Tony of Toronto-based band Great Lake Swimmers stopped by the offices last night to record for the podcast. It was good he came, because I have a hard time believing Canada is a real place. Everything I ever mail there gets lost, never to be seen again. Blame Canada? Why, yes... I do.
Jared, Brit, Ashley and I got to sit-in for the recording since we were the only ones left at closing time. If that was always a reward, I'd work late more often.
Tony played solo acoustic versions of "Your Rocky Spine," "There Is a Light," and "Backstage With the Modern Dancers." His singing voice was loud and clear, but it still sounded like he was whispering, which makes the songs even more delicate. Pretty amazing. Great Lake Swimmers deserve the praise they've received.
Went to the full show later that night at The Earl. Eleni Mandell opened to a large crowd. Reminded me of when I saw Camera Obscura and had a "Wow, why didn't someone make me listen to this dreamy album sooner?!" moment. She and her band put on a great show. I'm now listening to the album to make up for lost time. Here some of it here.
Great Lake Swimmers closed. They played a song I had never heard before called "Moving Pictures Silent Films," off their self-titled 2005 release. At first I thought the lyrics to the chorus were: "Where have you been, and what have you done? I've been under the ground, eating critters from this old book I found under the ground" which would have been weird in a Six Feet Under kinda-way. Luckily for everyone else I am just an idiot with bad hearing. The real lyrics are:
Where have you been
And what have you done?
I've been under the ground
Reading prayers
From this old book I found
Under the ground.
Oops. Not as bad as the six years that I thought the lyrics to "Mrs. Robinson" were "And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson / She's a slut / And more than you would know...." 'Whoa whoa whoa' is right.
But back to Great Lake Swimmers. So they were playing "Moving Pictures Silent Films" and there was a couple standing in front of me. The woman had her hand on her man's back in a comforting, reassuring way. It felt like a scene in a movie, even though I didn't know the title of the song involved films. Perhaps I'll make it a scene in my movie, which Matt Ward has forced me to start working on again. Thanks, Matt -- I need people like you to help me see my projects through.
Tonight's concert: The National (!!!!!!!!)
Stay tuned...
2 comments:
I haven't been a fan of Great Lake Swimmers for a very long time, but I have fallen pretty hard for their music. That show at the EARL was fantastic, and I agree with you about the surprising power of Eleni Mnadell, who I had never heard before.
You're still not quite right on the lyrics to the chorus of "Moving Pictures Silent Films"--the actual lyrics sort of split the difference between what you thought they were and what you corrected them to be. Here's the full song:
Oh wake me please when this is over
Oh when the ice is melted away
And the hunger returns
I will be the same, but older
And maybe twice the bear
That I thought I was
Where have you been,
And what have you done?
I've been under the ground
Eating prayers from this old book I found
Under the ground
Saving it up, and spending it all
On moving pictures
Silent films
Moving pictures
Silent films
Or is this the dream I've been saving?
Oh where the heart beats slower and slower
To almost nothing
Almost nothing
Almost nothing
I took it for love
Or at least something beautiful
Out there in the spotlight
But I turned around suddenly,
Turned around squinting
And saw
That it was headlights
And then the truth, the truth was unbearable
Oh, and imminent
Bearing down on these two shadow animals
Caught painting a dotted line
Caught painting a dotted line
Caught painting a dotted line
Where have you been?
And what have you done?
I've been under the ground
Eating in prayers from this old book I found
Under the ground
Saving it up
And spending it all
On moving pictures
Silent films
Moving pictures
Silent films
I should know better than to trust search engine results... thanks for the correction!
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