I love Google Reader. I can’t even begin to hide my affection for the tiny program that is an absolute godsend for lazy blog readers like myself. I have everything. Funny people, serious people, news, anthropologists, fashionistas, design stars, and music bloggers fill up my daily reading lists. When all is said and done, I have approximately 110 blogs that update frequently. But this isn’t a love letter to Google Reader. This is about something that blurred the lines and made me wonder… what the hell am I reading?

The article in question is about an anthropologist, Dr. Wendy Fonarow, claiming to be the the “world’s only professor of indie music.” First of all, I want that job. Second of all, can you really translate a specialty in music, ritual, and performance in to a such a wide-sweeping job title over a genre that is barely identifiable? Despite my head scratching, she’s obviously on to something. Her new column for the Guardian, “Ask the Indie Professor” is incredibly popular, but has kicked up a shitstorm of controversy in the comments section. I wouldn’t expect anything less from indie fans.

Some great examples:

“What situation(s) or event(s) led to “indie” no longer being independent (or culturally relevant) and becoming just another co-opted part of the megabusiness money machine. Provide evidence to back up your argument(s).”

“Dear professor — as I’m too cool for Indie please will you vomit up some research on glitschcore and dubstep thus providing a cloak of respectability I can show to my mum and dad who may then calm down a bit so I can keep on takin me drugs”

“Did you self-fund your PhD?” (Note from me: I laughed my ASS off at this one. Holy buckets, people.)

After filtering through about 15o posts I decided that I don’t, in fact, want that job. My eyes nearly rolled irrevocably into the back of my skull at all the elitist bullshit. Welcome to the first week of your column, Dr. Fonarow.

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So, listen up. I know I’m pretty far behind on getting this post to you, but life is busy, y’all. My superpowers, regrettably, don’t include blogging. All things considered, my first Sasquatch experience was pretty amazing. Even though I was attending the actual festival alone, I had some co-pilots for the trip. Boyfriend and the two dogs met me in Spokane on Friday to spend the weekend at The Gorge. Our original intention was to camp, but apparently the Audi is not exactly designed for maximum storage and we had to retreat to the local Holiday Inn in Wenatchee. As it turns out, this wasn’t such a bad thing. Based on what I saw at the venue, I’m not sure my brain could have handled the all-night jackassery that no doubt ensued. So what exactly was my impression of the whole thing? Ch-ch-check it out.

The Good:

The National – I suffer from a pretty fair amount of crowd anxiety. The fact that I can handle concerts at all has always been a bit of a surprise. It must be the whole, “music soothes the savage beast” mindset. I’m a beast when I get boxed in. Even though I’ve learned how to deal at concerts, I very rarely make my way in to the middle of the chaos. For The National, I made an exception. I snuck my way right behind a divider about 30 feet in front of the stage. And that’s where I stayed. These guys totally killed it. Matt Berninger was drunk, unpredictable, and absolutely captivating. At one point he bombed his way right in to the middle of the crowd; shoving and staggering through his tightly-packed fans. Not only is The National intriguing to watch, their sound from the main stage was flawless. They don’t hide anything in their recordings. They really are that awesome. They played a bunch of new stuff from their newest album, High Violet, but slipped in every single one of my favorites from albums past. Awesome.

Fruit Bats – By the time these guys were up on Sunday, I was on overload. The crowds were really getting to me. They were one of the reasons I wanted to come to Sasquatch in the first place, so I made up my mind that nothing was going to keep me away. This was the standout show of the entire festival for me. They kicked it on one of the smaller stages about halfway through LCD Soundsystem’s set. I know. I said it. I totally left LCD Soundsystem early. This is, in Sasquatch 2010 terms, a fucking tragedy. It was worth every second. Being on one of the smaller stages right during such a big act on the main stage, the crowd was small. I wandered up to the edge of the mass, keeping no less than 3 feet of space in every direction, and was still only about 15 feet from the stage. I’ll tell you one thing for certain…  Every single person there loved the Fruit Bats. Even if they didn’t already when the show started. We all sang, we danced, and made a ruckus. I jumped around and danced until my pants almost fell off. (Note to self: next time wear a belt.) This set was absolutely electric, and I literally felt the gratitude and excitement from the band. These guys aren’t a new buzz band. They’ve done it, they’ve seen it, and they love it. They loved us. And I loved them.

