"Come On Up To The House" - Tom Waits

**Well, I figured I needed to post today, because it is my 1 year blog anniversary!! Thank you to everyone for your interest, comments and support**

Of course I have heard of Tom Waits.  How could I not have? I'm music obsessed (Exhibit A: my Blog).  Until lately, I wouldn't have called myself a Tom Waits "fan", and I certainly wouldn't have blogged about him. People have tried to introduce me to Tom Waits in the same way I remember my high school friends introducing me to alcohol.

Booze

Step 1. Peer pressure - "You'll really like it"

Step 2. Hesitation - I wasn't sure that I would like it, and was a bit nervous to try.

Step 3. I tried, and found out that I did enjoy it. 

Step 4.  I decided that I didn't need to like ALL types of alcohol to "like" drinking, just as I didn't need to like every song or everything about Tom Waits to "like" him.

The first time I heard Tom Wait's voice in "Downtown Train", I actually thought it was some sort of joke. I've never heard vocals quite like his. My favorite, and the most accurate description I've ever heard of his voice was one I've used in a previous blog post. Critic, Daniel Durchholz described his voice as sounding, "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."  I'm surprised that I haven't swooned for Mr.Waits sooner, because he reminds me alot of my first love - Bob Dylan.  It's like finding yourself falling for someone new, but realizing you like them partly because you see qualities in them that remind you of a former lover.

It took me a bit to wrap my head around the enigma that is Tom Waits.  I couldn't decide whether he was crazy, or a genius.  Eventually I came to the conclusion that he is both - a crazy, genius.  As much as he reminds me of Dylan, he is his own force.  Waits is indescribable and incomparable; qualities that make a legend. He views things in a different type of light.  He makes comparisons, references, and uses language in a way that the average person would never think to, "Well you're high on top, of your mountain of woe."

Aurora Borealis

But I refuse to analyze Waits anymore, in the same way you don't analyze a sunset or Aurora Borealis.  You feel blessed to witness something so incredible that you can't question it, you just stand back and appreciate. 

Tom Waits

Waits ended his 1999 album, "Mule Variations", with the song, "Come On Up To The House."  My brother introduced me to this song, describing it as "beautiful". My brother, who is your typical hockey-playing, rum-drinking boy, actually used the word "beautiful". He was right.  In "Come On Up The House" Tom Waits uses his grizzly bear growl, to describe a safe haven/hope in a dark world.  "Well the moon is broken, And the sky is cracked, Come on up to the house."  He paraphrases a question by 17th century philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, "Does life seem nasty, brutish and short?" and answers with, "Come on up the house."

In a fan forum the line, "Come down off the cross, We can use the wood" is interpreted as meaning, "That all the energy you put into self-pity in an attempt to alienate yourself or rise above everybody else, could be put into building something worthwhile."

Well the moon is broken
And the sky is cracked
Come on up to the house
The only things that you can see
Is all that you lack
Come on up to the house

All your cryin don't do no good
Come on up to the house
Come down off the cross
We can use the wood
Come on up to the house

Come on up to the house
Come on up to the house
The world is not my home
I'm just a passin thru
Come on up to the house

There's no light in the tunnel
No irons in the fire
Come on up to the house
And your singin lead soprano
In a junkman's choir
You gotta come on up to the house

Does life seem nasty, brutish and short
Come on up to the house
The seas are stormy
And you can't find no port
Come on up to the house
There's nothin in the world

(Chorus)

there's nothin in the world
that you can do
you gotta come on up to the house
and you been whipped by the forces
that are inside you

come on up to the house
well you're high on top
of your mountain of woe
come on up to the house
well you know you should surrender
but you can't let go
you gotta come on up to the house

(Chorus)

2011 Grammy Review

Love this guy

Ok, so I don't normally do this type of thing. I consider myself more of a music lover than a music critic. I tuned into the Grammy's last night for the first time in many years. I had decided to watch them for the sole purpose of seeing my hero, Bob Dylan perform. I saw him live in concert a couple of years ago (which by the way I had assumed would be one of the most important moments of my life), and was so let down and unsatisfied that I had been holding a bit of a grudge. When I heard he was going to be at the Grammy's I knew that I had to watch, because the love that I have for this man is an unconditional kind. I have alot to say about last night - and not many people I know are as intense or opinionated about music as I am, so I wanted to share my thoughts with you guys :) I'm only going to talk about the performances I had particularly strong opinions about - and as for rest of the performances I either liked them or didn't care at all.

