...and I still have 94 sleeps until Hillside!
Hillside Festival that is. I always feel like there shouldn't be a capital letter... so hillside. yep.
Though I attended once before, last summer was the first year I volunteered at Guelph's hillside festival and had the whole full-weekend/camping-in-volunteer-village/seeing-a-bajillion-shows/doin'-it-the-hillside-way experience. I loved it. Seriously super-loved it. It only took me about fifteen minutes before I declared "I am doing this again next year and every year forever!" or something to that effect...
I adored every minute of the weekend despite only having pre-hillside heard of about six of the bands (and missing two of them cuz we had to leave to go to a wedding!). We discovered countless new bands to swoon over (including the incredible Graveyard Train) and spent hours sitting on the lawn, tent-hopping, swimming and wandering the food and merch tents... it was fab.
So this year, when the hillside lineup for 2012 got announced and three separate people sent me "Holy crap have you seen the hillside line-up!?!" messages I was understandably anxious to check out the list of performers.
Holy Crap is right.
ALX, Arkells, Rich Aucoin, BADBADNOTGOOD, Bahamas, The Be Good
Tanyas, Belle Starr, Geoff Berner, Birds of Chicago, Bidiniband, Bombay
Bicycle Club, The Bright Light Social Hour, Bry Webb And The Providers,
Chic Gamine, Adam Cohen, Cold Specks, The Crooked Brothers, Current
Swell, The Deep Dark Woods, Doldrums, Dirty Mags, The Durants, Kathleen
Edwards, Elephant Revival, Elliott BROOD, Esther Grey, Christine
Fellows, Great Lake Swimmers, Alanna Gurr, Imaginary Cities, The
Jezabels, Joel Plaskett Emergency, Keys N Krates, The Magnificent 7s,
Maylee Todd, Memoryhouse, Mickey Hart Band, Minor Empire, New Country
Rehab, Ohbijou, Open Hearts Society, Sandro Perri, (POP Montreal
Presents: Canailles, Jennifer Castle, Mike O'Brien + Michelle Tompkins),
Joe Pug, Rival Boys, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Selina Martin Triplets,
Sagapool, The Slackadeliqs, StereoKid, The Strumbellas, Tālavya, Sidi
Touré, Chad VanGaalen, Valdy, Walk Off The Earth, The Wooden Sky, Young
Empires, Zeus.
yeah... Excited.
I am excited about Zeus (first time I will have seen them not as an opening band)
I am excited about Ohbijou (so beautiful!)
I am excited about The Wooden Sky (perfect hillside fare!)
I am excited about Great Lake Swimmers and Current Swell and the Arkells
But more than all that put together I am excited about Elliott BROOD.
Since moving back to Ontario a little over a year ago, I've seen them four times (more than in the previous four years all put together!) and its done nothing but make my love of them even more acute. Seriously, if I could only listen to one band for the rest of my life, I would be sad, but I would at least be mostly okay with it as long as that band were Elliot Brood. And EB live? even better.
Obviously I am excited to see them perform. And I am particularly excited to see them perform at hillside (because hillside performances are always magically even better than the best non-hillside performances). But more than that I am super excited to possibly see them two or three times in as many days (workshops! tents! mainstage!). That last realisation just hit me today, telling my roomate about it while doing dishes. And I had a weird experience, a tv/book/imaginary-world type experience: I suddenly got so excited that I felt momentarily nauseous. Seriously. It was weird. but also awesome.
I realize I have just irrevocably confirmed my status as an absolutely huge live-music dork, but honestly, if you haven't figured that out by now.... just wait until my hillside posts start rolling in...!
Only 94 sleeps until hillside!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Dear Library Voices... OR An Excersise in Sweatiness, Part Deux
 |
| Great Bloomers |
 |
| Mr Luxurious Hair himself |
Library Voices.
They opened up with two numbers off of their latest album (Summer of Lust) and plowed through four or five numbers without saying so much as a word beyond "We're Library Voices!" --The lack of early-set banter was strangely a bit of a relief, as I was hoping they would cram in as many songs as possible into their non-headlining set. And cram 'em in they did. From Generation Hand Clap to Kundera on the Dance Floor, they played virtually non-stop for forty-five too-short minutes.
