The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a national holiday tradition, and has been so for the past 83 years, and this year the tradition continued.

This year, the parade route returns to its roots with it ending at 34th street right in front of the Macy’s store. This is different than it has been in recent years.

 There is a list of performers that include Katharine McPhee, Jane Krakowski, and we have Spiderman, Kermit and Spongebob floating down the parade route. Ziggy Marley, the son of the legendary Reggae singer Bob Marley, performed a song with his daughter on a float decorated as a pirate ship.

Ziggy Marley and Daughter awaiting performance at Macy Thanksgiving Day Parade today

 Ziggy performed his new song ”It’s Family Time” while holding his daughter in his arms so she could reach the mike…very cute.

Katharine McPhee, sporting her new sassy blonde ‘do, performed her new single “Had It All.” Jane Krakowski performed a Christmas tune. She may play a ditzy spoiled celeb on “30 Rock,” but in real-life Krakowski is quite the songbird.

Teen superstar Miley Cyrus made an exuberant appearance waving to her throngs of excited fans that lined the parade route waiting patiently for the international superstar. She looked great, in light of the bush crash tragedy that killed her long time tour bus driver this past friday. Today was much happier times for her.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade aired on CBS and NBC at noon ET/9 am PT.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING…NOW GO EAT….

Chart Position: 1

• Written and originally recorded by Carole King
• Won song of the year Grammy award for Carole King
• Won best pop performance – male Grammy award
• This is James Taylor’s only #1 single
• Backing vocals: Joni Mitchell
• Produced by Peter Asher
• Recorded in Hollywood CA
• Taylor and Mitchell dated in 1971
• Carole King played keyboards on Taylor’s 1971 tour; she lent moral support on the tour as he struggled with the effects of drug withdrawal
• Taylor plays guitar on King’s original version of this song
• Also recorded by Jim Nabors (1972), Dusty Springfield (released in 1999), Barbra Streisand (1971), Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (1972), Johnny Mathis (1971), Anne Murray (1971), Andy Williams (1971), Labelle (1971), Claude Francois (1971), Common Ground, Jim Cole, Phil Upchurch (1972), Michael Jackson (1972), Al Green & Billy Preston (1987), Acker Bilk, McFly (2005), Angela & Veronica, Brand New Heavies (1987), Don Williams (1995), Housemartins (1988), Petula Clark, Jimmy Cliff, Michel Delpech (1979), Aretha Franklin (1995), Me First & Gimee Gimees (1999), Sabien Tiels (1999), Billy Crawford, Xavier Davis, Alex De Grassi, Mantovani, Anita Kerr, David Young (2000), Nu Men 4 Soul (2009), Brand New Heavies, Blind Boys of Alabama, Ella Fitzgerald, Barry Manilow w/Melissa Manchester (2007) and many more

Perhaps I did not begin in the best mood for cooking tonight’s dish. Perhaps I was too tired. But tonight’s chillaquilles  did not begin on the right note. First of all, almost everything in the recipe seems to require immediate attention at the same time – frying tortillas! Chopping onion! Mincing garlic! Blending tomato sauce! Shredding cheese! I only have two hands and only one sous chef. The other problem may have been that I was not entirely clear with myself whether I was halving the recipe or not, so I appeared to be doing a mix of both depending on how I felt about the ingredient…thus, a whole measure of garlic and cheese and a half measure of tortilla and tomato. And to make things more complicated, I decided that, in the spirit of more-with-less, I should try to use up the remaining tomato paste in the fridge – so why not throw that in? What resulted initially was what I believe Tim Gunn of Project Runway would refer to as “a big hot mess”. Literally. Now, I don’t know how this is supposed to look…but this did not seem to be right. It does not actually taste bad but it does not look good. It does add credence to my theory that anything tastes better with cheese added to it.

Music of the evening: Esa Noche by Cafe Tacuba, Nichim Viul by Claudia Martinez and….Mexico by James Taylor.

My wife and I had a baby girl (Devin) the first week of November and it has reminded me of so many things in life that are great, and so many things in life that are less important. We could debate and go on about this forever, but I think music is much less appreciated than it should be, and following is why music is great for me, and almost my religion.

For those of you that have had newborns, you may remember that all they do is sleep, cry, poop, and eat, in some ratio of one to another. What you do in between is what makes dealing with the constant changes in a newborns like easier. For me, music is where I turn to when I need to escape, calm down, ground myself, or just put everything into perspective.

Last night, Devin would not sleep between 3:30 and 5 AM and since it was my turn to rock and comfort, I went into the nursery and turned on the iPod that I connected with my old computer stereo speakers. The mix of songs that came out of the very old iPod Mini was great. James Taylor, Phish, The Grateful Dead, Norah Jones, Tom Waits, Tracy Chapman, Allison Krauss and so many more brought back memories of me as a kid, child, teenager, and adult. All the while I am holding my 2 week old in my hands, staring at her, singing the lyrics to the songs – while she stares back at me, not understanding much, but at least listening to the music…this is the best thing ever.