Local Natives – These guys were my “pleasant surprise” band. The one that I knew I’d go see, but wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it when I got there. In my opinion, they’re meant to be heard live. Their recorded music isn’t bad by any means, but it just doesn’t quite carry the same feeling as it does live. I suppose that could be said about most bands, but this was particularly the case with Local Natives. I recognized two or three of their songs, but really didn’t hear a single one that I didn’t enjoy. Their vocal talent really shined. Listening to them was a little bit like riding a roller coaster. I knew the exciting climax was coming, and every time it did, the crowd would throw their hands up and sing. I’m actually trying to find my way to see them again.

Main Stage Dancing – You’ve probably seen the videos. LCD Soundsystem turned the entire lawn into a giant rave/dance party, and watching people stream through the crowd to get in on the party during Vampire Weekend was just amazingly cool. This video is a close up of the start of the VW party. I was on the other side of the lawn and from my vantage point, the people looked like they were dancing their way through an ant farm. This is what it’s all about.

Good enough to mention:

Broken Social Scene – “World Sick”, “7/4 (Shoreline)”? Man, they were good. Then again, “World Sick” is quick possibly my favorite song of 2010 so far. I was way in the back 40 at the main stage for this show, but definitely enjoyed it.

LCD Soundsystem – They rocked it out. Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, I bailed on them a little bit early. The half of the show that I did see was an absolute crowd pleaser. People were raving and flailing and dancing like a ecstasy-laden DJ Tiesto show. Not that I’d know…

Nada Surf – Their presentation was actually a little bit funny, but I don’t think it was on purpose. They’ve been around forever, and were trying to appeal to a young crowd of hipsters with a collective attention span of a gnat. Despite trying a little too hard, there is no denying that their music is really good. I personally loved “See These Bones”.

My Morning Jacket – Another awesome band that’s been around for a while, and never loses its luster. There is no doubt that they are full of energy and showmanship. Every song I heard was a total win, but I didn’t stay through the whole set.

The Bad:

Gut rot food, $9 PBR, and pot smoke – This was the terrible trilogy for me. The beer was so expensive I only had one (count it!) the entire weekend, and the food nearly put me in a grave. The way to survive Sasquatch is definitely to bring your own snacks. I hoofed the festival sans-backpack and therefore didn’t have anything to fall back on when I got hungry or stressed out. That was a lesson quickly learned. The third frustration was a constant flow of pot smoke being blown directly in to my face. It was usually by girls. Take that however you want, but there were times when someone would look directly at me from 3 inches away and blow the whole puff right in my face. I don’t smoke pot. That’s my choice. You do. That’s yours. I’m totally okay with it either way, but most of the behavior I ran in to surrounding drug use was just downright distasteful and rude. Being stone cold sober and hungry significantly lowered my tolerance for it. My own fault? Probably. But it really sucked the fun right out of things.

Caribou – Not the performance. The fact that 90% of the people who wanted to see them… missed them. Including me. They were scheduled right at noon on Sunday. First act of the main stage. Due to the overabundance of pot smoking, there were little old ladies at the gates to get in literally sniffing at everyone’s bags to search for weed. It was one part hilarious and one part tragedy. The crowd was ablaze with frustration about Caribou. Half of me wanted to scream that they had done this to themselves, the other half of me was too busy plotting the downfall of the bag sniffers. Despite being there plenty early, it took me well over an hour to get in the gates and sprint to the main stage… just in time to watch their gear being packed up. Bad scheduling. Not only did Caribou deserve a bigger turnout, but those of us that love them deserved a chance to make it on time.

