Everything And Nothing

Mississippi Poet Laureate at USM

Mississippi Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey will appear in Hattiesburg on Thursday, Nov. 6,  for a performance with the University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra.

Trethewey, the former U.S. poet laureate, will participate in a concert entitled "Made in America" at 7:30 p.m. in Bennett Auditorium on the USM campus.

Trethewey will narrate the orchestral version of her Pulitzer Prize-winning collection Native Guard. The music was composed by USM alumnus Joseph Britain.

The book contains elegies to her mother, who died while Trethewey was in college, and a sonnet sequence in the voice of a black soldier fighting in the Civil War.

  

Remembrance of Things Passed...and Things to Come

Gretchen and me

On the way to see Gretchen Peters and Barry Walsh open for John Prine last night, my husband asked, "So how did y'all originally know each other?"

There was a time when I would have covered my mouth and mumbled "on  my blog" or "on  Twitter" because of the strange looks I got - but, now, I have made so many great friends over the years, I say it more like a badge of honor. (And, honestly, I find so many more new cool people online I don't know yet, I've decided that there's just no way to meet all of the cool people before I die and I'll just have to make peace with it and enjoy the ones I have the time to know.)

I don't know exactly when, but at some time in 2007, I received an email from Gretchen that said red was her favorite color, she loved chandeliers, she preferred the window seat to the aisle...and she also had completing Remembrance of Things Past  on her Life List. When I started my Proust of the Day plodding through the book, she finally broke down and wrote to me. She told me she was a singer/songwriter/musician and travelled all the time, but she enjoyed my blog and always tried to keep up with my shenanigans.

Of course, I was beyond flattered. The woman who wrote many country hits for others and was writing herself many folk hits enjoyed MY blog. (I did write way more back then. Eight blog posts a day. Every day. Not quite on that schedule post-Facebook and -Google+ and writing for work blogs all week.)

Gretchen, Barry and Nigel

Through Gretchen, I met Barry Walsh (her boyfriend at the time and now her husband). And shortly after we all began emailing back and forth, he was coming to Madison, MS, with The Boxtops to play for a concert. We became fast friends too, and I even got to visit with both of them (and their dog, Nigel!) en route to their honeymoon in New Orleans. 

Over the years, through newlsetters and emails and Facebooking and tweeting, I've got to know both of them fairly well. I have read about their kids and their families, so it was especially meaningful to me that I brought my son last night for his first concert...to see Gretchen and Barry! (I told them they are now my son's Night Ranger. And the only reason my father let me go is that I won tickets from the local radio station.) 

If you want to get to know Gretchen and Barry too, sign uf for Gretchen's e-newsletter, like her page on Facebook, and follow her and Barry on Twitter. I have collected all of their songs available on Spotify below in a special Gretchen & Barry Playlist!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

When I took my son to see The Beasts of the Southern Wild, we saw a preview for The Perks of Being a Wallfower. The preview said it was based on a book. It seemed geared towards a teen audience, so I told him we should read the book together and then go see the movie. He rolled his eyes. (After reading the book, not sure I'm quite ready to discuss some of the themes with my 12-year-old son anyways.)

The book is an interesting read. If J.D. Salinger and Nick Hornby had a love child, this book would be it. Music is almost a third character throughout the book. Music and books. (To Kill a Mockingbird, This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, A Separate Peace, The Catcher in the Rye, On the Road, Naked Lunch, Walden, The Fountainhead, The Stranger, Peter Pan, Hamlet.)

And for those days when you need to remember how you felt in that moment, when you were infinite, here is a The Perks of Being a Wallflower playlist - a combo of all of the songs mentioned in the book and songs from the movie's soundtrack too. (I hope I get a gold star!)

A Diamond in the Rough

Shawn Colvin had a lot of great songs, but, sadly, none about a girl named Shawn, as I lamented many years ago. But, since we share the same (weird) first name, I've always felt a kinship regardless.  She added author to her singer/songwriter title with Diamond in the Rough.

I enjoyed the book, and I collected all of the music she mentioned in the book (including her own) in this Spotify playlist. Enjoy!

A Merry Country Christmas Playlist

In the December 2010 edition of Southern Living, Dan Rogers, senior marketing manager for the Grand Ole Opry and a lifelong country music fan, offered some of his favorite country Christmas songs (and the story behind them):

• "Po' Folks Christmas" by Bill Anderson
• "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Toby Keith
• "Hard Candy Christmas" by Dolly Parton (one of my faves too!)
• "Born on Christmas Day" by Brad Paisley (Paisley wrote this song at age 12.)
• "All I Want for Christmas is a Real Good Tan" by Kenny Chesney

 What are your country Christmas favorites?

Keith Urban's Favorite Summer Songs

• Let My Love Open the Door, Pete Townshend
• Fool to Cry, The Rolling Stones
• Wild West End, Dire Straits
• I'm Alive, Kenny Chesney (with Dave Matthews)
• Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way, Waylon Jennings
• Alive, Black Eyed Peas
• Highway 20 Ride, Zac Brown Band
• How 'Bout Them Cowgirls, George Strait
• Something to Talk About, Bonnie Raitt
• Funky Tonight, John Butler Trio

[ via Redbook magazine, July 2010 ]

Herding Cats (and Chasing Artists)

In February, Peter Gabriel - one of my favorites as a musician and a songwriter - released a new album, Scratch My Back. That I hate. Passionately.

Even though I wouldn't admit it to myself, at first. I just hadn't listened hard enough, I told myself. Well, months later, I still hate it. (And I haven't forgiven him yet for what he did to Paul Simon's "Boy in the Bubble.")

And it seems Radiohead did too. (So that makes me feel better anyways.)

On the album's Amazon.com page, Gabriel fans debate whether the album is "sublime" or "the worst thing ever released on an expensive coaster."

Gabriel is unfazed. He says the album does exactly what he wanted it to do. He channels the sparse orchestral style of Arvo Part (no drums, no guitar) and breaks each song down to life and death as best he knows how.

The album's tracks are now being released, one by one, at every full moon.

So I find myself going back to listen again... It's always almost a full moon, after all. 

Summer Solstice Party Playlist

DJ Jason Darrow of www.robotsinheat.com put together this playlist for Sunset magazine (June 2010) to get the vibe flowing at a summer solstice party. What would you add?

• "Move On Up" by Curtis Mayfield
• "Metal Guru" by T. Rex
• "I Can't Go For That" by Hall & Oates
• "Feel It All Around" by Washed Out
• "Cangote" by Ceu
• "The Top" by Francis and the Lights
• "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out" by Mayer Hawthorne
• "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers
• "A Roller Skating Jam named 'Saturdays'" by De La Soul
• "Crimson and Clover" by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
• "Me and Jane Doe" by Charlotte Gainsbourg
• "Everybody Loves the Sunshine" by Roy Ayers
• "Draggin' the Line" by Tommy James
• "I Saw the Light" by Todd Rundgren

Let the Tinbot Play

The Tinbot is an impact-resistant iPod case constructed from tin and neoprene that features original designs from creative contemporaries. The top has access to the headset port, and the bottom has access to the charging port, so you never have to take your iPod out of your case.

$29.95

Ashley Tisdale's pre-concert workout

Before a concert, Ashley Tisdale sings as she runs on the treadmill. These tunes keep her moving:

• Glamorous
• The Great Escape
• He Said She Said
• Toxic
• Borderline

[ via Self magazine, November 2008 ]