Rodrigo Y Gabriela

If you ever listened to Kaki King and wondered what would best complement her percussive style of guitar playing, you probably may have (or not) considered a player with a pick and pluck style of play. That's exactly what Rodrigo y Gabriela is...a perfect match of yin and yang. Listening to their original work and even covers (Led Zep's Stairway to Heaven and Metallica's Orion) leaves you appreciating the guitar playing and blending. The absence of vocals doesn't take away anthything from them at all.

The DVD is even better. Aside from seeing them perform live, you get to watch as they tell their story. I was impressed to see how they both started with a heavy metal band and then made the decision to go acoustic. The tutorial is a unique idea and really worth watching.

My favorite track is Ixtapa, which happens to be the only track where they were pleased to have another musician join them.

The Gambler

It was probably two or so months ago that I read about Thea Gilmore, but it wasn't until a couple days ago that I finally decided to listen to tracks in a local Barnes & Noble. The first track (The Gambler) really caught my attention. Sadly, I didn't find anything else in the CD to convince myself to buy the album...so I left it in the rack.

The Gambler continued to play in my mind and so I finally logged in to iTunes and listend to it again. I just couldn't let go. I ended up listening to all the sample tracks from Thea's albums. All in all, I couldn't let go of 3 tracks. It's when Thea slows down that her music becomes haunting and hypnotic.

The Gambler from Harpo's Ghost
Eight Months and Pirate Moon from Avalanche

The Gambler
Roll that dice again again
Once or twice you’ll reel me in
What I’ve got is not what I came for
I’ll keep coming back for more

Lay your head upon my chest
The odds are slim but isn’t that the test
In this game you either bend or break
And I don’t know what kind of mess we’ll make
Come on lay your head upon my chest

Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Spin that wheel, spin that wheel, spin that wheel.

Pull the trigger load the gun
The journey home has only just begun
We could rise but if we swan-dive too
Oh I’ll love going down with you
(come on pull the trigger load the gun)

Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Spin that wheel, spin that wheel, spin that wheel
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Spin that wheel, spin that wheel, spin that wheel

Eight Months
Indian Summer
Toronto sings
This is the gateway
To everything
Heading south down
The pan American
Lord give me eight months
Eight months
To get it done

Fortaleza
Would make you cry
Cold canyon sunrise
Russian vines
I'll catch these days as
Londons' leaves fall
Lord give me eight months
Eight months
To see it all

Aroura Borealis
The Blue daystar
I'm chasing sunsets, cities, taillights
To get that far

Cut the sky to
Wellington
Then Sydney bathing
In blue neon
Karakorams to rest
In purple skies
Lord Give me eight months
Eight months
To open my eyes

Lord Give me eight months
Eight months
To open my eyes

Pirate Moon
Up in the midnight blue
That's where I'm going to
Up where the sirens scream
Through every misplaced dream

Up with the pirate moon
In bloody Monochrome
That's where I'll call my home
Up where the stars will die

Before they can reach your eyes
Up with the Pirate Moon
Above the mirrored sea
That's where I'm going to be

Up where the whisper fails
In scar tissue of vapour trails
Up with the pirate moon
Up in the cloud ballet
That’s where I'm going to stay
I could just disappear
You cannot reach me here
Up with the pirate moon

Shawn Colvin and Brandi Carlile

In my recent trip down to Portland, I got tickets to see Shawn Colvin. The best part of it was that her opening act was Brandi Carlile. I missed out on Brandi's shows in Seattle so this was a chance to see her perform songs from her current album. She started off with covers from Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, and then proceeded to original tracks, including "Follow", "Tragedy", and "Closer to You".

When Shawn Colvin's turn came up, she started with a cover as well (performing "Smile", an old BeeGees song). I've watched Shawn perform live on TV (and DVD), but I have to say that watching her in the flesh is priceless. Her voice is really strong and live is just the best way to enjoy her music. Midway through her set she invited Brandi to do a duet and Brandi, ever admitting that she's a big fan, was a little tense in the beginning. But Shawn, ever the old pro, calmed her down and gave her a back rub (which would probably cause any devoted fan to faint ;) ). After the song, Shawn thanked Brandi and even added some humor ("...she's so sweet, she even brushed her teeth before coming on stage...she must be all grossed out at me!").

After the set, I was on my way out when I heard her come back to do a quick song (because of something...maybe to buy time for the crew...another set was coming up)...and to my surprise....she did Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy"...now that was a treat!