musical discovery: postmodern jukebox

guys... GUYS.

today i discovered postmodern jukebox.

if you've been around here for a while, you'll know that i love old music, i love pop music, and i love covers. postmodern jukebox's latest release was a big band/swing cover of beyonce's drunk in love. YES. yes... yes.

other covers include a 50s doo-wop version of miley cyrus' we can't stop, a bluegrass blurred lines and numerous motown renditions of nickleback songs.

the curator of these clever re-thinkings is jazz pianist scott bradlee, a self-proclaimed 'devils advocate' for the artistic merit of pop songs, and king of the ragtime piano mashup.

here's my favourite postmodern jukebox video. don't let this be the only video you watch, though - hop on over to their youtube channel and find the mariachi version of avicii's wake me up or the 1930s version of weezer's hash pipe. pure. awesome. 

sweet sounds: bastille

photo by matt vogel

oh i feel overjoyed

when you listen to my words

i see them sinking in

oh i see them crawling underneath your skin...

this week, i discovered bastille. apparently they are trendy trendy right now, my much-cooler roommate informs me... (see my previous posts on the likes of queen, the beatles, and the glenn miller orchestra for clues on my proximity to what's new and trendy in music). i'd like to thank grooveshark for their 'top songs' suggestions for educating me.

anyways, back to bastille.

remarkable and rich vocals by frontman dan smith got my attention immediately - there's an arresting versatility in his jumps from airy to gritty, with poetic, sharp and memorable lyrics. melodies transition from lilting, synth-ey and fun to driving percussion to minimalistic cadence to orchestral, sometimes all in one song.

they're hella sing-along-able, with epic harmonies that are flawlessly displayed in the numerous live & acoustic recordings floating about the internet (including one below). with no exaggeration, i have listened to bastille for hours on end every day this week, and now that i've bought their all this bad blood album on itunes, i have no doubt that it will be on regular rotation.

enough from me - let me introduce you!


flaws
at present, this is my favourite song from the album. dig it.





pompeii
probably the most well-known single (at least here in canada), pompeii has been in the top 100 for the past year. the past YEAR. awesome. check out this beautiful acoustic live recording:





covers!
oh man! i nearly forgot to mention. bastille does some amazeballs covers - and you KNOW i love a good cover. there's something endearing about a band who isn't ashamed to put their twist on died in your arms tonight. they didn't stop at the 80s, though. check out their version of a 90s chart-topper below. (and for extra-curricular enjoyment, see their mashup of miley cyrus, eminem & achey breaky heart. yes they did.)





have i sold you on this band yet? leave a comment - let me know what you think. 

two ways to become instantly happy.

my music geek-ness focus for the past week has been on pharrell's 24-hour music video for the positively infectious song, happy. i thought it was just me, but apparently it was not. i came out of my room one morning last week and my roommate was singing it. later that day, i met up with the gentleman caller, and he was whistling it too. i got to work, and this save the date was on our news feed.

the video is awesome, make sure you check out a few different times on the pharrell-clock. this fast company article gives some insight into how it was made, and i'd say the amount of fun they had making it translates into the finished piece.

i'm just left with one question:

is happy happier than happy?

help me decide - leave your vote in the comments...

why were the beatles considered the best band of all time?

for most of last year, i spent my days supporting three young women with intellectual and behavioural challenges. a large portion of my work week was spent driving them to and from their appointments and social opportunities, so i took some time to create a playlist for each client, filled with all of their favourite music.

one client's playlist was almost entirely comprised of one band.

image source

media has been abuzz this month, as the fiftieth anniversary of one pop culture milestone has passed - beatlemania hits america. in february of 1964, the beatles arrived in the united states, and on february 9, 1964, performed their history-making first performance on the ed sullivan show.

i know quite a few people who say they just don't 'get' what all the fuss is about the four liverpudlians - understandably, fifty years later, they can sound unremarkable in the grand circus that is pop culture and rock and roll. musical ingenuity aside, the beatles were widely seen as an embodiment of the rapid social change surrounding them during the eight years they ruled the world together.

robert lloyd of the LA times summed it up well in his statement - 'it's easy to overstate the influence of a pop band on history, and yet it is hard to understate the importance of this one.'

for those of you who are still mystified about the beatles - allow me to give you a heartfelt, but by no means exhaustive, introduction to the bestselling band of all time. i'm not going to give you facts or a linear biography - there are plenty of books in the library for that. in true delight adventure style, i hope to help you see why the beatles are adored by one special needs girl in my life, close to my own heart, and part of the fabric of millions of lives.

yesterday

yesterday, love was such an easy game to play

now i need a place to hide away

oh i believe in yesterday... 

when i hear this song, i see my dad sitting on the edge of his bed, playing this for us on his acoustic guitar, while my sister and i looked on in our pajamas... i'm sure i'm not the only one whose first introduction to the beatles was a second-hand one. 

