#do you know how much emotions i felt playing world of goo to 100% the game on steam and noticed the o superman reference

[tmos-time]

hey related to last post i just reblogged this is a fucking travesty!!!!! BEAMING MY FAVORITE LAURIE ANDERSON SONGS INTO PEOPLES BRAINS NOW...

[kalluun-patangaroa]

Suede brush up

The Guardian, 21 October 2010

by Jude Rogers

(This is the actual article The Ministry Of Sound photo shoot was done for)

Drugs, ME and despair sent the poor urchins of Britpop their separate ways in 2003. Now Suede have come roaring back to life.

'Much less interested in the persona of Brett Anderson' ... Suede's frontman at the Ministry of Sound, London. Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi for the Guardian 

This year, in the first flush of spring, a band that time forgot played the gig of their lives. "It was so special, it was impossible to leave it behind, wasn't it? We had to keep picking at it, didn't we? It was like a scab." The once long-fringed frontman who led the band that launched Britpop – albeit against his will, Brett Anderson reminds us – sits in a hotel room on a darkening weekday evening, remarkably untouched by both time and excess, recalling Suede's performance at the Royal Albert Hall in March. Next to him, drummer Simon Gilbert and keyboardist Neil Codling are similarly Peter Pan-like; bassist Mat Osman is in New York; while Richard Oakes, the young pup who replaced guitarist Bernard Butler after writing to the band's fanclub, is in the gents. 

"He's hiding," says Anderson. "He's terrified. Be gentle with him."

In 2010, something remarkable has happened to Suede. Nearly 18 years after their debut album became the fastest-selling in British history, and seven years after they split not with a bang but with a whimper, they are, incredibly, the talk of the town. Next month, they release a carefully curated Best Of – Osman says on the phone, later, that Anderson has spent months labouring over it, making his own CDs to discover the best running order. In December, they play the O2, their biggest-ever non-festival show. This is all thanks to a gig they played for Teenage Cancer Trust back in March, preceded by two "practice runs" at London's 100 Club and the Manchester Ritz. At the Royal Albert Hall, they were a revelation: five men in their 30s and 40s playing at full throttle, as if the world was going to cave in once the curtains came down. When they played Metal Mickey, they received a standing ovation that went on for five minutes. Oakes finally enters the room as we discuss it, and smiles shyly when he realises what we are talking about. "I thought someone had walked on stage, or something. It was genuinely unexpected."

"That's the one moment that I'd relive for the rest of eternity," adds Anderson. "And I did actually say on the night – here's your bold quote if you want it – I've taken a lot of drugs in my life and nothing compares to it."

Anderson at Royal Albert Hall, London, in March 2010. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA 

Everyone laughs. Suede know who the press expect Anderson to be: the easy-to-parody commuter-belt wordsmith, still in love with suburbs and skylines, nicotine and gasoline. The old dog still deploys flamboyant one-liners – when Gilbert's lost phone turns up in his pocket, for example, he says, "Oh, come on, Simon, this isn't Arthur C Clarke's Mysterious World" – but in 2010, Anderson is much more self-aware. He is, he says, "much less interested in the persona of Brett Anderson", and even has a sense of humour about having a parodist on Twitter, something you couldn't have imagined 15 years ago.

Since Suede broke up in 2003, all the members' lives have changed hugely. As well as making three solo albums and reuniting briefly with Butler as the Tears, Anderson has married and gained a stepson "who likes being read bedtime stories about pirates", and lost a father, who died in 2005. Gilbert moved to Bangkok as soon as the band split, and now drums for two bands called Futon and Goo ("that's G-O-O"); Codling became "a keyboardist for hire" for Natalie Imbruglia, among others; Osman became an editor of the online zine le cool; while Oakes has been working quietly on a new band, Artmagic, though he had not been on stage since Suede played their last note seven years ago.

