I think VH1 has (had?) a Storytellers series where musicians who tell stories in their songs do an "unplugged" kinda thing. Either that, or they just get famous musicians to talk about their famous songs and then play them? I don't know, never seen the show. POINT IS, I wanted write a blog post about some of my favorite current songwriters who are adroit (total crossword word) at crafting narratives in their songs that take the listener places and introduce them to characters all the while telling a story. Now writing a decent song is tough enough, but telling an actual story during a song? SKILLZ, right?
Here are a few of my faves (in alpha, cuz that's how I (sc)roll):
Belle & Sebastian
Stuart Murdoch's songs don't usually have a beginning, a middle and an end, it's not really his thing. His thing is introducing characters and bringing those characters to vivid life. These snapshots into the lives of loners, losers and lovers often involve seemingly mundane details that just add to the context. Tell me you don't have a visual in your brain of what the Major, Judy, Sukie and Lord Anthony look like. Of course you do (unless you're a cyborg. Are you a cyborg?).
Blitzen Trapper
I'm not gonna profess to be some kind of Blitzen Trapper super fan, but I do like the band and I especially like their 2008 album Furr and even more especially, that album's title track. It's not a stretch at this point to call it one of my favorite songs of all time. Black River Killer is a really good song that tells a (dark) story as well.
The Decemberists
Colin Meloy and co. have put together back-to-back albums with a cohesive, solid narrative running though them, but that's not why they make this list. Nope, they make it on the strength of their first three albums (and EPs and such) that had individual songs that read like Dickens novels. Tough to pick just one song here, but I'll go with this one:
Flaming Lips
The weirdos from Oklahoma make it based on one outstanding concept album - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. I don't know what they were on when they thought of the concept or wrote the music, but I bet it was fantastic.
The Hold Steady
Craig Finn paints vivid pictures of Midwestern youthful exuberance and isolation. His characters come to life in the span of four-minute rock songs as his sing-speak style tells their stories, often revolving around, what else - sex, drugs and rock 'n roll.
Jens Lekman
Jens' tales come off so damn charming, it's sickening. He uses really plain language, nothing too flowery or descriptive, and then mixes in tiny specifics to bring his characters and stories to life. Here's one of my faves.
So there's a few my favorite bands/songwriters who can spin a yarn within the confines of a song/album. There are numerous rap/hip-hop artists that are really good at this as well, but I'll let Terry school us all on those in the comments.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Meet me at the cemetery gates
The following is a (very) rough timeline of my trip to L.A. with Terry to see Belle and Sebastian at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on October 5, 2010.
9:30 am: Leave my house and head to Terry's to pick him up. Was almost certain I didn't forget anything important. Like the tickets. I didn't.
10:30 am: Leave Terry's house in Costa Mesa. Head toward L.A. We usually take his Scion X-box when we head into L.A., but I drive this time. I don't mind - the X-box isn't the most comfortable ride.
11:20 am: Arrive at the cemetery and after doing a quick drive through the grounds, decide to look for a place to eat on the cheap. No one is lined up outside. Skies are gray, but no rain.
12:00 pm: Decide on Carl's Jr even though Terry had his heart set on a Taco Bell 5-buck box. More like a 5-trips-to-the-toilet box, right?
12:30 pm: Almost hit a homeless dude who appeared to be at least mostly blind. It would have been mostly his fault.
12:45 pm: Arrive back at the cemetery. Score a primo parking place right across the street. Surprising, given it's only 6 hours till the event starts, right? Decide to kill time by walking around the cemetery. No one is lined up outside.
1:00 pm: Take a half dozen or so pics of Johnny Ramone's grave/monument thingy. Pay tribute. Take a leak in a port-a-jon set up for the event. It's pristine. See above line on the parking spot for reason.
1:15 pm: Randomly find Jayne Mansfield's grave stone. Terry takes a pic.
1:25 pm: Walk up to this huge mausoleum that is in the middle of a pond, accessible only by a single bridge. Debate which came first - the pond, or the mausoleum.
1:32 pm: See a smaller mausoleum marked Swayze. It is not Patrick's.
1:40 pm: See a group of people walking from the general area of where the stage is set up. Terry thinks it's the band, I do not. It wasn't.
1:50 pm: After wandering around the cemetery a little more looking for (and not finding) the graves of more famous people, we decide it's probably time to take our (rightful)spot at the front of the line.
2:00 pm: Head out front only to find a guy and girl on a blanket waiting. Resign ourselves to being second in line. Terry jokes with them that that's not where the line starts. They're mildly amused.
2:05 pm: After retrieving our chairs, blankets and other supplies from the car, get in line behind the aforementioned guy and girl. They seem nice enough.
2:10 pm: Text Vicki telling her to bring beer.
