* with Jerry Douglas
** New Song
Ok, not in that way, but it has been a while since my golf clubs and I got it on! We’ve “talked” a couple of times since high school and college when we were together a lot, but it had been almost two years since we really had any action. Well, I decided to get in touch with my old friend. I decided to be safe and make sure it was still clean and went out for a date yesterday. Golf was something I did regularly freshman year and half of my sophomore year before deciding it was costing me too much to be a walk-on on a college team that wasn’t very good to begin with. And by “costing too much” I mean that I couldn’t work, party, or frat it up as much. ** I still wonder sometimes about what would have happened if I had gone to one of the schools that was going to give me a scholarship but not play on their tournament team until my junior year. **
Anyway, I decided to start slow with my old FWB and just catch up a little and get to know each other again. Who knows, maybe this time it will be something that is a long-term relationship. I took my clubs to the driving range right down the street (you know, do the whole “local” thing) and it was obvious we both have changed. My first joke to lighten the mood (hitting a driver without warming up) didn’t fly so well (topped it into the ground). We always had a complicated relationship (golf seemed to have daddy issues) but there was never any real drama with golf.
Everything came together after my nerves calmed down. There were many times that we clicked, but there were also those times that my jokes didn’t go over as well as they did in my head. I would even say that there is a shot for a second date after remembering some things about golf from our past relationship (like where my hands were allowed and to follow through on my promises/swing). Who knows, maybe we will play a full 18 and start looking at rings. Maybe I should hold off on that talk until I actually take the putter out of the bag … if ya know what I mean!
Chiddy Bang: Indie Hip(ster)-Hop
Not all rap music has to be about cars on 22s (or are they up to 24s now?), bitches, guns and made-up words. Chiddy Bang, composed of two guys that met at Drexel University, reminds us that rap can be innovative and clever while being clean. The duo released a mixtape titled The Swelly Express (2009) and is scheduled to release their follow-up album, Breakfast, this year. (I would like to officially join the “swelly” bandwagon because everyone should be getting tired of “swag” by now.) Chiddy Bang samples some of the best from the indie-rock world to get you moving and bouncing. They sample MGMT’s “Kids” on their song “The Opposite of Adults” and Passion Pit’s “Better Things” on “Truth” and I dare you not to bounce your head or body … I double-dog dare you. They even sample gods of the hipsters Radiohead (on “Because”, not a part of the mixtape). Even though these samples might be what get you listening, you will want to stay for the lyrics. And go ahead and leave your favorite lyric in the comments.
Grade: A (94)
Upcoming Nashville area shows and festivals:
6/17-19 – Bonnaroo Music Festival
The second installment in this series.
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros: All 217 of them
Well, 217 might be an exaggeration, but there are seriously about twenty people who comprise this band in some form or fashion. Their first full album is Up From Below (2009) and everyone should have heard “Home” by now. You are probably familiar with the hook from “Janglin” from a Ford Fiesta commercial. I’ll preface my next sentence to say that I mean this in a good way. I have to thank Wikipedia because I would have said an iPod/Pad/Phone commercial. I really hate all those commercials, but they do have some catchy background music in them.
The whole time I listened to this album, I could not help but think that they would be opening up for The Mamas & The Popas in the ’60s. I really have no clue why that band popped (pun intended) into my head, but they did and I will stick with that comparison. Note: I always stick with my first thought unless someone gives me reason to change my mind.
Grade: B+ (88)
Upcoming shows in Nashville or festivals:
4/15-4/16 – Vanderbilt Rites of Spring Music Festival
I was talking with a friend on Friday and I started to realize just how much music festival season is creeping up on us. I have wanted to start digging into some of the artists that will be playing the festivals I am planning on attending and I plan on posting some reviews/information on the artists here so you can judge if you would like to see them or not as well. Use this how you see fit to plan who you will want to see at the festivals or the next time they come through your town.
