Sinking Stomach.

We've all had one of those moments haven't we, that feeling when you hear a song, or see someone, or hear something.....that it just takes you back to an exact moment in your past, and your stomach just drops, where all your senses are suddenly alert and you can feel and smell and picture in your head the exact moment all over again...

I had one of those tonight, browsing on Amazon for some new DVDs, in my recommendations comes 'Kids' by Larry Clark. One of my favourite films of all time, but after lending it to the drummer in my old band, I haven't seen him or the film in years, went in to Fopp to buy a new copy to find out that it had been taken off of print so the film was no longer being made and distributed for retail. Managed to find a second hand copy on amazon tonight. 

For those who haven't seen the film then I recommend you buy a used copy, if your rich then pay the £35 for the few new copies floating about. It follows one day in the life of 4 teenagers in New York one day in the early 1990s, just at the start of the AIDS crisis. I won't say too much more about it other than it really is an amazing film. 

So to the song.....at the very end just as the credits come up, their comes a song by Sebadoh who were one of the original lo-fi bands of the late 80s early 90s scene in America. They were also the first act to be released on Domino Records after Sub-Pop Records licensed them to distribute the record in the UK, bit of music trivia for you. The song is very distinctive, and even 5 years later when the first chords is played, it still takes me back to the very first time I heard it at the end of the film, it was an excellent moment for me, for reasons you don't need to know.

Enjoy and listen.

Stone Siblings.

So it has been far too long since my last post. I'm sitting in on a Saturday night, it's cold outside, I'm not feeling well (poor me) and I'm very tired, what better frame of mind to write another blog post then eh!

I had a couple of ideas for songs that I was wanting to write about seeing as it's been a while, but last night I was sitting in a bar in Glasgow waiting on a couple friends finishing who were working at the time. I was reading 'The Skinny,' free newspaper based on art/fashion/music in Scotland for those of you who aren't aware of it. In the paper there was a review for Julia Stone's debut solo LP, 'The Memory Machine.' As a huge fan of Angus and Julia Stone, I was ashamed to say that I had no idea she was releasing a solo record!



My love affair with Angus and (particularly) Julia Stone began a few years back when I heard them play on a TV show, and since then I loved them. They are a brother and sister partnership from Australia, after seeing them live they told us how they came to be musicians together. As children their parents would send them to summer camps designed for musically talented children, where they would learn about song writing and playing instruments. They would each write their songs on their own, but would teach each other how to play them, so it's almost as if their songs are backed by their sibling. This relationship comes out really nice on stage, they don't have a set list as such, and they just take turns to sing songs of their own, for example when I seen them earlier this year Julia played 3 songs in a row, so Angus piped up it was his turn to sing!

Their set was fantastic, really one of the best shows I've seen, the highlights being in the encore where they told us it was their last song, I called out for 'The Wedding Song' which is my favourite song of theirs, then someone down the front shouts for 'Paper Aeroplanes' another of their tracks. This turned into a contest as to what song people were shouting for, then Julia takes her guitar off, picks up another one, then says,

'We don't normally play this song live, but people want to hear it, this song we wrote for our friends who got married, this is 'The Wedding Song.'

I won!

Earlier in the show I was convinced Julia was looking at me as we were quite close at this point, so I smiled, she smiled back. I can die happy.

Angus and Julia Stone are playing this coming Tuesday at the Oran Mor in Glasgow, really great band to see live so I can't wait to see them again.

So the song I'm posting here is to help show my love for the beautiful Julia Stone, it comes from her solo record, of which the tracks I've heard are fantastic! This is 'My Baby.' Enjoy.