Weekly Song List: Friday, November 2nd

And so, here we have the first Weekly Song List of November! I love this time of year. I feel like the first day of November is a sort of clean slate. Halloween is done, you've got the "holidays" in the not so distant future. Starbucks breaks out their Christmas stuff. I'm a big fan of peppermint hot chocolate.

But I'm getting off topic. I give you 7 songs that I've been listening to non-stop, and the reasons that I love them.

1. Lilies. Bat For Lashes: From her new, gorgeous, brilliant album The Haunted Man. I love this album. It was really hard to choose just one song for this list, but "Lilies" it is. It's the first song on the album. Beautiful, haunting, hopeful song. Well done Natasha Khan.

2. Who. David Byrne & St. Vincent: Heard this song on WERS this week and immediately loved it. I bought the album later that same day. David Byrne sounds better than ever. And St. Vincent is someone who I'm really interested in and intrigued by. I've loved a lot of her solo work and was excited to learn of these two working together. Their styles and voices work really well together. Love this song! It's definitely one to listen to on repeat.

3. Danse Caribe. Andrew Bird: Oh my. Andrew Bird. My newest music crush. Again WERS introduces me to someone new and wonderful. "Danse Caribe" is one of my favorite songs of his (so far). I still have so much to hear of and learn about this fellow.

4. Skinny Love. Bon Iver: Love Bon Iver. Love this album. For Emma, Forever Ago. Love this song. Justin Vernon's voice is so beautiful and delicate. Heart melting for sure.

5. Shank Hill St. Shovels & Rope: I was lucky enough to see Shovels & Rope (Cary Ann Hearst & Michael Trent) open for Jack White earlier this Fall, and I just bought tickets for one of their Winter shows as well. I'm very excited. They're amazing live. This song is from their album O' Be Joyful which I bought this week. This song is a favorite. Rich, heavy drums. And the lyrics are nice and dark.

6. That Was My Veil. PJ Harvey & John Parish: My favorite PJ Harvey song ever. A real gem of song. Super atmospheric. Gritty. Gorgeous.

7. Here Sometimes. Blonde Redhead: Another new album for me. Penny Sparkle. Blonde Redhead had completely fallen off my radar, and then a couple of weekends ago I was hanging out with a friend and she was like "I love the most recent Blonde Redhead album" and I was like "what album are we talking about?" Oh my sweet goodness. Penny Sparkle is so good. The whole entire thing. Very atmospheric. Odd in all the best ways. I'm very excited about this album.

Photo: Shovels & Rope

Weekly Song List: Friday, October 19th

In light of my seeing Beach House live in concert earlier this week, I knew that I simply had to begin this week's song list with a Beach House song.

And this led to some interesting things. I started adding different songs, all of which were by ladies. 3 songs in I decided to run with it. And so I give you this week's song list. Lady love.

1. 10 Mile Stereo. Beach House: By now you likely know that I saw these two live in concert earlier this week. Amazing show! Oh my sweet goodness. It was stunning. Energetic. This song has sort of been my "life line" to my memory of the show. For whatever reason, I can picture the stage in my mind when I hear this song. Love it. Love the drum machine. Love Victoria Legrand's voice.

2. Margaret vs. Pauline. Neko Case: I have so much love for this song and for the lady herself. So, so much love. The story of the song is so uniquely sad. "Two girls ride the blue line, two girls walk down the same street. One left a sweater sittin' on the train and the other lost three fingers at the cannery." Brilliant.

3. Skylark. K.d. Lang: I've been lucky enough to see K.d. Lang in concert not once but twice. I feel like she has one of those voices that could melt anything. It's so warm and rich and beautiful. This song is from the Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil soundtrack featuring the songs of Johnny Mercer. "Skylark" opens and closes the flim, if I remember correctly. Gorgeousness. Pure gorgeousness.

4. Melody. Blonde Redhead: This song is my American Horror Story consumed mind entering the mix. I don't know why exactly, but this song reminds me so much of AHS. The atmosphere. The drums. The story to some extent. At any rate, it's a great song.

