New Music for November

Yikes... this one's been in the works for a while! Here's music discovered, rediscovered, and loved during this fairly stressful holiday season. Hopefully you and yours had a great one!

1) Extreme - Hole Hearted
2) James Hunter - People Gonna Talk
3) Paul Westerberg - Love You in the Fall
4) Spoon - The Book I Write (New Version for Stranger Than Fiction)
5) Maximo Park - Going Missing
6) The Jam - That's Entertainment (Demo Version)
7) The Kinks - Celluloid Heroes
8) Neil Young - Lotta Love Live in 1976
9) Thin Lizzy - Cowboy Song
10) Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd St. Band - You Gotta Know Whatcha Doin'
11) Aretha Franklin - Baby, Baby, Baby
12) Betty Harris - I'm Gonna Git Ya
13) Rod Stewart - Handbags & Gladrags
14) Sasha Dobson - Without You
15) Alela Diane - Pieces of String
16) Lemonheads - Being Around Live in 1993
17) Lucinda Williams - Out of Touch
18) Don Williams & Emmylou Harris - If I Needed You
19) Jackie DeShannon - Put a Little Love in Your Heart
20) Lou Rawls - What are You Doing New Years Eve?
21) James Brown - Cold Sweat
22) Over the Rhine - All I Ever Get for Christmas is Blue
23) Paul Newman - Plastic Jesus

I did compress this one into a zip file; after growing tired of the awful people at EZArchive, I switched to SendSpace.

I hope you're able to download and enjoy my latest mix. Put "discovering new music" at the top of this year's resolutions, and The Mix Tape certainly won't disappoint.

I skipped November. I admit it. But it's only because my ezarchive account went belly up, and I've been trying to settle into this two career life, and I'm in a working relationship with a girl for the first time in several years, and my family was in town, as was hers, and I went home for Thanksgiving, and oh, you don't care...

All said, be looking for a new mix this week featuring music from the movie Stranger Than Fiction, a newfound Rod Stewart obsession, and hopefully - archive pending - a collection of holiday favorites.

Amongst Aimee Mann fans, this little clip has caused quite a stir. I'll just say this: If you know Aimee, if you're friends with her, if you tour with her, if you're married to her, if you're in fact Aimee Mann, convince her, or convince yourself, as the case suits, to release this song. Have it benefit Hurricane Katrina's victims. Have it benefit Africa. Just release it so the good people of the world can have what is one of my favorite James Taylor songs covered by one of my favorite musicians. Pwease!

... you have to admit the "pwease" was kind of cute.

This mix finds me wrapped around a month of utter chaos. Since finishing with the play, I've fallen in love, I've found myself working both as a temp and as an actor. I'm also just having a ton of fun. I visited the Catskills for a fun-filled Oktoberfest weekend. I went to a great live show, The Greencards, see below. AND I'm in love!

1) Lonnie Mack - Memphis
Indiana native, Mack, a picker amongst pickers, plucked his way into my heart this month with this cover of my hometown hero, Mr. Chuck Berry.

2) Langhorne Slim - In the Midnight
Langhorne came to my attention through Mercutio. Not the fictional, the actor who played him, Matt Luceno, went to school at SUNY-Purchase with Mr. Slim, and ever since Matt played "In the Midnight" from 2005's When the Sun's Gone Down for me, I've fallen for Slim's raw and rootsy sound.

3) Paul Davidson - Midnight Rider
First encountered this song while living in London. Cool thing about London: Reggae flows freer than bra-less women over there.

4) Van Morrison with Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb (Live)
I've yet to see The Departed, but if this excellent cover is any indication, I'm going to love it.

5) Ben Kweller - Sundress
6) Voxtrot - The Start of Something
7) Albert Hammond, Jr. - In Transit
I think I saw him come into my Starbucks real mafioso-like with his suit jacket slung over his shoulders - no arms. But like a true hipster, he had his leather man purse slung low, around his knees.

8) Chris Cubeta & The Liars Club - Me and the Radio
9) Bishop Allen - Like Castanets
This band has quickly become one of my favorites, and if their 12 months of EPs are proving anything, they're going to have one kick-ass album in 2007. Be on the lookout. Jess, they're coming to Phoenix. You should go.

10) The Duhks - Heaven's My Name
I can't believe I missed this band. They're great. A combination of bluegrass, blues, soul, rock, and Canada. Who doesn't love Canada?

11) The Greencards - Time
Last week, I had the chance to see this bluegrass group comprised of two Aussies and a Brit. It's not that I'm obsessed with this band, but they put on a great show. She's the most-charming woman I've ever met. I was just blown away by the beauty of their sound.

