Over the last month, I've been able to see two remarkable bands.
I took my brother to see The Swell Season in Chicago on December 3rd. It was the night before his 28th birthday, and it was to celebrate his recent completion of a Master's degree in Public History. Glenn and Marketa were fantastic. They were first introduced to the world as the quirky and creative lead characters in the movie, Once. There songs are simple, but they come from deep deep places, mysterious and dark and green places. Glenn is Irish (Marketa, Czech) and he seems to be cut from the same cloth that has made the Irish some of the most prolific folk songwriters on the planet. Check out their biggest hit: Falling Slowly.
Then last Thursday, I took Julie to see Over the Rhine in Kent, OH. They have been one of our favorite bands for years. We've got some state pride for this group - they come from Cincinnati. Their double disc album, Ohio, is remarkable. It shows that this here state is more than corn and LeBron James (though we love our corn and LeBron James). Karin and Linford have mastered the American songcraft, as evidenced by the leading track to their most recent studio album, I Don't Wanna Waste Your Time.
Oh baby. Karin's voice is one of my constant holiday companions. Amazing.
Posted by: Chris Ridgeway | December 18, 2009 at 07:38 PM