A Camp covers EP

You’re gonna be walking on the edge of a razor blade, Nina. That’s my Pink Floyd with whom you’re flirting.

All is right in the world

I saw Jenny Lewis. All is right in the world. This is one of those beautiful reminders that the “right now” is perfect.

Koko is a really cool sort of building out in Camden Town, only a fifteen minute brisk walk from my dorm. It has several (steep, other than the ground floor) levels, and Abe Lincoln style boxes. It’s a very old and important looking concert hall.

When I arrived, the pre-show music included George Harrison, John Fogerty, and Lou Reed. The first song I heard when I walked in was “Isn’t It a Pity“. Amazing. You know the show is going to be good when the pre-show music is George Harrison.

Now, I arrived at 6:45 for doors at 7:00. I showed up a little later than I had intended because I am a poor planner and chose to eat dinner too late. There was only short line at Koko when I arrived, so I thought I might be able to edge my way in to the front row. However, once I got in (I didn’t check my coat, both because I wanted to get to the front quickly and because I didn’t have any cash with me) the front row was already filled. Mostly. There were these two girls who I stood behind, and one of them had sprawled out at the barrier to save a space for some mysterious friend of hers. I was kind of upset because that was the only space left in the front row when I got there. So I stood behind her, secretly hoping the pressure would force her to move out of the way in guilt. But she didn’t. And worst of all her friend never showed up. And she never really allowed me enough room to squeeze in to the front row. So I spent the entire show standing behind her. Angrily.

Moving on.

The opener was this crazy guy named Benji Hughes, who has the longest beard and deepest voice I have heard in a long time. In fact, he was one of the openers when I went to see Rilo Kiley in New York on 3 June 2008 (the other one being Thao Nguyen and The Get Down Stay Down). His band started out without him, with a piece in 6/8 that sounded remarkably like “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” (the guitarist played a mournful David Gilmour solo over a minor progression, so I approved; his guitar had feathers hanging from it, which was also funny), and then he came on to sing the rest of the opening songs.

That was fine, but then the magic happened. Oh, yes. Jenny Lewis came onto the stage, starting off with “Jack Killed Mom“. She was beautiful. There are no other words I can use to describe her. She’s amazing. And beautiful. And adorable.

The concert continued with a whole bunch of songs from both Jenny’s first album, Rabbit Fur Coat, which is a lighter, countrier album, and her newest album, Acid Tongue (there seems to be no last.fm link…), for which she is on tour, which is a darker, country-rockier album. She played a few of my favorite Jenny solo songs, including “You Are What You Love“, “Rise Up With Fists“, and “Happy” (from the first album), and “Acid Tongue“, “Jack Killed Mom”, and “The Next Messiah” (from the second album). During the encore, she and Johnathan Rice (boo) sang a duet on “Love Hurts“, which was very cool. It is also important to note that throughout the concert, “Farmer” Dave Scher, who is apparently going to be Venkman in Ghostbusters 3, was a god on the lap steel guitar.

I don’t have much else to say about the subject. I hope you all love Jenny Lewis as much as I do. She’s so good on stage, because she used to be an actress, and her voice and lyrics are beautiful. I know at least my mother will appreciate the sort of country style she brings to the stage. I will see her again as soon as possible, to satisfy my love.

Music for walking in London

Because I have a ten or fifteen minute walk to class from my “residence hall” (dorm), I have taken it upon myself to listen to appropriate (i.e. British) music for walking through London. Music I have listened to within the past few days:

Syd Barrett and the psychedelic sounds of Pink Floyd on The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

The endless love and eternal laments of the inimitable Nick Drake on Bryter Layter and Five Leaves Left.

The…I don’t know…”fun” Alright, Still by Lily Allen.

More anon.