I hope you like it. Here's 'Stumblin Home Winter Blues" which is written by Darren Jesse who is the drummer of the band. The song was featured on a 3 disc greatest hits album by Mr Folds and was one of a few new tracks on the album. It's a great song and I hope you like it.
Showing posts with label Ben Folds Five. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ben Folds Five. Show all posts
Stumblin' Home Winter Blues
This song is by my boyfriend Ben Folds and his band Ben Folds Five.
I hope you like it. Here's 'Stumblin Home Winter Blues" which is written by Darren Jesse who is the drummer of the band. The song was featured on a 3 disc greatest hits album by Mr Folds and was one of a few new tracks on the album. It's a great song and I hope you like it.
I hope you like it. Here's 'Stumblin Home Winter Blues" which is written by Darren Jesse who is the drummer of the band. The song was featured on a 3 disc greatest hits album by Mr Folds and was one of a few new tracks on the album. It's a great song and I hope you like it.
Do It Anyway
Hi buds,
Thanks for being my buds and always reading my blog.
This weekend was neat for me, let me tell you why!
Saturday night I headed up to southern Idaho with my family- not my wife and kids, but my family- mom, dad, sister and two brothers. I can honestly say, I don't think the six of us have been on the road together like this in 20 years, no in-laws, just our nifty old nuclear family:
I'll bet you're wondering why we did this! I'll tell you!
Well, my great grand-father, Guy Wesley Cash, Sr. was inducted to the Idaho rodeo hall of fame. Did you know that he was a world champion wild bronco rider in 1928? I'll bet you didn't!
My grandpa died in 1985 so he wasn't there to
accept the honor, but Guy Wesley Cash, Jr. sure was and he's my grandpa. It was so cool being there. I feel like it's a sort of way that this great cowboy's rodeo legacy can be etched into history's books. I'm proud of what he accomplished.
Since we were in Twin Falls for this ceremony, we decided to skip over to Pocatello and visit the place we all called home for the formative years of our life. My parents met in High School in Pocatello and I lived there until I was 6 years old. We took a trip or two down memory lane and visited our old houses, ate at our favorite places and drove around town, reminiscing about the memories we have living there. I will always love Pocatello because it feels like home to me, and it takes me back to a time when life was more simple- am I the only one who aches for my youth?
Above is a picture we've reenacted as adults. We even went to the same duplex on Creighton in Pocatello to replicate a picture from Easter in 1984. I love my sister and brothers. I have the happiest memories of them as a kid and having a day for just the four of us with Mom and Dad was special.
Lastly, I'm going to share another picture from yesterday, that is kind of special and ties into the song stuck in my head this morning.
There is a great little band called Built To Spill that originated in Twin Falls, Idaho. To date they've released 8 studio albums, Their 1994 album has a song called "Twin Falls" and in the song they make reference to Harrison Elementary.
"Cafeteria, Harrison Elementary- beneath a parachute, I saw her without shoes"
It's a lovely and somber song and I've always loved it. Me and my brothers had a little time to kill and we thought we'd take the occasion to visit this elementary school and snap a photo:
We did an auto photo in the grass, some blades made it into the picture and turning it black and white made me feel arty. This was probably a strange and random thing for us to do, but I'm glad my brothers wanted to once I suggested we do it, since all 3 of us are fans of the song.
(Side note, if I ever form a band with my brothers this will be the cover of our first album and it will be called "Harrison Elementary")
We're not the only ones who love the song "Twin Falls," Ben Folds Five covered the song as well. As fate would have it, a great song by Ben Folds Five was in my head this morning. It's called "Do It Anyway" here's the great song and video which features The Fraggles from Fraggle Rock. Enjoy a fun song and a trip down memory lane to my "80's kids" friends:
I hope you liked that. If you're bored you can stop reading now.
If you want to here something interesting, here's a great interview with my man Ben Folds. I don't expect you to listen to the whole thing- but if you're curious you can hear a little about how this song came about.
You see... Ben Folds has a tradition where he improvises a song at each show. It started when a fan yelled "Rock This B**ch" at a show and Mr Folds created a song on the spot with that title. If you've seen him live, it's a lot of fun when he makes up a song on the spot, especially if he's playing with a band or orchestra. The song always sounds amazing!
Well, "Do It Anyway" originated as a "Rock this B****" improvised song at a show. In this interview, right at about 14:45 you can hear this actual made up song on the spot. This whole interview is great, but if you'd indulge me by listening to this small section in the middle (again, starting at 14:45) I think that you'll be slightly amused, and come on, since you're reading my blog you have nothing else to do anyway right? (no "Do It Anyway" jokes, please)
**SOME SWEARING IN THIS VIDEO**
I lubb you.
