instrumental music

i originally enrolled at the university of wisconsin for music performance.  i had a violin scholarship and felt confident that i'd done the right thing.  by mid-freshman year i had changed my mind about one thing.  i didn't want to perform for a living, but i also didn't want to leave music behind.  not ever.  i switched to music ed. and haven't turned back since.

there's something really special to me about people making music together.  i haven't found that same feeling anywhere else.  i've played sports (really poorly), i've taught non-performing music classes, and nothing comes close.  i can't say that my students at the middle school are achieving the feeling that adult musicians who have been playing forever feel, but they have to try at least.  this thursday they have a concert.  they'll have to try.

so many bands don't need to do it anymore.  god bless les paul and all of his fabulous inventions, but with multi-track recording came the tendency to separate a group's musicians in order to achieve perfection.  i have a lot of admiration for bands who still try to play all together in the studio. 

one of my favorite ways to find this feeling (other than playing live with other musicians myself) is through "live in the studio" clips that i find.  you get the live effect without the screaming girls.  i don't know why people scream at concerts.  all i ever want to do is stand and absorb everything like a sponge.  but i suppose the screamers paid the same kind of money that i did.  i suppose they have a right.

anyway, here are a few studio clips i enjoy.



death cab in the studio performing brothers on the a hotel bed






margot & the nuclear so and sos live on pctv performing jolene, we almost never met

old crow medicine show

i rehearsed on fiddle with the bar tab band on monday night.  as i get to know their style a little more, i'm really starting to dig it.  lots of alt country and jam band music.  we played for a few hours while a big black dog and a tiny cat wandered through the house. 

they wanted me to hear the recorded fiddle part for this number, "wagon wheel" by old crow medicine show, which i hadn't heard before.  we cued it up on youtube. 

and the video turned out to be really fun and entertaining.  it's not a perfect video, in fact it'll cut off a second early at the end.  still, i think you'll enjoy it.   



p.s. come see the bar tab band play on saturday at st. brendan's in green bay.  10pm.

yankee hotel foxtrot

behold - a samsonite carry on. a little over one dollar from the thrift store.

it's in good shape. i'm going to embroider something fun onto it with yarn

and use it either for a camera bag or a work bag or something of the sort.

for valentine's day this year, i bought will some really sweet tee shirts, but i also spent a couple of weeks making him a book called 10 things i love about you, which was inspired by elsie of a beautiful mess.

i've posted parts of it.  enjoy.

from the exclusive company today:

i've always enjoyed wilco, but i also chose this album because of its chicago references.  notice the "corncobs" on the front cover.  these are parking towers downtown that are called something other than corncobs, but, like many other chicago landmarks, it was best known by its nickname.  on the back cover and inside i found pictures of the skyline, michigan avenue and the lake.

we've listened to it twice already.  it's amazing.

tomorrow evening i'm practicing with the bar tab band in preparation for a gig on saturday the 20th at st. brendan's in green bay.  if you're reading and you live in the area you should come.  i'm really looking forward to it. 

cheers. molly

record player

the robinsons are now the proud owners of a record player.  yes.

thank you will for the beautiful idea.  and thank you mom and dad for helping to be sure the process was done right, because you know this stuff.  i remember when my dad used to spend hours standing over a used, broken vcr with a screwdriver until it was a functioning machine.  he spent time today hooking up my record player.  he made sure there was a good receiver and excellent speakers.  and what better library to rent from than the levine's house? 

today, from the library, we're enjoying sly and the family stone, early elton john, zeppelin II, let it be, and the best of john prine.  from our own scratchy thrift store collection we have johnny cash at san quentin, carole king's tapestry, gershwin (an american in paris, porgy and bess, rapsody in blue), and cat stevens' tea for the tillerman.

gorgeous.  music the way it was meant to be heard.

saturday and music

i use pandora a lot.  will & i listen while we eat dinner, i listen at work in my office while i eat my lean cuisines and enter grades into parent portal.  i played "yo yo ma radio" while parents trickled in to see me during conferenes.  we played it when will's younger brother and sister came over (our station of choice: "new shoes" radio.  very kid friendly.) 

here are some of my stations.

death cab for cutie radio
amos lee radio
thievery corporation radio
blind melon radio
bob marley radio
atmosphere radio
sigur ros radio
sufjan stevens radio
spoon radio
of montreal radio
decemberists radio

sigur ros

the decemberists

amos lee

of montreal