One of the (many) things I love about Library Voices is the enthusiasm they bring to the stage. Forget that they're fitting seven people into the same space most bands stuff only three or four, they would easily fill a concert-hall with their unerring energy. Their lyrics (though more impressively riddled with literary references, metaphor, and beauty than most novels) don't always paint the most cheerful of pictures, but you would never guess it from the looks of sheer joy on their faces as they perform. And that's not all. When lyricist Mike steps to the front of the stage to tell us about being embarrassed by his first Billy Joel album and how Kundera on the Dance Floor is their peanut butter sandwich, you can hear his love for the songs in every breath, every syllable. Each performance is like one long love-letter to music. And its infectious.
 |
| So. Into. It. |
Sweatiness is a measure of how into it they are, how invested, how much they are way more interested in having fun and making amazing music than playing it cool (all the things that make a great band a great LIVE band). (I feel a 'sweatiness' post coming on... so I guess you can look forward to that...!) But regardless of whether you think its hot or gross, Carl's sweatiness is an outward expression of the extent of his energetic and enthusiastic singing. Which is a lot. A lot of enthusiasm, and a lot of sweat.
 |
| This is how/why is gets so sweaty... The price of Awesome |
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| The part when Carl stood on the front bit & danced like a school boy |
and
 |
| The obligatory jump-on-kick-drum finale |
So after Library Voices we decided to move back a bit... y'know to not necessarily be two feet from the stage, and it was clearly evident that we were not alone. Like at the summer festivals of my youth, you could literally watch the change-over from LV to YB fans, with a steady stream of t-shirts moving back, and a steady stream of plaid moving forward. Its always struck me as odd when two bands touring together have such distinct fan bases, despite not actually belonging to different genres. Sure Library Voices is indie and Yukon Blonde is seventies rock, but I enjoy both bands as do many of my friends... the thing is, though, that everyone there, while clearly enjoying both bands, also clearly enjoyed one much more than the other.
Though it sounds disparaging, I would argue that it isn't--> I would also focus on the first part of that statement- "Everyone there clearly enjoyed both bands' (though I should really say all three bands, as Great Bloomers, in addition to being fantastic, also got a rousing round of applause at the close of their set...) Yukon Blonde is an incredibly solid live band. They capture the crowd. They inspire excessive amounts of man-love. They rock hard, and they sound clean (even at Mavericks, notorious for bad mixes).
They. Are. Smooth.
Its actually quite difficult to give a more accurate review than that! Seriously I just re wrote that paragraph like seven times and nothing suited as well as the above. So, strangely, I think I'll leave it there: Smooth, Rockin', Solid. Also Man-love. Good.
So great Bloomers were a great new discovery, Yukon Blonde put on a great show as always and, Library Voices has officially made it into my top three of Bands I Love Seeing Live... all in all quite a satisfactory evening!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Whales and Horses and Chains
Three-band shows can be odd.
You've got the openers, then you've got the middle band, then you've got the headliners- the first band and the last band stick out, but the middle band is just... well, the middle band. At least at a festival there are lots of middle bands, so they can all be middle bands together, but at a three-band show there's only one middle band. And its weird.
Case in Point:
Said the Whale (headliners), Boxer the Horse (openers) and Chains of Love (the middle band), April 11 2012.
So my sister had seen this tour two days earlier in Montreal, and had texted me during Boxer the Horse to say "You HAVE to make sure you get there for the openers- Boxer the Horse is really good!" Since our musical tastes overlap almost entirely, I took her at her word and got there just after doors. And she wasn't wrong- Boxer the Horse are adooooorable. They're geeky and bouncy and early Beatles meets 90s high-school; not too boppy but just boppy enough. Though it took them a few songs to get really into it, by the third or fourth one in the crowd was well warmed up, dancing and nodding in time with the music. And just when I was starting to think the 90s influence was just in my head, they played a cover of the 'Better than Ezra' song from Empire Records. I'm not sure if they just look a lot younger than they are, or if they are just youngins who love 90s teen flicks, but if I wasn't already hooked, that certainly would have convinced me. They fit perfectly as an opener to Said the Whale and you could really tell why that were on the bill.
