Shake it 'til you make it

It's been almost five weeks since I left my day job but today was the first day I felt able to relish my new freedom. The chilly but sunny bike ride from Southie to Jamaica Plain after yoga this morning was simply delightful. I forgot that one of my favorite things about not having a real job is the opportunity to enjoy the city in the weird hours when most folks are at work. The streets and sidewalks are clear, save for the dog walkers and delivery folks. It's dreamy.

Life in general is treating me well. If it wasn't for lingering illness and drama amongst some of my favorite people, I would be stupendous. Since finishing yoga teacher training, I know now that I can separate that crap from who I really am and dance like the happy hipsters in this video, and that is an especially liberating feeling.



I've never thought of myself as a dancer. I took ballet as a child, probably for less than six months. Actually, I think I stopped because I wasn't allowed to wear a tutu during practice and I thought that was bullshit. Why else would one do ballet? Later in life, my friend Suzanna told me something like, "I love that you have absolutely no rhythm but you dance anyway. It's great." I decided to embrace my role as the goof ball dancer. At some point in teacher training this past month, my yoga teacher decided I was a dancer. I looked at him cockeyed and confused. Me? A dancer? Are you sure? I was even more surprised when some classmates told me they were impressed with my moves and urged me to include dance in my sequencing.

Perhaps it's three years of Afro Flow Yoga or the endless string of kitchen dance parties at 34 Robeson, but it seems I'm not JUST a goof ball booty shaker anymore. I'm going to run with that as long as I can.  Pretty or not, it makes me feel alive and helps me forget all the bullshit in my body and my struggles to change the world.

As David Longstreth says, "There is an answer. I haven't found it but I will keep dancing until I do." 

Song of the Week: Celebration's "Heartbreak"

An oldie but goodie. Unfortunately, this version doesn't have the wicked horn outro that you'll find on the album but it's rad in its own right.

Celebration - Heartbreak from knox on Vimeo.

Shut Up!

I've been talking about this song to people all week. The audacity of it amazes me more with each listen. And, how can you not love a song that employs "OMG" in the refrain?

It's been a wild week already. People talk about juggling responsibilities, having a lot of balls in the air. I feel like people are throwing balls at me left and right and I'm just trying to catch them before they hit my face, and then put them some place where I won't forget about them. It's not a bad thing.

Monday night was the very last Afro Flow Yoga (AFY) class at South Boston Yoga. I'm pretty sure every single person I've spoken to in the last year and half has gotten an earful about how amazing the class is. Yoga + Afro-Carribbean dance + live drumming + amazing teacher + diverse class. What more could you really ask for? I've had to say goodbye to great yoga teachers before (sadly, they're people too and they move and have babies and do that kind of stuff) but what really bums me out about the end of AFY, is that it makes my body feel better than anything else I've ever done. It was a key component of my pain management routine. I know there are other sweet things out there that could make me feel good, like Hip Hop Yoga, or inversion tables, but I'm going to miss the crap out of that class. Leslie Salmon Jones, creator of AFY, is a wise and wonderful woman. Thankfully, she'll still be teaching workshops here and there.

Tuesday night I saw Kurt Vile and Thurston Moore at the Somerville Theatre. I'm not really sure what you have to do to "make it" in the music industry these days but if Vile hasn't yet, he will soon. During a particularly beautiful part of "Dead Alive," my concert buddy, who's no stranger to ridiculously good music, leaned over and said he'd never seen anyone play guitar the way Vile was. It was mesmerizing. He played solo, with some harp accompaniment. Now, I just want to see him again. Thurston Moore, of the now defunct Sonic Youth, played an acoustic set with a band, which also included a harp, and a violin. The strings all sort of canceled each other out in a weird way that was neither pleasing nor interesting. The set alternated between seemingly soulless acoustic songs, spoken word poetry and straight up noise making, which was the one redeeming factor of the whole experience. Maybe I missed something but I found it hard to sit through.

Saturday promises a roaring night of rock opera in JP and baby making music with Daptone hero Charles Bradley.

Throw your money on the ground and leave it there

Tune-Yards Tiny Desk Concert, suggested by of jazz pianist extraordinaire Molly Cyr.

Hilarious Yoga Music Video

Pokey!

Pokey La Farge is the man! His band, the South City Three, are pretty swell themselves. I thoroughly enjoyed their folksy Americana set at Club Passim last night. They are true performers, choosing not simply to play music but to put on a proper show. And they were super accessible. I asked them what, out of the old Americana cannons, I should listen to. Pokey and one of his band mates happily offered several recommendations: early Cab Calloway, Milton Brown, and Ma Rainey. I learned from Wikipedia that Rainey and her husband dubbed their duet Rainey and Rainey, Assassinators of the Blues. A-mazing.

