A little on music

Sometimes you get to do some cool things, and last week Friday night got to head down to Denver with my friend Mark to see Ingrid Michaelson in concert. I discovered Ingrid's music not so long ago and really enjoy it. She sings, plays guitar and piano - songs a little deeper than Colbie Caillat's - sorta in line with Brandie Carlile, but more upbeat.

Anyway, the cool part - the treat, is that this ended up being part of the Hotel Cafe Tour, which hosted 5 artists, each playing 6 songs (3 each, and then they rotate). The atmosphere and format was super informal and fun. It was at the Bluebird theater. Mark and I managed to make our way to the front where we found a little space, giving us a great, up-close and personal spot.

Ingrid was great to listen to in person - she had a fun, confident nature. All of these artists are on tour together, in a bus, so they've gotten really close, and that was apparent in the performance and their interactions. And stories of doing flips using the bunks in the bus and perfecting dismounts - this was Ingrid, although it sounded like they all took part. Some songs were solo, some they all did together, and any variant. It was fun.

The other artists were Meiko, Cary Brothers, Jim Bianco, and Dan Wilson.

Meiko is an up-and-coming artist - pop/folk/guitar. She played well. My favorites were Jim Bianco and Dan Wilson. They played outside the norm. Jim Bianco was kind-of a crazy guy, a little off, but super creative and I found I really liked his style. His first song was a soulful love song he played on the piano - you got the feel he meant what he said. This was contrasted by his next song which was up, crazy and dynamic, singing about online stalkers. He doesn't just sing though, his whole person gets into the act. He varied - his voice, the instruments, the topics. He was showy, wearing nothing fancy. Mark pointed out that he spat a lot into the mic, which was true.

Dan Wilson was the other artist I really got into, but totally different style. Mellow guitar, thoughtful music. He had a song on freedom. When asked, people say they want freedom, but what do they do with that freedom? He pointed out, most of us just put one foot in front of the other and continue. But, if you really notice that freedom, what would you do with it? He's an artist from MN, not fancy. He struck me as pretty sharp. Sometimes I find it interesting how musicians can sound similar to the artists they really like. He said he liked Storyhill, and I could definitely hear similarities. Dan used to sing for Semisonic, with his more famous song being "Closing Time".

Cary Brothers was intense in his music, but had a super soft voice which made it very difficult to understand what he said, which I think was a little sad. His instruments way outdid his voice.

Now I have some more music to get and add to my iPOD collection - always a good thing.

And I have to say it was great getting to connect with Mark and heading down to Denver. I think we both had a good time.