Daniel Johnston @ the Southgate House

I was fortunate enough to see the legendary songwriter Daniel Johnston perform a week or so ago, and now I feel my life is complete. I had heard of him many times but it has been only within the past year or so that I have listened to his music and subsequently seen the documentary film about his life, The Devil and Daniel Johnston. The more I've listened to his songs the more I have grown to love them. I wasn't quite sure what to expect going to see him live other than this could quite possibly be the last chance I get to see a living legend. Johnston began by slowly coming out on stage with his guitar strapped on his shoulder and a small binder in one hand that serves as one of his many songbooks. He proceeded to play four songs by himself that did justice to the feeling of most of his recordings: rough around the edges, short and straight to the heart. In such a large setting and in front of several hundred eager listeners Johnston did not fail to captivate with no other accompaniment than a small nylon-string guitar and his songs.

After this, Johnston put aside his guitar and took on the lead singer role while a host of local musicians came on stage to act as Johnston's backing band for the remainder of the evening. The songs felt ackward and sloppy and at times felt as if they would almost fall apart, but some of Johnston's early recordings feel this way too, so it wasn't entirely out of place. The band ripped through favorites such as "Speeding Motorcycle", "Life in Vain", and "True Love Will Find You in the End". The most impressive thing the entire evening, in my mind, was the way in which Daniel would gaze at his songbook throughout the entirety of each song. His eyes were so intense and focused as if he was gazing through the joy and pain of his entire life encapsulated in the words that he had written so long ago on one of those sheets kept in that little red notebook. The evening, and Mr. Johnston's songs, will always hold a special place in my heart :)


Some of my all time Daniel Johnston favorites:

Wish
Syrup of Tears

Little tiny voices.

Today, I would like to introduce to you a wonderful and endearing group from the windy city of Chicago, Arwin. They have been around for a little longer than a year and in that time have managed to craft a majestic and spacious sound that is reminiscent of all that is good about 60's pop music and record an EP entitled Bright Outside. Lead singer Neil DeGuia's voice sounds like a more confident, direct and less warbly Wayne Coyne. As a whole, Bright Outside shimmers and sparkles like a lawn in the morning covered in dew, and this EP would be the perfect accompaniment for a picnic on that same lawn later on in the afternoon. The EP's title track starts with a piano and string arrangement that would make Brian Wilson smile, then proceeds into a glorious four and a half minutes of melancholic liquid sunshine that at times is almost reminiscent of a spaghetti western soundtrack. Enjoy this song and be sure to check Arwin out on tour later this summer, too.

Arwin-Bright Outside

The crown of string quartet love.

There comes a time in the course of every bands life when they must decide how, as a group, they define success. It would be safe to say that after Arcade Fire released one of the most critically acclaimed debut albums of the past decade that they could feel pretty accomplished and secure, and rightly so. However, when it rains it pours, and when acclaim and buzz abound you end up with the sometimes undesired side-effects of notoriety and fame. Sometimes this cripples a band paralyzing them from moving forward or backward artiscically. But other times it pushes them in far better directions (think Radiohead's Kid A). Occasionally fans can feel as if the special secret that they shared with a select few friends is no longer private and they accuse said artists of "selling out." But for others they discover their new favorite band or artist through some magazine cover or late-night talk show. Whatever the case may be you can ascertain that you have entered into the lexicon of modern pop culture as a band when one thing happens: a String Quartet Tribute album. When that happens, you have made it and there is nothing you can do about it.

Lucky for us, late-night appearances and magazine covers have not stopped Arcade Fire from doing what they do best, and that is make magestically moving pop songs for the masses, no matter how long you've kept the secret. So lets all be happy and share a secret together.

This track comes from the String Quartet tribute to Arcade Fire's Funeral:

Rebellion (Lies)

To all the moms out there...

To all the mothers out there. You are appreciated. A big round of applause goes out to you.

This is one of the few pictures I have on my computer of my mom and I together and we both look more than a little crazy.

Kaki King-Gay Sons of Lesbian Mothers
No idea why this song is named as such because there are absolutely no lyrics; it's a pretty song with the word "mother" in the title so why not? Happy Mothers Day.

Jackson Pollock listening to Black Sabbath.

So, to sort-of continue with yesterdays post I will talk about another group that has a similar name but totally different sound....

Colour Revolt hails from the state that every kindergartener loves to spell: Mississippi. They have a very driving intense, rock sound but that does not quite do it justice. There is almost a post-blues vibe with sparse piano thrown in and the occasional harmonica courtesy of lead-singer Jesse Copenbarger. They supported Brand New for several weeks last year and are soon to hit the road with them again in about two weeks with friends Anathallo. About half of these shows are already sold out, but they are playing this years Lollapalooza; and they are definately worth the effort to catch live.

Be sure to pick up their CD! About a month ago their van and all their gear was stolen and they are still in the recovery process! Read more about that here.

A New Family

Blueberry.

Everyone loves Japanese pop duos, so today I give you Color Filter. Quite possibly my favorite export from the land of the rising sun since Samurai Pizza Cats. The duo has a peaceful and psychedelic sound that is slightly reminiscent of Juana Molina, perhaps that's because the lyrics of both are whispery female vocals that are in sung in another language. Yuki Nishimura's vocals have a distinct tenderness to them that blends well with Ryuji Tsuneyoshi's ever so delicate and subtle production work and I can tell this will be one of my favorite albums this summer. These two tracks come from their most recent release entitled Blueberry.

Track 1
A North Song

Thaw it out.

Sorry for my scarcity of posts recently. My band has had a lot going on and there has been some absolutely terrible weather in the Ohio region the past month or so. The worst ice storm I have ever seen. Here is some music to warm your hearts and to warm me up for some more regular updates!

American Analog Set-Know By Heart
Now that we are getting into the sunny time of year this is a great sunset song for walks at dusk and daydreaming while watching strawberry coloured clouds. The steady drumwork holds the song together while the swelling guitar line weaves it all into one piece.

Bitcrush-Post
This electronic post-rock outfit crafts some pretty memorable and moving pieces. Here they find the sweet spot between Slowdive and the Morr Music sound to create a heart-sinker that takes you away for nine minutes.