You can buy the new Pokey La Farge and South City Three album Middle of Everywhere (2011 Free Dirt Records) on cd or vinyl here.

This song was particularly awesome. All my whiskey drinkin' pals will 'preciate it.

(This isn't from the show I saw but the feeling is similar)

Eugene McDaniels

This post is dedicated to Wyatt.

I first got into Eugene McDaniels when a really good soul put "Outlaw" on a mix for me. While not often a household name himself, McDaniels' music was sampled in a crap ton of hip hop in the 90s, most often by A Tribe Called Quest, and again in the 2000s by groups like De La Soul, Quasimoto and People Under the Stairs. (A comprehensive list is available on WhoSampled, which is fun to play with.) He started out doing gospel and jazz stuff in the 60s under the name Gene McDaniels but later went back to Eugene McDaniels before releasing Outlaw and the much sampled Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse. Also in the same time period, he began focusing on black consciousness and wrote "Compared to What," a protest song made famous by Les McCann and Eddie Harris.



McDaniels was pretty up front with his politics. A message printed on the back of Outlaw reads:

Under conditions of national emergency, like now, there are only two kinds of people -- those who work for freedom, and those who do not: the good guys vs the bad guys.

The original gangsta passed away just this summer, at his home in Maine.

This Tribe classic samples McDaniels Jagger the Dagger (featured second).

Jeff Mangum in Boston and Cambridge + Aloe Blacc

"...the most arresting lyricist of his generation" - Carly Carioli, The Phoenix, 9/11/2011



After years and years underground, Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel went on tour this summer and fall, and graced the Greater Boston area with two shows on September 9 and 10.The video above is from the show I saw with K-Moms at Sanders Theatre at Harvard on the 9th. This Phoenix review is from the next night. At both shows he opened with "Oh Comely," led the crowd in several sing-a-longs, and was coaxed into a second encore. Good stuff Jeff. Thank you. If you want to make more music now, that's fine with me.

I also saw Aloe Blacc at Brighton Music Hall last week and would definitely put that show in my top 10 best ever. Someone in the crowd got it right when they said, "That motherfucker is gonna be filling coliseums someday." Blacc did some of his hip hop and a whole lotta soul. He's a great dancer, political, and relentlessly positive. I got to give him a hug after the show. I'm never washing the sweater I wore that night. My show-going partner was distracted by the super polished nature of his backing band, presumably a group of studio musicians Blacc plucked for his album and then took on the road. I felt like that was to be expected for a Los Angeles band and it didn't bother me. If anyone out there has thoughts on the matter, let a girl know in the comments section.


See what I mean with the dancing?

He also performed this and it was hot.

My Favorite Song of All Time

I'm pretty sure I should have been born in the 1970s.



More on KC and the Sunshine Band

Song of the Week: Video Games

This week's song is dedicated to my friend Laura Richardson, who plays the harp, darts, and video games.

"Video Games" by Lana Del Rey:


This says she's inspired by the filmmaker David Lynch (Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet, etc.) and you can definitely feel that in her sort of creepy, super romantic ballads. She apparently defines her genre as "Hollywood Sadcore," which seems right on to me.

Two Smooth Rides

"The World" by Charles Bradley and the Menahan Street Band


I sing this song every time I'm in the Caddy by myself. For whatever reason it is set to this really ridiculous video that I wish I could understand.
"Be Thankful for What You've Got" by William DeVaughn


And a bonus track: I downloaded this by accident and really, really love it. It's a La Roux remix of I Blame Coco called "Self Machine." Listen to this at 7am and I promise you'll have a great day.

Raspberries, Rye Rye and Iced COFFEEEEE

Team Robeson Floor 2 Circa 2010 reunited this weekend to raspberry pick at Smolak Farms. Luckily for us, other people either didn’t find or didn’t know what to do with the white raspberries. Holy crap, they’re delicious. It was totally worth the traffic, sunburn and $14 I endured to get three quarts of them. The super ripe ones taste like peaches and a lot of them were huge. We also went to Salisbury Beach and enjoyed some spectacular people and seagull - watching.

There is a tie for music of the week: Beyonce’s new album 4 has some winners on it and Rye Rye has released a mix tape, for free, which includes her bitchin’ cover of “Party in the USA.” There is some awesome dancing in the video below.

