Apologies

I didn't update the blog at all this week, did I? Just the food one? Sorry about that. It's been a crazy week. Lots of work, I've discovered reddit, and my ex got remarried. Classy (I'm sure) impromptu ceremony at the courthouse. So I had a lot of shit on my plate. I hope to be in a better place next week.

Here's a gif from Game of Thrones and an awesome song from Biffy Clyro.

Audio and Video! Matt Mahaffey's 615 Day Session!

In case you missed it, last Friday was 615 Day at a Nashville radio station. 615 is the area code for middle Tennessee, and last Friday was also June 15. Lightning 100 took advantage of the numberlicious day and made it all about area musicians. I didn't get to listen to the whole shebang (thought I'd throw that out there for all the Fluid Ounces fans reading this), but I made a point to tune in during Matt Mahaffey's set, which was apparently recorded a week or so before.

Matt recently put the set up on Soundcloud, and it's worth your time to give it a listen.



Here's a live, organ-only version of his wonderful song "Could You Love Me Now."



And just because it's so awesome (and backwards!), here's the official video for the song.

What You Should Have Heard #93

honeyhoney Live
at the Cannery Ballroom 5/12/12

I had been waiting for this night for quite a while. There aren’t many bands I’ll immediately buy tickets for without checking for previous commitments, but honeyhoney is one of them. So yeah, I bought two tickets (always the optimist) as soon as they went on sale. I didn’t realize until about two weeks later that it was the same day as my son’s First Communion. But the festivities for that ended shortly after lunch, and the kids’ mother had them for the rest of the weekend, so nope, no conflicts!

My sister was my “plus one” for this shindig. She was lucky enough to see Ben Jaffe and Suzanne Santo (the duo who make up honeyhoney) in 2008 and has been a fan since then. She also enjoyed James Morrison, who they were opening for. I had heard of the guy, but for the life of me I couldn’t recall ever hearing any of his music, so I looked him up on Spotify. Meh. Pleasant music, but nothing I’d go crazy for. I had my fill of Gavin DeGraw a handful of years ago, and this guy sounded very similar.

The show started at 9:00 p.m. and the doors opened at 8:00. We got there just after 7:30 and had to wait in the rain until the doors finally opened, only a smidge late. We made our way inside, grabbed a couple of drinks (shot of Corsair gin and a Yeungling Lager for me, a gin and tonic for the lady), and we staked out a decent spot a few bodies back from the stage, stage left near some speakers. We witnessed the end of honeyhoney’s mic check, and I liked that they did it themselves.

There are three things I’m kicking myself for that I DIDN’T do that night. One of them is that I didn’t keep up with the set list. Last year when I saw Biffy Clyro and Foo Fighters, I made sure to note on my phone each bands set list. I LOVE those bands but I still made it a priority. I was just so drawn into to honeyhoney’s show, though, that I never even thought about it. Hell, I had to break away just to take two videos and a handful of pictures.

It’s amazing to watch Santo perform, whether she’s singing or playing the banjo or fiddle. It doesn’t matter what she’s doing, but you can see that she’s not just performing the music, she’s feeling it, she’s living it, she’s letting it flow through her into the audience. As a fan, that helps me get into the concert experience so much more. If I can tell that a performer isn’t just going through the motions, isn’t just playing the hits and saying the city’s name to get a reaction from the audience, then I enjoy the show more.

I’ve watched a few of the duo’s “candid” videos on their website, and I’ve even posted them here on the blog, and in those videos Suzanne is the cut-up, the smart ass with a witty tongue. But tonight I noticed that Ben was a bit more vocal between songs. He ended up getting a few genuine laughs from the audience, me included.

Of the songs I can remember, honeyhoney played “Little Toy Gun,” “Ohio,” “Glad I’ve Done What I Did,” an unknown song that they opened with (and I’ve Googled the hell out it and can only find a mention here, so I’m assuming it’s a new original song and not a cover, and I hope to hell that it appears on the next album because it was incredible), and they closed with an incredible performance of “Come on Home” from their first album First Rodeo. I wish to God I had recorded that (second kicking-myself moment); it was amazing.

