"Exactly how this grace thing works . . ."

Music is one of my very favorite things and I have been blessed to see some of my very favorite bands the last few years. Being a rather sentimental creature I like to remember the anniversaries of the most significant gigs and spend some time listening to the music.

Today is 3 years since I was blessed to see Mumford & Sons at the Paramount Theater in Seattle. I can't believe that much time has gone by and I still haven't seen them play live again! Unfortunately I have no idea where my camera card with the show pictures has gone but some lovely people put their videos on YouTube so I can relive the show through them.

At that time M&S only had "Sigh No More" and some EPs out so most of the songs performed were the amazing ones I still listen to practically daily. I say most because they also performed some early versions of songs which later appeared on "Babel."

The always delightful and eccentric King Charles opened the show, followed by Mt. Desolation, composed of members of the band Keane. I confess I usually do not listen to opening bands before I go to shows but enjoyed both immensely.

Then it was time for Mumford & Sons. I really could not believe I was seeing them play live. It was a huge crowd, with those of us on the ground floor standing cozily as close to the stage as possible, and more people up in the balcony. The band had a backdrop or two and two strings of lights going from the sides of the stage to the center of the ceiling, much as they still do now. As you can see in the video below, the lights were used to great effect. When you put on a good show because you are passionate about the music and not just "performing" you don't really need a lot of flash and bangs.

I can't really remember my favorite live song but I do remember how enthusiastic the crowd was in response to the band's joy. It is a great delight to be at a show where the crowd is swaying, dancing, singing, clapping, and participating in the music. I'm very much an introvert but when you listen to such music you cannot help moving along. Marcus Mumford is one of the most Joyful performers I have ever seen. He literally beams it when he plays and the rest of the band participates with such enthusiasm. I wished the show would go on and on.

I still listen to the songs from "Sigh No More" nearly daily. A friend of mine, who is also a fan, and I were talking about their music on Facebook one day and how we can hear their songs over and over without getting bored of them. She likened them to saying prayers such as the Hail Mary over and over. The lyrics are so rich and deep that you always find something new in them and they provide a certain comfort. I have noticed that sometimes I will be listening and a line will hit me in just a certain way and I can't help but get teary-eyed. It's like God is speaking to me. If you have never listened to Mumford & Sons I strongly recommend them. In addition to literary allusions, there is so much Catholic Truth in their music and even the sad parts have hope.

I could go on and on about their music but I'll leave you with one of my favorite songs, performed at the show I attended:

Magpie and the Dandelion

One of my absolute favorite bands (I lovelovelove them), The Avett Brothers, have a new album out today and I'm so very excited! It's called "Magpie and the Dandelion." (Go get it now!) Even though it's been streaming on NPR for about a week I haven't listened to it because I like to wait until album release days, when I finally get my copy (or if it doesn't come in the mail I finally listen to the streaming). I almost gave in yesterday but managed to hold out.

I honestly cannot tell you how much I love this band. The last few years I have been to a lot of great gigs but the best gig I have ever been to was the Avett Brothers, here at Bing Crosby Theater, on 20 July 2010. The perfect-sized venue. The perfect seats (floor, 3rd row, center). A enthusiastic crowd. And the band had as much, if not more, energy at the end of the encore as they did at the beginning of the evening. We were all on our feet dancing, listening, and singing the entire time. My sister hadn't listened to them at all before the show and even she was enthralled.

I have seen them two more times since that show, once at the Gorge Amphitheater in August 2012 and then this August at the Festival at Sandpoint when my cousin texted me that she had two free tickets to their show. My sister and I raced up to Sandpoint and arrived 15 minutes before their set. It was a little miracle, thank you, God.

It is a blessing that we will be seeing them again this Saturday, 5 minutes away from home. This week might as well be called "Avett Brothers Week" for me. I'm almost giddy with delight over the new album AND seeing them live again.

Obviously one can't really know "famous" people unless one knows them but from all I have seen and read the Avett Brothers are wonderful, good men who happen to be Christians. They always seem to be doing some charity thing. Bassist Bob Crawford's two year old daughter was diagnosed with brain cancer and hearing about how they have all reacted to this speaks to what sort of men they are. You only have to listen to the lyrics of their songs to know that. Most of the time they speak of the things we all deal with in life, relationships, mortality, expectations, the words we choose to use, love, hate, hope, everything, in such an intelligent and thought provoking manner. I find them to be a great blessing in my life.

The encore at that first gig was my favorite song, "Laundry Room." They have performed it at every show I have been to and this video almost conveys the enthusiasm and energy. How often do you hear a song these days which says "keep your clothes on"?

Happy listening!

"Whatever our souls are made of . . ."

There are many reasons I love autumn and one is that every October I re-read one of my favorite books, Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. I first read it as a sophomore in high school, and immediately loved it, but didn't begin reading it annually until a couple of years later.

There's something about the change in weather in October, the moodiness of it, the leaves dying and turning colors & the starkness of bare tree branches, the rain & mist & chill, the mercurial nature of the month, which so suits WH that I couldn't possibly read it any other time of the year.

At the high school many of the sophomores still read it, usually in the spring, and it remains one of my favorite books to discuss with them. It seems people tend to have strong reactions to it: love it or hate it, there is no in between. Even students who have graduated often ask if it is time for my reading. I look forward to it with great anticipation every year.

 The difficult decision is which edition of Wuthering Heights to read. I confess: I cannot help buying copies of  it or Pride and Prejudice, two of my three favorite books. If I visit a new bookstore I always look for them on the shelves (what sort of reputable bookstore doesn't carry the Brontes or Austen?). When I travel and find bookstores, such as my favorite in Portland, Powell's, I always spend time visiting the Jane Austen section and the Bronte shelves, and usually purchase a new (to me, at least) copy of one or both. The first time I ever visited Powell's was when I was in Portland for a Bobby Long folk concert and to commemorate my trip I bought WH with this cover (pictured in my photo above) because it so perfectly represented the trip. I often tuck gig tickets, receipts, parking passes, and the like into the books so when I open them I find little pieces of memories. As I only go on these trips a couple of times I really only purchase a couple of copies a year, usually second hand or old, interesting versions. Who knows how many I have?

My favorite is probably the one I bought used as my "lake copy" many years ago, which you can see in my photo. I carried it around in my purse and then my school bag for ages resulting in the cover becoming more tattered than it had been when I got it. A couple of years ago it fell off entirely but I am reluctant to tape it back on and instead carefully hold it or place it in whatever bag I'm using when reading it. I have never written in this one but every time I pick it up I am reminded of conversations I have had about it, places and times I have read it, trips I have taken it on, and how much I love re-reading beloved books. (For an excellent post on this sort of thing, which could have come from my own heart, visit here.)

I have yet to see a film adaptation which properly cast or conveyed the story, unfortunately, though some have got a few of the actors right or parts of the story right. (The only actor I can think of who could be Heathcliff so perfectly is Richard Armitage.) And while I love Kate Bush's song "Wuthering Heights," (my favorite version is Pat Benatar's) what has most exquisitely captured the essence of this novel is "The Enemy," a song written and performed by one of my absolute favorite bands, Mumford and Sons, for the 2011 film. I'm listening to it on repeat as I write this.

 It gives me chills and brings tears to my eyes.

Now, I must be off to light a woodfire-scented candle (in the absence of a fire place), make a pot of hot Yorkshire Harrogate tea, and read more Wuthering Heights.

Do you have any books you always read at a certain time of year?

Cheers! xx