twist and shout

probably the best-loved song from the band's earlier years, this song always gets a strong reaction from guests of all ages when i play it at a dance. however, you didn't have to be alive in 1964 to have this song woven into your nostalgia-fabric - 90s kids will remember it from the epic parade float lip-sync performance by ferris bueller...




hey jude

when paul mccartney performed hey jude at the opening ceremony of the 2012 olympic games in london, i remember watching the camera pan over the crowd to reveal almost every person present singing along. i found it incredible that a stadium full of people from all over the world were all united by a pop song from the 60s, raising voices together at a wave of paul's hand to compose a perfect chorus of the 'na na na na-na-na na' melody towards the end of the song.

here comes the sun

little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter

little darling, it feels like years since it's been here... 

little darling, the smiles returning to the faces

little darling, it seems like years since it's been here... 

while writing this post, i found myself getting teary watching a delicate duet performance of this song by george harrison and paul simon. i discovered here comes the sun only about two years ago, at a time when i truly needed to be reminded that the winter will end, and that the smiles will return. i found myself listening to it on repeat, trying to mould george's hope into my own, and truly, it helped. at face value, i hope this song meets you at the tail end of what has been a crazy winter for so much of north america, and for those of you that need it, i hope it resonates a little deeper.
(wikipedia gives some interesting facts about this song, too.)



in my life

there are places i remember all my life, 

though some have changed...

...all these places have their moments

with lovers and friends, i still can recall

in my life is widely regarded as one of lennon's best songs - and has even been voted the best song of all time by numerous panels - and the poignant, reflective lyrics have come to mean something to so many people. while it's a frequent (and fitting) choice for wedding first dances and father-daughter dances, i've also heard of it being often used for funerals and memorials... and, as i'm sure you have experienced, the intersection of a song with such a meaningful life event gives it a permanent place in one's heart.
also, check out covers of in my life by dave matthews, jason mraz, johnny cash, ed sheeran, and even ozzy osbourne. 




this is where my introduction concludes. if you desire further reading, the new york times made a snappy little summation of beatles facts in this short video, and a concise definition of the beatles' importance in this article, and this collection of videos gives a decent overview of the beatles over the past fifty years.

if you've made it to the end of this post, i hope you've found a melody or lyric that resonates with you, or reminds you of someone you love... do any of you guys have beatles-infused memories? tell me about it in the comments! 

love songs for everyone!

well, you've probably noticed - it's valentines day.

here's my gift to you - a little playlist with a song for (almost) all sentiments toward such a polarizing holiday. guess what? they're all from the same movie... i had forgotten how hilarious the wedding singer is until i had revisited these clips!

(p.s. these clips are nsfw - foul language aplenty...)


for the lonely, unrequited love-ers out there... 




for the love-related-angst-filled... 




for the in love (and the hopefuls)...

sweet sounds : rancid

it takes disaster to learn a lesson, 

you're gonna make it through the darkest night…

photo by graeme foot - via rancid's fb page

throughout rancid's music and lyrics, one of the most relatable themes you'll find is a deep love for music itself. i remember the first time i heard rancid - in 2003, when fall back down was being played on muchmusic. it was definitely different than anything i'd seen on muchmusic before, and i loved it. in hindsight, i think it's strange that i didn't find punk music earlier - i spent a laaaaarge amount of my teenage years exploring the internet. but really, it wasn't until working at cheapskates that i truly fell in love with rancid, and their music took an irreplaceable place in the soundtrack to my life. 

tim armstrong. you can't really get much closer than this!

when i've got the music, i've got a place to go… 

they opened the show with the song radio, one of my favourites, which begins with affectionate couplet, addressed to a radio:

'never fell in love, til i fell in love with you; 

never knew what a good time was til i had a good time with you…'  

i suppose that might sound a bit childish, but to a girl who has so far considered music to be the love of my life, words like that feel like home. 

standard issue tim armstrong hand movements - love it!

i'm not exaggerating when i say that the show was one of the best nights of my life. absolutely unforgettable. i decided to roll alone so i could geek out unreservedly. i got to the venue early, and managed to secure a place up against the fence, front and centre - there is absolutely nothing like singing along to songs that have become a part of your story, while the band is smiling right at you from a few feet away. there's not much more to say about the night than that - it was an experience that will stick with me forever. and i've even got a little physical memento, too. as the band was leaving the stage after closing the show with ruby soho, lars frederiksen walked straight over to me and handed me his guitar pick. i will be framing that business, without a doubt. 

in the words of leVar burton - you don't have to take my word for it. listen to a little rancid for yourself! a lighthearted place to start is corazon de oro or old friend. ruby soho is a fan favourite, and olympia, wa has one of my favourite riffs. if you want to dig in to something a bit grittier, check out out of control or nihilism.  for those of you who have never listened to rancid before…. go on! i think you'll be presently supplized.

what was the most unforgettable concert you've ever been to? and can you bear going to see one of your favourite bands and not being in the front row? i know i can't...

sweet sounds : the glenn miller orchestra!