The Ugly:

Crowd Behavior – I’m not even kidding when I tell you that I was completely disgusted by a vast majority of the behaviors that I saw at Sasquatch. First of all, it might have been my own misguided expectations. I thought I was going to a music festival. I got punched in the boob. Full on, fist to the tit. Why? Because I stepped aside to make room for a girl and her boyfriend trying to get out of the crowd. Who punched me? The girl I was helping! She almost met my derby alter-ego. People pushed, shoved, tripped, punched, and elbowed each other unnecessarily. I frequently got stomach-molested by giant backpacks on unthoughtful people in front of me. I’m pretty sure I lost some skin. One random dude stabbed me in the eyeball with a giant pinwheel that he attached to one of his crutches. Really, guy? I’m surprised he didn’t have tally marks on his forehead for every eyeball he took out. Have fun, people. Do what you want. However, I prefer my eyeballs in their proper sockets, thankyouverymuch.

Getting sick – I got really, really sick on the last day. So sick that we packed up and headed home a day early. This was tragic for me for two reasons: Band of Horses and The New Pornographers. I have seen The New Pornographers before and they were fan-fucking-tastic. Seriously. I loved their guts. Band of Horses are one of my long-time favorites, and I was extremely disappointed to miss it. Not cool.

Notice I didn’t put any actual performances in the bad categories. I try not to focus on concerts I didn’t like, and there were some. Overall, I had a really fab time at Sasquatch. Next time I go, I’ll be sure to be more prepared and will definitely bring a friend. It’s hard to fly solo at events where there’s a lot of downtime and a lot of things to talk about. So… um… who wants to go next year?

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I really love covers, remixes, and other rarities. The only real problem is that a lot of the time the attempted covers are just awful. That doesn’t stop me! Over the years I’ve collected a mental list of covers that, well, don’t suck. I’ve had this post in the works for months trying to pick my favorites, but ultimately decided that I’d rather just share multiple posts. Hey, it’s my blog, right?  Most of these are vastly different than their originals, but as you’ll hear with the Fanfarlo cover, some are very close to the original. Enjoy!

The Baseballs – Umbrella (Rihanna)

Muse – Feeling Good (Nina Simone)

Imogen Heap – Thriller (Michael Jackson)

Bon Iver – Your Love (The Outfield)

Fanfarlo – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Neutral Milk Hotel)

Peter Gabriel & Hot Chip – Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (Vampire Weekend)

Editors – Feel Good Inc. (Gorillaz)

Regina Spektor – No Surprises (Radiohead)

The Bird and the Bee – Don’t Stop the Music (Rihanna)

Taken By Trees – Sweet Child O’ Mine (Guns n Roses)

Sparklehorse & Thom Yorke – Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd)

So what do you think? Could you choose a favorite? Happy Friday everyone!

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“I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.” ~ Maya Angelou

It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like I’ve been a part of something important. If not important, at the very least exciting. Moving to Missoula twelve years ago from a town of 900 didn’t register with me as a big move. Truth be told, it really wasn’t. Montana isn’t exactly a state booming with metropolitan areas and cultural insight. It’s more like a large string of rural areas that sometimes get slightly more populated. Montana is predictable.  We’re very rootsy. Things here move at a leisurely northwestern pace. It’s commonplace to pick huckleberries, go rafting, or hike to the top of the Rocky Mountains on any given weekend around here. There’s a certain quality of life that comes with living in a place like Missoula, and it makes the enormous gaps in other areas tolerable. You’ll never meet a more welcoming community, but as friendly as Montanans are, it’s very superficial. We happily wave, smile, and say hello to any stranger on the street, but somehow manage to make finding another human being to really connect with incredibly difficult. I’ve had a very had time finding my place. Twelve years, people. That’s a long time to feel like a drifter.

Home is more than a place you love. Loving Missoula is easy, but there’s something more. Something that sinks in.

Being an adult is hard. I’ve lost people, become responsible, and made a lot of really piss poor choices. I’m sitting here now, after all this time, finding myself finally wanting to mourn and say goodbye. It’s a very odd and confusing feeling. Why do I suddenly feel the need to revisit two failed marriages? My dearest friends moving away? An incredible boss and mentor dying an untimely death? I thought I handled all of that pretty well. Or didn’t. Maybe the answer is simple. It’s time to give those losses their proper attention, and then to stop focusing on the negatives. My drifting days are over for this stage of my life, and I’ve found the community that I’ve been missing… tucked away in a group of women with a few distinct commonalities: they are smart, tough, focused, talented, unique, and utterly fearless. I’ve connected faster in three weeks with them than I have in twelve years with everybody else. It’s not (and will never have to be) a clean slate. I can take those few special friendships that I have made over the years and keep them tucked close to me, all the while opening up to a completely different world of togetherness and teamwork. I’m pretty damn excited about that, and my clumsy ass hasn’t even been on my roller skates yet. That’s really saying something.

