Happy Valentine’s Day.
Love, The OCMD
Archive for the 'Soundtrack of My Life' Category
Valentine’s Day…Because Love Isn’t Complicated Enough
Published February 14, 2010 Soundtrack of My Life , Spanking New Music Leave a CommentTags: is love forever, spoon, transference
I Think I’m Having a Mid-Life Crisis…
Published February 10, 2010 Obsessions , Soundtrack of My Life , Spanking New Music 1 CommentTags: malachai, snowflakes, ugly side of love
Seriously. I’m coveting muscle cars? What’s wrong with me! I’ve never done that before. First it was the little old lady in the pristine 1974 Ford Mustang taunting me every morning as I drive down Van Ness en route to work. Now this parks next to me on a daily basis, begging for my affection. Well, you have it pretty lady. Every time I see you I want to rip off my clothes and have hot, sweaty sex on your benchseat. And I didn’t even know your name. I do now. Dodge Charger. Year? You tell me.
Damn, what a badass car. It’s so Clint Eastwood. And you can’t have a badass car without some badass music. Bristol, England’s Malachai will do quite nicely in this beauty, thank you very much. Their new album, Ugly Side of Love, is as raw, vintage and hot as this machine. Just check out the track “Snowflake” and see for yourself. Perfection.
Stuck in My Head: High Places – “On Giving Up” [Free MP3]
Published February 3, 2010 Soundtrack of My Life , Spanking New Music Leave a CommentTags: high places, high places vs. mankind, on giving up
High Places is set to release their second LP, High Places vs. Mankind, on Thrill Jockey in early April. The album takes on the daunting subject matter of being human and what it’s like to interact with other people. The duo cover a wide range of material from romantic relationships to addiction, aging, and death. Definitely a more somber and serious tone that their lighthearted debut. I like it. And this advance track, “On Giving Up”, has been firmly planted in my head all week. Enjoy.
Radiohead Benefit for Haiti – Concert Review, Set List, Video
Published January 26, 2010 Shows , Soundtrack of My Life Leave a CommentTags: concert review, lotus flower, radiohead benefit for haiti, set list, the music box, video
Standing on the floor of LA’s Music Box Theater last night waiting for the Radiohead Benefit for Haiti to begin, it was hard not to muse over the crowd – a mix of the star-studded Hollywood elite and die-hard fans. On my immediate right was 007 himself, Daniel Craig. In front of me, some dude from The Practice (sorry, not up on my TV). And to my left was a lone 18-year-old kid in a fur earflap hat trying to borrow one of our mobile phones so he could text his friends he made it in. Hmm, I thought. If you don’t even own a cell phone how could you possibly even afford the $475 minimum ticket price for tonight’s show. Turns out he traded a scalper his MacBook Pro for a ticket.
Clearly, this wasn’t your average Sunday night. Nor was this your average concert. This was Radiohead, one of the biggest and influential bands of our time, getting ready to play a one-off gig at a venue the size of San Francisco’s Bimbos 365 Club. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and everyone knew it.
At 8:30 Thom Yorke and company took the stage and set the intention for the evening: “It’s going to be a sing along tonight.” And indeed it was. They gently eased us into an epic evening of music with “Faust Arp” followed by “Fake Plastic Trees” and “Arpeggi/Weird Fishes”. Then all hell broke loose when they launched into “National Anthem”/ “Nude”/ “Karma Police”. If you weren’t sing along or yelping with glee, you were finding God, speaking in tongues and uttering phrases like “Jesus Christ… Oh my God…Oh my FUCKING God!!!”
Yes, it was a religious experience. The best moment? Pick one. Pick any. Like when Yorke serenaded us on the piano with “Everything In It’s Right Place,” or the novelty of the band asking the audience to choose the next song: “Just” or “Airbag”. (The latter won.) Or the sneak preview of their new song, “Lotus Flower.” It was all insane. But for me, I lost my mind at “Bodysnatchers”.
In the end, and most importantly, the band raised over $570,000 for Haiti. We all helped to support the cause. And we all walked away with an experience we won’t soon forget.
Set List
Faust Arp
Fake Plastic Trees
Arpeggi
National Anthem
Nude
Karma Police
Kid A
Morning Bell
How to Disappear Completely
Wolf at the Door
The Bends
Recokoner
Lucky
Bodysnatchers
Dollars and Cents
Airbag
Exit Music (for a Film)
First Encore
Everything in It’s Right Place
You & Whose Army?
Pyramid Song
All I Need
Second Encore
Lotus Flower (new song)
Paranoid Android
Street Spirit
Stuck in my Head: Noah and The Whale – “Five Years Time”
Published September 15, 2009 Soundtrack of My Life , Spanking New Music 3 CommentsTags: burma, five years time, mergui archipeligo, Noah and The Whale
With all the buzz surrounding London-based Noah and The Whale’s much anticipated sophomore release, “First Days of Spring“, I couldn’t help but get nostalgic for this track that I love so much from their debut album released last year. It’s such a sweet song – joyous and childlike – that it makes me nostalgic everytime I hear it for this place and time five years ago, sailing the Mergui archipelago off the coast of Burma. A trip of a lifetime that still holds the title of ‘best trip’. And I’ve been to some cool places.