glenn miller band, circa 1939

i think my love for the glenn miller orchestra can be traced back to a cassette tape that was on heavy rotation in my childhood - jive bunny and the mastermixers: the album. to this day, i love me a good mashup, and track number six was glenn miller medley (though glenn miller's in the mood is the back bone to jive bunny's swing the mood, which actually hit number 1 on the billboard charts in the uk). when i was in high school, we played in the mood in band class, and a couple years later i acquired a 20th century masters collection of the glenn miller orchestra, and found that the familiar music was already very close to my heart. 

as the soundtrack to my love of all things of the WWII era, glenn miller's songs are some of the 'most-played' in my itunes library - and my personal favourite record i've ever purchased was their 1939 carnegie hall recording. when my mom told me that the current glenn miller orchestra would be visiting the winspear centre this summer, i knew that i simply had to get tickets. 

the original glenn miller orchestra was active from 1939-1942, when miller joined the american war effort. miller led a marching band in the air force from 1942-1944, until he went missing in action in december of 1944. a 'ghost band' re-formed in 1946 and toured for four years under the leadership of tex beneke, a sax player from glenn miller's original band. the current ensemble has been touring since 1956, and currently tours for forty-eight weeks per year. you can read much more about glenn miller and his orchestra here and here. or, check out the 1954 film, the glenn miller story, starring jimmy stewart and june allyson.

the glenn miller orchestra at the winspear centre - july 4, 2013

the show was fabulous. i was especially excited that they had a female vocalist with them, with a crystal-clear voice that suited the style perfectly. during some songs, three of the musicians joined the conductor and female vocalist to sing in harmony for songs like i got a gal (in kalamazoo), chattanooga choo choo and don't sit under the apple tree. it was a sold out show, and although i was expecting a few more people around my age bracket (most of the crowd was over 50), the audience was well engaged in the music and most everyone shouted pennsylvania 6-5000! when the time came. 

when he wasn't singing the male vocal lead, the conductor of the band shared history and facts about the orchestra between songs, and i was super stoked when he started spouting facts about the sun valley serenade soundtrack album - i just bought that album while at an antique shop in saskatchewan! i learned that the album had sold 1.2 million copies when it was first released in 1941, becoming the first gold record of all time. the first single from the soundtrack was chattanooga choo choo, which, if i could pick one, would be in close contention for my all-time favourite glenn miller song. 

each musician had a huge stack of yellowed sheet music on their stand which, we found out during the concert, was partially original sheet music, from as early as 1939, and included over 240 songs - nearly the complete glenn miller catalog. these little details, and the fun that all the musicians clearly had with the music, made for a captivating show that definitely did the music justice.

my partner in all things swing - erin! 

now for those of you who have yet to be acquianted to the classic glenn miller tunes, some of the most recognizable melodies are little brown jug, or in the mood, and don't sit under the apple tree is particularly charming (though the andrews sisters' version is probably more popular). to get you started on your glenn miller journey, here's a clip from sun valley serenade that is bound to steal your heart...

get lost! music history icons in nyc

during my trip to new york, i made it a definite priority to visit sites that are central in music history. well, at least my kind of music history - i don't know if there are others who would geek out over carnegie hall the same amount they would at cbgb... if there are, we'd certainly be friends. 

wandering the streets of alphabet city brought a million song lyrics to mind - everywhere i looked, i saw something that i was already familiar with through my friends billy joel, the ramones, vampire weekend, jay-z and others. in fact, i found myself in front of 560 state street on the way to afropunkfest, and i had to gave ol' shawn carter a nod. let me introduce you to four musical meccas in new york that i absolutely had to visit.

stained glass - carnegie hall - 7th avenue

carnegie hall

although it was under construction and closed when i visited, it was nothing short of surreal to stand on the sidewalk in front of carnegie hall. the venue opened its doors in may of 1891 with a performance by tchaikovsky, and from then on has continued to provide a stage for many of the most celebrated musicians of our time. although it has consistently showcased classical music since it's inception, it became a hot spot for early jazz - duke, ella, billie, benny, louis, count, dizzy, miles.... just a few of the many giants who were celebrated on the carnegie stage. 

one of my favourite records of all time is a copy of the glenn miller orchestra's carnegie hall performance in 1939 - i found it for two dollars in a bargain bin, and that seventy-five year old swing gives me goosebumps every time. listen here.

radio city music hall - 8th avenue

radio city music hall

built in the middle of the great depression, radio city music hall was designed to be 'a palace for the people', as a symbol of optimism and hope. it soon became a prime location for film premieres (such as breakfast at tiffany's, to kill a mockingbird and the lion king), and a top venue for musical performances as well as awards shows like the grammy's and the mtv music video awards.


cbgb & omfug

the facade and interior of the former CBGBs, now john varvatos - bowery avenue

ohhhh cbgb. this was easily one of the highlights of my entire trip to new york. CBGB & OMFUG is one of the most vital venues in punk rock history. it's where the ramones got their start - they played at cbgb 74 times in the year they formed (which was, coincidentally, 1974). blondie and the talking heads were regulars. by the 1980s, it had evolved into a hardcore punk venue, and many of my most-loved bands made music within the walls of 315 bowery - the specials, rancid, social distortion, and the slackers, to name a few. you can read the cbgb history in a nutshell here, or check out cbgb's website here.

