The Butch Walker Mixtape IV and IV.2

Had a doctor's appointment and--COOL--gave away two of the Butch Walker Mixtapes (II and II.2) to the really nice doctor's assistants (Bibi's policy remains:  protect identities of the blameless).  Got to talk Butch up a bit, too, why I liked him--he's not just a pretty face--he's a really talented singer and songwriter, has some GREAT recordings and videos,  AND, he had a great look going for Halloween:

 
Arlo "The Apache" Laine from Inglorious Basterds

'Course, you can't take it away from him--he is a good looking guy!

He shaved as part of his pledge work for Movember; I was a bit off put; I've grown accustomed to his (moustachioed) face. 
Here's the link if you want to make a contribution to this group that works on awareness of male health issues:  Movember

So easy to digress...I spent some time thinking about why Butch's work is so good.  A fan's dream assignment, right?  Listened to cuts from Letters on the way home, pondering.  I'll be honest; of the four cds I have:  The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker, Letters, Sycamore Meadows, and The Spade--Letters is my least favorite. (significant glances around the room)  I know.  Blasphemy! 



Mixtape
 Maybe It's Just me
#1 Summer Jam
Don't Move
Best Thing You Never Had
Race Cars and Goth Rock

Of the 12 songs on the album, these 6 are SO strong, such completely cohesive creations, melding the lyrics, Butch's expressive, wistful, often ethereal, sometimes frustrated voice, instrumental breaks and riffs so effectively, although I sometimes listen to the other songs, I usually end up just listening to these songs again and again.    Maybe It's Just Me--okay, a bit unfair to other songs in existence since this one makes such great use of that keyboard bit from everyone's favorite guilty pleasure song, Brandy, repeated at key points in this song--and then, Butch's liquid voice, in the words of the best sensitive guy-boyfriend ever: Maybe we should be alone forever after/... I can't wait for you to shine/, and THIS phrase: The only thing I'll hold against me is a picture of you tonight.  (Anguished Bon Scott scream here! from Bibi) SUCH a love song.  When I hear it, I can almost forget that the first time I saw the video for it, I realized  it was what must have been the highlight of an Ashton Kutcher movie.
Mixtape has such great stand alone phrases:  You say hello, Inside I'm screaming I love you/ ...
You drive away from my car crash of a heart/...
It crushes my head when you call me your friend/...
You can't hear the pain I feel....
It's love and I'm in it/You gave me the best mixtape I have and even all the bad songs ain't so bad/
Just wish there was so much more than that about me and you/
Whoa. And, if you ever see the version of Mixtape from Butch's dvd, Live at Budokan, the section of the dvd filmed in Atlanta, omg!  He goes full out on this one to unbelievably moving effect.  I've read that he no longer does Mixtape in concert; well, what a loss.  Here's the version from Live at Daryl's House.  Butch does it beautifully and Daryl Hall and his band are way better singers than the fans at Butch's shows (lol)

Mixtape, Live from Daryl's House

#1 Summer Jam:  Great line--Won't you come back Sunday/Every day's a Monday now that you're gone.  We won't go into an explication de texte on the first couple of lines of this song, but those lines alone encapsulate that something about Butch's songwriting--his ability to succinctly and in a musically effective way express a place we've all been for at least one set of ineffably incredible moments in past; whew!

Don't Move:  What an impassioned love song--Listen to me as my hands shake/Cause I want you, I need you/I can't live without you, baby/Baby don't move at all--Butch's delivery is phenomenal.  His voice is so full of hurt, regret, hopeless hope.  Again, to see him sing this one in the Live at Budokan dvd--fab u lous!   Here's a live version from 2009:
Don't Move
The Best Thing You Never Had is an anthem among bitter break up songs and really hits you in a place you thought you'd gotten past a long time ago.  The fans just love to sing along with this one at the concerts to the point that sometimes Butch just plays guitar.  Hopefully, he'll include it on December 30th, though, and I can sing along, too.  Great, gutty delivery song!

Race Cars and Goth Rock:  I've read that some of Butch's work could be classified as emo.  He does seemingly reveal a lot about his personal life experiences in his songs.  That said, rationality indicates that for all his songs about heart wrenching breakups, it's just not possible that there have been so many breakups in his past.  Maybe the few break ups there were have been so imprinted on Butch's psyche that he can revisit those rare occurences and write yet another song about coming in second, not being the one.  Whatever, this one adds his feelings of being the cultural outsider, not so much out of her league, but out of her social network.  And his knowledge that even if the object of his unrquited affection realizes she's mismatched with her current guy, she's not going to leave him.  He views her and that time with a regretful, but distanced eye.  I'm a broken down Camaro overheated but you'll never know you're the one that caused this crash.
Butch's metaphors...so expressive!

