“Son, don’t start something you can’t finish” My old man uttered those words to me on more than one occasion.Years ago, I was given the assignment to keep eye and watch over a large area of burning weeds.These yellow weeds led to the base of four massive trees that outlined the road in front of our house.My job was simple; don’t let those trees catch on fire.Well, those trees caught on fire and that is the first time I remember hearing, “Son, don’t start something you can’t finish”.Anyway, that is sort of how I feel with this blog, I started it and by hell, I need to finish it.I will set lazy and procrastination to the side and I will carry on.Do forgive my belated effort.
Just a guess, but I’m betting this next artist will be the most unknown (whatever unknown means, I’m not really sure) on this list.
Thad Cockrell – Warmth & Beauty (2003)
As far as country records are concerned, I think this is one of the very best ever made.I have “What’s the Use” the 9th track on the album blasting as we speak, my wife just walked into the room with these exact words, “Oh baby, I forgot how much I love this”.Don’t be too concerned with the album being in the country genre, it’s so much a singer/songwriter style, similar to Willie Nelson or Loudon Wainwright III. Some will be reminded of Gram Parsons but don't be fooled "this album is pure country music, untainted by commercial considerations and without rock influences"-all music guide
Warmth & Beauty is Thad’s second album, his first album, Stack of Dreams is tough to find.I ordered it years back on his website and it too is great.His most recent album, To Be Loved is solid but not on the same parallel of Warmth & Beauty.A great songwriter and one of the most delicate and beautiful voices you will ever hear.Of all the albums on this list, I think this is the one I hope you would not dismiss.This album is indisputably worth the $9.99 you’ll pay on itunes.The album is a perfect eleven songs, I’m not sure if there is one song better than the other, it’s like a bag of Jordan Almonds.Sure, there are many colors but they all taste wonderful.What do you mean you don’t like Jordan Almonds, are you crazy or something?
Anyway, give it a listen; find a way to give it a listen.And if you don’t love it then I’ll send you the $9.99!That’s a lie, I won’t send you a single red cent but I will smack you upside your head if you tell me you didn’t love it!And believe me, I will, I’m in the “finishing what I start business”.
And I couldn't find any songs to embed, sorry. Just buy the album.
My father is a great storyteller.A campfire his best soapbox, I have a well of fine memories my father told me – His words a collection of short stories I long for.He is extremely humorous, a comic with his storytelling, a cynic, the perfect exaggerator.Someone once told me the definition of comedy is exaggeration.My father is a Vietnam Veteran, something I seem to be more proud of than him.When I was much younger I had a school assignment that had to do with the Vietnam War.I was to interview my father and write a two-page essay on what I had learned.At my young age I know I was being protected from much of the truth but there was one story that has continued to stick with me.At barely nineteen years of age he had finished basic training and was now flying to be a part of this war, he was sitting near the window looking out and his eyes focused upon a large stream of smoke swirling upward into the sky.He told me his heart had sunk into the middle of his gut and the fear began swelling up inside him.His idea of what things might look like had been realized and his assumption was proving to be dead on for the most part.He imagined fire and smoke and there it was below as his aircraft began its preparation for landing.At the time of my first hearing this story my thoughts were completely different than now.Back then I imagined it was pretty darn cool, I pictured the camouflage fatigues, the M-16 rifles, the face paint, the boots, and how strong my father was.The photography in my head most certainly created from war movies; I had seen The Bridge on the River Kwai and The Great Escape by this time - I’m sure Steve McQueen or William Holden had formed the imagery in my mind.Many years later I perceive this story much differently, I still think how strong my father must have been but my mind is much more aware of the fear.The fear and uncertainty floats to the very top, I struggle comprehending what those feelings must have felt like.Were there tears?Where were his thoughts?Did he pray for comfort?I don’t know the answer to these questions.Once the aircraft landed and my father along with other young men exited the aircraft, he quickly learned his assumptions were wrong.From high above, the fire and smoke appeared to be war but it was not.The actions on the ground were relaxed and free, far more so than basic training had been.Men played cards, lounged around free of any shirt and a football was being tossed around.The fire and smoke, well, it was nothing more than a huge pile of human feces being burned.Throughout my life that story has stayed with me, it has been a frame of comfort and inspiration that I often draw from.It continually reminds me that things are practically never as they first appear, that our hasty and self-invented assumptions should remain private until the correct knowledge has been put to order.
