The Republicans just voted to take away health care away from millions of people, so here’s some songs about health (or lack thereof).
Tag: Music
Updated: A Playlist of Songs That Mention West Virginia
If a song mentions “West Virginia,” it will most likely catch my ear. So I’ve put together this list of six songs that aren’t about West Virginia (i.e. “Green Rolling Hills,” “Bottom of the Mountain” and definitely not “Country Roads” because John Denver was full of shit, man), but do mention the state by name.
The original post include only six songs, but here’s a more complete playlist.
5 Great Shows I Attended (That Are On YouTube)
The first show / concert I ever saw was friends’ band in a backyard in Bridgeport, West Virginia some time around 1994. It was the start of many years of being very involved in live music in many ways. I’ve been to a lot of shows over the past couple decades, but only a few of them were documented. I’ve managed, though, to find at least five shows I attended and enjoyed that I’ve found video of on YouTube. Photograph of Fugazi (Pittsburgh, 2001) by me.
Hot Water Music, Indecision, AFI, Sick of It All (Louisville, Kentucky; 2000)
!!! (Wayne, Michigan; 2002)
Fugazi (Huntington, West Virginia; 2002)
Eddy Current Suppression Ring (Austin, Texas; 2010)
Sturgill Simpson (Bakersfield, California; 2015)
5 Good Albums from 2015
I don’t listen to much new music nowadays — due mostly to being lazy and cheap. This year I have been especially out of touch with discovering new artists or checking out recent releases. But between listening to Cheap Trick, The Lemonheads and Garnet Mimms records this year, I managed to listen to these five great albums from 2015.
Royal Headache – High
Steel Nation – Harder They Fall
Charlie Parr – Stumpjumper
Pope – Fiction
G.L.O.S.S. – Demo
5 ‘Alt’ Country Albums I Love
Having been raised listening to the likes of George Jones, Conway Twitty and Elvis, I love country music. Add in some rock and roll overtones and I love it even more. When I first heard Uncle Tupelo (above) in my late teens, it was like hearing Fugazi the first time — my tastes changed. Nearly 20 years later, a lot of bands and styles of music I’ve enjoyed have come and gone, but my appreciation of alt country (for lack of better term) has only grown stronger as I’ve grown older. So here are five alt country (again… for lack of better term) albums I love and listen to way too often. Continue reading “5 ‘Alt’ Country Albums I Love”
Packway Handle Band
This past Saturday, I photographed the Packway Handle Band, who is currently on tour with Kid Rock and Foreigner. It had been a long while since I had photographed live music, but I was doing a kindness for my friend Dan, who is managing the Athens, Georgia-based bluegrass band. So with Dan I headed deep into the Inland Empire to dust off my camera. The most enjoyable party was shooting the band busking around the concession area of the venue for some Kid Rock-merchandise-clad fans and a group of local pre-teen girls who danced around the band for a solid 10 minutes. I did not stick around for the Bawtidaba, though.
10 Favorite Emo Albums
Since I have not been posting any new photographs, and because I was inspired by a recent text conversation with my friend Jason, I am going to post something a little different on here. I enjoy making lists, so — without explaining when, how and why I got into emo music and how much I still love it — here’s my 10 Favorite Emo Albums.
American Minor (2002)
When American Minor began playing shows around Huntington in 2002, it was perfect timing for me. I was listening to a lot of Uncle Tupelo and Whiskeytown at the time, and American Minor fit right in with a similar alt-country sound. So I loved the band immediately. Eventually they changed up their style to be more southern rock, were signed to a major label, put out a quality LP, and toured the country enjoying some short-lived (but deserved) national success. More than 10 years later, though, I still listen to their first demo. Here are some image I shot at a show at The Stoned Monkey in Huntington, and below is that demo. Have a listen.
Down Goes Frazier (2008)
On this blog, I will continue to use Mondays to post images related to music. As many of the musicians I have photographed are friends from West Virginia, I also have their music to share. Here’s a shot of my friends’ band Down Goes Frazier, who were based in Huntington in the mid-00s. If you’re a fan of the likes of Hot Water Music, Against Me or Planes Mistaken for Stars, have a listen (or download for free) their first two EPs below. Nowadays, members of DGF who aren’t a college professor are playing in the bands Rat Ship and Station(s).
Old Poets (2012)
Photograph by Darin Johnson
The image above was not taken by me, but is of me — singing in the hardcore punk band Old Poets. Around 2011-2012, my friends Desmond, Jess, Tim and I tapped into our angst-fueled youth, wrote songs, and played a few shows around Austin. The band was short-lived but we had fun. Now all that we have to show for it is some photographs and a half-assed demo recording, which you can listen to below. Though I’ll be using this new website to primarily share my photographs, from time to time I will post music, videos or other content I find relevant.