But then Teenage Cancer Trust came calling. At first, Anderson didn't know whether reforming would be wise. "There were two conflicting voices," he says. "One saying I'd love to play those songs again, I'm really proud of them. Another saying I should leave well alone." He spoke to Osman and Codling, called Gilbert on Skype, then spoke to Oakes – the least convinced party. Oakes stands out from his bandmates in other ways today: he wears a beige jacket and scruffy jeans while the others are stylish in black; he has a receding hairline; and he still looks acutely aware that he filled Butler's shoes, despite co-writing some of Suede's biggest hits. "I was thinking, 'Oh God, can I do it, revisiting the past?' All these emotions, I didn't think I could cope." Osman will also admit late that he had his doubts: "Men in their 40s performing teenage songs … it could have easily gone horribly wrong."

Anderson confirms there were lots of difficult conversations. "But if it had been the wrong thing for one of us, it would have been the wrong thing for all of us. We kept persevering because we knew there was still something there."

To decide once and for all whether a reunion would work, this version of Suede (Oakes joined in 1994, Codling in 1996), went to a tiny rehearsal room near Anderson's house. It was the first time they had played together for 10 years (Codling left the band in 2000 because he was suffering from ME). It was crucial there were no managers or roadies present, explains Anderson, so the five musicians could just drink tea and chat, and then hook up their instruments. They played Filmstar first, and it sounded amazing, he says. "We also noticed a purity in those songs, because we'd had distance from them," adds Codling. "It also helped everyone remember," adds Anderson, "why they were written in the first place."

As the Albert Hall show approached, Osman remembers them discussing how important it was that they present the music free of frills: "It had to be like five boys playing the Southampton Joiners Arms. To hide behind anything would have been cheating. We had to do the opposite."

Anderson felt they had a point to prove, too. "I don't think there's ever been a point in Suede's career when we haven't. We've always had our doubters. We've always polarised opinion." He stops, then smiles. "Although there's part of me that quite likes that, you know. I never wanted to be in someone's fifth-favourite band."

Suede were born to be divisive: from early on, they were criticised for being the beneficiaries of media hype, even though they had spent years in various bands playing "in front of three people". Later on, the fact that Anderson had been involved with Justine Frischmann, who became the frontwoman of Elastica and dated Blur's Damon Albarn, helped transform Britpop into a class-fuelled soap opera, with Blur cast as foppish class tourists, Suede as poor urchins looking at the stars and Frischmann a black-clad princess tearing them apart. Anderson doesn't think about the other Britpop bands now, he says, though he is still close friends with Frischmann, who now lives in LA; they had dinner together with their spouses last year, and he wishes he saw her more often.

By 1994, as Oasis became more popular, it became clear that Suede didn't fit into Britpop any more, even though it was still a year before the scene's commercial apogee. Butler's departure also gave the critics extra fuel for the fire. "They realised that a part of our armour was missing," recalls Anderson. "That was the first time I realised that people often run in packs, and when they smell blood, they attack."

Suede didn't want to run with a herd, though – and their second album, Dog Man Star, was deliberately anti-Britpop for that reason. "We didn't want to wave union jack flags. And I didn't want to talk about my life any more, or include any references about living in London on the dole. It felt weird how they became Britpop references, really, and how quickly they got turned into beery cartoons."

Anderson was also missing the departed Butler. "He's an amazing musician, so I missed him in that sense. And the two first Suede albums were obviously very special." Butler has played a big role in putting together the Best Of, Anderson says. "It was really nice: the two of us sitting together listening to Suede songs in the studio for the first time for nearly 20 years. A really lovely trip down memory lane." Anderson won't go into detail about their friendship, but thinks they made a good album together as the Tears, although they were naive not to realise how much the idea of their reconciliation being a de facto Suede reunion would overshadow it. Butler, though, will have no part of this reformation.

Instead, Suede's current lineup is centred around their most commercially successful spell, one that gets overlooked because of the excitement of their early breakthrough. 1996's Coming Up produced five top 10 singles, and also made Suede famous in Europe and Asia. They all remember that time fondly, Gilbert says: "It was make or break, but also really exciting. We were all waking up each morning not feeling any pressure." Things only went awry with 1999's Head Music. Codling was getting ill, and having to send ideas in by email; Anderson "was off my head on buckets of drugs"; Oakes, whose guitar parts were getting replaced by electronics, was "switching off", he says. "Which I really regret."

