Sweet Aussie music finds, part 2

I know I'm revealing my inner music geek here--you know, the same one who in jr. high thrilled to find obscure British bands she thought no one in Cache Valley had yet discovered? But the good Aussie music finds just keep coming and I really love sharing music gems. So here are a few more favorites (see part 1 here). 

Mia Dyson
- Blues singer with a sound similar to Brandi Carlisle
- moved to the US, has toured with Eric Clapton, Stevie Nicks, and Chris Isaak
- try I Meant Something to You Once

Matt Corby
- mellow acoustic singer with a sound a little like Jeff Buckley 
- beautiful, melancholy songs
- try Made of Stone,  Light Home

San Cisco
- indie pop band with a low-fi garage band sound--reminds me of the Ting Tings
- upbeat tempos and hooks (but some mellower stuff, too)
- try Awkward, Reckless 

Boy & Bear
- a bit of a Mumford & Sons sound
- won breakthrough songwriter of the year 2012 from APRA
- toured with Mumford & Sons, Angus & Julia Stone and others
- try Mexican Mavis, Feeding Line 

Paul Greene & The Other Colours
- mellow, upbeat, versatile
- reminiscent of Neil Finn (Crowded House), Elvis Costello
- Greene's also a runner and competed in the Atlanta Olympics (!) 
- try Her Minor Key , Behind the Stars

p.s. I've compiled many of our favorites onto an Australian Alternative playlist here.

Sweet (new-to-us) discoveries

Part of the fun of moving across the globe is sampling a whole new music scene. Happily, there is a lot going on here in Australia with a wealth of talented artists that just don't get the exposure in the states--at least not yet or not as much. While we were already fans of some of these before we came here (I'm looking at you, Angus & Julia Stone and The Temper Trap), it's been fun to discover what we've been missing out on. 

Here are a few new-to-us Aussie faves that you might like, too (and, yes, for those of you who are Australians, it's probably old news):

Little Red
- 4-piece indie pop band (sadly they just broke up in July, though)
- upbeat, happy energy and a bit of a retro sound in some of their songs
- try Rock It , Coca Cola

Angus & Julia Stone
- brother-sister duo with unique voices and close harmonies
- Big Jet Plane was their big breakout, also used on movie soundtracks and commercials
- try Big Jet Plane, I'm Not Yours, Just a Boy

The Temper Trap
- The lead, Mandagi, was originally a busker in Melbourne
- I first loved them on the soundtrack for 500 Days of Summer 
- try Sweet Disposition, Trembling Hands

Lanie Lane
- blues+jazz singer-songwriter-guitarist (and florist, to raise money for her album)
- charming, eclectic sound
- just won best independent blues & roots album
- try That's What You Get for Falling in Love with a Cowboy, What Do I Do

The Rubens
- a fairly new band (started in 2011) but they are gaining fast
- soul + blues + rock, reminiscent of the Black Keys (who they opened for here)
- try Lay It Down, My Gun, Never Be the Same

More to come...

Playlist: Early days in Oz

The moving vans have arrived and we are busy unpacking and setting up house here! (Huzzah!) In the meantime, I thought I'd share some of our favorite music showing up frequently in the rotation around here.

Hiking with friends in Tidbinbilla

For the rest of my life when I hear one of these songs, I will think of our early days in Australia: of eucalyptus trees and long walks, of driving around in our little red hatchback rental car with the windows down, of our delight in seeing Aussie creatures, of being both excited and slightly woozy from jetlag and turning our lives upside down. 

