The Brit Pack - An Introduction

About three and a half years ago, I was perusing YouTube looking for a specific video, when by happy accident, I came across a video by British songstress, Laura Marling. I was immediately blown away by her ethereal voice and began my quest to find more and more of her music.

In doing that, I came across another YouTube video. This one was of Miss Marling, singing alongside a dashing young Brit, named Johnny Flynn. The song was called Travel Light, and to this day, remains one of my favorite songs of all time.

 Being the total nerd that I am, I delved into complete     and total obsessed research on young, British folk artists. While skimming internet articles, I found an online review entitled, "The Brit Pack." JACKPOT.  This article discussed five British folk artists, all in their early 20s and who were all dear friends with one another.

The review spoke of Flynn and Marling, who at this point I was more than familiar with. However, it also introduced me to Bobby Long, Marcus Foster, and Sam Bradley, all of whom were quickly added to my list of favorite new music.

To say that these young musicians are talented is a complete and total understatement. They are in no uncertain terms, geniuses. 

I did more and more YouTube searches to find songs by these guys because at that point, there were very few actual recordings to purchase online. Possibly my favorite find was a low quality, home recorded video of Bobby Long and Marcus Foster singing in one of their bedrooms. The song was called Crooked Sky and the two had penned the song together.  It is utterly fantastic.

At the time I was discovering the talents of these young Brits, so was the rest of the world...they just didn't know it. Neither did I. Later, I discovered that two of the songs on the Twilight soundtrack were written by some of these guys! Rob Pattinson, who many know as Edward Cullen, from the film, is longtime buddies with the "Brit Pack," and had co-written the song, Never Think, with Sam Bradley. As Pattinson's popularity grew, so did the song. Pattinson also recorded the song, Let Me Sign, played during the climax of the film, which was written by Long and Foster.

One of my favorite Marling songs is one called Blackberry Stone. In one live performance of the song, she was backed by the then unknown, Marcus Mumford (sporting a fantastic molest-ache, might I add). Now, Mumford heads the ever growing popular, Mumford and Sons. And so, I became hooked on that British group as well. Absolutely   amazing talent. 

Ok, so I have to admit that the term, "Brit Pack," drives me crazy. I'm not really sure why, yet I find myself calling these musicians that when I discuss them with people. I'm guessing it is simply because that is how I was introduced to them, and it's stuck. Whatever, the reason, love it or hate it, it does discribe them perfectly. After all, "The Rat Pack" was a group of young, talented musician and actor friends. Again, the "Brat Pack" was a group of talented young actor friends in the 80s. So, I guess "The Brit Pack" is fitting. It still drives me nuts.

Me & Christie with Bobby Long

Me & Marcus Foster

Over the past few years I have had the extreme pleasure of seeing both Long and Foster play live, as well as meet them both. It was truly an honor and I am hoping one day I can say that I have seen all of these artists play live and meet them as well.

