I Sing Because I'm Cranky

If you've ever had to work a customer service job with me then you're probably aware of this fact: I sing. I sing a lot. To myself. Could be anything: folk, pop, jazz, rock, the occasional show tune and, of course, "What's Up?" by 4 Non Blondes. A good many coworkers have expressed annoyance at this habit (which is fair). So lately I've begun to ask myself: why the hell do I do this?

I have no aspirations to be a singing performer, and if you've ever heard my voice you'll know that's a fortunate thing. I don't even sing karaoke, because it's not endearing to me in any way. So why do I act like I'm rehearsing for my summer tour opening for an American Idol runner-up?

I've come up with this hypothesis: I sing to keep myself from going postal.

I've skimmed a few articles about how singing all the time is good for you mentally and emotionally, the equivalence to starting your day with a cup of coffee and all that (my therapist confirmed this study for me this morning). That's comforting, but really you can google any topic and find a hundred articles to support your claim. Although the other day I googled "Is it okay to pour bacon grease down the sink if you run water from the faucet?" and it turns out NO, that is still NOT okay by anyone's standards.

The fact that I work somewhere where Pandora radio plays all the time is probably a good reason why there's always a song in my head. I've actually grown accustomed to hearing "Pumped Up Kicks" on a daily basis. The truth is I have to listen to a good bit of complaints at work, ranging from the temperature in the building to the size of the free cup you get when you get tap water with your lunch. Nothing too awful, really, but after a while you just gotta let loose with a few choruses of "Faith" (covered by Lake Street Dive). It restores your...faith...that not everyone in the world needs to be set on fire.

Sure it's a bit dramatic, but I like to think annoying my coworkers with song will cut down on my annoying them with angry complaints. Ultimately NO OF COURSE IT DOESN'T. I can always find something to complain about and I will. Sometimes the only thing keeping me from rolling my eyes aggressively at customers is to sing "Pirate Jenny" to myself, and imagine being the protagonist in that song who orders the execution of the patrons who were rude to her. See? That's totally healthy.

So am I healthier for singing all the time? Maybe. Am I healthier for eating a salad in bed at 10 PM while watching Teen Wolf? I certainly hope so. But I shall keep singing all the time. Because it's far too late to get diagnosed/medicated for ADD, and because it makes me feel good when I want to be elsewhere. So I'll paraphrase that old hymn:

I sing because I'm cranky
I sing because I'm pissed
My eye is on the time clock
And I can't wait to be done of this

I'll leave you with Mahalia Jackson singing the real version. Keep singing, crabasses!

Find Your Art

Today was a big week if you live in Pittsburgh and have to be downtown. Three Rivers Arts Festival, Pride, Pirate Games, all the theater/comedy events...there's a lot happening. As someone who works two jobs, both downtown, I had a heavier-than-average workload this week. But I've reached the end and I even recall having fun a few times.

On Tuesday I saw the CLO's production of Mary Poppins with my mother as a late Mother's Day Gift (tickets were free; I'm such a cheap-ass). Yes, this isn't the "coolest" thing in the world by a long shot, but I did enjoy some nice childhood nostalgia (if you don't think that movie's great, you're wrong). There was tap-dancing and magic and we saw a woman fly across the stage and nobody died from a harness accident: Happy Mother's Day indeed. (You can read the review here, you probably missed the show at this point).

Wednesday I had some unexpected time between jobs so I went to the park by the Point to hang out. I had a sandwich, a book, a cherry Coke...it was like being in a commercial for Young People Having Fun! Except, of course, I wasn't prepared for the sun and ended up burning my arms and legs as penance for having fun. I wanted a little color, and that color is pink and it itches like a motherfucker.

The book I was reading was Greg Proops' The Smartest Book in the World. I've been slacking on my reading in general, but what little I've read of this so far has been awesome. Proops didn't write an autobiography, which I would've enjoyed anyway, but instead offers up a variety of subjects he thinks people should know about. I already have a list of movies started that he's mentioned in the book, like The Lifeboat and All About Eve. I'm learning words, I'll be learning some about baseball (yay?), and he provides some great quotes, like this:

"You are not required to agree with everything you read. That is submission. But laughing at it and trying to understand something you do not concur with is called being sophisticated."

Greg Proops

Boom.

So let me segue into my own thoughts about music. This weekend was Pride in Pittsburgh, and it sparked a controversy with its selection of outdoor concert artist. They picked Iggy Azalea, an Australian rapper/singer who gets in all sorts of heat for all sorts of reasons. Pittsburgh gays were outraged since Azalea used gay slurs in the past and wasn't a real ally, etc. Honestly I never cared, because I was never going to go anyway. For one thing, it's an outdoor concert in the street that you have to pay money to attend. No thanks.

Also, I have to admit, I really don't like Pride events. I think they're important for the LGBTQ community to know they're not alone and there's nothing wrong with anybody and we should all have the right to be happy. Totally all for that message. But for me personally...it's just so hot outside and there are too many people. I never know what to do. Walk around? Look at the tables of free stuff? That's fine but I couldn't really build an afternoon around that. I'm all for it, I'm just not going. Peace and love, from my apartment.