12) Okkervil River - It Ends with a Fall
13) Langhorne Slim - Restless
14) Bishop Allen - Butterfly Nets
15) Jackson Browne - Jamaica Say You Will
16) Gram Parsons - In My Hour of Darkness
I sing to myself. A lot. At work, in the shower, on the subway, I sing songs. This week I've been singing Jackson Browne's lovely "Jamaica Say You Will;" with it's simple chorus, and sad Browne-y lilt, it's an easy one to creep up on a bad day at the ol' temp job. And when I'm really down? Gram Parsons without a doubt. Any time I can hear him sing with Emmylou Harris, I'm immediately uplifted. This prayerful song is one I'll have in my life till I die. Scary thought, death.

17) Damien Rice - The Rat Within the Grain
18) Damien Rice - 9 Crimes
Ah, There is nothing better than Damien Rice. These are two of his newest tracks.

19) Asobi Seksu - Thursday
While living in Ireland, Blake and I had many a discussion about art portraying the sublime. This is an example.

20) Sean Lennon - On Again, Off Again
This title explains my feelings on Friendly Fire, Lennon's latest. Listen to this standout.

21) Lonnie Mack & Stevie Ray Vaughn - Oreo Cookie Blues

Come support my acting career!

Bread, a play by Andy Backer will be performed as many ways as we're able to create in the next six days this Saturday at The Neighborhood Playhouse, 340 East 54th Street, at 8pm.

I'm billing it as a chance to see me and my friends get together and drink - no wait, act. It's a reunion of sorts for we NP graduates mixed in with a short performance, drink specials, and some of the songs you'll find below.

For further information, please visit our website, which with the money made from this first show will hopefully be a fully functioning .org! We'll see.

Music from and Inspired by Andy Backer's Bread
1) Bob Dylan - Main Title Theme
2) Nina Simone - Just Like a Woman
3) Leonard Cohen - The Guests
4) Leonard Cohen - The Traitor
5) Randy Newman - Real Emotional Girl
6) Bonnie "Prince" Billy - I See a Darkness
7) Ron Sexsmith - Gold in Them Hills
8) Tom Waits - Hold On
9) Van Morrison - It's All Over Now Baby Blue
10) Elvis Costello - What Do I Do Now?
11) Fiona Apple - Love Ridden
12) Wilco - Jesus, etc.
13) Antony & The Johnsons - Hope There's Someone
14) Fleetwood Mac - Songbird
15) Bonnie Raitt - Since I Fell For You
16) Ryan Adams - Damn, Sam (I Love a Woman That Rains)
17) Wilco - Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
18) Josh Ritter - Here at the Right Time

Bread.zip
Bread Blues.zip
Bread Bob.zip

Not the most tech-savvy blogger, I'm hoping this time around you're able to download most of the songs in this mix. It's been a while, and my only excuse is lack of time. Lame.

That being said, this mix began at least a month ago, and it was entitled, "What Better Way to Procrastinate...." I began it while memorizing lines for my performance in Romeo & Juliet.

1) Architechture in Helsinki - Spring 2008
2) Harry Nilsson - How Can I Be Sure of You
3) Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel
4) The Clash - Train in Vain (Stand By Me)
5) Wilco - Is That the Thanks I Get?
6) Jennifer O'Connor - Century Estates
7) The Kingsbury Manx - What a Shame
8) Mason Jennings - Confidant
9) The Mugs - Broken Signals
10) The Mountain Goats - Woke Up New
11) The Format - The Lottery Song
12) Ian Thomas - A Young Man's Blues
13) The Woes - The Best is Yet to Come
14) Paolo Nutini - These Streets
15) Day Action Band - All Comes Down to This
16) Mike Pietrus - Hesitation
17) Jackie Greene - Love Song, 2:00 AM
18) Damien Rice - Sand
19) World Party - Is It Like Today
20) The Submarines - Peace & Hate
21) Clogs - Lantern Medley (Kapsburger + 5/4)
22) Garrison Starr - Black & White
23) Guillemots - My Chosen One

