Kurt Vile’s Freeway has been with me since March. I can put it on anytime and feel really great about life. I’ve had some setbacks this year which almsot excuses blogging for this long. But some things have started to turn out for the better recently, and I keep coming back for this song…It’s just really fantastic.
The Innocence Mission are just one of those bands that sticks with you over time. Karen and Don Peris have made beautiful songs that you just want to put on every so often in the morning. Well, today is one of those mornings for me. I just needed the awesomeness that is this band. The only release I really know is Befriended, so if ever see it somewhere I highly suggest picking it up. If it helps “Lakes of Canada” was voted as the perfect song by Mr. Sufjan Stevens. Ah, I really love them, hope you do too.
One for Sorrow, Two for Joy – The Innocence Mission from Befriended
The Lakes of Canada – The Innocence Mission from Birds of My Neighborhood
The Beers Family…funny name, but a great song called the Water is Wide. When I hear the song it takes me past a point of a generic folk song from the 60s, and haunts me?… Ok, that is a bit strong, but this song is great. I believe that this is a song that has been covered by a million people, and if you check out the roots of it here. But I just found this song thanks to DM Stith’s post on Motel De Moka, which has pretty much become my favorite music blog, so check them out. You can also download the song and other 60s hits herefrom a Florida Folk Life compilation
For the past little while, I’ve had the song “Jesus & the Devil” by David Karsten Daniels stuck in my head. I guess while it may by simple, it truly is a great song to think about being stuck in the South. I had the opportunity of seeing him play the (art) garage a few years ago, but I didn’t catch on to this song until recently.
Also check out Daytrotter if you haven’t already, it really is a fantastic site.
I am a fan of lists, especially year end lists. I’ve read a lot of them so far, so this may be a great way for you to kill two minutes or so. I know that I am generally a very sarcastic person, but I did sincerely love these things. I truly hope you have a wonderful new year! Sorry it is so long
Top 10 things I loved in 2008 (not depending on release date)
10. Richard Linklater & Nina Simone
I had previously fallen in love with Slacker & Dazed and Confused a few years ago, but I just found out about Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are play an amazing couple who happen to run into each other on the way to Prague and spend a night together, then reconvene again ten years later. It seriously is so heartwarming and beautiful to see how while you can remember some nights more vividly than entire years.
The movie ended reminding me to start my quest into Nina Simone, she is mentioned in the movie, and I had been seeing a poster of her at the radio station for four years. I determined it was time to head to the library to learn her stuff. The first song is featured in Before Sunset, A Waltz for a Night is performed in the movie and the second Nina Simone song is one of the most truthful powerful songs I have ever heard. She was truly one of the greats.
Nina Simone – Just in Time (Live)
Julie Delpy – A Waltz for a Night
Nina Simone – Mississippi Goddam
9. Jason Segel
Freaks and Geeks is my favorite TV show of all time, and it will take something super amazing to top that. I loved Jason as Nick Andopolis in the series, and have enjoyed him on Undeclared, and How I Met Your Mother. His movie credits have included Lollilove, and Knocked Up, but this year he got to break out in the super amazing/dirty/charming movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It proves that he can truly carry his own movie, and still write amazing songs.
Jason Segel – Dracula’s Lament
8. Columbia Restaurants
I’ve spent my final two years in Columbia trying even more places to eat, to make a top 5 list of Columbia, SC Restaurants (heck yeah, I am doing a sub list in a top 1o). These places all have a special place in my heart, and I will be sad to leave all of them.
5. La Estrella/Touch of India – Best Mexican food in Columbia (Cayce technically) I spent too long trying to find a place this fantastic. Touch of India is the best Indian place I’ve had in Columbia as well. Plus the owner is super friendly!
4. The Whig / Cafe Strudel – Truly amazing sandwiches at both places. The Whig has the best bar food ever (seriously it may be the best burger in town) and Cafe Strudel is a great lunch place.
3. Pho Viet – Vietnamese food, I love the Pho, but not the drive to get there
2. Blue Cactus – Amazing Korean Food/Very Slow/Very Good/BYOB?
1. Hunter Gatherer – Local food/Great Beer/Beautiful building
7. A Return to Folk/Americana/Etc.
This was made possible to hearing Bon Iver, Blitzen Trapper, and Fleet Foxes all in the same year. In the blogosphere these are also the top examples of them. Use the Hype Machine, trust me. These are the obvious choices for all of the albums, but if you haven’t heard them, I just did you a huge solid by being your friend. Blitzen Trapper and Fleet Foxes actually played in Columbia earlier this year, but I missed them/didn’t know them well at all. It did lead me to drive to Atlanta to see Fleet Foxes with some of my friends from home, and it turned out to be my favorite concert of the year.
Fleet Foxes – Blue Ridge Mountains
6. She & Him.
I love Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward (not as much as Ben Gibbard does). I ended up playing this record more than any other so far this year. Her voice is just such a treat to listen to. I also got the pleasure of riding with my sister and her friend to see this show at the Variety Playhouse. I really love Little 5 Points, this was a great way to spend an evening.
She & Him – Why Do You Let Me Stay Here
I’ve had the pleasure of hanging around the theatre this semester more and more. The people that work at this theatre, help to make Columbia not only bearable, but downright enjoyable. The Indie Grits festival helped to introduce me to a lot of new people, and help turn me onto the films of Aaron Katz, and the people that run a really nice small DVD distribution company called Benten Films.
