this song. so i'm not the only one. plus, i when i left and came back, matt was still doing his drum solo.
5. i've said it before, but i'll say it again, there is something amazing about looking around a big ampitheatre (or, ahem, a small club) and seeing pretty much everyone doing the same thing at the same time: clapping during corduroy or hail hail, counting down at the beginning of animal, singing hallelujah during do the evolution, singing the first verse of betterman.
6. will there be a save it for later tag on betterman? what will the daughter tag be?
7. baba o riley. or rockin in the free world. either is good. but now i have to stop myself from listing every other song that i love.
8. the signs (mostly). even when i don't get them ("play leash." for the love of god, why that song??) i used to have a tape of the madison square garden concert on 9.11.98, and every time i heard breath, the cheer of the crowd made me feel like i was there. (if you don't know the story of that, basically it was a song that the band hadn't played in a long time but some fans organized to bring signs for it to multiple concerts and then PJ finally played it on that night. i listened to the bootleg so much that i remember that after the first verse ed said something like, "is that okay?" i always loved that)
i'm sure i'll think of more things to add to this list. man, i love pearl jam. i rarely get this excited about anything. tour already!
so, anyway, the point is that the little act of listening to that CD got me excited about pearl jam again. maybe they'll tour the west coast this summer? ooh.. but maybe they'll play in europe! and maybe i can somehow manage to go to ireland! and maybe the frames will be playing at the same time! and maybe glen and ed will sing together! and... tonight, i took a look around pearl jam's website, which i haven't done in a long time (i made the mistake of logging in to my tenclub account and adding up the purchases i've made since 03. i stopped when it was over 1200 dollars. and that's only since 2003. there's a whole other 11 years of purchasing power to add in to that. and oh yeah it's also not counting plane tickets and hotel rooms. ok, i'm depressing myself), and i noticed that they have a new video section up. one of my favorites is shadow:
on the pearl jam message board i read, there's a thread about favorite moments at pearl jam concerts. since i don't like posting there, i'll do it here because that got me to thinking..
1. the line for tenclub tickets. then getting the envelope with my name on it and wondering where my seats will be...
2. ed doing a set before the opening band. sadly, i have only seen that once but it still qualifies as a favorite moment.
3. the moment when the houselights go off and PJ comes on stage. what will the opening song be? will it be release or corduroy or something else? PJ's opening song can set the mood for the whole show like no other band i have ever seen.
4. going to the bathroom during evenflow. i used to never ever leave during a concert but once i had seen this song 15 times, i decided to break my rule. and it's actually kind of fun - at least in boston last june, there were probably about 50 other people who sprinted out of the front sections during this song. so i'm not the only one. plus, i when i left and came back, matt was still doing his drum solo.
5. i've said it before, but i'll say it again, there is something amazing about looking around a big ampitheatre (or, ahem, a small club) and seeing pretty much everyone doing the same thing at the same time: clapping during corduroy or hail hail, counting down at the beginning of animal, singing hallelujah during do the evolution, singing the first verse of betterman.
6. will there be a save it for later tag on betterman? what will the daughter tag be?
7. baba o riley. or rockin in the free world. either is good. but now i have to stop myself from listing every other song that i love.
8. the signs (mostly). even when i don't get them ("play leash." for the love of god, why that song??) i used to have a tape of the madison square garden concert on 9.11.98, and every time i heard breath, the cheer of the crowd made me feel like i was there. (if you don't know the story of that, basically it was a song that the band hadn't played in a long time but some fans organized to bring signs for it to multiple concerts and then PJ finally played it on that night. i listened to the bootleg so much that i remember that after the first verse ed said something like, "is that okay?" i always loved that)
i'm sure i'll think of more things to add to this list. man, i love pearl jam. i rarely get this excited about anything. tour already!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
to the universe i don't mean a thing
i went to the drugstore today and felt really bad for a girl in the checkout line. she was trying to pay with her debit card, and apparently the cashier's computer screen said "declined due to insufficient funds," a fact which she repeated loudly to pretty much the entire front half of the store. the poor girl looked like she was about to start crying, and ran out of the store while the cashier shook her head and said in a really annoyed voice, "now i'm going to have to void all of this stuff out. idiot." nice. people rock.
since i don't have much to say (except that woo-hoo i'm going to see mark lanegan and greg dulli feb. 15 at the showbox!), here are a FEW pictures from christmas:
my parent's dog, annamae
my mom cooking lobster for christmas eve dinner
since i don't have much to say (except that woo-hoo i'm going to see mark lanegan and greg dulli feb. 15 at the showbox!), here are a FEW pictures from christmas:
my parent's dog, annamae
my mom cooking lobster for christmas eve dinner
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
