1. “Darkmatter” – Andrew Bird, Armchair Apocrypha
2. “Aftermath” – Five O’Clock People, Temper Temper
3. “Riga Girls” – The Weepies, Say I Am You
4. “Change Is Hard” – She & Him, Volume One
5. “The Things We Can and Cannot Keep” – Alli Rogers, You and the Evening Sky
6. “Climb On (A Back That’s Strong)” – Caedmon’s Call, 2008-02-24: Philadelphia Biblical University, Langhorne, PA, USA
7. “Watch Your Mouth” – Derek Webb & Sandra McCracken, Ampersand EP
8. “Back Yard in Brooklyn” – Nathan Lee, Down at The Rutledge
9. “Kashmir” – Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti

Deb Talan’s Sincerely, a live album that’s only available these days as a digital download.

City and Colour’s Bring Me Your Love, which I was introduced to by Adam.

4 Sep 1967 [West Hollywood, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Cream. 1967-09-04: Whiskey A Go-Go, West Hollywood, CA, USA (disc 1) and 1967-09-04: Whiskey A Go-Go, West Hollywood, CA, USA (disc 2).

27 Aug 2005 [Cincinnati, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2005-08-27: Moonlite Gardens, Coney Island, Cincinnati, OH, USA (disc 1) and 2005-08-27: Moonlite Gardens, Coney Island, Cincinnati, OH, USA (disc 2).

4 Feb 2006 [Malmö, Sweden] concert bootleg of Death Cab for Cutie. 2006-02-04: Kulturbolaget, Malmö, SWE.

26 Mar 2008 [Melbourne, Australia] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2008-03-26: Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Australia (disc 1) and 2008-03-26: Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Australia (disc 2).

9 Apr 2008 [Louisville, KY, USA] concert bootleg of Son Volt. 2008-04-09: Headliners Music Hall, Louisville, KY, USA (disc 1) and 2008-04-09: Headliners Music Hall, Louisville, KY, USA (disc 2).

Last week:

• The Weepies’ Hideaway. This one did not grab me the way that Say I Am You did, but I’ve also not given it car/road trip time. I will be correcting that this weekend. Three-and-a-half stars, and I expect that’ll rise.
  
• Carole King’s Tapestry (Legacy Edition). This was a bit of an impulse buy, although it was well-regarded in last month’s Paste. Very much worth my money. Four stars.
  
• 18 Feb 1997 [Ottawa, ON, Canada] concert bootleg of Wilco. It’s hard to believe that this was recorded onto tape, at least for me. It sounds quite good! Three-and-a-half stars.
• 26 Aug 2005 [Lexington, KY, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. Oh my holy heck. This is a fine, fine, fine recording. If you like Ohio and Drunkard’s Prayer, GRAB IT. Four-and-a-half stars.
• 15 Mar 2008 [Austin, TX, USA] concert bootleg of M. Ward and Jim James. Sadly, during Matt’s solo stuff, the recording is very distant sounding, which is surprising for Church Audio cardioids; must’ve been a hard room to record. I give it three stars.
  
• 4 Apr 2008 [Dyersburg, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Derek Webb. I’m happy with how this one came out; I’m giving it four stars only because the songs off of The Ringing Bell really deserve to have a band behind them. I understand why that didn’t happen on this tour, but man … if Derek had been able to have Todd, Garett, Jeff, Josh, and Andrew backing him on these songs … that would have been awesome. Anyhow, some folks would probably like more of the SBD in this mix, but I’m a fan of how a recording actually sounds in a room. For those people, I’ve seeded the SBD and AUD recordings in their uncut forms on IndieRiver; they can do with it what they like.
  
• 4 Apr 2008 [Dyersburg, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Caedmon’s Call. The longer I think about this, the more I think about re-mastering it. It just could be better. That said, it’s decent. Three-and-a-half stars, mainly because of Andy O’s two killer guitar solos. That kid really can shred.
  