even on the quest for designer menswear, one can't ignore the history of this former punk-rock mecca - 315 bowery avenue

cbgb closed its doors in 2006, with a final performance by patti smith, who was a crucial part of the club's scene in its early days. the space was later rented by menswear designer john varvatos, and remains a retail store to this day. when varvatos transformed the space, he set out to 'do justice' to the spirit and legacy of cbgb. personally, i thought he did an incredible job.

varvatos left the graffiti, stickers and gig posters of cbgb as a backdrop to his clothing store

i can hardly describe the way i felt, my eyes examining faded, peeling billstickers that adorned the rough walls, my feet passing over the same ground where so much history was made. there was an unmistakeable ambience, rich with character and passion and spirit. it was like a punk-rock pilgrimage, and it is now one of my most cherished memories.

the tiny details in an irreplaceable corner of music history... 

broadway: the phantom of the opera


in a journal given to me by my dear friend rachel, i have an incomplete and unofficial list of things i want to do in my lifetime. while in nyc, i completed my first item on the list - go to a musical on broadway! i've had my heart set on seeing the phantom of the opera since my parents brought me home a souvenir program from when they saw it in 1992(ish), so getting to see it live for the first time, on broadway, in the very theatre where it has been performed non-stop since it first opened in 1988, was an incredibly special time for me - i would even go so far as to call it a dream come true.

crowds wait outside the unopened doors of the majestic theatre - west 44 street, off broadway

like many other places in new york, on broadway the tourist path is well-worn. when i first stepped into the majestic, i was herded with the masses through the lobby, and directed to my seat by a woman who may as well have been slinging hot dogs from a stand on the corner, the way she was yelling at us all. by the time the lights dimmed for the first act, i was starting to worry that my hopes were too high, and the entire production would be just another gaudy tourist attraction, overpriced, and a bit worse for wear.

much to my delight, from the first chord struck on the organ in the opening scene to the final curtain fall, the performance was impeccable. the ethereal smoke-and-candelabra boat scene was everything i had hoped it would be...i'm not going to lie - i was either covered in goosebumps or dissolving into tears at any given point in the show. was my inner musical theatre geek appeased? a thousand times yes.

inside the majestic theatre

check out my other adventures in nyc here and here. what music history icons are you dying to visit - in nyc or elsewhere??

struggle and hope dancing together to a hip-hop beat.

photo from lee reed's fb; lyrics from his song 'enough'

on saturday night i found myself underground, grooving to the tunes of a handful of 'conscious' hip-hop artists. the convergence of all sorts of seemingly disjointed concerns and curiosities that have been rattling around in my brain caught me off guard, as they all revealed their connections… hip hop and church and despondence and corporate hope… who knew they could all dance together in perfect time? gritty rhymes, begging for answers, grieving the greed and materialism that surrounds us, and, more than anything else, longing for freedom in a world that seems like there is none. 

'while most folks they can't cope with it, 

until hopelessness grips the whole globe and shit - 

how much fucked up stuff's enough,

until enough folks say that enough's enough?

...how long we gonna hold our breath, 

hoping for something to come better than this?

yes, desperate for something that's better than this...'

- lee reed

somehow, unexpectedly, my heart was drawn out of its hiding place in my chest, gravitating to the creativity and the spirit of the night, captivated by this brutally passionate offering of words and beats entwined into desperate questions. how we can possibly exist amidst such unjust systems? how have we let ourselves become so distracted? how did so many people come to believe that buying stuff will make you happy? and what have we done to the planet? how do we make sense of this giant mess?

i thought to myself…. i wish the church would feel this much discontentment towards materialism and advertising lies, and the numbness that surrounds us… i know that there is a place for this in the church, but it's been a long time since i've seen it. our hearts are grieved by brokenness, but so often it's limited to the brokenness of personal struggles, or perceived immorality… but it has been so long since i've been part of a fellowship that is concerned with the brokenness that affects our cities, our nation, and our world as a whole. 

there was something so inspiring in the passionate discontentment with the status quo - universal questions, that are all too easily drowned out and ignored, put on a back burner and forgotten unless we actively allow ourselves to engage with them. it reminded me of the most radical man i know - the one who first told me that the patterns of this world are not mine to conform to. relatively speaking, i don't know a lot about Jesus, but if there is one thing i do know, it is that he came to bring freedom. 

we need freedom, and we need hope. 

last week i read something that reminded me that christ brings hope on a national level… so many of those bible promises are talking to nations… whole huge groups of people - humanity as a whole, even!-  who are in it together, crying out for hope and freedom. those promises aren't just fortune cookie messages from god to me (or whoever happens to crack open that particular cookie) meant to make it all better, to neatly package up my pain and offer a three-step solution. 