Blue Valentine

			Blue Valentine (2010) (From IMDB)   112 min  -  Drama | Romance   -  27 December 2010 Director: Derek Cianfrance Writers:Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne, and 1 more Starring: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams     So Grant and I sat down the other night to watch a movie I had been wanting to see since I caught a preview for back in December, Blue Valentine. The movie stars Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling (who can do no wrong in my book).  The movie centers around a young married couple, Dean and Cindy. They have a young daughter named Frankie, and while you can see they love their child dearly, as well as each other, something seems amiss in their relationship. The film cuts between the present and around 5 or 6 years in the past, to the beginning of Dean and Cindy's relationship. For Dean, it is love at first sight. Cindy is the girl he's been looking for, and throughout the film, you can see that he is struggling because he loves her so much, but presently she has become distant emotionally and physically with him. Cindy is disappointed in Dean, who is a house painter, and feels he hasn't lived up to his potential in life, all the while she had been on the fast track to becoming a doctor, which failed to come to fruition when she became pregnant, and instead she became a nurse. It seems as if Cindy is overall disappointed in her life. Through flashback clips it is made obvious to the viewer that Cindy has had negative relationships with the men in her life, her father as well as a previous boyfriend. Therefore, I think she goes into this relationship with Dean feeling like he can take her away from the life she despises, all the while expecting him to let her down like the other men in her life have. When he doesn't and he steps up to the plate, she marries him, but I wonder if she was ever truly in love with him?   Spoiler alert: this movie doesn't have a happy ending. It chronicles the beginning of a relationship and the end of one. It is quite depressing but very realistic in its portrayal.   First off, let me tell you what I liked about the film: the acting is superb! Like I said earlier, Ryan Gosling can do no wrong as far as I am concerned, and Michelle Williams is equally spectacular. I always judge whether or not I think the acting is good by thinking of myself as furniture in the life of the people in the movie. I definitely felt that way. This movie could have been the day-to-day activities and struggles of anyone.   The other major plus for me in this film was Gosling's character, Dean. I loved the character and felt not only was he truly good to the core, but there is a twist in the film that you learn about that makes him all the more respectable. I just loved him. And his humor is always a bright spot, even in the most serious of films.   There is one particular scene (which I have attached to this post) that made up for my dislikes with the film. I LOVED this scene. Plain and simple. LOVED it.   This brings me to the things I did NOT like about the movie. First of all, I hated William's character, Cindy. While I think Williams did a fantastic job playing the character, I didn't like the character herself. There were moments when you really pulled for her and them as a couple, but there were times when she seemed so selfish and cruel. For example, Dean takes Cindy on an overnight get-a-way to a hotel so they can reconnect as a couple. After an argument, they both get drunk and pass out. Cindy gets a call in the morning that she is needed at work, so she doesn't wake Dean, and instead leaves him a note that she has left and he is forced to take the bus back to town. I just couldn't like her after that.   The biggest problem I had with the film was it's numerous graphic sex scenes. Now, I am not a prude, and when called for, sex scenes have their place in films. However, during this movie, it was so frequent, and so graphic, I found myself asking, "did I rent a porno?" This is certainly NOT a film for young people.   So in conclusion, I liked Blue Valentine, but I cannot say that I loved it. It certainly wasn't the "feel good movie of the year," but it showed the true raw acting talent of two of my very favorite actors. It also makes you appreciate your own relationship when you can see how very fragile they are and how easily a couple can slip out of being in love.

Hipster? Indie? Who Cares?

Several weeks ago, I had a friend pose and interesting question. He stated that it seemed to be a growing trend to be "indie". In other words, "indie" is becoming popular.  He asked if I felt to the indie scene needed protecting from the "hipster movement," or did I embrace this subculture regardless of their growing popularity?  This is an excellent question, and to be honest, I'm not sure I have a clear answer.

First, I think we need to start out by defining what a hipster is.  Robert Lanham defines a hipster in The Hipster Handbook as "One who possesses tastes, social attitudes, and opinions deemed cool by the cool. (Note: it is no longer recommended that one use the term "cool"; a Hipster would instead say "deck.") The Hipster walks among the masses in daily life but is not a part of them and shuns or reduces to kitsch anything held dear by the mainstream. A Hipster ideally possesses no more than 2% body fat."

Okay, while that is humorous and we can all get a good chuckle out of it, what does being a hipster really mean?  Is it negative? How does it differ from being indie? What category do I fall into? And does it really matter?

So here's my answer: It doesn't effing matter.

I guess what I am really trying to say is, I think that the label "hipster" or "indie" are what you make them for yourself. As far as I am concerned, it's about the music. It's always been about the music. I don't care if someone listens to a band because they think it is cool. If the music means something to them, who am I to judge?

I dyed my hair pink. Does that make me a hipster?

I know I have made my disdain for Taylor Swift and Justin Beiber and others like them abundantly clear, but that's for me. I certainly don't judge another person for enjoying their music. Someone may originally begin listening to a band because they've been told they are the hip band, but if the music speaks to them and moves them, the way music is supposed to, isn't that all that matters?

I would love it if the whole world knew about my favorite bands and movies. After all, that's kinda the purpose of this blog. I decided a long time ago that I was going to quit trying to be "cool" and just be me. I love the music I love because it means something to me. Period. If that makes me a hipster or indie, then so be it. I will proudly wave my music freak flag!

Songs You Need to Add to Your iPod Shuffle, Like Now...

I wanted to take this time to post a bunch of my favorite bands and list my favorite songs by those bands. As I have said in numerous posts, the whole purpose of this blog is to share the music I love with others who are looking for music outside of the mainstream realm.

My taste is not everyone's taste, and I am well aware of that. My favorite music is the alternative folk rock sound.  Regardless, I think if you are interested in independent music, you should at least research the following songs and give them a listen. You never know what you may end up jamming to.  So look these up, like now.