My sister and I hit the merchandise table as soon as the show was over (after getting another beer and G&T), sacrificing our spots to some James Morrison fans who would appreciate them more. I purchased digital copies of First Rodeo and Billy Jack from Amazon (and you can, too), but I picked up a physical copy of Billy Jack anyways and a copy of their EP Loose Boots. My sister did the same, and we both got our copies of Billy Jack signed. Ben and Suzanne were incredibly nice, and it wasn’t until after we left the table and were waiting around for Morrison to take the stage that I realized they would have totally taken a picture with me. That was my final kicking-myself moment, and the one that’s least forgivable in my eyes. We waiting around through about half of Morrison’s set, hoping they would come back out to the table, but no joy.

We ended up leaving early in order to beat the rush out of the cramped little parking lot, and we stopped at a food truck, Squeals on Wheels, on our way to the car. It was quite tasty.

I guess I should at least say something about James Morrison since it was technically his show. I don’t know if it was where we were standing or just him in general, but I couldn’t make out many of the lyrics in his songs, and I couldn’t understand him all that great when he was talking. It was all British mumbling. I felt like I got more than my money’s worth just by seeing honeyhoney, and even my sister, who was somewhat of a fan, was A-OK with leaving early.

I will see honeyhoney the next time they come to Nashville. I promise. They are on my list with Biffy Clyro and Foo Fighters (stellar company indeed). My biggest hope is that, the next time they’re here, they’re big enough to carry their own show. The set they played at the Cannery Ballroom, while fantastic, was just too short. For a fan, it was just a tease. I want a full-length, main attraction set. I want more banter. I want covers and encores.

And next time, I want my picture taken with Suzanne. Fine, Ben can be in it, too.

Also, I'm a horrible photographer, so please excuse the quality of the photos.

Also also, if anyone can identify the song in this first video, I’d really appreciate it.

honeyhoney Song of the Day - Slow Brains (live)

Less than 36 hours and I'll be seeing Ben and Suzanne performing live at The Cannery Ballroom. I'm just a smidge excited.

honeyhoney Song of the Day

This is a wonderful live version of "Bouncing Ball." I have nothing better to add to that.

honeyhoney Song of the Day

This song makes me sad. I guess no matter how well things are going for me, break-up songs are always going to sting a bit.



Then I found this song. It's not on either of honeyhoney's CDs. Hopefully it'll make it onto a future one.

honeyhoney Song of the Day

Oh, such a treat for you today. To make up for my long weekend (I saw The Avengers on Friday. That took precedence over EVERYTHING), here are FOUR videos, three from Billy Jack and one from First Rodeo. We've got "Ohio," "Old School Friends," "L.A. River," and "All on You." And I've got less than a week before I see honeyhoney in concert. What a fun, sexy time for me.



I haven't brought him up much because Suzanne is the lead singer, but damn, Ben Jaffe is a fine guitar player, and his voice is not unpleasing. "Old School Friends" is a great duet, and Jaffe gets to shine a little more. This song also makes me feel incredibly nostalgic for my youth in Jasper, IN, and for all the people I left behind when I moved to Tennessee. I miss them all, even the people I didn't like.



I couldn't find a live version of "L.A. River," but this short film uses it, so here you go.



The video quality of this last song isn't all that great, but the audio comes through nice a clear.

honeyhoney Song of the Day

Since this is a song-of-the-day feature, I HAD to put up a song, so here's a live version of "Give Yourself to Me." It's awesome. Enjoy.



What I REALLY wanted to post are these two candid, behind-the-scene videos. I love it when we get to see the human side of these people we admire. Before seeing these, I was already a bit smitten with Santo because of her voice and her extreme prettiness. Now I find out she's a bit of a smart ass with an awesome sense of humor? Swoon.

honeyhoney Song of the Day

This might be the most country-like of all of honeyhoney's country-like songs, but that hasn't stopped me from loving it. Of course, Santo could probably make me like any genre that she's singing. It's that voice. That wonderful, wonderful voice.



I also realize that I forgot yesterday's honeyhoney song, and I apologize for that. So here's a double-dose today. Hows about a live version of "Not for Long"? Will that do it? I hope so.

honeyhoney Song of the Day

This is "Back to You" live from the Esquire House. This song is incredible, but this video is the only way you can hear it since it isn't on either of their albums.

honeyhoney Song of the Day

I'm surprised that I haven't already posted the official video of "Little Toy Gun," but today I wanted to find a live version. It's a slower arrangement of the song and totally acoustic. It's raw and unpolished, and it's awesome. Suzanne and Ben look like they're have SOOOO much fun. No I'm even more excited to see them live. I don't like going to shows and hearing a CD. I want to experience the band and the music. I want to enjoy myself, and I want to see that the band is enjoying themselves, that they're not just going through the motions.

