Hello friends!

For this weeks blog I have decided to bring your attention to a really great album that I have been listening to a lot lately. It is the album that was released in January of this year by Tyler Ramsey; someone who I had never heard of until a few weeks ago. I was told that he played with Band of Horses and that he also played solo, and was really good live. So I decided to check him out, and boy was I happy I did.

I have been listening to this album on repeat for the past few weeks and I haven’t even come close to getting sick of it. It is just such a nice album to listen to. I find when I listen to this album I’m hearing more than just great music. With the music, there’s this feeling of calm, and happiness. The music sort of makes me feel like everything will turn out okay. I bet your thinking, “what the hell is this weirdo talking about?”. But I hope when you listen to the album you will feel like I do. Or at least feel something. Because what is music good for if it doesn’t make you feel anything?

Enough of my blathering, let me tell you about the album. Ramsey’s music sort of sounds like a cross between Iron & Wine and…well Band of Horses I guess. However, I wouldn’t say he really sounds too much like either. That was just to give you an idea. The album is primarily folk, with some country and blues mixed in. There is also a feeling of being by the sea in parts of the album. It’s as if he wrote some of these songs out in a boat or in a seaside bungalow.

One of the things that really grabs me about Ramsey’s music is his guitar playing. Now I’m not a guitarist myself, but I can tell that this man is a really talented guitarist. Just listen to the outro of the first song on the album, entitled “A Long Dream”, and how it fades seamlessly into the intro of “Ships”. And listen to the instrumental track “Birdwings”, where Ramsey really showcases his talent on the guitar.

This album contains some of the prettiest peaces of folk music I have heard in awhile. The last song on the album “Please Stop Time”, Ramsey sings along with the gentle plucking of his guitar, a story of having to leave the seaside and the one he loves, and how he wishes to postpone this by stopping time. The song ends with the crashing of waves, an ending very fitting for this seaside ballad.

The album isn’t all romantic folk ballads however. The song “Chinese New Year” is a downright country jam. And the song “Once in Your Life” starts out as a love song but then changes drastically. Ramsey begins the song by repeating that “once in your life your meant to find true love” and “I can’t wait for you to call me, I can’t wait another day”. By the end of the song, however, Ramsey is yelling “all I gotta do is get drunk! all I gotta do is get drunk and I’ll forget about you!” It’s nice to see this sort of playful “I just don’t give a shit” attitude emerge, showing that there is more to him than meets the eye.

In the end, you are left with an album that just gets better upon repeated listens. This has definitely been added to my list of top summer albums of 2008.

Take a listen to Ramsey’s excellent cover of Nico’s “These Days”:

Tyler Ramsey - These Days

and here is Ramsey performing “Ships” live:

Ramsey also recently played live on KEXP. To check out that performance click here.

Until next week…

-The Middle Distance Runner

I first discovered the Yellow Bird Project tees about a year and a half ago. I bookmarked the site on my toolbar and vowed to make a purchase with my next paycheck.  Fast-forward a year- I’d forgotten about the site and my resolution until I rediscovered the bookmarked page.  By this time a few more tees were available. I knew if I didn’t buy a tee at that moment I’d keep putting it off.  It’s not hard to justify the purchase, since the charity gets 100% of the profit. The more I thought about the more convinced I was of the cause. I bought two: The Broken Social Scene tee and The National.  I also bought a Rilo Kiley tee for my best friends birthday (they make perfect gifts)! 

When I wear my shirt I feel like I’m making more than just a fashion statement- I feel I’m contributing and bringing awareness to a good cause.  I wear my shirts with pride and in doing so have initiated some pretty rad conversations with people. 

Thank you Yellow Bird Project!

-Ingrid Miller

Festival Season is upon us once again. No matter where you live or what your plans are this summer, it is pretty much guaranteed that there will be a festival in a town near you. So if your thing is running from stage to stage, pushing your way through thousands of sweaty people, running to the port-o-potties between sets, eating shitty food, and seeing most of the bands you love, playing one after another in the open summer air, than this is for you!

These festivals have been going on since May, and some biggies have already gone down, such as the Sasquatch Festival, Bonnaroo and Glastonbury Festival. But have no fear, the best is yet to come. Here is a list of this summer’s top 5 most amazing upcoming festivals. Sadly, I don’t think my hometown’s Osheaga Festival is going to make the cut this year. Oh well!

O2 Wireless Festival - July 3-6 - London, UK

For my friends across the pond, this festival, which kicked off last night, has an unbelievable lineup. Highlights include: Hot Chip, Cool Kids, Annie, Morrisey, Beck, The National, Black Kids, Sea Wolf, Cut Copy, MSTRKRFT, Laura Veirs, Ben Harper, Counting Crows, Kaki King and Jay-Z. I wish I was in London for this. It takes place in Hyde Park, so go check it out.

