There is something in the timber and beauty of Tracy Chapman that almost makes me stop breathing. The weight is hard to ignore. I think there are artists out there that have a God given talent that now one else can touch. A lot of people can sing, a lot of people think they can sing, but if you come up against a force like Tracy you have to just stop for a moment and take in the raw natural beauty that she is, it’s almost like sitting a redwood forrest and breathing it in. If you get the chance check out Tracy Chapman’s record Let it Rain, and see what I mean.
I was just reminded of the Ani Difranco song, You Next Bold Move and it reminded me of how powerful a song can be at a pinnacle moment in life. I remember sitting with a back pack in Australia, packing my things out of this ol school bus I was living in and not exactly sure where I was gonna go next. I am not sure if that was she meant when she wrote that tune, but to me it meant a lot at the time. I love how we as people can apply other’s experiences to our own, almost as if it were ourselves who was doing the talking. Ani is pretty darn good as writing that kind of thing.
I just ran across this gem on youtube. This tune has a special place in my heart, no pun intended, because it struck something inside of me. I immediately fell in love with ska. I dug everything about the song from the dub organ to the horns to the harmonies. I didn’t know at the time but A Message To You Rudy lead me down an enchanted path towards Jamaican ska. God bless those gangly kids in their high water pants.
Just had to write about the most awesome show my very dear friend and I went to see Tuesday night, Pearl Jam!!! It meant a considerable amount to me for many reasons. First, Pearl Jam has and will always be an undeniable influence on me and my music. The strength and stamina those guys have was really impressive. They have been doing their thing for so long now, and it shows.
At first, I was a little apprehensive because I wasn’t sure what message they were going to be sending out. I bought their latest record Back Spacer right before the concert and the first song was basically an all out rant about escapism from pain. I was a little dissappointed that the self absorbed angst was still front and center in their songs, but now that I have been able to listen to the record a few times around, and I have found more depth and deeper levels than those initially expressed. I heard about love, family, and hope mixed with dispair and mortality.
I can accept that life is a broad spectrum of both good and bad, and where better to express that than in your music? That’s when one can battle it out in constructive dialouge. No winner has been named , the fight still goes on, it’s yet to be determined, but I think in the end the winner will always be the side you choose to take.
At the end of the day, the show was AMAZING! Solid, fun and a fan’s dream come true. Thank you to my good friend Leona for celebrating my birthday in that way!
If you really want to watch a quick dissection of a record, feast your eyes on this. Pearl Jam’s new record is coming out next month, September 20th ( my birthday…well happy birthday to me!) I found this video and it’s like I’m a kid again. Studying the lines on the faces of these guys, to see where they have been and what they have been up to. Pearl Jam has just been such a force in my life. In so far as speaking the words for me when I couldn’t or evoking the emotion I didn’t have at the time. Manifesting the dream, man.
Even though in this day and age, I usually download music onto my ipod. September 20th, I am going to walk into a good old fashioned record store and buy myself their new album as a birthday gift to myself.
It truly is an amazing time to be alive. The modern marvels of technology have opened doors to artists that have once been closed. With the advent of the internet and all is current capabilities, it gives opportunities to record music and put it online – make videos and upload them as well. Create images , and illustrate the imagination bouncing around in your head, at the end of it all share them with the world. At this point, it is all available- the only thing now is to do it.
Since my brother came back from Honduras we have started playing around with a camcorder and some of the images he has collected from his travels all over the world. I will keep you posted on more videos as they are created. Just search for Jaggedy Kaye on Youtube, and we’ll keep on making them in the meantime.
I’m really excited to hear that my brother Dave is heading back into town! He has been on a bit of a personal sabbatical for about 8 months now, reinventing himself down in Honduras. He has been writing a lot of material down there and I can’t wait to hear the new songs, poetry and amazing travel stories. Also I am very happy that he will be here while I am still cutting the record. He has given me the awesome chance to record backups on his records, and it would mean a tremendous amount to me if he could be on mine. I can’t wait to see what he will think of it! He has always been my hero- first because of that fact he’s my brother-and all my brothers are my heroes – but secondly he has led his life as a true artist. Constantly searching and inventing in his mind. Not just talking about it, being about it. Living the life that he believes is the only life worth living.
If you want to take some time to step into his world check out
Just a fun side note- I joined a garage band about 6 months ago called Obscure Glory. The great thing about being apart of this band is that I am learning a new instrument, the bass. It’s funny how sometimes you almost invite opportunities into your life. I had just recorded many of my songs on a small hand held digital recorder and for the first time , actually considered what a good bass line for one of my tunes would be. I sat down and started plunking around with a line, and was instantly having a good time. I thought to myself, maybe one day I’ll learn more about the bass… Not but a week later I got a call and an invitation to be apart of The Glory. I was a little nervous, but felt like giving it a shot. Fortunately , the current bass player was still in the band, he was moving into the position of lead guitar, so he was available to help me get started.
We do a lot of Social Distortion covers, Pennywise, Green Day, The Adolecsents, Face to Face, and other stuff like that. It’s so much fun to play with them because they have been jamming for five years, so I get to sit in and enjoy the fruits of their labor and rock out. I’ll keep you posted on that project , you never know we could be playing at a kegger near you sometime soon.
Just heard a song that keeps playing over and over in my head. It’s Beth Orton Sisters of Mercy. It just reminded me of what an amazing talent she is. I guess people get brought to your attention for a bit and sometimes they fade away. It’s always nice to have them come back into your mind- stop in and say hello.
Looks like Beth is still doing her thing and playing festivals in her homeland. Check out what she is up to and hear what she has been up to lately- I’m glad I did.
Just have to give it up once again for the city of Long Beach for putting on free concert series on Pine and Broadway this summer. It’s called the SAM ( summer and music ) festival, and though I know a lot of cities do this type of thing, I have yet to come across one that this good. I know they are out there so let me know… But this past Sunday they hosted ALO, Money Mark, The High Fidelity DJ Dennis ( whoop whoop) and a really fun kickin band The Boogaloo Assassins! Talk about gettin the party started! I had sooo much fun spinning my 2 year old in the street and dancin to that latin beat as the sun set behind the street.
http://www.myspace.com/theboogalooassassins
I just love that shows like this are around to bring attention to the talent that is in a cities backstreets, neighborhoods and alleys. Another jem is Deep Sea Diver, I through a clip of a very scaled down version of the song “Hangin On”, which I just love. Reminds me of the ol buskin days… if you like that check out their studio stuff. Can’t argue a voice like hers…
http://www.myspace.com/deepseadivermusic
You can also check out more upcoming FREE shows in downtown LBC
http://www.summerandmusic.com
“Spanning from June to August, and running the gamut from jazz to funk to pop, Summer And Music (SAM) will be the first to feature local musicians and a variety of creative curricula for free on the streets of downtown Long Beach.”
Bands I love | christa | 
August 28, 2010 9:16 am | 
Comments (0) 
