Author Archives: Duff

New to Me. New to you?

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Thanks (I think) to the most recent issue of Paste, I’ve been digging the blog over at Three Imaginary Girls. It was this post that really won me over. I also need to check out the band Crystal Stilts after reading about them there (sorry, can’t find the post!).

In case you’re wondering, here are the other music blogs I read (pretty much) daily:
I Am Fuel, You Are Friends (esp love her Monday roundups!)
Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands (lots of mixes and youtube links)
Large-Hearted Boy (Shorties)
Said the Gramophone (stuff I’ve never heard of)

And I found this blog via Large-Hearted Boy’s end of year music roundup lists, although it is not just a music blog: Andrew Taylor Recommends.

Best of February

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I know the rest of you complain about it, but February is my favorite month, even when it’s one day longer than usual…

The best movie I saw in February was probably There Will Be Blood, but I actually liked Cloverfield better. And honestly, why is no one going to see it? Monsters! Mayhem! New York mashed up! So much to enjoy there.

The best book I read in February was The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek, a rollicking tale of a misfit, fumbling soldier’s sojourns. But I did LOVE both the sci fi/fantasy books I read this month as well (here and here).

The best gig I went to in February was a tie between Jason Isbell and Griffin House, both of whom havewho has serious stage mojo and far more rockingness than you can hear on theirhis studio albums. Isbell was fiery and intense and rocking out; House was sassy and sarcastic and living it up. [I’m an idiot, Griffin House was in March! Doh!]

My favorite tunes in February were Bon Iver “For Emma, Forever Ago” (never found a copy of the 2007 release, could barely hold my breath waiting for this one and it was soooo worth it, absolutely gorgeous heartaching music); Missy Higgins “On a Clear Night” (husky and gorgeous); Nada Surf “Lucky” (awesome and rockin’ and leading off w/ my favorite single from last year); and Clare Bowditch & the Feeding Set “The Moon Looked On”. Also loving some previews of new tunes by the Counting Crows (featured on Fuel/Friends). Enjoying, but still getting to know, The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, new Mike Doughty “Golden Delicious” (“I wrote a song about your hips!” Yay! first heard in 06, finally on an album!). Bought a few others but haven’t listened enough to have an opinion — hopefully soon!

Random personal highlights: French movie night resurrected (and thanks for chili, Carla, and the Tarte Tatin, Jess!); long weekend in Vegas visiting Monica and Charlie (and Buddy and Ella!); annual milestone passed successfully; meeting Baby J for the first time (Curious George #1 recipient).

Lowlights? Not really a “lowlight” per se, but man I have been eating like crappyassola for at least a month. Gotta get back on track before my pants don’t fit! Not that I regret having sour cherry pie for breakfast and molten chocolate cake for lunch on the same day. Not at all!!

Best of January

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The best movie I saw in January was Atonement, which was both really beautifully costumed and filmed AND the most faithful screen adaptation I think I’ve ever seen of a book. Lovely.

The best book I read in January was a tie between You Must Be This Happy to Enter, by Elizabeth Crane (short stories), who I’ve read and enjoyed before but this time I felt took the bar even higher, and Native Guard, by Natasha Trethewey (poetry), an xmas gift from my pops, really beautiful and entrancing poems about her personal history as well as civil war history.

The best gig I went to in January was Bon Iver. It was the only gig I went to in January but it was really, really good (and I’m going to see him again in April! And you know I only go see the same artist again that soon if I LOVED it).

My favorite tunes in January were Cat Power “Jukebox”, Matt Costa “Unfamiliar Faces” (quirky and fun!), and an old album Chris Bell “I Am the Cosmos”, which I picked up in San Fran. Bell (now deceased I believe) was in Big Star, who I started listening to last summer thanks to Rob Sheffield (yes I am a loser and didn’t know about that band back in the day). Also enjoying tunes from Zoey Deschanel and M.Ward (as “She & Him“), Crowded House offspring Liam Finn‘s debut I’ll Be Lightning, and another San Fran purchase Tracy Johnson (which to me is good old-fashioned female-vocaled pop music!).

Random personal highlights: Brunch in Chicago with Carrieoke and Cathy!!!; dinner with Cinnamon; rainy weekend in San Fran visiting Ms Silvia.

Lowlights? A month and a half later, I don’t remember any so they must not have been that bad!!Oh, I know! Four to six hour flight delays in both directions. Airports = hell on earth.

America the Beautiful

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There’s so many people doing Blurb books these days, it’s hard to keep up. Some I’ve discovered via Flickr, some via the blogs, and some just by browsing the Blurb bookstore.

You haven’t seen America until you’ve seen it like this: Tiff’s Big Ass Road Trip.

Really great photos of rocks and waterfalls and cemeteries and insane asylums and fall leaves and glaciers and abandoned boats/houses/castles and…lots more.