The music had calmed the savage beast (or crying baby).

My 2.5 year old son Jared has a thirst for music. (besides a thirst for overall consumption and destruction). He craves good music, with both electric, vocal, and acoustic components. If you ask him who his favorite musician is he will tell you: Dave Matthews. He also listens to Phish, Bluegrass, Classical, and just about anything but super heavy metal. At night, or if you are crying, he will sing you twinkle twinkle little star until you are asleep.

I have committed myself to listening to the Phish Festival 8 set lists from beginning to end. Over and over again, I am reminded of the benefits of music as they take me through varying journeys to my overall state of relaxation and emotional rescue. The highs, lows, notes and chords that are achieved by some musicians provide me with what I call “tingles” which very few other things in life provide outside of physical contact. Some say [formalized] religion – but I would argue that religion provides other crutches besides true spiritual emotions. We could digress into religion for an eternity, but I will not.

Emotional Rescue – what sleep deprived parents of newborns need in order to feel less like a feeding diaper changing swaddling rocking machine. It’s what music delivers…at least for me.

What has digital technology allowed us to obtain? Music anywhere, anytime, and any decibel level, and a collection of over 85,000 tracks to sooth my mind, emotions and make my daughter fall asleep in my arms. I can’t wait to share my music collection with my children as they get older and more sophisticated in their appreciation.

Music – more people should subscribe to it as their almost religion.

And I never thought that I’d see… James Taylor seeming like Mister Rogers’ younger brother.  Adorable.  Attractive. Earnest. Not a negative thing, mind you, but just a little surprising.  Blinking.  Hand motions.  Even calling me “special.” Everything but the cardigan.  Not only looking and acting his age, but sedately and winsomely welcoming me to his website and thanking me for “falling by.”  Ah, times have changed.  And I’m thankful my childhood heroes are going with me into the valley of menopause.  Come with us: http://www.jamestaylor.com/

I remember being 10 and showing my grandmother the cover of Sweet Baby James, and I told her, in my prepubescently insistent way, that “James Taylor is the best-looking man alive.”  And she was shocked, mortified, depleted… and replied with a sure-fire deal-breaker (if her intent was to dissuade me), saying “But what about your father?  He’s so handsome.”  It seemed that some unknown part of my future character rested on realizing the error of my ways for finding such a long-haired hippie (and an insouciantly lounging one, at that) attractive.

Anyway, I’m a big fan, and I’ve paid scalpers’ rates, and sat through deluges in lawn “seats,” and I check out his website from time to time, and in short I am — as I said — a big fan. My children even think that James Taylor is the author of the only lullaby ever written, “You Can Close your Eyes,” cause it’s the only one their momma ever sang.

I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain…but I never thought I’d compare James Taylor to Fred Rogers.

Well, I set WMP to the “Pop” genre, but I’m not sure I agree with all these songs’ designations; may have to do some adjusting…

1. “Water is Wide” – James Taylor, New Moon Shine
2. “One of Our Submarines” – Thomas Dolby, The Golden Age of Wireless
3. “Under African Skies” – Paul Simon, Graceland
4. “Strawberry Letter 23” – The Brothers Johnson, Right on Time
5. “True Colours” – Go West, Aces and Kings: The Best of Go West
6. “Sex Symbol” – Marc Jordan, Living in Marina Del Rey and Other Stories
7. “Love So Right” – Bee Gees, Here at Last…Live
8. “Something We Can Do” – Vitamin Z, Rites of Passage
9. “Girl in the Moon” – Icehouse, Man of Colours
10. “Walk on the Ocean” – Toad the Wet Sprocket, PS: A Toad Retrospective

Toad the Wet Sprocket is one of those groups I never appreciated at the time but enjoy now.  And Vitamin Z was a great 80’s pop group that never quite got off the ground.

For this week’s post, I thought it would be a nice diversion to listen to some tunes. Better yet, to listen to some tunes while watching moving images.  In this sampler we have a couple of music videos and a couple of live cuts from a few of my favorites—hope you find something you like, too.

_______________________________________

Donald Fagen

“Snowbound”

From the album, Kamakiriad, 1993.

Donald Fagen is of course half of the brain trust known as Steely Dan, creators of genius music puzzles for the past several decades. The album was a solo project for Fagen, which thematically explored a bleak, ironic future for mankind. The video was directed by Michael Gondry, the man behind a ton of cool videos and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Let me also state for the record that Gondry’s film Be Kind Rewind is an underrated gem which you should rent as soon as possible.

 Click here for “Snowbound” Video

 ______________________________________

James Taylor (with J.D. Souther)

“Her Town Too”

From the album, Dad Loves His Work, 1981.

