The Steve Miller Band//Jet Airliner

This is one of those songs that you know really well without knowing exactly why or how. It plays in malls, rest stops. It probably played a lot on a radio station you listened to at some point in your youth. You know, one that plays the hits of the 60s, 70s, 80s and today (because when you were listening, "today" was the 90s).

Like all songs you know without knowing, you know the words to the chorus and the era (from the production values), but probably can't name the band. I took some guesses before going to Google and The Steve Miller Band was definitely on my list, along with those bands named after US states and cities, like Kansas and Chicago. What's up with that, by the way?

Anyway, turns out The Steve Miller Band has done a few songs in this vein that I actually like, including "Take the Money and Run" and "The Joker." You know, "some people call me the space cowboy, some call me the gangster of love." Ah, but that's another post. Of course, The Steve Miller Band is also responsible for one of my least favorite songs ever, "Fly Like An Eagle." Space Jam, anyone? Time keeps on slippin slippin slippin into the future.

Because there are constant generational taste wars occurring in the home I grew up in, I actually called my mom to tell her that I found out that I like The Steve Miller Band. I usually tend to side with my dad on the fact that the 70s weren't exactly the best time for music (or maybe anything?). My mom also implored me to go find "Jungle Love." Apparently she did her routine to try out for the high school pom pom team to it and she totally made the cut. I just went ahead and downloaded a Greatest Hits compilation. Karen wins this one, dad.

The two best things about this song are the chorus, which is repetitive but incredibly catchy, and the riff, which I think is a little too tough for the song it's part of, like a dog whose bark is bigger than his bite. The chorus is a statement you can get behind (and could be as much about staying in the right state of mind as the right place, I've come to believe) and the riff makes you feel like you've really conquered something with the power of rock and roll, even if it is just kind of a glorified lightly country fried heartland pop song you're listening to.

Also, I saw Greenberg over the weekend. I'm not going to get into that movie (again, that's another post) but it opens with Greta Gerwig driving around LA while this song plays in the background. It was strangely effective.



Jet Airliner.mp3

Big old jet airliner,
Don't carry me too far away.
Big old jet airliner,
Cause it's here that I've got to stay.

Big Brother and the Holding Company//Coo Coo

This morning I woke up with “Mercedes-Benz” in my head and sort of took it as a sign.

Here is a list of the things that Janis Joplin reminds me of, in no order:

-Being in San Francisco
-Jackie Jormp-Jomp
-The best thing in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
-Beth Ditto (or rather, the other way around)
-Drugs
-Leonard Cohen’s “The Chelsea Hotel”
-My dad telling me, over and over again, how Big Brother and The Holding Company (see below) was a much better band than the Kozmic Blues Band

I think this song is about some kind of beautiful but cruel love-killing bird with a silly name, although I’m sure they were all on so many hallucinogens that it’s kind of hard to tell. Regardless, it is righteous in that one-minute-fifty-nine-second-thrash-around-your-bedroom way.



Coo Coo.mp3

Every time that she passes,
My true love says goodbye.

Michael Leonhart & Avramina 7//Scopolamine

Flash back and forward Monday Mail!
What is Monday Mail?

I will add sending me a picture of the record that contains the song you are sending to the list of ways to get my attention when it comes to submissions. This is exactly what Truth & Soul did and yeah, it works:

Long time trumpet player for many of the T&S releases, Michael Leonhart has masterfully created something that sounds like the musical love child of R.D Burman, Fela Kuti, & Beck. A mix of reverb drenched vocals, afro beat horns, and fluttering tablas all work in perfect harmony on The Avramina 7's first single on Truth & Soul.

Truth be told, I am usually deluged with all the newest hits (and non-hits) from indie rockers, popsters and folkers from around the world. Now, that’s cool. I do really like those genres and if you regularly read this blog, you might like them too. That said, what I most enjoy is the mind-blowing variety that comes with listening to EVERYTHING under the sun. So, when an amazingly funky JAM with so much natural GROOVE shows up in my inbox, I cannot resist.

