happy halloween

masquerading as a young person, i caught those darling local natives at webster hall on friday night--late, because of work, and later because of security at the hall, which is tighter than jfk's, which wasn't exactly comforting.

i was waaaay in the back for these.

what i heard of the band was amazing, i will look forward to seeing them next time they come 'round. hopefully it won't be at webster hall, because i'll

never

go

there

again.

my favorite shot. dreamy "sun hands."

inspiration: sky and summer

via a desert rat:

Local Natives "World News" from Monte Lomax on Vimeo.

oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

the sky...

a red camera at its brightest.

the cameramen i know don't love this cam for "talkies" or documentaries, but it's looking pretty good for music videos...

(between you and me, i would change what the boys are wearing. but it's what the cool kids dig these days...)

hear a little song: let my love open the door

my mom isn't a football fan but yesterday she watched the big game and cheered for my colts, which was nice and mom-ly of her.

just after halftime she called to offer a little encouragement and ask a few questions. the first was about downs and yardage. then she wanted the lowdown on drew brees--"he's cute. how old is he? is he married?" and the last (maybe my favorite question of the night): "who are these guys, the who? they're pretty good, but they're kinda old..."

they are, indeed.

i couldn't offer her much more--i didn't really have the heart to go into all the drama i learned from the "behind the music" special--i was distracted by the game. i never gravitated toward their sound, but my mom is kind of a "british rock" lady, after a fashion (eric clapton, dire straits) so she might like some of their songs. maybe she and i will have a listening party next time i'm home.

i'm more inclined toward this cover of the townsend tune, which might be a tad mellow for her.

but oh when the strings swell, i swoon.

hope you like...

hear a little song (a very little one)

morning, january in paris.

what do you think of this sondre lerche number? for me, this is like turning the blinds, letting morning light in. or it's morning light somewhere, anywhere.

but i've wondered, is a minute and a half long enough for this to count as a song? is it ok to end it right when you think it might or should take off? and what of the title--why not just call this barely-a-song "interlude"? or since it leads nicely into the next, "prelude"?

i played it for my dad in the car once--i thought he'd appreciate the simple melody, the layering in of strings and horns, but i also wanted to see what he thought of the abrupt ending. he said, that's it? like he got gypped. or someone got lazy. we didn't into a long discussion about it--no need--he liked it, but it wasn't enough for him to bowl him over. i guess in the end, it's a matter of like/not rather than right/wrong.

i love it.

i listened to it one night, at about 2 am, about 30 times in a row. it--and i--were not going anywhere, but i wanted keep soaring...

(the title fits, after all.)

i'm on fire

i've hurt myself.

is it possible for women to pull a groin muscle? do we call it something else? an adductor?

whatever it's called, i'm pretty sure i've pulled it.
and i've got bruises on my right cheek, and both knees.
but was it ever worth it.

***

there's a tuesday night dance class ("fame") at my gym (crunch) that's taught by bethany (who is officially my favorite ny gym instructor). it purports to teach us choreography from or inspired by the film and the television series. none of these short routines are familiar to me, but the individual moves are--it's jazz, baby, pure jazz. all drama and flair and FUN. i was doing "drop and recovers" and splits and crazy cat-like leaps, as if i thought i could dance! and as if it wouldn't kill me.

***
bethany amazes me not only for her ability to properly break down choreography for untrained dancers like me (and make us feel completely unselfconscious while we struggle through our pirouettes) but also for her musicality.

there is nothing that kills a workout or a fitness class faster than a poorly chosen soundtrack--for me, this means no "ibiza" remixes and no world music. no cyndi lauper. no spin doctors. (can you tell i'm recalling actual bad experiences?) oh, and no variations on a theme of jessica/ashley simpson, either.

at crunch, there are a few teachers who will offer a great balance of new and "throwback" dance tunes (prince, janet, madonna). but bethany pushes the boundaries like no one else. i've taken her dance and spin classes and there are always surprises in her playlists. for example, i never imagined a scenario where i'd be subjected to john mayer (no such thing), keane (is it any wonder), george michael (father figure) and fleetwood mac (you make loving fun) and the pointer sisters (automatic) in a spin class--and that i'd be laughing and singing along. (i couldn't quite believe she made it all work.) but it works because she really understands tempo and cadence and she choreographs to it perfectly.

