van morrison

Playlist #274

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Happy Monday Wednesday! I’m currently at Virginia Beach for a week of family fun. Here’s some songs to rock away the days in the sun.

  1. Lord Huron (featuring Phoebe Bridgers), “The Night We Met”: I love this song and I love the addition of Phoebe Bridgers’ vocals.
  2. Chuck Prophet (featuring Qiensave), “First Came the Thunder”: I dug his collaboration with this band. Their styles are different, but there’s enough overlap for a happy medium style of thing here.
  3. Ben Folds, “Not the Same”: if I ever climb a tree at someone’s party and come down as an evangelist for…well, anything, please sit on my head until the urge passes.
  4. Iron & Wine, “Call It Dreaming”: I kinda love how the coda to this song reminds me of the Elton John song “Levon.” Dunno why or how, it just does.
  5. Pearl Jam, “Hail Hail”: for when you really need to get the blood pumping and the juices flowing, accept no substitutes! Though I’m pretty sure by the point they recorded this song, it’d be weird and inaccurate to refer to Pearl Jam as a grunge band.
  6. Sara Bareilles, “Armor”: I still really dig this song, even…geez, eight years later?! Why does time keep moving forward like that?
  7. Josh Ritter, “Golden Age of Radio”: I love playing this song on the guitar, even if the low notes are really damn hard to sing well. I still try to sing ‘em.
  8. Lizzo, “Good As Hell”: I know Lizzo’s been in her “Bad Bitch” era for a bit now, but I still dig the vibes of this song and will sing along whenever it comes on.
  9. Greg Felden, “Incoming”: I like this song a lot, and spent a good four hours of a road trip home from Oklahoma only listening to this song on repeat turned up about as loud as my ears could handle it. Would do it again.
  10. Van Morrison, “Into the Mystic”: I had this song on the playlist when I put it together Sunday evening (yes, I started planning ahead for this week, and still didn’t get it done before I left). Then this morning someone posted a version Glen Hansard did of it live acoustic, and it just knocked me right out. Not long after, I learned he’d died in a motorcycle accident. Life is short, folks.

Playlist #271

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Happy Monday, folks! It’s beach week – we’re heading down to Crystal Beach, TX, to meet up with my family and hang out in a beach house for a few days. But that’s not until Thursday. Monday through Wednesday is still teaching small children how to create and edit videos, and right now it’s time for a playlist!

  1. Bryan Andrews, “Backwoods Backwards”: I kept seeing this song in particular pop up in reels on Facebook for the better part of a week, and damn if it’s not a banger. Dude’s trying to reclaim outlaw country from…well, whatever the hell country music as turned in to. Bootlicking, mostly.
  2. Phoebe Bridgers, “Motion Sickness”: “Emotional motion sickness” is such a good turn of phrase that it almost makes me sick that I wasn’t the one who wrote it.
  3. Matchbox 20, “Mad Season”: There’s just something about these ’90s alt-rockers that I keep coming back to time and again.
  4. Josh Ritter, “Getting Ready To Get Down”: When you discover that you’re probably a lesbian and your parents decide to send you to a Bible college
  5. The Mountain Goats, “Training Montage”: I honestly wish this was the song that played during the training montage in Rocky IV rather than whatever Survivor song they played instead.
  6. The National, “Wake Up Your Saints”: I always love the horn section in this song. I should use more horn sections in my own music.
  7. Dan Auerbach, “Trouble Weighs A Ton”: A part of me will alwayw love songs that are just a vocal and an acoustic guitar.
  8. Sting, “Fragile”: The emotion in this song always gets to me. It’s so sad and forlorn and somber and I really just want to sit and cry when I listen to it.
  9. Golden Smog, “V”: This song, on the other hand, is so uptempo that it’s hard not to sing along when it comes on. God bless Golden Smog.
  10. Van Morrison, “Wonderful Remark”: I learned this one on the guitar a few years ago. Easy song to play, and really great to sing.

