OR
*cleansed.

OR
**worthy?

It’s a scary world,
The balance here is fragile,
We’re all set to self-destruct.

And the redness of your eyes
Is all you see now,
And the darkness’ all you touch.

‘Cause I don’t know how,
Know how to fill this silence
And I’m tired of having to try.

Do not follow me now
I’ve a strong and stubborn mind
Your face is fading slowly
I can leave you a second time

When I go, when I go
Believe me, you’ll realise
When I go, you will know

It’s a different world
When money is all that matters,
And you never look ahead.

Me and you,
We’ll make some night of footprints
Don’t believe all that you’ve read.

And maybe I don’t have
To fill this silence
This time we don’t have to try.

And if you follow me now
I’ve a strong and stubborn mind
Your face is fading slowly
I’ll remember some other time

When I go, when I go
Believe me, you’ll realise
When I go, you will know

Did your heart rate fall?
Does your freedom call?
Can we turn this around?
With a single sound?

Do not follow me now
I’ve a strong and stubborn mind
Your face is fading slowly
I can leave you a second time

When I go, when I go
Believe me, you’ll realise
When I go, you will know

1. Project 46 – Memories (Original Mix)

2. tyDi feat. Sarah Howells – When I Go (Original Mix)

3.  Showtek & Bassjackers – Hey! (Original Mix)

4. Dannic – Clobber (Original Club Mix)

5. Denzal Park – Yarl (Original Mix)

6. Autoerotique & Felix Cartal – The Alarm

7. Archie – Famous (Original Mix)

8. GTA – Bath Salts (Original Mix)

9. Sultan, Ned Shepard feat. Max’C– Ordinary People (Original Mix)

10. Ferry Corsten feat. Duane Harden – Love Will (Extended)

-ELB

I know, but wait—if part of me
might scatter here upon the sea,
soak the heart of me with spray
where surf and sand turn silver-grey,
and let it beat in falling waves
and, like a shell the tide engraves
with liquid lilt of water flows,
fill with hush, and break from knowing.

Cally Conan-Davies

This is about one of those marriage pacts—or perhaps just a recurring proposal—except that it starts at 22 and they renege on it at 60. The thing is, it’s got obvious love, affection and expectation. It’s all quite sweet. There’s an innocence and apprehension that I really appreciate. Finding the person you want to grow old with is tricky to do. I imagine it’s also a tricky thing to confront. Here, some of that vulnerability is exchanged for superficial indifference. And that’s exactly my style.

Best line: “If I get to thirty and I don’t have a wife, I’ll ask you nicely but I won’t ask twice. If I get to forty and I don’t have a spouse, I’ll fashion you a letter and I’ll send it to your house.”

TyDi feat. Sarah Howells – When I Go (Original Mix)

-Mikey

BONUS: Here is another track I really loved from the EP featuring Maison and Dragen with vocals by Toni Nielson. This one is definitely more of an electro house track but still has a lot of elements that made me love ‘When I Go’ so much. If you like your tracks a little heavier than ‘When I Go’ this one is probably more your speed.

TyDi & Maison & Dragen feat. Toni Nielson – Walk On Water (Original Mix)

Come, lonely hunter, chieftain and king
I will fly like the falcon when I go
Bear me my brother under your wing
I will strike fell like lightning when I go

I will bellow like the thunder drum, invoke the storm of war
A twisting pillar spun of dust and blood up from the prairie floor
I will sweep the foe before me like a gale out on the snow
And the wind will long recount the story, reverence and glory, when I go

Spring, spirit dancer, nimble and thin
I will leap like coyote when I go
Tireless entrancer, lend me your skin
I will run like the gray wolf when I go

I will climb the rise at daybreak, I will kiss the sky at noon
Raise my yearning voice at midnight to my mother in the moon
I will make the lay of long defeat and draw the chorus slow
I’ll send this message down the wire and hope that someone wise is listening when I go

And when the sun comes, trumpets from his red house in the east
He will find a standing stone where long I chanted my release
He will send his morning messenger to strike the hammer blow
And I will crumble down uncountable in showers of crimson rubies when I go

Sigh, mournful sister, whisper and turn
I will rattle like dry leaves when I go
Stand in the mist where my fire used to burn
I will camp on the night breeze when I go

And should you glimpse my wandering form out on the borderline
Between death and resurrection and the council of the pines
Do not worry for my comfort, do not sorrow for me so
All your diamond tears will rise up and adorn the sky beside me when I go.

