The Curse

February 23^rd marked 9^th time I’ve seen Josh Ritter perform in concert. If I were to count the time I saw him play at a peace rally in Friendship Square, it would be the 10^th. I basked in the feel-good glow for a week after the concert. I love the aftershocks of amazing evenings.

I fell in love with music the first time I saw Josh Ritter live. A heady all-encompassing love. I’d always liked music, and certainly had plenty of it but had never listened to music that moved me. I never felt the charge of live music. Had never felt like a song was written just for me, or have a song connect with in every fiber of my being. I was 21 years old and sitting in an uncomfortable seat in the Kenworthy theatre, flanked by my parents, and when Josh sang his songs with his eyes closed and his puppy dog smile…. That was it.

It’s been seven years since that first concert and he still sings with his eyes closed and a puppy-dog smile on his face. I still hear the music speak to every fiber of my being. The difference is the memories that are attached to every song. The roller-coaster of emotions that make-up the concert. Giddy happiness from being at the concert, the loneliness of the songs I used to listen to when I lived so isolated in Lewiston, and then there was the aching sadness of “Lantern.”

***

It’s been quite a year, Internet, since I last wrote. Well. I guess every year is “quite a year,” but I still feel like I have a hangover from the end of 2010. All is looking up though. I’ve moved in to a new apartment that’s all my own. I have exciting adventures lined up, and I see signs of spring everywhere.

Today is my 26th birthday.

I went to the coast, again, on Monday.  The above picture is my attempt to show just how gosh darn excited I was to be there.  I think my excitement was captured pretty well.

So, birthdays.  Am I the only one who finds having a birthday slightly stressful?  There is all this pressure from other people who ask you incessantly just what you want for your birthday, how you want to celebrate, if you want a party. I don't handle this well.  Honestly I don't want a huge fuss made, thank you.  All I really want to do is have dinner with my parents.  This might make me a lame 26 year old, but there it is.

Here's a song I love! I've been humming it for about a week now. And it's as old as I am! Yay!  Oh, Billy Joel how I love your music.

Wagon Wheel

I love music.  I don't have an ear for it, I'm unable to tell if a song is off pitch or not, whether the beat or rhythm are correct, or if the tone or musicality are correct.  And I'm pretty tone deaf, when singing along with my favorite songs I do not sound good.  (This is why it is a good thing that I did not continue with choir.) I cannot fathom how it is possible to create music, how to compose it, how to comprehend how all of the layers of sound will work together and am very very impressed by people who have this ability.  And a little envious.  Or maybe a lot envious. 

My parents love music too.  There was always music playing at our house.  I realize that this is not unusual, that most people enjoy music and tend to share that love with their children, but I feel maybe my parents shared more than the average parents do.  We didn't have tv when I was growing up, so radio and music played a more important role than in some households.  (Well, music and reading.)  It seems there was always some new album that my parents were playing, and some concert that they were excited to go to.  From my parents I inherited not only my love of folk music, love of the Grateful Dead, the tendency to listen to one song over and over and over again, and the tendency to play "air" instruments.  Oh, and I love to dance to bluegrass.

Old Crow Medicine Show is a band that I learned of through my father.  He loves them. LOVES them.  I can't even count the times that I've come home to find him dancing around the living room pretending to be a member of the band.  The band is probably best described as an old time string band, though the labels of blue grass, Americana,  and alt-country could also be applied.  Whatever they are, they're wonderful.  We listened to them while making pies for Thanksgiving, and Mom and I couldn't resist dancing.  We are terrible dance partners, neither of us knows how to be the man.  

OCMS had a show here in Portland in November.  I bought my dad tickets for his birthday, so he came to town for three days.  The concert was amazing.  I love going to concerts.  I'm usually so excited to see live music that it doesn't matter who the band is.  But, seriously, go see OCMS.  This was the second show of theirs that I've been to, and I'd go to a hundred more.  They have a good time, they make sure the crowd has a good time, and they play forever.  Plus, they played my favorite song.  If I had to make a list of my top 10 songs in the entire world, this song would totally make it. 

Here it is!   

My first music love was The Beatles. I listened to their music pretty much exclusively for my sophomore and junior years of high school, and being the person that I am, I hated any sort of impersonation or remake of their music that came out. Case in point...I have yet to listen to a single song from the I Am Sam soundtrack. However, I adore Across the Universe. Love love love it.

Yeah.

three days!

A song for today!



I love this song. I love this singer. And I love that I'll be in Moscow on Wednesday!

