The National Parks were one of my favorite discoveries of 2014. Its not just because of my love of the great outdoors and the first song I heard had the Great Tetons in the chorus but because they make great music! And no not all their songs are about National Parks. Although I’m sure if they wrote songs for Yellowstone, The Grand Canyon, and Glacier they would be just as beautiful and catchy as “As We Ran”. It’s fitting this song would be about the Great Tetons. An often overlooked National Park because of its famous Neighbor to the north (Old Man Yellowstone) the Grand Tetons provide breath taking scenery without the crowds. The National Parks / Breathtaking Music / Without The Crowds (For now)
Been listening to this album a lot lately. It makes me want to drink heavily and put my head down on the bar which is a high compliment for a country album. I would love to see Miss Rebel at a dusty smokey cowboy bar out west while sipping whiskey out of an old glass. But for now I’ll listen to this album. My favorite track would be “Toast”
“Spent his days in a bar room haze/ With ex lover and thieves/ Broken down old cowboys/ Forgotten beauty queens/ Cigarette smoke stains the walls/ That old jukebox plays the same sad song ”
“Your The Devil” “Money On Booze” “Alone Ain’t A Bad Place” & “It Couldn’t Hurt” are the other standout tracks but the whole album is a great listen straight through. Bandcamp link is below. Give a listen and let me know what you think!
There is still great country music out there. You just need to look a little harder to find it since you likely won’t hear it on country radio with the influx of “Bro Country” out right now. So if you dislike Luke Bryan I think you might dig this. From the Pacific NW to your ears here is Zoe Muth & The Lost High Rollers.
PS If you don’t have time to look for new music follow my blog!
I have listened to Phosphorescent for a while now and saw him live at Lincoln Hall in Chicago a few years back so when I heard “Song For Zula” in 2013 off his album Muchacho it was immediately in high rotation on my iTunes. Songs can’t stay in high rotation forever so when I heard a familiar song while drinking an Export Gold at the Blue Pub in the sleepy summer town of Methven, New Zealand this past week it grabbed my attention. At first I couldn’t make out the song since it was a cover but as I listened to the lyrics (below) and searched my memory when I heard the line “And we race out on the desert plains all night” it clicked that I was listening to a cover of “Song For Zula”. Not only was it a cover but a great one with elements that I am a real sucker for like steel guitar and harmonizing! I immediately grabbed my phone to Shazam it but then realized I didn’t have internet and couldn’t get the wifi from the bartender in time to use the App. So I had to go old school and write a note in my phone to search for the song later. Once I had internet I did a search on Spotify and sure enough I came across “Song For Zula” by Ronnie Fauss. Now that I am back in windy, snowy, and cold Chicago I keep listening to the Ronnie Fauss version and it takes me back to summer 4 days ago in New Zealand and our amazing trip. I love it when music can provide the soundtrack for happy moments in life.
“Some say love is a burning thing
That it makes a fiery ring
Oh but I know love as a fading thing
Just as fickle as a feather in a stream
See, honey, I saw love. You see, it came to me
It put its face up to my face so I could see
Yeah then I saw love disfigure me
Into something I am not recognizing
See, the cage, it called. I said, “Come on in”
I will not open myself up this way again
Nor lay my face to the soil, nor my teeth to the sand
I will not lay like this for days now upon end
You will not see me fall, nor see me struggle to stand
To be acknowledge by some touch from his gnarled hands
You see, the cage, it called. I said, “Come on in”
I will not open myself up this way again
You see, the moon is bright in that treetop night
I see the shadows that we cast in the cold, clean light
My feet are gold. My heart is white
And we race out on the desert plains all night
See, honey, I am not some broken thing
I do not lay here in the dark waiting for thee
No my heart is gold. My feet are light
And I am racing out on the desert plains all night
So some say love is a burning thing
That it makes a fiery ring
Oh but I know love as a caging thing
Just a killer come to call from some awful dream
O and all you folks, you come to see
You just stand there in the glass looking at me
But my heart is wild. And my bones are steam
And I could kill you with my bare hands if I was free”
Phosphorescent Verison
Ronnie Fauss Version
Hard to pick a favorite here so I will just continue to enjoy both.