5. Shotgun Down the Avalanche. Shawn Colvin: Gorgeous acoustic version of this song. Recorded as part of the Columbia Records Radio Hour. I heard it for the first time on my local folk radio station, and have listened to it a zillion times since. I love to sing along with this one.

6. Baker Baker. Tori Amos: This song breaks my heart every time I hear it. Between the lyrics   about hearts made of icing and Tori's voice, what other option is there but heartbreak?

7. The Hill. Marketa Irglova: From the movie Once. Simple. Beautiful. Again, with the heartbreak. Marketa's voice is so tender and seemingly on the verge of breaking but also so strong and full. If you haven't seen this movie, see it. Immediately.

Photo: Beach House

Weekly Song List: Wednesday, October 3rd

This week's song list is inspired by some of the live music that I was lucky enough to see (and hear) this week and past weekend.

I saw Jack White not once, but twice. Holy smokes! Amazing, unforgettable shows. Both with his all lady band The Peacocks.

And last night I saw Punch Brothers at The Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH. Oh my sweet goodness! Incredible show. From the venue to the opening act to the Punch Brothers themselves. Truly fantastic.

But more on that later.

Each song in this week's list connects back to these live shows in one way or another. Be it a song that I heard live, or a song that I listened to in the car driving to one these shows. There's a definite atmosphere to this group of songs. Sort of bluegrass, dark country, and melancholy.

And so, here you have it! 7 songs from me to you.

1. Hell's Bells. Cary Ann Hearst: This lady is my new favorite. I adore her. She and her husband Michael Trent make up a two person band called Shovels & Rope. I saw these two in Boston opening for Jack White and they slayed me. Absolutely blew me away. This song "Hell's Bells" is a foot stomper of a song.

2. Nostalgia. Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo: It's not secret how much I love the BBC Wallander series starring Kenneth Branagh. Well, this is the song used in the beautiful blue and yellow opening credits. Gorgeous! Emily Barker is so talented and soulful. I hope to see her play live some day. I think she'd be amazing.

3. Flippen. Punch Brothers: What can I say about this song and/or about Punch Brothers? I loved their music long before seeing them live, and now that I've had that experience, I'm completely in awe of them. Literal awe. I'm not being hyperbolic here. They're all so crazy skilled with their instruments, and they way that they play off one another and with one another is mind boggling to me.

4. How to Grow a Woman From the Ground. Tom Brosseau: This man writes the most beautiful songs. Opening for Punch Brothers, he came out on stage with his guitar and a harmonica. He told stories (which I loved). And he played this (and many other) bittersweet, beautiful songs.

5. Behind That Locked Door. Yim Yames: From Yim Yames' (Jim James') Tribute To EP. The song was written by George Harrison. Gorgeous song. Lots of air and space in this song. It's also very warm and sweet to me. Jim James' voice melts my heart.

6. Where Did You Sleep Last Night?. Leadbelly: This song is one of the darkest songs I know. From the actual song to the recording of it, to his voice. Haunting, I'd say.

7. Carolina Drama. The Raconteurs: This song rivals "Broken Boy Soldiers" as my favorite Raconteurs song. I have so much love for this song. I'd love to hear this song live. It's a real story song. Amazing atmosphere. And Jack White's voice sounds incredible.

Photo: Punch Brothers

Jack White Omaha, Eight (Or So) Weeks Later

In typical me fashion, I've waited much too long to write a post about my trip to Nebraska to see Jack White at the Omaha Music Hall. But, it's been eight (or so) weeks since the show and it's still very fresh in my mind.

My Mom joined me on the trip. We spent the day in Omaha shopping in the Old Market and at Wolf Brothers Western Shop. We drove all over the city. It was a gorgeous day in Omaha.

