Speak, Memory

On another note, I found some new music and revisited an old song today. They made me smile, so I thought I'd share.

This is Lyle Lovett performing a song called If I Had A Boat. I heard it on the show Parenthood last night and promptly had to look it up this morning. I think it is an enchanting song, yet also very playful. I also think it may be Jeremy's new theme song. Could totally see he and Sam standing on a sail boat out at sea! *grin*


Next up is Over The Rhine performing Poughkeepsie. It is a hauntingly beautiful song. I first heard this while we were living in Bloomington and I remember it as a very sad song. I couldn't have been more wrong. After listening with fresh ears, I discovered it was very uplifting and hopeful.

I've spent a better part of my evening updating my music files. For the first time in about two years I went out and bought CDs for myself after being introduced to Great Big Sea at Robin's house. They're an amazing Canadian band in the celtic rock genre. I would group them in with my "Celtic Punk" groups--Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murpheys...

I also discovered Gaelic Storm while wading through Border's idea of music organization. Also an awesome group. Enter The Haggis was another one I listened to, but passed up because I recognized that it would be TOTALLY irresponsible to buy FOUR albums in one day. Talk about binging. See what happens when you deprive yourself for so long? But I want to get some Enter The Haggis next time around, as well as Over The Rhine (also awesome, but NOT celtic or punk).

Anyway, I highly recommend:

1. Great Big Sea
2. Gaelic Storm
3. Flogging Molly

I can't wait to be done updating my laptop iTunes--then comes updating the iPod. And THAT means portable celtic punk! *grin*

My boss just sent me this music video. I love the people I work with. *grin*

Sorry, the format is such that you'll actually have to follow the link to see this little gem. ;)
http://doublesharpevideo.com/CletusTakeReel1/CletusMusicVideo.html

I actually do enjoy a lot of Christian music, but the song this video parodies is so bad, I just think this is wonderful!

Quite by accident I came across one of the most beautiful piano pieces I've ever heard. It is a secret pleasure of mine, the piano. I am only a mediocre player, but I thoroughly enjoy listening to it. As I thought the piece was so beautiful, I wanted to share.

The piece is called The Heart Asks Pleasure First and comes from the motion picture The Piano. I found it as background music to a dressage slide show. As I enjoyed the beautiful horses more than the scenes from the movie, I will share that video instead. But the music is credited incorrectly. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Mr. Mastodon Farm
By: Cake

Birds fall from the window ledge above mine.
Then they flap their wings at the last second.

You see birds fall from the window ledge above mine.
Then they flap their wings at the last second.
I can see their dead weight
Just dropping like stones
For small loaves of bread
Past my window all the time.
But unless I get up,
Walk across the room
And peer down below,
I don't see their last second curves
Toward a horizontal flight.
All these birds just falling from the ledge like stones.

Now due to a construct in my mind
That makes their falling and their flight
Symbolic of my entire existence,
It becomes important for me
To get up and see
Their last second curves toward flight.
It's almost as if my life will fall
Unless I see their ascent.

Mr. Mastodon Farm,
Mr. Mastodon Farm,
Cuts swatches out of all material.
Mr. Mastodon Farm,
Mr. Mastodon Farm,
Cuts swatches out of all material.

Birds fall from the window ledge above mine.
Then they flap their wings at the last second.
I said birds fall from the window ledge above mine.
Then they flap their wings at the last second.
But unless I get up,
Walk across the room
And peer down below,
I won't see their last second curves
Toward a, a horizontal flight.
All these birds just falling from the ledge like stones.

Now due to a construct in my mind
That makes their falling and their flight
Symbolic of my entire existence,
It becomes important for me
To get up and see
Their last second curves toward flight.
It's almost like my life will fall,
My life will fall,
Unless I see their ascent.

Mr. Mastodon Farm,
Mr. Mastodon Farm,
Cuts swatches out of all material.
Mr. Mastodon Farm,
Mr. Mastodon farm,
Cuts swatches out of all material.
Mr. Mastodon Farm,
Mr. Mastodon farm,
Cuts swatches out of all material.

Here. Here is my place. Here among the grasses and the breeze and the rolling storm clouds that bear down upon us. Here, where the scent of horseflesh fills my nose and I can feel their hooves impacting the ground even as I stand across the field from them. Here is where I belong.





I am beginning to feel closure here in this city. I can’t really say that I will miss it, though I’ve had a good time here and wouldn’t change the last three years for the world. Without it, I wouldn’t have Ann or Robin or Jeremy. I wouldn’t have had many other experiences, including growing closer to my big brother and his family. But I am ready to go to a smaller city with more rural spaces, fresh vegetables, cows, buffalo, and horses. I look forward to our yard with the small garden patch and the clothesline and the large deck that I want to refinish and stain. I will need curtains and floor rugs. Linseed oil. I will need Linseed oil. The counters are made of wood and they have no seal coating, so we have to oil them every so often.
( Invitation: Into the Garden of Eden. No RSVP required. )

First, list ten artists that you like, and then answer the questions.

1. Carbon Leaf
2. Flogging Molly
3. Counting Crows
4. Dead Can Dance
5. Johnny Cash
6. Allison Kraus
7. Coldplay
8. Pink Floyd
9. Haley Bonar
10. Dar Williams
__________________________________________________________________________________________

What was the first song you ever heard by 6?
“Georgia”

What is your favorite album of 8?
God, it’s so hard to pick just one. Probably Meddle.

What is your favorite lyric that 5 has sung?
“Well, there's things that never will be right I know/And things need changin' everywhere you go/But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right/You'll never see me wear a suit of white.”

How many times have you seen 4 live?
Kind of an ironic question, don’t ya’ think?

What's your favorite song of 7?
“Swallowed in the Sea”. But they did an AWESOME cover of “Ring of Fire”

What is a good memory you have considering the music of 10?
That safe feeling I always found when I could hide away in the workshop for hours doing god only knows what the summer I worked at a camp in Michigan.

Is there a song of 3 that makes you sad?
No, I can’t really say there is. Though sometimes, in an ironic kind of way, I feel sadness creeping in during “American Girls”

What is your favorite lyric that 2 has sung?
“It’s been the worst day since yesterday”
“If I ever leave this world alive”
“Somebody told me you were doin’ ok. Somehow I guess they were wrong.”

What is your favorite song by 9?
“Drinkin’ Again”

How did you get in to 3?
I bought a CD thinking it was black crows (because I didn’t used to be good with band names) and then realized it wasn’t. But, I held on to the CD forever until one day I heard a song on the radio and I was like “Huh, that song name sounds familiar.” and low-and-behold, it was from the counting crows cd “Hard Candy” Turns out, I like them a lot.

What was the first song you heard by 1?
“What About Everything”

What is your favorite song by 4?
“The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove”


How many times have you seen 9 live?
I don’t even think she is touring …

What is a good memory you have concerning 2?
My mother’s name is Molly. She is always interested in what things I like, including my music. So, despite the wretched name (in her opinion) she listened to the music and almost liked it. Too bad for the mention of rats.

Is there a song of 8 that makes you sad?
No, but everything on “Piper at the Gates of Dawn” makes me laugh. *grin*

What is your favorite lyric that 3 has sung?
“Got a message in my head/that the papers had all gone/Richard Manuel is dead/And the daylight's coming on”

What is your favorite song of 1?
“The Sea”