stockholm syndrome

There are bountiful rumblings on the net about Derek Webb's new cd entitled "Stockholm Syndrome". Go here for the latest email's which were sent out on his mailing list over the past two days.

Here is a link to Wikipedia regarding the history/meaning behind the album's title, which I found interesting.

The second e/m from Derek is a jumbled mess with underscores throughout the message which I found odd and sort of Lost-equese. It seems that there is a new website called Paradise is a Parking Lot where "artifacts" can be found and may lead to the tracks of the new album? The progress can be followed as well at a new Twitter account (Derek shut down his last one).

I must say Derek has piqued my interest regarding the controversy of his new album and all the new clues on the web (which however I don't have the patience to play with). One blog states that Derek has a new song he played at a recent show which has the word "sh_t" in the lyrics, perhaps this is the source of the corporate disgruntlement his label is expressing. Go here and here for more in depth reading.

I hope you all stay tuned for more from Derek....I know I will.

Update: good overview of the controversy here as well.

last clock on the wall

Eagerly awaiting Joe Purdy's new album:

triple door

I just ran across this video on Josh Garrel's blog. The video is of Josh and Trace Bundy playing "O Come O Come Emmanuel" at The Triple Door in Seattle, WA. Spend 5 minutes and watch them play this amazing song.

vote (or don't)

Derek Webb in commemoration of tomorrow's election has again made his album "Mockingbird" available for free online, for one week only. This album speaks volumes regarding our social, political, and global environments and gives us a lens, as Christians, through which we should look at the problems in each realm. I highly recommend this album, specifically the songs "Rich young ruler" and "My enemies are men like me".

Derek also recently wrote an article regarding voting and the upcoming election titled, "How Shall We Then Vote?", which you can find here. Enjoy the reading and album. Pay close attention to lyrics. And go out and vote, or don't.

human study

Just a few movies and one musical artist that have greatly amused me. All of them are definitely off the beaten path.

-King of Kong: A Fist Full of Quarters:


-Wordplay:


-Lastly is an artist we saw this past Friday at the Musikfest in Bethlehem. He goes buy the name Cast in Bronze, wears an all black jumpsuit, rocks out on a carillon, and wears quite an interesting mask. Check it out:

4 rae

At Rae's request:



And since this post is for my wife I'll add two video's of Ryan Leech (her dream cyclist):




More meaningful posts to come....I'm on vacation this week. =)

shins

The Shins are a great band and I've listened and enjoyed their poppy-wackiness over the years. They also have a knack of making great videos as well and I've featured 3 of them tonight.

1. "New Slang" is the best song The Shins have ever released:


2. "Phantom Limb" is a great song with a history lesson to boot:


3. "Australia" is one of the latest tracks off of their newest album, "Wincing The Night Away". This video cracks me up:

vid's for the kid's

Stupid title? Perhaps...but you can't deny the popularity of online video sites such as my good friend You Tube (the proud sponsor of all of tonights videos).

First one from R.E.M., who I've been intermittently delving into deeper over the past year or so. This is "Drive" from R.E.M. (gotta love a video entirely of crowd surfing):


Secondly, Jeff Tweedy singing "The Thanks I Get". Possibly the greatest song of the entire history of people singing stuff from their mouths with words:


This I just found and can't resist posting it as well. It's from the Jeff Tweedy "Live in the Pacific Northwest" DVD. Jeff has a moment where he rants on all the annoying people who are talking during the concert. I love this rant!! I have the same feelings which I why I almost got in a fight at the last Ben Harper concert I went to, ask Tim if you don't believe me. Here goes:


I'll leave you with the song, "Rich Young Ruler" from Derek Webb. Let this one sink in:

blugrass on crack

Video this week brought to us by the Letter A... for The Avett Brothers. The song is "Talk On Indolence" from the cd "Four Thieves Gone". The Avett Brothers recently released a new album, "Emotionalism" which I highly, highly recommend. It has been in my rotation for the past 2 months or so and I'm still not tired of it. Here's a taste of T.A.B.:

mixing bowl

Just a few different things. First, I thought I'd share my first every successful panorama. It's of Manasatash Lake in the Wenatchee National Forest. We hiked out there this past Sunday. Very beautiful.
Also, I've been listening to a lot of WILCO & live solo Jeff Tweedy lately. If you haven't checked out WILCO's album "Summerteeth" you should go buy it. It's well work your time. "She's A Jar" & "Shot In The Arm" are two album highlights. I'll leave you with the lyrics from "She's A Jar":