and yet the paradox is this: those messages are for me, they are hope and bread and life for me to hold onto, but they are also for a nation at a specific time and place, and also to sow hope for all of humanity - that yes, it's true… this status quo is NOT okay, this is not the world we were created to live in - all of creation, in all places in time, groans as we long for redemption… 

if there was one thing i heard pumping through XLR veins on saturday night it was a cry for redemption. and who is exempt from that longing?

i feel like it's been a long, long time since i thought about stuff like that, and it ignited something in me… for the past couple years i have been so, so focused on my individual struggles, my pain, my world, and just surviving, that i have hardly had the capacity to look past the end of my own nose and remember the bigger issues, this fight that we're living in. at times i feel even more discouraged when i see the struggles of the world around me - there's a nagging guilt that i should be more grateful, for so many are happy in the midst of far, far worse. 

and yet there is a string that ties us all together in our suffering. the solidarity of suffering whispers that we need not feel guilty for our lack of hope, but instead, feel empathy and connection and community in our pain. there is a flicker of silver in these clouds, and the silver is this: we are ALL living in a world amiss, and if no other hope is found (though i believe there will be) - there is hope in the reality that we are not alone.

hours after the show, at church on sunday morning, our conversation turned to 'unity', and how we as a church are here to bring hope to the city. we (collectively) living to bring hope to a city (collectively). i've stumbled my way into a church whanau that actually cares about these things, more than prosperity doctrine, more than splitting hairs over translations and soapboxes to stand on. my GOD it is nice to be around people who are living simply, and counter culturally, and socially consciously… and people who are committed to bringing hope together… so it doesn't all fall back on me, being on point, the stacey-youth-worker-superhero that i so often feel like i am expected to be. god's promise is that he will bring hope and a future to this nation (and all nations!), that i am but one wee cell in this body that is meant to look like christ, and that he will use me as part of this body, in spite of my struggles… even through my struggles. his grace is enough to carry us through this struggling world, and sometimes, if we look close enough, we'll even see flowers spring up through cracks in the pavement.


for your interest, the two headlining hip-hop artists that i got all inspired by were lee reed and test their logik. get amongst. and big, big ups to my all-time favourite hippie for setting up the gig, always inspiring me, and still listening to my unraveling thoughts, after all these years. 

27 in music.

birthday flowers from a friend for whom i am inexpressibly thankful. 

'now she's as poor as me, but she looks twice as good. i told her that, because it's something i would.' 
- leif vollebekk

leif vollebekk is streaming into my ears as i type, and his voice is like a weathered wooden floor in the most familiar place, sun stretching over it and illuminating the cracks - warm, familiar and beautiful. you must listen. no really, you must.

on thursday i turned 28. i like being able to wrap my years up neatly when they finish, and place them in a box with a label, then on a shelf in chronological order. for a myriad of reasons, i can't quite do that with the last year (or two? or three?)...

but one thing i can define from the year that i was 27, is that one of the bestest things that happened to me was learning to dj. sure, learning about the software and equipment and crowd management were great, but what it really taught me was this:

it is my job to love music. and i am damn good at it.

music has always been intensely personal for me, a close friend and refuge that sometimes feels too vulnerable to share with others. not to mention the times that friends have scoffed at my 'weird' tastes in music, or made fun of me for genuinely enjoying pop music. learning to dj, and having strangers come up and tell me how much fun they've had and how perfect the music was, or having my boss pass on emails he's received from happy clients, or people who want to re-book me... it's been amazing to receive some affirmation that, well, music is my jam. 

so. rather than a failed attempt at summarizing the year that was 27 in words, i'll define it in music. what follows is 27 songs/artists/albums that i took in my arms and held close to my chest in the past year. actually, i already gave you leif, above, so here are the other 26 (complete with linky-links to experience them for yourself! man i'm nice).

- first and foremost: macklemore. yeah, yeah, you've heard thrift shop, but seriously... listen to the rest of that album. it will blow your mind.

- the last three months of 27 was animated by a person who arrived out of nowhere, played me music and listened and smiled, and disappeared just as suddenly as he came. one thing he left me with was a growing fondness for canadian music, and an addiction to the rabbit-hole that is the cbc radio website. i discovered the weakerthans, who kinda make me feel like i just arrived in the nineties and that is a feeling i wish to re-visit every day ever. he also introduced me to wool on wolves, with lilting, driving folk-rock from right here in e-town. indirectly, through cbc radio 3, i also discovered the acoustic-ey, folk-rocky whimsy of mike edel & bahamas.

- two more rad edmonton bands from completely different genres are the preying saints - gritty rockabilly, and scenic route to alaska - indie-folk-rock gold!

- karla adolphe - i've loved her forever (since 2005, which is forever ago.), but her album 'honeycomb tombs' last year was perfection.

- you've, uh, probably heard of them before, but bob dylan was my soundtrack while participating in NaNoWriMo, and over the past year i've fallen more and more and more and more in love with queen. freddie mercury makes my heart prit' near explode with inspiration. revisit them. you won't regret it.