Playlist #265

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Happy Tuesday, folks. I’ve got the first three days of this week off for various holidays and teacher work days, so I’ve spent the time relaxing and not thinking about what I have to do when I get back to work on Thursday. Here’s a playlist.

  1. The Gray Charlies, “Burnt Offering”: My brother released his full EP last Friday, and I think you should listen to the whole thing, but especially this song. And not just because this is the one that I wrote the words and music for. No, because the way the singer digs into it just hits right, and the strings are absolutely gorgeous.
  2. Rostam, “Like a Spark”: This is just Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks,” right? Like, I’m not complaining, but this is just “Astral Weeks” with different words.
  3. The Pauls Band, “Penguin Parade”: A buddy of mine from work released a second single last week, and it’s pretty darn good.
  4. Shakey Graves, “Time Flies”: A lo-fi slab of acoustic-based alternative folk, which is a string of words that either immediately made you make a vomit emoji face or light up like a Christmas tree.
  5. The National, “The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness”: Aside from being the only National song I can think of with an actual guitar solo in it, the title is unnecessarily long and I kinda love it for that.
  6. Antony with Bryce Dessner, “I Was Young When I Left Home”: A Dylan cover? On one of my playlists? It’s more likely than you’d think!
  7. Hurray for the Riff Raff, “Pa’lante”: Apparently a word in Spanish that means “foward” or “keep going.” A nice little reminder that as hard as things get, as ridiculous as the world around us seems, we have to keep trying not to fuck it up too much and just move forward each time we do.
  8. Van Morrison, “Madame George”: Is it a song about a drag queen? Or about his own mother? Even Van doesn’t know. But it’s beautiful.
  9. Tom Petty. “The Apartment Song (Demo)”: I always preferred the demo version of this song, since the lyrics are a little different in the second chorus (instead of just repeating the chorus, he adds in some new words in the second run through and it just really fits and I’m sad it didn’t make it into the final version). Plus, I’m pretty sure that’s Stevie Nicks singing backing vocals on it.
  10. Daniel and the Lion, “No Ghost”: This slice of pop perfection is all Clyde’s fault. He’s the only reason I even know who this band is.

Playlist #248

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Happy Tuesday, folks. Here in Northern Virginia, it’s freezing and icy outside, but inside it’s so warm I’m starting to sweat and I blame the Brancos. Here’s a playlist to help you make it through the snow days you’re almost assuredly going through if you live in the United States.

  1. Lucinda Williams, “How Much Did You Get For Your Soul”: Lucinda cuts right to the point with this one, a solid rocker and protest song of the old school.
  2. Khatumu, “matador”: More songs should reference bullfighting.
  3. Cat Power, “Nothing Compares 2 U”: I am a sucker for a Prince cover, or a cover of Sinead O’Connor doing a cover of Prince. I’m not picky.
  4. Drive-By Truckers, “Carl Perkins’ Cadillac”: There need to be more songs about how little bullshit Carl Perkins was willing to listen to.
  5. The Mountain Goats, “Training Montage”: Of course it’s the Mountain Goats coming up with a song that’d sound great under a training montage. And that line at the start of the chorus? “I’m doing this for revenge” is just one of my all-time favorite lines from anything.
  6. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, “King Of Oklahoma”: It’s been a minute since I listened to this song and I somehow forgot how much I absolutely love it. I heartily recommend digging through your own old playlists and finding some hidden gems among them,.
  7. Van Morrison, “Jackie Wilson Said (I’m In HeavenWhen You Smile)”: This song sounds absolutely nothing like anything else on this album, but I love it and the other songs on that record still. That’s a talent.
  8. David Bowie, “The Next Day”: I someday hope to have even half the chutzpah David Bowie possessed so I can remix the cover to one of my most beloved albums and reuse it for a latter-day masterpiece.
  9. Michigander, “Better”: I always look forward to anything this guy does because his songs are so well-constructed and hit the right spot in my brain every time.
  10. Dan Auerbach, “Shine On Me”: Today is a day that needs sunshine. This song is audio sunshine.