.zip

Jess Drives to California to Get Her Stuff Back

Disc One
1) Townes Van Zandt - Where I Lead Me
2) Victoria George - Don't Worry 'Bout Breakin' My Heart
3) Loudon Wainwright III - The Swimming Song
4) Loudon Wainwright III - New Paint
5) Beth Orton - Comfort of Strangers
6) Patti Smith - Because the Night
7) Nickel Creek - Jealous of the Moon
8) Jeff Tweedy - Be Not So Fearful
9) Bonnie Raitt - I Ain't Blue
10) Blind Faith - Can't Find My Way Home
11) Canned Heat - On the Road Again
12) Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - Express Yourself
13) Koko Taylor - Voodoo Woman
14) Stevie Wonder - You Haven't Done Nothin'
15) Jamie Lidell - Multiply
16) The Guess Who - American Woman
17) Kathleen Edwards - Away
18) Josh Ritter - Girl in the War
19) Leonard Cohen - The Guests
20) John Prine - Jesus, The Missing Years

Disc Two
1) Tom Petty - It'll All Work Out
2) Patty Griffin - When It Don't Come Easy Live on KCRW
3) Brian Kennedy And Juliet Turner - I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You
4) Rilo Kiley - Go Ahead
5) Paul Westerberg - Only Lie Worth Telling
6) Nina Simone - I Shall Be Released
7) Rachael Yamagata - The Reason Why
8) Tim Hardin - Reason to Believe
9) Tegan and Sara - Not Tonight
10) Bonnie Raitt - Since I Fell For You
11) Neil Young - Don't Let It Bring You Down
12) Edgar Winter - Dying to Live
13) Billy Joel - Vienna
14) Jeff Buckley - Satisfied Mind
15) Elton John - Ballad of a Well-Known Gun
16) The Hollies - Jesus Was a Crossmaker
17) Townes Van Zandt - Dead Flowers
18) Tom Waits - Hold On
19) Steve Goodman - A Dying Cubs Fan's Last Request

There's something to be said for musicians. We admire them largely for what it is they can do that we can't. The same goes for athletes... and actors for that matter.

Either way, I've just reread this entire blog, and a lot of who I am is in there. I'm not sure what my taste in music says about me, but I could definitely tell you who or what I was thinking about when each mix was being made. I could have an hour-long discourse on why I chose to name a mix made in April "Yeah." Ok, that's a gross exaggeration, but this page is filled with stories. I hope my use of music to tell my stories has allowed you the freedom to invent them for yourself, and, perhaps, craft stories of your own.

But back to musicians for a second. Being somewhat musically inclined, I do enjoy picking up a guitar now and then and figuring out a song or two. Most of those who know me well know that I barely have the attention span to make it to the bridge, let alone the second verse at times, and you also know that while I enjoy picking, and I probably sound better when I pick, I prefer to strum ... as hard as humanly possible - and no one likes that.

This morning, as I was reading the past posts, I put together a collection of songs that I like to play. Besides sharing a midtempo drive, a fair share of cheese, and a lot of love, I wonder what these songs say about me. What do you think?

1) Van Morrison - Sweet Thing
2) Bob Schneider - Big Blue Sea
3) Josh Ritter - California
4) Gram Parsons - Grievous Angel
5) John Prine - Angel from Montgomery
6) The Allman Brothers Band - Melissa
7) The Beatles - Hide Your Love Away
8) Fastball - Out of My Head (Live & Acoustic)
9) Jesus Jones - Right Here Right Now
10) The Jayhawks - Save It for a Rainy Day
11) Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight
12) The Jeff Healey Band - Angel Eyes
13) James Taylor - Handy Man
14) Townes Van Zandt - Flyin' Shoes
15) Don Henley - The Heart of the Matter
16) Paul Westerberg - Only Lie Worth Telling
17) Townes Van Zandt - Dead Flowers (Live) - My Favorite Rolling Stones Cover

Workin' My Way to the Weekend

Admittedly this mix starts to sound like soundtrack outtakes from an episode of Ally McBeal, but for my first week back in the pack of the 9 to 5ers seemingly brimming over on the 6 train, I feel justified, Calista Flockheart and all.

1) Jonah Matranga & Frank Turner - A New England
2) Ane Brun - Rubber & Soul (featuring Teitur)
3) The Rolling Stones - Coming Down Again
4) Tapes 'n Tapes - Omaha
5) The Velvet Underground - After Hours
6) Death Cab for Cutie - Your Heart is an Empty Room
7) Serge Gainsbourg - Melodie Nelson
8) Townes Van Zandt - Dollar Bill Blues
9) Jennifer O'Connor - Today
10) Ryan Auffenberg - Under All the Bright Lights
11) Sandi Thom - I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (with Flowers in Her Hair)
12) G Love & Special Sauce - Hot Cookin'
13) Victoria George - Don't Worry Bout Breakin' My Heart
14) Bob Seger - Living Inside My Heart
15) Amos Lee - Shout Out Loud
16) Elvis Costello - Little Boxes
17) Air Traffic - Just Abuse Me
18) Eliot Morris - Balancing the World
19) Inner Circle - Summer Jammin'
20) Terence Trent D'Arby - Wishing Well
21) Eagle Eye Cherry - Falling in Love Again
22) The Incredible Bongo Band - Apache
23) Lee Michaels - Do You Know What I Mean

