There's a lot more to this city that I'll have to share later, but I just got back from Carson City Nevada. A couple of my best girlfriends from Oakland checked in with me yesterday and picked some theme songs for my life, completely seperately.
First, Sarah's pick, when she heard I've not yet gotten the Tahoe job:
Gah, it's been an incredible month. I was completely inspired in July and wrote several songs! Yay!
So, the first thing about this music blog, is that not all of this is going to be YouTubed this time around. I'm going to provide a couple of links that you should click on and make an effort to listen to if you have a chance.
Then you'll also get the YouTube playlist. One of the videos is actually worth watching, it's pretty amazing and really fun, and if you have google chrome, it's interactive. Interactive music video? Sweet.
So, on to the music.
1. Clay Nightingale: San Marcos, Texas. My Texan friends have a bus. They are in a band called Aquarena Springs. They went on Tour and let me hitch a ride down to San Diego with them. At some point these three songs played, and I fell in love. I've been obsessing over them ever since.
2. Adam Balbo is the sweetest man who writes funny songs in all of the Bay Area. Worth listening to. There was a backyard show that I played at by surprise and it was the second or third time I had played with him. I figure it's time to plug him. :)
3. The youtube list:
a) Trombone Shorty: Hurricane Season. This is something that Teddie Honey posted one morning that I just loved.
b) OK Go: All is not lost. This video is like whoa, and the song is really good. Use Google Chrome and check out the google chrome site. It's interactive!
c) A Lull: Some Love. I found this on a music blog, and it's just techno enough, just howly enough, and just damn good. Plus not too many people know of them. Plug!
d) Grimes: Heartbeats. I found this on the same blog that I found A Lull (DayTrotter) and was completely blown away by it. Completely. Like jaw dropped, hand on forehead blown away. Transformative, dreamy and just all around gorgeous, and she does it all herself. It would be worth your time to check out more of her stuff.
e) Rilo Kiley: With Arms Outstretched. I love Jenny Lewis. End of story. This is an oldie (if you consider 2009 old) but a goody.
f) Frightened Rabbit: Swim Until You Can't See Land. A last minute add, introduced to me by a dear friend from Tahoe in Salt Lake, I'm really digging this English band with a strong accent.
Wabi Sabi is a Japanese principle of simplicity and imperfection. From Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson who summarize it nicely in the chapter "No One Likes Plastic Flowers":
"Wabi Sabi values character and uniqueness over a shiny facade. It teaches that cracks and scratches in things should be embraced. It's also about simplicity. You strip things down and then use what you have."
I'm finding this short but beautiful article on Leonard Koren inspiring. It makes me want to go out and do photo essays on cracks (of which there are plenty in Oakland), small shops and their owners, and graffiti art around my neighborhood.
Also, the preview listen of Bon Iver's new album is up at the New York Times and NPR today, finally. I like it. Though like all of his stuff, there's an internal love of it, but it takes time for my mind to wrap around the acoustics. It's so simple at it's core, and yet he layers things in such a way that I have to really listen to it a few times before I "get" it.
