Autumn Micketti

Halloween and Lake Street Dive

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic Halloween weekend like I did. My boyfriend came up from Davis, and a group of our friends dressed up as characters from Star Wars. In Ashland we have a traditional Halloween parade in which the entire town is dressed to the nines walking down the main street with our local Samba drumming group leading the way.

It’s a great way to show off your costume and run into old friends. It made me extremely happy to share this childhood tradition with my man. Although he and I spent the rest evening at home taking care of his fever, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

©Autumn Micketti

The following night my family walked over to Southern Oregon University to see Lake Street Dive. Originally from Boston, MA., Lake Street Dive started making music in 2004 and have picked up fans from around the world with their upbeat tunes, groovy bass lines, and the amazing vocals of Rachael Price. I had heard their name several times over the past few years but it wasn’t until last year when I was working at the Folks Festival in Lyons, CO. that I was really exposed to them. Lake Street Dive headlined the second night of the festival and although I was working at one of the gates into the festival, checking wrist bands and backpacks, I could hear them perfectly. These four musicians are absolutely amazing in person. Rachael Price has the classic soul voice that is surprising coming out of a petite white woman. I always get really excited when a band has a female bass player and Lake Street Dive’s Bridget Kearney doesn’t disappoint. She works that upright bass like no one I’ve ever seen before. With McDuck Olson on the trumpet and guitar and Mick Calabrese rocking the drums, the four of them make a sleepy audience jump on their feet and start dancing.

I was very excited to finally see Lake Street Dive live and actually see them this time. They filled the auditorium with fantastic guitar riffs and gut wrenching vocals. Along with playing songs from their older albums, the four of them treated the audience to some new songs that will be on a new album that’s set to come out early sometime next year. Lake Street Dive met while attending the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and their love for one another is easily seen when they perform. They tease each other between songs and their chemistry is palpable. I was pleased to hear that they were in Ashland for Halloween and were able to witness the craziness of my town when costumes are introduced. Price said that she told the other band members that she could move to Ashland, that she really liked the vibe that it had going on.

One of the great things about seeing bands in your home town rather than traveling to see them is that you get to share your home with them, in a way. I love hearing bands talk about what they did on their time off, and the places they explored while passing through. Hearing that Price loved Ashland so much made me glow with pride. I love my little town and I’m so glad to share it with Lake Street Dive as well as the other travelers that come here.

Lake Street Dive is finishing up this tour with four more shows in California. I’m very excited to hear more about their new album and I hope that I get see them again soon.

©Zachary Mule

Sean Hayes is Coming to Town

Hello all, I’m back from the wilderness and doing my best to adjust to civilization. Sleeping in a bed, using a normal toilet, spending time on the computer… all of these things are so alien to me that it’s strange to think that at one point I took them all for granted.

But enough about my mountain woman ways, music is what I’m here to talk about today. I’m very excited to say that the wonderful Sean Hayes will be coming to the Ashland Brickroom in October! Hayes comes to Ashland every few years and I was lucky enough to catch him the last time he was in town. With his mix of blues and soul guitar licks and his uniquely sexy voice, Hayes is an act that’s hard to forget.

I was introduced to Sean Hayes’s music by a friend of mine who was listening to him through Pandora. I was struck by his beautiful voice and his lyrics, and began listening to him obsessively. A few years ago the same friend and I attended a Sean Hayes concert in Ashland. We were both struck by how natural Hayes is on stage. He is nothing less than himself and is completely open to the audience which makes the show intimate and sweet rather than a crazy rock concert. I love listening to Hayes’s records but they fall short of his live performances. He knows how to work a crowd and keeps his listeners engaged and moving.

Sean Hayes will be playing at the Brickroom on October 21st in Ashland. The Brickroom is a great venue with unique tasty food and excellent beer on tap. For more information about tickets check out Sean Hayes’s website here. See you there!

©usatoday.com

The Mountains Are Calling

Today I am embarking on a three month adventure into the Trinity mountains in California. I got a job at Camp Unalayee, which is a camp for kids, ages 10-17, and encourages them to explore the outdoors. Starting today I’ll be out of the real world for most of the summer, coming back for a few days in July and August. When I get home in September I’ll try and write another blog about my summer.

