I wrote these songs back in February, March, and June, but I forgot to post them! Voila.
WHEN WE WAKE
There's a window in my room, and it lets the sun right in. There's a window in my room, and the sun shines in, when we wake up, when we wake up, when we wake.
THE LONG ROAD
It's a long road with the light out on the dash. It's a long road and the cars they go by so fast.
If you go, will I wake up with the sun? If you go, will I walk or will I run?
WHEN IT FALLS
If your tree in the forest falls, you can call on me, but don't forget that in the forest, I can't hear a tree when it falls.
The way your laugh always stands out in a crowd, the way you always say my name, so quiet yet so loud, I wish these little things could be enough for love.
We both know the way it goes, this kind of thing, a flash so bright and then the night, it comes. I wish I had a way to keep the light on just this once.
If I was a different girl, I'd just tell you, but if I was a different girl, I wouldn't have to be alone, alone.
did you know when you go there is always part of me that stays just a little bit longer
did you know when you go there is always part of me that stays just a little bit stronger
and if you're looking for a way to save this sinking ship I'd recommend I'd recommend
if you go, you should know there is always part of you that stays
wake up, sandy won't you join us for awhile we never see you smile anymore
all your little things your coats, your hats, your diamond rings they're packed away in boxes on the floor it's like you don't live here anymore
wake up, sandy sunlight's coming through the blinds you've still got the time to change
all your little things your pain, your grief, your jealous rage they're packed away in boxes on the floor you know those things don't live here anymore
wake up, sandy won't you join us for awhile we never see you smile anymore
You never believed in me, but it's okay. You never believed in me, but I'll find my way. You thought I was small and I was holding you down. Well, maybe I was.
THE END OF THINGS I've spent my life waiting for a crystal ball to know if it's safe for me to fall but I wonder sometimes if I would be as brave if I could see the end of things
we go to the forest for the trees we go to the coastline for the sea
THE WRONG SIDE My mama told me there's a wrong and a right side to everything But she didn't warn me that the right side of love would get lonely So who can blame me if sometimes I give into the melancholy Sometimes
15 November 2010
I haven't had a night at home in almost two months. I've been going and going and, like the Energizer bunny, eventually my batteries ran out.
Thursday afternoon, I went home from work with a cold. For the next four days, I watched back-to-back episodes of Law & Order and I did not take a shower. Today is Monday and I need a hair cut.
It turns out that four days on my lonesome are just what the doctor ordered. I feel more myself than I have in some time. Canned chicken soup has psychological benefits, I guarantee it.
In addition to watching more Law & Order than anyone ever should in one sitting, I finally buckled down and taught myself the ukulele. And by 'taught' myself, I mean I can play five chords, badly.
I am uploading this video as the OFFICIAL RECORD of my first ukulele cover. I'm rotten at chord changes and I haven't quite figured out how to strum. Someday, when I'm a ukulele virtuoso, we can all look back and laugh.
Yesterday I released a six-song EP called Paper Weight. It's sometimes pensive, often cathartic, and occasionally joyous. It sounds like it was recorded in my bedroom because it was.
TRACK LISTING Paper Weight Tell Me Now If There's a Way Feels Like Rain To Me The Onset (Bonus Track) Your Last Bridge (Bonus Track)
My first EP will be live and available for purchase on Amazon in a few weeks! It has four songs, plus two bonus tracks, and you will love it. You possibly already do.
My dear Evin wrote a song this week. I recorded backing vocals, but the lyrics & guitar are all him.
Here's our little duet:
We wear out slow like an old magazine Like the jeans on a cowboy Like a dog to his dream
Twisted as shiva in sheets, you and I With our voices the same If we laugh or we cry
I can make you happier than strippers and clowns Ain't nobody love you like I love you right now Come to bed with your stockings down I can make you happier than strippers and clowns
Longing symmetrical, love has two wings You can rhyme with whatever As long as it's me
I look in the mirror and I see you through In my ill-fitting coat In my oversized shoes
I can make you happier than strippers and clowns Ain't nobody love you like I love you right now Come to bed with your stockings down I can make you happier than strippers and clowns
After a full year's hiatus from songwriting, I'm back in the saddle with two new songs for February Album Writing Month. You can check out both of them HERE.
If you're a musician, or have any secret aspiration to be, I can't recommend this project enough. It's an amazing community that provides valuable inspiration, motivation, and feedback, in a friendly, non-judgmental environment.
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If There's a Way
i wake up with my cup in the morning i lie down without a sound in the night
if there's a way if there's a way show me now cause i can't see lettin' be teach me how
chase the days make them pay for their crimes another night another flight i'm not on
if there's a way if there's a way help me see cause i'm afraid it's too late for you and me
spring to snow there's a glow there's a warning setting sun like a gun run while you can
there's a way there's a way join this fight cause i can't see lettin' me sleep tonight
Exciting news! Some friends of mine have a rad film podcast called Film101 and the latest episode features a few of my songs, including my latest!
