I-Tues v. 17

Are you in the mood for some guitar, piano and banjo music? How about ridiculously strong vocals and awesome lyrics? Yes?

You must download some Avett Brothers ASAP, then.

I had heard some Avett Brothers stuff before this year but I wasn't always the biggest fan. They were a bit too heavy for me. Noisy like. However, their two most recent albums are so fantastic and different and awesome that I can't stop listening to them. We saw them live in October and they put on an incredible show which made me like them even more. They are dreamy. In a rugged, alt country, folk kinda way.

You need to start clicking away on itunes and buy Emotionalism and The Second Gleam. Too much?

Well, download these....
I Would Be Sad
Die, Die, Die
Weight of Lies
Murder in the City

And you'll like them so much you'll be back for more. Guarantee it.

I-Tues v. 16

I've made no secret that I love living in the ATH. One of the main reasons is the incredible music we get in this sleepy town. There is so much music here that we miss most of it. Unfortunately, the town is geared toward young people who can go to concerts during the week. Normally, we have a strict NO WEEK NIGHT SHOW rule. It is strict, I tell ya. But D and I have agreed to break our rule. For a week straight. Yes. That's right. We are going to an entire week of concerts. We are naughty adults.

Ladies and Gentleman, I introduce you to Rock-Tober

Monday, Sept 29 - Mason Jennings at 40 Watt

Tuesday, Sept 30 - Fleet Foxes at GA Theatre

Wednesday, Oct 1 - Old 97s at GA Theatre

Thursday, Oct 2 - Avett Brothers at GA Theatre

Friday, Oct 3 - Modern Skirts at 40 Watt

To continue the month of rock, we're also headed to Atlanta on October 17th to see....wait for it...RYAN ADAMS!

To all my Athens peeps, please come along! To all the rest of you, check out all these lovely artists and have your own Rock-Tober!

I-Tues v. 15

What Made Milwaukee Famous? Beer, probably. And a really cool museum.

And, tangentially, this band. Even though they're from Austin. Texas.

What Made Milwaukee Famous. Strange, bulky, midwestern name. But awesome music.

I can't get enough of Sultan and Self Destruct.
Grab a PBR and take a listen.

Also, I made another mix tape. Check it out!

I-Tues v. 14

I am obsessed with this album. It is the perfect blend of indie and folk. Great lyrics. Awesome accompaniment. And I love a good female vocalist. The album has it all. Really. Zooey Deschanel couldn't be any cooler if she tried.

Give She & Him a little listen.

**Hat tip to Matt and Cagney for giving me the recommendation**

I-Tues v. 13 Mix Tape Edition

I made a mix tape of all the music I'm enjoying right now. Some songs are new, some are old. All are the soundtrack of my summer. You should make one, too. Let me know in the comments when yours is up!

XO

I-Tues v. 12 Concert Edition

I'm beginning to feel like I speak only in superlatives when it comes to music on this blog. "This concert was awesome." "This concert was the best I've seen in Athens." Blah, blah, blah. But if you'll allow me one more...On Saturday we saw Josh Ritter at the Melting Point. And, well, it was the best concert I've seen...maybe...ever. I know. But, my friends, this is not mere hyperbole....Allow me to present some evidence.

First of all, the venue is so incredible. I think I'd be happy only seeing shows the Melting Point from now on. It is small. There's a patio lit with gold Christmas light. There are pomegranate martinis. There is always a good crowd. I just adore it. If you are in the ATH, you must go to the Melting Point. And then write me a thank you note because I just changed your life.

Second, Ingrid Michaelson opened for J.R. She is all kinds of adorable. Most of you have probably heard her sing on this Old Navy commercial.


But don't hold this endorsement of capitalism against her. She released a cd without a label. You go girl. Her show was fantastic. Not only is she very talented (think Regina Spektor meets Vanessa Carlton-- only better) but she was charming without being nauseating. And let's not under emphasize the import of that. Not only that but she's a feminist. HELLO. Her lyrics are incredible and very empowering. After she was done both Drew and Dave turned to me and said that it looked like I had a BFF. How right they were.


And I bought her cd. At her own show. How lame am I?! But I couldn't help it. I just had to have her music and support her. I told her I taught WMST and I loved her lyrics. And she signed my cd.

