I was super-curious as to how this Vampire Weekend record was going to fare, on the mvyradio Top 25 of 2013 voting.
I get the impression that our audience is split on Vampire Weekend.
Many of our older listeners, and/or folks who tune into mvyradio to hear Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen and The Blues At 8 and such, don't seem too effected by Vampire Weekend. To some, their inclusion on our playlist may even be a little out of character.
For those who have younger-skewing tastes, or listen because they appreciate our devotion to artists like Peter Gabriel or Robert Plant or Angelique Kidjo who are making multi-layered and multi-cultural records, Vampire Weekend makes sense on MVY.
And those people feel strongly.
So this is not a record like Ray Lamontagne's, which spans a broad swath of demographic. But it brings out a devoted following.
So how did it fare?
Once you get the logical wrangling out of the way, the answer is fairly obvious.
Vampire Weekend ended up at Number 9 on our list. It wasn't close to being Number 1 (as it was on many major publication's lists), but it made a strong showing.
Makes sense.
Hear the song on Youtube.
Showing posts with label ray lamontagne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ray lamontagne. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Monday, August 26, 2013
Ray LaMontagne "Forever My Friend"
"That's not cool," Ray Lamontagne said to my wife . . .
We worked extra-hard, preparing for our wedding (which was 8 years ago, this week).
We had decided early on that we would personalize as much as possible.
That meant that we wrote the entire ceremony ourselves. My wife's brother got a certification from the Governor to officiate. We had friends sings. We designed the invitations and programs and Save-the-date cards ourselves, and printed them on our home computer.
Party favors? Well of course, those were CDs. With a playlist created by us. With a cover designed by us. With all 100+ CDs burned by us.
Painstaking care went into this playlist (as it did into all of the above). We were quite proud of it.
At Newport Folk 2005, my wife and I were strikingly calm for folks just a few weeks away from getting married. I was working for MVY at the Festival. She came and helped out at the MVY tent.
She was particularly excited to see, and meet, Ray Lamontagne.
His debut album "Trouble" had come out a year earlier, and he was playing the Festival.
After his set, she made sure to get in line at the autograph tent for a chance to meet him.
Now, I wasn't there, but this is how she says the conversation went:
"I love your album," my wife said to Ray LaMontagne.
"Thanks," said Ray LaMontagne, shyly.
"And I love the song 'Forever My Friend.' I'm getting married this month, and we put it on a CD of our favorite songs that we burned for 150 of our guests."
"That's not cool," Ray Lamontagne said to my wife, his mood and expression turning dark.
Upon later reflection, telling an artist that you pirated their song dozens of times is probably "not cool."
I have also learned that Ray LaMontagne has a reputation for being extremely shy, and pretty uncomfortable with any social interaction. So the conversation my wife was expecting to have---where he applauded her decision to included his song on our mixed tape, and offered his blessings on our impending nuptials---was unlikely to ever materialize.
And when we hear that song, or bring up Ray LaMontagne, the embarrassment creeps back into her face again, she gets a little flush and she says, "I wish I didn't have to associate this song with that incident!"
But I love it this story.
Because I love the guileless way of my wife. I love that she was so in love, and so excited for her to marry me, and so proud of what she and I were creating, that it never occurred to her that anyone would be any way other than equally as giddy about it.
Including Ray LaMontagne.
Hear the song on Youtube.
We worked extra-hard, preparing for our wedding (which was 8 years ago, this week).
We had decided early on that we would personalize as much as possible.
That meant that we wrote the entire ceremony ourselves. My wife's brother got a certification from the Governor to officiate. We had friends sings. We designed the invitations and programs and Save-the-date cards ourselves, and printed them on our home computer.
Party favors? Well of course, those were CDs. With a playlist created by us. With a cover designed by us. With all 100+ CDs burned by us.
Painstaking care went into this playlist (as it did into all of the above). We were quite proud of it.
At Newport Folk 2005, my wife and I were strikingly calm for folks just a few weeks away from getting married. I was working for MVY at the Festival. She came and helped out at the MVY tent.
She was particularly excited to see, and meet, Ray Lamontagne.
His debut album "Trouble" had come out a year earlier, and he was playing the Festival.
After his set, she made sure to get in line at the autograph tent for a chance to meet him.
Now, I wasn't there, but this is how she says the conversation went:
"I love your album," my wife said to Ray LaMontagne.
"Thanks," said Ray LaMontagne, shyly.
"And I love the song 'Forever My Friend.' I'm getting married this month, and we put it on a CD of our favorite songs that we burned for 150 of our guests."
"That's not cool," Ray Lamontagne said to my wife, his mood and expression turning dark.
Upon later reflection, telling an artist that you pirated their song dozens of times is probably "not cool."
I have also learned that Ray LaMontagne has a reputation for being extremely shy, and pretty uncomfortable with any social interaction. So the conversation my wife was expecting to have---where he applauded her decision to included his song on our mixed tape, and offered his blessings on our impending nuptials---was unlikely to ever materialize.
And when we hear that song, or bring up Ray LaMontagne, the embarrassment creeps back into her face again, she gets a little flush and she says, "I wish I didn't have to associate this song with that incident!"
But I love it this story.
Because I love the guileless way of my wife. I love that she was so in love, and so excited for her to marry me, and so proud of what she and I were creating, that it never occurred to her that anyone would be any way other than equally as giddy about it.
Including Ray LaMontagne.
Hear the song on Youtube.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Treetop Flyers "Things Will Change"
I was talking with Sean, one of the independent record promoters I talk to on a weekly basis, about this song "Things Will Change" by the band Treetop Flyers, but the conversation quickly switched to a lengthy trip down a Stephen Stills road.