These links take you to hear each of the songs on Spotify; here's the whole playlist:

Once Upon Another Time (Sara Bareilles)
Be My Witness (Bahamas)
Bread (Yellow Ostrich)
Gnossiennes No. 1 Lent (Satie)
Take It With Me (Tom Waits)
Flowers in Your Hair (The Lumineers)
On My Way Back Home (Band of Horses)
Forever Young (Bob Dylan)
Stay (Sara Bareilles)
The Lord Bless You and Keep You (John Rutter)
Normal Song (Perfume Genius)
If I Didn't Know Better (Sam Palladio, Clare Bowen)
Bring It On Home to Me (Sam Cooke)
If You Want Trouble (Nick Waterhouse)
My Heart Stood Still (Chet Baker)
You're the One That I Want (The Lennings)
Big Jet Plane (Angus and Julia Stone)
T-Bone Shuffle (T-Bone Walker)
Wisely and Slow (The Staves)
Come Back Down (Greg Laswell & Sara Bareilles)
Heart & Bones (The Pines)
We're Going to Be Friends (The White Stripes)
Fade Into You (Palladio & Bowen)
I Saw You Blink (Stornaway)
1000 Sundowns (Emma Louise)
Are You Ready Yet? (Clare Bowditch) 

 p.s. I'm a big fan of the show Parenthood; if you are, too, you might notice that I lifted a few of these from the Bravermans (that show just keeps getting better and better, right?). And here's a little bonus for your viewing pleasure, some "kangaroo" high jinx  (thanks to Sam, who shared it after seeing it at school today): 

Music to travel by

Not too long ago, I asked people here and on facebook about their favorite roadtrip songs so we could put together a mega playlist for our cross-country drive. Well, you came through brilliantly with a crowdsourcing bounty of 167 songs from 72 people. Bravo! There are some serious musical treasures there (or traysures as they say in my home state). Thank you, everyone! The best part is we have a master list with your name next to the song you suggested so we can reminisce about each of you while we listen to your music. Can't wait. I am so excited to listen to these. While I am determined to wait so we can savor them for the first time on the trip starting next Thursday, that doesn't mean you can't go have a listen! If you're on Spotify (and if not, why not?) you can access the playlist here and start listening now, all 11 hours of it. Otherwise, here's a song-by-song list in case you're curious. (And, by the way, it's not too late! Chime in with your picks in the comments and we'll add your song to the list.)

Click to read more ...

Once upon last Saturday

Permission to gush?

I loved the movie, remember? I've been looking forward to seeing the musical ever since it was announced, all the while crossing my fingers that it would live up to the spirit of the original. 

Well, hallelujah, it did. I cried happy tears from the first notes. Looking down the row, it had the same effect on my girls. At the end I narrowly avoided getting to ugly, loud cry mode (You know the kind? where your breaths come in hiccups and you're no longer in control of your throat noises? That kind.). There's something about this story, that music, that just resonates with my heart: the healing power and joy of music, the gentle powerful difference one person can make. It's a heartfelt, joyous story that never crosses over the border to sappy. 

I can't resist sharing some clips:

Are you rolling your eyes? At least definitely watch Steve Kazee's moving Tony acceptance speech. Please?

Are you rather interested? Take a sneak peek at scenes from the show:

For fellow (slightly obsessed) fans, a longer look at the making of Once and the recording of the music:

. . .

More here:

- Steve Kazee's interview with the New York Times

- Cristin Milioti's interview with the Wall Street Journal

- More about how Cristin Milioti learned the piano in 10 days to nail the audition

. . .

If you go:

- get there early! The stage set is set as a Dublin bar and it also serves as the actual, pre-show bar so you can go up on stage and order a drink or bottle of water until show time. Even better, the musicians and actors come out and perform as a little warm-up gig. You can stand up there right next to them on the stage.

- know that there is some language. In my book Irish swearing is in a different category (and you can pretty much convince yourself they're saying forks, for instance) but it's definitely PG13 in the language department so you should know that going in.

- oh, enjoy, enjoy. Hopefully the loud-yawning guy doesn't sit behind you like when we went. Also, he blew on Maddy's neck to get her to move to the side. Annoying!

- go meet the cast at the stage door afterwards (just turn right when you exit the theatre, it's right there). The cast was so warm and engaging, every one of them. Cristin Milioti was as lovely as she seemed on stage. Steve Kazee gave us his best Australian accent and chatted with us like he had all the time in the world. I like to think we made a deep personal connection but really, they were equally lovely with each person on the line. We were starstruck.