In Concert: Griffin House

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When I saw him in November, it was at Old Town, which while a lovely place to see people with great acoustics has a bit of a formal tone, it being a music school and all. This time he played Schuba’s, a casual hole in the wall, ready-for-raucousness joint, and the difference between this night and that one was how comfortable and casual he seemed on stage, how much fun he seemed to be having. Bouncing around the stage, yelling at people to dance, making sassy comments, more stage banter and more relaxed. Both nights the sound was equally good, the songs were wonderful and I loved it. This time, HE was having more fun.

Sassy, smart, sweet, and, as I may have mentioned, h-o-t hot.

By the way, Steph, so sorry you weren’t there, he played two new songs. One: “Colleen” (“a song written to make you blush!”) all sexy-sassy and another “Run to Me”. Wow. Can’t wait for the next album to come out!!!

MK commented he had a Springsteen vibe going on. The feel of the show reminded me of Bob Schneider. Either way, awesome.

In Concert: Sara Bareilles / James Blunt

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Bought the tickets mainly for Sara (the opener): she introduced herself and pronounced her name Bare-el-ess. Good to know since I was putting some random French pronunciation on it! 🙂 Her album is nice, pretty, kinda calm. In person she has a MUCH bigger voice / she can really fill up an auditorium (and we were at the Riviera so not a v. small area!) / seems like on the album they mixed her kinda bland and quiet compared to her actual voice. I described her to someone as a “less husky (and perhaps less sultry?) version of Rachael Yamagata” / not as electronic-based as Beth Orton or Dido, not as ballad-y as Sarah McLachlan. Sounds like she hasn’t gotten much support from her record company, but she’s certainly got a great voice.
James Blunt sounded good, all the songs sounded really pretty, but the cheesiness does get to you after a bit. Also he’s quite comically awkward on stage, I think maybe it’s the soldier in him? His “rockin’ out” moves really cracked me up. Still – he played almost the entire first album with doses of the second, everything sounded pretty, and the crowd was SOOO into it (and it wasn’t all 12 year old girls either; one of the most mixed crowds generation-wise I’ve ever seen at a late show, groups of 50 to 60 years olds in attendance as well).

In Concert: Jason Isbell

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Isbell split off from Drive By Truckers and released a solo album that I liked well enough — well enough to buy these tickets! — but wasn’t completely blown away by. Well, if you liked that album at all, you MUST go see him on live because he’s on fire and it was completely exhilarating and now I listen to the album with completely different ears.

Very casual and laidback on stage, drinking Jack right out of the bottle, smoking, and sweating up a storm, and such awesome guitar playing it seemed like flames would start coming out…
One of those people whose talents make them more and more attractive. The night started out: He’s a OK-lookin’ dude. Seems fun. Later: Wow, he really loves to play guitar. He’s kickin it. Later: Damn, look at him go. He is hot!

Thick layered Southern Rock, a sound that just fills you up. Awesome concert.

In Concert: Joe Henry

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You might think you don’t know any Joe Henry songs, but it’s really that you don’t necessarily know any of the songs he wrote for himself; you certainly know songs he wrote for other people (Loudon Wainwright among others). He told a great story about a song he wrote he thought would be perfect for Mavis Staples (I think, although I may be remembering the wrong name…). And he played it for her…and she said “Oh that’s just fine, Joe Henry. Just fine… What else ya got?”

I know you’ve heard the song he wrote with his sister in law “Don’t Tell Me”. When he introduced it, he said “I wrote this with a friend of mine, and we both recorded it. I recorded it as a tango…and she recorded it as a hit. Don’t know why I didn’t think of that!” But then he also pointed out “I own just as many fancy Italian shoes as she does but I can still walk down the street without bodyguards!”

He’s an old-school showman with a seriously talented bass/drums duo backing him up; moving from piano to guitar; telling stories; completely at ease. Unusual voice, not a squeaker like Dylan, but still quite distinctive. Totally entertaining.

In Concert: Bon Iver

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I had only heard three of Bon Iver’s songs before this show, but “Skinny Love” is such a beautiful lovely piece of music that I would’ve bought tickets based on that one alone. He’s a bit rougher in concert (as many people are), but also a bit more atmospheric, his voice and the music swirling around above you. Getting great harmony support from two backing dudes. Haven’t heard falsetto used this much or this well since probably Jeff Buckley, and I never really fell for Buckley the way my other friends did.

Small intimate show at Schuba’s, really great place to have seen him. Everything sounded just beautiful. Often quite sad and heartrending, but beautiful.

Big Screen: Be Kind, Rewind

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Very funny, sweeter than it looks. Some nice friendship, small town, community stuff. Love the tie-in to the jazz stuff: the final movie they make is really great and such fun. The concept of “sweded” is awesome and really all I want to do now is run around with a videocamera making my own versions of everything. A Duff-sweded Matrix? Come on, that would be HILARIOUS. And it was nice to find that Mos Def really doesn’t have to talk in that crazy ass high voice he used in 16 Blocks. Not half as annoying as I thought it’d be. Pleasing, even.