Please tell me you have a cigar you can smoke, a skinny tie you can wear and a desk you can put your feet up on while you listen to this smooth track. It’s by Michael Leonhart aka the youngest Grammy recipient in history. Leonhart, who has performed with everyone from Yoko Ono to Mos Def to Caetano Veloso to Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, has somehow made his music sound at once like a throwback to 70s funk and like a fast forward to some kind of futuristic genre mashup. His newest album is a concept piece called Seahorse and The Storyteller, which, from the few tracks I listened to, is definitely worth checking out. From the Truth & Soul site:

While on the road with Steely Dan in 2005, Leonhart came up with the idea to record a concept record that would meld the styles of Bollywood funk scores, 60's psychedelic rock, and the mythical storytelling of artists like Peter, Paul, & Mary and Donovan. "Seahorse and The Storyteller" is a modern musical opera that in the words of Leonhart, "tells the story of two mythical creatures who meet, fall in love and begin piecing together the mysteries of each others past."

Rad.



Scopolamine.mp3

What’s she doing with that bottle of spraypaint?

The Ferdy Mayne//Diver (Shallow Water)

Hipsilanti: Local Music Friday
What's up with Local Music Fridays?

One of my favorite things about going on tour is getting to hear and meet lots of awesome bands from different parts of the country. I realize this is kind of selfish, but there's part of me that feels like the shows constitute some kind of personalized multi-city festival that only I (and, ahem, the rest of Palmyra) get to attend. Something else about tour is that you learn to expect that one or two shows might be shitty, either because of a shitty crowd or a shitty lineup. While our show in GR was definitely a bit thin, I am happy to report that we played with nothing but fantastically talented bands. There was not a bad group on any bill. Such a luxury!

In Detroit, we played with White Pines, Chris Bathgate and a band reccomended to me by Brandon called The Ferdy Mayne. Let me say that I LOVED these guys. Led by the charming and roguish Shane Firek (who at one point introduced the band as "The Farty Boys"), TFM were not only super sweet dudes, but they also put on one hell of a show. They simultaneously owned the stage and had a rollicking good time. The music itself is a little bit of alt-country, a little bit 90s indie and a little bit rock and roll. I can get down.

The group is presumably named after the German actor, Ferdy Mayne, although I have no idea why.



Diver (Shallow Water).mp3

Hear more Ferdy Mayne.

The Clash//White Man In Hammersmith Palais

While doing a bit of research on yesterday's song, I learned that The Clash sang a snippet of the lyrics from "54-46" in the song "Jail Guitar Doors."

Of course, this got me thinking about The Clash and "White Man in Hammersith Palais," which is my favorite song by the group. I first heard it on a mixtape given to me by a girl who I had a giant crush on in high school in 1999. The tape also included songs by Bikini Kill, Heft, The Specials, Archers of Loaf and Tori Amos. It was one hell of a mixtape. It was called "Tape 4 U." I still have it and I still listen to it.

When we were on tour last week, my longtime friend and bandmate Kenny and I had a long conversation about this girl. She was a junior when we were freshmen and we were both totally head-over-heals in love with her. Actually, I've only experienced the kind of crush I had on her a few terrible times. You know the kind I'm talking about. You're completely dizzy and unable to hold any kind of normal conversation whenever the person appears. It's not fun and you feel like a total dope.

At the end of our senior year, she came up to me and told me that Kenny and I were the only freshmen she thought were worth a damn. Swoon, swoon, swoon. Looking back on it, I'm sure we blew the whole phenomenon out of proportion, but when you're 14 and stuck in a boring suburb with limited options, a cute girl who listens to hip pseudo-underground music and wants to read your tarot cards in French class instead of, you know, actually learning French, kinda knocks your socks off.

Anyway, I still listen to that tape and think back fondly on how young and stupid I was. Plus, did I mention that this song is a jam? It was written about a disappointing reggae concert that some members of The Clash attended in Hammersmith/Shepard's Bush. Ultimately, this song is a comment about selling out, playing music for the wrong reasons and using counter culture for profit. The lyrics also touch on a number of hot button social issues at the time in the UK, including racism and poverty.

In 2004, the song was put on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. One last little tidbit about the song: it was one of Joe Strummer's favorites and he kept playing it with his new band, The Mescaleros, until his death. It was also played at his funeral. Badass.



White Man In Hammersmith Palais.mp3

White youth, black youth
Better find another solution.
Why not phone up Robin Hood
And ask him for some wealth distribution?

Punk rockers in the UK,
They won't notice anyway.
They're all too busy fighting
For a good place under the lighting.

The new groups are not concerned
With what there is to be learned.
They got Burton suits,
Ha, you think it's funny?
Turning rebellion into money.

Toots and the Maytals, Sublime//54-46

Pat and I played this song the last time we DJed, which got me thinking about it. Then, Mary asked about the Sublime cover, which got me thinking about that. Then, I started thinking (all this thinking!) about how I owed you an extra song to make up for my crazy schedule.