Apparently, this album came out while Taylor was simultaneously divorcing Carly Simon and suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. J.D. Souther, a widely-respected writer and musician in his own right, lends a sweet harmony to the song. It’s hard to believe this came out nearly 30 years ago (unless you look at their wardrobes).

 Click here for “Her Town Too” video

 _________________________________

Jackson Browne (with David Lindley)

“Late for the Sky”

From the album, Late for the Sky, 1974.

This clip is from an unknown 2006 folk festival and features a grizzled Jackson Browne and an understated David Lindley.  Not that Jackson Browne has ever needed backup of any kind, but Lindley’s soaring guitar work helped shape Browne’s signature sound when he was a musical force in the 1970’s. If you haven’t listened to some of Jackson Browne’s earlier work, find these records and listen to them through an old pair of headphones. You will be moved.

 Click here for live “Late for the Sky”

 _________________________________

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings

“Caleb Meyer”

From the album, Hell Among the Yearlings, 1988.

I had the good fortune to see Gillian Welch and David Rawlings at Merlefest several years in a row and again at the Town Hall in NYC. The selected song is a higher tempo than some of my favorite Gillian Welch songs, but you get a sense of his brilliant guitar technique and her anachronistic songwriting, like haunted old tunes written in the 1840’s.  The interplay of their voices is an amazing sound to hear live.

 Click here for live “Caleb Meyer”

Eu li em algum lugar e não me lembro mais onde, mas era mais ou menos assim: você pode fazer uma festa sem dinheiro, mas você não pode fazer uma festa sem amigos.

Há coisas muito maiores do que a decoracão da moda, o tamanho do casamento, o budget ou o vestido de grife.

O minicasamento de sábado não teria acontecido como aconteceu se não fosse pelo amor dos amigos. Foram amigos preparando repertório musical, outras trazendo bolos, a mãe fazendo bombons no dia que chegou de viagem. Amigos levando as coisas pra lá e pra cá de carro conosco, minha amiga me ajudando a arrumar mesas. O chefe liberando a impressora do trabalho, os dois amigos fotografando. A cerimônia surpresa, a traducão da minha melhor amiga para Português. A iniciativa espontânea de quem estava lá e sentiu falta das velas que tínhamos esquecido em casa e tratou de providenciá-las por nós, assim como o café também para acompanhar o bolo. O mutirão para ajudar a arrumar tudo no final da festa… Foi tanta gente que ajudou, cada um com uma coisinha, toda essa mobilizacão, tudo de forma tão espontânea, que não há nada que torne essa festa mais inesquecível do que isso: não celebramos apenas o nosso amor. Celebramos o amor de todos, uns pelos outros.

A cerimônia merece um post à parte, mas adianto aqui que a pastora não falou só da nossa relacão de casados. Falou da nossa relacão uns com os outros. Com nossas famílias, com nossos amigos, com nossos colegas do trabalho. Falou que compartilharmos o que somos, o que temos, o que nos faz felizes com os outros, porque é compartilhando que somos felizes. Ali estávamos todos compartilhando nossas alegrias, por dar ou por receber. E poucas vezes eu vi uma cerimônia onde teoria e prática se apresentassem assim, de forma simultânea, tão bonita.

Foi por falar e viver amizades que eu me emocionei. Pela minha amizade de crianca com o Rafa, que manteve toda a pureza daqueles tempos, e que hoje nos traz uma base tão sólida para o nosso casamento. Pela minha amizade com minha família, com a família dele, e com meus amigos. Os daqui, os daí, os de blogs que eu nunca encontrei pessoalmente, mas que aparecem por aqui e com quem eu tenho um contato tão carinhoso.

Foi por isso que, quando Pamela e Gunnar cantaram You’ve got a friend, do James Taylor, eu chorei…

Meu manifesto é por festas com significado. Pela celebracão do amor. Pelo não ao consumismo exagerado, à ostentacão, aos convidados por política ou interesse e às “regras de etiqueta” sem sentido.

Meu manifesto é contra a perda da cabeca porque o bolo estava um pouquinho doce demais, ou o bem-casado um pouquinho seco, ou porque os noivinhos não chegaram a tempo, ou porque você vai ter que usar renda nacional no vestido. Isso é muito menos importante do que parece. Se é que é mesmo importante.

E meu desejo é que todos os noivos tenham esta data lembrada como o dia em que o amor foi festejado com convidados queridos que estavam na mesma sintonia que eles, independente de quem tenha assinado a decoracão da festa.

ps. Eu também estou ansiosíssima para ver as fotos oficiais, que ainda não recebi!

Cool Jazz is a great mix of styles for outdoor summer evenings in magical places – living memories of Portugal’s cultural heritage.

