Stormytime storytime

I'm sitting here on my bed recounting how summer is flying by so fast. Outside, a beautifully epic summer storm is raging. I have only the dim light glow of my laptop screen to illuminate my room such that most of my room is dark. Every so often, the lightning will cast eerie shadows by permeating my window and blinds with its pale green flash. There it was! Now wait. It is coming, I promise. It always comes. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Clap! The thunder rattled the loose panes in this rickety old house. Gone forever. Damien Rice's "O" is keeping me company.

It is times like this where I always kind of wish the power would go out (despite me currently typing this entry on a depleted battery). If the power goes out, the family huddles. We find the quick fix flashlights to use only for a few minutes, enough to fumble some lit matches to light to some candle wicks. The candles are spread out around the main rooms of the house: the kitchen, the bathroom (for aiming purposes mostly), and the living room. We all usually gather in the living room and sit around waiting. It is a patient waiting, not in any sort of rush for the electricity to return. The point is that all the modern entertainments to which we normally flock use this juice that is not currently supplied. Televisions and computers are just black reflective glass plates. Around this time is when all the good stories come out. We sit around and recount the heavy hitters (the stories that we all know well, have heard many times, and could probably retell in our sleep) but also dig up old memories, lesser known stories of interactions with people and events that brushed us across our souls quickly and simply but have left some lasting impression that we can recall. It gets into your psyche and messes with you, makes you think about how you and your parents got to be the people you are, how you are influenced by the small occurrences and what makes your unique stories define you.

But since the power IS on, everyone is milling about, doing their own thing around the house. Thus, I will share two recent anecdotes from my life with you. Enjoy.

I was at the mall recently. It is an outdoor mall with nearby woods and ponds, full of deer, squirrels, birds, and other typical wildlife. I had just finished running my errands, and I was carrying some bags back to the car. I was also halfway trying to type a quick text message to a friend, stopping at a busy intersection between stores and parking lots. A kind older man walked up behind me, patted me on the back, smiled and said "You better watch out, huh?" I didn't know exactly what he was talking about so I looked up from my cell phone to see where he was pointing. On the sidewalk right in front of me was a family of ducks, one mama duck and a small consortium of baby ducklings scurrying to follow closely behind her. As if that wasn't already cute enough, they were all peeping at the top of their lungs, while shoppers stopped to smile and enjoy the tenderness of the moment. The mama hopped off the curb into the road to cross the busy street, and like any good ducklings, all the little babies followed her. Needless to say, this stopped traffic. No one was moving, as the ducks paraded slowly into the lane. By this point, the mama duck must have thought it was dangerous to continue this way into the path of cars, so she turned around and hopped right back up onto the curb in front of me. Well, the anxious fuzzy ducklings turned to copy her lead and attempted to hop up onto the sidewalk as well. They could not do it. The curb was just too high for their little legs. The peeping grew louder, and the mama duck turned around to get their attention. The interaction between them was beautiful. She was watching them so intently, guiding them and making them feel safe. Once she had their attention, she slowly walked down the edge of the curb parallel to them as they walked along the road. She checked back frequently, making sure they all followed until they reached the dip in the sidewalk, the ramp area meant for handicap accessibility, where the curb lowers. The ducklings waddled and scuttled up the concrete ramp and huddled as close to their mother as they could get. Some shoppers clapped at the reunion. Traffic restarted. And the mama duck merely walked away into the nearest brush, leading her babies in tow.

Last week, my church transformed into a Jerusalem marketplace for this year's vacation bible school theme. There were tents set up in and outside the building, decked out in canvas, woven baskets, antique-style throw rugs, and other decorations to resemble a worn biblical era thoroughfare. Outside, a sizable well was "constructed" as a hub of conversation and activity. There was a makeshift synagogue and carpentry, musical instruments, herbs and spices, weaving, and jewelry shops with busy merchants (members of the church). The theme was set up as a character immersion technique where each vendor stayed in character throughout the night as they interacted with the children and other characters. I ran the instrument shop and wore biblical garb all week, talking to the kids about the whereabouts of Christ and helping them building little rubber band harps. One of the most enjoyable kids to hang out with was this little girl named Kellie. Kellie is 5 years old, small and skinny with a beaming toothy smile that never quits and a heart of gold. She got very wrapped up in the week and was definitely having a fun time learning, doing the activities and crafts, and being in the experience.
The week was structured loosely on Holy Week, Monday being Jesus entrance to Jerusalem on the donkey, Tuesday his teachings, Wednesday his praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, Thursday his arrest and crucifixion, and finally Friday as the finale and culmination where Jesus is ressurected. Everyday leading up to Friday, we merchants in the marketplace talked about Jesus but the kids never saw a Jesus character. But then Friday came, Easter day, and word was being spread around VBS that Jesus had been risen and was coming to see everyone. This piqued our interest (and was a little offputting with people walking around saying "Jesus is coming..." You get the idea). Anyway, at the closing ceromony/celebration, we did our usual, singing songs and making some announcements when, from out of the side door of the church, Jesus comes out in a white robe and purple sash (played wonderfully by one of my church's pastors-in-training). He took everyone by surprise and begins walking among all the children, shaking hands, giving hugs, and blessing them and telling them that he loves them so much. Truly a poignant and poetic scene. But then, I saw Jesus come up to Kellie. Now this pastor is a tall guy, so the constrast between him and 5 year old Kellie is immense. She just looked up at him straight in the eye in wide-eyed wonder, then wrapped her arms as far as they could go around his legs, burying her head in his robe around his knees. She seemed a bit upset so he leaned down to her and asked her what was wrong. She just looked back at him with slight tears welling up in her eyes and said (and I quote), "We missed you so much."