As per covers, the original version of this by Jamaican reggae legends Toots and the Maytals is WAY, WAY better. TatMs (originally just called The Maytals and led by Frederick "Toots" Hibbert) recorded this version in 1969. The song is about Toots’ time in prison, which he served after being arrested for marijuana possession.

The 90s AlternaSkaPunk outfit Sublime covered the song on their classic 40 Oz. to Freedom album, which I enjoyed abundantly in the late middle school and early high school period of my life. Some people hate Sublime, but I still kinda love ‘em (I Am Not Ashamed) and was not afraid to blast this album from my porch during my Ann Arbor days.

I heard a rumor that the band was still touring, but I doubt they could be very good, as the late singer/guitarist Brad Nowell was really who kept them sounding interesting.



54-46 Was My Number.mp3 (Toots Version)



54-46 That's My Number/Ball And Chain.mp3 (Sublime Version)

54 46 was my number.
Right now, someone else has that number.

Lauryn Hill//Lost Ones

I’m back on the grid! Tour was a total blast, but I have to say, I am having serious trouble with the re-entry. For the last week, I’ve had very limited access to all things electronic and was hanging out with new and old friends in different cities every night. Yesterday morning, Karl and I were sharing a pear by some train tracks and talking about how we felt like some kind of hobos that didn’t exist anymore. Then, today, I’m back at the office. It’s freaky.

Anyway, in addition to going old school in life, we went (somewhat) old school in our van and only listened to CDs for our whole trip. This was fun and also refreshing. When I heard this song come on (I was in the WAY BACK at that point), I was so excited. I yelled up to the front seat, “is this The Miseducation?! Please tell me we have this whole album! Please tell me we also have The Score!” Kenny confirmed that yes, it was and yes, we did and yes, we also did. YESSS!

I don’t think I’ve listened to this since high school, but shit, it rules. Lauryn Hill should only rap and never sing, something she completely got wrong after this one. Additionally, she hadn’t yet gone off the deep end of Jesus and cults and making everyone call her “Empress.” Whoa, Nelly. It's also interesting how this song starts with the line, “it’s funny how money changes situations,” considering the musicians who helped make this album (aka New Ark) had to sue Hill to be paid for it and settled with her to the tune of $5 million out of court.

Anyway, crazy pants antics aside, some of these tracks are Hill at her finest (“Doo Wop (That Thing)”was both a number one hit and a number one jam). My friend Tom Walker actually gave me this album. He was teaching me how to drive and we started talking about The Fugees. He told me I had to hear it and it showed up in the mail a few days later. Getting handmade postcards or music in the (snail) mail unexpectedly is basically the best ever. Speaking of, I’m really looking forward to opening up the package that contains a Pony Pants album. Oh, yes yes.



Lost Ones.mp3

Some wan’ play young Lauryn like she dumb,
But remember not a game new under the sun.
Everything you did has already been done.
I know all the tricks from Bricks to Kingston.

Mates of State//Proofs, My Only Offer

I think I got into Mates of State, husband-and-wife indie pop team Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel, somewhere during my freshman year of college. I went to see them live soon after and my friends and I were all just amazed at how IN LOVE they seemed. I think we joked about them having sex on stage. Sorry. We were young and crass.

It’s weird—when I first saw them, I felt like I would never be in a relationship that was like that (or, that was like their relationship seemed—who knows how it really IS), so whole and good and together. Now that I finally am, their music conveys a new kind of energy to me and I hear the love bliss in the sound even more than before.

The Mates are kind of an interesting band because I really do think that their “togetherness” is integral to their sound, just as Quasi’s apartness as a couple influences their sound. While Quasi’s members go eagerly into their own strong directions and make amazing music from there, MoS have a strangely pure harmony that is kind of unique to them, as if the music is a representation of their fused aesthetics.

The couple is still together and they’re still making music (and PETA ads) too. They also have a few kids now. Cute.

If you can’t take the all the cuteness (once they even served as the house band to everyone’s favorite borderline precious radio show), you might be tempted to skip out on the Mates. But I’m telling you, don’t! Just give it a try and let yourself consider for a moment, however brief, that true love might exist. I promise it will be catchy poppy fun…and you can always listen to Moz next.



"Proofs" is the first song on My Solo Project and I love how it starts.