2:45 pm: Cemetery grounds crew puts up a makeshift snaking line using wood stakes and police tape.
2:55 pm: Text Vicki reminding her to bring beer.
3:20 pm: A pair of foreign dudes (French, maybe) get in line behind us. One appears to have a bag filled with records, I assume are B&S records he wants to get signed by the band.
3:25 pm: Terry gets up to go take a leak. I text Vicki about her ETA and remind her again to bring beer.
3:35 pm: The first of what will be roughly 20 people get in line with the guy and girl in front of us.
3:45 pm: I make a run to Subway to get Terry and I sandwiches. Terry goes for the black forest ham, I opt for the cold cut combo after being informed the spicy Italian isn't a $5 foot long.
3:55 pm: Pop into a little Hispanic market on the walk back from Subway to see if they have beer. They don't. I text Vicki reminding her to bring beer.
4:00 pm: Arrive back at the cemetery to find a few more guys with thick rimmed glasses and girls with stylish overcoats in line. The group in front of us now numbers 5.
4:45 pm: Ryan arrives carrying a bag of supplies and what turns out to be a portable table. He had to take the bus and the Trader Joe's bag he's been carrying has dyed his arm a wonderful shade of blue.
5:00 pm: I text Vicki to find out her (and my beer's) whereabouts. It starts sprinkling. The group in front of us has swelled to 8. The line of people behind us has just snaked back to where we are. More guys with thick rimmed glasses and girls with stylish overcoats.
5:15 pm: Sprinkles turn to rain drops. Hood of my waterproof shell in full effect. Ryan has no jacket, but does have an umbrella. We cover our stuff the best we can.
5:20 pm: Spot Stuart from the band entering the venue in a black Audi. Someone in front of us says "hi Stuart!" He politely says "hi" back.
5:30 pm: Rain stops completely. Not a drop the rest of the night. Text Vicki reminding her to bring beer. Group in front of us now in double figures. Almost feels like there's more people in front of us than behind.
6:04 pm: Gates open. To mine and Terry's surprise, no one says a word about the chairs we carry in.
6:20 pm: Find a nice spot 25 feet or so from the stage and set up camp. Blankets are unfurled, chairs set up, Ryan's fancy table erected. Ryan has wine. And a candle for the table. I still have no beer.
6:30 pm: I head to the merch table to check out the t-shirts. I settle on a navy blue number, size medium. The girl working the table had a cute Scottish accent and she said "cheers" after I bought the shirt. I think to myself all merch table workers should have Scottish accents. Seems reasonable.
6:45 pm: We are now surrounded by a sea of guys in thick rimmed glasses and girls in stylish overcoats and their blankets and tarps. Many have bread, cheese and wine. I still have no beer.
7:20 pm: Movie (Trainspotting) starts.
7:40 pm: Ryan goes to get some of his friends.
8:15 pm: Vicki arrives. So does my beer.
9:00 pm: Movie ends. Forgot how good it was. Everyone begins condensing their "camps" in preparation for the band. I stash our chairs, blankets and my leftover food behind a tree.
9:40 pm: Belle and Sebastian take the stage and open (appropriately) with Sukie in the Graveyard.
9:55 pm: Nadia arrives, bummed she missed "Sukie."
11:00 pm: Band's set comes to an end after a single encore. Great show. My lower back is sore from standing for 2 hours.
11:30 pm: Drive Vicki and Nadia to Vicki's car a few blocks away. Nadia leaves her umbrella in my car.
12:20 am: Arrive at Terry's house. Drop him off. It's pouring rain.
12:45 am: Arrive home.
1:00 am: Fall asleep dreaming of horses. Even though they didn't play it. WTF?
9:30 am: Leave my house and head to Terry's to pick him up. Was almost certain I didn't forget anything important. Like the tickets. I didn't.
10:30 am: Leave Terry's house in Costa Mesa. Head toward L.A. We usually take his Scion X-box when we head into L.A., but I drive this time. I don't mind - the X-box isn't the most comfortable ride.
11:20 am: Arrive at the cemetery and after doing a quick drive through the grounds, decide to look for a place to eat on the cheap. No one is lined up outside. Skies are gray, but no rain.
12:00 pm: Decide on Carl's Jr even though Terry had his heart set on a Taco Bell 5-buck box. More like a 5-trips-to-the-toilet box, right?
12:30 pm: Almost hit a homeless dude who appeared to be at least mostly blind. It would have been mostly his fault.
12:45 pm: Arrive back at the cemetery. Score a primo parking place right across the street. Surprising, given it's only 6 hours till the event starts, right? Decide to kill time by walking around the cemetery. No one is lined up outside.
1:00 pm: Take a half dozen or so pics of Johnny Ramone's grave/monument thingy. Pay tribute. Take a leak in a port-a-jon set up for the event. It's pristine. See above line on the parking spot for reason.