Even though I think driving is the devil, I must say that I love babysitting my little brother’s Cadillac. Even if it earns me $40 parking tickets, something my bike would never do, I love it because it affords me ample time to explore Boston’s radio offerings and sing at the top of my lungs. While rocking to some 90s classics on Saturday morning, it occurred to me that one great thing about 90s rock songs is the abundant use of the long, drawn out, or oft repeated “yeah.” When songwriters ran out lyrics, they’d throw in some dramatic “yeahs.” In some instances, this bridge of sorts is the best part of the song. It’s like negative space in art. When used well, it can make a masterpiece. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I find the “yeah” is notoriously absent in the repertoire of today’s indie hipster post-post-80s revival songwriters. Today’s music is like the opposite of negative space. Sometimes, maybe more so in pop music, it sounds like folks are trying to use all the crayons in the box and cover every inch of white space. I really hope the next wave of music involves a “yeah”-revival: a tribute to Counting Crows, Red Hot Chili Peppers and other masters of “yeah.”

While we’re on the topic of 90s rock, I should mention that I was sad to learn this weekend that Alanis Morissette was not saying “It’s not fair to deny me of the cross-eyed bear that you gave to me.” Oh man. Lyrics. What tricky little things they are sometimes.

Iced coffee. I'm addicted. I’ve been averaging 1.5 cups a day and Lordy, I’ve been paying for it. I normally try not to pay for coffee and I've decided I can’t let myself do it any longer. I’m in such denial that I’ve been rotating between three coffee shops to make it seem like I’m not a regular at any of them. Who does that? This girl. So, to remedy the situation, I’m trying the Pioneer Woman’s recipe for make it yourself iced coffee. She uses Café Bustelo, recently selling at 2 cans for $5.00 at Stop N Shop, so I am hopeful that I can fulfill my need to suck cold caffeine through a straw without needlessly sucking my bank account dry. I’ll let you know how it tastes/goes.

Here is Rye Rye's "Party in the USA" for your listening and viewing pleasure.

Tune-Yards at Brighton Music Hall, May 16, 2011

Last night I took Wyatt to see Tune-Yards at the Brighton Music Hall. Leader Merrill Garbus seemed genuinely surprised by the enthusiastic full house, despite the recent success of her newest studio album W h o k i l l. It's my third time seeing her and she's mostly doing the same thing, just with a little more polish and attention to detail. She is touring with two sax players and they, along with bassist Nate Brenner, wore coordinated custom shirts and face paint. Garbus wore the most amazing dress, complete with big multi-colored tulle shoulder poofs.

The sound quality in this video is terrible but it features the poofs and will give you an idea of how fun the show was.

Openers Pat Jordache and Buke&Gass were both pretty swell. Pat Jordache made a splash on Best of 2010 lists last year with their song "Radio Generation" which sounds like the Clash drunkenly covering some recent indie rock song. Pat and his band were solid on stage. While not as unique as TY, they've got a good little thing going.

Buke&Gass (rhymes with "puke and race") were as loud as they were endearing. The duo rocked homemade instruments really hard along to Arone Dyer's soaring and unpredictable vocals. Their name is derived from the unique instruments they wield, a six string baritone ukelele or "buke" and a hybrid electric guitar and bass, or "gass." They also employ a small harem of percussion implements, including a kick drum with a bass drum and a tambourine inside it. I'm not sure their sound transfers in recording. Definitely see them live if you can.

Song(s) of the Week

My iPod gained about 100lbs this weekend and is now fat with new music. The sudden influx of tunes, combined with the sleepy gray skies in Boston, are making me indecisive. So this week there is a four-way tie for best song.

1. "When I'm With You" - Best Coast

This feels very 90s to me and rekindles my long-held dreams of being a rock star.

2. "Hurricane Season" - Trombone Shorty
New Orleans' golden boy does it again.


3. Dance Yrself Clean - LCD Soundsystem
This is a video someone made with Kermit the Frog singing. It's pretty rad. LCD Soundsystem played what they announced as their final show at Madison Square Garden on April 2nd. I'm really hoping they will make a comeback, and ideally one that coincides with the inevitable collective millennial mid-life crisis. What could be better than a new throwback dance album (with cowbells) to get us through hard times?

BTW, the song comes from the album This is Happening, a swell choice for the gym.

4. "Came Out of a Lady" - Rubblebucket
I can't get this song out of my head. You can download the new Rubblebucket album Omega La La on their website for free if you agree to promote the band on your Facebook page and send the link to four friends. The music is not otherwise available until June.

