Pour Some Sugar on Taylor

If I ever get to do a CMT Crossroads, I want it to be with Jason Mraz. The man is just inspiring.

There are two reasons I bring this up:

1. The countdown to Jason Mraz at the Myth in Minneapolis is TWELVE days. I'm so incredibly excited.

2. I just watched Crossroads with Taylor Swift and Def Leppard.

I am a huge Taylor fan and a sort of passive Def Leppard listener. I won't turn them off if I hear them on the radio (not that I ever listen to the radio, especially classic rock radio) but I'm not a huge believer either. Somehow, though, these two artists worked together. It was incredible.

And I have to say, Taylor has shown some major improvement since the last time I saw her perform live (I mean, never live in person, sad! but live on TV). I fell in love with her because for a sixteen year old, that girl could write a song. The vocals were never, in my opinion, anything to write home about, but the songs themselves along with the production on the first album were pretty damn good. So I became a believer and just accepted the fact that I was a fan of the songwriter, not the singer, if that makes any sense to you. I don't know if that girl has a vocal coach or if she's just finally coming into her own as a singer, or hey-- both, but tonight I became a little bit of a fan of Taylor, the singer. She still sounds like Taylor-- she always sounded like Taylor-- but she sounds more confident, more relaxed, LESS PITCHY, and More Than Just Alright For Me, Dawg.

And this concert was released JUST IN TIME for her brand new album release! What coincidental timing!

Fearless drops on Tuesday, friends. Go buy it.

As for me, I'll be waiting for a little extra money to come in, but it will be mine eventually.
Until then I'll be counting down the days til I can see Jason Mraz live in person, and then possibly til the day I do my very own Crossroads with The Geek in the Pink, The Wizard of Oohs and Aahs and Fa-la-las, The Curbside Prophet himself.

The Remedy is the experience...

Play

Brad Paisley's new album, Play, drops today. I won't be running out to snatch it off of Walmart's shelves today (or actually, probably ever-- I'm a [legal] downloader now, as part of my small contribution to the environment) because I am going to have to seriously budget for all the new, great music coming out (Taylor Swift's Fearless drops next week on Tuesday!) but we can all rest assured the album will be in my possession sooner or later--and probably my dad's too, if we're being honest. Brad Paisley is one of the many wonderful things my dad and I bond over. It's part of the reason I love Brad Paisley

But there are many reasons I truly love Brad Paisley. His music is clean, modern sounding, and yet still very country, in a traditional way. He's earned the respect of the greats, evidenced by the guest appearances on every one of his albums-- including Little Jimmy Dickens, George Jones, and Vince Gill, among others (although if we're being honest, Vince Gill will sing or play with just about anyone. He's just a nice guy like that). Lyrically, he can write so poignantly, so humorously, and when he's really on top of his game, can roll both of those amazing qualities into one song. He combines those lyrics with simple, well-thought-out, yet incredibly natural melodies, adding even more meaning to every word he sings.

But I just have to tell you, if we left all of those factors out of consideration, there is one factor that would guarantee my purchase of Play. The tune which includes multiple prominent guitarists (because Brad Paisley is an amazing guitarist, too. Did I forget to mention that?) is called... wait for it...

Cluster Pluck.

I mean, is that genious or what?
Am I getting too worked up over a stupid song title? Probably. But that's part of BP's genious. He knows how to get a good laugh out of you with very little effort. Sometimes the joke is classy, sometimes it's not, but eh, whatever.

Go pick up Brad Paisley's Play. Do it.
(And just in case you've been living under a rock, have you heard "Start a Band" with Keith Urban?)

Falling

Today I fell in love with:

"Story Problem" by The Envy Corps.
"Transistor Radio" by Cloud Cult.
"Itch Inside Your Ear" by Ari Herstand.

The indie music scene is a pretty cool one.

I love Minneapolis. I wouldn't know any of this if I weren't here.

Xzibit is an Artist? That's news to me.

