I seem to recognize your face...
Trips home to Columbia seem to bring about a sense of nostalgia on the ol' blog here, and this past weekend was no different.
The wedding of a best friend's older sister brought back a flood of familiar faces I haven't seen since I was a teenager. I've known Patrick Hill for as long as I can remember. Through church, middle school and high school--and to this day--I have no recollections of not knowing him and his family. His sister, Shelley, is three years older than us (the same age as my brother, Matt), so between church and high school friends we all pretty much grew up around the same people.
Between the collective mind's eye of church people and the high school folks, I was a perpetual 14 year old...the younger brother. Always. And seeing their first impressions of me as a 'grown up' (I use this term loosely as I am sure I don't meet the dictionary definition of "Grown Up"), was a cool experience to live through.
Sincerely, there isn't much better in life than catching up with friends. And I got to spend some quality time with some of my favorite people this weekend! It's sad that it's starting to happen more and more these days at funerals. But it's hard to beat an extremely fun wedding. Plus, I've always really enjoyed getting drunk in a suit.
And there may be no better nostalgic song for me than this Pearl Jam tune. I have very distinct memories of the first times and places I heard each of Pearl Jam's first three albums and this band was a HUGE part of the soundtrack to my formative high school years.
This song, in particular, has always stuck with me.
Track 23 is a wedding gift (it's literally about all I can afford right now)to Kenley Young and his beautiful new bride, Shelley Hill. The good fortunes of your life together began last night, by being able to pack a room with such a great group of people.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Track 22: "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News
It's strong and it's sudden and it's cruel sometimes,
but it might just save your life.
That's the power of love.
Going to keep this installment short and sweet. And though Track 22 on my Ultimate Playlist may be a lark, it also carries some meaning.
"Back to the Future" will always be one of my favorite movies. And part of me wants to live out the scene where George McFly socks Biff in the parking lot of the Enchantment Under the Sea dance and wins the affections of Lorraine.
Maybe being a geeky weakling myself, I identify with putting a meat-head bully on his pants, and then uttering the classic line "Hey you, get your damn hands off her." Beautiful.
Not only does "Power of Love" play a prominent role in the film, but I more or less grew up hearing Huey Lewis and the News. (what a fantastic name for a backing band.) (And as an additional side note, Patrick Bateman's dissection of the albums "Fore" and "Sports" in "American Psycho" is brilliant). But it's a great song, and I dare you not to listen to it and just feel alive inside!
Track 22 also presents a challenge to you...yes, you, Blog Reader! The next time you are at a bar with a jukebox, find and play "Power of Love" and then just sit back and revel in the glory you just created with 50 cents.
If, by some far-off chance, you don't see a noticeable effect the song has on the bar patrons--especially towards the end when Huey asks "Feel the Power?"--do the following:
1. Leave that bar immediately and vow never to return, because clearly the place harbors the types of individuals you shouldn't associate with.
2. Let me know and I will gladly refund your 50 cents.
It's a curious thing, but trust me, it works every time.
Feel the Power? That's "The Power of Love."
but it might just save your life.
That's the power of love.
Going to keep this installment short and sweet. And though Track 22 on my Ultimate Playlist may be a lark, it also carries some meaning.
"Back to the Future" will always be one of my favorite movies. And part of me wants to live out the scene where George McFly socks Biff in the parking lot of the Enchantment Under the Sea dance and wins the affections of Lorraine.
Maybe being a geeky weakling myself, I identify with putting a meat-head bully on his pants, and then uttering the classic line "Hey you, get your damn hands off her." Beautiful.
Not only does "Power of Love" play a prominent role in the film, but I more or less grew up hearing Huey Lewis and the News. (what a fantastic name for a backing band.) (And as an additional side note, Patrick Bateman's dissection of the albums "Fore" and "Sports" in "American Psycho" is brilliant). But it's a great song, and I dare you not to listen to it and just feel alive inside!
Track 22 also presents a challenge to you...yes, you, Blog Reader! The next time you are at a bar with a jukebox, find and play "Power of Love" and then just sit back and revel in the glory you just created with 50 cents.
If, by some far-off chance, you don't see a noticeable effect the song has on the bar patrons--especially towards the end when Huey asks "Feel the Power?"--do the following:
1. Leave that bar immediately and vow never to return, because clearly the place harbors the types of individuals you shouldn't associate with.
