This Week's Song That's Stuck In My Head...

The song I have in my head this week may have stemmed from my previous post...or maybe inspired it. Not sure which, but then again, which came first? The chicken or the egg? The song I can't get out of my head right now is Deer Tick's Baltimore Blues No. 1. 

It is hard for me to pick a favorite Deer Tick song. And while I wouldn't consider this one my favorite, it is definitely on the list.

Baltimore Blues No. 1 is on Deer Tick's debut album, War Elephant, and was also the song the band chose to sing when they made their television debut on Late Night with David Letterman.  It is a fantastic song and I know that if you give it a few listens, you will be humming it all week too!

Enjoy! :)

Baltimore Blues No. 1 lyrics                           

Kiss all your saviors goodbye
Offer them up to the dead
No kidding you know who's right
And whose got a price on their head

No doubt I'd sell you all out
For a pocket full of silver and gold
Way back when, when they made me one of them

Don't you know they're gonna' save my soul

I can't hang around with you like this my friend
Our time has come to an end

I can't play around with you no more
No, I'm seeing this open door

And I know you saw right through me
Afraid I'm taking you for a ride

But when you're dead you're dead
When you're gone you're gone
I got my conscience at both of my sides

I set out to disappear
And out there I found a new home
But listen Jack, you're on the wrong side of the tracks
At least now I don't have to walk it all alone

Can you hear the sound of the crawling flesh?
Now can you smell the burning desire?
This place is too small to hide
All the ghosts that's kicking around inside

What this town was entirely built upon
You can find it right between the eyes
Its a bullet hole that'll steal your soul
And roll you for your money and your diamonds

I set out to disappear
And out there I found a new home
But listen Jack, you're on the wrong side of the tracks
At least now I don't have to walk it all alone

The Greatest Band EVER...and You've Probably Never Heard of Them

My name is Rhiannon Green, and I'm a "tickhead."

They say the first step in getting help is admitting you have a problem. Ok, so I admit it. I'm obsessed.

Finding Deer Tick, well, it was a spiritual awakening of sorts. Now, I'm not comparing them to God. Far from it. But discovering their music did wake something inside me.  It was if I had found the missing piece of the puzzle to complete the 10,000 piece "Rhiannon" I had been trying to complete over 25 years.

I had just resubscribed to Rolling Stone after a long and messy break-up (if you have read my other posts, you know all about this). Towards the back of the issue was the "review" section. In it was a review of Deer Tick's album War Elephant. Intrigued by what I read, I went on iTunes and downloaded the album. To say I was instantly obsessed with them, however, is untrue. I mean, I liked them right off the bat. I liked them a lot, in fact, but no more than I did any other band at that time.

Throughout the following weeks, the more I listened to the CD, the more it grew on me...and not just one or two songs, but EVERY song. And then...they came to town.

Grant and I were scheduled to leave on vacation to Savannah bright and early the following morning, but somehow, I talked him into taking me to see the band at The Basement, a fantabulous seedy little basement bar in the back of Grimey's on 8th Ave in Nashville (www.thebasementnashville.com/).



The opening bands were Justin and the Cosmics (always puts on a good show) and Dawes. I had never heard of Dawes before, but when John McCauley of Deer Tick came out and sang "When My Time Comes" with them, I knew I was walking away a fan or more than one band that night.







Then came the main event...Deer Tick came out and it was like I had been living in a dark hole my whole life and had suddenly been exposed to all the bright colors of the world.  It was like the best possible acid trip and I was hooked and wanted more. And more I got. The band literally rocked the house on into the wee hours of the morning and mind you, we were leaving for Savannah at 6 am...



From that moment on, I was hooked. And I am just as in love with them today as I was 3 years ago! My friends and family will tell you that I drive them crazy with it. But I really don't care...it's a part of me! Their lyrics speak to me and John McCauley's "gravel and moonshine" voice is beyond unique (although I have to admit that I am slightly creeped out by the fact that he looks identical to my father in his 20's). 



The band is currently working on a new album (which I believe they are recording right here in Nashville) and I am awaiting it's release with great anticipation! If it is anything like its predecessors, War Elephant, Born on Flag Day and The Black Dirt Sessions, it will be nothing short of amazing.

McCauley is also currently fronting a side project band called Middle Brother along with Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, Matt Vasquez of Delta Spirit and the infamous Jonny Corndawg. That band has captured my heart as well. I pretty much think anything these guys do is genius.

So I hope this explains a little bit as to why I am such a Deer Tick freak and will continue to be until the day I die...

This Week's "Song That's Stuck In My Head"

Ok, so I know it's been over a week since I have blogged, or done anything else outside of work for that matter. But I assure you, I am going to get back on track...first by announcing the song I can't get out of my HEAD this week...which is...Lost in My Mind by The Head and The Heart (http://www.theheadandtheheart.com/).