• The Weepies’ Hideaway.
  
• Carole King’s Tapestry (Legacy Edition). You can blame this one on me watching lots of Gilmore Girls episodes.
  
• 18 Feb 1997 [Ottawa, ON, Canada] concert bootleg of Wilco. 1997-02-18: The Cave, Ottawa, ON, Canada (disc 1) and 1997-02-18: The Cave, Ottawa, ON, Canada (disc 2).
• 26 Aug 2005 [Lexington, KY, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2005-08-26: The Dame, Lexington, KY, USA (disc 1) and 2005-08-26: The Dame, Lexington, KY, USA (disc 2).
• 15 Mar 2008 [Austin, TX, USA] concert bootleg of M. Ward and Jim James. 2008-03-15: St. David's Church, Austin, TX, USA and 2008-03-15: St. David's Church, Austin, TX, USA.
  
• 4 Apr 2008 [Dyersburg, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Derek Webb. Really happy with the ability to do SBD-AUD matrixes now. 2008-04-04: Dyersburg State Community College, Dyersburg, TN, USA.
  
• 4 Apr 2008 [Dyersburg, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Caedmon’s Call. This one took a lot of work, because my feeds got slightly out of sync from time to time during the set, so I continually had to monitor for sync issues. Worth doing, though. I’ve got some ideas of how I’ll do that better next time. Could’ve spent more time mastering it, too. Ah well. 2008-04-04: Dyersburg State Community College, Dyersburg, TN, USA (disc 1) and 2008-04-04: Dyersburg State Community College, Dyersburg, TN, USA (disc 2).
  

Last week was good in the studio spots, meh otherwise:

• Deb Talan’s Something Burning. Unlike with her husband, I liked her sophomore release much better. This is good, but the melody is better on the next record. Two-and-a-half stars.
  
• Deb Talan’s A Bird Flies Out. Lots and lots of fun here. Three-and-a-half stars.
  
• 11 Jan 1997 [Chicago, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Jeff Tweedy. Pretty standard Tweedy solo fare of that era; nothing special. Two-and-a-half stars. The fun bit for me is the cover of “Thirteen”, which I’m used to hearing Elliott Smith do.
  
• 7 Jul 1999 [Stuttgart, Germany] concert bootleg of Wilco. Very meh. Two stars.
  
• 12 Aug 2002 [New York, NY, USA] concert bootleg of Coldplay. Sounds thin and reedy. Two-and-a-half stars.
  
• 25 Jun 2005 [Chicago, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. Good mics, well-implemented. Feels sluggish, but that’s because the performance is slow and muted. Sometimes when OtR goes this way, it’s really cool, like listening to jazz with a good glass of $alcohol [I'd say wine, but I don't drink wine], and sometimes, it’s like this, just a tad too mellow. Three-and-a-half stars.
• 17 Apr 2006 [Toronto, ON, Canada] concert bootleg of Death Cab for Cutie. Sadly, an audience rig not up to the task. Two stars.

My photos from the 4 Apr 2008 Caedmon’s Call show in Dyersburg, TN are online. I’ll work on the recording some tomorrow. This will be my first attempt at a matrix of a soundboard patch and an audience recording.

When you perform
It’s so intense
When the critics pan
I write in your defense

I understand I am just a fan
I’m just a fan

Wilco, “The Lonely 1“, Being There

Andrew wrote about going to see Sixpence None the Richer play on Sunday night in Nashville, and a good chunk of what he wrote resonated with me.

I’ve lived here for eleven years and I’ve had the real honor of working with just about everybody I listened to in high school who’s not dead or in U2, Pink Floyd or the Beatles. It’s shocking and amazing at first, but it wears off and you realize they’re just dudes like you, and the magic fades away a little bit.