Yes, it does say Vaginas Unite. Yes.


Ok so it is safe to say that I <3 Ingrid Michaelson. But I also love Josh Ritter. And his whole darn band. They are all adorable. And they got along so well. See?

And their energy was contagious. The set was awesome. They took us high and they brought us low. They seemed legitimately thankful we were all there and earnest in their attempt to give the best show they could. For those of you that know me in the "real" world, you know that I sometime use earnest as a descriptor for people I think are lame. But when I saw that Josh Ritter is earnest, I mean that in the good way.

If, for some reason that I cannot think of, you don't already listen to Josh Ritter you need to start. RIGHTNOW. I've told you this before. And maybe you haven't listened. I'll overlook it. But it is never too late to correct a bad decision.

And a big shout out to Drew and Dave who asked me not to post a picture of them. Whoops.

I-Tues v. 11 Concert Edition

Some of the regulars got together Thursday night.








We got a little crazy in the ATH. But we had a special guest with us all night....

NEKO FREAKING CASE! Hi Neko!









Yes, folks. The big day finally arrived and we attended:


And it was awesome. My dear feminist friend, Neko, had a broken leg. And we totally lucked out and saw her last show before she left the tour. I'm pretty sure she performed in the ATH just for me. Just a feeling I have... She was so incredible. It is hard to say she was the highlight as the whole band is so fantastic. But, um, she was the highlight.

The show was amazing. Almost 2 hours of a straight set. There was no talking. No introductions. No warm and fuzzy stuff. There was just singing. It was glorious. They didn't even leave the stage for an encore. Nope. They just kept on singing and told us they just assumed we would want one. And we would have. But they saved us the time.

One of the best shows I've seen in Athens. I love the GA Theater. I love the New Pornographers. I love Neko Case.

I-Tues v. 10

Like most people teetering on the edge of cool*, I like Death Cab For Cutie. Many of you probably do as well.

You can stream their new single here.

I need to give it another listen. First time through didn't impress me much. I really enjoy Ben Gibbard's vocals so I'm not sure why they wait more than 4 minutes to bring him into the song.


*or people who watched The OC

I-Tues v. 9

A fun website that Drew passed onto me. Black Cab Sessions. One Song. One take. One Cab. Our favorite artists are singing our favorite songs in the backseat of a cab. Totally weird and totally awesome.

If I may make some recommendations:
Chapter Thirteen: The New Pornographers
Chapter Sixteen: Elvis Perkins
Chapter Thirty One: Spoon
Chapter Eighteen: The National

Check it out. Seriously. When else will you see an accordion being played in a cab? Um. Never.

I-Tues v. 8: Athens Music Edition

This year Drew and I decided to get more involved in the ATH music scene. We're both big music fans and music plays a huge part in our life. But we've been pretty lazy when it comes to seeking out concerts. In the past, we haven't even managed to make a concert a month. We've seen some good stuff (Pat Green) and some weird stuff (Of Montreal) and some stuff over and over and over (Modern Skirts).

Athens venues are making it pretty easy for us to get more involved. In January Mike Doughty came. He was awesome. And he had cool shoes.....


Modern Skirts made an appearance last weekend.



And we have the New Pornographers and Josh Ritter on the horizon. If you've been paying attention, these have been featured artists here at DD. Great stuff for a great price in great venues.

You should all move to Athens and listen to music with us. And then I'll post your picture on my blog. Dreamy.

I-Tues v. 7

You all know about my beloved Modern Skirts. They are incredible. I heart them. A. LOT. And now you can show them some love as well! They are trying to get their new video in the rotation on MTVu. They are in second place right now but you can vote for them. You can vote for them more than once. Just sit, watch t.v. and vote...over and over and over.

Go forth. Vote for the Skirts.

I-Tues v. 6

I get a bit obsessive with music. If I like something, I really like something. I listen to it constantly and run it into the ground. I can tell something is "good" or "a favorite" if I continue to like it after a month or so. I have a new "good" "favorite" to let ya'll know about--The New Pornographers Challengers.

