Music madness

Normally audience singalongs bother me when I'm watching video of songs I love. But there's something about this one ... it totally doesn't bother me. It just makes me happy. It reminds me of the millions of times singing this song with friends at the top of our lungs when we were in high school. And makes me wish I could have been there in Central Park on that evening in June.

One of my main pastimes lately has been watching videos of Brandi, the Indigo Girls, the Avett Brothers, etc. It's like the next best thing to seeing them for real, which for some reason has been a major desire of my heart this fall.

I wasn't nuts about the song "Last Tears" on the album, but this video gives me chills, and I am now completely in love with it. Emily's voice is so perfect, and she's so sincere, and Amy's pants are so ridiculous & wonderful, and watching Brandi Carlile stand there and mouth the words about three minutes in just makes me teary. Something about this young, amazing talent up there with Emily and Amy, who really are an institution by now, as noted by someone in the video's comments -- Brandi looks almost like a little girl. Which clearly she isn't, she is an incredible artist in her own right ... it just moves me. It's like you can see the impact their music has had on her just as a person. Love. Seeing all three of these women in concert has been one of the major highlights of my year so far. I feel lucky.

This one of the three of them singing Bob Dylan just makes me happy, for no discernable reason other than it's awesome.

And now I just can't stop. I am pretty much in love with every single song on Brandi's new album (next Tuesday!) already, but if I had to pick one as my fave, "Dreams" might for sure be it.

I also greatly enjoy "Dying Day."

I love Brandi Carlile. I know I say I am in love with people a lot. But I really am in love with her. For real! That she is not stopping around here during her fall tour causes me actual pain. Oh well. At least she was here in the spring, and lo, it was glorious.

(The next day...) I started poking around the fall schedules of Brandi and the Girls, daydreaming about what would surely be a futile notion of seeing them somehow. I saw that Amy is opening for Brandi on several dates. And I am so one hundred percent sure that that's something that I could miss, considering that several of such dates, while not in this state, are in the South. I am now roadtripping to see them together this fall. It had to happen. And so it is. And I can't wait! This might end up being the greatest year for live music in the history of my life. I mean, them? More than once? And the Avetts at Jazz Fest? And the motherfrackin' Swell Season? I am getting the vapors just thinking about this! It's like it's too good to be true.

And don't even get me started on the Avett Brothers and how they are going to be on LETTERMAN next week. And so it begins. There are actually posts about them on Oh No They Didn't! now. Which, in case you don't know, is a very mainstream celebrity gossip site. They are being written up everywhere I look. They're all over NPR. (Wonderful Tiny Desk Concert, entire new album streaming before its release next Tuesday, etc.) And it's a wonderful thing, and they deserve it, and they have always been stars to me, ever since I first heard them, which let's face it, was in 2008, so it's not like I am the most longterm fan on earth. And that was before I saw what they look like. Which -- come on. On every level, they are so destined to be as famous as I think they are about to be.

But it's very strange to see them about to burst onto the scene in such a huge way. Rick Rubin. I mean, good Lord. The word is that they're doing "I and Love and You" on Letterman and "Laundry Room" on Craig Ferguson the following week. Both of which are relatively mellow songs (for them). I kind of wish they'd play one of their songs where they start jumping in the air and becoming totally unhinged, because that's part of what's wonderful about them, but maybe that's something you can really only appreciate when you're standing live in front of them. I think "Shame" might be a perfect choice because it starts mellow then goes bananas in a way that just kind of blows minds, especially the first time someone hears it (here's a delightful performance of "Shame," goofy audience dancing and a somewhat screamy Seth notwithstanding), but I understand why'd they want to do songs off the new album. Oh, Avett Brothers. Don't ever stop singing "The Weight of Lies." Don't ever change.