By 2002's A New Morning, the band had grown apart, and Anderson was trying to tear Suede's sound into pieces – partly, he now realises, because he didn't want there to be a band any more. "I think that we shouldn't have made that record, quite honestly." He persevered out of sheer bloody-mindedness – wanting to prove to the doubters, once again, that Suede hadn't been a flash in the pan. Instead, the band broke up amicably with a run of full-album gigs at London's ICA, which they nonetheless remember as quiet final flourishes. "We didn't go out the way we had planned," Osman says. "We should've gone out in a blaze of fists in Bangladesh, or something."

Quietness seems inimical to Suede: Anderson misses the danger and fierceness his band used to thrive on. "I do find it weird that the last 10 years hasn't thrown up a new definitive genre. It seems that music is here to placate now, rather than provoke. Maybe a sense of apathy has crept in, or people's lives are too comfortable. No one wants to inspire extremity, as we used to do."

Perhaps sticking around beyond the winter tour would help make this happen, I suggest. The room falls silent as the notion floats around. "At the moment … we don't know," Anderson says finally, making it clear he is the ringmaster. "I think we'd have to be convinced that it would be the right thing to do. You know, has the moment passed, or should we pick at the scab again?"

Next year, after all, he releases another solo record, a big rock-inspired album – although its energy has, he admits, been fuelled by Suede's reunion. And everyone agrees that something has changed in all of them in the wake of the reunion. "The fact it happened 20 years after the band formed – isn't that wonderful? Who's to say it couldn't happen again in the future?" Anderson raises his hands, and his cheekbones gleam in the evening light as it falls through the window. Everyone smiles, and understands. This isn't yesterday's man.

The Best of Suede is released on Ministry of Sound on 1 November.

[softstraykids]

han jisung|soulmate au

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member: han jisung genre: very fluffy summary: soulmate au! your soulmate bond was to be able to feel the emotions of your soulmate. so when you finally meet jisung. he is set on making you feel better about yourself. he whisks you off to a unforgettable date filled with endless affection requested: yes

⋆ ──────── ⋆ ✩ ⋆ ──────── ⋆

when you were younger you had absolutely no idea what was your soulmate key

you didn’t have a tattoo, or couldn’t see colours or anything

but as you grew older 

it became clear

you felt him

you felt the emotions of your soulmate

it didn’t mentally affect you but you could feel everything they were feeling

it was like there was a separate person in your heart

which there kinda was 

when you get pangs of happiness because of him

you can’t help but break out into the biggest grin 

and when he’s feeling exhausted, helpless, upset 

you want to cry and be there for him 

when you were younger you absolutely loved your bond and it made you feel so much closer to him

but as you got into high school you had a love hate with your bond

you could feel nearly 75% happiness from your soulmate

but you were constantly down, you felt empty 

you were filled with self hatred and insecurity 

the people in your grade were judgemental as hell 

and you were on the chubby side 

to my readers who are skinny or average size i’m sure you’ve all understood how it feels to not 100% love your body which is why a main part of this fic is around self love

you could feel the whispers, laughs, people sizing up of your body 

the voices in your head telling you, you weren’t good enough enough

and all you want to do is hide in a hole and cry

cover every single bit of your body and never have to see anyone again

you wished your soulmate didn’t have to feel your emotions 

it would save him all the shitty feelings you felt

but jisung never ever thought that no matter how much he could feel from you

or how bad it was

from when jisung was younger 

he absolutely adored the idea of soulmates 

every single day he’ll check if a tattoo appeared on his body, or if he heard a voice in his head or something, anything

as he got older he became more and more helpless 

but then he felt super happy when he was sad but it wasn’t him?