Except for this band Sixpence. I don’t care. I just freaking love them. They’re one of my favorites. They always have been and they always will be. I’ve played a few things with Matt, mostly at Andy P’s Christmas shows, and Leigh sang on the first Normals record. But somehow, they never faded to me. I’m a fan. And I love it.

Despite it all, Caedmon’s Call is still that way for me. [Derek or Andy solo? Not so much. Both of those are very much old hat, to the point that if either asked me to sing BGVs or something during a show, I wouldn't be intimidated.] Every show is still pretty special for me, because the music takes me back to a far more formative period of my life. I connect to it in ways that really only I know about, because I’ve never talked about with anyone in the band. [Unlike, say, some of Andrew's stuff.]

Another thing I want to note here: I try to maintain a certain distance with Over the Rhine. I freaking love them, and while I guess there are chances for me to get to know them—and they’re certainly inviting of those opportunities—I really just want to remain a fan. Unlike most of the shows of bands I attend whenever they’re in my area, I go to those shows, make my recording, take my photos, and go the hell home. No waiting for two hours after the show to talk to the band [because we want to talk to each other, but I'm willing to wait out the other fans] or anything. I just watch the show, capture it, go home, and revel in the remembrance later. I like that.

I think I set the trend with OtR when, at the first show I attended, Rick and I sat right along the walkway from the green room to the stage. Didn’t talk to them then … probably won’t in the future.

• Alli Rogers’s You and the Evening Sky.
  
• 30 Mar 1996 [New York, NY, USA] concert bootleg of Elliott Smith. Now that I’ve got a new HDD for my newer mini, I can go back to the bootlegs that were on my old machine as I slowly merge the iTunes libraries of the two machines. 1996-03-30: Westbeth Theatre, New York, NY, USA
• 18 Sep 2004 [North Olmsted, OH, USA] concert bootleg of The Weepies. 2004-09-18: Butternut Ridge, North Olmsted, OH, USA.
  
• 4 May 2007 [Portland, OR, USA] concert bootleg of Andrew Bird. 2007-05-04: Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR, USA (disc 1) and 2007-05-04: Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR, USA (disc 2).
  
• 8 Jun 2007 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. Made by my own hand. 2007-06-08: 3rd and Lindsley, Nashville, TN, USA.
  
• 5 Oct 2007 [London, England] concert bootleg of Son Volt. 2007-10-05: Luminaire, London, England (disc 1) and 2007-10-05: Luminaire, London, England (disc 2).
• 19 Feb 2008 [Chicago, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. Fourth night of the residency at the Riv. 2008-02-19: Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL, USA (disc 1) and 2008-02-19: Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL, USA (disc 2).
  

Last week was very, very good to me:

• Five O’Clock People’s Temper Temper. Simply fantastic. I hadn’t been listening to the stuff on their MySpace, so I wasn’t prepared for the shift to a bit more of a modern rock sound [in spots], but … very nice. Four stars.
  
• Led Zeppelin’s Coda. Okay, so we all know what this album is: an album put together by the remnants of Zep after David Bonham’s sad death. I … just kinda wish this hadn’t been made. :shrug: Two-and-a-half stars. I need to get Houses of the Holy so I can finish my tour through the LZ catalog on an up note.
  
• 2 Mar 1992 [New Haven, CT, USA] concert bootleg of Uncle Tupelo. Two-and-a-half stars. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m burned out on Uncle Tupelo or if I’ve just been babied by superior bootlegging technology.
• 11 Feb 2005 [Richmond, VA, USA] concert bootleg of Caedmon’s Call. It’s a soundboard, Danielle’s not there, and it sounds flat to me. It’s good, but this is one of those recordings that reminds me why I generally prefer AUDs to SBDs. [No, really, I do.] Three stars.
• 14 Dec 2006 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. It’s pretty meh. That was definitely not the best recording environment, nor the best recording setup. Two-and-a-half stars.
• 16 Mar 2007 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Sandra McCracken. As I listened to this one, I thought about two things: one, thanks to Stephen Lamb for babysitting my recorder that night so I could walk around and take photos all night, and two, man, do I wish that I’d had a bass roll-off for this show. If I had, it would be as good as I could get out of single-point stereo omnidirectional microphone. Three stars.
  
