Storms are on the ocean, storms up in the mountains too

I got up at 4:30 this morning because I was supposed to go on a charter fishing trip on Lake Michigan with a customer of mine, but apparently the waves were too big so it got canceled. Now, this doesn't bother me too much because, honestly, I wasn't really interested in fishing too much. Now, I'm in that precarious position of wondering what to do with the rest of the day. I'm not expected at work today, but there's a ton of stuff I could catch up on.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Thunder on the Mountain-Bob Dylan with Charlie Sexton, 8.4.09



We Three (My Echo, My Shadow & Me)-The Ink Spots

Love Vigilantes-Iron & Wine, Around the Well

On up the Mountain-Jakob Dylan, Seeing Things

Uphill Mountain-Jackie Greene

Happy Thursday, friends...

andrew

We laughed & had a good time you & I

I was on my way to the Shawmut Inn the day my old man called me & told me that Emily had Ella. I was so proud I think I told all the waitresses there. We've been having fun ever since. Ella is fun to play with because she has a wonderful imagination & tons of energy. I can see the best in Bob & Emily in her. She's the best birthday present I ever got. Happy birthday, bean. We love you.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Forgetful Heart-Bob Dylan, Milwaukee, July 1, 2009

The Times We've Known-Charles Azsnavour

Thunder Road-Bruce Springsteen

Uncle John's Band-The Grateful Dead, Workingman's Dead

Get Out of Denver-Eddie & the Hot Rods

Happy Friday, friends...

andrew

How the days turn into weeks turn into months...

I haven't been listening to much music lately. I've gotten into podcasts to pass the time to & from work. My favorites are This American Life, Cartalk & Countdown. Hearing the songs I Love You (for sentimental reasons) by Nat King Cole & I Came to Hear the Music by Bonnie "Prince" Billy on my shuffle just might snap me out of this. Whilst at class I think I might just sit out on the front porch & listen to a couple albums. Any suggestions?





Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Try a Little Tenderness-Otis Redding

I Love You (for Sentimental Reasons)-Nat King Cole

Love Vigilantes-Iron & Wine, Around the Well

Life is Hard-Bob Dylan, Together Through Life

I Came to Hear the Music-Bonnie "Prince" Billy-Ask Forgiveness

Happy 4th of July weekend, friends...

andrew

Everybody's gonna jump for joy!

If my nephew Quinn is seven years old, that must make me old. So much has changed since he was born but it all seems like such a short period of time. I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that Quinn's not a toddler anymore, but at the same time it's hard to remember a Quinn without Ella, let alone all the other rugrats running around the Woehlke & McClelland compounds. I do remember him spitting up on me at least twice & it never bothered me in the least. Quinn & I will always have a special bond because we both know what it's like to grow up with two sisters. It's been fun watching what an interesting little man Quinn has become & it'll be more fun to see where he goes from here. Happy birthday, Quinntessential.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Red Right Ankle-The Decemberists, Her Majesty, the Decemberists

Out on a Weekend-Neil Young, Harvest

Heart of Gold-Neil Young, Harvest

This Dream of You-Bob Dylan, Together Through Life

It's All Good-Bob Dylan, Together Through Life

Happy Saturday, friends...

andrew

Am I Too Blue for You?

My mother once told me that jazz musicians must not worry if they play a wrong note or two. She's probably right, spontaneity lies at the heart of every jazz session. I don't know anything about playing jazz music (or any instrument for that matter), & I'm also not sure how much of a jazz composition is planned out before the session begins. I do know this, however, that Miles Davis' Kind of Blue is the closest thing to musical perfection that I've ever heard. Maybe this is why it is such a highly regarded album, even among people who don't call themselves jazz enthusiasts.

Never mind all of that, I don't call myself a jazz expert by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, the more music critics I read, the more I realize most of it is complete & utter bullshit. Some people will knock you over the head with what they think is the most clever explanation they can think of regarding an album or a concert, comparing the work to any given number of musicians who came before. This is lazy writing that displays that the only way they can relate the music to their audience is by calling to mind another musician that everyone will know. Other critics feel as though they aren't doing their job if they aren't tearing down a piece of art that they can't create themselves.

The only critics that are worth the paper they write on, in my opinion, are the people who make you want to listen to a given piece of music. I realize I may be setting myself up for failure, here, but that's okay. I could tell you about the musicians (including John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly & Bill Evans) who played on the album or about the circumstances behind the recording, but that just doesn't do it justice.

What sets this album apart is the space between the notes, or the notes that aren't played. It was one of the first album's of jazz spontaneity to not knock you over the head with the feverish pace of notes that you can't keep up with. I think Miles could've done that if he wanted to, but his real skill was to create a mood with extremely well placed notes that had purpose, & that purpose at many times was to let his fellow musicians shine. This is nowhere more evident than the opening notes of the first track, So What, where the piano & the bass do a little two step together that start things off slowly. It isn't until 50 seconds in that the horns come in, but the bass & the piano hold the spotlight until those definitive notes of Miles come in to remind you whose album you're listening to. Listen to the way the piano stays behind the beat ever so slightly, Evan's isn't begging to be heard, he realizes what he's a part of. Coltrane's solo a few minutes in rivals Miles, but by this point it doesn't matter who's playing what because everything is so laid back.