then he realised 

THAT was his soulmate bond to feel his soulmate’s emotions 

he loved it, it was like he could tell what you were feeling and how you were

he already felt connected to you 

but as high school came around, the more sadness he felt from you

and it literally broke his heart tiny bit by tiny bit

all he wanted to do was find you and hug you tell you it was okay 

and that he was there now

jisung wanted that day to happen so badly 

and it did 

you were just walking your dog, coco is her name 

and suddenly she was barking super loudly and you were trying to calm her down

but your grip loosened on the leash and your dog bolted 

“COCO STOPPPP” you groan out 

before chasing after her not even looking up to see where you’re going

then you hear a guy’s voice calling

“YAH KKAMI WHERE ARE YOU GOING” 

no it’s not hyunjin just wait for it lmao also i love kkami sm

for some bizarre reason you felt a rush of warmth at his soothing voice

but before you know it 

CRASH 

the guy and you crash into each other and topple down 

and suddenly you’re on top of this REALLY REALLY GOOD-LOOKING STRANGER 

who’s is making you heart go BADUMP BADUMP

and your lips are literally centimetres apart??!!

he gives out an adorable laugh and shakes his head cutely before saying

“hey i’m han jisung and are you okay?”

and you instantly melt into a puddle of goo because for some reason this guy has a really weird effect on you

“i-i’m okay, wait are you okay? i was the one to fall on top of you. i’m really sorry about that also i was chasing after my dog and not looking where i was goin-” you say rapidly 

before being interrupted by two dogs barking

kkami and coco were together barking at you two happily and if dogs would be looking full of themselves that’s how they would look 

you sigh in relief seeing coco 

“coco you scared me” you say to coco finally getting off jisung 

as both of you stand up properly 

jisung cutely tells kkami off“don’t run away from me again hyunjin would  kill my guts if anything happened to you”

you felt your soulmate emotions they were super strong, stronger than ever

a mix of happiness, anticipation, and relief

before you knew it you couldn’t help but blurt out

“this is really random but is your soulmate key feeling your soulmate’s emotions”

jisung looks at you in complete shock his mouth wide open 

then he finally says “y-yes it is” 

your mind is whirling and your heart is increasingly beating faster

you try to focus your mind on the most depressing thoughts possible 

before saying curiously “did your soulmate just feel sadness?”

he looks at you even more bewildered “she did”

then you felt the biggest rush of just pure love from your soulmate

and you look up at jisung 

who had the most heart melting smile in the world, making his cheeks puff out

“actually you did” he says in awe 

and you can’t help but smile as you knew han jisung was your soulmate

before you know it 

jisung barrels into you hugging you super tightly 

and you of course reciprocrate 

he whispers out soothingly and full of love 

“why are you always so sad, i want you to be happy and smile prettily like you just did then. whatever the reason i’m here for you now okay?”

and before you know it tears are streaming down your face

not just because you felt so so happy but also because of how annoyed you were at yourself for worrying him

“stop don’t blaming yourself remember i can feel what you’re feeling. i don’t blame you whatsoever. all i want is you to be okay” he says firmly but sweetly stroking your hair still hugging you 

“it’s just annoying because it’s a stupid reason why i’m so upset’ you say your voice still shaking and filled with frustration

“no reason is stupid okay? please tell me” he says softly finally looking at you 

but still having his arms around you

with a broken smile he wipes your tears away 

then super gently kisses your forehead 

you take a deep breath before saying your voice full of bitterness

“i hate how i look, i’m so insecure about my body, i don’t even want to go out in public because i feel like people are judging me. my friends make snarky side comments. and my parents don’t care” 

“i know it’s stupid but i can’t help it” you mutter out not meeting jisung’s eyes scared of the judgement

you felt jisung lifting your chin to meet his eyes 

“tell me how i feel” he says sweetly smiling softly at you

and you did

you could feel how much he genuinely cared, how he was worried, and how much he understood 

jisung could instantly see the understanding in you eyes 

he genuinely said to you “i genuinely think you’re so so beautiful. every single bit of you. and eventually i want to make you believe that too”

your breath catches in your throat as he says that 

hope but also disbelief fills you 

jisung raises one eyebrow at you questionably 

you blush knowing he can feel your disbelief 

“okay okay i get it baby steps. come on i’ve always wanted to go on a date.” jisung says reassuringly and excitedly

you’re like shook to the core 

“you’ve never gone a date??!!!” you exclaim in surprise

he laughs and shakes his head “have you?”