Take from these what you will, but these small little interactions have made somewhat of a deep impact on me the last week. I cannot shake the simple displays of innocence and love, and I hope I told them in such a way that you can relate. Love can be found all around. Look for it. It may surprise you when it is revealed. It whispers quietly in the world.

Anyway, this post has gotten away from me, and the clock is nearly 2AM without my knowledge. I will end with a small sampling of the album that has gotten me through writing this. Afterall, this is a music blog, not a duck and VBS story extravaganza. Sheesh.

Download fo sho.

Judicature duty?

Summer has officially kicked off.
Finals are done (triumphantly), books are sold back (at less than half of what I paid), everything is moved home (successfully), and nothing can stop me now (well.....)

Jury duty thoroughly and utterly ruined my Monday. From 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM (NINE HOURS MIND YOU), I sat on an unpadded and uncomfortably small chair in a room full of people of every color, religion, race, and so forth murmuring about politics, celebrities, and other nonsense. I made small talk with some folks. We all mostly just discussed our poor predicament and commented on what else we could be doing with our time. I eventually caught the attention of some attractive college-aged girls who were also there for the first time. They seemed to know each other, and we shot the breeze and found out we know a lot of the same people. Small world.

Other than my fancy dress wear (apparently you don't have to look nice for jury duty, but I didn't get the memo), I had on me my wallet, my keys, my cell phone, and Walden by Henry David Thoreau. So save for a couple text message conversations, I was quite bored and nonplussed about the whole situation. I didn't feel like reading the provided periodicals. With names like (and I am NOT making this up) Court Review, Trial Magazine, and (my favorite) Judicature, they did not seem very appealing. Instead, Walden kept me company, but I would have preferred my iPod to let the smooth sounds carry me away from that courthouse.

It would have been nice, but alas, they do not let such electronics into the building. It makes no sense to me. Surely, I would not listen to music during an actual trial. So do they think the lyrics of songs may sway a juror's opinion in a case? Ridiculous.

Save that monstrosity of a day, which when over felt like I had completed a marathon (of sitting), the break has been good to me. Today, I broke out my hammock for the inaugural first outdoor nap of the season. Mother Nature afforded me a sweet soft breeze, and my eyes shut without restraint. And out of this serenity, I made a playlist of all instrumental music that I would love to share with you. An hour and a half of lyric-free swells and crescendos. So, without further ado...

Let the Instruments Play
1.) Rudiments of a Spiritual Life - The American Dollar
2.) Yuki! Yuki! Yuki! - Anathallo
3.) The Confusion Before Dreams - Casey Driessen
4.) First Breath After Coma - Explosions in the Sky
5.) Backward Blues - The Fire Theft
6.) The End of Dying - Foxhole
7.) Road - George Winston
8.) Altogether Remarkable - House on Ponce de Leon
9.) Soft Sculpture - Incubus
10.) On the Nature of Daylight - Max Richter
11.) Do You Think There's a Heaven? - Mychael Danna
12.) Andy Wolff - Minus the Bear
13.) Smoothie Song - Nickel Creek
14.) I'll Be OK (Instrumental Reprise) - Sondre Lerche
15.) To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region... - Sufjan Stevens
16.) Mr. Tortoise - Technology
17.) Untitled - theHOPEsymphony
18.) Carnival Barker - Third Eye Blind
19.) Old Ironside - Unwed Sailor
20.)La Valse D'Amelie (Orchestra Version) - Yann Tiersen
21.) Nuclear Summer (Instrumental) - Youngblood Brass Orchestra
22.) Ravel's String Quartet In F Major (Second Movement) - Ysaÿe Quartet

DOWNLOAD and enjoy.

And now for something completely different.

Alright, ladies and gents.