Avetts at Jazz Fest

Clearly I was thrilled to learn a few months back that my beloved Avett Brothers would be at Jazz Fest. My brother scored tickets and tent passes from a friend, so we headed to the city after lunch on Sunday, squeezed into a parking spot on a side street, and waltzed on into the Fair Grounds on a beautiful and sunny day. The tent was really swell -- couches, beers, big screen TVs, speakers, and best of all, misting machines. We parked ourselves on bar stools at tables and enjoyed Blue Moons with orange slices and felt like we were living the life. As the mist spewed forth upon us, I wondered aloud, "Do you think the chemicals making the mist cold are getting into our beer and poisoning us?" He pondered this for a moment and then sighed contentedly, "It's worth it."

Soon it was time to head over to their stage. There was already a pretty big crowd there, but we were able to get pretty close. What can I say? I love this band. They started with "Shame," one of my favorites (you have to scroll about 2 minutes into that video for the song to get started), and they played lots of songs I knew and several I didn't, my favorite of which by a mile was "Salvation Song." (Link is here. Be sure to click "HD" if you can on any videos I've linked.)

Something I love about the Avett Brothers is that they are, I've decided, fundamentally optimistic. Their songs are openly emotional and honest and not afraid to be boldly and proudly emotional and about family and about making the world a better place. That might sound super cheesetastic, but it doesn't come across that way. It's not that their songs don't also have darkness and sadness because sometimes they do. But sometimes they are so nakedly hopeful and romantic and I can't help but believe that they mean every word.

We came for salvation
We came for family
We came for all that's good, that's how we'll walk away
We came to break the bad
We came to cheer the sad
We came to leave behind the world a better way

I am not conveying this well. I just think that there's a time for music that makes you feel dark and twisty, as Meredith Grey might say, and there's time for music that lifts you up and makes you want to shout and sing and feel brave and happy.

I waited in a long line at the merchandise tent following the show so they could sign my CD and I could shake their hands. I have always regretted not waiting in line to meet Anne Lamott. So I decided what the hell. I moved across the table really quickly and they scribbled initials or signatures or whatever on the CD, and I thanked them for coming and told them that their music means a lot to me. I wasn't sure what else to say. They were nice.

And I took a lot of pictures. And I said this over at Flickr and want to say it here. These were not taken with a great camera or with great skill, but they were taken with great affection and joy.

If I had to pick one song as my favorite of theirs, and it would be difficult if not impossible, I think "Murder in the City" would be it. (Here's an excellent video of the song at the fest. Click "HD" and let her load.) When the opening chords started, I turned around searched the faces in the crowd for my brother's ... he'd ended up a little ways behind me in the crowd. We waved and nodded and smiled.

It was a wonderful day.

In Treatment and other stuff.

(The following paragraph contains spoiler information related to casting for season one of In Treatment. You might want to skip it if you care about that sort of thing. I won't give anything away specifically in regards to the plot, but you might be able to infer things about the plot from this information.)

(Spoilery information starts ...)

I'm midway through week 8 of season one of this show with one more week to go. Like most people of my generation, I suspect, I first saw Glynn Turman as Col. Taylor on A Different World, one of my favorite shows of the '80s-'90s. I never missed an episode. And I liked him on that well enough but never really knew what he was capable of as an actor, clearly, because he so stunned me with his performance on In Treatment that I could not stop crying for the entire episode. I mean, I cried the entire way through. He was so good and so powerful that I couldn't stop thinking in the back of my mind, while the power and sadness of the episode and his performance swirled around me and streamed down my face, "If he did not win the Guest Actor Emmy for this performance, there is NO justice in the world!" Once the episode ended, I looked it up, and he did! He won. And my God, he deserved it. There have been episodes of this show that have had me on the edge of my seat, certainly, particularly the ones with Sophie and with Gina (Dianne Weist won the Best Supporting Actress Emmy! I just learned this, too! Hooray!). But I think this one surpassed them all. Wow. That's all I can really say. If I had to describe the emotional impact of this show on me, I think I would have to say that 37 episodes in, it has really taken it out of me. But it has also filled me right back up again. Over and over. It's been a strange and wonderful TV experiment and experience for me. I might have to sign up for HBO for the first time in my life just so I can dive into season two.