A hug, and kiss.
-Brady
Thanks for being my buds and always reading my blog.
This weekend was neat for me, let me tell you why!
Saturday night I headed up to southern Idaho with my family- not my wife and kids, but my family- mom, dad, sister and two brothers. I can honestly say, I don't think the six of us have been on the road together like this in 20 years, no in-laws, just our nifty old nuclear family:
I'll bet you're wondering why we did this! I'll tell you!
Well, my great grand-father, Guy Wesley Cash, Sr. was inducted to the Idaho rodeo hall of fame. Did you know that he was a world champion wild bronco rider in 1928? I'll bet you didn't!
My grandpa died in 1985 so he wasn't there to
Since we were in Twin Falls for this ceremony, we decided to skip over to Pocatello and visit the place we all called home for the formative years of our life. My parents met in High School in Pocatello and I lived there until I was 6 years old. We took a trip or two down memory lane and visited our old houses, ate at our favorite places and drove around town, reminiscing about the memories we have living there. I will always love Pocatello because it feels like home to me, and it takes me back to a time when life was more simple- am I the only one who aches for my youth?
Above is a picture we've reenacted as adults. We even went to the same duplex on Creighton in Pocatello to replicate a picture from Easter in 1984. I love my sister and brothers. I have the happiest memories of them as a kid and having a day for just the four of us with Mom and Dad was special.
Lastly, I'm going to share another picture from yesterday, that is kind of special and ties into the song stuck in my head this morning.
There is a great little band called Built To Spill that originated in Twin Falls, Idaho. To date they've released 8 studio albums, Their 1994 album has a song called "Twin Falls" and in the song they make reference to Harrison Elementary.
"Cafeteria, Harrison Elementary- beneath a parachute, I saw her without shoes"
It's a lovely and somber song and I've always loved it. Me and my brothers had a little time to kill and we thought we'd take the occasion to visit this elementary school and snap a photo:
We did an auto photo in the grass, some blades made it into the picture and turning it black and white made me feel arty. This was probably a strange and random thing for us to do, but I'm glad my brothers wanted to once I suggested we do it, since all 3 of us are fans of the song.
(Side note, if I ever form a band with my brothers this will be the cover of our first album and it will be called "Harrison Elementary")
We're not the only ones who love the song "Twin Falls," Ben Folds Five covered the song as well. As fate would have it, a great song by Ben Folds Five was in my head this morning. It's called "Do It Anyway" here's the great song and video which features The Fraggles from Fraggle Rock. Enjoy a fun song and a trip down memory lane to my "80's kids" friends:
I hope you liked that. If you're bored you can stop reading now.
If you want to here something interesting, here's a great interview with my man Ben Folds. I don't expect you to listen to the whole thing- but if you're curious you can hear a little about how this song came about.
You see... Ben Folds has a tradition where he improvises a song at each show. It started when a fan yelled "Rock This B**ch" at a show and Mr Folds created a song on the spot with that title. If you've seen him live, it's a lot of fun when he makes up a song on the spot, especially if he's playing with a band or orchestra. The song always sounds amazing!
Well, "Do It Anyway" originated as a "Rock this B****" improvised song at a show. In this interview, right at about 14:45 you can hear this actual made up song on the spot. This whole interview is great, but if you'd indulge me by listening to this small section in the middle (again, starting at 14:45) I think that you'll be slightly amused, and come on, since you're reading my blog you have nothing else to do anyway right? (no "Do It Anyway" jokes, please)
**SOME SWEARING IN THIS VIDEO**
I lubb you.
A hug, and kiss.
-Brady
Uncle Walter
Anyway, it opens with Robert Sledge's distinct distorted bass and Ben Folds' uncanny piano. Lyrically it paints the picture of an Uncle (Walter to be exact) who sits in his arm chair, drinking while watching TV. He's loud and opinionated and the protagonist of the song is stuck having to listen to him go on and on about his life experiences, the things he's seen on TV and his disdain for heroine. This self-titled album is full of many fantastic songs, this one included, and I would dare say that in spite of its brilliance it's one of the less interesting tracks on the album. Still, it would mean a lot to me if you would listen to it, because it's fantastic and it was stuck in my head as I rolled out of bed yesterday. Quintessential Ben Folds Five y'all.
How I ever got by without music like this in my life, I'll never know.
Michael Praytor/ Mr. Kite
I'm kind of cheating today. You see, here's the thing, I just got back from a weekend get-away with my hot wife. We went to Vegas, and each of us got to decide what we wanted to do each night.