Video of the Day

There are two things that really get me about this video.

First, from listening to Adele sing I would not expect her to talk like this. It just doesn't sound right. Not bad, just not right.

Second, I cried the first time I heard this. It was the day after my ex-wife told me she was engaged. It hurt. I don't want to get back with her, because we don't/didn't work, but it still hurts to know that this person you were so in love with is now so in love with someone else. I hope to one day be able to be truly happy for her and be good friends with her, but I'm not there yet.

Video of the Day

Okay, today's video/song is...a little crass. Maybe a tad juvenile. But hey, I never said this was a family show.

I love Tool. I love A Perfect Circle. I'm starting to love Puscifer, but it took me until Conditions of My Parole to REALLY get into them...except for this song. I've loved it since the moment I heard it. It's one of the most tongue-in-cheek, awesome things I've ever heard.

This is the first thing that popped up when I searched for the song in YouTube. It's a live recording of the song with some well-timed pictures. Maynard and the rest of the band were in Nashville last month, and I was so disappointed that I couldn't go. A friend said it was one of her top five concerts ever. High praise indeed.




Here's the original song. It's a fan video, so keep that in mind. It's still pretty good, though, and the song is still awesome.



My favorite version of the song, though, is the "Disco Viagra Mix." It's just so damn catchy.

Video of the Day

I don't know what the shuffle setting on Spotify was trying to tell me this morning, but it wasn't encouraging. "Suffocate" by Cold, "Hey, Johnny Park" by Foo Fighters, this song, and "Houdini's Angels" by Seven Mary Three. Ugh. I'm not ashamed to say that this morning's disposition was gloomy, to say the least.

These lyrics didn't help:

"I can't hold on
[To what I want when I'm stretched so thin]
It's all too much to take in
I can't hold on
[To anything watching everything spin]
With thoughts of failure sinking in"

But I'm better now. Friends are a good thing to have. :)

Also, I never realized how depressing Linkin Park can be. I tend to stick with the more upbeat stuff, but I actually listened to this song this morning, and wow.



And just for kicks and giggles, this .gif wall has been me for the past week (if not for the past year and a half). Also, I fail at .gif walls, so just go hereto see the original. The sentiment is still the same.

Video of the Day

"The darkness fell like a shout,
Am I ready to take that chance
Put my faith in someone else"

Gah, when will these guys get big enough in the states to headline their own show? Seeing them for maybe 30 minutes before Foo Fighters last year wasn't enough. If they ever come back to Tennessee, rest assured that I will be going and I will be bringing friends.

Video of the Day

Sometimes you just need to let the song speak.

Video of the Day

Another honeyhoney post. Here's a live performance of "Let's Get Wrecked" from a 2011 performance in San Diego. The vocal audio could be a bit clearer, but you take what you get when you're watching videos filmed by audience members.

This is one of my favorite tracks off their latest album, and I really hope they play it when they come to Nashville in May. I'm buying tickets immediately and taking it on faith that I'll be able to drag along a date. Who wouldn't want to see these guys live? I'm betting they put on a kick-ass show. I'll let you know on May 14.

Video of the Day

"I've got a bulletproof heart, you've got a hollow-point smile."

Such violently romantic lyrics.

Danger Days was a fine follow-up to The Black Parade, an album that I consider flawless. This is a live version of "Bulletproof Heart," a song that popped up on my Spotify playlist this morning, and I've been thinking about those lyrics ever since.

Video of the Day

I'm going to do my best to post a music video every day. This'll be a song that I'm really relating to that day or something I heard on the radio on my way into work that I really liked. Be warned, with my spotty memory I'll probably end up repeating songs every now and then.

Today's video is a live version of Maroon 5's "Through with You." Yesterday was the 2nd anniversary of my wife walking out on me and the kids, and yesterday she made me take a hard listen to this. Very appropriate. This was always my favorite song on Songs with Jane, but I don't think I had listened to it all since she left.

Now, I don't want this to come across as mean-spirited toward her. This is all just matter-of-fact. Despite having three kids together, she's hurt me too much for me to ever love her again, but I'm done with any anger or resentment. I want to be happy. I want her to be happy. I want to be friends with her, and I think given enough time we can be good friends. But in THAT sense, yeah, I'm through with her, just as she is with me.

And typing that out, my friends, was somewhat cathartic. Granted, I don't expect more than a handful of people to actually read this, and I expect maybe only one or two to be people I actually know, but still, it's a bit of a weight off.