One final is done, and seeing how it is a Monday, here I am to inform the masses of a spectacular event occurring tomorrow.

Tomorrow, one of my favorite bands, Showbread, is releasing not one, but TWO albums simultaneously. Thus far in this blog, I've written about Counting Crows, The Snake the Cross the Crown, and OAR, but Showbread truly is something completely different (if I may be so bold as to quote the always hilarious Monty Python). Where previously mentioned bands are easy listening with lush melodies and beauty, Showbread is a burst of noise to your eardrum, complete with screeching vocals from Josh Dies, ripping guitar, pounding drums, and even a keytar for good measure. (And they sure do know how to utilize the keytar!)

I am going to take this opportunity to school some of you in the ways of Showbread. For those of you who think they were a new band who burst onto the scene with 2004's "No Sir, Nihilism Is Not Practical," you are sadly mistaken. There is a rich, rough history of Showbread that predates "No Sir..." by a long shot. (For those of you who still have no idea who I am talking about, please go to wikipedia.org, scroll down to the itty-bitty search bar, type in "Showbread," wait for your internet to load the page, click the link at the top that says "Showbread (band)," and read. As you can see, I've done this before.) If you do not care, don't do the aforementioned steps. If you do not have the internet, I would question how you're reading this blog. Alas, I digress.

Showbread's first CD is titled "The Dissonance of Discontent," but it is so far out of circulation that I have never heard it and know nothing about it really.

Showbread's second CD came out in 1999, titled "Goodbye is Forever."
This album I have listened to, and let me tell you, IT IS RAW. Lo-fi recording quality and all the signs of a band in their early stages trying to make too much noise.
Download it here.

Their third release came in 2000 as a five song EP entitled "Human Beings Are Too Shallow to Fall in Love." The recording quality has stepped up a bit here, but none of the raw thrash energy was lost. If anything, it has been refined and made more crisp. The band has found a more harmonious balance between screaming and singing, as well.
Download it here.

Next up is another five song EP, this time titled "Goodnight Sweetheart, The Stitches Are Coming Apart." This 2001 release is very much in the same vein as the previous EP, still not great quality of songwriting or recording but a small step up.
Download it here.

At this point, the band had garnered enough attention in the local Georgia scene and abroad through extensive touring to be signed to Steel Roots Records. They released their new full-length album "Life, Kisses, and Other Wasted Efforts" in 2002. Unfortunately for you, dear reader, this album is supposedly still available every now and then at shows and on the web to purchase (albeit rare) so I am not going to upload it. So even though it showcases Showbread before their rise in the scene, it is still out there to be purchased. Go find it.

Then, "No Sir..." broke them through, allowing Showbread to reach a much broader audience and more popular success (if that is what you want to call it). They got signed to Tooth and Nail Records who, of course, got it distributed all over the place. Their glam rock appeal, shredding guitar riffs, pertinent and poetic lyrics, and powerfully killer live show chock-full-o-energy allowed their name to be spread.

Their most recent effort (until tomorrow's duel disc Anorexia Nervosa) was released in 2006 as "Age of Reptiles," showing Showbread's progress with a more mainstream rock sound with no energy lost. The hooks are catchier, drums are splashier, and the complete rock-out factor is through the roof! Both "No Sir.." and "AoR" are easily accessible through any music store with good taste or iTunes (therefore, no downloads).

In lieu of that, however, I will post a bundle of assorted Showbread knick knacks including demos of some "Life, Kisses...," "AoR," and "No Sir..." tracks as well as a Nine Inch Nails cover song.
Download it here.

And there you have it. You are now up to speed and ready to experience the new Showbread glory coming out tomorrow. Anorexia. Nervosa.

"May the jaws of life have cotton teeth."

This Monday morning met me with thunderstorms, heavy clouds, and a dreary wakeup. I stayed up late working on a paper for one of my seminars and had to get up early for class. That made for very minimal sleep, and when you wake up to drizzly conditions outside, you just want to hit the snooze button, roll back over, and let your dreams guide your way. But, I couldn't, so I stole off to a full day of learning.

Today, I was reminded of just how wonderful The Snake the Cross the Crown are as a band, and they simply fit my mood perfectly today. I discovered them when they opened a show in D.C. for mewithoutYou, one of my favorites artists. They were the first to go on, followed by Manchester Orchestra, and then mewithoutYou as the headliners. (At some point, I will write about those other two outfits because they are worth checking out, too. Trust me.)

But, getting back to the band at hand, which I'll shorthand as TSTCTC from now on, they commanded the stage at the show. Despite being an opener with the audience just starting to trickle through the doors of the club, they simply played their music. They performed song after song, note after note, with intensity and beauty, and after a few minutes, it struck me just how fluid they were and how much I felt they were enjoying what they were doing. I felt lucky for being able to catch them before all the local scenesters showed up and ruined the moment.

