SnowGhost Music

I was born in a big town. Now I live in a small town. These are not the first two lines of a John Mellencamp tribute parody, but more or less my current musical situation. I could probably come up with a lengthy and comprehensive list of both pros and cons of big city versus small town, in which no clear winner would emerge. But in terms of musical culture, big city takes small town out behind small town’s very own red barn and gives small town a big city whoopin’. At least until last week, when small town enjoyed a fleeting but momentous musical victory, bestowing upon 300 lucky concertgoers the best show I’ve seen in at least 3 or 4 years.

The band responsible for this life-affirming experience was Bon Iver (though th... read more >

The Context

SG: Having expectations for a show brings up another important factor for a band and the show you are going to see. The context for which you see the band is definitely a big factor in how much you enjoy the show.
Ted: Yeah. I guess it would be important to clarify that so far we’ve been talking about the typical one to three band tour rolling into town. Annual festivals and traveling festivals are different animals. I’ve seen some incredible festival performances, but I think they need their own category. I mean, just thinking about all the factors involved in judging a singular performance within a festival, and then judging the scene of the festival, the vibe, and the performances as a whol... read more >

Perhaps you've read some previous SnowGhost blogs, and you've already made acquaintences with Ted. Most recently I wrote about our exciting adventure to a Bright Eyes show together, and coincidentally, this led us into an even more recent conversation about live shows in general. As you might recall, I was mainly bummed about the sound not being so good, whereas Ted was pissed that the show started early and he missed the opening band. We essentially felt the same about the show overall, despite having totally different criteria and experiences. So we decided to put on our lab-coats, fire up our Bunsen burners, and come up with some kind of equation for what makes a good show. The mathematic equation looks like this:read more >

Ted and I went to see Bright Eyes last weekend. Actually, I went to see Bright Eyes. Ted was there to see the band opening for the opening band, who we missed anyway because Ted had to find a Spike’s so he could have a Junkyard Dog and decide if it was truly the best junk food in the Northeast. Ted insisted that we had time, even though the doors opened at 5. I was pumped when we arrived just in time to see the second opening band finish off their brief set, and Ted was not. He had a mini-tantrum, culminating with this exchange with Piercing Pin Cushion who took our tickets.

TED: You mean to tell me that the show actually started at 6?

PPC: It says so right there on your paper ticket, dude.

(Ted w... read more >

Velvet ropes, wrapping paper, 10-digit price tags, burglar alarms, media coverage, and flashing signs. Sometimes we have to be told that something is special. A child will stare blankly at the work of an impressionist and ask his mother why a painting that looks like something his pre-school buddies collaborated on during recess is special. The child's mother, also staring blankly at the masterpiece, might reply, 'Because it is.'

Sometimes the experience is very personal. Maybe you've just seen a movie that will forever change the way you think about life. You leave the theater and immediately find out that everyone else thought the movie sucked and they can't wait to get the taste out of their mouths. Your companions' ... read more >