I listened to ‘The Columbia’ by Lacktherof about 25 times today. The first time I heard it, I was immediately transported to this moment in Fiji – floating in the warm ocean during sunset. We got married there on New Year’s Eve and all of our favorite people joined us – to take over an island – for a week of frolicking and celebration. It was the best week ever and, like the song, want to replay it over and over again.
I can usually tell if I’ve picked the right movie by the previews they screen. I apply a similar philosophy to the shows I see. A quick scan of the crowd and I can tell whether or not I’m in the right place. Based on the sea of plaid shirts and scarves I saw last night at the South San Gabriel/Centro-Matic line up at The Rickshaw Stop, I knew I was in good hands.
Will Johnson is the prolific singer/songwriter and front man to both South San Gabriel and Centro-Matic. And what a pleasure it was to see both the soft side and the electric side of this man in one evening. The band has recently released a double album called Dual Hawks. Centro-Matic is featured on disc one and South San Gabriel, the band’s softer side, is on disc two. The two bands are comprised of essentially the same members, aside from a few extra friends – and a pedal guitar – for South San Gabriel. And I am such a sucker for the pedal steel guitar.
I’m certain that if Jean Paul Sartre were alive today, he would change his definition of existential hell from being trapped in a hotel room for an eternity with those you loathe to being trapped in an airplane with an unruly 3 year old, a crew of surly flight attendants and 200 other people you want absolutely nothing to do with.
Such was my life yesterday. After exhausting my arsenal of all the appropriate (yet ineffectual) ways to encourage ‘good’ behavior and ‘listening ears’ during a long day of solo travel with my son, I resorted to scare tactics. Like a good existentialist, I laid out his choices and consequences. He could be a good boy, listen to Mommy and ride on the airplane in the seat next to me. Or he could choose to be bad boy, not listen to Mommy and ride in the cargo hold with the pirates. Did it work? You betcha. Am I a bad Mother? Probably. But desperate times call for desperate measures and I was at my wits end.
After putting the hellion to bed, I soothed myself with a nice bottle of Macon Villages and some Heartless Bastards. (It’s a nice pairing, by the way.) And by the end of the evening I had completely rationalized all of my actions. Except for that resignation letter part of the day. I’ll save that for another post…when I get the courage to share.
Artist: The Acorn Album: Glory Hope Mountain File Under: Canadian Indie Rock Recommended if You Like: David Byrne, Fiery Furnaces Featured Track: Flood Pt. 1
Part biographical narrative, part surreal fairy tale, Glory Hope Mountain is the story of Gloria Esperanza Montoya. Based on interviews recorded in early 2006 by her son, Acorn songwriter Rolf Klausener, the album is a sonic retelling of the stories from her early life in Honduras to her eventual immigration to Montreal in 1972.
It’s an incredible concept album whose songs weave a beautiful tale – infusing traditional Honduran folk forms with lovely melodies in a way that’s very reminiscent of David Byrne – and ends with one of the most gorgeous lullabies I’ve ever heard.
Be sure to check them out at The Hemlock on October 21. Enjoy The Flood Pt. 1:
the OCMD 