Sufjan Stevens & DM Stith

Since moving to NYC, I've been to a couple of Sufjan Stevens concerts & events, including the screening of his film, The BQE. The screening was opened by MC Sufjan Stevens, DM Stith (an artist from Stevens' label, Asthmatic Kitty), and Osso, a string quartet that played orchestral variations of Stevens' album, Enjoy Your Rabbit.

First I want to note that the currently unreleased songs Stevens played at the concerts I attended, one at Bower Ballroom on October 4, and the other at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on October 6, are completely amazing. Sufjan doesn't disappoint. Here is one example...imagine this one live, with the piano filling the room, completely enveloping you. I'm sorry I can't let you feel the actual feeling, but it was heavy:

"Barn Owl, Night Killer"

Maybe I'll discuss these shows in detail on another occasion, but for now I want to move on to Steven's label-buddy, DM Stith. He's absolutely amazing. His often dark style may be a lot to handle at times, but they are entirely beautiful. His soft-flowing yet wide-ranging melodic vocals, earthy acoustics and production, all married together perfectly, giving his music great depth and his audience a great many pleasant surprises. Sith somehow gives even his darkest, heaviest songs a heavenly sound that might leave a listener uplifted and downtrodden at the same time, certainly perplexed. Here are a few that I've been listening to on repeat:

"Pity Dance"

"Around the Lion Legs" (one of his lighter songs)

"Thanksgiving Moon"

I would also really recommend listening to Stith's "Fire of Birds." I know that's a lot of recommendations, but understand that you can't go wrong with Stith.

"The Question" by Elvis Perkins, All Night Without Love EP

What do you do when someone you love, w/o question or warning, is swallowed by a bird, who is swallowed by a mountain or swallowed by a dream come true? Unlucky children is the question of my life, the riddle of my body, the air I breathe.

New York, New York!

Today's tunes of the day are classics. Forgive me if you're not a fan of Mr. Sinatra, ol' blue eyes, but you have to give him some props, for as clean-cut as his corrupted form of jazz was, it did and still can make for good entertainment. As for Billy, forget about it...it's just so good. I'm moving to NY to start my career in the music industry (not the devil-machine, but the artist promotion world that makes good music known...just what I try to do here, except hopefully I'll have more reach than I do now...hopefully to REAL people), so here are a couple of songs in honor of this big step of my life, and the music I can't wait to experience!

"New York, New York" Frank Sinatra


"New York State of Mind" Billy Joel


I'm almost officially a New Yorker! Music industry & concert expenses, here I come! Sing me a song, Bowery man, I'm in the mood for a cool melody every night of the week, and I want it sung to me live, under the stars or the bright stage lights.... I want my organs to dance and be made to feel almost uncomfortable, but still good, via the sonic glory that is the vibrations of bass. Yes, there is a dance party. All the time.

Elvis Perkins' FALL TOUR DATES

Elvis Perkins in Dearland is going on tour for the release of the new Doomsday EP. I STRONGLY SUGGEST you catch one of these dates as Perkins is rising fast. I saw him with his band about 4 months ago at Brattle Theater, capacity 235. He then played both the Newport Folk Festival and Bonnaroo. Now he's playing at the Bowery Ballroom and the Music Hall of Williamsburg, each one a 550-capacity venue whose rosters have included the likes of the great Sufjan Stevens! There's a date here for everyone, so don't miss experiencing this wonderful music in its live excellence (and trust me, they are excellent live!):

9/2 - Elvis Perkins (Solo) at Housing Works - New York, NY (Yellow Bird Projects Presents)
9/3 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR
9/5 - Bumbershoot Festival - Seattle, WA
10/02 - The Casbah - San Diego, CA
10/03 - Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA
11/04 - Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival - San Francisco, CA
10/31 - Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble - Woodstock, NY
11/1 - Mountain Stage - Charleston, WV
11/3 - The Southern - Charlottesville, VA
11/4 - Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall - Asheville, NC
11/5 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA
11/6 - Cafe 11 - St. Augustine, FL
11/7 - The Social - Orlando, FL
11/9 - Club Downunder - Tallahassee, FL
11/10 - Bottletree - Birmingham, AL
11/11 - The Parish - New Orleans, LA
11/12 - Walters On Washington - Houston, TX
11/13 - The Parish - Austin, TX
11/14 - House of Blues - Cambridge Room - Dallas, TX
11/16 - Sticky Fingerz Chicken Shack - Little Rock, AR
11/17 - TBD - Nashville, TN
11/18 - TBD
11/19 - TBD
11/20 - Gargoyle Club - St. Louis, MO
11/21 - TBD - Chicago, IL
11/30 - Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA
12/01 - The Hi Hat - Providence, RI
12/02 - Rock and Roll Hotel - Washington, DC
12/03 - First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA
12/04 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
12/05 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY

10/02 - with Cave Singers
10/03 - with Other Lives
11/03 - 11/21 with A.A. Bondy
11/30 - 12/4 with Bowerbirds

I've Gotta Get Out of This Place

Unemployment and a month (going on 2) stuck in a small condo with my parents in a place so un-me (and so far from anyone else I know) as Miami Beach is leading me deeper and deeper into a most unfavorable state. Not that I don't love them, but I need a break, or at least something to occupy my time.

I give you the Animals (a hit during the Vietnam War...thank you for adding this song to my repertory, "Popular Music of the Vietnam War" capstone paper! That was a good decision on my part):



And:

Directions

Every time my navigation says "turn slightly right," Queen ensues:


- "I'm Going Slightly Mad," album: Innuendo

Which reminds me: I love Sirius satellite radio for the Classic Vinyl station, but they are seriouously lacking in the Mercury/May dept. Let's trade some Bob Seger or Jimmy Buffet out for one of the greatest bands of all time. What do you say?

In further news, it's been about 14 days since I've utilized my iPod. I MUST BE going slightly mad!

These directions are given to me upon my return from Scuba-ing in Key Largo. Which means my head then begins playing The Beach Boys' "Kokomo:"

"Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go..."



And yes, this is the muppet version. Why? B/c they introduced me to this greatness when I was a wee little girl. It's absolute brilliance both ways.

Send my regards from Kihei

I've been spending the last 3 days scuba diving and surfing in Kihei. This, of course, means that I've had Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World." And yes, it is a wonderful world I'm livin' in (ignore this: feline feminine fantastical women...).

If you haven't heard this yet, prepare yourself for a much better life to come.