Dear Friends,
Oh, boy. Thank the lord for ear protection.
It was loud as fuck (or loudAF, as the kids say) in the Yucca last night. I was stoked to contribute a little to the noise level, of course. My ears, though, were protected and I feel pretty good right now.
I decided to just write about the experience when I got home, so this is the 1AM version of me. One of the true benefits of being sober is that I can make some complete sentences for you. If this would have happened a year ago, I probably wouldn’t have been able to do that. I would have been drunk.
And stoned.
I probably wouldn’t have played as well as I did, either. I’m glad I was able to experience the high of this evening sober. The only thing that could have made the night better was if Rhondi had been there with me.
It was great to see friends and meet a few new people, too. It was very fun to connect with several old friends and people seemed to be truly happy to be there. There was no drama or bullshit. Just fun. I hope we can do it again before too long.
*****
My classroom is just about ready for the kids. I’m feeling pretty good about the upcoming week. I like the vibe I get from my students from looking at their pictures in the gradebook. They seem like good kids and some of them I know a little bit from my music club last year.
Feeling good about this…
*****
Today I will get some stuff done and then hit a BBQ at my buddy Jim’s home. Mellow day, hopefully, and if there is any justice, I will be able to sleep in a bit. We shall see where the day takes us. It’s going to be hotAF.
*****
One of the jobs that I admire a lot and sometimes think I would be pretty good at is music editor. They get to curate the music for TV shows and movies, and it would be super fun to find that perfect song for the perfect moments in shows. I know a couple of people who have gotten to do this and I’m very jealous.
One show that did it very well is Weeds. It was a Showtime original that told the story of a woman played by Mary Louise Parker who started selling weed after her husband died. Each episode had one killer song that was perfectly picked for a dramatic moment. I don’t know how many bands I got turned onto from watching Weeds, but one of them was The Mountain Goats.
Like many bands I have written about this year, when I fell for them, I fell hard. I bought several albums of theirs over the years and saw them in concert a few times, too. I have become a big fan of John Darnielle who is the main Mountain Goat. The guy writes incredible songs.
The Life of the World to Come from 2009 quickly became one of my favorite records of the 21st century. All of the songs are named after Christian and Hebrew bible verses and definitely have religious themes. They also get me right in the feelers.
“I became a crystal healer and my ministry was to the sick” is the first line of the record. It comes from “1 Samuel 15:23” which talks about the idea of rebelling against God by worshipping false idols. Seems like a lot of rock and roll touches or reaches for this idea, so why not start a record off with it. It’s a great first song.
“Psalms 40:2” is the second track and I like it quite a bit. It works up to a nice, feverish pitch. Instead of keeping that feeling going, though, “Genesis 3:23” brings the mood back to a place of quieter contemplation about a place where Darnielle used to live. It’s got some killer organ in it, too. Genesis 3:23 is about God banishing Adam from the Garden of Eden, so go figure.
The bouncy “Phillipians 3:20-21” reminds me a bit of some early 70s hippy pop. The piano or organ, whatever it is, is pretty delightful. As I think about this record, I can’t help but feel that the many moods covered here are what really drew me to it initially.
This was definitely one of those records that when I first got it on CD, I listened to it all the time. I was working at the prison and emotionally a fucking mess, so it was full of comfort and solace to me, even if I didn’t realize it was basically just exploring scripture with a great musical background.
I really like the instrumentation on the record. Jon Wurster, who played in Superchunk, too, did the drums on The Life of the World to Come and his work here is first rate. It’s nuanced and the partnership between Wurster and Darnielle is a really good one. I hope to interview them someday about their working relationship.
“Hebrews 11:40” is a great example of how the two of them, along with Peter Hughes and Owen Pallett were totally in sync. Great song and a great lead in to my favorite track on the record, “Genesis 30:3.” It’s about a husband doing something that he probably doesn’t really want to do because of the love he feels for his wife. The bible verse is a lot darker than this and basically shows how the dudes who wrote it were really wanting to get it on with a lot of women, but Darnielle’s spin is way more wholesome sounding.
What I love about “Genesis 30:3” is the way the song is delivered. It’s fucking beautiful and if I were ever to write a love song, I would want to write one that lived up to this one. It also kind of says how I feel about the people I love when Darnielle sings, “I would do this for you because of how I feel about you.”
“Romans 10:9” is another jaunty number. I like it, as I do all the songs on The Life of the World to Come, but it’s not one of my favorites. “1 John 4:16,” on the other hand, is another beauty. For some reason this one reminds me of my grandfather, Tom. The verse is all about the fact that God is love. That was what I knew of God from knowing my grandfather.
I can easily get tears in my eyes when I listen to The Life of the World to Come. It is a really emotional record. I’m guessing that Darnielle has questioned his faith many times and wrote this record to make a statement about this very thing. “Matthew 25:21” starts off by talking about someone being hooked up to a Fentanyl drip.
“You can’t brace yourself when the time comes/You just have to roll with the blast.”
This is one is super fucking sad. Don’t listen to it when you are feeling glum. I’m not sure how the passage relates, but I’m sure Darnielle could explain it. “Deuteronomy 2:10” is up next and features some nice, soothing piano.
It occurs to me that, for some, Darnielle’s vocals are probably not their favorite, but I love how the guy wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s not the greatest singer, but you can tell he means what he is saying. This makes “Deuteronomy 2:10” work.
On “Isaiah 45:23” we are back to that early 70s hippy pop feel. I could see a scene in a 70s film where a bunch of hairy, sweaty people are singing along with one while smoking some pot. See, I should be a music editor.
“Ezekial 7 and the Permanent Efficacy of Grace” is the last song. It’s another sad and pretty one. “Drive to the winds blow and keep driving.” Such a great line.
Don’t be afraid to get a little biblical with this one. It’s a rough ride if you are feeling sad, but it’s comforting, too. Even when you are feeling pretty good, it has a way of helping put things in perspective that I really enjoy.
*****
See you tomorrow.
AI gets weird with a punk band in a sauna.
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