Category: Music

Happy Sunday: Just Fine

Leave a comment

Brandi Carlile wowed people on The Grammy’s. Unfortunately, I missed that performance–at least the live broadcast–but her newest album has been in heavy rotation at my house for months. Then, recently, I saw that this song made President Obama’s playlist last year. I thought that was a good reason to share.

Happy Sunday: Free Thinkers

Leave a comment

Over the past month or so, I have wasted an inordinate amount of time watching two guys watch and react to music videos. It started–as so many of my YouTube rabbit holes do–with Jason Isbell. But it quickly led to Chris Stapleton and Amanda Lambert…and even some Alanis Morrissette.

Here’s the premise: Ryan and George, two black men , listen to music you might not expect them to like (based on stereotypes), and they react. I don’t think I have ever wanted to be friends with two people as much as I want to be friends with Ryan and George. Continue reading →

Happy Sunday: Live from The Stone Church

Leave a comment

IMG_3025A couple of weeks ago we finally made it to The Stone Church in Brattleboro. If you like live music, it doesn’t get much better than this place. It’s literally an old church with great acoustics, beautiful stained glass, and a giant organ. And boy is it intimate…

Brian and I were there see our friends Ashley Storrow and Putnam Smith. They were opening for a band we hadn’t heard of. They were great, just like we knew they would be.

The big surprise of the night, though, was Town Meeting. It was the best live show I’ve seen in a long time. At one point Brian turned to me and said, “I saw The Dropkick Murphys on the small stage at a Warped Tour back in the ’90s… and I feel like I just had the same kind of experience. We’re never going to be able to see these guys in a setting like this again.”  Continue reading →

Happy Sunday: Weird Kid

Leave a comment

Bon Iver is usually just a little too chill for me. But Bonnie Raitt’s Nick of Time was probably my favorite album when I was in, like, second grade. (I was a weird kid.) I even did my Gym Show routine to “Have a Heart.” So, this one caught my attention.

Happy Sunday: Dapper Dan

Leave a comment

I once said on the radio that the Coen Brothers have had a profound impact on my musical taste. That all started when “O Brother Where Art Thou” came out when I was a freshman in college. The Sirens helped introduce me to Allison Krauss and Gillian Welch. (Emmy Lou Harris needs no introduction.)  Watching them do this live astounds me…and the Soggy Bottom Boys ain’t bad either.

 

 

Happy Sunday: Always Take Your Cue from Whoopi

Leave a comment

Following on last week’s theme of movies I’ve seen way too many times, here’s one of my other middle school favorites: Sister Act 2. Everyone knows Lauryn Hill was in this before she became everyone’s favorite Fugee, but unless you’ve seen the movie 1,000 times (like me) you may not recognize Ahmal (played by Ryan Toby) as a member of City High. And while the finale performance of “Joyful, Joyful” is a crowd pleaser, I’ve always loved “Oh, Happy Day!”

Continue reading →

Happy Sunday: Nice and Rough

Leave a comment

When I was in middle school, I must have watched What’s Love Got To Do With It? (the movie, not the music video) a hundred times. I’m pretty sure I’m still mad at Laurence Fishburne for being so mean to Angela Bassett. I used to quote that movie the way other people quote Anchorman. I was a weird kid.

I think Tina Turner is the only person alive capable of straight up outshining Beyonce.