The Creativity Business

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I ran across a Van Morrison quote this morning that’s had me thinking. To be honest, I’d been thinking about this stuff for a few days already, mostly following a conversation about music and marketing with my brother the other night.

Anyway, the quote says, “Music is spiritual. The music business is not.”

And, yeah, that quote kinda speaks to my very soul.

I am, or at least like to think I am, a creative person. I make things: books, stories, drawings, music, the occasional scarf. I am not, nor have I ever been, someone who is good at marketing himself. I just don’t have the business brain. I can make music; hell, I could do nothing but write and record songs and write books from now until I die. But I’m pretty piss-poor at the marketing and selling side of things. It just does not come naturally to me.

I’m not really sure why. Dunno if it’s just imposter syndrome rearing its ugly head (which it often does anyway) or I just don’t speak the lingo. I don’t have the pater. And so every time I try to market my work, or announce something new I’ve created, it feels an awful lot like I’m just shouting into the void with only my own echo coming back.

I know part of it is a law of averages thing. You have to really put yourself out there in front of thousands and thousands of people in order to get dozens to even give your stuff a try. And that’s pretty disheartening. You go to all that effort for such a small return.

And it’s not like I don’t think the things I create have some inherent value. I’m a firm believer that art has intrinsic value, worth in and of itself that is completely separate from any monetary value it may or may not possess. And I like to think that the stuff I make is enjoyable and worthwhile, that other people would enjoy reading or listening to it. It’s just real hard getting it out there in front of enough eyeballs to get any sort of return on investment.

I’m not an artist because I think it’ll make me big bucks. I have no illusions that my DIY novels or bedroom recordings are going to set the world on fire. I do think I have an audience out there, somewhere, probably still undiscovered. And if the only way to find them is to become better at marketing, I guess I need to start figuring out just how to sell myself.

Playlist #230

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Happy Monday, folks. I’ve been a bit down the past few days, which may or may not have affected my choice in music. Let’s take a look at the playlist and see.

  1. Glen Campbell, “Wichita Lineman”: Heard this song last night and it made me cry.
  2. Counting Crows, “Holiday in Spain”: The saddest song about being on holiday in Spain I’ve ever heard. I would assume being on holiday in Spain is a joyous occasion, not one so somber.
  3. Genesis, “No Reply At All”: One of the most upbeat songs about getting ghosted I’ve ever heard.
  4. case/lang/veirs, “Atomic Number”: How can a song ostensibly about the periodic table feel so sad? There’s just so much longing and loss in this song that I can’t help but love it.
  5. The National, “Afraid Of Everyone”: “You’re an oasis, darling, in my soul soul soul soul” on repeat in my brain for the rest of the day.
  6. Van Morrison, “Not Supposed To Break Down”: A Van cast off that’s better than most bands’ best song.
  7. Spoon, “Everything Hits At Once”: It sure does, It sure does.
  8. Hem, “The Part Where You Let Go”: I love this band. They’re one of my go-tos when I’m feeling down. Very cinematic and widescreen in the best possible ways.
  9. Wilco, “Handshake Drugs”: Four-chord songs are fun to play sometimes. I love playing this one.
  10. The Rolling Stones, “19th Nervous Breakdown”: I dunno if it’s the nineteenth one or not, but I do feel like I narrowly avoided a breakdown last night. Why’s the world so overwhelming right now?

Playlist #228

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Happy Monday, folks! Another week, another batch of tunes to get you started on the right foot.