I discovered The Head and the Heart a few months ago. The local indie radio station (Lightning 100.1 http://lightning100.com/) plays the "Indie Underground Hour" on Saturday nights at 7 p.m., and Grant and I usually try to catch it to find new music.  One night they played this song by The Head and The Heart and I knew I would become a fan of the band. It is right up my "alternative folk rock" ally.

 I love learning how bands choose their names, what inspires them to write songs, etc. On the band's website, the opening paragraph of their bio tells us how they came to the conclusion to call themselves "The Head and The Heart" :  "So many decisions in life and in the music we love can come down to a critical tug between the logic in our heads and the hot red blood beating through our hearts."

Their harmonies are outstanding and I really like all of their self-titled album.  Their bio also describes their sound perfectly, and since I can't come up with a better description, I will just steal theirs:

 "Their music pulses effervescently—both explosively danceable and intuitively intelligent. With Americana roots and strong vocal harmonics that swell like a river, this band finds its anchor in solid songwriting that has even the jaded humming along by the second listen."  I agree wholeHEARTedly.

I was very HEARTbroken the other day when I noticed that while The Head and The Heart are touring with The Decemberists, they won't be with them when they come to play in Nashville next month. Totally bummed. Well, hopefully they will decide to visit soon...

Take a listen to Lost in My Mind by The Head and The Heart.  I hope it gets stuck in your HEAD...and also your HEART. :)

LOST IN MY MIND by THE HEAD AND THE HEART

"Lost In My Mind"

Put your dreams away for now
I won't see you for some time
I am lost in my mind
I get lost in my mind

Momma once told me
You're already home where you feel loved
I am lost in my mind
I get lost in my mind

Oh my brother
Your wisdom is older than me
Oh my brother
Don't you worry 'bout me

Don't you worry
Don't you worry, don't worry about me

How's that bricklayin' comin'?
How's your engine runnin'?
Is that bridge gettin' built?
Are your hands gettin' filled?
Won't you tell me, my brother?

'Cause there are stars
Up above

We can start
Moving forward

How's that bricklayin' comin'?
How's your engine runnin'?
Is that bridge gettin' built?
Are your hands gettin' filled?
Won't you tell me, my brother?

'Cause there are stars
Up above

We can start
Moving forward

Lost in my mind
Lost in my mind
Oh I get lost in my mind
Lost, I get lost

I get lost in my mind
Lost in my mind
Yes I get lost in my mind,
Lost, I get lost
I get lost

Oh I get lost

Oh I get...

This Week's "Song That's Stuck In My Head"

The song that I've been humming to myself all of this week is Cage The Elephant's Right Before My Eyes. The song is off their 2011 released album, Thank You Happy Birthday. Their sophomore album is just as creative and genius as their first, which included the ever popular Aint No Rest For The Wicked.

 I had downloaded much of the new album from iTunes, but had somehow missed this song. I was randomly pursuing YouTube, as I often do, and came across an acoustic version of Right Before My Eyes, along with a video montage of Edie Sedgwick. (http://youtu.be/3aTWvJL54DY) It was so hauntingly beautiful, and I instantly fell in love with the song. Since then, the song has been stuck in my head!

Me with Matt Schultz from Cage the Elephant

When their last album was out, they played a free show at Grimey's and Grant and I went. I had the privilege of meeting them and I got to take this picture with Matt Schultz. After posting on Facebook  that I went to the show, I found out that we have a mutual friend. One of my high school friends from back home used to be Schultz's manager at the restaurant where they both worked...small world.  

Speaking of small world...This band hails from my home state, good ole Kentucky, and I couldn't be more proud as a fellow Kentuckian. It is so nice to see that when you work hard, and maybe play hard too, you can succeed, no matter where you come from.

So I hope you enjoy Right Before My Eyes. And I hope it gets stuck in your head too!


Right Before My Eyes by Cage the Elephant

Timber shakes these trails they all derail
Phony, false and frail
An empty ocean lost our way with no direction home
Golden needles names we take in vein
Find it harder to remain
And nothings sacred still waiting on that explanation

Right before my eyes
I saw the whole world lose control
The whole world lost control
Before my eyes uh-huh
I fell through the floor
I couldn't take it anymore
I can't take this anymore
It breaks my mind uh-huh

Hold your dirty hand over the flames
Getting pleasure from the pain
Softly screaming the pistol that you raise has spoken
Golden needles names we take in vein
Find it harder to remain
Well nothings sacred still waiting on that explanation

Right before my eyes
I saw the whole world lose control
The whole world lost control
Before my eyes uh-huh
I fell through the floor
I couldn't take it anymore
I can't take this anymore
It breaks my mind uh-huh

Everything I thought I knew fell to the side
Time went on and on I couldn't see past my own eyes
Past my eyes
Past my eyes
Past my eyes

Right before my eyes
I saw the whole world lose control
The whole world lost control
Before my eyes uh-huh
I fell through the floor
I couldn't take it anymore
I can't take this anymore
It breaks my mind uh-huh

The Vinyl Revival

I remember being a small child and being completely in awe of my parents massive record collection. It took up an entire wall of our home and included every Beatles, Fleetwood Mac (even the Peter Green days), Led Zeppelin, and Rolling Stones album ever released. Growing up in the early '80s, there were even some Bangles and Madonna albums thrown in there for me. It was an amazing collection to say the least.