I've had a love/hate relationship with The New Pornographers. At times I get down with their insanely pop rock sound and other times they sound too noisy to me. I like Neko Case's voice but sometimes don't like the instrumental interludes. There is a fine line between fun and annoying for me. But their new album (I'm using "new" loosely as this album has been out for quite a while) gets it just right. It is the perfect blend of harmony, pop sound and moving lyrics. I can't get enough of it. Last week, I listed to it three times in a row. I don't know how it manages but the album is perfect to listen to during dinner and while you get ready to head out on the town. It is chill and uplifting. It is, in a word, awesome.

Download now and thank me later:
All the Old Showstoppers
Go Places

I-Tues v. 5

As we left the show on Sunday night, Drew commented that he just had one of his best nights in Athens. It was quite a claim. But we had quite a time. We had attended NPR's Athens 441 at the Melting Point. A radio show that showcases good music. The show is taped the last Sunday of every month and airs a few weeks later on 14 or so NPR stations. The first installment featured Mike Doughty! This is cool for so many reasons. First, I love NPR. I'm not sure if that's weird or not. But trust me when I say that I get down with talk radio. Second, the Melting Point is an amazing place to watch a show. Good food, great atmosphere, comfortable seating, and intimate surroundings. It is incredible. If you live in the ATH and haven't been there before, shame on you. Third, Mike Doughty is awesome. I went through a very big Mike Doughty phase last year about this time. I've written about him before on this blog. I love his stuff. He is super political and clearly smart because as far as I can tell we see eye to eye on politics. As an aside, he also sings a song about Tremendous Brunettes which earned him my undying respect because this world needs more songs about brown hair.

But Doughty wasn't the only great thing about the evening. The local band that played was great as well. You can find them on Myspace. Give them a listen. The female lead singer is a cross between Regina Spektor and Lisa Loeb. Chris Barron also played. If you're like me, you're thinking "who is this Chris Barron guy and why does everyone seem to know who he is except me?" And then someone will say "oh, the guy from the Spin Doctors..." And you'll be like "oh. right."

The first time I remember being conscious of the Spin Doctors was in the 6th grade. Their song, Little Miss Can't Be Wrong, was popular and I would change the words to say "little miss, little miss, little mis PMS" because I'm clever like that. Sexist lyrics were pretty much the extent of my fandom. true story. Anyway, when I found out Chris Barron was putting on a show in Athens, I was like "huh?" But he was opening for Mike Doughty so I was all like "whatever....he's probably decent." People, he is better than decent. He was amazing. Charmingly awkward. He cannot dance or really move in any way that is publicly acceptable. But he can sing. And he apparently is a great song writer because his songs were great.

It was a great night. Fantastic music in a great venue.

Wrapping Up 2007!

HAPPY NEW YEAR...only 7 days late!

Drew and I just returned from two weeks of pure family holiday time. We had a great time. But I always do better when I'm on a schedule and in a routine so I'm glad to be back in the ATH. Glad to be starting the semester. Glad to be in our condo. VERY glad to be sleeping in our own bed. But we know how lucky we are to have had such a long time with with our family. The life of two teachers is a good one.

2007 was a great year. Great! I finished up my course work, successfully defended my comprehensive exams, got a job teaching in our women's studies department and enjoyed a variety of fun activities!

We had a blast on our road trip. It was long.
I saw Jimmy Carter. That was awesome.
I spent a lot of time cooking. Cooking is weird.

Because I finished up my course work and gave up most t.v., I had a lot more time to read--for pleasure. I read some great books. The best books I read in 2007:
1. How To Be Alone
2. The Time Traveler's Wife
3. Middlesex
4. Mister Pipp
5. The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears
6. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

AND THE BEST BOOK I READ IN 2007 THAT WAS ACTUALLY WRITTEN IN 2007 WAS.....
The Post-Birthday World. I still need to do my review as I read it in the final days of 2007. But let me just say it was incredible. It started a bit slow but I ended up loving it. A full review is forthcoming.

I watched great movies as well....good thing we joined Blockbuster.com
1. Once
2. Away From Her
3. Notes on a Scandal
4. Little Children
5. Factory Girl

And listened to tons of music....
1. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
2. Josh Ritter- The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
3. Ryan Adams- Easy Tiger
4. Patrick Park- Everyones in Everyone
5. The Bees- Octopus


Leaving you with one of my favorite photos from 2007. Heres to laughter and fun in the new year. Happy 2008!