- ray lamontagne... i can't decide whether this man's honesty rips me to pieces or puts me back together again, but either way, it's gut-squeezingly beautiful.

- so, fun. has been all up in the radio's bizz with 'some nights', but my brother gave me their album aim & ignite (which was pre-some nights), and i've listened to it at least a bazillion times. pretty much the exact same story with hellogoodbye (except their radio hit was here in your arms in 2006...)

- heath mcnease wrote an entire album based on the works of c.s. lewis, then gave it away for free!

- i think everyone else discovered ingrid michaelson a few years ago, but i only just did now...

- my brother in law knows me so well... when he posted a song by the lone bellow on my facepage, it was love at first listen.

- my boss got me into reidiculous and his (free!) dance-a-licious remixes of current pop. just in case one version of call me maybe isn't enough for you. (it isn't enough. i checked.)

- vitamin string quartet performs covers of all sorts of music, from marilyn manson to green day, coldplay, lady gaga... you name it. i always feel like a super-sneak when i get away with playing weezer's 'buddy holly' during the mellow cocktail hour at a classy wedding.

- when people ask me what kind of music i like best, and i say 'old music,' they often think that i mean, like, the cure, or early punk-rock or something. no. i mean the dell-vikings. like, doo-wops make my heart get all mushy-melty.

- i listen to the soundtrack to les miserables on regular rotation. actually. and since the movie came out last year, it was extra involved my life.

- bo burnham still makes me laugh, and i rediscovered him in january... still just as clever and funny as when i first heard him. if you're easily offended, probably skip this one. but if you love crass puns... get in!

- i'd forgotten about this zowie song, but rediscovered it in all it's glory. also: everything zowie wears in that video. hello.

- if i have the clarity of mind to realise that feeling good about things is a choice that i have to make... i have an ass-kicking playlist that helps me feel like i'm killing it at life, or at least that i can be. now, if i told you every song on that list, i'd have to kill you, but 4 of them, in all their pop-cliche glory, (bringing my total musical recommendations to 27!) are: kanye west, gym class heroes, andy grammer and no doubt. #sorryimnotsorry.

here's to another year of musical discovery!

sweet sounds : a night at the opera

on this date, thirty-seven years ago, Queen's fourth studio album was released. as the album that catapulted them into superstar-dom, a night at the opera boasted a closing track that utterly shattered the mould for rock and roll radio hits - bohemian rhapsody.

i'm currently reading (and loving!) an intimate account of the life of freddie mercury. over the past year, more than ever, i've been touched, amazed and inspired by the music of queen, and the enigma that was mr. fahrenheit. today, i am so, so grateful for queen's music, in all it's quirky, glam-rock glory... it makes me come alive.

pick it up, pick it up!

methinks it's about time for another five iron frenzy fast...

yup. (photo originally appeared as a secret at www.postsecret.com)

there's no way you can stay down when listening to ska... and it's no surprise to my whanau that i lurrrvs me some ska. just try to stay sour when pumping up-strokes and trumpet solos - i dare you.

give me that third wave, those gritty gang vocals, that bass-line trudging up and down.  the most serious lyrical content paired with a cheerful beat, feeding my soul and reminding me that life is a whole lot better, if i just remember to dance.

wanna give it a try?

let me direct you... if i were you, i'd start with some streetlight manifesto, or the specials, cause they are the original deal. but then, if you like a little more funk in your soul, maybe you'd prefer the cat empire. if you're feeling angst-y there's less than jake, or for less horns and a little more punk rock, there's always rancid.

if you like your eighties covers like i certainly do,  either reel big fish or save ferris will be sure to win you over to the ska side.

and you know i won't end this post without mentioning five iron frenzy one more time - and if you like them, or christian ska happens to be your bag, be sure to check out the insyderz and the oc supertones, cause they shred too :)

ska for life!

FIVE. IRON. FRENZY.

people who know me well, have, without a doubt, heard me talk about one thing. 

five iron frenzy. 

ever since i was 14, my 'favouritest favourite band ever' has been this kooky christian ska band, and few people have been able to truly understand just why i like them so much. yes, others will concede that the music is catchy and quirky and happy, but still they wonder what has elevated this 8-piece from denver, colorado miles above the many bands that i casually call 'one of my favourites', to absolute 'untouchable' status?



i'm convinced that some of my, ahem, not-so-ska-loving friends believe that I am the only person on the planet that loves this band so much. which is why, when i went to their show in new hampshire in august, i decided to photograph other people who like five iron as much as i do... and post said photographs on the internet to prove to my friends and family that my affinity for this band isn't an abnormal case, but one of many abnormal cases. i also wanted to hear exactly what others love about FIF (mostly to demonstrate that i didn't bribe people to don a five iron shirt and let me take a photo to prove a point.) 