My choice was to see Ben Folds Five for the first time. The concert was Friday night, and it was fantastic. If I had more time, I would go into detail. I've never heard a piano sound so loud and amazing. The show rocked, and I was in nerdy music bliss.
Saturday morning I woke up with a song from their new album stuck in my head. Hearing the song live gave me a new appreciation for it. Here it is, this is Michael Praytor, Five Years Later.
Before I play the song, I want to tell you that it's about a guy named Michael Praytor, who has no real significance in the singer's life- but the singer seems to run into him every five years, completely random and inexplicable.
There is this guy I used to work with at Wendy's. His name is Dustin. He's my Michael Praytor. I've run into him so many times, in the strangest places, and we always laugh about it when we see each other.
(The next time I run into Dustin, I'll take a picture and post it here)
OK- moving on.....
So, wifey poo really wanted to see The Beatles "Love" by Cirque du Soleil. The Beatles are sure neato, so of course I went. For me, I had to get used to what it might feel like to do acid (I've never done drugs) for the first 30 minutes of the show. But once I adjusted to the artificial "trip" the Soleil-ites were giving me, I had a jolly good time.
Not trying to sound trite, wow, The Beatles wrote some pretty incredible music and wow, some of those performers in Cirque du Soleil were incredible athletes and performers. The drunk guy behind me shouted through the whole show, but that is the only criticism I can give about the performance.
Sunday morning (fittingly) I woke up with a song by The Beatles that is (fittingly) about the circus.
Here's "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite."
Here's something interesting I came across in all my deep and intense web research I do.
This is the very poster that inspired John Lennon to write this song. Lyrically, you can see that he is quite literal with his inspiration. I never knew this before now, and I likey. You can read more about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Being_for_the_benefit_of_mr_kite
Above is a sign I saw in town. I may be the only one who finds this funny. Perhaps there is something I'm missing, but I read this as "If it's here, then it's here!"
Lastly, here is a picture of me and my sweetheart. We've been married 7 years now. I don't regret a single second and I'm happy as I look at this to see that we are starting to look older. Hopefully we've become more sophisticated as well. I love that she shares my passion for music and has an even stronger passion for tolerating me. But musically, what a fun weekend for me: Ben Folds Five and The Beatles. Awesome.
My choice was to see Ben Folds Five for the first time. The concert was Friday night, and it was fantastic. If I had more time, I would go into detail. I've never heard a piano sound so loud and amazing. The show rocked, and I was in nerdy music bliss.
Saturday morning I woke up with a song from their new album stuck in my head. Hearing the song live gave me a new appreciation for it. Here it is, this is Michael Praytor, Five Years Later.
Before I play the song, I want to tell you that it's about a guy named Michael Praytor, who has no real significance in the singer's life- but the singer seems to run into him every five years, completely random and inexplicable.
There is this guy I used to work with at Wendy's. His name is Dustin. He's my Michael Praytor. I've run into him so many times, in the strangest places, and we always laugh about it when we see each other.
(The next time I run into Dustin, I'll take a picture and post it here)
OK- moving on.....
So, wifey poo really wanted to see The Beatles "Love" by Cirque du Soleil. The Beatles are sure neato, so of course I went. For me, I had to get used to what it might feel like to do acid (I've never done drugs) for the first 30 minutes of the show. But once I adjusted to the artificial "trip" the Soleil-ites were giving me, I had a jolly good time.
Not trying to sound trite, wow, The Beatles wrote some pretty incredible music and wow, some of those performers in Cirque du Soleil were incredible athletes and performers. The drunk guy behind me shouted through the whole show, but that is the only criticism I can give about the performance.
Sunday morning (fittingly) I woke up with a song by The Beatles that is (fittingly) about the circus.
Here's "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite."
Here's something interesting I came across in all my deep and intense web research I do.
This is the very poster that inspired John Lennon to write this song. Lyrically, you can see that he is quite literal with his inspiration. I never knew this before now, and I likey. You can read more about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Being_for_the_benefit_of_mr_kite
Above is a sign I saw in town. I may be the only one who finds this funny. Perhaps there is something I'm missing, but I read this as "If it's here, then it's here!"
Lastly, here is a picture of me and my sweetheart. We've been married 7 years now. I don't regret a single second and I'm happy as I look at this to see that we are starting to look older. Hopefully we've become more sophisticated as well. I love that she shares my passion for music and has an even stronger passion for tolerating me. But musically, what a fun weekend for me: Ben Folds Five and The Beatles. Awesome.