If we’re both not married by twenty-two
Could I be so bold and ask you?
If we’re both not married by twenty-three
Will you make my year and ask me?

If we’re both not married by twenty-four
Will you pass me those kneepads and I’ll get on the floor?
If we’re both not married by twenty-five
I hope that there’s some childish spark still alive

Cause there are so many lessons
That I just never cared to learn
And there are so many questions that still burn
Like will you hold my hand when I go?
Will you hold my hand when I go?
Will you hold my hand when I go?
Will you hold my hand when I go?

If I get to thirty and I don’t have a wife
I’ll ask you nicely but I won’t ask twice
If I get to forty and I don’t have a spouse
I’ll fashion you a letter and I’ll send it to your house

If I get to sixty will you let me slip away
Into an armchair for the rest of my days?
Cause you’ve got your family and I’ve got mine
The love that we shared was for another time

Cause there are so many lessons
That I just never cared to learn
And there are so many questions that still burn
Like will you hold my hand when I go?
Will you hold my hand when I go?
Will you hold my hand when I go?
Will you hold my hand when I go?

When I Go by Slow Club

http://www.last.fm/music/slow+club

1. The Felice Brothers- “Fire At The Pageant”
2. Slow Club- “When I Go”
3. The Wanderer- “Johnny Law”
4. The Republic Of Wolves- “Spill”
5. MeWithoutYou- “The Fox, The Crow, and The Cookie”
6. Ocean Is Theory- “Underneath”
7. Jay Nash- “Oogly Boogly”
8. Sunfold- “Shapeshiftin”
9. Sleepercar- “Sound The Alarm”
10. Murder By Death- “You Don’t Miss Twice (When You’re Shaving With A Knife)”
11. The Decemberists- “June Hymn”
12. My Morning Jacket- “Just One Thing”
13. The Man Suits- “Spirit, Oh Spirit”
14. The Tallest Man On Earth- “The Blizzard’s Never Seen The Desert Sand”

Halloween is just another day to me. I don’t understand the hype up to something which is essentially endorsing begging and taking sweets from strangers – an idea that promotes contradicting ideas to strongly impressionable children.

However, with that mild rant over, I’ve had a moderate to good day, only brought down to by my seemingly never-ending French, Maths and Chemistry lessons not to mention the prayer morning which was also forced down my throat. On a far lighter note, I saw Ross. We attempted being bohemian and ate olives and drank orangeade (from Marks and Spencer’s, I had a voucher) whilst laughing at our hilariously, interesting if not quite pathetic lives.

I’m smiling because I have a notorious twat of a boyfriend who never fails to make me laugh, an extra hour in bed tomorrow and about £20′s worth of sweets which have been left for the trick or treater’s by my Mother that I will most probably eat by myself.

Life is good when you have your weight in haribo.

Every time I listen to this song, I mentally go awww. It’s just so simple and beautiful and I feel privileged to have discovered them.

If we’re both not married by twenty-two
Could I be so bold and ask you?
If we’re both not married by twenty-three
Will you make my year, and ask me?

If we’re both not married by twenty-four
Will you pass me those knee pads and I’ll get on the floor
If we’re both not married by twenty-five
I hope that there’s some childish spark still alive

If I get to thirty and I don’t have a wife
I’ll ask you nicely but I won’t ask twice
If I get to forty and I don’t have a spouse
I’ll fashion you a letter and I’ll send it to your house

If I get to sixty will you let me slip away
Into an armchair for the rest of my days
Cos you’ve got your family and I’ve got mine
The love that we share is for another time

Love That You Lost
The agnostic-alien break-up song

When the aliens came, did they ask you your name?
were you wearing your grandmother’s dress?
and as they handed you down in a long wedding gown,
shoes in your hand and your hair all a mess,

Did they take you outside,
did they make you a bride
and take you along, girl, to choke on the stars?
While the blood stains your teeth
and you lie underneath of the avenues trembling with cars.

When you call there’s no one there
you will fly through thin air
and the hogs eat your eyes
and you’re covered over with flies.

What was ever the cost of the love that you lost?

The little green men on the ship,
They will ask you to sip
on the wine that flows down by the sea.
And they’ll whisk you away at the end of the day,
and leave you whirling around through the trees.

And it’s all just a dream, nothing’s quite what it seems
when the aliens they sing you to bed.
When you finally wake, you will turn and you’ll shake,
wondering why there’s this bump on your head.