And then there was the show. Unforgettable! Fantastic! As good as if not better than the Roseland Ballroom show. Well...that show was fantastic as well, but for different reasons. The Music Hall was a great venue. Very intimate and charming. The sound was awesome, and Jack's voice sounded incredible. Like, unbelievably good. Especially considering he'd played Lollapalooza the night before. His voice was warm, rich, and clear.

My Mom and I had great seats in the front row of the balcony, a little right of center. Perfect view of the stage. Jack looked very handsome with his hair combed back over his ears, and an elegant black vest, white collared shirt, black tie ensemble, finished off by what looked like dark grey wool (???) straight leg pants and white patent leather short boots (or booties...I've written about this before...are they booties when men wear them?)

I was lucky enough to see The Buzzards for a second time, and they were as awesome and as loud as in NYC. I love this band! And I still have a crush on the tambourine-player-come-background-singer-come-mandolin/sometimes piano player.

The crowd was great. Lots of singing along. My mom remembers that during "You Know That I Know" Jack stopped singing because we were all singing, and that he smiled at this. I don't remember this specifically because I one of the people singing along, lost in the moment of it all. I love live music!

Jack and The Buzzards played for a really long time, thank goodness! The show kept going and going and going. And at the end, they all came together on stage and bowed. It was great, refreshing, and very heart-warming. Like they're a whole, solid band, not one guy being backed by a band. My Mom even commented that Jack doesn't seem like the type who wants a ton of attention, that he wants to share the attention with his band mates equally and never "outshine" them. I thought this was very insightful of her. And I have to agree, Mom. Excellent observation.

And so, here's a complete list of songs played by Jack White and The Buzzards on August 6th at the Omaha Music Hall:

Hello Operator
Weep Themselves To Sleep
Missing Pieces
Trash Tongue Talker
Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
Wasting My Time
Hotel Yorba
You Know That I Know
Hypocritical Kiss
Top Yourself
I Cut Like a Buffalo
Cannon/Pipeline
Broken Boy Soldiers
We're Going To Be Friends
Blunderbuss
I'm Slowly Turning Into You
Take Me With You When You Go

Encore:
Steady As She Goes
Freedom At 21
Sixteen Saltines
Catch Hell Blues
Seen Nation Army
Goodnight, Irene

A good long show. And I loved every second of it! My favorites were "I'm Slowly Turning Into You", "Hotel Yorba" (the crowd went crazy for this one!), "You Know That I Know" (the crowd went crazy for this one, too), "Blunderbuss", and "Goodnight, Irene". Wonderful night, wonderful show.

Photo by Jo McCaughey.

Rock & Roll Yard Sale Tomorrow!!!

I'm happy to announce that I'll be at the Rock & Roll Yard Sale tomorrow, from 11AM to 5PM. That's Sunday, August 19th, in Union Square, Somerville, MA. This yard sale is the BEST. It's so much. Not only are there crafty darlings (like yours truly), but also vintage goodies, home baked deliciousness, live music, and tons of records. And you know how I love records. I'm so excited!

What: Rock & Roll Yard Sale
Where: Union Square, Somerville, MA
When: August 19th (11-5)

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Weekly Song List: Friday, August 17th

It's been a nutty week here in the Fussy Gussy studio. Getting ready for the Rock & Roll Yard Sale on Sunday. I'm very excited. But more on that tomorrow.

For now, on this ridiculously humid Friday night in mid-August, I give you the Fussy Gussy "Weekly Song List". I've included the usual 7 songs for the week, plus one "bonus" song that has been sort of my anthem this week. Enjoy!

1. In the Long Run. The Carrie Nations: From one of my favorite movies Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (not to be confused with Valley of the Dolls). The Carrie Nations are the all girl band at the center of the plot. This is my favorite of their songs. But they're all great!

2. Does He Love You?. Rilo Kiley: I love Jenny Lewis' voice so much. It's a perfect blend of sweet and strong. I think she's amazing. And this song is one of Rilo Kiley's best, I think. Great story. Love the build.

3. A Song For You. The Carpenters: Written by Leon Russell, though I'm most familiar with The Carpenters version of the song. Beautiful, heartbreaking song. My favorite lyric: "I love you in a place where there's no space or time". Swoon.