Most importantly, for me, is that this album always sounds like 8:00-10:00 pm on a Sunday summer evening. Every song & every note holds together a mood that, doesn't let go. To this day, I can't tell you which song is which, & it doesn't really matter, they are all pieces of one great big masterpiece filled with different shades of blue. So, it's Sunday evening, friends, open up the windows turn on the sprinkler, pour yourself a drink & enjoy this masterpiece.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Flamenco Sketches-Miles Davis, Kind of Blue



So What-Miles Davis, Kind of Blue



Song No. 2-Miles Davis, Quiet Nights

BS II-Charles Mingus, Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus

Tony Adams-Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros, Rock Art & the X-Ray Style

Happy Sunday, friends...

andrew

Sing me back home

Maybe justice is served. Maybe my punishment for not helping my mother clean as a lad is that I will be forced to mop floors on mother's day from age 29 (the age my mother had me) forward. Such was the case, though, I was stuck at work on Mother's Day & I had two customers all day long & raked in a whopping $37. I could have sat in the office all day & read (or sulked) but I figured I could crank up some Miles Davis & do some cleaning instead. I'm sure all of the higher level executives for my company were doing the same.

I remember looking forward to when my mom cleaned the floors in the kitchen because that meant that we got to eat dinner in the living room in front of the television. When the carpets got cleaned, all of the furniture got thrown together in the middle of the room which was perfect for a fort. It didn't take much to entertain me when I was a kid. My mom used this to my disadvantage by trying to fool me into playing a game to see how fast we could clean the kitchen. Happy Mothers day, Ma, thanks for everything you do for me, especially those things I don't even know about.

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Sing Me Back Home-Merle Haggard

I've never been to prison, but the line "there's a song my mama sang" gets me everytime.



All That Matters-Mark Knopfler, Shangri-La

All of You-Miles Davis, 'Round About Midnight

I'd Like To-Mike Ireland

Help! I'm Alive-Metric

andrew

Some people they tell me I got the blood of the land in my voice...

There's nothing like getting an anticipated brand new album the day of it's release. I still get as excited about it as I did when I was thirteen years old. There's no longer 30 seconds then the 30 seconds it takes to get the wrapping off a cd, but the payoff is well worth it. To slap the cd into the player & search through the liner notes for clues that might decode the magic that the cd might hold. Who does the artist thank? Are lyrics included? What kind of pictures are on the inside?

I got home to an empty house with Bob Dylan's Beyond Here Lies Nothing sitting on the counter. Maybe this is why Christie spent the afternoon with her mother. Anyways, I didn't feel guilty about popping this into the cd player & turning it up nice & loud. There's good news & bad news regarding this album. The bad news is that to my ears I don't hear any great songs. Modern Times had Ain't Talkin', Love & Theft had Mississippi. The good news is that I look forward to listening to the album as a whole, not just certain tracks. There's both a cohesiveness & a diversity to these songs that hold it together.

The album challenges your perceptions, the opening track Beyond Here Lies Nothing sounds quite bleak but actually celebrates love in the moment, even if that love will someday betray you or leave you all alone. The closing track, It's All Good, takes that annoying cliche & proves it to be false every time, no matter how many times you tell yourself that it's all good. Life is Hard is Bob Dylan trying to sing as if he has to prove that he can hit the high notes & in his straining comes up with quite an effective performance. My Wife's Home Town copies the melody of the blues standard I Just Wanna Make Love to You & is downright annoying. If You Ever Go to Houston swings easily with charming lyrics wrapped in myth & tall tales. I haven't made my mind up about Forgetful Heart yet, I like the singing & the tempo. Jolene has a terrible guitar riff that is just as bad as the lyrics from the refrain "i'll be your king & you can be my queen".

This Dream of You is the first time I realized that this album doesn't sound anything like it's predecessors. Maybe it's Mike Campbell's guitar or David Hidalgo's (Los Lobos) accordion. I either love or hate Shake Shake Mama, I haven't quite figured it out yet. When I found out that there was a song called I Feel a Change Comin' On I cringed, fearing a "we have a new president & it's a new day" kind of song, but it's actually quite good. It's got a '70s pop song kind of feel to it. This is probably the most palatable to the average listener.

There we have it, friends. This album won't go up there with the great Dylan albums of all time, but it sure makes for a fun listen & a definate difference from the last two albums. If I had to rate it, I'd give it a 7. Give it a spin & see what you think.

I Feel a Change Comin' On


Beyond Here Lies Nothing


Life is Hard (the picture depicts Christie when she's listening to this album)


Five Favorite Songs of the Day

If You Ever Go to Houston-Bob Dylan, Beyond Here Lies Nothing

So What-Miles Davis, Kind of Blue

Sec Walkin-My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges

Life is Hard-Bob Dylan, Beyond Here Lies Nothing

Sway-Alejandro Escovedo

Happy Tuesday, friends...

andrew