Proofs.mp3

The lyrics to "My Only Offer" read like a nano fiction modern classic.

My Only Offer.mp3

I’m on tour next week, my darlings, so OSS will be off until Monday. Hope you have a great week!

One for the Team//Best Supporting Actress

And Monday Mail goes to...
What is Monday Mail, anyway?

I’m not going to lie. If you’re sending me an email asking me to check out your band, and you write “my band recorded at John Vanderslice’s Tiny Telephone Studio,” and that’s actually true, for better or for worse, I am definitely going to listen to your music.

Mpls-based One for the Team did just that. From Patrick at Afternoon Records:

Minneapolis, MN, March 5, 2010 – Minneapolis' own One for the Team are heading out on the road for a few weeks, starting tonight in Fargo, ND.

“Ghosts” was recorded during the fall of 2009 at Tiny Telephone in San Francisco, California. The album is the 3rd LP from the Minneapolis indie-pop group, following 2006's “Good Boys Don't Make Noise”, 2008's “Build It Up”, and 2009's “Build A Garden EP”.

This track is actually from the previous Build A Garden EP, but OftT definitely has the kind of pop chops that should be watched. Also, "Best Supporting Artist" is just a really good name for a song.

They're playing tonight at Cake Shop and tomorrow at Bruar Falls. Then, consider just staying at Bruar Falls, because we'll be there the next day.



Best Supporting Actress.mp3

I'm different without you
And I don't expect you to understand.

Jes Kramer//We Will Be Warm

So we didn't exactly "meet" yet: Local Music Friday
What's up with Local Music Fridays?

Isn't it basically so weird that the internet lets you return to random conversations, times and people by just saving and hosting EVERYTHING? A simple Gmail search brings back the heat of your first correspondences with with a certain ex, that dispute with your landlord or an email you wrote to your best friend about some cool new band you found. It doesn't matter when these things were sent. They're all there and fully keywordable.

Sadly, as we all know, Myspace is no Gmail. As a result, I'm not able to go back in time to see the first exchange I had with Grand Rapids pop whiz Jes Kramer (wow, two GR bands in a local music row!), although I can guess that it was probably around the year 2005 and that it was probably about a show. I'm not quite sure how I stumbled upon Jes's music, but I immediately felt a lot of affinity for her unique brand of lo-fi pop.

Jes and I have never played a show together, although I know we were supposed to at least a few times. Something always went wrong. Well, that's about to end next week as Palmyra and Jes play together in Grand Rapids at The DAAC.

Until then (and also until this odd winter-to-spring transition weather settles down), please enjoy this charming track.



We Will Be Warm.mp3

My head's in knots with Einstein quotes
And thoughts of weather patterns,
The terror of experimenting on the things that matter.

Quasi//Little Lord Fontleroy

I don't know why I want to post this song today, but I do. I love Quasi. Ex-married couple Sam Coomes (who was in Heatmiser with Elliott Smith) and Janet Weiss (of Sleater Kinney and The Jicks) just make the best fucking sounds. Coomes' lyrics are often angry, bitter and paranoid, but they also tend to ring true set against his signature warped keyboard sound. And I maintain that Janet Weiss is basically the best drummer ever.

These guys put on one hell of a live show and are still at it. Try to see them, please. Make sure you get a spot where you can watch Janet.

This song is from one of my favorite albums, The Sword of God.

Its title is a reference to the late-1800s children's novel, Little Lord Fauntleroy:

"Little Lord Fauntleroy" is now most often used as a term of derision. It describes a pompous spoiled brat, usually a young male, who takes his wealth and privilege for granted (while this is obviously not consistent with the original character, it is inspired by the perceived self-righteousness of the little lord, and an assumed odiousness in his overweening goodness).



Little Lord Fontleroy.mp3

You're all alone
On your velvet throne.

(Slightly) unrelated reminder: if you're in NYC, I'm DJing tonight at Outpost in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Bring us some records to play!

The Cardigans, Black Sabbath, Four Tet//Iron Man

I can’t resist doing this. I’m going to be doing taxes tomorrow, so please accept today’s song, tomorrow’s song and a bonus song for your troubles…and the fact that you are going to have to do your taxes too.

Yesterday’s eulogy for Mark Linkous made me think of The Cardigans (he often worked with Nina Persson). Remember First Band on the Moon? I kind of loved that album, all full of sugary Swedish pop, including the single, “Lovefool,” which was featured in everyone’s favorite onscreen version of Romeo and Juliet. I remember reading an article about them (probably also in Rolling Stone—oh, high school) and how even though the band played 60s-inspired pop music, they were secretly all super metal nerds! That explains their fantastic cover of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man”.