4. Raining Twilight Coast. Robyn Hitchcock: I was lucky enough to see this man live in a very small, dark club. When I was, maybe, 16 or 17. I remember much of the set (if not all of it) being just the man and his guitar. This song brings me back to that show. Brilliant.

5. Little By Little. Radiohead: I recently fell head over heels in love with the Radiohead album The King of Limbs on an afternoon car ride (there's something magical about listening to music in the car). This is my favorite song from the album.

6. Black Tin Box. Miike Snow: My favorite Miike Snow song right now. Great deep, gritty sounds. Spatially dense. I'm going to be seeing these guys live this Fall, and I'm so very excited. I think it's going to be one of the best shows ever.

7. We Own the Sky. M83: Simple. Electronic. Yummy. Gorgeousness.

******************************************************************************

8. (Happy Friday Bonus Song) Ball & Biscuit. The White Stripes: Thank goodness this song is over 7 minutes long. Amazing guitar. Love everything about it!

Photo: The Carrie Nations

Great Jack White Interview With Kennedy

I just watched a great interview with Jack White and Kennedy. Or should I say, Lisa Kennedy Montgomery, which is her full name. I never knew that! You learn something new everyday. 

I also learned that I share my Scottish and Eastern European ancestry with both Jack White and Kennedy. Both are Scottish, while Kennedy is Romanian and White is Polish. I'm Scottish, Irish, Polish, possibly Romanian or Hungarian. It's often hard to pin this stuff down. My brother has been researching our family ancestry for years and passes on new tidbits as he discovers them. I find it all perfectly fascinating.

The interview took place at Lollapalooza which in turn took place last weekend in Chicago.

Weekly Song List: Wednesday, August 8th

This week's "Weekly Song List" is (as promised) on a Jack White theme. As I started making my list of potential songs, I learned some fairly interesting things.

First off, choosing 7 Jack White songs for this purpose is (while not impossible, I suppose) difficult enough for me to have to take, like, four Nesquik breaks. I thought my brain was going to explode from the pressure. Too many great songs to choose from.

Second, when confronted with this problem, one must be decisive: dedicate this song list to The White Stripes (and The White Stripes alone), and allow for 2 songs per day instead of 1. Problem solved.

Keep in mind that Get Behind Me Satan is one of my all time favorite albums, so I could have included every song from that album on this list. But alas, I did not. What I did do (though) is realize how much I love Jack at the piano, and how much I love his ballads, especially the ones about love and girls and vulnerability and feeling lonely.

And so, here you have it! 14 of my favorite White Stripes songs. Note that instead of naming the artist immediately after the song title I've listed the album title, for your reference.

1. You're Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl). De Stijl: My first favorite White Stripes song. My (then) boyfriend and I had a mutual crush on Meg and Jack. And on the De Stijl inspired artwork.

2. Truth Doesn't Make a Noise. De Stijl: I love the lyrics. And everything else about the song.

3. The Same Boy You've Always Know. White Blood Cells: This is one of those songs that I love about girls and vulnerability.

4. Hotel Yorba. White Blood Cells: Catchy as all get out. Great to do the twist to.

5. You've Got Her In Your Pocket. Elephant: Another one of those songs about love and girls and vulnerability. I also love the simplicity. Just Jack and the guitar. I would do a variety of dramatic things to hear him play this live.

6. I Want To Be the Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart. Elephant: I think the title says it all.

7. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself. Elephant: Brilliant cover of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David song made popular by Dionne Warwick.

8. My Doorbell. Get Behind Me Satan: Jack at the piano. Love it. It's also just plain cool. And snappy. Very snappy.

9. Little Ghost. Get Behind Me Satan: Hmmm? Mountain music + mandolin + love song about a ghost = perfection, oozing with charm. Also, one of my favorite songs to sing along to.