I’m so excited about the next three months and the opportunities it’s going to offer me. It’s hard to eat my toast at this point because of the excitement that’s making my mouth bone dry. I am positively buzzing with energy! I hope everyone has a fantastic summer, and I’ll be back here in September. See ya later!

Mumford & Sons and Their Wilder Mind

There’s something about four lads from England with instruments in hand, and the knowledge of how to play them, that gets me all hot and bothered. The first British quartet to come into my life was The Beatles when I was about four years old. My dad had a poster of them in his office and at least once a day I would ask him to tell me which one was which. Up until high school I had a huge crush on Paul and to this day he is still my favorite mop-top. In my sophomore year of high school I was introduced to a new group of English musicians, but this time they held a banjo and a stand-up bass. My friend Emalie started listening to Mumford & Sons after a summer romance broke her heart, and she gave me their first album, Sigh No More. I wish I could say that after listening to this record I had an epiphany and realized that this band was going to be one of the most important groups that would influence my life and my music. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. It took a few months of me listening to Sigh No More on repeat and by that point their music had become so engrained in my mind that an epiphany was out of the question.

Mumford & Sons, to me, is not just a band that makes good music. Their songs have gotten me through quite a lot of emotional turmoil as well as helped me celebrate the good times. When I worked for the Northwest Youth Corps, after I graduated high school, Sigh No More became the album of choice while we were driving from work site to work site. Whenever Little Lion Man came on my crew leader would turn it up so loud you could feel the bus vibrating with the banjo licks. So, for me, listening to Mumford & Sons is a special experience. Is it weird to call it a spiritual experience? Because there are times when that is what it feels like. When I drive by myself I love to blast their music out of my tiny Prius speakers. There is something undeniably ‘other’ about the goose bumps and elation I feel while listening to them. Sometimes it feels like my stomach is being filled with helium and might float away.

After Babel, their second record, came out I had their lyrics, “Awake my soul” translated into French so it became, “Réveille mon âme” and got the words tattooed onto my chest. It is a constant reminder to me to never give up on the journey to reconnect with my soul, to awaken it. Also it’s nice to have these words coming from a group of people who are very special to me, even if they don’t know it.

When Mumford & Sons announced that they were going on hiatus I was disappointed, but also understood their reasoning. They had been on a non-stop tour for the past six years so they were exhausted and needed to take a break. Almost a year later I read that they were going to release a third album and was close to tears, I was so thrilled. Their absence had been palpable, and even though it had given me a chance to explore new music. I was eager to listen to the new songs they’d been working on. Musical acts tend to get a lot of shit when they release new music. From what I’ve noticed the two main reasons are either their new album sounds exactly the same as their previous one(s) or their sound has changed so much they may as well be a new band. This is an extremely unfair way to judge a group’s material. People change and evolve and their music and art change with them. I always wish I could congratulate bands that take a chance and change their sound. This change, to me, means they’re growing and they aren’t stuck in the same pattern that has been making them money for however long they’ve been doing it.

Believe was the first song I heard from Mumford & Sons’ new album Wilder Mind. I admit I was surprised and a little skeptical. Was this the same band that I had been missing for so long? Where was the banjo? The stand-up bass? The kick drum? I was really attached to that folk-rock vibe that they had created through their earlier work and it was hard to trust this new electric sound that they were producing. However, instead of whining about the lack of banjo, I promised myself that I wouldn’t pass judgement until I heard Wilder Mind in its entirety.

As I patiently waited for May 4th, Wilder Mind’s release date, I listened to Believe, The Wolf, and several other singles they released before the album, still holding back my opinion. When their sophomore album Babel came out it took quite a few listens before I decided that I really loved it, and I suspected it would be the same with their third album. I was right. May 4th finally came and at last I was able to hold the record in my hand. Wilder Mind is so different from Babel and Sigh No More yet it still has Mumford & Sons’ signature harmonies along with their poetic lyrics that made me fall in love with them in the first place. Listening to Wilder Mind was like having lunch with a friend I hadn’t seen in years who had gone through a transformative experience and was glowing with their new confidence. I feel that this album is Mumford & Sons choosing the path that will help them grow as a band and individual musicians rather than the road that will take them to the black hole of media where the amount of money you have equals how successful you are.

