In the last eighteen months I’ve seen some amazing shows put on by accomplished musicians. Three sparked a little meditation on passion, friendship, and love: Chris Rea; Eric Clapton; and the Panindias Brothers. Rea, the best blues/rock/jazz singer-songwriter and slide guitarist working today; Clapton, the guitar god, whose voice is perhaps a bit underrated by … Continue reading A Tale of Passion, Friendship, Love, and Music
music
That’s what music can do
Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs, Tractor Tavern, Ballard (Seattle), 30 December 2010 You’ve been to enough concerts, seen enough live bands to know, sometimes they’re strong from start to finish, sometimes they start slow and build, sometimes they just never quite sync. And sometimes, you can identify the exact moment when it all comes … Continue reading That’s what music can do
It was thirty years ago today: December 8, 1980
I remember that day. It was snowing pretty hard in my town, my mother had picked my sister and me up from some class or other and we'd driven back to the house in a steady snowfall. When we walked in the door, pulling off hats and gloves and shaking away the damp, my father … Continue reading It was thirty years ago today: December 8, 1980
Fearless hearts and great pumpkins
"To get through this life with any kind of self-respect at all, you need two things: an inquisitive mind, and a fearless heart." -Steve Earle. Like Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin - Linus has a fearless heart, one that's been broken many times before, and he just comes back for more. You could call … Continue reading Fearless hearts and great pumpkins
Riding with the king: John Hiatt and the Combo
John Hiatt and the Combo, 25 August 2010 Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle Eighty degrees Farenheit and a gentle breeze blowing across the North Meadow at the Woodland Park Zoo at show time. There’s an opening act, a young woman named Ashleigh Flynn playing tunes from her latest album called American Dream. She plays guitar and … Continue reading Riding with the king: John Hiatt and the Combo
Vaya con dios, Richie Hayward
A sad day in rock and roll history, the death of Little Feat drummer and founding band member Richie Hayward was reported yesterday, August 13, Friday the 13th, sure enough. I was lucky to be at the Feat show in Seattle nearly two years ago, to see Hayward and Payne and Tackett and Barerre and … Continue reading Vaya con dios, Richie Hayward
July Story of the Week
July's Story of the Week is an excerpt from the book I'm working on. It takes place on a flight from Seattle to Europe, and Louie, Our Heroine, finds herself in the middle of an evil alien plot to take over the world. Reluctantly, she tries to help save humankind, mostly as a side effect … Continue reading July Story of the Week
The Maldives of summer
This is the worst concert review you’ll ever read. The band is the Maldives (pronounced Mall-deeves), introduced by a guy in the crowd as “the best band in Ballard.” Ballard being a Seattle neighborhood of about forty thousand people and more taverns per square mile than any other Seattle neighborhood, that’s saying something. I’d heard … Continue reading The Maldives of summer
Leaping (and crawling) toward independence
Each year on July 4, I try to celebrate independence from something for the day. Past years have included independence from judging other people, from being afraid, and from sweets. (Don't ask. Didn't really work that well.) This year, I wasn't sure until this morning what it would be. Celebrating independence from work seemed both … Continue reading Leaping (and crawling) toward independence
And we’re off…
I am, anyway. Off work, on vacation for eight weeks. It's already halfway through the first week and I can tell it will all pass in a blink. Whatever happens the next seven and a half weeks, I will be forever grateful to my brother and his friend for the private concert Sunday night, the … Continue reading And we’re off…
Elizabeth Fountain, Author 