Monday, December 27, 2010

"Christmas Lights" by Coldplay

I am in the middle of a nice relaxing day after Christmas break.  This morning I got to have breakfast with some good friends, and after breakfast we started talking about what Jamie and Chase would name their son on the way. During the discussion we went through a bunch of crazy names, and I brought up "Apple," the name that Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow chose for their first child.  So, I found a little time to blog today, and "Christmas Lights" by Coldplay has been in my head since I saw it on my good friend Ben's blog @ www.benkendrew.blogspot.com.

Colplay has been my all time favorite band since 2001.  I love all different kinds of music, and while it is almost impossible for me to give you one favorite album or song, my favorite band is a pretty easy choice.  When I was a freshman in high school, I pretty much gave up on popular music.  I hated all the new stuff I was hearing on the radio, I didnt know WYEP existed yet, and I knew that somewhere out there music better than Brittney Spears and the Backstreet Boys had to exist.  So I really got into older music like the Beatles, CSNY, Clapton, Zeppelin, and a whole crew of older bands.  One night my junior year in high school after really letting current music pass me by I fell asleep watching TV and when I woke up in the middle of the night "Yellow" by Coldplay was on and instantly I dug their music.  I picked up that first album the next chance I got and I've been hooked ever since.  Coldplay is my favorite band because those first two albums had a huge impact on me, because I think they are really talented, and because they opened my eyes to a new world of music.


So I have followed Coldplay pretty closely for a long time.  They were the first concert I went to with friends and the first band that I looked up the album release date for and went to the store to get on its opening day.  Like lots of music lovers, I get a little bit nervous when a band that I love blows up in popularity, so I was kind of nervous about what would happened when they got their big break, but it has been cool to see their music develop through the years.  When you listen to the way they moved from the simple Piano driven rock with falsetto vocals featured on "Parachutes" to the distorted guitar riffs and driving vocals of "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends" you see a band that has developed and changed over the years.

the song and video for "Christmas Lights" are both really cool (the piano is really sweet).  This is a band that has paid their dues, worked hard, and consistently made good music.  I know its a few days late, but "Christmas Lights" is my SOTD.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

"Sweet Pea" by Amos Lee

Soul is something that is under appreciated in our world of music today.  I'm not talking about soul music necessarily, though I often wonder what happened to D'Angelo, but really just singers with a lot of soul and power in their music. I think we have a few solid soulful singers like Ray Lamontagne and Adele, but we can always use a little more soul in our lives I think.

Amos Lee has soul.  He is a talented singer songwriter from the Philadelphia area that has had the opportunity to tour with some great musicians like Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews, and Norah Jones to name a few.  Lee has released several album's since his self-titled debut in 2005, though none have found the same type of commercial success that his first album experienced.  This January Lee will release an album called "Mission Bell" that will feature well known musicians such as Willie Nelson, Sam Beam, and the band Calexico.

So I heard this song today that had a little soul and sounded really familiar.  I knew that I recognized the voice, and the song was on a commercial so I did a little research and i found the song "Sweat Pea" by Amos Lee.

This is a really nice simple song that features some light guitar work by Lee and some wonderful singing.  The simple lyrics put this idea and thought in my mind that the simple life is the way to go. (slight interuption, I am sitting in Starbucks, and I just looked out the window to the right for a minute to listen to the song and think about what to write, and there is a sign in the window that says "When I give gifts, I always get more in return." That sounds nice, but there is an owl or some other kind of bird winking at me underneath the saying, and I have no idea what that is suppose to be all about...but I digress from thoughts on the simple life) The song carries this idea that whatever is back at home (a girl, a child, a beloved pet, or a nice chair, who knows) is enough to keep him getting through his days and coming home at night happy.  It would be good to live life with that kind of simplicity and joy instead of letting a lot of little things in life get to you and rob you of happiness.
    

Stay classy...and simple.

This video is from a World Cafe performance, its a good listen, but the video isn't great.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

"Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones

I don't have a ton of time to post today because I'm on a mission to get a lot of work done on writing some papers...so this will be short and sweet.  Yesterday was a bummer with blogging because I wrote a whole blog about "The Strokes" and then when I went to put a video of the song on the blog the live music was all so bad that they got yanked from the SOTD list and probably wont return anytime soon.  If you can't play live, don't waste our time as music lovers and go get a normal job... right? That might be harsh, but since they're rich, famous, and don't care what I think I'm sure they'll be fine.

