Lots of love for these dudes. 2012 space jams. National Freedom.
swift
At Richard Swift’s National Freedom studios through the weekend. Documentation to follow, pending approval from the dudes here. It is good to be back.
press room
Seattle Times music writer Andrew Matson has given Damien some of the greatest praise and support in the past year. I use his ‘godfather of Seattle folk’ quote liberally because it is awesome, and an honor. When Matson proposed that Damien do a livestream performance in the old Times press room, we were immediately on board. When we found out it would be with punk band Dude York, we were psyched. An innovative bill in a historic space curated by one of my favorite music writers? All in.
The old press room hasn’t been touched much in the past twenty years, and gives a vibe that is half space station half haunted house. Damien, for one, is in love with it. There’s a moment in his performance of ‘Reel to Reel’ [video to follow] where he actually forgets a line. I asked him afterwards what happened there, and he replied that he was so caught up in the history and the vibe of the room that he got lost in it.
Get lost in it.
Full multi cam concert video content coming tomorrow via Seattle Times online.
winter // reading
In the aftermath of Thanksgiving there was a lot of couch time. In the cozy winter months I try to keep that as ‘time with book’ over ‘time with Netflix’ lest my brain atrophy in hibernation. I spent last Thursday trying on the first chapter of Steve Jobs [Dad, I'll be borrowing that when you finish all 656 pages] and a portion at a time of A Moveable Feast.
It reminded me that when I first got my kindle for touring, I sent out a twitter inquiry to find out people’s favorite books. Not just recommendations; favorites. I was happy to discover people LOVE talking about their favorite books. I even promised a few of them I’d sent out a compiled list, which I thought was a lovely idea. One [book-filled] year later, here it is. Sharing the wealth, and coercing folks to be as cozy and lethargic as I am - book in hand.
In the no order, the books submitted - a beautiful, dynamic, wide-swinging list:
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
Children of God by Mary Doria Russell
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Adverbs by Daniel Handler
Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman
What is the What by Dave Eggers
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
Clumsy by Jeffrey Brown
The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter
The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
Light in August by William Faulkner
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon
Chronicles: Volume One by Bob Dylan
Heart Songs and Other Stories by Annie Proulx
Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
A Coney Island of the Mind by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
The Plague by Albert Camus
Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach
The Social Animal by Elliot Aronson
Raise High the Roof Beam by J.D. Salinger
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
My Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
Gilead by Marilynn Robinson
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
No Man Is an Island by Thomas Merton
The Brothers K by David James Duncan
The Death of a President by William Manchester
No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
And my favorite books, the ones I implore you to read, excluding any that might be referenced above?
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac
Lord of the Barnyard by Tristan Egolf
Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion
Just Kids by Patti Smith
Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck
Last but not least: in honor of the post, I’ve made a playlist with either OVERT literary references, and/or just some songs so laden with emphasis on lyrical content that to listen to them feels like you’re reading.
“So, you like to read books?”
Didn’t see your favorite above? Please leave it in the comments below. I’ll build list 2.0
nothing is the news
Honored to be a part of the team sharing the news of Damien’s next release, Maraqopa. Due out February 21, 2012, it is my favorite work of his to date, and it has been an adventure from studio to announcement. We also managed to work the term “spirit animal” into the one sheet, so I feel I’ve done my job right somewhere along the line. Full info on the release + the first glimpse of the record via Secretly Canadian.
The stories and travels of this record will define a lot of the content here for 2012. Can’t wait to share it.
[Press image and outtake, above.]
“wild. also, flaggy.”
Was a real honor to have our own Drew Grow + the Pastors Wives out on the road with Wild Flag on their West Coast dates. After seeing the two band bill in Portland for two nights [and one in Seattle] I wish I’d thrown all responsibilities aside to have seen the whole tour. The intensity + integrity of the performances was jaw dropping. Drew has candid snaps from the whole run up on the band’s site, and a few of my own images from Portland will be there shortly.
mexi nuggets
Been friends with these girls since 1994. Pretty crazy to see Krissy fall in love + get hitched, and to have us all together to celebrate. A few quick snaps below, since the camera stayed in the hotel safe most of the trip, while we were at the pool. Some counterpart photos up on the vagabond site.
red house
Red House has a lot of stories; so, for that matter, did this weekend. Reunions and families and arenas and old flames and dive bars. But out of all the excitement, getting together for homemade mac & cheese might’ve been the highlight. Thank you, buddies.
playlists
The viaduct closes for 10 days today, beginning the inevitable trudge towards tearing it down. It is the reason why we left our West Seattle home, and the loss of one of the best views in the city. On that maudlin, reflective note: I have gone deep down a Spotify hole the past few months, since it was launched in the US. I make a playlist at least once a week, and they fall into two basic categories: ones that will motivate me to do something [ie, clean the house] and ones that are TOTAL BUMMERS.
A few favorites:
Thump is roughly about the inevitable loss of everything [HELLO, BUMMER] and as such I dedicate it to my sweet viaduct - it was like rolling the dice every time you drove across it, but man was it a sweet view.
art prints
Images added and updated at Society 6. Don’t see an image you’d love to have as a print? Send me an email - sarah[at]sarahjurado[dot]com & I’ll be happy to assist. Honored, even.
Just learned I’ll be posting way more travel photos in 2012. Big news on that, soon.
xoSJ
by Sarah Jurado
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