Audiovisual Bliss

This is what pure pianistic brilliance looks like. Scroll down to listen to one
of the most amazing musical sessions in history (seriously, it is that amazing).

As a general rule of musical appreciation, I tend to enjoy most new videos from my favored musicians. However, after a handful of viewings, I tend to tire of the usually formulaic visual distractions from the audibly pleasant music. Too often, the videos are blasé and the music merely duplicative of the album recordings (there are notable exceptions of course -- including damn near anything directed by Spike Jonze).

Far more than a routine industry-approved music video, the most recent video posted on the band's YouTube channel is the new benchmark by which all others should be measured. Just shy of 25 minutes, the intimate audiovisual adventure features Bon Iver frontman (and Wisconsin native) Justin Vernon and drummer Sean Carey (another fine Wisconsinite) performing stripped-down versions of five songs. Undoubtedly the pinnacle of the dueling pianos concept, the session was recorded at AIR Studio's Lyndhurst Hall in London last October. Originally a church and missionary school designed in 1880 by the great Victorian architect Alfred Waterhouse (the designer of London's Natural History Museum among various other notable structures throughout the United Kingdom), Lyndhurst Hall offers an acoustical environment that Vernon and Carey fully exploit as they powerfully finesse their way through a truly amazing set. So genuine and inviting a performance, it is easy to become fully immersed in the viewing experience. Lyndhurst's voluminous 300m² hexagonal recording space is brought alive by a combination of wide-angle and slowly panning, closely cropped camera work. The graceful and attentive videography pairs so well with the duo's skillful keystrokes and their remarkably powerful and emotionally-rich voices, viewers are likely to be whisked away to London, at least for a few minutes of audiovisual bliss. 

So, put on your headphones and prepare to be amazed. This heartfelt session literally gave me goosebumps and a sort of all-consuming euphoria. So inspired, I'm currently reserving time in the piano studio (not quite as acoustically grand as Lyndhurst, but certainly more suitable for my musical capabilities).

Set List:

1. Hinnom, TX

2. Wash.

3. I Can't Make You Love Me

4. Babys

5. Beth/Rest

Sense of Place

Well NPR, you've done it again.

Pure brilliance. That is perhaps the most accurate way to describe the new Sense of Place (intellectual confession -- I'm fascinated by notions of place -- how do we identify with where we're from/have been/are? what makes a place special? ideas of native/immigrant? what are local artifacts in no-longer-localized world? etc. -- maybe a research project is forthcoming -- traversing the technoscape: music, literature, food, and our sense of place [title is a work in progress -- suggestions are welcome]) feature from NPR Music. With this new quarterly series, David Dye and crew "hope to give you [and me] an idea of the past and present of the local music scene and some pointers for musicians or music-lovers planning a visit." What a smashing idea!

And where do you imagine this magical musical tour should begin...

Ireland, of course!

A destination of complexity, Be sure to listen to World Cafe's comprehensive (rather surprisingly given its less than 17 minute duration) history of contemporary Irish music -- with particular focus on the Dublin music scene. Glen Hansard's "Ireland...is a beautiful girl" introduction is reason enough to pause whatever you are doing and listen to the broadcast. The associated text is quite brief, give it a perusal, but definitely listen to the broadcast -- and then download some Irish music (e.g. The Frames, The Swell Season, Lisa Hannigan, Villagers,  Sinéad O'Connor, oh and maybe less known bands such as U2 or Van Morrison).

And to top things off, here's Glen's walking tour of Dublin (be sure to take a few moments to explore the interactive map)

 

My New Obsession

I've been a longtime fan, but intermittent viewer of NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts. That is, until recently. So impressed with the newest editions, I've spent countless minutes (possibly hours) pursuing cultural diversification and intellectual enrichment (i.e. procrastination [useful and knowledge-enhancing, but work-displacing nonetheless]) via the Tiny Desk Concert archives. There are some real gems and you can expect to see a few appearing on the blog in the future. For the time being, I present a few auspicious minutes with the wonderful musical stylings of Lisa Hannigan. Wow, what a melodious voice. If ever there were a siren song (in the best, most complimentary sense of the term, minus the danger of shipwreck), Hannigan's voice is one par with the great voices.  NPR's Bob Boilen provides a glowing introduction to Hannigan's performance. Coming from a man who sees innumerable performances, his words of appreciation carry a lot of clout.

As soon as her turn to perform arrived, Hannigan hopped up, barely able to contain a smile, onto the stool behind the Tiny Desk and immediately barreled into the bright ukulele tune "Knots" with virtually no sound check or warm-up. Her voice was astonishing as it bounded from hushed fragility to startling power; if I hadn't seen her sitting nearby only moments before, I never would have believed that she could sing like that with so little preparation. It was a mesmerizing performance, with Hannigan alternately whispering and howling her way through her songs, her eyes closed and her body rocking to the music.

Enjoy. I don't see how it can be any other way.

If you liked this performance, be sure to check out more from NPR Music. Lisa Hannigan has two outstanding solo albums (Sea Saw and Passenger) and has collaborated with Damien Rice on a number of songs (including Unplayed Piano, the majority of the tracks on O, and the unforgettable lead vocals on "9 Crimes"). Buy them now. All of them! You'll be forever thankful.

