Cardinology

A new Ryan Adams & The Cardinals album scheduled to drop October 28 is called Cardinology. Hmm, I was just telling a new friend that I love his albums but his live shows, not so much. I downloaded live performances of a handful of the new tracks and I have to say, I liked what I heard. Fix It grabbed me from the first bars. There is some excellent guitar work about 3:00 minutes in. The downloads are available over at the live music archive but you can also find them here at Fuel for Friends.

While you're there, check out Heather's recap of the Monolith Festival at Red Rocks last weekend. There are a handful of great tracks up for grabs. I decided that next year I will be at Monolith. A fall weekend packed with great acts at Red Rocks. I'm so in. I was green with envy but am thoroughly enjoying two of the tracks she is sharing -- Sometime Around Midnight from The Airborne Toxic Event and I Woke Up Today by Port O'Brien. Great music for the fall.

Speaking of which, Okkervil River will be in Richmond Saturday, October 4. I don't know much about them but from the little I've heard I think I'd dig it. They get cred points from me for having an accordion! Have you seen them?

I have a new, and very dedicated, friend to see live shows with. Mike has way more ticket stubs to his name than I do and I'd say those are the best show friends to have. He's into some jam-tastic acts like Umphreys McGee but we overlap on a lot of other things and he'll check out just about anyone coming through town. A just announced Robert Randolph and The Family Band show on Halloween at the Charlottesville Pavilion sounds like a winner to me. I do love the slide guitar. I'm excited for a fall packed full of new and live music. Bring it.

Ignorance = fear

Almost 1/3 of voters say they know or believe that Obama is a Muslim. Ignorance in America runs deep and McCain feeds into the fear of the people, just as Bush did in 2004, with his attack ads targeted directly toward the evangelical voters. He might not be using terrorism as his method of provoking fear but trying to convince the American people that Obama is Muslim, when he's actually Christian, and the Antichrist they've been on the lookout for is inexcusable and sickens me.

Please read this Op-Ed piece by Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times who discusses this subject further and pass it along if you are so willing.

The segment below is also from Kristof's piece. And yes, he's talking about dear, old, friend of the evangelical, John McCain:

"Just imagine for a moment if it were the black candidate in this election, rather than the white candidate, who was born in Central America, was an indifferent churchgoer, had graduated near the bottom of his university class, had dumped his first wife, had regularly displayed an explosive and profane temper, and had referred to the Pakistani-Iraqi border . . ."

The Dem in Me

"The secret to our success as Democrats is to VOTE! "

This was a comment on a blog post I read a few weeks ago. I thought it so simple and so clear a statement I almost let it stand on it's own here. That was until I read this piece by Sean Penn over at Huffington Post.

I enjoy Penn's work as an actor but I think I enjoy his writing even more. The piece is about putting country first in the election. It's not a hokey statement about pride in country and patriotism but a statement in how important it is to step up in November. To do your part and vote. It's one of the simplest things one can do as an American. Be part of the process. Do something. Don't let the regime that has run our country into the ground for the last eight years keep it up. Greed and ignorance must not prevail. Educate yourselves and help educate others. Make informed decisions at the polls. Watch the debates and visit the candidates' websites and read for yourselves what their positions are. This is one of the most important elections of this generation. Know the facts and make a difference.

The Way That He Sings

Not since the says of Teen Beat have I had a true rock star crush. The Internet offers me lots more middle school locker worthy pin ups than the teen magazines of my past. The artists load their sites with slide shows and face books of their appearances. Not to mention streaming video. And, no, my crush on Jim James of My Morning Jacket is not quite as intense as the one I had on Jordan of the NKOTB but it certainly has a lot more to do with the music, and talent, these 20+ years later.

The long awaited My Morning Jacket show at the Charlottesville Pavilion was last Thursday and two of my Bonnaroo friends were along for the ride. We arrived on site ridiculously early because I wanted to be sure to have a prime spot. I wanted to be in the thick of things down front to watch Jim on his guitar. I ended up, after the crowd settled into the first song, about 15 people back. Awesome view of the band and a straight line of vision to stage right where he was positioned. I was ecstatic to be there, jumping up and down like a kid on Christmas and squealing with glee. This is what I've been waiting all summer for.