The Film101 podcast is worth checking out in general-- the hosts are hilarious and insightful and they choose great topics to discuss. You can listen to the first five episodes on the Dane101 website or by searching for "Film101" in the iTunes store.
Dudes, my last post was two months ago. That is not OK.
I guess I haven't had much to say, musically-speaking. I've been so focused on writing that I've barely touched my piano. But here's what's been up in Mixtapes Land since last we spoke:
Found out I earned a grand total of 28 cents in royalties last year. DRINKS ON ME, Y'ALL. In other news, I won't be quitting my day job anytime soon.
My song "Come Around" hit the T61 homepage for the... third time? Fourth time? It happened out of nowhere and I was pretty psyched.
I'm not sure how active I'll be this year, given my busy writing schedule and the fact that I share a house with very thin walls with four other people, but I did start my first song today.
Here's a thirty-second clip:
paper weight
you're my paper weight without you i might just float away
This is the first time I've really sat down and played in a long time and my voice sounds a little rough. But progress!
I've been away for far too long. It seems I can only devote myself to one creative outlet at a time and lately it's been prose. But the keyboard is there, looming.
This past week has been a blur of family, friends, and sunshine-- the best kind of blur. I was in Florida for purposes of pumpkin-pie-consumption and partying down at LK's film premiere. The premiere was a smashing success and the after party was the stuff that dreams are made of.
Pretty people and good music make for easy video, even on a four-year-old Canon Powershot. This video was made by yours truly:
[music: "postcards from italy" by beirut]
And after a week of flip flops and suntans, I came home... to this:
While you were all stuffing your faces with mashed potatoes and watching disturbingly large likenesses of cartoon characters meander down a city street, I was engaging in one of my all-time favorite activities.
That's right. Air travel.
Rest assured that good times were had by all, including-- but not limited to-- the gentleman from Minneapolis who had many, many questions about the book I was reading and who also apparently thought "Seat 27E" was secret code for "Seat 27E and also half of Seat 27F". It's cool, I enjoy scrunching against the window like this.
But hey, good news! I just found out that I won an award! And if there's one thing I like? It's awards.
It's the Artists' Choice award from MaxBumps.net and I couldn't be more excited if it was a national holiday and I had leftover pumpkin pie in the fridge.
I haven't touched a piano in over a week, though I'm in the midst of an exciting song experiment with a local musician and I'm itching to get back to the keys. It's been a crazy week, what with the election (yay) and Halloween (boo) and a million birthdays and visitors and home improvement projects in between.
But the dust is settling. Or at least it's thinking about it.
Anyway, I just wanted to touch base with you today and let you know that my song Smoke Signals just hit the sixtyone homepage for the third time! The first time was six months ago, on the morning of my 26th birthday.
What was a sweet surprise for this cold November morning.
Well, it's snowing outside. It's not even Halloween and it's already snowing. I love Wisconsin, but I feel like we need to sit down and have a chat about this.
One advantage of the foul weather: more time for indoor projects! I've been working on a bunch of sweet projects lately and I want to share one of them with you today.
As back story, I'm part of a blog ring called Twenty-Something Bloggers. It's a great place to meet other bloggers, get ideas, and discover new addictions subscriptions for my RSS reader. The site regularly posts events and challenges like blog carnivals, essay contests, and Blog Swap Day. I always half-heartedly intend to participate, but life and procrastination thwart me at every turn.
The most recent of these events was Vlog Day. The word 'vlog' sounds like something you'd catch on Spring Break in Cancun, but it's actually just short for 'video log'. In other words, it's a blog post... on video! So twenty-first century! Next stop: personal jet packs and birthday cards that play Livin' la Vida Loca.
Vlog Day was last Wednesday, but as part of my ongoing theme of Personal Tardiness, I didn't finish mine until last night. It has nothing to do with music, but there is some great music in it. Andrew Bird, Le Tigre, and more!
And so, with limited further ado, I present to you... Crafts & Cooking: An Ill-Advised Vlog
The New York Times calls Crafts & Cooking: An Ill-Advised Vlog "... an engaging, heartfelt romp through one woman's neighborhood and home. A triumph of the human spirit."
The Chicago Tribune says, "Two emphatic thumbs up! The best [curtain-related] vlog we've seen this year."
Michael Cera writes (probably), "I deeply regret not responding to Laurie's repeated requests to star in her vlog. It's so much better than Juno. Also, I love her."
My mother: "What's a vlog?"
