Twilight Concert Series taking form

Summer is slowly and cautiously creeping its way into the shadows of the Wasatch Mountains and I'm ready.  One of my favorite things about summer in Salt Lake City is the Twilight Concert Series at the Gallivan Center located downtown.  I've been attending for eight or so years and each year the line-up gets better and better.   Last year, Calexico was the highlight for me.  The official line-up hasn't been announced yet, but one show has leaked its way out: Andrew Bird will playing on July 17th, apparently with Josh Ritter opening.

Anybody who knows me or reads this blog knows that I was blown away by Mr. Bird's show in L.A. last December - the fact that he'll be playing for free in Salt Lake gets me even more excited for my favorite month of the year to roll around in all its sultry glory.  Josh Ritter is a singer-songwriter with a folky-roots rock sound who is adored by the folks at NPR.  His excellent 2007 release, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter ended up on a lot of year-end top ten lists.

Take note and mark the date.  This will be a free show you will not want to miss.

Andrew Bird - Dark Matter (Live) from Fingerlings 3  

Andrew Bird - The Naming of Things from The Mysterious Production of Eggs

Andrew Bird - Plasticities from Armchair Apocrypha

Andrew Bird - Daytrotter Sessions link

Josh Ritter - Girl in the War from The Animal Years

Josh Ritter - Mind's Eye from The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter

Josh Ritter - The Temptation of Adam from The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter

Josh Ritter - Me & Jiggs from The Golden Age of Radio

Beautiful Birdsongs in the City of Angels

I return from Los Angeles unscathed, yet somewhat disillusioned by the freeze that has entrenched itself along the Wasatch Front. I always forget someting when I travel, this time it was my toothbrush (which as to be the most-oft forgotten item in traveling) and, sadly, the digital camera. Boo to me.

Some things I noticed: I don't get what a lot of people around Utah (or the U.S.) are doing complaining about Spanish being too prevelant. A common comment I hear is "learn the language or leave". Most of the arguments against immigration in the country I have heard sound couched in racism, now and historically, whether it be against Irish, Italians, the Slavic or Hispanics. Driving around L.A. (and whenever I visit a true metropolitan) reminded me just how much the United States is an immigrant country, that it is essentially hypocritical for us to carry on in such a way that some do, talking about deporting people who have lived here for years working hard and depriving their children (who have done nothing wrong) of basic rights in healthcare and education. Koreatown, Thaitown, Chinatown - these are all unique elements that add to Los Angeles's identity in a positive way. Incidentally, people of Hispanic descent are now the largest ethnic "group" in the city.

The consumerism aspect was great, in a used sort of way. I spent bills quite freely and got two (used) shirts, a new (very slightly used) pair of sneakers, a (used)hoodie and a new hat (as if I don't have enough of those) at Buffalo Exchange and narrowed the dozens of vinyl finds at Ameoba Records to Los Lobos, Sunset Rubdown, George Jones, The National, Randy Newman and Camper Van Beehtoven. (I could literally spend days there. I made a foray over to the hip/hop and electronica sections only to run away - my list was already too large from browsing just the rock.) I also picked up an Andrew Bird vinyl and tee at the concert.



About the concert: Andrew Bird was amazing, spectacular. I never realized what a presence he is on stage - a true showman. The music that he creates live is overwhelmingly beautiful - I've listened to and loved his records, but seeing him pull it off live gives such depth to his talent and adds an extra dimension to the musical textures he creates. Decked out in a three-piece suit, he played a few songs solo, just him, his violin and his loop pedal, before bringing out Martin Dosh (his great solo work can be found on one of my favorite labels, anticon) and Jeremy Ylvisaker to join him for the remainder of the show. He covered a lot of territory from his two most recent albums - Armchair Apocrypha and The Mysterious Production of Eggs, threw in a few older tunes and played a new one - about "if humans were to evolve into something else in the space of their own lifetime" called, I believe, "Anom-A." It was the best live show I have seen in a long time, certainly the most moving I've seen this year. There points when the beauty of it all nearly brought me to tears. It was so intimate that I felt throughout the show that he wasn't playing for a crowd of a couple thousand, but rather for me a dozen people in a small room (and the Orpheum's architecture and atmosphere were a boon to the music).