Every year since its first edition Cool Jazz Festival has been surprising its audience with new venue locations. This year was no exception. During the 6th edition the artists assembled in the centre of Cascais, at the Manuel Possolo Hippodrome, the Marechal Carmona Park and at the town fortress. Mafra also hosted Cool Jazz concerts in the Jardim do Cerco.

Given the success reached over the last years, the Cascais City Council and the Mafra City Council have this year decided to create their own editions aimed at their own specific audiences. Therefore the Cooljazz 6th edition was be presented as Cascais Cooljazz and Mafra Cooljazz, each with their own independent programmes and dynamics, staying faithful to the CoolJazzFest Great Mix brand.

When I read on James Taylor’s fan site that the great man himself was coming to Auckland on April 10, 2010  along with Carole King, I was ecstatic! Their Troubadour Reunion concert was advertised yesterday in the Sunday Star Times, along with an interview with Taylor and his long-time friend and collaborator Carole King.   I have been a fan of James Taylor for years now after my dad introduced me to his music and his albums take up a significant space in my CD collection.  He’s one of those artists that whenever I listen to his music my soul glows because it just makes me so happy.  He has an amazing voice, which I think has aged like a fine wine, and has written some amazing songs, such as Fire and Rain, Carolina in my mind, Line ‘em up, and My travelling star.

I’ll definitely be lining up for tickets when they go on sale on Monday 23 November.

If you’re also a fan, we have some of his albums in the library including my favourites October Road, You’ve got a friend: the best of James Taylor, and One Man Band.

James Taylor, Peachtree City, recently received a Doctor of Pastoral Counseling degree from Andersonville Theological Seminary. Taylor is a chaplain with the Peachtree City Police Department and also serves as a chaplain for Piedmont Fayette Hospital. He is a member of The Cathedral of Christ the King, Sharpsburg, GA and is an aspirant for Holy Orders in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. Currently he serves as a Licensed Liturgical Minister in the Diocese of the Mid-South and is active in The International Order of St. Luke the Physician. He and his wife, Karen Romano-Taylor, are both active in the leadership of Peachtree City’s Community Emergency Response Team.

Photo: Chaplain James Taylor, DPC, and Bishop David Epps

I just made a quick post but I’ll be more specific talking about this girl because something about her just attracted me. She has a incredible taste to songs, bands and she’s very beauty. I’m talking about Kiersten Holine. Her influences; Bob Dylan, James Taylor, isn’t that awesome ?

Kiersten Holine started playing guitar 8 years ago and has been singing since she can remember. After being recommended in the 2007 Hot Issue of Rolling Stone, she decided to more actively pursue her music with influences ranging from Bob Dylan to Stars. She credits her love of music to a childhood filled with the sounds of Marvin Gaye and James Taylor. More covers and originals to come.

Another girl making a huge sucess on youtube, it’s great for music, good music lovers and also for her. Some important links:

Twitter Youtube Channel Myspace Tumblr Official Site

I’ve been staying with my brother this week (in my head I always call him my “bother” and chuckle goofily, though we get along well). This morning he drove me to work by way of his son’s school — half an hour north. As the primary caretaker, my brother spends an inordinate amount of time driving my nephew here, there, and everywhere. I think it would make me crazy if I had to do it every day, but he seems to not think much of it.

When I visit, I enjoy these early-morning rides, little slices of time when we end up talking about nothing in particular. I realized today that his commute routine is similar to mine, albeit an extended version: on the way to his son’s school, he plays a cello CD, part of my nephew’s practice routine for the instrument. Once he’s dropped him off, he starts scanning the ol’ FM.

This morning we heard some gems. We dissected “Run to You.” I head-bobbed to “I Want to Get Away.” And then there was “You’re So Vain.”

My emotional reactions to this song are all tied up with the summer of 1986 or ‘87, when my sister was living at our family summer house in Vermont. My parents and I came back and forth a few times — we no doubt interrupted her fun, but the visits were totally fun for me. And there were two cassettes that defined that summer: James Taylor’s “That’s Why I’m Here” and Carly Simon’s — hm, greatest hits, I guess.

And oh, the glamour of “You’re So Vain.” My sister filled me with wisdom, and I was incredulous. It’s about Warren Beatty, really? And Mick Jagger is singing on it? I suppose today Carly, Warren, and Mick all seem old and haggard, but twenty years ago that was some juicy stuff. And a decade before that, when she released the song, it was even juicier — check out all these attempts to figure out the truth.

Celeb intrigue aside, I just loved this song. It didn’t take long for me to start singing along that summer, even if I didn’t get the words quite right — I wondered, for a long time, about the “scarfot” in the line “your scarf it was apricot.” And I didn’t understand why she had some dreams there were clowns in her coffee.