At this point I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to Wilder Mind; I’m guessing it’s up in the 50’s. I’m really enjoying the new direction that they’ve taken with more electric guitar and a full drum kit. Marcus Mumford’s voice has dropped at least an octave, which gives the record a different feel. Although the songs are electric instead of acoustic they still hold the same Mumford & Sons equation- starting soft and slow, then exploding half way through the song and ending with a big finale. There are songs, like Monster, that will reassure the more hesitant listeners that Mumford & Sons are still the same four lads. They’ve just plugged in their guitars and turned the volume up. I am very happy that I didn’t base my opinion on the few singles they released because listening to the full album is totally different than a single song. Mumford & Sons and their team did an incredible job mixing the album so that each song flows so easily into the next that it’s almost like listening to one song that’s an hour long.

Wilder Mind may not become my favorite Mumford & Sons album but I look forward to the memories and experiences that I will connect with it. Like their other two albums it took several years for me to love them the way I do now and I can sense that it will be similar with this one. To those fans who are disappointed with this new music I encourage you to open your minds and your ears. We all love the original Mumford & Sons sound; it’s what brought us to them in the first place. As their fans, we should support them as they explore other aspects of their sound and if you miss the kick-drum then go back and reminisce with Sigh No More, but don’t complain about a band that is growing. Your being upset about change is a clue that you need to take a step back and think about how attached you are to a specific outcome. As Buddha said, “Attachment is the root of all suffering,” so take a deep breath and let your mind be a little wilder.

©Mumford and Sons 2015

You can check out Mumford & Sons’ website here

A Hike to Hobart Bluff

I’m going to veer off from my usual blog posts today. I’m currently taking a History of the Pacific Northwest Wilderness class at Southern Oregon University and one of our assignments was to go explore a Wilderness area in either Oregon or Washington and make a blog post about our experience. This is my experience in the Soda Mountain Wilderness and climbing to Hobart Bluff. Enjoy!

With the windows down, the breeze blowing in, and Ben Howard vibrating through the speakers, I was filled with the excitement only a wilderness adventure could bring. I was lucky enough to have my friend Viv join me on this particular outing and the two of us, after getting a wee bit lost, eventually found Soda Mountain Road and the trail head for Hobart Bluff. The hike itself was very short, and more of a leisurely stroll than an intense trek. For one mile Viv and I walked on the PCT, until we came to a fork in the trail and took a hard left to hike the last half mile to get to Hobart Bluff.

The sky was a clear blue and the view only got better and better as we climbed to the outcrop of rocks at the top. Our ascent was slow as I made frequent stops to take pictures of the large variety of wild flowers that grew next to the trail. Most of the flowers were new to me but I did recognize wild strawberries and Indian Paint Brush. I later discovered that the delicate purple flowers I had thought were a type of violet were actually Purple Larkspur. We also discovered a plant that at first glance looked like mint but had no traces of mint scent when picked. I crushed a leaf between my fingers and was rewarded with a subtle lemon smell. I believe it was Lemon Balm but it had the most gentle aroma that I’ve ever experienced.

With my limited knowledge of foliage I was not able to identify most of the foliage that we came across. However, I did recognize the manzanita trees, with their peeling chocolate colored bark, that were high in number. There was also a diverse number of evergreen trees including White Pine and Incense Cedar. I recognized Sagebrush and Western Junipers as well. Among these varied trees there hung many different types of moss and lichen, none of which, sadly, I could name but enjoyed their bright colors and beard like consistency.

At the trail head Viv and I came across a sign that requested hikers to stay on the path owing to the butterfly population and that a few of the species were dwindling in size. The Soda Mountain Wilderness boasts one of the highest diversities of butterfly species in the US, and I was pleased see at least three or four different kinds while hiking, although I’m by no means an expert when it comes to butterflies. There are also a large number of bird species that live in the Soda Mountain Wilderness including the Western Bluebird, Northern Spotted Owl, Flammulated Owl, Western Meadowlark, Pileated Woodpecker, and Pygmy Nuthatch.

