Mason Jennings: Boneclouds (I love you)

You know when you first listen to an album and then…it happens… you’re addicted? You can’t help but listen to it on repeat all day because it expresses everything you’ve been thinking and feeling at that moment? When the lyrics relate to your life to the point where you feel like that artist actually knows you, and that you were their inspiration for their writing? Well, this is how I feel about Mason Jennings. Especially his most recent album: Boneclouds. I think that if it was any other time in my life, of course I would still love the album, but I wouldn’t be as affected and moved by it as I am now. It’s almost like certain albums seem to find you when you need them and can relate to them most. Isn’t it strange how that happens?

If you’re not familiar with Mason Jennings, he is a singer/songwriter with an acoustic/folk style of playing. His unique voice, sound, and heartrending lyrics are both reminiscent of John Lennon and Bob Dylan. This album is just so brilliant, it gives me the urge to call up every person I know just to tell them they HAVE to buy this album, or they’re missing out!

Whenever I listen to Boneclouds it makes me smile when I’m not feeling my best, or sometimes, makes me cry… either way it’s a beautiful thing. It helps encourage me when I paint- it gets me in “the zone” and calms me, inspires me and allows my mind to go off and explore. It is great to listen to when doing yoga, meditating, driving in your car, enjoying a beautiful day, enjoying a rainy day… basically it makes whatever you are doing even more pleasurable.

I just remembered that last year, I first heard someone mention to me that I should listen to Mason Jennings. I said “yeah yeah, I think I’ve heard that name before, I’ll check him out.” But, I forgot, and never did listen to him until recently. I didn’t have to go out of my way to listen to him just because somebody told me to, he just happened to find me at the moment when I needed him most.

So as much as I want to tell everybody to listen to this album… don’t do it because I told you to… just remember his name and he’ll find you at the right time.

Here's a video of him live playing the song "Crown" (It's not on Boneclouds, but it's the only song I could find of him playing live with okay sounding audio). And I love this song too!










OH! And also, here are some lyrics from my favorite song from the album..

“BE HERE NOW”

Be here now.
No other place to be.
Just sit there dreaming,
Of how life will be
If we were somewhere better,
Somewhere far,
Away from all out worries,
Well here we are.

Be here now.
No other place to be.
All the doubts that linger,
Just set them free.
And let good things happen,
And let the future come,
Into each moment,
Like a rising sun.

The sun comes up…and we start again.
It’s all new today.
All we have to say is,
Be here now.

Be here now,
No other place to be.
This whole world keeps changing,
Come change with me.
Everything that’s happened,
All that’s yet to come,
Is here inside this moment,
It’s the only one.

The sun comes up and we start again.
The sun comes up and we start again.
It’s all new today.
All we have to say is...
Be Here Now.

Top 5 Albums when you’ve got the homesick blues

Yeah... Colorado is beautiful in every way imaginable, but... to be honest, I’ve been feeling kind of homesick lately.

Now that I’m beginning to get settled in here more, the excitement of having moved somewhere new has been slowly dying down, which has opened up a door of reality and realization that the things I’ve left behind that I love so much are so far away.

So if ever you’re ever in that place where you want to listen to some beautifully melancholic music because that’s the mood your in, or if you want to listen to some positive lyrics with a funky beat that will lift you up, here’s whats been theraputic for me:

Michael Franti & Spearhead: Stay Human

Jerry Garcia Band: Don't Let Go

Radiohead: The Bends

Damien Rice: “O”

Mason Jennings: Boneclouds
(This album = so moving. Recently I have just been listening to it on repeat all day every day. I’m going to write a review on on it soon for those who don’t know about it…it’ll change your life, I swear).

I Hope this helps anyone like its helped me!

Female musicians: 60's-70's Vs. Today

As I sit here, listening to Janis Joplin on my itunes, I can only ask myself this one question… What has happened to music?! Especially female musicians?! Back in day (circa 1960’s -70’s), I may not have been born yet but I know that the music back then was more meaningful, soulful, unique, organic, and just all around BETTER. While listening to older female musicians like Janis, Joni Mitchell, and Joan Baez, I can understand why they were such respected musicians… because they were actually GOOD. Their music was different, they sang from their hearts, their music was REAL! They all had something to say, whether about love, or politics, and they sang it poetically. There’s a message in their music that grabbed peoples attention and had them feeling connected to it (and still does)! What these women sing about, and how they play their instruments reaches a place in your soul that most music nowadays, can’t seem to get to.
Which brings me to my point – Musicians back in the day, even those in the mainstream, were loved because of their MUSIC and LYRICS, and passion in their singing...not because of their looks, who they were dating, what they were marketing, wearing, or any other of those superficial reasons that contribute to musicians being famous these days. Today, in the mainstream media, we have people like Britney Spears, who is basically just famous now because of her negative publicity… but even when she was selling hit records, it wasn’t because of her talent, obviously, it was because she was good looking, blonde, skinny, and could dance around lip synching, while wearing close to no clothes. Because now- it’s sex that sells. Not music. Not lyrics. Not Poetry. That’s why we have Britney, The Pussy Cat Dolls, even Paris Hilton (which proves my point even more) and other cheesy, talent less, entertainers/entrepreneurs. (I refuse to call them musicians).
Whenever I put the radio on now, which I rarely do, the only good stations I ever find are the stations that play the classics and oldies. The rest is just straight up AWFUL music. So bad, that all I can do is laugh and think to myself “These girls have got to be joking… right?”

