Boyz II Men!

Remember this?

Man, I loved this song. It was my freshmen year of high school. I had the casette, Cooleyhighharmoney. Back then I was wearing Girbaud Jeans, Keds, & sported an Esprit Bag to school everyday.  Additionally, I'm pretty sure I listened to my Shai & Jodeci records until well after my mother could even sing along. It was the summer after that I discovered 4 Non Blondes & Stone Temple Pilots which led to Juliana Hatfield, Bikini Kill & The Pixies upon which I promptly traded my Girbauds in for thriftstore Wranglers, accompanied by Chuck Taylors & a canvas backpack that was decorated with a sharpie...and well, the rest is history.

xoxx

THe Uptown Bar

I went to the Uptown Bar a few nights ago for what will be the last show I ever will see there. The stage has graced the likes of The Replacements, Soul Asylum & even Nirvana in their very early years. I felt like I was 23 all over again. I stood in the way front and danced feeling the wind of the PA vibrations on my face. The lights were vibrant to me and everyone seemed to be on fire from the music.

Everything around The Uptown Bar has been slowly changing to the antithesis of what the neighborhood once was. The bar offers glimpse of what Uptown, Minneapolis used to be. Soon it will all be extinct as The Uptown Bar is closing & being bulldozed to make room for a North Face store expansion & a new shop - maybe a J. Crew or Pottery Barn.

xoxx

Michael Jackson 1958 - 2009

The Moon Walk. White Gloves. The Best Dance Songs Ever: Beat It, P.Y.T., Don't Stop..., among so many more. The epic videos. The Jackson Five. The sunglasses & zipper Jacket. And of course the trademark appearance he sported in his prime.



This is my favorite way to remember him.

This was the era in which I was his biggest fan. My grandmother worried about her 5 year old granddaughter's dream of marrying The King of Pop, but in the end the only Michael Jackson t-shirt I had was a gift from her. I guess he won her over too.

xoxx

The Havoc Reaped by Music Theft.

This week in my home city of Minneapolis a big thing happened. Jammie Thomas was found guilty by a jury of her peers for illegal file sharing. In other words, a major record label (Capitol) sued her for sharing music online and they won. She now owes them 1.9 million dollars.

A lot people are speaking out on Jammie Thomas' behalf.

A lot of people aren't saying anything.

This is what I say.

I think Capitol records should have won. I don't think they'll ever see their money (who has 1.9 million to just hand over? Certainly not Jammie Thomas) but it sets an important precedent.

I feel bad for Jammie Thomas. I do. 1.9 million dollars is a lot of money, probably more than she will ever make in her lifetime. The artists whose songs she shared are revered artists with high sales and probably doing fine. Capitol is a major record label and had the money to sue and pay for legal fees, so they are probably alright too (sort of, more on that in a minute). But let's not forget, she essentially enabled others to steal music.

So many of us have burned a CD for a friend, made mix tapes for our crushes and friends growing up, and even taped songs from the radio. This is not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about people who post songs on the internet for the masses to download for free. This may not seem like a big deal because it is thought that musicians make millions or maybe that it's just a song.

File sharing, whether you are downloading or posting, is stealing. It is not for anyone to give away for free unless you are the person who made it. It depletes the incomes of people who have worked hard on writing songs, recording them and making a name for themselves.

You work on a record for a year, writing music, saving money to get into the recording studio or maybe your label got you in. You record, have it all mastered, put it on an album and distribute it. Sales are alright, you might make a little money or you might make a lot. Then one day you stumble upon some person who has posted your album online for people to download for free. You are now working for free with no say in the matter.

We are a funny culture when it comes to money. We're consumed by it. We need excess amounts of it for lovely houses, shiny cars and beautiful clothes. We loath those who have it but fault those who don't. There is this illusion that since musicians make a lot of money it's okay to give away their work for free. They probably won't even notice. Imagine getting your paycheck & your employer notifies you that they decided they weren't going to pay you for your work on Tuesdays. You're out 2 days of pay with voice in the decision. That's a big deal. 20% of your work. That would never fly and neither should file sharing.

The music industry is pretty bleak right now. The major labels, despite their corporate statures are laying people off. Independent record stores all over the country are going out of business, big box stores like Target and Best Buy are decreasing their music sections or doing away with them completely. People just don't buy physical music anymore, they download it. Whether it be on itunes, a like site, or through file sharing.