Getting to Know You

In the spirit of "getting to know you." (Or me, since blogs are just another way to pacify our egos, you know, just incase someone cares.) I've decided to use the "Top 25 Most Played Songs" button on my iTunes to share with the whole internet just which songs, out of all the thousands stored on my hard drive that I listen to the most. Though, to be honest since the purchase of my iPod, I'm not so certain this is an accurate count. Oh well. It works. And because I am a narcissist, I will be explaining why I love each and every song. (Included in parentheses will be the playcount)

Without further ado:
#25 -- "Hallelujah" Rufus Wainwright -- I know the Leonard Cohen version is the official version. However this one is just so sad and meloncholy and always makes me think of my only serious heartbreak. Oh and Shrek. (76)

#24 -- "The Last Dance" Frank Sinatra -- I go through phases where I only want to listen to Frakie, Dino and the rest of the pack. And I'm pretty sure this is going to play this music at my future (and hypothetical) wedding. (76)

#23 -- "Can't Help Falling In Love" Elvis Presley -- I went to a taping of "A Prarie Home Companion" last summer and during the intermission Garrison Keillor lead the whole audience in singing this song. It was fantastic. I went home and bought the song off iTunes. (77)

#22 -- "America" Simon&Garfunkel -- I love this song. And I think it would make a good movie. (79)

#21 -- "Snow is Gone" Josh Ritter -- I love his music. If it is possible to fall in love with music, I think I fell in love with his. (83)

#20 -- "Let it Be" The Bealtles -- My first music love. I went through phase, called High School, where I listened to the Beatles and the Beatles only. I've since branched out, but I still love all the British Invasion Bands. (83)

#19 -- "If Not Now..." Tracy Chapman -- When I was little my brother spent a significant amount of time in the hospital. I remember sitting on my mom's lap while she listened to this album. Ever since then this music just sounds like home, and like someone who loves me. (84)

#18 -- "F-Stop Blues" Jack Johnson -- College man. Isn't that where everyone gets into Jack Johnson? (85)

#17 -- "What am I to You?" Norah Jones -- I love Norah Jones. Though I have conflicting emotions about this song. One part of me wants to study anatomy and wait for my ex-boyfriend to call, adn the other part of me wants to lie in bed with a different boy with the album on vinyl. I'll take the latter, that album was made for vinyl. (92)

#16 -- "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" Louis Armstrong -- I'm a romantic. And I love Armstrong. (92)

#15 -- "Goodbye My Lover" James Blunt -- I like to wallow. A lot. And nothing serves a good wallow than a depressing song. (94)

#14 -- "White Christmas" Otis Redding -- He made that song sexy. It's amazing and can listen to it for hours. (101)

#13 -- "Brown Eyed Girl" Van Morrison -- The only song for girls with brown eyes. All you girls with other colored eyes can just go enjoy all your other songs. (103)

#12 -- "Bright Smile" Josh Ritter -- Again, I love his music. LOVE IT. And I like to pretend he's singing about my bright smile and dark eyes. (105)

#11 -- "Here at the right time" Josh Ritter -- Josh, you're always here at the right time. Well your music is. (106)

#10 -- "Turn Me On" Norah Jones -- We'll keep those memories private. Just suffice it to say that this belongs on vinyl. (108)

#9 -- "You Make Me Feel So Young" Frank Sinatra -- You know that part in Elf where Buddy takes that girl on the date and they skip around the city to this song? Yeah, that'd be awesome. (108)

#8 -- "Your Precious Love" Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell -- This is a good song to sing in the shower. Especially as a duet. (109)

#7 -- "Where Could I Go?" Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama -- Beautiful. I don't even know what to say about this song. Except that it's beautiful. (110)

#6 -- "The Luckiest" Ben Folds -- I went to a wedding this summer where the groom sang a song as his vows, and I think that if a song were to be sung to me as vows, I'd like it to be this one. (113)

#5 -- "California" Josh Ritter -- All about waiting for your chance and knowing when the time is right. Good song. (120)

#4 -- 'One Flight Down" Norah Jones -- I like this song because I like to pretend that my life is somehow as important as this song makes the person living downstairs seem. And I've always got a song on low. (130)

#3 -- "Moon River" Henry Mancini -- I like to dance with boys to this song. Waltzes. It makes me feel very sophisticated, and like I belong in the sixities. (143)

#2 -- "At Long Last Love" Frank Sinatra -- Because why wouldn't you love a song that's all about how wonderful the world seems when you've first fallen in love? (149)

#1 -- "Kathleen" Josh Ritter -- This song gives me butterflies. Like the butterflies you feel when you've just seen the boy that you really really like. Because on the inside I'm still a junior high girl. (152)