Hope you all had a nice holiday weekend! We’ve had some gorgeous sunny days and traffic-stopping sunsets – I had to pull over to snap the above picture last night – very patriotic color scheme, wouldn’t you say?
On Saturday Jenny Lewis and Conor Oberst played a free show at Battery Park as part of the River to River Festival. It was like Telluride all over again except I rode a subway instead of a gondola and we were surrounded by skyscrapers and hipsters instead of mountains and hippies.
One thing that remained constant was the music. Jenny Lewis and her band were at 100% from the first notes of “See Fernando,” radiating much joy and high energy, and I think I enjoyed this 4th of July show even more than Telluride’s. The band was incredibly tight and captivated us with their seamless flow of songs. And cut-off shorts – those were a hit with the boys.
It was also great to see Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band again, especially because this time I was familiar with their songs. I picked up Outer South upon returning from the festival and I probably listened to it twenty times in the first two days.
When it comes to Conor’s writing, I was late coming to the Kool-Aid. I tried to get into a couple of Bright Eyes albums over the years, but nothing ever opened up for me. I found myself overwhelmed by him in the way I’m overwhelmed by Ani DiFranco – when someone is that prolific I have a hard time finding a point of entry. I hear one song and I think “genius” but after another I begin to shut down. I don’t know if I’m daunted by the lyrical density or perhaps intimidated as a songwriter… I also tend to cling to Dylan and Mitchell when I’m in the mood for words.
However now that I’ve tasted the Kool-Aid, I can’t get enough. (Is Kool-Aid vegan? I think I heard he’s friends with PETA, so Conor Kool-Aid is probably okay). I kind of hate the guy as a songwriter. I mean, “You, my sweet, the Bodhi Tree I sit beneath”?! That’s what one of my songwriter friends calls a “fuck you” line, a line so perfect you just want to shout “fuck you” at the person singing it. Well, that’s how we songwriters feel, anyway. And yet I can’t help but love the guy as a songwriter. I mean, “You, my sweet, the Bodhi Tree I sit beneath”?! I don’t think I’ll ever get over that one…
After the show I headed back to Connecticut, where I’m working on a new album the next couple months before I leave for tour. Inspiration levels were running very high that night and we had a great band rehearsal that ended with fireworks. Tomorrow night we play our first show at Googie’s @ the Living Room, 154 Ludlow Street in NYC. The show is free, 21+, and it starts at 8:30 sharp! With Becca de Beauport at 7:30 and Ben Ruttenburg at 9:30. See you soon!