In the long morning hours as you trample the flowers
in the dark as the roaches look on.
You’ll look up at the sight of the oncoming light.
It is all that you’ll know until one day you are gone.

Wrong Side
Which side are you on, boys?  which side are you on?

You will find me on the wrong side,
looking for a way out.
You’ll take it down and take it on a ride.
I know what this is all about.

So sing your song, sing it high.
Let yourself feel like you have the upper hand.
Sing your song, if you’d like.
but it ain’t ever gonna change this land.

You will find me on the wrong side,
trying to reason with a ghost
If everything is living up to lies,
your faith it finds you choking on your host.

You will find me on the wrong side,
I can’t be governed here by fear.
Tell you baby, that we have tried.
but we ain’t no winners here.

If I am late to the party,
of drunkards who are looking out of place,
understand that all I’ve stood for has all but been erased.

Dargha Dalanash
Filk music

’twas the bravest of the souls,
Dargha Dalanash the bold,
Captain of the Traigan Gold.
went forth through the million stars
to a planet very far
past the nebulas and quasars.

He was sent from Delphinor,
to that grand and farther shore
with a great weapon on board.
To make ruin with a gun of this wicked planet at the sun,
in a routine extermination.

The Delphinorians, we had pride
in the gun that laid inside
the might spacecraft that Dargha flied.
It could lay a planet bare to waste
while we went without a trace
of a people we thought disgraced.

And very soon, he did arrive
and he gazed down with his eyes
at this human breeding hive.
He saw a lass who was so fair
in the golden hills down there
“What a lovely alien girl” he declared.

Then he looked at the wheel of his good ship
and he knew that he could not be so cold.
and as those words he did croon,
and his eyes still in a swoon,
he shot the cannon at the moon.

And as the moon in fragments lay,
he did quickly speed away,
as the sun came up that day.
For the fairness of a girl
on the moor with amber curls,
beauty saved another world.

So that’s the story of the bold
Dargha Dalanash whose soul
Was pure and right and whole.
who saved a world that we abhorred
because his gracious heart did soar
for the girl of the moor.

When I Go
The beauty of drunken remembrance.  Or, the bittersweet farewell.

When I go don’t keep me under your anger.
cause I will be buried on the road out of town.
all that’s left to go six feet under
is the dirt from that burial ground.

I remember her undressed in the mornings,
and how the sunlight used to flow through her skin.
the mornings where you think that you’ll never die,
so you live life again and again.

When I go, I will go peaceful.
When I go I will catch the very last train.
If you miss me while I’m out on the road,
think about me and whistle my name.

She said when the worms come to get us that day,
we’ll be on a bright ship out at the sea.
and nothing can harm us out on the water,
and nothing can harm her, and nothing can harm me.

So we drink tonight to each other’s sweet memory
of all we had ‘fore I crossed the divide.
If they tell you that I’ve never felt love before,
tell them, baby, you’ve seen that I’ve tried.

I’ll brace you from the cold
of the chill wind you used to know.
your smoke-filled eyes all line in gold,
just love me, love me when I go, and I will go peaceful.
When I go, I’ll catch the very last train.
If you miss me while I’m out on the road,
think about me and whistle my name.

Empty Image of the War
The Crimean War in Russia was the first war of modern journalism.  This song is kind of about Roger Fenton.  Kind of.

Walking in the cannonfields of the Crimean war,
he takes a few shots and he’s rooting for more,
he’s digging his snout for truffles in the ground.
He could trade out for silver at the general store
and form up a negative of the night before.
and follow them down south to meet the cannon sound.

He’s the man who is there at the end of the brawl.
He’s the ghost in the photo at the end of the hall.
He’s the empty man in the midst of it all.

He grew up dark in the old Lion’s home,
with Rotarian sisters who wouldn’t leave him alone
and their siren song of absence stained his heart.
So he drank some whiskey at the Dog and Bone,
Left to find a woman who would crawl and moan
and he swore to her that they would never be apart.

Their flesh torn on a thresher’s wake,
he realized his long gone mistake
and asked the Christian assembly to forgive him of all of his sins.
But a passing writer said “Son I’ll give you a break
all that I ask is that you just forsake
Everyone you have ever called a friend.”

So the train left to carry him through,
and the cossack trails, well they vanished too
and he filmed the insurrection from the mines.
and he burnt his cabin that he built brand new,
dropping cannonballs down the chimney flue,
and he took a picture and he lay down in the vines.

