A chapter of my life is now complete…Christopher Jak live, check. It was as wonderful as I thought it would be and more.
Thanks, Christopher, for being so nice and humoring me and playing my favorites and requests. If it’s possible, you’ve one upped yourself in my book. Your music is a very big piece of my picture of beauty in a golden frame of mind.
Christopher Jak & Me
Quite simply the most bad ass chick in rock ‘n’ roll today, Grace Potter has pipes like you will not believe. If you’ve somehow missed her rising star, catch it now.
Go download her new single, “Tiny Light” for free for watching and sharing the video on Facebook.
Back in November, I went to see Pete Yorn. I love Pete, thanks in large part to Christy…he’s from New Jersey, after all. How could I not love him?
Whether or not I was there to see Pete, the show was completely stolen from him by the opening act.
Enter The Enemy Lovers from Asheville, NC. This four-piece literally rocked my world that night, and I’ve now seen them twice since and each time, I lose a little bit of my musical heart to them. Thought provoking and enormously insightful lyrics, strong melodies, fantastic driving guitar solos…Just plain good rock n’ roll, yet really unique.
The core of the band, brothers Tim and Steven Scroggs, have an intriguing story: growing up, they were home schooled, and while always musical with their family and in their church, they didn’t start listening to rock and popular music until they were much older. Tim was actually going to record as a singer-songwriter, and Steven tagged along to the studio for fun and support, and ended up playing with him…and the band was born.
On stage, these kids just have an insane musical chemistry. They’ve definitely got that sibling “harmony” thing happening. Steven is a really solid guitar player; that said, he lets his brother, Tim, have the spotlight. Tim also plays guitar and is definitely the most animated member of the band – very dramatic, definitely taking some cues from Chris Martin. Drummer Kent Rector does some backing vocal and is a strong player, and Kevin Stipe, perhaps the most understated member of the band, adds to the rhythm section on bass. They work really well together already – give them another year or two and they’ll be the tightest act around.
The band has recently connected with Mike Daly (of Whiskeytown fame) who will be producing their new record…I have a feeling that once the world at large hears this band, they’re going to flash bang onto the national scene in no time. So, visit iTunes and pick up their debut EP now.
Don’t make me say I told you so.
There’s so much that I love about each of my closest friends…they all bring color to my life in their own unique ways. But the one thing they all have in common is that they truly understand me and what makes me tick. I’m so lucky in that regard. A few things have happened in the past couple of weeks that both make me laugh and remind me of how lucky I am to have these people in my life.
Brad and Annie got married a week ago. These two people are so amazingly special to me. In addition to being some of my first “music friends” in Charlotte, they are also two of the most wonderful people that you will ever meet. Annie is full of boundless positivity, has a kind word for everyone, and the most infectious laugh you’ll ever hear. Brad and I connected over music first, then became friends. He and I share a bit of the same outlook in life, he’s always willing to be an enthusiastic cohort for concerts, will never turn down meeting up for a beer, and gives great hugs! And the fact that they have found happiness together makes my heart all warm and fuzzy. There are few weddings I’ve ever been more excited to be a part of…so when they asked me if I’d address their wedding invites for them, I was more than happy to help out.
Out of the kindness of their hearts, they also invited me to attend their rehearsal dinner. They gave out little gifts to a lot of folks, including me, which was a real surprise. But the best part was yet to come. I looked at Annie and said, “Do you want me to open it now?” She said yes, then looked at the rest of the table and said, “The rest of you won’t understand why this is so fabulous, but she’ll get it.”
I opened the bag, and found one of the best presents EVER…
I LOVE Sharpies. I mean, really and truly love them. There are literally dozens laying around my house, in every color you can imagine, and I carry them with me all the time. On any given day, I usually have three or four floating around in my purse. The fact that Annie and Brad know this and knew how delighted I would be just tells you how extraordinary my friends are…
And then, this morning, another reminder of how my cup runneth over…My good friend Shelia sent me an e-mail with the subject line “This Quote Made Me Think Of You.” Shelia and I met because we were the only two people in Charlotte who were Gareth Asher fans early on…and along the way, we discovered we share a love of music, cocktails, and our home away from home – The Gin Mill. She’s introduced me to her first love of hockey, and I’ve made her suffer through Springsteen videos. She is an endless source of positive energy and laughter for me, and I’m so glad that we’ve become closer friends over the past year.
Anyway, her note this morning brightened my day…here’s what it said:
Minus the physicist part of course…
““If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music. … I get most joy in life out of music.”
~ Albert Einstein
Just the fact that she took the time to send it makes me feel special…but the fact that she truly gets me and what makes me tick (and what doesn’t – the physicist thing made me laugh out loud because numbers make me cry) is really important to me.
I could go on and on about my friends and how enormously fabulous they are. But that would take days and days and pages and pages. However, today, these are the little things that are sitting in the cockle of my little heart…I’m just so lucky to have friends that love me for all of my little quirks and oddities, and encourage me to be who I am.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I have the best friends. Love you guys.
If I must repeat again how much I adore Christopher Jak’s music, I totally will.
Jak is in my Top 5 artists of all time…and has written my favorite line, in any song, ever. He is an incredible, intuitive writer, and has a voice that will melt your heart like it’s made of butter. Seriously, LOVE THIS MAN’S MUSIC.
That’s why you should all go download The Folk EP, his latest release, FOR FREE. Go. Right now. It won’t be free forever and you really need to start listening to it immediately.
(I mean, seriously, you have to love an artist with a sense of humor…who tags their own music “sad bastard music”? … hilarious!)
Then, once you’ve fallen in love with him, go buy all his other music…start with The Leadfoot Lover EP, which came out last fall, then get the stunning masterpiece that is The New Nostalgia (the song “Something” is probably my all time favorite song – because it’s so honest and bold and smart), and then the brilliant Applause of the Rain.
Christopher Jak’s music will make your life better. I promise.
(Stay tuned for the “After 7 years of being a fan, Krissie finally meets Jak and sees him live” post that will follow next month….I’m sure there will be video!)
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