WRITER / Disparate Youth (Santigold) – Animated-Loop from BROTHERS RALPH on Vimeo.
My two favourite brothers, Writer, sent over this video of their cover of Santigold a while ago and I’d been meaning to post it. It’s so hypnotizing. I love it. And if you haven’t already, watch their video for Hot Days, because that song is amazing.
Everyone in San Diego knows about Taco Tuesdays. It’s a communal gathering around beans and cheese. It’s good value. Lately I’ve been thinking about San Diego, quite reminiscent, and longing for the glory days where sleep was scarce and days stretched out like elastic bands that pinched the morning after. I loved those days, but I didn’t know it then. Maybe it’s because our dear pal Andrea is down there, fighting off Mexican predators, embracing sand-filled everything, and doing something great- being someone great. Maybe that’s it. Either way, America’s Finest City is on my mind.
Despite my previous laments on it’s mediocre music scene, there were notable gems etched in my musical memory whether they like playing the narrative or not. Not only did I love these bands because I watched them play under a navy sky in yards lit up with Christmas trees, or in our very office afterhours, or at my favorite bar. It was because they were breathtakingly beautiful, yet accessible. Friends of friends, you know? One particular songwriter that made the list terrified me to the bone, simply because he had depth just standing there, just existing. His mind operated years beyond his age, and affection for simplicity and flannel floored me.
The Paddleboat- This band is a calming, 1930′s smooth jazz-inspired project I had the privelage of first seeing at a work party in our conference room. (I worked with an insanely cool staff, theme parties were a regular occurence) They’ve got that french flute sound, sweeping harmonies, breezy acoustics that sound poised and calculated. It requires a uniform of black and white strips, red lipstick, real sophisticated threads. Jeremy Scott’s vocal range is mesmerizing, using it as the band’s primary and most characteristic instrument, complimented by the soft swoon of clarinetist Jane Weibel. Their full length LP will be out this fall.
Writer- man, this band rules. I’d nearly forgotten about them, though. That’s the thing about San Diego- there are talented musicians, but who wants to play shows or practice when your backyard looks like a resort? Although I haven’t been following Writer intently, it seems like bands like this fall off the map because there is no urgency in the air. Just jamming, and hanging. I’ll give them credit though, they formed in 2006, and have had a considerable amount of success, at least locally.
Writer- Start a War
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Writer- Anymore
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Joel P. West- There is no way to properly describe Joel. I’m both fearful and nervous of sounding like an Invisible Children cliche. Note: Joel has been a seemingly reluctant, or perhaps overwhelmed fixture of Invisible Children. He’d often play for the new groups of volunteers, break hearts and move souls with his poetry floating just above violin strings. He’s got that Bob Dylan quality, widely unknown, unknowable. Reclusive and soft-spoken, he writes songs to bring them into existence. He doesn’t ask them to do much else. He doesn’t tour, he’s a school teacher. It gets better: he began a project called The Dust Jacket, with the release of his latest album of the same name. The only way you could get Dust Jacket was if you contributed a piece of your art (anonymously) to his blog. By doing so, Joel created an open forum of artistic expression for anyone to share. Bias aside, it is one of the most remarkable records I have heard this year.
Joel P. West- Whats Supposed To Be
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Joel P. West- 28th and NE Davis
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This man is real. He is not a myth. I did not make him up.