away, we're bound away...

there are moments when you find yourself sitting on the subway, and a song comes up on your ipod and catches you completely off guard, either because you hadn't thought about that song in quite some time, the way a certain introduction seeps its way into your bones, the history you have with it, or because it's just so right.

while rumbling over the manhattan bridge the other night, chanticleer's "shenandoah" popped up amidst my shuffle of outkast, head automatica, fiona apple, and radiohead. the solitary baritone not only snapped me out of my usual subway daze and into the reality of my present status as a passenger looking out onto the new york skyline passing by, but also evoked a deep melancholy far down within me, like i was the one singing to a river, and a love, so far away it's symbolic of everything you've ever left behind.


i do have a history with this song. i've sang it in several choral settings and my mother has declared a fascist state with a box of tissues over the tv whenever the movie is on tcm or amc. but it's not creating harmonies on a stage with my high school chamber choir in front of a crowd of 1000 or more parents, nor patting my tear-stained mother on the back as she lamented over the fate of james stewart's family, that cuts me to the quick. it is what isn't there; it's the shenandoah.

it's knowing that some day, i'm going to look back and i'm going to have my own symbolic river to sing about. i don't really have one now. i'm not too far away from where i was a few years ago, everything is still relatively within my grasp. i'd even have to say that my childhood isn't so far off-- i still have a lot of growing to do even with rent and bills and a full-time job. but in a few years, it might, and probably will, change. i will be removed from this, from where i am at this very moment, and that is when my heart will break from something that's so far away it might've never even existed. it's inevitable. i'm bound away. and possibly "seven long years" may mean exactly "seven long years." it's all too close to how i've been feeling lately.

music is a funny thing. it can take you to places you've been, to places you haven't, and places where only you know the location. it can make a 22 year old who hasn't lost much in her life feel like she's lost a piece that can't be retrieved. at the same time, music has the capability to make anyone, even sad bastards like myself, feel on top of the world for two minutes 46 seconds. it lulls babies to sleep, and incites anger beyond bound. it tells stories, it is aural emotion, it is blood through the veins. that is why it is so important. that is why i care so much about it. that is why i am here. that is why i will be there.

that is why.


/jen/

zero a zero você venceu

so, i just finished reading this month's wired magazine (i get it for free at work, along with many other subscriptions. ahhh the perks of advertising), and while last month's cover featured the infamous mr. r. murdoch, with an emphasis on his space (and i guess myspace, too), this one was even more applicable to the world of music. the september 2006 issue is all about the revolution in the music industry-- predominantly with labels-- and how online, digital, and free music is making economics, fanbases, even the existence of albums as we know it go up in smoke and rain back down into something familiar but different... i suggest taking a look.

right now, wired.com only has the interview with the cover model, beck, up along with a few little fyi pieces. but check it out tomorrow for the heavy, life-altering stuff. terry mcbride, the founder of nettwerk, is the current bmoc as far as mutiny against the traditional business way is concerned. the format is a client of his company (which is a band i owe you a review for), and it was through the help of mcbride they have managed to sell their album despite being dropped by their label. i hung out with some of the nettwerk dude(ette)s at the aforementioned band's concert, and i have to say, they're some pretty cool people.

anyway, go here for the beck interview, and look back in a day or two for a peek into how you might be making your own mashup in a few months.

now back to seu jorge singing "rebel rebel" in central park via pbs. americans are such awkward dancers.


/jen/

cotton crush indeed

i just got back from seeing kevin devine at webster. i've already wrote a bit about him previously, so i'll spare the innocuous details, but i've got to say, for a white red-headed angsty acoustic boy to be playing for a smooth, soul-loving older r&b crowd, and do it balls-to-the wall? well, colour me impressed.

this time it was a solo performance with carey brandenburg singing backup vocals occasionally. he was admittedly nervous because it was a much bigger crowd than he was used to playing for (they were all there to see corinne bailey rae. except me), but he still was able to rock it out. he got so into it at one point that he ripped his guitar away from its plug, continued to play while asking the audience to pretend we could hear it, and managed to plug it back in all in one swoop. huzzah!

he played predominantly from his new, soon-to-be-released album, and as for show highlights, "just stay" and of course "cotton crush" were able to get the crowd going.

another nice part about the concert: bumped into victoria, an acquintance i met through jamie, and hung out with her and her co-worker john. it's always nice when you go to see a show alone and end up bumping into neat-o people inside. it makes you feel loved.

with that being said, i'm tired after a long day of work and music, and i seriously promise i'll have those earlier reviews up in no time.

/jen/

better days

it's days like these, when i have boyz II men stuck in my head (don't ask), no comments on my page other than spam, and am four concert reviews in the red (they'll be coming soon), that i wonder what i'm doing. music is a funny kind of existence. i can't write it really, but i can play it and openly appreciate it. as much as i appreciate it, however, it's a thankless business, and i'm sure my admiration for it and all things pertaining is considered worthless because i doubt i'm cool enough to count. even by the little guys. bummer.

in other news, thesaurus.com's new colour scheme layout is now potty-themed. grotesque.



/jen/

give indie emo a chance!

so there's this guy i know, his name is mikey mcclenathan, and he's been working on this album for a really long time (like, a couple of years) and now it's finally done. it's called they're more afraid of you than you are of them. give it a shot. my personal favourites are "triple deke" and "new york city." "viking's funeral" rocks a whole lot, too.

seriously guys (all three of you who read this other than jamie and myself), if you have any love for music, then help it grow. give the underdog a shot. this guy has done pretty much everything by himself, and that's commendable.

you can go here for the .zip file, individual mp3's, and the liner notes. it's all free. visit his site and leave lots of comments. be a music lover and spread the word.


/jen/

midlake/coldwar kids, 07.29.06, mercury lounge

i know, i've been bad at updating this thing. you can thank the advertising gods for that.


short one
i don't have too much to say on this concert, other than it was kind of awesome while i wasn't schmoozing. midlake had this really nifty projector thing up which allowed us to watch homemade music videos and slightly fantastical photos within the realm of van occupanther. the place was pretty packed thanks to atlantic records buying every ticket from mercury lounge that wasn't already sold (man, i'm glad i thought ahead for that one). midlake have a dreamy quality surrounding them with a darkside. i think forests and unicorns and evil gnomes (maybe comparable to radiohead's "there there (the boney king of nowhere)" from httt). my point was proven when they showed a short film depicting a 19th century time machine traveler and the future friend he makes. fantasy indeed. describing their music, i'd have to say that they definitely have an indie folk vibe, but with their own magic twist (remember, wood gnomes and fairies and panther hunters, oh my).

coldwar kids then came on, and because i didn't know of them beforehand (my bad), i can't tell you the titles of any of the music that i heard, but i can tell you that they're freaking groovy. i was totally getting down to their songs, despite the fact that i didn't know any of the lyrics. i had a really great time listening to them, and i hope i get to see them again soon with a little more knowledge under my belt. their merch guy was also exceedingly nice, so kudos.

during the whole shebang, i was fortunate to meet a young publicist by the name of sonia. she handles bands such as brand new (peed my pants) and the like. she's also very friendly. more on her in later posts. after, i also had some delicious turkish food from bereket. it's the place to be, and there's nothing better than some shepherd's salad with hummus and pita after much citrusy beer and music.

so, see midlake and definitely check out the coldwar kids.

/jen/



up next... muse