tonight we had a little prince (kiss), some viva la vida, and this imogen heap song (which i will be listening to all day tomorrow. sorry neighbors):


Moulin Rouge - The Walk - Imogen Heap

Perfect yesterday | MySpace Video

the final ("performance") part of tonight's class was set to a moderately quick david gray song--i think it was please forgive me?--in any case, we danced to it at half-time, nice and easy.

but with a few minutes left, she asked if we wanted to up the tempo. (yes!) i tried to guess what ass-kicking, high-energy, i-will-survive, anthem-like finale she would play for us.

then i heard the opening bars of i'm on fire. i was doubting this right away (bruce springsteen? you cannot be seri... ) but then we were off! no time to think. we danced double-time, and she wasn't kidding, it was so quick, i was tweaking little muscles in my thighs, and bruising myself coming on and off the floor, trying to keep up. we did it over and over, and i tell you it was a little thrill. so unexpected, that anthem, but a pretty perfect ending.

don't believe it works? come to class next tuesday night...

thank you (george)

i've spent the last couple of hours sitting in our family room (the basement) with my dad, half-watching a college basketball game (sun devils vs. blue devils) and half-looking for a good thanksgiving poem to post. I had with me on the couch the thickest poetry book I could find –a good old norton anthology--but not even part of one, from yeats to baraka, seemed right.

admittedly, the ambiance i chose for this exercise wasn't really poetry-friendly (dick vitale's "alliterative commentaries,” even though i've heard them all before, are still pretty distracting).

i could have gone to my room, re-started the search in relative silence and with several other books to peruse. but i wanted more to just sit in a room with my dad, to be around in case something came up that we felt like chatting about. or he thought of a good joke. i decided to save the poetry for another time.

after both my parents called it a night, i got my second wind and started singing a favorite george harrison tune (remember, the family is asleep, so i can do this out loud) and it occurred to me that this song fits the giving/grateful theme as good as any poem. or maybe it’s late and i’m crazy. anyway, it’s where my heart is. hope you like it.




i’ve been on a george jag for the last couple of weeks so here’s one more. it's really quite good live.



happy thanksgiving.

hear a little song: (i did, last night)

sasha dobson, performing at a jammed rockwood music hall.

i could only steal a few shots. it wasn't easy to work the zoom in such a small and tight venue--i kept jamming my friend with the lens.

her voice is beautiful. and i know that she's a pro--i have heard her perform a number of times, but she admitted to nervousness last night. and perhaps this was approached a little too casually? there didn't seem to be a set list, which made for some awkward and unusually long between-song moments.

it was a short set, maybe 6 songs. the perfect dose for a late tuesday night.
she sang 2 numbers with her gal, ms. norah jones. lovely.
this photo, by n. pavach.

if you'd like to listen this morning, here's a link to her myspace page.

monsters of folk (MONSTER sets)

performing "to save me." can you see the guy jumping in the air? that's conor oberst, rocking it out.

i loved them all so sharply dressed...

i had my tamron 18-270 zoom...from our seats (orchestra, row s).
still tough to get shots at that distance, with so much rocking out happening.
m.ward was easier to catch than the rest.

mr. m again.

jim james/yim yames

effective, dramatic lighting choreography, too.

last week, when my friend bill, offered me his extra ticket to see monsters of folk at the united palace in washington heights, i jumped at the chance (after i googled to find out who they are, that is. technically, i jumped after i saw "m. ward"). on the actual night, i felt a pang of laziness. washington heights seemed so...far...away, and i was in sort of a lonely, lousy mood. i wanted to stay home and wallow.

my friend and his extra ticket saved me from that scenario. luckily.

there were two words that came to mind in the moments and days after the show. respect and rock.

they seemed to care about putting on a great production. i loved that they all wore sharp suits. i loved the lighting--choreographed to be evocative, not ostentatious. these two things to me were fine enhancements.

the show was billed as a 2.5 hour musical event, set to start at 8. imagine my delight when they started playing shortly after 8pm, and stayed on for 2.5 hours. it was, from that perspective, as advertised.

from a musical standpoint, it was far more. they rocked. full-on, full-out rocked. they seemed to have real fun being up there, playing together. is it possible that each had more fun playing the other's music? that's how it seemed to me. their on-stage chemistry was electric. and somehow also sweet.

it was a musical event worthy of such a grand venue, though i would venture to see them anywhere.