The major labels are having a hard time. A few years ago I had a stint working for a major record label. The change is music buying trends had was beginning to set in at that time and lay offs were looming. People were freaking out then, I can only imagine what it's like now. And this is a major label. They have some cushion. Think about how all of this effects the smaller, independent labels.

I'm not saying to stop buying from itunes or stop making mix tapes (CDs) for your pals. I'm simply saying to buy your music. It's respectful of the artists whose music you enjoy.

It's the right thing to do.

xoxx

Just for You.

xoxx

Music Splurge

Back in the day when I was just out of college & was making very little money, I used to go to my local record store and drool over new music on a very regular basis. In those days I felt proud of myself if I was able to leave without buying anything and about every fourth trip I would do a major splurge & purchase six or seven new CDs spending around $60. $60 was a lot for someone who had about twice that much a month after all her bills were paid (so this was gas money, groceries, etc). But, I was 23 & was willing to starve or eat at my relatives' if it meant having good music to listen to.

Presently my surplus is greater that $120 after all my bills are paid yet I don't splurge on new music. Ever. I can't remember the last time I did it. I guess in my evolution into full blown adulthood I acquired some self restraint when it comes to buying music.

In the last couple of weeks I have realized that I have a little extra cash & have been meaning to make a trip to my neighborhood record store, The Electric Fetus. Tonight I finally made it and had a list of CDs I wanted. I fulfilled the list and so much more. I don't feel the least bit guilty as I did when I was sacrificing my food money, instead I felt fantastic & could hardly wait to listen & blog about them! Stay tuned for thoughts on some of the following...

Jenny Lewis, Acid Tongue
Marvin Gaye, Collections
Antony & The Johnstons, The Crying Light
Thelonious Monk, Prestige Series
Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion
Lucy Michelle & the Velvet Lapelles, Orange Peels & Rattlesnakes
Neko Case, Middle Cyclone
Handsome Furs, Face Control
Eleni Mandell, Artificial Fire
Mirah, (a)spera

Phew! I've got a lot of listening to do...
xoxx

Will Oldham Live!

Tonight I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Will Oldham perform. I learned of Will Oldham during my first semester of college when he was playing under the names Palace, Palace Music, or Palace Brothers. I was hooked immediately and consumed every recording I could find, listening to them at all hours, all the time.

In my 12 years of Will Oldham Fandom I have never seen him live. I have been either out of town, at rehearsal or not old enough to get into the venue when opportunity arose. Needless to say when I discovered only last Sunday that he was playing in Minneapolis today under the current name, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and that it was sold out my heart sank. I was pretty sad (& mildly self righteous in regards to being such a long time fan) but I decided that I would just go to the venue the day of the show & see what would happen.

I arrived 30 minutes early in hopes of stumbling upon a spare ticket. This show was a hipster convention: lots of beards, lots of skinny jeans, and no one talking. I got in a line with a lot of hope. About 10 minutes later my friend, Mary walked by & said, "You got a ticket!!" I explained to her that no, I hadn't, but was hoping to find someone who had an extra one that I could buy. Upon hearing this, the man ahead of me wordlessly handed me a ticket. I offered to pay, he waved me off and put his headphones on. He never said a word.

When I got into the theatre I scouted a seat in the second row. When the curtain went up revealing Bonnie 'Prince' Billy in their entirety I got goose bumps. Really. After the opening song Will Oldham paid to tribute to his guitarist, Emmett Kelly for breaking a string so early in the show. He continued to poke fun at the guitarist before transitioning to Obama's weekly radio address asking the audience if we listened to it this week. At this point, he could have said anything I would have thought it brilliant. I decided I needed to make more effort to listen to Obama's address. Through out the show every time he addressed the audience I listened carefully vowing to remember it forever. I was absorbed.

Will Oldham is incredibly prolific releasing records what seems to be all the time. His music is ever changing which gives every album a completely different feel, but it always carries the honest and intriguing lyrics that continually draw me in.

Tonight songs were played from all parts of his canon in ways I could have never imagined. (I was) Drunk at the Pulpit was a ten minute improvisation with the lyrics seeming to be the skeleton for the piece. Hard Life & Disorder were played as well, easily recognized but clearly reinvented and beautiful. Will Oldham has a spectacular stage presence; he is always doing kicks, twirls, and many, many gestures. Tonight he was always dancing, clearly in bliss on stage. I cheered when Just to see my Holly Home began. For this one he passed his guitar to violinist, Cheyenne Mize, and picked up a green Melodion. It was fantastic, a highlight of the show. But wait, the entire show was a highlight.