I created the list of twenty-five albums before I actually started this blog.I’m never quite sure what will be written with each entry.I have no theme.The week before I will listen to the chosen album many times over and within those moments I usually have an idea of where to go.
With album number seven I am covering one of my very favorite artists.The real challenge for me was deciding which album I would highlight; I am biased toward all of his work and in the end it came down to the album in which I believe sent him on his way for good.
Conor Oberst, the master behind Bright Eyes is the epitome of protest.He is a wall of challenge, opposition in every tune and lyric.He is persistent in disputing the status quo; he is everything authentic and pure that comes with questioning authority - mainly when this authority seems to be peppered with evil.However, this does not define Conor Oberst and Bright Eyes completely, he is a gifted songwriter and with I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning he created a giant folk album.The legendary Emmylou Harris sings background vocals on some of the tracks and the vast differences in their voices melt together in a strange and wonderful harmony.This is one of those albums that require multiple listens, not for the sake of acquiring a specific taste but for appreciation of the lyrics.And to think Conor was in his early twenties when he penned these songs is quite astounding to me.
I myself seem to be argumentative by nature, I have always questioned authority and when told I have to do something, that in itself is usually enough for me not to do it.Although, with that being said, I do conform to what I believe to be true, I do not fight that which feels right inside my chest.I get the feeling Conor Oberst and I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning shares this same approach. Our freedom of speech is one of many things that make our country so great. The fact that each of us have been granted the freedom to question what we feel or believe may be wrong and unjust is why I love America. When I think of my father, nineteen years old (baby-faced, just as I was at that age) dressed in army fatigues, a machine gun draped over one shoulder, I get confused by the mixed thoughts and emotions I feel. I suppose that is why I truly admire artists like Conor Oberst and am grateful we have been granted so many different platforms to express how we think and feel. Bright Eyes use music as their soapbox and as I said before the best setting for my father, a campfire.
And be sure and check out "At The Bottom of Everything" the first track from the album. This video is great and deep meaning can be found if desired but if not, that's okay too - It's a great song all the same.
In the immortal words of Lionel Richie, “I’m easy like Sunday morning”. Some might say (like my wife) that I can be difficult to buy presents for – I don’t deny that I like what I like and can be picky at times. But I am by nature happy and easy-going. I literally have a big smile and the vast majority of the time you’ll see it on my face. I’ve actually had people ask me why I seem to be happy most of the time (interestingly this has happened more frequently in Boston). I usually simply say I have a wife and girls at home who I love and who love me. That’s enough to make me happy forever.
My wife and I have had some deaths recently both in our extended family and in the family of friends. And even closer to home, there are currently some fairly serious health issues that people we care deeply about are dealing with. I’ve been spending some time trying to remember time spent with those suffering and those who have passed on. And without fail the memories that come back to me are simple moments, overwhelmingly positive and nearly all worth a laugh. And those memories make me smile. We’re also expecting another baby any day now and when I think about seeing my son for the first time, and us falling asleep (probably me first) as he’s cuddled up on my chest on the couch while I watch a game, I smile.
This entry may be a little cheesy, but with life and death playing a prominent role in my life right now, it’s what you get.So here are some things I really look fondly back on and look eagerly forward to: my girls running into my office when they wake up to give me a hug and say good morning and actually sitting still for a few minutes with sleep still in their eyes before asking to watch Curious George; my wife and I holding that new baby boy and wondering aloud what we’ve gotten ourselves into, again; a March Madness game that I know I will remember for years to come; Patriot’s Day in Boston (Boston’s Best Day); a late summer night in Idaho with a sky big and full of stars and the only sound that of a few crickets and sprinkler pipes in the distance; sharing a ridiculous story with a friend; finding a great album.