  1. Hurray for the Riff Raff, “Alibi”: The ease with they toss off song after beautiful song never fails to impress me.
  2. Van Morrison, “Domino”: There are few performers alive who have as much energy as Van when he’s on.
  3. The Wallflowers, “Nearly Beloved”: Reckless runaway rhythm. This song always feels like it’s just on the verge of falling apart to me.
  4. Lord Huron, “Fool For Love”: A long-lost Springsteen song with more reverb than is strictly called for? Could be.
  5. Statler Brothers, “Flowers on the Wall”: Who doesn’t want to be smokin’ cigarettes and watchin’ Captain Kangaroo?
  6. Michgander, “Important (with Taylor Goldsmith)”: A beautiful piano ballad. I’ve loved everything this guy’s done.
  7. Leonard Cohen, “Anthem”: I’ve been thinking of Leonard Cohen songs all weekend. Dunno why. This one remains one of my absolute favorites, though.
  8. Stone Temple Pilots, “Interstate Love Song”: If you’re listening to this song while driving down the highway and suddenly find yourself doing 90 mph, don’t be surprised.
  9. Supertramp, “Goodbye Stranger”: Rick Davies, leader of the band Supertramp and singer of most of their hit songs, died over the weekend. I always enjoyed Supertramp. Stupid name, great band.
  10. Josh Ritter, “Galahad”: For some reason, I always imagine this song is about the Monty Python and the Holy Grail Sir Galahad, and it cracks me up.

Playlist #227

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Happy Labor Day, folks! True to form, I came down sick over the long weekend, and still feel like ten miles ofd rough road. But the content mines wait for no man! So, here’s a playlist.

  1. Shocking Blue, “Venus”: Shocking no one (even the color blue), I prefer this version to the ’80s cover. I know, who could have guessed?
  2. Spoon, “Guess I’m Fallin In Love”: It’s a new Spoon song. At this point, you know what they sound like, you know what their songs are gonna do. You either dig it or you don’t. I dig it.
  3. Lord Huron, “La Belle Fleur Sauvage”: I need me some more atmospheric Americana. This hits that spot and scratches that itch.
  4. Anna Nalick, “Breathe (2 AM)”: It’s a very Lilith Faire circa 1998 sorta song, except it came out in 2004.
  5. The Narcissist Cookbook, “vs the Heat Death of the Universe!”: Strummy guitars, soft/loud dynamics, and shout-along choruses? This just ticks all the boxes, doesn’t it?
  6. Sabrina Carpenter, “Manchild”: It’s a good song. As good as the stuff off her last album? Maybe not. But she’s taking aim at dudes who need to be taken down a peg or two, so I’m here for it.
  7. Cross-Eyed Yeti, “I Don’t Need You”: We released the original Cross-Eyed Yeti tape last week! It’s…very rough, but has a certain homespun charm. This is one of our better early songs, played way slower than it would be in subsequent years.
  8. Cory Branan, “When In Rome, When In Memphis”: Conflating Rome, Memphis, and Asbury Park may be one of the ballsiest moves I’ve ever heard of, but damn if the guy doesn’t have at least a little bit of a point.
  9. Tom Petty, “Down South”: The tail end of August has been downright pleasant, temperature-wise, which is quite unusual for Virginia. I’m sure we’ll pay for it during the month of September. But hey, that’s the challenge of living in the South.
  10. Van Morrison, “Meet Me In The Indian Summer”: We are officially at the end of the summer season with Labor Day’s arrival, reaching what is often called “Indian Summer,” y’racists. We’ll accept it from Van this one time, ’cause that dude’s pretty fuckin’ irascible.

Playlist #224

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Happy Monday, folks. We’re up bright and early today because it’s the first day of teacher in-service week, when they see if they can crush the desire to teach out of us via the medium of meetings. We’ll see if they succeed this year or not.