The show ended with Horses, blowing me a away. I couldn't believe it was already over. I gave a standing ovation (like the good Minnesotan that I am) and happily clapped as loud as I could.
This was one of the best shows I've ever been to in my life. I grinned the entire time, I am still grinning and probably will be for a very long time all the while listening to Will Oldham/Bonnie 'Prince' Billy/Palace recordings.
xoxx

Just stop & be.

Downtown Minneapolis has a plethora of street musicians year round, even with our subzero winter. I always leave money in jar of any musician I encounter & walk away feeling grateful to live in a tiny little city filled with such great talent. Rarely, if ever to I stop & actually listen.
Remember, Mister Trumpet Man? I've come to know him well. I see him nearly everyday and savor his music. In recent months I've noticed that he plays a little differently when his fans approach. He is has a subtle smile, his posture tightens and he always peeks through his closed eyes to see if you're still there. He is happy playing his trumpet no matter what, but the presence of an appreciative listening brings him more happiness.

And yet, I rarely stop & truly enjoy. My habit is to pause, say hello, leave a tip, & go on my way. But one who stops & listens makes him so happy. So, lately I've made a point to stop (not pause), leave a tip, say hello & then I just stand there to listen & enjoy. A tip is of course money which is always usable and something I will always leave, but to actually stand and enjoy someone's music is a great compliment above all. Additionally, it forces me to just stop & be. This is a great, great thing.
xoxx

Liz Phair Fandom makes me feel old.

Liz Phair. I Love her. I do.

I still listen to her music at least once a week in transit or working out or whatever.
I have a distinctive memory of singing along to "Dance of the Seven Veils" as I listened to my discman on the loooong drive to college when I was 18. Without even thinking I was belting out, "...because I'm a little cunt in the spring, you can rent me by the hour.." much to the chagrin of my mother and the two family friends who made the drive with us.

oops.

She sang that tonight and so many others and I was in heaven, I really was. Oh, but I felt old.
I had an inkling this might happen when earlier this week I was telling a few of my colleagues at work that I was going to Liz Phair. "Who?!"

Well, their 21 and 23 respectively and were in elementary school at best as I blasted her in my bedroom at my mom's house. But I really was not prepared for the crowd, I wasn't.
I got to the show, got myself a nice spot, looked around and realized was surrounded by thirty something suburbanites who were excited to be out. Dressed to the nines and in some instances dirty dancing!! T

Five years ago I saw Liz Phair live & it wasn't like this.."ah, yes, but that was 5 years ago!" my friend laughed to me as I commiserated with her after the show.

But it doesn't seem like five years ago, it seems like 1 or 2..time flies when you're getting old.

xoxx

We Are The World.

Remember this?

It's been years since I've seen this & I get a little chill watching it. I'd forgotten just how many artists were a part of this - and, so many of my favorites are featured: Stevie Wonder, Cyndi Lauper (her rendition is my favorite), Willie Nelson, Bruce Springstein, Tina Turner, Lionel Richie, Ray Charles..and did you see Michael Jackson! I love that he's the only artist who gets a head to toe pan in the video. It was that style of his (& he produced the project).

I think I watched this video everyday of my 2nd grade school year. We learned the sign language for the chorus and we stood in music class for hours signing along with the video in the dark only to walk back to our classroom holding hands and singing it some more. I look back on those days fondly.

This video made me want to be a part of the music industry and that desire is probably what kept me in piano lessons through college. They were all so different from one another but seemed to be such good friends having a great time together. I wanted that.

For more about this go here & Wikipedia will tell you all about it. & if you want, I'll teach you the signs next time we see each other - I still remember them.

xoxx

little ny man & his music.

Having a ball in NY.

I'm here for a few more days & will post more tomorrow when I'm better rested..but I loved this little man & his music.

xo

spring chickens.

It was the woman who was rockin' out in in jean capris & Keds that pushed me over the edge. She was having an amazing time; dancing, singing along, and laughing. I always love to see that, I love to be in that place, actually. But when she came running in, likely interupting a now rare cigarette, so excited to hear a certain song, my belly felt heavy.

Tonight I went to a show of the Nineties local rock sensation, The Magnolias. It was probably a really good show, but I was a bit blind sided by my own sense of mortality, so I didn't really take note. It was kind of a time warp; the majority of the crowd was dressed in the clothes they wore out to shows in 1995. This is all fine and good and probably me in 10 years, but dressed in the same clothes I wore in 2003 to 2 for 1s at The Triple Rock. The difference for the crowd between now & 1995 is a little sagginess & gray hair.