This pondering led to the creation of the Butch Walker Mixtape IV and IV.2


Butch Walker Mixtape IV and IV.2


She Likes Hairbands

Maybe It's Just Me

Mixtape

Don't Move

Best Thing You Never Had

Race Cars and Goth Rock

Oooh, Aaah…

Hot Girls in Good Moods

Bethamphetamine

Too Famous to Get Fully Dressed

When Canyons Ruled the City

The Weight of Her

Going Back/Going Home (not available on IV)

Here Come the . . .

Ponce de Leon Ave.

Ships in a Bottle

Passed Your Place, Saw Your Car

Bodegas and Blood

Sweethearts

Synthesizers

Closest Thing to You

Sucker Punched

One day, I will master the technical skills to actually and finally make my Butch Walker Mixtape, but that day's not here yet.

Butch Walker Makes It a Great Wednesday Night After All

The week started great--fall-like weather on Monday evening, was able to drive home with the top down, listening to The Spade (not some crummy mix cd--lol) good and LOUD!  Butch sounds great really loud, btw.  Yesterday, not so autumnal, fighting my way through traffic to get to the homestead, but okay.  The Spade STILL rocked and life seemed cool, enough.  But THIS afternoon, humidity and heat are back AND, oops, forgot about the baby shower tomorrow and the gift I was going to make.  Had the material, had already cut it out, but geez, would have to miss Stitch n Bitch to get it done.  To get past this loss in fun and frolic, which is almost as good as a California night out on motorcyles, first listened to one of The Butch Walker Mixtapes (version unknown) a couple of times and then put in Butch's Live at Budokan dvd--genius!!!  Sewing, singing along, living la vida loca alright...it's what the creative process is all about.  A bit over halfway done, went to the kitchen and, great (sigh), there's a puddle of liquid between the washer and the fridge.  On the continuum between not so bad and really gross, could be the washer and/or fridge needs  to be replaced or the cats had to express themselves (about WHAT??!!??) again this week.  Last week, someone peed on the laptop case that was inadvertently left on the bed.  No explanations, no remorse, not even guilty looks,  just there.  Honestly! Never got to the bottom of that matter.

Since I can't smell anything, the best clean up strategy is?  Are we talking simple mop up or get out the Hazmat gear?   (Hard to get too upset about the whole thing, singing along to Race Cars and Goth Rock), but OK, get a "specimen" of the mystery liquid in a sandwich bag and take it over to Stitch n Bitch for a verdict, right?  Luckily, the next door neighbor, let's just refer to him as A to protect his identity, was taking his evening constitutional (smoking his evening cigarette) on the steps outside, smelled the bag and pronounced it water.   HUGE sigh of relief!  But, the water came from ...?  A is a nice neighbor and it turns out, something of a Home Depot-type, so he came in and checked around, moved the washer, all those kinds of checklist things the house-sensitive kind of person knows.  Glad I had the big flashlight right there next to the washer/dryer so I at least seemed like I was prepared for minor household emergencies.  A thinks it's the washer.  He even went to his apt., checked the common wall between our apts (who knew there was common wall?) and returned to let me know the diagnosis so I could report to the apt management. FYI, that's a loosely applied term, apt management, but really not something blog-worthy. 

Unlike Butch Walker, who got me through what could have been a real drag of an evening.  Both the BWM cd and the Budokan dvd had put me in a more relaxed mood, so the water leak wasn't such a drama.  Looking at this washer problem as a plus:  have never liked that washer; a new one would be great.  AND, once again, Butch's music is a highly recommended analgesic for whatever ails you--totally fantastic, life embracing, gets you out of your funk no matter what, rocking, or breaking yer heart, grabs you out of the blah ordinary and kicks your butt back to what's real!  He made an evening that could have been disastrous--forced to work on a sewing project with dread, deadline looming, missed my weekly copanionship time, annoying nuisance of a household disaster--into something pretty easy to take.  I worked on the baby gift in a very positive spirit, with lots of happy thoughts going into it, got to show it to the Stitch n Bitch crowd and get their approval and admiration--it's a 2-sided flannel coverlet with a hood at one corner, enhanced with a color-coordinated bias edging--and happy thoughts from them toward the upcoming birth.  Made them laugh with the "specimen" idea I had for them to tackle before I ran into A.

 And, got to know my neighbor A a bit more.  Their baby is almost a year old now--haven't finished either of the two gifts I've begun for her.  What a nonentity neighbor I am!

Thanks to good neighbors and to Butch, for providing the needed and appreciated positive vibe!

Rock on, y'all!