The hike to Hobart Bluff is only a little over 2 miles round trip and since it was a beautiful spring day my partner in crime and I passed several groups of people enjoying the day. Seeing these fellow hikers made me think about the history of the Soda Mountain Wilderness and its relationship with humanity. Humans have been using the resources available in SMW for nearly 10,000 years. In the past there has been timber harvesting, road construction, livestock grazing, ranching, and fire suppression. This has all influenced the land in multiple ways.

The SMW was made into an official wilderness in 2009 by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act. It designated 24,100 acres of the land as wilderness. There is 240-acres of private land in SMW which the BLM is currently trying to acquire to add it to the rest of the wilderness area.

There is no cross-country travel by bicycles or vehicles in the SMW. With limited exceptions the removal of any monument feature or object is forbidden. It is also prohibited to possess or use any mechanized or motorized equipment such as ATV’s, game carriers, generators, wagons, carts or bicycles. A special recreation permit is required for any organized group, and hunting is also regulated.

Knowing that the wilderness areas in the US are so heavily regulated gives me a feeling of hope that they may be kept in as much of their natural state as possible while human kind visits briefly. Although we did run into several groups of hikers I was happy to not run into any mountain bikers or other groups using a mechanical advantage as it would have ruined the wild atmosphere the SMW holds.

The most enjoyable part for me during this hike was watching the change in the environment as we climbed to the top. We started in a large grassy meadow full of wild flowers and other foliage and then moved to a moss-covered forest with even more colorful flowers poking out of the greenery. Near the top of Hobart Bluff the trees thin out and it turns into a rocky desert terrain with lots of Sagebrush and hot stones. At the top of the Bluff, at an elevation of 5,500ft, we were rewarded with a breath-taking view. Viv and I sat down on an inviting outcropping of rocks to eat lunch and from our spot we could see Pilot Rock, Mount Ashland, and Mount McLoughlin as well as Emigrant lake and Ashland itself.

I’ve lived in Oregon all of my life and am slightly ashamed to admit that this was the first time I’d explored a wilderness area in Oregon. Honestly I had no idea that there were so many in my home state, and I’m really excited to get out and explore more of them.

Bibliography:
“Day Hikes Near Green Springs.” Blm.gov. Bureau of Land Management. Web. 8 May 2015. <http://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/csnm/files/green-springs.pdf>.

“Hobart Bluff.” Ashland Outdoor Store. 2011. Web. 2015.<http://www.outdoorstore.com/activities/day_hiking/hobart_bluff.php>

“Soda Mountain Wilderness: Stewardship Plan and Environmental Assessment.” SOU Hannon Library. Web. 8 May 2015. <soda.sou.edu/Data/Library1/Bioregion/111018z1.pdf>.

All pictures are property of Autumn Micketti

Ben Howard, Portland, Oregon

It’s a surreal moment when you see one of your favorite bands live. They come on stage and you scream with everyone else, hardly able to grasp that the musicians whose music has shaped and influenced you so much are really standing in front of you. Seeing Ben Howard in Portland, Oregon left me with a swirl of crazy emotions, the biggest ones being disbelief and euphoria. Disbelief because I was about 10 feet from a man that I respected enormously and who, I’ll admit, idolized quite a lot. Euphoria because, after several years of listening to his records and watching Youtube videos, I was finally seeing him live.

Ben Howard and his fantastic band brought down the house that night. Howard seems like a shy person so he only talked a few times which made the audience want more of his adorable Devon accent. One of my favorite parts of the evening was when he said, “Coming from England they say that everyone in America is mental, and then when you get to America they say that everyone in Portland is mental, so we thought we should end our tour here.” His chats with the audience were brief but very sweet. I was extremely honored that he decided to end his tour in little old Portland, Oregon, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only audience member to feel that way.

Coming from Ashland I’m very accustomed to the scarf-clad hippies who make up most of the audience and who dance even if there isn’t any music playing. These people are entertaining and motivate the rest of the audience to let loose and enjoy themselves. I found myself missing these hairy patchouli-reeking dancers while I was at the Roseland Theatre in Portland. If I were braver I would have brought in the hippy dance moves but instead I swayed on the packed floor wishing that someone would start waving their arms in the air like a jellyfish.

