Northern Exposure: The Great Outdoors, “Winter”
Canadian folk-rock collective The Great Outdoors have completed their ambitious project to write, record and release an EP for each season. The three preceding EP’s managed to perfectly capture the tone of each respective season and Winter introduces elements of blues and roots music to the mix to a stunning effect. “The Winter’s Touch” plaintive tenor closes the door and invites you in from the cold as Melisa Devost‘s beautiful voice warms your heart. “The Garbage Man Song” rambles along and features some distinctly Tom Waits influenced moments provided courtesy of guest vocalist Nickle City Slim. “No Bells” swings with a bluesy swagger that pays off with an in your face guitar accompaniment that would otherwise seem out of place. “Edison’s Genius” picks up where the previous track leaves off with its blues-tinged delivery but in place of place of guitars is a horn arrangement that recalls Monk‘s “Abide With Me”. The set wraps with “Snowdrop” a slow burn ballad. Check out “The Garbage Man Song” here and you can catch the rest of the release on the bands MySpace page.The Great Outdoors – “The Garbage Man Song” (mp3)
A Truly Beautiful Mess
From the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway. This is quite possibly one of my favorite songs of 2008 let alone Jason Mraz‘s catalog. The power of the vocal performance combined with the orchestra provided for the perfect combination.
Buy We Sing, We Dance. We Steal Things Expanded Edition (2 CD/DVD): Amazon | iTunes
Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace
All the Ways I Want You (A YouTube Debut)
While the wife and kids were away at a Saturday afternoon birthday party, dad got some peace & quiet. And when there’s tranquility in the house, I often pull out the guitar. Except this time, I pressed the record button. Lucky you!
I’m an amateur on the guitar, but I do enjoy playing. And one of the earliest songs I learned is an all- time favorite of mine: Bruce Cockburn’s “All the Ways I Want You”. Like I said on the YouTube page, I’m now one of “those guys”.
So what the hell, here it is…
Birthday Boss – Bruce at the Shrine
In 1990, Bruce signed up for two intimate shows at L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium to benefit the Christic Institute, along with Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt. This here is night two. On night one, he had premiered “Red Headed Woman”, “57 Channels”, “When The Lights Go Out” , and “Real World”. This night saw the debuts of “The Wish” and “Soul Driver”.
It’s pretty hard to describe in words how completely amazing this show is. Bruce is in optimal form. It’s interesting to note the differences between this acoustic show and the Ghost of Tom Joad tour 5 years later. Somewhere in between, Bruce picked up some twang (maybe all those Harley rides out West?). At any rate, I love both sides of the spectrum, but there’s something about this particular sound, this particular performance.
If someone put a gun to my head and forced me to name my favorite Springsteen song, “Brilliant Disguise” would be my reply. And this is the single best performance of the song I have ever heard. All of the heart-wrenching, soul searching doubt about love – bursting from Bruce and his guitar.
And each song is that high in caliber. Bruce pours his heart and soul into each lyric, and each strum of the guitar – something he does on a regular basis with his band. But it seems even more pronounced here. Maybe it’s the moment in time – just a year earlier he had disbanded the E Street Band and moved to L.A. And earlier in the year, he and Patty had their first child, Evan (an experience he details before “My Hometown”). It’s the Boss, coming out on his own. And he shines.
Happy 59th, Boss – I’m awfully glad you’re around.
Bruce Springsteen
Shrine Auditorium
Los Angeles
November 17th, 1990Intro – “If You’re Moved to Clap Along, Please Don’t”
Brilliant Disguise (mp3)
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Intro – “The address was 39 and a half”
Mansion on the Hill
Intro – “We all live with our illusions”
Reason to Believe
Intro – “You gotta watch those redheads”
Red Headed Woman (mp3)
57 Channels (and Nothing On)
The Wish
Tougher Than The Rest
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Soul Driver
State TrooperIntro – “when that side of you is set loose”
Nebraska
When the Lights Go Out
Thunder Road
Intro – “I caught his first tear on the tip of my finger”
My Hometown
Real World
Highway 61 Revisited (w/ Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt)
Across the Borderline (w/ Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt)Garcia and Grisman – Sitting in Limbo
Just a random offering here, from my Grateful Dead Hour tape archives. David Grisman on mandolin, Jerry Garcia on acoustic guitar, and their blissful, laid back, powerful take on this Jimmy Cliff tune.
Check out Grateful Dawg, a film documenting the relationship between Garcia and Grisman, a friendship and musical collaboration that lasted from 1964 until Jerry’s passing in 1995. It’s streaming for Prime members here on Amazon.
Little Sea Horse
Non-parents may want to move on to the next post, ’cause this one’s a little ch-ch-cheesy.
I’ll make it short & sweet – my four year old daughter attended her first day of kindergarten today. I’m a proud papa, and I’m sort of blown away that I have a child who is now going to school. Seasoned parents are nodding their heads, while at the same time shaking them in a sort of “you have nooo idea what you have in store for you” way. It just keeps getting more and more interesting, folks, and I’m just underway…
Well, a couple of weeks ago, my girl had a sort of “graduation” ceremony at her YMCA preschool. Her class was referred to as the Sea Horses. As the Sea Horses shuffled through in a controlled-chaos single file to receive their cute little certificates, with their cute little caps on, I had this Bruce Cockburn song going through my head. It comes from a brilliant 1976 album called In the Falling Dark.