I-Tues v.4

I am bi-polar when it comes to music. Kristen One enjoys slow, mellow, heartbreaking music. The music that makes Drew say "can we please listen to something that doesn't make me want to kill myself" when he gets home from work. Kristen Two is into over-the-top pop. I love cheese, sing song melodies and head bopping. My brother-in-law recently introduced Kristen Two to the Pipettes. The Pipettes are a British indie pop [girl] group who are all kinds of awesome. Big hair, polka dot dresses and 50's dancing. I cannot get enough! Check em out....

I-Tues v. 3

In a moment of full disclosure, I admitted that I have a little crush on Sienna Miller. While she is most definitely beautiful, my crush is more due to her performance in the movie Interview. The film was very intimate and as I watched her on the big screen, I felt strangely attracted to her. I think the attraction was facilitated by the very sexy song that played throughout the film. The song, Boy Like a Timebomb, is a down tempo, soulful account of a romantic relationship gone awry. And, good god, it is magical.

Listen to the song here (you gotta click on it) and watch the trailer here to get the full effect.

I-Tues v. 2

About two years ago, I came to be obsessed with Patrick Park's album, Loneliness Knows my Name. At that point, the album was already a year old so I was a bit delayed. I was determined not to be as late to the next party. So when his new album, Everyone's in Everyone, came out this summer, we jumped on it. And it is almost as fantastic as Loneliness. Almost.

What I love about him is that he seems like he is constantly searching. I'm not for what. But he's on a mission. We're bonded together in restlessness. He sings:

You say life is a dream where we can't say what we mean. Maybe just some roadside scene that we're driving past. There's no telling where we'll be in a day or in a week. And there's no promises of peace or of happiness. Well is this why you cling to every little thing. And pulverize and derange all your senses. Maybe life is a song but you're scared to sing along. Until the very ending. Oh, it's time to let go of everything we used to know. Ideas that strengthen who we've been. It's time to cut ties that won't ever free our minds From the chains and shackles that they're in

Exactly!

I suspect that Park has gone through some serious breakups in his day. Loneliness is peppered with sad memories of love and loss and this album is no different. But this album is also marked with a certain level of hopefulness. He's moving on and starting over. He sings:

I don't remember where all this got started now. This fear inside of losing all control. It comes on like a silent night and builds till a little grow and slowly makes my poor heart feel so old. And I'm always holding on to things that are here and then gone. Ohhh but now that I can see how things are changing, I guess it is high time that I was moving on.

Good stuff. Such good stuff. Oh--and his voice is like butter. Butter!

Check him out here and then download

Life is a Song

Time for Moving On

Here We Are

I-Tues v. 1

This blog needs some help. I've been doing A LOT of academic writing lately. As such, I've had very little energy or brain power to write substantial blog posts. And the blog has been a bit...wandering. To regain some focus and purpose, I've decided to do weekly entries about books, movies and music I've been enjoying. I consume a lot of each of these things and want to tell you about them.



So here, ladies/gentlepeople/everything in between and beyond, is my first I-Tues

I cannot stop listening to Josh Ritter's new album The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter. We enjoyed his previous album (Animal Years) his latest collection is pure genius. Lots of people will be drawn to the piano and guitar genius on the album but I cannot get enough of his witty, vivid, and sophisticated lyrics. They are so detailed and important. A little taste:


He's stolen hearts like they're horses
And horses when hearts can't be found
He keeps riding from one horse to one horse to one horse towns (It gets him down)
He know's he's a fool to get caught up with you
But he's the next to the last true romantic
He can't let go of love once he's had it
And he can't rest
Til he's next to you
There's always whiskey and women and women and whiskey around
He can't tell which is worse to be dying of thirst or to drown (It gets him down)



Gah. In love. And his voice is a blend of country twang and sad soul so the lyrics punch you in the gut.


Give him a listen here and then buy the album.

Hi. Remember me?

38 days
4,371 miles
88 hours
15 states
1 wedding

And lots of fun. Just because you care, I'm going to tell you about my TOP FIVES from the McMeta/H-B summer road trip. Now, to be fair, our friend was only with us for the first two weeks so he can't be held responsible for all the decisions made on the trip. But I can. E-mail me with complaints.