“well no” you mutter out 

he laughs even harder at your response

“HEY! i guess i just thought someone like you would of at least gone on a date” you say pouting 

“ooo do you think i’m good looking” he teases wiggling his eyebrows and smirking

“oh shut up” you say while teasingly cross your arms

“you look adorable when you’re pouting, with your cheeks all puffed out” he says sweetly

you can’t help but blush before poking jisung’s chubby cheeks too 

he pouts at the same time and you laugh 

jisung can’t help but smile brightly hearing your laugh

and feeling proud he made you feel better and stop crying

“your cheeks are always puffy” you say with a smirk 

“shhhhhhh, let’s go to hyunjin’s place to let him play with the dogs and i can finally take you on a date” he says excitedly 

before you can even make a sound he grabs your hand 

and drags you to the other end park 

bringing coco and kkami with him 

you arrive at hyunjin’s place after a short walk which you spent laughing and joking around with jisung

you’ve never connected to a person this easily before 

and it literally felt you found our other half 

he instantly became as important as family which makes zero sense but emotionally it make perfect sense

before you knew it jisung’s swinging the door open and shouting 

“I’M HERE!!!” 

you hear a young voice probably a first year in high school say

“NO ONE CARES!!!” 

jeongin rejecting jisung again

“I BROUGHT MY SOULMATE???” jisung adds hesitantly 

you could hear 8 male voices screaming “WHAT??!!!!”

the first person skidded right in front of the doorway 

he was really small and he was wearing all black but with really cute and soft features

lol changbin don’t murder me in my sleep i love you

he looked at jisung then you then at your hands which were still intertwined 

“shit.” he muttered 

before full out shouting “SHIT!!” as a another guy with a justin bieber 2010′s hair cut jumped on him

felix you my bias and i support and love you and NEARLY everything you do but that hairstyle needs to go 

he gave you an adorable smile “hey i’m felix and this is binnie” 

the guy in all black grumbled out and rolled his eyes before saying with a soft smile towards to you“it’s changbin actually”

“no it’s binnie” felix says adamantly 

you say with a shy smile still super nervous for meeting jisung’s friends

“i’m y/n? but wait i thought this was hyunjin’s place?” you ask hesitantly

“did someone say my name?” says a gorgeous guy as he poked his head through the door way before breaking into a bright smile

“KKAMI!!” he shouts as kkami runs to him yapping happily

“and that is hyunjin not even caring about me” jisung says jokingly

“at least i care more than jeongin” hyunjin retorted before giving you a shy smile of a greeting 

then another guy popped in through the door way he had silver/blond curls

“wait you’re not kidding, this is your soulmate?” he asked bewildered

“hi” you timidly say as jisung loudly says “YUP” at the same time

“i’m chan and i wish you luck with this guy” he says welcomingly before jerking his finger at jisung

“HEY! I’M NOT THAT BAD!!” jisung exclaims

another guy pops in through the door way and butts in

“you are jisung. you’ll be doing all the cleaning” he mutters bitterly

before brightly smiling at you and introducing himself as seungmin

“guys we’re crowding the doorway let’s go in” chan says 

everyone finally goes into the living room 

where you see three other guys and your thought is wow they’re a large group

“y/n this is jeongin, woojin hyung and minho hyung” jisung introduces his three other friends 

“hey? it’s nice to meet you” you say shyly again

“wait hyung wasn’t lying???!!!” jeongin exclaims showing off his cute braces smile

“okay i’m officially annoyed i’m the oldest how come i didn’t find my soulmate yet?” woojin pouts cutely

“ignore the rest of the guys except maybe chan. i’m minho and i think i’ll be the first to say since these guys are idiots but CONGRATULATIONS!” says minho before clapping excitedly and hugging both of you 

“GROUP HUG!!!” felix shouts happily interrupting the grumbles 

and suddenly you’re surrounded by all these guys 

and you can’t help but smile feeling like they’re really a family

the moment the hug breaks jisung announces with a big grin

“okay i’m taking y/n on a date take care of coco for us” 

handing coco to hyunjin since BINNIE was playing with kkami smiling and cooing

dark concept where?