2. Let me know and I will gladly refund your 50 cents.
It's a curious thing, but trust me, it works every time.
Feel the Power? That's "The Power of Love."
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Track 21: "Little Martha" by the Allman Brothers Band
Easily one of my all time favorite bands, trying to narrow down my favorite Allman Brothers Band song is a near impossible feat. To me this is band that just has it all; one of the greatest blue vocalists of all time, two of the greatest guitarists ever, and a locomotive rhythm section.
They're also one of the most tragic bands of all time. Duane Allman and bassist Berry Oakley died nearly a year-to-the-day apart from one another, both in motorcycle accidents involving the same intersection in Macon, Ga in 1971 and 1972. It's an amazing feat to me that Duane Allman is still heralded as one of the greatest guitar players ever, despite passing away at age 25. And though some will argue that the band was never the same after the loss of Duane and Berry, the Allman Brothers Band have given me some of my favorite songs and live music experiences of all time. Throw in Federal drug charges, decades of in-fighting, a marriage to Cher, and tons of substance abuse and it's a wonder the band is even still around nearly 40 years after they began.
To me the band just hasn't been the same since Dickey Betts was kicked out earlier this decade. Granted they still have two amazing guitarists in Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks (another favorite musician of mine and nephew of ABB's founding drummer Butch Trucks), but their concerts just haven't been the same without Bett's melodic playing. And as much respect as I have for Warren Haynes, there's no reason he should ever sing lead vocals at an Allman Brothers Band concert!
"At Fillmore East," in my opinion, is the best live album ever made. My favorite college bar, Backstreets in Clemson, had $1 PBR bottles all the time and "At Fillmore East" on its jukebox. A dollar would buy you two credits, and I'd frequently pick "Whipping Post" and "Mountain Jam," and then sit back and enjoy the hour-plus of music that two songs would deliver.
Seriously, given songs like "Blue Sky," "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed," "Dreams," "Southbound," "Melissa," "Midnight Rider," "Jessica," "One Way Out," and "Ain't Wastin' Time No More," how could you possibly pick just one solitary song by this band to call favorite?
Since my freshman year of college in 1995, I think I've managed to see an Allman Brothers concert at least once every year (give or take a few summers I am sure). Always a sure-fire way to spend three hours or so of your life, the one constant from every show has been the way they ended...with the gorgeous acoustic instrumental song "Little Martha" playing over the P.A. as the crowd shuffles out of the venue.
It's always been such a peaceful end to an amazing concert experience, and I think a great testament to band that is most well known for half-hour extended psychedelic jams to have this two-minute gem of a song.
The song's got a really cool back story as well. The title is lifted from one of the headstones at Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon, where the band frequently hung out while under the influence of mushrooms. (Rose Hill is also where the title "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" comes from and where Duane Allman and Berry Oakley are both buried.) But Duane Allman had a dream where Jimi Hendrix showed him the melody to this song in a Holiday Inn bathroom using the sink faucet as a fret board. He woke up with the melody in his head and the song
"Little Martha" is an Allman Brothers tune I often overlook. It appeared during a shuffle in my IPod the other day and brought back a flood of memories from fantastic times I've had at Allman Brothers shows with some truly great people. This isn't a word I often use frequently but "Little Martha" is just such a lovely, lovely song.
Dobro master Jerry Douglas does a really beautiful cover of "Little Martha," which starts at about two-minutes into this video.
They're also one of the most tragic bands of all time. Duane Allman and bassist Berry Oakley died nearly a year-to-the-day apart from one another, both in motorcycle accidents involving the same intersection in Macon, Ga in 1971 and 1972. It's an amazing feat to me that Duane Allman is still heralded as one of the greatest guitar players ever, despite passing away at age 25. And though some will argue that the band was never the same after the loss of Duane and Berry, the Allman Brothers Band have given me some of my favorite songs and live music experiences of all time. Throw in Federal drug charges, decades of in-fighting, a marriage to Cher, and tons of substance abuse and it's a wonder the band is even still around nearly 40 years after they began.
