Micky & the Movingcars?

Yes I know that is not their name, just a little humor on my part.  The reason I have not posted in quite some time (ok honestly all of 2010 really) was first because of my wedding and ever since then has been because we are getting ready for a big move.    Moving back to Ohio, that’s right.  I have enjoyed my time in Texas immensely and maybe one day we will be back, but at the end of this month, my first stint will be over.

During this time, however, Krystal and I were able to enjoy a Valentine’s music weekend…or that was the plan atleast.  Originally we were going to see Miranda Lambert and Wade Bowen in Witchita Falls but we could not get seats worth the money and drive up there.  So instead we turned the weekend into a 3 day music extravaganza with Reckless Kelly scheduled for Friday, the Motorcars on Saturday, and Hayes Carll on Sunday.  But the best laid plans and all that jazz later, 2 of the shows were sold out so we had to settle for 1 night of just Motorcars.  Don’t get me wrong, 1 night of them is better than most other nights but it was just sad to miss the others.

All in all it was a great show, I had not seen them in a while and due to the news earlier, it may be quite some time before I see them again.  Rest assured though if these artists show up at Joe’s Bar in Chicago, we will do our darndest to be there!

Quick Update

Sorry for the lengthy absence, was busy getting married and with school, but I should be back up and running soon!

In the meantime, check out my first article for Frequency Magazine, it is the featured article on the mainpage currently!

Frequency Magazine

Let me know what you think!

Frequency Magazine

Well I got an offer to write (gratis) for an online music magazine so I decided to take a chance and see how it goes.  I will still try to update over here (although it has been over a month due to holidays and my upcoming nuptials but I will be back I promise!

In the meantime, check’em out

Albums of the Year

Last year I did the Top 8 of ’08, so following that pattern I should be doing the Top 9 of ’09; but I’m not.  I came to this conclusion because how would I decide when to stop?  The Top 50 of 2050?  Way too much.  Not to mention, while I used listening parties to hear quite a bit of music this year, I sadly did not get a chance to pick up too much.  So my opinions could be way off if I had more time to listen to stuff or maybe I missed an album or two that turned out to be fantastic.  Again this year I excluded Greatest Hits and Live albums.  But here they are, my Top 5 of ’09.

5. Brandon Jenkins – Brothers of the Dirt

Filling out the final spot can often be as tough as deciding on which is #1, but I ultimately went with Brandon because he consistently delivers a smooth sound that I find myself drawn to.  I was a little worried after listening to the opening track “Blood for Oil” and it’s eerie similarity to Reckless Kelly’s “American Blood” from last year’s Bulletproof album.  Brandon redeemed himself as the album went on and delivered the extra *umph* needed to make the Top 5 with “Hearts Don’t Break Even.”

4. Band of Heathens – One Foot in the Ether

I have been on a Band of Heathens high this year.  I had heard so much about them in the past, but never really had a chance to listen to their music or take in a live show.  Well that all changed with the release of One Foot in the Ether. The first song I heard was “L.A. County Blues”  and I was hooked immediately.  The tune is incredibly catchy, the vocals are superb, and I don’t know how to explain it but it was just right.  I truly look forward to hearing more from these guys in the future.

3. Ryan Bingham – Roadhouse Sun

I have heard it said that Ryan’s voice is like sandpaper and whiskey.  Whether you like that or not I guess is circumstantial.  Regardless, Ryan continues to produce outstanding albums.  I was pretty much addicted to “Country Roads” for a month or two (heck maybe I still am) and it is just one of a entire album full of rough on the heart, smooth on the ears music that I have come to expect from Ryan.

2. Miranda Lambert – Revolution

Miranda’s song “The House That Built Me” (written by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin) has gotten a lot of acclaim since the album’s release.  Heck, Kelly Clarkson even sang it during a pre-show a few weeks ago.  I have also enjoyed hearing “A Sin for a Sin” quite often on local radio.  Those two songs alone though, do not even start to scratch the surface of this phenomenal album.  From the lead single “Dead Flowers” (my favorite still), to the catchy songs such as “Airstream Gypsy”, Miranda did a splendid job of song selection for this record.  She seems to have avoided any kind of “slump” and is poised to become a mega-sensation if she can keep producing albums like Revolution.

