"Low Man" - Alberta Cross

Sky, Highway, Prairies and Me

I write most of my blogs while driving.  Not literally, just in my head. I pick a song I want to write about and I play it over and over again until I'm inspired.  I don't do a whole lot of driving, but every week I do make my trek to "The Lake".  "The Lake" is about an hour from doorstep to doorstep and the easiest, breeziest drive I ever have to do.  Almost the entire hour drive is just sky, highway, prairies and me.  During my drive to "The Lake" I do alot of thinking and tend to make most of my decisions.



I originally wanted to blog about "Bonfire" by Alberta Cross, but apparently I'm jumping the gun as the song hasn't even been released to iTunes or CD yet.  I downloaded a whole smack of songs by Alberta Cross, not only because I heard them on "Californication" (and as a rule I like anything related to Hank Moody) but because I really like the wailing, melancholy drawl of the lead singer, Petter Ericson Stakee.

Alberta Cross

In a weird sort of way "Low Man" reminds me of wind, trees, lakes and loneliness.  The lyrics are howled more than sung. He feels "a million miles away" from the woman he loves.  That's the funny part about being with someone.  Sometimes you feel more lonely with them than you ever do alone.  Another funny thing is when you get used to being alone you don't necessarily feel lonely.  It's almost scarier to think of yourself with someone than without.  When you're alone there's no one to disappoint or argue with.  On "Grey's Anatomy" in one of Meredith Grey's endless monologues something she said really made sense.  I filed her monologue like an old librarian, waiting for the right blog post to use it in.

"There's a reason I said I'd be happy alone. It wasn't 'cause I thought I'd be happy alone. It was because I thought if I loved someone and then it fell apart, I might not make it. It's easier to be alone, because what if you learn that you need love and you don't have it? What if you like it and lean on it? What if you shape your life around it and then it falls apart? Can you even survive that kind of pain? Losing love is like organ damage. It's like dying. The only difference is death ends. This? It could go on forever."

Woman, I feel I feel a million miles away
Ocean I've been praying, I've been praying all the way
Woman, I've seen I've seen visions passing away
Ocean I've been trying, I've been trying all the way


Oh, the feeling ain't that strong
And all this fear from carriers along
Oh, low man

How can I be wrong, if the decision's already made
Woman I feel I feel a million miles away
Woman I've been trying, I've been trying all day
How can I be wrong, Oh I feel a million miles away

Oh how feeling ain't that strong
And all this fear from carriers along
Oh, low man
Oh, low man

When this feeling ain't that strong
All this fear from carriers along
Oh, low man 

"9 Crimes" - Damien Rice

Kermit The Frog Here

When I was ten my most prized possession was my Kermit the Frog Keyboard. It was blue, and only about 2ft long. The keys were itty bitty as to accommodate tiny little fingers. I fell in love with my keyboard and was promptly enrolled in weekly piano lessons. Kermit the Frog was replaced with a proper keyboard, and instead of "Row Your Boat", I began playing Beethoven's Symphonies. Eventually I became a deadbeat and "dropped out" out of the Royal Conservatory. Beethoven's Symphonies gave way to ballads from Aerosmith and Sarah McLachlan. I decided to play piano only for my own pleasure, not certification purposes. 

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My hands looks like this

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You can tell I'm a pianist by looking at my hands. In the telltale-way that you can identify a guitar player's hands through their calluses and short nails (Unfortunately for my hands I play guitar also), you can tell a piano players hands by their long, skinny fingers. I'd like to say they are graceful, but to be honest they look like "skeletor" as some of my friends (term used loosely..) have so kindly commented. I'm a fairly small chick and my hands are pretty out of proportion with my size. Sacrificing my hands is a small price to pay for being able to produce music. Being able to sit down with an instrument and play a song is a feeling like none other. I haven't played piano as much as I'd like to lately because I've wrecked my old keyboard. I do know though, (from peeking in the Christmas Room at my parents� house) that I am getting a new one for Christmas. I will be renewing my love affair with the piano once again. I chose this song to blog about because i've decided that it's the first song I'm going to learn on my new keyboard.

Damien Rice

I'm unsure where I found this song. I think I was randomly downloading soundtracks for "True Blood", and I happened to grab it. Although he has had success on the UK and Irish Charts I don't think Damien Rice has managed to go mainstream in North America yet. I've never heard any of his songs on the radio which is surprising because "9 Crimes" has been featured on many popular shows such as "Grey's Anatomy", "True Blood", "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation", "Jericho" and the third "Shrek" movie.

