Crunchy ‘Nanas

Trying hard not to think about the fact that I am not in California for tonight’s Bridge School Benefit (Sarah McLachlan and Jack Johnson - sob!), I’m taking a trip back in time to the beginning of October when I was lucky enough to get to spend a day with my family and the world’s favorite moose in the sunshine in Golden Gate Park listening to fun music. For free. Yay! (Only I hadn’t yet acquired my super telephoto lens, so the pics are kind of far back and there are a lot of the backs of tall guys’ heads.)

Three Girls & Their Buddy

Jerry Jeff Walker

Asleep at the Wheel

Crunchy Moose

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Miles traveled for October’s 30-mile Challenge: 24 miles down, 6 to go

I took a moment this morning to glance through the +1,000 new posts in the music folder on my Google Reader (I’ve been busy lately), and I stumbled upon this: Peter Gabriel to Receive Ambassador of Conscience Award.

Crunchy husband and I like to joke about Crunchy ‘Nanas press passes whenever we are anywhere watching cool people do cool things from afar. (You can kind of see Paula Radcliffe in the pictures I took the other night. If you know it’s her, of course. Kind of.)

On September 10th, Peter Gabriel is receiving this honor from Amnesty International at the Hard Rock Cafe in London. The award is to be presented by the Edge. Peter Gabriel and the Edge. In the same room. Now, I know they are not likely to break out into a jam, but still cool people, cool thing - where can I get the press pass, please?

I mean, I am, after all, a member of the team that received the Kent Village of the Year 2008 Communications Section Award (Minster Matters won! Yay! Go team!), where I diligently record the audio file for our CD and podcast editions of the village newsletter, type copy, and surreptitiously correct the inappropriate use of apostrophes on the blog whenever possible. That should count for something, right?

Dengue Fever

Lykke Li

Groove Armada

Wa-hoo!

I am always faced with a mental challenge when I go to the gym: run for a couple miles on the treadmill liked I’ve set out to do before heading out to the pool. Usually, I get there and the pool looks so nice and inviting, beckoning me to skip the smelly ‘mill and just go for a swim. I can be easily tempted to divert all attention to its flowing waters. But, today I stayed strong and didn’t give in to temptation. I was good and did the two miles I bargained for. And yes, I am pleased with 2 miles because treadmilling is so-oh-oh snoozin’.

And can I say I am totally diggin’ this chick called Lykke Li? I’ve been intrigued these past few weeks since I read an article, but I didn’t rush to buy the cd. But, then we were at this independent shop in Brighton over the weekend and they were playing the album and the lady was nice enough to point it out when I asked what they were playing and really, if you are in an independent record store and you know you’ll probably buy it eventually anyway, you just do it, you know?

I’m not disappointed with my purchase. The album’s very catchy. You kind of have to get past her little girl-ish voice, but I think I’ve done it. It totally kept me going on the treadmill, all 17 minutes glorious minutes. “I’m Good, I’m Gone” kind makes me think of Feist’s “My Moon, My Man” and Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks” mixed together, kind of funky.

And she swallows her ts (”li’l bit”) like someone else I know.

I was never a cover girl, especially if it was of a song I liked. But then there was Luka Bloom’s cover of “Bad”. And I heard David Byrne sing Whitney Houston at the Warfield. And dear god, if anyone knows where I can find a recording of Tim Reynolds playing “In Your Eyes,” please email me.

So, I’m willing to admit– there are some good ones. And covers, or talk of covers, seem to be cropping up in lots of places lately. So, how about here? Why the heck not? Here’s a list of goodies. There’s even a couple I like better than the real thing. But, I’ll not say which.

1. Video Killed the Radio Star- The Feeling (But don’t even get me started on their cover of “Don’t Give Up”.)
2. California Stars- Billy Bragg and Wilco
3. In Your Eyes- Tim Reynolds
4. True Colors- Eva Cassidy
5. Sexual Healing- Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
6. Midnight Train to Georgia- Indigo Girls
7. Gloomy Sunday- Sarah McLachlan
8. Go Down Easy- David Gray
9. Bad- Luka Bloom
10. Human Behavior- The Decemberists
11. I Wanna Dance With Somebody- David Byrne

(Monday Mixtape? It’s either late or early. You choose.)

“7 Seconds” was my first experience of Youssou N’Dour*. Besides simply being a good song, I remember thinking how different it was– a song in a foreign language (at least partly) playing on the radio, the video airing on MTV and VH1. It wasn’t just the language, but the way those words sounded coming from his mouth. There’s something about his voice, the way the syllables roll, the way everything vibrates (”there’s a million voices”) that just got—and hooked—me.

Fourteen years later, I got to see him live. It was awesome. He was playing with his band le Super Etoile de Dakar last night at the indigO2 in London. He has such a personable, charismatic presence on stage, and really interacts with the audience. And the rhythms are great. I didn’t want to stop dancing. That’s 2+ hours of cross training in my book! (It was a wonderfully long set.)