I'm not really sure why, but for some reason Norah Jones always reminds me of the holidays.  I don't have a Christmas album by her, I don't know if she has ever made one, but there is something very warm, simple, and heartfelt in her music that makes me think of the holidays.

I'm in Starbucks working today and it is clear that we are in the holiday season. The store is all decked out in Christmas gear, my cup is red with snowflakes, and I almost went with the Christmas Blend today instead of my regular Americano. I didn't change, but I love Christmas and I love coffee so it was tempting.  I'm also pretty pumped for a little early thanksgiving celebration at my place tomorrow. So, the holiday season is here, and Norah is the hit.  Because I have a problem buying music, I'm a product of a commercialized culture, and I'm listening to Norah Jones right now, I'm gonna stop writing this and go buy her album that has been staring at me from the cash register all morning.

Have a good day, I feel like a really legitimate SOTD blog is coming soon.


Friday, November 5, 2010

"Keep Breathing" by Ingrid Michaelson

I'm not really sure exactly how to introduce this song without a little personal interlude.

Life is not always easy, and it certainly is not always fun.  A lot of times in my life when I have been in a tough place music has been a good friend to me.  There is something about music that has always helped me to process things, so sometimes when I was sad I would start out listening to sad music and then just kind of find myself turning towards something that is hopeful and uplifting.  I used to have a real problem with buying lots and lots of cd's.  A lot of times if I had a good week I would stop by the store and pick up an album, and if I had a bad week I might stop by and pick up two. Through high school and college I drove around this little beat up 1995 Suzuki Sidekick.  I loved that little car, but at the end of the day it was really only worth a couple hundred dollars. I always kept that car locked though because even though it was only worth a few hundred dollars I knew there were thousands of dollars worth of cd's inside.

A few months ago I was talking to my sister and she suggested that I listen to Ingrid Michaelson.  I knew a few of her more popular songs, but I was really impressed when I took some time to listen to her songwriting.  Some of her songs are light and airy pop ballads, but she is a serious artists with a lot to say.  I appreciate her hopeful outlook on life, and she is perfect for a little boost of optimism.

"Keep Breathing" is a song about making it through difficult times in life.  I think Ingrid is writing about that time when you're right at the place where you're coming out of a difficult experience and you don't really know what to do, but you know if you keep going things are going to get better. The lyrics are simple and heartfelt. I love how the song begins with a fragile sound and builds into a powerful exclamation to keep breathing in life, to not give up.  It's simple, encouraging, and when she sings it... I believe her.

I hope you like the song, and I was honored to see that a lot of people still read the blog yesterday after weeks of negligence on my part. Thanks, and I would love to hear your song of the day. 

Thursday, November 4, 2010

"Your Hand in Mine" by Explosions in the Sky

It has been too long since I have had time to post a SOTD blog.  There has been a lot of good music in the last few weeks though, and I'm looking forward to picking up "The Union" by Elton John and Leon Russel later today.

Last week I spent some time talking with my friend and intern Jesse on the way to watch a high school football game.  Jesse was a high school football player, and he had just got done talking with a guy who played in his last game and had that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach because he would never walk on the field again with his friends.  Jesse talked to me about the pain of that feeling, and I remember watching Jesse experience that as a high school senior when his team made it to the W.P.I.A.L championships and lost at Heinz field. I also remember my brother going through a lot of those same emotions a few years ago. Whether you are a sports fan or not, imagine being a part of a team with guys you grew up your entire life, and playing your last game with them... and maybe your last game ever.

While I was talking with Jesse about the emotions involved in sports, I started thinking about the movie "Friday Night Lights."  Again, whether you are a sports fan or not i think that this movie gives you a lot of insight into what it feels like to be a high school athlete.  It helps you to understand the kind of things that they deal with, and helps you to see the way these people are shaped through their experiences as a part of that team.  I loved the movie, and one of the best parts about the movie is the excellent soundtrack provided by Explosions in the Sky.

Explosions in the Sky is a band from Austin, Texas that formed in the late 90's. They have a really unique sound and primarily play with three electric guitars and a drum kit.  The band classifies themselves as post-rock, not that genres mean anything, and they write instrumental music.  The band does an awesome job at building their songs into these epic ballads without ever singing a single word.