***

i took photos, which i honestly didn't think was verboten (i thought just no audio/video) and nearly got kicked out. it's the closest i've been to being a scofflaw, ever! so i feel a little guilty... but i'm going to share the love, hopefully no one minds.

here's a link to a small slideshow.
and here's a link to a super set, for superfans.

monsters of folk (MONSTER)

m. ward (with the monsters of folk) at the united palace. november 6, 2009.

i recently lamented how little live music i've seen or heard this year. but if monsters of folk turns out to be the only show i catch all year, then it will have been enough.

i have a ton of photos to go through and will post more in the coming days, but if you want to catch their live broadcast tonight, check it out on wxpn...details here...

hear a little song (play a little guitar)

which music magazine was it that had the "if you were stuck on a deserted island, what 10 records would you take with you" feature in every issue? was it tower records' free mag? and was it 10 records? or 5? why can't i remember these details?

in any case, i have invested a lot of/too much time compiling and reassessing my own list over the years. i am certain i would be unhappy to be forever without "to be surprised", so i guess that means the dan in real life soundtrack is coming with me.

wasting one on a soundtrack, you ask? i know, i know. but it's almost all sondre lerche material, sweet, lovely tunes, some of it written expressly for the film. of them all, "to be surprised" owns my heart. "i'm not gonna lie..." the song makes me want to fall in love.

it also makes me want to learn the guitar--especially that picking guitar intro (arranged and played by ole ludwig kruger). isn't it a brilliant and bright sound? i was so inspired i actually started looking into guitar lessons last fall, but it's going to a little while before i can pull it together. plus, i can't sing, so that makes the whole strumming my guitar bit a lot less compelling. but still, i aspire.

do you? watch this, and be prepared to...

smile, and wave

i'm easing into wednesday, a little later than i had planned (i've been having a little trouble sleeping).

maybe i was in the mood for something warm and sweet--i decided to listen to the jobim songbook (i always start with track 11-- ella swinging desafinado) while i brewed some coffee and checked emails and news.

after a time, oscar peterson's "wave" came on...i've heard this before of course, and i've posted different versions of this song before, but i'm not sure it has sounded more beautiful to me, than at this hour, in the half-light of this apartment.




(sweet photo of oscar peterson, too)

happy wednesday...

worth noting?

brooklyn. may 23, 2009.

hear a little song: i must confess (i agree)

because who says a breakup song can't be a little groovy?

and so what if it's from 1984?

track 11.

"too hot" (and read a good poem/wild for my melon toddie)

i like the groove of the original track but this live version is fun...

i've been spending most of these last few dog days indoors, practicing my picture-taking, summer cleaning, and reading "hot, flat, and crowded"-- which i thought would be the super-clever title of a post that i planned to write from (or about our family trip to) the philippines. but it was really not so very hot there at all. and it was not really so very crowded as, at least for the first week, we were virtually the only guests at a sprawling golf resort...

the pool at malarayat golf resort...july 2009...

i did make it out to greenpoint on saturday to share some birthday cheer with my friend, reid, aka "rad reid," a bona fide philly soul if there ever was one. i indulged in a few refreshing servings of watermelon soaked in vodka. sweet! and no hangover. though i did have a crazy two-part dream that involved one very handsome writer/editor friend...and i woke up with my bedsheet wrapped around me like a toga...

***
in the spirit of that melon "toddie," i'll share a poem from virginia hamilton adair.
i've re-printed one of her poems here once before and i'll happily re-link to the pbs online newshour interview that introduced me to her work. enjoy.