Tiny Desk

In commemoration of my recent trip to Chicago (race photos and narrative forthcoming), here's Wilco in one of the better Tiny Desk Concerts I've seen in some time. The usual Wilco wittiness coupled with great new tunes from Jeff and the crew. Take a few minutes to watch the video (if you're required to multitask, the video works equally excellent as a streaming audio-only feed). Really like what you see/hear, don't forget, NPR welcomes "your tax-deductible gift helps keep all your favorite news, entertainment, and music programs on your local public radio station." You might also want to head down to your local record store and pick up (granted you'd be hard pressed to find a record store and the more likely avenue for musical purchases [i.e. digital music download] doesn't really involve much in the way of physical involvement) Wilco's new album, The Whole Love.

Willie & Chipotle, Back to the Start

Thanks Coldplay! You were a great musical, ideological, paradigmatic inspiration. While skeptics may point to the corporate sponsorship, it seems critical that we acknowledge (and applaud) socially (and ecologically, ethically, etc.) conscious corporate activities. Chipotle has long been a protagonist in the healthy (in the broadest, most encompassing sense of the term -- human, animal, environment, community, etc.) food movement -- what they call Food With Integrity. In short, Food With Integrity means working back along the food chain. It means going beyond distributors to discover how the vegetables are grown, how the pigs, cows and chickens are raised, where the best spices come from. These factors not only affect the flavor of the finished product, but also involve deep moral, humane, environmental, and dietary implications (Narratively enriched by yours truly with help from Chipotle’s mission statement and history). Now, let us rejoice whilst enjoying delicious burritos. Oh, and don't forget to watch the super rad video (maybe buy the single too; it's also super rad).

"Coldplay's haunting classic 'The Scientist' is performed by country music legend Willie Nelson for the soundtrack of the short film entitled, "Back to the Start." The film, by film-maker Johnny Kelly, depicts the life of a farmer as he slowly turns his family farm into an industrial animal factory before seeing the errors of his ways and opting for a more sustainable future. Both the film and the soundtrack were commissioned by Chipotle to emphasize the importance of developing a sustainable food system."

Download the song "The Scientist" by Willie Nelson now available on iTunes for $0.99. Label and artist proceeds benefit The Chipotle Cultivate Foundation.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-scientist-single/id458479961

running all the way to montana

or, more accurately, running during brief rest day layovers while driving a 14' Uhaul to Bozeman

location: slinger, wi
distance: 6.8 miles
time: 45.50.25
pace: 6.44/mi (approximately my projected marathon pace)
weather: low 80's, light breeze, manageable humidity, all around rather pleasant
music in my head: "Wonderful (The Way I Feel)" -- My Morning Jacket

the song we were singing

What song was I singing during this trail
run in Tucson? Any guesses?

Sometimes while running I find myself singing (inaudibly, inside my head or barely audible, outside my head) portions of songs. Most often the refrain, but not exclusively so, the songs emerge from the archives of my unconscious after about 5 miles. For whatever reason, it is always just one song per run with the same few lines repeated over and over. As you might expect, my mind will wander for a bit -- mentally working through writing projects, maintaining (or accelerating) my pace, lodging a formal complaint on behalf of my leg muscles, contemplating serious existential quandaries -- but without fail my thoughts always return to the song I was singing (listen to McCartney's "The Song We Were Singing" from Flaming Pie for the title reference and perhaps a small glimpse inside the rhizome of my running mind). There is likely a connection with strongly meditative nature of running and my fondness for mantras.

Here's a quick summary of my recent training efforts and accompanying soundtrack:

• 27 June: 9 mile trail run @ Pandapas Pond (1:14.52) -- Chariots of Fire title track (yes, seriously)
• 28 June: cross-training -- 22 miles on the road bike
• 29 June: 7 miles with 4 x 1 mile intervals (6.28, 6.43, 6.52, 6.41) -- "Gideon" My Morning Jacket
• 30 June: 8 miles (no watch) -- "Here Comes the Sun" The Beatles
• 1 July: cross-training -- 20 miles on the road bike
• 2 July: 14 miles (1:40.37) -- "Psycho Killer" Talking Heads
• 3 July: rest
• 4 July: 4 miles (no watch) -- "Girl in the War" Josh Ritter
• 5 July: 9 miles (1:04.24) -- "La Marseillaise" (I do not claim to actually know many of the lyrics, but it is a powerful piece of music with a rather invigorating tune -- good for the run)
• 6 July: rest
• 7 July: heading out the door for 9 miles -- check back later for a musical update
• "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" proved to be the perfect musical companion for a hot and humid 9 mile sufferfest. Likely explained by my full immersion in Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom and In His Own Words (not to mention my recent viewing of the very compelling Masterpiece Contempary: Endgame)

o' anna sun

Traveling the roads to the Land of Vintage Chic (and not unlike the cinematic splendor produced by the dynamic duo of Bret and Jemaine) Nicholas Petricca meets the energetic cast members from every John Hughes movie. Overcome with song and dance and experiencing a very Talking Heads-esque meta-musical experience (with a good measure of a Bowie-inspired Abercrombie & Fitch advertisement mixed in) whilst clad in American Apparel's finest, Petricca and mates present a memorable ode to collegiate carefreeness, young love, and the great name of a former professor. Hipsters everywhere rejoice (I jest, I jest; sort of...who doesn't love the line we got no money, but we got heart)! Although, one must admit the song is undeniably catchy and the video irresistible.