i have pretty much given up hope on the bear this season. i dont think i have been so disappointed in a bear season as i have been thus far this year. not gonna name any names, but i think he knows he’s on my shit list. so, with that being the case lets go saints!!!! here is explosions in the sky @ the chapel at warren wilson college in asheville, nc on 4.14.08. much love to brad b. the original taper.

1. does that pipe organ work?
2. first breath after coma
3. catastrophe & the cure
4. the birth and death of the day
5. the only moment we were alone
6. greet death
7. your hand in mine
8. remember me as a time of day
9. memorial

thats seriously one of the best rock show pics i have ever seen. here is explosions in the sky live @ first ave in minneapolis. thanks to the original taper… more tomorrow….

1. intro
2. welcome, ghosts
3. with tired eyes
4. yasmin the light
5. the only moment we were alone
6. greet death
7. what do you come home to
8. catastrophe and the cure
9. memorial
10. ovation/treats

about that 24 hour train ride, never again! the way there wasn’t so bad, in fact it was pretty relaxing, but the way home was brutal. i didnt really realize how badly the train stinks until the return trip. i know i didnt help the stank in the air and seats any cause i was pretty gassy, but i wonder how often they clean the seats and whatnot. i also had this little old lady next to me for much of the ride that when she would fall asleep her head would eventually make its way onto my shoulder. it was cute the first couple of times it happened, but the cuteness quickly wore off. why couldnt she had been a 19 year sorority chick? one more thing, if i never set foot into a tgi fridays or quiznos again, that would be ok. regarding tgi fridays, i ended up bullshitting with some guy for a while and i loved to hear about the hookups and drama that unfolds at that particular fridays on any given night. i love knowing that the fridays connected to the dulles marriott has sexy times drama.

anywho, here is a lovely explosions recording that i grabbed from archive dot org that took place at the metro in chicago on 3.28.07. thanks to the original taper, brian skalinder. you can grab it flac form from the link provided.

1. lead in

2. first breath after coma

3. welcome ghosts

4. memorial

5. the moon is down

6. yasmin the light

7. greet death

8. catastrophe and the cure

9. the only moment we were alone

six days at the bottom of the ocean

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbe8RKfaIjU]

your hand in mine – fan made video

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36U4ez7AzKA]

sup, peoples? i want you to know something about yours truly. not too sure why i care to share this but i have been thinking about it lately. admittedly, i am a huge pussy. i’ll tear up at a god damn dog food commercial if they set the mood well enough. shit, i may have even welled up when they used to have those saturn “this is so and so’s first new car” commercials. so, with that said, it should come as no surprise that i have broken down whilst listening to shit in my collection. i should mention that alcohol is the fuel that drives 99% of these episodes. the one song that has always pushed me to the brink is adams and cary’s “the battle.” i think its cause that i, in my younger years, was quite a son of a bitch, drinker, and just an all around dick. even as much of an asshole that i was, i always a pretty sensitive dude and cared about other people. which still to this day causes much inner turmoil, because as a whole i dont care for people, but yet will go out of my way to be helpful and shit. regardless, the song is absolutely heartbreaking and for potential fuckups, can ignite a much needed soul searching session. anyone got a song that makes em feel a little misty?

two live versions…

the battle

the battle funny sheryl crowe story included

hey, david vandervelde’s got a new one comin out! his moonstation house band is so freaking good, but i dont how i feel about this new one just yet. the new one, waiting for the sunrise comes out on 8.5 on my 3rd favorite label, secretly canadian.

i will be fine off waiting for the sunrise

nothin no off moonstation house band – one of my favorite songs from the past few years

jacket

david vandervelde site

i want to talk briefly again about two records and their respective awesomeness. the first is suicide bill and the liquors’ a little bit..burned and the second being the war on drugs’ wagonwheel blues. neither of these records are what i would consider “single-centric” records. meaning, that in order to appreciate em you need to delve into the entire record in order to appreciate the experience.

original lonely off a little bit…burned – you can buy this for 5 bones from 75 or less

alligator arms

taking the farm off wagonwheel blues

during my recent jaunt through the heart of dixie i attempted to create a mini soundtrack for my travels. i dont know if anyone ever does that sorta stuff, but i do. venturing into uncharted territories, as i was, i could only assume of the landscape that lay ahead of me. the soundtrack was your standard fare of southern flavored favorites like stuff from the drive by truckers, black crowes, cat power’s the greatest, cowboy junkies’ trinity sessions, califone’s quicksand and cradlesnakes, and a bunch of other stuff. by accident i added explosions in the sky instead of the everybodyfields to the playlist, but what started out as an accident turned out to be a godsend. they were the perfect soundtrack for the changing landscape, people/faces and the random/sporadic weather patterns that littered my mini adventure.

here they are @ the chapel at warren wilson college in asheville, nc on 4.14.08. much love to brad b. the original taper.