(... spoilery information over.)

I don't think I mentioned that AB Chao and Co. came to town last month. It was great to see them. It should come as no surprise that they're a fun bunch. It is strange to think that she lives so near and yet so far. Soon I shall join her group, Bench Monday. I just need to find myself a good sturdy bench.

I am making preliminary plans to go back to D.C. and to Hawaii this year. I need to get myself together and make it happen. I am about to get dressed to go to Jazz Fest with my brother. I cannot believe Today Is Avett Brothers Day. Last year? April 29. This year? April 26. Perhaps this should just become an April tradition. I cannot wait. I am about to freak out with excitement. More later!

The actual "Murder in the City" track

My obsession with this song continues.

My only experiences with this song thus far have been live performances -- the one I saw in person and the ones I've watched on YouTube. Without all of the audience noise, the song seems so quiet. I love it, and I can't wait for Gleam 2 to come out next month.

Special thanks to reader Beth for sending me a really, really nice Avett Brothers e-mail yesterday thanking me for introducing her to them. One of my favorite things to do in life is blather on about things I love in the hopes that someone who hears me will start loving them, too. I don't know why this makes me so happy, but it does. It makes me SO HAPPY. Surely this makes all people happy. It's just the best feeling to feel like you have a gift to give someone, something you've discovered or something that's been shared with you by someone else, and they accept it and embrace it. It's sort of why I have fantasies of becoming a librarian. Whether it's someone I know and love or a virtual stranger, like Beth, it is so gratifying. Is this narcissistic? Maybe. Anyway, thank you, Beth! You made my day.

Make sure my sister knows I love her

Recently I was listening to a "best of" Avett Brothers CD that my friend made me, and I really listened to the lyrics of "Yard Sale" for the first time. And as I listened, each lyric was better than the last until I couldn't really imagine that the song could get any better. But it did! And it turns out I'm not the only one who thinks so. About an old guitar ...

I wonder if sweet music ever was played
From the hands of a boy to a girl in the shade
From this rickety ghost of a song

I love them. LOVE THEM. I had a dream about them the other night. I can't believe my sister is seeing them next month without me. Of course, I'm glad she's seeing them and I can't wait for her to see them, but I wish we could see them together.

Look at all this stuff at NPR about them! Ah, heaven. Also featured as a song of the day once was "The Weight of Lies," which is a good song. A great song, even. It's about how you can't run away from yourself. And if there is any lesson I've learned on this path to adulthood, it's that one.

Here's another version of "Murdered in the City" again, just because. (Be sure to click the option to watch it at high quality.) I love this song so very, very much. It makes me think about family and about making sure those we love know we love them. It makes me think about the letters in our desks. Our journals, our diaries, our notebooks, our letters, our secret wishes, hopes, and dreams.

Avett Brothers!

Alert. Bulletin. Alert.

Last night I saw the Avett Brothers in concert. ("Avett" rhymes with "pave it," not "have it.")

I am a relatively new fan. My friend put a couple of their songs on a mix CD for me, and I loved them. So he made me a "best of" CD. Then B. gave me "Emotionalism" for my birthday. So I've been digging them for a little while, and I looked to see if they were on tour and by some miracle coming anywhere near here. And they were! And they did, last night.

I bought tickets for B. and me, not realizing he'd have a final the next day. So I brought my little brother instead, knowing he would be inspired musically. The show was set for 8:00, and I knew he had to leave by 9:30 for his own gig, but I figured he'd still see plenty of them.

Well, that was not to be. There was an opening act who was on for the nearly the whole first hour. Matt Butcher. He sang and played the guitar and harmonica and did a fine job and seemed like a nice person. But I don't stay up late, and I was starting to yawn a little bit. And it was no reflection on him; I'm just usually in bed with a book by around that time.