Next up was Chains of Love, a slightly ska-influenced (or maybe just because the singer's voice reminded me of early Gwen Steffani?) kind of rock-ish gal band complete with tambourine and castinettes playing lead singer. Actually they totally reminded me of Josie and the Pussycats (and yes I mean the band from the vastly underrated early 2000s movie of the same name. What? This whole show reminded me of that era!), except less psudo-punk... OK, to be fair here, I think I should pause and mention something; I am not a fan of girl singers. There is the odd exception to this rule -mostly super-London-y gals like Kate Nash, Lily Allen and Eliza Dolittle, with a bit of weirdness (a la Joanna Newsom) and some francaphones (Coeur de Pirate, Marie-Pierre Arthur) thrown in for good measure- but on the whole, they just don't do it for me. Maybe its the tone of their voices (NB all the above singers are altos...), or some left over, misguided teenage-sentiment "Girl bands are wussy" (lame and un-true, but alas the opinion of many high school aged punks/rockers...), I don't know... I just know I am not a fan.
This makes it kind of difficult to fairly review bands with female vocalists. I am aware of this stumbling block, and I try to compensate for it, but I'm not really sure how... I was quite impressed at the use of tambourine (now I know that sounds like a slight, but it is mean in earnest- very rarely do you hear tambourine used as its own instrument, not just backup, and I enjoyed that it seemed to be a pretty integral part of their sound). And the singer was pretty enthusiastic and used her long hair as long hair should be used (flipping it, but not excessively)... but she is honestly the only one I remember anything about, and there just weren't any songs that caught my fancy.
On the completely opposite end of the spectrum: Said the Whale.
Now this wasn't the best STW show I've ever been to (that distinction would go to their performance last year at The Live Lounge...) but it was mostly because the levels were just way too high. It was loud. And I mean LOUD. This is coming from the person who drives around with music so blaring that people two lanes over on the highway give me dirty looks. I like loud music. I LOVE loud music. But this concert was Too Loud.
Having said that, Said the Whale were in fine form, playing not only new material, but numerous songs from their original EP (Howe Sounds) and first LP (Islands Disappear- my favourite of their albums). Early-set monitors issues left Tyler and Ben unable to hear themselves, but also led to an amazing sing-along version of Emerald Lake AB, which emphasized the absolute dedication of the audience. This was an all ages (well 16+) show and it was clear this was the first real concert for many of the excited attendees. They may not have been jumping and dancing as much as some older crowds, and they may have been a little overly-squealy (As Tyler Bancroft said from onstage "I think I am going to wake up tomorrow morning with high pitched screams ringing in my ears... seriously you are going to lose the ability to sound like that as you get older!"). But I have to say; I have heard audiences sing louder, I have heard audiences sing more enthusiastically, but never before have I heard an audience sing along with Every Single Song. Seriously. Every word of every song. It was amazing.
"The Reason" was a real stand-out, with Ben pleading with the audience (as a stand-in for the intended subject of the song), and "Oh Alexandra" spawned a spontaneous whole-crowd hands-up-swaying (a la lighters, except with cellphones instead), while the ever-danceable "The Light is You" got everyone moving (man I love that song...). Pulling out the ukulele, they signed off with an adorable rendition of "Goodnight Moon" and left the stage to raucous applause.
This was a show of competing elements, pulling my reactions in opposite directions. Boxer the Horse and Said the Whale had great performances, though the sound left something to be desired. Chains of Love combined a bunch of nostalgic 90s elements, but failed to pull it all together. The audience was dedicated, but a overly high-pitched and under-dancing... Overall the show was alright, but I would certainly recommend catching Said the Whale or Boxer the Horse next time they're in town...