Then, I thought, if I was going to give you The Cardigans version, I should probably also give you the original, because of how I feel about covers. A little background, from Wikipedia:

The title of the song was conceived by Ozzy Osbourne. Geezer Butler took to writing the lyrics around the title. To avoid copyright infringement involving the superhero of the same name, he made it the story of a vengeful villain instead of a hero…
The lyrics tell the story of a man who time travels into the future of the world, and sees the apocalypse. In the process of returning to the present, he is turned into steel by a magnetic field. He is rendered mute, unable verbally to warn people of his time of the impending destruction. His attempts to communicate are ignored and mocked. This causes Iron Man to become angry, and have his revenge on mankind, causing the destruction seen in his vision.

After reading that, I really felt like “Iron Man” was the right song to post here as I prepare to do my taxes. Hopefully my frustration with my W2s won’t render me mute and then force me to bring about massive revenge on mankind in the form of complete destruction.

To solve that potential problem, I wanted to include a decidedly mellower version of the song here as well. I stumbled across this really beautiful instrumental cover by electronic musician Four Tet and thought he might help The Cardigans balance out the METAL DESTRUCTION. If tax time is getting you down, consider listening to the covers. If you already got your refund, crank up the original and thrash about thinking of how you have destroyed that which has spurned you (the government?).

Also, you might want to one check out of the (many) other covers. Why so many versions of this iconic heavy metal song? Probably because it’s got one of the best, most memorable lead guitar riffs ever. If a measure of greatness is directly correlated to the number of YouTube videos spawned, eat your Goddamn heart out, darling little British kids. Metal has destroyed you.



Iron Man.mp3 (Cardigans)



Iron Man.mp3 (Black Sabbath)



Iron Man.mp3 (Four Tet)

Nobody wants him
He just stares at the world
Planning his vengeance
That he will soon unfurl

Sparklehorse//Piano Fire

I always enjoyed listening to Sparklehorse (AKA Mark Linkous) and I often vowed to listen to more. I remember reading an article about Linkous in Rolling Stone (haha) in high school, then downloading some tracks. Later, an ex who really liked his stuff put many songs on many mixes for me. They always stood out as highlights.

His songs could be slow and melancholy or distorted and noise-poppy. Always catchy and interestingly orchestrated with unlikely sounds, Linkous made music that sounded genuine and true to himself.

If you have music nerd friends and have logged into your social network of choice in the last day or so, you probably already know that Linkous committed suicide on Saturday. Sadly, some did not find it surprising. In 1995, he almost ODed on a combo of anti-depressants, valium, alcohol and heroin. The incident stopped his heart for several minutes and left him wheelchair-bound for months. Of course, regardless of the previous incident, this is a terrible loss.

Preceding his sad and premature death, Linkous had completed a new album with Danger Mouse called Dark Night of the Soul. The album, which features members of The Shins, The Flaming Lips, Grandaddy, The Strokes, The Pixies, The Cardigans, Neutral Milk Hotel and more (as well as a bunch of inevitably weird David Lynch photos), may never be released due to a dispute with EMI, but you can stream it here.

This song, one of my all time favorites, is from the Wonderful Life album, which featured Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, and Dave Fridmann, among others. I remember sitting in Angel Hall late one night trying to write a paper and listening to it on repeat, never getting sick of it. RIP ML.



Piano Fire.mp3

How do you feel?
How do you feel?
I can’t seem to breath with a rusted metal heart.
I can’t seem to see through solid marble eyes.

The Mighty Narwhale//Rosie (I'm Taking You Out)

Swim toward the weekend: Local Music Friday
What's up with Local Music Fridays?

I met Jon Pataky, one of the wizards behind wildly popular (now sadly disbanded) Grand Rapids band The Mighty Narwhale, through my friend Katy.

I somehow got my hands on this recording of this song (likely off the group's Myspace) at the very beginning, before they had even released an album yet. This is a demo version and you can hear it. It's grainy and the recording has some bumps in it. Still, probably because of the time I was in in my life, I always sort of liked it more than the verison recorded for their album. It's raw and because of that, the song's essence is really captured.

Even though TMN is no more, Jon is still making music. His new band, The Wonder Caverns, debuts with The Juliets at The DAAC in Grand Rapids, MI on 4/1. You can also get your Narwhale fix by buying their album on eMusic.