If you need inspired, and don't we all, give Explosions in the Sky a chance.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

"The Weight" by The Band

On Monday night I had the opportunity to go see "The Felice Brothers" in concert with Meg Drew.  The Felice Brothers have a couple of really solid songs, but I wasn't blown away with a great stage presence or chemistry (with each other or the audience).  To me, the shining star of the band was not their front man, it was their accordion player.  This guy was clearly into the music, had a wonderful smoky voice, and interacted very well with the audience. While I was listening to The Felice Brothers I started thinking about The Band.

The Band is an American classic.  They were the back up band for Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan before striking it out on their own.  I love the way "The Band" got their name. They say that after spending a lot of time being "the band" for Hawkins and Dylan, it just made sense to stick with "The Band" as their own name.  To me that speaks to more than just the name, it speaks to what The Band was all about. They don't have a flashy, pretentious vibe, they just played music and did it well.  I got to see Levon Helm in concert this past year and even after a fight with cancer and 70 years under his belt, he got up excited to play and happy to be alive.

I got into The Band through Ron Cepek, and to this day my favorite memory of listening to their music was a day that Ron and I spent driving around Seattle talking about life.  That was the last day of my first trip to Seattle. It was a warm August day in the city and rolling the windows down and throwing The Band in was a perfect fit. If I recall correctly I remember thinking "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" was the best jam that day, but I like "The Weight" for today.


Monday, October 18, 2010

"Heart of Gold" by Neil Young

I love listening to Neil Young in the fall.  The truth is that I love listening to Neil Young all the time, but on a day like today where it is cold enough to wear a jacket and a wool cap, but still nice enough to sit on the porch at the coffee shop and enjoy the fall colors, Neil Young is the right choice.

I've been a Neil Young fan for a long time. I remember there was this made for TV mini-series called "the 60's" in 1999 that really turned me on to a lot of music from that era.  The first Neil Young song that I really liked was probably "Somethings Happening Here" by Buffalo Springfield. I went to see Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young on a little reunion tour with my sister and a friend when i was in college, and I was hooked.  I can remember walking away from that show and having that feeling that these four guys were born to sing harmonies with each other.

My favorite Neil Young album  is definitely "Harvest." I know, it's everyones favorite Neil Young album, but its true.  The album is packed with a ton of great hits and it has that very distinct jagged guitar sound that mixes with his fragile falsetto voice. The song that rises above the rest for me is definitely "Heart of Gold."  I remember listening to this song as a kid in high school and it spoke deeply to me about life. Then I remember listening to this album on a fishing trip with my dad up in Potter County, and when this song came on we talked about how he felt a connection with the song when he was a kid.  As I look back on that day now, I think it is really cool that a song that meant so much to me, meant a lot to my dad when he was my age.

The leaves are falling in the breeze right now, and its time to go, but check out this video... and keep searching.


Monday, October 4, 2010

"Janglin'" by Edward Sharpe and the magnetic Zero's


I can't remember who or what introduced me to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero's. I really felt like it was a significant moment when i went to write this, but I'm obviously wrong. the first time I heard them I was probably just driving down the road listening to WYEP or something like that. Anyway, their song "Home" really stuck with me even from the first listen. it's kind of an infectious hippie pop ballad about how home is where the heart is, and the vocals playing back and forth between Alex and Jade just put off really good vibes.

I spent a ton of time listening to their music on my first trip to Seattle. While I dig the song "Home," the SOTD is "Janglin'." This song is crazy, and the truth is that I don't really know what they mean when they're talking about Janglin Souls and all kinds of other crazy stuff. The song starts off with sirens in the background and has light hearted happy choruses that build up with warm horn sections all while Alex is telling seemingly serious stories about being set free, the man from Galilee, and waking people up. This song is all over the map, but then so is the band.

One of the cool things about Newport Folk Festival was that bands that weren't performing were hanging out and listening to other musicians. On Sunday we were walking around checking out some different art tents while Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings were playing, and when we walked out of a tent we noticed a really tall skinny guy with a white suit, red scarf, big shaggy beard, and a crazy blue hat. He was sitting in the middle of this big blanket having some food and there were a bunch of people around him playing with hula hoops. Bacon recognized the guy as Alex from Edward Sharpe, and once we were pretty sure it was him, I went over to talk to him. I don't know what I really expected and I haven't talked to lots of popular musicians, but dudes like the Avett Brothers and The Low Anthem were really down the earth, but this was not the case with Alex. I walked over and said something like "hey, you're Alex from Edward Sharpe right?" and he barely even looked at me. He just pointed his finger up in the air, started twirling it around, and said "we're all really Edward Sharpe." It was kind of weird, and then later that day they played one of the best sets of the entire festival.

