"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. 

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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...

"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.