But there’s nothing like meandering through a chain of 800 completely isolated, undeveloped, uninhabited and breathtaking islands. The only people we encountered during that trip were the local sea gypsies, like this little girl who was so vivacious and infectious she charmed me out of every possession on my body. Who knows how her life has unfolded, five years later, but I’m sure she’s still skipping along, doling out love and smiles where ever she goes…..“There’ll be love, love, love where ever you go.”
Noah and The Whale have just announced a limited US tour next month in support of their new album, “First Days of Spring”, that hits October 6. Lucky for me, they’re heading our way!
OCTOBER
20 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Roxy Theatre
22 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Swedish American Hall
24 – Seattle, Wash. @ Crocodile Cafe
25 – Portland, Ore. @ Doug Fir Lounge
29 – Chicago, Ill. @ Lakeshore Theater
30 – Pontiac, Mich. @ The Crofoot’s Pike Room
31 – Toronto, Ontario @ The Horseshoe Tavern
22 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Swedish American Hall
24 – Seattle, Wash. @ Crocodile Cafe
25 – Portland, Ore. @ Doug Fir Lounge
29 – Chicago, Ill. @ Lakeshore Theater
30 – Pontiac, Mich. @ The Crofoot’s Pike Room
31 – Toronto, Ontario @ The Horseshoe Tavern
My Namesake
Published August 24, 2009 Soundtrack of My Life 1 CommentTags: concert review, first born, j. tillman, vacilando territory blues
Meet what very well might be the first race horse in history named after a Twitter handle, Indy Rocker Girl. Those are my nieces and nephew checking out the foal their Grandpa named in my honor (endearingly botched in only the way my Dad could manage.) I got this photo in my inbox just before heading out to see J. Tillman last night at Cafe du Nord and the combination of the two elements really made me homesick.
I think it was the pedal guitar that got me. It does every time. Listening to the talented Mr. Tillman’s beautifully plucked guitar and weeping sounds of the pedal steel guitar, it finally hit me why I’m such a sucker for it. It’s home. As much as I grew up on the alternative sounds of WOXY, so I did country and bluegrass music in my Dad’s pick up truck. Regular pilgrimages across the border to the Kentucky Bluegrass Festival made me a lifelong fan of the banjo, pedal guitar and heartfelt lyrics.
J. Tillman and his band are just that – and more. Their music is honest and real. In a time when so much indie music seems contrived and trite, it’s a refreshing respite. I had such a feeling of contentment after that show. My chicken soup for the soul, I guess. If only I could have had a patch of real bluegrass to sink my bare feet into….
Type A Perhaps?
Published June 18, 2009 Soundtrack of My Life Leave a CommentTags: atlas sound, mp3, my car
This was the scene out my back door this morning. Set up by my 4-year old, Judah. He just received a box full of Matchbox cars from his cousins in Chicago. And this is either an extremely organized display of admiration for his new booty or he has some serious Type A tendencies. Only time will tell.
June Gloom
Published June 1, 2009 Soundtrack of My Life Leave a CommentTags: mp3, november was white december was grey, say hi, say hi to your mom
Sigh. It’s June 1, and like clockwork, the cold, damp fog has taken hold of San Francisco. Time to pull out the winter clothes. I always lament this time of year just a little. Ten months out of the year I have no complaints about this town with it’s eternal sunny skies. But June and July in San Francisco are just the worst in terms of weather. I live in the sunniest part of town too, with some of the best views of the city. So when it’s foggy in my hood, you know it’s bad.
Here’s the view of the city from my hill this morning. I felt like renaming this Say Hi...track to “June Was White, July Was Grey”. I will definitely feel better when the winter’s gone.
Say Hi….“November Was White, December Was Grey”:
Postcards from the Edge
Published May 21, 2009 Soundtrack of My Life 1 CommentTags: fangela, here we go magic, mp3
No island in Greece has wowed me more than Falengandros. A tiny, remote and foreboding outpost, Falengadros was once known as the Alcatraz of the Agean. A place where exiles were sent to eek out an existance. Now no more than 600 people call the island home and landing here was a welcome respite to the tourist atrocities of Santorini. Sheer cliffs, white washed walls and a stark yet colorful landscape make it a photographers paradise. The subtle shades of red, orange, yellow and green shrubs that dot the hillside looks like a giant bowl of Trix to me. And the sunsets…amazing!
All throughout our stay here I’ve had this song from Here We Go Magic stuck in my head. The song is ‘Fangela‘, but it sounds so perfect when I sing it ‘Falengandros’.
Here We Go Magic, “Fangela“
Why I Love San Francisco – Reason #129
Published April 30, 2009 Soundtrack of My Life 1 CommentTags: delores park, san francisco
I can hang out with my kid at Delores Park AND get an impromptu African jam/break dance session!
