- I have been just FULL of nostalgia lately for 90s music, for some inexplicable reason. I turned 12 in 1990 and 22 in 2000, so obviously this was an important decade musically for me, but really, I just love so much of that music-- grunge and women singer-songwriters and Smashing Pumpkins and Achtung Baby and Nirvana... NPR agrees with me. (Related, I also am full of nostalgia right now for the fashion of the 90s; I really want to wear long flowy skirts with Doc Martens.)
- I have a deep and abiding love for subversive use of the banjo. I believe this is born out of my dad's banjo playing, although he is more of a traditional banjo player with straight-up bluegrass and whatnot. I just loooooove people using the banjo in unexpected ways, though; Bela Fleck and Blind Pilot and Sufjan Stevens come to mind.
- I have been playing piano at our new church here for a few months now, which has been really fun. It's downright amusing how DIFFERENT it can be to play at different churches; people come to church music with such a variety of backgrounds and levels of training and whatnot. I consider myself very lucky that all the communities I've played as part of have been nurturing and positive and Christ-centered, but even so it takes some adjustment to get used to such unique musical cultures. Why, WHY don't guitar players read music?
- I feel sort of ready to own a piano, at some point in the not-too-distant future. I don't know if it will happen because gosh, pianos are expensive. And heavy. And I'm not sure where we would put it. But I'd really like to live in the same house with one again sometime (I haven't since living with my parents in high school) and I would be pretty happy if eventually our kids learned to play. We'll see.
- One of the most shocking musical experiences of my life came when I turned on Austin City Limits one evening and realized that I liked Willie Nelson. This was back in the pre-DVR days (I was in college, I think?) and I don't believe it would have even happened at all if I'd been using a DVR at the time; I would have seen that the episode had Willie Nelson and not watched it. I generally define my tastes in country music as "yuck"; my stance on this has softened over the years as I have realized that it is actually contemporary pop/country that I don't like, but at that stage in my life I was utterly convinced that Lyle Lovett was the exception that proved the rule and that country music was not for me. I had never really even heard Willie Nelson's music to my knowledge but was utterly convinced that I disliked it. But I was WRONG! He was WONDERFUL! It's kind of fantastic to realize that something you had dismissed is actually really great.
- The next live show that I would really really REALLY like to see is the New Pornographers; I just love them so. This song, and this song, and this song, and this song... And have you seen this video? HAHAHAHAHAHA... Actually, that might not be that funny if you don't know much about this band; those are all comedians playing the people in the band. They (the actual musicians, not the comedians) came to Salt Lake City last summer for a free outdoor concert series, like the second week we were living here, and things were just too crazy and we didn't have anybody we knew for babysitters and we DIDN'T GO. Oh, the humanity... They need to come back to Utah sometime in the next six months or so before I have this new baby and then I can't do anything fun for a year. (That is an unfair exaggeration, of course, but nighttime rock concerts are really not an easy option for a good long while, at least the way my babies live their lives.) Actually, how about all musicians I like come to Utah in the next six months? I need to get in all my nightlife while I can.
- We have one concert on our schedule at this point; the Arcade Fire is coming to Utah in early April and we have actual tickets and everything. Hooraaaaaaaaaay! (Note to self: get babysitter.) I still can't over the fact that they won one of the big Grammys this year. Don't get me wrong; I think their new album is fabulous and all but I still think that was a crazy win.
Monday, February 28, 2011
7 Facts: Music Edition
Amy from A Chase After Wind, whose blog I very much enjoy, tagged me in a 7 Things meme last week. (I'm trying to remember how I first found Amy online; I think she left some gracious, gentle comments about a difficult faith issue on a very famous blog we both read and I really appreciated her perspective. And she lives in St. Louis, where all my extended family lives!) I do so love me a meme, and it is rather a dreary day around here with Grace having strep throat and Violet being worrisomely fussy, so here are seven facts from me. Amy did hers with a theme (her feet!) and a theme seemed like a good idea to me, so mine will be all about music.
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4 comments:
I've actually met a guitarist here in Chicago that reads music. That makes 2 of us. But, generally, you're right. As a rule guitarists don't read music. Many read tablature, which is cheating
I'm totally with you on the banjo and Willie Nelson. I'm so jealous that both my siblings have been to Willie concerts and I have not.
Have you heard of a can-jo? It is a homemade banjo made from a tin can and a 1x2 piece of wood.
Loved this. Also, we saw Willie Nelson in concert from the 7th row. Still one of the best concerts I've ever been too! :)
Have fun at the Arcade Fire concert - so jealous!
I'm a little late on commenting... Yay for playing piano with your church, that's fun! Maybe you can find one on Craig's List?
When I was in Austin I went to a Willie Nelson concert just because it seemed like something that I was required to do before moving away. It was fun for a while, but I have to say his music gets a bit repetitive for me. And the aroma in the air is not really my thing.
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