(Once again, all lyrics copyright Chris Steude, 2010)

Dave Carter Memorial Tribute at Club Passim, Cambridge, MA

Before I get too far ahead of myself, I have to take a second to tell you what happened when I was in Boston a couple weeks ago! Tracy Grammer was at Club Passim in Cambridge to host a memorial tribute to the late Dave Carter. I had known about this for a few weeks, but never in my wildest dreams thought I would be IN BOSTON that week! Well, I was. And I went. But it gets better…

Tracy came out to open the show with a song. Then she explained that she would be drawing a few lucky names out of a hat to come up and play their favorite Dave Carter song in tribute to him. I thought long and hard about this, but couldn’t for the life of me think of a song of his that I knew well enough to attempt! But… I put my name in the hat (which was actually just a plastic pitcher). After a great set by Gretchen Peters, two “tweeners” got up and did wonderful renditions of Dave’s songs. Next it was a fantastic set by Richard Shindell. Right after he finished, Tracy pulled my name. I was mortified, but headed up to the stage, not knowing what I was going to do.

She graciously offered me her guitar (*gulp*) and I sat down and started to strum. I decided I would try When I Go, not sure I remembered how to play it at all! After finding a few chords, I began to sing. When I got to the chorus, I realized I didn’t remember it! So I stopped, begged the room’s forgiveness and then continued through to the end.Fortunately there were a few kind folks there who photographed the moment so I could actually believe it happened!

Many, many thanks to Tracy for allowing me to be a small part of an amazing evening in tribute to one of my songwriting heroes, Dave Carter.

REVIEW – CRAZY WISDOM BOOKSTORE & TEAROOM, ANN ARBOR, MI, AUGUST 8, 2009

Doesn’t seem like this show was a month ago! Room was packed and lots of friends turned out to hear Rochelle & I as well as James Humphries and Dave Brandt.

REVIEW – BLUE GILL GRILL, HASLETT, MI, AUGUST 14, 2009

Paige at the Blue Gill hooked us up with a few great dates after our first appearance at this great venue. We were happy to fill in the holes in her schedule! Rochelle and I were joined by guitarist Brian Keith Howard. Keith always brings a great vibe to our show whenever he is available. We rocked it out until 1am. We will be returning to the Blue Gill on Friday, September 25!

REVIEW – HOLLER FEST, BROOKLYN, MI, AUGUST 22, 2009

Rochelle and John main stage at Holler Fest

This was a real hoot… erm…. holler! Thanks to our friend Susie Keat for getting us this gig. Rochelle and I were honored to play in the cabin for almost 90 minutes! It was a bit surreal when members of Orpheum Bell made their way into the cabin near the end of our set. They had just finished on the main stage (which explained the light turnout in the cabin!) and were coming over to set up in the cabin. Fortunately, they brought a ton of folks in with them so we had a bigger crowd to play to as we finished our set.

After our set in the cabin, we were whisked away by Susie and Bob to sample the organic fare. If you know me at all,  you know this was an adventure! My idea of eating organic is eating at a picnic table outside. But, I must say, the food was wonderful! Although I did head over to the pizza tent later and had some veggie pizza!

Another huge honor came later that night when we were asked to head out onto the main stage during the tribute to the late Frog Holler Farm founder, Ken King. We were third or fourth in line and calmed our nerves enough to make our way out on stage. The reason we were out there at all was, again, Susie Keat. She had approached me at the Crazy Wisdom show to ask if I would be interested in making a song out of a poem she had written for Ken. I agreed to try. So, out we went to play this new song. We did our best and hope that others saw the importance of the words that Susie wrote. After the tribute, I found myself really wishing that I’d met Ken. As the night wore on, I realized I knew a lot more about him than I realized, learning of him through the grounds I walked and the people I met.

Thank you Susie Keat, Billy King and the entire King family!

REVIEW – FARMINGTON FARMERS MARKET & THE JUNCTION AT SHIAWASSEE PARK, FARMINGTON, MI, AUGUST 29, 2009

Once again, Keith joined Rochelle and I for an all day affair in Farmington. We started early at the Farmers and Artisans Market downtown. The crowds were large and busy! Props to the local farmers who worked very hard to set up and sell their goods. We even got to sample a bit of the local fare during the 3rd annual corn roast. Maybe the best corn I’ve ever had… just maybe!