You've got the openers, then you've got the middle band, then you've got the headliners- the first band and the last band stick out, but the middle band is just... well, the middle band. At least at a festival there are lots of middle bands, so they can all be middle bands together, but at a three-band show there's only one middle band. And its weird.
Case in Point:
Said the Whale (headliners), Boxer the Horse (openers) and Chains of Love (the middle band), April 11 2012.
So my sister had seen this tour two days earlier in Montreal, and had texted me during Boxer the Horse to say "You HAVE to make sure you get there for the openers- Boxer the Horse is really good!" Since our musical tastes overlap almost entirely, I took her at her word and got there just after doors. And she wasn't wrong- Boxer the Horse are adooooorable. They're geeky and bouncy and early Beatles meets 90s high-school; not too boppy but just boppy enough. Though it took them a few songs to get really into it, by the third or fourth one in the crowd was well warmed up, dancing and nodding in time with the music. And just when I was starting to think the 90s influence was just in my head, they played a cover of the 'Better than Ezra' song from Empire Records. I'm not sure if they just look a lot younger than they are, or if they are just youngins who love 90s teen flicks, but if I wasn't already hooked, that certainly would have convinced me. They fit perfectly as an opener to Said the Whale and you could really tell why that were on the bill.
Next up was Chains of Love, a slightly ska-influenced (or maybe just because the singer's voice reminded me of early Gwen Steffani?) kind of rock-ish gal band complete with tambourine and castinettes playing lead singer. Actually they totally reminded me of Josie and the Pussycats (and yes I mean the band from the vastly underrated early 2000s movie of the same name. What? This whole show reminded me of that era!), except less psudo-punk... OK, to be fair here, I think I should pause and mention something; I am not a fan of girl singers. There is the odd exception to this rule -mostly super-London-y gals like Kate Nash, Lily Allen and Eliza Dolittle, with a bit of weirdness (a la Joanna Newsom) and some francaphones (Coeur de Pirate, Marie-Pierre Arthur) thrown in for good measure- but on the whole, they just don't do it for me. Maybe its the tone of their voices (NB all the above singers are altos...), or some left over, misguided teenage-sentiment "Girl bands are wussy" (lame and un-true, but alas the opinion of many high school aged punks/rockers...), I don't know... I just know I am not a fan.
This makes it kind of difficult to fairly review bands with female vocalists. I am aware of this stumbling block, and I try to compensate for it, but I'm not really sure how... I was quite impressed at the use of tambourine (now I know that sounds like a slight, but it is mean in earnest- very rarely do you hear tambourine used as its own instrument, not just backup, and I enjoyed that it seemed to be a pretty integral part of their sound). And the singer was pretty enthusiastic and used her long hair as long hair should be used (flipping it, but not excessively)... but she is honestly the only one I remember anything about, and there just weren't any songs that caught my fancy.
On the completely opposite end of the spectrum: Said the Whale.
Now this wasn't the best STW show I've ever been to (that distinction would go to their performance last year at The Live Lounge...) but it was mostly because the levels were just way too high. It was loud. And I mean LOUD. This is coming from the person who drives around with music so blaring that people two lanes over on the highway give me dirty looks. I like loud music. I LOVE loud music. But this concert was Too Loud.
Having said that, Said the Whale were in fine form, playing not only new material, but numerous songs from their original EP (Howe Sounds) and first LP (Islands Disappear- my favourite of their albums). Early-set monitors issues left Tyler and Ben unable to hear themselves, but also led to an amazing sing-along version of Emerald Lake AB, which emphasized the absolute dedication of the audience. This was an all ages (well 16+) show and it was clear this was the first real concert for many of the excited attendees. They may not have been jumping and dancing as much as some older crowds, and they may have been a little overly-squealy (As Tyler Bancroft said from onstage "I think I am going to wake up tomorrow morning with high pitched screams ringing in my ears... seriously you are going to lose the ability to sound like that as you get older!"). But I have to say; I have heard audiences sing louder, I have heard audiences sing more enthusiastically, but never before have I heard an audience sing along with Every Single Song. Seriously. Every word of every song. It was amazing.
