John Austin - "Get Me There"

Spring is my favorite season, because of the time of renewal, and warm weather, and longer days.  On this first full and unofficial day of spring (because yesterday didn't count, right?), I have a huge treat for all of you!  My kind and immensely talented friend John Austin​ is a singer-songwriter and has several albums that you should all purchase on iTunes right now!

John's songs feel like road trip songs to me, and so I wanted to share this today, when we're thinking about fun times ahead, coming out of our cocoons and traveling and enjoying the world.

John and his lovely wife Erin also have an album they recorded together called Austin Echo.  "Poverty Lines" is my favorite song from that album, and you can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCDCmXz4Qyw.

#YearlongMixtape

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvF1zxrMLfA

Fleetwood Mac – “Gypsy”

Last, but certainly not least, is our sister of the moon, Stevie Nicks.  She is pure magic.  I don’t have one favorite Stevie song, but this one in particular has meant a lot to me for a long time.  She tells a story on this tour about the meaning of the first couple of lines of the song – “So I’m back to the Velvet Underground, back to the floor that I love, to a room with some lace and paper flowers” – about being in a band with Lindsey when they were kids, and a store in San Francisco called the Velvet Underground, where she had a premonition of what her life would be.  And she tells us to never give up on our dreams.

We are often told to go after what we want because life is short, and we may only get one shot.  But this is the 3^rd time in the past couple of months that I’ve heard someone say that life can actually be very long, and a life of regret and a life of regret is torture because it seems to last forever.  So don’t wait anymore.

Here’s a video of the story and the song from a show in Toronto earlier this year.  Stevie’s performance is really beautiful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka8qmVvASnk

“To the gypsy that remains faces freedom with a little fear

I have no fear, I have only love

And if I was a child

And the child was enough

Enough for me to love

Enough to love”

What a blessing it was to finally see them live.  I am changed forever and I’m so glad.  Thanks for sharing Fleetwood Mac Week with me!

#YearlongMixtape

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRx3tUEzdp4&list=RDXRx3tUEzdp4

Patti Smith - "Dancing Barefoot"

On the long list of "songs I only know because U2 covered them" is this gorgeous one by Patti Smith.  First, a link to what might be U2's finest cover, which someone awesomely edited with the Staring At The Sun video: http://youtu.be/FSSAmMwYK4s

And here is Patti's original: http://youtu.be/gcbuG2w0Kzo 

And a bonus: Patti performing the song live with Eddie Vedder and Johnny Depp.  Perfect except for the idiot singing along.  People, if you're gonna watch the concert through your cell phone, please do not sing along and tell your friends to STFU.  

http://youtu.be/HLNyigUDxT8

#YearlongMixtape 

(Also, to be fair, I got into U2 as I was coming out of my only pop/dance/hip hop phase, so I was long overdue for some exposure to all of the great rock I was missing!)