After the Farmers Market, we quickly packed up our stuff and headed over to Shiawassee Park for the Junction gig. We were very pleased to be a part of this fundraiser event for school supplies for needy students. Other fantastic performers were also a part of it such as Tracy Kash Thomas, David Nefesh and the Bob Young Band. Big thanks to Bob for inviting us to be a part of this event. See you again at the Junction on November 21st! Also appearing that evening will be Bobby Pennock and Rob Hayes.

NEXT SHOW – BLUE GILL GRILL, HASLETT, MI, SEPTEMBER 25, 2009

Looking foward to seeing Paige and the crew up at the Blue Gill in a couple weeks. Come on out!

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Slow Club - "Yeah So"

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Slow Club are an English band that make a very quaint folk-pop band that comprises of two members, which go by the names Charles and Rebecca. Slow Club’s songs have been featured in commercials and while this may be seen as tacky, it’s because a lot of these songs are very catchy and simple.

As I was saying before, it’s very hard to dislike this album. The songs on it are so simple and catchy, yet unlike a lot of pop at the moment, it’s very honest and not gimmiky. The most catchy and possibly the best song on the album is a song called ‘When I Go’, the two band members voices suit each others perfectly and this results in the song being very likeable and also makes the song sound special. Some wistleing is also included which makes the song sound very homely, to be honest after listening to this song I thought I was about to listen to a seriously good album, but after listening to the next song, I started to realise that it wasn’t going to live up to the extremely high standard I set for it after listening to the opening track.

There are some great songs after this first track, such as, ‘Trophy Room’, ‘Because We’re Dead’ and ‘Our Most Brilliant Friends’, but they’re all just on the verge of being really good. There’s so much to like about the album, but it doesn’t “click”, it doesn’t sound like what a really album sounds like, it’s an album I’d definitely recommend to anyone, but again, don’t go expecting an amazing album.

Slow Club have the songs to be a band with a fairly big cult following and they may even slip into the pop music scene, I really hope they do, they’ve got a really good ear for catchy songs. I really tried hard to like this band more than I did, but I just couldn’t, and I think that’s going to be something that will happen to a lot of people.

Check out their songs on MySpace and be sure to listen to the song ‘When I Go’, because it’s wonderful.

Most people walking along Upper Street in Islington are oblivious to the fact that they pass one of London’s most unique and wonderfully atmospheric venues on a daily basis.

Careful selection of performers and the recent ‘Little Noise’ gigs, which included the likes of The Killers and Glasvegas, have helped raise the profile of the Union Chapel, one of London’s best kept secrets.

Tonight, the mood is an intimate, cosy and festive one with a range of support acts, including Jay Jay Pistolet, Adem, Lisa Milberg (of The Concretes) and stewards handing out free tea and coffee.

The mood was set for what proved to be a vibrant performance by Charles and Rebecca, the two-piece, folk inspired duo who trade under the name Slow Club.

The band, aided at times by a cross-pollination of the support artists, created a range of textures in a set, which was beautifully shambolic and elegant in equal measures. 

Highlights included a specialist saw player and Jay Jay Pistolet’s drummer playing the drums, accordian and a shaker all at once.

With Rebecca standing to play the drums and percussion, including a bruised and battered chair, and Charles taking centre stage armed with an acoustic guitar, the two are capable of creating an incredible range of dynamics given their limited use of instrumentation.

Their songs play with the male-female discussions about relationships they are able to comment upon with their use of duel vocals.

Playing all of the songs from their recently released EP, ‘Let’s Fall Back In Love’, although inexplicably, leaving out the sublime ‘Come On Youth’, Slow Club call a group of friends on to the stage to help sing the title track.

It was at this point that Rebecca urged the audience to stand, which they did for the remainder of the set. 

This spontaneous act helped the night to end on a rather poetic and poignant note as it gave the impression of a congregation standing to witness a couple marrying.

With Charles dressed in white and Rebecca in black, the two took to the front of the stage to sing their encore, ‘When I Go’, without any amplification.

The song tells the tale of two close friends, promising to marry one another when they are twenty, thirty, forty or sixty, should they both be unable to find a partner.

As the song climaxes with the harmonised voices singing, ‘will you hold my hand when I go?’, it is a truly spine-tingling moment.

The warmth between the childhood friends from Sheffield is evident throughout the evening, however, tonight I left with the impression that Union Chapel, on a cold December evening is the setting that Slow Club and their music, were meant for.