Stephen King once wrote the novellas for two popular, classic non-horror films: Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption. He also wrote the novel for another movie you may have heard about: The Green Mile. Now, he's written a southern gothic, supernatural musical with John Mellencamp and T Bone Burnett called Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, due June 4th. My point being: never question Stephen King's ability to retreat from his comfort zone.
Here's the trailer:
And here's the impressive track listing for the musical (listen to Neko Case's song below, which was written by John Mellencamp):
1. That's Me - Elvis Costello
2. That's Who I Am - Neko Case
3. So Goddamn Smart - Dave Alvin, Phil Alvin, Sheryl Crow
4. Wrong, Wrong, Wrong About Me - Elvis Costello
5. Brotherly Love - Ryan Bingham, Will Dailey
6. How Many Days - Kris Kristofferson
7. You Are Blind - Ryan Bingham
8. Home Again - Sheryl Crow, Dave Alvin, Phil Alvin, Taj Mahal
9. You Don't Know Me - Rosanne Cash
10. My Name Is Joe - Clyde Mulroney
11. Tear This Cabin Down - Taj Mahal
12. And Your Days Are Gone - Sheryl Crow, Dave Alvin, Phil Alvin
13. Jukin' - Sheryl Crow
14. What Kind Of Man Am I - Kris Kristofferson, Phil Alvin, Sheryl Crow, Dave Alvin, Taj Mahal
15. So Goddamn Good - Phil Alvin, Dave Alvin, Sheryl Crow
16. Away From This World - Sheryl Crow
17. Truth - John Mellencamp
The more I listen to Josh Ritter's latest album, So Runs the World Away, the more I'm convinced it's about one simple thing: refusing to stand still. So many times in my life I've struggled with this notion -- to rest on my laurels, to enjoy the past a little bit too much. Thankfully, I've come to find that's not the way to live my life; it's much better to keep moving, no matter how dark the road ahead may seem.
Ritter, I think he's the same way. He sings of not being afraid of the dark, to call for a lantern to light his way. He acknowledges the rough seas surround him, knowing they also carry him; he's smart enough to realize that nothing ever comes easy, nor should anything that is to be appreciated. Josh Ritter has become one of my favorite songwriters because his words seem so real.
And if I had to pick one of the best moments during his show at First Avenue in Minneapolis, it would be at the end of his main set, where he turned one of his best songs, "Change of Time," into a magical singalong. He started the song with the line I've mentioned above, the line that is buried in a hazy swarm of sound near the end of the studio recording. "Rough seas," he sang, "they carry me, wherever I go."
Everyone knew what to do. We sang. Loud enough for him to step away from the microphone and smile. It was a beautiful moment, one I'll always remember.
These are the moments that define a Josh Ritter show. They're the ones where you're immediately sure you're experiencing greatness. Another happened midway through the show when Ritter signaled for the lights to be turned totally off -- not dimmed -- so he could perform a solo acoustic version of the longest song off The Animal Years, "Thin Blue Flame." How he remembered all the words, I'm still not sure, but he sang it in complete darkness and silence, and we listened to a tune that novelist Stephen King once called "the most exuberant outburst of imagery since Bob Dylan’s 'A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall' in 1963." That's not hyperbole; that's completely true, and hearing it live in that type of setting had me amazed.
Everything about this show was amazing. The venue, First Avenue, is an absolutely marvelous place to see a concert. It holds about 1,500 people, and if it wasn't sold out, it was close. Whoever designed the place must have had artists like Josh Ritter in mind; you feel close to the performer. You feel every word, every breath, every minor miscue. You feel like you're part of an underground music community, a place where the world outside stops for just a few hours. A place where you get to hear Josh Ritter and The Royal City Band cover The Velvet Underground's "Pale Blue Eyes." A place where one of Ritter's best songs, "Kathleen," sounds as fresh as the first time you heard it.
In the end, when Frightened Rabbit's Scott Hutchison, who did a fine job of opening the show, joined Ritter for a rendition of The Everly Brothers' "Stories We Could Tell," I wondered if live music could get any better. If nothing else, I was sure that I was seeing Ritter at his peak, creatively and emotionally, moving forward in the darkness, wishing only to refrain from staying in one moment too long.
Be the light in my lantern, the light in my lantern tonight.
There is a moment in Stephen King’s Pet Sematary where Louis Creed almost goes insane. His son, Gage, has just died, and he’s imagining what could have been – Gage growing up, Gage getting married…basically, the rest of Gage’s life. It’s all right there so vividly, except, of course, it will never happen. It’s some of King’s best writing, and if I could share it all with you here, I would.
This might have nothing to do with Adele and her upcoming album, 21. But, for me, it has everything to do with today’s rousing JOTD, “Rolling in the Deep.” It’s a song about scars, love, and yearning for what could have been. The life after the death. The unknown that we still imagine.
The last time I saw William Elliott Whitmore live in St. Louis, he happily shared his half-full bottle of whiskey with his adoring fans. Seriously, he took a shot, and then passed the bottle to a member of the crowd, who in turn passed it on like an important note in grade school. When the bottle got back to Whitmore, of course, it was empty; he smiled, and with a laugh, threw it over his head, where it amazingly didn't shatter, but made a loud thud on the stage. The crowd cheered, and he kept playing.
Whitmore, as Steve Earle would say, is a hardcore troubadour.
He also likes to sing about darkness and death. There is something about his voice that fits these subjects -- maybe it's the way his words barely escape his mouth and come out sounding like paranoid prisoners fleeing from death row in the rain, like Andy Dufresne in Stephen King's The Shawshank Redemption. His words come out scared and vulnerable, like us all.
The praise has been loud and clear for singer-songwriter Michael McDermott. Author Stephen King, who knows a little about music, called him "probably the greatest undiscovered rock & roll talent of the last 20 years." Wow, right?
Well, his last album, Hey La Hey, made our "Best of 2009" list over at Glide Magazine, and, to put it plainly, I'm a fan of his work. And while "Hard To Break," which features the awesome Kate York, is probably my favorite song on Hey La Hey, I've also really been digging today's JOTD, "So Am I." Have a listen to both versions below (they both appear on Hey La Hey).
"Lately you've been acting awfully angry/ You said it feels like your life's passing you by..."