I kind of wondered how legitimate they were after that encounter, and now their songs are all over TV's promoting the NFL and Ford Fiesta's so I'm tempted to throw out the sell out label, but at the end of the day I like this song, they make some catchy tunes, and everybody is trying to make a buck right? 


This video is done backstage after a concert.  The camera that you see in the way is the camera crew from take-away shows. Enjoy.



Sunday, October 3, 2010

"All My Days" by Alexi Murdoch

Alexi Murdoch's soft vocals and rolling guitar instantly draw comparisons to the late Nick Drake.  Murdoch spent his childhood in several different European countries before moving to the United States to study at Duke.  Alexi Murdoch sounds like the most relaxed guy in the world now that Jack Johnson has picked up an electric.  His music is great for times of reading or journaling, and it is great for those introspective quiet moments in life.  I like to listen to Alexi Murdoch when I'm in a coffee shop doing some reading or writing because it helps me to focus in on being alone with my thoughts even though there are people all around me.  I also like listening to Murdoch on my ipod when I'm walking through a city, it just feels right.


The song "All My Days" is a story about finding what you're looking for in life.  Murdoch does a great job at putting off the vibe that he's alone in his search as his solo voice and light guitar picking is only accompanied by some ambient sound, and his lyrics talk about times when no friends are around.  While the song sounds kind of sad or depressing at first, the truth is that this song is about someone who realizes what they're looking for out of life and goes for it.  I'm young, but it seems like knowing what you're looking for in life is way easier said than done.
 



So here is a laid back hopeful little song for this rainy day, I hope you find what you're looking for...



Friday, October 1, 2010

"Lover, You Should Have Come Over" by Jeff Buckley

Jeff Buckley is known as a guy who played a hauntingly awesome version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," and a musician who died to young under strange circumstances.  Jeff grew up the son of musician Tim Buckley in Southern California, and spent the early days of his music career filling in with bands playing guitar in the LA music scene.  Shortly after a move to Manhattan in the early 90's Buckley started working on his solo career and released his only studio album "Grace" in 1993.  In 1997, for reasons unclear, Buckley went for a swim fully clothed in the Wolf River, and his body was found four days later. While Buckley had a short musical career and a short life, he has gained the respect of a lot of musicians and fans in the time since his passing.  There have also been multiple studio recordings and live albums released since his death.

This weekend I am at a training at Mahaffey camp, and this afternoon I got a little free time and went for a drive.  I didn't really know the area around the camp that well so I just started driving around and listening to some music.  There was a nice chill in the air even though it was a really sunny day, and fall is starting to look really beautiful.  The slight breeze in the air had leaves falling across the road and I went back into some of the hills on dirt roads, crossing over shaky bridges and and old railroad tracks.  As I was starting my way up one of the hills "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" came on my itunes.  The first place I heard this song was from Jamie Cullum, a guy from England that makes cool Jazz music.  Buckley's version (the original) of this song blew Cullum way out of the water as the song crescendos into this incredibly powerful ballad about regrets and second chances.  As I was coming to the top of the hill and the song was getting more and more powerful there was a beautiful fall scene before me, and a beautiful song to accompany the moment.

Buckley is the man.  Enjoy.


Tuesday, September 28, 2010

"Raining in Baltimore" by Counting Crows

This was really my SOTD yesterday, but my computer was messed up and wouldn't let me get online.  Lucky for me, today is still dreary, and the Counting Crows are still awesome.  The Counting Crows are a tried and true American Rock Band.  They gained popularity during the early 90's as a pop-rock band with hits like "Mr. Jones" and "Round Here."  The Crows are a fun loving Southern California band that plays a lot of upbeat fun summertime songs, and have toured with acts like Bob Dylan and The Cranberries.  I loved the Counting Crows in high school, and even though their popularity has kind of stumbled in the last couple of years with a CD that fell under some critical reviews in early 2008, they are still a great  band with some really solid songs.

