Whole Lotta Dave

It all began innocently enough, with a text from my friend Anne, a text not unlike many others of its kind, a text with a “hi” and “oh man, have you heard [insert awesome artist here], yet?”

This time it was Gregory Alan Isakov, a folk/indie dude who originates from South Africa. I hadn’t heard of him and so, like the good student of music that I am, I headed over to his myspace page to have a listen.

She was right. He was great, not to mention, his recent album features Brandi Carlile on a majority of the tracks.

She and I always share our music and this time was no different. After a moment’s listen, I requested that she share what she had of his and with delight she obliged me.

It all could have turned into “well I hope you have a great day” ‘s and “tell so-and-so I said hi” ‘s but instead, I opened Pandora’s box.

She’s a huge Dave Matthews Band fan. As soon as I heard about LeRoi Moore’s death, she was the first person that came to my mind. She’s seen the band perform live more times than I’ve had years on this earth. That’s – what? – 28? it changes every year, so I tend to forget.

Back to the story. I simply said – paraphrasing here – you know, I love me some Dave but there’s SOOOO much music out there, can you make me a mix of your favorite Dave tracks?

Oh wow had I started something! By the end of the day, she’d sent me nine mixes. I was still at work so I was only able to peruse through the tracks she’d chosen and boy did they bring back some good memories. I recognized about half of the songs she’d chosen. I stopped listening to DMB back in college or sometime close thereafter, there was just so much music coming out and maybe I felt like I couldn’t devote enough of “me” to them. I’m not sure. But I’ve always loved the band.

So what did I do last night? Yer damn right I spent all night downloading the tracks and then compiling the playlists based on her suggestions. What will I be doing all day and into the next week? Listening to them all – deliciously and one by one.

This summer, Anne and I will see them together live at Bonnaroo. I couldn’t be more stoked and these mixes are set to be the perfect segueway into the experience that is the ‘roo.

As requested, here are the lists:

Mix 1
Grey Street
Squirm
Drive In Drive Out
04 The Dreaming Tree (Live At Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY)
Don’t Drink The Water (Live)
1-07 #27 (Live)
Everyday/#36 (Live)
2-03 Eh Hee (Live)
1-05 Proudest Monkey (Live At Mile High Music Festival)
Fool To Think (Live)
1-04 Save Me

Mix 2
Granny (Live)
Bartender
2-09 Grace Is Gone
You Never Know
Digging a Ditch
Hello Again (08.24.04)
2-02 Stay (Wasting Time) [Live At Mile High Music Festival]
Crush (Live)
Say Goodbye-Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado,July 25 2000

Mix 3
Alligator Pie (Live At Beacon Theatre, 6/1/09)
2-06 Sister
2-02 Cornbread
Pig
Steady As We Go
1-03 Stay or Leave
Captain
Rhyme & Reason
Recently (Live 7.13.04: Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Darien Center, NY)
Everybody Wake Up
Dreamgirl
Where Are You Going?

Mix 4
The Idea of You
1-11 Betrayal
Stolen Away on 55th & 3rd
Funny the Way It Is
1-05 You Might Die Trying (Live).m4p
08 Tripping Billies (Live At Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI)
Christmas Song
So Much To Say / Anyone Seen The Bridge?
Lie In Our Graves
One Sweet World 04-20-02 Corel Centre, Kanata, ON, Canada
Rapunzel

Mix 5
Time of the Season
2-10 Dancing Nancies
Joy Ride
Big Eyed Fish
Sweet Caroline
3-07 Thank You (Falletin Me Be Mice Elf Agin) [Live At Mile High Music Festival]
Angel
One Sweet World
The Stone
The Last Stop

Mix 6
2-11 #41
Warehouse
Break Free
Shake Me Like A Monkey
Ants Marching
Time Bomb (Live At Comcast Theatre, Hartford, 6/6/09)
#41
Jimi Thing

Mix 7
Seek Up
Can’t Stop
American Baby
05 Pay for What You Get (Live At Toyota Pavilion At Montage Mountain, Scranton, PA)
Sledgehammer
1-02 Two Step (Live)
Jimi Thing

Mix 8
Mother Father
Cry Freedom – 7.31.2003, West Palm Beach, FL
Raven 07-08-02 HiFi Buys Amphiteatre, Atlanta, Georgia.
2-01 Oh
Typical Situation
2-08 Some Devil
Song That Jane Likes (Live)
Smooth Rider
Lying In the Hands of God
Hunger for the Great Light
I’ll Back You Up 08-05-04 Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH

Mix 9
Dive In – 9.10.2009, Los Angeles, CA
The Space Between
1-08 The Maker
So Right
Lying In the Hands of God
Spoon
You & Me (Live At SPAC, Saratoga Springs, 6/12/09)
Minarets – [8.31.95]

*for the record, any repeated songs are different versions

I’m Making a Mixtape for a Rock Star

First off, let me start by saying how excited I am to finally have an appropriate medium for expressing my musical geekdom. With that said, a giant thank you goes out to Dean for proposing this blog and then actually going ahead and making it a reality.

I’m still (see my comment below on his latest post) envious of the running list Dean keeps detailing all the concerts he’s been to, and am strongly and seriously considering starting one of my own.

I geek out about music on a daily basis and every once in a while am privileged enough to interview a band that I love (or not). At any rate, here is where I plan on chatting about all of that awesomeness (and more). Also, I’m pretty sure that I’ll learn about a lot of new music – I fret every day over the amount of amazing music out there that I’ll never hear – and also get to impart a few (read: many) of my own musical interests upon my fellow bloggers and you, our hopefully ever-increasingly loyal readers. Smile.

I’ll get to the point now.

I spoke on the phone with Justin Furstenfeld of Blue October a few weeks ago on behalf of Richmond.com. Relatively speaking, we were only able to chat for a mere blip in the radar but, I still felt myself being strongly drawn to him as a regular, down-to-earth dude.

I thanked him for taking the time to speak with me and he said “It’s an honor to speak with you.” To which I replied, “It’s an honor to speak with you, as well.” Then, to my surprise, he basically laughed at me and said “Yeah, right.” Incredulous. That was his reaction.

Quickly I attempted to dispel his initial reaction and told him “No, really, I’ve been a fan for a long time.” Eventually, I think I had him convinced.

By the time the conversation was over (10 minutes later) we were discussing personal musical obsessions. We both grew up adoring the Cure, the Smiths (him moreso than me), Bauhaus, Mazzy Star, Pink Floyd and Peter Gabriel.

I jokingly suggested I’d make him a mixtape and give it to him when I saw him next (they’re playing next week, April 8 at the Hat Factory). He called me a sweetheart and said he would love that. Sold!

So now I’m hard at work making Justin Furstenfeld a mixtape.

I already have the name. It’s going to be called “Something(s) Old, Something(s) New, Something(s) Borrowed and One Thing Blue.”

I know, right?!! Clever!

I’m all set to meet him next week and hand off my mix. Even if he never listens to it, I still made a mixtape for a Rock Star.