Despite the beautiful piano melody and the addition of Lisa Hannigan's sweet vocals, the song comes off as very dark. Reading through comments about the song there is one word continuously used to describe this song; haunting. I can't figure out exactly what "9 Crimes" is about, but it appears to be about cheating. The song describes cheating as a crime. The person cheating has the morals of a criminal because they know what they are doing is wrong and choose to do it anyways, "It's a small crime, and I've got no excuse." It seems to be a situation where the relationship is on the rocks and one person begins an affair. The "Gun" that is "Loaded" refers to the potential that person has to cause harm.

The cheater is questioning how they are supposed to hold on to the relationship if their partner doesn't want to do their part, "If you don't shoot it how am I supposed to hold it". You hear the struggle the cheater is having because he obviously still cares alot about his partner but he wants to be with his affair, "It's the wrong kind of place to be thinking of you," , "It's the wrong time she's pulling me through." It always seems easier to move on to something new and shiny rather than fix something that's broken. What people forget is that if you care about something and succeed in fixing it, it will always be more valuable to you than anything new you could replace it with.



Leave me out with the waste, this is not what I do

It's the wrong kind of place to be thinking of you
It's the wrong time for somebody new
It's a small crime and I got no excuse
And is that all right, yeah?


I give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that all right, yeah?
If you don't shoot it how am I supposed to hold it?
Is that all right, yeah?

I give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that all right, yeah, with you?
Leave me out with the waste, this is not what I do


It's the wrong kind of place to be cheating on you
It's the wrong time she's pulling me through
It's a small crime and I got no excuse
And is that all right, yeah?


If I give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that all right, yeah?
If you don't shoot it, how am I supposed to hold it?
Is that all right, yeah?


I give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that all right?
Is that all right with you?
Is that all right, yeah?


If I give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that all right, yeah?
If you don't shoot it, how am I supposed to hold it?
Is that all right, yeah?

I give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that all right?
Is that all right with you?
And is that all right, yeah?

Is that all right?
Is that all right?
Is that all right with you?
No?

"Tonight" - Emy Reynolds Band

It�s always hard to find a consistent source for good, new music. One surprising source that I�ve found is actually "Grey's Anatomy" - the TV show. Whether or not you are a fan of hospital drama the show consistently plays great songs by new artists every week. One week I was watching the show among other things (like painting my nails, or downloading music on my laptop) when I first heard "Tonight". I wasn't really paying attention to the TV but when I heard the melody I immediately rewound my PVR so I could catch the lyrics. I wrote down a few verses and after not much luck with Google I finally found the song guide for that episode.

Joan Baez & Bob Dylan

I'm not a huge fan of most female singers - I prefer the growl of a man instead, but Emy Reynolds caught my attention. She sounds ethereal and folksy - almost like a younger Joan Baez. It's no surprise the band lists Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell as some of their influences.

The song "Tonight" definitely draws from folk roots. It seems to tell the story of a girl from a poor family whose Mother lies about her past to make for a better future. The finger picking and harmonica remind me of something Bob Dylan would have written in his younger days. "Tonight" was the Emy Reynold Bands first EP and first song to air on a TV show.Best wishes to them on future success.



She was from Kansas
Worked in a dairy
Eight brothers and sisters
Her mom she said she was from France
Her mom said she was from France
But she was from New Mexico
And she was from New Mexico

And tonight, tonight,
I will have to say goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye
Tomorrow, Tomorrow
If my heart is full of sorrow
I will call out for you


Lived in a trailer
Painted the skies
She said she had no life there
And she said she had no life there


And tonight, tonight,
I will have to say goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye
Tomorrow, Tomorrow
If my heart is full of sorrow
I will call out for you

And tonight, tonight,
I will have to say goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye
Tomorrow, Tomorrow
If my heart is full of sorrow
I will call out for you
Call out for you

Go ahead and tell that story
I will learn it again and again
Your smile, laugh and words
Like damn are bringing me home

Go ahead and tell that story
I will learn it again and again
Your smile, laugh and words
Like damn are bringing me home

And tonight, tonight,
I will have to say goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye
Tomorrow, Tomorrow
If my heart is full of sorrow
I will call out for you

And tonight, tonight,
I will have to say goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye
Tomorrow, Tomorrow
If my heart is full of sorrow
I will call out for you
Call out for you