"The Reason" was a real stand-out, with Ben pleading with the audience (as a stand-in for the intended subject of the song), and "Oh Alexandra" spawned a spontaneous whole-crowd hands-up-swaying (a la lighters, except with cellphones instead), while the ever-danceable "The Light is You" got everyone moving (man I love that song...). Pulling out the ukulele, they signed off with an adorable rendition of "Goodnight Moon" and left the stage to raucous applause.
This was a show of competing elements, pulling my reactions in opposite directions. Boxer the Horse and Said the Whale had great performances, though the sound left something to be desired. Chains of Love combined a bunch of nostalgic 90s elements, but failed to pull it all together. The audience was dedicated, but a overly high-pitched and under-dancing... Overall the show was alright, but I would certainly recommend catching Said the Whale or Boxer the Horse next time they're in town...
Sunday, April 8, 2012
You Can Never Sit Far Enough Away to Feel Left Out at B.A. OR An Exercise in Sweatiness
A: "Oh B.A. ..."
Q: What was the phrase most uttered at Irene's Pub and Restaurant on Good Friday?
Its difficult to adequately describe the ridiculous excellentness (and the excellent ridiculousness) of a B.A. Johnson show. I have tried on many occasions and done a reasonable job, but there is nothing like seeing it for yourself. This is gonna be an exceptionally photo-heavy post for just that reason- also because my friend Josh just got a new camera phone. (And not like Jemaine's either, one that takes honest to goodness photos...) Shall we begin?
We started off the evening with the musical stylings of the energetic and the ever-sweaty Phil Castiglione, aka Robots!EVERYWHERE!! As always, the hometown crowd sang and heckled with great enthusiasm as Phil sped through such gems as "Zombie Smooth" and "Red Hair Blond Hair" all the while battling with the magical exploding guitar (tenuously taped together for a super fast encore of 'Drunk at Work').
I've seen Robots!EVERYWHERE!! three times in as many months and am consistently impressed by Phil's ability to get a crowd going. His speedy and clever punk tunes combined with his opposite-of-serious attitude are a sure-fire hit every time, and tonight was no exception.
Next up was Remi Royale, the king of awkwardly-shirtless kareoke. Energetic and entertaining, Remi never even graced the stage, instead spending the entire performance roaming the crowd, serenading unsuspecting audience members and gettin' us going with covers of everything from 'Sweet Caroline' to 'Don't Stop Believing.' Remi's set may have more in common with Vegas-inspired performance art than the acts one normals sees at a 'pub and restaurant' but it fit perfectly at Irene's.
Time for B.A.!
For serious, B.A. is one of the most entertaining, funniest, and most inexplicably charismatic performers you will ever see. His songs are catchy and hilarious, he sweats up a storm, and he doesn't take himself seriously in the slightest. As always he was accompanied by a selection of Casio keyboards and an 'JPEG player' (aka discman) as well as the enthusiastic singing/shouting along of the excited crowd. He started numerous songs by dancing on his chair, swinging the mic by the cord, then doing jump-splits onto the stage. At one point- while dancing around, just after playing the keyboard with his nose- B.A. shouted to a non-participatory guy in the front row (who was trying his darnedest to not make eye contact) "You can't ignore me! I'm right fucking here in a dolphin tank top."
Oh B.A. ...
It is about the music (it's always at least partially about the music!) but a B.A. Johnson show is also about the show: In addition to his standard captain's hat and neck kerchief, we were also treated to a seemingly endless parade of printed sweatshirts (I believe there were three, followed by one with the sleeves cut of, before hitting the tank top and t shirt) which B.A. stripped off as they (all) got too sweaty. That guy really knows how to get the ladies hearts pumping...!
But forget the ladies, it's the dudes who reeeeally love B.A... You can easily pick out the hard-core fans (including Phil- in the words of my sister "Watching B.A. is super entertaining, but watching Phil watch B.A. is almost even better!") not only from the enthusiasm of their reactions, but from the way B.A. so sweetly picks on them throughout the show... regardless, by the end of every song practically every person is singing along. With choruses like "I always knew that Jesus was from Hamilton" (appropriately appropriate for Easter weekend...) and "I hate squirrels, I hate you squirrels, everybody, go kick a squirrel, man I hate squirrels" its practically impossible to not join in.
