Currently Listening to

The Flaming Lips - Dark Side of the Moon (live at the Hangout Fest)
Sigur Ros - Takk
The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium
Michael Hedges - Aerial Boundaries
Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon live
Bjork - Vespertine
Tori Amos - Wrapped Around Your Finger (Police cover)
Steven Wilson - Insugentes, Grace For Drowning, Raven That Refused To Sing
Porcupine Tree - Various albums

Step Into The Freezer...

"It's gonna be COLD, COLD, COLD, COLD, COLD!"

That was my hook for the Patriots/Broncos game Lenny and I attended a few weeks ago - and, well, it was correct. I looked at it as Iceland preparation, in actuality; it could have been Mount. Everest preparation. I don't think I will ever expose myself to anything that cold for such a lengthy period of time ever again, not willingly anyway. I thought we were so well prepared. I definitely could not have had any more layers on. We had toe warmers, hand warmers, body warmers, wool socks, thermals, base layers, ear muffs, hats, hoods, face masks, blankets - you name it. It didn't stand a chance up there in the 300s section of Gillette Stadium. The wind at ground level was bad enough - but get to the top of the stadium and...forget about it! It was the second coldest game in Patriots history. To add insult to injury, the Pats were HORRENDOUS in that first half. I mean...worst they have ever played. I kept shouting out "This is the worst game I have ever seen!" in disbelief as I watched three consecutive Pats possessions end  with fumbles and horrible passes/plays. I did not take any photos, as I did not want to remove my hands from my hand warmers. I did not want hot chocolate, I didn't want anything. I just sat there trying to stay warm. People who bought beers found they had frozen before they got a chance to sip them! Luckily, the game turned out to be AMAZING and was the biggest comeback in Pats history, if I recall correctly. By the time Lenny and I left, I legit could not feel my hips. In fact, they were so cold they burned. I was convinced I had frost bite on them. They did not respond to heat. They remained ice cold until the next morning - I shit you not. It was insane.

I don't actually have a wonky eye in real life. That is just a glare. (Yeah, sure, whatever, Jeanine ;)

So, with my Iceland trip rapidly approaching, I have a couple tweaks to make to my cold weather attire. First and foremost being SKI PANTS! I need to keep those hips/thighs warm! The North Face has some great pants for that, and I don't want to accept imitations when it comes to keeping warm! I honestly don't think it could be that much colder than the Pats game, though. So, I should be alright. (Knock on Wood)

In other Iceland news, it does seem as if we are entering into another Solar Max - as I had posted months ago. This is extremely good news for me where the Aurora Borealis is concerned! Now, if the weather will just cooperate, I'll be in for a real treat!

Iceland

I did it. I went ahead and booked a trip to Iceland for March 2014. The deal was too incredible to pass up. Glacier walks? Golden Circle tour? Geysers? Geothermal natural steam baths and warm sand beaches in winter? Hunting for the elusuve and magical Aurora Borealis after a traditional Icelandic dinner? All that included with air and hotel? Yes. Sign me the hell up.

I chose to go to Iceland in winter because if I am going to be in the arctic circle where auroral activity happens, I'm going to try like hell to see it. I researched relentlessly about the best times to see the Northern Lights and settled on the new moon in March.

Sept/October & February/March were the months that seemed to have the best chances for potential viewing, however I am extremely aware that there is a VERY good chance I will not see the spectacle at all. There could be rain/snow, there could be cloud cover, there could be no or very low solar activity, I could just have bad luck. I have prepared myself for that disappointment, and figure it will give me a reason to return to the arctic circle again if I don't catch a glimpse this trip. Iceland looks absolutely AMAZING otherwise, so seeing the dancing lights will just be icing on the cake if it happens.

I do have to say though, if there was a time where the chances of seeing the Aurora Borealis were the best, 2013/2014 would be it. The peak of solar activity for this solar cycle has been approaching for the last year or so. Actually, there was seemingly one peak already, but experts are predicting another peak at the end of the year and into 2014. The peak is considered to be when the sun's magnetic field reverses polarity- the north pole already has changed polarity, signaling the first peak, which means that very soon (4 or 5 months from now) the south pole will catch up and flip polarity, beginning a second peak of activity; as solar storms become much more active with the changing of the poles.

These solar cycles last 11 years approximately, and right now is the mid point of the cycle and the highest point for solar activity, solar flares...meaning the most chances to see the Northern Lights. Here's hoping!

Current Playlist

I used to be a metal chick. When I was in high school (not middle school where I was labeled a "headbanger" for listening to the likes of Alice in Chains and Nirvana, etc.) I was big, big into metal. I even had my own metal band. I always compared that band to Ministry, in that it initially consisted of only two people: My friend Meaghan, growling out meaningful, dark and twisted lyrics...and myself, growling out dark, distorted guitar riffs in between strategically placed palm mutes- laced with our own unique brand of teenage angst. We called ourselves Stigmata, until we realized that name had already been taken. I loved that band. But I digress. These days, though I do enjoy a good metal song or two, I really have to be in the mood. So I have been apprehensive about listening to Opeth.