At least, that latter misunderstanding is what I told my brother this morning. Even as I said it, I thought I might be making it up. My brother has just asked what the real lyric means. Here’s Carly’s explanation:

“Clouds in my coffee” are the confusing aspects of life and love. That which you can’t see through, and yet seems alluring … until. Like a mirage that turns into a dry patch. Perhaps there is something in the bottom of the coffee cup that you could read if you could (like tea leaves or coffee grinds).

Seems to me Carly don’t quite know what she means either. But it’s a great lyric, and it’s a song that still makes me instantly happy, after all these years.

I, Jukebox

John Hollenbeck, Eternal Interlude

David Greenberger/Paul Cebar, Cherry Picking Apple Blossom Time

Neko Case, “Marais La Nuit”

Paul Motian Trio 2000 + 2, On Broadway

Meg Baird, “When The Bridegroom Comes”

Shorty Long, “Wind It Up”

The Young Rascals, “What Is The Reason”

Keith Jarrett, Paris/London

Espers, III

Keith, “98.6“

From Making Waves

Amchitka is the rock concert that launched Greenpeace. It’s also the concert that launched a ship: the Phyllis McCormack, which sailed out into the first Greenpeace action protesting US nuclear testing in the Aleutian Islands.

Bruce Cox, Executive Director of Greenpeace Canada posted this blog entry on GP Canada’s blog:

Tapes Unearthed
Read Bruce’s original entry

After 39 years “in hiding”, today Greenpeace released “Amchitka: the 1970 concert that launched Greenpeace”, a 2-CD recording of the pivotal benefit concert that started a movement.
the 1970 concert that launched Greenpeace

On Oct 16th 1970, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Phil Ochs played a benefit concert in Vancouver, BC that funded the first voyage of Greenpeace. Nearly four decades later, the artists and family have generously donated their music to help the environment again – all proceeds of the CD will go to Greenpeace.

This rare recording is a piece of Greenpeace history, a piece of Canadian history and unexpectedly, a rare musical gem.

The album captures a young Joni Mitchell surfing the acclaim of “Ladies of the Canyon” and about to release her landmark “Blue” album. James Taylor’s “Sweet Baby James” album has just gone platinum – that night. And Phil Ochs provides a political edge fitting to the evening. Never before released tunes…Joni Mitchell performing soon-to-be classics (not yet committed to vinyl)…and an amazing Joni and James duet capture the magic of the evening.

You’ll be able to purchase a downloadable digital copy of the album within the next day or so, or order a hard copy of the CD, which is a beautiful package that includes a 48 page booklet with never before seen photos from the concert and an excellent first hand account essay of the making of the concert.

Check out songs from Amchitka now

>>Amchitka on Facebook
>>More blogging on our Climate Rescue Blog
>>Are you following us on Twitter?

Laura

00221.000 MY ROMANCE

Music: Richard Rodgers
Words: Lorenz Hart

Link to Lyrics and Chords (James Taylor version)
Link to James Taylor’s Performance

My romance doesn’t have to have a moon in the sky;
My romance doesn’t need a blue lagoon standing by.
No month of May, no twinkling stars,
No hide-away, no soft guitars.
My romance doesn’t need a castle rising in Spain;
Nor a dance to a constantly surprising refrain.
Wide awake, I can make my most fantastic dreams come true
My romance doesn’t need a thing but you.

“I’m so lucky to make you feel yucky everyday”

Singer/songwriters James Taylor and Carly Simon were married in 1972. They had two children together, Ben and Sally, and performed several collaborations. The couple divorced in 1981.

The second wedding I went to was on Sunday in Baltimore and was for my aunt Ellen and her fiance Barry. Ellen’s friend Vicky, Grandmom and I helped Ellen get dressed in the upstairs portion of the Elkridge Furnace Inn.

Ellen putting on her veil.

Ellen and Grandmom standing by the window overlooking the courtyard.

It rained the whole day, but right before the outdoor ceremony at 2 p.m., the rain stopped and the sun came out. Ellen asked me to read a poem during their ceremony.

LOVE By Roy Croft
I love you,
Not only for what you are,
But for what I am
When I am with you.

I love you,
Not only for what
You have made of yourself,
But for what
You are making of me.

I love you
For the part of me
That you bring out;
I love you
For putting your hand
Into my heaped-up heart
And passing over
All the foolish, weak things
That you can’t help
Dimly seeing there,
And for drawing out
Into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked
Quite far enough to find.

I love you because you
Are helping me to make
Of the lumber of my life
Not a tavern
But a temple;
Out of the works
Of my every day
Not a reproach
But a song.

I love you
Because you have done
More than any creed
Could have done
To make me good,
And more than any fate
To make me happy.

You have done it
Without a touch,
Without a word,
Without a sign.
You have done it
By being yourself.