The band is named after a Stills song, and Sean mentioned that of the radio folks who knew the Stills song, many of them had said that "Treetop Flyer" was one of the most requested tunes at their station.
"Put me on that list, too."
Not only do we get frequent requests for this song, I can think of a few voices from the request line, who only request "Treetop Flyer."
It seems pretty odd that it's such a favorite. Sean admitted that despite being a huge Stephen Stills fan, he was unfamiliar with the song until Ray Lamontagne name-checked it as the tune that inspired Ray to start singing.
But why is it such a listener/cult favorite?
One thought I put forth was that the album that it comes from is out of print. As I mentioned in a previous post, if you wanted a new copy of the CD, you could find it on Amazon for $100.
But, Good News! There's a new Stephen Still Box Set out. The 4 disc set is about $45 bucks.
But, Bad News! If you just want "Treetop Flyer" you can't have it. Though you can buy most of the songs on "Carry On" as individual tracks on iTunes or Amazon, there are a handful that are listed as "Album Only." Meaning they are only sold as part of the full package.
But I supposed 4 CDs for $45 is better than one CD for $100.
Anyway, back the original point . . . here's a band named after that Stephen Stills song, and they're pretty great sounding. Enjoy!
Hear the song on Youtube.
The band is named after a Stills song, and Sean mentioned that of the radio folks who knew the Stills song, many of them had said that "Treetop Flyer" was one of the most requested tunes at their station.
"Put me on that list, too."
Not only do we get frequent requests for this song, I can think of a few voices from the request line, who only request "Treetop Flyer."
It seems pretty odd that it's such a favorite. Sean admitted that despite being a huge Stephen Stills fan, he was unfamiliar with the song until Ray Lamontagne name-checked it as the tune that inspired Ray to start singing.
But why is it such a listener/cult favorite?
One thought I put forth was that the album that it comes from is out of print. As I mentioned in a previous post, if you wanted a new copy of the CD, you could find it on Amazon for $100.
But, Good News! There's a new Stephen Still Box Set out. The 4 disc set is about $45 bucks.
But, Bad News! If you just want "Treetop Flyer" you can't have it. Though you can buy most of the songs on "Carry On" as individual tracks on iTunes or Amazon, there are a handful that are listed as "Album Only." Meaning they are only sold as part of the full package.
But I supposed 4 CDs for $45 is better than one CD for $100.
Anyway, back the original point . . . here's a band named after that Stephen Stills song, and they're pretty great sounding. Enjoy!
Hear the song on Youtube.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Van Morrison "Open The Door"
I had to laugh at myself when I first caught this song on the radio.
Has there been a music review of Ray Lamontagne, since he appeared on the scene 8 years ago, that doesn't compare him to Van Morrison?
After a few seconds of hearing this unfamiliar tune, I asked myself, "Is that a new Ray Lamontagne song?"
When I realized it was Van, and that I'd gotten things backwards, I laughed.
Somehow I suspect neither Van nor Ray---neither known for being a hilarious dude---would have found it as funny.
Hear the song on Youtube.
Has there been a music review of Ray Lamontagne, since he appeared on the scene 8 years ago, that doesn't compare him to Van Morrison?
After a few seconds of hearing this unfamiliar tune, I asked myself, "Is that a new Ray Lamontagne song?"
When I realized it was Van, and that I'd gotten things backwards, I laughed.
Somehow I suspect neither Van nor Ray---neither known for being a hilarious dude---would have found it as funny.
Hear the song on Youtube.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Coldplay "Trouble"
Monday, January 3, 2011
Ray Lamontagne "Beg Steal Or Borrow"
We opened up the voting process for the Top 25 this year, several weeks earlier than usual, and it seemed to work---we got more votes than ever.
Particularly stunning, was the wide variety of votes that came in for Ray Lamontagne. In the end, "God Willin' And The Creek Don't Rise" had twice as many votes as the next highest vote getter. Even with 80-plus albums to chose from, Lamontagne appeared on nearly one out of every three votes.
I think that says something. But it's taken me a bit to figure out exactly what that is.
In the end, I guess it speaks to the timelessness of the music he is creating. It fits seamlessly, whether in the past or present. "God Willin'" was enjoyed by the folks who voted for James Taylor & Carole King. But modern music fans of "Vampire Weekend" found the record hip enough. And if you voted for a soul ticket, with Bettye Lavette, Sharon Jones and Janiva Magness, you could still have Ray on your list and be consistent.
It hardly mattered who was listening. They were able to hear a sound that connected with the niche of music they love.
It's an incredible illusion to be able to do that. But in this case, it's not an illusion, it's real. This record really is folky, modern, soulful, alternative, roots and so many other things.
And that's why it's Number 1.
See the full list at mvyradio's website.
Particularly stunning, was the wide variety of votes that came in for Ray Lamontagne. In the end, "God Willin' And The Creek Don't Rise" had twice as many votes as the next highest vote getter. Even with 80-plus albums to chose from, Lamontagne appeared on nearly one out of every three votes.
I think that says something. But it's taken me a bit to figure out exactly what that is.
In the end, I guess it speaks to the timelessness of the music he is creating. It fits seamlessly, whether in the past or present. "God Willin'" was enjoyed by the folks who voted for James Taylor & Carole King. But modern music fans of "Vampire Weekend" found the record hip enough. And if you voted for a soul ticket, with Bettye Lavette, Sharon Jones and Janiva Magness, you could still have Ray on your list and be consistent.
It hardly mattered who was listening. They were able to hear a sound that connected with the niche of music they love.
It's an incredible illusion to be able to do that. But in this case, it's not an illusion, it's real. This record really is folky, modern, soulful, alternative, roots and so many other things.
And that's why it's Number 1.
See the full list at mvyradio's website.
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