first, a little back story for you. five iron frenzy formed in 1995, released 9 albums, and toured continuously for eight years. i discovered them in 2000, and at the beginning of 2003, they announced that they weren't breaking up, but were indeed 'quitting'. they spent the better part of 2003 traveling on their 'winners never quit' tour, and played their last show on november 22, 2003, at fillmore auditorium in their hometown of denver colorado. two of the raddest guys i knew took me on an epic road trip to see them in seattle on november 9. 

after their demise, i, and other fans, always hoped for a reunion, but any rumors of such things were continually dispelled by band members. 

regardless of the lack of new music to indulge in, five iron remained close to my heart. in 2011 (or, The Year That Everything That Possibly Could Fall Apart, Did, In Fact, Fall Apart), after a number of fairly bleak months, someone gave me the legendary advice; 'if you can't move forward, go back to what you know works.' while, for my beloved housemates, it meant listening to the WOW worship 90s compilation over and over again, i decided that desperate times called for desperate measures. I decided to spend a week, listening to nothing but five iron frenzy. in the midst of all the grief, i needed at least a tiny flicker of hope, and five iron had given me that in the past, so i embarked on the 'five iron fast', as i called it. would you be surprised to hear that at the end of the week, i didn't even want to break the fast? the old familiar music had helped me find a silver lining in the clouds; finally a small bit of hope to hold onto. 

and then, it happened. 

in late 2011, a countdown appeared on the band's website (which had been fan-run, since 2008), saying that 'something' was coming on november 22, 2011, the 8 year anniversary of their last show. after months of speculation, waiting, checking the website daily for any more foreshadowing, and trying to keep my expectations low, telling myself that it would maybe be a new website, or perhaps some newly available merchandise. i know i was not the only one that burst into tears when the announcement came that the best thing imaginable was happening. not only were five iron back together, new music was being written, tour dates were in the works, and a new single was about to be released. five iron frenzy soon became the most funded music project in Kickstarter's history, meeting their goal of raising $30000 to record the new album in a mere 54 minutes, and finishing the three-month funding period with nearly $208 000. i was not the only five iron frenzy fan still alive. the new single was released, melodically proclaiming that 'hope still flies.' i couldn't have agreed more. 

the fates aligned in my favour, and i was able to see five iron last month while on my boston adventure... which brings me back to the task at hand. operation prove-i'm-not-the-only-FIF-obsessed-human-being-out-there (operation name under review.) little did i know that in this process, i would be absolutely inspired by the people i met, and re-fall-in-love with five iron again. 

five iron fans scattered throughout soulfest - sarah with a rad diy five iron shirt!

 


after years of solo travel, i am completely happy to take in concerts and fesitvals alone, and normally wouldn't go out of my way to start conversations with other people. however, it was SO easy to approach someone wearing a five iron frenzy t-shirt, or other ummm... obvious five iron costumery (i'm talking to you bryon garrison!), simply mention five iron frenzy and become instant pals. 

kickstarter backers! i didn't catch these guys' names, cause the music on the main stage was pumping... 

people who had pledged money to the kickstarter project could be spotted wearing the kickstarter-exclusive t-shirts, as the guy on the above left is wearing. others, like bryon, below, identified by other means, such as an apparel reference to the character on the cover of the last five iron album released. 

bryon garrison, from lebanon, PA - and what i presume was the inspiration for his concert garb... 

there were homemade five iron t-shirts, merch from five iron's early years, blue combs (in reference to a fan-favoured song), and my favourite - handmade wings, stitched with the word 'hope'. i even met a married couple whose first conversation was about five iron frenzy! 

bob & jackie from north brookwood MA, who bonded over their love of ska, with eric from toronto, ON

as i probed these die-hards about the reasons for their devotion - especially the ones who became fans after the band quit in 2003 - a few themes emerged. surprisingly, only a few mentioned the actual sound of the band - and when they did, they were quick to follow with their appreciation for the message behind all of those trumpet and trombone riffs. 

'they're one of the only ska bands to have a really deep message,' said bryon garrison, 'they have a sense of humor, but also a sense of deep spirituality that they can express through their music, and a lot of bands can't.' 

almost every fan i talked said that they appreciated five iron's lyrics more than anything else - not just the depth of meaning, but also band's silly sense of humor. (every album produced has included at least one joke track, one cd even including eight joke songs about a mysterious pair of pants, each song recorded in a different musical genre.) the majority of the band's lyrics are written by vocalist reese roper, and explore themes as diverse as the plight of the north american indians, consumerism, brokenness and hope, and predominantly, the struggles of the christian faith. 

kate and devon bartholomew from syracuse, NY

'roper's openness and understanding of the crushed, broken human spirit, and that it's only god's grace, and it's only god's unconditional love through christ that can carry us through,' was the thing that devon from syracuse NY most appreciated about five iron. 'well, that and the fun that can be had through music as well!'

i especially loved talking to a group of young guys from stanford, CT, who had all become fans in the years following five iron's 'last' show - the concert in new hampshire was their first opportunity to see five iron in real life and they were beyond stoked. 

carlton, tyler, tom and mike (not pictured!) were rad young fans from stanford, CT.  'now that i'm a christian,' said mike,  'everyone's like, 'christians are boring and lame,' and everyone in my house thinks i'm lame, but when you listen to these guys...it's a reminder that christians can be funny, and i just really like that.'

