Billy Bragg at the Grand Ballroom, New York, NY

Tonight I had the privilege of seeing Billy Bragg live for the first time. The show was extra special because it was Adam's Birthday present ... and it was awesome.

Part Nader Rally, part punk rock show, part acoustic performance at a coffee shop, on-stage, Billy Bragg, is not like any performer I've ever seen - partly because he spent about as much time talking as he did playing. He bitched out an audience member who was heckling him about war in Ireland. He talked about the excitement he felt in the US over this election and warned us that, like Britain when Blair became PM after Thatcher, our expectations were high and likely to not be met. However, if Obama is elected, we shouldn't be cynical because this election, while it doesn't represent a change in the world, it does represent possibility. He was so good that I even enjoyed one of my least favorite songs - "Sexuality."


There were two especially profound moments for me though. The first was when he related an anecdote about going to see The Clash at the first Rock Against Racism show. At the time he was working in an office with a bunch of racist, sexist assholes but he never said anything to them because he felt like he was alone in his disgust. After going to the Clash show, his perspective changed and he went into work the next Monday and told the guys in his office what he thought. The point of the story was that people say that "what we are doing here is preaching to the choir" but he sees it as a way to come together and become invigorated with the notion that we are not alone in our beliefs. Then we can go out in the world and stand up for what is right with the backing of that knowledge.

The second special moment for me involved the interesting crowd. There were 2 meat-headish guys standing in front of us. Not the kind of guys you'd think would be at a Billy Bragg show. One of them was particularly into the show. When Billy began playing "There's Power In a Union," this guy along with half the crowd raised his fist for every "The Union Forever" and he dude-hugged his friend at every "With our brothers and our sisters from many far-off lands/
There is power in a Union." The friend - like many in the crowd - seemed a little uncomfortable at first but by the end of the song he was raising his fist with everyone else.


When I was a teenager, I would go to shows and be profoundly moved by the energy of the crowd - the bodies swaying together, the voices singing together, the towering-yet-accessible guy on stage. That's a feeling that is - for better or worse - no longer really a part of my life.

Tonight's show was a grown up version of that teenage feeling of camaraderie, energy, and hope and Billy Bragg is nothing short of a modern Woody Guthrie.*

* In fact, he played a Woody Guthrie song and noted how poignant and relevant the lyrics to Guthrie's songs are today.

New Playlist: "Reinventing Happiness Again"

I made this last night. It's the first playlist I've made in a long time. Significant? Perhaps.

Give it a few minutes; it takes forever to load ...



If it never loads, click here.

How to be a Rock Star - Life lessons and other such dissapointments ...

In my previous, and also ironically titled, post, I wrote about having to make a big scary decision. Update: I wussed out in making it and now it has been made for me ... which may or may not be better. The point is this: I'm back to square one. Literally, figuratively, emotionally.

Last week, I felt like I was treading water ... and had been for a long long time. I wonder where that metaphor will take me now ... hopefully, swimming forward but then again, it might take me out of the pool entirely.

Tonight, as I paid $15 an hour to play by myself, a certain lyric I wrote long ago hit me:

i was taught a lesson i'll never forget
the things i want the most are the things i'll never get

Ok. Enough with the self-pitying drama. Anyone know a drummer??

Genius Playlist: Maybe Tonight

I was messing around with Apple's new Genius feature and to try it out, I asked it to come up with a playlist for Nicole Atkin's song Maybe Tonight.

I just realized this playlist changes as it goes so instead of listing it, I'm going to list the high lights and low lights so far ...

I started with: Maybe Tonight by Nicole Atkins off Neptune City in Country - Alt Country

Highlights:
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists in Rock - Hipster
The Pretenders in 80s/New Wave
Paul Westerberg in Rock - Indie/Alternative
Pixies in Rock - Indie/Alternative - I'm not a big huge Pixies fan but I think it's nifty that it came up here
Old 97's and Rhett Miller in Country - Alt Country - Since I was introduced to Nicole Atkins when she opened for Rhett Miller recently, this is extra fitting.
Sucked Out by Superdrag off Regretfully Yours in Rock - Indie/Alternative - I'd forgotten how awesome this song is! Yay 1996!
The Clash in Punk - See! My love of country AND punk totally makes sense!
Elvis Costello
Into Action by Tim Armstrong off A Poet's Life in Ska - Excellent Song. Well played Genius.
Neko Case - Obvious but enjoyable.
Motion City Soundtrack - Hells Yeah! Teeny Boppin' Pop-Punk meets self-proclaimed 'pop noir'! It's like cheese and wine ... perfect.
Dashboard Confessional - See above.
Billy Bragg
The Muffs - Yes yes yes.

Strange/Unexpected/Unsure:
San Francisco by Vanessa Carlton off Harmonium in Pop - It's true. I like Vanessa Carlton. Go ahead and judge.
Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths off Louder Than Bombs in Rock - Indie/Alternative - Those closest to me know my most hidden, shameful musical flaw - I don't really like the Smiths. However, in this context, they were quite nice.
Nellie McKay - A friend gave me this album years ago and, truth be told, I haven't listened to it much. I enjoyed her though and will probably take a few more listens.
Tegan and Sara - Tegan and Sara was a popular association for Genius. I got all my Tegan and Sara songs from a friend and really only ever listen to them on shuffle or now on this. It's not that I don't enjoy; it's just ... I don't know, perhaps on their own, it's too much hipster/indieness for me.

Not so much:
Fountains Of Wayne off Traffic and Weather in Rock - Indie/Alternative - A couple songs off this album came up and I felt the need to skip them everytime. I guess I don't like Fountains of Wayne so much - except "Leave the Biker," that song is freakin' awesome.