Cameras by mattandkim

Their new album comes out Nov. 2nd, I know what I will be doing that day.

So when Say Hi was announced as one of the bands playing for Seattle’s “concerts on the green” free concerts in the park nights, I was so happy!  The kids were thrilled to be attending with us, the boys clarified with me at least 10 times that they were actually coming with us.  What a great opportunity for them.   Emma even brought a friend, we had a fantastic time.

The weather was perfect, like it usually is here in the summer.   Warmish, sunny, cool ocean breeze, and then as the sun went down it was time for jackets.   Right behind the stage was the Space Needle, and my sons had a good time watching that as well.

Say Hi  mildly yet unreservedly delivered some excellent music.   I was so taken in with the way Eric Elbogen sang his songs in the park.   He played and sang like he was on a stage, in an empty theatre, just singing because he likes it and because the words in his songs actually mean something.   I think I would have been nervous to sing like that; so open and exposed in such a big spacious, somewhat loud place, yet he appeared to be assured and confident.

My kids thought he was witty when he would say “this is a song” and then start playing it with out any further introduction.  They thought they were witty when they would cheer after the songs and yell “hi” (since the name of the band is “Say Hi”)

Say Hi was fun to watch, played a little something from their next album, told some jokes, reassured us that their awesome vampire songs were written before Twilight, and in general were such a pleasure to spend a Friday night with.

Plus, they list Joss Whedon as one of their influences; you know, the man behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer,  so you know they are cool.  Also they are funny and when you visit their myspace page and listen to the tunes, read the “bio” section too.

Also, I almost forgot to mention the super cool opening band “The Tea Cozies.”  They were seriously fun to see, and I am hopeful that I will see them again some time.

The female main character was so cool, she had her own college radio program.   And as love often does, it brought music into some-one’s world and made it even better.  Hence the neat Tesla coil laserium show in the secret laboratory.  Thats right I like a bit of romance and dulcet sound with my cheese.

In particular this summer that has been the case for me with Depeche Mode and INXS, especially Depeche Mode’s “Blue Dress.” (subtitles just add to the fun)

And INXS’ “Disappear”

Hey, remember the 80′s?  Those were some seriously tight pants he was wearing, and very expressive dancing, but I am a real fan of his hair.  Some of you may know this already: I do like curls.

One more song that I really want to mention is “Hero” by Bloc Party.  Sometimes singles get lost in the shuffle, and I tend to listen to songs on full length albums more often.  I’m so happy when I play the singles and get to remember songs like this.

“Im a boy and you’re a girl, what else is there in this world? I can make you smile I can make you laugh, what else is there in this world?” I think you can feel that for yourself, or remember how it feels in no better time than the summer.  I love that simplistic reminder.  Plus making me laugh is key, thats one of a few reasons I married Tac, he is totally funny.

Ok, thats enough for now.  Good thing I have a blog, or else I might explode with wanting to talk music with somebody.

I have not really bought any new music lately, or made a musical discovery that made me do the jump and clap thing, but I have still been living my life to music all the same.  And I still think about it all the time too.  I was reading my friend Scary Larry’s blog today all about his lovely experience at a Black Happy reunion concert.   He said something that sparked my mind:

Black Happy’s music has always stayed with me, much like my most treasured friendships of my youth. I needed this concert to reconnect me with who I was then and with people and a place that I seemingly abandoned. Black Happy gave me the courage as a teen to be me and not what I thought I should be in comparison to others my age. Through them learned it was possible to rock the casbah and maintain my integrity at the same time. I still carry that with me today.

While I have been to at least two Black Happy shows in my life, and loved every bit of them, I am a little bit older than Larry, and so Black Happy was not “that band” for me.  I was already in college when we went to see them.   So….what was that band for me?   After carefully considering my options, I came back to the same band that I thought of right away:  Oingo Boingo.

They were different, a little crazy, and sooo much more than just “Weird Science.”   I don’t even like that song.  I would listen to them, and really experience their music, and have to do it on my own usually since almost nobody that I knew liked them very much, and that was ok.  In a way, that was a good lesson on how being different from your friends was ok, and it didn’t mean that you were worth less or insignificant or less alluring….just not to everyone.   But knowing that Oingo Boingo is awesome, even though not everyone thinks so is a pathway to knowing that you are awesome even if not everyone realizes it.  Or something like that.

Here’s “Grey Matter” from a live show I only wish I could have been at, I don’t even know where that show was, but any of them would have been extraordinary.   One of my musical regrets in life is never getting to see Boingo live.