Last week someone had suggested that I listen to an album by them called Damnation. Here it is, a week later, and I decided to give it a spin. I've already listened to it all the way through twice. Ready to go for a third. I'm in.

On another note, I saw The Aristocrats  live this past Tuesday at Berklee and had my face melted. I went by myself (which I enjoy doing) and was just blown away the whole night by the level of musicianship this power trio had. Talent on top of talent. Besides Guthrie Govan's incredible shredding and Bryan Beller's ridiculous bass, the highlight for me had to be  when Marco Minnemann did a 6 minute long drum solo that was simply mesmerizing and unbelievable. So glad to have witnessed that show.

Playlist:
Opeth - Damnation
Phish - Live streaming of summer tour 2013
Steven Wilson - Too much to list on this blog
Ministry - Incase You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up
At the Drive In - Various albums
King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
The Aristocrats - Culture Clash

Storm Corrosion

I can't stop listening to the Storm Corrosion song "Ljudet Innan" over and over and over again. It is simply stunning. And sexy. And sad. And ethereal. And mellow.

The song opens up with Michael Åkerfeldt's drop dead gorgeous voice, his voice is so angelic, so otherworldly...so refreshingly different. And very jazz-like, actually now that I think of it. After Michael's brief but beautiful part is over, there comes this wonderful, atmospheric and billowing sonic landscape. Through that starts a pulse..this little ping that serves as the heartbeat of the song, or some subconscious ticking of time...perhaps the endless ticking of time waiting for someone who will never come back to you... The mood this part of the song sets is achingly, sadly, heartbreakingly divine. Add in the exquisite phrasing that is done on guitar by Akerfeldt..and you feel this longing, the sorrow...this melancholy, and it's wonderful. Then, Steven Wilson comes in. His voice soft, pleading, alluring, vulnerable...mesmerizing. This is the most sensual I think I have ever heard him sing...and I am in love with his voice and those words. So much so that I made a little slide show of pics that I captioned with his lyrics. I usually feel like too  many self pics are narcissistic and self indulgent...but please believe me, that is NOT my intention nor my deal...at all. With that being said, here are the pics. Ehhh, I just went and upped all these pics and typed the captions and I definitely felt it looked rather juvenile and tumblr-ish....but I'm doing it anyway!



                                            I purge you now, cause I got hope inside me....

                                                Come back to me now, it's after hours...

 

Cause I'm nowhere now, without you here. Cold wind will come. I purge you.

Current Playlist and Other Thoughts

Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused to Sing
Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
Tori Amos -  Boys For Pele
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Phish - 12/30/2009 (Miami)
Steely Dan - Aja (particular focus on Home At Last)
Bela Fleck & The Flecktones - Jingle All The Way (yes, I realize it's May)
Jeff Beck - Live at Ronnie Scott's (Tal Wilkenfeld...ridiculous!!!)

I like to make up my own harmonies to songs I sing along with. Lately I have been harmonizing with the Porcupine Tree song "I Drive the Hearse" from beginning to end. I especially enjoy singing harmonies with the parts that don't have harmonies already in them. There is something so intimate about harmonizing, when you make that beautiful vocal pairing and that magic synchronization of voices happen...you feel so connected to the artist you are singing with. Like you are sharing something personal with them. I have found myself playing that song over and over again so I can experience that intimacy...not to mention I just really like the harmonies I made up with the song. ;)

                                     I Drive the Hearse. Beautiful song

I don't harmonize to this song, I just sing along...this a very favorite version of a very favorite song - Father Lucifer.
Sound quality on this isn't the most ideal,but it isn't terrible...

My favorite song off Hot Rats (along with Peaches En Regalia, of course) - Willie The Pimp. What a jam!

Jeff Beck - no words necessary - though I must admit..I had a very hard time deciding which video to post. All so amazing.

Bela Fleck & The Flecktones...love this cover!!

Steven Wilson Live at Berklee 4/27/13

It's been a week and a day. A week and a day since I saw one of the best live shows with some of the best musicians alive in the world today. That show was Steven Wilson (and band) and I am still in awe a week and a day later.

Really, it feels like I am going through withdrawals. The moment the show was over I remember saying: "I want to do that all over again." The ecstasy experienced from being witness to such amazing music played by such amazing people was as good as any drug, I'm quite sure. And I'm needing another fix.