I've a good bit of Bird lately. Oh well, here's more, along with some Dosh. "Simple X" is one that Andrew Bird put lyrics to a Dosh song, "Simple Exercises." Listen for Bird's violin samples on "Um, Circles and Squares". It's hard to miss.

Andrew Bird - Measuring Cups (Live) (from Fingerlings 3)
Andrew Bird - Simple X (from Armchair Apocrypha)
Dosh - Simple Exercises (from Pure Trash)
Dosh - Um, Circles and Squares (from The Lost Take)
Dosh - I Think I'm Getting Married (from Pure Trash)

Winter here to stay? Andrew Bird is!

There's something about a physical, visual finality of metamorphosis that is so beautiful. Along the Wasatch Front tonight, we were witness to what could be called the end of autumn and the beginning of winter. After weeks of hearing about ski resorts pushing back their opening dates and the predictions of future drought from climatologists, we were finally treated to the first real snow of the season.

Before now, there have been flakes in the air, but not much stuck. While this wasn't exactly a substantial snowstorm, there is a good couple of inches that managed to stick on the ground. It's quite late in the year for the snow to finally signal winter is around the corner, it seems like there's usually a good storm pre-Halloween. But I walked out of work this evening excited and entranced. The snow was falling haphazardly, in a mad rush to get to the ground and make its claim on the season, to show the warm fall days we've been having who owns the climate now.

Autumn is my favorite season - as I've written before - but in the past couple of years, I've picked up snowshoeing, so winter has gotten a passionate boost. I wasn't really prepared for it when I first broke in my new pair a couple of years back, after about two hundred yards up a not-too-steep grade I was gasping and panting. (The first snow hike of the season is always like that and after gorging during the Thanksgiving holiday, I'm ready for a good, cold slap in the face.) But I kept it up and found the exhilaration and solace that the woods in winter time can bring. I love the way the world is muted after new-fallen snow, and outside the confines of the city, the serenity and harmony of things that this brings is magnified. Plus, bombing down a steep slope in your snowshoes with some sturdy snowboard boots to keep the ankles stiff is really something else.

So, welcome Winter, I hope you're hear to stay and bless us in Utah with mounds of that airy, dry snow that you so expertly whip up each year.



Oh, and how about cheering up your day a bit with some Andrew Bird? The folks over at Daytrotter recently lured Mr. Bird into their studio with the band Diagona backing him up and released these songs. If you've never encountered any Daytrotter Sessions before, you should definitely check out the website. A studio located in Rock Island, Illinois, it's enviously fantastic how Daytrotter gets so many relevant and masterful musicians into their quarters to re-work or lay down songs to be released free to the public. Here are the songs from the Bird Sessions. "A Breaks B" is apparently a Diagona original, to be released on a future album and "The Giant of Illinois" is a Handsome Family song, who happen to be currently on tour with Bird. The versions of these other songs are lush, interesting, but still not too-foreign from the album originals. "Fiery Crash" in particular is allowed to take a little more meditative time compared to the more urgent take on Armchair Apocrypha.

Fiery Crash (Daytrotter Sessions)
Lull (Daytrotter Sessions)
A Breaks B (Daytrotter Sessions)
Pasticities (Daytrotter Sessions)
The Giant of Illinois (Daytrotter Sessions)

Sunday Mix #1

Today is a beautiful Sunday -- bright and sunny, mild and lazy. Enjoy the mix.

Sunday Morning - The Velvet Underground
Dark Matter - Andrew Bird
Crazy Dreams - Jolie Holland
Mandan Dink - Death Vessel
Hold On - Tom Waits
Golden - My Morning Jacket
Buckets of Rain - Neko Case
(Do You Wanna)Come Walk With Me - Isobell Campbell and Mark Lanegan
The Orchids - Califone
Psalm - M. Ward
One For The Rose - Ryan Adams
What Light? - Wilco