11 Beauty and Rock and Roll

Yesterday we had the AMAZING opportunity to see Sir Elton John in concert.

No cameras were allowed (which means you only get to hold your smartphone up and record the entire show, apparently...), so I've only got my good-times and memories, neither of which can be posted on the blog. 

Let's just say that even the songs I'm not crazy about ("Benny and the Jets", "Honky Cat") sounded great. The songs that actually got the Brits out of their seats? (Yes, the majority of the audience spent the better part firmly seated.) "I'm Still Standing" and "The Bitch is Back."

My biggest smiles? My absolute favorite by him, "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" and his encore, "Your Song." If only Ewan McGegor had come onstage for a duet!

Sadly, he didn't sing "I Want Love" (another big favorite of mine), but maybe this was good, since I can't hear that song without wanting a little RDJ!

Anyway, since I have no original images/footage, I'll just assume you're familiar with EJ and none of you crawled out from under a rock this morning.

BUT.

Two handsome young men who charmed us prior to the unofficial king of Britain coming onstage might not be as familiar to you.

2Cellos, made up of classically trained cellists Luka Sulić and Stjepan Hauser,

two talented musicians who have a new take on some songs you probably all know by heart.

I'll let you hear a couple for yourself.

These guys have an album out, which I've already ordered. 

I highly encourage you to give them a listen- there are lots of other Youtube videos of them,

(and hey, why not have a look while you listen? (ahem))

I think their rendition of "Fields of Gold" is absolutely enchanting.

Have any new artists blown you off your feet lately?

5 Homesickness + Nostalgia= Suckerpunch to the Heart

Today has been the definition of dreary. 

The only fluctuation in the weather has been the amount of rain currently falling;

we've had drizzle and typhoon-like amounts in intervals.

I've been working on pictures from our Amsterdam trip,

which was also mostly grey skies and drizzle.

I ran a couple of errands and even took the dogs out- although only for a little over a mile,

because drenched and miserable Max and I outvoted insane and giddy Sloan.

I've been cuddling my babies, giving out lots of scratches and rub-downs,

since I always feel guilty after we go on a trip.

(despite their petsitter being excellent and them adoring her...)

Anyway.

I was listening to my iTunes as I worked.

A playlist I call "the Attic."

Eddie's Attic is a music venue in Decatur, my hometown.  Just before my 18th birthday I applied for a job there- any job.  During my interview, Eddie (who'd already called my mom to make sure she knew her 17 year old daughter was applying for a job at a BAR- gotta love the South!) asked me why I wanted to work there.  I told him, simply, that I couldn't afford to keep buying tickets to the shows I wanted to see, and if I worked there, I'd get to see them for free.  

He hired me as a waitress and barback.

Eddie's Attic was where I learned what top shelf meant, where I discovered that showing up early to help stock the bar meant I got to listen in on sound checks, where I truly learned to lose my soul to a good bass line (thank you, David LaBruyere).  

It has become a representation of a pivotal time in my life- when I learned that rebelling from my Mom didn't have to mean disrespecting her, when I discovered that being in my own company was actually a good time, and where I learned that no matter how exhausted I was, washing my face (and, depending on the audience's smoking, my hair) was imperative before going to bed.

My employment there was short lived, since after I left for college the drive back (1 1/4 hours away) on weekends got old, plus the Attic changed ownership...

but it's still one of *my* places. 

Not only does the Attic represent freedom- my first "real" (non-babysitting, non-volunteer) job,

it also makes me immediately flash back to getting an artist's new cd,

putting it in my Jeep,

and driving around Atlanta with the top off,

soaking up either sun or city lights, depending on the time of day.

My Jeep, Jack, is currently living at Paul's parents', as we decided he's a little too old ('89) and rust-susceptible to have made the journey across the Atlantic. 

I'll admit, both times I've been back to the States,

I've looked forward to driving him as much as I've looked forward to Chinese food, sunshine, and family (uhhh... not necessarily in that order... sure).

Anyway.

This whole rambling

(you're getting more appreciative of my photo-heavy posts now, aren't you?)

is just my way of saying thank you to Josh Joplin, Matthew Kahler, Shawn Mullins, Angie Aparo, early John Mayer, and the Indigo Girls. 

Thank you for being the soundtrack to my nostalgic happy place.

Sweetest statues ever, in front of the Dekalb County Court House.