Song of the day--October 20

Bowerbirds--Northern Lights

Song of the day: October 19

Uncle Tupelo--New Madrid

I can see the pines are dancing

Daytrotter.com in and of itself is worth a very lengthy blog post but I'll leave that for another time. However, the A.A. Bondy Daytrotter session from May of 2008 can be summed up pretty easily: it's incredible. I always seem to go back to it and I love how it sits atop my iTunes library each time I open it due to alphabetic organization. Bondy is a tremendous singer/songwriter who crafts lyrics like the best of them even if he doesn't always receive the recognition he deserves. One of my favorite lyrics on this session: "God must pull on the string/So the moon can rise and sing/For every man and every beast/As the night comes rolling in". Or there is: "And looking at the sky there is no pain/See the stars all falling down like burning rain". Check out the session here: A.A. Bondy--Daytrotter

These are my confessions

Following Usher's lead, I've decided to come clean: I need to air out some musical confessions of mine. While I'd like to believe that everything I listen to is pretty awesome and that most everyone would agree, I'd be fooling no one by doing so. You see, I enjoy Wilco, the Beatles, and Bob Dylan. But I also enjoy Taylor Swift, the occasional Justin Bieber, and some Dixie Chicks. To be perfectly honest, it doesn't even bother me much to admit it. I'm a firm believer that if you like the music and the way it makes you feel, then roll on. If that means wanting to dance to"Baby" like a teenage girl, then so be it. If it means feeling a sense of innocence and nostalgic heartbreak while hearing "Fearless", then be my guest. I'm not saying that I, personally, have done either of those things....well, okay, I am. Bottom line: Next time you hear a song that you absolutely dig but are afraid to admit it, go ahead and remember that I freely admit to loving the song "Complicated" and don't be ashamed.

Here are a few more of my not-so-guilty pleasures: "Not Ready to Make Nice" , "Jealousy", "Party in the USA".

(I'm gonna regret admitting all this, aren't I.....)

Lawrence of Arabia

While I can't relate to the song title, it doesn't mean it isn't a really good song.

Lawrence of Arabia--I've Smoked Too Much

If this America is any indication, I was born into one great big vacation

Ryan Montbleau Band--My Best Guess

Now I'm Walkin Backwards from Chicago Through Washington

One of my favorite aspects of changing seasons is that it gives me an excuse to become obsessed (or in this case, re-obsessed) with certain musicians. This fall, Ryan Adams has claimed that spot and rightfully so, with his latest album "Ashes and Fire" being released this week. It has been a while since we last heard from Adams and I don't think anyone really thought he was going to "retire" forever. Instead, he found his lovely wife (Mandy Moore), wrote a couple books of poems, and sobered up. Needless to say, it was a recipe for success because he seems happier than ever and some would argue that "Ashes and Fire" is Adams at his finest. To me, "Heartbreaker" is near impossible to top but that doesn't mean this album doesn't rank up there. From start to finish, there's not a song I feel the need to skip over. Sure, they're mostly acoustic tracks that don't necessarily showcase his full repertoire of sound but acoustic Ryan Adams is the best Ryan Adams, in my opinion. Here's a live performance of the final track "I Love You But I Don't Know What to Say". He's currently on tour, performing solo acoustic, and I am super fortunate to be seeing him next week at Benaroya Hall in Seattle (review to follow....hold me to it). Here's the title track performed in-studio--Ashes and Fire, and several other favorites of his: Hallelujah, Call Me on Your Way Back Home, Dear Chicago, My Winding Wheel.

(Oh, and the title of this post has absolutely nothing to do with Ryan Adams. It's an M. Ward lyric from Carolina. M. Ward is another fall obsession on the horizon...)