And Larry, I’m so glad you got to see Black Happy again!  I loved what you wrote about it.

I’m blogjacking Jen’s blog again to share these so I’ll at least stick to music she likes but you can check them out on YouTube.

Some of my favorite channels are 8bitmachine, 8bitsbrother & Florio003 which did a whole bunch of Muse songs:

Muse Plug In Baby

Muse Uprising

Muse Starlight

We were of course instantly drawn in by that dark beautiful face!  I was so thrilled when Tac bought tickets for us.   On the day of the show we walked through St. James Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, visited the Victoria Albert Museum where we found several paintings by one if my fav’s: William Blake, and then went to the show.   Seriously, what a day!  I was immersed in beauty, history and culture all day.

We loved the show.   The music and orchestra were wonderful.   The stage, props, and effects were outstanding.   I highly recommend seeing it when you get a chance.   Here’s a clip:

For more info: The official Love Never Dies website, the Guardian review of the play and the Wikipedia entry.

And yes, I’m excited about it!

Now if only The Mummers were doing a show that week, but alas they are not.

Yep, still pretty excited.

(also the 3rd b-day of my 3 yr old nephew who must have drenched himself in the river of cuteness)

….Tac and I attended our first Aqualung concert.  It was also our first time being in The Triple Door; the venue.  It was built in the 20′s and has been preserved very nicely and had wonderful acoustics.  It was really different from our usual show, we even sat down in a comfy booth, enjoyed the classy atmosphere and the company of two wonderful people sitting next to us. Hi Mary and Jonas!

Aqualung plays Seattle with special guest Krista Polvere

I have been enthralled with Matt Hales from the first time I heard him sing and play at a listening station in a music store.  I remember so well that we were on our way out, but the cd caught my eye and I had to listen and I knew in less than 30 seconds that we were buying it, and that I was about to be wonder-struck.

Last month Aqualung released an album titled “Magnetic North.”  At first I wasn’t sure if I would love it as much because some of the songs were happier and enthusiastic; not at all what I have loved or expected from Matt Hales.  But that turned out to only be a few of the songs, and the others were much like his other material, but not exactly either.  I think I’m trying rather unsuccessfully to say that I grew into loving this album with all of the qualities that I already knew I had a strong attachment to and the new ones as well.

Most of the show consisted of Matt Hales at his piano with nothing but a microphone.  Simply put, it was enchanting.  He is magical on his piano and his voice is fabulous.  His lyrics are clever and intelligent, but in an open and unambiguous way.   He sings love songs, he said last night that he is a romantic guy.  I loved his interaction with the audience, Tac said that was actually his favorite part of the show.

About the show…I can’t remember every song that played, my memory isn’t the greatest, and when I’m watching that is all I’m doing.  I don’t want to think about writing or eating or breathing, I only want to soak in every note and sound and feeling.

I do remember however, certain songs such as: “Pressure Suit,” “Something to Believe In,” “Finger Tip” which he introduced to us as having the word “do” in it a lot,  “My New Friend,” “Reel Me In” and “Thin Air,” which he told us was his most romantic song.  I loved hearing details like that, and if you have not heard that song then I will attest that is is incredibly romantic.

“Sundowning,” one of my most favorites from Magnetic North was preceded with Matt telling us about a documentary he watched on dementia and the term sundowning being about the feelings and confusion that can be associated with the sun going down and shadows and darkness appearing.  Then he explained that he used it in more of romantic relationship context, but the meaning remained intact.  That added so much to the richness of the song.

Towards the end of the performance he told us that he would play a few more songs and then he would stop and go back stage, but that he could also be persuaded to come back out and do a few more.  Can I tell you how much I adore this person and his sense of humor in dealing with the weirdness that I have previously referred to about the encore?

He “ended” with “Strange and Beautiful” and just as promised came back shortly.   The encore included “Easier to Lie,” an awesome favorite of Jonas and Mary, “7 Keys,”  which in my opinion one of his best songs, “Breaking My Heart,” which used to make me cry on demand while reading New Moon, and for his last song he played “Brighter Than Sunshine” and asked us to sing along with him.

As some of you read last week, I hurt my self in a bike wreck.  After an MRI we found out that I actually fractured my shoulder and pulled some tendons in my rotator cuff.  Because of this it really hurts me to clap, but Matt was so good that I was doing it anyways.  Tac, who is always taking care of me clapped loud enough for two so I didn’t have to.  He’s pretty sweet.

In closing: I dote on, delight in, am sweet on and nuts about Aqualung!  Also, he puts on a marvelous show.

If you want, you can listen to some of his stuff here.