Album # 8 – Joshua Radin – We Were Here
Those are pretty simple memories but they are good enough for me. Here’s another one. A few years ago my wife and I stumbled upon an album that we really liked by Joshua Radin titled We Were Here, which is # 8 on our list. I was getting ready to finish my MBA and my wife surprised me with tickets to a concert in Connecticut where he was the opener. I had no idea where we were going or why until we pulled into a less than appealing part of Hartford at a tiny venue and saw ‘Joshua Radin’ on the billboard. The crowd was really small and not appreciative of his music but we loved it. We chatted with him for several minutes afterwards, told him we had a new baby and said he needed some baby gear to sell. He then suggested an XS t-shirt. We agreed, bought it, and had him sign it. He asked our daughter’s name and then wrote her name and signed, “Love Joshua”. Both of our girls have now worn that t-shirt as a nightgown and love it and we love that we are reminded of that concert every time they put it on. His music is like that memory and the others I’ve mentioned here. It’s simple. It’s mostly him and a guitar and sometimes a girl with an amazing voice named Priscilla Ahn helping with harmony. It’s the kind of music that makes you reflect, makes you appreciate the things you have, and makes you happy. Give it a listen. You’ll enjoy it and you’ll keep going back to it when you need a smile.
Because I've been slow with updating the next entry I wanted to share Five Great Songs with you. Nothing special about why I picked these five. I just did. So, if you're at work, stick in your head phones and enjoy or just turn up the speakers and everyone within hearing distance can enjoy.
Song #1: "I Can See the Pines Are Dancing" by A.A. Bondy from the 2009 album When the Devil's Loose
Song #2: "Winter Winds" by Mumford & Sons from 2010 album, Sigh No More - And good luck finding a more enjoyable music video. I promise you this song will hook you. You will begin your instant search of Mumford and Sons after hearing this song...I just know it!
Song #3: "I Am Goodbye" by Bonnie Prince Billy from the 2009 album Beware. Love the video because I love the actor Will Oldham and his beard. Also, Will Oldham is Bonnie Prince Billy, that in itself is worth researching.
Song #4 "In Spite of Ourselves" by John Prine with Iris DeMent from the 1999 album In Spite of Ourselves. Make sure you watch this video, he tells a great story before hand and lyrically you will love this song. John Prine is one of the most respected song writers in this country and I fell in love with this song about five years ago. It makes you proud to be married and know those strange things about your spouse that only "you" know. And in some strange way this song might just be the best love song ever written.
Song #5 "Broken" by Tift Merritt from her 2008 Another Country album. Her voice is so great and the video is well shot not to mention Tift is quite nice to look at.
Few things excite me these days more than a really great new album.When I was young my calendar was not set with days, months, and years but it unfolded as Christmas, Birthday, summer, family vacation, basketball season, spring break, and so forth.As I’ve gotten older that same excitement has worn down, I just had a birthday and if it wasn’t for a wonderful wife and five year old son, I may not have paid any attention to it.As adults we get busy, our calendars heavily crowded with this reminder or that bill due date, it seems as the years travel on the good stuff slowly gets squeezed out.I suppose it’s all part of the process.Though I would love to go back to the age of about eight or nine and have it be Christmas Eve.I fondly remember those moments, being so elated with the anticipation of presents that sleep wasn’t humanly possible.Sneaking up into the living room at two in the morning in order to get just one gratifying peek, waking a parent at three-thirty in hopes that maybe, just maybe we can start this Christmas day before the birds have even considering chirping.Nothing compares with those days, right?
