Plus, of course, the many inevitable fragments.
I still haven't written up my concert report for Jeffrey Foucault/Peter Mulvey, because honestly, no one cares but me, but I will say at least that by about ten minutes into that show, I was glowingly, transcendently happy. Due in part to the Jack and Coke I was drinking, admittedly, but due mostly to the reflected glow of the warmth and charm and mutual affection of the two performers. I hadn't seen Peter Mulvey since the Redbird show I saw about five years ago--I sort of got occupied with Jeff and with Kris Delmhorst and never really made it all the way to Peter Mulvey, beyond my great love for "Out Here" (the song itself more than the dS vid)--so I was not quite prepared for how much I was going to adore him. But then he quoted Yeats AND Shakespeare in the first two songs or so, and really, what chance did I have after that?
So anyway, I just got an email update from him today, and it reads, in part:
The second week [of December] is all Redbird, all week, and we have copies of "Redbird: Live at the Cafe Carpe" available for purchase, just in time. I've learned that it doesn't matter what gets said about Redbird, people still come to the shows. So: Wednesday, Redbird will be playing Glam Rock tunes, Thursday is Peruvian flute music, and both Friday and Saturday will be mime. Please hold your applause until Sunday.
HEEEEE. ♥ Also: I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS REDBIRD ALBUM. Also, Kris Delmhorst described Redbird at her recent Seattle show as "not so much a band as a... condition that crops up from time to time," which makes me giggle every time I think of it.
But also, I was so delighted with Peter Mulvey that I obviously needed to buy an album of his after the show, so I asked him which one I should get, and Jeff, standing next to him, said, "That one," and plunked a finger down on Letters From a Flying Machine. Hey Jeff: AWESOME ADVICE. This album fills me with bone-deep joy. About half of the tracks on it are songs, but there are also several letters, written by PM to his nieces and nephews while he's been in the air on his various travels, and he reads them aloud and his voice is so beautiful and rich, and the letters themselves just shine with warmth and affection and humor and lovely, lovely turns of phrase. They're enchanting and thought-provoking and utterly wonderful, and the whole album is shot through with existential musings that are light, rather than ponderous, but no less thought-provoking for that, and it all comes around in the end to "love is here to stay," and I adore adore adore it. So, needless to say, I wholeheartedly recommend the album, if you're looking for something happy-making in the cold winter. There's a free song at the download link above, and if you want to hear one of the letters, try this one, the first on the album:
Letter From a Flying Machine
And then you should go buy it, because--have I mentioned?--it's GREAT.
Speaking of extremely great albums, this is old news, but I know that some people might be interested who don't really follow the fandom, so: on Halloween, Neal Tiemann and Andy Skib released The MWK Sanctuary Sessions. These are mostly old songs, with one new one and one cover (of The Church's "Under the Milky Way," which is goooorgeous), but even the old songs sound new because the album is all acoustic, just Neal and Andy in the studio with acoustic guitars and piano and it's amazing. Even songs I haven't liked in the past just seem to totally come to life on this album (some of them are significantly re-worked, and as otherbella put it, some of them sound like they were always supposed to sound like this and it just never quite got there before), and Andy has (IMO) never sounded better, and Neal sings harmony and it's AWESOME, and the piano is beautiful and the guitar is deft and I was expecting to love this, but even so, it exceeded my expectations by about 1000%. Best of all, they're offering it direct through their website, in a "pay what you think is fair" format. How cool is that? How often do you get the chance to give money directly to a band? (It's also available through cdbaby.com and iTunes, but I'm a fan of the buy-direct option, obviously.) So, again: highly recommended, and perfect rich, mellow music to fill the spaces between your holiday tunes.
So anyway, I just got an email update from him today, and it reads, in part:
The second week [of December] is all Redbird, all week, and we have copies of "Redbird: Live at the Cafe Carpe" available for purchase, just in time. I've learned that it doesn't matter what gets said about Redbird, people still come to the shows. So: Wednesday, Redbird will be playing Glam Rock tunes, Thursday is Peruvian flute music, and both Friday and Saturday will be mime. Please hold your applause until Sunday.
HEEEEE. ♥ Also: I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS REDBIRD ALBUM. Also, Kris Delmhorst described Redbird at her recent Seattle show as "not so much a band as a... condition that crops up from time to time," which makes me giggle every time I think of it.
But also, I was so delighted with Peter Mulvey that I obviously needed to buy an album of his after the show, so I asked him which one I should get, and Jeff, standing next to him, said, "That one," and plunked a finger down on Letters From a Flying Machine. Hey Jeff: AWESOME ADVICE. This album fills me with bone-deep joy. About half of the tracks on it are songs, but there are also several letters, written by PM to his nieces and nephews while he's been in the air on his various travels, and he reads them aloud and his voice is so beautiful and rich, and the letters themselves just shine with warmth and affection and humor and lovely, lovely turns of phrase. They're enchanting and thought-provoking and utterly wonderful, and the whole album is shot through with existential musings that are light, rather than ponderous, but no less thought-provoking for that, and it all comes around in the end to "love is here to stay," and I adore adore adore it. So, needless to say, I wholeheartedly recommend the album, if you're looking for something happy-making in the cold winter. There's a free song at the download link above, and if you want to hear one of the letters, try this one, the first on the album:
Letter From a Flying Machine
And then you should go buy it, because--have I mentioned?--it's GREAT.
Speaking of extremely great albums, this is old news, but I know that some people might be interested who don't really follow the fandom, so: on Halloween, Neal Tiemann and Andy Skib released The MWK Sanctuary Sessions. These are mostly old songs, with one new one and one cover (of The Church's "Under the Milky Way," which is goooorgeous), but even the old songs sound new because the album is all acoustic, just Neal and Andy in the studio with acoustic guitars and piano and it's amazing. Even songs I haven't liked in the past just seem to totally come to life on this album (some of them are significantly re-worked, and as otherbella put it, some of them sound like they were always supposed to sound like this and it just never quite got there before), and Andy has (IMO) never sounded better, and Neal sings harmony and it's AWESOME, and the piano is beautiful and the guitar is deft and I was expecting to love this, but even so, it exceeded my expectations by about 1000%. Best of all, they're offering it direct through their website, in a "pay what you think is fair" format. How cool is that? How often do you get the chance to give money directly to a band? (It's also available through cdbaby.com and iTunes, but I'm a fan of the buy-direct option, obviously.) So, again: highly recommended, and perfect rich, mellow music to fill the spaces between your holiday tunes.