Now back to the grind.
On Being Frank
I'm afraid if you're going to follow my blog, that you're going to be stuck listening to some Ben Folds, especially with the new album having just come out.
I am a nerd, and I love music. My wife is the singer in our family. She is very very very very very very good. Those who have heard her sing will agree with me. I have been singing my whole life as well. While my talent for singing doesn't even remotely compare to hers, I am honored to sing when I am asked.
Such was the case today when I was asked to sing at the funeral of someone from my church. The wife had died after 54 years of marriage- leaving the husband behind. I was asked to sing their song, which is a love song that Tony Bennett made famous, "Because of You." I felt good about the way the song went, in spite of how nervous I was to sing it. I felt a lot of pressure, this good lady only gets one funeral, and this song was so important to them.
I was told I did a good job, but I'm sure nobody would tell me if I was lousy. There was something I heard more than once about this song though- "They don't write them like this any more." There is some truth to that, but I think there are still plenty of nice songs out there, you just may have to dig a little bit more.
Take a look at today's song and tell me if you agree. The song is called "On Being Frank." It's about the personal assistant of Frank Sinatra and what he does with his life after Frank dies.
Now, I know that Ben Folds doesn't have the kind of voice that Tony Bennett or Frank Sinatra have. But listen to this song and tell me that it isn't the kind of song that would be sung by one of these legends?
This is why I admire Mr. Folds so much, it's his ability to write music that is smart, catchy music- and proving he's capable of fusing rock, jazz, pop and classical into his music. No, they don't write them like they used to, but I wouldn't write off this generation of musical artists entirely, especially those that write their own music. Frank and Tony may have been great singers, but they did not have this kind of gift.
I am a nerd, and I love music. My wife is the singer in our family. She is very very very very very very good. Those who have heard her sing will agree with me. I have been singing my whole life as well. While my talent for singing doesn't even remotely compare to hers, I am honored to sing when I am asked.
Such was the case today when I was asked to sing at the funeral of someone from my church. The wife had died after 54 years of marriage- leaving the husband behind. I was asked to sing their song, which is a love song that Tony Bennett made famous, "Because of You." I felt good about the way the song went, in spite of how nervous I was to sing it. I felt a lot of pressure, this good lady only gets one funeral, and this song was so important to them.
I was told I did a good job, but I'm sure nobody would tell me if I was lousy. There was something I heard more than once about this song though- "They don't write them like this any more." There is some truth to that, but I think there are still plenty of nice songs out there, you just may have to dig a little bit more.
Take a look at today's song and tell me if you agree. The song is called "On Being Frank." It's about the personal assistant of Frank Sinatra and what he does with his life after Frank dies.
This is why I admire Mr. Folds so much, it's his ability to write music that is smart, catchy music- and proving he's capable of fusing rock, jazz, pop and classical into his music. No, they don't write them like they used to, but I wouldn't write off this generation of musical artists entirely, especially those that write their own music. Frank and Tony may have been great singers, but they did not have this kind of gift.
The Sound of the Life of the Mind
I am back after taking a little break. I'm sure you are thrilled and that you missed me and my wacky wacky song sharing shenanigans.
Today's song is special, because I've been waiting for this music for 13 years. Last month, Ben Folds Five released their first album since 1999. Truly, it's everything I had hoped for too, great music, great lyrics, good beat. It's everything a BFF album should be- piano pounding rock mixed with heart breaking and beautiful melodies.
This song is the title track, "The Sound of the Life of the Mind." From what I've read, this song is about Sarah Vowell, who is an author, essayist and historian. I only know her from two things, she is a commentator on "Gigantic" a documentary about They Might Be Giants, she also voices Violet, the teenaged daughter from "The Incredibles."
Author Nick Hornby wrote the lyrics to this song. The message of this song is clear, about a youthful girl who loves learning in school, and watches her peers waste their time screwing around and missing the amazing things that academics have to offer.
Sarah Vowell, I'm afraid that I would not have been your friend in High School. And although you've turned out to be the cool one- I assure you I was much cooler than you were in High School.
For example, Sarah Vowell, let me tell you a story. When I was sixteen I was very very very small and very very very skinny. I was also very flexible. I had this trick I liked to do where I would get on my knees and cover my knees with pants, tucking my feet into the pant leg giving the illusion that I had no legs. I even had the amazing ability of curling my feet over my bum so that my feet were well hidden. There is no way I could do this now, but it looked very real and it was very funny. My favorite was to do an impression of Liutenant Dan.
"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! You keep saying you want this and you want that, when all I want is legs!"
Good song though.... thanks for inspiring it.