Rosie (I'm Taking You Out).mp3

Far away from the static of this town.

Sebadoh, The Breeders//Freed Pig

Sorry, guys. Yesterday was a little busy and then I had to go play a show. As a result, I was OSS derelict. I hope you can forgive me. As usual, two songs today is my way of trying to make it up to you.

You know how most of the time, the book is better than the movie. I usually feel this way about covers too--the original almost always trumps the cover. However, in this case, I feel completely torn. Both versions of this song are fucking fantastic.

Sebadoh, which was comprised of members Dinosaur Jr., Folk Implosion and (strangely) Fiery Furnaces), was a band that definied the late 80s/early 90s lo-fi indie sound. In keeping with this, their (original) version of "Freed Pig" is grainy and slightly meandering, with plenty of treble-heavy guitar sound out in front.

The Breeders, who I've discussed much on this blog and actually were the feature of the first OSS post ever, quickened the tempo significantly and punk'ed up the guitar lines and drums.

I hope these help you through your Thursday. I need all the help I can get.



The Freed Pig.mp3 (Sebadoh Version)



The Freed Pig.mp3 (Breeders Version)

Cut me first,
Make it easy.

Ted Leo//Biomusicology

On Saturday, May 5, 2007, I was with my friend Pat (who now plays in Any Day Parade) and we were seeing Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at Webster Hall. It was an amazing show. Live, Leo rips songs to shreds with what seems to be never-ending energy. He covered (of all things) a Chumbawumba song, and made it sound incredible. He also shouted out Essex County, the county in New Jersey where both Pat and I grew up. We yelled “JERSEY!” back, obviously to show our support.

Even though Leo is a Jersey boy (born in South Bend, Indiana, but grew up in Bloomfield), I didn’t hear him until I was in Michigan. I remember being in my friend Tash’s car with our friend Dan. Dan put this album on and this song started up and I had to stop mid-sentence to ask, “WHO IS THIS?” So good.

There’s something about Ted Leo’s energy and songwriting that hooks you immediately, like somebody grabbing you by the throat, but in a friendly way. In a way that makes you want to say, “hey, I liked how you grabbed me by the throat! Can you do that again?”



Biomusicology.mp3

All in all, we cannot stop singing.
We cannot start sinking.
We swim until it ends.
They may kill and we may be parted
But we will ne'er be broken hearted.

Strand of Oaks//End in Flames

Monday's Mail is Wednesday's Show.
What is Monday Mail, anyway?

It was funny to get this email from Jessi at Goldest Egg:

Strand of Oaks is Timothy Showalter, an Indiana Mennonite turned Pennsylvania Hebrew Dayschool teacher who even drives the school bus for extra cash (and has sing-alongs with the pupils as they ease on down the road). While escaping a relationship gone worse, Showalter returned home one day to a house burned down, leaving all of his earthly possessions charred in flames. Spending nights in downtown hotels and on park benches with a borrowed guitar, he began to face the proverbial demons. Like any good roller coaster ride there came an upside, as inspiration grew like weeds within the rubble; songs led to shows, which led to tours of the US and UK with Jason Anderson and Kimya Dawson.

Strand of Oaks will dazzle audiences on this tour covering the mid-west and east coast with fellow crooner White Pines.

You might say, g, bad relationships and fires aren’t actually funny--and you would be right. They’re not. What’s funny about this email is that one of the shows that Jessi wanted to tell me about is one I’ll be playing with Palmyra. You may recognize that name, White Pines, from a previous local music OSS post. Palmyra’s playing a number of shows with Joe (White Pines) during March, including one on 3/3 in Brooklyn with Strand of Oaks. Bingo! Funny?

I hadn’t had the pleasure of listening to any Strand of Oaks until recently, but now that I have, I’m so excited that we get to play a show with him. His songs are pretty, quiet, lush and heartfelt. His lyrics are earnest without overdoing it, all set against a backdrop of the kind of acoustic guitar tone that makes me jealous, in a good way. Also he recently covered Bruce Springsteen’s “Used Cars” from my favorite Nebraska--a man after my own heart.

We'll all be together this Wednesday at Zebulon in Brooklyn. The show is free and starts at 8. Hope very much to see you there.

In case you’re not in NY, Tim and Joe still have a few more dates left on their tour.



End in Flames.mp3

This is what it feels like
To see the world end in flames.