They released their second full-length disc titled "Cotton Teeth" on Equal Vision Records in May of 2007, and let me tell you, this album is a breath of fresh air among the bubble gum pop-rock or the cliche alternative crunch guitar nonsense heard on the airwaves these days. The album title came from a old southern toast that the band heard from fellow musician William Elliott Whitmore while on tour. He would raise his glass and say "May the jaws of life have cotton teeth."

And with that same mentality, TSTCTC comes at you with an album that captures a southern slice of Americana. They deviated from their first release, "Mander Salis" which is much more spacey indie rock. While promoting that album, the band decided to call the tour quits. They were tired and uninspired by the songs that they were playing every night and wanted to start at square one. After writing and recording for most of 2006, "Cotton Teeth" was produced and it finds these Alabama natives in full swing.

I guess I would describe their new sound as a fresh new take on folk-country rock with inspirations from Bob Dylan, The Band, and a more folk-infused version of Creedance Clearwater Revival. They do it all their own, pouring their heart and souls into the record, and it shows from beginning to end. If I put it on, hit play, and close my eyes, I am taken to a back porch of a house in the south, sitting in a rocking chair with my family close by, overlooking a field of swaying grass. I feel exhausted and gritty after a long day of work, and the sun is taking it's last bow beneath the trees in the distance, at the end of a summer day. It is a very small town feel, a throwback to a simpler and pleasant way of life. Through the lyrics and music, this records exudes maturity and a sense of timelessness.

The vocals swell from snarling power to a whisper, and you hang on every word as if a story is being told to just you, and you don't want to miss the ending. The musicianship is epic and diverse, ranging from the jangly saloon piano sounds of "The Great American Smokeout" to the seven minute opus "Electronic Dream Plant" (which reminds me of the Beatles "Hey Jude" because of the "na's" at the end). TSTCTC know just when to crescendo and build the band into full volume versus when to keep it relaxed and simple with a twangy acoustic guitar.

But don't take my word for it. If you like what you hear, go see them live, and they will blow you away.

Download: "Gypsy Melodies" (Right click, Save-as)
Download: "Behold the River" (Right click, Save-as)

This dizzy life is just a hanging tree.

Well, I was out of town all weekend, kayaking with some friends and generally just hanging out someplace that wasn't here. It is always refreshing and inspiring. After a full Saturday, I spent the night at my friend's apartment and woke up to a big breakfast and good conversation, then hit the road to come back home. Often, you need to just get away from the general normalcy of your day-to-day to experience some other place, some other city, some other friends. It gives you a better perspective for when you come back and feel like you're falling back into the drudgery and monotony of life.

For me, that was waking up early this morning after a rough night of sleep to go all the way across campus to my biometrics lab. I wish I could still be floating along the slow current, rowing when it feels necessary, relaxing when it doesn't, and simply listening to the wind brush the trees against each other and the birds sing their songs in response. So it is fitting to come back from a good escape of a weekend with an album called "Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings."

In March of this year, Counting Crows recorded and released their first new album since 2002, following a greatest hits collection in 2003 (which is a wonderful sampling of their hits up to this point for anyone just starting to listen to Adam Duritz and the gang) and a live album tossed in there too.


The new album "Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings" seems to be hitting the spot for me as of late. In a sense, it is two shorter records, aptly titled "Saturday Nights" and... drum roll please... "Sunday Mornings"! Each was recorded with a different producer and subsequently has a different feel, "Nights" covering the rock and pop palette, with songs for any longtime lover of the band, and "Mornings" allowing them to delve into a country folk side that is as stylish as it is enjoyable to listen to. I'm not much for country music (and "Mornings" is certainly not country as the radio defines it today!) but it does make the folk genre seem all the more accessible.

Without going into the details about each individual track, it is hard to discuss this album as a whole except to say that it is catchy where it needs to be ("Hanging Tree"), boisterously fun at points, clean polished and yet with that Counting Crows grit that I love. There is plenty of driving keys, classic rock guitar riffs, satisfying harmonica ("On Almost Any Sunday Morning"), all overlaid with beautiful introspective lyrics that draw you in with curiosity, wit, and occasionally some clever sarcasm (check the end of "Los Angeles"). It even takes several jabs at the current socio-questionable state of America as we try to define our age and generation ("Cowboys"). And what Counting Crows albums is complete without the stripped-down ballad with Duritz's quivering vocals crooning over an epic piano piece? (None.) "On A Tuesday In Amsterdam Long Ago" does just that.

The album swells with poetry and emotion, like a wave crashing far out but then carrying you safely back to shore.
Download "Insignificant"