"Michael Bublé and I were supposed to work together, believe it or not," Xzibit said Saturday at the Galpin Auto Sports Grand Opening in Van Nuys. "It was supposed to happen in Australia for a little skit on some late-night talk show, but it just didn't happen—thank god! I mean, I'm seriously an artist."

Not that I listened to ANYTHING you've EVER done before, Xzibit, but you can be sure now I never will. I mean, are you really suggesting that Michael Buble is NOT an artist? Boy does do a lot of cover tunes, but there's something to be said for that when the song is "Can't Buy Me Love," and he's doing it with a big band. Just saying. Also, Xzibit, can you sing? Like, at all?

Keri Noble, Fearless

I was slow to find Keri Noble-- it seems all of my friends knew who she was, and they'd bring her up and say, "You know Keri Noble, right?" and because I'd heard her name before in the very same kinds of situations, I'd say, "Oh yeah, I think so," and then they'd continue with some anecdote about her latest song or the show they'd get to see next week that I'd inevitably have to miss for one reason or another. It wasn't until the end of August, when I was sleeping on a mattress on a friend's floor for the weekend that she asked if it was okay if she played a little music, please, I love music, and I said, um, DUH it's okay, and Keri Noble's voice then captivated me. I was afraid to ask who it was, because I suspected it was her, and I was supposed to know ALL ABOUT Keri Noble. So when the friend stepped out of the room, I snuck over to the CD player and popped it open to find this album spinning 'round:

I went home that weekend, logged onto Amazon.com, and bought this baby. And let me tell you, from the first haunting note to the last, this album had me hooked. I listened to it maybe a hundred times before I finally had to rotate it out for a while, and still I've come back to it. It's simple music--the lyrics aren't complicated, the arrangements are nothing to write home about, but when it all comes together-- her voice, the pure production--it leaves you with this haunted, yet peaceful feeling. The songs are about a girl's life, plain and simple--from "Look at Me," a song about a girl reaching out to a friend (or a man) in need, to "Let it Rain," a cathartic, bluesy release of song, perfect for driving through a downpour (and I did it once or twice. There's something so poetic about singing this song, meaning every word, while the rain pours itself on you), and then onto "Bartender," a waltz in minor. A waltz in minor! What more could anyone ask for? Nothing, that's what. The real gem in all of this, though, is the girl's voice. She's just got... it.

She's a less wordy Sara Bareilles, a less beachy Colbie Caillat, a darker Ingrid Michaelson, and a lesser known Duffy. And this album is a 2004 release. I know more has come since, and I'm excited to find out what more she's released for us to hear.

White Light Riot

I'm not just saying this. I'm really not.

White Light Riot is insanely AMAZING live.

I had the privilege of seeing them play last night at the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis, and it was SO worth the late night/early morning I had to pull off to do it.

I've heard a lot of their music (Out of Sight is a favorite), I've seen bits of their personality through online video blogs and goofy music videos, and I've loved it all. But MAN, those boys, live are just CRAZY.

Especially Mike and Mark. Mike is so charismatic as the front man-- so much more than I expected. And it's certainly a pity there wasn't more light on Mark, drumming in the back. It's so much fun to watch the drummers with the goofy "I can't believe this is my life" grins on their faces. Joe, with his guitar, his hair and his harmony. Mmm. I could have just kissed him. And Dan just exuded the chill factor-- which I guess is what bass players are for. All of the guys had their own thing going for them, but the dynamic was shared-- and they were incredible.

Their sound has been described to me as indie rock/brit-pop (one of the members spent a semester or two in England I think, and was very influenced by the music there), and while I really couldn't speak too intelligently on either of those subjects, I know there is something unique about these guys-- and creative. The lyrics are cool, the arrangements are energetic, and the performance is nearly flawless.

Seriously, these guys aren't well known beyond Minneapolis yet, but they should be, and I think they will be. If you trust my taste in music at all, check them out.

Peace.

Out of Sight

Awesome music, hilarious video.

Serious music with a sense of humor.


White Light Riot.