• 18 Feb 2008 [Chicago, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. Fan-fucking-tastic. That’s it. The second disc … my oh my. Four-and-a-half stars. This is why I prefer AUDs.
  

That was fun, but I really don’t want to do it again anytime soon. But like Bryan said in a forum post yesterday: if that’s the last Caedmon’s Call show I ever see, I can die a happy man.

[Yes, I recorded it. Yes, I'm releasing it. This is just a busy week.]

“Oh, hey, I’m gonna be late on the 25th.”

“What is that?”

“Monday, the week we ship [the hardware job we're shipping on Friday that week].”

“Oh, I don’t think that’ll be a big deal. Where ya gonna be?”

“Well … I’ll start the morning in Philadelphia, and I’ll be in Nashville by 0815 and here by 1030 or so.”

And the fun thing is that my boss didn’t even bat an eyelash. He … well, he knows I’m insane.

Indeed, I am: after two hockey games that weekend, I’ll drive to Nashville Sunday morning, hop a plane to PHL, land, get a rental, drive almost to Trenton, New Jersey, watch Caedmon’s Call in concert [and hang out with Bryan and Mark, which is reason enough to go in and of itself], chill with the band after the show, then mosey back down to PHL and fly home first thing Monday morning.

Won’t be the first time I’ve grabbed a little shuteye at an airport before winging my way back home and then to the office.

Yeah, I’m insane. But this is how I roll. [And I have new camera equipment to roll with! My Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 showed up yesterday, and my EF 85mm f/1.8 USM arrived today. My mics show up, well, whenever Sound Professionals gets off their duffs and ships it to me.] And yes, I’ll have more equipment than other baggage.

A discussion of this ended up leading to Derek and I talking about Gilmore Girls after the show I attended last night. There we are on a sidewalk outside The Rutledge, talking about Lorelai borrowing Luke’s truck to help Rory move to Yale. I got to tell them that Season Four? IS MY FAVORITE. That was a fun time, because hey … I love talking about GG with people.

Oh, and … Writers’ Night at The Rutledge is hosted by Nathan Lee. Oh my gosh, y’all … that blew my damn doors off. I’ve already bought Down at The Rutledge off of CDBaby this morning, and now it’s my goal to bring him to Huntsville for a show. Wow. That kicked my ass. I just hate that I had recording problems last night [largely to do with it being an SRO crowd and me getting so hot that I almost passed out, but hey]. FUN TIMES.

[Who has two thumbs and got home at 2:00 a.m. this morning? Geof Morris.]

A discussion of this ended up leading to Derek and I talking about Gilmore Girls after the show I attended last night. There we are on a sidewalk outside The Rutledge, talking about Lorelai borrowing Luke’s truck to help Rory move to Yale. I got to tell them that Season Four? IS MY FAVORITE. That was a fun time, because hey … I love talking about GG with people.

Oh, and … Writers’ Night at The Rutledge is hosted by Nathan Lee. Oh my gosh, y’all … that blew my damn doors off. I’ve already bought Down at The Rutledge off of CDBaby this morning, and now it’s my goal to bring him to Huntsville for a show. Wow. That kicked my ass. I just hate that I had recording problems last night [largely to do with it being an SRO crowd and me getting so hot that I almost passed out, but hey]. FUN TIMES.

[Who has two thumbs and got home at 2:00 a.m. this morning? Geof Morris.]

That said, putting out a greatest hits compilation—the second such release in three years, and this one containing no new cuts whatsoever—less than two months before the release of their next album? That’s a low blow, even for a record company that pushed for two make-lots-of-money worship records from the band.