10. Instinct Blues. Get Behind Me Satan: I love the bluesy grind of this song. And Jack's voice sounds ridiculously good. Also, it's funny. "Even strawberries get it."

11. I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet). Get Behind Me Satan: Again, Jack at the piano. With the exception of one bit of lyrics that makes me chuckle ("she's homely, and she's cranky, and her hair's in a net. I'm lonely, but I ain't that lonely yet"), I find this song totally heartbreaking.

12. A Martyr For My Love For You. Icky Thump: One of my all time favorites. I love the organ, the heaviness of the sound, and the narrative. A man saving the girl he loves from himself. Swoon. And sad. Very sad.

13. Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn. Icky Thump: This song is so full of majesty and a grand sort of atmosphere. And as a (supposed) descendent of Scotch-Irish gypsies (???), I also love the Celtic influence on this one.

14. Let's Shake Hands (Live). Under Great White Northern Lights: I believe this song was the very first White Stripes 7" single. The afore mentioned rendition is from the 2009 live album Under Great White Northern Lights. Great energy. Jack's guitar is killer, and Meg plays her drums with lots of gusto. It's so good!

Photo: cover of The White Stripes 2005 album Get Behind Me Satan

Seeing Jack White Live (Again), How Lucky Am I?

Very lucky indeed. I'm so excited I can barely stand it. And it's all happening very soon, so I'll be writing a full review and complete song list shortly.

And in honor of this, my second Blunderbuss live show, this Wednesday's "Weekly Song List" will be on a Jack White theme.

Hope you have a great week!!!

Weekly Song List: Wednesday, July 25th

And here you have it! My very first weekly song list. Feel free to leave any questions/comments in the "comments" section, and enjoy!

1. Is David Bowie Dying??. The Flaming Lips + Neon Indian: the Lips played this song when I saw them live this past October in Portland, ME. It was my favorite song of the whole show. Amazing song. I also love Neon Indian.

2. Superstar. Sonic Youth: completely brilliant cover of The Carpenters song, which also happens to be a completely brilliant song in its own right. Haunting. Dark. Romantic. Beautiful.

3. Optimistic. Radiohead: awesome, lush, gorgeous song from Radiohead's 2000 album Kid A.

4. Broken Boy Soldiers. The Raconteurs: this is the song that got me hooked on The Raconteurs. I love the momentum of the whole thing. It makes me feel like I'm riding horseback in some Western, or running at a great speed through the woods. Great song to listen to while driving.

5. Alesund. Sun Kill Moon: I heard this song during an episode of Sons of Anarchy. It was very well placed, and I think I'll forever think of that scene when I hear the song. And, I've just discovered that this "band" is actually a moniker for Mark Kozelek, formerly of Red House Painters (a favorite of mine from way back). He writes some of the most heartbreaking songs.

6. Dark Days. Punch Brothers: from The Hunger Games original soundtrack. Beautiful song. I just love these guys. Can't wait to see them live in a few months!

7. Night After Night. Laura Marling: every time I hear this girl I have to remind myself that she's only 22. She has so much soul and emotion and vitality in her voice. I know that age doesn't matter, really. She's just so accomplished and poised. She's my new favorite. She's magic!

Photo: The Flaming Lips.

Punch Brothers In October + Chris Thile On NPR

I'm very excited to share that I'll be going to see Punch Brothers live in concert in October! And I have fourth row seats. Crazy. Unbelievable. Amazing. I can't wait!

Chris Thile (second from the right in the photo above) was interviewed recently on NPR's Here and Now and it was a real treat. He was so funny and down to earth. And charming in his enthusiasm for the mandolin.

Oy vey! Funny? Charming? I think I may have a crush on this fellow.

Jack White Roseland, Nine (Or So) Weeks Later

I can't believe it's been nine weeks since I saw Jack White and his all male band The Buzzards at Roseland Ballroom in New York City. Or that it's taken me so long to write about it. But then again, it did take me seven (or so) weeks to write about Blunderbuss.

Maybe I just need somewhere around two months to fully process all things Blunderbuss related???

