If someone is confined to a chair, can they still dominate a stage? Yes, Solomon Burke can.

I periodically get a kindly suggestion from a friend about thematic possibilities for a Wonderful Wednesday post.  At some point in the dark reaches of February I was propositioned about whether such requests were honored (they are).  Though no outside suggestion was given, I struck upon The If Clause because of its lawyerly associations (my old man and my step-mom are both practicing attorneys).  It seemed a ripe subject.

In fact, it could perhaps be construed as too ripe.  While I generally stick to a general pattern of three-four songs per post, choosing songs for The If Clause was like choosing a favorite child.  How can you force a man to pick between the likes of Elvis Presley  (If I Can Dream), Solomon Burke (If You Need Me), The Smiths (Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This), and Whiskeytown (If He Can’t Have You)?  The prospect is damned nigh impossible.  Call if the easy way out, but I decided to just create a complete mix instead. So here are 14 songs to mark April 14th. You can listen to the tracks below or download a zip file here. Enjoy!

If You Let Me Be Your Anchor-Dawes

If I Can Dream-Elvis Presley

If I Lose-The Band

If He Can't Have You-Whiskeytown

If You See Light-The Mountain Goats

Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before-The Smiths

If You Need Me-Solomon Burke

If I Had My Way I'd Tear The Building Down-Blind Willie Johnson

If You Ever Get Famous-The Duke and The King

If You've Got the Money, I've Got The Time-Willie Nelson

If You Call Me-Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

If You Leave It Alone-The Wave Pictures

If It Was Good Enough For Daddy-Clarence Reid

If I Had A Hammer-Willie Hightower

Disregard the idiot in the back, Heather is on the right.

It’s just a perfect little cinematic creation and features one of the best, not to mention surprising (for non-Tenacious D fans), endings ever. When Jack Black takes the stage as “Barry Jive and the Uptown Five,” you don’t really know what to expect. You certainly don’t expect this arrogant twat to hit those notes, but he does. And watching the utterly shocked faces of Cusack and Iben Hjejle is just priceless every time. Lost in that shuffle of greatness are the closing lines from Cusack talking about making a mix-tape for Laura, “Full of stuff she likes. Full of stuff that make her happy. For the first time I can sort of see how that is done.” This Wonderful Wednesday is sort of like that, but shorter and for my friend, Heather.  Her birthday is tomorrow (Thursday) and she’ll probably be pissed I didn’t get her a real present, but those cost cash money.

We go way back.  Not as far back as some of my friends, but we’ve essentially loved and hated one another since we were about 13 years old.  I’ve pissed her off more times than I can count and spent many years calling her by a nickname she hated, but she’s still most always around for me when I need some unbiased advice.  Well, check that…when I need to feel better about myself and hear that I’m too good for so and so anyhow.  And that sort of leads into the first song(s) of the day.

Kim & Cookie

Though I can still recite the above verbatim (mostly!), there was a time in my life where I could flip my cap around backwards and spout off every lyric on Stankonia.  And I never had a more knee-deep partner in the Church of ‘Kast than the H.  While there are a few songs I could select from the catalog, I have to go with the nastily clever, ninth track on Stankonia.

“I’m a gentleman, I’m gonna satisfy yo’soul then I’m gonna get mine. Like Wimbledon, be back and forth across the court til we give out. You take it all or spit it out? Are you makin a point and livin’ the life? Do you really know what it feels like to have no control over the g-spot? It’s like a brand new pair of Reeboks or a junky, freshly detoxed.  You feel the tingling all over like convulsions or the rooster pox.”

Need a dovetail? How about Erykah Badu.  Just keep in mind, even though she strolled naked through Dealey Plaza recently, she’s still an artist and still sensitive about her shit.

I love Badu –always have, always will–  and Call Tyrone is one of my favorite tracks.  It’s hard not to like such a defiant f* you song.  With Badu it is a jam, but with the boys from Kentucky?  It’s still awesome, but it’s also epic hilarity in disguise.