After the ceremony, we had hors d’oeuvres and cocktails while the Ellen and Barry took pictures. Then we had a delicious dinner:

• Salad: Poached pears, dried cranberries, toasted pecans and blue cheese over baby spinach with a champagne vinaigrette.

• My Entree: Airline chicken breast served with a red cabbage, apple and sumac slaw, apply brandy butter sauce and a savory walnut and onion bread pudding.

The food was to die for.  After dinner Ellen and Barry danced to “How sweet it is to be loved by you,” by James Taylor, and the night was over.

My gift to them was an portrait painted in oils that measured 22×28 inches.

Seattle hip-hop had a nice showing at this year’s edition of the CMJ Music Festival here in New York City. Performing alongside Champagne Champagne — but not officially on the bill — were THEESatisfaction who actually came out to NY over a week before the October 24th CMJ show to network, chill with friends, and just enjoy everything this amazing city has to offer. The ladies of THEESatisfaction, Cat and Stasia, were gracious enough to reach out to me for an interview. These two women (girlfriends, for those that don’t know) are funny, charming, creative, and beautiful. And it’s apparent, after spending a little over an hour with them, that they’re in this hip-hop sh*t strictly for the love. I met them for lunch at a diner in the Financial District a few blocks from my work the day before they were scheduled to share the stage with Champagne Champagne.

Talk a little about how you came to be involved with CMJ. Did someone associated with the Festival hear you and ask you to be involved?
Cat: No, nothing like that. We’re doing CMJ through Champagne Champagne, because they asked us to do a song with them that we perform all the time called “Magnetic Blackness.” Basically we’re just like a family, so whenever we have an opportunity to do [that song] together, we do it. It’s a really great opportunity, we appreciate Champagne Champagne for letting us be a part of it. I’ve known Pearl for years, before THEESatisfaction and Champagne Champagne [formed], and Thomas [Gray] is like family. He’s like my best friend’s cousin.
Stas: Yeah, those are our brothers!

The stuff Pearl Dragon was doing before Champagne Champagne is much different than what he’s doing now.
Cat: He’s really creative. He and Thomas and Mark [aka DJ Gajamagic] are all really, really creative.

What’s your take on the Seattle hip-hop movement right now? It’s really blowing up.
Stas: I think it’s amazing. I remember a time when I didn’t listen to anything [from Seattle], except for Blue Scholars and Cancer Rising. Now there are shows every weekend, everybody is collaborating with each other. It’s like a huge family. People are on the move. Everybody is coming to Seattle to do shows. Wu-Tang has been here [a lot]. It’s just bringing more attention to Seattle. [Before] we’d have to go to Portland or LA to see a good show.

It does seem like there are very few prominent female acts in the spotlight, though. I mean outside of you guys.
Stas: I’m blessed to be an example and inspiration for more of them.

Do you think more female emcees are out there and just not receiving the proper exposure?
Stas: There are a lot of artists out right now.
Cat: A lot of female artists have been sheltered or pushed to the side.
Stas: Not just being a [female] hip-hop artist, just being a female musician of any kind [is difficult].
Cat: It’s starting to change, though.
Stas: Another prominent group is Canary Sing. They just did a show at The Rendezvous.
Cat: JusMoni, too.

So you guys are now in the Bay Area, right?
Stas: No, actually we’re just traveling.
Cat: We were going to move to the Bay, but we never even wound up going there, [laughs] just to LA. We came back to Seattle for a show and now we’re in New York.

How’s the life of a traveling musician?
Stas: I love it. It’s exciting. I knew I’d be a wanderer, nomad child, that got into all sorts of crazy shenanigans.
Cat: It’s cool. At some point you just realize there’s so much more to see.
Stas: It’s nice to have friends to stay with. We have friends in LA and friends out here that we’re staying with.

Musically, what’s your background? Are you formally trained or self-taught?
Cat: I’ve been in choirs forever and I studied Jazz in college.
Stas: I didn’t [study music]. But I’ve been around music all my life. My mom is a choir director and plays the piano, my dad plays the piano and has been in multiple choirs. I’ve been a poet for about eight years.

I was wondering about that. Your music seems inspired strongly by Spoken Word poetry.
Stas: Yeah, absolutely. We both do Spoken Word.
Cat: That’s how we met actually, through the Spoken Word circuit.

What venue?
Cat: It was Retro Open Mic night at U-Dub.

