Big Gheorghe gave to me
Twelve Concert Visuals
Eleven Months of Elevating the Art of Blogging
Ten Years of Dipshits
Nine (six, really) goats goatating
Eight Autographs Showing How Sad My Childhood Was
Seven Books for Reading
Six Vinyl Discs
Five golden (Cream Yellow, really) cylinders for Squeaky
Four players playing
Three Nutty Squirrels
Two Chilean bangers (literally)
And a British lass slingin’ hot meat
You knew it would be music-related, right? It wasn’t just me that turned more posting attention to tunes this year – G:TB sported 102 of 193 posts this year that predominantly featured something musical. It’s the #1 content piece, followed by sports, cars, where we visited, William and Mary, food, anything squirrel-related, dumb fashion, Gheorghe Muresan, and vajazzling.
We like music.
We like listening to music, reading about music, watching videos of music, occasionally writing and recording music, and especially going to concerts. It’s what we do, by and large. It’s definitely what I did this year:
My favorite show of the year was the December G:TB Summit in Montclair, New Jersey for The Cult. I saw better shows with worse company plenty. That one was just right for all-around camaraderie and enjoyment. Kudos to Zman for rallying folks and buying advance tix. We should've done a post about it.
Second would probably be Elvis Costello and Blondie with Rob. Or the Rootstone show! I definitely should have done a full review of our man Rootsy's show in March. My bad, buddy.
I got to see an increasing number of friends make/play great music. You may recall one FOGTB released an album.
The Les Coole open mic was good nerve-wracking fun. Album is delayed til 2020, but we have 8 or 9 rough cuts in the can. Soon enough I'll fish 'em out and finish the project.
On to Gmas... I am a lousy concert photographer/videographer. I don't like doing it, since it both detracts from the experience and sometimes annoys the artists. (Tweedy, I'm talking about you.) But I often end up snapping a quick one and being done with it. The results: eh. They spark a memory, that's about all you can say about them.
So... enjoy the show(s). Dig my avant-garde assembly of them.
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| The Avett Brothers |
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| Citizen Cope |
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| Big Head Todd and the Monsters |
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| The Cult |
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| Father John Misty |
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| Jason Isbell |
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| Les Coole and The Cukes |
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| Rootstone Jug Band |
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| Cracker |
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| Melvin Seals and JGB |
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| Wilco |
Let's keep up the music in 2020.
Unearthing new stuff and sharing it. Unearthing old stuff and sharing it. Reviewing it. Making it. Photographing it. (Someone else besides me.) Seeing shows together as a roving band of half-drunk gheorghies. I have tickets to They Might Be Giants in DC with Rob and The Black Crowes in Va Beach unless they implode again. Seeing the Hoodoo Gurus down here in November. Beyond that: Cold War Kids, The Allman Betts Band, Southern Culture On the Skids, Sturgill Simpson, The Revivalists, Waxing Poetics, The Lumineers, . . . join me, gheorghies?
The last day of Christmas, officially speaking, was yesterday. We're just a day off for Gheorghemas. Here's hoping everyone's holiday was less serious and that there were songs to fill the air. Cheers.
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25 comments:
On the last thread...first Amazon purchase in 1999 but not my personal account—for my boss at work in grad school. Books.
Several book purchases 1999-2001 to that effect.
My first personal purchases 2001 and 2002 — gift cards for family members.
2003, we bought our first stroller.
Not much in successive years until about 2009, then lots! All. The. Time!
I still FB. For pics mostly. I’m pretty old!
Nice last Christmas post! I really want to see the Lumineers in the Spring.
Happy Epiphany. I started new job today—Full-time pastor...first time as full-time in local church. Not that any ministry has regular hours. But here I go. Interesting times to be preaching what with the brink of WWIII potentially looming. Here’s to hoping things calm down a bit in the Oval.
Great post, Whit. I hope to do more than live vicariously through you clowns for music in 2020. I think I said the same thing in 2019. Seeing Phish in December made me feel better.