It wasn't that long ago that I thought I owned The Scene. Out every night, dressed to nines, laughing & listening to music while drinking too many cocktails. This crowd felt that too, but at a different time.

So inevitably this will be me too at some point, with some other person looking on feeling a little freaked out at their sense of mortality. Hopefully I'll be alright with it by then.

xoxx

Grinning Ear to Ear.

Every once in a while I experience 24 hours that are seemimgly perfect. The 24 hours between 11pm on Saturday 3.29.08 and 10:59 Sunday 3.30.08 were this for me.

I finished with work just before 11pm - a nice treat for a Saturday night. The Minneapolis band, Valet was playing their last show for quite a while and they were due onstage at midnight. Perfect. I had enough time to go home, change and drive over to St. Paul's Turf Club and see their set.

At the show I ran into lots of people I knew and astoundingly, most of them I hadn't seen since probably the last Turf Club Valet show I went to, which was around 2004. I almost felt like I was in a time warp. I danced, I had a beer, I took some photos, and caught up with old friends. I headed home around 1:30 grinning ear to ear.

I went to sleep with Handsome Randy's voice in my ear & awoke to his phone call this morning. We got to tell each other about the events behind us and those on the horizon with lots of laughter. How nice, almost like he's home.

My day was productive. Errands, mostly. But good ones.

Then, this evening, my good friend, Jessie & I got together and played a little music. There is something to be said about playing music with a good friend, especially when you are well tuned into to one another. It's magical. When we were through we sat in her livingroom drinking tea listening to Iron & Wine, telling stories and making each other laugh. I left around 10:30 grinning ear to ear, once again.

The drive home gave me time to listen to Mazzy Star and have a car concert*. I arrived home and sat in our driveway for a while just listening to the music and singing along. I walked in the door of our house, shortly before 11pm feeling so good and still grinning ear to ear.

xoxx

*A Car Concert is when one turns up their car stereo quite loud and sings along as though they themselves are the artist they are listening to. And in those moments, they truly are.

my holiday love.

I don't wear holiday sweaters or earrings or tights or socks. I don't wear anything holiday themed. I enjoy having a tree, a poinsettia, and a centerpiece. But what I really love and appreciate more than anything regarding the holidays is the music. Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker is an album (movement? I should know this having studied classical music my entire childhood) that I make a point of listening to in it's entirety a couple of times during the season. John Lennon's "Happy XMas (War is Over) is a fav as well as Elvis' Blue Christmas and Ella Fitzgrald's "It's Cold Outside", I am embarrassed to tell you how much I charged to my credit card last week at the itunes store downloading Christmas music. Too much, that's all I'll say. But I do have a nice collection now.

But the music that tops all of the above is singing hymns with my gramps at the late night church service on Christmas Eve. It's the only time of year I go to church and the only time I enjoy it. "Joy to the World" is a highlight as gramps often exercises his baritone voice echoing "Repeat the Sounding Joy" and harmonizing with me through out. The service always closes with "Silent Night". The lights are turned way down, almost off, and everyone holds a candle. it's so beautiful, I always cry and every year I really want to reach for gramps' hand & squeeze it, but he is Scandinavian after all, and that might just be a little too much affection for him, so I don't.

xoxx

another favorite shot.

I took this last June of Longshot, often on the road touring with psalm one. probably coming to a city near you..
xoxx

a favourite shot.

i love this shot..one of my favs. This is my friend Channy in the midst of performing as Roma Di Luna with her husband, Alexei and their band at The 331 Club in Minneapolis.

To hear Roma Di Luna (& you should) go to: romadiluna.com
xoxx

i heart metric.

my favorite shows are those which are spent in the front so close to artist on stage you can see what color socks they are wearing. or you dance and dance and it's so much fun when the show is over you go home & put the album on to dance some more.
last night's metric show has been added to the list.
my friend, jessie & I went to the show. mingled, watched from afar, went out to smoke when we heard "Hustle Rose" starting we gasped, "we should go in for this one."
so we did. right to the front where we danced and giggled in awe of front woman, Emily Haines.
we went out for a smoke and came in and danced the rest of the show in the back of the club. so fun.
we left the show with giant smiles on our faces and giggled all the way home.
xoxx