Included within: wacky scene transitions, awkward camera angles, and approximately 900 instances of me nervously fiddling with my bangs. Also? Somewhere in the fourth quarter, I become convinced that I am Michel Gondry and/or stoned out of my mind. SO ARTSY.
PART I
PART II
Watch and discover for yourself why I have neither a home decorating show, a cooking show, nor a boyfriend.
Saturday afternoon, some friends and I headed out to Madison Music Foundry for their Second Anniversary Party. Specifically, we were there to see some performances from MMF's Rock Workshop.
The Rock Workshop is an eight-week music program at Madison Music Foundry for middle- and high-school students. During the workshop, the kids form bands, learn songs, play live shows, and even record in a real studio. It's a rare and exciting opportunity for young musicians and I was excited to see what the kids were up to.
First of all, Madison Music Foundry definitely knows how to throw a party. Tasty snacks? Check. Fancy beer keg? Check. A lifetime supply of ear plugs for rock-your-socks-off volume levels? Check, check, check.
And the kids were awesome. There's something about thirteen-year-olds singing Van Halen that just warms my heart. Also, most of these kids had better hair than I do and they were definitely better at playing the drums.
One of the bands, a group tentatively calling themselves Four Pesos, even played a few original tunes. The original songs were some of my favorites of the night-- I swear one of the songs could have come from a Pernice Brothers album. You may or may not consider that a compliment, but I happen to really like that album.
I managed to snag a quick video of one of their Rock Workshop originals:
"All boys," my friend Clare observed at one point, nibbling a pretzel cracker between Ramones covers. It was true: there wasn't a girl in the whole group.
Amy Winehouse notwithstanding, rock and roll is still very much dominated by men. Which is part of why I was so enamored with the documentary Girls Rock! when I had the opportunity to catch it during this year's Wisconsin Film Festival.
Every person in the world should see this movie. It was so much more than cute.
A lot has happened since last we spoke: the weather's turned cold, the economy's made a run for the border, and I've had my heart broken no less than three separate times. I may have broken a few myself. It's been a busy month.
But I'm cutting back down to one job, so hopefully my writing will begin taking place at the piano again. Not that I have anything against napkin scribbles and singing into my voicemail at crowded bus stops, but the novelty's wearing thin.
My excuses for the past month are the usual: sick, work, out of town. In reverse order of enthusiasm. My out of town adventure was to Chicago where I visited my dear friend M. Markets, museums, and thrift stores, oh my! To top off the weekend, we rediscovered Regina Spektor in M's colorful, mid-century kitchen while making eggplant-almond enchiladas. They've got them some fancy food in the big city!
But I didn't log in to tell you about eggplant-almond enchiladas (though they were delicious). I'm writing to tell you about a very special and exciting project I've been working on with Glenn Case.
A few months ago, Glenn got some folks together and asked us to collaborate on a tribute album. I'll let Glenn explain in his own words:
Several musicians from thesixtyone have come together to pay tribute to a special guy, and a special band.
Supergrover is a very active listener on thesixtyone, and he's a very funny guy. In May of 2008, he was diagnosed with cancer. Even after the diagnosis, he has maintained a great sense of humor.
Supergrover has described For Squirrels as his "favorite band that no one has heard of." Two founding members of the band died in a car accident along with their tour manager on September 8th, 1995. They might have developed a much larger audience if tragedy hadn't struck so early in the band's career.
Every song [in this tribute] will be a cover version of a song that was originally recorded by For Squirrels.
Supergrover is an awesome dude and has been one of my biggest supporters on thesixtyone, so I was excited and honored to participate. I was assigned a song called "3" from For Squirrels' debut album Baypath Rd.
Glenn recorded the instrumental mix months ago, but due to some eighty-hour work weeks and (let's be honest here) my general love of procrastination, I didn't actually start recording vocals until last week. My recording sessions were maligned by subpar conditions (namely: four housemates, thin walls, and some seriously tenacious postnasal drip) and, as a result, my vocals on this track are all. over. the. place.
But Glenn Case? Is a champ. He saved the day with some sweet harmonies and mix-mastering mojo and the song turned out just dandy. And if you check out the second verse, you'll hear the closest thing to a belt you've ever heard from me. Thin walls be damned!
In other news, I have no other news. But stay tuned! Because I'm making clandestine plans for a Ryan Adams cover. I'm hoping to ask my housemate to supply guitars and lead vocals, though I haven't got up the nerve to ask him yet. My goal: get better at recreating existing songs, in addition to imagining new ones. Yes!
As for today, I'm working a fourteen-hour day and, by mid-morning, I've already single-handedly slaughtered an entire rain forest in the form of 3-ply facial tissue. But the leaves are changing, the sun is shining, and better health is just a cup of tea away. I can feel it.
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