Getting Caught Up

It's been a long lonely lonely lonely lonely time...I've been busy with school and of course, little Will. He's great. Growing and healthy, just a joy.

Last night-caught the Christian McBride band at Yoshi's. A quartet of traditional acoustic as well as funk-based jazz with Ron Blake, A killer tenor player. Keys were amazing and the big fat cat on the kit just killed. Worth seeing again, which is exactly what I may do this weekend!

Drop what you're doing, get in the car; drive to Tower Records or anywhere that offers a real selection of music other than what the store, whose contracts with major labels limit selection, provide you; and demand that you are allowed to purchase the new Tift Merrit album, Tambourine. I've raved about this beautiful woman who sings like she means it, rocks when she wants, but lilts like the most fragile doll on her ballads. Her first album, Bramble Rose was very alt-country with a polished singer-songwriter bent; pedal steel guitars challenging her for the most mournful of voices with acoustic guitars keeping steady rhythm and choice soloing to keep the songs fresh. Well, in her latest effort, she's headed to Memphis. Actually, Los Angeles, but she delivers so much Dusty Springfield-meets-introspective-when-she-wants-to-be-Sheryl Crow that you don't know whether you want to groove on Mike Campbell's stellar guitar work or pump your fist in the air to the horn section driving home the soulful passion of Merrit's voice. The songs are more confident and Merrit's less fragile. However, this more mature singer knows when she's vulnerable and protects that girl in her while showing how much stronger she is than the girl on the first record. Great songwriting, beautiful singing on Merrit's part, killer and essential B-3 Hammond organ backing tasty guitar riffing, and an album length of forty-six minutes, a reminder than an artist doesn't need to give you everything but just enough.

Also picked up a Muppets cd for Will and myself. Am I the only one that considers "Rainbow Connection" to be one of the most beautiful songs in the world? Why only a felt philosopher, sock-puppet Buddha as Kermit the Frog can ask such poignant questions about the meaning of life reflects much about our own journeys through life. Like Ralph Nader, who in this campaign has lost the reason for running and support he had in 2000, Kermit knows it's not easy being green. Hell, I'm registered Green and I struggle with my own identity this election. This non-sequitor leads us to the Bush Administration's continued failure of vision in Iraq, Donald Rumsfeld's promise to stifle open democracy in January, the GOP's attempts to rape the Constitution with hopes of painting the Democrats as un-American and anti-Christian, and the media's failure at reporting relevant journalism instead of naval gazing over the supposed disaster of Dan Rather while refusing to even raise the question of why they allowed the Swiftboat Liars For Bush even get as far as that group did with supposed proof that John Kerry never even went to Vietnam much less ran for office or was a Senator from the state of Massachusetts. However, it's a beautiful day and the sun is shining, the birds are winging and just waiting to meet Will, Heather, and I outside. I'll rant later.