However, one more reason I love music can be chalked up, a great new album is really exciting to me.Not Christmas Eve exciting but not bad all the same, especially for being thirty-two.It’s a bit of a method for me; a process and I will break it down for you.First, we have two types of new albums.1.We already know the artist.This one is exciting for a couple of reasons.It’s like your favorite sports team, once the season is over, life goes on but you can’t wait for the next season to begin.So much hope and anticipation, can we win it all?How will so-and-so fit into the new lineup?A new album from Neil Young, The Counting Crows, Emmylou Harris, or John Hiatt is like that old ball club that has been with you for years.You sort of know what you’ll get - there will be some surprises, maybe some disappointments and there is that chance they will wow you beyond belief, which often happens with the greats.2.New Artist, new album.This one exists because you’ve done some work, you’ve rolled up your sleeves and you’ve gotten dirty.Good for you.Maybe it was the radio, someone shared it with you, could have been a commercial, a movie, or perhaps you discovered this one all your own (which is the most rewarding) but however the discovery was made, it was made.The key is to listen to as much as you can before dropping the ten-fifteen bucks, thirty-second samples are no good, you need the full song and when do you buy?Few artists out there have the ability to get my money on that thirty-second sample.I need good solid evidence the album is legit; I need to feel warm and fuzzy about my purchase.Okay, there is the breakdown between the two types of albums.The next step is quite simple.I listen to the album completely, each track, every word and every second before listening to one song more than once.I believe we owe it to the artist to do this.Sure, once I’ve done that the album will have tracks in which get more plays than others but not in the beginning.I treat it like a movie or book.I wouldn’t read chapter five three times in a book before reading it all and I won’t do it with a new album.
The next album on this list was one of the most exciting I can remember in years.It caught me by surprise, I didn’t expect it to be as good as it has become.
#9 - Hayes Carll - Trouble In Mind - 2008
If you like real country music, (I've decided to no longer be worried about offending anyones taste in music) not the twaddle that somehow passes itself off as country music today, which by the way is shocking, shameful, and dishonorable. But if you love Johnny Cash, Don Williams, Townes Van Zandt, George Jones, Conway Twitty, Buck Owens, and so on, then you will LOVE Hayes Carll and Trouble In Mind. This album has some Texas outlaw feel to it but Hayes Carll does a fine job of changing directions. At times the album is just great rock-n-roll, other times the album has some country boy hick to it and then there are moments when the album is savvy and intelligent, poetic and beautiful. As is the case with track five, "Beaumont" a telling tale of lost love well told. Hayes covers a Tom Waits song, "I Don't Wanna' Grow Up" which in my opinion is one of the best covers of any songs I've ever heard. He gets a bit sacrilegious in the final track, "She Left Me For Jesus" but certainly means no harm. Trouble In Mind is a great country album, one of the very best in the last ten years.
Listen, we can't go back to being eight or nine, our calendars are grown up now but if you need a break, if you need something to excite you, something to accompany your next work commute, it really should be Trouble In Mind. Hayes Carll says it best in "Bad Liver and a Broken Heart" - "I'll get old before I'm good at this, who's the President, what year is it? Doesn't anybody care about truth anymore, maybe that's what songs are for"
Watch Hayes sing "Beaumont" live, listen to "I Don't Wanna' Grow Up" and be sure and check out his website and albums.
My grandma is well into her 90s. She’s not as sharp as she once was but she is still very perceptive; quick with a laugh and a wry comment. She still lives at home on the farm though she needs a lot of help these days. She loves to talk about the weather, sports, and politics – often in that order. She knows I’m getting a PhD and that it has something to do with business – which in her mind apparently means finance or economics because whenever I talk to her on the phone she first wants to know when I’m coming home to visit and then asks if I can hurry-up and graduate and fix Wall Street and solve all of our nation’s economic problems.
As I sit here typing this entry I am looking at a picture of her husband in my office - my grandpa, who died when I was a senior in high school. He’s on a horse, cows in the background, and he is laughing and waving, which is how I remember him. He had cursing down to an art form and he once told me it wasn’t his fault; that anyone who had to deal with farming and cows was allowed to curse. I can still vividly recall huddling with my cousin in his front yard when I was 7 or 8, repeating every curse word combination we could remember our grandpa saying. We laughed even as we felt guilty as we carried on for what felt like several minutes. I don’t think we ever did cover everything we heard him say.