Keegan DeWitt & the Sparrows – Christmas Light
4. The Welcome Wagon
Vito Aiuto and his wife Monique have made one of my favorite albums in the past couple of years. The Reverend Vito Aiuto to be exact. He preaches at Resurrection Williamsburg, a very cool church in the “hip” part of Brooklyn. I went to see him give a sermon on one of my trips to NYC. I had been listening to him on podcast for a while, but when I met him all I could say was “you’re sermons are cool” (I totally blew him away I’m sure). Anyway, he is friends and the possible pastor of Sufjan Stevens, who played and recorded this album. In fact, it will probably sound like a Sufjan Stevens album to everyone, but these songs are truly great. A cover of the Smiths “Half a Man” and the Velvet Underground’s “Jesus”. Seriously the songs are great, and you can download the lead sheets from Asthmtic Kitty. I hope it comes out on vinyl.
The Welcome Wagon – Sold! to the Nice Rich Man
The Welcome Wagon – He Never Said a Mumblin Word
3. Gilmore Girls/ Gossip Girl / Dawsons Creek/ Greek
I have been a fan of the OC for a few years now. That was a show that I thought was going to be terrible, until I gave in and learned to appreciate the beauty and drama of similar shows.
Gossip Girl for all intents and purposes is a super-sexified version of even richer people than the OC, which crazy problems, or can be summed up by the character of Chuck Bass, since he is the guy we want to see every episode. Guilty pleasure…sure? Give it a whirl.
I haven’t seen Dawsons Creek for a couple months, and only got halfway into season 3, I look forward to finishing. It may not be as crazy as Gossip Girl, but the drama is still there, and it nice to see semi-real problems occur in a small town.
Greek is a truly entertaining show with multiple engaging characters that comes on ABC Family. I originally started watching for Clark Duke (Michael Cera’s BFF) but stayed because I love all the Characters.
The Gilmore Girls is seriously a good show. Scratch that. A Great Show. I just started season 4, but this show makes me want to live in a small town. Rory and Lorelai. Luke. Sookie and Jackson. Emily and Richard Gilmore. I can’t get enough. I hear the show isn’t as good until the end, but it is nice to hear Tom Waits name dropped alongside Noam Chomsky, and crazy other “Gilmore-isms” I believe they are called. I just thought my friends and I made that many pop culture references. Don’t hate. It is fantastic.
2. Traveling & Road Trips
The year started out with my roommates and I taking an amazing trip to Indiana/Illinois/Wisconsin/Minnesota/Missouri. It was the greatest road trip I have ever been on, and met some of the coolest people ever, and got to share it with the two roommates I’ve been truly blessed to have. Ever wanted to get Pizza in Milwaukee at Midnight? Only to have been woken up with pancakes? Been there. House on the Rock. A place that was mentioned by Neil Gaiman has turned into a place that seriously, scares me to the core, but enough about that. Have you ridden a roller coaster in the Mall of America, and been in small town Minnesota feeling like you are hanging out with the Coen Brothers? I have ridden the elevator all the way to the top of the St. Louis Arch, and I did all of this over 5 or 6 days at the end of last year til the beginning of 2008.
I’ve also been to New York a couple times this year now, and I must say I have fallen in love with the borough that is Brooklyn. Cool people just hanging out, in the greatest city I have ever been to.
I got the opportunity to visit Chicago as well, had a lovely time in Wicker Park with some great people, got to eat at Earwax (where one of my friends worked), get tea, see a great documentary at the Gene Siskel Film Center, and oggle the beautiful lake at night.
In Charleston, I finally murdered some oysters. Thanks Anthony Bourdain for making me want them!
I only wish I had even more stellar travel experiences. Maybe the Festival of Faith and Music this year! And Bob Dylan is the perfect road trip music.
Bob Dylan – Girl from the North Country
1. The Jesus for President Tour
Living in the south = Lots of churches, but not Lots of Love. This was an old fashioned revival which I very desperately needed. In this trip I got the experience to see the amazing Shane Claiborne, Chris Haw, and two members of the most glorious band… the Psalters. The event helped my very tired heart by leaps and bounds, and helped me to realize there wasn’t a demon sitting on my left or right at churches across the country. Jesus may just be alright with some people, but that doesn’t mean Jesus was a white, middle-class, Republican (thanks Derek Webb), no matter what people say.
Derek Webb- This Too Shall Be Made Right
Derek Webb – A Savior on Capitol Hill
I can’t wait to see what 2009 has in store..
Over the past few days, I have been completely unable to get what I consider, possibly one of the worst Christmas songs out of my head.
Gayla Peevey’s – I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
The problem is, I can only picture this little girl singing this like she was crooning like Sinatra, but with the swagger of Sammy Davis Jr. Seriously, how is this song a Christmas “classic”? I just like to picture her standing on a float riding down endless parades while being forced to sing this song over and over through countless small towns across America. It is seriously a perfect blend of terrible and awesomeness.
However, It will never come close to the joy that is
Seriously, this was made great by Sir Will Forte on SNL, but maybe it was made greater by my friend Kendall? You can be the Judge.
Jordan from Police and Thieves inspired me to start this blog.
As with every other blog on the planet, I guess I will post mainly music, but also some other goodies along the way. (man what an novel idea)
So Today,I’ve included a song that was considered the biggest “hit” of my old band Sombreroland.
Written by my friend Ryan Mac (aka the guy in the middle). Daniel is the other guy on the left, and that is me on the right and we looked like that one day a couple years ago.
Keep your eyes peeled, there is more to come.
