I’m listening to one of the albums that powered me through high school. I was dating Whitney, a beautiful woman with an artist’s spirit and a mind sharper than mine – and she’d introduced me to the Indigo Girls, taken me to see them in Baltimore. I went to the music store and looked through the options on sale and found an EP cassette on the racks that none of my friends had ever heard of, and “Back on the Bus Y’All” came home with me. Later it Lived in my own bus, usually rattling around on the floor of my Volkswagon, successively being lost and found and rediscovered and played over, and over and over again.
The audience at College Perk’s open mic. It was a good night. Heather was hosting and she did a quite Lovely job.
I suppose we all have albums like that – and it probably happens most around high school and college, when we’re susceptible and open to influence and music seems all too powerful. You think it can solve anything.
It’s not an album you hear a lot about, and even alot of my friends who claim to be great fans of the Indigo Girls haven’t heard of it – but it’s a Live album with just eight tracks, capturing their Live performance better than 1000 Days or whatever that double disc set was (though that’s pretty damned awesome too).
ABTH.
So I skate my mind over “You And Me and the 10,000 Wars” and my head is still clamouring with the dying echoes of Aliens, which I’d been craving, and Photoshop is chewing in the background.
I have a lot of friends who felt that 2006 had a lot to answer for, but I felt it treated me right well, at least till about half way through December. Since then it’s been difficult, and 2007 hasn’t let up. My mother’s still in the hospital, and though the doctors have gotten optimistic, my mother has had a very difficult time. It’s taking its toll and I just feel like I’m underneath all too much.
The Christmas Perk open mic saw many an odd gift assault their new owners. Joanna saw much combat with her new… bunny squid? Squibbit? I don’t even know.
On the other hand, the Indigo Girls are about to launch into their version of “All Along the Watchtower” – the only good version other than Jimi’s, in my mind – and we’re about to get back out on the road, where everything’s a little bit clearer.
Oh – wait – “Kid Fears” first, and it nearly brings me to tears.
And Heather’s brother’s birthday cake was monumental… we played Wii muchly in celebration.
Everything was so simple in college, though I didn’t understand that at the time. I was busy going insane, and fighting demons that didn’t need to be fought, and discovering myself and my guitar. I’m so grateful for those years, and if I hadn’t been so caught up in my little artistic drama, perhaps I’d never have picked up music.
Visiting Annapolis, MD – I discovered this tree which has probably eaten many hapless wanderers.
I remember trying so hard, finally capturing the capacity to perform Michael Stipe’s part on this song while still playing bass, with Jennie singing Emily Salier’s part and Audrey taking the guitar and Amy’s part. I remember practicing in the basement of the Student Centre at MICA, among boxes and old art and the smell of concrete and dust – the omnipresent art school smells, even more eternal than turpentine and ramen (and I’m making ramen now, though these days i’ve acquired a taste for pepper, changing that memory strangely).
Scene of horrific final showdowns, the snows of Homestead Gardens show nary a stain.
The first time I heard this version of it I cried when the audience took my part, and I’m tearing up again now, because I’d forgotten it. And now the Watchtower, with the best growl ever recorded.
I’m scanning through the pictures of the last couple of weeks, and I’m startled by how quickly the time has gone by. The last couple of days, especially, have just been a blur. The next couple of days don’t look to be any less, though at least they’ll be less stressful – just…
very busy.
Very busy.
Ha, I keep this up and I won’t even notice hitting 32.
It’s funny, listening to this album now, maybe I understand why it’s hard to find. I hear missed notes, flat vocals, imperfect harmonies – but it’s so raw and beautiful. Autotune and vocal tone correction and click tracks – I hate them so much.
Christmas lights will always be one of my favourite, favourite things.
Sandy is one of my favourite people ever, and I haven’t seen her in years, which is absolute stupidity. She’s asking the Eight Ball mysterious questions that are no doubt of great import.
Hee! We’ve never been on one of these little letter boards before!
We’re in the studio now, helping a friend help us – and I think I’m more in Love with these recordings even than those of Fifth Circle – they’re honest (not that we used a lot of those things on ANY album, but it just feels like there’s less between us and the “tape” right now).
Lillian and her husband brought out a massive family contingent to our Bowie Old Town Grill show and made our audience way more Lively and responsive. When you’ve got a couple of tables cheering like there’s no tomorrow, well, the rest of the audience gets shamed into joining in. It was a good night.
Maybe I’m hurting more. In the studio for the Fifth Circle, it became rapidly clear that my Dad wasn’t going to Live to see its completion. I think my mom doesn’t neccessarily believe she’ll Live to see this one come out – but that’s bullshit.
Heather and I playing at the Bowie Old Town Grill in Bowie, MD with Rob Burnnett on violin.