“sure but when you come back stay with us for a bit and we can tell you embarrassing stories of jisung!” jeongin mischievously says 

“oh please no” jisung groans

“and pictures!!” adds woojin

you laugh and say “that sounds great!! i’ll buy you guys some fried chicken for dinner!” 

you hear excited cheers and comments from all the members

“WOW YOU’RE AMAZING I ALREADY LOVE YOU” 

“okay i 100% approve completely of your relationship” 

“jisung really doesn’t deserve you”

“why couldn’t you be my soulmate”

you laugh brightly genuinely feeling great around these boys

and you can’t imagine anyone could feel down around them

“let’s gooooooo” jisung says excitedly dragging you out of the place in a rush as you hear byes from all the guys 

jisung brings you to the city where all the street shops are with the vendors and so many shops high end and cheap brands alike

“i’ve always wanted to have a date here, hold hands, shop and eat stuff while wearing couple outfits and just having a blast!” he says happily

you can’t help but smile at his excitement before realising he said 

“couple outfits??!!” you blurt out in surprise

“yupppp come on let’s go to my favourite shop” he says before you can protest leading you there holding your hand firmly

once you arrive there jisung immediately starts looking for stuff and so do you 

to be honest you like shopping but you hate changing clothes and seeing your body in the mirror 

and if something doesn’t fit it makes you feel like complete shit

but since jisung was so excited you couldn’t help but be too

that boy just made you smile and then smile even more 

“Y/N I FOUND IT!!” he says excitedly 

you go over to him as he’s holding black original vans, black caps with rings through the corner, and red black matching flannels

you gotta admit the outfit is really cute but

“um jisung you’re wearing plaid right now??” you ask confused 

“oh don’t worry i have like 10 different flannels” he says dismissively

“10??!!!!” you exclaim in surprise

“yup now go try this on, we both have black jeans on so just grab a black shirt or singlet on the way” he say lightly shoving you towards the direction of the changing rooms

you hesitantly change your clothes 

and having one glance at your body brings an overwhelming feeling of annoyance, shame and just pure negativity

you take a look of your body and can’t help but thinking of at least 10 things on the spot you want to change

less bulky legs, less fat on the lower bit of your stomach, slimmer arms and the list keeps on going

you huff and close your eyes shut trying to not look at yourself while you put on the loose comfy black t shirt you found 

and you heard a knock and you open the door slightly 

to see jisung leaning on the side

“yes?” you ask

“just remember i love you and every bit of you. keep that in mind as you change” he says sweetly before sneaking a kiss on your nose

before leaving to change himself 

you can’t help but blush and the proceed to slide down the wall

you felt better knowing jisung accepts and loves you for you no matter what you look like

it felt like a pressure lifting off your shoulders, you always wondered if your soulmate wouldn’t like you because of how you look

but that clearly wasn’t the case

with renewed vigor you put on the whole outfit 

and for once you felt really cute with what you’re wearing

maybe it’s because jisung picked it but confidence swells inside of you

“wow you look amazing! actually we look amazing” jisung says brightly wrapping an arm around you as you come out of the change room

and you can’t help but smile back at him and say “yes we do”

he quickly swoops for a kiss on the cheek 

“i told you were beautiful” he genuinely says 

you have no response to that except for blushing bright red while he laughs at how cute you are

but a thought tugs in your head

maybe i am beautiful

jisung and you fought over paying but he ended up paying for both outfits

saying you were buying the chicken 

you two spend the next few hours 

buying heaps of stuff, more flannels for jisung 

also both of you just ate whatever looks good

and you actually didn’t feel bad for eating nutella crepes for once

maybe it was because of what jisung did right after you took a bite

“you have some nutella there” jisung says wiping some imaginary nutella from the corner of your mouth 

then suddenly he looks at you and then at your lips

and you feel him getting nervous but in love?

