Currently Listening: Sonos

I love White Winter Hymnal by the Fleet Foxes and Sonos does a great cover. They were featured on NPR this morning. They are also coming to Seattle on February 5th. I think I am going to have to get tickets!

Happy Birthday Sesame Street!

Growing up we were only allowed to watch PBS and Saturday morning cartoons. I was (am) a huge fan of Sesame Street. The show had been educating and entertaining kids for 40 years now! I can't say I've adjusted to Elmo (I am more of a Grover fan) but I love the continual effort the show has put into holding the attention of each new generation of kids.

NPR replayed a great interview with Caroll Spinney, who plays Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, this week. He explains how he morphed Big Bird from a simple character to a more childlike creature. I couldn't help but include the below clip that I remember watching when I was little, I think it was one of the first times I learned the concept of death. The adult political conversation at the beginning is also awesome, I don't think they have scenes quite like this on the current show. I will warn you reader, that I still can't get through the clip without crying.

In a Word, Awesome

Last Thursday, my roomie and I went to see David Gray in concert. I had never seen him live before and he is amazing! He played straight for over two hours with no breaks, even his band took a break, but he kept on playing. His voice was perfection and he seemed to truly be having fun on stage. I can't say enough about it. If you are a fan, I think you must see him live.

Lisa Hannigan, Damien Rice's former musical partner, opened for him. She was also great. Her new album, Sea Sew, is lovely (listen to the above interview for more details about this). During the show she also covered Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode which was very fun. I found the below video from an earlier stop on the tour.

Current Listening

In a few weeks I am going to see David Gray in concert. I have loved his music since I was a barista at Starbucks in college. White Ladder was sold through the Hear Music station in the store I worked in. It was one of the few albums that wasn't painful after the 500th listen. Believe me, there were some bad ones!

I have been listening to the newest David Gray album, Draw the Line, in preparation for the show. I can't quite pick a favorite song, but Jackdaw is in the top three. I love the song opening more and more each time I hear it.

Warning

Warning: the below song is a little corny, but I love it! I love the Carter and Cash, via Phoenix and Witherspoon, vibe of the video. Please enjoy!

Rainbow Connection

Last night I was talking to my roommate about kids music she could play for her kindergarten class that wouldn't be painful for her to listen to. I mentioned that Jason Mraz does a great cover of The Rainbow Connection from The Muppet Movie. She had never heard of The Rainbow Connection. I was shocked! So, I dedicate this post to her.



Also, here is the Jason Mraz cover.

Admiration

I have spent the last day catching up on Vinyl Cafe podcasts and admiring the stories of Stuart McLean. His stories are touching, funny, beautiful, and thoughtful. Every time I hear one it makes me appreciate life a little more.

For father's day last year I bought tickets for the live Vinyl Cafe show in Seattle. This October we finally got to go. As we left my theater, my dad turned to me and said, "My stomach hurts." My thoughts immediately turned to the dinner we'd gone to before the show, afraid he was going to be sick. He saw the look on my face and said "No, my stomach hurts from laughing so hard." It was a great evening.

The Vinyl Cafe also encourages people to send in little stories and each week Stuart reads one on the air, "Christmas Tea Rings" is one of my favorites.