It’s weird defining a relationship in song, especially when it is one of deep friendship.  Despite the vast gray areas, amorous relationships just seem easier to define.  It just makes sense to categorize the connection in song.  But in actuality, the same premises apply.  It’s not the song itself, but the memories that are associated with the music.

Wyclef Jean was a big part of my life as an adolescent.  I listened to The Carnival a hundred some odd times throughout high school and there is no song in the world that makes me think of my friend more than Mona Lisa by Wyclef Jean.  In my mind, it’s just simply her song.  She owns it like the Cowboys own Dallas and there is no better song to cap this Wonderful Wednesday post.  Follow ‘Clef’s advice, turn up the speakers and let the Neville Brothers take you away.

Mona Lisa-Wyclef Jean

An Easter Past

For one, I’m not quite the churchgoer I once was. Further, I’ve outgrown my mother’s traditional gift of a pastel polo to mark the event. Easter wasn’t Easter without something overly preppy to don for the Sunday sermon. Obviously it is a bit unfair to link a “fall from grace” to no longer receiving aqua colored shirts, but it was always how I marked the event. Its cessation happened to coincide with my growing distance from the “church” and thus they are saddled together in my mind.

“O! Grace, when you stop believing, that don’t mean that it just goes away”

Even as my belief waned, I retained a passionate fascination with the concept of redemption and the stark contrast of puerile innocence.  Discovering the music of Jason Molina, specifically his work with/as Magnolia Electric Co, was akin to the experience of Alaskan prospectors in the Klondike Valley.  Here was an artist boldly mining the human experience in all its forms, unabashedly confronting the darkness within.  It was everything I ever wanted to experience.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not always so hip to the indie scene.  Thanks to my bombastic pal, Bjorn, I was introduced to a group called Dear and the Headlights.  I’m not quite a fanboy like Mr. B, but I enjoy their tunes.  This especially dark track caught my ears while listening to their album, Small Steps, Heavy Hooves.

“At least looking in the mirror won’t feel like lying”

Appreciating the power of belief, unlike the act itself, is quite easy.  Perhaps because I grew up in a churchgoing atmosphere, it is easier to understand the urge.  Releasing the problems of this world onto someone or something else is a helluva release.  And that’s what we are all searching for in this world, really.  No matter who you are or what you believe in, you search for an escape, a way to drop the problems of this existence behind and find that tabula rasa somehow.  When Colin Meloy sings about entering a church to buy a “little white candle,” it reminds me of that long sought for escape from the trials and tribulations of the present.

“Are you feeling better now?”

Ben Nichols of Lucero

As many are no doubt aware, SXSW is a horrifyingly large affair.  True participants in the event can expect long days filled with countless stimuli.   It is simply the norm and something loved by many, myself included.   In the past, my participation in the event was always as a passionate observer.  This year, however, I was actively engaged in helping put on the event.

Though this position offered its own rewards, the pitfall of the arrangement was the inability to see much in the way of SXSW programming.  Though there were a few notable exceptions, much of the music I saw was on the Day Stage.  So while I could go on and on about how electrifying it was to see Raphael Saadiq or Lucero, it would just be rehashed ground (for me at least).  Instead, I’ll just supply a few tracks from some groups I saw up on the fourth floor of the ACC and, like myself, a guy with a Waylon fixation.

Generally speaking, I’m irreparably un-hip.  So, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that I had no idea that Jason Collett was once a member of Broken Social Scene when I sat down in an arm chair to hear him play.  Despite being Canadian, his solo work would seem to most nicely fit under the broad genre of Americana (listening to him play called to mind acts like Dylan or Neil Young).

Not dissimilar from Collett was The Middle East, a folky Australian outfit.  And, in the same vein, I was entirely ignorant of their harmonic tunes prior to sitting down to listen to a few tracks.  Their music is quite pleasing, perfectly suited for watching the rain fall from the vantage point of a cozy living room.