1. Deer Tick (duh): Twenty Miles; Ashamed; Easy; Art Isn't Real (City of Sin); Smith Hill; Baltimore Blues    No. 1; Diamond Rings 2007; Houston, TX; Dirty Dishes; Little White Lies; Long Time; Nevada; Dance of Love; Lalala; oh screw it, any and all songs by them

2. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Beat the Devil's Tattoo; Weapon of Choice; Ain't No Easy Way; Feel it Now; Whatever Happened to My Rock & Roll; Red Eyes & Tears

3. Delta Spirit: Trashcan; Tomorrow Goes Away, Duncan

4. Bobby Long: Left to Lie; Who Have You Been Loving; Two Years Old; In the Frost; Being a Mockingbird; Bounty of Mary Jane

5. The Civil Wars: Poison & Wine; Barton Hollow; Oh Henry; My Father's Father

6. Fruit Bats: Ruminant Band; When You Love Somebody, Born in the 70's

7. Everest: House of 9's; Rebel & Roses; Let Go; Angry Storm; Trees

8. Middle Brother: Daydreaming; Middle Brother; Me, Me, Me; Thanks for Nothing

9. Arctic Monkeys: Crying Lightning; Fake Tales of San Fransisco; Cigarette Smoke

10. Iron & Wine: Each Coming Night; Flightless Bird, American Mouth; Morning; Tree By The River

11. The Romany Rye: Long Way Down; Black Hair; Love Song; Back to LA

12. Dawes: When My Time Comes; That Western Skyline; Love is All I Am; Bedside Manner

13. The Weeks: Mississippi Rain; Buttons; Hold it Kid

14. Mumford & Sons: After the Storm; Awake My Soul; The Cave; Little Lion Man; Winter Winds, Roll Away Your Stone, Timshel, Sigh No More

15. Marcus Foster: Kiss is a Knife; Broken; You, My Love; Make it Easy; Fourteen Times; Crooked Sky; Way, Way, Way

16. Band of Horses: General Specific; Cigarettes, Wedding Bands; No One's Gonna Love You; Infinite Arms

17. The Kills: Sour Cherry; Cheap & Cheerful

18. Mountain Man: Animal Tracks

19. A Fine Frenzy: What I Wouldn't Do; Hope for the Hopeless; Happier; Ashes & Wine

20. The Avett Brothers: I and Love and You; Ballad of Love & Hate; Die, Die, Die; I'll Fly Away

21. Dr. Dog: 100 Years; Shadow People

22. Those Darlins: Wild One; Snaggle Tooth Mama; Night Jogger; Whole Damn Thing, Red Light Love

23. Laura Marling: Blackberry Stone; New Romantic; Ghosts; You're No God; Travel Light

24. Jamestown Revival: Looking for The Right Thing; The Revival; Ain't it a Shame

25. Rilo Kiley: Silver Lining; Moneymaker; Acid Tongue (Jenny Lewis - solo)

26. Eels: Fresh Blood; Novocaine For the Soul

27. Johnny Flynn: Brown Trout Blues; Tickle Me Pink; Cold Bread; Travel Light

28. Cage The Elephant: In One Ear; Backstabbin' Betty; Ain't No Rest for the Wicked, Right Before My Eyes

29. Tilly & The Wall: Pot, Kettle, Black; Rainbows in the Dark

30. Joshua James: Crash This Train; Winter Storm; Crooked Arrow

31. Haley Boner: Queen of Everything; Green-Eyed Boy; Big Star

32. The Black Keys: When the Lights Go Out; Lies; I'll Be Your Man; Howlin' for You; Tighten Up

33. Neko Case: In California; Favorite; Wayfaring Stranger

34. The Decemberists: The Crane Wife 3; Down By the Water; January Hymn; June Hymn; The Chimbley Sweep; We Both Go Down Together; All Arise; Rox in the Box; The Mariner's Revenge Song; The Rake's Song; Oceanside; Calamity Song

35. Monsters of Folk: Man Named Truth; Right Place

36. Kings of Leon: Back Down South, The Face, Revelry, Use Somebody, Notion, Arizona, The Immortals, Crawl, Closer, Pyro

37. The Head & The Heart: Lost in My Mind, Cats and Dogs, Heaven Go Easy on Me

The BEST $5 I Ever Spent!