Like Remi Royale, B.A. also spent a good chunk of his set roaming (or should I say running) around the audience, sitting in chairs, standing on tables and jumping off benches. At one point he even had someone hold his mic while he did an elaborate air-traffic-controller style cheer-leading routine while beltin' it out... Just a small pinch of the commitment and zeal he pours into every second of every show.
Last, but certainly not least, we were all treated to the traditional encore-in-the-bathroom this time with three songs, capped off with the ever-entertaining 'Have Fun on Warped Tour.' B.A. perched on the toilet while the rest of us crammed in the [oddly smelly] girls' bathroom. It was a great view from the counter, and looking out over the cramped but enthusiastically singing crowd I couldn't help but think to myself "Who else could get twenty people to cram into a smelly bathroom and listen to a sweaty guy standing on a toilet, playing a guitar?"
Oh B.A. ...
Q: What was the phrase most uttered at Irene's Pub and Restaurant on Good Friday?
Its difficult to adequately describe the ridiculous excellentness (and the excellent ridiculousness) of a B.A. Johnson show. I have tried on many occasions and done a reasonable job, but there is nothing like seeing it for yourself. This is gonna be an exceptionally photo-heavy post for just that reason- also because my friend Josh just got a new camera phone. (And not like Jemaine's either, one that takes honest to goodness photos...) Shall we begin?
We started off the evening with the musical stylings of the energetic and the ever-sweaty Phil Castiglione, aka Robots!EVERYWHERE!! As always, the hometown crowd sang and heckled with great enthusiasm as Phil sped through such gems as "Zombie Smooth" and "Red Hair Blond Hair" all the while battling with the magical exploding guitar (tenuously taped together for a super fast encore of 'Drunk at Work').
 |
| Robots!EVERYWHERE!! this time with magical exploding guitar! |
Next up was Remi Royale, the king of awkwardly-shirtless kareoke. Energetic and entertaining, Remi never even graced the stage, instead spending the entire performance roaming the crowd, serenading unsuspecting audience members and gettin' us going with covers of everything from 'Sweet Caroline' to 'Don't Stop Believing.' Remi's set may have more in common with Vegas-inspired performance art than the acts one normals sees at a 'pub and restaurant' but it fit perfectly at Irene's.
 |
| Remi Royale (courtesy of J. Pruner) |
For serious, B.A. is one of the most entertaining, funniest, and most inexplicably charismatic performers you will ever see. His songs are catchy and hilarious, he sweats up a storm, and he doesn't take himself seriously in the slightest. As always he was accompanied by a selection of Casio keyboards and an 'JPEG player' (aka discman) as well as the enthusiastic singing/shouting along of the excited crowd. He started numerous songs by dancing on his chair, swinging the mic by the cord, then doing jump-splits onto the stage. At one point- while dancing around, just after playing the keyboard with his nose- B.A. shouted to a non-participatory guy in the front row (who was trying his darnedest to not make eye contact) "You can't ignore me! I'm right fucking here in a dolphin tank top."
Oh B.A. ...
It is about the music (it's always at least partially about the music!) but a B.A. Johnson show is also about the show: In addition to his standard captain's hat and neck kerchief, we were also treated to a seemingly endless parade of printed sweatshirts (I believe there were three, followed by one with the sleeves cut of, before hitting the tank top and t shirt) which B.A. stripped off as they (all) got too sweaty. That guy really knows how to get the ladies hearts pumping...!
 | |
| B.A up close and personal (courtesy of J. Pruner) |
 |
| B.A. does gymnastics (courtesy of J. Pruner) |
 |
| The traditional bathroom encore (courtesy of L. Carson) |
Oh B.A. ...
