Jonathan Coulton <3

I was talking to my cousin Potter a few days ago, about how when I listen to new music I like, it tends to bind me to a time and place, and then whenever I listen to that music, I am immediately transported back to the place I first listened to it.

And by listened to it, I really mean "listened to it over and over to the exclusion of all other music, and kept listening until I a) moved onto the next new thing or b) added it to the regular rotation of music I listen to when not obsessed with one musician/band."

It is kind of like a baby duck, who imprints onto a mama duck. the music imprints onto a time in my life.

For example, when I was in City Year and living in Providence, it was Tegan and Sara, Freshman Year of College: Indigo Girls, Catie Curtis, Ani Difranco. Sophmore year of college: Melissa Ferrick and so on, and so forth.

Other than a few artists who seem to transcend any time in my life,(and even then, some certian songs are definitely tied to certian times) it makes a trip through the ipod quite nostalgic.

I bring this up because I am having quite the music crush right now, on Jonathan Coulton. He falls squarely into the singer songwriter genre, and some of the people I already listen to have covered some of his songs. The part I like best is that he's funny, and the songs he writes are catchy.

The following are my three favorites right now:

Code Monkey


Future Soon:




You Ruined Everything

Things that make me sad

I love music.  I especially love the singer-songwriter, girl (or guy) with a guitar music. To the chagrin of my friends and family, I tend to become a little bit... myopic in my relentless love of a certian cd/artist, and listen to them nonstop until I move onto the next one.  I recently have been listening to some new stuff - Jonathan Coulton, specifically, and it makes me wish that I had some musical ability of my own. I always feel this way after house concerts too- a kind of restlessness that some part of me wants to be able to write songs that have meaning and are beautiful.

The part that makes me sad is that I have zero musical ability. I am practically tone deaf,  I can't keep a beat, and I've tried the guitar, and cannot make my hands work in the way that makes guitar playing possible. I can enjoy music, and I sing along off key, and I can dance allong off beat, but in terms of making my own music, I'm at a loss.

I recently was doing some writing and came up with what I thought would be good song lyrics.  I sat down and tried to figure out some sort of melody for them for like an hour, and at the end of the hour, I was just an hour older and more frustrated.  I guess it is just destined to become a poem, unless someone has some awesome musical skillz that likes to write music.

Anybody?

youtube + ukelele = awesome

So it has been pointed out to me that I may have a thing for girl ukelele players.  I... may have a bit of a music obsession with a few of them. 

The evidence is clear. They are AWESOME.

Sweetafton23 (aka Molly Lewis)


Kate Miccuci of Garfunkel and Oates



and Julia Nunes