But onto my point about music: I saw countless articles about Iggy and Pride (she eventually pulled out, they got Nick Jonas, what a treat) and once again felt on the outside of everything. Because I was very excited to see Rhiannon Giddens performing at Arts Fest on Thursday. If you don't know her, she's one of the founding members of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, an all-black Americana group that does incredible work. Giddens has a powerful voice and excellent control over it, covering songs by Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Blu Cantrell's "Hit 'em Up Style", and Odetta. In addition to being excellent musicians, the Drops also aim to educate their audiences on the origins of folk/country music and the roots African American culture has in it. They're one of my favorites.

Rhianon Giddens

This concert reinvigorated me in the middle of my long work week. I sound like such a tool, but live music can really lift up my spirits when it's a great concert and music I dig. This was the ideal outdoor concert for me: the sun went down, the audience remained seated, and it was bluegrass and folk music performed excellently. It is moments like this, with great music surrounded by art, that I think "Damn, music is so important. Art of any kind is so important." I mean I'm a huge grump but a great concert can have me walking on air. The next day I had to work a double and I stayed in high spirits, fueled by the energy the music the night before had put in me.

Whether it's Mary Poppins, Iggy Azalea, opera, bluegrass, comedy, a good book, whatever, there is art out there for everyone. But I don't mean just "fun", which is also important to have. I don't mean "go to a country music concert and get shitfaced" or "go to a dubstep concert and take acid". That's not art hitting you, that's drugs hitting you. Find an art that hits you right in your soul when you're stone sober. I think that's an important thing to find. Your life advice ("But I didn't ask!") for today.

Some Love for Lake Street Dive

Well, well, well what to talk about this week? Last week I tackled some current events and went on a tangent about racism. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I'm craving something a little lighter this weekend. I could talk about the recent Supreme Court ruling but I fear I don't have much more to contribute that hasn't been said by everyone else on the internet (but don't get me wrong, I'm very happy about it).

So I've decided to talk to you about one of my favorite music groups: Lake Street Dive.

Lake Street Dive is a quirky quartet that I first saw a while ago on The Mountain Stage in Morgantown, WV. Usually when I see a Mountain Stage show there is one act whose CD I have to buy after the show, and shortly after Lake Street came on I knew it was going to be them. A few months ago (March, I think) they came to Pittsburgh and I went to see them for a second time at Club Cafe. Let me just say that they never disappoint. [Inside joke to my friend, Jodi, who went with me: "Wow".]

I'm not the best at defining music by genre so I'm going to say that Lake Street is a fun mix of jazz, rock, and pop and leave it at that. Drummer Mike Calabrese keeps the group steady with an amazing energy; he's very fun to watch live. Bridget Kearney plays a mean bass while Mike "McDuck" Olson effortlessly plays guitar and trumpet, depending on the song. Rachael Price is the group vocalist who has a powerful voice that is suited perfectly to the songs.

The band's self-titled album isn't their first, they actually had some beforehand when they were still trying to figure out their sound. But Lake Street Dive is the definitive of who they are now and it was well worth the work they put into it. The songs are all sorts of fun, all of them penned by the band members. My personal favorites on that CD includes the fast-paced "Elijah", the cool "Hello? Goodbye!", and the sort-of ballad "Neighbor Song" (penned by bass player Bridget, which also features her sick bass skills).


Their latest album is an EP called Fun Machine which features six cover songs. I love a good cover and thankfully, Lake Street does some awesome covers. My favorites are George Micahel's "Faith", Hall and Oates' "Rich Girl" and Paul McCartney's "Let Me Roll It".

Their recordings are great, but nothing beats seeing them live. They just have such a fun, positive energy surrounding them. The love and friendship between the group is infectious, quickly making an entire room full of strangers feel like they're among old friends. Their songs are fun and clever without seeming stupid or cheesy. They don't get overly political or preachy with their tunes; it's simply great music.

Another awesome thing I can't quit is their youtube videos. Most of them feature the group in very intimate settings. There's a video of them singing "Elijah" on a front porch, while the above "Faith" video was filmed on a sidewalk. They have no problem performing with the bare minimum: a bass, a drum, and a trumpet is all the more they need to blow your mind. It's a refreshing change (at least for me) from music that features a lot of synthesizers and hullabaloo, like the musical guests you see on Saturday Night Live. I'd rather have ten Lake Street Dives than one Kanye West any day.

So what's next for LSD? And do you think their band name is a subtle drug reference? I guess it's possible, I don't know their lives. They don't seem like the kind of people that would be doing LSD but I guess you never know. I digress. At their Pittsburgh show they mentioned working on a third album and played a few songs from it (which, of course, sound great). In the meantime I keep looking for new videos of them breathing life into songs by ABBA or Fleetwood Mac. Such a terrific group.

I'll leave you the same way Lake Street Dive left Pittsburgh: with a balls-to-the-wall playing of their song "Got Me Fooled" that they like to use as an encore. Thanks for reading, I hope you guys will check out the fabulousness that is Lake Street Dive. And no, I don't work for them or anything. I'm just trying to spread some love.