Ants on the Melon

Once when our blacktop city

was still a topsoil town

we carried to Formicopolis

a cantaloupe rind to share

and stooped to plop it down

in their populous Times Square

at the subway of the ants

and saw that hemisphere

blacken and rise and dance

with antmen out of hand

wild for their melon toddies

just like our world next year

no place to step or stand

except on bodies.

summer fling: phoenix

i'm having a summer fling with this song.




i have no idea what they are saying. ("gentleman only"? lisztomania? the film?) but does it matter? it just makes me feel so good when i hear it. i'm not going to think much beyond that.

(fling, remember?)

i have a thing for the gentle groove in this one too. (i'm going to totally date myself by asking if anyone else hears a little leo sayer goin' on here?)

surfer girl

in a few days, i head over to the mother-island--the philippines-- for two weeks.

and i'm flipping out a little.
think it's the 22 hour flight?
or, manila's real feel temperature of...114.8?
the 83% humidity?

hell no. i can't worry about that til TUESDAY.

it's all the work i have to do from now til then.
hooray!
(is it possible to feel your hair graying?)

but you know what? i've got a nice glass of white wine, some nice beach-y music on, and so far tonight i've been surprisingly productive. i feel like i can go for a few more hours.

and...here are a few of the many tunes that will keep me going...

"roda" (try not snapping your hips to this one)

"batucada"

and 2 versions of "wave":

the first is the sergio mendes version, and then a very nice jobim...

"just catch the wave don't be afraid of loving me"






***
and because tom jobim's lyrics are so beautiful, here's the translation:


so close your eyes
for that's a lovely way to be
aware of things your heart alone was meant to see
the fundamental loneliness goes whenever two can dream a dream together

you can't deny
don 't try to fight the rising sea
don't fight the moon, the stars above and don't fight me
the fundamental loneliness goes whenever two can dream a dream together

when I saw you first the time was half past three
when your eyes met mine it was eternity
by now we know
the wave is on its way to be
just catch the wave don't be afraid of loving me
the fundamental loneliness goes whenever two can dream a dream together

the way you make me feel (a cappella)

this track is too fun not to share. this a cappella version came out right around my freshman year of college. for a long time, it was only available on the bad cassette. yeah the cassette. my best friend, katie, and i played it all the time, and searched high and low for it in a format that wouldn't require rewinding, and rewinding, and rewinding. (plus, back then, you were wise to have back-up copy of your favorite songs, a pristine record or multiple copies of the tape.)

i still haven't seen it on any cd, but i'm sure its available somehow, somewhere.

enjoy.

"habits so hard to break, and so easy to make..."

my ipod resurrected this tune for me...
it suits the city today, a little moody, a little groovy...
enjoy...

celebrate: bewitched, bothered, and bewildered

today is the birthday of lorenz hart-- new yorker, columbia alum, romantic, lovely and lonely lyricist, and lifelong collaborator with richard rodgers. hughson mooney wrote a brief, but interesting bio on hart in which he suggest that hart's lyrics, perhaps even better than cole porter's, reflected the voice of the urban, upper-middle class generation between the first and second world wars. porter was saucier, racier, more urbane--and i favor, on the whole, his work. but boy, can hart ever do love, melancholy, clever yearning:

bewitched, bothered, and bewildered

after one whole quart of brandy
like a daisy i'm awake
with no bromo seltzer handy,
i don't even shake

men are not a new sensation;
i've done pretty well, i think.
but this half-pint imitation
put me on the blink

i'm wild again
beguiled again
a simpering, whimpering child again
bewitched, bothered and bewildered am i

couldn't sleep
and wouldn't sleep
until i could sleep where i shouldn't sleep
bewitched, bothered and bewildered am i

lost my heart but what of it?
my mistake i agree.
he's a laugh, but i love it
because the laugh's on me.

a pill he is
but still he is
all mine and i'll keep him until he is
bewitched, bothered and bewildered
like me.

seen a lot
i mean i lot
but now i'm like sweet seventeen a lot
bewitched, bothered and bewildered am i

i'll sing to him
each spring to him
and worship the trousers that cling to him
bewitched, bothered and bewildered am i

when he talks he is seeking
words to get off his chest.
horizontally speaking
he's at his very best.

