SOUNDTRACK: DANIEL BACHMAN-Tiny Desk Concert #256 (December 9, 2012).
Lars Gotrich, an NPR music dude, loves metal and weird music but also amazing Americana folk guitarists. Daniel Bachman was an early-twentysomething when he recorded this Tiny Desk Concert. And he is very impressive indeed. Lars explains:
His approach to the American Primitive style of acoustic guitar — a sonically vivid fingerpicking technique developed by John Fahey and expanded by the likes of Robbie Basho and, later, Jack Rose and Glenn Jones — is conversational and uplifting, much like the man himself. After a rousing performance of “Honeysuckle Reel” from a forthcoming seven-inch single, however, Bachman turned beet-red in the NPR Music office and said, “I’m not going to lie. I’m pretty nervous.”
He only plays two songs, although each one is about 7 minutes long. Lars says, “Strap on a pair of heavy boots and “Honeysuckle Reel” becomes an ecstatic dance tune or, at the very least, a foot-stomping good time.” And he’s right. It’s really amazing to watch him playing. He uses a thumb pick and the low notes are constantly going–an incredibly fast rhythm, in contrast to the slower melody he’s playing on the higher strings while finger picking. It’s a very pretty melody.
The second piece, “Seven Pines,” is slower and more reflective. It comes from one of two albums he put out in 2012). The simple melody “dives in and out of low-string chord crashes and tumultuous swirls of dizzying fingerpicking.”
The sound he gets from his guitar is really fantastic and while I don’t tend to listen to guitar music like this, I really enjoyed this a lot and would like to hear more from him.
[READ: February 3, 2016] Ava and Pip
Since Tabby and I loved Ava and Tacoocat so much, we knew we had to read the prequel Ava and Pip as well.
This book is set up exactly as Tacocat is (I know that this book came first but since I read the other one first I’m comparing things backwards).
There are diary entries and it starts with Ava on her first day of school. When she gets home she says that she is the only Ava in her class (which is frankly shocking as there are about 5 in my daughter’s grade). Then we learn all about the Wren family and their love of palindromes.
Bob and Anna Wren had two daughters named Pip Hannah and Ava Elle. And her diary entries wind up being chock full of spelled out palindromes (some obvious, others not). (more…)
I Just Read About That... 