Before the show, I was saying “you know, this concert’s a little different. I don’t have specific songs I want to hear, I just want to hear the music.” I lied. I just didn’t know it. I was such a happy bunny when they played C’est L’amour. It was great, all of it.

[*But wait, those of you who have read my blog for longer than a day, may say! What about the Peter Gabriel So tour? Shaking the Tree? I was 8 in 1986. The only music I was tuned into was Madonna, Michael Jackson, and the Beatles (because of my mom). I discovered Peter Gabriel much later. Though not, I have to point out to one loyal reader in particular, because of the movie "Say Anything."]

While I was watching, you did a slow dissolve…

I am told that when I was a baby, I woke up singing. For whatever reason, I’ve lost much of my morning perk since I moved to England. But thanks to an excellent performance by David Gray and his band at the Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone last night, I woke this morning with Slow Motion humming around my head.

I’ve listened to David Gray for close to nine years now, and yet this was my first chance to see him perform live. For the last couple years, I’ve been in California when he was playing local England shows and in England when he was in California. But last night, I was there and I was not disappointed. It was great to see him in a venue so small. His voice reverberated around me and I could appreciate how much vocal control he really has. I loved hearing all his yips, na-nas and yee-hees so close and I was, at times, completely absorbed by Neill MacColl on the guitar.

Tell me something, tell me something I don’t already know…

The only disappointment of the night was the rudeness from people who seemed to be there only to get wasted, talk, and start show-stopping fights. There are places in the material where you should be able to hear a pin drop, but last night that space was filled with the constant rumble of socializing at the bars. Not very respectful to the people on stage, nor the audience members who came to appreciate the music. The performance felt a bit stiff for a while after David Gray had to summon security during a very intense and jammin’ end to Lately to get the fighting punks out of there. I’m thinking he won’t play there again, which is too bad for us.

Feels like lightning running through my veins… 

Small pellets of ice fell as we drove home last night and snow flurries fell tonight. Perhaps this year, it will be a white Easter. I hope so. It might as well snow and be pretty if it’s going to be this cold.

—————-
Now playing: David Gray - Slow Motion
via FoxyTunes

If you are usually one of the sweaty screaming fans, bouncing and dancing yourself into a frenzy, U2 3D is difficult to experience in a static theater environment. What was I supposed to do with my hands? I was conflicted, confused. The raving, energetic fan inside me wrestled with British cinema decorum. What was natural—hands waving above my head, palms clapping, wrists rolling and fingers snapping—was definitely not acceptable at the Waterloo IMAX. I glanced around. It quickly became clear that singing your heart out back to the band was not going to be well received. Even when you’re supposed to pump your fist in the air and belt “Pride,” I contented myself with a head bounce, toe tap, and thigh drum. (And yeah, there might have been some lip sync action going on.) When Bono yells “on the guitar- the Edge!,” I need to scream my approval back to the stage. Instead, I bit my tongue and sat quietly, pondering the wonderful existence that is David Evans, and watched him strum his sparkly guitar masterfully.

Despite the constrictive atmosphere and the fact that it was way too short (did they not have enough footage for at least an hour and a half? Come on!), holy moly, was it good. Not better than a live show, but different. You don’t get the intimate feeling at a live show (unless you’re really, really lucky) that Bono really can, and will, wipe your tears away during Sunday Bloody Sunday. You don’t get to fly over Larry Mullen, Jr. while he beats his drums or get up close and personal with Adam Clayton’s bass. Ticket prices are never £12. And even though it wasn’t live, the emotions, energy and power shone through just as well. I got the chills in all the usual spots and even in some new ones. But, I left thinking it would have been better if they had done more with the 3D (I think it would have been good if Bono had wacked me with that mic stand) and the wish that they had done this for one of their earlier tours that had more theatrics (hard to please, I know).

But, we got back to the car and I got to rock out the whole way home so everything was fine. I hope this is the beginning of a good year for the band, with the new album in the fall and hopefully a tour to follow. (I am sure that’s all part of the plan, as if these guys need to market themselves). Rock on!

So, I’ve been catching up on blogs lately. I just found a recent post on U2-3D on I Am Fuel, You Are Friends. Which I had to show Crunchy husband, even though it’s supposed to be off-line time…Because I’m so excited. And now, after reading this, bitter. Forget what I said earlier. I want to see it now. February 22nd? What the heck?

When I turned the screen his way, the first thing he says is “Who’s Captain E.O.?” What? Not only does he live for the shipping forecast (not kidding, that’s his favorite thing to listen for now that we have the DAB radio), he doesn’t know who Captain E.O. is. He actually had to click on the wikipedia link. Ah, he’s cute. Brits, eh?

He keeps walking around saying, well it didn’t come out in England.

Well, of course it didn’t! England doesn’t have a Disneyland!!