To all the concert goers out there, please be respectful of your noise level if you’re hanging out at the venue’s bar. I was very pleased when Ben Howard stopped mid-song to tell a group of people by the bar to stop talking, but it pisses me off that he had to do that in the first place. This is a performance, you’re not in a club where the DJ doesn’t care if you’re listening or not. These are real people who are sharing their music with you and you should respect them enough to listen. If you want to drink with your friends and chat, then go to a bar; don’t come to a concert where other people are there to listen to the music and you’re there just to get drunk. It’s disrespectful to your fellow audience members and to the performer.

With that rant out of the way, I highly encourage you to check out Ben Howard and see him live if at all possible. In my 21 years of life on this earth I’ve gone to a good many concerts and this performance definitely is one of my top three favorite live shows. Although Howard is quiet, his music does all the talking. He is completely present while onstage and he appears to go very deep into himself while performing. During a few songs he got slightly choked up, you can sense that he still feels very deeply about whatever inspired him to write in the first place. Listening to his music I’ve gotten the impression that Howard is troubled person or has had traumatic relationships in his lifetime, but he’s able to channel whatever these emotions are into his music which, in my opinion, is free therapy and he does a hell of a good job.

What I’m Listening To, The Head And The Heart

The Head And The Heart hold very special memories for me. I first heard them when I was in France staying on a friend’s homestead. My friend Gonzo played The Head And The Heart’s song Rivers and Roads countless times on his tiny guitar and with his booming voice while our other friends chimed in the harmonies. Not only was this the first time that I was exposed to the magic of The Head And The Heart, it was also the first time that I felt inspired to start playing music with other people. As soon as I flew back to the states I bought The Head And The Heart’s first album, The Head And The Heart. I already knew that I loved them even though I’d only heard one of their songs, so it was like seeing a childhood friend for the first time in years when I pressed play. I also picked up my sister’s guitar and began learning chords while slowly working up the confidence to sing in front of my family and friends.

The Head And The Heart are originally from Seattle, WA and were formed in the summer of 2009 at an open mic night. The band consists of Josiah Johnson (vocals, guitar, percussion), Jonathan Russell (vocals, guitar, percussion), Charity Rose Thielen (violin, banjo, vocals), Chris Zasche (bass), Kenny Hensley (piano), and Tyler Williams (drums). They self-produced their first album and were selling them in handmade denim sleeves. Word began to spread and soon the local record stores couldn’t keep them in stock. In November, 2010, The Head And The Heart signed to Sub Pop records who remastered their album and put it back on the shelves in 2011. After a few years of touring and opening up for a variety of bands such as Dr. Dog, The Decemberists, Iron & Wine, Vampire Weekend, and Death Cab For Cutie to name a few, The Head And The Heart released their sophomore album, Let’s Be Still, in 2013. Much like their first album, Let’s Be Still carries the same harmonies and clever lyrics but it’s obvious that The Head And The Heart has matured as a band and it makes me very excited to hear what they will create next.

The thing I love about this band is how almost too perfect the harmonies are blended together. Johnson and Russell have such similar voices that it’s hard to tell who is singing and with Thielen’s unique sound weaving through, it’s an equation for a total ear-gasm. I was lucky enough to witness this vocal perfection last September when they came to the Britt Festival. When they played Rivers And Roads I was filled with this overwhelming feeling of happiness. This song brings back rivers of memories every time I hear it thoughts of playing music, talking, and laughing until the wee hours of the morning, and the work I did on boosting my confidence so that I can play music and sing with other people. Having a strong bond with a band makes the listening experience so much more enjoyable. The Head And The Heart will always be special to me and I hope that they continue to make great music for many years to come.