'they're diverse,' said tyler, 'you can listen to them no matter what mood you're in, and it's always the right thing to listen to.' 

'yeah,' agreed carlton, 'you're just always in the mood to listen to them, once you pop a cd in, you just keep listening. it'll start over and over again, and you never get tired of it.' 

SEEEEEE people?? i'm not the only one who does that.... it was like finding soul mates. lots of them. 

just as i did, others found that the meaningful lyrics had resonated with them on a more personal level, like carlie from gorham, ME (below, with the rad hope wings), who said that 'their music has a lot of meaning to me personally and spiritually, so, even over the years, throughout everything else, i still find a place in my heart for them.'

carlie with.... homemade winged awesomeness!

listening to the stories of other people who had found belonging in the music, i was taken back to when i first discovered this music...the humor, honesty and spirituality that became a friend when i felt i had none. i remember listening to their song 'suckerpunch' on repeat, singing along to the lyrics - about the trials of not fitting in at school.

they're all suckerpunching me, get in line for a wedgie,

 all i want and all i need is someone who believes in me.

a song sung for underdogs, for all the left out - 

a flag flying for losers somewhere in the heavens.

the god of everlasting comfort believes in me,

loves me when i am faithless, he still died for me.

eric, a fellow canadian who had made the trip down from toronto summed it up perfectly. 

'they don't take themselves too seriously, and it resonates with the left out, the ones that don't fit in, that don't know how to be 'scene'.... a lot of five iron fans seem to just live their lives in this isolation of 'i have this wonderful thing and i just wish you'd all share it with me,' but we still live alone, and then we come to things like this, and are surrounded by people who like the same thing, and ahhh, it's so nice to know you're not alone!'

travis frakes and adam roberts, from yorktown, VA, who had, in fact, driven 500 miles to see five iron play in new hampshire...  adam said, 'i would say that my reason why i love five iron frenzy is the fact that they can go from wild and crazy concerts to, at the end of a concert, just busting out in worship ...they have such a good attitude towards everything. they're just great.'

when the time came for five iron frenzy to take the stage, i skoochie-skooched down to the very front of the crowd, and ended up beside adam and travis (above). we banded together with dave from boston and a 15year old kid called logan in a shirt and tie, and the five of us shared the time before the show like kids waiting to run downstairs on christmas morning - buzzing with anticipation, bonding over our love for five iron, and sharing what lengths we had gone to to because of the impact the music had on our lives. travis and i even discovered that we had been at the same show in seattle on the winners never quit tour! 

words can't really do justice to the incredible experience the show was - especially being able to share it with people who i knew understood - really understood - how it felt to be there, singing those songs that had brought me so far, in solidarity with a bunch of other misfit kids, who, in this music, found a reason to smile, and a compass pointing to hope. 

just moments before the show started...

every time five iron plays live, they end their set with the song 'Every New Day,' a fan favourite, that talks about the struggles and disillusionment that wear down a childlike faith, and ends with a cry to god, asking for his mercy, and his strength to make a broken spirit new.  

FIF kept this tradition, and closed the new hampshire show with Every New Day, which left few dry eyes in the crowd (and on the stage, actually).  i can find no other word to describe that moment than sacred...where human and divine collide, a thousand voices raised together, unified by hope.

following the lead of the heroes of this story, i'll end this post with a portion of the lyrics of a song that has truly changed my life. every new day. 

when i was young, the smallest trick of light could catch my eye,

and life was new and every new day i thought that i could fly.

i believed in what i hoped for, and i hoped in things unseen,

i had wings and dreams could soar, i just don't feel like flying anymore...

...dear father, i need you, your strength my heart to mend.

i want to fly higher, every new day again.

man versus himself, man versus machine.

man versus the world, mankind versus me.

the struggles go on, the wisdom I lack,

the burdens keep piling up on my back.

so hard to breathe, to take the next step.

the mountain is high, I wait in the depths.

yearning for grace, and hoping for peace - 

dear god, increase!

healing hands of god have mercy on our unclean souls once again.

jesus christ, light of the world burning bright within our hearts forever.

freedom means love without condition, without a beginning or an end.

here's my heart, let it be forever yours,

only you can make every new day seem so new.

if you've made it all the way to the end, you're probably already a five iron fan. but if not, and anything i've written has peaked your interest, check out five iron frenzy's website here. also, the denver post took some pretty rad photos of the band that you can check out here, and an interesting article about their kickstarter campaign here. or, if you want to read more about their reunion, relevant magazine posted an interview here. 

lastly, i simply must say that five iron frenzy makes it clear that the only reason they have been able to do any of this, is because of the grace of god and the love of jesus christ. i'll echo that sentiment, and add that though this music has so massively impacted my life, i know without a doubt that five iron frenzy was (and is) simply a vessel that god has used to show me his great, unfathomable, unconditional love.