Someday, perhaps, most of the world will finally realize that Brandi Carlile is a real gem of a singer and songwriter. Until then, she can be our little secret. Check out this video of Brandi and her band performing “Wherever is Your Heart” — a song from her forthcoming album “The Firecatcher’s Daughter” — live in the studios of The Current (a great public radio station) in Minneapolis.
Here’s a video of Brandi and her longtime bandmates and songwriting collaborators (“The Twins” aka Tim and Phil Hanseroth) doing another song from the new album:
If that performance doesn’t give you goose bumps, you have no soul.
Waaaay back when, I heard an L.A. band called Thelonious Monster, and fell in love with their album “Beautiful Mess.” Thelonious Monster was like a West Coast version of The Replacements. They both wrote great songs, and both groups’ drinking and drugging could turn their live shows into beautiful messes, or just plain messes.
The lead singer and main songwriter for TM was Bob Forrest. After Thelonious Monster imploded thanks to his addictions, Bob cleaned up his act and put out an album with Josh Klinghoffer (now guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers) under the name The Bicycle Thief. The album was entitled “You Come And Go Like A Pop Song” and it was – and still is – a hidden gem. Here’s my favorite song from that album, as done live by Bob and Josh:
Another great one is Rainin’ (4am):
These days Bob is a rehab counselor. He was on VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab” apparently, but I never saw an episode of that. He wrote a memoir recently. I just wish he’d make more music.
Have you made a New Year’s resolution to get in better shape in 2015? Congratulations, you’ve chosen one of the most popular resolutions of all time. And one of the most easily broken ones too. I’ve tried myriad diet/exercise plans in the past, and usually about two days into them I’m constantly hungry, cranky and headache-y. Needless to say, I bailed out on each of those plans.
But in early 2014 I read a book called 4 Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss, and tried his plan. I lost 25 pounds in about 4 months, and have managed to keep those pounds off in the ensuing 6 months without feeling hungry all the time. I feel better and less bloated too. It’s worth checking out.
NPR Music just put out their list of the best in-studio performances of 2014, as chosen by their station partners. KEXP is one of those stations – and one of the best in the country. They had 400+ in-studio performances in 2014, and Wussy’s performance was tops on their list.
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