And then it was time for the Avett Brothers, and nothing I'd seen online or heard on CD prepared me for the show I saw last night.

Scott Avett came on stage at about 9:00. And he came out alone and he sang this song called "Murder in the City."

And his voice immediately filled the small theater and I saw my little brother sit up a little bit, like, "Huh," and my yawns ceased immediately. And then Seth Avett joined him, just like he does in that clip. And they sang this song about sharing a name and maybe that song is supposed be about husbands and wives or something, but to me in that moment, it was about mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers, and I was so glad to be sitting there next to mine. "Always remember there is nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name." SO! That was a poignant and great way to start the show.

I'm not exactly sure what came next. "Shame," maybe? Which is one of my favorites and it was unsurprisingly fantastic. My brother turned to me wide-eyed as the guys jumped around and sang beautifully and played masterfully and said as if awestruck, "I've never seen anything like this." I said, "I KNOW." Joining the brothers onstage were of course Brad Crawford on the upright bass and also Joe Kwon, who did things with a cello I did not think possible. Sadly, my brother had to leave 30 minutes into the set and I stayed by myself. This theater is small and sort of upscale, and people were sitting somewhat sedately even though clearly enjoying the show from their seats at this time. Not long thereafter, a very loud and bossy guy stood up and started rousing the crowd to get up. "COME ON, Y'ALL," he yelled in sputtering disbelief at the top of his lungs. "GET UP AND DANCE!" And that was all it took and the crowd was on its feet. I think this was during "Paranoia in B flat Major." And lo, it was so fun. And the next song was "Die, Die, Die," which was what I'd been waiting for. And it was great!

And the whole show was just so great. There was a buzz in the air. Somehow the band managed to be having so much fun while also being really serious and professional and it's hard to explain. Sweat was pouring down their faces and there was jumping up and down and the kicking of legs in the air and strings were popping all over the place and Joe Kwon was picking up his cello and playing it while swinging it around and people were dancing and clapping and it was just so damn joyous. Even when things went wrong, like feedback or whatever, if they couldn't get it just right, Scott Avett would shrug from the drumset and command, "Let's go with it!" Scott Avett = very in charge of the whole situation. ("More bass!" "More banjo, please!") By the time they got to "Salina," another of my favorites, and Seth Avett sat down at the grand piano to play the end of the song, tears were streaming down my face because the piano combined with the bass and the cello were so beautiful. That song is a beautiful piece work. DAMN, IT WAS AWESOME.

I can't remember the exact setlist, but they played a couple of brand new songs. One was "And It Spread." Which I loved. "When I Drink" was quiet and lovely and "The Weight of Lies" was lovely and powerful. They came out for an encore when the crowd would neither sit down nor shut up.

I don't really know what else to say. This band makes beautiful music. They are very intense on stage, whether intensely playful or intensely emotional or intensely energetic or just intensely ... intense. Their harmonies are amazing and their lyrics are awesome and they can rock their instruments like nobody's business. Banjoes make the world a better place when played by Scott Avett.

Their songs individually and their show as a whole somehow ran my heart and soul through the entire range of human emotion. I cannot explain it any better than that except to say that the top of my head was vibrating with joy the entire time, even when my heart felt like it was breaking. This morning, I was feeling weepy for other reasons and boo-hooing on the way to work, and "Shame" came on and I started cracking up laughing through my tears at the memory of how wonderful it was live onstage last night.

All I can say is LISTEN UP, AMERICA. They are on tour and they are probably coming near you. Chicago? Are you listening, Chicago? May 14. (The only one of you who is exempt from going is the one who might be giving birth right around that time.) Philly? Is that you? May 25. Alexandria? Yes, Alexandria. That means you, my sister and Elizabeth. And the list goes on and on. Just do yourself a favor and go! I don't care what kind of music you like. I can't imagine your not liking this music or not enjoying the living hell out of this band's show.

I'm so glad I went. I'm so glad I went. I'm so glad I went. You will be, too. I swear.