the new and the old
Post-eMusic, it’s been somewhat more difficult to discover new artists I like. I miss that thrill of the search and find, and I feel hopelessly out of touch.After realizing that all my recent music downloads have been of the same ol’, same ol’ artists, I decided I needed Spotify.
But I’m so overwhelmed and confused (and undecided about how I feel about its whole concept) that I clicked on Lady Gaga from the “Top Artists” list just to get something playing. All tracks played are publicized to friends, aren’t they? Hmm. I’m being judged as we speak…
Of course, I’ve heard Lady Gaga songs a few times before in stores, on TV, in people’s cars, at clubs (shudder), etc., but this is my first intentional listen. I kinda like it, actually.
However, I’d like to make this entry about both Lady Gaga and Josh Ritter, if that’s okay.
Every year in mid-July, I spend a week in San Francisco for work, and inevitably that winds up being the week that at least one favorite artist does a show in New York. (This year, it was the Old 97's.) In a happy twist of fate, though, Josh Ritter also came to San Francisco to do a book reading on July 13, in the middle of my trip.
The reading was held at Book Passage in San Francisco’s beautifully restored Ferry Building, surrounded by sparkling bay waters and my first glimpse of sunlight during the entire trip. A most welcome respite after a tough day and a mad dash down Market Street. Symbolism ahoy!
[caption id=”attachment_411521" align=”aligncenter” width=”490" caption=”only had my phone camera, sadly”]
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[caption id=”attachment_4115219692" align=”aligncenter” width=”490" caption=”our backdrop”]
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What’s better than a book reading? A book reading with music, too. We were treated to a blend of excerpts from Bright’s Passage, anecdotes about writing, and a few solo acoustic songs (“Folk Bloodbath,” “Galahad,” etc.) — all angel-themed in the spirit of the book’s themes. The tiny room and stunning backdrop made the performance feel unlike any other. You really can hear songs in a new way in such a different setting.
I hadn’t finished the book yet by the time of the reading (blame the bumpy cross-country flight over), so it was also a nice bonus that none of the selected excerpts were spoilers!
The real highlight came afterward, when we lined up outside to watch the ships come in and wait in line to get our books signed. Amazingly, it was still sunny, though a breeze kicked in from the water. One of the ship’s horns sounded just like the beginning of “Another New World,” and I almost wanted to compare notes with the other people in line to see if anyone else thought that.
Before long, it was time for me to finally meet Josh Ritter, after 12 shows (13 if you count this book-reading combo). Based on his on-stage and online/in-articles persona, I knew it’d be nearly impossible for him to turn out to be anything but a nice person.
Turned that he was, hands-down, the absolute nicest music artist I’d ever met: warm, sweet, gracious, and even genuinely interested in hearing about my work the conference I was in town for, even though we’d be warned by the bookstore manager that he had a flight to Portland to catch. From the first hug, it was immediately like we were old friends. Awww.
A picture in which I look like a delirious squirrel was taken, I got another hug and kiss on the cheek, and, of course, my book was signed. Not a concert in the most traditional sense, but a most lovely evening.