I discovered Radical Face when ESPN showed a commercial for the University of Oregon which featured “Welcome Home” by Radical Face. This was 3 years ago and I have been hooked by his music ever since. “Welcome Home” is a great song to hook you and make you want to discover more and believe me you will discover more great songs. “Ghost Towns” is one of them.
What a great show! When Deer Tick started setting up last night it started to become apparent that they would have no drummer. I had read that their drummer had a death in his family but I figured maybe they would find a fill in but that wasn’t the case. So this show was a more scaled down acoustic type show which I was very cool with. Lead singer John McCauley even made reference to MTV’s Alice N’ Chains Unplugged as well as joking their show was sponsored by Mike’s Hard Lemonade’s new Blood Orange Flavor (which he bought at a gas station in Missouri and drank quickly before switching back to Budweiser’s). The crowd was very receptive to this pleasant acoustic surprise and when they opened with “Ashamed” it set the tone for a great show. They also played “Easy”, “Smith Hill”, “20 Miles”, “Dirty Dishes” (with all 4 members harmonizing), “Art Isn’t Real” and a John Prine cover of “Mexican Home”. They sounded great and provided many “O Face” moments when they were singing (as pictured). I would recommend City Winery for a show as well. It’s not the cheapest place ($6 PBR Tall Boys, $6 Goose Island Matilda’s, and many wine’s to choose from) but the building and atmosphere are worth it! Just have a few drinks at home before the show and you will be good to go.
The City Winery made a special Deer Tick vintage for the night!
I have seen Deer Tick twice but its been a few years. I’ll be checking them out tonight at the City Winery which sounds like a pretty cool intimate venue here in Chicago. Should make for a nice little Tuesday night. Concert review to follow. Here are a few of my favorites. Also click on picture to check out Deer Tick’s website.
Living in the third largest city in America sometimes make me feel like I am losing touch with nature. Sure from time to time I will travel to our countries great National Parks and State Forests to rekindle the flame with my first love but I always end up back into the daily urban grind. Nature never lets me forget her though. Every once in a while she will send me a subtle reminder of why I love her and what makes her so beautiful. A message that almost seems personal because in the fast paced city life no one else really seems to take notice. Tonight was such an instance. As darkness fell on a beautiful spring day I settled into my couch and flipped back and forth between the NBA Playoffs and Law & Order SVU when I heard a beautiful call coming from the dark alley. It echoed off the two brick apartment building walls like they were the sides of a canyon. At first I thought it was too loud to be a bird and that it was probably someone using a bird whistle which are common souvenirs from Latin America. But my inner child always curious with nature and wildlife beckoned me to the window. The call continued but I couldn’t see anyone in the alley. Just the dumpsters and parked cars remaining motionless. Silence, yet I still waited and listened and watch from my window. Then a blur of feathers flew right past my window and did a quick 180 for another fly by before disappearing into the night. What was it? I had to know. I had a hunch but needed to check my Audubon phone app to be sure. I typed in Whip and searched. It was too dark to get a visual identification so I went to Voice and played “song #1 (eastern) VA” and sure enough the beautiful night call belonged to a Whip-poor-will. I had never heard its call before and never expected to hear it in a alley in Lincoln Park, Chicago! It’s hard to believe a bird with this beautiful of a call was once suspected of witchery and called a “Goatsucker”. I guess if you see ones eyes of deep ruby red in the headlights like I did in Costa Rica you might believe. Now I can see why songs have been written about this bird! Here are two of my favorites.
Magnolia Electric Co “Whip Poor Will”
RIP Jason Molina
Doug Burr “Whippoorwill” Live 2008
To hear the Whip-poor-will call click on its picture. Now get out there and enjoy NATURE!!!
drinkplentyofwater 