"Raining in Baltimore" is a song off their 1993 release "August and Everything After." This song is a sad, simple, heartfelt song.  As Adam belts out powerful lines about getting what you pay for in life you can hear that he means what he's saying. In desperation when he forces out sad lyrics like "There's things I remember and things I forget, I miss you I guess that I should, Three thousand five hundred miles away, but what would you change if you could?" The Counting Crows were the first concert that I ever saw at the Post Gazette Pavilion, and in the few times that I have seen them since then it has always seemed like Adam was deep guy that really meant what he said.  I've seen concerts where he rambled on for twenty minutes about how "dislocation" is the greatest problem in our world today, and anyone who watches him knows that he is into what he's saying.

I don't really know if the rain Adam is singing about is falling from the sky or if life is pouring on him, but this song  always hits me hard and on a rainy overcast day like today it just seems fitting. As I was listening to the song I realized I could use a raincoat today... the truth is I could probably go for a phone call too.

I couldn't find an official music video or a good live performance of the song, so my apologies for the boring video.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

"Falling Slowly" by The Frames

Glen Hansard is a talented cat, and falling slowly is a highly acclaimed song.  Glen is from Dublin and became popular in the states through the 2006 movie "Once," a film that is centered around two characters pursuit to make excellent music.  It's a really down to earth movie.  No far out unrealistic love stories, no big explosions, no solid feel-good conclusions...maybe it's a lot like life.  Since then, he has been collaborating with fellow "Once" star Marketa Irglova with an act called "The Swell Season."


All of that stuff is great, but I love the story behind Glen's first band, "The Frames."  Apparently at age 13 Glen dropped out of high school and started playing music on the streets of Dublin.  While Hansard was working as a street performer he was scraping up enough money to get some recording time for a demo.  After he was able to scrape together enough change he made 50 copies of that first demo, it worked its way into the right peoples hands, and Glen got a deal with Island Records in 1990.  So, Glen formed "The Frames" and they started rocking all over the UK.  Even if you have heard "Falling Slowly" in the movie or with Marketa, give it a shot with "The Frames" for a little more rock and roll.  Hansard has a powerful voice, and sings with a lot of grit and truth.

This past year I got to spend an awesome weekend at the legendary Newport Folk Festival, and the "Swell Season" was one of the closing acts of the festival.  The set was good, but I got distracted by a buzz surrounding "Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros" so I only caught half of their set, but i thought they were sweet.  All weekend at the event security kept making people in the front sit down, not get too crowded, and clear the aisles. Basically all the stuff you would expect security to do, but it was a folk festival not punk music where kids are trying to release the rage by punching each other in the face, so everybody was pretty chill and just wanted to get a little closer to the music.  Anyway, show after show the guards sent people away, and then during Glen's act he stopped mid-song, publicly humiliated the security guards and pleaded that people stay up front and keep jamming.  Who knows if they'll get invited back, but they won over a couple thousand fans.



Enjoy, I'd love to hear your SOTD

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

"Boots of Spanish Leather" by Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is an American Icon.  The way that his music and his message inspires musicians and music fans to this day is incredible.  I remember a few years ago when I saw Dylan at the New American Music Union Festival in Pittsburgh in the summer of 2008.  That night we watched up and coming fads like Gnarls Barkley, we saw impressive talent and showmanship as Jack White led the Raconteurs, and we watched Bob Dylan, the legend, close out the evening.  The fact that the headliner for the "New" American Music Union was a man who began his music career five decades earlier is impressive.

I would have called myself a big Dylan fan for years, but the reality is that I knew a few of his biggest songs and besides that I was all talk.  It wasn't until I saw a band of friends, "Call of the Mild" (made up of Christian, Bacon, and Amy and Nate Ny) play the song "Boots of Spanish Leather" that I really got into Dylan.  I remember after their show going out and buying "The Times They are a Changin'"  and really appreciating his songs. 



His lyrics are genius, his message is powerful, his guitar playing moves along, his voice is a trademark, and his music is timeless.

This is a wonderfully written song about a complicated world, I hope you enjoy.

Monday, September 20, 2010

"Sideways" by Citizen Cope


 "Sideways" by Citizen Cope is a jam.  The bluesy guitar riffs that are almost more pronounced than the smooth melancholy vocals from Cope are incredible, the beat keeps your head moving, and the lyrics stick in your head long after the song ends.