The first act I saw on the day stage was Acrylics.  This infectious pop outfit from Brooklyn had the difficult task of opening up the Day Stage on Wednesday afternoon.  They came through in spades.  I was pressed for time, but didn’t want to leave.  Particularly dig this track:

In total, I saw about seven evening acts.  Two of those I had seen before but loved even more this time around (Saadiq, Lucero).  Of the remaining five, there were only two that stuck out in my mind as particularly enjoyable: Smokey Robinson and Whitey Morgan.  While the prior could be expected, the latter was not.  I slid into the showcase a song or two into the set, but Morgan and the 78s laid down a string of songs that were quite enjoyable.  More than that, Morgan possesses the gift of gab on the stage.  Between songs he peppered the audience with a current of conversational tidbits that had many in stitches.  The music is far from novel, but it’s damn enjoyable to hear live.  Since I have a fawning adoration of Waylon, I particularly loved this track:

Standing shoulder to shoulder with Mr. Robinson was the highlight of my festival, so I’ll leave you with the green-eyed wonder himself.

That’s all she wrote, kiddies.  Enjoy your Wednesday.

The Beautiful Decay-Skyzoo
Skyzoo – Friday – Scoot Inn

Playa Way-8Ball & MJG
8Ball & MJG – Thursday – Barbarella

Symphonies-Dan Black
Dan Black – Thursday, Friday – Dirty Dog/Emo’s

Just Ain't Gonna Work Out-Mayer Hawthorne
Mayer Hawthorne – Friday, Saturday – AMH, Mohawk

O, Dana
Big Star – Saturday – Antones

Sixes and Sevens-Lucero
Lucero – Friday – Red Eyed Fly

Get Up Jake-Deadstring Brothers
Deadstring Brothers – Friday – Continental Club

Triggers and Trash Heaps-Centro-matic
Centro-matic – Thursday – Emo’s

Robots-Dan Mangan
Dan Mangan – Thursday – Central Pres. Church

When You Call My Name-Dawes
Dawes – Weds – Club De Ville

House Built For Two-Delta Spirit
Delta Spirit – Thursday – Emo’s

Big Country-Ha Ha Tonka
Ha Ha Tonka – Saturday – Red Eyed Fly

She Left Me For Jesus-Hayes Carll
Hayes Carll – Thursday – Antone’s

Above The Sun-Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson – Thursday – Maggie Mae’s Gibson Room

Suffused With Love-Sondre Lerche
Sondre Lerche – Thursday – Day Stage

Strangers-The Dutchess and The Duke
The Dutchess and the Duke – Thursday – The Galaxy Room

Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love-The Morning Benders
The Morning Benders – Weds – Emo’s Jr

VCR-The xx
The xx – Thursday – Mohawk

An Almighty Thud-We Were Promised Jetpacks
We Were Promised Jetpacks – Wednesday – Parrish

Be Less Rude-Frightened Rabbit
Frightened Rabbit – Thursday – Parrish

Euro-trash Girl-Cracker
Cracker – Thursday, Friday – Encore Patio/Aud. Shores

Let'em have it, Johnny

In quasi-honor of this, I’ve concocted some posts that revolve around particular global locales. The first of the bunch, as you might have guessed, is Vietnam. And I promise, I ain’t gonna post a bunch of folky protest songs. Read on and see for yourself.

This first track is by my fellow Arkansan, Johnny Cash.  Titled, “Talking Vietnam Blues,” it’s the closest to being construed as a “protest” song.  It’s an easy, ramblin’ tune that speaks out against aggression and violence, not from a point of piety, but one of a calm passivity.  If one person could toss aside the supposed screen of war as a prideful and glorious expression of masculinity, it’d be Mr. Cash.