Whatever the case may be, I can say with absolute confidence that this show was one of the best I've ever seen. All of the elements were there. The stage was bathed in a gorgeous, cool, hazy blue light. The setup was beautiful, thoughtful, and thorough without feeling contrived.

A banner with three very tall vertical stripes fell as the backdrop during the show opener "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground". The crowd went completely insane. I'm a tall, strong girl who can hold my own, but it was a little touch and go there for a minute. I was maybe 6 people from the stage, and the pressure from the crowd surge was intense. The guy standing next to me was out of his mind with happiness. It was pretty endearing.

The Buzzards looked fantastic in their suit vests and jackets. Over the course of the show, I got a crush on the tambourine-player-come-background-singer-come-sometimes-mandolin/piano-player. He's a real cutie, and he totally rocked the heck out that tambourine.

And then there was Jack.

Jack owned three different looks over the course of the show. A very cool long-ish black jacket with a white (or very, very light blue?) stripe across the chest. A gorgeous, perfectly crisp, perfectly fitted, very rich, maroon/burgundy colored button down shirt. And a plain black t-shirt for the encore.

All were accompanied by the most classic yet awesome black jeans and equally awesome black belt (see photo above). He also wore some very snazzy shoes. Shiny and black. Or boots, they may have been ankle boots. Booties? Are they called booties when men wear them? I hope not.

And now to the music. What can I say, really? It was unforgettable! And so ridiculously good that it seems silly for me to even try and explain how or why it was good. The Buzzards were so awesome. I feel lucky to have seen them.

Every song was fantastic and special in its own way, but my personal favorites were:

1) Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground (amazing opening song)
2) Trash Tongue Talker (I love Jack at the piano!)
3) I Cut Like a Buffalo (heavy and dark)
4) Top Yourself (need I explain?)
5) Catch Hell Blues (one of my favorite White Stripes songs)
6) Hello Operator (lots of crowd involvement on this one)
7) You Know That I Know (Jack charmed the heck out this song)
8) Blunderbuss (heartbreaking and beautiful)
9) Take Me With You When You Go (this song is so dynamic, and my favorite tambourine player was on the piano for this one, which was exciting and fun to watch)

To see a the full song list for the show click here.

An interesting tidbit. I treated my 23 year-old niece to the show. I come from a big family, I'm the youngest of seven, so I became an aunt at a young age. My niece and I are more like sisters, and we have a lot in common.

And so, I was not surprised that she fell completely in love with this music. It was sort of her introduction to Jack White, having never really listened to The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, or The Dead Weather. She did (though) buy Blunderbuss when it came out, so she was familiar with those songs. She loved the whole show. Even (and in some instances, especially) the songs that she didn't know, which I think really speaks to how well they were played and performed, and how much feeling was put into every sound. And the experience of the whole thing. Like we were all in it together. Yes, Jack and his Buzzards were on an elevated stage and they were bathed in light, but there was something unusually intimate and (dare I say?) tangible about the whole thing.

Great show. Great pierogies at Veselka before the show. It's crazy, there are a handful of things that I miss about living in NYC, and Veselka is hands down the most missed. But I digress.

Photos by the awesome Jo McCaughey.

Jack White On WTF With Marc Maron

I've just listened to Jack White's interview with Marc Maron on WTF with Marc Maron, and it was so great! Interesting as hell. They even talk about hell during the interview. And the blues. And taxidermy giraffe heads. The fact that mohair holds up longer than velvet. That sort of thing.

The interview took place at Third Man Records in Nashville, a place that I'd love to visit before too long.

There's something very special and natural about Marc Maron's interview style. It felt more like a conversation than an interview. Sure, questions were asked in an interview-ish way, but they were more like "So, you grew up in Detroit?" as opposed to, "I've read that you grew up in Detroit. What was that like for you?" It makes a big difference, I think. The whole thing felt very candid and sincere and real. Refreshing. Charming.