And the #1 album of 2009 is…

1. Charlie Robison – Beautiful Day

Wow, what an album.  Usually Charlie’s records will have a song or two that I am on the fence about and have little trouble skipping over, but this album, no way.  From beginning to end this album is rock solid.  It shows that hard times and heartaches really can bring out the most creative side of someone.  I really can’t put all the wonderful things to say about this album down for others to read, you seriously have to go check it out for yourself.  You will not be disappointed, I promise.

Behind the Scenes: The Lambert Family

Well this may not be as big a deal to anyone else, but I am truly honored to have completed my first “interview” with none other than the Lambert Family…ok well really just Bev and Rick, but still, that is exciting!  I cannot thank them enough for taking the time out of their busy days to do a very, very small interview for a small blog.  With the holidays coming up, I figured I would ask them a little bit about how they spend theirs.  So without further ado….

SadSongSaloon: Are you looking forward to the holidays? What is the best thing about them?

Lambert Family: The best thing about the holidays is getting together and spending time with  our family. We are very close and with Luke off at college and Miranda on tour our time together is very precious to us.

SSS: Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because of the food, family, and football. Do you have a favorite holiday? Why?

LF: We love Thanksgiving for all those same reasons. We follow college and pro ball so there is always a game on during our celebrations. Our family also hunts so there is usually a big deer camp party going on too with Blake’s family and ours. It’s a crazy fun time!

SSS: You’ve opened a store and a winery, is there anything else on the horizon for the Lambert family?

LF: We are looking into getting our wines distributed nation wide. That is the biggest endeavor we are working on right now. Also Miranda will headline her own tour next spring and summer so we are gearing up for that!

SSS: If you could say one thing to all of your daughters fans, what would you say?

LF: THANK YOU! Because of the fans all of us have a job. The Ran Fans are the best fan club in the industry. PERIOD!

SSS: Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. I wish your entire family a Merry Christmas and blessed New Year.

LF: Thank you for taking time to get to know the Lambert family a little better. We wish you and all the Ran Fans a wonderful holiday season.

Again I want to thank Bev and Rick Lambert for doing this interview.  May their family, and the families of anyone who reads this, have a truly blessed holiday season.

My First Interview

…coming soon!  I am extremely excited.  I will not let out whom it will be yet, but I believe it will be truly interesting.  In the mean time enjoy some Adam Hood and “Play Something We Know”.

I saw you walk in here
with that guitar in your hand
I thought I might ask you
what you might be playin’

Just one more question
Well, I know you gotta go
Me and my friends aren’t drinkin’
We’re just wonderin’ if you know

Any Lynyrd Skynyrd?
Or American Pie?
Willie and Waylon?
Magic Carpet Ride?

How ’bout Marshall Tucker?
Or David Allan Coe?
Play somethin’ we could sing to
Play somethin’ we know.

Well I know how it is, dude
I used to have me a band
But our drummer, Ronnie,
he got on down at the plant.
Our singer got a girlfriend
well you know how that goes

So play somethin’ we could sing to
Play somethin’ we know

Do you know any Buffett?
Or any Pink Floyd?
How about some ‘Dead, dude?
How about the Doors?

Do you know any Beatles?
Or any Rolling Stones?
Play somethin’ we could sing to
Play somethin’ we know

Man if you want me to
I’ll sing a song with you
I used to sing the high part
My brother Donny is sittin’ at the bar
He plays a mean guitar

What are you lookin’ at man?
You don’t want me to play?
Well, you bout to get your ass whooped,
You keep lookin’ at me that way
Man I don’t really mean it,
There’s no need to call security.
I was only hopin’
that you’d sing a song for me.

Do you know Hank Jr.?
Or any any Steve Earle?
How about the Joker?
Or Brown Eyed Girl?
Sweet Home Alabama?
Or Curtis Lowe?