Not really my scene

The show opened with an Aretha Franklin tribute - feat. Florence Welch, Martina Mcbride, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson and Yolanda Adams. Now I can't remember where I read it, (because i'd link to them if I did) but someone wrote that it was a poor choice to open the Grammy's with a tribute to the past - when it should have been with a representation of the future of music. I completely agree - and I know I might lose a few fans by saying this - but I am actually not an Aretha Franklin fan. Don't get me wrong, the lady has a set of pipes on her and a pile of mega hits - but I'm not that type of girl. I'm not into women's lib. So if I have to hear anything more about being R-E-S-P-E-C-T ed or feeling like a "natural woman", I think I might barf. Needless to say this set didn't do it for me.

Hot rack Gaga, literally

Moving on to Lady Gaga. I'm a huge fan of Lady Gaga personally as well as her music. I like her "I don't give a shit what you think and I�m going to keep doing what I do because it makes me happy" attitude. Her performance of "Born This Way", was great, but I didn't expect anything less from her. I thought the "wow" factor was low- sure she had some weird sort of shoulder implants, but I suppose it's hard to top shooting fireworks out of your bra.

Justin Bieber & Usher -  I"m not a fan of either so I'm quite biased. I was impressed though that the little "Bieb" started off his set with an acoustic solo. Honestly I think as a society we spend so much time and energy obsessing over this pre-pubescent boy and his immature hits that we are oblivious to the all of the AMAZING talent out there.  Hence why I started my blog.

Sidenote -who the eff is Esperanza and how did she win best new artist? Is she so new that she just came out with her album yesterday? Is this why we haven't heard of her? How did she beat out Mumford & Sons, Drake, Florence & The Machine & Bieber?

Bob Dylan, Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers

Speaking of amazing. Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers & Bob Dylan actually blew my mind. Mind is blown. I had kind of thought of the folk/bluegrass movement as a dead or underground scene, but I see it slowly making it's way back with the help of bands like this. Watching The Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons sing was incredible. The expressions on their face indicated that they might actually be in pain from singing so hard. Their performances came straight from their guts.  I'll blog about both bands later so I won't get too much into them. A final note on Dylan, I was happy to see him in the same way someone in an abuse relationship is always happy to see their lover.  He did do a mean harmonica solo, but I wasn't impressed by the song choice.  "Maggie's Farm" is not a Dylan song I would typically even consider worth mentioning.  Being an avid/obsessive fan I know that there are dozens of songs that would have been a better choice.  I'm thinking I should be on the Grammy committee next year. 

Lady Antebellum did a good job - and performed well, but I didn't particularly think they deserved some of the awards they won. They were up against some heavy hitters with real talent, like Eminem and Jay-Z.

Oh Cee Lo

Surprisingly I found myself really liking Cee Lo Green's performance of "Forget You". Dressed as a giant bird/butterfly?? - in an Elton John-esque manner with a set of muppets as his back-up band. This is what I expecte to see at the Grammy's - unnecessary bling, glitz and "wow" factor. 

I'm a Katy Perry fan for the most part - but was disappointed with her performance. I thought for sure she'd do something insane or wacky but instead she spent most of the time in a non-cleavage revealing dress on a giant swing while her wedding video played in the background. Unwanted and uncalled for PDA. We know you love your husband, but no one cares Katy.

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I love the way he lies

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My second favorite performance of the night was by Eminem/Rihanna/Skylar Grey and Dr Dre. I must say that Rihanna has grown on me over time. I like seeing her mix it up with rappers like Eminem, Ludacris etc. Everyone seems to like Eminem better as an angry rapper as opposed to the goofy "Slim Shady" persona. The crowd went wild for him. I like that Eminem never hesitates to throw a bone to Dr.Dre who would otherwise fade into the atmosphere. "Forgot about Dre" is one of my favorite hip hop songs but I often do "Forget" about Dre. It's nice to see him and Eminem out together again. This performance received a much deserved standing O from the audience.