You can check out their website here

What I’m Listening To, The Vaccines

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2014 treated you well and if it was rather unforgiving, like my year was, then I hope it helped you grow as a person and made you stronger in facing 2015. Let’s start the year off with some good music, shall we? During late spring of 2014 I began listening to The Vaccines after hearing much about them through the wonders of the internet, aka the Tumblr community. The first song I heard was No Hope, from their second album Come Of Age. At first I was not impressed because I had a hard time adjusting to their lead singer’s voice. Justin Young has a voice that takes some getting used to; it has a Bob Dylan whine with a more monotone edge. However, after hearing I Always Knew, also off of Come Of Age, I had become officially vaccinated, to coin a term.

These four lads from London have a Ramones like edge to them with wailing guitar solos and gut busting drum beats. What I love about them, generally what I love about any band, is their lyrics. Young has a talent for using metaphors in his lyrics. On their debut album What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? Young shows off his ability to create deep metaphors, especially in the song All In White. Which, after reading more about the song, I learned is about his self doubt and how he deals with his lack of self-confidence. The lyrics that The Vaccines come up with are so relatable to me. In my experience I’ve found that grunge or punk bands like this tend to write about getting in fights, sleeping with lots of chicks and doing drugs while The Vaccines sing about their personal issues, whether that’s self-confidence, trying to figure out what to do with your life, or dealing with post-break up sex.

The Vaccines are originally from West London and began making music in 2010. The band is composed of four members: Young (lead vocals, guitar), Arni Arnason (bass), Pete Robertson (drums), and Freddie Cowan (lead guitar). They uploaded their first single, If You Wanna, to Youtube in 2010 and have been on the rise ever since. They signed to Columbia Records in 2011 and released their debut album What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? in March of the same year. They toured with the Arctic Monkeys as a supporting act as the word about their music spread. In 2012 they released their sophomore album, Come Of Age, which reached #1 on the UK album chart. The Vaccines wasted no time in releasing another EP the very next year, Melody Calling, before taking a break, but rumor has it that they will be back in early 2015, and I’m eagerly awaiting their return.

You can check out their website here

What I’m Listening To, Matt Corby

I first heard Matt Corby when I came across a video of him performing an acoustic version of his song, Brother, in a garden. I was immediately taken by his unique voice, gravely and gospel one moment, then clear and falsetto the next. Corby is from Oyster Bay, New South Wales but relocated to London, England after he signed to Communion Records.

Corby released his first EP Song For… independently in June of 2009 before he became part of Communion. Then in September of 2011 he released his first EP through Communion, Into the Flame, which has become his most successful EP to date. Into the Flame showcases Corby’s more bluesy and gravely side while still incorporating his own folk-infused sound. His 2nd EP, Made Of Stone, has more piano integrated into the songs than his previous work, and he continued with the laid-back feeling when he released his third record in May, 2013, Resolution EP.

Matt Corby has a way of capturing his audience with his beautifully stunning voice and his gripping lyrics. He keeps his listeners wanting more and hoping that the song will never end. I hope to see a full album from him in the future, but in the mean time I am happy to wait with the songs that he has given.

Check out his website here

What I’m Listening To, Daughter

If you like Florence and The Machine then I can guarantee that you will enjoy Daughter, a band from London that consists of Elena Tonra, Igor Haefeli, and Remi Aguilella. This trio released their first EP, His Young Heart, in 2011 and followed it with another EP, The Wild Youth, which came out later that year. Their debut album, If You Leave, came out in 2013 and has become one my go-to records on chilly fall evenings.

I first heard Daughter when I came across a solo acoustic version of their song Peter performed by Elena Tonra. At the time I had started to teach myself guitar and this song was one of the first pieces I mastered. Daughter has the same spacey, echoing feel that Florence and The Machine creates, but with Tonra’s soft voice the music is less in your face and more soothing. Tonra’s lyrics are captivating and carry a feeling of sadness supported by her unique melancholic voice. This is seen a lot in Youth, one of my personal favorite songs. Tonra sings about “Collecting names of the lovers that went wrong” and dealing with the emptiness that someone else can leave inside you when they leave. Daughter is very poetic with their lyrics which, being a poet myself, makes the song much more enjoyable. They plan on releasing another EP later this year, and hopefully there will be more records following it in the future.

You can check out their website here, and you can watch the version of Peter that I mentioned here.
daughter-band

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