I hope it's clear where this mix was going. I'm not sure it is, because it's all over the place, as are my influences. I believe the term is shout out, and shout I will. His gym locker was next to mine in seventh grade, and Ryan Auffenberg is getting press for his latest EP. Way to go, buddy! You were the best Eagle Eye Fleagle I've ever seen. Then again, you were the only Eagle Eye Fleagle I've ever seen.

TGIF

I caught Josh Ritter at the South Street Seaport this weekend. Just prior, he performed his first national television spot here:

Pas Simple

see also: simplesinger

A Weak End

This mix, somewhat of an interactive one - see *note below - is meant to commemorate what has been a strange, funky weekend. I think my body was asked to run both an emotional and physical gauntlet. With my first major hangover in some time, a great workout in spite of the sweltering heat, and a rehashing of relationships young and old, male and female, I found myself seeking out some fairly depressing - ok, kind of depressing - music.

1) Tyrone Davis - Turn Back the Hands of Time
2) Van Morrison & The Chieftains - Irish Heartbeat
3) World Party - When You Come Back to Me
4) Neutral Milk Hotel - Oh Comely
5) Simon Joyner - Love is Worth Suffering For
6) Secret Machines - Alone, Jealous, & Stoned
7) Semisonic - Secret Smile
8) Nico - Little Sister
9) James Taylor - Looking for Love on Broadway
10) Elton John - The One
11) Townes Van Zandt - Tecumseh Valley (live at The Old Quarter)
12) World Party - She's the One
13) Lightning Hopkins - Baby Please Don't Go
14) Otis Redding - That's How Strong My Love Is
15) Leonard Cohen - The Traitor
16) Elton John - Border Song
17) Thomas Newman - Finding Nemo Theme
18) Joan Armatrading - The Weakness in Me
19) Irma Thomas - Time is on My Side

Begun last weekend, this mix is entitled "Staying in with Sunburn," but as my burn has faded, my love for this music has not. Aww shucks...

1) Guster - Jesus on the Radio
2) Leo Kottke - The Train and the Gate: From Terry's Movie
3) The Format - Snails
4) The Bees - We'll Go Walking
5) Alan Parker & Alan Hawkshaw - Move Move Move
6) Lou Johnson - Move and Groove Together
7) London Fog & The Continentals - Easy Mover (featuring Brenda Lee Jones)
8) Death Ships - Sarah
9) Belle & Sebastian - Beautiful
10) Guillemots - My Chosen One Live on the World Cafe
11) Sam Roberts - The Gate
12) M. Ward - Chinese Translation
13) Kathryn Williams - In a Broken Dream
14) Irma Thomas - Anyone Who Knows What Love Is
15) India.Arie - The Heart of the Matter
16) Sheryl Crow - You Can Close Your Eyes
17) Devotchka - Til the End of Time
18) More Animals of the Arctic - Tom's Death
19) Tanya Tucker - Would You Lay with Me (in a Field of Stone)
20) Greg Laswell - Sing, Theresa Says
21) Leo Kottke - The Credits: Out-Takes from Terry's Movie
22) Cassettes Won't Listen - The Sidewalk Cruise

A mix borne of a three hour phone conversation...
1) Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - It'll All Work Out
2) Bonnie Raitt - One Belief Away
3) The Weepies - Gotta Have You on World Cafe
4) Antony & the Johnsons - Frankenstein
5) Warren Zevon - Back in the High Life Again
6) Lyle Lovett - If I Needed You
7) Townes Van Zandt - Flyin' Shoes
8) Josh Ritter - In the Dark on World Cafe
9) The Little Willies - No Place to Fall
10) Jon Brion - Strings That Tie to You
11) Little Willie John - Need Your Love So Bad
12) Doris Troy - Just One Look
13) Chaka Khan - Love Me Still
14) Corinne Bailey Rae - Like a Star on KCRW
15) Jose Gonzales - Heartbeats video
16) Eva Cassidy - Time After Time
17) Ron Sexsmith - Gold in Them Hills
18) Van Morrison - Sweet Thing
19) Bob Dylan - Fourth Time Around
20) Billy Joel - Vienna
21) Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Follow You into the Dark live at Bonnaroo 2006
22) Nina Simone - I Shall Be Released