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Seasonal Mix-Tapes
I love making mix-tapes.
ok, so technically they're mix-playlists which I make into mix CDs (because I refuse to get an ipod adapter for my car- there is just something about having to change the actual object making the music... I would have a tape deck if I could, but apparently they don't put those in cars anymore...) but the sentiment is the same. I still spend days (or weeks) gathering the songs and then hours putting them in the 'right' order, checking transitions from song to song then whittling them down to fit within the required 1.3 hours (another reason cds/tapes are superior to playlists- having to make them fit a specific time limit forces you to cut the fat!)
I enjoy making mixes for the car in general, but I've developed a habit over the past few years of making seasonal mixes that bring together all the random stuff I've been listening to. As I get songs stuck in my head I pop them onto an ipod playlist entitled "Spring 2012" or "March-May 2012" or just "Now!" I love listening to the mixes the day after I make them (and usually on and off for several weeks after that...) but theres nothing like finding "spring 2008" at the bottom of a pile and popping it in the player. Its like my own personal time machine, with every song bringing me back to a particular moment in my past.
With that said, I just finished up just one such random mix for the car ride home for easter. As promised it is a fairly random mix of songs I've had in my head over the past few months, some old, some new, but all attached to something I'm going to have fun remembering in a few years when I find it in my glove compartment :o)
Perhaps unsurprisingly (what with the pervasiveness of the internets now-a-days) I actually managed to find links to every song (with the exception of my friend Phil's 'Zombie Smooth' but hey there's a link to download the album, and its free, so go for it!). Play the whole list or select one at random!
Enjoy!
Easter Mix 2012
ok, so technically they're mix-playlists which I make into mix CDs (because I refuse to get an ipod adapter for my car- there is just something about having to change the actual object making the music... I would have a tape deck if I could, but apparently they don't put those in cars anymore...) but the sentiment is the same. I still spend days (or weeks) gathering the songs and then hours putting them in the 'right' order, checking transitions from song to song then whittling them down to fit within the required 1.3 hours (another reason cds/tapes are superior to playlists- having to make them fit a specific time limit forces you to cut the fat!)
I enjoy making mixes for the car in general, but I've developed a habit over the past few years of making seasonal mixes that bring together all the random stuff I've been listening to. As I get songs stuck in my head I pop them onto an ipod playlist entitled "Spring 2012" or "March-May 2012" or just "Now!" I love listening to the mixes the day after I make them (and usually on and off for several weeks after that...) but theres nothing like finding "spring 2008" at the bottom of a pile and popping it in the player. Its like my own personal time machine, with every song bringing me back to a particular moment in my past.
With that said, I just finished up just one such random mix for the car ride home for easter. As promised it is a fairly random mix of songs I've had in my head over the past few months, some old, some new, but all attached to something I'm going to have fun remembering in a few years when I find it in my glove compartment :o)
Perhaps unsurprisingly (what with the pervasiveness of the internets now-a-days) I actually managed to find links to every song (with the exception of my friend Phil's 'Zombie Smooth' but hey there's a link to download the album, and its free, so go for it!). Play the whole list or select one at random!
Enjoy!
Easter Mix 2012
- Hollerado - Hollearado Land
- Noah and the Whale - Rocks and Daggers
- Coeur de Pirate - Printemps
- Writer's Strike - Stay Down
- Lake of Stew - Hey Bully
- Robots!EVERYWHERE!! - Zombie Smooth
- Elliott BROOD - Without Again
- The Record Holder - Dear Medea
- Bobbie Gentry - Ode to Billie Joe
- Graveyard Train - A Tall Shadow
- Library Voices - Drinking Games
- The Monkees - D.W. Washburn
- Sam Roberts - Detroit '67
- The Daredevil Christopher Wright - A Conversation About Cancer
- Simon and Garfunkel - Cecelia
- Punch Brothers - Rye Whiskey
- Dan Mangan - Road Regrets
- Joanna Newsom - Three Little Babes
- Marie-Pierre Arthur - Emmene-Moi
- Northcote - The Beat
- Of Monsters and Men - Dirty Paws
- Paper Lions - Traveling
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