09.27.07
Muckle me, muckle you (bands to go see, part three, girls!)
Say, how about that Mucklewain, eh? I must say that, while there are certainly drawbacks, I’m a fan of the outdoor, multi-stage shows. It’s an opportunity to spend a lazy weekend hanging out with friends, listening to good music and discovering new bands. [Your upbeat Pollyanna attitude is going to make me look even more like a bitch than I already do, I see it now.—Mimi] The great part being, if the set you’re listening to sucks, you can always go seek out another stage.
When I started looking through the Mucklewain schedule, I discovered that all of the bands that I know and want to see have been covered here already. So instead of re-reviewing guys like Todd Snider, and Matthew Ryan, I thought I’d go over a few of the acts that I’m looking forward to seeing based solely on their MySpace pages. My laziness prevents me from being properly embarrassed about this. [Embrace the darkside, MySpace is music love, even if everything else about it sucks.—Cricket]
I’ll admit that this choice has as much to do with her page as it does her actual music. She’s got this whole hot alterna-rock chick thing going on, which seems to be at least partially tongue-in-cheek. The music itself I could go either way on. I actually have no real reason to recommend her other than the fact that I find her MySpace intriguing. That, and that the opening to the song, “Married to Grunge,” makes me feel like I’m back in high school hanging out in my friend’s basement. Yes, I also buy books based on their covers and watch TV shows because that guy is cute. And? [Is that somehow unacceptably shallow? I hear it on good authority they market both those forms of media in just those ways.—Mimi] [I remain unconvinced until I see her live. She seems more Traci Lords than Joan Jett. Not that that is necessarily bad.—Cric]
Amy LaVere’s voice is an odd blend of Jenny Lewis and Norah Jones, with some Fiona Apple thrown in there that I think works well. The song that I keep going back to is “Killing Him”, which is a tale of a woman who killed her sweetheart. It has an infectious tune that is at odds with the subject matter. I’m imagining a scenario in which this song is stuck in my head and I’m walking around singing, “Killing him didn’t make the love go away,” where other people can hear me. Hilarity ensues. [Ha! Now I have that song stuck in my head. Hilarity indeed.—Cricket]
And, hey, in my web-surfing procrastination I see that Cricket recently reviewed her album, Anchors & Anvils. I agree with Cric in that I’m not a hundred percent sold on Miss Amy, but I am hopeful that her live set will change my mind.
Before anything else, follow the link and listen to the song “The Whole Damn Thing.” Go ahead, I’ll wait…
Need I say more about how totally excited I am to see these gals? I mean, really, does it get any better than a song about getting drunk and eating an entire chicken? I don’t think so. Now go listen to “Wild One”. The overwhelming love I have for this song can only truly be expressed through interpretive dance. Alas, that doesn’t really help me here. [Folks at home, you are so sorry you weren't in the HCT HQ when she was listening to this. If only my camera battery hadn't died…—Cricket]
My Google-fu reveals that their bass player, Kelley Anderson, is the creator of the Southern Girls Rock and Roll Camp, which is a week long camp that provides teenage girls with the tools they need to rock out. Between that, their old-timey sound, and lyrics like, “If you can’t handle crazy, go ahead and leave” I am anticipating Those Darlins for the win this weekend. [I am seriously excited to see them as well. I keep playing "The Whole Damn Thing" over and over. Also, how totally freakin' cool is Girls Rock and Roll camp?—Cric]
While it looks like I’ll be spending the better part of the weekend at the Songwriter Stage, much of that depends on what sorts of shenanigans Cricket and Mimi get up to once they start drinking. Hey, why don’t you come join us? You know you want to!
RSS Feed