I was stoked to see Mick Jagger on stage performing "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" as a tribute to the late Solomon Burke. Hot damn that old guy has still got it, even at 67 years of age. My only disappointment was that his partner in crime, the ashes-snorting-loveable-trainwreck, Keith Richards didn't join him.

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Arcade Fire for the win!

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Finally - how surprised/thrilled were you guys to see Arcade Fire there? Not only did they perform (twice) but they took home the award for "Album of the Year"! They stuck out like a sore thumb in between the "Biebs","Drakes" and "Gaga's". The band is so humble and authentic and they completely deserved that win. One of my favorite quotes is from their song "Ready to Start" which they performed live, "I would rather be alone,Than pretend I feel alright."

Well there's my ranting - feel free to criticize/agree with me and post your comments! Any feedback is good feedback right? I'll post later in the week - likely about Mumford & Son or The Avett Brothers.

Black Eyed Peas - The Time (Dirty Bit) (NRGL2002 Remix)

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Black Eyed Peas - The Time (Dirty Bit) (NRGL2002 Remix) by norberto-nrgl2002

"Nobody But Me" - Human Beinz (Isley Brothers Cover)

Please note I've been meaning to blog about this song for awhile and the new Nike commercial reminded me of it yesterday. I just wanted to clarify that to you guys, that I did in fact like this song prior to Nike. I could have recommended it to Nike.

Me wearing my skirt incorrectly

 

I have taken dance class a few times in my life, ballet, jazz etc, and while I enoyed it, I wouldn't say I�m the most coordinated or graceful person. This year I decided I would like to pick up a dance class again. I had a "Bollywood" themed work event in the fall, so I went to a traditional east-indian apparel store to find a "costume". I ended up finding a belly dancing skirt. I wore it to the event, my office, my parent's house and every other inappropriate place you could think of. I decided it would be much nicer if I could legit bellydance rather than just randomly shaking my ass. 

For the past four months I've been attending bellydance classes on a weekly basis. I suck right now, it's actually a VERY hard dance to learn because you're moving your bodies in a way that us westerners traditionally don't like to. That being said I have hopes of one day performing an amazing dance, something like the infamous Roula Said's would do. The song I would most like to dance to (don't tell my teacher because it's not traditional Arabic belly dance music), is actually "Nobody But Me" by the Human Beinz.

"Nobody But Me" was originally written by the Isley Brothers in 1962, and later picked up and covered by the Human Beinz in 1968. This was a one-hit wonder for the band, but their single achieved quite a bit of success. They made it on American Bandstand with Dick Clark and when asked about the spelling of the band name they informed him that it had been a misprint that was too late to change before their album was released so they just stuck with it. In his "Book of Rock Lists", Dave Marsh, named it the most negative song ever written, with the word "no" being sung over 100 times in only 2:16. The dances that the singer says "nobody" can do like him are, "The Skate", "The Shingaling", "The Boogaloo" and "The Philly".

I've also seen this song played for a skit on this year's season premiere of "The Office". It's actually one of the funniest skits I've ever seen. Besides the new Nike commercial, variations of this song have also been used in Kill Bill, a Canon copier commercial, and "The Departed". If I ever get my bellydancing down pat I'll post a video with me dancing to this song. I promise it will be embarrassing and hilarious if nothing else.

No no no no no no no no no

No no no no no no no no
No no no no no no no no
No no no no no


Nobody can do
The shing-a-ling
Like I do

No no no no no no no no no
No no no no no no no no
No no no no no no no no
No no no no no
Nobody can do
the skate
Like I do

No no no no no no no no no
No no no no no no no no
No no no no no no no no
No no no no no

Nobody can do
The boogaloo
Like I do

No no no no no no no no no
No no no no no no no no
No no no no no no no no
No no no no no

Nobody can do
the philly
Like I do


Well don't you know I'm gonna skate
I'm doin', ain't nobody doin'
But me baby
Nobody but me


Yes i gonna philly, I'm doin'
Ain't nobody doin'
But me baby
Nobody but me


Well let me tell you nobody
Nobody but me
Well let me tell you
Nobody, nobody, nobody, etc.