I really love and respect all of my grandparents, including my wife’s. Like her grandma on her mother’s side (and her own mother) she somehow becomes more beautiful and elegant as she ages. From her dad’s mom she has an incredible capacity for hard work, for seeing the goodness in people, for empathy.
See, I’m a big fan of what is called the ‘greatest generation’. I’m so very proud of my roots and I’m so very sad that they are quickly moving on. I didn’t get to know all of my grandparents and I feel like my daughters are missing something by not getting to see their living great-grandparents more frequently. I hope we will pass on their stories and that their memories will live on.
I get the feeling people are too quick to search for the next big thing, to move from one fleeting interest to another, to constantly look to the future. There is a lot to be gained from the lessons of the past. I truly do feel like I stand on the shoulders of giants and that my parents and grandparents and beyond built a foundation for me to work with. They were no more perfect than me and I thank them for that - for learning, loving and living. Just like my grandma expects me to single-handedly change our nation’s economic outlook, they all want us to build on what they’ve done, but to be better, and to make them proud.
That’s what I like about the next album on the list – Justin Townes Earle’s Midnight at the Movies.
#10 - Justin Towne Earle - Midnight at the Movies
Most music fans will recognize the weight in his name – music royalty, really. What I love about his music is that he embraces the past while making the music his own. I listen to this album and I hear Ryan Adams and Whiskeytown in one song and Buck Owens in another. It’s like he has found the best elements of the various forms of ‘country’ music from the classics to the modern day and he’s connecting the dots – illuminating the past and pointing to a bright future – all in just about 30 minutes.
Most people will mention “Mama’s Eyes” and well they should because in that one song he directly confronts the past while seeming to be comfortable with his future. But I want to point out a couple of other songs that are nice mileposts on the journey. In “What I Mean to You” he has that playful but sorrowful feeling of a lot of classic country:
Now I don’t need no riches, diamonds or gold
No ordinary trinkets will do
And I don’t expect you to break out in song
‘Cuz I know that you can’t carry a tune
So speak low, when you speak love
If that’s what you gotta do
I need to know right now
Just what I mean to you
And the powerful imagery of love gone wrong and no one is completely innocent in ‘Someday I’ll Be Forgiven for This”:
Yeah, and if I know you You won't have nothing to say You'll just clear the tears from your eyes Long enough to watch me walk away You won't curse or scream, no nothing that obscene You'll just tell yourself you never loved me anyway So tonight when you leave Put the light out on the porch Take anything that you want to keep and leave your key in the door And I don't want to hear you crying no tears that show regret
Cause someday you'll be forgiven for this Oh, yeah, someday you'll be forgiven for this.
So call your grandparents, or write them a letter. Share a story about them with your siblings. And get your hands on this album.
Check out Justin on his website or watch him sing "Mama's Eyes" Live - absolutely worth checking out.
On rare occasion I will look to see just how “mainstream” is doing – album sales, itunes top downloaded songs, billboard charts and so forth.Of the top ten most downloaded songs on itunes (as of today), I recognized five of the artist names.I went ahead and sampled each song in the top ten and wasn’t too surprised how similar most of them sounded.I was able to make out a few of the lyrics, such as; “Don’t stop, make it pop, DJ blow my speakers up, Tick tock, tonight Imma’ fight till we see the sunlight, tick tock on the clock but the party don’t stop” I also noticed this particular song happened to be titled, TiK ToK, neither word can be found in the dictionary.Another lyric repeated “In My Head” seven times during the thirty-second sample, I considered taking the time to search out the full lyric and give it a good honest read but I reluctantly chose not to.Is this kind of music making us dumber?Here is an interesting piece of information I stumbled upon this week.
CalTech grad student named Virgil Griffith has conducted an interesting (albeit somewhat unscientific) study relating music preferences with SAT scores. While SAT scores are criticized for not accurately determining intelligence, the results show that the “smartest” students’ favorite musician is Beethoven, with an average SAT score of 1371, and at the other end of the spectrum is Lil’ Wayne, with an average score of 889.Other bands at the top of the scale are Counting Crows, Radiohead, and Sufjan Stevens
I thought that was an interesting piece of information.It probably means absolutely nothing, however, it did get me thinking.Thinking about the kind of music I listen to, the kind of movies I watch, the kind of literature I read - I believe there is no question those three influences play and have played a vital role in my intelligence or lack of.
