Flightyinsomniac's Blog

From Nashville to Asheville in North Carolina…

flightyinsomniac — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:51:57 +0000

Photos from my family trip to Asheville, NC:

Downtown Asheville (the Art District)… we have some pretty talented people in the world, don’t we?

I loved the name of this painting, “Career Hanging by a Thread.” I thought it was so clever and shows that the artist has a pretty good head on their shoulders.

This was up in the front window of one of the shops downtown. I laughed.

Up in the Blue Ridge Mountains…

The Biltmore Estate…

In the conservatory (isn’t it awesome that we can see these kinds of things in the middle of December?)…

some of the outside grounds…

Asheville is one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been in my life. I’ve never seen a place that so perfectly combines beauty created by humans and the natural beauty of the world. I feel like there is a part of everything combined in this one big mecca of culture: first, the modern, artsy downtown area, the “Paris of the south”, where you can see hundreds of amazing creations made by people from all over the world, and even the tables you eat dinner on are works of art (see the first picture). Then, there’s the Blue Ridge Mountains, so removed from the bustling, thriving city below, that gives you an opportunity to check out from everything and just appreciate the art that is the Earth around us. And the historic area, the Biltmore estate and surrounding town, that gives you insight into everything the past has to offer and also perspective and a chance to think about how much has changed, and how many people have come and gone, since America’s largest home opened its doors in 1895. If I have to pick a place to permanently set my feet, I honestly think Asheville, North Carolina, has a good chance of being that place.

PS The name of this post is a line from the song “Boston Girl” by Chris Trapper. It was stuck in my head the entire trip. You should probably check Chris Trapper out, he’s just pretty much the best.

PSS (or PPS? I’ve never figured that one out…) As promised, I’ve been looking into some of the older Phoenix stuff. So far the two best songs I’ve found are “Everything is Everything” and “Run Run Run”. Good stuff!

Rome

flightyinsomniac — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:31:16 +0000

Have you ever had one of those key moments in your life? When you knew, after this experience, life was never going to be the same again?

I just had one of those experiences tonight. It was called the Phoenix concert.

Phoenix is this amazing, AMAZING band out of Paris, France. If you don’t know them, you’ve got to look them up. Start with this song.

And once you love that, which you will, you’ve got to listen to their song Rome. It’s my absolute favorite. Plus listen to Lisztomania, Armistice, and Lasso. And Girlfriend. Pretty much anything on their Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix album is amazing. And that’s only one of four CDs they have out. I’ll definitely be doing some more discovering on their other three, which I haven’t heard yet.

And if their recorded stuff is amazing (which it is), it’s nothing compared to them live. They are one of the few bands that actually sounds the same, if not better, live than on the album. You can tell that these guys are real musicians, whose performances aren’t all faked up on the CD. What you hear is what you get. The singer (who’s name is Thomas Mars, if you’re interested)’s voice that you hear on the recording actually is his voice. Their sound is totally amazing and totally real.

What I think is even better than hearing them is getting to see these guys while they’re doing what they do. It’s really obvious that they aren’t just musicians, they’re performers. They’re entertainers. They know exactly what they’re doing and know just how to work a crowd. Even during the songs I didn’t know (of which there are quite a few, seeing as how I’ve only heard one of their four cds), I was totally engaged in just watching them do their thing. Everyone went crazy for them (understandably). We were putty in their musically skilled hands.

For the record, what I think was Phoenix’s big American break was their performance on SNL (which, of course, in my insomniac ways, I saw) a little less than a year ago. Just another example of how everything good happens at night. Hilarious comedy shows, amazing musical discoveries, and big breaks for deserving, unbelievably talented artists

Well everyone, have a good night. However you choose to spend it.

note: all pictures taken by my awesome and talented friend, Sierra!!

cure for insomnia

flightyinsomniac — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 07:09:52 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcLLrwMYTiE

grab some friends. blare it. grind the wall. pee your pants laughing.

own the night!

flighty.

flightyinsomniac — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:52:24 +0000

the world is so big. obviously I know I’m not the first person to point that out. but just take a second to think about it. really think about how many places there are in the world. how many lifetimes could you live and never see all of it? and yet there are people who are convinced that they can be content with the sights they see commuting to work every day. people who will give up the opportunity to get the most out of this great world so they can have the SUV and the white picket fence. some people call it stability. i call it clipped wings. i hope I never lose sight of the world outside of my front yard. i hope I never get so caught up in my own life that I forget to live. i hope I never forget that there’s always another mountain to climb, another sunset to see, and another story to hear. i hope I’m always flighty, and I never lose the desire to see and do it all. it’s the only way I know how to live.