While Cash relayed the story of Americans in Vietnam from his own perspective as a performer, Jimmy Cliff takes a more nuanced position in “Vietnam.” While both music and chorus are quite catchy, the song is rather morbid. Around his countless intonations of “Viet-nam,” Cliff relates two short anecdotes relating to a solider in Vietnam. The first is from the perspective of a friend who has received a letter from his pal telling him to make sure he lets everyone know that he’s coming home. The second verse is a telegram received by his mother informing her of his death. When I listen to the track, however, I never seem to realize this. I just bob my head and sing along to the chorus.

Steve Earle is an American institution. He’s had his ups and downs musically. He suffered through addiction and recovery, bouncing back to create stunning music (The Mountain, et al). Then, as George Bush’s reign in office took shape, we all suffered through his endless political haranguing. “Copperhead Road” ranks as one of the greatest songs he has recorded.

The majority of the song deals with runnin’ ‘shine in Tennessee, but its most pointed (and astute) moment comes with the specter of the Vietnam War. John Lee Pettimore kicks off the final verse with this pronouncement:

“I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
They draft the white trash first,’round here anyway”

True, unflinching, and incisive…It’s Earle at his best.

This first song is so desperate.  Jim James unique voice is perfectly suited for this sort of vulnerability.  One wonders if he might just fall apart right in the middle of the song as he details all these things he possesses.   The comparison is a bit strange, but it reminds me every so slightly of “Try A Little Tenderness,” with its soft approach giving way to a crescendo of emotion and instrumentation.  In the midst of this, James lays his apology at your feet.

Junior Kimbrough is one of my favorite blues musicians of all time.  I’ve said this before, I know.  But it truly bears repeating…the man is amazing.  The emotion of the simple words are perfectly punctuated by the music. When you hear him claim that he “cried last night,” Junior sounds like a man that has lived and you believe him. You believe that heartache, you can feel it deep within your chest when the deep thwang of his guitar rolls over the words.

This is one of those pop confections that are always loved.  Short of being overplayed, they never fail to put a smile on one’s face.  “I’ll Kill Her” by Soko is misleadingly poppy.

There are three striking things about this song: 1) Her accent.  Adorable and infectious, it is simply wonderful. 2) Her calmness.  The relation of events is so calm that it’s endearing.  One could be forgiven for pitying this poor girl and the turn of events that have befallen her…but underneath it, the calm delivery is rather disturbing for its lack of emotion.  3) The detail.  The universe Soko creates is picture perfect.  And this adds to the tragicomic nature of the whole song.  Sure, it’s funny and cute…but it is devastatingly emotional at its core.

Le baiser de l'hôtel de ville-Robert Doisneau

The material will be in the same vein as last week too, i.e. each song is amorous in nature as a commemoration to the Valentine Holiday.

Decided to start things off with a bit of a left field selection, Carla Bruni’s “Le Plus Beau du Quartier.”  The celebrity and status Bruni experiences in Europe is rather humorous when viewed in contrast to the stark indifference of America.  With that said, there is no figure that quite epitomizes the pursuit of love quite like Bruni (her quick and scandalous dalliances w/Sarkozy and their eventual marriage seemed to appear out of a trashy romance novel and not reality).  When seen in retrospect, it is quite remarkable that she put out such a wonderful little album like Quelqu’un m’a dit.

This first track is probably recognizable to many due to its appearance in 500 Days of Summer.  For those that aren’t so up to date on their French, it’s a song sung from the perspective of a rather narcissistic man, who finds himself to be the most beautiful person around.  It is full of wonderful and sexy innuendo, perfectly illustrating the lustful and desirous nature of human attraction.

There’s nothing quite like an Allen Toussaint horn arrangement.  The man is a master, creating the signature sound behind countless tracks.  He was also a great performer in his own right and the next track, “My Baby Is The Real Thing,” is a great showcase for both sides of that coin.  The song is a beautiful defense of his love and backed by great arrangements.  To me, it epitomizes the infectious simplicity love can reach.