I don't know much about Citizen Cope, but his music is mellow and deep. He's an east coast guy that grew up in DC and is now in Brooklyn making music.  His real name is Clarence Greenwood, which is hard to believe because he sounds so cool. It's hard for me to describe what kind of music he is playing.  When I looked him up on Wikipedia (the source of all truth) to see how they categorized him, they associated him with Outkast and Ray Lamontagne, two styles of music that couldn't be much further apart.  He has a little hip hop flavor in the music, and definitely in his style, but lays it down with his acoustic guitar.

Enjoy, and have a great night.

I'm working on embedding the videos right on here, but until then, check it out here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCQX2Z4Er6g&feature=related

Sunday, September 19, 2010

"Winter Winds" by Mumford and Sons

Right now I am sitting in my living room with my friend Steve.  I didn't really listen to a lot of music, and right now Steve is playing some good stuff like "Murder in the City" by the Avett Brothers and "The Freshman" by the Verve Pipe.  One of the songs we talked about a little earlier tonight was "Winter Winds" by Mumford and Sons, and that is the Song of The Day.

If you don't know Mumford and Sons, they are a band from the UK, and have recently been gaining some steam in the US.  They have performed on Letterman, and are on the 105.9 from time to time (sometime that is a little bit discouraging, but I am hopeful that they won't be sell-outs).  The band has a few songs that have some pretty intense lyrics. 

My favorite couple lines from this song are...
 "And if your strife strikes at your sleep
Remember spring swaps snow for leaves
You'll be happy and wholesome again
When the city clears and sun ascends"

 I saw Mumford and Sons play a show in Cleveland this past year with some friends and I can promise you that the energy of their sound on studio tracks is just as powerful and just as tight when they perform live.  This is a band that has a lot going for them right now, not the least of which is being SOTD.

Check out the youtube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KCg_QEHtkY

Have a good night. 

Saturday, September 18, 2010

"Be Set Free" by Langhorne Slim

Something about the sun is encouraging.  Days like yesterday where the sun never quite makes it out of the clouds and it looks like it might rain all day can be a little gloomy or depressing.  Today is not like that at all.  As I look out the beautiful view from my living room, and get ready to quit typing and go walk my dog, I realized how freeing and life giving it is to be in the light.  In that moment I started thinking about a good song to listen to while I go for a walk and remembered "Be Set Free" by Langhorne Slim.  The line that popped in to my head was, "When the light is on your side, love reveals itself to thee." 

Langhorne Slim is a folk artist that comes from the northern suburbs of Philadelphia.  He has music releases dating back to 1999, but his popularity has come in recent years as part of the neo-folk Americana sound that is big right now. Langhorne reminds me a lot of Cat Stevens in the sound of his voice and in the lyrics that show a searching for something greater in life.  Today is a good day to listen to Langhorne Slim.  They have a lot of depth in their lyrics, and at the same time when you watch them play it is clear that these are fun loving goofy guys.

You can see a live version of just Langhorne playing "Be Set Free" here...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8JoaAPzOac

What is your song of the day?

Friday, September 17, 2010

"Hold You in My Arms " by Ray Lamontagne

One day when Ray Lamontagne woke up to get ready for his job at a shoe factory in Maine he heard the Stephen Stills song "Treetop Flyer," and it changed his life.  The song inspired Ray to quit his job at the shoe factory and pursue a life as a singer-songwriter. Over the last 11 years Ray has been touring and released "Trouble" his first album with RCA in 2004.  Since a SOTD changed Ray's life, I think he is a perfect artist to kick off this SOTD blog.

Today is a good day for a song from Ray Lamontagne.  When I think about his music I think about a road trip that I took to Maine a few years ago with my friend Barry.  I remember the little morning chill in the air coming off the ocean up in Maine that I felt this morning when I walked out of my house.  I remember how when we were up there in late August the signs of fall were starting to show like they are here now.  As I listened to the first few strums of the guitar in "Hold You in My Arms" off of "Trouble" I knew it was just the right song for today.  Ray's sad soulful singing goes just right with an overcast morning.

Enjoy this live version...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziUsdu1vZtE

Thursday, September 16, 2010

SOTD

I like reading blogs sometimes. I have spent a lot of time thinking about blogging, but I never really knew what to talk about so I never started one.  I dont really want people to know everything on my mind because that's personal.  I dont think I have great pearls of wisdom to impart to people. I dont think I say or think a lot of things on a given day that would really keep peoples attention to keep reading my blog.

I do however like good music, and I love sharing good music with good people. So I hope that you enjoy this blog, and that you add a lot about songs that are meaningful to you.