I recall one argument I had with an individual a few years ago about movies.This person said, “What is wrong with just wanting to be entertained and not having to think all the time, just good mindless entertainment.”There is nothing wrong with wanting that, right?I guess I just have a hard time understanding why someone would choose “not thinking,” verse “thinking”.All I know for sure is that it wasn’t always this way, there was a time when the majority preferred thought evoking film, music, and literature.The proof is in the pudding; look back at the Academy Award nominated films of the 70’s – The Last Picture Show, Ordinary People, Raging Bull, Dog Day Afternoon, The Conversation, Clock Work Orange, Patton, The French Connection, Five Easy Pieces, the list goes on and on.Music parallels that of film; money is the governing body that now controls our “mainstream” media.I often wonder though, with the great works of art still being created on a daily basis, why then, are the theatres and radio stations loaded with simplistic, predictable, and even elementary pieces of work?I don’t have the answer to any of these questions.Although, I do believe most people would prefer the more thought out works of art; those in which the driving force behind it’s production is not money, greed, or the ambition of fame.Those works that are simply created because they have to be, the artist responsible has a thirst for expression and the only answer to quenching this thirst is by telling their stories.The truth is this; most people do not know were to look, they just don’t realize what is out there, I have to believe that to be true.
The next artist on the list is far from elementary.He is a downright poet and if you’re looking for good mindless entertainment, steer very clear of Joe Pug.
Joe Pug - Nation of Heat EP
The Nation of Heat is a seven song EP.The album consists of Joe Pug only, his guitar and occasional harmonica.With each passing lyric from each of the seven tracks something is given; his words ascend out from the speakers and stick to you.You begin listening, giving more and more attention with each passing verb or adjective.
“Yea I’ve come to know the wish list of my father
I’ve come to know the shipwrecks where he wished
I’ve come to wish aloud among the over dressed crowd
Come to witness now the sinking of the ship
Throwing pennies from the sea top next to it”
Nation of Heat stands for something different than most albums, it’s not something you stick in for sheer entertainment, it’s not background music to a cocktail party, it is though a work of art, a very fine work of art.It deserves true listening, it deserves to be thought out and pondered over.When it comes to song writing I sort of like the old saying, “If you haven’t got something nice to nice, don’t say anything at all” perhaps we could change that to, “If you haven’t got something smart to say, don’t say anything at all.”In the seventh and final track, a shouting out of sorts as to how he feels about the state of things, Joe walks a fine line of expression verse obnoxious political opinion, he succeeds greatly, with lyrics like; “Blocking borders with smiles are immigrant sons, we measure loneliness in miles and misery in tons.There’s a straw-hatted man going away from the shore, he said it’s a shame they don’t let you have slaves here anymore.I’m the ugliest man that you’ll ever meet, I come from the Nation of Heat.”
Nation of Heat is the genesis of Joe Pug’s music.He has followed it up with a nice (free) five song EP of “B” sides that didn’t make the Nation of Heat cut.His full-length album was released earlier this month, titled, Messenger, ten songs, full-band, background vocals and is masterful.I was fortunate enough to catch Joe Pug live in concert not less than a week ago, he is one of those artists for me that I almost fear seeing live, simply because the idea of him not being great is too sad of thought.He wasn’t great, he was absolutely perfect – Joe Pug will be a household name among my generation of music lovers, he will be our Dylan, I know it may be sacrilege to say such a thing and make no mistake, I’m not saying he’s Dylan, I’m just saying in the years to come…he will be this generations Dylan.
WATCH JOE SING "NATION OF HEAT" LIVE
BE SURE AND CHECK HIM OUT AT HIS WEBSITE - LEARN ALL KINDS OF GREAT THINGS ABOUT THIS GUY. HE STARTED OUT BY GIVING HIS MUSIC AWAY...AT HIS EXPENSE.