Did you both go to the University of Washington?
Stas: I did.
Cat: I went to Cornish. But I was always at U-Dub events. [laughs]

I read that your most recent album, Snow Motion, was recorded in a basement when you were snowed-in during the famous Seattle Winter of 2008.
Cat: Yeah.
Stas: We recorded [the songs] in a closet.
Cat: Some of the songs were recorded on Beacon [Hill], some of them were recorded in the house. It was crazy. That was all bad. We moved into this house, it was on 23rd and Madison [in the Central District] and it was sunny and nice and everything when we checked out the house. It looked nice in May or June, and then it got to wintertime, and the house had no insulation. And then the rats came. It was infested with rats. You wouldn’t want to leave your bedroom at night because there were rats running all through the house. There were holes under the bathroom sink and they would come in through the cabinets and they would get in our food. Our refrigerator stopped working three times.
Stas: Then our laundry machine stopped working.
Cat: Yeah, it just filled up with water. And then, it didn’t just freeze over, it was a solid block of ice.
Stas: We were working at Costco.
Cat: Pushing carts outside. Our buses weren’t running, so we had to walk halfway [to work], from 23rd and Madison to Downtown to catch the bus. If you didn’t come in, you’d get fired or written-up. They were really determined to be open.
Stas: We recorded [Snow Motion] because we were fed-up and depressed. We had family members passing away. One of our friends was murdered in February [concert promoter Tyrone Love], literally down the street.
Cat: It was a really tough time. We were working all the time, too. It was really hard to finish the album.
Stas: There was no sane place for us to be.
Cat: No there wasn’t, because we had to find somewhere else to live, too. We were working all the time. We’d always come home tired. We just had to decide what we were going to do.

For as much of a horrible time that was, Snow Motion come across, to me at least, as a really optimistic record. I read an article on a blog that said something like, “THEESatisfaction creates Snow Motion while they descend into madness.” But I thought it was a pretty coherent record, for the most part.
Cat: Thanks! [laughs]

So nowadays, the life of aspiring musicians sounds busy.
Stas: It’s pretty hectic. We book our own shows.
Cat: We don’t have a manager or anything. Everything is just us two, researching things and at the same time making music, trying to keep it fresh.
Stas: It’s challenging, but I couldn’t ask for more. I’m having the best time of my life. I’m having so much fun. I can’t imagine ever working at Costco again.
Cat: I’d rather work my ass off at this than work a corporate job again.

When do you find time to write?
Cat: We write all the time.

It’s not a process for you? Like, I must write at nine in the morning every day?
Cat: No. The whole thing is a process. From updating the website, to writing the press releases, to burning the CDs, to mixing it down. We try to let things just come naturally.

What’s the first hip-hop music you remember listening to?
Cat: First stuff was like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. I have an older brother who’s 36 so he was putting me on to a lot of stuff.
Stas: I wasn’t even listening to hip-hop. My parents were only listening to gospel and r&b. I didn’t really get into hip-hop until Snoop Dogg and Death Row Records. That was my first exposure, that gangsta rap. Then, once I started seeking out on my own, I got into Tribe and De La.
Cat: I listened to only De La Soul and Tribe when my brother lived with us and then [after he moved out] it went back to jazz and, I don’t know what to call it: alternative folk music [laughs]. It was like hippie music, James Taylor and Joni Mitchell.
Stas: I remember my mom got a hold of my Doggystyle album cover. Remember the cartoon? She was like, “What is this?!”
Cat: I was like the prude kid. Like, “I can’t hear that stuff, it’s bad for my ears!” I didn’t know about 2Pac or Biggie, or most other rap other than De La and Tribe until I moved to Seattle. [Cat grew up in the Bay Area and Hawaii]. I listened to Chaka Khan, TLC, Technotronic. I know about hella random groups like Pet Shop Boys [laughs]. Lately, we’ve been switching it up, listening to all different kinds of stuff but we’ve always listened to a lot of different [music].
Stas: A lot of soul music.
Cat: Yeah, a lot of soul. Temptations, The Spinners, old Chaka Khan, Al Green. A lot of Michael Jackson and a lot of Jackson 5. I mean, we typically listen to Michael Jackson all the time, anyway. On our first mixtape [That's Weird] we sampled Thriller.

Where were you guys when you heard he passed?
Cat: We were in our house on Beacon Hill and Stas got a text message or something. We got a text message and I was like, “This is a joke.” So we got on Twitter, we started googling everything, turned on the television and saw that he’d been hospitalized.
Stas: Then we started playing his music videos.
Cat: It was too much, it was very overwhelming. It’s still overwhelming.
Stas: I still haven’t watched the funeral in its entirety. I’ve been watching it on Youtube. I think I got maybe halfway through.
Cat: I don’t think so. I think you only got a third of the way through.
Stas: It’s still emotional.
Cat: It is. I watched [the funeral] on CNN while Stas was at Costco and it was really crazy. I didn’t think it was going to happen in my lifetime.
Stas: Nice shirt too! [laughs]

Yeah, that’s why I asked. [Cat is wearing a Michael Jackson t-shirt she purchased at a thrift store.]

So what’s next for THEESatisfaction?
Stas: We have a new mixtape coming out.