How did music change so much? How did we go from Janis to Britney? From songs about real issues, to songs about how hot they are? I know that everything, over time, evolves…but how did it get to this? And how is it going to be in another 30 years? I’m scared to find out!

Here are some examples… I’ve grabbed some lyrics from the female musicians I was referring to from back in the 60’s-70’s… and then… some lyrics from the female musicians we have now…
Decide for yourself.


Back Then:

Janis Joplin: "You can go all around the world trying to find something to do with your life, baby, When you only gotta do one thing to make it in this world. You got a woman waiting for you there, all you ever gotta do is be a good man one time to one woman and that’ll be the end of the road babe, I know you got more tears to share, babe, So come on and cry, baby."
(Cry Baby)

Joan Baez: “The moon is low on the southland .The frogs are asleep on the lake. Did you know that tears run in rivulets, and hearts can repeatedly break? And this may well be the last time, if my spirits don't pick up and fly. For though it's sad, it may well be true, that our time is passing us by.” (Time is Passing Us By)

Joni Mitchell: "By the time we got to Woodstock, we were half a million strong, And everywhere there was song and celebration. And I dreamed I saw the bombers riding shotgun in the sky, and they were turning into butterflies above our nation." (Woodstock)



Today:

Britney Spears: "Outrageous, When I move my body. Outrageous, When I'm at a party. Outrageous, In my sexy jeans. Outrageous, When I'm on the scene. Outrageous, My sex drive. Outrageous, My shoppin' spree. Outrageous, We on a world tour. Outrageous, Let's be it, girl…Outrageous."
(Outrageous)

Pussy Cat Dolls: "Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me? Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me? Don't cha? Don't cha wish your girlfriend was raw like me? Don't cha wish your girlfriend was fun like me? Don't cha?"
(Don’t Cha)

Paris Hilton: "Every time I turn around the boys fighting over me. Every time I step out the house they want to fight over me.
Maybe cuz i'm hot to death and I'm so so so sexy. All the boyz all the silly boyz they want to fight over me."


…….YUP.

Top 10 Fall Albums

Here are my top 10 albums I just can’t get enough of lately…


Amy Winehouse: Back to Black

Mason Jennings: Boneclouds

Phish: Island Tour (April 2, 3, 4, 5, 1998, Providence, RI)

The Killers: Sam’s Towm

Disco Biscuits: Wind at Four to Fly

Bob Dylan: The Essential Bob Dylan

Grateful Dead: 5.11.77, St. Paul MN

Michael Franti & Spearhead: I Know I’m Not Alone

Gentleman: Journey to Jah

Stephen Marley: Mind Control

There's nothing quite like listening to these albums on a sunny fall day, while sipping on some tea and admiring the foliage!

Phil Lesh & Friends 9.29.07

As a way to celebrate Phil and Friends coming to Red Rocks on Saturday, my friends and I got down there in style in a colorful, grateful dead painted, crazy-funky Rasta bus. Because we rode down there in style, I had to dress up for the occasion as well, so I threw on my bright red dress, brown tights, leg warmers, and knee-high rainbow socks. Yay! What a way to start up the festivities. In case you haven't figured it out, when Phil Lesh comes around, it's kind of a big deal!
So good thing we arrived early because Phil and Friends started to play the second after the sun had set. The lights went down, Phil & Friends took the stage, the crowed cheered, and the band kicked it off with Bertha (one of my favorites). It was a very energetic way to begin the first of three sets, which lead me to believe it was going to be a high energy, everyone dancing around, getting the groove, kind-of-show…but after the first set, the show began to slow down. The second set was all acoustics, so it was a sway back and forth with your eyes closed, holding up your lighter, set. It was beautiful, mellow, and I loved every moment of it…all the while, thinking, since the acoustic set was so mellow, the band must be saving all their energy for the final set. When they took the stage again for the 3rd set, it was overall, spacey and again, still slow, and there were times where I can say I was actually kind of bored. FINALLY though, they began to pick up the pace towards the very end of the show with their last three songs. So basically, as soon as I started getting warmed up, dancing up and down the isles, and the band started really playing fast and hard, the show was over. I don’t want to say I was let down because to be honest, no matter what, Phil Lesh can never disappoint me… BUT, I was really hoping for more energy, and I didn’t really get a taste of that until the very end of the show.
It was all, a very beautiful, relaxed, and spiritual night. Everything was just so peaceful and quiet… I almost felt like I could hear the wind blowing. I just wish the show hadn’t ended once I had finally started getting into it. I have a feeling the band was tired from playing at the Fillmore the night before, which explains the almost sluggish, spaced out jamming.
On a positive note though, which is how I always like to leave it, the weather was perfect, there was a great crowd, they played The Other One, which I was dying to hear, and they also encored with Not Fade Away, which is how I was hoping they would end the show!
So it may have been a mellow show for the most part, but I still had a fabulous time!!

Here is a video I took of them in action, playing The Other One! Enjoy!





And for those interested, here is the nights set list:

Set 1- Bertha, Big River, Midnight Rider, Candyman, Cold Black Devil, Deal

Set 2(acoustic) Friend of the Devil, Sweet Somewhere Bound, Deep Elem Blues, Brokedown Palace, Tell Me Mama, Ripple

Set 3- A Hard Rain’s a Gonna Fall, Cryptical Envelopment>The Other One>Dark Star>Mountains of the Moon>Dark Star>China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider.

E: Not Fade Away!