  1. The Wallflowers, “Some Flowers Bloom Dead”: One of the first Wallflowers songs I tried to learn (after “One Headlight,” of course). The chords are easy enough, as I recall, though I don’t think I ever sang it very well. That has never stopped me from singing a song, though.
  2. Neil Young, “Harvest Moon”: Speaking of songs I don’t sing well, I kinda love this one. It’s a simple love song, but it just sounds so beautiful.
  3. Fleetwood Mac, “Seven Wonders”: ’80s Mac just hits different.
  4. Glen Phillips, “Men Just Leave”: I still love how stripped down and countryish that first Glen Phillips solo album is. Even almost 25 years later, it’s still very immediate and evocative.
  5. Van Morrison, “Once In A Blue Moon”: Mid-2000s Van is a strange beast, taking elements from all the other versions of him that are out there and amalgamating them into something that still feels relevant, joyful, and vital.
  6. The Raconteurs, “Carolina Drama”: Sometimes you’re the preacher man, and sometimes you’re the milkman.
  7. The Band, “Acadian Driftwood”: It’s always interesting hearing about the treatment of Native Americans/Indigenous Americans/First People (depending on where and who you are) in places like Canada, though a lot of it still boils down to, “Same shit, different government.”
  8. Wilco, “Summer Teeth”: A perfect encapsulation of the wanning days of summer.
  9. Old 97s, “Every Night Is Friday Night (Without You)”: Gotta love a shout-along song from these guys. It’s always fun.
  10. The Decemberists, “Sons & Daughters”: It’s so rare that you hear a song sung in the round in this day and age, but they manage to pull it off.

Playlist #220

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Happy Monday, folks. It’s a stormy one here in Northern Virginia, where we’ve reached the part of the summer when it rains most every afternoon for an hour or so. In unrelated news, I’ve received the edits for Book 8 back from my editor, so I’ll probably sit down sometime in the next couple of weeks and go through those and make the changes so it reads like something that wasn’t written by an unhinged lunatic with a comma addiction. Until then, here’s a playlist.

  1. Andrew Bird, “Frogs Singing”: A quintessential summer song. It always makes me think of a time I was visiting with my great-grandparents and they took me to a church revival at a little country church out in the middle of nowhere, eastern Oklahoma. The place was in a swamp, essentially, and all you could hear were the frogs singing and the cicadas buzzing. That sound was and remains summer to me.
  2. Case/Lang/Veirs, “Atomic Number”: Why does this song always make me feel so sad? Am I just trained to hear Neko Case’s voice and immediately feel like all the good has been sucked out of the universe and right into her vocal chords?
  3. Frank Turner, “Get Better”: A great shout-along song for when the world’s got you down and you feel like, fuck it, I can actually handle everything you’re gonna throw at me.
  4. Josh Ritter, “Getting Ready to Get Down”: If you see me dancing to this song in the car, feel free to dance along. It’s very danceable.
  5. Greg Feldon, “Incoming”: There’s no reason to give up. There’s no reason to give in. Keep your head up and keep fighting. The world will improve.
  6. Tracy Chapman, “Fast Car”: The through line from this song to the work of Bruce Springsteen around Darkness on the Edge of Town and The River is just a straight line. I’m not saying Tracy Chapman is the lesbian Bruce Springsteen, but I’m not not saying that, either.
  7. Kris Orlowski, “Go”: There are only a couple of great songs about lighthouses out there in the world. This is one of them, especially the version sung by Glen Phillips.
  8. Van Morrison, “Wild Night”: A song about getting kitted out and going out on the town, as only a young person in their early to mid-twenties could do. I’m too old for that now, I think, but damn if this song doesn’t make me want to give it a try.
  9. James McMurtry, “Just Us Kids”: And then there’s this song to bring me back down to reality and remind me that, no, I’m in my 40s and I have responsibilities, but hey, maybe I can still have some fun if I really put myself out there.
  10. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Spike (Live)”: And then there’s this reminder that sometimes when you put yourself out there, you go into a bar and get made fun of so bad by a bunch of old curmudgeons that you just walk out, hitch a ride on the nearest interstate, and never come back ever again. Life’s funny that way.