then before you know it he has lips on yours 

you rest your hand on his cheek bringing him closer 

he can’t help but smile as he kisses you

making you feel like your heart is literally bursting to the brim with love

the kiss was passionate but still soft and it was filled with affection

you two finally break apart with you blushing and him smiling 

before you know it you blurt out softly “i love you jisung”

he smiles back at you brightly making your heart melt once again

“i love you too beautiful” he says with so much love 

jisung will tell you that everyday and you eventually end up believing him 

and loving yourself but it was nowhere close how much jisung loved you

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my moodboard take with creds!!

ALL OF YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL HUMAN BEINGS INSIDE AND OUT!! self love is so important and whether you end up finding it through just yourself or someone else whether that’s a friend a boyfriend a family member. it does not matter! just wanted to give this message through a scenario. also realised how much flannel the guys wear should i just make all whole collection of them wearing flannel lol if one person says to do it i will. anyways i hope you guys liked it!!

as always don’t be afraid to leave me a message, a request or an anon!!! i always love hearing from you guys and getting your thoughts, feelings and feedback!!

⋆ ──────── ⋆ ✩ ⋆ ──────── ⋆

[joementa]

Week of February 27, 2017.  Will I Go See DRA By Myself?  Heck Yes.

Ever since DRA (Ryan Adams) announced his tour to support his ridiculously good album Prisoner, I felt it was pretty odd that Philly wasn’t on there.  I had heavy speculation that it would eventually get added to a later date, possibly something like the XPN Fest.  I was close to being right.  On Thursday night, a really great friend of mine texted me that DRA was in Philly. Obviously my question was, “Why?” She then dropped a million-pound bomb on me – HE WAS PLAYING A SHOW IN PHILLY THE NEXT NIGHT.  What.  The. Heck. I didn’t know about that show!

I did some research online and found out that the show was in honor of David Dye’s 25th anniversary as host of XPN’s World Café program, and face value for the ticket was $100.  I instantly went to the ticketing site and my heart sank when I saw it was sold out. Do you think I accepted the fact that I wouldn’t be going?  Of course not.  There was no way I WASN’T going to attend this show.  I quickly went to StubHub and found a ticket on sale for $138 – not too bad considering the face value.  

I did not spend any time whatsoever thinking about whether or not I’d be buying this ticket, or whether or not I could find someone else to go with me.  Of course I was going to buy it.  If someone could come with me, great.  But if not, oh well.  I had to go.  Up until I received that text from my friend, I had a pretty average non-summer Friday night scheduled.  Then all of a sudden my life changed in the blink of an eye. DRA….at World Café Life….Heck yes.

On Friday, I got to the venue around 5PM.  There literally was no one else there.  Less than twenty four hours earlier I had no clue I was even going to be here, and now I was first in line to see DRA?  I felt like how Henry Rollins described his feelings when he first met Ozzy.  Totally fan-boy geek out.  While waiting in line, I met a pretty cool couple that are just really big music fans. That’s one of the best experiences about going to shows. You get to meet people who just love music – and maybe the musician they’re seeing that night is no necessarily their most favorite, but when they talk about whoever it is, their eyes light up and you can tell they are really inspired.  You can’t beat being around those kinds of people, no matter who their favorite musician is.     

The two openers were Ben Vaughn and Sylvan Esso.  Ben Vaughn rocked the place – classic rock ‘n roll, complete with Telecaster twang, sax solos, smokin’ guitar riffs, and catchy choruses.  I enjoyed it a lot, and will definitely be picking up some of his albums.  I had never heard of Sylvan Esso before and was completely unfamiliar with their music. That’s going to change, because I loved it.  At first I was a little skeptical because the band consists of a singer and a producer/DJ who electronically creates all of the music.  They really grew on me throughout the set – It was cool to see them create the beats/rhythms in real time, and they were having a great time too. David Dye personally picked them for the show (third, behind BRUCE and DRA).  Their entire catalog is onsale on their site, and it’s not a bad deal – their debut LP, upcoming second LP, plus three 12-inches for $60.  You can pre-order it RIGHT HERE.