When?
Stas: We’re thinking December, January, February.
Cat: One of those three months! [laughs]
Stas: The beats are pretty much finished. We’re teaming up with OC Notes. We hooked up with him for this next mixtape. We’re trying something new.
Cat: It’s the first time [we've worked with just one producer]. It’s cool, especially when that person knows your groove and knows your sound and it fits. A lot of artists will just work with whoever, you know?

So, one more question. You’ve already experienced a small amount of fame in Seattle. What’s that been like?
Stas: I wish I could enjoy my life a little bit more. It’s weird. You have to watch what you say all the time. But I don’t, really. [laughs]
Cat: You just have to be yourself. Some artists are controlled by other people, their managers, their band mates, by their producers. For us, we have freedom. We can say, “I’m not feeling well today so I’m not going to that event.” I think that gives a different spin to it. It makes it a different experience. It doesn’t make it easier though, that’s for damn sure! People used to come up to us all the time in Costco. It was weird, the contrast between working at Costco and being on stage. There’s a different amount of respect people have for you when at work. There you’re just Joe Schmo. It’s like, “Go over there and fold those clothes!”
Stas: When we’re at shows it’s, “Can I get you a drink? Can I get your autograph?” At work it’s totally the opposite. You’re just a robot again.

Costco seems like a major formative experience in your recent lives. What else happened at Costco?
Cat: When I was at work one day, Justo [of The Physics] came in and was like, “Hey, what’s up?” We didn’t even really know The Physics.

Did you know who he was?
Cat: I’d heard of The Physics and seen their picture, but I was really tired at work that day, so it took me a second to put it together. [laughs]

Was that how the collaboration on “Radio Head” came about?
Cat: [Justo] came into the store just in general and recognized me and said he’d been meaning to get in contact with us. But yeah, that’s generally how it started. After that we went and got in the studio together.
Stas: That’s where we met Rik Rude from Fresh Espresso, too.
Cat: Yeah. We saw Sabzi in Costco. All of Seattle goes to Costco!

—–

Catch THEESatisfaction at their next show on 11.10.09 at Nectar:

And buy their album, Snow Motion, online here:

I saw a wonderful version av Carolina on my mind by James Taylor on Swedish television a couple of days ago. It was actually their web TV that I was watching. The show is called Doobodioo. Two of the artists and the host of the show sang it in harmony vocals very, very beautifully. I thought I needed to hear the original version so I checked of course You Tube. There are a few video clips with a young  James Taylor and it’s pretty good. The song is however a little bit too “sweet” for my taste. I don’t know… I need more… Soul(?)… can’t put my finger on it. Still I have been humming on it the last couple of days. There must be something with it.

Here is my favourite clip of the song. I really like is expression and how he is delivering the song:

The International Crisis Group (working to prevent crisis worldwide),  held it’s award dinner this week, honoring Issam Fares, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Lebanon, President Clinton, President Bush Senior and with James Taylor singing. I worked with Weisman Video from Boston.

What a night, I sat in on a private meeting with Fares and President Clinton, by private, I mean the two of them and me, the photographer! The Fares family was wonderful, and James Taylor sounds better than ever. It’s been years since I first heard him live, what a treat! Some of these photos were on the way to Lebanon the night of the event, to be published there the next day. And best of all this group is really working hard for any kind of peace in the world. Not the kind of all I want for Christmas is world peace, but really out there in the trenches, talking, negotiating and trying to bring people working together instead of killing each other.

Oh and I must add, shooting and listening to James Taylor made me want to find a good CD to listen to and introduce to my 6 year old son, I just ordered The Best of James Taylor!

You never know what will happen in a days work, as he was leaving the event, President Clinton shook my hand, thanked me, and mentioned how hard I worked!
It’s nice to be acknowledged and appreciated.

I went to visit my sister last week down in Virginia. It’s something I always dread but I hadn’t been to the Palace in Wonders forever so I called her. If you don’t know, the Palace of Wonders is the only venue in the country dedicated purely to sideshow/burlesque acts. I feel a strange comfort there, I love hanging out in the museum level. If only you could drink at the Mutter Museum. But it was a mistake to bring my douche bag sister. She’s on a track into the whole D.C. political crowd and it’s sad. She bitched about the lack of seats, she thought the displays were gross, she complained about the service and my weirdo tastes. She sounds like my mom so of course it was just a matter of time before the lectures about working for sickos which led into back handed comments about the abortions and how my tattoos are going to haunt me some day. I just wanted to  watch the show but since it wasn’t in a slick trendy lounge she wouldn’t let me have that.  When I dropped her off she gave me some NA pamphlets and told me to call her when my life was straight. I guess when I puked up all the percs outside the Palace, I should have known another lecture was coming. Tyler Fire and Thrill Kill Jill are playing in a couple of weeks. I’m going back alone.
-Felicia Jackson Swellco & Swellco 22397b

Check it out sometime, sibling free and on less than 120mg of percocet. Their site

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