A couple of weeks ago, we headed down to 12th & Porter (my new favorite little hole-in-the wall bar) to see three of my favorite little indie bands: The Weeks, The Romany Rye and Feedback Revival.  Grant's cousin's husband, Nathan, is in Feedback Revival, so we were excited to finally see them play. The cover charge was only $5, and can I say, it was the best 5 bucks I have ever spent.




All three sets were fantastic, but a little surprise was thrown in that I could never have expected, nor will I ever forget!



The Weeks

There wasn't a very big crowd, however, we decided to head upstairs and watch the show from the loft area because the acoustics are better there. We pleasantly discovered that we were the only ones up there...that is, until the surprise occurred. But I will get to that later. Anyhoo, Nathan joined us for the first two sets because Feedback Revival was going onstage last.



The first band up was The Weeks. I love them. They hail from Mississippi and their blend of alternative southern rock is out of this world. The sets for all three bands were pretty short, probably around 6-7 songs each. So I didn't get to hear my favorite song, Mississippi Rain, but they did play Buttons, my other favorite Weeks song. It was a great start to the evening. (Just a note...my camera SUCKS.)

Next up were The Romany Rye. They are a relatively new favorite of mine. I discovered them in the Rolling Stone Cover Contest I wrote about in a previous post. It took them just a little bit to grow on me, but once they did, I was hooked! In the article in Rolling Stone, it mentioned that Kings of Leon called The Romany Rye "the band to watch." I guess that's the truth...and that leads me to the ultimate surprise that took place that evening.

We were sitting along the edge of the loft, waiting for the set to begin when I heard footsteps on the stairs. I rolled my eyes because I had enjoyed having the loft all to ourselves until that point. I didn't even bother to look to see who it was. The band had just started and I was too involved in that. A few minutes later, as the other people began to edge closer to us for a better view of the show, I turned my head to see who it was. To my utter shock and amazement...it was Matthew and Jared Followill of freakin' KINGS OF LEON. They were seriously four feet from me. It was one of those moments that I was remaining calm on the outside, but inside I was screaming! Regretfully, as much I wanted to, and as much as I am kicking myself over it now, I didn't ask for a picture. I felt like they were just there enjoying a show, watching their friends play, and I wanted to allow them to do that. But since that will probably never happen again, I'm quite sick over it now. My cousin, Travis, joked with me that without photo documentation, it didn't happen. I assure you...it did!

The Romany Rye

So, The Romany Rye played their set. It was fantastic of course. They didn't play my two favorites, Black Hair and Long Way Down, but they did play one called Love Song, and I fell in love with it.  After they finished with their last song, the two Kings of Leon headed back down stairs, and Nathan went to join the other members of Feedback Revival on stage.

I had really liked FR ever since Alisha (Grant's cousin) had told us about them. But, like most bands, seeing them live is a whole other story. They really  know how to jam and I was just blown away by their stage presence. It was if they had been rocking that stage their whole lives. They did play my two favorties of theirs, Delta and Money. And of course, I love to see local bands really doing well. It was an amazing conclusion to a stellar night. I could not have gotten any more out of $5 if I wanted to!



Feedback Revival

If you were to ask me what one of my favorite things about being into indie music is that it's cheap. When you think about all the entertainment we got out of $5, it's almost ridiculous. I was fortunate enough to get to see Kings of Leon in concert last summer, and those tickets were in the neighborhood of $75 each, and those were for nosebleed seats! We saw Tom Petty last fall and paid over $150 per ticket! Now, don't get me wrong, I will gladly pay what I can afford to see such amazing talent. But it's nice to know that there are some of the most talented musicians in the world touring this country, and I can see them for 5 bucks. :)

And I lost my British soul...

Sunday night, my husband, Grant and I went to 3rd and Lindsley in downtown Nashville with some friends, Carol and Matt, for a little evening of music, food, drinks, and of course, music. Bobby Long, one of my very favorite British singer-songwriters was the main event, but beforehand I was introduced to two new acts. I found myself grabbing a napkin and a pen from my purse to jot down notes as quickly as I could!

The first act was Curtis Peoples. He had the face of a 12-year-old but the voice of a man well beyond his years. He, interestingly enough, had a "Daughtry-ish" quality to his voice, although his style of music was much more "singer-songwriter." He definitely had some good songs, and I feel that he is maybe just beginning to mold into the singer he wants to be. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. He is talented for sure, just maybe not my style. Two songs I would recommend you check out of his are "Rooftop" and "I'm Not the One."