T in the Park Festival - July 11-13 - Balado, Scotland

I had to mention this festival as well because the lineup is just insane! I don’t understand why we don’t have festivals like this in Canada. For this festival you may not even want to watch the main stages. In my opinion the smaller stages are where the action is at. If you feel like seeing Rage Against the Machine, REM, Kings of Leon, Amy Winehouse, The Verve, The Raconteurs, The Prodigy and Panic at the Disco, then hang around the two main stages. But if you want to see Band of Horses, Animal Collective, Los Campesinos!, The Pogues, Echo and the Bunnymen, Vampire Weekend, The Ting Tings, Annie, Yeasayer, Black Kids, Hot Chip, The National, MGMT and Interpol, then maybe you should hang out at the smaller stages. Wherever you are, you are bound to hear great music. This festival may be the best of the summer.

Pitchfork Music Festival - July 18-20 - Chicago, Illinois

I could go on and on about the festivals in Europe and the UK. It seems that when it comes to summer festivals, that part of the world is where it’s at. But have no fear my fellow North Americans, there are plenty of great(ish) festivals for us to see as well! One of these is the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago. Love them or hate them, you have to admit that Pitchfork has put together quite a lineup. A lineup that includes the likes of: Caribou, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Animal Collective, Vampire Weeekend, Elf Power, Apples in Stereo, Spoon, Spiritualized, M. Ward, Cop Copy, Dodos and The Ruby Suns. I give this festival an 8.36666 on 10.

Lollapalooza - August 1-3 - Chicago, Illinois

It just so happens that Lollapalooza is also in Chicago. I had to mention it because the lineup is just so good. If you live in the US or Canada and you are not already planning a trip to Chicago for Lollapalooza then you should really get on that! If you live in Europe, you have enough amazing festivals so you’re not missing anything. Here are just a few of the many many bands playing Lolla this year: Uffie, The Ting Tings, Dr. Dog, Black Kids, MGMT, Grizzly Bear, Devotchka, Yeasayer, The Go! Team, Rogue Wave, The Kills, Brazilian Girls, Mates of State, CSS, Girl Talk, Okkervile River, Iron & Wine, Explosions in the Sky, Gogol Bordello, The National, Cat Power, Broken Social Scene, Gnarls Barkley, Bloc Party, The Raconteurs, Wilco, Kanye West, Rage Against the Machine, NIN and Radiohead. Wowza!

Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival - August 30 - September 1 - Seattle, Washington

Finally, I had to mention this festival because the lineup looks quite different than most of the other big festivals this summer. Different in a good way. Take a look at some of the artists: Xavier Rudd, Sons & Daughters, The Walkmen, Sondre Lerche, Saul Williams, Tim Finn, Ravens & Chimes, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Minus the Bear, Neko Case, Nada Surf, Man Man, M. Ward, Jakob Dylan, John, Vanderslice, Flobots, Final Fantasy, Dan Deacon, Beck, Blitzen Trapper, Battles, Band of Horses and The Black Keys. Kind of a different and interesting little festival.

So these are my top 5 festivals of the summer. Obviously there are many more great festivals this summer, but after going through a lot of the lineups I’ve chosen these as my tops. If you are traveling around Europe this summer, try to plan accordingly so that you can check out some festivals. For a really comprehensive list you can check out Pitchfork’s list of all the festivals happening around the world this summer. If you have been to any of these or other festivals this summer I’d love to know how your experience was, so please comment!

Until next week…

-The Middle Distance Runner

In our last newsletter we hosted a competition for YBP t-shirt buyers. We asked them to answer one question: ‘What does your YBP t-shirt mean to you’? We chose 5 of our favourite responses, and awarded them with a free t-shirt, designed by Au Revoir Simone.

We had brilliant entries from people all around the globe. Some of them sharp, funny, amusing, and poignant. We were happy to know that people care about their t-shirts, and that our work over here is very much appreciated.

As stipulated, we will be sharing these responses with you on this page. So, we will now begin posting a new entry each week. We will start with this winning entry, by Ian Aleksander Adams:

What does my YBP T-shirt mean to me?

It’s sort of obvious really, it means I can feel good in the clothes I wear. When I first got my Stars designed shirt, the one with the tiger, I admit that I simply loved the design by the Stars, who had recently put on one of the best live shows I’d ever seen. Getting it through the YBP, though, was part of my awakening to world conscious fashion.

