Oh, the glory.

I am waiting for the day when I visit Sufjan's website and the tour section is filled with new dates that include a stop in Southern California or somewhere that I can readily travel to in the event of his touring. I know it's a bit of a stretch, but I can (and will) hope for that day. The last time Sufjan Stevens was in Southern California was in October of 2006 when he played at the Wiltern. I didn't attend. Oh, if only I had attended...

He has to be creating something completely marvelous...he has to have some brilliant idea brewing.

I can't express in enough words what the music of Sufjan Stevens means to me. It is far too wonderful for any verbal/written explanation.

Yo-Yo Ma and Andrew Bird

null |MTV Music

an interesting and lovely combination.

Interview: Dustin Gamble

Earlier this month, I received the "Dustin Gamble" EP in the mail in order to do this review. I told Dustin I'd review his ep, and I was really looking forward to doing so. I really love his music.

I came across Dustin Gamble's musical creations one year ago via the superpopularsoacialwebsite myspace...which really does come in handy when you want to discover some new music. This time was no different. I immediately liked what I heard. My favorite Dustin Gamble song to date is "Door". It meant something different to me when I first heard it, in comparison to now. However I am not here to discuss my favorite Dustin Gamble song, but rather his newest endeavor that I mentioned in the first paragraph, the Dustin Gamble EP.

It is a 6-song disc filled with lovely tunes. A lot of people consider his music to be "folk", though Dustin would say otherwise.

How do you describe your music as?

Dustin Gamble- I really have no idea. Pop music, probably? A lot of people refer to it as "folk," but I'm not sure if I fit in that very well (I don't write political songs, or story songs, which usually defines folk music). I tend to jump around a lot too. I listen to a lot of different music, so I hope that shows.

I love Fleet Foxes and J. Tillman's work, and I see that you do too. What is it about them/him that draws you to their music? How does this influence you with your own music?

Dustin Gamble- I'm kind of slightly obsessed with J. Tillman... I'm not sure why, but he's been one of the few things I can listen to over and over again without songs feeling old. "Long May You Run" is probably my favorite album of all time, which is strange because it was recorded entirely with one room mic, and it's just him and a guitar.
I guess I left the question. Uhm, I think everything tends to bleed into what anyone does. Whether they are experiences, music, family, a friend, whatever. It all what makes people who they are. So if I've got any Fleet Foxes or Tillman in me, I think I'd be fairing pretty well.

What are you up to these days?

Dustin Gamble- Uhm right now I'm just working a lot... I sometimes have a social life with real people who are not my cat (though he's pretty good company!).

I came across your music a year ago. Where do you hope to be in a year from now with your music?

Dustin Gamble- I'd like to just be playing, still. I don't make any money doing this, I think I probably spend a lot more just putting things out there for people. I guess just not losing money while doing this. That would be nice!

What is the song writing process like for you?

Dustin Gamble- A lot of times I have to tell myself to write a song, otherwise I'll start it and never finish. I usually just start with some chord progression, sing some words that don't work well together, and record it. Recording at home really makes things easier, because I like a lot of instruments and parts, and I'm usually a little heavy on layers. A lot of songs, as of late, have started with one or two chords played continuously, and then I'll add a bunch of other things on it. It's more fun than anything, and sometimes turns out pretty decent songs.

What has music done in your life?

Dustin Gamble- The biggest thing I can think of is all of the traveling. I've had the pleasure of touring around in my little car with friends, meeting new people, sharing the stage with a lot of really great musicians. It's been humbling and at times I want to quit because I feel so bad about my songs, but I try to think there's some reason I do it. Music has also kept me sane at times (and driven me crazy at other times). I'm not sure.

Is there anything you want people to know about you?

Dustin Gamble- I have a really hard time talking to people I don't know. So if you're at a show and I don't come up and say hello, it's not because I hate you or forgot that we've messaged on Myspace for the last 37 years, I just don't know what to say. I'm dumb like that...

What is your philosophy on life?

Dustin Gamble- I'm just trying to love people and learn things. I hope I'm doing okay in the first part.

What inspires you, as an artist?

Dustin Gamble- Usually it's a lot of things. Boredom, simple and mundane things like driving to work, eating dinner, sitting on my bed. People I meet tend to get me thinking. I recently met a new friend that has really made me think about how I spend my time, small things. I read a lot of books, which is always an inspiration. Uhm, the way people interact has always been interesting to me also. And I'd be lying if I didn't say relationships. I'm pretty sappy sometimes...

