Van Morrison

Van Morrison is notorious for walking off stage after performing just a few songs if he's not feeling the crowd. In the early 70's when my dad saw him at Winterland in San Francisco, he walked off after 5 songs.

This was not the case on May 2, 2009 when we saw Van Morrison at the Greek Theater in Berkley, CA. My dad prayed all morning and I managed my expectations. We both felt part of a privileged audience when he played a full two sets. After a one hour long set and a 14 minute intermission, he and his band performed Astral Weeks (released in November 1968 on Warner Bros. Records) start to finish, and then ended with Gloria, an old Them B-side (Baby, Please Don't Go recorded in 1964).

Overall, an 8 on the 1-10 scale: his strumming patterns are entirely unique, his voice is an instrument of its own (and he knows it), and, well, he's a genius, period, (which helps balance his funny look).

After such an incredible show in both quality and quantity, I feel a little ungrateful in wishing he would have played Into The Mystic. To quench my thirst, I YouTubed Into The Mystic and found this little gem, definitely worth sharing.



Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova, Into the Mystic, November 23, 2007 at the Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, Canada

Van Morrison

I wîsh

Found this somewhere. And I totally agree.

I wîsh

Florence and the Machine

Florence and the Machine from Ray-Ban Rooms on Vimeo.

Florence and the Machine

Wisdom

One of my favorite Christmas presents this year was, ironically, a book I both gave and received from my parents, two of the wisest people I know.

"Inspired by the idea that one of the greatest gifts one generation can pass to another is the wisdom it has gained from experience, the Wisdom project, produced with cooperation from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, seeks to create a record of a multicultural group of people who have all made their mark on the world. Presented against the same white space, all of the subjects are removed from their context which not only democratizes them, but also allows for a clear dialogue to exist between them. In an attempt to create a more profound, honest, and truly revealing portrait of these luminaries, the project encompasses their voices, their physical presence, and the written word. This comprehensive portrayal of such a profound and global group is an index of extraordinary perspectives. Wisdom is an ongoing project. Additions to the list of contributors continues."

> Website

Wisdom

Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Fleet Foxes