1. does that pipe organ work?

2. first breath after coma

3. catastrophe & the cure

4. the birth and death of the day

5. the only moment we were alone

6. greet death

7. your hand in mine

8. remember me as a time of day

9. memorial

top of the mid morning to y’all. for those that didnt know, alicia keys is crazy as hell. when i say crazy, i dont mean “girl, you so crazy,” i mean “damn, that bitch is crazy.”

just got done watching no country for old men. me thinks it’s a wonderful film, but the ending left me indifferent to the whole experience. it almost negated the previous 2 hours of emotional investment i put into it. anyone else feel the same?

some great shows going on over the next few days in atlanta, and sadly i will not be attending any of em. firstly, explosions in the sky are playing @ the variety on sunday. they are still my number one group that i want to see, but never have, live. i hear that they are pretty fuckin righteous, and from the recorded shows i have heard i can confirm this claim.

yasmin the light off those who tell the truth shall die,…

your hand in mine off the earth is not a cold dead place

welcome, ghosts off all of a sudden i miss everyone

then, on monday, of all forsaken days, there are three shows goin on. firstly, iron and wine and califone are at the variety. secondly, spoon and the walkmen are at center stage. thirdly, mick jones’ new gig, carbon/silicon and matt pond pa are at the loft. they are also doing an instore @ criminal at 6 pm.

what the fuck off carbon/silicon’s the last post

i’m really diggin this track by stockholmite, anna ternheim. its from her stateside debut, halfway to fivepoints. she reminds me quite a bit of when beth orton was one of my main ladies – see her first two records. check her out.

to be gone

anna ternheim site

gummo, frankly, scared me. well, not scared so much as left me feeling like i was forced to recieve a filthy sanchez with no way to shower. to be fair, i do love kids, which he wrote. still, when i hear his name scenes of gummo replay in my head, which is no way to live. anyway, for his latest flick, mr lonely, he instructed his two favorite artists j spaceman and the sun city girls to send him some music based of some pics and stills that were sent their way. the result sounds quite lovely, if only judging it solely on this track. its an all instrumental record/soundtrack and if you care to know more about the premise of the movie, clicky.

mr lonely viola off the mr lonely soundtrack

electoral termites off some sun city girls record

sun city girls site

freedy johnston is a helluva an artist, there’s no denying that. unfortunately, i dont think he’s a very consistent artist, either. his first three records were phenomenal, particularly can you fly which was financed by selling off the farm he had inherited from his grandfather. what makes it so great is that there is a grea sense of urgency in the songs and that he was thinkin that if something doesnt happen now, it may never. robert christgau, if you know who that is, went as far to declare it the “perfect album,” and i would almost have to second that emotion. sadly, everything since the most excellent this perfect world has been strong, lyrically, but borderline easy listening, musically. josh rouse reminds me of freedy quite a bit, not musically, but in terms of strength of his material. josh’s first few records were great, then he moved to spain and it all went to hell. i had such high hopes for him, too. oh, well.

here is mr johnston is playing @ st bede’s club in chorley, england on 3.10.02. its a real nice audience recording.

1. if it’s true

2. you get me lost

3. wichita lineman

4. the lucky one

5. emily

6. broken mirror

7. this perfect world

8. until the sun comes back again

9. close to you

10. the mortician’s daughter

11. pretend its summer

12. the farthest lights

13. remember me

14. rocket man

15. cold again

16. evie’s tears

17. love grows

18. bus stop

over the past couple of years my appreciation/love for explosions in the sky has increased 10 if not 100 fold. i truly never thought that an instrumental band could ever emote as much passion as band, well, with vocals. needless to say i am terribly wrong quite often. i dont think there is any group in rock today that create greater moods/atmospheres than explosions in the sky. no matter which explosions record i listen to i always end up walking away like i have just been through some kind of transformation or battle, of sorts.

this can now be found here

here they are playing at the grey eagle in asheville, nc on 3.14.07.

1. first breathe after coma

2. welcome ghosts

3. the only moment we were alone

4. greet death

5. what do you go home to

6. yasmin the light

7. catastrophe and the cure

8. memorial

welcome, ghosts (studio version) from all of a sudden i miss everyone

btw, the remainder of the explosions spring/summer tour has been canceled. check their site for more info.

i liken listening to explosions in the sky to an out of body experience or sitting in an open field during what seems like a cloudless night then watching a terrific and violent storm pass through. even after you think the coast is clear, that scenario plays out over and over again, only this time even more beautiful and terrifying.

here is a show from berlin from 3.7.04

1. your hand in mine

2. greet death

3. yasmin the light

4. have you passed through this night?

5. memorial

6. the only moment we were alone