I really, really enjoyed this interview. It made my day. Perhaps even my week. Highly recommended. I plan on giving it another listen soon.

The Colbert Bump + 1000 Blue Helium Balloons

I love watching Stephen Colbert and Jack White together. Colbert is always in perfect form. And it's great to see White play the "straight man" to Colbert's grammy-obsessed-funny-man-host.

And so, when I saw that Jack White had been on The Colbert Report on April 26th, I was one very happy girl. Not only was the "interview" priceless and very funny, but Jack White and his all male band The Buzzards performed "Freedom At 21" , which is one my favorite songs on Blunderbuss.

The two men discuss the famous "Colbert Bump", the Grammys (of course), and the recent Third Man Records release of 1000 blue helium balloons into the sky.

And if you haven't yet watched the Colbert/White 2000 and 1...and 1: A Rock Odyssey and/or "Catholic Throwdown" from last Summer, I tell you. Watch them immediately. They're so, so good. And you'll get to hear Colbert sing his "chart adjacent" 80s synth-pop hit "Charlene (I'm Right Behind You)". Also priceless. 

P.S. I was driving around today (a full three days after writing the above portion of this post), running errands, listening to Blunderbuss, when I remembered something that made me burst into a fit of the giggles. During the afore mentioned Colbert/White "interview" on April 26th, Stephen Colbert asks Jack White if there was any way that he could to do some backing vocals on the album (post-release of said album!?!) He then goes on to sing these amazing, hilarious background style vocals. They even show a clip of his singing edited into the "Love Interruption" music video.

Very funny stuff. I'm giggling still, as I write.

Jack White At Roseland Ballroom, May 21st

As you may by now know, I was lucky enough to see Jack White perform live in NYC at the Roseland Ballroom a couple of weeks ago. I'm going to write a full post about the show very soon, but for now I'd like to share a list of the songs played.

Suffice it to say, the show the was unforgettable.

And so, here you have it! A full list of songs played by Jack White and his all male band The Buzzards on May 21st, one very special night for myself and thousands of other deliriously happy people.

Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
Missing Pieces
Sixteen Saltines
Hypocritical Kiss
I Cut Like a Buffalo
Trash Tongue Talker
Top Yourself
Two Against One
Black Math
Hello Operator
Weep Themselves to Sleep
You Know That I Know
Blunderbuss
Ball and Biscuit

*Encore*
Freedom At 21
Steady As She Goes
Take Me With You When You Go
Catch Hell Blues
Seven Nation Army

Photo by the beautifully talented: Jo McCaughey

Jack White + Gary Oldman = Something Fantastic

Jack White's long awaited solo album Blunderbuss has been released. It's a real keeper, but I'll write more on that later. This post is about Jack White's recent American Express Unstaged live show, directed by none other than the great Gary Oldman. The performance was streamed live on Vevo this past Friday. I didn't watch because (as you may know) I'll be seeing Mr. White live for myself later this Spring and I didn't want to ruin the surprise of the whole thing. This shouldn't keep you from giving it a look, though! I've read lots of rave reviews, and from what I can tell from stills, the stage is bathed in a perfect hazy blue. 

Leading up to the Unstaged show, a series of trailers were released, featuring both Mr. White and Mr. Oldman. I'm particularly fond of this trailer-come-inside-look which has footage the two men wrestling, driving around and talking, and of Jack White and his band performing a couple of really great songs in what looks like a music room of sorts at Third Man Records? I recognize the wall mounted elephant head from White's American Pickers episode.

May 26th: As a update, it seems that the entire American Express Unstaged show is no longer available for viewing, but select songs are available on Vevo. My favorite is "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground". 

Guess Who's Going To See Jack White Live!?!

Me! Yes, me. Yours truly. I'm so, so excited! I woke up at 8:45 this morning (which is significant for me, as I'm a wicked night owl), turned on my computer, paced for 2 or 3 minutes, then settled in and watched the clock. At 9 AM on the dot I clicked the "on sale now" link for tickets, followed all prompts and instructions, and by 9:12 AM I had purchased tickets to see Jack White live and in person.