TOP FIVE EATING EXPERIENCES:
Rosemary's Thyme Bistro (Washington DC)
Five Guys Burger and Fries (All over the eastern US except in GA which is a big bummer)
Shadow's on the Hudson* (Poughkeepsie, NY)
26 Seats (NYC)
El Vez (Philadelphia, PA)

TOP FIVE WAYS TO KILL TIME IN THE CAR:
* "In my pants" billboard game. See a billboard, read it aloud, add "in my pants" to the end. Laugh
* Keep a running list of all the places you've eaten over the last 30+ days and continuously discuss which you liked best. Get hungry and insist on stopping to get a snack.
* Listen to Pete Yorn's new album Nightcrawler
* Listen to the Once soundtrack. Over and over and over again
* Read. Read a lot.

TOP FIVE BOOKS I'VE READ THIS SUMMER:
* Water for Elephants
* Eat, Pray and Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia
* On Beauty
* Evening
* Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis**

TOP FIVE WAYS TO SPEND A SUMMER DAY:
* The Bodies Exhibition
* Outdoor Decemberists concert at Millennium Park in Chicago
* The Met
* Watching movies (like Once) and reading
* Waiting for Michigan sunsets like this--

Such a lovely trip. But now we're back to the grind. I know how much fun looking at other peoples' vacay pictures is. So they are linked at my shutterfly. Enjoy.

*For the sake of full disclosure, we know the owners but I know everyone would have a great experience!

** Okay, we actually listened to this one.

Love is a Mix Tape

Over the weekend, I read Rob Sheffield's Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time. The concept of the book is great--Sheffield, a music critic, explains key moments of his life by sharing a mix tape that he made at the time. Most moments center around his relationship with his wife who died at age 31.

Sheffield's book moved me as much as any mix tape I've ever made. He made me grateful for both music and love. I appreciated his vivid description of both. Most critics talk about his beautiful accounts of music. But the book is so much more. The way he writes about love, marriage and his wife [in particular] filled me with an unexplainable ache.

I was a wallflower who planned to stay that way, who never imagined anybodies else to be. Suddenly, I got all tangled up in this girl's noisy, juicy, sparkly life. Without her, I didn't want to do anything except being good at Renee. You know the story about Colonel Tom Parker, after Elvis died? The Colonel said, "Hell, I'll keep right on managing him." That's how I felt. Every tree in the woods, every car that passed me on the road, every song on the radio, all seemed to be Gloria Grahame at the end of The Big Heat, asking the same question: "What was your wife like?" It was the only conversation I was interested in.

I suddenly realized how much being a husband was about fear: fear of not being able to keep somebody safe, of not being able to protect somebody from all the bad stuff you want to protect them from. Knowing they have more tears in them than you will be able to keep them from crying. I realized that Renee had seen me fail and that she was the person I was going to be failing in front of for the rest of my life...But that's who your life is, the person who you fail in front of. Love is so confusing: there's no peace of mind.

The book should most definitely come with a warning:


WARNING: ABOUT TO MAKE YOU CRY LARGE, SNOTTY TEARS IN FRONT OF THE STRANGER NEXT TO YOU ON THE PLANE. THE STRANGER WILL BE HORRIFIED AND ATTEMPT TO OFFER YOU HIS USED NAPKIN. YOU WILL REFUSE AND CONTINUE TO SNIFF OBNOXIOUSLY BECAUSE FOR THE MOMENT YOU JUST WANT TO WALLOW IN THE AUTHOR'S PAIN AND SHARE IT AS YOUR OWN.

Consider this your warning, people.

Oh, and he's a recovering academic so he also throws in a few Nietzsche, Benjamin, Zizek and tenure track references that increase his "adorably geeky" quotient in my eyes.

I was still serfin away at grad school. My friends and I assumed that we would soon be tenured professors, which is an excellent life goal--it's like planning to be Cher. You think, I'm going to wear beads and fringed gowns, and sing "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" on the way to work every morning, and then one day, I'm going to get a call saying, "Congratulations! You're Cher! Can you make it to Vegas by showtime?"

And even though the book is about much more than music, it still got me thinking about the soundtrack of my intimate love and losses throughout the years.

Good stuff. Go, go--pick up some summer reading.