Today's song is special, because I've been waiting for this music for 13 years. Last month, Ben Folds Five released their first album since 1999. Truly, it's everything I had hoped for too, great music, great lyrics, good beat. It's everything a BFF album should be- piano pounding rock mixed with heart breaking and beautiful melodies.
This song is the title track, "The Sound of the Life of the Mind." From what I've read, this song is about Sarah Vowell, who is an author, essayist and historian. I only know her from two things, she is a commentator on "Gigantic" a documentary about They Might Be Giants, she also voices Violet, the teenaged daughter from "The Incredibles."
Author Nick Hornby wrote the lyrics to this song. The message of this song is clear, about a youthful girl who loves learning in school, and watches her peers waste their time screwing around and missing the amazing things that academics have to offer.
Sarah Vowell, I'm afraid that I would not have been your friend in High School. And although you've turned out to be the cool one- I assure you I was much cooler than you were in High School.
For example, Sarah Vowell, let me tell you a story. When I was sixteen I was very very very small and very very very skinny. I was also very flexible. I had this trick I liked to do where I would get on my knees and cover my knees with pants, tucking my feet into the pant leg giving the illusion that I had no legs. I even had the amazing ability of curling my feet over my bum so that my feet were well hidden. There is no way I could do this now, but it looked very real and it was very funny. My favorite was to do an impression of Liutenant Dan.
So, being the clever and really cool kid I was in High School, me and some friends decided to go to a local supermarket with me in my clever disguise as a legless teenager. Since we didn't have a wheelchair, I was placed inside a shopping cart. My friends posed as my family and we pretended to "shop for groceries." When we got to an aisle with a large crowd of people, two of my friends started to argue:
"What do you want for dinner?"
"I want Rice-a-Roni"
"Well, I want Hamberger Helper!"
This fake argument escalated into yelling (we were in theater, we were really really cool, Sarah Vowell) and I broke up the arugment with possibly the most convincing acting I have ever done:
"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! You keep saying you want this and you want that, when all I want is legs!"
(I could have sworn at the time some people nearby wiped away a few tears. I know now they weren't falling for our "gag," didn't think it was funny, and wanted nothing more than for us to go away)
So there you have it, Sarah Vowell. Not only did I THINK I was cool, I was also ridiculous and insensitive to those with disabilities. Look at what you've grown up to be, Sarah. And look what I've become. The sound of the life of my mind is clearly much quietier than that of yours.
Good song though.... thanks for inspiring it.
Selfless, Cold & Composed
For those of you who know me well, it should surprise you that it's taken me this long to post a song from Ben Folds. It surprises me as well.
Undoubtedly, if the question comes up as to who my favorite singer/songwriter is, Ben Folds is the guy. His music has always spoken to me from my angry teenage years and into adulthood. Nobody expresses what it's like to be male, middle-class and white quite like Mr. Folds. It's nerdy angst at its best.
And it's great music too. Today's song from "Whatever and Ever, Amen" is 15 years old, one of my favorite tracks from the album. Here's SELFLESS, COLD AND COMPOSED. (If you don't feel like listening to this, at least listen from about 2.20-3.20, between the piano, bass, drums and strings I think this is some of the most beautiful music Ben Folds has written.)
For those who care, Ben Folds Five has reunited for an album which should be released toward the end of the year. Here's a link if you're interested in what's going on:
http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/benfoldsfive/
One side note, just for a laugh- I got dressed in the dark this morning (like I always do) and managed to grab mismatched shoes, one of my more intelligent moments. I wore them around work for 2 hours before I noticed. Then I went home and changed them.
Undoubtedly, if the question comes up as to who my favorite singer/songwriter is, Ben Folds is the guy. His music has always spoken to me from my angry teenage years and into adulthood. Nobody expresses what it's like to be male, middle-class and white quite like Mr. Folds. It's nerdy angst at its best.
And it's great music too. Today's song from "Whatever and Ever, Amen" is 15 years old, one of my favorite tracks from the album. Here's SELFLESS, COLD AND COMPOSED. (If you don't feel like listening to this, at least listen from about 2.20-3.20, between the piano, bass, drums and strings I think this is some of the most beautiful music Ben Folds has written.)
For those who care, Ben Folds Five has reunited for an album which should be released toward the end of the year. Here's a link if you're interested in what's going on:
http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/benfoldsfive/
One side note, just for a laugh- I got dressed in the dark this morning (like I always do) and managed to grab mismatched shoes, one of my more intelligent moments. I wore them around work for 2 hours before I noticed. Then I went home and changed them.
Don't judge me.
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