I'm not as high on the whole album as I am on this song but perhaps it will grow on me.

Happy Earth Day and Happy Pesach to all my favorite Jews!

Tracking the "T" and New Workout Songs

To revisit my constant love/hate relationship with the "T," Boston's subway system, I wanted to share this great website that Wyatt turned me on to. It's called HowFuckedIstheT? and it will tell you the average wait time for the red, orange, green and blue lines.

I guess the silver line is too f-ed to be included. The last time I took it to the airport it took almost an hour to get from South Station to Logan. I could have limped there faster.

In other news, Veronica and I discovered that Outkast Pandora is pretty much the best thing ever. Great for the gym as well as the kitchen. It brings up Biggie, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and lots of other songs I tend to forget about.



We've started a tradition of musical themed weekday breakfasts. By that I mean, we've done it once so far. Our trial run was a reggae-themed blueberry pancake breakfast and it was a fantastic way to start the day. We may never get up early enough to do it again, but we have plans for Destiny's Child, Outkast Pandora and Black Keys breakfasts.

The Weeknd - "Loft Music"

This dirty little gem samples Beach House's "Gila."



You can download the entire album House of Balloons, on The Weeknd website.

Here's a little write up on the 20-year-old from Toronto from Rolling Stone.

Hot Video Alert: "Bizness"

Another gem from my favorite artist Merrill Garbus, a.k.a. tUnE-YarDs. This song, "Bizness" is the single off her new album, set for release on my little brother's birthday, April 19th. tUnE-YarDs returns to Boston on May 16th to play the Brighton Music Hall. See you there. Until then, watch this video. It rules.

Album of the Week: False Priest

Though it came out last summer, I'm just getting around to listening to this most recent album from the Athens, Georgia's Of Montreal. False Priest is funky and features both Solange Knowles and 2010's it-girl Janelle Monae. I'm less into the first track "Do You Strutter" and the single "Coquet Coquette" but I love the rest of the album. In his usual fashion, front man David Barnes creates some pretty hot "Oh hell yeah" moments and his lyrics are as ridiculous as they are unusually honest and vulnerable. These are my favorite lines so far:

From "Girl Named Hello":

If I treated someone else the way I treat myself I'd be in jail.

And, in "Do You Mutilate?" Barnes is surprisingly assertive in his condemnation of religious fanaticism, a far cry from some of his older songs about hipsters, touring and party girls:

Everybody's searching for a cause
A reason to blow themselves up
Could be anything

When will certain people realize
An afterlife is nothing to live for
Nothing to die for, nothing to fight for
If those in this life are not sacred
Then nothing that's a part of it is sacred either

If you think God is more important than your neighbor
You're capable of terrible evil
If you think some prophet's words are more important
Than your brother and your sister
You're ill and you're wrong
You're wrong

In other Of Montreal news, David Barnes recently published an art book called What's Weird? which features, among other things, many colorful images of animal mashups and people with fruit for heads. The band's latest EP, thecontrollersphere, comes out April 26th.

An image from What's Weird?

I'll leave you with "Our Riotous Defects [feat. Janelle Monae]" off of False Priest

Soup and Soul

Spring is just rising its cute little head in Boston. It's enough to get me thinking about tomatoes and flip flops but, of course, it flurried today, so not too excited.

I've found that nothing kills the bad weather blues like Wyatt's roommate's sausage ravioli soup. Jim is his name and he uses lots of sausage and puts mozzarella straight in the soup. It's heaven in a bowl. I'm supposed to stop eating dairy so I made my own version without the cheese and used squash ravioli. It's not quite as awesome but still very satisfying.


Sausage Ravioli Soup with spinach, peppers and tomatoes.

On my buddy Norm's recommendation I've been listening to Fitz and the Tantrums almost exclusively. The band's website calls their music "familiar but distinct" and I'm not sure I can say anything more fitting than that. It's a little hokey but in an endearing way. Imagine the Scissor Sisters and Meat Loaf coming together as a neo-soul outfit. Listeners can expect some soulful voices, saxophone, and lyrics you can learn on the first listen. Fun facts: they've toured with Sharon Jones, they recorded their album Pickin' Up the Pieces in the band leader's living room, and the female singer is named Noelle. Noelle Scaggs.

"Money Grabber" Gold Digger 2.o

"Winds of Change"


This is definitely good music for the gym, by the way.

Song of the Week

I can't stop listening to "Blue Gowns" by Blue Hawaii off of Blooming Summer. It is, at least in part, a tribute to Bjork and I love it.