Over the years, cassette tapes, CDs, and now MP3s have taken the place of the over sized discs and we live in a time when bigger is no longer better. But along with size, I think we have lost something else...character. Now don't get me wrong, I would be completely lost without my iPod, and having the availability of hundreds and even thousands of songs at my fingertips is a luxury I am not sure I will ever be able to live without again. That being said, I am still finding myself drawn to the vinyl section of music stores, especially like my favorite store, Grimey's.

So what's with the vinyl revival? I think as people are becoming more involved in the whole "experience" of the music they love, they find themselves wanting to pay homage to the nostalgia of the time that paved the way for the music that speaks so strongly to us today. Plus, it's just plain cool. Duh.

I have found myself searching the interenet for just the right turntable, so that I can begin to amass my own vinyl collection full of todays fantastic music along with yesterday's favorites. I wish I reach back in time and save my parents old albums. 

Today, you can buy music packages that often include the vinyl copy, along with the CD and MP3 versions of the album.  You can also go to a record store, like Grimey's, and purchase preloved vinyl or even new vinyl for about the cost of a traditional CD.

So, while I continue on my search for the proper turntable and begin my collection of vinyl (my first purchase was a rather ratty copy of the Beatles' Hard Days Night), I hope that others will start their quest as well, so that someday our children can appreciate our amazing vinyl collections the way I appreciated my parents. Long live the Vinyl Revival!

This Week's "Song That's Stuck In My Head"

The song that has been stuck in my head this week is June Hymn by The Decemberists. Now, The Decemberists were one of the first independent bands that I really fell in love with and I have been following them for quite some time now. They have a new CD out called The King is Dead, and it is pretty much ah-mazing. My favorite song from the album (and believe me, it's hard to choose) is June Hymn. It is just an uplifting song about new life and growth that takes place in the early summer. Everything is fresh and new from spring and June Hymn describes perfectly the feeling you get when you see all the newness around you, yet the melancholy feeling  of the end of something as well . I personally love it.

I am also very excited that on August 6, my husband and I will be at the Ryman Auditorium downtown to see The Decemberists play live. I've never seen them before, so I am really stoked! Also, they are one of the few bands I listen to that Grant loves as well. So this year, for our 8th anniversary, Grant got me tickets to see them. I can't think of a better gift I could have received!

I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do, and I hope it gets stuck in your head too!

June Hymn Lyrics
Here's a hymn to welcome in the day
Heralding a summer's early sway
And all the bulbs all coming in
To begin
The thrushes bleating battle with the wrens
Disrupts my reverie again

Pegging clothing on the line
Training jasmine how to vine
Up the arbor to your door
And more
You're standing on the landing with the war
You shouldered all the night before

And once upon it
The yellow bonnets
Garland all the lawn
And you were waking
And day was breaking
A panoply of song
And summer comes to Springville Hill

A barony of ivy in the trees
Expanding out its empire by degrees
And all the branches burst to bloom
In the boom
Heaven sent this cardinal maroon
To decorate our living room

And once upon it
The yellow bonnets
Garland all the lawn
And you were waking
And day was breaking
A panoply of song
And summer comes to Springville Hill

And years from now when this old light
Isn't ambling anymore
Will I bring myself to write
"I give my best to Springville Hill"

And once upon it
The yellow bonnets
Garland all the lawn
And you were waking
And day was breaking
A panoply of song
And summer comes to Springville Hill

FREE Song...Yes Please!

One of my very favorite bands right now is Everest. I first learned of them when they opened for Bobby Long when we saw him back in March. I was so impressed with them. They are a 5 piece band, out of L.A., and led by Russell Pollard (who I was fortunate enough to chat with after the show).

Me & Carol with Russell Pollard of Everest

 Currently, Everest is offering a FREE song on their Facebook page. The song is called Into the Grey, and I really like it, so I thought I would share with you the link: http://www.facebook.com/everestband?sk=app_190322544333196

Also, be sure to check out the band's website for all other Everest happenings. I know you will find them as intriguing and inspiring as I do. All you have to do is give them a chance...and that chance is FREE!
http://everestband.com/

Oh, and just a little side note...the guitars that are in the background of my blog header are none other than Everest's guitars...