The Avett Brothers are one of my favorite groups.  They create such heartfelt and honest music.  Somehow, they manage t0 illustrate the various caprices of life and love with seeming ease.    Despite their relative youthfulness, their songs seem to spring from a depth of experience.

Life is ever changing but I will always
find a constant and comfort in your love
With your heart my soul is bound
And as we dance I know that heaven can be found

The Kiss-Alfred Eisenstaedt

It is based more on myth and embellishment than actual knowledge. Of course, I’m not the first to point this out. And I don’t say this to be sour. I am merely noting that the holiday is an utter creation. However, since it is such a widespread celebration these days, I’m putting away my own (small) personal qualms to lay out a list of wonderful love songs. Pour the champagne and cuddle up to your man.

Nothing says love like the Queen of Soul.  It’s paradoxical, but seminal artists like Aretha are often overlooked.  They exist as the purveyors of these cross-cultural hits that everyone knows.  The amazing depth and breadth of their body of work is shrouded by their status as an icon or star.  For too long, Aretha existed this way in my world.  I knew her tangentially at best.  Over the past few years, this has thankfully changed.  And there is no better way to kick off a V-day post than with her great song from 1967, “Baby I Love You.”

Aretha tries to entice.  She tells the boy to just stretch out his arms if he really wants her and she’ll bestow her love. “If She Wants Me,” by Belle & Sebastian, could very well exist as an amorous parallel to Aretha’s track.  In the chorus it’s that boy, full of uncertainty about whether that girl does want him.

But it is very much larger than that too.  The boy in question seems to have run off in pursuit of something larger than himself.  He quests for some level of perfection, but in the same breath is seemingly ready to reject that quest in favor of being with his love.  That is, if she wants him.   It’s a beautiful thought.

Nothing, however, gets more beautiful than a life spent together.  Which, while morbid as it may be, is the seeming aspiration of love, to become so carefully entwined with another person that the sharing of experiences passes from days to months and on through the years until one’s time on earth is eclipsed.  Whether that is the truth behind this next track is anyone’s guess, but I have long believed it to be so.  Even after all these years, the resonance of the track continues to affect me deeply.

Dylan album cover (photo by the incomprable Bruce Davidson)

Though I’ve had my own personal struggles with the music from time to time, but there is just so much wealth within it that I always return.  It’s no secret that I’ve been stuck on covers recently, so I decided to give the kid from Duluth the treatment.  It’s pretty easy to find great Dylan covers (just check out the soundtrack for I’m Not There, it’s fantastic) so I tried to stay out in left field with these.

During his time working on the music for Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (great film, by the way), Dylan wrote an improvised song titled, “Rock Me Mama.”  While it isn’t exactly a strict cover, it gained a large bit of fame as a fleshed out song called “Wagon Wheel” by One Crow Medicine Show.  And though I like that particular track, I promised to be a bit out in left-field on these, so I must go with Jason Webley & Reverend Peyton’s own version of that impromptu ditty, “Rock Me Mama.”

It is undoubtedly a simple song, but I like it quite a bit more than the glossy “co-write” produced by OCMS.  It’s much more representative of the loosely weary original.

Andrew Bird’s rendition of “Oh Sister” is one of the most arresting Dylan covers.  I suppose it’s the stark combination of whistling and strings, but it immediately catches one’s attention (Oddly enough, I first heard the track on an odd French compilation album titled “Les inrockuptibles présentent Bob Dylan Revisited”).

Though I’ve listened to the song lyrics upwards of 30 times, I still have yet to form a definite opinion on the material.  Co-written with Jacques Levy, it seems to precede or forebode the impending Christian phase with its invocation of God to woo a woman.  Despite this understanding, I still find it to be an elusive track.

Are you ready to smile? The next track is curious and rollicking little gem that always puts a grin on my chin.  The track is a cover version of “If You Gotta Go, Go Now,” by the English folk band, Fairport Convention…except it’s in French.  There’s a lot of twists, try to keep up and keep grinning. Enjoy your Wednesday.