I’m not saying that every person who buys a shirt will spiral into eco-terrorism, but thinking about where the money went from my shirt got me thinking about where the money from my other clothing purchases ended up. I realized I wasn’t satisfied with giving money to the same few major companies every time I made a purchase. Around this time, I started really thinking about my clothes. I bought a pair of Adbusters’ Blackspot shoes. I started supporting local artists who screenprinted designs on found and used shirts. Now, almost everything I own is a combination of handmade art, donation friendly clothes, and secondhand clothing. Not only am I comfortable with a wardrobe I feel is reasonably unique, I also know who my money has supported and feel good about it, instead of worrying about bad working conditions or over consumption.

It may not be saving the world, but it’s a step in the right direction, and at least I can feel comfortable in my own clothes while I figure out what I can save. The Yellow Bird Project is part of that; I’m glad the bands we know and love are helping bring people into the fold, and think about what they buy and wear.

Very Best,
Ian Aleksander Adams

Well my friends, summer is upon us and what goes better with beautiful summer weather than music. If you are anything like me, your musical tastes greatly correlate with the circumstances of your life. On dark depressing days you will usually find me listening to music that is mellower or even dreary at times. But when the weather is nice, and the biggest issue of the day is whether to have a red or yellow Popsicle, the music I listen to tends to also be bright and sunny. So here are just a few of the albums that I have been enjoying with the weather. Hopefully there’s a little something for everyone.

The Ditty Bops - Summer Rains

What says summer to you more than these two songbirds, harmonizing the days away, while strumming their acoustic guitars, mandolins, ukuleles and dulcimers. I have been in love with Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald, who are collectively known as the Ditty Bops, ever since I heard “Walk or Ride”, the first song on their debut self titled album in 2004. This, their third studio album, and their first release on their own “Ditty Bops Music” label, is the perfect album for those long hot days of summer. The girls sound as relaxed and carefree as ever and the songs are catchy and sweet. In short, the Ditties we know and love.

Recommended Songs:

Because We Do

-Skinny Bones

The Ditty Bops were also recently featured on KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic”, click here to check out that performance.

Tilly & The Wall - O

What is there to say? It’s new Tilly and the Wall! The tap dancing wonderfulness is back again! The new album, which is apparently entitled O, is very similar to the first two albums, although I find there’s a little more of an edge to this one. Songs like “Pot Kettle Black” and “Too Excited” sound almost even angry, an emotion I’m not used to associating with Tilly and the Wall. Nevertheless, the album is a very enjoyable listen, and perfect for a summer full of tap dance sing alongs.

Recommended Songs:

Cacophony

-Chandelier Lake

Dengue Fever - Venus on Earth

I literally just discovered this band a few days ago. I had no idea who or what they were, I just went out on a limb and it paid off big time! I am loving this album right now. They are a band from Los Angeles, California, and they play a mixture of Cambodian pop music and 60s psychedelic rock. I know, its not like everything else I listen to, but something about it just grabs me. They sound like something that you would hear in a Wes Anderson movie. It may not be for everyone, but give it a chance, hopefully you won’t be disappointed.

Recommended songs:

-Seeing Hands

-Ocean of Venus

Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer

I have never considered myself a big Wolf Parade fan. Every now and then I would listen to a few songs off of their first album and like them, but I never found myself really wanting to listen to them. Their new album, entitled At Mount Zoomer, has changed my mind about them. I can now say that I am officially a Wolf Parade fan. I find myself really wanting to listen to this album. Songs like “California Dreamer” and the epic “Kissing the Beehive” really get me hyped. More hyped than I have ever been about Wolf Parade. So kudos to you Wolf Parade, you have converted me.

Recommended Songs:

Solider’s Grin

-California Dreamer

-Kissing the Beehive

Pomegranates - Everything is Alive

This is another new discovery of mine. I found out about them when I stumbled upon their recent performance on Daytrotter. I immediately fell in love with the songs “In The Kitchen” and “The Bellhop”. Not surprisingly, the rest of the album is good too. The lead singer kind of sounds like a munchkin from Munchkinland, but I like it. It gives the band a kind of Elephant Sixey feel. This is definitely one of my top albums of the summer.

Recommended Songs:

The Bellhop

-Thunder Meadow

This obviously isn’t all I’m listening to, and the list will probably be very different in a week or two, but for now, this is it! I hope you take a listen and enjoy my songs of summer. I’m very curious to see what other people like to listen to at this time of year, so if you don’t mind taking a few seconds, let’s see what you’re listening to. Even if it’s Beach Boys! Besides, what is summer without the Beach Boys?

Until next week…

-The Middle Distance Runner