Play somethin’ we could sing to
Play somethin’ we know.
How bout some Neal Young?
Man, play some Whiskey River man.
Play somethin’ we know

Ryan Bingham

Has a new song in the upcoming movie “Crazy Heart.”  The song is called “The Weary Kind” and can be heard here.  Quickly here are the lyrics:

Your heart’s on the loose
You rolled them seven’s with nothing to lose
And this ain’t no place for the weary kind

You called all your shots
Shooting 8 ball at the corner truck stop
Somehow this don’t feel like home anymore

And this ain’t no place for the weary kind
And this ain’t no place to lose your mind
And this ain’t no place to fall behind
Pick up your crazy heart and give it one more try

Your body aches…
Playing your guitar and sweating out the hate
The days and the nights all feel the same

Whiskey has been a thorn in your side
and it doesn’t forget
the highway that calls for your heart inside

And this ain’t no place for the weary kind
And this ain’t no place to lose your mind
And this ain’t no place to fall behind
Pick up your crazy heart and give it one more try

Your lovers won’t kiss…
It’s too damn far from your fingertips
You are the man that ruined her world

Your heart’s on the loose
You rolled them seven’s with nothing to lose
And this ain’t no place for the weary kind

I find the lyrics to be alright.  Nothing too special but far from terrible.  Not Ryan’s best work though.  I thought the song would benefit from hearing the delivery, because sometimes you don’t really appreciate a song until you hear it, then everything just clicks.  After listening to the song a few times, I am disappointed.  It seems to me like the lyrics don’t mesh well with the rhythm and comes off as awkward at times.  I love some Ryan Bingham but sadly, I’m going to have to pass on this one.

Returning Home

A little while back I visited my family for a very brief weekend and thought to myself, if I was a musician, how excited would the first show back in my hometown be?  Maybe not to the fans but to myself, I think it would be pretty big.  Needless to say I would be extremely excited.  But amongst my excitement and my probably too long set list, I would want to incorporate a few cover songs.  So I thought to myself, what songs could I cover that would best describe either my return home or my early years spent learning my passion; music.

After much deliberation I have come up with three songs that I would definitely sing.  I could probably add more, sure, but I wouldn’t want to do more than four.  Here are the three I chose:

“17″ – Cross Canadian Ragweed

“God Bless This Town” – Wade Bowen

“This House” – Adam Hood

A few songs I wanted to choose but were eliminated because of gender, such as Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me” and “Mama I’m Alright.”

So I ask, what songs would you choose for your first gig back home?  Or in the event it has happened, which songs did you choose?

 

Female artists

…are not generally my cup of tea.  Don’t get me wrong, they have serious talent but generally (and I don’t know why exactly) their music as a whole I cannot get into.  Maybe it’s that I can’t relate to being a woman or that I can’t sing like one either but regardless, I usually steer clear.  However, when I find one that I enjoy, I enjoy the crap out of them!

Lately though, I have been thinking back on the female artists, musicians, and mainly songwriters, trying to find a common link between them all.  The results?  The same reason I enjoy male artists; it’s real, it’s raw, I can feel it!

Now I am sure as most of you know, when it comes to female songwriters, Miranda Lambert is my favorite.  Her way of writing blows my mind, no matter how many times I listen to her work.  I know the songs by heart and if I just sit silent and listen, every time they get me.

Second on my list would be the insanely creative Kasey Chambers.  Her style is different from Miranda’s, but when it comes to female songwriters, she might be my lyrical soulmate.  After her is a jumbled mess of Julie Roberts, Leann Womack, Kacey Musgraves, and Michelle Branch.  They all have completely different styles, I know, but good music is good music, regardless of genre.

So here’s to the female songwriters out there.

Songs are Mostly Memories

Good or bad, happy or sad, songs truly are memories.  How so?  Think back on some of the best times of your life, then the worst times, and how many of those moments can be summed up with a particular song or two, or maybe an album?  Certain music just sparks the memory flames and takes you back to relive them for all their glories, heartaches, or melancholy-ness?

I am visiting my family back in Ohio this weekend, to celebrate the 60th wedding anniversary of my grandparents (on my mom’s side) and to console others in the loss of my grandpa (ok not technically, he was my aunt’s father).  On the plane ride this thought popped in my head, each of these lives had a song they got married to, and whenever they hear that song, they go back the 50 or 60 years to that one special day, at the one special time, in that one special place.  This is what music does to us; does for us.  It marks times in our lives that might seem lost had we not the music to remind us.

Krystal and I will get married, but now more than ever I feel the need to have the “perfect” song.  We have debated about having TWO songs, one chosen by each of us, and that may work out, but still, my choice has to be the right one!  Currently I am still holding onto Wade Bowen’s “Who I Am.”  I feel it is a great choice, but maybe I am missing something.

What songs define your life or mark your memories?