Sex and Gasoline

Found the ideal wine for me, as i grow old and indulge in the new adventures. The Hedonist. McLaren Vale. 2005. Took a bit for the LCBO to push this wine to the front,but  i’m discovering something very tasty here. A syrah,  which i have been slowly drifting towards. Nice red meat wine, but also this is going great with some Quebec cheese (Benidictine Bleu and Artisan), olives and Rodney Crowell.  The links aren’t working so you’ll have to cut and paste. Here is the URL: http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/20080107_2.html

and for the impeccable rodney crowell http://www.rodneycrowell.com/index.php?content=releases . I’ve become a fan over the last two amazing records. Tremendous records. These are artists you need to hear and support.

The Hedonist.

Musings

I’m listening to John Martyn on a Sunday evening. Earlier i mentioned i liked his music. Perhaps an understatement. He captured sentiments i could never express. From the days i was 20 to now. That struggle. That ache.  Ache. I ache. I roar. Six months ago I travelled to NYC to see him, having no idea that it was the last time.  Love is a lesson to learn in our time. And  now i will hold those 2 days with me for the remainder of my days. Listen to John and hear the immense range of musicality, from the folk days to the rock of today. In the last years, it obvious  he was revisiting those thrilling, core days. The recent album tours, struggling to find that groove again. Struggling.  I want to hear the  last recordings,  what he was working on while hearing the audience roar to those classic  Grace/Danger tracks.  Still  I cant imagine the struggle.

Dr John – A belated Mardi Gras

Power. Control

When I was in Resolute Bay(NWT) I walked along the shore , just steps away from the husky’s/ sled dogs that sat barking on the ice. A bloody carcass lay on the ice just out of their reach – their meal for the next few days – and I watched the owner slice off slabs of raw meat and toss it to the dogs. Control and power.  Two tentpole’s of life, never laid out so clearly.

Solid Air

object> He will be missed.

Damn. It actually hurts to watch this now. I will miss you John. A little late now, but Thank you.

John Martyn September 11,1948 – Jan. 29, 2009

Year End Lists

The Stuff I Listened to in 2008 

This was not an especially great year in music, a lot of the things that caught my ear were derivative and sample-heavy. With the exception of Sam Phillips spectacular Dont Do Anything record, nothing took me by surprise and made me listen over and over again. The records I spent time with were remakes, Board tapes and box sets, which is to say stuff I knew (Shelby Lynne, Ryan Adams and John Martyn respectively).  I didn’t warmup to the hippie choir, democratic hallelujah of Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Vampire Weekend etc. No thanks. I did, however, re-discovered dance-pop, in the form of the Brazilian Girls, Jazmine Sullivan and Britney mash-ups (the best being the Stevie Wonder/Britney mash-up) although dancing was  restricted to the living room.

Songs of 2008 (the ones that stuck with me through the year):

• Shelby Lynne – Just A Little Lovin’
• Sam Phillips – Don’t Do Anything
• The Ting Tings – That’s Not My Name
• The Hold Steady – Sequestered in Memphis
• Jazmine Sullivan – Bust The Windows
• Britney – Womanizer Blaster
• Christine Aguilera – Keeps Getting Better
• Love is All – Sea Sick

The Albums of 2008:

• Shelby Lynne – Just A Little Lovin’
• Grace Jones – Hurricane
• Brazilian Girls – New York City
• Sam Phillips – Don’t Do Anything
• Girl Talk – Feed the Animals
• Santogold – Santogold
• Erykah Badu – New Amerykah
• John Martyn – Ain’t No Saint (Box Set)
• Sun Kill Moon - April
• Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Dig! Lazarus! Dig!
• Ryan Adams and the Cardinals– Cardinalogy
• Hayes Carll – Trouble in Mind

Memorable Concerts of 2008:

• Gutter Twins (Mod Club, Toronto)
• Shelby Lynne (Mod Club, Toronto; Richards on Richards, Vancouver)
• Sam Phillips (Hughs Room, Toronto)
• David Byrne (Massey Hall, Toronto)
• Bob Dylan/Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – (SPAC, Saratoga Springs, NY)
• John Martyn  (Joe’s Pub, NYC)

 

 

 

 

Full

My ipod is full. December 29, 2008. I have now selectively roamed through the playlist and deleted and unchecked albums I dont often listen to,  which allowed me to perform the last synch –  squeaking in the latest albums from Girl Talk, Jamey Johnson and a remix of Christina Aguilera’s recent track Keeps Getting Better. Pathetic that i only have 30Gb,  but it seemed appropriated at the time now clearly unsatisfying. I need to jump from the Lightenin’ Hopkins disc to the Beyonce and beyond. That track i downloaded  last night reminded me of the article i was supposed to read.  Damnitt.  Its really all become about convenience, space, instant access and instant grat. ( i cant spell out the whole word, its too long and i wanna get on with my next point).

ahhhhh….

Musings

Listening to Bon Iver now. Spent the last hours drifting in the music world of books  blogs, cross-referencing and checking people’s year end lists.  The podcast  for All Songs Considered is a good place to start.  I’ve been hearing about Bon Iver a lot and so when it started cropping up on year end lists,  it was time to seek it out. Another thats popping up is Jazmin Sullivan (Grammy nominee and raved about in NYT), so I’ll need to check her out as well. Soul singer in the style of UK-hotties Duffy aand Amy Winehouse.

My year-end list, you ask? That’s almost complete.  Its been brewing for a while –  some clear favourites have stuck with me through the year.  I’ll put it up soon enough. 

Getting colder here, maybe time to spark the fire, savour a glass of red and some Philip Roth.

Saturday Night – It’s Snowing

Perfection. Its all in the moment. Be a sponge and allow the beauty of the moment gain momentum in your soul. 2008. December 6th. Here in toronto it is snowing.  I needed to gloat. An active day provides the opportunity to indulge. The first winter day is beautiful, fragile and comforting.  

I fixed the fireplace today, with the help of my landlord. We cleaned it.  Ok –  he cleaned it,  i watched. I did some of the vacuuming. But the point is that for the first time in two years, I am sitting in front of my fireplace, wood burning,  great music playing (Frisell – the Intercontinentals), opened a nice South African Syrah, Porcupine Ridge –  remember that first conversation in NYC about the differences between Syrah and Sirah? It was at lunch at a tiny place on 2nd Ave. actually called Syrah. you probably dont remember.  One of thosee rare moments. Juniper’s was another.

Back to Toronto.  Built a  proper fire. Reading the newspaper. The moment has come together –  reading, wine,  music. A sense of calm. This moment i’ll keep with me.