Adding to the awesomeness of the show was the fact that I was front row. Being front row center was an amazing experience, and the sound/acoustics at Berklee were perfection. Every nuance could be heard. Being so close also afforded me the luxury of picking up on the little details - interactions between band members, funny little things they do to amuse each other: at one point I looked over at Marco Minnemann to find him using a shaker in one hand and a roll of toilet paper in the other! When the blue screen/curtain went up it was right at our feet, and when it came down we prretty much had to swim out of it. Also I reveled in the unobstructed view of everything, not having to shift to see around someone's head, etc. And the crowd was extremely respectful as far as paying attention and not chatting during the performance, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. There was one douche that had to yell out during a quiet part in Raider II, after Steven Wilson specifically asked to the crowd to please keep silent. Thankfully, that was it for the rest of the night.

Despite the one douche, the crowd was awesome, and SW must have picked up on that because he seemed extremely chatty - he went on a bit of a rant about how it's not a bad thing to make music that others consider pretentious, and encouraged everyone to in fact, be pretentious. He exclaimed that he thought Nirvana was one of the worst things to happen to modern music and made his point very clear: be pretentious!

Moving on to the important stuff - the music. From the moment they opened up with Luminol I was blasted off into.....Nirvana (see what I did there?) I literally could not wipe the smile off my face. Steven Wilson's band is one of the tightest, best sounding bands I have ever heard. They work so well with one another, and they are having fun - two key ingredients in great live performances. Guthrie Govan continually melted my face off and proved that he is hands down one of the best guitarists living today. When he took his solo on Drive Home I was transported off into another dimension...it was euphoric, really the only way I can describe it..the only way I can describe the whole show. I was mesmerized watching Guthrie switch so effortlessly between playing techniques and styles - I really feel privileged to have seen him perform.

Adam Holzman was amazing to watch. The piano solos he took were absolutely gorgeous. He is such an accomplished player that I'm ashamed I had never heard of him (and Guthrie for that matter) before Steven Wilson brought them on.

And then of course, Nick Beggs was incredibly entertaining to watch and his vocals are angelic.  His bass tone was so powerful I felt it pumping right through me. He really adds a great dynamic to the band. Marco Minnemann was a beast, He has so much energy and is so ridiculously good I can confidently say he is just as talented as Gavin Harrison and/or Neil Peart  and/or Danny Carey and/or Carter Beauford (though Marco has a very unique style all his own). Theo Travis was a pleasure to listen to as well...I was continually floored by the amount of talent gathered on one stage.

Last but not least was Steven Wilson. Flawless. Everything he does is flawless. I was enraptured by his every move, his every breath. Watching him pace around to the music, with all his quirky little hand gestures, rip a solo on the guitar, sit and play piano - all of it, it was all sublime and perfect. At one point he said he didn't consider himself a musician. I have heard him say that before and I think it's ridiculous. He can shred on guitar, he can play piano beautifully, and he writes the most amazing music my ears have ever heard. And for that night, in those hours, as I sang along softly to every song, or rocked out as hard as I could to every beat, or gazed appreciatively around the stage at every member -  I was perfectly, deeply, immensely happy. I had to take a deep breath at the end of every song, because each performance had taken me on an emotional journey. By the time "The Raven That Refused To Sing" started I didn't know what I was going to do...I started to sing with him (quietly, as I did with every song) but by the time I got to "Sing to me raven, I miss her so much" my voice cracked and I got a lump in my throat, and I had to try hard not burst out sobbing. So I took it all in through a veil of teary eyes, and once again reached euphoria.

         I waited until the end of the show to take a couple of quick pictures

When the opening notes to one of my very favorite songs "Remainder the Black Dog" started during the encore, I remember yelling out "oh!" in delighted surprise - I was even more surprised when during what I always refer to as the "Zappa part" of the song, Steven Wilson walked right up to the edge of the stage where I stood, and looked down and smiled at me. It happened. I had a Zappa shirt on...was that why? Did he too notice the "Zappa part" of the song and come over to acknowledge that with me? I'll never know. But that's the explanation I will always believe.

One last thing that was fun and unusual during the encore was a quick version of Luminol that was played in "The Shaggs style." Steven asked if the crowd had ever heard of The Shaggs, then went on to explain that they were an all girl band from New Hampshire  that formed in the late 60's. They had a very...let's say...unique playing style. When I researched the band and listened to some of their songs, they are very strange indeed. Weird time and rhythm, and very weird singing. Apparently Frank Zappa sang their praises, even going so far as to say they were better than the Beatles. Haha! So, Steven Wilson and band did a rather interesting couple of minutes of Luminol - bizarre but delightful and funny. 

When the band left the stage I refused to believe that the show was over. I remained by the stage, watching the room slowly empty until I had to face the facts. Still high from the performance, I left Berklee. The feeling the next day was similar to the day after Christmas as a child...all that anticipation and excitement leading up to a spectacular day...and then it's over. Hopefully, like Christmas, it won't be long before I get to experience the genius of Steven Wilson and his talented band again.

    Yes, I got to meet Steven Wilson the day of the show. Yes, it was amazing.