vexed again
perplexed again
thank god i can't be over-sexed again
bewitched, bothered and bewildered am i

wise at last
my eyes at last
are cutting you down to your size at last
bewitched, bothered and bewildered no more

burned a lot
but learned a lot
and now you are broke, though you earned a lot
bewitched, bothered and bewildered no more

couldn't eat
was dyspeptic
life was so hard to bear;
now my heart's antiseptic
since you moved out of there

romance-finis
your chance-finis
those ants that invaded my pants-finis
bewitched, bothered and bewildered no more.

when ella sings them, these lyrics that can at first read bluesy or bitter (or maybe even a bit looney), are sweeter and dreamier.

she, like many who have recorded it, made some lyrical changes:

until i could sleep where i shouldn't sleep became when love came and told me i shouldn't sleep

my mistake i agree becomes he is cold I agree

he's a laugh but i love it becomes he can laugh but i love it

he's a pill...becomes he's a fool...

worship the trousers that cling to him becomes and long for the day when i'll cling to him in the first verse (but she brings back the original lyrics for the second)

seen a lot is i've sinned a lot...

and i think she thanks god she can get over-sexed again...

anyway, you get the idea. i hear her version and think she gets the guy in the end. or at least, she gets what she wants. i like that.

***

bewitched, bothered, and bewildered is one of the best known tunes from the musical pal joey. i was surprised to learn that the musical version was based on a series of short stories, written as letters (it can be properly called an epistolary novel, my new favorite term), by john o'hara, which appeared in the new yorker. this bit of news got me very excited, until i read a little more about john o'hara. he sounds awful.

***

blue moon (elvis)

blue moon,
you saw me standing alone
without a dream in my heart
without a love on my own.
blue moon,
you knew just what I was there for
you heard me saying a prayer for
somebody I really could care for.
and then there suddenly appeared before me,
the only one my arms will ever hold
I heard somebody whisper, "please adore me."
and when I looked,
the moon had turned to gold.
blue moon,
now I'm lo longer alone
without a dream in my heart
without a love on my own.

elvis' version of blue moon was the first cross-over/rock and roll hit for rodgers and hart--and it actually was the 4th iteration of the song. the first 3 lyric versions were all written while the duo was under contract to MGM. the first version was to be sung by jean harlow in the film "hollywood party," but ultimately neither jean harlow, nor the song appeared in the film. the second and third versions were written for manhattan melodrama (one of my favorite flicks, starring myrna loy and clark gable).

image via http://www.doctormacro1.info/

image via http://www.doctormacro1.info/

***
my funny valentine (chet baker)

be hold the way our fine feathered-friend
his virtue doth parade.
thou knowest not my dim witted friend,
the picture thou hast made.
thy vacant brow and thy tousled hair
conceal thy good intent.
thou noble upright, truthful, sincere
and slightly dopey gent- you are..

my funny valentine
sweet comic valentine
you make me smile with my heart
you looks are laughable, unphotographable
yet you're my favorite work of art
is your figure less than greek
is your mouth a little bit weak
when you open it to speak, are you smart?
don't change a hair for me
not if you care for me
stay little valentine stay
each day is valentine's day

come to the cabaret: maude maggart

maude maggart will be song-styling at the oak room, through may 23. i have been wanting to see and hear her perform but have managed, for the last two years, to miss her. not this time.

it would be nice to have a friend or two to accompany me, but i don't think too many of mine are down for the cabaret. perhaps it would help if i told them she is fiona apple's sister? but perhaps not...

perhaps if they heard her rendition of the carpenter's superstar? i think it is haunting and lovely.

***

loneliness is a such a sad affair

and i can hardly wait to be with you again

what to say to make you come again

come back to me again

and play your sad guitar

***

need a bit more convincing?

here is stephen holden's review in the nytimes (ms. maggart acts a song with a fluid body language that lends everything she sings an added dramatic intensity...she wields old-time hollywood glamor to cast her seductive spell);

and will friedwald's in the voice (there are plenty of singers in new york clubs who can out-sing her, but none who can out-think her... singing the subtext as much as the notes or the lyrics, she creates a kind of jukebox musical of the gods).

and here is a link to the oak room site.