Do I think it’s totally awesome sauce to be a link in the ground-breaking movement that these women have already started? Hell yes. It’s exciting. It’s important. It’s important to me, no matter the outcome. At 30 lovely years old, I’m finding myself here. In Missoula, Montana. In a dusty warehouse.

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I’m a little behind on this one, I know. A lovely little song from a lovely little band called Warpaint.

And an acoustic live version:

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A few great things about 2010 (so far). Enjoy!

1. The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio

2. Band of Horses – Compliments

3. Sleigh Bells – Ring Ring

4. Broken Social Scene – World Sick

5. Midlake – Rulers, Ruling All Things

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I’ve been busy. I have a very good reason. About two weeks ago, I joined the Hellgate Rollergirls and their plight to form the first Flat Track Roller Derby League in Western Montana. Even though I barely know them, the girls have already proven to be amazingly spirited, welcoming, and fun. I’m so excited to be a part of the league. Despite the fact that I haven’t been on roller skates in a few years (ok, probably at least five), I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is what I want to do. My mother is trying to understand why her daughter can’t just do anything “normal”, my coworkers think the whole notion is hysterical, but my friends have been surprisingly supportive. That’s why they’re my friends.

I bought my skates. I bought my pads and helmet. Next on the list? A warehouse worth of fishnet tights. Oh, and a good name.

So, Missoula ladies, here’s your chance to flex some muscle and show some moxie. For you music lovers, I’m putting together a rad roller derby playlist. It’s a little bit harder to put together a collection that I both like and find functional. I’ll share it when I’m done.

Wish me luck! (And many bruises!)

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Have you ever wondered what my very favorite song is?

You might be surprised. It’s a piece of classical beauty that has been with me through every frightening thing, every horrible thing, and every time my life has turned completely upside down. For my humble heart strings, a more emotional song has never been written. Composed in 1936, it still shines as brilliant and timeless. And completely heartbreaking.

I give you…

Samuel Barber – Adagio for Strings

Ferry Corsten’s trance version has been widely hailed as one of the greatest trance tracks of the last 10 years. As you know, I have a big soft spot for a good trance track, and both the Ferry Corsten and William Orbit remixes are phenomenal.

Adagio for Strings (Ferry Corsten Remix)

Perhaps later this weekend I will be able to tell you why something so heartbreaking is on the front of my mind today. Perhaps not. Either way, I hope you love it as much as I do.

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Probably.

I don’t usually rely on Facebook as a reliable source of information in the first place, so when I saw posts starting to pop up about a free Dave Matthews Band concert, I was astounded and skeptical. Yeah, you read that correctly. Rumors are quickly spreading about Dave Matthews, Spearhead, Michael Franti, and Slightly Stoopid doing a goodbye show for the closing of Macy’s and Smurfit Stone.

This website announces the free show in Downtown Missoula on May 1. I started to dig around to see if I could turn up any information on the legitimacy. Joe Nickell weighed in on the page in his blog HERE. He pretty much sums it up quite well. It’s probably too good to be true, and not very legitimately advertised.

I will keep my eyes open for any more information and will update as necessary. If it’s true, it’s pretty amazing. Just don’t get your hopes up.

Update: This is, indeed, a hoax. I love the little write up that can be found on 103.3 The Trail’s website here. I can’t help but feel like this is kind of a sad deal all around.

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I have a feeling that Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros are life’s soundtrack. I used to think it was just me. I’d listen, hum throughout the day, smile, and think, “Yeah. This is totally playing in the soundtrack of my life.” It’s not just me, though. This ensemble seems to take a little piece out of every single human and infuse it into their music. That might be hyperbole, but dammit, that’s how I feel. I’m going to kick off my shoes and dance in the grass. Be back later!

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