There you have it. A bit about Dustin Gamble...a humble guy from Missouri who likes to make music. The whole point of this post was to talk about his EP, which I didn't really do much explaining about. In my opinion, you can really notice embrace of Fleet Foxes, though Dustin completely makes the music all his own. All I ask of you is to listen. Your ears will thank you kindly.

For some lovely tunes, please visit:
myspace.com/dustingamble

Mandolin Madness

I have inherited a mandolin and a seven string guitar for the time being, while my brother is away in Brasil. Fear not, sibling. I shall take great care of your beloved instruments. Also, happy birthday to my dear brother! I hope he is well in Brasil (or Brazil, if you prefer).

I love his guitar. It has a wonderful sound, and I like the nylon strings much better. I feel that they are easier to play. I'm also lovin this mandolin (an instrument I have wanted for quite some time). I am currently attempting to play Arcade Fire's "Haiti" on it, but I think I might need finger extensions. (points if you can tell me where the finger extensions bit is from.)

Expect a review soon. I keep saying that, but it really is coming.

Cut /// Copy

If I had to pick just one band to see live right now, it would be Cut Copy.

that is all.

Off to Norway.

Bergen, Norway is the home to some lovely musicians.

Most notably The Kings of Convenience (whose members are also a part of The Whitest Boy Alive and Kommode). Datarock is also from Bergen. But sorry, Datarock. I am not here to discuss you. No offense.

I love the calm melodies of Kings of Convenience.
I love the brilliant melodies of the whitest boy alive.
and so forth.

My favorite Whitest Boy Alive song is Figures. It is wonderful.
My favorite Kings song...well, I love them all.

what a poorly structured post.

While we're on the topic of Nordic countries, let's talk about Sweden and their music-loving government. I read in SPIN magazine a few months back about how the Swedish government really advocates music and wants to make sure Swedish music gets known. If I remember correctly, they said that they want the world to have a positive image of Sweden.

Read more here:
Page One
Page Two
Page Three
Click on the screen to zoom in on the article.

Updates

I added some new links to the "Expand Your Knowledge" section-- Ear Farm, Instrumental Analysis, and Some Velvet Blog.

They are great blogs to get some new music and such.
Ear Farm stopped posting on blogspot in June of this year, and has since then moved to their own website which you can find through the "Ear Farm Gets Updated" link.

Also, check out all the blogs they link to! There are a lot of good blogs out there for music.

A last.fm feed has also been added to this page. So now, you can see what I am listening to every 10 minutes...
creepers.

Even though I don't always use itunes to listen to my music.
anyway.

Enjoy.

Polaroid of the week.

Jason Schwartzman and his owl friend.

Drums.

Ever since I returned from San Francisco at the end of August, I have been especially into playing the drums. I am sans drumset here at home, though. So how can I be into playing the drums with no drums around? Makeshift drums, I suppose. The reason I've been so into drums is probably because while I was up in SF, I played the drums in my sister's apartment and I was enthusiastic/excited about playing. Plus, we had a sweet miniature jam session. I love those.

There are numerous instruments I want to play. The list is always growing.

Recently, I have been noticing more and more how much music actually does help me. I have always said it in the past...how music is so important to me and all that, but it seems that in these past couple of months this has been even more apparent, and that is comforting. Art is so great for that reason.

Completely off topic:
I really like this hat that used to belong to my grandmother in the 1930s. I never actually met her, though, for she passed away 2 years before I was born. But from what I know, she was a tough and fashionable lady. I have been wearing this hat all afternoon. It was just sitting in the closet forever, so I decided I'd wear it. From now on, I will be sporting this hat as often as I can. Plus, the cold months are here, so it is fitting. As a child I always loved hats and wore them often, without any fuss. I guess I am going back to that.

The Most Serene Republic.

some images in motion to pass the time:


In other news:
Expect two reviews within the next week or two.
Acoustic goodness.

Fleet Foxes

Listen to Fleet Foxes.

that is all for now.

Justice in the streets.

Yesterday as I was walking, I found this on the corner. I decided to take a picture of it, just for the heck of it.

Yes, we all know that there will be a HARD Halloween Festival of sorts on the 31st and that Justice and Soulwax and many others will be taking the stage to entertain us all. If you're going, awesome. I can guarantee it will be a fun experience for you. Dance your way into the wee hours. I'll be collecting free candy with my 2 year old cousin. It will be his first trick-or-treating experience.