Two Discs for a ... well, a Two Day Weekend

Disc One
1) Adem - One in a Million
2) The Redwalls - Home
3) Bob Dylan - Hard Time in New York Town
4) Rod Stewart - Mama You Been on My Mind
5) Jackson Browne - Jamaica Say You Will
6) The Mountain Goats - Love Love Love
7) Peter & Gordon - A World Without Love
8) Andy Kim - Baby, I Love You
9) Lovin' Spoonful - Darling Be Home Soon
10) Manfred Mann - The Mighty Quinn
11) Blues Image - Ride Captain Ride Hysterical cover performed by the United States Navy Band
12) Rod Stewart & The Small Faces - Stay with Me
13) Loudon Wainwright III - Ingenue
14) Richard Thompson - Bee's Wing
15) Bonnie Raitt - I Ain't Blue
16) Beth Waters - Blue and White
17) Clem Snide - Moment in the Sun
18) Porcupine Tree - Lazarus
19) Pilate - Melt into the Walls
20) The Shore - Take What's Mine
21) Slow Runner - Break Your Mama's Back
22) Josh Ritter - In the Dark Live from the World Cafe

Disc Two
1) Bruce Hornsby - Set in Motion
2) Hot Hot Heat - Middle of Nowhere
3) Daniel Lanois - O Marie
4) Milosh - Couldn't Sleep
5) Mofro - Blackwater
6) Joni Mitchell - You Turn Me On I'm a Radio
7) The Foxymorons - Harvard Hands
8) Michael Zapruder - Little Ship Bluebell
9) The Long Winters - Pushover
10) Ben Kweller - Penny on the Track
11) Randy Coleman - Hey God
12) Jason Anderson - O, Jac!
13) Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band - I Got Love
14) Buddy Miles - Them Changes
15) Jackie Greene - So Hard to Find My Way
16) Tom Rush - Pallet on the Floor
17) Piers Faccini - Picture of You
18) Phil Ochs - When I'm Gone
19) Imogen Heap - Hallelujah Collect Them All!
20) Townes Van Zandt - You Are Not Needed Now

Just because every time I hear it, I very nearly cry...

Josh Ritter - Here at the Right Time
Josh Ritter - Here at the Right Time (Live on NPR)

Attention Nine to Fivers!

Looking to waste time at that crummy desk job you took purely for their awesome dental coverage? Perhaps your company has blocked Facebook, Friendster, MySpace, Hi5, and gosh, even Google!?

Well, look no further than Pandora. I love her box, her music box that is. This little tool allowed me to set up an online radio station focused on my favorite artists and songs. It's based on the Music Genome Project, a veritable 400 point inspection for each song to ensure the similarities really are there (I've been told this is because 399 points simply aren't enough to decipher between Bob and Jakob Dylan). And I'll say this. It certainly made my day go more quickly than any day before, and I have a feeling it will soon be the next site blocked at work. Ah well, I'll enjoy crazy Pandora while her box continues to spew mellifluous sonority.

Thank you to Pieter and Blake for bringing Pandora to my attention and saving my first week back at work.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine at AllMusic posted this little article about Sufjan Stevens.

Ever since he first entered my life in 2003, I wondered why I was the only one who wasn't flipping out about Mr. Stevens' music. I wondered what my problem was. Why were my friends and roommates tripping over themselves to see one of the seemingly endless string of his shows last summer? Why did everyone and their sister think the Fisher-Price orchestrations on "...Illinoise" were ubiquitously "amazing." I'm amazed so many people were able to use the exactly same word so many times completely oblivious to one another.

I'm just happy that I finally found an article to link to that could better express my confusion with the Sufjantastical craziness. Yes, a while back, I drew links to Sufjan's music as it was available through my friend Mike's page. I'll not lie: I was going for the fast, cheap blast of hits to this ol' blog. I won't say anything more. Please read.

Ok, one more thing, a friend of mine came to New York spouting off about the latest music craze to hit Chicago since Kanye got caught in someone's closet or since R Kelly made five beats a day for three summers. Yes, it was Sufjan. And when asked to describe Mr. Stevens' music, he could think of only one word: Sufjanesque. He went so far as to correct himself... "very Sufjanesque."

If I wasn't confused prior to, said friend certainly cemented this little blogger's confusion.

This song's been stuck in my head all day. Love this stuff.