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Category Archives: Music

Proud Valletta – 11/10/09

Proud Valletta with Misses Ellen Sunday and Her Fantastic Cats and Jonathan Thompson, 11/10/09 at The Pinhook in Durham, NC. Set-list: A Holiday in Cottingley The Mary Celeste A Song For Clarice To My Mother, Who Waits Above God Sees The Truth But Waits A Bawdy Lament For Our Setting Sun Plastic Jesus La Fin […]

Proud Valletta – 10/28/09

Right, so I figured it would be moderately interesting to keep a record of what songs my band, Proud Valletta, has played, and what at shows we played them; and it would be convenient to store this record in a common space, and since this blog contains more or less a hodgepodge of Things I […]

Observe: Proud Valletta’s Newly Inked Bass Drum

If you needed another reason to come to our show tomorrow at 10pm at the Cave in Chapel Hill, Tofer has provided one: Tofer drew my quill tattoo as well. Everything he does is magic. And if you haven’t already, listen to our music.

Ys

I’d heard Milk-Eyed Mender a few times, but I only really got into Joanna Newsom’s music with Ys. What a beautiful album. At first, her voice turned me off. I had a crappy bootleg of Yarn and Glue. Or are all versions like that? Mine was recorded in some sort of drive-me-mad stereo mode. It […]

Flower’s Grave

Someday the silver moon and I Will go to Dreamland I will close my eyes And wake up there in Dreamland Tell me who will put flowers On a flower’s grave Who will say a prayer Will I meet a China rose there In Dreamland Or does love lie bleeding In Dreamland Are these days […]

Yma Sumac is dead

What a shame. I first heard of her a few months ago, and listened to her Ultimate Connection, which is primarily Incan remnants. The songs all have names like “Virgin of the Sun God” or “Xtabay (Lure of the Unknown Love).” Sumac’s songs are filled with exotic percussion, strings, horns, and lilting flutes; all of […]

Pretty Boy Floyd

Yes, as through this world I’ve wandered I’ve seen lots of funny men; Some will rob you with a six-gun, And some with a fountain pen. —Woody Guthrie, Pretty Boy Floyd I’ll be the second man, if anybody was wondering. The “noble outlaw” sentiment behind this song is hopelessly naive, but still fairly attractive. Robin […]

Father and Son

I was listening to this song yesterday. It’s is a dialogue between (obviously) a father and son. This bit is from the father’s perspective as he tries to offer a wiser perspective to his child: I was once like you are now, and I know that its not easy, To be calm when you’ve found […]

Give me Robin Hood and I will be a merry man

I don’t know, good horse, As we trot in this dark here That robbing the rich is for worse or for best They take it by stealing and lying and gambling And I take it my way, my shiny Black Bess. — Woody Guthrie, The Unwelcome Guest Music is the only way to access certain […]

Music As Language

This clip spurred me to think about an aspect of music I haven’t thought deeply on. Music as language: Bob Kauflin, speaking on music as language I think music functions as language, and that we glean emotions, inspiration, etc. from it, but what is the criteria for language? Birdsong is beautiful, and could move our […]