Seven 9s and 10s

merlin:

hodgman:

I am so mad at me that @johnroderick ‘s hat and I were not in Seattle for this show.

Chills. Wow wow wow.

Also for the record: Dave Bazan has one of the most expressive voices in rock.

That David Bazan guy? Yeah. First name basis. Just sayin’.

(I’m just super honored to have the (entirely insignificant and wholly fan-to-artist) relationship with Dave that I do have. He really is a hero to me and his music resonates within my soul.)

David Bazan Band - Live on KEXP

Hi, internet. I kind of a had a miserable day.

The morning sucked for a variety of reasons. Just a bunch of general emotional weight on my shoulders.

The afternoon was spent in a high school auditorium full of crying students and staff as I supported a video stream of the funeral of a student who recently lost his battle with cancer. So that was… not fun.

Then I came straight home and received a phone call from my dad (who is on his yearly migration to Florida, until March) and he wanted to know how I was feeling and we talked about the hockey season that is about to begin and then I hung up and burst into tears because goddamn, even though he is 76 and strong like bull… he’s 76. I kind of hate that he spends over two months of every year away from home, but I very much hate that I don’t spend enough time with him when he IS home, and that’s entirely my own fault. I’m just a tiny bit afraid of dying, but I’m very afraid of losing the people I love.

Then I watched this Bazan video and cried some more because those songs mean way too much to me and speak to me far too deeply for a narrative that is purely fictional. Also, I can’t help but feel bubbles of depression rise up through me when I see musicians making a living from doing what the love - what I love. Where did I go wrong that I didn’t end up there too? Yeah, “it’s never too late” blah blah blah, right; I know. I get it. Shit. I think I’d be happy doing pretty much any job that went into the making of that video - from being the musician or recording the audio/video or asking the questions.

Now it’s only 7:21pm on Thursday and I’m not tired enough to sleep but I certainly don’t feel like being awake. I’ll just do what I always do and pick up my guitar and see what happens. Lately, more often than not, it’s not much.

Natural Disaster - Headphones

Track:
Natural Disaster

Artist:
Headphones

Album:
Headphones

Download 89 plays

Headphones - Natural Disaster

Here I thought the drinks were free
But all the time they were grooming me
To be the egg that laid the golden goose.
Now I know we disagree
But soon enough we’ll all be free;
That is to worship any way I choose.

But you would wait on the rapture
Or a natural disaster to come around.
Or maybe a couple of airplanes
Could crash into buildings
And put the fear of God in you.

Cause now we’re taking over
And no one is the wiser,
With mexican and negro cabinet advisors.

I cut down the cherry tree
And when my mother confronted me
I told her I could never tell a lie.
Cause I have integrity
If you had been there then you’d agree
That no one wants to hear the truth.

What do you want from me?
Can’t you see that I’m a talking puppet?
And when someone pulls my strings
I mouth the words, and I suggest you follow suit.

But you would wait on the rapture
Or a natural disaster to come around.
Well maybe a couple of airplanes
Could crash into buildings
And put the fear of God in you.

Magazine - Pedro The Lion

Track:
Magazine

Artist:
Pedro The Lion

Album:
Control

Download 70 plays

Pedro The Lion - Magazine

4:01 for April 1st

This is the song that originally hooked me onto Pedro The Lion (and subsequently David Bazan). It’s also my favorite song to play along to on the drums. If you’re ever interested in diving into the PTL catalog, the album Control is a good place to start. 

Wouldn’t you love to be on the cover of a magazine?
Healthy skin; perfect teeth; designed to hide what lies beneath. 

Selling Advertising - David Bazan

Track:
Selling Advertising

Artist:
David Bazan

Album:
Fewer Moving Parts

Download 10 plays

David Bazan - Selling Advertising

3:09 for March 9th

A song that was not so subtly written about Ryan Schreiber and his Pitchfork Media empire of bad journalism.

So if it starts to get you down:
Just pretend that you don’t make your living
from selling advertising,
tracking trends,
corralling demographics,
and maximizing traffic.

“Anyway, more people need to tell lazy, sloppy journalists to go fuck themselves.” - Bazan

Unsurprisingly, I am beside myself with excitement to see him play in Buffalo next Thursday. 

Don't Change - David Bazan

Track:
Don't Change

Artist:
David Bazan

Album:
Strange Negotiations

70 plays

David Bazan - Don’t Change

I’m so deep
That only in my sleep
Do the secrets that I keep
Float to the surface.

So I hold them down
‘Til they don’t make a sound
Like they accidentally drowned
Except on purpose.

And when I wake up in the morning I tell myself
“Today I’ll make a change,”
But falling into my bed at night I think
“Man it was a beautiful day to stay the same.”