I will give a grade at the end of each post and I plan to use this grade, once all the schedules are announced, to break any ties on double-booked times. I have not really decided on my grading scale yet. (If you were a teacher, would you use 90-100 as an A or 93-100?) If you have any artists that you would like to know more about, let me know and I will add them to the list I have started. These entries will not be long because they should just give you the basics on the artist. If you would like for me to let you know about some of their best songs, just ask and I can add that as well.
AMOS LEE: Folk Troubadour
Amos Lee is probably one of the better known of the artists that I plan on reviewing. Everyone mostly knows him from his self-titled 2005 album with songs like “Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight”, “Arms of A Woman”, and “Colors”. Lee has released three other albums: Supply and Demand (2006), Last Days At The Lodge (2008), and his new release Mission Bell (2011). The best way that I can describe Amos Lee is that his music is good. Nothing in it really jumps out as amazing, but at the same time nothing is awful. His music is great for a sunny summer day lounging around at the park (which is where I listened and took notes) or driving around with the windows down. Fittingly, the first single off Mission Bell is titled “Windows Are Rolled Down” and the title holds true. If you like singers like Norah Jones (who invited him to open for her during her 2004 tour), you’ll like Amos Lee.
Grade: B- mainly because he’ll be playing 3 places that I will be at so he won’t be a must-see since I will have three chances. Hangout would probably be the best setting for him (but wouldn’t it be for any artist).
Upcoming Shows in Nashville area or Festivals:
4/8/11 – Ryman Auditorium
5/1/11 – Beale Street Music Festival
5/22/11 – Hangout Music Festival
6/12/11 – Bonnaroo
So technically this is not a new blog “entry” but it is something I wanted to share with everyone again now that I have started Tones of Yo. I have added more detail in this post than what I initially had when I posted this as a Facebook note almost two years ago.
The purpose of this exercise is to create a soundtrack that explains your life and there are two views on how it can be created. One way to go about this endeavor (and I do mean endeavor because it is a tough task) is to pick songs that meant a lot to you at different pivotal points in your life. The other way to start this project, and the way I chose to use, is to view yourself from another person’s perspective and create the soundtrack based on what they would play during the movie about your life. I highly recommend all music lovers to try this at some point.
I threw my iPod on shuffle and listened to every song that was on it at the time when I started to think about what songs I wanted on my soundtrack. The task can get tedious when you have 11,000+ songs, so there is no way that I got through every song (side note: I am now over 15,000). However, I was unemployed at the time and making the Nashville-Memphis-Nashville trek at least once every two weeks so I did make it through a good bit. I gave every song a chance by listening to it for at least one minute before skipping to the next song and I actually discovered some new songs and artists that I might have normally skipped if I did not try this project. I remember my initial list of songs came to about 35 and I had to narrow down from there. You are probably tired of reading my narrative by now, so I will get on to the music. A post on why each song made the cut will come soon.
RULES:
THE SOUNDTRACK:
1. Blind Melon – “No Rain”
2. Cary Brothers – “Blue Eyes”
3. The Killers – “Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll”
4. Modest Mouse – “The World at Large”
5. Aerosmith – “Dream On”
6. The Doors – “Break On Through (To The Other Side)”
7. Jeremy Kay – “Have It All”
8. The Beatles – “In My Life”
9. Bill Withers – “Lean On Me”
10. Cake – “Friend is a Four Letter Word”
11. Dashboard Confessional – “The Places You Have Come to Fear The Most”
12. Survivor – “Eye of the Tiger”
13. Gov’t Mule – “I’ll Be The One”
14. The Beach Boys – “When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)”
15. Ben E. King – “Stand By Me”
16. The Weepies – “Can’t Go Back Now”
17. The Meters – “Mardi Gras Mambo”
18. Bobby McFerrin – “Don’t Worry Be Happy”
19. Wade Yohanek – “Adam”
20. Semisonic – “Closing Time”
Bonus Track (because “Adam” is not recorded anywhere): Ben Harper – “Glory & Consequence”