Maybe I’ll write an open letter to Essential, telling them how much they suck. Or maybe I’ll let Derek do it for me, a decade ago:

It’s not as though this truck’s been up on blocks for years in my front yard
Waiting for the fuel of you to make it go

Essential Records sucks.

Either we all get to listen to it, or none of us get to listen to it.

It wasn’t the best-kept secret ever, but … Derek Webb recorded with Caedmon’s Call for their upcoming album.

Yep.

I took a bunch of photos when I was in the studio, and they’re available in a photoset on Flickr. But Derek and Andy, together? This is a beautiful sight to my eyes. It’s great to see this, for me. You may not feel the same way, and you know … that’s okay with me.

A: They’re both still trying to live up to their first two major label releases in a lot of folks’ eyes.

In groups of people about my age cohort [say, three or so years either side of my age], we associate both bands with all the great music the bands were putting out when we were [finishing high school|going through college|starting post-college life]. Because we associate those songs with those days, anything that comes out since gets shortchanged because it’s not coming at what we see as the prime of our lives.

[Thought prompted by the awesomeness that is "Crazy Times" from Jars's Much Afraid.]

[[Followed by: am I going to associate the absolute awesomeness that is M. Ward's oeuvre to date with the sheer shittiness that has been 1Q2007? Man, I hope not.]]

But think about it: what good music do you associate with a great time in your life, and subsequently consider anything by that band to be sub-par as a result, whether or not it’s really sub-par? [Because I'm still with Derek on the "Share the Well is the best album Caedmon's ever put out" bandwagon.]

I think this trumps last year’s Eight Days of Awesome.

I’m hyperventilating just a little.

More is on the way.

• Friday, 2 Jun 2006: HEM and Over the Rhine at the Exit/In, Nashville, TN. Stephen will be riding up with me for the show, and Brandi, Trey, Andrew, and Alison may end up coming. We’ll have to see.
• Saturday, 3 Jun 2006: HEM and Over the Rhine at the Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA. Some may say that it’s silly to see the same two artists back-to-back; I say that it’s a rare opportunity. Combine that with the fact that I’ll not only get to stay with Jeff and Adriene and get to see Jason, and it seems like a good idea; given that Jeff is who hooked me on OtR in the first place, it’s a necessity. I have warned Adriene that I may spontaneously cry and hug Jeff before, during, and after the show.
• Sunday, 4 Jun 2006: Caedmon’s Call at Church of the Apostles, Atlanta, GA. We hadn’t planned on this show happening, but when Jeff saw it on the schedule, he said, “Dude! You have to come with us!” I think he’s just using me for my ability to get guestlisted. [It's okay.]
• Monday, 5 Jun 2006: Over the Rhine and HEM at the Vistulite Theatre in Charlotte, NC. This is the show I had been planning to see for about two months, really. Why this show? It gave me a ready excuse to visit Brandon and Sarah, with hopes for seeing Mike and Kari as well. We’ll all four be going, as will Andrea. It’s me and my Carolina crew! [Even if they all hate Duke.]

Some call it obssession. I call it commitment. I’ll drive home on Tuesday and be back at work on Wednesday the 7th. My boss is out tomorrow through next week, so I will be looking forward to a little time away.

This means that I’ll see CC two times in a week [they play in Atlanta the next Sunday night; since I'll already be in town, I'm going]. I haven’t seen them since last September in Maryland. Too long.

Yes, I know, I’m insane. Now to find a hotel, because I’m staying the night before driving back…

As a former administrator [of the Rumor Forum, the community that's grown out of [caedmonscall.net]], I want to say that we’ve always wanted this place to be set aside for open and honest criticism of the band. I know that they’ve been stung by some of the stuff that’s been said here in the past, but … if we all wanted to be Caedmon’s Call cheerleaders, we’d hang out at the caedmonscall.com message board [that doesn't even exist].