To me the band just hasn't been the same since Dickey Betts was kicked out earlier this decade. Granted they still have two amazing guitarists in Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks (another favorite musician of mine and nephew of ABB's founding drummer Butch Trucks), but their concerts just haven't been the same without Bett's melodic playing. And as much respect as I have for Warren Haynes, there's no reason he should ever sing lead vocals at an Allman Brothers Band concert!
"At Fillmore East," in my opinion, is the best live album ever made. My favorite college bar, Backstreets in Clemson, had $1 PBR bottles all the time and "At Fillmore East" on its jukebox. A dollar would buy you two credits, and I'd frequently pick "Whipping Post" and "Mountain Jam," and then sit back and enjoy the hour-plus of music that two songs would deliver.
Seriously, given songs like "Blue Sky," "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed," "Dreams," "Southbound," "Melissa," "Midnight Rider," "Jessica," "One Way Out," and "Ain't Wastin' Time No More," how could you possibly pick just one solitary song by this band to call favorite?
Since my freshman year of college in 1995, I think I've managed to see an Allman Brothers concert at least once every year (give or take a few summers I am sure). Always a sure-fire way to spend three hours or so of your life, the one constant from every show has been the way they ended...with the gorgeous acoustic instrumental song "Little Martha" playing over the P.A. as the crowd shuffles out of the venue.
It's always been such a peaceful end to an amazing concert experience, and I think a great testament to band that is most well known for half-hour extended psychedelic jams to have this two-minute gem of a song.
The song's got a really cool back story as well. The title is lifted from one of the headstones at Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon, where the band frequently hung out while under the influence of mushrooms. (Rose Hill is also where the title "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" comes from and where Duane Allman and Berry Oakley are both buried.) But Duane Allman had a dream where Jimi Hendrix showed him the melody to this song in a Holiday Inn bathroom using the sink faucet as a fret board. He woke up with the melody in his head and the song
"Little Martha" is an Allman Brothers tune I often overlook. It appeared during a shuffle in my IPod the other day and brought back a flood of memories from fantastic times I've had at Allman Brothers shows with some truly great people. This isn't a word I often use frequently but "Little Martha" is just such a lovely, lovely song.
Dobro master Jerry Douglas does a really beautiful cover of "Little Martha," which starts at about two-minutes into this video.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Track 20: "I Still Miss Someone" by Johnny Cash
Good grief has it really been since December 13 since I blogged? My sincere apologies to my humble 12 blog followers for the lack of content over nearly three weeks...how you survived without my self-important 'greatest hits' is truly beyond me.
When I sat down to write this post I felt a lot of pressure--a self-imposed stress of making the first song in nearly three weeks something fantastic and amazing. But the cold, gray day outside proved to be a better influence--and got me thinking about some good ole sad bastard music.
I was always aware of Johnny Cash, it's pretty hard not to know who the guy was, but really didn't start listening to him a good bit until I moved to Atlanta. Yet another quality musician I owe my friend Patrick Hill for encouraging me to listen to.
Cash is one of the few American songwriting legends where I could literally have at least a dozen favorite songs by. But "I Still Miss Someone" quickly became my favorite Johnny Cash tune. I've always been a sucker for a sad song, and the Man in Black may very well be one of the greatest ever at writing them.
It's just so simple and extremely poignant. And even if you've never loved anyone with blue eyes, you'd have no soul to not be affected by a line like:
"No I never got over those blue eyes, I see them everywhere."
When I sat down to write this post I felt a lot of pressure--a self-imposed stress of making the first song in nearly three weeks something fantastic and amazing. But the cold, gray day outside proved to be a better influence--and got me thinking about some good ole sad bastard music.
I was always aware of Johnny Cash, it's pretty hard not to know who the guy was, but really didn't start listening to him a good bit until I moved to Atlanta. Yet another quality musician I owe my friend Patrick Hill for encouraging me to listen to.
Cash is one of the few American songwriting legends where I could literally have at least a dozen favorite songs by. But "I Still Miss Someone" quickly became my favorite Johnny Cash tune. I've always been a sucker for a sad song, and the Man in Black may very well be one of the greatest ever at writing them.
It's just so simple and extremely poignant. And even if you've never loved anyone with blue eyes, you'd have no soul to not be affected by a line like:
"No I never got over those blue eyes, I see them everywhere."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)