A Few More Musical Notes!

In case anyone's following the much-overhyped "Ice Storm 2007" in our area over the last few days, I want to assure you that we are quite alright & surviving w/o having to burn the furniture or eat the pets. It's amazing how the news media can transform a very uneventful storm into round-the-clock coverage. Speaking of storms, if you want to experience the longest F#CKING weekend of your LIFE, try this--get sent home from work early on Friday w/a bad cold. Fall in bed & lay there for three days surrounded by cranky & hyper children trapped inside, and towering piles of chores that you are too sick to do. Get better just in time to go to work Monday morning while everyone else has a holiday off. Longest weekend EVER.

A couple more musical notes, pun intended! I overheard my daughter talking about music w/one of her friends a few days ago. Her friend asked her "So what kind of music do you like--rap, R&B, or hip hop?" What was really funny was the finality she said it with, as if those are the only choices in the world. In their 7th grade world, maybe it is. Shiloh has exactly zero interest in any other kind right now. Also speaking of music, Bradley was asking me to lend him a CD he could play for his plants to help them grow better. I rummaged around & finally gave him Jimmy Buffet's Songs You Know By Heart thinking it was a good bet. It was--Bradley loves it & has been playing Cheeseburger in Paradise over & over--the only thing is I forgot that CD also has Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw on it. Oops. Hearing him & his 11 year-old buddies snicker over that STILL makes my face turn red. Oh well, another Jimmy Buffet fan converted!

xoxo--

Layla

Keep it Loose, Keep it Tight

Friends are often asking me what music i'm listening to, or if I can recommend anything new that they'd like. The last few months have brought an unusually large influx of wonderful music to me. Two of them are just too good to keep to myself, so I wanted to share a good thing.

First in my CDchanger is Amos Lee, a singer-songwriter oddly filed in iTunes as folk (so many of my favorite things defy easy categorization! Hey Amos, I know how it feels!). It should be filed under "incredibly talented". I usually hate to do the comparison thing, but this time it works--he is a friend of Norah Jones, & in many ways is her male equivalent, except with guitar instead of piano (this btw is VERY EXCITING news for all us who loved Come Away With Me to the point of absurdity). Norah plays piano on this record, & has the same mellow, thoughtful feeling throughout. It's one of those albums that just seems to just stop time & take you someplace calm and quiet. He has incredible range & versatility. Songs touch on jazz, R&B, soul, folk, etc--but the common thread pulling it together is their originality & that they make you feel great. The album i'm listening to is Amos Lee, & the opening track, "Keep it Loose, Keep it Tight" may just be my new motto in life. :) Other songs to check out first are Colors, Arms of a Woman, Bottom of the Barrel. Better than a trip to the day spa.

The other CD is Bob Schneider's Lonelyland -- this came out in 2001, but it is new to me. I heard about it at the Pat Green party--Pat mentioned it along with Ryan Adam's Gold CD(which I have and LOVE) as being the two albums that inspired his Lucky Ones CD(another favorite). Of course I had to track it down, & have been listening to it enraptured ever since. Every now & then you find a record that makes you stop everything else to just listen to it, & this is one of those. It reminds me of the Ryan Adam's Gold or Joe Henry's Scar CD in many ways--a great concept album by a songwriter who has obviously achieved a high level of mastery at his craft.

Here's the diff though -- as much as I love Gold, in some ways it is rather dispassionate & clinical. At times it seems like you're hearing an exercise in different styles, like a musician running through warm-ups. Lonelyland is a much more personal, more passionate record. It sucks you in right away. Each song is different, and listening to it you hear Bob move through or combine disparate genres with ease. He does this beautifully on "Round and Round." The lyrics are clever, hooky, and engaging, like these opening lines from "Metal and Steel":

"I am metal, I am steel
I don't mind 'cuz I don't feel a thing,
I'm a diamond ring--
I'm not flesh & i'm not bone,
I'm not sad & i'm not all alone,
I'm a stone--"

Aaah, if only. Another great line in "Big Blue Sea" has been stuck in my head: "It's days like this that learn me, turn me inside out & burn me..." I've had alot of those lately. "The World Exploded Into Love" is a very moving song that threatens to make your heart stop. "Moon Song" is a playful Brazilian-style romp that is better than a mojito in a hammock on the beach. Anyways, I guess he's done several wonderful albums since then, but I am definitely going to take my time savoring this one before moving on.

Best,
Layla

Happy 2007!!!!!

Hey y'all! Well, the winter break is over for me & Alan. After staying at their mom's for the last two weeks, Shiloh & Bradley hit the house yesterday like a Gulf Coast hurricane. Alan & I had all sorts of things we needed to catch up on while they were gone--house work, yard work, car work, etc--but as usual we pretty much spent the whole time resting & trying to catch up on sleep. Before we knew it they were back. We had our belated Christmas with them yesterday, & they have been bouncing off the walls ever since. Shiloh is dancing frenetically to the new iPod Nano she got. Bradley is chasing all the pets around w/his new Robo Raptor, & organizing his Yugioh cards by genum & phyllus (this from the kid who can't keep track of his socks). Anyways, I just wanted to drop a line today & wish you a happy New Year NOW since with them home it may be a few weeks before I get undisturbed time on the computer again.

My 2nd Bible Belt Christmas was something I just endured this year (right now I am all baby Jesus-ed out). But, I am really excited about the possibilities & events coming up in 2007. I just love the feeling of a fresh start & a clean slate I get at the beginning of a new year. And, i'm making some new resolutions. My last resolution was to learn to knit in 2005, & I spent 2005 & 2006 becoming very accomplished at it. This year i'm making two:

1) To get in really great shape (and this time I mean it!). I got a new Nike+iPod kit for Christmas, & have already been logging the miles with it. If you got one and will be using it, please let me know. We can cheer on each other's progress, trash talk, have races etc. If you want to follow my progress or give me an accountability check in a few months, my profile is laylaForever at http://www.nike.com/nikeplus/ .

2) Become a decent bike wrench (e.g. mechanic for you non-cyclist types). I'd like to be able to fix my own bike when it needs it, rather than just batting my eyes until someone else does it for me(that still works, but of course it's not the point). I'm already signed up for a bike repair class next month, & then after that there is a second overhaul class. Cool!

Take care & happy New Year!! If you want to share your resolutions I want to hear them!! Email me or sing out in the comments. One more thing, I am planning on overhauling my website this year, so if you have any groovy ideas let me know.

I miss you guys! xoxo,
Layla