The show was heavy with songs from Evil Urges, to be expected. I was surprised the crowd, which I will come back to, was as into the new stuff. I really enjoyed hearing two of the songs in the finale, but most of the new material didn't get me worked up. Golden did. It's no doubt my favorite song and I was thankful to hear those familiar cymbal taps in the opening. Off the Record, the third song into the show, simply kicked ass. About four minutes in the guys jam, building up and then teasing the crowd with every fade. With 25 songs, the setlist was packed with goodies and if you've ever been to a My Morning Jacket show, you can fill in the blanks for yourself 'cause now, I want to talk finale.

The finale made up for anything I originally thought may have been left out. The finale was sick. I'd have paid the ticket price just to hear those six songs. The band returned to the stage with Wordless Chorus, moved into Highly Suspicious then on to Smokin From Shootin and Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt.2 from Evil Urges. Then, Mahgeetah, which was one of the first handful of songs that made me fall in love with the band in the beginning. I was singing and throwing my head around like a crazy person. There is a special kind of happy that washes over me when I'm at a show like that and I was drenched in it by the time they closed the evening with One Big Holiday. The perfect ending. I was off the charts excited to hear the distinctive opening bars. Awesome.

Before heading down to the Outer Banks for a couple of days for an annual end-of-summer beach trip I hopped on the Internet Archive and tried to find a recording of the show. The C'ville show wasn't up yet but the previous night's performance at Constitution Hall in DC was. I downloaded it to the iPod before running out the door. I was so happy to have had the forethought. I listened to the entire show and realized, somehow it was better than the show I had just loved. I realized it was the crowd. Even in a recording I could hear the crowd was really into the show and especially into the classic material. These were My Morning Jacket fans. The fans in Charlottesville weren't.

I foresee flack for this but seriously, the C'ville show was full of douche bags. I said it that night on the ride home. If you are from VA, perhaps you know the type of guy I mean. The guy that bogarts a kid's smoke, brags to his other ear plugged, douche bag friends about how cool he is for it and spills his beer on you and your friends. Oh, and he was probably wearing croakies or a visor-at-night and ended up standing in front of you. Worst, they were not at all into the music, these douche bags. Lots of loud talking. Backs to the stage. In the pit. I didn't get it. The crowd is very important. Don't get me wrong, the band put on a phenomenal show. They do not disappoint. Next time, though, I'm making the drive north to be sure I get the crowd I crave.

ask and ye shall receive

I have a movie buddy at work and each Monday we swap reviews of any movies we've seen. I was just telling her that I was in a movie rut and hadn't seen a film in months I cared to talk about. Over the long weekend I pay-per-viewed Smart People with Sarah Jessica Parker, Dennis Quaid, Thomas Haden Church and Ellen Page. Yawn. I found it to be depressing. This just added to my rut.

Then tonight, after throwing up my hands in frustration looking for jobs, I decided I'd see what was on one of the 42 HBO channels I get with my exorbitant cable package. I landed on Once. Holy crap, where was I when everyone else was seeing this movie? It was exactly what I needed. Reviews have called it a modern day musical, which would normally send me running. Great story, amazing soundtrack and I loved the ending. It's a simply beautiful and elegant instrument. As soon as the closing credits began to scroll by I jumped online, bought and downloaded the soundtrack. I am in love with When Your Mind's Made Up. It's lovely and full of vigor and passion. Ha -- I think I might be a little too into this movie. I suppose it was the right film at the right time.

Tomorrow night is THE My Morning Jacket show I've been waiting for, impatiently, for months. It's "an evening with" so no opening act to muddy the waters of excitement I am harbouring for this show. I trust it will meet my anything but modest expectations.
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There has been so much coverage everywhere else in our lives about the Dem and GOP conventions that I have chosen not to mention them in any detail. I will say that I watched each evening of the DNC last week and am cringing through the RNC this week. I feel that if I am going to make my argument for Obama I need to hear all angles. If you did not hear Obama's nomination acceptance speech find it, listen to or read it, and pass it on. This is a monumentally important time to pay attention to the democratic process and take action. Vote. Please.