I have my eye on these NYC shows coming up: Michael Kiwanuka (Feb), Widespread Panic (Feb), 50th anniversary tribute to Allmans (March). Sturgill is playing MSG this spring and a high school buddy who has been on that bandwagon for a few years is trying to get folks out to that.
I liked the Crowes a lot when Audley Freed or Marc Ford was on lead guitar. Don't know this Isiah Mitchell guy who has the gig now.
i did not see as many shows as whitney in 2019. off the top of my head, i saw the aforementioned elvis costello show, carbon leaf, sister hazel, fishbone, new pornographers, aaand, that might be it.
saw twenty one pilots with my kidlets, too. that was a blast.
Saw the Lumineers in Charlottesville a few summers back. Great show.
Con gears on the new gig, Donna. The world needs as much light as possible in it these days. Good luck and Godspeed.
Con gears or congrats, you pick.
It's an honor to be squeezed in between Les Coole and the Cukes and Cracker.
Congratulations, Donna -- that is awesome. Where is your church?
TR, Panic is playing 5 nights at the Beacon Theatre? I'm always impressed by the extended stretch of gigs in one venue.
Have any of you been to Webster Hall in NYC? It's walking distance to Doc Holliday's and has a 2020 docket with the Truckers, Wood Brothers, Teskey Brothers, and Hoodoo Gurus. Piquing interest...
Webster Hall an okay-ish smid-sized venue. I find my tolerance for standing room only joints fades as I age.
Bowery Ballroom is a venue worth traveling to. Easy to get drinks and doesn’t get oversold.
And yes, Whit - 5 nights at the Beacon. I’ve gone 3 for 3 on NYC runs w/ them in the early aughts. More likely I see 1-2 this time. Love that venue too.
If you go to Webster Hall you should drink at the Blue & Gold Tavern.
RIP Elizabeth Wurtzel.
Thanks y’all!
Church is Wythe Presbyterian in Hampton, VA. In neighborhood called Old Wythe —near the water, city line with NN, Coliseum, etc. About 100 years old, neighborhood church with an outreach/social justice bent...have a Myanmar refugee fellowship...sushi at all the potluck meals —I told them that’d be a first for me! 😀
those of you who like jazz guitar should try steve khan. heard a song of his on the jazz station and used my new phone to ID the song! wild. his album "the blue man" from 1978 has hints of satriani but with all kinds of 70s jazz tropes. it's awesome. he has a new album too (though he's like 70)
Donna, I know that neighborhood just a tad -- I would cut through there en route to the Surf Rider for lunch. Sounds outstanding -- sincere congrats.
Kahn!!!
I think some of the most exciting music to be discovered is in recordings by folks who just kept making music, undeterred by commercial success, or the lack of it.
Tony Joe White was one such discovery I made recently. Really good swampy rock with well written songs. He died in 2018 after recording for 50 years.
The "undeterred by the lack of commercial success" is the same model that Random Idiots/Greasetruck/Les Coole & the Cukes have utilized for many years.
donna, that's such cool news. really excited - the world needs more people like you.
just put up another post at SoD. undeterred!
https://sentenceofdave.blogspot.com/2020/01/are-dogs-new-black-dudes.html
I’m afraid to click on that link, Dave.
Or copy and paste it, since none of you simpletons can hyperlink anything.
so we're going to war with iran. but her fucking emails.
anyone know a clergyperson who'll pray for our flawed world?
my dog had her first experience with snow today, and she's batshit crazy in love with it. it's the most amazing thing. just a joy to watch her bound around, flipping snow up with her nose, catching it in her mouth, rolling around in it. if the world ends in a fiery conflagration because white people were scared of change and voted for a degenerate criminal, at least i got to see that.
If we’re all gonna be goners, my last profound memory was watching Carson Palmer root on my 4th grader tonight during his travel basketball game in the dumpy town of Springfield, NJ. A guy in my town was a backup QB at USC in the late 90’s. I guess he and Carson are close. Was odd to see Carson rolling into a middle school gym in NJ.
G:TB is a safe haven away from the awfulness of the world. Let’s not bring it in here just yet.
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