She's a jar
With a heavy lid
My pop quiz kid
A sleepy kisser
A pretty war
With feelings hid
She begs me not to miss her

She says forever
To light a fuse
We could use
A handful of wheel
And a day off
And a bruised road
However, you might feel
Tonight is real

When I forget how to talk, I sing
Won't you please
Bring that flash to shine
And turn my eyes red
Unless they close
When you click
And my face gets sick
Stuck, like a question unposed

Just climb aboard
The tracks of a train's arm
In my fragile family tree
And watch me floating inches above
The people underneath

Please beware the quiet front yard
I warned you
Before there were water skies
I warned you not to drive
Dry your eyes, you poor devil

Are there really ones like these?
The ones I dream
Float like leaves
And freeze to spread skeleton wings
I passed through before I knew you

I believe it's just because
Daddy's payday is not enough
Oh I believe it's all because
Daddy's payday is not enough

Just climb aboard
The tracks of a train's arm
In my fragile family tree

And watch me floating inches above
The people underneath

She's a jar
With a heavy lid
My pop quiz kid
A sleepy kisser
A pretty war
With feelings hid

You know she begs me
Not to hit her

Tonight, Over The Rhine will have a premiere web cast of their new album "Trumpet Child" at 8pm EST (5pm PST). OTR's last two albums have been great one's so I don't think this will be a waste of your time. Click on the Album for a link to the web cast page. Click here for an album review from another blogger with an overuse of superlatives & adjectives, in my opinion. But, hey, he got an advance of the album & me...I'm sitting here counting down the hours until 5.

theme song of the week

This is a great song with great lyrics which I think we should all spend some time contemplating.... I Repent

words and music by derek webb

i repent, i repent of my pursuit of america's dream i repent, i repent of living like i deserve anything of my house, my fence, my kids, my wife in our suburb where we're safe and white i am wrong and of these things i repent i repent, i repent of parading my liberty i repent. i repent of paying for what i get for free and for the way i believe that i am living right by trading sins for others that are easier to hide i am wrong and of these things i repent bridge i repent judging by a law that even i can't keep of wearing righteousness like a disguise to see through the planks in my own eyes i repent, i repent of trading truth for false unity i repent, i repent of confusing peace and idolatry by caring more of what they think than what i know of what we need by domesticating you until you look just like me i am wrong and of these things i repent

key of R - top 5 best albums of recorded history (ever)

That's right I'm once again imposing my musical elitist opinion on the void. Revel in your unknowingly lacking existence and rejoice that you have been freed. Go, buy these 5 (I mean 6......I couldn't bear to leave Linford out of the list) albums right away.

5. Linford Detweiler - Unspoken Requests
5. Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left
4. Damien Rice - O
3. Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
2. Johnny Cash - American 5: A Hundred Highways
1. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

[addendum]:
Since Wilco holds the #1 slot I thought I'd also drop a line about their great new album out entitled "Sky Blue Sky". I would also highly recommend the special CD/DVD version which shows the band in the studio recording the album. This cd is very layered & dense musically which isn't readily apparent on the first couple listens but, you visually can see this on the DVD. Tracks to pay attention to, in my opinion, are "Impossible Germany", "Walken", & "Shake It Off". Check it out.
Enjoy & I'd love to know what your top 5 (6) list would include.

sierra leone's refugee all stars

A quick post about a great band I've been listening to quite a bit for the past few months. The group is called Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, which was founded in a refugee camp in Guinea during the civil war in Sierra Leone. This band also has a documentary out about the forming of the band and footage from the early days of the band. Check them out. The album is entitled, "Living Like A Refugee". The trailer for the documentary is below.

josh garrels

Two excellent videos of artist, Josh Garrels, whose albums don't spend much time out of my cd player. Great message, great sound, great voice. Enjoy.

cash

The MAN. 'Nuff said, watch for yourselves.
"Hurt":

"Ring of Fire":

"San Quentin":

"Jackson":

snobbery in the key of R

Most of the time, I am able to restrain my urge to use this space as a soapbox to spout my highly opinionated views about music. But, as I read over my latest copy of PASTE magazine last night I was excited to see 3 separate albums soon to be released by artists I have greatly enjoyed over the years. So, this post only serves as a small interruption in your daily lives to go out and buy some good music to accompany you on your travels.
2007 is starting out musically on a very good foot!! Enjoy.

birdy nam nam

4 French dj's, 4 turntables.......

AND A MICROPHONE.

reminder

lyrics from the song "Fight For Your Mind" from the same titled album, words from the mind of Ben Harper.