"Feels Like Home" - Edwina Hayes (Randy Newman Cover)

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I'm a Girl!

?So I am a girl.  Obviously.  But that doesn't mean I act exactly like a girl.  I am feminine (I wear heels, makeup and like my cleavage),  but I'm also a bit masculine (I go shooting, touch disgusting things, and try very hard to keep drama/my emotions in check).  There are very few people in my life that have made me cry, sticks and stones right? Unfortunately I do have this VERY embarrassing habit of bawling over the most insignificant things.  I cry reading newspaper articles, listening to certain songs, watching certain commercials (that Kleenex one gets me every time),  and definitely watching movies.  I cry at the majority of movies I go to, even if they are not particularly sad movies. 

Last weekend I found myself watching "My Sisters Keeper", a movie based off of the book by Jodi Picoult.  The movie/book is about a daughter, Anna, who attempts medical emancipation from her parents who rely on her to keep their other leukemia-inflicted daughter, Kate, to stay alive.  Needless to say I sobbed through the better part of the movie and came out of it with eyes as red as a Heroin addict's.

At a particular part of the movie an ailing Kate's wish is to leave the hospital and go to the Beach.  Her Dad agrees,  bundles her up, and takes her to the beach with the other children. Cameron Diaz plays the overprotective Mom who is furious at the thought of Kate leaving the safety of the hospital, even threatening her husband with divorce if he follows through.  In the end the Dad and children head to the beach and Mom eventually relents and joins them. The family is trying very hard for Kate's sake to be normal in a very not-normal situation. 

Now death is sad to begin with.  Untimely death - very sad.  The untimely death of a child, absolutely tragic.  This story gives a heartbreaking glimpse into the life of a family with a terminally ill child.  The movie spares no gruesome detail, Kate looks every bit the part of a Leukemia patient, from the pale, translucent skin to the decaying teeth.  It's a hard movie to watch if you know anyone that's been affected by a terminal disease because it shows the decline in quality of life very accurately.  It's tough because throughout the whole story Kate remains coherent, witty and loving.  Her mind is intact and her body is betraying her.

Edwina Hayes

During the beach scene in the movie, "Feels like Home" by Edwina Hayes plays. Hayes is an english - singer/songwriter who recorded her version of the song for the movie "My Sisters Keeper."  The song was originally recorded by Randy Newman, and later by Chantal Kreviazuk, but Hayes gives them both a run for their money.  Her soft, folky rendition of this classic song makes me teary eyed just listening to it (pathetic - I know).  At first listen you'd assume the song was written about a lover, but after seeing it in the movie I believe it's meant to describe any type of love, not just romantic.  In the movie it represents a parents love for their child, "I wanted someone to come along, And change my world, The way you've done."

In a theme I touched on in my post about the song "Home", by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, "home" is not necessarily a place.  As they sang in "Home",  "Home is whenever I'm with you.",  and Hayes sings, "Feels like home to me".  "Home" is a feeling you get when you feel safe, happy and loved.

Side Note:  The Book "My Sisters Keeper" by Jodi Picoult features a different ending than the one shown in the movie.

P.S. Sorry guys couldn't find a video that would let me embed - audio clip only unless you follow the link below.

Edwina Hayes � Feels like home
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Somethin' in your eyes, makes me wanna lose myself

Makes me wanna lose myself, in your arms
There's somethin' in your voice, makes my heart beat fast
Hope this feeling lasts, the rest of my life

If you knew how lonely my life has been
And how long I've been so alone
And if you knew how I wanted someone to come along
And change my life the way you've done


It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from
It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong


A window breaks, down a long, dark street
And a siren wails in the night
But I'm alright, 'cause I have you here with me
And I can almost see, through the dark there is light

Well, if you knew how much this moment means to me
And how long I've waited for your touch
And if you knew how happy you are making me
I never thought that I'd love anyone so much

It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way the back where I come from
It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong
It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong