Author Archives: Krissie

Just Sad

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I leave for The Rock Boat in four days. I should be fired up and happy and counting the seconds impatiently.

Instead, I’m sitting here on my couch, tearing up at commercials and Larry King and whatever other crap is on TV at midnight. And I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why.

I’m just sad. It makes me crazy. And I can’t sleep, so I just stay up, surfing the internet, watching useless TV, turning shit over and over and over in my head. Work. Friendships that are dying. Missing my family. Moving. Financial stuff. Loneliness.

And when I think and think and think, I find so much fault with myself. There’s so much I wish I could change, so many things I wish I had done differently. Do you ever just wish you could start over? I wish that every day…

And it’s a sad thing, to wake up everyday, wishing that. Trust me.

The Lazy Writer’s Update

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The road to hell is paved with writers who are lazy. Trust me. I’m headed there.

I haven’t really felt like blogging the last few days. There’s so much general stuff going on in my life that whenever I sit down to write, I’m overwhelmed by the magnitude of things I want to write about. It wears me out before I even start typing, so I give up.

Anyway, as I’m running on 2.5 hours sleep from last night and I really should be in bed because I am running with the gang in the morning, I have no idea why I’ve chosen now to sit down and make a blog entry. Perhaps because I know that I don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to it (or energy, honestly), I can take the lazy writer’s way out and not feel guilty about it: the list.

So here it is, the quick and dirty list of things going on with me.

1) I haven’t been able to wash my car in over two weeks and it’s frustrating. Why, you ask? Because it literally as been raining every other day. And, of course, they’re calling for rain again this weekend. Tomorrow. During the Panthers playoff game. Thank goodness I don’t have tickets. I’m tired of the rain. I’d like it to stop. Now. I’m soggy.

2) I’m moving. Sad, but true. Hate leaving this space – been here for almost six years – but the time has come to have my own place again. I’m tired of roommates. So I’m moving back to the complex where I lived before I lived here. I liked it there, I was happy…it’s closer to the office and most of the places I do shopping and errands, so it just makes sense.

3) Rock Boat next week! Needs no explanation. SO in need of a vacation.

4) Signed up for half-marathon #1 of the year. My goal is to complete two this year, so this is a good start. The race is here in Charlotte in April. It’ll be good. I think everyone in our little Saturday morning run group is going to do it, ‘cept for Jill because she’ll be recovering from ACL surgery. Speaking of the group, we start our regular runs again this week…I’ve missed them (both the group and the runs). Anyway, good training with my peeps commences at 8 AM tomorrow morning…And the race is 116 days away! http://www.charlotteracefest.com

5) Because of having my own place, budget belt shall be tightened over the next 12 months. Sad, but true. Means fewer shows (it’s going to kill me, trust me), fewer trips, and less fun. I know. It blows. That being said, I’m thinking about driving up to DC for Shane Hines & The Trance’s CD release party for The Glory Journal. Lately, my sensible side has been winning out, though.

So, on top of work stress, I think this is enough to keep me busy for awhile, eh?

My Top Ten Albums of 2008

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Unlike most of the critics Top Ten lists, my Top Ten albums of 2008 is based solely on how much I like an album.  While I’m all about great songwriting, “breaking boundaries” isn’t necessarily a big deal for me.  So, if you’re looking for eclectic picks (like MGMT or Santogold), you’re out of luck.  This is a REALLY hard list for me to make and there is a lot of terrific music that isn’t included here.  But these, are my favorites…so here’s the damage.

Honorable Mentions

Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons – Cabin Ghosts
This one should be in the Top Ten, but since it’s not a full album, I moved it to honorable mentions.  Cory’s got one of those gravelly, raw, honest American voices that I am instantly drawn to.  The fact that he’s from middle-of-nowhere Wisconsin and centers his songwriting on that fact really adds a raw beauty to this music.  It was recorded partially in some old cabin in the woods and partially at a local venue, and the sounds inherent to these places are prevalent on the record and give it interestingness and depth.  I love it.

State of Shock – Life, Love & Lies
I dub this album the one that I will hate once the radio gets a hold of it and plays the shit out of it.  It’s a bit of a guilty pleasure.  Some really trite and overdone lyrics, but seriously, it’s just a fun record.  “Money Honey.”  That’s all I have to say.

New Kids on the Block – The Block
I am not ashamed to have this album on my list.  Unbelievably catchy little dance-pop ditties – a perfect fit for clubs and a great way for this band to come back from literally nothing.   I do not joke when I say it didn’t leave my CD player/iPod playlist for a month – I listened to it constantly.  And besides, it’s a little nostalgic for me, brought me back to the days of big hair and super baggy t-shirts.

And now for the Top Ten…in reverse order.

10.  David McMillin – Heartsteady
Possibly the most prolific young little folk-rock writer out there right now.  And incredibly nice person.  David released this album with very little fanfare this year, but it is a really delightful record.  I like to think of David as an old soul – modern day lyrics spun into beautiful bits of Americana.  I adore it.

9. Sam Thacker – Lines (Limited Edition)
Sammy grew up on this record (yet, I continue to call him “Sammy”) and it’s a treat for the ears.  Strong songwriting, some serious and some fun, tight band work, and in true Sam Thacker fashion, ridiculously catchy little melodies.  I stand by my prediction that one day soon, the world is gonna fall in love with Sam Thacker…and this might be the album that does it.

8. Amos Lee – Last Days at the Lodge
I think this album is actually better than Supply & Demand, but that’s just my opinion.  I think the inclusion of this record is also colored a bit by Amos’s live performance.  I saw him twice this year and he is simply outstanding live.  That being said, the album is quite terrific and worth it just for “Listen” and “Street Corner Preacher.”