Bliss.

This is bliss. Vegan ice cream never tasted so good. This is my favorite out of all the non-dairy ice cream I've had.

(aside from tofutis ice cream sandwiches...yum)

My brother told me I had to try this. He bought the mint chocolate chip...one of my favorite flavors...and it was delectable.

What is so unique about this ice cream is that it is made with cocount milk and agave syrup.

To read more about it, visit: http://coconutbliss.com/

Autumn!

It is here. Autumn has arrived. Forget the technical "20th/21st of September" idea. That doesn't apply to California. But finally, this morning was actually a bit chilly to Southern California standards, and it is lovely. The leaves are starting to turn. YES! I love you, Autumn.

a thumbs up to fall. let us celebrate.

my hand looks pretty strange there.

enjoy the season!

Photograph of the week.

Photograph of the week.

This is not a recent find, but I still really like this picture, that is, 4 polaroids in one.

Pictured above: Late Of The Pier.

Once

I caught a bit of the movie Once today, much to my contentment. I haven't seen it since it was in theaters last summer in 2007, so it was nice to see it again. It's a wonderful movie. I love the way it is filmed, and of course many of the songs are great, too.

As you may know, Once gained momentum after being nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song. They won, of course.

I recommend it to you.

Check out the Swell Season, also.

Waking Life

I saw this movie, Waking Life, a while back, and I really enjoyed it. It presents a lot of philosophical points and different perspectives from a variety of people.
Approach it with an open mind.

Here is a clip:

Native Foods.

I like vegan food. I am not vegan. Luckily, by my homestead a few options exist.

My favorite is Native Foods at The Camp in Costa Mesa.
(right across from The Lab, if any of you are familiar with this area)
They have a wide variety of choices. Though I have only eaten there twice, I so far have enjoyed the food. It is healthier for you, too. (clearly)

The Camp also offers the 118 Degrees restaurant with more vegan dishes, and Milk & Honey, a nice little place for teas and frozen yogurt, and another restaurant which I have forgotten the name of.

Native Foods Is Here.

If you want to know more about The Lab and The Camp, click here

Also, the Urban Outfitters Concert Series. So far, they've had some pretty decent acts. I hope this comes to an Urban Outfitters near you or near me.
Oh, wait. That's right. Jamie Lidell definitely played at The Lab on September 27th. I think I need to keep a bit more updated on these happenings.

Also, check out Free Yr Radio.
click here

Face it, we're living in war times.

Literature and writing in general is a great interest of mine. Today in English we went over some seemingly basic ideas about poetry such as; it has to have an image. Fair enough. Seems easy, right? Not necessarily. This means that every word matters, and must be carefully placed in order to orchestrate a poem that places a certain image in your head. No pitiful rhymes like "I am sad, today has been bad" will suffice.

One thing I really love about literature is that you can create it to be whatever you'd like. The analogies the authors use are incredible to me-- like, when on the surface it has one meaning, but as you dig deeper, a completely different meaning, or several different meanings are revealed. I aspire to be able to write that way. This goes for all songwriters, too. Song is poetry with a melody.

Literature and music both take you somewhere else for a while. Like I have stated before, music is my solace. A good book will suffice, too. I can never be grateful enough for these art forms.

Joyous.

Everything Is Illuminated will be on tonight, and I am pleased to watch it again. It's been quite a few months since my last viewing of it.

I can really contradict myself at times. I never really stop thinking about anything. I just keep on going, and formulate all these possibilities, to the point where I simply contradict my initial thoughts. It's strange, but it is me.

I have been so inspired lately with a variety of things. I love it. I hope this streak of inspiration continues for a while. What is life without creation and inspiration?

I also really love hearing what others have to say. Blogs are great for that reason. I encourage you all to voice your opinions. We've all got something to say at some point. Whether I agree with you or not, I will gladly listen/read.

The return of Margot

Margot and the Nuclear So and So's have returned with two albums this time around; "Animal!" and "Not Animal". "Not Animal" is a collection of songs the label picked according to their tastes, and not so much Margot's. Another reason why I dislike major labels, but I won't rant any further on that topic right now. But, I guess the upside is, we get two albums. Even though, "Animal" will only be released digitially and on vinyl. I want the vinyl. Of course I want the vinyl. And then "Not Animal" will be released on an actual compact disc, so I have heard/read. Also available is the Day Trotter EP.