After the openers, it was time for the main event.  DRA.  At a 650-capactiy venue.  With me in the front row.  Heck yes.  They opened with “Do You Still Love Me” – and it ROCKED.  That place was so loud.  I wear earplugs at every show I go to, including acoustic shows, and my ears were still ringing by Saturday night.  DRA was especially emotional during this song, and his voice was flawless. I expect nothing less from this guy. They mostly played songs from Prisoner, plus a couple of other songs.  They really jammed out on a couple of songs too – DRA crushed some guitar solos, especially on “Peaceful Valley”.  They closed with one of my favorites from the new album, “We Disappear.”  “Lucy My Gal” was a pleasant surprise, and I’m nearly certain this wasn’t on the original setlist.  The show was a little longer than an hour, and I heard some people complaining about that afterwards.  Personally I couldn’t ask for anything more from that show.  A day before, I didn’t even know this show was.  DRA is a pretty popular musician, and we all scored tickets to see him at a venue that is easily too small for him.  Considering that none of my other favorite musicians had shows scheduled for that night, there really wasn’t much more music-related that could have beaten a DRA show.  At World Café Live.  IN THE FRONT ROW.  Heck yes.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I am a huge Ryan Adams fan and I think Prisoner is one of my best albums.  Like a typical DRA album, there are a lot of emotions and it’s a very personal album.  But the music is fantastic and not like anything else he’s done before.  The vibe is a little similar to his last two albums (Ryan Adams and 1989), but the instrumentation on Prisoner is certainly at another level.  I’ve listened to this album so many times since it came out, and I’m still not sick of yet.  I’m sure you have musicians that you totally geek out over.  It’s one of the most exciting things to see.  We have music that we love so much that we feel joy just knowing that it exists.  Heck yes.  

Here is a list of some of the music I’ve been listening to the past week.  Format: musician – album title, or musician – “song title” (album title).

Ryan Adams – Prisoner

Dave Hause – Bury Me In Philly

The Menzingers – After The Party

Lana Del Rey – “Love”

Natalie Hemby – Puxico

Ed Sheeran – Divide

Tift Merritt – Stitch Of the World

The Pretenders – Pretenders II

The Pretenders – Extended Play

The Pretenders – “Day After Day” b/w “In The Sticks”

Dave Hause – Home Alone EP

Dave Hause – Resolutions

Dave Hause – Devour

The Loved Ones – Build & Burn

The Loved Ones – Keep Your Heart

Conor Oberst – Ruminations

The Cure – The Head On The Door

The Afghan Whigs – Black Love

Angelo Badalamenti – Twin Peaks: Original Score

Andrea Bocelli – Romanza

Norah Jones – The Fall

Reasons you’ll want to have your Ticketmaster account up-to-date:

The Menzingers put out a new album in February called After The Party.  Like most bands, they are going on tour this year to support the album.  Unlike most bands, they made a song called “Lookers” that I don’t think many bands can make.  They’re a really fun band to see, and a lot of their shows are selling out.  So make sure you buy your ticket now.

The Goo Goo Dolls, one of my favorite summer bands, just announced a summer tour, and tickets are on sale right now.

Foo Fighters are playing a handful of shows across the pond later this summer.  These are their first shows in over a year, so although there aren’t any American shows (yet), it’s good to see tour dates pop up.  One of the best rock bands you could see.

John Mayer has added a summer tour to his already-lengthy list of shows coming up

Banks is going on a tour in early June, in support of her fantastic album The Altar

Reasons you’ll want to go to your local record store in May:

New album from John Moreland, Big Bad Luv, is out on May 7

New album from Justin Townes Earle, Kids In The Street, is out May 26