7. Sequoyah Prep School – Ghost Town
This band was new to me this year, so I’d love to include BOTH of their albums, but since this is a Top 10 of 2008, their new one gets included.  Fun little band from Charleston with incredibly infectious  melodies, and fantastic harmonies.

6. Coldplay – Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
I say this as someone who is not a giant Coldplay fan:  This album is brilliant.  Chris Martin & Co. just plain blew it out of the water with this gorgeous trip through emotions.  My favorite tracks are “Lost?” and “Lost!” because I think it was a genius take on how the same song can have an entirely different meaning when its rearranged.

5. People in Planes – Beyond the Horizon
Introduced to me by the Stereophonics this year.  An awesome rock band from Wales.  This album is such a refreshing departure from what has become boring, mainstream American rock drivel (all the Nickelback and Three Doors Down sound alikes), I was instantly hooked.  Just take a listen to songs like “Flesh and Blood,” “Get on the Flaw” and “Pretty Buildings” to get an idea.  Fantastic musicians, strong writing and a live performance with gusto.  They’re gonna be big, kids.

4. Kings of Leon – Only by the Night
This is one that the critics and I agree on.  This album rocks.  I’ve never been a huge Kings of Leon fan, but this album won me over.  It’s dirty and gritty, the way a rock n’ roll album should be.  “Sex on Fire” is a brilliant song and will leave you wanting to hear it again and again, but every song has its merits.  Favorite tracks are “Crawl”, “Sex on Fire,” “Be Somebody” and “Notion.”

3. Counting Crows – Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings
This album’s inclusion on my list should really should come as no surprise to anyone.  I don’t even think I have to explain it.  And to the hard critics complaints that it “should have been better” after such a long hiatus, I say poo on you.  It’s brilliant.  Period.

2. Alpha Rev – The Greatest Thing I’ve Ever Learned
Technically, this album was released in 2007.  However, it was re-released in 2008 and had new tracks, so I’m counting it as a 2008 release.  Alpha Rev literally shot into my Top Ten artists of all time last year when I first started listening to them.   Casey McPherson’s writing is on par with Adam Duritz’s in my book – and we already know how much I love a good songwriter.  Download “Colder Months” and “American Jesus” if you want a taste of this Austin band.

1. The Ruse – Midnight in the City
West Coast bands don’t often make my list of favorites….but this year is an exception. The Ruse’s Midnight in the City wins favorite album of the year this year for its solid songwriting and the ability of the songs to get stuck in my head.  From its first spin in my CD player (or, err, iPod, actually), these songs were on a constant loop.   It’s simply a fantastic pop-rock record.

No clock ticking…

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I had a conversation today with a good friend – we’ll call her A. – about some other friends who are trying to get pregnant.  And it led to the discussion of having kids.  And A., who I sometimes feel I know better than myself, surprised me by saying that she wanted to have kids.  That she wasn’t ready yet, but that it was just something that she knew she would do “somewhere down the line.”

It left me thinking that I’m one of three women I know who really has no desire to have kids.  All of my friends say to me, “Oh, that will change when you meet the right guy” or “Don’t worry, you’ll get the mommy urge soon.”  But really, there’s just no nothing.   My biological clock is NOT ticking…at least not when it comes to kids.  So, of course, after this conversation with A. today, the inevitable questions start rolling over in my mind.  “Is there something wrong with me?”

It’s not that I don’t like kids.  I think a lot of “kid people” interpret people who say they don’t want kids with meaning they don’t like kids.  That may be the case for some people, but not for me.  I adore children. But I just don’t want any of my own.  It’s not the responsibility that scares me or anything like that, and I know I’d be an okay mom.  I just don’t have this “urge” that everyone keeps saying I should have.

It makes me sad sometimes.  I think about what will happen when I’m old.  With no kids, when I’m in my 50s and all my friends are going to their kids houses to celebrate Christmas, will I have to celebrate by myself? When I’m 85 and in a nursing home?  Who will come visit me?  And yet, even that thinking doesn’t change the fact that there’s nothing inside spurring me towards having kids…

Promise you’ll all come visit me?  So I’m not alone?

Patrick Davis and Country Radio…Yes, You Heard Me Right…

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Those of you that follow my musical obsessions know that one of my biggest is a tall, skinny fella from Camden, SC named Patrick Davis. My friend David Phillips introduced me to him about three years ago, and I’ve been all goggly-eyed about his music ever since. Personally, his writing reminds me a LOT of Springsteen…very story-teller esque…and his stage demeanor is so amazing, I just grin through all of his shows. He happens to be just a little country leaning, which is unusual for me, but nonetheless, falling in love with a music is no different than falling in love with a person….sometimes, you can’t explain who you fall for and why, but there’s something about the music that grabs your heart. And Patrick’s songs had me at hello….:)

But I digress.

About a two years ago, Patrick started playing a new song he wrote called “Where I’m From.” As soon as I heard it, I knew I was hearing something special. It’s a phenomenal song about embracing your roots and your hometown being very much a part of who you are.

Well, something special indeed the song is. As is the case with a lot of truly phenomenal writers…other singers hear their songs and want to record them. So Patrick let country singer Jason Michael Carroll record the song and it is now rocketing up the charts. You can get the Jason Michael Carroll single now on iTunes…and I highly encourage you to go pick it up, since it helps Patrick in a number of ways…

JMC’s version is WAY more country than Patrick’s original version. So, for you to see how brilliant the song was in its original version, here’s a little video I recorded of Patrick performing the song back in February of 2007…with his Daddy, Rusty, playing guitar with him.

Congratulations, Patrick! I’m so excited for you!!!!