1:15 pm: Randomly find Jayne Mansfield's grave stone. Terry takes a pic.
1:25 pm: Walk up to this huge mausoleum that is in the middle of a pond, accessible only by a single bridge. Debate which came first - the pond, or the mausoleum.
1:32 pm: See a smaller mausoleum marked Swayze. It is not Patrick's.
1:40 pm: See a group of people walking from the general area of where the stage is set up. Terry thinks it's the band, I do not. It wasn't.
1:50 pm: After wandering around the cemetery a little more looking for (and not finding) the graves of more famous people, we decide it's probably time to take our (rightful)spot at the front of the line.
2:00 pm: Head out front only to find a guy and girl on a blanket waiting. Resign ourselves to being second in line. Terry jokes with them that that's not where the line starts. They're mildly amused.
2:05 pm: After retrieving our chairs, blankets and other supplies from the car, get in line behind the aforementioned guy and girl. They seem nice enough.
2:10 pm: Text Vicki telling her to bring beer.
2:45 pm: Cemetery grounds crew puts up a makeshift snaking line using wood stakes and police tape.
2:55 pm: Text Vicki reminding her to bring beer.
3:20 pm: A pair of foreign dudes (French, maybe) get in line behind us. One appears to have a bag filled with records, I assume are B&S records he wants to get signed by the band.
3:25 pm: Terry gets up to go take a leak. I text Vicki about her ETA and remind her again to bring beer.
3:35 pm: The first of what will be roughly 20 people get in line with the guy and girl in front of us.
3:45 pm: I make a run to Subway to get Terry and I sandwiches. Terry goes for the black forest ham, I opt for the cold cut combo after being informed the spicy Italian isn't a $5 foot long.
3:55 pm: Pop into a little Hispanic market on the walk back from Subway to see if they have beer. They don't. I text Vicki reminding her to bring beer.
4:00 pm: Arrive back at the cemetery to find a few more guys with thick rimmed glasses and girls with stylish overcoats in line. The group in front of us now numbers 5.
4:45 pm: Ryan arrives carrying a bag of supplies and what turns out to be a portable table. He had to take the bus and the Trader Joe's bag he's been carrying has dyed his arm a wonderful shade of blue.
5:00 pm: I text Vicki to find out her (and my beer's) whereabouts. It starts sprinkling. The group in front of us has swelled to 8. The line of people behind us has just snaked back to where we are. More guys with thick rimmed glasses and girls with stylish overcoats.
5:15 pm: Sprinkles turn to rain drops. Hood of my waterproof shell in full effect. Ryan has no jacket, but does have an umbrella. We cover our stuff the best we can.
5:20 pm: Spot Stuart from the band entering the venue in a black Audi. Someone in front of us says "hi Stuart!" He politely says "hi" back.
5:30 pm: Rain stops completely. Not a drop the rest of the night. Text Vicki reminding her to bring beer. Group in front of us now in double figures. Almost feels like there's more people in front of us than behind.
6:04 pm: Gates open. To mine and Terry's surprise, no one says a word about the chairs we carry in.
6:20 pm: Find a nice spot 25 feet or so from the stage and set up camp. Blankets are unfurled, chairs set up, Ryan's fancy table erected. Ryan has wine. And a candle for the table. I still have no beer.
6:30 pm: I head to the merch table to check out the t-shirts. I settle on a navy blue number, size medium. The girl working the table had a cute Scottish accent and she said "cheers" after I bought the shirt. I think to myself all merch table workers should have Scottish accents. Seems reasonable.
6:45 pm: We are now surrounded by a sea of guys in thick rimmed glasses and girls in stylish overcoats and their blankets and tarps. Many have bread, cheese and wine. I still have no beer.
7:20 pm: Movie (Trainspotting) starts.
7:40 pm: Ryan goes to get some of his friends.
8:15 pm: Vicki arrives. So does my beer.
9:00 pm: Movie ends. Forgot how good it was. Everyone begins condensing their "camps" in preparation for the band. I stash our chairs, blankets and my leftover food behind a tree.
9:40 pm: Belle and Sebastian take the stage and open (appropriately) with Sukie in the Graveyard.
9:55 pm: Nadia arrives, bummed she missed "Sukie."
11:00 pm: Band's set comes to an end after a single encore. Great show. My lower back is sore from standing for 2 hours.
11:30 pm: Drive Vicki and Nadia to Vicki's car a few blocks away. Nadia leaves her umbrella in my car.
12:20 am: Arrive at Terry's house. Drop him off. It's pouring rain.
12:45 am: Arrive home.
1:00 am: Fall asleep dreaming of horses. Even though they didn't play it. WTF?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)