The people who complain about the band are very passionate about it. Why? They know that CC has the ability to not suck. I think most everyone who’s complaining also knows that this is largely a case where the suck is being thrust upon the band, and so our complaints are more against the system than they are against the band. I fully expect that they did the best they could given the constraints that they had.

That said, I haven’t bought ITCOA2 in the almost-month it’s been out, and I’ve decided that I’m just not going to buy it at all. I don’t want to support the cheapening of a band that I love and have invested a lot of time and money into. Some might argue that this could be damaging to the band, as diminishing commercial viability could cause Essential to Andy Peterson the band. I say that I just refuse to buy music that I’m fairly sure I’m not going to like. I’m voting with my wallet.

The “Andy Peterson the band” allusion is towards Essential’s decision to cut Andrew Peterson loose from his contract. Now, I understand that it’s a business decision—for whatever reason, AP wasn’t selling well. [Lack of talent and passion was not a reason, folks.] I’m aware that the Contemporary Christian Music business is just that—a business!—but it’s also a duplicitous one. It claims to be doing the Lord’s work, but it largely shies away from anything that might be controversial or challenging, choosing instead to be safe in terms of both musical genre and lyrical content. You’re either one or the other, but unfortunately, CCM is one—a business—while claiming to be the other.

I found it somewhat hard to speak out against the album. I know that my voice carries some weight with folks. I was hoping to go see CC play tonight in Birmingham, but the show was cancelled by the venue. I wanted to face the band in case they were upset with me … but I think that they know that I love and support them.

I just can’t believe that Essential doesn’t see what I see in awesome albums like Share the Well … they just see the dollar signs. So, here’s what to do: if you hate the very concept of ITCOA2 as I do, buy a copy of StW and give it to a friend.

A happy belated birthday to my sister-in-law, Cindy, whom I did get a call into yesterday on my way to Chattanooga.

The Eric Peters / Andrew Peterson / Andy Gullahorn / Jill Phillips show last night rocked. [I'm probably going to be in trouble with Rick for not telling him about the show when he reads this.] I’m going to see Caedmon’s Call play on Thursday. My body rebels at the thought, but I also think I’ll get back from there before 0300 on Friday morning … unlike last night.

And yes, if you’re thinking that I’m testing the Timezone plugin with this entry, you’re right.

Randall Goodgame, writer of good tunes for his own bad self as well as Caedmon’s Call, has a Weblog.

• Sat 17 Sep: Off to Chattanooga with Rick [and hopefully Jessica ] to go see Derek, Sandra, and Cason play at Covenant College. Hanging with my people is awesome. It’s Sarah H.’s, concert, and it’ll be good to see her again.
• Fri 23 Sep: Off to the DC area to go see Caedmon’s play in Maryland. I’m hoping to get to hang out with Chrissy during the day before the show; haven’t seen her since before she went to Ireland, and I want to hear all her stories. Bryan and Erica and Joe and Rhonda will be at the show for sure, and I’m really hopeful that Christiana, Mark, and Karyn will be there. My heart may not be able to take the awesomeness.
• Sat 24 Sep: Shake off the awesomeness hangover, drive back to IAD, hope a plane to GSO, and hopefully drive down to Charlotte real fast, kidnap Brandon and Sarah, then bring them to the Greensboro area for Mike’s birthday party. I’m ready to see him and Kari, Brian and Sarah, and hopefully Charles, Jason, and Susan. I don’t know that I’ll be able to take two days in a row like this!

Also, looks like I’ll be headed back to KSC for more of the same in October.

Okay, so I guess I could have gotten that off of the Song Vault page for “Petrified Heart”, since it’s right there with the lyrics and all. And really, I should have known that. But I didn’t, and … I can admit that.

Maybe.

Wait, I just did.

Hopefully the citizen-subjects of the .net will not revolt against my tyranny and expect me to be overthrown. If nothing else, I’ll restrict all my posting to AYOR for a day … or something.