Anyway, back to "Animal!" and "Not Animal". A lot of the songs featured on either of these albums date back to some old demos that I posess, courtesy of musicalfamilytree.com
I've had these demos for nearly two years, and I love them dearly. Hearing the new versions of these demos sort of made me feel nostalgic (yet again) about the old demos. That always happens to me. A lot of them sound drastically different, but it is alright. I think that they were orchestrated well enough, except for the subtle lyric changes, which I didn't care for as much.

As far as the newer matertial goes, I enjoy it. It's classic Margot. Richard Edwards and company have this beautiful way of twisting emotions into just a few minutes of song. Much of their music is melancholic and beautiful and powerful all at the same time.

Right now, my favorite of the new material is "At the Carnival". I watched their Lollapalooza webcast, and I couldn't get that song out of my head when I heard it. It is eerie, but wonderful. I need better adjectives.

Both albums come out tomorrow. You can stream "Animal!" here; stream here

Their 2006 debut, "The Dust Of Retreat" remains as one of my favorite albums of all time. Check that out, too.

On a completely unrelated note;
The dates for Coachella 2009 have been announced. I am pleased that it will fall during my spring break, thus allowing me to not miss any class. I am excited for next year, and I can't wait to see who will be playing.

We love music.

Music is my solace. I find myself going through different cycles of music. Of course, collectives/musicians such as Bright Eyes, Arcade Fire, and Sufjan Stevens will always remain dear to my heart. What I listen to each day really depends on my mood, in a way. One day all I'll listen to is Late of the Pier, and then the next day it would be something a bit softer such as Yann Tiersen.

I'm not sure what my point is anymore. The post sounded great inside my head, but not so much as I write it.

Maybe, I'm trying to say that everyone should give various types of music a chance. Don't stick to just one thing. We all have our preferences, but it's ok to step outside a bit and explore. By exploring, I don't mean the Top 40. Although, perhaps you'd like to educate yourself on what the majority of people are listening to, realize it is all rubbish, and feel comforted in knowing that you don't dwell in those waters, if that makes you happy and what not. But at the end of the day, why should we care who listens to what? I mean, really. Let's be rational human beings for a split second, here. Ok, time's up. We're hypocrites, that's why. I take music seriously many times. I was having a discussion with a friend this week about this, and we agreed that people can be pretty hypocritical about all of this. We will gladly condemn Fall Out Boy, but at the end of the day, I don't really care who listens to what. Or do I? Does it matter? In the grand scheme of things, no. It does not. But we make it matter somehow. It's all really ironic. I am going to stop now. Think what you may. Listen to what you may.

Lately, I have re-visited my Arcade Fire days. Yesterday as I cooked my homemade meal, I listened to M. Ward's "Post War" and Arcade Fire's "Funeral" various times. It was so pleasant, and nostalgic. (But, really, when am I not feeling nostalgic?)

As for new music, I have this list of artists (more so mental than a physical list. Though I did have a list that extended onto various small pieces of paper that have vanished somehow) that I need to explore a bit more, but then I never get around to it. Perhaps I shall do my research tonight on a few bands, and report within the week.

Homemade.

Yesterday I was sitting at home, and all of a sudden I felt like having macaroni and cheese. I knew that the kitchen cupboard was sans Annie's Organic White Cheddar Mac and Cheese, so I decided to make it all from scratch. After finding a decent recepe online, I went to work. I must say, the results were definitely acceptable for my first attempt. I was pleased. My mom came home, and approved of the dish. (She is pretty much the master at cooking, and can teach you how to make probably almost any dish).

It was an easy dish to make, and did not take that long to make, either.
Food is art, too.
Create something!

Soundtracks

This past week, I have been listening to mostly cinematic soundtracks such as Amelie and The Darjeeling Limited. Chances are, I'll bring out the Once soundtrack soon enough and listen to that too.

Amelie's soundtrack is, well, none other than Yann Tiersen. Except for two tracks which are these wonderful little musical treasures from the 1930s. Enough said.

What I like most about the Darjeeling soundtrack are all the tracks from old Indian movies that are featured. A lot of it is just so beautiful and filled with emotion. I love it.

And then there is the Once soundtrack. Glenn and Marketa make a wonderful pair. They are also wonderful live when they play as the Swell Season.

that is all.

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