Song of the Day - Avett Brothers

Song of the Day - Jolie Holland

Your light overwhelmed me
When I lay beside you sleepless in the night
And when you dreamed my guardian spirits appeared
And the moon stretched out across your little bed
They said they'd started to get worried about me
They were happy we had finally met
We had finally met

"Men willingly believe what they wish"

I have so much to say on the topic of health care reform, but for now I will leave you with a quote from Julius Caesar, as well as images of the more amusing signs from the town hall protests.

"I can as well be hanged as tell the manner of it. It was mere foolery...the rabblement hooted, and clapped their chapped hands, and threw up their sweaty night-caps, and uttered such a deal of stinking breath...and for mine own part, I durst not laugh, for fear of opening my lips and receiving the bad air...." - Casca, Julius Caesar

These two are clearly mocking some of the arguments being made by opponents of health care reform.

An unfortunate typo by a semi-literate protester - proof that you don't need a brain to attend a protest, just a Sharpie and some poster board.

I love the cheeky grin on the guy in the middle. He's my hero. (You might need to click on the image to enlarge it if you're unable to read the signs.)

Song of the Day - Yann Tiersen

It's somewhat of a commonly known fact that I have a bit of a love affair with Yann Tiersen. Not the man, mind you (although I'm sure he's a lovely man as well), but rather, his musical compositions.

It began with the "French" film, Amelie, one of my all-time favorites, which, ironically enough, led many French people to balk and turn up their noses on account of its "Hollywood" feel. Yann Tiersen is the genius behind Amelie's soundtrack, which is simply intoxicating. After exhaustive listening of the soundtrack, I explored some of his other compositions and picked up on a very distinctive personality to his music that is so emotionally stirring. At times, when playing his songs on the piano, I will be so moved that I will literally have tears streaming down my face (this tends to make reading the sheet music somewhat difficult, obviously).

I was walking into work the other morning, on a typical foggy San Francisco morning, and I was tuned into the iPod on random shuffle, as per the usual. And then, Yann Tiersen's "Le Moulin" began to play in my ears. The inherent chaos of a typical weekday morning in the city at rush hour, along with the soothing piano of "Le Moulin," gave my morning a sudden dream-like quality - like a kind of impromptu dance. Business-clad people scurrying along sidewalks, flower merchants setting out their wares, buses and cabs zooming past, steam from the city sewer wafting up from the street. It was so poetic - the whole paradox of it all.

Caught in this sort of trance, I momentarily paused at a department store window (which I never do) and admired what was a rather stunning display. I caught my own reflection and the blurred images of those behind me who were rushing past, oblivious to the shimmery, colorful presentation in the window. And suddenly I became the paradox - caught in a vortex of stillness and calm, amidst a flurry of chaos.

Maintaining that sort of calm in a flurry of chaos is my constant struggle. The piano is one of but a few secret weapons I have that will take me to that place. And Yann Tiersen is another.

Yeah, I actually get paid for this crap

Please view my lil write-up on free stuff in San Fran...then view it again. And again.(Baby need new shoes.)

Free Things to Do in San Francisco

Song of the Day - Keane

Keane is right up there with Editors and Kasabian when it comes to UK bands that never really seemed to resonate in the US like they did back home. Some people in the States will know of them, quite possibly own an album or two, but they don't seem to get much airplay or even name recognition. In the UK, however, if you were to say, "Keane who?" you would promptly be asked what rock you had been living under.

I'll never forget standing under the cloudy England sky at dusk on a summer's eve, in the middle of an open field packed with people, all facing an enormous stage while a cool mist kissed our faces. Keane was a headliner at the Reading Festival that year, and while on stage they seemed completely dazzled by their own fame - so exhilarated, and yet so humble.

My friend, Charlie, turned to me at the time and said, "They can't believe they're here right now." Almost immediately afterward, the main camera zoomed in on Tom Chaplin, Keane's frontman, and caught him with an enormous, boyish grin, shaking his head in disbelief as he looked out at the crowd. "See?" Charlie said, with a smile.

Tom's songwriting is simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting, and this song is one of the better examples of just that. Every time I think my heart has been transformed to a blackened piece of coal, I just have to listen to this song and I'm reminded of my own humanness again.

Song of the Day - Fever Ray

What did I ever do before Shazam. (And the Internet, for that matter - but let's stick to the matter at hand.)

It's not uncommon to see me sitting in any given bar on any given night, iPhone in hand, hand poised in the air while I'm waiting for Shazam to analyze whatever song is playing at the time. It's always fun to lie in bed the morning after the night before, perusing the catalog of new music I "Shazamed" while I was out and about.

This little gem from my girl Karin Something-swedish-son (formerly of The Knife) is something I came across on just such a night - where I was I can't say. I vaguely remember being quite certain at the time that this was her singing, and if it wasn't her, it was an insanely convincing rip-off. Either way, I loved it.

And so shall you.

Song of the Day - Human League

I'm inclined to believe the singer in the video would sooner be pining over the groom than the bride in such a scenario, but that's just me.

So eighties-licious...yummy yum yum....

In search of inspiration...

Found it

Song of the Day - The Cure/Bloc Party Mash-up

Hell. And yes.



(Thanks, Josh)

There is no "one"

This is reposted from a Flavorwire article on Paper Heart, a documentary about love (suppress your gag reflex, though, because the documentary's creator doesn't actually believe love exists). The comments from some of Flavorwire's "favorite musicians, filmmakers, visual artists, comedians, and designers" on the subject were the most interesting to read. I particularly liked the very first one by Zia McCabe from The Dandy Warhols because I wholeheartedly agree with her philosophy:

There are no “perfect” matches.

I’m assuming by The One you mean that there is one special person out there for you, your one true love? If that’s the question, for me the answer is NO. I believe that there are all kinds of people out there that I could make a happy life with. Men and women. I feel that we make decisions about who our partners and friends and lovers are based on how we fit together and complement each other and that there are no “perfect” matches. I do believe that there are magical connections between individuals and that settling too soon can cause one to miss out on making these special connections. I feel that love is beautiful and vast and it would sadden me to think that there is just one person out there for me on this entire planet, and I would be consumed with worry that I had chosen the wrong person to be with. For me that’s no way to live.

- Zia McCabe is a percussionist, bassist and keyboard player with The Dandy Warhols. The band released The Dandy Warhols ARE Sound, the “Director’s Cut” of 2003’s Welcome To The Monkey House, in July 2009 on their own label, Beat The World Records. They will be touring in the US in September.

Song of the Day - Trio

I don't love you, you don't love me. Da, da, da....

Song of the Day - Junior Boys