August 31, 2004
now that i've disappeared
8/31/04
While I was at Steve and Deb's wedding the other night, the band played a version of Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why," which was her breakout hit a few years back. Everyone on earth knew the song, but for some reason it had slipped through my cultural floorboards, and I heard the whole thing for the first time.
I was immediately struck by how beautiful it was, and how much it reminded me of this other band I loved called Once Blue, a little poppy-jazz ensemble who put out a CD that three people in American owned: me, Charlotte Walton and Carla Utrie. God knows I have a very soft spot for old-fashioned song structure and twee melodies, but Once Blue's CD is so gorgeous in so many ways that I couldn't believe it wasn't a national bestseller.
Rebecca Martin
Rebecca Martin was the lead singer of Once Blue, and nothing I can write on this blog comes close to the sexy, breathy, confusingly otherworldy way she has with a song. Jesse Harris was her collaborator, and they created these little vignettes that can turn an ordinary road trip into a seascape of different happinesses.
So I was doing a little research on Norah's hit "Don't Know Why," and turns out it was written by Jesse Harris. Which is absolutely great for Jesse, to labor that long (14 years in the business) and finally get a Grammy and the royalties so he can retire, and his grandkids probably never need to work if he invests wisely.
But what of Rebecca Martin? It is proof that the music business is totally arbitrary – there's absolutely no reason she couldn't have been Norah Jones. That's no knock against Norah, who seems very sweet (and Erin says she's cool), but her career could have easily happened to Rebecca, with whom Jesse had arguably better songs.
Well, I'll do what I can – if you're interested, go to Rebecca's site, listen to some of the songs, and buy the remastered "Once Blue" album, along with her new one. It's a delicious elixir in this presently-cruel world.
Posted by irw at August 31, 2004 11:13 PMIan, I thought the EXACT SAME THING when I first heard Norah Jones. It was killing me and I couldn't put my finger on why NJ sounded so familiar. Then I discovered the Jesse Harris connection and it all made sense. Then I felt kind of sad and sick inside.
I think when Once Blue came out, it wasn't the trend that was happening at the time. People were too busy listening to Smashmouth and Third Eye Blind. No one was interested in promoting that kind of sound.
Rebecca also didn't have Ravi Shankar and Quincy Jones on her side.
And Erin must have caught Norah Jones on a good day (or maybe I caught her on a bad one) because when I saw her screaming and yelling "What the F*ck are you doing, asshole?" to a Radio DJ friend of mine when he was introducing her onstage (when her management approved it), I wasn't impressed with her sweetness.
Jesse Harris has been gigging all over the place lately. I saw him at that benefit show at St. John the Divine playing with Conor Oberst, and I think I heard that they were playing around a lot together.
Also, I think he just put out a record with a backing band a few months ago.
I'm intrigued about this Once Blue band, I just hope they're not the red herring that that "Brandy" band turned out to be. Blech.
Listen, the arts are nice for a hobby and all, but let's get back to what's important: bashing Republicans and talking hoops. Here's a nice combo meal for ya:
'The Philadelphia Daily News reported last week that Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry met with members of "Coaches for Kerry" during a campaign stop in Philadelphia. Former Temple and NBA coach Don Casey is the the groups national chairman. The article noted that Dean Smith, "a personal friend of vice presidential nominee John Edwards, also is a "Coaches for Kerry" driving force.'
AUX BARRICADES! 4 Corners For Truth!
Saw NJ in atlanta in Aug. She was pretty decent live, but the guy who opened had 10% of the talent of the JPL guy from this last American Idol, gruelling sound, and then she barely played 85 min. If I'm shelling out $$$, you owe me 2 hours.
Okay, but the point is, good blurb from Lindsay, one more reason to love Dean, while K is smootching Dick and Bush. Isn't it strange the parallel that exists for K and W? It's W's arrogant policy and actions that continue to alienate us from the rest of the world, and why so many more now hate the U.S. Just like K's arrogant personality and coaching style allow so many of us to loathe Dook. Yeah, people hated Carolina, but mostly just because we won rather than because we were led by a shady jerk who's "in it for the relationships."
and, Ian, if you're needing any add'l reasons for having a kid...check out the threads you could pick up for the young'un. we'll be using the last one this weekend at the one football game we might win this year:
Oh my god, Shannon, that is awesome. If we are lucky enough to squeeze out some yard monsters, I told Tessa we were only allowed to get second-hand clothes and the rest would be Tar Heel Wear. She wasn't entirely amused.
once blue was an incredible and-its a crime and a sin they didn't become bigger. rebecca is an awesome songwriter-check out "people behave like ballads"