I count this and Dancing in the Dragon’s Jaw as two of my all time favorites. They soothe and calm me, and bring me to a good place when things seem a little jagged and confused.
The lyrics merit an appearance here (bolded by me):
Little seahorse
Swimming in a primal sea
Heartbeat like a
Leaf quaking in the breeze
I feel magic as coyote
In the middle of the moon-wild nightIn the forge-fire time
Your mother glowed so bright
You were like a
Voice calling in the night
And I’m watching the curtain
Rising on a whole new set of dreamsThe world is waiting
Like a Lake Superior gale
A locomotive
Racing along the rail.
It’ll sweep you away
But you know that you’re never aloneLittle seahorse
Floating on a primal tide
Quickening like a
Spark in a haystack side
I already love you
And I don’t even know who you areNice eh? It’s enough to make a tough dad get a tad misty eyed. And that’s okay. Congrats kiddo – I have no earthly idea how I ever got along without you.
Bruce Cockburn – Little Sea Horse
Buy In the Falling Dark
Jon and Roy
The Canadians keep comin’ hard with the quality tunes. Jon and Roy hail from Victoria, British Columbia. Their latest album is Another Noon – and it’s great. Warm, laid back, and inviting acoustic roots music.
They scored pretty big for an indie outfit by getting the title track on a new Volkswagen commercial (I think Wilco gave VW ads that instant indie cred). If you dig Citizen Cope or Jack Johnson’s vibe, definitely check out Another Noon.
The standout track for me after a couple of listens is “Oh Please”. It’s like drifting on a cloud. Close your eyes and escape for three and a half minutes.
Jon and Roy – Oh Please
Official Site: http://www.jonandroy.ca
New Tunes: Jonny and Josh – Just Can’t Forget
I don’t cruise MySpace too much, but on one of my quick treks bouncing from page to page this week, catching up on some old friends, I came across a really great tune someone had streaming on their profile. It’s one of those songs that creeps up on you, and by a couple minutes in, you’re asking yourself, “Who is this?”
The song is “Just Can’t Forget” by Colorado duo Jonny and Josh. Based in Boulder, they spend their time playing for people up and down the Front Range. The song is a haunting, touching tune about that old standby, a love lost. The vocals have that rough edge I like – I hear Eddie Vedder and, may I say, Everlast – in a good way.
So take a listen, and check out their MySpace for some other quality tunes. These guys are unsigned, but if they keep churning out music like this, it won’t be for too much longer.
Jonny and Josh – Just Can’t Forget
Buy Stone Crack here on Amazon.
Website: Jonny and Josh’s MySpace page
A Heavenly Day
There I was this past weekend, wrapping up a late Sunday afternoon car wash in the driveway (washing the hell out of my wife’s car due to the guilt of trading myself up for a new Honda Ridgeline – naughty, selfish husband!). I had the iTunes streaming down to the garage stereo (because I will perform no household or automotive task without background music – that would be silly).
As dusk set in, and I was pulling her car into the garage, this song came on. I sat silent for a few, taking in the song. I sighed in contentment, closed the garage door, and went on with my night. It was already a good weekend. Patty Griffin made it even better.
Patty Griffin – Heavenly Day
Thinking of You
Canadian Cam is back with a look at Toronto singer-songwriter Kim Jarrett… – Pete
Kim Jarrett writes excellent songs that showcase her outstanding voice. There’s nothing fancy or pretentious about the songs, or the voice, or Kim herself.
Kim received critical acclaim for her self-titled debut album. She still receives accolades for many of the tracks, in particular the opening number, “How Long”, as it comes pre-loaded on an mp3 player sold worldwide. This is an indication of Kim’s great universal appeal.
Kim is almost always busy performing live and hosting various open mic nights for singer-songwriters, road-testing her next batch of originals and revising old favourites with bassist, backup vocalist, partner and, now, producer Mike Costantino.
Thinking of You (2007) primarily features Kim on guitar/vocals and Mike on bass and backing vocals. The sound has been stripped down in comparison to the debut album, and I think it works extremely well with the songs that have been chosen. Guest appearances have been limited to a couple of ace guitarists: Tim Bovaconti (Ron Sexmith) contributes stellar electric guitar and pedal steel on many tracks, and Eric St-Laurent’s electric sounds great on two others.
Kim (and Mike) can reliably be found hosting an open mic night every Tuesday at the Liberty Bistro in Toronto. You never know who will show up to perform and listen to the varied performers!
Kim Jarrett – Everybody Pays (mp3)
Buy Thinking of You and check in at Kim’s web site (http://www.kimjarrett.com/). If you want to hear more, a few more new tunes (including Hypnotizing, possibly the catchiest on the album) are on her MySpace page.
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