To equip all of you with the sountrack for your days of fall and winter, I present two extremely talented singer/songwriters: Cat Power and Greg Laswell.
Many of you might've heard about Cat Power - she's nothing new to the scene. Having recorded her first album in 1994 and worked with an array of artists including Liz Phair, Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth, Eddie Vedder. Dave Grohl, and most recently Al Green's guitarist Teenie Hodges. A product of a restless childhood and a musician father, Cat Power (aka Chan Marshall) has an erratic history with music. According to her wikipedia site, she's retreated from music several times, shunning the recording life. But she's also always come back, compelled by songs she's written in short fits fueled by emotional experiences. Her songs are delicate, full of pianos, raspy voices and sad lyrics reflects - and as far as I can tell a loneliness and tenderness without the anger you might think would accompany the kind of life she's lived. They are wistful and longing, infusing some heavy jazz and blues influences when appropriate (horns, backup singers and all), while easily flipping back to alt-country-indie rock with strong guitars and choppy singing. It all works though. I can't vouch for Marshall's live performances, and have heard that the stage might be the place that Marshall acts out her erratic personality and background. But I will vouch for her recorded music, and reccomend her most recent album (yes, the entire thing), The Greatest.www.myspace.com/catpower
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Power
Another singer/songwriter on my list these days is Greg Laswell. Funnily enough, there is just not that much information on Mr. Laswell currently, but I do know that he is from San Diego, writes incredible beautiful songs about women and love and all that other good stuff, and also writes about the things he learns on tour. I've taken the liberty of reposting the 20 things Greg Laswell learned on tour because I find them pretty freaking funny (my favorites are 15, 16, and 18). As for his music, I was turned on to him from a Paste magazine sampler of his single "Sing Theresa Says" - a gripping and soulful song that weaves string, guitars, a surprisingly fast beat and a melody that rises and tumbles like a set of rolling hills. It's good.Check out Greg's myspace page at:
www.myspace.com/greglaswell
Greg's 20 things he learned on tour:
"20 Things I've Learned on Tour
1. buying new clothes is like doing laundry
2. when you buy a harmonium you should first think how you are going to fly it home
3. some guy over at mapquest.com is laughing his ass off
4. driving a car in new york city is like a ride at six flags magic mountain
5. when i get a picture of my dog sent to me, it does not help matters
6. if a joke works one night, then say it again the next night... and then the next
7. lonely people are everywhere
8. don't "keep going for a little longer" when your gas tank is almost empty
9. the main difference between the hyatt regency and a howard johnson is the bed
10. ...and the sheets
11. ...and the smell
12. morning radio shows physically hurt
13. mexican food outside of san diego tastes like hamburgers
14. you can't do much better than a nice dinner in new york city
15. that snack wrap at mcdonalds is kind of good
16. 3 hours later is not as good
17. the absolute best time to visit the washington monument, lincoln memorial and veteran memorial is at 2 o'clock in the morning when there is not another person in sight
18. if i have a few drinks, it does not mean that i am no longer lactose intolerant
19. my next album will be full of songs i wrote on the road
20. and lastly, some guy over at mapquest.com is laughing his ass off"
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