The second band, I was completely blown away with. It was an L.A. band called Everest. They had recently released their second album and were touring to promote it. I absolutely loved them. In fact, our whole table, and possibly the whole crowd did too, including Bobby Long. Their sound is a cool mix of Band of Horses and Coldplay, and their look was very Band of Horses as well. They had a kind of 60's throwback mixed with 90's pop, mixed with indie folk rock. It was outstanding. They are definitely being added to my ever growing list of favorite bands! After the show, I had to go buy a t-shirt and Carol and I were fortunate enough to meet the lead singer, Russell. We had our picture made and talked for a bit. I told him how they were a new favorite of mine and he seemed very appreciative. It is so neat to talk with someone you admire who is "just one of the guys." There's no hype or nervousness, just simple conversation. He even asked us if we could spare a piece of gum.  You have to check out "House of 9's", "Let Go," "Trees," and "Rapture."

And finally, Bobby Long...

To say that Bobby Long is "dreamy" is an understatement.  Pair his incredible good looks with a British accent and a voice out of this world...FORGET ABOUT IT! In addition to that, his guitar playing skills are stellar and his songwriting puts him in a class all his own. But the best part about Bobby Long? He's just your average guy.  In between sets, I found myself waiting in line for the restroom. All of a sudden, this handsome, young guy with a scraggly beard and a hoodie walks up. Outside, I remained cool and collected. Inside I was screaming! It was him, just getting in line for the "loo".  I was next up, but I offered him my place. After all, he did have to be on stage in a few minutes! He accepted and was so grateful and generous. He clapped his hands together and bowed slightly and repeated "thank you", and "are you sure?" a few times.

Then he went on stage...his talent is unarguable. This was my third time to see him live, but my first time to see him with a band. It's amazing how the addition of the band has evolved him as an artist. It was much more rock and he seemed a bit more free.  He did old favorites like "Who Have You Been Loving?", "Left to Lie," and "In the Frost." He took the ballad "Winter Tale" and rocked it out and the band had a full on jam session during it.  Also he debuted a new song, "Devil Moon", which had a much more rock & roll feel to it than his other, more folksy tunes.



On top of being talented, he is also funny, which for me, is more important than the pretty face. Before preforming "Dead and Done," he stated, "The next song is called...what is it called? It's a Rush cover..." I couldn't help but laugh. Anyone who loves a British accent would love hearing him speak and sing. His accent is heavy and he throws words like "wags" and "cash in the kitty," into the mix. Finally, his last song was a song called "Hard to Take," which I had never heard before. He was joined on stage by two of his friends, Caleb and Eric (I will have to do more research and find out who these guys are). It was such a fitting end to the show. Unfortunately, there was no "meet and greet" afterward like there had been in the past, so we didn't get to meet him (other than the bathroom experience) and have our photos taken. But I have done that twice before, so I was okay with that.

Overall, it was a fantastic night and I am thankful I got to share it with some great people. Carol, by the way, is credited for the majority of the photos you see. She is a very talented photographer and I hope she can come along with me to many more shows!

For the Love of the Gingers

It all started with Neko...

At least, that's the first time I noticed it.

Over the past couple of years, I have been trying to coax my husband, Grant, into the indie music world. Reluctantly, he has somewhat began to embrace some of the music I love.  However, there appears to be a growing trend...Grant loves the red-headed ladies!

Like I said, it all began with Neko Case. In fact, she was the very first independent musician Grant really liked at all. I had just gotten my iPod and  filled it full of songs that were completely foreign to him. After several "skips" he listened to the first few lines of In California. I could see the wheels turning in his mind, and it was written all over his face...he liked it. Then when I got the, "Play that one again," I knew it was a hit.

Ever since then it has become a running joke between he and I. If I play a new female musician and he likes her, he will immediately ask, "Is she red-headed?" And usually the answer is yes.  Over the past couple of years, Grant has accumulated a slightly significant list of ginger singers that include, but are not limited to:
Neko Case, A Fine Frenzy (although Alison Sudol has been seen sporting golden locks recently), Jenny Lewis (solo and with her band, Rilo Kiley), Adele, Karen Elson, and Florance and the Machine.

I find it humorous that Grant, who has never been a big "woman singer" fan (he assures me it's not a man thing, he's just very picky when it comes to female voices) has embraced so many independent female artists recently, most of them sporting ginger dos.  He certainly stays true to his convictions!

Here is a sampling of Grant's ladies. Take a listen and let me know what you think.