" if you're gonna live
then live it up
and if you're gonna give
then give it up
if you're gonna walk the earth
then walk it proud
and if you're gonna say the word
you got to say it loud

you got to fight for your mind
you got to fight for your mind
while you got the time
you got to fight for your mind

if you're gonna build a house
make it a home
if you're gonna pull some weight
pull your own
if you're gonna help
reach out your hand
if you're getting up
then take a stand

you got to fight for your mind
you got to fight for your mind
while you got the time
you got to fight for your mind

if you're gonna step
step on in
if you're gonna finish
you got to begin
don't you fear
what you don't know
just let that be
your room to grow

you got to fight for your mind
you got to fight for your mind
while you got the time
you got to fight for your mind"


'nuff said.

whispering pines

Hey all; the migration is complete. We arrived in Ellensburg, Washington this past Sunday late in the evening, on what we would later find out was the hottest day in recorded history for the town. My air conditioning stopped working in Colorado since my truck didn’t want to pull a U-Haul trailer and power the A/C, so I drove the last three days of the trip in relative misery. To break up the monotony of the trek I tried to keep a log of pretty much anything I could think of. Below is my portion of the log.

Trip Totals:
Days: 6
Miles: 3300.4
Tolls: $53 (that's just PA, OH, & IN....rotten scoundrels)
Driving Hours: 60.5
Gallons of Gasoline: 258
Roads Traveled: 76→80→280→680→81→135→61→70→25→90
Coffees: 7
Dr. Peppers: 9
Bags of Sunflower Seeds: 3

Playlist:
Alexi Murdoch
Belle & Sebastian
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
Beta Band
Blind Melon
Bob Dylan
Cake
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Counting Crows
Credence Clearwater Revival
Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young
David Gray
DJ Dangermouse
Faith No More
Fiona Apple
Gillian Welch
Jack Johnson
Johnny Cash
Josh Garrels
Josh Rouse
Kasey Chambers
Kathleen Edwards
Led Zeppelin
Lucinda Williams
Marvin Gaye
Modest Mouse
Neko Case
Nirvana
Over The Rhine
Queensryche
Radiohead
Redbird
Shelby Lynne
Soul Asylum
Soul Sides Compilation 1
Sufjan Stevens
Talking Heads
The Allman Brothers Band
The Band
The Beatles
The Boy Least Likely To
The Shins
Toots & the Maytals
Violent Femmes
WILCO
Willie Nelson
Zero 7

Scientific Discovery Moment: Rachel initiated research in Wyoming revealing that it takes approximately five minutes for a Lemonhead to dissolve in your mouth without any excessive sucking on the Lemonhead.

Further research to support the hypothesized “five minute law” will explore if multiple Lemonheads in your mouth will change the dissolve time and if every mouth is consistent with a universal five minute law will be completed on future road trips.

Trip Claps & Slaps: (my cheesy section to doll out rants and thanks)

Claps:

- Ultimate clap to The Lord for providing us with save travel, no speeding tickets, and some of the most amazing country to drive through.
- Supreme Clap to the unnamed tow-truck driver/mechanic in Belleville, Kansas who towed my truck (with the trailer attached) to the Chevy dealership and then started working away on trying to fix it….on a blissful 113 degree day in Kansas!!

Slaps:

- A Slap to the fuel pump which caused the above mentioned breakdown on that 113 degree day.
- Another general all encompassing Slap (with a flying elbow) to the heat wave which plagued us the entire week we were traveling.

Overall the trip was an exciting adventure which let us see some extremely beautiful country:

And also play with electronics while I should of been driving:
Back at Whispering Pines we have been very busy the past week with unpacking, assembling Ikea furniture, and settling to our new home in the Pacific Northwest. Our house is surrounded by tall pine trees which whisper as the wind sails in from the Cascade Mountains, hence the new name of our house. The breeze also fills the house with the scent of evergreen trees and makes me feel like I’m camping in the mountains. I found out last week that I passed the national certification for Physician Assistants which was a huge relief. I start work on 7.31 and a new chapter in my “adult” life. Tonight Rachel and I are going to enjoy the latest movie by M. Night Shyamalan, Lady In The Water. This weekend is also “Jazz in the Valley” so we may explore the town more and possibly catch a concert. Enjoy your own weekend. More to come soon.