I should also note that by 9:12 AM all pre-sale tickets were gone. Sold out. Poof! Just like that.

For those of you who are as blown away as I am by the speed at which these tickets sold, I should note that as a member of The Vault (Third Man Records' kind-of-fan-club) I have access to pre-sale tickets.

So do not fret! Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, March 23rd at 9 AM. But I would recommend acting very, very fast.

Jack White On SNL

Jack White was musical guest on SNL this past Saturday and he did not disappoint. I've had "Sixteen Saltines" stuck in my head since Saturday. Well, I guess it was technically Sunday, but I digress.

Mr. White brought us two very different performances. "Love Interruption" was soulful and beautiful. Like the music video, it had an old fashioned kind of glamour to it. White was backed by an all female band which was awesome. And I'd like to say again that Ruby Amanfu is absolutely gorgeous. She was dressed in a flowing, effortless white frock with white satin elbow gloves, playing tambourine and swaying ever so cooly. I also totally loved the drummer. She had killer energy and I really liked her haircut.

"Sixteen Saltines" was a whole different scene. First off, we go from an all female to an all male band. The energy was more aggressive and was very crisp, yet gritty when it wanted to be. The drummer was very entertaining. He kept standing up while drumming. It was great. Refreshing.

And then there was Jack White. I never realized how limber he is. He must have made his way back and forth across the (albeit, small) stage six or so times. He'd slide and double over and launch himself from the back corner to the front and across and back again. His hair was teased to the hilt which really worked for this performance. He was also wearing some very dapper pinstripe pants.

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed both songs, both performances, both bands.

What Is a Blunderbuss, You Might Ask?

The cover art for the Jack White's upcoming solo album Blunderbuss has been released (pictured above), as well as a complete track listing from the album.

You may be asking yourself "What does blunderbuss mean? Is it an object or a whimsical sort of word that could mean a storm of some kind, or a sort of frenzy?" At least, these are the things that I've been asking myself.

Well, I looked it up and (according to Wikipedia) it's a firearm (a type of shotgun, to be more specific) that was used primarily in the 17th and 18th centuries, and the early part of the 19th century. The word is Dutch in origin and means "thunder pipe".

Early versions of the gun were decorated with a carved mythical dragon's head around the muzzle, thus making the muzzle blast that much more dramatic. Because of this detailing, the blunderbuss was also known as a "dragon", which led to the eventual naming of the infantry which used these guns as "dragoon".

Pretty cool stuff, right? I think it's a great word. Very expressive. And I enjoy the history behind it.

Jack White will be appearing as musical guest on Saturday Night Live on March 3rd. I'm so very excited.

Check out Jack White's self-directed video for "Love Interruption" (the first single from the album), and/or visit Third Man to order your very own 7-inch record.

Happy Valentine's Day From Jack White

Yesterday was a great day because I got to hear Bret McKenzie talk about Muppets on NPR for maybe 20 minutes. And I got to hear him sing the chorus of Harry Nilsson's "Without You."

Today is a great day because Jack White's self-directed video for "Love Interruption" has been released and it's fantastic. It features Jack White, three lovely ladies, and a small dog.

One of these lovely ladies is Ruby Amanfu, who sings back-up vocals on the song. She's stunning. Absolutely gorgeous, and her voice is equally so.

The video itself is kind of soft focus-ish, but not entirely, and has moments of very bright, fuzzy light and then other moments of perfect crispness. It has a very sensual feel to it, and is in keeping with an aesthetic that Jack White seems to be building with Third Man. It's velvety and lush but also very simple and clear and to the point. And there's a lovely kind of old fashioned glamour going on that I (personally) really, really love.

As I wrote in my previous post about the song "Love interruption" Jack White's solo album Blunderbuss will be released on April 24th. He's also started announcing some tour dates, which has me totally on edge (but in a good a way). I am so excited to seem this man live and in person. Again.